HiE - A Hollow in Equestria

by Charlie_K

Rating: teen
Tags: Other, Discord, Violence, Princess Celestia, Slice of Life, Crossover, Dark, Alternate Universe, Human, Main 6, Princess Luna, Gore, Bleach, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 1247958

Ulquiorra Cifer resigned himself to his fate of death. What he didn't count on was the spirit of chaos finding and taking interest in his case

Featured on May 14, 2013. And again on November 29, 2014 more times than I can count thanks to you guys.

Now with our own TVtropes page! Help us catalog the awesomeness.

Holy crap we've got a trailer too!
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIguvceYEiY]

MLP:FIM is the property of Lauren Faust
Bleach is the property of Tite Kubo

Plot aspects for chapter thirty six onward contributed and improved by Ketvirtas and Alondro
Chapters 0-88 proofread by xbox432
Chapters 89-onward proofread by LyonAzakura
Partially inspired by Dirty Bit's story Cuatro
Further inspired by Christopher28's story A Different Viewpoint of Equestria
Further inspired by Trinary story Friendship is Empathy
Random plot elements inspired by SwimmingDalek98 and Phoenix Archangel
Story structure and pacing inspired by Tite Kubo

Ulquiorra Cifer was defeated at the hands of a mere human and died in Las Noches. Or at least that's what he thought. In the boundary that separates life and death for all Hollows, he's found by one that finds him interesting enough to give a second chance at life free from Aizen's control, and free to do as he pleases; he was just never told that his second chance of life would take him to an alternate world he never could've imagined even if he tried.

The land of Equestria is a magical place full of hope, and second chances. In this land where friendship is considered the most powerful magic in existence, can the Cuatro Espada find something that's been missing and learn how to live? Or will his presence be the downfall of the peaceful world and all of its inhabitants?

Published 2013-05-13 20:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2025-01-01 04:43:20 UTC

Chapter One

Chapter One

Under normal circumstances, sleep was something easy for Princess Celestia to achieve, and even easier to maintain. Despite not needing sleep in order to survive, it was still wonderful to indulge in at the end of each day. For a few blissful hours she was completely free of the daily stresses she was forced to endure, allowed to indulge in her daily fantasies and desires, all in the comfort of her own bed. It was blissful, it was serene, it was beautiful.

These, however, were not normal circumstances.

On this night, sleep had proved itself to be rather elusive to her. Getting to sleep was difficult, and actually staying asleep was even moreso. Her rest wasn't at all restful, as her mind continued to wander back to the same subject of her discomfort; Ulquiorra Cifer. What she had seen in the Arrancar's mind had disturbed her deeply, and left her shaken all the way to her magical core. His presence was contradictory to everything, and left her with great concerns over the safety of her kingdom, and everyone in it. He'd even managed to invade her dreams, haunting her unconscious mind with what she'd seen of Hueco Mundo, of the battle he had engaged in with the strange bipedal being "Ichigo Kurosaki" with the bright orange mane, in the name of protecting Las Noches at all costs in order to comply with his orders. And that terrible, terrible emptiness that just seemed to radiate off of him. His empty, soulless eyes were piercing through what she saw, their unwavering glare present through the images like two suns hanging high in the sky. How had Luna seen sadness in them?

In the end she realized that it was futile to continue laying about, and simply got up much earlier than she cared for, her sister's moon still hanging high in the sky. She was far less rested than she wanted to be, but in all truth she was far more rested than she actually needed to be, for carrying out her daily royal duties. After grooming herself, and applying the royal adornments, she left her chambers and made her way to the throne room.

Much to her surprise, everything appeared to be fine. There were no signs of damage to the palace walls, no bodies or blood to be seen on the floor or smeared on the walls. It was almost enough to make her doubt her previous concerns about the Hollow; almost. She doubted that she'd ever rest easy around him, after seeing what she'd seen, and feeling what she felt.

"Thou be up quite early, dear sister, art thou unwell?"

Celestia looked over at Luna sitting atop her throne looking quite well, if slightly concerned. At the foot of the stairs were two of her sinister looking shadow guard members. Standing off to the side near the far wall was Ulquiorra, currently engrossed in a book, and a sizable stack of others books next to him. How long had he been reading?

"Sister?"

"I'm sorry, Luna, I was distracted," Celestia replied and shook her head to clear her thoughts. "I'm alright, I just couldn't rest properly is all."

"If thou say so," Luna muttered. "Regardless 'tis good to see you. We have been learning much about Ulquiorra Cifer during the night. He art a most prodigious reader! We dare say even thou most precious student, Twilight Sparkle, could not hope to keep pace with him."

"Really now?" Celestia asked in a curious manner as she eyed Ulquiorra once again, looking as prim and proper as ever, one hoof stored in his pocket as he continued reading without regard to their presence. "How many books has he read, and how long has he been reading?"

"Seventeen since thou retired last evening. Wouldst be more, but inbetween we hath been engaged in the most interesting of conversations together," Luna stated.

Luna's statement seemed hard to believe. Ulquiorra was the quiet and aloof type from what she could see, and she knew quite well just how much her sister loved to talk when motivated by something. She couldn't help but imagine the idea of a conversation being entirely one-sided in nature, with the Arrancar serving no other purpose than playing a brick wall with a face painted on it, while her sister assaulted him with whatever topic of conversation came to her mind.

"And what've you two been talking about while I've been sleeping? You didn't keep him up all night did you?" Celestia asked. She knew how much her little sister enjoyed having someone to talk to, and truly wouldn't put it past her to have ordered the guards to prevent him from leaving if she were desperate enough for a conversation.

Not that she'd ever been in the habit of doing such. At least not as far as she was aware.

"Most certainly not! 'Tis truly amazing about Ulquiorra Cifer, he is devoid of a need to sleep just as he is to eat. And we have learned so much in our time together!" Luna stated, her voice bordering on royal Canterlot territory. "Didst thou know the realm of Hueco Mundo experiences eternal night? Or that Hollows are eternal just as we ourselves are?"

It was far too early for this. If Luna were anymore excited, she'd be bouncing like Pinkie Pie right now, and shaking the palace with the force of each impact. She truly couldn't imagine just how excited Luna was at finding someone else that was awake to experience night to its fullest. It was a concept she had, unfortunately, allowed herself to take for granted.

However at the moment, her mind was elsewhere on something her sister had just said.

"But I thought he said the Shinigami kill Hollows. How can Hollows die if they're immortal?" Celestia asked curiously.

"Being eternal doesn't mean being beyond the grips of death. Hollows don't grow old and die like other living beings, but they can still be killed. Nothing can truly live forever," Ulquiorra spoke up for the first time since Celestia's arrival, before gently snapping his current book shut. "Whether or not you and your sister abide by that standard, is neither of my concern, nor of my interest."

"And good morning to you too, Ulquiorra," Celestia replied in a semi-sarcastic manner. "Have your studies been educational?"

"Inconclusive would be more appropriate. Despite Princess Luna suggesting the present texts, there appear to be many gaps in the available information between now, and the time predating the founding of Equestria. The laws and customs of the "Saddle Arabia" nation are ridiculous at best. References to the "crystal empire" turn up nothing of use. And the lack of recorded large-scale violent conflicts after the implementation of your benevolent reign is hard to accept as truth. Further reading will be necessary if anything of relevance is to be gathered."

"I apologize if our royal library isn't up to your standards of quality," Celestia replied sarcastically. Ulquiorra barely glanced at her. "You're free to read every book in the unrestricted sections as you please. But I believe you'll find that Equestria really is as it appears to be."

"That remains to be proven," Ulquiorra commented before setting the book down on top of the pile, and picking up the entire stack with great ease. Without a word he proceeded to leave the throne room, Luna's two sentries following close behind.

It was far too early in the day for this; the day hadn't even started yet, and already she was feeling a migraine beginning to brew. Ulquiorra was proving to be every bit as callous and unapologetic as she'd seen... but so far he at least seemed capable of understanding the situation, and the orders he was under. He was still present, nopony had been hurt as far as she could see, and he hadn't tried to gain entry to the restricted sections of the library; even if he could get past the locked doors, the intruder detection charms on the doorways would've alerted her to his presence, and she'd be on him in a heartbeat via teleportation. The fact that they didn't sound even once during the night, was at least some small measure of comfort to her right now.

"Thou seems... uneasy dear sister. 'Tis something wrong?" Luna asked hesitantly as she disembarked the throne and cautiously approached down the stairs.

"I'm not quite certain," Celestia said in a low tone as she watched until the Arrancar was no longer in her line of sight. "Something about him leaves me... disturbed. Did he do anything last night that seemed strange to you? Something that might be grounds for concern?"

"He is passively rude and unfazed by what he doth encounter, aloof and with no display of emotions. And a fair degree of his dialect doth strike us as quite odd. But we saw nothing to suggest concern was necessary. Not once did he try and venture into the restricted sections of the library, nor display any show of force. T'would seem he is working to accept his place in our world, and under our rule," Luna replied before looking her sister in the eyes. "Tell us dear sister, what doth bother thee so much? Dost thou know something about Ulquiorra Cifer that we do not?" she asked.

Celestia didn't want to lie to her sister. But she also didn't want to share with her the horrible details she'd learned about the Hollow society, all thanks to the actions of Discord. The brutality of life in Hueco Mundo was not something the world of Equestria should ever have to experience itself. How could she tell her sister about what she'd seen without seeming prejudicial, after all the other individuals she'd given second chances to who'd proven themselves worthy of her generosity, patience, and understanding? She'd seen the potential of good in Discord of all ponies, despite everything they both knew about what he'd done to their fair land.

"Perhaps it's just the fact that he absorbs the mana from the air for sustenance. I experience a chilly feeling in his presence, and it's unnerving," she finally stated, deciding to take the simple way out. It wasn't exactly a lie, since it was still something noticeable. "His lack of emotions is also unsettling."

Another concern that stuck out in her mind, that she had the time to consider during her restless night, was the fact that Discord had crossed dimensional boundaries to bring Ulquiorra to them. Different dimensions had different rules of reality and physics. There was no telling what Ulquiorra's presence in their world could result in. It was possible that he would be in danger, but it was equally possible that their world would be in danger as a result of the conflicting rules of physics battling against one another for dominance.

There was another concern that left her even more disturbed and uneasy. What if Discord's actions had the unintended consequences of establishing a sort of gateway between their two dimensions, and other Hollows were now able to cross over and invade Equestria? Ulquiorra had commented on how her guards qualified as having an above average level of "reiryoku" as he referred to it, what if the rest of the ponies under her watch did as well? Could they all be facing the threat of having their souls devoured? She couldn't help but shiver at that thought.

Making matters all the worse, was that there was nothing she could do to stop that from occurring if it was a possibility.

"Art thou still cold from Ulquiorra Cifer's presence, dear sister?" Luna asked in a concerned manner.

"It's alright, I'm fine," Celestia lied as she did her best to smile at her little sister. She couldn't tell her about this. Not yet anyway. "I know it's still rather early, but at the moment I'm feeling rather hungry. Would you care to join me for breakfast now, instead of waiting for the usual time?"

"Hmm..." Luna paused in thought. "We are feeling somewhat peckish. We supposed it could not hurt to grab an early supper to see us through the rest of the night, until it is time for thou to take over," she said and nodded eagerly.

"Excellent. I'll see if I can get the kitchen staff motivated to start early today."

Getting the books back in their original place wasn't the easiest of tasks, due to them having come from higher up shelves, meaning he had to rely on his air walking abilities to get them properly reorganized before he went back to his researching.

Unfortunately, whether the library was organized or not, all of his selections of books were proving to be of little value. There were many things that simply didn't add up. The history of Equestria in general, and the reign of Princess Celestia specifically, were far too peaceful to seem believable. The concept of such extensive peace went against the very basics of Hollow nature. He could spend days reading, and he doubted he'd be able to learn anything useful.

The interruptions didn't help either. The changing of the guards did nothing to disturb his attempts at research. Despite the differences in their reiatsu, they were low enough to not be of interest. The other one however...

"I am as aware of your presence currently, Princess Celestia, just as I was aware of Princess Luna last night. For what purpose do you attempt to conceal yourself?"

"Is my presence really that noticeable?" Celestia asked as she stepped out into the open.

Breakfast had been as pleasant as could be expected under the current circumstances, certainly delicious and all, but regardless she couldn't turn her mind off and stop worrying. Trying to wear the mask of everything being alright when it wasn't, proved to be difficult even with her thousand years of experience on the matter. And especially under these circumstances.

The moment her sister retired for the day, she set out to locate their guest and gain answers to the many questions she had. When she'd found him, she simply observed him as he read in silence. However he seemed to be expecting her, and was quick to call her out.

"Indeed," Ulquiorra replied and closed the book, dissatisfied with the information it held. "What of your royal duties? Surely you have more important things to do than verify for yourself that I'm abiding by the terms you have laid down as ruler."

"I'm actually tending to them right now. I have a number of concerns at the moment, and as ruler of Equestria, I need to ensure the wellbeing of my subjects at all costs," Celestia explained.

"Am I correct to assume you have doubts concerning my loyalty to you, based on the images you saw last night?" Ulquiorra asked.

"You're quite observant," Celestia replied and nodded as she steeped closer to him. "I need to know that Equestria won't be endangered by your presence. There's never been a Hollow in this world before, and even though you act civilized, that doesn't mean anything. Discord proved to be civilized, but still highly destructive until he was reformed. I need to know about what I saw last night, about your loyalty."

Ulquiorra said nothing as he placed the book back on the shelf before turning to face Celestia, his hands going into his pockets. He didn't blame her for her suspicions. But he would certainly have doubts if she had just blindly accepted him. "The individual Sosuke Aizen who assumed rule over Hueco Mundo, was a Shinigami who turned against his own order to spark a rebellion. When he came to Hueco Mundo, his nature was instantly detected, and responded to accordingly. Many Hollows died as a result of attempting to attack him and his two fellow Shinigami traitors; Ichimaru Gin and Kaname Tosen. After usurping the previous rule of Hueco Mundo and Las Noches, the Vasto Lorde, Baraggan Louisenbairn, Aizen assembled the ten strongest Arrancar to form the Espada, myself included," he explained, giving a cursory history of events that transpired. "Despite knowing of Aizen's nature as the mortal enemy of my species, I chose to serve him faithfully, carrying out whatever order he may issue regardless of what it may be. Despite being a Shinigami, he was my ruler, and I had no choice but to obey. His last order to me before he departed was to protect Las Noches against harm. Despite my best attempts, I was unable to fulfill this order. The rest you know."

She was a little surprised to hear that the Aizen Ulquiorra had faithfully served was his very enemy, and even moreso that he made the conscious decision to continue serving him, despite knowing full well what he was getting himself into. She knew that he was loyal to an extent but never to that extent. Loyally serving the pony -or whatever Aizen was- despite knowing that at any moment he could end his existence. It was rather a terrifying concept. Perhaps even more terrifying was how Ulquiorra could so freely talk about the subject without growing visibly upset. He was very, very collected.

"Did you ever try and usurp this Aizen?" Celestia asked.

"Never. It was not my place to question he who was in charge, regardless of how I felt or what I believed," Ulquiorra stated.

"And how did you feel about serving Aizen despite knowing he was your enemy?" Celestia asked.

"Feelings are of no importance, and opinions are often irrelevant. We had our orders, and those of us that were loyal to Aizen carried them out dutifully, regardless of what might happen to us. It was our purpose to put our lives on the line for him so that he might achieve his goals."

She was silent for a long time after hearing that. This Aizen expected those below him to act as sacrificial pawns of their own free will? Her silence must've stretched longer than she'd intended, as Ulquiorra went back to reading his current book.

"... For what it's worth, I'm sorry for what you had to go through in Hueco Mundo. I can promise you that nothing like that will happen in Equestria. I would never ask my subjects to do something that I wasn't fully prepared to do myself," Celestia replied. "If there's anything I can do for you in order to help..."

"In your long rule you have gained extensive personal knowledge, correct?" he asked. Celestia nodded. "Perhaps you can elaborate on the intangible concept of the heart and explain what it is. Numerous times a woman in my world referred to this concept with regard to her friends, and their blatantly illogical actions and decisions. Despite overwhelming odds and opposition, they refused to admit that there was no hope for them. Despite being confronted with the overwhelming strength of the Espada, they refused to give up. They chose to maintain the belief that victory was a possibility for them," Ulquiorra explained, keeping an even tone despite what he was describing, and how its lack of logic confused him to no end. "Are you able to explain this illogical concept, and why it is considered so important?"

She was a little surprised that, out of everything Ulquiorra would or could be asking her, he'd settle on matters related to the heart. His obsession with wars in their history had lead her to believe he'd be asking something else entirely. Unfortunately this wasn't any easier for her.

"I'm afraid I can't give an explanation that will make sense in terms of basic logic, because the heart in this matter isn't logical by nature. It's like trying to describe friendship is scientific terms. It's something that has to be experienced, rather than studied in an academic sense," Celestia replied. Ulquiorra didn't appear convinced. But then again it was hard to saw for certain. "Over the centuries, there've been a great many scholars who've attempted to explain the condition of the heart, and how it drives us to do things our brains tell us are illogical. Because of our hearts, we do things we normally wouldn't do because it feels right; or simply because it feels wrong to not act in such a manner. It's... very complicated."

"So it would appear," Ulquiorra replied as he went back to scanning the pages of the book in his hands.

"... Are there any other questions I can answer?" Celestia asked.

"It wouldn't be logical to conclude that my confinement to the Canterlot palace will be permanent in nature, especially since you've said matters of friendship and the heart must be experienced in person to be properly understood. At what point in time do you believe I'll be deemed fit to interact with the rest of your subjects that lay beyond the palace grounds?"

"... I'm afraid I don't have a definite time frame for that just yet. I'll have to give the matter some thought, before I have an answer for you," Celestia replied. "In the meantime, I'll need to get back to the throne room shortly. The Day Court waits for nopony, and the nobles are quite incessant on being seen about their demands."

"I take it you don't banish those that are annoying to the moon to serve as a warning for others to not cross you?"

"... Luna told you about that?" Celestia asked.

"She did."

"Our sister doth have a big mouth," Celestia thought to herself and frowned. But before she could even get a word of explanation out Ulquiorra continued.

"Based on the information presented, you made the most logical decision that your heart would allow under the circumstances. The fact she is back and co-ruling the kingdom so freely, would suggest it was the correct decision to make."

Had he just...did he really... was he...

Her thoughts were becoming jumbled at his words. She knew what it sounded like he was saying, what his words seemed to mean, but it didn't seem possible. Was somepony... somebody so bent on logical meanings, just saying that she'd made the right decision by listening to her heart, when he didn't even understand the concept of having a heart? Oh the irony of it all.

She really didn't need this forming migraine with all the nobles she had to face, she truly didn't.

"Thank you," she uttered quietly before turning to take her leave for the time being. This was a matter that would definitely require further thought and discussion. But it would have to wait for later. Right now she had to go babysit a bunch of uppity nobles who insisted on using her royal court for publicly airing their gripes against each other, and expecting her to give them preferential treatment. "I should've had my cake last night..."

Ulquiorra observed as she left. She did not need to know of the sheer degree of cruelty he saw in her actions regarding her own sister and fellow princess. If she was willing to banish her sister to the moon for a thousand years, and leave her vulnerable to what she had experienced during that time, there was no telling what else she was capable of; he did not need to tempt her to sentence him to the same fate. He wasn't stupid after all.

The day progressed as uneventful as any other day in Canterlot. Celestia's Day Court was filled with bickering nobles she didn't want to deal with, just as any other day was. Luna slept soundly in a way Celestia couldn't help but envy. Ulquiorra more or less remained in the library under guard, and read whatever book he deemed relevant to his studies on the land of Equestria, and the creatures it contained.

Some of the available texts were more useful than the previous had been. Unfortunately others were less than useful to him, and seemed to be recorded in a manner best suited for the entertainment of children. There were well over five thousand books present that he had access to, it was only logical that eventually he would find what he sought.

"We must say thou art a most avid reader. Hast thou been here the entire day?"

He hadn't even flinched at the sound of Luna's voice as she stood behind him. The smaller alicorn's approach was easily detected even at a distance, regardless of how silent her approach had been. Judging by her presence, it was safe to assume night would soon be falling, and Princess Celestia would be retiring for the day once more.

"Affirmative," he replied simply as he closed the current text and placed it back on the shelf.

"Hast thee found what thou art looking for?" Luna asked.

"At present time no. I have only been able to assemble a sketchy history and understanding of the land of Equestria. If no further information is found soon, I plan to switch to the history of the legal system to understand the laws and order of the land," Ulquiorra explained.

"Thou shouldst see the Canterlot attorneys for such an understanding, they art best versed in matters of the law. We can direct thee to some of the best," Luna offered.

"Unless they are in the palace such information is of little use. Presently I am forbidden from leaving the palace grounds, and under guard. Until Princess Celestia sees fit, I am to remain under these conditions," Ulquiorra stated.

"Our sister wouldst understand if we gave thee a royal escort to further thou's understanding of the world," Luna pointed out.

"It's not my place to question the terms I'm bound by," Ulquiorra replied.

"If thou truly feels as such, then we shalt abide by thy wishes," Luna replied and turn to leave. "Doth thou need anything before we take our leave to join our sister for our evening meal?"

"No."

"Very well then. A good evening to you, Ulquiorra Cifer," Luna replied and exited the library.

He was willing to accept that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were in charge of him now, and their rule was what he was under. However, if they insisted on utilizing his time, he couldn't help but wish it was for something of genuine importance, rather than just checking on him. The fact that his assigned guards continued to live and breathe should've been evidence enough that all was well.

Then again, he had to remember that he was an anomaly in this new world that was ruled by ponies. They weren't versed in the way of Hollows. Perhaps it was necessary to exercise more understanding with them than he did those that came to Hueco Mundo.

"Historical Accounts of the Dragon Uprising," he thought as his eyes scanned over the titles. Perhaps that would prove useful to him.

Celestia wasn't surprised to see Luna pop into existence via a teleportation spell. Considering the size of the castle, it made the most sense when one was in a hurry, and trying to move about without raising suspicion by galloping through the halls.

"He didst not even consider the bait before flatly refusing the offer," Luna stated as she trotted over to where Celestia was and sat down next to her. "T'would seem he is most loyal to thee's orders. Although we do resent being used in such an underhoofed manner."

"I apologize Luna, but I'm afraid it was a necessity under these circumstances. I had to verify if he was being honest," Celestia explained. However now she couldn't help but wonder if Ulquiorra had somehow seen through her gamble, and recognized it as a trap. He was very intelligent, and she couldn't put it past him. "It was also necessary to see if he was really trustworthy."

"Tia," Luna spoke up, "thou speak of loyalty and trust. But thou know as well as we, that these traits cannot be properly gauged under the current circumstances. While confined to the palace, Ulquiorra Cifer cannot be presented with opportunities to test his true nature, and determine such things as loyalty and trust. He must interact with our beloved subjects for such to be determined properly."

"I know, Luna, I know," Celestia replied and gave a brief nod of understanding. She knew that as long as the Arrancar was a caged bird, he would be on his best behavior. There would be no way to really tell what he was like or how he'd act. But the thought of letting him free, and seeing how he acted individually still left her concerned. Even when she set about having Discord reformed, he was under the careful watch of Twilight and her friends, who wouldn't hesitate to seal him back in stone again if necessary.

"What art thou not telling us dear sister?" Luna asked pointedly as she looked at her with a critical eye. "We know thou concealeth something from us, and we wish to know what."

"It's noth-"

"Dare not to lie to our face dear sister! We know that there is indeed something. And if thou doth not share it freely then we will have to prove to be every bit the annoying little sister we were in foalhood," Luna interrupted and smirked. "Thee can share the information of thy own volition, or we can resort to the royal method of torture to extract the information. And we are intimately familiar with each and every one of thee's most ticklish spots," she said as her wings flared briefly to both emphasize and reinforce the threat.

Her sister was threatening to tickle her into submission. It was a foalish threat indeed, but she laughed regardless at the lighthearted approach, and how it helped ease some of her concerns. Oh how she'd missed her sister so much.

"Very well, Lulu, very well," Celestia finally consented. She knew that if she didn't give in Luna would simply press the issue. Even if she could resist while conscious, there really wouldn't be anything to prevent her dreams from being probed, and the information gathered there. She really hated it when her sister played dirty. "When I first probed his mind, I discovered rather disturbing facts about Ulquiorra's past. Hollows are quite violent by nature, killing is quite common in their world, based on what I've seen. To some it's a second nature."

"He doth come from a violent past. 'Tis nothing Equestria hasn't seen before. The gryphons and the dragons are far from the most social of species we have dealt with, despite their violent natures," Luna replied. "Before the founding of Equestria, the three pony tribes also engaged in great violence against one another."

"You didn't let me finish. Killing and cruelty weren't the only things I saw, there was also cannibalism. Hollows eat the souls of others to try and satiate an intense hunger born from the corruption of their birth and existence. And when the hunger is overwhelming, they devour their fellow Hollows as well. This cannibalistic approach is what allows them to evolve to their higher levels; Ulquiorra's consumed many thousands of his own brethren to reach his level of evolution."

Luna sat silently as Celestia explained what she'd seen in his mind, blinking intermittently through it all. When it seemed her sister didn't have anything else to say on the matter, she finally spoke up. "While 'tis disturbing to know, Ulquiorra Cifer is not exactly the first to practice cannibalism in the land beyond our kingdom. Thou knowest the nature of the dragons and gryphons, and how they regard their own kind in past times. Their long distant... practices that were not to be carried over when they come to Equestria proper to live."

"I'm aware but that's different, they're not eating souls," Celestia stated.

"But is such not the fault of the Shinigami who oversee the souls of the departed? We agree, 'tis morbid in thought, but Ulquiorra Cifer himself stated they are lazy in their duties about ferrying the dead to the afterlife, and instead leave them to become corrupted. How is it any fault of his if he did what instinct dictated for survival? Wouldst be any different from the gryphons disposing of their dead in a similar manner during times of great famine and disaster?" Luna asked. She then looked around in a suspicious manner, before leaning in to whisper. "Thou were around for that particular incident in history last century. That one party trapped in the avalanche..."

Luna had raised the same point of thought she had last night. From what Ulquiorra told, it sounded like the whole reason Hollows existed was because the Shinigami were too lazy to do their job. It brought her back to the question of whether it was a deliberate act for darker purposes; not knowing enough, she couldn't rule it out as a possibility. There were just so many uncertainties and unanswered questions, and it was making her head swim.

"Wilt thou give him a chance dear sister? Please?" Luna asked softly. "Thou knowest as do we that everypony deserves a second chance, no matter what they may hath done in the past..."

Celestia extended a wing to stroke Luna's back in response to comfort her. It didn't do well to have her constantly brooding on the past. "I'll do my best in this case," she promised as she continued stroking her back. "I just want to be cautious on the matter. This is uncharted territory for all of us."

"We know," Luna replied as she closed her eyes.

"Sir."

Ulquiorra looked up from his book. The history on Equestria proper wasn't proving to be very rewarding. The records detailing the surrounding territory, and the history with other races, was another story entirely. Violent mass conflicts were more readily detailed and covered, and it was something that made sense to him. He'd been right in the middle of reading about the blood wars between the dragon and gryphon races, when a voice broke his concentration. Standing at the doorway was a male unicorn in gold colored armor, signifying he was a part of Princess Celestia's guard.

"Her Majesty requests your presence in the royal gardens, and has instructed that I bring you to her," the guard announced.

Curious.

"Very well," he replied, and after memorizing what page he was on, closed the book and placed it back on the shelf. "Lead the way then."

"One moment," the guard stated as his horn glowed. In the blink of an eye there was a flash of white light, and as soon as it faded Ulquiorra could see they were no longer in the library, but rather outside.

"How? That wasn't sonido, what was that?" Ulquiorra asked, now genuinely curious at what was transpiring. That was neither sonido nor garanta, nor was it shunpo or even hirenkyaku.

"Simple teleportation," came the response from Celestia to the west of their current position. "Thank you, that'll be all."

The guard gave a nod of understanding, before turning and leaving the garden area as instructed, leaving the two alone. To Ulquiorra, no other life signs seemed to register. Curiouser and curiouser.

"So what is my purpose here?" Ulquiorra asked bluntly.

"I wanted to talk to you in private, where there wouldn't be any eavesdropping. There are a few late arrival nobles who Luna's dealing with right now in the Night Court. The rest of my guard has retired for the night so it's just the two of us," Celestia explained.

"And what did you wish to discuss?" Ulquiorra asked.

"More about previously. As I've said, I need to be concerned about the safety, and wellbeing of my subjects, and all the little ponies I watch over. Knowing what I do about your past, and where you came from, I can't make any snap decisions," Celestia explained as she slowly turned away to face the night sky.

"And how do you propose verification?" Ulquiorra asked.

"I'm not entirely sure of that just yet. Nopony knows what happens after death, whether there's an afterlife or not. But the idea of a soul eater being loose in Equestria is still unsettling. I'm sure you understand that fact," Celestia admitted.

"You have no reason to trust that I won't succumb to the baser instinct of fresh Hollows. That's understandable, as I'm the first of my kind to be found in this land," Ulquiorra elaborated.

"So you can see my point," Celestia replied.

"I can. Is that why you're currently testing me?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Pardon?" Celestia asked as she turned her head around to face him.

"I don't have extensive knowledge of alicorn anatomy and physiology. But even I can see that you've allowed the tension in your muscle structure to release for the first time since my arrival here. It almost looks as if you're deliberately dropping your guard," Ulquiorra explained. "Are you attempting to evaluate my loyalty by presenting an opportune target in case I wish to attack you?"

"Now whatever gave you that idea?" Celestia asked curiously. What was he getting at?

"The lack of guards present to act as an interruption, the visual dropping of your guard, and having turned your back on one you have just informed you don't trust. All together are very suspicious in nature, and would suggest ulterior motives," Ulquiorra explained calmly as he kept his hands in his pockets.

"So it wasn't arrogance that I saw. He really is that smart," Celestia thought as she turned back around to face him directly. Had he simply not taken the bait because he knew that was the test?

"What did you expect me to do? Did you believe that I would draw my zanpakutō and cut your head off? Discharge my Cero? Devour your soul in a blind state of unrelenting hunger simply because you were not guarded?" Ulquiorra asked. "Make no mistake about it there are several members of the Espada that wouldn't have thought twice about taking the bait and launching an attack against you. However I'm not one of them."

Celestia remained silent as he more or less lectured her on the situation. Was he being arrogant or simply explanatory in nature? Was he going out of his way to mock how her test had been blatantly obvious to him?

"If this little exercise has concluded, then I ask to be returned to the library. It's reasonable to conclude that my refusal to strike hasn't assuaged your concern about me. In which case there's no use in my remaining here," Ulquiorra stated. He had no time for this.

"Very well. I'll have to escort you back myself as my guards are no longer available," Celestia replied.

The trip back to the library was much like the trip from the library, being carried out in a flash via teleportation. Ulquiorra merely went back to where he'd stood previously, and withdrew the book he'd been reading prior to the interruption.

"Is there anything you need before I leave for the evening?" she asked.

"I do," he replied after a momentary pause. "I have given this matter some thought. And I have reached a conclusion. If I'm to remain under your rule, then I request a purpose to justify my continued existence here in your world," Ulquiorra replied.

She blinked in confusion at what he was saying. "I'm afraid I don't understand," Celestia stated.

"In Hueco Mundo my purpose was to serve Aizen in any manner requested of me. He assigned me to protect Las Noches against any threat that may arise. Despite my best efforts I failed, and as such there was no continued justification for my life, or even my existence. Without a reason or purpose, my existence here is devoid of meaning," he explained.

"Oh..." Celestia replied, uncertain of what to say in response to the full weight of his words. "I'll... see what I can do about that, but I can't make any guarantees."

Ulquiorra said nothing, simply opening his book to the same page he was on and continuing to read in interest.

"Before I leave, I need to ask. Back in the gardens, would you have taken the bait if it wasn't so obvious?"

Ulquiorra cast her an aside glance. "No. Even if I were prone to backstabbing and treachery like the other Espada, an assault against you would still prove useless. Your reiatsu level is greatly in excess of mine. Regardless of whatever I could attempt, it would prove to be nothing more than a fruitless endeavor," he explained calmly. "I don't make judgements about those in a position in authority, as it's not my place to question their decisions. Even if you proved to be a tyrannical dictator, I have no aspirations of doing something about it."

"That's... reassuring I suppose..." Celestia replied awkwardly. "Do... do you believe I'm a tyrannical dictator? Have I done something to give that impression?"

Ulquiorra was quiet for a moment in thought. He had hoped this matter wouldn't come up. However it ha done just that, and there was no point in lying about it. He hesitated only slight before speaking up. "On the surface, you cultivate the image of benevolence, caring, and patience. Beneath that surface, however, I have reason to believe you possess all the qualities necessary to be a tyrannical dictator who rules her kingdom with fear and intimidation. The banishment of your own sister to a fate that many would consider to be one worse than any imaginable death, would serve as an effective tool of terror to quell any form of rebellion in your land, as no mortal being would feel motivated to experience eternal suffering with no hope of the release of death. My reading of Equestria's national history would suggest the banishment of the being Nightmare Moon is as widespread as it is respected, and feared. Even if you didn't intend to subject another to such punishment, all you would need to do to maintain control is allow history to speak for itself, and the natural fear of the living would do the rest. If you commanded there to be no wars, who would realistically oppose you, if they believed they would be banished to the moon for such an offense?"

Celestia was silent as she listened, letting his words sink in fully. They cut her quite deeply, as he explained how he considered her to be a tyrant that exploited her own sister for the sake of her rule. The truly cruel part was the fact that this wasn't a thought that was baseless in nature, but rather one that she'd had to entertain during her thousand years of solitary rule. She knew that there was the possibility of such thoughts floating around her kingdom, despite everyone then knowing about the evils of Nightmare Moon. And she'd done her best to quash those fears and thoughts through benevolence and love to reassure them that they wouldn't ever have to face the same fate. She'd hoped that her kindness had eased their fears, but she could never tell for certain.

And here he'd reopened those old wounds with his accurate observations, and he'd been here for just over a day.

"Well then..." she paused. He'd really given her a lot to think about, and more than likely he was going to be responsible for denying her another night of restful sleep. "I think I've interrupted you enough for the evening. I'll take my leave now, and leave you to your own devices," she replied and turned to leave without another word. However one thought in particular started nagging at her and she needed to get answers before she could leave. "So even though you consider me to be a tyrant, you wouldn't make any attempt to kill me?"

"I merely stated there was reason to believe you had potential to be a tyrant, not that you were. There's a difference between the two," Ulquiorra replied. "And in answer to your question, no I would not. As I have explained before, it's not my place to question those I find myself in service to."

Now she was more disturbed than before. Without another word she left the library to think over what had transpired during the course of the day. If it wasn't the various nobles being foalish, it was an otherworldly being stated that he'd follow her orders even if she was a tyrant. She could just tell she wasn't going to get any peace from this brewing migraine.

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

"Ulquiorra Cifer, a word please."

The hour was late but it wasn't of any concern to him; when you didn't need sleep the time was irrelevant. Not needing sleep meant there was more time for relevant matters like studying the history of this new land he was in. Even with his revelation to Princess Celestia about his observation of her character there were still unanswered questions. A tyrannical dictatorship alone wouldn't be enough to explain the relative peace the nation had been supposedly blessed with. Even if Princess Celestia had the intention of truly sending insurgents to the moon as punishment it wouldn't be a feasible approach of hundreds or thousands of potential workers rose up in revolt. Such an approach would risk massive depopulation of the available work force alone with the possibility of extinction of the race.

However his studies were yet again interrupted as Princess Luna entered the library and addressed him directly. The princesses seemed insistent on interrupting him at the most inopportune times as if everything was planned and orchestrated.

"What do you want?" Ulquiorra asked simply.

"Wouldst thou be interested in a snack break to thee's learning of our land?" Luna asked and levitated in a plate holding a slice of chocolate cake; a piece she'd squirreled away from her sister earlier in the day.

"No," Ulquiorra replied simply.

Luna frowned. "Dost thou always speak in such a blunt manner to everyone?"

"What would you suggest?" Ulquiorra asked.

"A measure of courtesy at times wouldst be appreciated," Luna pointed out.

"No thank you then," Ulquiorra replied. He expected that to be the end of it but Princess Luna remained. "I suspect etiquette wasn't the entirety of what you wanted to speak about."

"Didst thou truly accuse our sister of being a tyrant?" Luna asked curiously.

"I merely stated that it's not my place to question those who have authority even if others would. She asked during a moment of weakness and I explained how she possesses sufficient traits to become a tyrant if she so desired, nothing more. If she's emotionally shaken after being confronted with such an observation then it's no fault of mine," Ulquiorra explained and went back to focusing on his book.

"Thou art not exactly the first to make such an observation. But thee are the only one we know of to openly state it to her face and explained why. It was...upsetting..." Luna explained. Ulquiorra said nothing in response so she continued. "And to suggest that we were nothing more than a pawn to further her rule. We must admit we are not happy with thee right now."

"Do you plan on seeking retribution for my bluntness? Or are you simply venting to settle your emotional unrest?" Ulquiorra asked without so much as a second thought.

"Rest assured were we the primary ruler of Equestria the dungeon wouldst indeed be a possibility. But our dear sister doth not punish her subjects for their opinions of her regardless of what they may be. We shalt forgive thee thine's transgression this time. But we make no promise if there be a next time," Luna stated.

"Duly noted," Ulquiorra replied and flipped the current page to continue reading. "Thank you for your kindness and understanding."

Luna couldn't tell if the last part was genuine or merely sarcasm. His tone was always so even and flat and devoid of feelings it was impossible to get a good reading on him. For right now she'd leave it be as there were other matters to discuss.

"Our sister also told us that thou devoured the souls of others. Is this true?" she asked.

Another page flip. "It is. A long time ago."

"Doth thou remember who they were?" Luna asked.

"No I don't. Hollows by nature don't retain memories during their early, untamed time. Those we devour are nothing more to us than a rabbit to a gryphon. We're no more likely to remember them than we are to have regrets for our actions," he explained calmly.

Perhaps she was far too quick to take pity on this one with the sad eyes. She could understand why her sister was so cautious around him. His lack of remorse for previous actions wasn't very comforting to her. "Doth thou have any regrets prior to coming here?" she asked.

"My inability to fulfill my duty of protecting Las Noches," he replied simply, never looking up from his book.

There was silence in the library after that apart from the sound of the pages being flipped periodically. Luna didn't know what to say at that point and Ulquiorra wasn't inclined to talking.

"What were the other Espada like?" Luna asked after a long stretch of silence.

Ulquiorra paused and cast an aside glance. He reached up to his face by his Hollow mask and much to Luna's shock plucked out his left eye as if it were nothing more than a ping pong ball, before crushing it like a fragile crystal and allowing the pieces to scatter and form into a cloud before her. All she could do was watch in shocked silence as images were displayed before her while he narrated.

"Diez Espada Yammy Llargo. His aspect of death is rage. Loud, impulsive, arrogant, overconfident in his own abilities and quite stupid. Ranked the lowest of all Espada and holds the dubious honor of being the Cero Espada. He believes himself to be strongest of all due to this ranking however he's far from correct as cero is not a valid ranking but rather an explanation of his overall abilities. Among the Espada he serves the purpose of court jester. In simple terms he's nothing more than trash."

The image changed from the physically largest of Espada to one bearing a high collar and obstructive looking mask.

"Noveno Espada Aaroniero Arruruerie. His aspect of death is greed. Prideful, cruel sadistic in nature but reasonably intelligent. The only Espada of Gillian-class evolution but in possession of attributes Aizen deemed unique in nature. The Hollows he consume add to his repertoire of knowledge and abilities, providing him with a unique potential for growth and evolution not possessed by any other Espada."

The image changed to a scrawny looking being of pale coloration, pink hair and glasses and dressed far differently than the previous two.

"Octava Espada Szayelaporro Granz. His aspect of death is madness. Highly intellectual but this is outweighed by his narcissism, Crudeness, flamboyancy and melodrama. He possesses the unique ability to study his opponents and immunize himself against their techniques and abilities."

The image changed again to a tall and muscular being of dark coloration. Luna didn't know what it was but something about his appearance reminded her of Zecora to an extent.

"Séptima Espada Zommari Rureaux. His aspect of death is intoxication. Respectable intelligence overshadowed by arrogance. He regards himself as fastest in the art of sonido. Whether or not he deserves the title is questionable."

The image changed again to a being with blue hair and a sinister and wild grin on his face and pieces of animal jaw on the right side of his face.

"Sexta Espada Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. His aspect of death is destruction. Impulsive, hot headed, short sighed, disrespectful, sadistic, brutal and rude. There is no shortage to negative aspects he possesses. Utter trash. He possesses no redeeming qualities whatsoever."

Despite his calm and even tone Luna could tell there was some bitterness to his words. However she remained silent as she was greeted by an exceedingly lanky character with an eye patch and a most disturbing toothy grin.

"Quinto Espada Nnoitra Gilga. His aspect of death is despair. Rude, crude, lecherous, disrespectful, chauvinistic, and exceedingly bloodthirsty. He regards his hierro as strongest of all Espada but that is a matter more of opinion rather than fact. Of all the Espada he is the most...unpleasant in nature."

The image changed again displaying another figure of dark skin, wild spiky hair and most of its face concealed beneath the high collar of its jacket. By far it wore the most revealing of all outfits.

"Tres Espada Tier Harribel. Her aspect of death is sacrifice. Calm, intellectual and analytical in nature. Unlike others she prefers not to engage in combat until she has gathered sufficient information to formulate an educated observation. Of all she is the most polite in nature. No outstanding specialties worth noting."

A grizzled and heavily worn face wearing a crown came into view next.

"Dos Espada Baraggan Louisenbairn. His aspect of death is time or more specifically aging. Former ruler of Hueco Mundo. Boastful, arrogant, stubborn and prideful in nature. He is easily provoked to anger and displays extreme short sightedness when aroused. He possesses the ability to control time around him and can age his opponents into dust; even Hollows who are eternal can die of old age in his presence."

The image faded away to reveal a tall and lean individual with brown hair and a goatee, standing next to a female being of diminutive size and build with pale green hair and one pink eye.

"Primera Espada Coyote Starrk. His aspect of death is solitude. Disinterested, lazy and unenthusiastic about nearly everything, preferring to sleep whenever possible, however he is loyal and obedient. Of all the Espada by far the strongest. His reiatsu is so intense and overwhelming that any Hollow below the level of Gillian dies merely by being in his presence. To try and alleviate this he divided every aspect of his being to create a secondary half known is Lilynette Gingerbuck, the two existing as individuals with unique personalities."

Luna was silent as the images came to an end and the cloud faded away. The creatures she'd seen were just as strange looking -if not even stranger- than Ulquiorra Cifer himself. She turned to look at him directly and ask if it was really necessary for him to destroy his eye to give the display but stopped before even the first word was formed. Sitting in his left socket was his eye and still intact and unharmed. How had he done that? Why had he done that? There were just so many questions she didn't know what to begin. Did all the Espada represent an aspect of death? Were they embodiments of their aspect? Some of them had numbers displayed...were their numbers indicative of their rank or were they the equivalent of cutie marks?

"Didst thou perform such a display for our dear sister as well?" Luna finally asked.

"Princess Celestia chose to probe my mind directly. Seeing memories without knowing the reasons behind them ultimately serves no purpose. Even if it did it would take far too long for her to sort through all of my memories to gather whatever information she believed was relevant. Solita vista does not possess a fast forward option," Ulquiorra explained.

"Were thou friends with the other Espada?" Luna asked.

"No. The concept of "friendship" was not something the Espada chose to recognize or practice. We were united by a common goal of serving Aizen to the best of our abilities and even at the cost of our own lives. Beyond that we shared no similarities that would allow us to be considered friends to one another. Even if the others did I do not; my aspect of death is emptiness."

Emptiness. The same word her sister had used to describe him. With this revelation it seemed as no wonder that he would be so empty to her if that was what he physically represented. However that thought gave her reason to feel bad for him. He was admitting that he truly was just a shell with nothing inside of him.

Ulquiorra merely returned to reading his book without another word.

There was an overwhelming sense of despair in the living room, it almost felt palpable in nature to Luna. It was deeply disturbing on a level she wasn't comfortable with. Without anything more than a mumble she turned and left the library, deciding to let her shadow guard have the dubious honor of keeping an eye on their guest, taking the cake away with her.

Another night without proper sleep. This was starting to become very old very quick. Celestia hadn't been forced to go through sleepless nights for a long time and she'd become accustomed to that blissful escape each night. Looking back maybe that was a mistake on her part considering how much trouble she was currently having. Once again her dreams were being haunted and disturbed by what she'd encountered in Ulquiorra's mind.

And she still had no idea what they were going to do with the Arrancar. How could she safely allow him to have access to Equestria? Could she safely allow him to have access to Equestria?

Grumbling she dragged herself out of bed and groomed herself, knowing the morning would once again subject her to the mercy of the uppity nobles who continued to selfishly demand that they be allowed more money for their own petty indulgences in society. Glancing over at the adornments she had to wear she pondered a rather mischievous idea. Maybe she'd open the Day Court while stark naked and demand that anypony who wished to air their grievances must do the same; see the look on their faces at being forced to shed their four or five figure value dresswears in order to stand shoulder to shoulder with those who were far more in need than they were.

The more she thought about that idea the more appealing it became. She might do just that.

However no matter what she thought nothing was going to change the conversation from last night. She was still somewhat disturbed by it all. She was left feeling outmatched by someone new to their world, how easily he'd caught onto her little test last night. And even though he hadn't stated outright that he considered her a tyrant she just couldn't get that thought out of her mind. Perhaps most disturbing was the fact that he said he'd serve her even if she was as it wasn't his place to question her rule. How could he state something like that with absolutely no hesitation?

"This isn't getting me anywhere," she muttered to herself and set her manebrush back down on the nightstand and thought.

Despite her hesitation and conflicting emotions there was something that she needed to remember first and foremost; regardless of who or what he was Ulquiorra was no longer in his own world or dimension. He'd been plucked out of what had been familiar to him -as well as death according to what Discord had said- and thrust into this new and strange world where his ways were unheard of. As much as she wanted to be concerned she had to remember that he also needed help. And if she didn't help him who could she expect to? It's not like she could just pass him off to somepony else to do the dirty work. She'd accepted him into her kingdom and now it was her responsibility to see it through.

"I'll just have to be more understanding and accepting," she told herself as she levitated her adornments on and into place. She'd seek out Ulquiorra before the Day Court was set to open and tell him that she'd do what she could for him. But the first order of the day was breakfast, she felt like she was starving right now and diplomacy never went well on an empty stomach.

The morning meal was much like the evening meal of the previous night, only this time around it was Luna that seemed more upset and somewhat detached, that fact wasn't lost on Celestia. Whereas yesterday Luna was more cheery today she was far more subdued and even withdrawn.

"Is something wrong Luna?" she asked while her slice of toast was in the middle of being buttered.

"No dear sister, nothing is wrong," Luna replied simply. Nothing physical anyway. Mentally she was still feeling upset by last night's conversation. But how did she explain that to Celestia and make her understand what she was feeling? The fact that he'd plucked out his own eyeball so readily and crushed it without hesitation didn't help either. And how had he regrown it? "Hast thou figured what to do about Ulquiorra Cifer?"

"I don't have an exact plan just yet, but I'm working on one," Celestia replied before taking a bite of toast. "Perhaps inspiration will strike me in the Day Court and I'll have an idea then."

"Perhaps that would be best," Luna replied and nodded in agreement.

"In the meantime I have to get the Day Court open...and some nobles to entertain..." Celestia stated and stood up from the table, a mischievous glint in her eyes at the last part.

Luna watched silently as Celestia left the dining hall; at least silently on the outside. On the inside the gears of an antiquated but exquisitely designed machine were turning in thought as a plan was being formed and just waiting to be set into motion. It was risky and there could be consequences to face afterwards. But it was worth the chance as far as she was concerned.

Spike didn't want to be mean, he really didn't. He had a great deal of love for Twilight, she was his family and had raised him from an egg. Sure she was bossy at times but that didn't change anything. But none of that changed the fact that she really shouldn't be singing.

Several days ago during one of Pinkie's random singing escapades Twilight had heard a song that got stuck in her head and she would just randomly start humming or singing it, and horribly off key to boot. He really should've said something but he didn't have a clue how to tell her that she couldn't carry a note for anything.

"Ugh," he groaned as his ears were assaulted by a particularly sour note being struck and mercilessly beaten to death with a blunt implement. Where were his earplugs when he needed them? This was no longer mere annoyance but all out misery, Twilight's singing was actually giving him indigestion right now. In fact if she kept it up he was in serious danger of...

A loud belch and a jet of green fire put an end to his thoughts as a scroll fell into his hands. Twilight's musical murdering was thankfully stopped at the delivery. Eager to keep it that way Spike quickly opened the scroll and scanned it, however there was no reading as his eyes moved back and forth rapidly.

"Spike? What's it say?" Twilight asked curiously.

"I think you'd better see this for yourself. Princess Celestia didn't send this, this one's from Princess Luna!" Spike stated and passed the parchment to her.

"Princess Luna? Really?" Twilight asked and levitated the parchment over so she could read it.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

A situation of a most unique and interesting nature hath arisen and we request thou's presence at Canterlot Castle immediately. We are deploying our personal chariot to Golden Oaks Library so that thou may arrive in short order. Please come if at all possible.

Signed,
Princess Luna, your friend and keeper of the dream world

P.S. Yes Spike may come too.

Twilight read over the letter at least twice just to make sure she hadn't missed anything important. It was definitely from Princess Luna but it was entirely too vague to explain what the situation was. How was she supposed to know how to respond when left in the dark?

"This is... weird," Twilight commented.

"Yeah. I thought Princess Luna was asleep by now, and here she is sending you letters asking for us to go to Canterlot just like that?" Spike asked in response. He was accustomed to weird stuff by now but this was a whole new kind of weird. "Whadda we do?"

"What do we do?" Twilight repeated in disbelief as she looked at Spike. Surely he didn't ask that. "Princess Luna requested an audience with us and went so far as to send her own personal chariot for us to take so we can meet with her. What do you think we're doing to do, Spike? We're going to meet with her! This has got to be of great importance!" she stated.

"I know Twi' it's just...well this is really weird and all, I don't know where to begin. Princess Luna didn't say anything other than to show up," Spike explained.

"I know, Spike, isn't it absolutely fascinating? Out of everypony to ask for us it's Princess Luna, the one who controls the moon and watches over the night. And what's more she's asked for us during the daytime meaning she's passing up on her sleep to talk with us! I can't imagine how important this must be! I'm absolutely giddy with excitement!" Twilight stated.

Spike was starting to feel nervous. An excited Twilight could prove to be quite dangerous at times. Right now she was bordering on Pinkie Pie levels and if the matter wasn't resolved soon she'd be crossing that border; then he'd have to deal with the equivalent of Pinkie Pie with unicorn magic and that was a terrifying thought. Fortunately his concerns were soon displaced as the sight outside the window greeted him; Luna's chariot was touching down just outside, two of her scary looking guards pulling it.

"Looks like our ride's here," Spike commented.

"Well let's not keep anypony waiting. C'mon Spike we've got a princess to go and see!" Twilight stated and galloped out the front door.

"Hey wait for me!" Spike called and chased after her, trying to keep pace the whole way with his short little legs. Whatever it was he didn't want to miss out on it.

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

During the trip to Canterlot Twilight couldn't help but think about everything going on today. First a message from Princess Luna, then an escort on her personal chariot back to the castle. Something was up but she couldn't put her hoof on it. Making matters worse what the fact that no matter how hard she tried to figure it out she simply didn't have enough information to arrive at a conclusion, and mass wild guessing wouldn't be productive.

Turning her attention back to the two stallions -or whatever they were- her mind came back to her initial conclusions. Despite their scary appearance they were really nice. They spoke with a velvety soft voice and had a politeness about them that eased a lot of her tension about approaching them. Now she was observing them fly, the manner in which their bat-like wings flapped compared to how she'd seen Rainbow Dash fly. The movements were similar, the strokes were similar, the way they flexed their muscles were definitely similar. But there were key minute differences that put them worlds apart. It was really fascinating and would make for an interesting study later on when she had more time.

"So Princess Luna didn't tell you anything about why we were needed?" Spike asked one of them, finding it necessary to speak up to be heard over the rushing of the wind and the wing beats.

"No Sir. Her Majesty simply instructed us to head to Ponyville and bring you back to Canterlot," one of the guards replied, his voice uncharacteristic for his form and managing to leave Spike feeling somewhat uneasy. If they were rough and gravelly sounding at least he'd expect that.

The rest of the trip back to Canterlot passed in relative silence except for the occasional rattle of the chains, or the leather-like flaps of the bat wings.

"We're approaching the landing strip now," one of the guards announced as their trajectory adjusted, bringing into view another angle of the castle that neither Twilight nor Spike were accustomed to seeing as it faced away from the direction of the sun most of the time.

The descent was quick, sharp and more than a little bit scary their first time out and sent Spike cowering on the chariot's floor, but the approach had been even and their landing smooth as the wheels touched down on the firm stone, squealing as they came to a full stop.

"Is it over?" Spike asked as he looked up from the chariot floor.

"Sure seems that way," Twilight replied before dismounting the chariot, Spike close behind. "I wonder where Princess Luna is."

"Wonder no more friends, we art here!"

Both looked upward to see Luna flying over to them and touching down with far more grace than her chariot had. "Put the chariot in the hanger, then you may go," she told her guards before turning to face Twilight and Spike, her wings tucking themselves in at her sides. "We are quite happy to see thee again. 'Tis wonderful to be among friends."

"Always happy to help out, Princess," Twilight and gave a polite bow before raising to face her again. "I'm afraid your note didn't explain much. What's this interesting event you spoke of?"

"T'would take hours to explain by ourselves when thou can observe directly. Follow us to the royal library and everything will be explained there," Luna stated.

"Really? A surprise in the library?" Twilight asked excitedly. Being summoned by Princess Luna and told that there was something in the library waiting for her was inducing a feeling of giddiness in her. Spike merely rolled his eyes and said nothing, choosing to follow in silence as Twilight was making enough commotion for the both of them.

Several books laid open and spread out over the floor of the library. In his quest for more knowledge of his surroundings Ulquiorra had happened upon a passage that warranted further investigation and made reference to a number of other books in the library for more in depth explanation. In the midst of them was Ulquiorra sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, his zanpakutō sticking out of his sash at an odd and mildly uncomfortable angle.

However his reading was disturbed by an approaching presence. The feel of Princess Luna's reiatsu was quite familiar to him by now, but there was another approaching with an entirely different texture and feeling. That was enough interest to warrant him standing back up and turning away from his studies.

"This way," he heard Princess Luna stating, the soft "clop" of her hooves not quite able to overshadow a secondary set on the hard stone floors. If he strained to listen he could also pick up another set of footsteps that didn't sound anything like hooves. She came into view first followed by what appeared to be a unicorn, smaller in stature and in a more unnatural coloring, a mix of dark blues, lavendar, dark purple and hot pink, strange symbols adorning its hindquarters. To the side was another strange being of even smaller stature, reptilian in appearance, its scales made up of light purple and green.

"We have a guest," Princess Luna announced and used her foreleg to gesture over to him.

Twilight looked in the indicated direction and nearly gasped at what she saw standing there. She'd never seen anything like this before and the scientific part of her mind was quickly taking over, pushing her into examination mode. Who or whatever she was looking at it was safe to conclude this was no pony. Standing considerably taller than Princess Luna in a bipedal fashion but possessing no tail to serve as a counterbalance indicating an entirely different center of gravity to maintain such an unnatural balance. Dressed neck to hoof in weird white clothing with black edgings and a black sash at what could only be presumed to be its waist and black hoofwear. The skin was unnaturally pale, its mane jet black underneath a partial crown of boney structure on the side of its head, teal green eyes and a flat expressionless face with two teal green streaks running downward. Tucked into the sash was something that remotely resembled a sword, but not any sword she was familiar with despite her studies of Equestria's history.

While the unicorn remained silent and staring at him with an open mouth Ulquiorra decided to make a few observations of his own. His pesquisa showed that this one's reiatsu was significantly below that of Princess Luna, the only noteworthy aspect being slightly higher than that of the guards present. But while the reiatsu wasn't impressive the reiryoku was another story entirely. This small unicorn appeared to have a deep well of reiryoku to itself, and it seemed reasonable to conclude that the felt reiatsu was nothing more than an unconscious exercise of force resulting from its sheer amount. Perhaps the well ran so deep the physical body was simply unable to properly contain it and the excess leaked out. That would explain the fluctuations he was witnessing in her detectable reiatsu; it was almost pulsing in nature. Much like his observations regarding...

+++

"That's not necessary. Kill her Yami," Ulquiorra stated simply. The human woman had presented nothing of interest that would warrant bringing her back to Aizen-sama. She was nothing more than utter trash at the moment and there was no reason to bother keeping her alive.

"Okay, then!" Yami had stated with far too much enthusiasm as he threw his massive palm forward to eliminate her. However he never even got close as his palm was stopped by the point of an incredibly sized zanpakutō held by a Shinigami with unacceptably loud orange hair standing before the human woman. "Who the hell are you...!?" Yami demanded in surprise and anger.

"Kurosaki-kun..." the woman spoke in her soft squeaky voice to the Shinigami before her.

"Sorry I'm late, Inoue," the Shinigami stated as he looked back at the woman in an apologetic manner.

"No...I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun...I...if I was a little stronger..." she squeaked as she looked back at the other two humans who were currently laying on the ground gravely injured.

"Don't apologize, Inoue. Don't worry either," the Shinigami spoke as he turned back around to face them directly. "Everything will be fine...after I beat these two!!"

Ulquiorra watched as the Shinigami brought his zanpakutō forward and took a two handed grip on the hilt, his reiatsu flaring dramatically as he spoke with authority. "Bankai!"

There was a massive display of reiryoku in the air kicking up dust in every direction that disappeared just as quickly as it came. The Shinigami now stood before them, his zanpakutō far smaller and less cumbersome in appearance, his Shihakushō an entirely different pattern and resembling more of a tattered overcoat. "Tensa Zangestsu!" he spoke with an authority in his voice. There was a pause before he continued, addressing the human behind him without turning around. "Inoue. Leave."

"Okay," the woman replied, barely audible in nature.

"Did he say bankai?" Yami asked as he scratched the side of his head. "Hey, Ulquiorra...is this guy...?"

"Yeah. It's amazing how your senseless ruckus lured him out so effortlessly," Ulquiorra replied as he focused on the Shinigami, or rather the human turned Shinigami. "The orange hair and black bankai...yes. He is our target, Yami."

"Suerte!" Yami bellowed excitedly and drew his massive fist back. "I've saved us the time to track you down!"

Yami's fist was fast and strong, but effortlessly stopped in place as the Shinigami raised his zanpakutō, the force of the impact shattering the ground around him while leaving him unmoved. Most curious.

"Are you the one...who ripped off Chad's right arm?" the Shinigami asked. "Then I'm going to take your right arm, too."

What followed next was a display of speed and strength that took both Espada by surprise. In the blink of an eye the Shinigami had easily cleaved through Yami's right arm with his zanpakutō, the severed limb falling to the ground with a thud.

"What!?" Yami yelled in surprise.

"That idiot..."Ulquiorra thought as he watched the battle unfold. Yami was without a doubt powerful, yet the Shinigami was far more nimble and agile. "I keep telling him to practice reading his opponents. Yet, he still just lunges out recklessly. Though it still is surprising that brat could cut through Yami's hierro and lop off his arm. I heard that he only recently acquired his bankai...and he already has such solid reiatsu. But still...at this level, he presents no threat to Aizen-sama."

Yami was left panting in physical exhaustion. The Shinigami had managed to land several serious cuts to his body while remaining unharmed himself. He was furious at this turn of events and even moreso at how the trash's face was mocking him!

"Damn you little shit...!" Yami bellowed.

"You're still standing! You're as hardy as you look," the Shinigami commented as he rested his zanpakutō on his shoulder.

"Looks like you're struggling. Do you want to switch?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Shut up!" Yami bellowed even louder as he grew angrier than before and took hold of his zanpakutō's hilt with his left hand.

"Hey. Hey. Is it really necessary to use a zanpakutō against someone like him?" Ulquiorra asked, the strange look on the Shinigami's face not going unnoticed.

"I told you to shut up!!!" Yami yelled back in response as he drew his zanpakutō. "Coming!"

However Yami didn't succeed in getting his zanpakutō unsheathed before the Shinigami began acting strangely, grasping the right side of his face, his body racked by his own wildly fluctuating reiatsu. "Go away!"

Yami grinned evilly and returned his zanpakutō to the sheath before kicking the Shinigami in the gut, sending him flying and collapsing on the ground.

"Kurosaki-kun!!!" the woman screamed and reentered the picture, desperately worried about her savior.

"Stay away, Inoue!!!" the Shinigami managed to order back, but far too late to prevent her from getting into range for Yami to slap her aside effortlessly. "Inoue!!!"

"Shut up!!!" Yami yelled and turned his attention back to him and began another brutal assault. "Hah!!! I don't know why, but he stopped moving!! Then die!! Die, you little shit!!!"

"How strange..." Ulquiorra observed as he watched Yami continue his relentless assault. "The fluctuation in the brat's reiatsu increased...the range of fluctuation is amazing. At the lowest point he is just trash. But at the highest point he is above me...where is the logic in this...?"

The Shinigami was a bloody and broken mess on the ground, barely able to move even in the slightest. Yami seemed to have grown tired of him at this point. "It's over, you little shit!!! I'm going to crush you into a bloody pulp!!!" **

+++

The entire flashback had taken less than a second to play out in its entirety. But it had been more than enough time to make an accurate comparison and observation and was sufficient to serve its purpose. This unicorn's reiatsu and reiryoku levels were indeed like those of Ichigo Kurosaki; the human who was responsible for him being here now. How was that possible?

"Cuatro Espada Ulquiorra Cifer, hailing from Las Noches of Hueco Mundo," Princess Luna announced to them, snapping the unicorn out of her dazed appearance.

"Ah!" it stated in a definitely feminine tone as it came back to its senses. "Saludos y Bienvenidos a la ciudad de Canterlot! Mi nombre es Twilight Sparkle, estudiante personal a Princesa Celestia!" she stated and bowed her head.

Unfortunately there was no response other than a long stretch of silence. A really long stretch of silence Curiously she looked up and saw the two teal eyes looking down at her, an unreadable expression all she was greeted with just like when she'd first walked into the room. It was almost like she was having a stare down with a statue.

"Um..." she paused as she raised her head again. "Did I say something wrong? Did I use a masculine pronunciation when I should've used feminine? Did I not roll my R's correctly?" she asked. She'd been practicing her pronunciations, she really had. But illustrations in a book provided little assistance in learning how to properly speak a new language, and without any skilled linguists in the area she was on her own on this one.

"I don't understand what you said just now," Ulquiorra replied.

Spike blinked. Now that voice sounded more appropriate for Princess Luna's guards than what he'd heard actually coming from them. It just proved to be another confusing aspect of everything going on around him.

"No? I'm sorry, I thought based on your name and where you're from you were fluent in one of the regional dialects I've been studying," Twilight apologized. The voice definitely sounded masculine, it was safe to assume this was a male she was talking to.

"Maybe he's from somewhere in Saddle Arabia," Spike suggested as she stepped forward. "Check out his sword. It's thin and curved like it's designed for a unidirectional trajectory, unlike the swords we've seen in the history books that're larger, straight and double edged. His looks kinda like their talwars*," Spike pointed out. "And look at what he's wearing. Saddle Arabia's a desert region and it's always hot there, the white robes would be used to prevent heat exhaustion by reflecting the sunlight away from the body and keeping the cool air in."

"A reasonable hypothesis considering what I've read regarding the nation. But it is incorrect. Las Noches and Hueco Mundo aren't located anywhere near this Saddle Arabia," Ulquiorra replied.

The little one was actually closer than it likely knew. Both Saddle Arabia and Hueco Mundo were desert regions and largely inhospitable to the unprepared. Arrancar robes were to some degree protective against the element whenever they had to leave Las Noches. However the similarities were limited.

"Well wherever you're from welcome to Canterlot. My name's Twilight Sparkle and this is Spike," she explained, gesturing over to her assistant before extending her foreleg towards him.

So this was the Twilight Sparkle that Princess Luna had referred to as Princess Celestia's dear student. Ulquiorra looked at the unicorn in uncertainty as it kept its leg extended. Glancing over to Princess Luna he could see she was glancing back in an expectant manner. Perhaps it was safe to conclude this was a pony's equivalent of physical greeting. And perhaps it was safe to conclude that this was one of the circumstances in which courtesy should be exercised as Princess Luna explained; if for no other reason than this unicorn holding a noteworthy position with his new and current ruler. Taking his right hand from his pocket he wrapped his fingers around her foreleg just above her hoof to return the gesture.

"That's...not a hoof is it?" Twilight asked as her mind was instantly snapped back into analytical mode at the strange appendage. It looked a lot like a dragon's claws but lacked the roughness they characteristically displayed.

"A hand," Ulquiorra replied and released his grip. Another fluctuation in her detectable reiatsu levels.

"Fascinating...could you...could you flex it so I could see?" she asked. She watched as Ulquiorra complied, flexing his hand in a number of different ways and into different shapes and showing just how far each individual point could bend, leaving her in stunned silence...for a moment anyway. "That's so incredible!"

"I don't get the fascination, Twi', you've seen me do stuff like that before," Spike pointed out. For his part he was confused at Twilight's sudden amazement. It didn't look like anything spectacular to him. He looked down at his own hand and flexed it in a similar manner, not seeing a difference.

"I know Spike but this is an entirely new level of physical dexterity that likely exceeds that of a dragon. The potential for fine motor skills is practically unlimited with how he can bend and flex his...his...all of these things that make up his hand. Entire books could be filled detailing their physical structure alone. This is an unprecedented discovery and we're right on course to the precipice!" Twilight stated.

Ulquiorra merely stared and remained silent, moving to tuck his hand back into his pocket but found it restrained by a lavender aura as Twilight stepped closer.

"Sorry about that," Spike apologized, knowing there was little else he could do. "Twilight's a scientist. Anytime something new and unfamiliar comes along she gets like this. She means well though...um...what was your name again?"

"Ulquiorra Cifer," he replied. He already knew he'd be introducing himself and making a long explanation yet again the way things were going. The way the unicorn was examining his hand like Szayelaporro Granz would examine a test subject, he got the feeling that there would be significantly more questions to answer this time around than ever before. Perhaps it would be best to begin with a question of his own. "What is that strange symbol she bears on her hindquarters?"

He had noticed the markings in the same region possessed by both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna but had thought nothing of it. Seeing as they were rulers and proclaiming titles of domination over the sun and the moon, respectively, it only seemed logical that they'd bear some symbol of their reign. But this one possessed no such indication as far as he could see. Perhaps hers bore some similarity to the numeric system of the Espada. Did she hold the position of fifth or sixth strongest in her particular group? Or perhaps it was an indication of some field she exercised domination over and was a representation of the stars in the night sky.

"You mean her cutie mark?" Spike asked.

"I'm unfamiliar with the term. What exactly is a "cutie mark" and what purpose does it serve?" Ulquiorra asked.

At this Twilight snapped out of her trance and looked up at him, releasing her magical hold on his wrist. "You don't know what a cutie mark is?" she asked. Then she remembered that he wasn't from around here so she could see how it wouldn't make sense. "Well a cutie mark is a special symbol all ponies get when they discover what their special talent in life is. Mine symbolizes that my special ability is magic, just like how Princess Luna's cutie mark symbolizes her control over the moon and the night sky. However cutie marks are sometimes open to interpretation and serve as a complimentary talent to what a pony already knows. My friend Rarity is very talented in fashion but her cutie mark symbolizes her skill with gemstones which she incorporates into her works," she explained.

"A rather interesting concept," Ulquiorra commented and tucked his hand back into his pocket now that it was free from its restraints. So the residents of this world were somehow branded with a visual representation of whatever labor they were most skilled in. While it would certainly make sense for specialized labor that required experts it made little sense if it applied to non-specialized areas that anyone could do. Was the janitorial staff branded in a similar manner with mops and buckets?

More interestingly was the question of just how limiting these "cutie marks" were in nature. Once branded was a pony limited to that particular field of work and denied advancement into any other area on the basis of not being specialized in that field? And what became of the workforce once a skilled worker of a particular field either died or retired? How were they replaced if others weren't branded in the same skill?

If this was the work of Princess Celestia then perhaps there was more evidence of her being tyrannical than he first assumed.

"Mr. Ulquiorra, Sir," Twilight spoke up, bringing his attention back to the present. However as soon as she had his attention she began to falter in confidence, her posture suggesting she was now nervous. "Um...could I...could I...study you?" she asked.

Author's Note

** Bleach chapters 192 and 193.

* A curved sword predating the scimitar.

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Ulquiorra blinked.

"Study me?" he repeated in case his ears hadn't properly been working and she'd said something else. However when Twilight nodded that possibility was quickly eliminated.

A disturbing thought quickly asserted itself in his mind. Szayelaporro Granz had died well before him, he'd sensed it take place and knew it for a fact. And while that had only been days ago he had no understanding of how the different alternate universes and realities worked in relation to one another. Considering Twilight's perceived nature it couldn't entirely be ruled out that she might in some way actually be the reincarnated soul of Granz and some of the former Espada's personality traits were shining through. Perhaps the way she'd been studying his hand just moments ago was an indication of this.

It was a disturbing thought to entertain, and entirely unsustainable with his current level of information. It wasn't a matter of logic but rather fiction and speculation. He decided to brush off the concern and forget the thought entirely, all in the amount of time between Twilight nodding her head and speaking again.

"I know it's a blunt question and all but you're utterly fascinating. There's not a single account of anyone or anything like you in Equestria's history that I can recall reading about. There are just so many questions that I'm coming up with while standing here and talking to you. Who you are, what you are, where exactly you're from, what kind of center of gravity you must have to maintain that strange posture...the sky's the limit on this one," Twilight explained.

Luna shook her head. She knew to expect something like this but she'd been foolish to estimate a reaction that was reduced from the current level of curiosity she was currently observing. She'd hoped that what Twilight had learned about friendship would be sufficient to abate some of her natural curiosity and allow for a smoother flow of discussion about various details but she'd been wrong. Her sister's prized student had shifted back into her previous self and it was leaving her concerned.

"Twilight Sparkle we art glad to see that thee has a most curious mind. But we didst not call thee here for such purposes. Ulquiorra Cifer is a guest not only in our land but our dimension thanks to the mischief of Discord. He is a stranger in a strange land and unfamiliar with all of the wonders that Equestria holds. We brought you here hoping that thou wouldst be able to help him in this matter," Luna explained, bringing Twilight's attention back to the present again. "Our sister wants to handle this matter gradually due to his foreign nature. We believe such a course is not necessary. And as our sister's prized pupil we believe that thou art the one who can most benefit Ulquiorra Cifer as you know better than anypony that the world cannot be fully experienced in a library."

"I'm sorry, Princess Luna, this is just so utterly fascinating I can't help myself. A new being here in Equestria from an unknown land, interdimensional travel, and now me being hoof selected to help him learn about Equestria? This is just so overwhelming, my head is almost spinning with thoughts of all the information that can be gathered and shared. There's so much to ask and so much to explain I don't even know where to begin!" Twilight stated.

The theory about this unicorn being one of the former Espada reincarnated into a new life seemed to lose whatever foundation it had as she spoke. Her tone and child-like curiosity were drastically different from the sadistic nature he knew that Granz possessed. In hindsight it seemed all the more ludicrous to consider such a possibility.

At the least she seemed well versed in the art of having a conversation. That was something he could respect.

"Then if I may I'll propose a starting point and a compromise. I'll answer all questions that I'm able to provided the same courtesy and cooperation is provided in return. Are such terms satisfactory to you three?" Ulquiorra asked.

"It sounds fair to me," Twilight replied and nodded. Spike nodded as well while Luna simply smiled.

"I wanna go first this time, I never get to ask the questions," Spike stated.

"Alright Spike you can go first," Twilight told him, both curious to see what would be asked and very eager to ask her own questions.

"Okay. Ulquiorra...right? Since Princess Luna says you come from a different dimension, and oh colt is that gonna be a big question later, I guess it's safe to assume your sword isn't a talwar or one of the different kinds native to Saddle Arabia and the surrounding territory. So what is it exactly?" Spike asked.

Twilight nearly giggled at hearing what Spike asked. Sometime during the course of his daydreams about being Rarity's knight in armor he'd developed an interest in armor, weapon and all things knight related. It only made sense that he'd ask something like this.

"This sword is what's called a zanpakutō, each one of them is unique to the wielder. Only the proper wielder can use their zanpakutō effectively, one does not transfer to another. My zanpakutō's name is Murciélago," Ulquiorra explained as he allowed his left hand to rest on the tsuba.

"Is it magically enchanted or something so only you can use it?" Spike asked as he eyed it from top to bottom.

Magic didn't exist in Hueco Mundo. At least nothing he would consider magic. Since his arrival here he'd begun to question the differentiation between the two worlds. "In a sense you could say that," he replied.

Spike was about to ask another question when Twilight quickly raised her foreleg and cut him off before he could even get the first syllable out. "Alright Spike that's enough questions about the sword, we've got important stuff to learn," she stated before turning back to face Ulquiorra. "Do you mind if I ask what species you are?"

"A ghost," Ulquiorra stated. He knew that if he stated he was a Hollow he would have to give the full explanation of what a Hollow was and what the evolutionary chain was. And chances were good he'd need to explain it anyway. But remembering Princess Luna's reaction and her conclusion he decided to get that out of the way first. "More accurately a conglomeration of many thousands of ghosts in corporeal form."

"A...ghost?" Twilight asked and tilted her head as she blinked in confusion. "You mean...actual disembodied spirits who've passed on from this mortal realm and went on to the afterlife?" She paused a moment before immediately launching into more questions. "What's it like? What's the afterlife like in your dimension? Is it nice? Are the good souls and bad souls segregated to different realms like it's believed they are here?"

"I'm unable to answer that question. Those souls that went into making my being never made it to the afterlife. Those tasked with escorting them to the next world never came for them," Ulquiorra explained. That wasn't the reaction he had anticipated from the unicorn. He had expected fear, apprehension, anything other than wonder and amazement.

"You mean you and all the others exist in a constant state of limbo?" Twilight asked. Her ears drooped as did her once excited expression as she considered the possibility of the one she was so excited to meet was existing in such a miserable manner. "I'm sorry..."

"You have no reason to be sorry. The facts of my existence aren't a source of displeasure for myself, they are nothing more than the facts of the matter," Ulquiorra replied. "Do you have more questions or is it my turn to begin asking?"

"Well this discovery warrants another question. The other thousands that're...in there with you...can you hear them or their thoughts? Is there a lot of commotion?" Twilight asked.

"Again I'm unable to answer that question. Only the most dominant of all personalities is able to emerge and take control. It's not known what becomes of the others. All I can say for certain is that whoever may have been unfortunate enough to become a part of me, I am unaware of their presence in my mind," Ulquiorra replied.

Another notable fluctuation in the intensity of the unicorn's reiatsu. It had moved from a notable pulse and was currently dimming to the point it was easily below the level of the guards. Perhaps her reiatsu was linked to her emotional state.

"It's now my turn to ask a question. What are the physiological properties behind magic and its practical application in this world?" Ulquiorra asked.

Almost immediately Twilight perked up, her bright mood returning and the intensity of her reiatsu with it. "Now that one I can answer easily!" she stated. "In its simplest terms "magic" is a catchall term for explaining the practical and deliberate application of free floating mana to achieve a desired goal. Some applications are passive nature and can be carried out in an instinctual manner while others have to be studied, learned and actively practiced like any other skill. However the proper application of magic is contingent on a number of factors. There are three main species of ponies; unicorn, pegasus and earth pony and each have their own unique way to utilizing mana and magic. Unicorns are the most fluent in the active use of magic and use their horns as a focal point for their spells for maximum effectiveness, which is the only way to cast the really advanced spells otherwise it's just a waste of mana to try. Pegasi actively utilize magic through their wings for flight and their hooves for moving and shaping clouds but they also possess the passive ability to rest on clouds as if they were physical constructs, which explains the city of Cloudsdale. Now when it comes to earth ponies their use of magic is passive and related to the matter of tending to nature, such as making plants and crops grow properly and requires no learned abilities or complex manipulations. By far earth ponies ironically have the easiest time utilizing magic due to this fact. Now this is where the field of magic really gets interesting; while unicorns actively exercise magic for all endeavors it requires a conscious effort like turning on a light with a switch, but with pegasi and earth ponies their magic requires little or no conscious effort depending on the application so in a sense their magic is on by default. It's a very interesting triangle of different strengths and weaknesses that keep each of the three working in a unique harmony with one another. Individually no race is truly superior but when they work in conjunction that's when the real magic begins."

Ulquiorra was silent during Twilight's explanation on the nature of magic, both listening to her words and noting how the pulsing of her reiatsu had returned during the lecture. There was definite reason to assume that it and her emotional state were connected in some way.

Right now she was sitting on the floor and trying to catch her breath but looking rather satisfied with herself, a slight smile in her face.

Luna for her part simply stood back and watched in silence. So far things were going quite well. Twilight Sparkle's friendly nature and desire to help others appeared to be in full swing right now. Perhaps this would properly address the problem of what to do with Ulquiorra Cifer while her sister hesitated and tended to other matters.

"So can you do magic?" Twilight asked.

"I've witnessed a number of incidents referred to as "magic" in my time here. Of the ones seen none come close to the techniques native to my original dimension. That said there are a number of techniques that could be considered "magic" in nature that various races can utilize. However I have declined to elaborate on my own abilities and your Princess Celestia had informed me that I'm under no obligation to do otherwise," Ulquiorra explained.

"She did?" Twilight asked, pouting at the prospect of not getting to see what magic was native to Ulquiorra's world and potentially learning some new magic herself. Why had she done something like that?

"So Ulquiorra...did you have friends back in this...Hueco Mundo place you came from?" Spike asked, deciding to try and change the topic so Twilight wouldn't press on with the subject of magic.

"I did not. Friendship was a concept I didn't understand and chose not to bother myself with. Back then it was nothing more than an intangible concept I deemed a construct of weak minds who simply wished not to be alone in the world and would look for any excuse to have company around no matter how limited the pretext," Ulquiorra replied. "In my world my eyes saw everything that existed. If my eyes couldn't see it then it simply didn't exist. That was the philosophy of my life."

"Nihilism?" Twilight asked. "You actually had the philosophical doctrine of nihilism in your world? The concept of nothingness being all there is to life, and by extension life is without meaning?"

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied and nodded once, a little surprised that the residents of this world would be familiar with a philosophical concept native to his world; even if it wasn't an entirely accurate explanation of the concept.

"Wow. I've read about such a philosophy but I could never wrap my head around it, it was always so uncomfortable to think about. I've never met anyone that actually chose to believe in such an outlook on life, it's just so depressing," Twilight stated and looked down at the floor.

"Doth thou still believe in such a concept of utter emptiness?" Luna asked.

Ulquiorra thought on the question. Emptiness was his aspect of death, his attribute. His life was empty and devoid of reason to justify his existence until Aizen provided him with a tangible purpose. But that had been in Hueco Mundo, and he was no longer in Hueco Mundo. He had others around that wanted to help him. There was no sense of familiarity in this world, no expansive deserts filled with emptiness as far as the eye could see.

"I'm not certain. At the very least I'm willing to consider alternate possibilities and outlooks on life," Ulquiorra replied and cast an aside glance at Princess Luna.

"Hey...Ulquiorra...I can accept that you're more or less a ghost of some kind, but earlier you more or less stated that that's because those tasks with escorting the dead to the afterlife didn't do their job. Who exactly is in charge of the escorting and why weren't they doing their job?" Spike asked.

He considered the question. Any other Espada would've taken the opportunity to poison willing listeners with lies about the Gotei 13 in order to swing them over to their side as supporters. That is if they didn't simply devour their souls for the simple fun of it. But he wasn't like the other Espada and not prone to their otherwise childish behaviors. Not that he had anything against willful deception, he'd engaged in such in the past without difficulty. But that didn't mean he had to go about it in an over the top manner like some would.

"Are you sure this is a question you want the answer to?" Ulquiorra asked, knowing full well what the tale would contain. Spike nodded. "Very well then. Allow me to explain to you the concept of the Shinigami race..."

For the first time in many years the Day Court had concluded and Celestia had a grin on her face at how well things had gone. The demands of the nobles were still as intolerable as ever before, but their delivery had made it all so entertaining. Their shock at being told how the court would proceed on this day and the looks on their faces had made listening to them well worth it.

It seemed the nobles and high society types were very attached to their expensive clothing and being told that all business would be conducted au natural induced an extreme amount of modesty and even embarrassment on them, while those lower on the social ladder had less hesitancy in complying; being informed that they'd be standing equal -it being silently implied they'd be regarded as equal to those they'd rather ignore- had taken some of the wind out of their sails and made the delivery of their demands very awkward and even timid in nature. More than once she had to bite her tongue, cheek or any other soft tissue part of her mouth to not burst into giggles at the pompous trying their hardest to seem dignified while standing naked in front of everypony.

Perhaps she'd implement this new tradition on a permanent basis as a way of properly connecting to one another without arbitrary barriers for differentiation. If the nobles adapted and could play nice then so be it. And if nothing else it would serve as a measure of compensation for what they insisted on putting her through every day.

Now that the royal duties were tended to for the day she had other things to tend to; namely Ulquiorra's presence in her kingdom. She truly hadn't given is as much consideration as she should've due to the antics of the Day Court serving as a distraction. But her earlier thoughts about needing to show him support in this new world had given her a few thoughts regarding an appropriate course of action. She was going to wind up largely playing this by ear.

As she approached the library she saw the guards were still present at the entrance, meaning Ulquiorra was still present as well. She nodded as she entered their line of sight and they silently nodded back, returning the greeting. However as she got closer she became curious as she heard something like a conversation going on inside the confines of the large room. Stepping inside and listening for where the sound was coming from she passed the various shelves until she found Ulquiorra in Luna's company and joined by -much to her shock and surprise- Twilight and Spike who were mostly carrying the conversation, asking a whole variety of questions about him.

"Wow!" she heard Spike exclaim, the question currently unknown to her but right now that wasn't important.

Celestia cleared her throat as she stepped further, drawing everyone's attention to her. Twilight's face beamed with incredible levels of excitement at seeing her.

"Princess Celestia!" she greeted and quickly bowed before raising her head back up again, a smile practically threatening to crack her face at this point. "It's good to see you again, Princess!"

"It's good to see you too, Twilight. I see you've met our guest," Celestia replied.

"Princess Celestia this is so incredible! We've been talking for hours and we've found out so much amazing information in that time. Do you know how many of Starswirl the Bearded's theories on extra-dimensional traveling have been confirmed just by Ulquiorra's presence here? Oh I really have to thank Discord for doing this!" Twilight stated excitedly. "And his hands! Princess you have no idea how much dexterity he has in his hands and how incredibly fascinating they are. And his fingers! Thumb, pointer finger, middle finger, ring and pinky finger! They're capable of such nimble and precise movements and his writing style shows such a level of control. He can do everyday tasks with the same level of skill only an experienced unicorn would be capable of!"

Ulquiorra in contrast was as blank in expression as ever, neither interested nor disinterested in the conversation that was going on before him.

"They seem most intrigued by Ulquiorra Cifer and all the knowledge he hath given them," Luna added.

"Well it's nice to see you've been getting so well acquainted," Celestia commented. "I must say I'm surprised to see you here today, I really wasn't expecting you."

"To be honest I didn't really plan on being here, but then I got a letter from Princess Luna asking me to come and visit and here we are," Twilight explained.

The change in atmosphere was almost tangible in detectability. Celestia's best efforts at a neutral but friendly expression suddenly gave way to a very serious look that was rarely displayed. And Luna unfortunately found herself on the receiving end of a most piercing gaze.

"What?" Celestia asked. "Is this true, Luna?"

"Dear sister-" Luna began but was interrupted.

"We need to talk," Celestia stated simply, causing her younger sister to visibly flinch at the words. She momentarily turned her attention back to Twilight, Spike and Ulquiorra. "You three stay here. Don't leave the library until we come back."

They were silent as they watched Celestia step out of the room, Luna following closely behind, her posture much like that of a child about to be scolded by an angry parent and maybe even punished. Whatever was going to happen it wasn't going to be pretty.

"So..." Spike spoke up after a long physically uncomfortable moment. "Do you play chess?" he asked as he turned to face Ulquiorra.

The atmosphere in the halls was painful as the princesses walking by in forced silence, Luna lingering behind, afraid of what she might be facing and yet worried if she stayed too far back her sister would drag her forward across the marble floors by her ears; a most painful experience she had no desire to experience once again.

"Get in," Celestia ordered once they'd arrived at their designation, her personal quarters. The door was opened quite easily by her magic as she stood there pointing a hoof for her sister to follow.

Luna reluctantly and hesitantly stepped into the room, Celestia soon following. The door was pulled shut and clicked into a locked position before a wave of magic washed over the room. Judging from its texture and intensity Luna could tell it was a high level soundproofing; something that didn't inspire confidence in her one bit.

"I'm not going to yell until I hear the full story. And I hope you have a good reason for your actions," Celestia told her, the tone of voice causing shivers to run up and down Luna's spine. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"We do. But we have a question and if we do not ask now we fear we may never have the opportunity to," Luna stated and breathed to steady herself. "Dost...dost thou still love us?"

As it turned out Ulquiorra did indeed play chess.

Procuring a chess set proved to be quite easy; it was really amazing what the guards would do once they were reminded who the little sister of the Captain of the Guard was...as well as a bearer of one of the Elements of Harmony and Princess Celestia's personal student.

The hard part was actually trying to best Ulquiorra in a game of wits. Both Twilight and Spike had some respectable aptitude at chess -Spike surprisingly had a slight advantage in terms of skill over Twilight- but compared to Ulquiorra they were both coming off as amateurs. Regardless of what color they played, no matter what maneuver they attempted neither one could get the upper hoof -or hand- on him. He didn't make any hasty or unguided plays, every single move and counter move was carefully plotted out and analyzed from all angles. Victory wasn't guaranteed for anyone in this case.

"So..." Spike muttered as he picked up his bishop and advanced it. "I know it's kinda a morbid question and all, but what do souls taste like anyway?" he asked.

"I don't recall if souls truly have a taste or not. It's been a long time since I was an Adjuchas and had any need to consume souls. Prior to becoming an Arrancar my Vasto Lorde form was devoid of a functioning mouth due to my hollow mask covering my entire face and I sustained my existence with reishi exclusively," Ulquiorra replied before moving his knight into position. "Checkmate."

"What!? Are you foaling me or something?" Spike asked as he looked over the board. How'd he do that so quickly? Had he been thinking about his move the entire time he'd been giving that explanation? Oh he was good...

Twilight's focus had been split inbetween observing each of their plays and keeping track of the time while Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were absent. What was supposed to be a simple talk had easily covered two hours and several rounds of chess and now appeared that a third hour wasn't an impossibility. She didn't know what was going on, and she wasn't sure how much she wanted to know. Already her mind was considering unpleasant possibilities.

Of course being the kind that had a multi-tasking mind made things unpleasant at times. Along with observing the game between Spike and Ulquiorra, and keeping track of how long the Princesses were gone, her mind was also going over what Ulquiorra had told them about the race known as the Shinigami. They were tasked with ferrying souls to the afterlife to prevent them from becoming Hollows that displayed cannibalistic tendencies due to their purely emotional and instinctual nature, you'd think that they'd be able to do that job to an acceptable level. But judging by Ulquiorra's presence, and the fact that he was only one of possibly hundreds of Arrancar-class Hollows it made her wonder. Just how many ponies...people...died in his dimension? Were the Shinigami simply overwhelmed with their duties by the sheer number of these and these thousands and thousands of souls simply the ones that slipped through the cracks? Were...were they actually talking a regular death toll in the millions?

"It's your turn, Twilight Sparkle," Ulquiorra spoke up, snapping her out of whatever held her attention as she came back to the present.

"Huh? Oh...alright," Twilight replied as she took her position on the opposite end of the chess board and began telekinetically bringing all the pieces back into their proper order, ensuring all of them were evenly spaced on the squares for the sake of uniformity. "I wonder what's keeping the Princesses. They've been gone a long while."

Right now anything that served as a distraction from the more unpleasant thoughts was quite welcomed. And chess -as well as wondering about what the Princesses were doing to each other- was much better than thinking about Ulquiorra's world right now.

"I'm not sure we really wanna know," Spike said as he looked back at the doorway to the library. That look in Princess Celestia's eyes was much creepier than finding out about Ulquiorra's nature. He could stand the fact that they were talking to what was more or less a legion of souls amassed into one bodily form, but Princess Celestia being angry was more than he could stand. For all he knew they were lucky that the castle was still standing.

The match was as silent as it was methodical. Two skilled opponents going against each other, both looking for an exploitable opening or a way in which to create just such an opening with a move of their own.

However they were only three or four moves into their current round before Ulquiorra looked up. "They're returning," he stated simply and stood up from his spot.

Sure enough both Celestia and Luna had returned, neither of them looking particularly happy at the moment. Celestia looked like she was struggling and barely suppressing a great deal of rage while Luna looked like she was trying to hold back her own sadness. It was quite obvious that they'd been fighting, but about what remained unknown.

"After a great deal of discussion on the matter we've finally arrived at a conclusion on how to handle this situation," Celestia spoke up as she looked over everyone present. "Ulquiorra Cifer. You asked to be assigned a purpose so your presence in our kingdom would have meaning. Considering that you're a foreigner to this land, to say nothing of this dimension, and unfamiliar with all the wonders it holds, as well as being under my rule, I've reached the conclusion that the best course of action available is to assign you the same task I assigned Twilight nearly three years ago. You're to educate yourself on the magic of friendship and all that it holds. You'll learn to make friends, you'll submit reports on your findings. You'll be allowed to travel beyond Canterlot grounds but only under escort. When Luna or I are unable to accompany you you'll be under Twilight Sparkle's control and follow her instructions as if they were my own, if necessary you'll be learning from her as well. Furthermore you'll be placed under a curfew. From sunrise to sunset you'll be free to come and go but you have to return to the castle for nightfall," she explained. She gave everyone some time to think the matter over before speaking again. "Are these rules clear?"

"They are understood and acceptable. Thank you for providing me with a purpose," Ulquiorra replied, evenly as ever.

She then turned to most loyal student. "Do you think you're up for this assignment, Twilight?"

"Princess...do you mean that you want me to teach?" Twilight asked. Celestia had only been halfway through a nod when Twilight bounded over and hugged her around the neck. "Oh thank you Princess! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've always wanted to teach others like you've taught me! I won't let you down, I'll do my absolute best on this assignment!" she stated happily.

Despite how she was currently feeling Twilight's joy and overwhelming enthusiasm were making it hard to maintain any negative feelings about this endeavor. She still wasn't entirely comfortable with the whole idea, Luna knew about that quite well and she would definitely be hearing about it again later on. But Twilight's state gave her reason to at least believe this would work out. She and her friends had done so many other wondrous things in just a few short years, maybe they could do something for this lone Arrancar as well.

"I know you will Twilight, you always do your best," Celestia reassured her. She then turned her attention to Luna. "And as for you little sister. You went behind my back and involved my dear student before I was ready to bring her into the mix. For your offense you're going to be punished and I believe I know what's quite appropriate for you under these circumstances. No sweets for a week."

Luna's reaction was far more fitting for being slapped across the face than being informed that her access to cakes, cookies, doughnuts from Doughnut Joe and other sources were being cut off. But those that knew her well would understand the nature of her reaction. "But sister-"

"I can make it two weeks if necessary," Celestia pointed out, silencing any protest she might've had to make. With a short sigh she turned back to face the three. "It's far too late in the day for anything meaningful to occur so I think tomorrow would work instead. Twilight, Spike, would you mind staying in Canterlot overnight and returning in the morning to escort Ulquiorra to Ponyville so he can begin his assignment?"

"Would we mind? Of course not, Princess, we'd love to stay the night. We haven't gotten to visit in so long it'll be good to spend time back here," Twilight stated. First their meeting with Ulquiorra, then finding out she was going to be teaching him about friendship, and now spending the night in Canterlot? Could this day really get any better?

"Hey if we're going to spend the night could I please get something to eat? I haven't eaten since lunch and I'm starving," Spike added, his stomach growling to emphasize his point.

Celestia chuckled. "That can be arranged. It's almost time for our evening meal, we'd be delighted if you'd join us," she replied. "If you'll excuse me I have to see the chefs for a moment. Luna has a date to keep with a big bowl of mashed alfalfa for everything she's done today."

"Mashed alfalfa?!" Luna shouted indignantly as her sister left the room, "dear sister surely thou must be jesting us!" she said as she walked after her with a quickened pace.

"Are the rulers of this land always so...jovial with each other?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Spike replied.

Twilight didn't know whether to shake her head and sigh or just plain laugh at the antics of the two sisters. For all their regal nature nothing changed the fact that they were still sisters and prone to the same matter of disputes as any other sisters. Finally shrugging her shoulders she turned back to Ulquiorra. "Are you going to join us for dinner?"

"As I've explained before your arrival that won't be necessary. There is sufficient reishi...mana in the area to sustain myself," Ulquiorra replied.

"Well Canterlot is a pretty magical place," Spike stated.

"It's not so much that, Spike, as the fact that Canterlot has long been recognized as a location with a great deal of mana concentration. Doing a side by side comparison between a Canterlot and a location like Fillydelphia you could almost say the mana is denser here than anywhere else," Twilight elaborated before turning to look at Ulquiorra again. "That said it might be best if you try and adjust yourself to actual foods. I don't know if the concentration of mana in places like Ponyville or any other city would be sufficient to meet your needs."

A valid observation. If Canterlot were truly unique in such a manner then perhaps it would be wise to adapt to the surrounding environment if he was to interact with it. He had partaken in meals back in Las Noches when it was necessary. Without a word he moved and stepped out of the library, the two guards following behind him.

"Well that was...unfriendly..." Spike commented.

"Yeah...but it's still early. We've got a lot to teach him so let's cut him some slack," Twilight replied. "Let's join them, I'm getting hungry too."

Hungry and so excited she was almost bursting at the seams over everything that'd happened today. So many new developments and potential studies that could be carried out, and on top of it Princess Celestia herself had assigned her to teach someone new, not just about the concept of friendship that she was so well versed in, but teaching in general! She was going to play the role of an educator and share knowledge and information with someone and potentially shape his mind.

This was going to be so much fun!

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

This was the second time Ulquiorra found himself being summoned -and subsequently teleported- to the royal gardens for a private discussion with Princess Celestia. It seemed odd as it had barely been a full 24 hours since their last conversation of this nature and in this location.

"So glad you could make it," he heard Celestia's voice from behind him. However he'd sense her reiatsu long before he'd ever heard her.

"I was informed my presence was requested," Ulquiorra replied as he turned to face her directly. It was a joke to believe that he'd come here of his own accord for some useless purpose. He'd been forcefully grabbed and whisked here with no discussion on the matter. "Do you have something you wish to discuss? Or have you conceived another scenario in which to try and verify whether or not I'll attempt to assassinate you?"

Celestia suppressed a wince. His bluntness was highly consistent. She'd earned the remark though with what she'd tried to evaluate previously in the week. But she couldn't let that get to her as she had other matters to discuss.

"Merely talking. I just figured the royal gardens would be best as Twilight isn't likely to come out here looking for you," Celestia explained, figuring that any time away from her most precious student would be enjoyable. The way she'd been acting all through dinner, focusing on Ulquiorra's presence as if she were studying every aspect of him, could certainly be unnerving at times. "I must say it was a bit surprising to see you at the dining table. Was everything to your liking?" she asked.

"In terms of sustenance the provided food was adequate. In terms of taste and texture it was...interesting," Ulquiorra replied simply, his tone suggesting he was disinterested in the conversation that was being had.

Interesting he said. Celestia couldn't help but think that he was giving an understatement considering how much he seemed to sample during the evening. Then again it probably would've been better enjoyed if Twilight hadn't been studying his hands as he made use of the supplied utensils with enough skill to suggest they were similar in his own dimension.

"I trust you didn't have me brought all the way out here away from the presence of your pupil simply to ask about the quality of the food served," Ulquiorra stated.

"Observant as always," Celestia stated. "What I had to speak about is sensitive in nature and not meant for prying ears. When I probed your mind to learn about you I learned far more than I ever wanted to. I saw the various acts you committed in the name of serving this Sosuke Aizen individual and following his orders. And to some degree I can forgive those acts. But what disturbed me was your resurrección. I both saw and felt what it was capable of. And while you claim my presence overwhelms yours you'll have to excuse me if I have trouble believing that as the honest truth. I can understand why you were forbidden from releasing it within the confines of Las Noches."

"What would you propose doing?" Ulquiorra asked simply. Trying to assure Princess Celestia that her kingdom wasn't in any danger would be a waste of effort until she learned it for herself and he refused to waste his breath in the meantime.

"The only thing I really can do is magically seal it off so it can't be accessed at your discretion. There are no serious threats in Equestria that would warrant its access. And it would be far easier than trying to separate you from your zanpakutō as it's technically a part of you," Celestia explained.

Seal off his resurrección through magic? It was preposterous in nature. There was no technique that could achieve such a goal. Not even the Octava Espada would perform such a restriction and he was able to suppress a Shinigami's bankai release in the confines of his library.

Then again he had to remember that he wasn't in Hueco Mundo. What functioned there didn't necessary function the same here. Perhaps Princess Celestia truly knew what she was talking about. In which case it would be in his best interest to agree.

"That is an acceptable options if it's indeed possible," Ulquiorra replied and nodded. Truth be told he was finding himself mildly curious at the proposal to see if it could indeed work.

"This should only take a moment. Sealing spells really aren't all that difficult as long as you know what you're doing. Now hold still please," Celestia said while her horn lit up as the brought it to his forehead. The glow increased dramatically before finally ceasing in a flash. "That should work. Would you mind trying and see if all went according to plan?"

"I decline. Releasing my resurrección at present time would be ill advised. I am willing to simply take your work for it that it actually worked," Ulquiorra replied.

Celestia frowned in response. "I could make it an order if you'd feel better about it. This is important and needs to be done in order to see if the spell worked. If it didn't then I'm not certain I can allow you to leave the castle even under escort. And I'd really rather not go that route," she explained.

Ulquiorra held back what amounted to a frustrated sigh. Princess Celestia was showing that she could be quite stubborn and insistent on cooperation when she wanted to be. Without a word he reached over and withdrew his zanpakutō from its sheath, holding it to the side away from the both of them.

"Enclose, Murciélago," he spoke. The sword's blade gave off a bright glow momentarily, before it dimmed as the appearance of chains wrapped around it and held firm. "If that is the intent of the spell then it appears to have been a success," he replied before sliding the sword back into its sheath.

Celestia was silent as she watched, the spell seeming to hold and restrict Ulquiorra's transformation in the way it was intended; at least the way it was intended after she'd done a little work to the long forgotten thing. What had started out as a miserable failed attempt at suppressing Luna from transforming into Nightmare Moon over a thousand years ago had proven successful in this case. That gave her reason to be thankful as she didn't know if it would truly work or not. If it hadn't...then there would've been a lot of trouble right now.

"Is that all you wished to see me about?" Ulquiorra asked as he returned his hands to his pockets.

"That should be all for tonight. Do you have any questions you'd like to ask before departing?" Celestia asked.

"Will Princess Luna be banished back to the moon for what she did in bringing Twilight Sparkle here without your permission?"

Her mind recalled the earlier discussion with Luna about her inappropriate actions. She was certainly sore with her sister doing something like that, but not sore enough she'd ever give serious consideration to actually banishing her from the kingdom yet again. There had been a lot of words said between them in her quarters and a lot of emotional flares during the discussion. But banishment was definitely not in the cards. Although more mashed alfalfa for a few days certainly would be considering how much she hated it; that would serve as motivation to think before she acted again.

"That won't be necessary. She and I had a long discussion on what she did and I think she understands," Celestia replied. "She's been denied a thousand years of emotional growth. It's to be expected as she still has much to learn," she explained.

In hindsight perhaps the tone set earlier in the day had been a bit over the top. Luna had simply desired to help and took the course of action she'd deemed more likely to achieve her goal. Unfortunately she hadn't thought things through fully when she'd decided to write Twilight herself and bring her up here. She'd been hoping to work at introducing Ulquiorra gradually to Equestria, perhaps at the end of the week, but that plan had gone right out the window when she realized what her sister had done. Oh sure she'd been sore with Luna at the time, but that would hardly be reason to subject her to cruel and unusual punishments.

"Are you ready to head back to the library?" she finally asked, deciding to change the subject.

"I am. However I request a walk back rather than teleportation. Knowing the route will make travel easier in the future," Ulquiorra explained.

"I think that can be arranged. This way."

She couldn't sleep, it was simply an impossibility she had to face. Maybe it was because she'd grown accustomed to her bed back in Ponyville and lost touch with her old bed in Canterlot. Or maybe it was because Spike was currently snoring as he enjoyed the sleep she couldn't. Or maybe it was just the facts of the day that were flying through her mind like Rainbow Dash flew through clouds and producing too much excitement for her body to reach the sufficient stage of comfort necessary to engage drowsiness. Whatever it was simply laying there in her old room wasn't proving to be a useful way of spending time.

Her mind was filled with far too much information to waste time on something as simple as sleep. Ulquiorra was a goldmine of new and uncharted information that was just begging to be excavated. She could spend days just on the translations of the terms of his world alone and comparing them to theirs. Hollows, the Espada, kido, spells that required lengthy spoken incantations, zanpakutōs and so much more. There was far too much excitement to properly contain.

A loud snore off to the side startled her. Fortunately Spike seemed more intent on sleeping than anything else right now. She remembered how he'd had so many questions about the Shinigami, and specifically about the group known as the "Gotei 13" and what role they served in the balance of everything. Or at least how they were supposed to keep things balanced. Considering Ulquiorra's existence it didn't seem all that balanced. So many thousands of souls making up his being...

Rolling over she knew that she wasn't going to be getting to sleep anytime soon. Silently she got up from her bed and made her way to the one location where she could make sense of things; the library. Anytime something didn't make sense the library was always the place to go. And with Ulquiorra currently residing there and reading endlessly thanks to his lack of a need for sleep -he was so lucky, not needing to let something like sleep get in the way of his studies, that was her opinion- it only made sense that she could find answers to the questions plaguing her mind right now.

"Shouldn't you be asleep at this hour, Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight jumped at hearing her name. Looking around she realized that she'd already crossed the distance from her old room to the library without even realizing it. It was like her body had been on auto-pilot while her mind wandered freely. When she came back to her senses and actually took in her surroundings she found Ulquiorra sitting on the floor, facing away from her and in the middle of a significantly sized tome.

"How'd you know it was me?" she asked.

"My pesquisa doesn't require eye contact to make an observation. Your reiatsu possesses a unique texture just as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. It's quite easy to know where you are when in the vicinity," Ulquiorra explained without even looking up.

"My reiatsu? Oh...you mean my magical signature. It's so amazing how you can do that," Twilight replied as she trotted over and glanced over his shoulder. "So what're you reading?"

"I believed it relevant to familiarize myself with the facts of Ponyville since we'll be going there in the morning," Ulquiorra explained as he flipped to another page.

"That's a really good idea. There's so much to know about Ponyville that you wouldn't expect from a town its size. There's actually a great deal of history to it and its founding," Twilight stated, her voice taking on an excited tone.

Another flare in her reiatsu levels.

"So I'm discovering," Ulquiorra replied, his voice as even as ever.

Twilight frowned in thought. She really shouldn't interrupt Ulquiorra's studies; she really hated when other ponies interrupted her own so she wanted to extend to him the same courtesy. But there were just so many questions she wanted to ask him about everything in her quest for knowledge. And his hands...oh his hands! The way they could turn a page the same way her magic could, the way they could provide support for holding the book at the desired angle for proper reading. His entire body was an intricately designed machine that the casual observer simply couldn't understand and she wanted to familiarize herself with every single aspect of it!

But for now he was busy with his own endeavors and she needed to respect that. With a soft sigh she admitted a temporary defeat in her quest for knowledge and simply sat down on the floor next to him, reading along with him in the chosen book. Or at least she tried to before he turned to the next page before she was even through the first full paragraph.

"What do you want?" he asked simply.

Twilight didn't even hesitate before responding automatically to the question. "Knowledge!"

"Pertaining to what?"

"To everything there is to know about you and where you came from, I want to know every aspect there is!" Twilight stated. "The sociopolitical climate of Hueco Mundo and what upset was caused by the presence of three Shinigami announcing that you were all working for them. Promotion opportunities for Privaron Espada. The molecular difference between your world's reishi and my world's mana. The biological mechanics behind converting raw mana into a source sustenance capable of maintaining life in the absence of food or water. The kido techniques of the Shinigami and how their zanpakutō differ from your own in terms of structure and capabilities. The physical mechanics behind your hands and their amazing dexterity. Muscle structure and center of gravity. Your world's lack of cutie marks. There's literally no end to how much knowledge you contain that could be beneficial to everypony. Your very existence could completely revolutionize our entire understanding of the science behind magic and our utilization of mana!"

In the back of the mind he could once again feel the thought of Twilight Sparkle being the reincarnation of the former Octava Espada. Her quest for knowledge seemed insatiable in nature and she was seeing him as nothing more than research material. Perhaps it was time to allude to such an observation and see where it lead.

"So you intend to disobey the instructions of Princess Celestia and use me as nothing more than a test subject that you'll dispose of once you've discovered all there is to know, caring nothing about what I may learn of this new world under your tutelage," he theorized.

"What?" Twilight asked and snapped back to reality, quickly shaking her head. "No, no, no, no! Nothing like that! I didn't mean to come off suggesting anything like that, I'm sorry," she apologized as her ears drooped.

Another fluctuation in her reiatsu. The intensity was definitely connected to her emotional state.

"Your apology is accepted," he replied and left it at that. He had accomplished what he'd set out to do by showing her the error of her ways and what he thought of her current thought process. That was sufficient for him.

Silence once again washed over the library as Twilight sat silently and simply observed him. However it was only a matter of time before she started reading the book alongside him.

"You have more questions I assume."

"I do. There's a lot of fascinating things about Hollows and the like. Like your mask, when a Hollow removes their mask they become an Arrancar. But what happens when an Arrancar removes the remnants of their mask?"

Ulquiorra thought on the question for a moment. Of everything that'd been asked so far that was one of the more interesting questions. "Once a Hollow transforms to an Arrancar they've attained their maximum status, further removal of their mask is unnecessary. However if an Arrancar's mask is forcefully removed they revert back to their original Hollow status, lose their humanoid shape, their strength and in some cases their intelligence," he explained. "The former Tres Espada, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, suffered breakage of her Hollow mask by then Octava Espada Nnoitra Gilga. The result was their reiryoku pouring from her body and her spirit body shrinking down to the size of a child."

"Wow," Twilight whispered in response to the new information, uncertain of just what to think about it.

Once again silence set in over the library, save for the occasional sound of pages being turned or light breathing.

"Am I correct in assuming your reading this tome alongside me is nothing more than a ruse?" Ulquiorra asked after a long stretch of silence. "Seeing as you live in Ponyville it would seem only logical that you'd already know most of the details that would be contained in here."

Twilight's cheeks turned crimson at how quickly Ulquiorra had caught on. How could he see through such a perfect cover in just a few minutes? And if he was that good what else could he do?

"Uhh..." she stammered in surprise, "maybe a little?"

"The living of this world are strange with their indirect approach," Ulquiorra commented and turned to face her. "If you wish something of me then state it directly, don't waste time with these games."

"I..." she started but paused in thought at what he'd said. He'd caught her off guard several times already without even trying by simply making uncannily accurate observations. Maybe he was right and the indirect approach was a waste of time; a mind as sharp as his could cut through the nonsense like it was nothing.

"Can you run through that list of words and phrases from your world again? I wanna try and understand the dialect better," she finally admitted.

As the personal student of Princess Celestia it seemed Twilight considered herself to be many things and involved in many fields. Scientist, physicist, chemist and now linguist. It was no real surprise that she'd want to familiarize herself with his manner of communicating since he would likely be here for a while, as well as interacting with her to some extent. If nothing else it would give him the opportunity to try and eliminate the annoying manner of the "pony" suffix that seemed to dominate the language.

Perhaps a few profanities from his world would do well to be learned along with other common phrases and words.

"Very well..."

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

The first thing Twilight became aware of when she awoke was how much her neck hurt. She must've slept crazy last night, or worse wound up kicking her pillow off the bed and just laying flat on the mattress without any support. She always hated when she did something like that.

The second thing she became aware of was just how hard the mattress was. It was all firm and lumpy and felt like there were bones in it. What was she sleeping on? Had Spike climbed into bed with her during the night and she'd wound up sleeping on him again?

"So you're finally awake."

The voice was strange and foreign to her as she tried to shake off the drowsiness she was feeling right now, trying to make her eyes focus in the direction the voice had come and the pale figure it'd come from.

"Ul...quiorra?" she asked, mumbling as she raised a foreleg to try and wipe the sleep from her eyes. "What're you doing here?"

"Several times after you came back to the library you wound up falling asleep in a sitting position, only to wake yourself back up again. Eventually you simply gave up and chose to utilize my leg as a headrest. As I would need you as my escort for today I simply allowed you to rest until you awoke on your own accord," Ulquiorra explained.

The third thing she became aware of when she woke up was his words, and the fact that she'd been laying on the hard library floor and treating his knee like it was a pillow. Immediately she shot up and off of him, the crimson glow of her cheeks shining through her lavender coat with ease.

"Oh Celestia I'm sorry! I had no idea I was doing something so rude!" Twilight apologized, and rather profusely too.

Ulquiorra merely stood up from the spot he'd been sitting on, set his book of choice down on the pile that sat next to him and dusted his jacket off. "You were tired. You weren't in full control of the cognitive process," he explained. "Are you in the habit of sleeping where you fall when studying?"

"...Sometimes..." she admitted hesitantly. Ulquiorra remained silent in response. "What time is it anyway?"

"I'm uncertain," he replied. "Perhaps you should make sure the others haven't awoken and become aware of your unscheduled absence," he suggested.

"Yeah that might be a good idea, I better go do that right now," Twilight replied, seeing it as a great excuse to get out of there really quick. She still couldn't believe she'd used Ulquiorra like a pillow!

"This is the method of travel?" Ulquiorra asked and cocked the eyebrow underneath his Hollow mask.

The time for departure to Ponyville had finally come, and if Ulquiorra was prone to emotional responses he'd be expressing that he was glad of that fact. The morning had been plagued with numerous and pointless wastes of time that had served no purpose other than being distractions. Countless discussions and reminders about what would be going on during this excursion, all of it redundant to him as he remembered it all quite well.

"Yep! Canterlot's finest method of travel," Twilight Sparkle replied as she proudly eyes the gold colored chariot, two of Celestia's finest pegasi troops hitched up and waiting to take them on their journey.

He had doubts as to just how "fine" the travel would be considering the rough amount of their combined weight and the chariot itself. Were the two pegasi sufficient to carry such an amount?

Celestia had escorted them to where they'd be departing from to give them a proper sendoff. And apparently she could pick up on Ulquiorra's uncertainty about the whole matter. "The chariot has a special low gravity enchantment so it, and by extension the passengers riding atop it, weighs less than it would normally on the ground," she explained.

"Fascinating," Ulquiorra replied evenly.

"You're sure you're ready to leave now? No last minute details that need to be worked out before departure?" Celestia asked the three.

"Everything's fine, Princess, really, we've covered all the bases. We'll be heading to Sweet Apple Acres first, then we'll find the rest of the girls and introduce Ulquiorra to them and get all the questions out of the way, and then we'll escort him into Ponyville proper and let the townsponies get to know him from there. It'll save all the trouble of going around and making introductions one by one," Twilight explained.

"A wise decision. As expected from my most faithful student," Celestia replied and smiled. "If you have everything in order then I bid you farewell for now."

"Forgive me if I'm speaking out of turn. But my assigned curfew specifies that I must return to Canterlot by sundown. If I'm to learn anything of significant importance in the time available perhaps we should dispense with the extended pleasantries and begin travel," Ulquiorra spoke up.

"Of course," Celestia replied after a moment. He did have a good point, they were essentially burning daylight by talking. And if he was going to learn anything about friendship and his new world he'd need all the time he could get. "Take care on your journey."

There were no more words said as the three stepped onto the chariot and departed from Canterlot on their journey, both to Ponyville and to Sweet Apple Acres. For the most part the trip was in silence.

"Hey Ulquiorra what's the matter? Do ya not like flying or something? You look kinda pale," Spike stated.

"Spike! That's not funny," Twilight scolded in response.

"Aw come on Twi' it's kinda funny," Spike replied.

Ulquiorra merely remained silent as the bickering between the two began. He could easily tune them out as he had tuned out far more annoying than the two of them. However he decided for another course of action. "How long will it take to arrive at our destination?"

The plan worked. Almost immediately the bickering between the two stopped.

"It takes about fifteen minutes to arrive at Ponyville by chariot. Although if it's an emergency the time can be cut down to five minutes. But since we're headed for Sweet Apple Acres first it should take only twelve minutes," Twilight explained.

"And this is the same Sweet Apple Acres that made the founding of Ponyville possible?" Ulquiorra asked.

"The one and only. Tastiest apples you'll find in Equestria and the only place outside of the Everfree Forest you'll find the legendary zap apples," Twilight stated happily.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response, merely observing the land from his vantage point as he stood still with his hands tucked into his pockets.

"Hey Twilight I've been thinking. Do you think we should figure out what we're going to tell everypony? We can't exactly tell them Ulquiorra's a ghost, Fluttershy might have a heart attack if she hears that," Spike pointed out. "And even if we had the time to give all our friends the full explanation and everything went perfect there's still the matter of everypony else in Ponyville. No matter how our friends respond once we step into town the others are going to notice him and get curious."

"An accurate assessment of the situation. It would be illogical to assume that order can be had evenly with all participants," Ulquiorra replied.

"Don't you two worry about that, I've actually been thinking about it since last night and I've got an idea. Just let me do the talking," Twilight told them.

The landing with the chariot provided by Celestia was a lot smoother than the one provided by Luna the day before; as to be expected from the like. They touched down in a clearing at Sweet Apple Acres before disembarking, and then unhitched the two pegasi guards that were to serve as the escort so they could stretch their legs as they'd be around for a while.

"Extensive," Ulquiorra noted as he looked around at the vast expanse of apple trees surrounding them from all angles.

"Yep! Sweet Apple Acres is nearly as big as all of Ponyville. Sometimes it's hard to believe that just three ponies handle it all themselves," Twilight stated. Ulquiorra continued to remain silent.

"So where's Applejack?" Spike asked, "you'd think the sight of a royal chariot descending in her orchards would bring her running."

"That's a good question..." Twilight paused as she looked around, scanning the horizon but seeing neither hide nor hair of her friend. "Ulquiorra do you think you can use your pesquisa technique to find her?"

"I can only identify sources of reiatsu, not determine who is whom without first meeting them," Ulquiorra explained. "However there is a sizable source of reiatsu approaching from the north. Current location approximately one quarter mile away."

All eyes turned north, catching glimpse of a quick moving orange dot approaching in contrast to the greens and browns of the surrounding trees and grass, the dot slowly gaining more details and morphing into an easy to identify pony wearing a hat. Based on the cutie mark it was safe for Ulquiorra to assume that this was Applejack.

"Applejack! We were just looking for you!" Twilight called in greeting her friend.

Applejack skidded to a halt and paused to catch her breath before addressing Twilight and Spike. "Nice ta see ya. Ah gotta tell ya Twilight ya took me by surprise showin' up in a royal chariot an' all. Ah thought Princess Celestia was paying me a personal visit er something," she explained inbetween breaths. It was only once she caught her breath and looked up that she noticed the other one and the really, really strange look they had about them. "Who's yer friend?"

"Applejack this is Ulquiorra Cifer, a visiting dignitary all the way from Las Noches," Twilight said as she made the introductions.

"Howdy," Applejack replied in a friendly manner and tipped her hat. "Ah never seen nopony like ya before 'round these parts."

"Well Ulquiorra isn't a really a pony. He's from a bipedal species known as Arrancar. He's up here in Equestria to try and establish diplomatic relations with our land and Princess Celestia has asked me to show him around Ponyville and the surrounding territory so he can meet all the ponies that make up this great land of ours," Twilight explained. "We thought that it'd be best to visit Sweet Apple Acres first since it would allow the girls to get introduced first and then we could go from there."

"Well if that don' beat all," Applejack stated. "Mighty appreciated ya picked our farm ta start out gettin' ta know everypony," she said as she turned her focus back to Ulquiorra. "Ya wanna step inside an' take a load off yer hooves? Give us a chance ta show ya some o' the legendary Apple Family hospitality."

Ulquiorra was silent, allowing Twilight to do the talking and give the explanation she thought was best. He merely observed the situation, listening as the earth pony spoke in a most unusual dialect that seemed easier to understand by instinct than simply from hearing it. The pronunciation of various words was choppy and incomplete, reminding him of the rather informal way Gin Ichimaru preferred to speak.

A cursory exercising of his pesquisa revealed that she was in possession of a significant amount of reiatsu that seemed to easily rival that of Twilight during one of her emotional high points. Perhaps this was the differentiation in magic between the races that Twilight Sparkle spoke of last night. If earth ponies exercised their magic in a passive manner it seemed logical to conclude that they would possess greater reserves than others species as there was no active depletion to take into account.

Now though she was speaking to him directly, meaning it was time to move from a passive role to active and interact.

"I must decline your offer. Your Princess Celestia has requested that I return to Canterlot castle by sundown. My time here is limited. While I'm certain much could be gathered by experiencing the hospitality your family has to offer, the knowledge gained wouldn't be relevant to the surrounding territory and the rest of the inhabitants," Ulquiorra stated as courteously as he could muster.

"Actually, Ulquiorra, it might be a good idea if you took Applejack up on her offer while we go and round up the others. It's gonna take some time to find everypony so you might as well be comfortable," Twilight explained.

"A valid point I suppose. Very well, I accept your invitation," he said as he turned his attention back to Applejack. "Will you be able to provide for our escort as well? Your Princess Celestia insisted on them accompanying us," he explained and brought the earth pony's line of sight to the royal guards that stood several paces behind them.

"Sure ah can do that, no problem. Twilight ya an' Spike go on ahead an' find the other girls an' bring 'em 'round, ah'll keep our guests entertained 'til then," Applejack told her.

"Thanks Applejack I appreciate that. Come on Spike let's go find the girls," Twilight stated.

They watched as Twilight galloped off, Spike riding atop her back toward Ponyville to find the rest of the girls. Hopefully she wouldn't be gone for too long. Looking back at their guests she tried not to cringe. That Ulquiorra fellow was polite enough but he sure didn't look the part, that blank and unfeeling expression on his face and eyes that just about cut through her. She really didn't know what to make of him, but that wouldn't stop her from doing her best to be polite to him.

"So...uh...yer name's kinda hard to remember an' all so ah'm just gonna call ya Mr. Cifer fer the time bein'. Do ya mind some tea while we wait?" Applejack asked.

"Tea will be fine. Lead the way," Ulquiorra replied.

"Straight ta the point huh? A'right this way," Applejack replied and lead the way back to the farmhouse, Ulquiorra following after her at his own pace and the two pegasus guards behind him.

"Twilight Sparkle has spoken favorably of you during out preliminary meeting. Can you elaborate on the nature of your relationship with her?" Ulquiorra asked as they walked along.

Applejack was a little surprised by the question. If she were a betting pony she would've wagered that Ulquiorra wasn't one for small talk; or much of any talk at that rate. But without even a hint of what might've been going on in his mind he opened the door to conversation.

"Well ah'm one o' Twilight's first friends from when she first came ta Ponyville on assignment from Princess Celestia. Ah'm also one o' the Elements o' Harmony jus' like Twilight, 'cept mine's the Element o' Honesty," Applejack explained as she trotted along.

Elements of Harmony? That was one topic he hadn't yet read about during his confinement to the Canterlot library. Now he was being informed that one of the ponies he was in the presence of possessed one of these mysterious elements? This was a matter that warranted curiosity. Beyond that it warranted further investigation.

"Matters pertaining to Equestria do not usually come to the attention of Las Noches. Are you able to elaborate on what the "Elements of Harmony" are?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Ya don' know what the Elements o' Harmony are?" Applejack asked in a surprised manner, nearly falling over herself as she turned her head to face him. He was as stone faced as ever, showing no signs that he was trying to engage in a practical joke. How could somepony not know about the Elements of Harmony? It didn't make sense. And yet he was standing there in all seriousness and saying that he didn't. "Ah'll explain it over tea. This is gonna be one long conversation," she stated and resumed her pace.

"Hey Twilight?"

The journey between Sweet Apple Acres and Ponyville wasn't exactly a long one, but it certainly seemed to be taking a long time right now as they traveled by hoof. Maybe it was just his anxiousness over the situation but he was starting to feel very aware of all the bumps in the road, which translated to bumps for him as he rode atop Twilight's back the entire way.

"Yes Spike?" Twilight asked as she continued trotting along.

"Is there a reason you didn't just teleport to Ponyville? Or at least closer to Ponyville?" Spike asked.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked while continuing her journey.

"Well we both know teleporting's a lot faster than walking or running. And we both know that you've got enough magic to teleport the both of us like it's nothing. So why're we just trotting along like earth ponies?" Spike asked.

Twilight slowed her pace before coming to a stop as Spike's words sank in. He did have a very good point, why were they simply walking when it would take so much longer to get there? Ulquiorra was blunt about having a limited amount of time available before he had to return to Canterlot and spending most of the day with Applejack probably wouldn't provide him with what they needed.

The more she thought about it the more she realized how foalish it was to simply walk. She was engaging in a real world example of what she detested authors doing in their literary works; excessive padding that served no purpose other than to warrant a certain page count. How had she missed it? If she wasn't carrying Spike right now she'd kick herself for doing that.

"Sorry, Spike, I guess I just didn't give it any thought. I'll rectify that right now," she stated as her horn began to glow. In a bright flash of light and the blink of an eye they were gone.

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

It was interesting to watch as Applejack went about preparing the tea as she possessed neither hands nor magic. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, as well as Twilight Sparkle all compensated for their lack of dexterity through their magic. Spike possessed rudimentary hands that allowed him at least the basic skills of grasping and manipulation of various implements. Applejack on the other hand was able to suffice with her mouth and somehow her hooves.

Perhaps earth ponies possessed some measure of dexterity to their hooves that unicorns and other species of pony didn't. Perhaps that was how she was able to make use of a potholder for handling the teakettle. Or perhaps the displays of magic he witnessed were merely a form of exhibitionism to try and reassure themselves that they were superior to other races and didn't need to bother with such lowly techniques.

"We're outta cinnamon right now so the tea's not gonna be at its best, but it's still pretty good," Applejack explained as she walked over on three legs and set a tray of glasses down on the table.

The two pegasus guards were sitting comfortably and easily at the kitchen table while Ulquiorra stood. The chairs of the Apple family weren't really built for someone of his frame. Not that it mattered one way or another. Right now he was watching with interest as the guards picked up their own cups of tea to drink. Currently his theory regarding hoof dexterity seemed to be in doubt; at least as far as earth ponies having an advantage on all other species of pony. He'd have to study it out later to arrive at a more definite conclusion.

He sipped the tea, noting that its taste was considerably more pleasant than what Aizen served at the meetings. The food in general tasted better than what was available in Las Noches. Not that any of it was important to him, merely an observation of the available facts.

"Is the tea a'right?" Applejack asked, uncomfortable with the stretch of silence that was going on. This was a lot different from the silence Big Macintosh was known for.

"It is," Ulquiorra replied simply. However an afterthought occurred to him as he remembered Princess Luna's suggestion of exercising courtesy when approached by others. He truly didn't see the practical purpose in such trivialities. But it really wasn't his place to be arguing such matters currently. "Thank you."

After the tea the kitchen was back to being silent again. Ulquiorra definitely wasn't big on small talk, she could tell that easy enough. If there was any small talk that was to be had she'd have to start it up herself.

"So wha' do ya think o' Equestria so far?" she asked.

"I'm as of yet unable to formulate a proper opinion. My time here has been limited to the palace of Canterlot, specifically the library," Ulquiorra replied and set the empty glass down on the table. "I believe you said you would explain about the "Elements of Harmony" over tea. What can you tell me about them?"

"Oh. Well the Elements o' Harmony are these ancient artifacts the Princesses used fer fightin' evil a thousan' years ago, but then they got passed ta us girls an' we each represent one o' them. Like ah said mine's the element o' honesty. Then there's the others; Pinkie Pie's element is laughter, Rainbow Dash's is loyalty, Fluttershy's is kindness an' Rarity's is generosity. Then there's Twilight, hers is unique an' only works when the others comes together, her element is magic. Accordin' ta her it's a double meanin' considerin' that friendship is magic in its own right an' ya can't have friendship without harmony," Applejack explained as best she could. She really should've left the explanations to Twilight as she felt she'd managed to butcher it to some degree.

"So Twilight Sparkle's "Element of Harmony" is the weakest and needs the others in order to properly function?" Ulquiorra asked.

Applejack scratched her head in thought. She'd never really given much thought to that idea before, never bothered to analyze it. To her the Elements of Harmony were just sort of...harmonious and worked equally, none being stronger or weaker than the other. Without harmony and friendship things like loyalty, generosity, honesty, laughter and kindness really didn't amount to much. But without each of those things working in unison could you really have friendship in the first place?

"Ah never really thought abou' that before," she finally admitted.

Ulquiorra remained silent in thought, contemplating the available information. From the sound of it these "Elements of Harmony" were a powerful weapon designed to keep the peace in Equestria during times of great danger. While there was ambiguity on just what was considered "evil" it seemed illogical to believe that such a classification was necessary in order to use them. He couldn't rule out the possibility of these artifacts being able to stop Aizen if he were to ever discover this dimension.

On the other hand perhaps it was for the best that he wasn't aware of this dimension. From the sound of it the safety of Equestria was entirely depending upon Applejack, Twilight Sparkle and the four other named ponies continuing to be friends with each other. If such were truly the case then this nation's overall security was shaky at best. He wasn't sure what to think about that, other than the stupidity of such a pretense. What ruler would make the safety of their nation contingent upon something such as "friendship" or some other intangible concept that his eyes couldn't see?

"And how exactly do these "Elements of Harmony" work when dealing with a threat to the safety of Equestria?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Well ah don' really know the magical er mechanical aspects involved. But when we use 'em this massive wave o' positive energy comes forth an'...well ah don' know how ta explain it. When we used 'em against Nightmare Moon she was purified o' evil and turned back inta Princess Luna. But when we used 'em against Discord he got encased in stone," Applejack explained. "Twilight's a lot more knowledgeable about this stuff than ah am."

Another observation. Based on all the information he had access to it seemed safe to conclude that the "Elements of Harmony" didn't provide a lethal solution to known threats; the fact that he was here was proof of that. Or perhaps it was necessary for a threat to truly be "evil" in nature before it could actually be killed. Perhaps Discord and Princess Luna weren't the proper sort of "evil" to be permanently stopped.

"I've had the dubious honor of meeting Discord myself. It would seem the "Elements of Harmony" were insufficient," Ulquiorra replied.

"Well...that matter was sorta outta our hooves. Princess Celestia had the notion tha' we could reform Discord from his chaotic ways an' had us unleash him. Granted we succeeded but it sure wasn' easy ta do," Applejack explained.

"And how precisely did you go about reforming Discord? How does one tame the chaotic nature out of the "spirit of chaos" as he introduced himself?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Well ya see the five o' us really didn' trust Discord an' didn' wanna cut 'im any slack, but Fluttershy went about befriendin' 'im in ways we jus' couldn' an' when he got outta hoof she made 'im realize that if he didn' straighten up an' fly right he'd be losin' the only friend he ever had. After that he just sorta started bein' good on his own. Granted he's still a pain in the flank at times but his chaotic nature's been toned down a good deal," Applejack explained.

To say the least the tale was interesting, provided it was an accurate account of events that transpired, and provided this Applejack wasn't simply making things up. Simply because she claimed to represent the "Element of Honesty" that didn't amount to actual proof of anything that was being said.

"And these "Elements of Harmony" failed to purify Discord in the same manner they did Princess Luna?" Ulquiorra asked. "Are you able to account for this discrepancy?"

"Uh..." Applejack paused, finding herself further and further out of her areas of comfort and expertise. "Ah don' really know the answer ta that one," she admitted.

"Perhaps Discord wasn't evil to begin with," Ulquiorra replied simply.

"Say what?" Applejack asked and tilted her head in confusion.

"During Discord's time free what actions did he take that could truly be considered evil in nature? Whose lives did he put at risk by being disorderly to Princess Celestia's rule?" Ulquiorra asked. When Applejack didn't have any answers to offer up he continued. "Had Nightmare Moon been allowed to implement eternal night the world's ecosystem would be decimated by the lack of sunlight and billions would die from the resulting deforestation and starvation. Can the same be said for what Discord did?"

Applejack didn't have any answers she could offer up to his questions. Try as she might she couldn't come up with a single thing to say.

"Ah don' know," she said and hung her head, turning her gaze down to the floor.

He could press on with his verbal assault but there would be no real purpose to it. Applejack was already without answers to the questions presented, unable to explain why Discord had been labeled as evil and treated as such. For her part she at least seemed to be contemplating her words rather than blindly rambling a predetermined position. She at least seemed more reasonable than...

+++

His left hand was gripped around the throat of Ichigo Kurosaki, effortlessly keeping him lifted up above the ground. His body was battered and beaten, his reiatsu dropping substantially. And yet he continued grasping his zanpakutō in his right hand. Why?

"Why don't you let go of your sword?" Ulquiorra asked. "You can see the difference in our strength. Do you still think you can defeat me? The difference in our strength--"

"What about it?" Ichigo managed to ask despite the grip he had on his throat. "Do you think I should give up just because you're stronger than me?"

He was genuinely surprised by the human's persistence and stubborn refusal to give up. Even in the face of overwhelming odds he still proved unreasonably stubborn.

"I've always known...you were strong...Nothing I see now will change my mind..." Ichigo stated. "...I will defeat you...Ulquiorra."

"Nonsense," Ulquiorra replied and relinquished his grip, allowing the human to fall to his knees onto the hard ground beneath. "Ichigo Kurosaki, those are the words of someone that does not know true despair. So I will show you. This is what true despair looks like." **

+++

Ichigo Kurosaki, the stubbornest human/Shinigami he had ever encountered. Stubbornly refusing to admit defeat no matter what. And most infuriatingly the one who had defeated him, resulting in his being here. It was unforgivable.

At least Applejack was more reasonable than him and recognized what she couldn't offer up anything of actual substance to the questions he'd presented her. At the very least she was intelligent enough to recognize the fact that she had nothing to say in response.

"Then perhaps not all the pieces to the puzzle are present," Ulquiorra replied.

"I gotta tell ya, Mr. Cifer, yer one deep thinker," Applejack said as she finally looked up from the floor.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response, feeling neither the need to confirm or deny her statement. Instead her chose to pick up the tea pot and pour himself another cup while he waited for Twilight Sparkle to return with the others.

One of the problems with teleportation over an extended distance was never being fully certain where exactly you'd appear. You could find yourself on top of a rock, stuck in a tree, or even trapped on one of the arms of the local windmill and screaming helplessly for somepony to get you down.

Fortunately for Twilight and Spike none of the above was in the cards as they arrived in Ponyville. The teleportation had gone off without a hitch and deposited them right outside of Sugarcube Corner; perfection in other words.

"Wow Twilight, how'd you manage that?" Spike asked upon seeing the bakery.

"I don't really know Spike, I was just trying to teleport to Ponyville in general, not anyplace inparticular," Twilight replied and shrugged. "Oh well at least we found Pinkie Pie."

"I hope so. If she's out making deliveries we'll never find her," Spike stated.

The door chime sounded as Twilight trotted her way inside the bakery. Apart from a few of the usual faces enjoying the baked goods she could see Pinkie at the counter, and much to their pleasant surprise Fluttershy was also there. Two ponies down on the same visit, that made things a whole lot easier.

"Hey girls," Twilight called as she walked over to the counter.

"Oh. Hi Twilight," Fluttershy greeted back.

"Hi Twilight! Hi Spike!" Pinkie greeted with far more enthusiasm in her voice. "What brings you two around? Looking for some cupcakes? Or maybe some freshly baked doughnuts?"

"As tempting as that sounds I'm afraid not. We were actually looking for you two to see if you could come to Sweet Apple Acres," Twilight replied.

"Yeah we've got someone for ya to meet," Spike added.

"Really? Somepony new to Ponyville? Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly. "This calls for a party!"

"Not yet Pinkie," Twilight stated, heading off Pinkie's excitement before it could get out of hoof. "They're not moving to Ponyville to live, they're here on official business. This comes all the way from Canterlot, from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna," she explained.

"Princess Luna!? Wow that's awesome! Must be something pretty big if Princess Luna's involved too," Pinkie replied, the excitement in her voice giving way to amazement as her demeanor became somewhat more serious. "So who is this VIP?"

"A visiting dignitary from a far off country. He's here on official business and the Princesses have asked me to show him around and help him get to know the ponies that make Equestria great. And who better to give him a good idea of what Equestria's like then let him get to know my friends first?" Twilight replied.

"Wow that's so cool!" Pinkie exclaimed and started to bounce in excitement. "Are you sure this doesn't call for a "Welcome to Equestria Foreign Dignitary" kind of party?"

"There's always time for a party later on, Pinkie, but right now probably isn't the time. He's still learning about what Equestria's like. At least give him a couple of days to get properly acclimated to everything," Twilight explained. "So can you be there for the meet and greet?"

"Oh..I don't know..." Fluttershy replied hesitantly as she rubbed at her foreleg. "What's...what's he like?"

Twilight paused in thought of how exactly to explain Ulquiorra to Fluttershy. She couldn't really tell her the full story, she was already stretching the truth with the "foreign dignitary" cover story. But in a way he was just that so it wasn't a total lie.

"Afraid," Spike spoke up, bringing their attention to him on Twilight's back. "He's in a new land surrounded by new and unfamiliar faces so right now he's kinda detached and analytical like Twilight right now. Sort've a coping mechanism I guess? He doesn't even have the same manner of talking that we do so he's really in need of somepony understanding right now," he explained.

Twilight smiled to herself. That was a good description of the situation, but she'd disagree with the notion of Ulquiorra being afraid of anything. Empty and unresponsive, sure, but certainly not afraid. Really she wasn't sure if he had any emotions to him.

"Really?" Fluttershy asked. "Oh that poor dear. Of course I'll be there for him."

"Me too! Me too!" Pinkie stated and bounced.

"That's good. Now to go get Rarity and Rainbow Dash," Twilight stated. However before she was even out the door she felt something pulling on her tail and keeping her from moving. Looking back she saw it was Pinkie holding firm. "Pinkie what're you doing?"

"Rarity and Rainbow Dash can't come. Rarity's really super swamped and won't let anypony into Carousel Boutique unless they have an appointment, and Dashie's attending a weather meeting in Cloudsdale," Pinkie explained.

"A-A-ACHOO!"

The lecture hall that was being used for the weather team meeting echoed with the sound of the abrupt sneeze, causing those that were present and trying to stay awake to suddenly jolt back to the land of the living. The pony in charge of the meeting, currently explaining the recent changes in the air currents and how it would be affecting their work, stopped in the middle of his sentence and looked back at the pony who'd interrupted him.

"Coming down with a cold, Miss Dash?" he asked.

"No sir," Rainbow Dash and sniffed. "I'm fine, really."

The stallion pegasus gave a grunt in response before turning his attention back to the charts, picking up right where he left off.

"They can't?" Twilight asked. That was certainly going to complicate things some. Being gone most of yesterday really screwed with her scheduling if she wasn't even aware of Rainbow Dash's weather meeting. Then again Rainbow Dash probably wouldn't even have told her unless she first came to the library asking for the next "Daring Do" novel.

"Then I guess we really can't have a Pinkie Pie Party if all our friends can't be there," Spike pointed out. He knew how much Pinkie loved to throw parties. But the thought of leaving her friends out would seriously make her think otherwise.

"Well we can at least make him feel properly welcome. Come on Fluttershy let's go!" Pinkie stated before hopping over the counter, grabbing Fluttershy's hoof and speeding out the door.

The entire thing had been...weird. Weird even by Pinkie Pie standards of weirdness and they were most certainly unique. Watching Pinkie drag Fluttershy off fast enough to leave behind a dust trail -which was even weirder as Sugarcube Corner never had significant amounts of dust to be found- left them speechless.

At least until Spike managed to find his voice again.

"Hey Twilight...something just occurred to me..." Spike stated.

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

"How's Ulquiorra gonna react to meeting Pinkie?" Spike asked. "Or better yet...how's Pinkie gonna react to meeting Ulquiorra?"

"That's...a very good question. We might just have to wait and see," Twilight replied. If those two polar opposite forces were to connect... "No use worrying about it, there's nothing we can do right now. But maybe we'd better catch up to them so Ulquiorra doesn't get overwhelmed by Pinkie's sudden presence. We might have to act like a buffer."

Spike nodded in agreement. If wouldn't be the first time one of them had to keep a newcomer from being subjected to the full magnitude of the Pinkie Pie experience on their very first day. They all knew she meant well but she was...really intense at times.

"Well then we'd better get going while there's still something left of Sweet Apple Acres to go to."

The house was way too silent. Nopony was talking. The pegasus guards were silent, Ulquiorra was silent, and Applejack was uncomfortably silent as she didn't know what to say. The tea really hadn't been much of a distraction and Ulquiorra wasn't much of a talker; by comparison the pegasus guards seemed more lively.

She didn't like it one bit and had to do something to change that.

"So...mind if ah ask what tha' thing on yer head is?" she asked, hoping to strike up some measure of conversation.

Explaining what the remnants of a Hollow mask were wouldn't likely be a conversation Applejack would be able to follow, Ulquiorra could tell that. Fortunately there was another explanation that he could give that would make more sense to her.

"An evolutionary leftover from a previous point in the history of an Arrancar. It ultimately serves no purpose but cannot be removed safely," Ulquiorra replied.

"So it's sorta like a bony appendix er somethin'?" Applejack asked.

Ulquiorra remained silent to the question, having no real answer to give to either confirm or deny the comparison. In a way the two were similar in serving no real function after a certain amount of time. The remains of his Hollow mask certainly had no true function now that he was of Vasto Lorde status. It was nothing more than useless ornamentation anymore. However his focus was drawn elsewhere by his pesquisa.

"Twilight Sparkle and Spike are returning with two others," he replied simply and set the empty glass back down on the table before turning around and walking back towards the door, ducking just enough to clear the top.

"Now hold on how jus' a minute, how can ya know that?" Applejack asked as she followed after him before the two pegasus guards could get up from their seats.

"Whoa..."

Applejack was left silent when she stepped out onto the front porch only to see Twilight and Spike coming back into view with Pinkie and Fluttershy following close behind. How had he known when he couldn't see out of the kitchen in this direction? This Ulquiorra was a really strange one, his name hard to pronounce, his tone of voice offsetting, his point of view really out there and now he knew the others were coming without even seeing them? Twilight was definitely gonna have to answer a lot of questions for her before the day was over.

Twilight panted as she came skidding to a halt in front of the porch, Pinkie and Fluttershy able to stop with far more grace and control. All of them were silent, uncertain of what to say or even think.

"Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, meet Ulquiorra Cifer from Hueco Mundo..."

Author's Note

** Bleach chapter 347

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

The silence was heavy enough one could easily hear an apple fall off its tree and hit the ground. Everypony present was just staring. Fluttershy and Pinkie were looking at the strange being standing on the porch beside Applejack while Ulquiorra looked at the bright pink earth pony with unkempt mane and the butter yellow pegasus with the flowing pink mane with the scared look on her face.

Twilight looked between the two parties, uncertain what exactly had gone wrong. Why was nopony talking or making an effort to strike up a conversation? Fluttershy had seemed motivated to come over when Spike had explained about Ulquiorra in the best way he could. Was his appearance scaring her? And what about Pinkie? Where was her usual joyful nature that could overcome any rocky start and bring out the best in anypony?

"Am I correct in assuming not everything went according to plan?" Ulquiorra finally asked, breaking up the stifling silence in the process.

"Something like that," Twilight replied, not knowing what else to say.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response as he continued to study the two ponies before him. The pink one looked at him in confusion and amazement while the yellow one looked at him in fear.

"No matter," Ulquiorra replied and stepped off the porch with his hands tucked into his pockets. "These two are the bearers of the elements of laughter and kindness?" he asked.

"How'd you know that?" Twilight asked, feeling stunned by the revelation.

"Applejack was quite informative and helpful, explaining how you and the others possess the "Elements of Harmony" and have used them against Princess Luna's alter ego of Nightmare Moon and Discord himself," Ulquiorra replied simply as he stepped closer. "I must admit I was fairly surprised to see that these two are element bearers. Considering how vital these artifacts are to the safety of Equestria I expected them to be in the possession of those who were older and considerably more experienced."

"Now jus' a minute here," Applejack spoke up when she finally found her voice and climbed down off the porch. "Ah don' know how things are where ya come from, but over here we've proved ourselves ta be pretty darn good at savin' the world an' all. We saved it like three times on our own so far. Ain't that right, Twilight?"

Twilight paused in thought and took stock of the number of times that would count as saving the world. The defeat of Nightmare Moon, sealing Discord back in stone, stopping King Sombra...definitely making Discord reform and change his ways. The Changeling invasion didn't count as that was her brother Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. Saving Ponyville from the sleeping dragon couldn't be counted either as that was local rather than regional.

"Four actually," Twilight replied.

"Right," Applejack said as she turned her focus back to Ulquiorra. "Four times we been heroes ta the world so don't go doubtin' us jus' 'cause ya ain' been around ta see us in action."

"I was merely making an observation about the importance the Elements of Harmony possess, not about your qualifications to possess them," Ulquiorra replied simply as she looked back at Applejack before turning attention back forward.

They didn't need to be informed of his opinions regarding the overall level of security Equestria had with the six of them holding what might amount to the most powerful weapons in the world or his doubts about their ability to protect the world if they couldn't maintain a cohesive group.

"Hey we're super duper responsible!" Pinkie finally spoke up, and she wasn't happy. "You're certainly a Meanie McMean Pants!"

Twilight could tell this wasn't going to end well. She knew Ulquiorra was honest and straight to the point, and he was often blunt about what he believed, but she hadn't seen him go out of his way to engage in simple cruelty or outright meanness. That was her evaluation of the Arrancar, and unfortunately the way things were quickly progressing she could see that this meeting -and failed blending- of the two cultures wasn't going to end well unless she pulled some kind of damage control. She needed to act fast to prevent everything going straight to Tartarus. No the way things were going this would go well past Tartarus, this would go all the way to his dimension's equivalent of Hell.

"Ulquiorra," Twilight spoke up and interrupted whatever trade was going to be had. "Could I see you for a minute?"

Ulquiorra quirked an eyebrow as he looked at Twilight. The tone in her voice had changed considerably and her facial features had become more hardened. Something about her posture must've been readable to everyone else as Spike knew enough to dismount her without even being told. There was an intensity to her that he hadn't seen from her before, an intensity he had only seen on the Princesses so far.

Wordlessly he followed her lead as she lead him away from the group towards the apple orchards. Finally after some measure of distance she turned and faced him directly.

"Look. I know you're not being mean or cruel, you're just being...well...yourself, to the point on what you observe. But my friends don't exactly understand that because they don't know anything about Hollows or Hueco Mundo. I don't know if they could handle those details," Twilight explained.

"And what would you propose as a solution?" Ulquiorra asked simply.

"Apologize. If for no other reason that appearance's sake. Defuse the situation," Twilight suggested.

"A useless gesture to perform," Ulquiorra replied. He had done nothing wrong and Twilight Sparkle acknowledged the fact that he'd done nothing wrong. So why would she be insisting that he apologize? It was simply illogical in nature.

"Ulquiorra," Twilight replied in a low and serious tone. "Remember how Princess Celestia instructed you to listen to me as you would her? Well I'm instructing you to play nice for the time being. Those ponies are my friends regardless of how nonsensical they can be at times. And sometimes that means swallowing your pride and consenting to something you don't believe in for the sake of the bigger picture. Dominating every single incident might have you right but you'll be alone, and that goes against your assigned purpose here; learning about friendship and making friends," Twilight explained. "This is lesson number one in friendship: tolerance."

He observed her as she spoke. She was determined and assertive whereas previously she had been curious and more malleable in personality. And as her personality hardened so did her reiatsu to the point being in her presence was causing his skin an unpleasant sensation. It appeared that simple logic wouldn't aid him on this matter as she'd already reached a conclusion on her own.

"As you wish, Twilight Sparkle," Ulquiorra replied neutrally before turning around and walking back to where the others remained. Perhaps agreeing to the terms of his release was premature on his part. Finally he stood before the small group again and prepared to carry out his orders. "I apologize if I came off as being cruel in my unfamiliarity with how things are done in Equestria. In Hueco Mundo if items as important as the Elements of Harmony existed they would be carefully safe guarded at all times and deployed only by the most experienced and seasoned individuals to guarantee that they couldn't be stolen and used by the wrong parties."

"Well originally they were secured in Canterlot where only Princess Celestia had access to them," Twilight added, her tone of voice just like it had been before their discussion. "But after two consecutive failures to acquire them during a crisis, Princess Celestia decided it'd be best if we kept them with us since only we can use them. Furthermore they've each been magically bound to us so nopony can steal them even if they tried," she explained.

Perhaps the most logical of decisions that could be made under the given circumstances. With the Elements of Harmony so far away from the only ones who could use them it only made sense if that distance was closed. And at least Princess Celestia had the foresight to safeguard each of the elements to their selected user so they couldn't be misused. Perhaps he'd been premature in making his earlier assessment.

"Maybe we got off on the wrong hoof, let's try this again," Twilight suggested. "Ulquiorra Cifer, these are two of my friends in Ponyville. Pinkie Pie, the most awesome party planning pony you'll meet anywhere. And Fluttershy, best known for her expertise in taming all manner of animal, big or small, herbivore or carnivore."

Pinkie grinned happily at Twilight's statement while Fluttershy made an effort to hide her face behind her mane.

"Girls this is Ulquiorra Cifer of Hueco Mundo, here to establish diplomatic relations with Equestria and getting to know the ponies that make this land great."

Ulquiorra nearly rolled his eyes. He had consented to let Twilight Sparkle handle the initial introductions but he hadn't suspected she would be engaging in such deceit. Diplomatic relations? Really? What sort of diplomatic relations could he truly engage in? And was the unicorn really this prone to dishonesty with those she considered friends?

Perhaps beneath that friendly veneer she harbored feelings of superiority and resentment towards the others and merely tolerated their presence for the sake of Equestria. He couldn't rule it out as being a possibility.

"Cool!" Pinkie stated excitedly. "Welcome to Ponyville Ulqy! If you need anything in the way of parties just lemme know."

Ulqy? He cocked an eyebrow at her selection of name for referring to him. He preferred Applejack's manner of address in comparison. However instead of saying anything he turned his focus to Fluttershy who seemed to shrink under his gaze. "Are you the one who reformed Discord?"

Fluttershy squeaked at being addressed directly and took a hesitant step backwards as if confronted by overwhelming danger. Not that it was an inaccurate comparison to make. Eventually she managed a weak nod and a barely audible "yes" in response to his question.

"You fear me," Ulquiorra stated bluntly. "You consider me a monster due to my differences from you and that's why you're afraid. Correct?"

Fluttershy's eyes went wide at the statement, stopping her in her tracks before she could back up any further. Was she really coming off like that? How terrible.

"No..." she whispered.

+++

"...I'm finally starting to find you guys a little interesting," Ulquiorra commented. How had it come to this exactly? Standing here in the process of dying, his body turning into ash after being defeated by Ichigo Kurosaki under control of his Hollow self after what should've been a fatal injury. And on top of that he was being denied a proper death by the human because of some misplaced belief in honor before reason.

The woman stood to his right, looking at him as he slowly faded away. Her eyes...they were filled not with fear or relief but rather sadness...sadness directed at him. Slowly he stretched his arm out to her.

"...Are you scared of me? Girl."

"I'm not scared," she replied, sadly yet defiantly.

Even after all he'd done to her and her friends she wasn't scared of him, she took no pleasure in his imminent death. He'd tried to kill Ichigo Kurosaki, torn off the Quincy's left arm, threatened to kill all of her friends if she didn't do exactly as he said in instructing her to come to Hueco Mundo. And yet she still took pity on him. He wouldn't be able to understand her even if he tried to, there was no logic to her.

"I see."

The last thing he could see was her reaching out to take his hand, the gesture causing his limb to disintegrate starting at his fingers and quickly racing back up to his torso.**

+++

"I'm...not afraid of you..." Fluttershy whispered with a bit more courage than her previous statement, although it still wasn't very convincing to those that didn't know her. "You're...you're not a monster..."

If only she knew how wrong she was in her statement. If these ponies had seen him back in Hueco Mundo would they be so quick to assume he wasn't a threat to them? If Princess Celestia had experienced him firsthand in his released state would she still allow him to interact with her subjects as freely as she currently was, their only provided protection being two guards with a significantly lower level of reiryoku than his own?

Most likely not.

"Fluttershy's always that way 'round new ponies," Applejack stated from behind. "Although ah still don't rightly know wha' ya are."

"Then we are in an equal position. I've been informed that you're all ponies but that tells me little about just what you are," Ulquiorra replied without even turning to look at her. "Nothing like any of you has ever been seen nor heard of in Hueco Mundo. It would be only logical to assume the same would be true when the situation is reversed."

"Hueco Mundo? Hey does that mean-" Pinkie began, only to be stopped by Twilight.

"I already tried when I first met him, Pinkie, he doesn't speak that language," she explained.

"Oh," Pinkie replied and gave a small shrug. "Whatever! Put 'er there Ulqy!" she said and stuck out her hoof.

He recognized the gesture from yesterday with Twilight Sparkle, knowing what she was expecting. However he felt less motivated to return the gesture with this one. He'd rather wait and see how long it took her to comprehend that he wasn't inclined to shake hands.

Nearly a full minute before she finally set her hoof back down on the ground and frowned in response.

"So...wha' exactly is an Arrancar anyway?" Applejack asked, figuring it was the best way to head off whatever might be brewing between Pinkie and their new guest.

"What exactly is a pony? What is it precisely that makes a pony a pony rather than a zebra, gryphon, dragon or some other species?" Ulquiorra asked in response and turned to face her. "We're all simply who and what we are and nothing more. Titles and species are nothing more than a way to categorize others into different types and sub-types for the purpose of maintaining artificial boundaries for separation."

"There he goes with that deep thinkin' again," Applejack thought to herself, unable to figure out what to say in response. What was the difference between an earth pony and a zebra? Or between a pegasus and a gryphon? And how much difference was there? One thing was for certain he really inspired a lot of thinking.

"Ooh! Ooh! Ulqy! Ulqy!" Pinkie called excitedly and bounced on her hind legs until he finally turned around to face her. "Cake?" she asked as she presented a large chocolate frosted cake with "Welcome to Ponyville!" written in white icing on top.

He was left confused at the cake being presented to him. The pink earth pony hadn't shown up with anything that could even remotely contain such an item, nor could she have gone to retrieve it when he was addressing Applejack without him becoming aware of it. Yet here she stood, reared up on her hind legs and using her forelegs to hold up the pan for his consideration.

"I was under the impression earth pony magic is passive in nature and can't be used for teleportation or materialization," Ulquiorra replied, unable to determine the exact location the cake had come from.

"Pinkie is...very random..." Twilight explained as best she could.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response, left uncertain as to how to go about interpreting the statement as it provided little in the way of hard facts. Randomness? Randomness didn't answer how the pink earth pony had produced a cake so fast. Even Twilight Sparkle couldn't have produced the cake without him feeling a fluctuation in her reiatsu as he'd felt in the other times she'd exercised her magic.

"Cake?" Pinkie asked again, still maintaining her level of balance without any significant display of tiring from the awkward position she was in.

"It would appear to be, however I'm unable to confirm whether or not it is," Ulquiorra replied simply.

Pinkie blinked in confusion at the statement, before snorting and bursting into a fit of laughter in response, nearly tipping over in the process.

"That's hilarious I've gotta write that one down!" Pinkie laughed. And just as easily as the laughing had begun it stopped and Pinkie was as serious as she had been previously. "So do you want some cake?"

"No."

"No?" Pinkie asked, unable to believe her own ears. Just like that he'd turned down chocolate cake without even the briefest of contemplation? "Not even a little piece?"

"No."

"Wow Ulqy you're a tough one!" Pinkie stated as sat down on her haunches in order to better balance herself. "No smiling, no hoofshake and now you're turning down cake? The next thing you know you'll be trying to tell us you don't have any friends."

"I don't," Ulquiorra replied.

The change in atmosphere at his words could almost be felt. Perhaps he'd said the wrong thing.

He could understand how different dimensions might have different standards of physics; he'd seen such when it came to the use of magic for basic levitation and even teleportation, neither of which existed in Hueco Mundo. Different standards of physics even made sense regarding the ability of the pegasus species of ponies to fly.

However he was certain that different standards of physics didn't explain how the pink earth pony's mouth could open far enough that her lower jawbone could actually make contact with the grassy ground beneath her; nor how she could so easily toss the cake and platter into the air where it came back down on her head and was cushioned by her mane and remained perfectly balanced as she literally picked her jaw up and audibly snapped it back into place.

"Oh...my..." Fluttershy stated in surprise.

"WHAT?!" Pinkie shouted in surprise. "No friends? You mean like never? Like never ever?" she asked. "That's terrible! That's super duper sad, like sadder than "not getting any of your birthday cake or presents when it's your own birthday party" sad! Girls this is a super duper Partycon Level 1 emergency! We've gotta get Ulqy some friends pronto!"

Ulquiorra blinked and kept silent, still trying to understand how the cake could remain so perfectly balanced on her head. He could understand the meaning of the words the pink pony was using despite how fast she was talking. But she was speaking utter nonsense. Simple illogical nonsense with no basis in common sense. She was rambling about things beyond her understanding and beyond his ability to care about. She spoke of friends as if they were a physical concept of great importance. Regardless of what Princess Celestia had ordered of him he still didn't grasp the concept. And until it could be proven otherwise it would continue to remain as such.

"I fail to see the emergency of the situation," Ulquiorra replied as evenly and unmoved as ever before. "My stay here is limited to the daylight hours only. I don't have the time to engage in wasteful indulgences."

"Actually Ulquiorra...it's not as wasteful as it might sound," Twilight spoke up, bringing the Arrancar's attention to her, knowing full well that if she didn't provide a necessary distraction then Pinkie could very likely go into meltdown mode.

"How so?" Ulquiorra asked as her looked at her.

"Well it's a long story. Before I came to Ponyville I used to believe the same thing. I was so busy researching the legend of Nightmare Moon and trying to warn Princess Celestia, but she insisted on sending me here to check on preparations for the Summer Sun celebration and telling me to make some friends. And that's how I wound up making friends with Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. That's how we obtained the Elements of Harmony, defeated Nightmare Moon and saved Equestria," she explained.

"...And you did all of this through the concept of friendship?" Ulquiorra asked, unconvinced of the notion. Twilight nodded in response, as did the others. They were all sticking to the story, to the notion that friendship had somehow aided them. Perhaps there was a measure of truth depending on what the Elements of Harmony needed in order to function properly. But the very idea still seemed preposterous.

"Ulquiorra Cifer. You asked to be assigned a purpose so your presence in our kingdom would have meaning. Considering that you're a foreigner to this land, to say nothing of this dimension, and unfamiliar with all the wonders it holds, as well as being under my rule, I've reached the conclusion that the best course of action available is to assign you the same task I assigned Twilight nearly three years ago. You're to educate yourself on the magic of friendship and all that it holds. You'll learn to make friends, you'll submit reports on your findings."

Preposterous...but it was still his purpose in this new world to learn about it. And as much as he may not see the point he was also under orders to exercise courtesy. He was beginning to wonder if the void really was worth leaving for this. Had he known what he'd be stepping into he might've stayed behind.

"Preposterous," he stated. Orders or not, that didn't mean he had to comply with them immediately. Not when there were still so many questions left unanswered. "Friendship is an intangible concept created by others in an attempt to convince themselves that they're not alone in life. The simple fact of life is that we're all alone in our existence, the only difference being to what extent we willingly admit this fact."

Twilight wanted to facehoof at Ulquiorra's words. He wasn't paying attention to Princess Celestia's instructions. Despite his words yesterday about considering alternative views he still seemed firmly rooted in his nihilism and unwilling to change. Was he really this stubborn? Was it by nature?

"...You're not alone..."

It was a statement barely above a whisper but everyone present still managed to hear it and tell that it was Fluttershy's voice. Currently and wordlessly she was hovering off the ground to place a foreleg on his arm.

"You don't have to be alone here while you're around us," Fluttershy stated.

He regarded her neutrally. Despite being the most scared of the five present she seemed to find enough courage to approach him and make actual physical contact. Twilight Sparkle had offered, as did Pinkie Pie, but Fluttershy was the only one to actually initiate the contact. Even as he looked at her with the same gaze that made her shrink away previously she didn't seem willing to leave. Curious. Where had she found this courage she'd previously been devoid of?

There was the remote possibility that what they were talking about really wasn't a matter of nonsense. He wasn't in Hueco Mundo anymore where loneliness and despair were the lay of the land. He had to at least consider the possibility that what they were talking about was serious in nature.

"I still possess doubts about the validity of what you're saying," Ulquiorra stated. "But I'm at least wiling to consider the possibility of alternative views on the matter..."

Now it was Twilight's turn to have doubts. Ulquiorra had said pretty much the same thing last night but so far hadn't shown any followup since coming to Sweet Apple Acres, he was still stubbornly maintaining the belief that anything he couldn't see didn't exist. But she had to be willing to cut him some slack as this was a lot to take in all at once; Pinkie was a lot to take in all at once. She hadn't exactly adjusted well on her first day either.

Speaking of Pinkie she seemed to have brightened considerably at Ulquiorra's statement; as if he'd just told her he wanted her to throw a huge party. One of these days she had to get the party pony down into her lab and figure out just how she could smile so wide without hurting her face.

"This is gonna be awesome!" Pinkie stated.

Ulquiorra meanwhile was observing the change in his surroundings. And what he was seeing was enough to make him question whether or not his pesquisa was still working properly. He understood that the intensity of Twilight Sparkle's reiatsu was in some way linked to her emotional state. But in the case of Pinkie Pie this seemed even moreso as her amount of reiatsu was increasing dramatically and flooding the area to the point it was overshadowing the others.

The strange aspect was the lack of density being presented. Whereas Twilight Sparkle and even Applejack had a measurable density to their own reiatsu Pinkie Pie's was the opposite, being relatively thin and airy in a way. It was like comparing wood or stone to a pile of feathers...or perhaps the human snack known as cotton candy would be more accurate. There was no overwhelming sense of unpleasantness being exerted against his skin as he stood in its presence. It was all...most curious in nature.

Despite her doubts Twilight was glad to see how things were unfolding. Slowly her friends were warming up to Ulquiorra's presence and no longer put off by his strange appearance or mannerisms. This at least seemed like a good sign, maybe it indicated the rest of the day would go well too. Even Fluttershy of all ponies seemed to be getting comfortable around him; even if he did kinda force the issue and accuse her of seeing him as a monster. But the important part was that the bonding process had begun! Ulquiorra's lessons could now progress, meaning her assignment could be achieved as well.

"So who's up for Ponyville?" Spike asked, desperate to make himself known before anypony else could strike up a long conversation and leave him out in the cold. "He's gotta see it sooner or later. And we might find Rainbow Dash and Rarity there too."

"Ah reckon Spike's got a point. Sweet Apple Acres is fine an' all but there's only so much ya can learn here. Ponyville's where ya wanna be headin' fer interactin' with other ponies," Applejack added.

"Then perhaps it would be best to go now. As I've said my time here is limited to the daylight hours. And I would rather not inform Princess Celestia that I was unable to complete my mission due to constant interruptions and distractions," Ulquiorra stated.

That seemed to strike a cord with the ponies. As far as he could see they at least understood the possibility that they were keeping him from doing what he came here to do, and if he had to deliver a negative report on his discoveries they'd be named as responsible for such developments.

"Well then what're we waitin' fer? Le's get goin'," Applejack stated.

"But what about Ulqy's cake?" Pinkie asked.

"I don't see the point in eating when not hungry for no other purpose than recognizing a kind gesture. Do with it whatever you please," Ulquiorra replied.

Pinkie considered his advice for a moment before throwing her head up, sending the cake airborne before gravity took over and brought the whole thing back down into her now awaiting mouth, allowing her to swallow it in a single gulp, platter and all. Ulquiorra had seen the entire display and blinked in surprise.

"Did she just-"

"Eeyup," Applejack replied.

"Does she know-"

"Probably," Spike replied.

"Will she-"

"Even I don't know for sure," Twilight added.

Confusion. That was the best way to describe what he was experiencing right now. The pink earth pony seemed to be a walking violation of physics regardless of what world he was in. There were certainly some Arrancar who could perform such a feat but this one was definitely no Arrancar. He really didn't know just what she was right now. This would definitely require investigation.

Investigation that would have to wait for later. Perhaps the town of Ponyville would hold some of the answers he currently sought.

"Twilight?"

The walk back to Ponyville for the second time today was proceeding in relative silence. Ulquiorra hadn't said a word since they left Sweet Apple Acres and neither had Fluttershy, but that fact wasn't surprising to anypony. Pinkie Pie was surprisingly keeping to herself, not talking endlessly abut anything but rather humming to herself, carrying on a tune only she herself knew as she bounced along to keep pace with the others.

So it was reasonably easy for Twilight to hear Applejack's whisper and notice that she wasn't exactly keeping pace with the rest of the group but rather hanging several lengths back, even further back than the pegasus guards escorting them. Taking the hint she slowed her pace until she was walking side by side with Applejack, Spike still silently riding atop her back.

"What's up?" Twilight asked.

"Does that Cifer character strike ya as a might bit weird?" Applejack asked. "Ah ain' talkin' 'bout appearance neither."

"Granted he's not exactly like we're used to seeing, but weird how? Anything specific?" Twilight asked.

"Well ah can understand him not knowin' 'bout friendship since he says he didn' have no friends. But before ya'll came back he already knew ya were on yer way back an' he knew ya were bringing jus' Pinkie and Fluttershy with ya. He didn' even see ya comin', he jus' knew," Applejack explained. "An' the way he don' talk much. Ah'm used ta my brother not talkin' unless he's got somethin' ta say, but the way that Mr. Cifer does it jus' feels unnatural," she continued.

Twilight could somewhat understand where Applejack was coming from. When she first met Ulquiorra yesterday there was a lot about him that she found very strange and...well weird was a good word for it. Of course over that small course of time she'd found out a great deal more information than her friends currently had access to so she and Spike had a better understanding of the full situation. She knew more about Hollows, Arrancars, the Espada, Hueco Mundo and the dialect of Ulquiorra's world than anybody...anypony...whatever... and more or less just took it in stride, adapting to the situation quickly. Even Spike was keeping pace with her and treating Ulquiorra more like an everyday sight that simply held great interest.

Maybe she'd gotten too ahead of herself in this and was too quick to introduce him like she had. Now they were asking questions she wasn't certain she could answer.

"Well he's...a little different from the rest of us. You've gotta remember, AJ, this is his first visit to Equestria. Maybe he's nervous?" Twilight suggested.

Nervous really wasn't a good way to explain the situation. Ulquiorra's lack of emotional interaction and his silent nature unless directly engaged in discussion could be a little off-putting to those that weren't familiar with it. He was like the direct opposite of Pinkie.

"Nervous don' explain how he knew ya were comin' without seein' ya. Tha's jus' freaky. He ain't got a horn like unicorns do so it can't be magic er anythin' lika ya could do," Applejack stated.

YES! Now that was a question she could answer and truthfully.

"Well I don't know if it's magic but it's a technique he calls "pesquisa." It's a lot like an advanced form of a bat's echolocation but instead of using sound waves to detect physical objects to allow him to maneuver about safely it locates a pony's magical frequency within a given area. It's really a fascinating concept and I've never seen anything like it," Twilight explained.

"Yeah and nopony can sneak up on him when he's using it. He can detect you no matter how quiet you're being. Even the Princesses couldn't get close without him knowing it," Spike added.

Up ahead Ulquiorra remained silent as he followed the lead to Ponyville, keeping his hands in his pockets as he walked along and observing his surroundings.

Pinkie Pie was bouncing around them in a large circle and humming to herself in an oblivious manner of her surroundings. How she could move in such an erratic manner without the platter she'd swallowed causing harm to her internal organs was still a matter of confusion; how she'd managed to consume the platter when it was larger than her head was even more confusing.

Fluttershy was walking beside him, her stride and posture suggesting she wasn't overcome with fear like she was previously had been.

Behind them the two pegasus guards followed silently. Behind them were applejack, Twilight Sparkle and Spike, their voices carrying enough for him to make out part of the details of their conversation and how it involved the earth pony's confusion over his being and the other two doing their best to explain him without sharing any of the more sensitive details they insisted on keeping under wraps. So far she seemed to be doing an adequate job at spinning half truths and outright dishonesty.

"Sir?"

His attention turned to Fluttershy who was now looking up at and addressing him. Whatever measure of courage she'd found in herself still seemed present as she didn't turn away when his gaze focused on her, although there was still a noticeable flinch.

Fortunately she wasn't shaken to the point that she lost focus of whatever was on her mind and she was able to carry on without his instruction to do so.

"Um...I was just wondering...what's it like where you came from? Are there any animals there?"

Brave but not very assertive. Her posture might have changed but the tone of her voice seemed to compensate for such.

"Hueco Mundo is a desolate and harsh location where one could walk for miles on end and never find anyone or anything. Those that are trash could never hope to survive in such a place. It's cold, lonely and unforgiving," Ulquiorra explained bluntly. Whatever measure of courage and optimism Fluttershy seemed to possess faltered at his words.

"Wow Ulqy! No wonder you don't have any friends, there were no friends for you to make in the first place!" Pinkie stated as she hopped in front of him. Ulquiorra simply ignored her and continued walking along.

"T-that really isn't very nice, Pinkie..." Fluttershy stated as best she could.

"Regardless it's an accurate statement. One can't hope to survive in Hueco Mundo if they occupy themselves with concepts such as being "nice" and "friendly." Outside of Las Noches the world is very unforgiving," Ulquiorra explained.

"Las Noches?" Pinkie asked as she stopped in mid bounce to look at him.

"What you'd call the capital city, like Equestria's Canterlot," Ulquiorra replied, before continuing to walk on and leave Pinkie where she stood.

"Ooh! What's it like? Are there lots of parties? Are there bakeries with lots of sweets?" Pinkie asked.

"No."

Any further conversation Pinkie tried to start up beyond that point was ignored. There were a great many things about the pink earth pony that Ulquiorra found curious in nature and worth exploring, but her conversation ability was definitely not one of them. Her high pitched voice and hyper nature was annoying and the less said the better.

"Lesson number one in friendship: tolerance..."

Author's Note

** Bleach chapter 353

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

"So this is the town of Ponyville..."

It seemed reasonable to conclude that the book he'd studied last night was several years out of date regarding its facts. The pictures included had shown a much smaller and much simpler town with specific landmarks, a limited market square and fewer homes. Even the most recent pictures included seemed considerably lacking compared to the pseudo-urban sprawl before him just across the bridge.

In some ways this Ponyville reminded him of Karakura Town in terms of size and magnitude, the differences in populace and structure notwithstanding.

Currently he stood just outside the town with his impromptu escort, observing as many ponies of every imaginable color combination scheme went about what he could only assume were their daily routines. It was strange to see them tending to matters without the use of hands for grasping and manipulating various objects.

"Sure is! An' hard ta believe it was all made possible thanks ta zap apples an' ingenuity," Applejack stated.

He suspected the word Applejack meant was "perseverance" rather than ingenuity but said nothing about it. He was more focused on those that made up the residents of the town, wondering how they'd constructed so much when the majority of the population had historically been earth ponies according to what he'd read. Some of the structures looked extremely intricate, involved and otherwise complex. Lacking hands couldn't have made the work easy.

"We can stay out here and stare at the town as long you as you want, Ulquiorra, but learning is better done in the town rather than outside," Twilight spoke up.

"A fair point," Ulquiorra replied. He must've gotten lost in his own thoughts; a dangerous practice to be involved in. There would be plenty of time to answer these questions later on. Without further discussion he began walking again toward the center of the town, the others not far behind him.

"Twilight?" Spike whispered as he continued riding along on her back. "I know I went along with this idea and all, but do you really think this is going to work? What if Ulquiorra can't learn about making friends? Or the Elements of Harmony? What if-"

"Now's not the time to be having such thoughts, Spike," Twilight whispered back as they lingered near the back of their group of friends. "Ponyville's a wonderful place to be. If he can find out anything about friendship it's gonna be here," she explained.

Spike didn't say anything in response as they continued walking Ulquiorra into the heart of Ponyville. Slowly but surely other ponies were starting to take notice of his presence, some stopping what they were doing to stare at him but he seemed to pay them no mind.

"So where should we start the tour first?" Applejack asked.

"Sugarcube Corner!" Pinkie stated.

"That might be better saved until later, Pinkie," Twilight replied. If Ulquiorra hadn't wanted any of the cake Pinkie was offering him at the initial meeting then the bakery probably wouldn't be his location of choice either. "We could try the Golden Oaks Library."

"Twi' ya know the library ain't no place ta be learnin' 'bout friendship. Ya gotta get out and experience first hoof," Applejack stated.

"Ooh! Ooh!" Pinkie was in the middle of saying. She'd had the perfect place in mind and was just about to say it when she was suddenly stopped by her body convulsing and her tail twitching like mad. She knew exactly what that meant. "Twitchy tail!"

Ulquiorra watched as everyone except for the two pegasus guards and Twilight scattered and hid under something close by. This was indeed strange behavior even for a world filled with magical equines. "Twitchy tail?" he asked.

"Pinkie's got something called the Pinkie Sense. She can sometimes predict when things are gonna happen. Twitchy tail means take cover because something's-"

She was interrupted by a loud commotion above her head that made her flinch. Looking up she saw that Ulquiorra was now standing right beside her, his left arm extended as his hand held firmly onto a large parcel. She could figure out that the package was dropped by one of the pegasi tasked with delivering mail to the area, and it would've fallen right on her head while she was explaining the situation. But how had Ulquiorra been at her side before she'd even finished speaking?

"-about to fall out of the sky..." she finished. "That was incredible! I never even saw you move!"

"Do packages usually fall from the sky?" Ulquiorra asked as he brought his arm in. He'd only just started to study the package when the sound of flapping wings could be heard approaching. Looking up he saw a gray pegasus mare with yellow mane and tail flapping her way into ear shot, making it very easy to make out her hat, what looked like a mail bag, and two eyes that couldn't seem to cooperate on a particular direction to focus, her cutie mark seeming to be a cluster of bubbles.

"Gee thanks Mister, nice catch there," the mare stated.

"Ditzy?" Twilight asked. Now it made a lot of sense.

Ditzy? A rather strange name even for a pony. And why exactly was she tasked with delivering such a large package?

"Oh hey Twilight. Sorry about that. Rush delivery to Canterlot, they just now realized it shoulda been sent out three days ago. They forgot to put it on the train so now I've gotta deliver it," she explained as one of her eyes focused on Twilight for the purpose of addressing her. "This a friend of yours?" she asked as she turned to look at Ulquiorra.

"Not exactly. Just someone we're showing around town. Meet Ulquiorra Cifer, Ulquiorra this is Ditzy Doo. She's one of the best mailmares in the area, currently holds a 95 percent delivery success rate."

"Most ponies call me Derpy. I don't know why though," Ditzy replied, acting as if she hadn't even heard Twilight complimenting her skills. "Could I get my package back now?" she asked.

He observed the strange mare. How exactly had she been tasked with mail delivery if her eyes couldn't properly focus? How was her success rate so high? And why wasn't she giving him a strange look like so many others had? Without a word Ulquiorra handed the package back to Ditzy, watching as she tucked it securely in her bag.

"Thanks. I better get goin' now. See ya later Twilight, see ya later Mr. Ulquiorra Cifer."

He watched as Ditzy left, effortlessly carrying the package with her in the direction of Canterlot. He turned his attention back to Twilight to inquire about a number of recent questions. However he was too slow as she was first to speak.

"Thanks for saving me, Ulquiorra, usually when Pinkie's tail twitches I'm the one who gets it," she stated.

He considered pointing out that she wasn't in any actual danger as the package wasn't all that heavy, although his physical strength might affect his judgement on that. Then he considered explaining Princess Celestia's prior orders of not harming any of her subjects -which could be construed as taking form in an active or passive manner- but decided against that as well. Instead he settled for gaining some answers of his own.

However before he could do that the other four came back out to speak with him. And slowly others that had been more wary of him were coming into the area after the spectacle.

"Ah tell ya Mr. Cifer that was some mighty quick actin' on yer part," Applejack stated as she stepped over to him. "Ah didn' know ya could teleport like Twilight could."

"Yeah I didn't even see you move. One second you were standing all the way over there and the next you're all the way over here before Derpy can finish dropping her package on Twilight's head! That's so cool!" Pinkie stated.

A simple flexing of his sonido skill and they believed he'd teleported. And simply following one interpretation of Princess Celestia's orders and they were treating him like he was some sort of hero. These ponies were such simpletons and idiots. His actions certainly hadn't been motivated by some foolish concept such as heroism but rather a personal interest in keeping his guide from being harmed and complicating his mission to learn about this new world.

"I've witnessed what you call teleportation several times. What I performed just now wasn't it. What you witnessed is a technique all Arrancar possess known as sondio, which is simple high speed physical movement that is faster than the eye can follow and the mind can process," Ulquiorra explained as he placed his hand back in his pocket before any of the ponies could asked him about it. "If we're quite through with the interruptions perhaps we can move onto more relevant matters such as the exploration of the town."

Twilight felt a little put off by Ulquiorra's otherwise cold response, but she was willing to shrug it off and let it go. Right now they had more important things to do and there was a whole lot of Ponyville to see. "Right this way then. I think I know right where to start the grand tour; the Ponyville Markletplace," she replied.

Wordlessly he followed behind Twilight as she lead the way, the rest of the group following close behind him and each with their own idea concerning the wisdom of this decision.

"Ah hope Princess Celestia made the right decision havin' Twilight escort Mr. Cifer 'round Ponyville," Applejack commented to the others.

The current noble jumped at the sound of Princess Celestia's unexpected sneeze, the sound reverberating and seemingly magnified by the throne room's walls. First he'd been subjected to this inane new rule of hers -in front of his fellow nobles as well as the commoner ponies- and now scared in such an undignified manner. It was as if she had absolutely no respect for proper social order. What else could go wrong on this day?

Under normal circumstances the Ponyville marketplace would be hustling and bustling and a considerable amount of commotion would be going on, to the point it would be hard to focus on something in particular unless you were paying close attention. Buying, selling and trading various goods and commodities meant a lively setting that required a decent amount of vigilance to avoid getting run into or running into someone else.

These were not normal circumstances.

As Pinkie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Twilight, Spike, Ulquiorra and the two pegasus guards strolled into the marketplace the normal hustle and bustle dropped in volume to the level of whispers as everyone became aware of the presence of the new and unfamiliar stranger in their midst. nearly everyone stopping what they were doing on the spot, some of them stumbling over each other in a dumbstruck manner.

Ulquiorra paid no mind to the silence and confused looks, they were nothing he wasn't accustomed to. Truthfully it was a sign of some measure of intelligence that the townspeople -perhaps townsponies was more accurate- didn't run up to welcome him as freely as Ditzy Doo had. She hadn't even given him a second look before treating him as an everyday sight; friendly but not overly intelligent.

"They're all staring," Fluttershy whispered as she looked around, feeling herself more unnerved by that fact than Ulquiorra's statement earlier.

"Ah reckon they're confused an' tryin' ta make sense o' what they're seein'. We don' really get many Arrancar 'round these parts," Applejack replied as she noticed the looks they were getting.

"How fortunate for that to be the case," Ulquiorra thought as they walked along. A loose Hollow in this world, guided by pure instinct, would think nothing of gorging itself on every last soul in this small town, each one of them charged with a surprisingly significant level of reiryoku that exceeded what most humans were capable of producing.

That thought brought his mind back to the pony called Fluttershy who was on his left side currently. Out of all those Twilight Sparkle had introduced as friends her reiatsu and reiryoku appeared to be the lowest; lower than even the dragon Spike. It was entirely possible she was borderline in terms of whatever passed for spiritual awareness in this world and would serve as a reference point for establishing a spectrum of strength.

If he had to speculate he would assume Fluttershy was slightly above the level of the human girl who had been able to resist Yammy's gonzui technique, if for no other reason then the fact that his mere presence wasn't overwhelming her and driving her to her knees.

"Ooh! I know! I know! Let's go visit the joke shop! There's always lots of fun stuff there guaranteed to get a laugh!" Pinkie chimed in as she bounced.

"I see no beneficial purpose in the act of laughing. To me it's nothing more than a useless gesture," Ulquiorra stated simply.

Immediately all whispers in the marketplace stopped when those present heard Ulquiorra's words to Pinkie. Surely he hadn't said that to her...right?

"Oh...dear..." Fluttershy whispered.

"...What?" Pinkie asked as she looked at him.

Applejack stepped back and pulled her stetson down over her eyes, not wanting to see just how ugly this was going to get. Ulquiorra was a goner for sure.

Ulquiorra turned and faced her before speaking. "I said that I see no beneficial purpose in the act of laughing and I consider it to be nothing more than a useless gesture. Regardless of whether or not it's your particular Element, I consider it a simple waste of time that could be better utilized otherwise. It is not something I would ever consider engaging in," he explained calmly.

Other ponies began backing away as they watched Pinkie sputtering and stuttering, her body twitching in ways they weren't accustomed to seeing with any of her Pinkie Sense predictions, trying to formulate coherent responses but coming up with nothing but utter gibberish and words nopony was familiar with, everything finally coming to a point as she fell over sideways like someone had just tipped a statue.

"My brain hurts," Pinkie whined pitifully as she lay on the ground, her back leg twitching.

Ulquiorra couldn't understand what had just happened, how Pinkie could so easily be floored with a simple statement about the ineffectiveness of laughter. She was certainly an unusual entity to interact with.

"Ulquiorra, could I see you for a minute?"

He looked up at Twilight's statement, the second time in less than an hour she'd addressed him in such a tone and manner. It was more than likely she wished to educate him on his lack of tact around those she considered her friends. Wordlessly he turned and followed after her as Spike and the others remained behind, obviously concerned with Pinkie's current wellbeing. He walked past the many stand keepers, assorted ponies and at least one zebra in what appeared to be a fedora to underneath a large tree as he followed Twilight's lead until they were well away from any prying ears.

"Am I correct in assuming your intent is to lecture me about my having committed some vague offense I wasn't aware of?" Ulquiorra asked, denying Twilight the option of the first word in the discussion. While she was left momentarily speechless he followed up. "If you intend to insist that I apologize for some transgression I've unknowingly committed then I decline."

Twilight was...well she was more or less dumbstruck by what Ulquiorra had just said to her. He was quick in deducing the reason she'd brought him over here, and just as quick at informing her that it wasn't going to be happening. But then again she knew he was smart after her discussions with him the day before well into the night, and the several rounds of chess they'd engaged in. She knew that this wasn't going to be easy; appealing to his emotional side wasn't going to work, and it was unlikely she could appeal to his logical mind on a matter he didn't fully comprehend. She was going to have to play hardball if she wanted to get anywhere...

"I could order you, you know," she pointed out.

"You could make such an attempt. However I will still decline to comply. If your friend became emotionally distraught over something I said that wasn't to her liking then it's no consequence of mine. I see no reason to apologize," Ulquiorra replied evenly, not even blinking at the notion of being ordered. "Furthermore I don't believe you would make such an attempt as you're aware of the futility of the situation," he continued.

"Say what?" Twilight asked as she blinked. What was he talking about now?

"Based on my observations yesterday it's safe to assume that you value the opinion of Princess Celestia over many others and have taken great pride in your assignment. If you order me to apologize and I decline the most you can do is order me back to Canterlot palace where I will be assigning a failed report of my findings regarding the concept of friendship, the results of which will likely reflect badly on your own performance as an educator. As you don't wish to jeopardize your own standing with your teacher I don't believe you'll attempt such a gamble," Ulquiorra explained calmly.

Twilight flinched at the revelation. His analytical skills were as sharp as any surgeon's scalpel and cut just as deeply, but in a far more painful manner. He was right that she couldn't risk sending him back to Canterlot this early in the day without Princess Celestia possibly thinking bad of her handling this assignment. She really couldn't punish his stubbornness in any effective manner, and failure to do so would simply let him get away with being rude to Pinkie in a manner that hurt her. He basically had her over a barrel and he knew it.

But then again...

"You're right. There's not a whole lot I can do unless I want to admit to Princess Celestia that I failed to be a proper educator," Twilight admitted. However she was quick to follow up with another sentence. "Except for submitting a report of my own detailing how you've been lax in fulfilling your assigned purpose and shirking your duties in learning about friendship. That wouldn't look too good for you either. So it appears we're at a bit of an impasse," she pointed out.

Ulquiorra didn't even blink in response. She was correct in the fact that they were at an stalemate moment, neither one of them able to do much without the situation coming back to bite them.

"Well played, Twilight Sparkle," he admitted, acknowledging that she had discovered something she actually could use effectively other than the threat of authority. Her observational skills were certainly acceptable. "What would you suggest?"

"He's me..."

Spike, Applejack and Fluttershy had remained behind to tend to the fallen Pinkie while Twilight had a word with Ulquiorra in private much like she had back at Sweet Apple Acres. During that time Pinkie had managed to right herself and sit up again, however her demeanor had changed considerably in that short amount of time. While she certainly wasn't in Pinkamena territory yet she definitely wasn't the happy pouncing pony that everypony knew and loved so much.

"What're ya talkin' 'bout Sugarcube?" Applejack asked as she turned her attention away from the other two party members and over to Pinkie's currently sitting form.

"Ulqy's just like me when I was growing up. No friends, check. No cake, check. Desolate location, check. Always frowning, check. Not knowing about laughing, double check! Ulqy's everything I was back on my parent's rock farm. He's what I could've been if Rainbow Dash hadn't done the Sonic Rainboom and we all got our cutie marks!" Pinkie stated.

The idea was more than a little disturbing and left her feeling uneasy, with herself and her surroundings. How had she not noticed it sooner? What if she'd never discovered the joy of throwing parties and making ponies happy? Would she be just like Ulquiorra was and lack a passion for life and everything else? Would she be cold and unfeeling and have a stare that made those around her wince and turn away from her? Would she have turned out just like the Arrancar?

"They're coming back," Spike stated and pointed, bringing their attention to the sight of Ulquiorra and Twilight walking through the crowd and back to their previous position.

"Ah wonder wha' they talked about," Applejack muttered.

There was silence as Ulquiorra approached slowly and seemingly methodically, coming to a stop in front of Pinkie and looking down at her. There was a great degree of tension in the air before her spoke again, addressing her directly.

"Perhaps during my stay in Equestria you can teach me about the importance of laughter?" he asked her. It wasn't a question made by his own decision but rather one Twilight had insisted upon. If he wasn't going to issue an apology -and he wasn't- then she was determined to correct the situation, the best way she knew how being to have him ask her friend about one of the key aspects to friendship and harmony and learn about them. And right now to Twilight, laughter seemed like a good place to start.

He observed how almost immediately the pink pony's bright and overly cheerful exterior returned in full force, and with it her unusual reiatsu flaring out enough to blanket a sizable area, erasing whatever measure of concern it seemed she was experiencing previously.

"Sure thing Ulqy! Put 'er there!" she said and extended her right foreleg again.

Ulquiorra nearly withdrew his hand from his pocket but stopped when he noticed something that hadn't been there previously; a band wrapped around her hoof. Something wasn't right. "And what pray tell is this you have on your hoof?" he asked.

"This?" Pinkie asked as she turned her hoof over in what should've been an impossible manner to reveal the contraption attached to the metallic band. "This is a joy buzzer."

"And how does it work?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Oh it's really simple. First you strap it on your hoof just like this," she said, referring to what she'd just done. "Then you get somebody to shake hooves with you, just like this," she continued and pressed her other hoof to it to give the demonstration of how a joy buzzer was used. It wasn't until afterwards that she realized what she'd done as her body was exposed by a significant degree of electricity, enough to light up her eyeballs and alternatively illuminate her skeleton, he mane and tail becoming more frizzed out than ever once the charge dissipated.

Ulquiorra watched the entire display without even blinking. She'd intended to use such a device on him? And if that was her intent why had she used it on herself instead?

"I fail to see why such a device would be referred to as a joy buzzer," he replied before turning to address Twilight. "Is this considered an appropriate situation for laughter?"

"Probably not..." Twilight finally replied as she looked at her friend. The black sooted face and coughing of black clouds at least looked funny, and the fact that she'd fallen for her own prank through a simple question was pretty funny. But laughing just didn't seem right in this situation.

Then again it wasn't all that funny when Gilda had fallen for the trick either.

"Wow," Pinkie coughed. She never realized it before but those things hurt!

Applejack and Spike were the only ones present to really find the entire situation amusing enough to chuckle at. Pinkie falling for her own prank wasn't something you saw everyday. The fact that Ulquiorra had caused it with nothing but a simple question just seemed all the funnier.

"It would seem things are not going according to whatever plan you had formulated when we set out," Ulquiorra commented as he turned his attention to Twilight. If she intended for him to be surrounded by new friends who were eager to greet him and make him feel welcomes right about now, then she was quite sorely mistaken.

"Maybe not but I'm not about to give up. Come on, I've got another idea on where we can go and get better results than we are here," Twilight stated. She had a brainstorm brewing and wanted to see it through before anything else came up.

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Rarity really did love her little sister, Sweetie Belle, she really did. And she would vehemently argue such a point to anypony who dared to suggest otherwise and insinuate anything less. Her little sister was one of the only ponies she'd truly trudge her way through the mud and muck for without giving any concern to what it would do to her coat and mane, or how it would ruin all her effort in stylizing herself to look simply gorgeous.

That said...during times such as these she was quite glad that Sweetie Belle lived with their parents rather than her. Her dear little sister had the annoying habit of getting underhoof when she was trying so hard to help out and be useful around Carousel Boutique. And with her current work order she couldn't afford such exhaustive and infuriating distractions. In some ways she was much like Opal...except Opal was just a simple animal and didn't have the ability to realize that her actions had consequences. Sweetie Belle was far from simple in such terms, she just...didn't think things all the way through.

She let out a sigh as she looked up from her current work, giving her neck a very unladylike but desperately needed crack. The stitches needed on this dress were as intricate as they were fine and required a delicate touch that her sewing machine simply wasn't designed for, meaning she had to do it all through continuous magical focus. It wasn't anything suitable for an amateur, and as much as she hated to admit it even she had trouble with it when going so long.

But at least that intricate little detail was finished.

"Oh Rarity, darling, you've really created a reputation for yourself that even you can hardly live up to," she told herself as she eased the glasses off her face and set them down on the work table.

She needed a break right about now. The intricate stitching was done and to the point where if she stepped away she wouldn't risk losing her place and becoming confused. She could really stand some fresh air and a little time away from the boutique. And right now she was having a craving for one of the Cakes' exquisitely delicious fudge cupcakes. A few minutes on break surely couldn't hurt.

Stepping outside one thing immediately came to her mind; the sun was exceedingly bright. She'd been cooped up inside for so long she hadn't thought to give it any consideration and needed to let her eyes adjust a little before stepping all the way out and enjoying a relaxing breath of fresh air. Already she could feel the tension knot beginning to ease; but for best results a direct application of succulent chocolate was indeed necessary.

It was really amazing what spending so many hours locked up inside could do to one's perspective. Ponyville was always a beautiful place to live but the deprivation just seemed to reinvigorate that beauty all over again. It was the kind of beauty that made one stop and take notice of everything around them...everything that is except for what or who was right in the path and resulted in Rarity falling face first into the dirt in a most ungraceful manner.

"Goodness who put that stupid rock there?" Rarity asked as she picked herself back up out of the dirt.

"I'm not a stupid rock!"

She recognized that voice. Turning and looking at what -or rather who- she tripped over she realized that it was Sweetie Belle!

"Sweetie Belle? Whatever are you doing there darling?" she asked as she magically lifted her younger sister up to give her a dusting off; the best she could do short of having her take a bath and cleaning herself up properly.

"Looking for you. You've gotta come to the park and see what's going on there," Sweetie Belle stated.

"Sweetie you know how busy I am, I'm only taking a few minutes off to clear my head. Can't you just tell me what it is you want me to see?" Rarity asked.

"I could try but as Applejack would say "y'all ain' gonna believe this"," Sweetie Belle said, pulling off a passable impersonation of the earth pony's southern drawl. "There's somebody there that you've gotta see for yourself," she explained.

"Did you just say "somebody"? That's a rather strange term to be using. Is that something new you found in that dictionary you've been reading lately?" Rarity asked, finding her sister's term to be...unusual.

"His term not mine," Sweetie Belle replied. "Trust me Rarity you've gotta see him. Some sort of dignitary visiting Ponyvillle from way far off. You've never seen anyone like him before!"

She wanted to remind Sweetie Belle about how busy her schedule currently was, how she didn't even have the time to talk to her about how her schoolwork went. But she remained silent as her sister's words began to sink in and were digested. A dignitary visiting Ponyville from a far off land? Weren't dignitaries usually ones that held high positions and worked with royalty or others of authority? The more she thought on it the more she arrived at the conclusion that maybe she could take a little break from her work for this.

"Is that so? Well if some...body... has come to Ponyville for a visit then it would be rude not to meet them. Lead the way, Sweetie Belle," Rarity stated.

Sweetie Belle grinned and trotted in place in excitement, both at having her sister follow her for this meeting, and the fact that she hadn't insisted on swinging back by the boutique to put together some elaborate outfit for the occasion; she knew from her own experience that such would take hours and they really didn't have hours available to them.

"Oh but what will I wear?"

Most of the time she was very polite to others around her and didn't do anything to deliberately upset them. But at her sister's words she so dearly wanted to curse out loud at her right now.

When he'd made his first official visit to Karakura Town to find the target Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki, their arrival had been in the town park.

It was ironic that Twilight Sparkle's idea for his first official visit with the Ponyville townspeople -townsponies he had to remind himself- was currently taking place in the town's park.

"What exactly did you do?" Ulquiorra asked as he watched two dozen or so ponies approaching his location from beyond the treeline. Ponies of all species, color schemes, sizes and apparently age ranges were showing up and slowly taking note of him. Some with surprise and confusion, such as the two lavender pegasi mares, and some with apparent fascination, such as the teal green unicorn that was currently grinning at his sight.

Standing besides him currently was Twilight Sparkle, grinning at everyone showing up, her reiatsu level pulsing brightly as she was pleased with the visible results of whatever she'd done. "I just asked some of the ponies I knew to come and meet someone new that was waiting in the park. Then they asked a few ponies they knew and things just...went from there," she explained. "Don't worry I didn't tell them anything about you. I figured we'd let them find out things for themselves."

At least Twilight had the sense to not go around broadcasting the concocted tale of him being a visiting dignitary looking to establish diplomatic relations with Equestria. Granted she had told it to the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony but that was a simple short term solution meant for them. If she went around telling the same story to everyone then they would feel compelled to interact with him regardless of what they felt. Their actions and manners would be stiff and carefully guided rather than being allowed to flow freely and naturally. She at least had an understanding of that fact and knew that it wouldn't be beneficial to him fulfilling his assignment and learning about the concept of friendship.

"There are undoubtedly going to be many questions to answer before this is over. How many more useless conversations am I going to be involved in?" Ulquiorra asked rhetorically as he saw the ponies getting closer. "Generally I have no dislike for in-depth conversations of relevance. Instead I'm being faced with the same basic questions in a repetitive manner. How much longer must this exercise in redundancy continue before everyone is sufficiently informed?"

"I know it seems kinda senseless but please be patient, it won't last much longer. Just answer a few questions and we'll see how it goes from there," Twilight said as she tried to reassure him. Truth be told she could understand how he was feeling right now, the repetitiveness of it all could be frustrating at times; she'd had to explain things to the ponies of Ponyville more than once so he wasn't exactly alone on the matter.

That thought really didn't sound right even if it technically was an accurate description of the facts. Nevermind she was starting to get off topic even in her own mind. Right now there were other important matters at hand...at hoof...great now she was actively starting to think in his dialect too. This was getting ridiculous.

"Hush now," Applejack instructed as the other ponies were getting close enough to be within earshot. "Howdy there everypony, glad ya'll could make it."

Ulquiorra remained silent and kept his hands tucked into his pockets, mentally preparing himself for what might come. Perhaps he should've just remained in Canterlot.

"Come on Rarity we're gonna be late," Sweetie Belle whined. Despite her best efforts she found it was impossible to dissuade her sister from going back to the boutique and putting together a fancy outfit for meeting the newest visitor to Ponyville. And she had definitely gone with fancy, a mix of fine fabrics and several pieces of exquisite jewelry, to say nothing of the makeup she'd made use of.

Right now her sister was vocalizing a defense for her actions, explaining how first impressions were very important and had to be done correctly, especially when that someone was important and might have ties to royalty. She really wasn't paying attention, mostly tuning out her excuses in favor of walking toward the park.

"I never did ask you, Sweetie Belle, what exactly is this dignitary like?" Rarity asked as she walked along, her pace casual but the tone of her walk suggesting it was restrained.

"Like I said you'd have to see him to believe him. I saw him before coming to get you and even I don't believe him," Sweetie Belle replied, uncertain how to explain the visitor to her sister. "I really don't even know if it really is a "he" it might be a "she" for all I know."

Now Rarity was confused. Intrigued but utterly confused. For her age Sweetie Belle was quite intelligent and she possessed quite a vocabulary, so the fact that she couldn't properly describe this visitor was a mystery. Instantly her mind began buzzing with possibilities, subconsciously crafting what she believed a foreign dignitary should look like and how handsome he would be: tall, masculine, well cultured and educated, perfectly polished teeth, his mane exquisitely groomed and his hooves shiny from a great deal of care for personal hygiene. It was all absolutely dreamy!

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes as she listened to the contented sounds coming from her sister behind her. She was lost in her daydreams again. Sometimes Rarity could be more annoying than Diamond Tiara, but in an entirely different manner.

Fortunately she didn't have to tune her sister out for very long as they were approaching the park clearing where everyone was currently gathered, and there were quite a few party members present for this meeting. She spotted Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Applejack easily enough. She caught sight of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo too and that wasn't really surprising. More surprising was Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon being present. Then there was Time Turner, and Caramel, Berry Punch and their teacher Miss Cherilee, Mrs. Cake, Mayor Mare and a lot of other ponies she recognized, but didn't really know them by name. And standing in the middle of the small crowd was the guest of honor who appeared to be having a conversation with the musician Lyra Heartstrings; one could only imagine what that was about.

"Oh my," Rarity gasped as she came to a stop.

Sweetie Belle bit back the smirk that she wanted to flash. She knew her sister well enough to know that her daydream had been about the princely type found in books about fairytales, one with a crown and maybe a flowing cape, designed to be the perfect stallion for every little filly to love. Instead she was greeted by someone that was pale, bipedal, lanky and...spooky. She didn't want to be mean but it was kinda funny.

"Oh my," Rarity repeated, "just who or...or what..."

"If I remember correctly his name's Ulquiorra Cifer and he's from somewhere called Hueco Mundo," Sweetie Belle replied, knowing her sister wasn't going to get a full sentence out properly. Seeing her sister stunned she pressed on. "Come on, Rarity, we don't wanna keep that visiting dignitary waiting and look inhospitable do we? He might not give a good report to whatever prince he works for," she said and chuckled, knowing her sister wouldn't want to do something like that.

Rarity shook her head to clear her mind. Sweetie Belle was right in the fact that there was no reason to be rude. Simply because this individual looked far different from anypony else she'd ever seen before didn't mean being impolite was acceptable. She'd come all this way to be hospitable and welcoming, the least she could do was see it through.

"I bet you could play some wicked tunes like no one else," she heard the DJ Vinyl Scratch comment as she stepped closer. Something else was said that she didn't quite catch before the blue maned unicorn took off running.

Rarity didn't let the crowd bother her, not the unusual things that were being said to the fellow that stood before her. She had poise and style, refinement and cultivated manners, she was certain to be smashing and a breath of fresh air compared to the otherwise laid back approach everyone else was indulging in. Finally she stood before him and bowed.

"Ulquiorra Cifer, greetings and welcome to Ponyville. My name is Rarity and it's a pleasure to meet you."

His experience with the pony race was understandably limited so it was difficult to gauge overall success when there was nothing to work with but short term results that had no long term analytical value. However it seemed reasonable to conclude that this impromptu meeting was progressing in a manner that made Twilight Sparkle pleased with the results.

Introductions were made and he was becoming familiar with the names of the various ponies that had come to greet him, some easier to remember than others. Each of them had a differing level of reiatsu as well as their own unique texture, most of them proving equal or higher to Fluttershy in comparison. He briefly wondered if the yellow pegasus was aware of the fact that some of the present foals had a higher level than she did.

It was a given that there would be many questions asked by those present. Questions regarding his attire, his zanpakutō, his manner of speech, what he was, where he was from, what he was doing here, how he stood on two legs without anything to counterbalance his weight, the remains of his Hollow mask, and a slew of other questions that ranged from legitimate to ludicrous. All were answered simply and honestly...at least as honestly as Twilight Sparkle would allow for, as she didn't yet believe now was the time to be explaining what Hollows were and how they acted.

The unicorn introduced as Lyra Heartstrings had been polite enough, although far more curious than the others and had to be told by Twilight Sparkle to let the others have their own turn. Then came the strange mannered white unicorn with an electric blue mane, ruby tinted sunglasses and a voice that easily left him wondering if there was any relation to Charlotte Chuhlhourne.

"I bet you could play some wicked tunes like no one else," Vinyl Scratch commented as she eyed his hands before they could be tucked back into his pockets.

"I have no concept of what you're talking about," he stated before turning his attention to Twilight for elaboration. "Wicked tunes?"

"Music. Vinyl's special talent is music and she's wondering how good of a musician you'd be since you have hands," Twilight explained.

"I wouldn't know. I've never engaged in anything related to music before," Ulquiorra replied.

"For reals bro? That's a cryin' shame! Hold on I'll be right back!" Vinyl stated and bolted.

There was one fact regarding this meeting that Twilight Sparkle wouldn't care to hear. Most of these ponies were little more than trash. They held no interest for him and he regarded his interaction with them as a waste of time. Answering questions about his hands and how he styled his hair weren't conductive to fulfilling his assigned purpose.

And then came another into his view, far different form the others. Unlike other ponies who didn't seem to bother with the concept of outer coverings this one -a mare based on what he was seeing- was covered extensively, her choice of wear being quite fancy in nature; fancier than anything he had seen either in this world or his own. Her attire went far beyond the role of basic covering or even protection against unfavorable elements of weather, that was most certainly a safe assumption to make.

Unlike the others she too seemed to possess some degree of manners as she bowed her head before speaking to him.

"Ulquiorra Cifer, greetings and welcome to Ponyville. My name is Rarity and it's a pleasure to meet you."

Her pronunciation of his name was off. It sounded as if she'd tried to pronounce it with "cure" instead of the proper structure. Perhaps it was due to her unusual accent. However it was preferable to some of the other interpretations he'd encountered so far. And as noted she possessed manners. She didn't automatically assume that she was going to be his new friend right off the bat and treat him as such. She had some measure of refinement to her; perhaps more refinement than Princess Celestia.

"So you're the one that bears the Element of Generosity," he replied, causing her to quickly look up in surprise and confusion. "Your friends have told me about you. That said, I find it interesting how you know my name. I don't think I ever told you my name though."

He'd said those same words before, not even six days ago. And in that situation someone had known his name without his formal introduction, primarily due to Yammy being a considerable loudmouth. Looking over and seeing the smaller white unicorn coming back into the crowd after running off earlier it seemed to make sense to some degree.

Rarity was flustered momentarily before continuing. "It's true we haven't had a proper introduction yet. I found out about you only through my little sister Sweetie Belle. And once she told me we had a dignitary visiting Ponyville I simply couldn't stay away, I just had to come down and meet you face to face," she explained.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response at first. Again with him being regarded as a dignitary. How much longer was Twilight Sparkle going to insist on maintaining this charade and purposelessly lying to those she claimed were her friends? Where was the final "Element of Harmony" presently so an end could be put to this nonsense? He was beginning to feel more annoyed by his surroundings than he felt having to deal with the human woman. He almost found himself wishing he was still standing on the dome roof of Las Noches, talking with the woman, the Shinigami, and the Quincy.

"So how're you finding our fair little town?" Rarity asked him.

"At present time I lack sufficient information to form an educated opinion," Ulquiorra explained as he kept his gaze on her. Nothing conclusive could be gathered from just these few interactions and his brief walk through the Ponyville Marketplace. Nothing conclusive could even be gathered on the few ponies he'd encountered.

Rarity flinched under Ulquiorra's piercing stare. Despite his eyes being the most magnificent shade of teal she'd ever seen anypony wear they were considerably uncomfortable to look at for any real length of time. She almost felt like she was an ant under a magnifying glass right now. His eyes didn't hold anything like she'd seen in anypony else before, no signs of joy or life or excitement, just...omnipresent emptiness, like an eternal void or a bottomless hole. It was a very chilling experience that sent shivers up her spine.

"You fear me," Ulquiorra stated bluntly without even blinking.

"What? Good heavens no," Rarity exclaimed, taken by surprise by his statement. How could he assume such a thing? Granted there was a small degree of truth to the statement, his piercing gaze was highly uncomfortable to be subjected to and his monochromatic and unnatural appearance didn't help matters any. But that still didn't mean she would attempt to be inhospitable during his stay here. She'd learned quite well from the Zecora incident that appearances shouldn't be the determining matter when meeting someone new.

Ulquiorra doubted her words and the sincerity behind them. He had seen much fear in his time and what she was displaying was certainly fear. However the revelation seemed to snap her out of whatever thoughts she'd been experiencing and forced her to try and bury her concerns under a poorly crafted mask of civility and refinement. He wasn't entirely certain how this one came to hold the Element of Generosity. Looking over to Twilight for elaboration it was his turn to be caught off guard and left silent at the sight of Spike, his eyes currently locked on Rarity and his face displaying something strange he'd never seen before, not among his fellow Espada or even those that invaded Hueco Mundo.

He turned his attention back to Rarity, studying her with his pesquisa just like he had the others. Reiryoku pools weren't overly impressive, reiatsu about average in comparison to the others, the most interesting aspect being the texture of her reiatsu. Every pony had their own unique texture and no two were exactly alike, although there were similarities between some. With some the texture was smooth like polished river rocks, others were more jagged like chipped shale, or rough like granite. And then there was Rarity, her spiritual texture being unique in that it was smooth in certain areas and pointed in others. She was beginning to prove mildly interesting as he'd never quite seen anything like this before.

Perhaps among all the trash present there was something akin to buried treasure within the ponies.

"Hey bro! Check it out!"

Then again the notion of digging through mountains of trash in the search of treasure held little appeal for him.

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Rainbow Dash was bored tired right now. The meeting concerning weather patterns for the coming week and what areas they'd have to work in order to compensate for the warmer southern air moving in had been a real snooze fest to sit through, and that speaker they had just droned on and on in a monotonous tone that practically sapped all energy from her pegasi frame. It was as if the stallion's words were crafted in such a way that they were designed to slowly but surely suck the life force out of everypony present and leave behind nothing more than withered husks; that was certainly how she felt right about now.

"Stupid warm southern air," she muttered only to be overtaken by a yawn. An incredibly loud, drawn out yawn that nearly sprained her jaw. Stupid air currents, stupid meeting, stupid boring speaker, stupid spreadsheets and complex charts, stupid everything!

All she wanted to do right now as she arrived back in Ponyville was grab the first stray cloud she saw, drag it over to the park and take a much deserved nap until dinner time, then grab something to eat and promptly go back to bed again. That was all she wanted to do. Was that seriously asking too much?

Considering all the commotion that was going on down below and interrupting her rest she certainly believed it was. She wasn't even halfway to her favorite napping spot when she became aware of the crowd down below. Normally a crowd wouldn't bother her, she always loved receiving the cheers from the masses and seeing their adoration for what she could do.

But this time was different. This crowd wasn't here for her but somepony else. Somepony was down there and hogging all the glory for themselves. She scowled. Her nap could wait as this intrusion meant business. The last thing she wanted was another Mare Do Well-type incident to be rearing its ugly head. Jumping off her cloud perch, she glided down, circling the perimeter before touching down on the soft grass and looking for a way to get through the crowd and get to the center of whatever was going on here.

"Rainbow Dash!"

She turned and looked down at the source of the voice, already knowing it was her number one fan. Somehow Scootaloo being present didn't surprise her any.

"Hey squirt!" she greeted back, "what's going on down here anyway? I'm away for one day to attend a weather conference and just about half the town is gathered in the park like I just did something awesome. I don't get it."

"Well something definitely awesome is going on, take a look up front with Twilight and the others, you aren't gonna believe it otherwise," Scootaloo responded as best she could.

Well this wasn't going to get her anywhere fast. She was wasting good napping time on this investigation. Shrugging she stepped forward to see just what the big deal was about, muttering apologies as she bumped and brushed against the various ponies to get through the crowd and wanting to flap her wings to drive them back and clear a path.

"Whoa..."

That pretty much summed up everything as she saw it. Short, simple, and straight to the point. Just plain old whoa. No other words were sufficient for this situation.

The conversation with the unicorn Vinyl Scratch had been long and tedious. Her absence hadn't been long enough before she returned with several cases of various instruments in an attempt to find one or more he was good at and could use in something she called a "jam session." He saw absolutely no use in it and hadn't even bothered trying to imitate the manipulations of the strings on a guitar when she was giving a demonstration of how to play it.

"I have no interest in music whatever," had been his response. Apparently to this pony that was a crushing statement and left her spirit deflated and motivated her to leave once again, much to the relief of his ears and his nerves. Some ponies were more trash than others.

"That really wasn't necessary," Twilight commented as she watched Vinyl Scratch leave the area, the musical instruments in tow.

"It was an honest and accurate statement," Ulquiorra responded, no longer paying any attention to the crowd. He would rather be left alone to contemplate his observations instead of answering more questions and entertaining foolishness. However there was a disturbance in his pesquisa that interrupted that. "There's a strange reiatsu approaching fast."

Almost as if on cue another pony made their way forward, a mare pegasus of cyan blue coloring and a hairstyle that seemed unnatural even for here. Polychromatic streaks to her mane and tail, a butchery cut and styling to it that made it look like she'd flown too close to something sharp. Based on hair coloration alone it would appear safe to conclude that this was Rainbow Dash and the final bearer of one of the mysterious Elements of Harmony.

"Whoa..."

Dumbstruck. It was a reaction he'd become accustomed to encountering during his time here. And if she was dumbstruck now then what he was about to do would easily drive the point homeward.

"Am I correct in assuming your name is Rainbow Dash?" he asked, causing her eyes to go wide in surprise. He was fully prepared to launch into a series of pre-formed answers to some of the various questions he'd been asked up to this point to leave her with little in the way that she could ask. However before he could open his mouth Twilight Sparkle was already talking to the latest arrival.

"Glad to see you could make it Rainbow Dash!" Twilight stated. "How'd the weather conference go?" she asked as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Uh..." Rainbow Dash paused and tried to properly structure her thoughts. Right now her mind was completely disorganized and normally that was just fine for her, but these were unusual circumstances and she almost found herself wishing she had a mind like Twilight's. "You know how they are, boring and lame," she finally replied before turning her attention back to Ulquiorra. "What's shakin'?"

An unusual choice of banter for an introductory statement. Somewhat appropriate for such an unusual world filled with unusual beings.

"At present time I possess no knowledge relating to any seismic disturbances that would lead to ground tremors and cause objects to begin shaking unexpectedly," Ulquiorra replied without even blinking.

Rainbow Dash's face was blank at first, and then filled with confusion as she scratched her head with her hoof, before finally turning to look at Twilight as if she had answers to everything. Considering what he'd learned about the lavender unicorn in the last 24 hours it didn't seem out of the realm of possibilities that she really did.

"Twi' what's going on here? Who -and what- is this...thing?" she asked, gesturing with her hoof, "and why's he talking all Eggheadian and whatnot?"

"First off that's not even a real word," Twilight replied flatly with a frown. "Second that's rather rude. Third this is Ulquiorra Cifer and he hails out the way from a far off land called Hueco Mundo, far beyond the boundaries of Equestria proper. He's never heard of Equestria before and he's here to learn about our land and the ponies that live here. And Princess Celestia said Ponyville was the perfect place to start," she explained.

"Awesome!" Rainbow Dash stated and beat her wings to bring her hovering up to eye level with Ulquiorra before addressing him again. "Princess Celestia was right, you couldn't find a more awesome place than Ponyville to start learning about Equestria, we've got everything that's cool right here, including yours truly. The fastest flyer in all of Equestria, master of the Sonic Rainboom, Element of Loyalty and future Wonderbolt, Rainbow Dash at your service. Put 'er there!" she finished and extended her hoof.

Just as Rarity being the one who represented generosity was a mystery, so was how Rainbow Dash represented loyalty. She seemed quite full of herself in her belief that she was somehow the best around.

"All self appointed I assume," he replied and didn't even bother to remove his hand from his pocket. He'd engaged in enough physical greetings for the day as far as he was concerned. Her arrogance certainly didn't help matters any.

Rainbow Dash frowned at being snubbed and insulted right off the bat. "I'll have you know my achievements have been recognized! I'm the Iron Pony! There's not a pony around who could hold a candle to me," she stated and retracted her foreleg to fold them both across her chest in indignation.

"Oh fer the sake o' peat moss, not this "iron pony" nonsense again, it's been two years," Applejack muttered as she pulled her hat down.

Ulquiorra chose to ignore Applejack and instead focus on Rainbow Dash currently. "Simply because you currently hold a title doesn't mean you have either earned it or deserve it."

Rainbow Dash was hovering close to his face and growling now, bearing her teeth in an aggressive manner suggesting she was looking for a fight. Ulquiorra remained unfazed by the sudden display of hostility and merely made observations. Out of all Twilight Sparkle's friends this one appeared to have the most control over her reiatsu. Comparatively speaking her reiryoku was somewhere around Applejack's level, but the pressure being exerted was of considerably greater density, as if she was familiar with her own limited magic and fully knew the extent of it and how to use it properly.

"You show up here brand new to Equestria, you don't know anything about what goes on here and you're passing judgement on us? You're really a jerk you know that!?" she shouted and narrowed her eyes at him.

There was something about this pony that annoyed him greatly. Something that reminded him of...

+++

Throughout Hueco Mundo the Espada were the most feared and revered of all Hollows. Every Hollow believed that they had what it took to become one regardless of what the facts said to the contrary. Unlike so many others they held the honor of being the current manifestation of the group; an honor they had held for barely a month. The Shinigami known as Sosuke Aizen had apparently seen much potential in them and hand selected them to be his Espada and ranked them accordingly to all the available information, from Primera Espada Coyote Starrk to Diez Espada Yammy Llargo.

"What's up, Ulquiorra?"

However simply because they were ranked according to the will of Aizen-sama didn't mean that all of them were happy with their placing. The current Sexta Espada Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was proof of that. He hadn't taken kindly to his relatively low rank and made no effort to hide his disdain from his fellow Espada; especially those that outranked him.

"What do you want, Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra asked as he stopped his pace in the hallway, his direction opposite from the path his fellow Espada had been headed.

"Betchya think you're something special don't ya?" Grimmjow asked rhetorically, a snide grin on his face.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ulquiorra replied and resumed walking.

A quick exercise in sonido later and Grimmjow was now standing in front of him, blocking his path. "Don't gimme that shit! Little fucker! How did an effeminate thing like you get to hold the rank of cuatro? What the fuck makes you so much better than somebody like me?!" he yelled angrily.

"Aizen-sama has made his decision on the matter. We've been assigned our parts and our roles according to his wisdom. It's not for us to question his decision," Ulquiorra replied calmly. "The simple fact that you hold the rank of sexta rather than cuatro is more than enough to suggest you are an inferior specimen or you would be ranked higher."

He moved to leave but was cut off again, Grimmjow punching the wall with his fist and cracking the stone used in its construction.

"How's about I shove your head up your ass!? I bet Aizen'd make me Cuatro Espada for sure then, seeing his little bitch bent like a pretzel!"

He was growing annoyed with Grimmjow. The only reason he didn't kill him was because he believed his continued existence was necessary to fulfill Aizen-sama's ultimate goal. The Sexta Espada didn't seem interested in simply letting the argument go nor releasing him to go about his business. Without a word he turned around and proceeded to walk back the way he came, deciding to take an alternate route rather than continue this senseless discussion.

"Don't you dare turn your back on me you little fucker!" Grimmjow yelled and roughly grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. Much to his surprise he was greeted by the back of Ulquiorra's left hand on the spin around, hitting him with enough force to daze him.

"I have no time for this discussion," Ulquiorra replied simply and walked right past Grimmjow as he held his struck cheek.

It took him a minute to realize just what transpired in the space of a few seconds, replaying the events he'd experienced. Finally the realization hit him like a ton of bricks all at once; he'd just been bitch slapped!

"You little fucker!" Grimmjow roared and spun around quickly, drawing Pantera from its sheath and swinging at Ulquiorra's neck.

There was a loud clang as events unfolded. Ulquiorra had turned and easily intercepted the crudely launched attack, stopping Grimmjow's blade with nothing more than his index finger, easily keeping the blade at bay as if it were nothing.

"I grow tired of your arrogance, Grimmjow. Aizen-sama has made his decision and declared your place. Nothing you can do will change that fact. Your should know that none of your attacks will ever be able to harm me no matter how hard you try. It's a useless endeavor and you should simply give up while it's still your choice," Ulquiorra explained calmly.

Grimmjow apparently had other ideas, using his free hand to charge his cero to launch an attack.

The next second unfolded faster than his mind could properly process, only becoming aware of an aching pain in his head and a lot of darkness. Then he realized what had just happened; Ulquiorra had slammed his head right through the fucking stone wall and left him there!

"Damn you, you little fucking girly bitch! When I get free I'm gonna kick the piss outta ya and shove your head right up your ass for this!" Grimmjow yelled as she struggled to pull his head free, only to feel the fractured stones in the wall pressing against his neck with each movement he made and holding him in place.

Ulquiorra was through with Grimmjow's shenanigans. With the trash currently dealt with he continued walking along, ignoring the howls of protest and the threats involving his liver being cut out and feasted upon. He had nothing to fear.

+++

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez..." he thought.

How had he not seen it before? This Rainbow Dash seemed to embody a great number of Grimmjow's less than savory qualities of personality. She was loud, boastful, rude, brash, impulsive and certainly more violence-oriented than her friends and comrades.

"I am merely making an observation based on what I know," Ulquiorra replied simply. Rainbow Dash muttered something unintelligible before finally turning and hovering off.

Under normal circumstances Ulquiorra would have simply let Rainbow Dash leave, having no interest in such trash. But this pony was different. This pony reminded him of one of his fellow Espada. She reminded him of the one Espada he had reason to dislike nearly as much as he did with Nnoitra Gilga. Something within him, buried deep, deep within, couldn't simply let her go after what had transpired.

There was a booming echo of static as Ulquiorra appeared in front of Rainbow Dash and blocked her retreat as he stood in the middle of the currently assembled -and now currently disassembling- crowd. "Simply because you presume to be spectacular at something doesn't mean that you truly are," he stated as he stared her in the eyes.

Rainbow Dash came to a sudden halt just short of crashing into him. How had he gotten there so fast? Turning back around she saw that he wasn't next to Twilight anymore but really in front of her. She hated to admit it but that was fast!

"Generally those that brag the loudest about their own sense of greatness are those most insecure with themselves," Ulquiorra continued.

Rainbow Dash blinked. He hadn't seriously just gone there had he?

"And I suppose you think that you're something special?" Rainbow Dash asked him.

"My own personal opinion of myself and my abilities is of no importance. I possess no insecurities that would encourage me to brag about my accomplishments and ambitions and appear arrogant to others. I am simply what I am, nothing more and nothing less," he explained calmly and evenly, his collected nature only seeming to infuriate her all the more.

"Maybe havin' RD meet that Mr. Cifer fella wasn' such a good idea afterall," Applejack commented from where she stood. Right off the bat the two had been involved in a disagreement with Rainbow Dash's temper flaring and Ulquiorra remaining as calm as ever as they traded statements back and forth.

Twilight felt inclined to agree with Applejack. Rainbow Dash and Ulquiorra were direct opposites not just in style and personality but even basic color schemes. Rainbow Dash was loud, proud, hotheaded and polychromatic, Ulquiorra was quiet, withdrawn, calculating and monochromatic. She couldn't see anything they had in common but she'd hoped they could at least get along somewhat.

However her thoughts were interrupted by the strangest sound she'd heard in a while. It was like a really static-y boom taking place and in the blink of an eye Ulquiorra was no longer standing where he had been for the last hour.

"Good gracious what was that!?" Rarity yelled in surprise, caught off guard at the sudden display.

"That was sonido," Spike spoke up, bringing Rarity attention to him. "Ulquiorra did the same thing back in town when Derpy dropped a package that was gonna hit Twilight. It's like high speed running rather than teleporting," he explained, remembering the conversation that'd taken place earlier.

"Ah don' know how he does it but if ah could learn that trick it'd really help when it comes ta applebuckin'," Applejack commented.

Twilight was inclined to agree. She hadn't really seen sonido performed yet but the mechanics behind it seemed fascinating. High speed physical movement had to have numerous useful applications and she'd love to study it and see if she could learn how to do it herself. It went without saying that Rainbow Dash would love to learn that trick too, seeing as she was all about speed.

Pinkie and Fluttershy were keeping quiet as they watched everything. Just about everypony present was getting uncomfortable and upset as Ulquiorra and Rainbow Dash maintained their back and forth banter with Rainbow Dash's voice seeming to grow in intensity and volume while Ulquiorra's couldn't be heard from this distance. The townsponies that'd shown up were slowly backing away and putting distance between themselves as the volume grew. So far they seemed to be the only two who were aware of this fact, the rest of their friends absorbed in their own little worlds.

"-then I'll show you awesome!" Rainbow Dash yelled, the first part of her statement going undetected before she took to the skies at high speed.

Ulquiorra glanced upward momentarily before calmly making his way back to where he'd been standing previously.

"Wha' jus' happened?" Applejack asked.

"Your friend doesn't seem to respond well to criticism of her personality. She's determined to show me "awesome" and intends to perform something she calls the "Sonic Rainboom" and claims to have mastered," Ulquiorra replied calmly before turning his eyes to the sky again, not noticing as all the other ponies did the same.

"Oh dear," Fluttershy whispered.

"Woohoo!" Pinkie cheered and bounced excitedly.

"Well this is probably something you'll want to see. I'll guarantee you Hueco Mundo doesn't have anything like this," Twilight stated and looked upward. Truth be told the Sonic Rainboom was something she did enjoy seeing whenever it was deployed.

Even at this distance Ulquiorra could still make out Rainbow Dash's position. By now he was seeing the mach cone beginning to form directly ahead of her and indicating high speed travel. But what was of more interest was the intense fluctuation in her reiatsu and reiryoku, the latter being diverted to different areas of her body while the density of the former was increasing greatly.

There was a sudden booming noise in the sky and an explosion of colors. The crowd down below cheered with excitement at the display as the multicolored shock wave traveled outward from its point of origin, a wave of vibrant colors zooming across the sky at high speed.

Ulquiorra remained silent and only blinked. The mechanics of achieving a sonic boom weren't that great of a mystery. However the fact that a living being could do such -and survive- was a matter of interest. Of greater interest was how the polychromatic spectrum had been accessed in such a display and with such uniformity, all six colors being equal. Whatever the mechanics behind this "Sonic Rainboom" were, it would seem Rainbow Dash did have extensive control over them. Deploying her reiryoku to her wings to generate greater speed, increasing the density of her reiatsu to protect her body and keep her flesh from peeling right off her bones, and withstanding the concussive impact of the air at the breaching of the sound barrier...he wouldn't admit to the display being "awesome" but it had certainly been intriguing in nature.

Perhaps even pieces of trash still possessed some measure of probative value.

"So what'd you think of your first Sonic Rainboom?" Twilight asked as she turned her attention back to Ulquiorra.

"An interesting display if nothing else," he replied as he finally turned away from the sky, following the now evaporating color trail as Rainbow Dash was making her way back to the crowd and hovering in front of him, a dopy grin on her face as her wings continued to flap.

"So how awesome was that for ya?" she asked as she caught her breath.

"The fact that your body managed to hold together speaks favorably for your ability to perform such a technique. However I don't see how you would be able to do that again," Ulquiorra commented as he studied her.

"Say what!?" Rainbow Dash yelled in surprise.

"I possess the ability to see the amount of mana all living beings possess and how it is utilized in the performance of certain tasks. So far yours has been the most unique; diverting mana to your wings in order to fly faster and harder, concentrating mana into your skin to provide a protective area in order to avoid being disintegrated by the forces you have to oppose in order to break the sound barrier. I will admit that you're capable of achieving speeds that exceed anything I could perform. However the costs to do such are considerable. Your display has consumed more than half of the mana reserves you possessed when you first arrived. You simply don't have what it takes to do that more than once at any given time," he explained.

It was a logical and reasonable explanation of what he'd observed. He'd been concise and straight to the point but hadn't been rude in his explanation of her limitations. But regardless of that fact his explanation just seemed to anger her further.

"Oh yeah!? You don't know what you're talking about! I could perform Sonic Rainbooms all day long!" she stated.

Ulquiorra remained unfazed by her tirade and continued talking. "There are two types of techniques in this world. Those that can't be performed after a certain point of exhaustion has been reached. And those that can continue to be performed until the user dies from exhaustion. Seeing as you claim to have mastered the "Sonic Rainboom" technique it stands to reason that you're aware of the fact that yours is of the former rather than the latter," Ulquiorra pointed out, his explanation seeming to reach whatever part of the pegasi's mind dictated logic. "Judging by your posture it's reasonable to assume you're already feeling the exhaustive effect of expending more than sixty percent of your reserves. Even you must realize that your technique is limited in application."

Rainbow Dash remained silent, her expression becoming sullen as Ulquiorra laid out the facts of the situation with a calmness that annoyed her to no end. More annoying was the fact that he was right. She'd performed the Sonic Rainboom enough times to know how taxing it was on her own body and how she couldn't do it more than once a day at most. But that didn't mean she didn't resent the fact that he was so freely pointing out her limitations for everypony to hear. This was so gonna bring down her coolness rating.

To Ulquiorra this pony was indeed like Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez in many ways. The density of her reiatsu had been enough to rival the strength of Grimmjow's hierro, surprising in and of itself. But unlike Grimmjow she at least seemed aware of her own limitations and shortcomings. She didn't continue to protest the fact that she couldn't perform her technique in a consecutive manner or fly into a rage-induced tirade when the facts were laid out for her. Rather she seemed to silently accept the fact that she wasn't as great as she made herself out to be. Perhaps there was some hope for her afterall.

"Did it at least look awesome?" she asked as she looked down.

And then again perhaps not.

"I have little concept of what amounts to "awesome" and cannot comment on such. However the mechanics behind the display were most unique. At the very least the "Sonic Rainboom" warrants further study."

Rainbow Dash really didn't understand what he was saying but to her it at least sounded like a compliment. Unique was good, but awesome would be much better. If she was gonna wow this...whatever he was...she was just gonna have to try harder the next time.

She was going to put a shocked and awed expression on his pale stone face if it was the last thing she did!

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

"...And this is my dad's store, Barnyard Bargains, where you can find just about anything you need," Diamond Tiara stated and gestured to the building in front of them.

Despite the initial rough patch of the park meeting, Ulquiorra's introduction to the rest of Ponyville was underway, being carried out with about as much smoothness as could be reasonably expected. Those that had been present -and not put off by his earlier interaction with Rainbow Dash- seemed comfortable enough around him to give the Espada a proper tour around town, showing off the various businesses and landmarks and other locations they felt were noteworthy. So far on the list had been Sugarcube Corner, Quills & Sofas, the Town Hall, the train station, the schoolhouse, the bowling alley, Carousel Boutique, the Golden Oaks Library, and now Barnyard Bargains.

If nothing else he was at least getting a good lay of the territory so he could find his way around should he ever become separated from the others. Although as devoted as the guards were to following Princess Celestia's orders it was unlikely that would ever happen.

"So Ulquiorra can really see mana huh? Who knew?" Spike asked as he hung back with the others.

While Ulquiorra was being given the grand tour by everypony else in Ponyville, Diamond Tiara currently leading the way, he and the girls had hung back and watched how things unfolded. So far so good...at least as far as trying to impress an emotionally detached ghost went in terms of being good. At least he hadn't tried to kill anypony yet.

"That's certainly a unique skill he has. I'd love to know how he does something like that," Twilight added. There were so many interesting things unfolding as things progressed, leaving her wishing she'd thought to bring along parchment and quill for taking notes.

"Seein' mana might be interestin' an' all but ah'd much rather learn how he goes about runnin' so dang fast ya can't even see it. Can ya imagine what that'd do fer harvestin' an' such?" Applejack asked. And what about the yearly rodeo competitions? If she could learn to move like that... "Shoot ah bet ah could finally keep pace with RD if ah could move like that!"

"Not if I learn it first!" Rainbow Dash stated from where she was seated. The sting of Ulquiorra's lack of amazement with her Sonic Rainboom still hurt. But she was willing to at least try and move on and let it go. Right now she was trying to find the good in the guy as he was being shown their quaint little town, but it wasn't easy when her friends kept going on about how great he was. This was like Mare Do Well all over again.

Rarity was remaining silent for the time being. The initial meeting with Ulquiorra had been disastrous -at least in her mind anyway- and hadn't much improved. The conflict with Rainbow Dash had been an ugly sort, and despite everypony's best attempts to give him a proper tour of Ponyville the outlook really wasn't shaping up. How the girls could be treating the whole thing so casually was quite frankly beyond her.

That wasn't to say that Rarity was dwelling solely on the negative aspect of today's first contact, far from it actually. She was also contemplating the potential positives that could be had from this, like spicing up Ulquiorra's drab and dreary wardrobe with something more appropriate...once she discovered just what that appropriate something was. His off-white skin would certainly complicate that discovery somewhat but she wouldn't let that stop her from trying.

"Hey Twilight?" Pinkie spoke up, bringing everypony's attention to her temporarily. "Now that we've got Ulqy all nice and introduced to everypony and all our friends are here can we see about throwing Ulqy a party now?" she asked, bringing up the subject of discussion from earlier in the day.

Twilight thought on it. Ulquiorra being the guest of honor -and center of attention- for one of Pinkie's epic parties was...a disturbing thought. She could just see him standing stationary and bored, staring off into infinity as everything unfolded around him. She had doubts about him engaging in any of the games even if ordered to, and she really doubted he'd even try the cake after what she'd seen back at Sweet Apple Acres. Knowing Pinkie such a disinterest wouldn't go over very well at the party, especially with her still trying to figure out how to get him to actually laugh.

"I don't know Pinkie..." she began, trying to think of just how to delicately phrase the statement that a party might actually make the situation worse; she knew from personal experience that bluntly stating such was a very bad idea. But Ulquiorra's bluntness could be even worse. What to do? "Ulquiorra's gotta return to Canterlot at sunset as per Princess Celestia's orders. I don't know if we've got enough time today to throw a proper welcoming party..."

It'd been the best she could come up with under such circumstances. There were only a few hours left before the curfew was due to set in and surely Pinkie wouldn't consent to such a limited time frame for one of her extravaganzas...right? Right?

"Ohmygosh Twilight you're right! I never thought of just how rude it'd be to Ulqy if he had to leave just when the party was gonna get started going!" Pinkie stated. "We'll just have to do it the next time he comes back instead! Then we can make it a really super duper party because it'll be a "Welcome to Ponyville" party and a "Sorry we missed the first party" makeup party too! That'll be so cool!"

Twilight bit back a sigh of relief. She'd managed to earn a very small reprieve from Pinkie's normal randomness and insanity, providing her with more time to properly think of a more appropriate stalling tactic. If the pink party pony knew just what they were dealing with there'd be no telling how she'd react.

Then again it was Pinkie Pie she was talking about. She might want to throw a party regardless. She'd thrown a party for Discord to celebrate his first real week of being reformed from the chaotic evil he was. Why should she think she'd be any different with Ulquiorra if she ever learned what Hollows were?

Fluttershy remained silent, having nothing substantial to contribute to the discussion. During her time spent with Ulquiorra she'd come to stop being uncomfortable in his presence, no longer shrinking away when he turned his eyes on her...well maybe just a little bit...but beyond that there was very little she could add. The others seemed to have the matter well in hoof, it wasn't like her input was necessary.

From where she stood it looked like he was taking the tour of Barnyard Bargains quite well.

"Twilight?" Rainbow Dash finally spoke up, bringing the unicorn's attention to her. "How much mana did I really burn through on that Sonic Rainboom? I mean I know it's a lot but he was kinda talking in...what is it...discernible amounts?"

Twilight was a little surprised by Rainbow Dash's use of a relatively complicated -for her anyway- term and paused to think on it a moment. "I'm not really sure, Rainbow Dash, I don't know how Ulquiorra's pesquisa technique works to be able to tell you in exact round numbers. You'd have to ask him yourself," she explained.

"Ehh...I think I'll pass, I really don't feel like talking to him right now after he told everypony about my limitations like that," Rainbow Dash replied. She'd been so careful in keeping that fact a secret and he'd gone and blabbed it like it was nothing, in front of a good portion of the town -which was likely spreading it to the rest of the town by now- and on top of it right in front of Scootaloo too! Her coolness was so gonna suffer for this.

"Yer a rotten liar RD, ya been staring at 'im off an' on since we came inta town fer the tour. Ah figure if ya didn' wanna talk to 'im none ya wouldn' be paying any attention ta 'im," Applejack pointed out rather bluntly, causing her to frown in response.

"There's something about him that's just...weird. I mean weirder than just the obvious, and it's really annoying because it's like it's right on the tip of my tongue but I can't seem to put my hoof on it. It's like something I should know but for the life of me I just can't figure it out. I know I'm missing something but what is it exactly?"

Twilight rubbed her chin in thought, uncertain of what to tell Rainbow Dash or what to think in general. It was definitely an interesting thought to be presented but there wasn't much she could contribute to it. For whatever reason something about Ulquiorra had stroked her the wrong way and it was something she'd have to sort out on her own. She'd love to help but unless Rainbow Dash knew just what was wrong there really wasn't much that could be done about it.

For now it was just a matter of waiting and seeing how things unfolded, for Ulquiorra and his learning about the town, the ponies that lived here and friendship itself. But more importantly for her friends and how well they handled this disruption of normality.

"Oh dear," Fluttershy squeaked, "the music shop looks like it's next on the tour."

Normally this wouldn't be a matter of any concern and not even bear mentioning. But the music shop was where Vinyl Scratch worked when she wasn't doing her DJ gig, and considering the earlier encounter...Twilight facehooved at that thought. This was either going to be very interesting or very ugly, she wasn't sure which.

"He'd better not make Vinyl cry," Pinkie muttered.

Princess Celestia would never admit it to any of her subjects as she'd never want to actually scare any of her precious little ponies, but she'd been worried the entire day during Ulquiorra's long absence. While he was in the castle she could keep tabs on the Espada and know what he was up to -not that it was much of anything- and exercise the proper amount of concern. But while he was in Ponyville she couldn't do any of that; her spies could only relate so much information to her at any given time. The lack of updates and information had been more troubling than she'd anticipated, the slowly building stress making the day seem to stretch on far longer than it truly did.

And that stress and worry made the day court far more intolerable than it was normally, mitigated only by the uncomfortable state the insufferable nobles were placed in for making their requests, demands and other observations about how to better their own privileged lives. She managed a weak smile at that thought.

That said she felt relieved -as well as a little surprised- to see Ulquiorra actually making his return to Canterlot a good half hour before the sun was scheduled to truly set. With his inquisitive mind she'd anticipated him being gone longer than this. There were a lot of things currently running through her mind as she watched the chariot approaching, things that might explain his early arrival, things that weren't exactly pleasant in nature, and the more she gave thought to them the more she realized she was driving herself nuts. Until he actually arrived it was nothing more than mere speculation and giving into fear.

Those several minutes until the chariot finally touched down proved to be some of the longest of the entire day. The squeak of the wheels as they finally arrived at the landing pad was almost calming to her, assuring her that this strange new being was back in a safe area where she didn't have to worry about him posing a threat.

"I must say you're quite punctual," Celestia commented as she approached while Ulquiorra stepped down off the chariot. "What did you think of Ponyville?" she asked.

"Your subjects remain unharmed," Ulquiorra commented. "As Equestria is ruled by a diarchy rather than a monarchy it would seem appropriate to submit any and all reports to both yourself and Princess Luna simultaneously."

He did raise a good point. As she co-ruled with her sister it was only fair that she be informed of his observations about Ponyville. And her little sister had more or less put everything into motion by going behind her back and involving Twilight in this matter far ahead of schedule, something she wouldn't soon be forgetting.

"If you'd like. Follow me," she said, leading Ulquiorra in the direction of the throne room after dismissing the two guards for the evening. The fact that they were so calm and collected gave her some measure of reassurance that things had gone well today, but she still wanted to verify that fact for herself before entirely dropping her guard.

The walk back to the throne room was one of silence other than the muffled footfalls -or in Celestia's case hooffalls- against the marble flooring. Try as she might Celestia just couldn't quite come up with a way of asking the question that was burning most in her; how exactly did one tactfully ask a guest if they'd felt compelled to consume any souls while they were out.

"We say no more! We cannot stomach another mouthful of this vile concoction!" came Luna's statement as they entered the throne room. From their position they could both see the lunar princess standing atop the highest point of the throne with her wings flared outward, more or less being spoon fed by one of the unicorn guards utilizing his magic to hold a spoon and a bowl.

"Orders from your sister, your majesty. If you won't eat your mashed alfalfa on your own accord then we're to feed you like a foal," the guard replied as another spoonful was scooped up and hovered in front of her face.

"You shalt be banished to the moon for this!" Luna protested through grit teeth. The guard said nothing in response, unfazed by the empty threats as he knew full well Princess Celestia would never allow any such thing to occur.

"This situation is most unusual," Ulquiorra commented as he stood by Celestia's side and silently observed the back and forth struggle. "I fail to see how this amounts to punishment for her actions."

"If you knew Luna you'd understand," she said before clearing her throat loudly enough for the guard to become aware of her position, stopping his task to salute her. "That will be all, thank you for your services," she said in a kind manner, dismissing the guard from his extra services. The mashed alfalfa could wait until later. "Come down from there dear sister, it's not yet your turn to begin ruling. Anyway Ulquiorra has returned from his visit to Ponyville and he has a report he wishes to submit to the both of us," she explained as she stepped further into the throne room.

Luna nodded and climbed down from her perch atop the throne, tucking her wings in as her hooves connected with the floor before taking her place next to her sister to hear the report. She herself was feeling quite anxious to be informed of what news there was to be had; she'd gotten herself in enough trouble to make it possible, she might as well see the end results.

"So tell us, Ulquiorra, what have you learned about friendship during your time in Ponyville?" Celestia asked.

"I have learned, as explained by Twilight Sparkle, that the first lesson to friendship is tolerance."

Silence. A long, long stretch of silence. Celestia and Luna had both expected Ulquiorra to have something to contribute other than just that simple sentence. Apparently they were wrong.

"That's it?" Luna finally asked in disbelief.

"Indeed," Ulquiorra replied simply.

Celestia tried not to sigh. While it was certainly an important lesson to learn surely that hadn't been all there was to the day. Surely he must've discovered something else, anything. "And what of the ponies you met today? Did you learn anything about them?" she asked, hoping there was something that could be salvaged about this expedition.

"I have," Ulquiorra replied and raised his left hand.

Having already seen the Solita Vista technique once before Luna knew exactly what was coming and averted her gaze, leaving Celestia to be disturbed as Ulquiorra plucked out his left eye as if it were nothing and crush it before them, creating a cloud of fine jewel-like particles encompassing the area. Immediately an image of Twilight was displayed in the cloud.

"Twilight Sparkle. Highly intelligent and observant, possesses a great thirst for knowledge, predisposed to assisting others. Her reiatsu displays intense and constant fluctuations in density and level especially during periods of emotional instability. She does not respond well to criticism and displays hostility when faced with a development she does not find favorable. The possibility of her possessing a murderous blood lust cannot yet be ruled out."

Celestia let out a soft gasp at Ulquiorra's opinion of her precious student but wasn't provided the opportunity to say anything as he continued talking, the cloud changing to display Spike.

"Spike. Reasonably intelligent and knowledgeable about various topics, appears to have a tactical mindset but he often fails to properly utilize it. He appears loyal to Twilight Sparkle but has a restrained rebellious nature and loyalty can't be properly gauged at this time."

The display changed from Spike to Applejack, the earth pony tilting her hat.

"Applejack. Hospitable, honest and informative. While reasonably intelligent she doesn't appear to actively consider various options and possibilities until they're pointed out to her."

Applejack faded from view and was replaced by her brother.

"Big Macintosh, Applejack's older brother. Quiet unless speech is necessary in a given situation and refrains from engaging in pointless conversation for no other point than having a conversation. Acceptably polite and courteous."

Big Macintosh gave way to the aged image of Granny Smith.

"Granny Smith, grandmother to Applejack and Big Macintosh. Her mental facilities would appear to be in a constant state of flux. During my interaction with her she continually referred to me as "sugarcube", "youngin'" and "whatever your name is"."

The image of the aged Granny Smith faded away as Fluttershy fazed into view.

"Fluttershy. Exudes kindness to others but possesses no assertive qualities, leaving herself vulnerable to exploitation by others."

Fluttershy gave way to Pinkie.

"Pinkie Pie. Try as I might I cannot articulate this one. She is described as "random" by her friends but this explains nothing. If I had to speculate I would assume she is the product of Discord dividing his being."

Pinkie gave way to Rarity in her attire from earlier in the day.

"Rarity. Well mannered and in possession of refined qualities to a greater degree than the others. Polite and respectable, however she possesses a considerable distaste for dirt and filth in general leaving her susceptible to stressful situations that render her useless."

The image changed again to display Rainbow Dash, a cocky grin on he face.

"Rainbow Dash. By far the most skilled in manipulation of her reiatsu. However her skill in such is devoted to her use of overly flashy techniques that possess no redeeming qualities. Her "Sonic Rainboom" technique consumes sixty five percent of her reiryoku reserves in one go. Added to that her personality leaves her...unpleasant. Brash, hotheaded, impulsive, quick tempered, and hostile. I fail to see any redeeming qualities to her."

And on it went. And on...and on... and on...

And on...

For an hour and a half Celestia and Luna were subjected to a dryly delivered report, his views and opinions of a good sixty ponies he'd had any interaction with. Ditzy Doo, Vinyl Scratch, Time Turner, Mrs. Cakes, Cherilee, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Colgate, Caramel, Lyra Heartstrings, Carrot Top, Diamond Tiara, Davenport, etc. The majority of those shown weren't given an overly favorable review, although a few were addressed relatively politely.

Try as she might Celestia was having a hard time staying focused on everything. The report was extensive in nature and a good portion of it she was already familiar with; she knew all of these ponies he was listing, and she knew them quite well. It was...redundant really, the only thing that stuck out was his opinion of them. At some points she found herself wondering if he was just trying to pad his own report by including the irrelevant details about each and every pony in an effort to space out what he'd learned.

Not that there was anything wrong with that. It was just...alright there was something wrong with that. But she really didn't want to interrupt his report right now.

But finally the report came to an end, at which Ulquiorra opened his left eye and revealed that his eyeball had returned, further creeping Celestia out. How had he done that?

"That was...rather detailed..." Celestia replied, uncertain of what else she could really say on the matter. "But perhaps next time a written report would do better. That technique is...rather gruesome..."

"Tell us, Ulquiorra Cifer, of those that thou hast met doth any strike you as outstanding for one reason or another?" Luna asked. She'd been sentenced to no sweets and mashed alfalfa just to be told that the residents in Ponyville were boring and lacked interesting qualities? Surely not! There must be something to justify this matter, something other than being told their subjects were trash!

"These individuals," Ulquiorra paused as several images were drawn up. Displayed in the still remaining cloud was Big Macintosh, Ditzy Doo, Lyra Hearstrings, Applejack and last Twilight and Spike. "Of all those met I have reason to believe that these six possess a unique potential to make them interesting and worth further interaction," he explained. After a pause he continued. "I still possess doubts about the notions you support, about friendship being tangible and worthwhile becoming involved in. However there have been certain experiences that have managed to pique my curiosity. Overall the town of Ponyville would seem to warrant further investigation."

Luna wasn't sure how to respond. That was probably as close as Ulquiorra Cifer was going to come to giving Ponyville a shining recommendation based on his experiences there. The fact that he'd found several ponies to be interesting suggested that maybe there was hope for him; especially if Twilight Sparkle and her friends could teach him more about the magic -and the basic concept- of friendship. If there was hope for him then maybe she could tolerate the mashed alfalfa.

Maybe.

The day had ended, night had descended, and Ulquiorra was back in the Canterlot library reading as if he had no concern for anything in particular. His first steps beyond the castle had been filled with new discoveries and many new faces. He couldn't particularly say that he cared for them. A few of the ponies he'd met today would warrant further interaction if allowed. Others had some potential to become interesting enough to warrant further interaction. The rest were little more than trash and appeared to be designed to take up background space and supply whatever degree of manual labor was necessary to keep the town running.

"Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide," he thought to himself as he read the cover of the book. This was a book he'd discovered not long after arriving but had passed on it due to the title. He had no concern for such a ridiculous concept...at least he hadn't earlier on, but now with the discoveries he'd made it seemed far more relevant. If these "Elements of Harmony" were truly one of the defenses of Equestria then it would pay to learn everything he could about them.

At least that was his thought until he felt his pesquisa tingling. Someone -no rather something- had managed to sneak into his detection area without him noticing. In a flash his zanpakutō was drawn, Murciélago's tip pressed against the tall intruders throat.

"Woe, easy there lad!" came the call as Discord raised his mismatched arms in a defensive gesture and took a step back to get the sword away from his neck. "I shaved this morning by myself, I'm old enough not to need any help but thanks for offering regardless."

Discord. The one who was responsible for him being here currently, his presence being all the more reason to keep his zanpakutō out and at the ready. "How you subverted my pesquisa is a mystery. Even if I asked you to explain I don't believe you would give me a concise answer," Ulquiorra replied evenly. "What is it that you want?"

"Why merely to congratulate you on a successful first day outside these drab, plain walls, that's all," Discord reassured him. Or at least he tried to reassure him, the look in his eyes suggested he wasn't convinced. Not that he minded one bit, it wasn't any concern to him. "So how long did it take you to figure out Celestia's ulterior motives this time?" he asked.

"To what are you referring?" Ulquiorra asked back. Was this misshapen assortment of various animal parts talking about the other night and the failed assassination attempt in the garden? Or was there something else?

"Don't be coy with me, you know what I'm talking about; the Elements of Harmony," Discord stated in a forced whisper.

"Soon after the pony called Applejack informed me of their existence, nature and purpose," Ulquiorra replied simply. There was no need to further elaborate in a redundant manner on the discovery. It certainly made sense that if Princess Celestia still considered him a threat that she'd put him right in striking distance of the country's defenses should he cause any trouble. Of course she probably hadn't counted on him discovering it so quickly through the helpfulness of her own subjects.

Would she have sent him there if she knew he would so quickly identify each of the six? Most likely not.

"And the way you sowed the seeds of uncertainty and chaos among those six, oh it was so beautiful!" Discord stated with a smile that, much to Ulquiorra's dulled surprise, wrapped completely around his face and met in the back. "I daresay I couldn't have been able to do better myself if I tried."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ulquiorra replied in a dismissive tone before finally resheathing his zanpakutō and turning his attention away from the spirit of chaos.

Discord stopped and thought. He'd been fully aware of the Espada's actions ever since he came to Equestria, especially his conversation with Applejack and the allusion to him not truly being evil but simply different. He'd managed to shake the resolve of the Element of Honesty and left her with questions that were bound to have far reaching repercussions in the future; and he was positively giddy to see what happened. And if Ulquiorra had set those consequences into motion accidentally rather than intentionally then it was even more scrumptious to consider.

"No? Nevermind then. Still I think you should be rewarded for your actions today," he replied before leaning in close and whispering. "I know all about Celestia's actions last night. Just so you know that's the first time her binding spell's ever worked on anything. And I know how to undo it because I've seen it. I can give you back your resurrection so you can use it anytime you want. Think of the fun that could be had."

"Resurrección," Ulquiorra corrected on the pronunciation before continuing, "I have no interest in anything you may have to offer me. My loyalty is to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. You are nothing more than trash; both in substance and appearance."

Discord blinked in surprise as he drew his head back. That was...unexpected even by his standards. "You're turning down the opportunity of absolute power? And for what, loyalty to Celestia? Are you insane or something, lad?" he asked.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied and turned his attention back to the book he'd been reading before he was so rudely interrupted. He left Discord without any further conversation for as long as it took him to read over the entire page he was on. "When you return to see Princess Celestia kindly inform her the latest test of my character proved as futile and transparent as the last."

Discord frowned, utterly offended at being accused in such a manner. Did he really believe that Celestia would use him to initiate a test of such low standards? The nerve of it all!

"You're quite boring, you know that?" Discord asked. Ulquiorra said nothing and merely turned the page. Scowling the spirit of chaos snapped his fingers and disappeared just as he'd come, leaving no trace behind.

"Trash..."

It was amazing how many conversations seemed to take place in the royal gardens over the past few days. Perhaps she should officially reclassify the gardens as the outside meeting area for all future purposes, that would make much more sense. It was certainly a nice area, it'd provide for a nice relaxed setting for conversations and meetings and other discussions. Maybe she'd look into doing just that.

Of course it would have to wait until the coming migraine passed. The migraine...and the spirit of chaos that was currently standing behind her with a cheesy grin on his face.

"The hour is late, Discord, I really want to go to sleep. What news do you have for me?" Celestia asked, short on the pleasant formalities she'd exercised during the course of the day.

"He didn't take the bait," Discord stated simply. "I promised him unimaginable power with the restoration of his resurrection. Sorry, his "resurrección" and he still didn't consider it."

Celestia remained neutral in terms of expression at the news. Discord's promise for power and release had been turned down in short order just as Luna's offer of leaving the castle grounds had been turned down. Ulquiorra's loyalty was as consistent as his bluntness.

Seeing the smile that was slowly forming on Celestia's face Discord continued. "And that little rat, he had the nerve to tell me to inform you that your latest test of his loyalty and character was poorly crafted and extremely transparent...just like the last one," he stated and huffed, crossing his mismatched arms across his chest in frustration.

Celestia frowned. How had Ulquiorra known? How did he know she'd sent Discord to test him? Did he know that she'd done the same with Luna? Just how much did he know and what wasn't he telling her? She knew that he was quite observant and highly intelligent, but this was beginning to leave her feeling very unsecured. How was this happening? Where exactly had she lost control of the situation?

"Does he know about the Elements of Harmony?" Celestia asked hesitantly.

Discord grinned. "Only in an academic sense from the book he's reading. Fortunately he's blissfully ignorant of where they are or who has them. As far as he knows they're just an obscure relic," he lied. If Celestia was going to be using him for the sake of testing their guest then who was to say he couldn't have a little fun of his own? She didn't need to know the full truth. She wasn't the only one who could have ulterior motives for her actions; two could play at this game!

Fortunately his lie seemed to have the desired effect and Celestia accepted it without any question. If she knew what he knew then it would surely ruin everything. After all the work he'd gone through to bring Ulquiorra to Equestria he couldn't stand to see everything ruined. He had big plans for him, he couldn't risk the Arrancar being indefinitely confined to Canterlot castle. He'd have to play his cards carefully, perhaps even take a more active role in things so they could proceed smoothly.

"He's proving to be far more intelligent than I thought possible," Celestia commented, "this is going to take some considerable thinking."

"Quite so, my dear, quite so," Discord replied.

There was a lot of uncertainty in this world and he liked that very much. But there was something certain that he liked even more; for better or worse the land of Equestria was soon to get a whole lot more interesting!

It was at that moment that a scroll materialized above Celestia's head and dropped into view. Obviously one of her little ponies had sent her a message. Without a second thought she opened it to read it.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I'm happy to report that Ulquiorra's first visit to Ponyville was a success. He's quite rough around the edges but I have hope for improvement. While it's far too early to conclude that he's learned about the wonders of friendship I have sufficient reason to believe that my friends and I have managed to sow a few seeds on the matter. I also believe that further visits will help cement and establish a firm foundation on the subject.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle

Celestia smiled to herself. Twilight's optimism was refreshing on the matter. Maybe things really would be alright if given enough time. Maybe all she needed was to be patient and let things progress as they did.

Right?

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Spike's ears were bleeding right now, not literally but figuratively. He was certain after yesterday Twilight had given up on that tune she'd been alternating between trying to sing and trying to hum to herself but he was very, very wrong. Right now she was in the middle of hitting all the wrong notes and it just made him flinch harder, and harder, and harder. He didn't know how much longer he could take it before he had to scream at her to stop for the sake of all things holy and melodious in nature. Vinyl Scratch would have none of this, so why should he have to tolerate it?

Fortunately he was blessed with the sound of knocking at the library door. A knock meant a visitor and a visitor meant a reason to interrupt Twilight's musical inabilities. "I'll get it!" he called as he dashed across the room as fast as his stubby little legs could carry him, rushing right past Twilight without another word.

Without another word was quite accurate in this situation. Twilight had heard Spike open the door but nothing after that. Now curious she spoke up to get to the bottom of this mini mystery. "Spike? Who is it?" she asked.

"Twi' I think you'd better come and see for yourself," Spike replied as he stood unmoving at the doorway.

Now she was really curious. What would be so surprising to Spike that he couldn't relay a simple message? Upon seeing for herself, she was much more understanding. Ulquiorra was standing in front of them, his left hand tucked into his pocket while his right hand was at his side and clutching a scroll.

"Greetings," he said simply upon making eye contact with her.

"Ulquiorra? What're you doing here?" Twilight asked and blinked. Looking around she didn't see any signs of a royal chariot or members of the royal guard being present. This was all striking her as very weird.

"Official business," he replied and held out the scroll to her. He watched her puzzled face for a moment before her horn glowed and the scroll was levitated over and unrolled to be read.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

It has come to my attention that a dragon has once again taken up residency in one of the caves of the mountain region to the east and is apparently settling in for a long nap. I know that I don't have to explain the severity of the situation to you as this incident has occurred once before and was dealt with marvelously. I must ask that you gather your friends and once again persuade the dragon to leave.

At present time the upper wind levels are keeping the smoke from heading westward and blanketing Ponyville, but I have it on good authority from the weather bureau that these winds won't last more than a few hours.

I know that you also have questions about Ulquiorra's presence and his delivering of this note rather than it coming through Spike. In order to assist his studies on friendship, I've allowed Ulquiorra to join you on this outing so that he might witness what Fluttershy can do and what wonders a little kindness is truly capable of.

You're in charge of this mission my dear student. Please proceed with caution.

Signed,
Princess Celestia

Twilight read the note silently, and then read it over again just in case there was something she'd missed on the initial read through. She had more questions than she had answers right now, and while finding the answers could be enjoyable this wasn't one of those times. A sleeping adult dragon was a hazard and they all knew that. But right now there were other matters that were nearly as pressing and needed to be addressed.

"Ulquiorra? Where's your escort? How'd you get to Ponyville?" she asked.

"Due to the severity of the situation Princess Celestia has provided me with the rare opportunity to travel solo as time is of the essence. That is all that must be known right now," he explained calmly. "Where are the other Elements of Harmony? More specifically where is Fluttershy?" he asked bluntly.

One thing was definitely for certain as far as Twilight could tell, Ulquiorra was consistent in being straight to the point. "Well the girls are all over Ponyville so it's hard to tell just where they are. But Fluttershy is likely at her cottage near the edge of the Everfree Forest and tending to her animal friends," she explained.

"Lead the way," Ulquiorra stated and stepped aside to let them exit the library.

Twilight wasn't certain just what was going on. Ulquiorra being able to find the library and not having questions about how the tree could still be alive when hollowed out, she could pass that off as being the work of Princess Celestia possibly explaining it to him on where to find her. But as she stepped out of the library to show him the way to Fluttershy's cottage...she wasn't certain. There was something to him, something subdued beneath that calm and orderly veneer that just felt...antsy and impatient. It was like he was trying to suppress a desire to find the dragon and quickly. Whatever it was this definitely wasn't right.

It wasn't a long walk to Fluttershy's house from the library, but with the degree of silence present it certainly felt long. The atmosphere felt tense around them as Spike rode on Twilight's back, Ulquiorra walking with them at an even pace. They both knew for certain now that something was up, but they really couldn't tell what it was. There was just something about his posture and movements that seemed...off...compared to the past two days. It was like some herky jerky motion interfering with the otherwise smooth flow of his body, like he was struggling to contain some inner force that was threatening to tear him asunder if he were to lose his hold.

"So...Ulquiorra," Spike began in an effort to break the silence, "How'd you get to Ponyville without an escort? It's an awful long walk from Canterlot to here."

"Using sonido it only took three minutes to travel from Canterlot to Ponyville," Ulquiorra replied as they walked along.

"Three minutes?" Spike asked in disbelief, nearly falling off of Twilight's back as he rode along. Had he really said three minutes? "Seriously, three minutes? That's...that's impossible, even Rainbow Dash can't travel from here to Canterlot in just three minutes. She tried it once and it took her five minutes at full burn to get there!" he stated.

"I've got to admit that's really impressive. More like outstanding really. I thought Rainbow Dash was at the peak of non-teleportation travel speeds but that theory's just been blown out of the water. Better not let her find out about that or she's really gonna be upset," Twilight pointed out.

"At present time I have no reason to be concerned if one suffering from extreme narcissism is displeased with the fact they're outclassed."

Twilight frowned at Ulquiorra's words. On the one hand...hoof...he was right about Rainbow Dash being narcissistic, what with always bragging about how awesome she was. But then again she'd proven that she did live up to her own legend or was at the very least capable of doing so with a little effort. But on the other hoof, he was being quite blunt about his statement and it was bordering on cruelty from what she could see.

Then again maybe he was right to not be concerned. There really wasn't much that Rainbow Dash could do in retaliation even if she tried; it wasn't like she could pound him into jerk cider or anything like that. Officially as far as her friends were concerned, Ulquiorra was still a visiting dignitary and even Rainbow Dash wasn't hotheaded enough to try and launch an attack against him, regardless of what he might say to upset her. Afterall she was hotheaded, not stupid.

"Two for the price of one."

Twilight was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Ulquiorra's voice again, bringing her attention forward to see that they'd arrived at Fluttershy's cottage. And from their position she could see Fluttershy was in the front yard and tending to her birds, while Rainbow Dash was chatting with her about something she couldn't quite hear.

"Looks like we got lucky," Twilight commented. Or at least was in the process of doing so before Ulquiorra disappeared from sight, all that was left behind was the booming echo of static. "Where'd he go?"

The sudden sound of Fluttershy's terrified shriek was a good indication he just used sonido to cross the distance quickly.

"Fluttershy."

It had started out as such a nice day when Fluttershy got up. The birds were singing, all her little animal friends were happy and getting along so well, and her friend Rainbow Dash had shown up to tell her about some new confection Pinkie had dreamed up overnight and was currently in the middle of. From the description she thought it sounded absolutely delicious and something she should look into the next time she had to go into Ponyville.

However that all changed when a white blur appeared in front of her, startling her so much her heart nearly burst out of her ribcage as she fell back with a scream.

"Flutterhsy!" she faintly heard Rainbow Dash call as she quickly made her way over to her. "What the hay do you want?"

Looking back up she saw the white blur was more accurately Ulquiorra standing before her, still in the same standing position as yesterday and looking down at her, still with the same gaze as last time but lacking the overwhelming intensity. Right now she could hear Rainbow Dash being upset with him.

Ulquiorra paid Rainbow Dash no mind and continued focusing on Fluttershy instead. "Princess Celestia requires your presence on a mission of great importance. It pertains to your ability with animals," he explained calmly. "There's a dragon slumbering in the caves east of Canterlot in the mountain region. You're needed to convince the dragon to move elsewhere in order to prevent it from blotting out the sun with a century's worth of smoke."

A...dragon? Fluttershy's mind seemed to turn off after being informed about that part of it all. A big, mean, scary dragon? "Nonononono," she shrieked/whispered and darted behind Rainbow Dash for protection and cover. She couldn't go face down a dragon no matter who was asking her to, she just couldn't!

Ulquiorra blinked. Did Fluttershy truly believe she could cower behind Rainbow Dash and be hidden from view? Such ridiculousness in this world.

"Ulquiorra! Hold up!" Twilight called as she came charging up the path, Spike clinging to her to avoid getting bounced off. She knew nothing good was going to be happening when she heard Fluttershy's shriek of terror, and that was only confirmed when she saw Fluttershy duck behind Rainbow Dash and start trembling.

"She heard?" Spike asked as Twilight came to a stop by them.

"Indeed," Ulquiorra replied and turned his attention back to the two pegasi, one currently in terror and the other in confusion.

"Twilight what's going on here? What's this about a dragon? And what's he doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked as she gestured to Ulquiorra standing before them. After yesterday she really hadn't expected to see him again, especially not so soon. And she really hadn't wanted to see him either.

"Ulquiorra's here to see firsthoof just how Fluttershy can make the dragon leave its caves and go elsewhere, just like she did the last time. Princess Celestia gave it the green light," Twilight explained before turning to Fluttershy. However before she could speak Fluttershy spoke up.

"I can't do it," she whispered, "dragons are big, mean and scary, I can't face one again I just can't."

Rather strange. An animal care expert who was afraid to tend to animals? And how exactly did she explain her lack of fear around Spike if he was a dragon? Perhaps it was safe to conclude the fear wasn't based on the entire species, but rather specific specimens of such.

"But Fluttershy you have to!" Twilight stated, "Princess Celestia needs you, Equestria needs you! If you don't make that dragon leave he'll blot out the sun for a century!"

This was beyond ridiculous. Was Princess Celestia aware that her loyal subjects weren't quite so loyal? Were those that held the Elements of Harmony always like this? Would the Elements of Harmony even function in such a state of chaos? The four voices were almost unending in their nonsense and it was quite distracting. Glancing around he quickly began formulating a plan.

"You care for your animals, correct?" he asked. Through whatever means his voice seemed to reach Fluttershy and make her look up at him and nod in response. "If you don't fulfill your duties to Princess Celestia in this matter you will be directly responsible for their deaths. The only question will be whether they die slowly through starvation by the loss of plant life, or painfully from asphyxiation by breathing in the dragon's smoke."

Fluttershy didn't even hear the shocked gasps from her friends at Ulquiorra's words, her world had just faded away to her immediate surroundings and the animals before her. Her mouth hung open and all the color drained from her face as she considered his words. Her little animal friends were going to die if she didn't act? Her mind immediately began conjuring disturbing images of all the poor little animals slowly starving away to skin and bones, or choking in the thick clouds of black smoke, and eventually being replaced by an extensive graveyard filled with tiny wooden crosses. She couldn't let that happen, she just couldn't! Her little animal friends were all depending on her for their survival, she couldn't let them down just because she was afraid.

"I'll do it," she stated. However her soft voice wasn't heard over the argument that seemed to start up while she was distracted.

"Are you always this much of a jerk or are we just special or something?" Rainbow Dash yelled and threw her forelegs about wildly in Ulquiorra's direction.

"I'll do it," Fluttershy repeated but was still unheard.

"I'm inclined to agree with Rainbow Dash. That was pretty harsh just now," Twilight added.

"The direct approach was necessary. If we do not act immediately many will likely die. If Fluttershy is unable or unwilling to participate then I will have to report back to Princess Celestia and kill the dragon myself," Ulquiorra replied calmly.

"I'll do it," Fluttershy repeated but still no change.

"HA! You kill a dragon by yourself?!" Rainbow Dash asked is disbelief and amusement. "Nopony short of one of the Princesses could kill a fully grown dragon on their own, and you're definitely no pony and no Princess!"

Twilight wasn't sure how much of Ulquiorra's statement to believe. Slaying a full grown dragon -especially if it was a male dragon- was a...serious endeavor to engage in. It sounded more like the stuff of legend and adventure rather than a real event.

"QUIET!"

The loud scream was enough to silence the bickering that was going on between the four of them, the fact that it was Fluttershy who had raised her voice to such a level easily catching them off guard.

"I said I'll do it," she said in a far more normal tone than just a moment ago. Her animal friends were counting on her, she couldn't leave them hanging. And then when they were actually talking about...about killing the dragon...scared or not the dragon was still just a living creature, and she really couldn't just sit by and watch as one of them was senselessly harmed, it would go against her very cutie mark! "I-I'll talk to the dragon and convince it to go find another cave to stay in."

"Alright awesome 'Shy I knew you could do it," Rainbow Dash replied and turned around to hug her friend.

Ulquiorra said nothing at the display as Fluttershy's friends congratulated her for deciding to fulfill her duties to Princess Celestia. Instead he chose to ponder how such a ragtag bunch could reasonably be trusted with Equestria's safety.

"I-it looks really steep..."

Ulquiorra hadn't been anticipating the delay he'd encountered here. He assumed once Fluttershy had been located, informed of the pending emergency -and convinced to fulfill her duty to Princess Celestia- that they would be off to where the dragon was currently nesting.

Instead he'd been treated to what was surely the most useless waste of time to ever be encountered. Rather than immediately setting out to deal with the dragon that was threatening to plunge Equestria into a poisonous darkness they had insisted on gathering the remaining three members of their group beforehand.

Had the intent been to make use of the Elements of Harmony to combat the dragon it would make sense to maintain group unity, but that simply wasn't the case in this matter. He saw no beneficial purpose to the hour that was wasted in seeking out Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, informing them of the situation -going into minute detail much to his chagrin- and gathering supplies for the long journey before setting out. Were all of these ponies -sans Spike who was staying behind to handle their pets for the time being- truly necessary to act as an escort to bring Fluttershy to the cave where the dragon currently nested? Surely not.

And now he found himself being held up by a pegasus that seemed afraid of heights. What was he destined to encounter next, a fish that was afraid of deep water?

"Fluttershy we've been through this before, it's a cliff, it's gonna be steep," Rainbow Dash replied, clearly annoyed with her friend's timid nature. At least he wasn't alone on the matter.

"Wouldn't it be easier to teleport?" he asked as he looked up the cliff face, seeing several of the others already a considerable distance ahead.

"Normally yes. But teleportation is a highly demanding spell and requires a significant level of mana, the cost going up when things like distance and mass are increased. Trying to teleport over a thousand pounds of ponies, gear and...you...would limit my maximum range to only fifty feet and leave me exhausted," Twilight explained.

Uselessness. Utter uselessness. He could tell that this was going to be a very long, very trying day to experience. Perhaps he should have simply remained in the library and ignored this event.

"Hey dude..."

The initial rough patch of getting Fluttershy to start up the mountain had been just that; the initial rough patch, for many more laid ahead of them on this long, difficult journey. More than once Ulquiorra found himself tempted to forcefully grab her and sonido far ahead of the rest of the group in order to speed things along. It was only because of the possibility that he might scare her to the point she couldn't function that he refrained from doing such.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the entire journey so far was the fact that Rarity was present. Yesterday he'd made the evaluation that her fear of filth and disorder rendered her useless during a time of importance. And yet here she was trudging along with the rest of them, her complaints relatively minor. Perhaps he'd misjudged her and when the chips were down she could rise to the occasion as well as anyone. Being confronted with one's own impending death tended to motivate individuals to do things they never would've done under normal circumstances.

His attention turned to Rainbow Dash, who unlike her yellow counterpart was hovering about openly as her wings flapped rather than sticking to the ground like an earth pony. It seemed she was addressing him, although "dude" was hardly the correct title for such.

"My name is Ulquiorra, not dude," he replied as he continued following the others, paying little mind to Rainbow Dash as she hovered about like an annoying overgrow mosquito.

"Yeah well your name's kind of hard to pronounce," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "Nevermind that though. Look there's something about you that's struck me as weird ever since I met you, and for the longest time I couldn't figure out what it is. Sure you look different from anypony else, but then again so does every species. And after spending the night wracking my brains out it finally hit me early this morning."

At her silence he was beginning to wonder if she was waiting for him to speak up before she informed him about what required such an exercise of whatever limited degree of intelligence she possessed. Fortunately that didn't seem to be the case as she began talking on her own again.

"It's that sword you've got at your side. It's a katana isn't it?" she asked.

Rainbow Dash was not a pony Ulquiorra found much interest in. She was a source of annoyance to him and the less he had to interact with her the better. But right now she had managed to capture his interest with the question. It was true that his zanpakutō did bear visual similarities to the katana-class swords of the human world, just as nearly all zanpakutō did.

Now that he stopped to think on it, it seemed curious as to why that was. Regardless of continent all earthbound souls eventually became Hollows. Why were these so few zanpakutō that were anything else? It was a question that was best saved for another time though, right now he was curious as to how this pegasus knew anything about an aspect of his world's culture.

"I read about them in a book "Daring Do and the Seventeen Samurai" and it described them pretty well. Long, thin, curved, handles wrapped in fabric in a crisscrossing manner," Rainbow Dash explained. "So is your sword of Neighponese origin? Are you like some sorta samurai or shogun or something?" she asked.

Neighponese? Yet another question to be saved for later.

"I am familiar with what you refer to. While it's true my zanpakutō possesses visual similarities to a katana that's where the similarities end. They are both constructed in two entirely different manners and not properly comparable to each other," he replied.

"Zanpakutō huh?" she asked, repeating the word slowly as she rolled it about to try and get an understanding on it. Finally she just shrugged and decided to fly on ahead with the rest of them, leaving him with a stretch of satisfying silence.

"Hey Ulqy!"

So much for satisfying silence. Somehow the strange earth pony Pinkie Pie had managed to appear right next to him without him noticing her absence from the larger group, her strange manner of bouncing/hopping keeping pace with his strides.

"What do you want?" he asked bluntly. What was with all of the interruptions all of the sudden?

"You mean besides a piece of Mrs. Cakes' awesome super delicious double chocolate chip cake?" Pinkie asked, "If you're a visiting foreign dignitary thingy isn't this the sorta thing you should stay away from? Dragons are big and mean and scary and above all dangerous! You can't make 'em laugh for nothing and most of them wouldn't think twice about swallowing a pony up in a single gulp!"

She was still very annoying to deal with. But this time her annoyance was focused on his own wellbeing. Commendable even if it was pointless.

"I'll take my chances in order to see what Fluttershy can do. She's referred to almost as if she were a deity amongst the animal kingdom. Such a feat much be witnessed to be believed," Ulquiorra commented. The one she should truly be concerned for was the dragon if things went south. The detectable reiatsu levels of the dragon weren't particularly worrisome at present time and he had little reason for concern. From his current position the reiatsu level felt on par with Zommari Rureaux, that was hardly enough to inspire concern.

Suddenly the ground was shaken for several seconds before the tremor finally passed, leaving the ponies concerned and him curious. "What precisely was that?"

"The dragon snoring," Twilight answered back.

A single snore being enough to cause the entire ground to shake? Perhaps his pesquisa truly wasn't working properly in this strange world. Perhaps the mana that permeated the area was many times more dense than reishi and those adapted to it were much more capable of dealing with it on a comparable level.

More disturbingly...perhaps Pinkie Pie was right to be concerned.

"Rest break y'all," Applejack spoke up.

The journey from Ponyville up the mountain had been long and quite tedious in nature. And apparently the affects of the journey were catching up with the rest of them as each of the ponies were slumping against something for support and looking exhausted, Ulquiorra being the only one unaffected by the long walk and climb.

Sometimes it was hard adjusting to the world of the living. Those with physical bodies made of flesh and bone had such finite stamina compared to Hollows. Looking upward he could easily see which hole the smoke was coming from, it wasn't more than a few miles from their current position. Why they didn't simply continue trudging on was beyond him. They still had the advantage of daylight and the dragons' snoring hadn't caused any further rock slides. Now was the time to be traveling.

"Hey Mr. Cifer, catch!"

His attention was drawn back to the group, more specifically the earth pony Applejack tossing him an apple that was easily caught in his hand.

"Ya'd best eat too, yer scrawny enough as is an' ya ain' eaten all day," Applejack stated.

He briefly considered explaining that he didn't need to eat to sustain himself, that he could survive on nothing more than the reishi in the atmosphere. But if he did then he'd have to spend more time answering more questions and it would only delay them further. The southern winds were no longer holding back the dragon's smoke and it was wafting its way over Ponyville and towards Canterlot. Right now the easiest thing to do was simply shut up and comply for the time being.

"Very well," he replied and bit into the apple, mildly surprised at the amount of flavor found within it. Were all the apples in this world like this or were they specific to Sweet Apple Acres? "The Shinigami would likely raid her orchards if they found out about these..."

"Really, Applejack darling, it's rude to inform someone that they're scrawny. Ulquiorra isn't scrawny, he's lean, he's sleek, he's svelte," Rarity replied, supplying a list of more appropriate terms to describe the Arrancar's physical build. "He's---"

"The smallest in stature to hold the rank of Espada," Ulquiorra interrupted before taking another bite of the apple. "Applejack's observation is quite accurate."

"...Espada? I'm afraid I don't know that term," Rarity stated after a moment's thought.

"A council of ten as it were. That is all that needs to be known," Ulquiorra replied. Now was definitely not the time to get into the finer points of Hueco Mundo and his dimension. They'd be here all night if the five of them were even half as curious as Twilight Sparkle.

The sun would be setting within two hours. It had taken most of the day to climb the mountain and avoid the hazards caused by the dragon's slumber but at long last they were a mere fifty feet from the cave's mouth where their quarry rested, blessedly ignorant of their position and existence.

"Crud that stinks!" Rainbow Dash choked out.

Unfortunately the same could not be said for them. Being in such close proximity to the dragon one thing above others became very apparent; the sulfur stench permeating the air from the dragon's breath. The closer they got the more intense and stifling it became. Each of the ponies was having their own trouble breathing normally, the only one showing no signs of affect being Ulquiorra.

Twilight Sparkle, much to Ulquiorra's mild curiosity, seemed the be the only one who had planned on such a potential development and was currently wearing some sort of breathing apparatus over her face. This world had gas masks?

"We're not gonna get anywhere like this, we need fresh air," she stated in a somewhat mumbled tone. "Rainbow Dash! Do your thing!"

"On it!" Rainbow Dash coughed and hovered off the ground, beating her wings with a great deal of force until she was churning up a huge amount of wind to blow the sulfur gasses out of the area so they could all breathe easier. Unfortunately it was only a temporary success as the gasses would return in short order until the dragon left the area and they all knew that fact.

"Let's get going everypony, it's going be dark soon," Twilight stated as she pulled off the breathing apparatus, trying to muster the troops onward into battle; or more accurately hostile negotiations. The dragon had to leave and there was no two ways about it. They'd all come so very far today, they just needed to go a little further and let Fluttershy do the talking.

"The dark is scary," Fluttershy commented nervously.

"Then let us not procrastinate any further," Ulquiorra stated somewhat forcefully. Right now all he wanted to do was sonido his way up to the cave and deal with the dragon himself. But he wasn't allowed to do that. He had to wait for the others to do what needed to be done.

It was strange how a mere fifty feet seemed to take longer than the entire rest of the journey. Despite climbing steep inclines and having to cross unforeseen chasms this last stretch of their journey was dragging on as if invisible weights were dragging them down. Of course Fluttershy's fear of the dragon and the darkness of the cave didn't help motivate her to move any faster. The only reason they'd gotten this far was him pointing out how many lives hinged on her succeeding in her mission.

"Somepony's gotta go in first," Applejack commented once they reached the mouth of the cave. After the last time of trying to chase out a dragon they realized the safest option available was to simply escort Fluttershy in rather than trying their hoof at it first. Her connection with animals made her the best candidate for such a mission, they just served as distractions.

Perhaps Twilight should've seen it coming, it was such an obvious setup and Ulquiorra had been acting strange all day. The minute Applejack pointed out that one of them needed to advance first, he had silently stepped ahead and began walking towards the dragon's cave as if he was devoid of anything even remotely resembling fear. His stride was like he was looking forward to this and had been the entire day. Was he really serious when he'd told Rainbow Dash he was going to kill the dragon himself? She'd been positive it was just boasting to try and motivate Fluttershy into action, but right now she wasn't sure one way or the other anymore.

"Ulquiorra wait up it could be-" she was in the middle of saying but stopped when she wound up crashing face first into the back of him when he suddenly stopped walking without any warning. Her muzzle hurt and she was disoriented now, wondering what had just happened.

"The dragon is currently awake," Ulquiorra stated as he turned his attention back to Twilight Sparkle over his shoulder. "And it would seem currently, it's very angry."

If she hadn't already come to a stop Twilight would've frozen in her tracks at hearing this statement. The dragon was awake? Granted her knowledge on dragon's was rather limited but she didn't ever recall anything that talked about dragon's waking up during their naps for no reason. Right now her mind was reeling with questions and possibilities as to what just happened here. Had Rainbow Dash's clearing the sulfur away disturbed it? Had they made enough commotion that the dragon had been awake the entire time? These were just some of the questions to consider. But right now there was a much more serious and pressing question that needed to be answered.

"What now?"

Ulquiorra said nothing as he stood facing the cave, observing whatever it was he was observing that Twilight couldn't see. And how had he known the dragon was awake to begin with? She'd really like to know that right about now. However it seemed he had other ideas because instead of answering he knelt down to ground level and began using his finger to sketch something in the dirt.

Twilight blinked as she tried to figure out what he was drawing. It looked a lot like ancient cave paintings that dated back to the mesoponic era of Equestria's history. There was a large semi-circle with a squiggly line in the middle and two dots near the open area. An arrow was drawn from one dot toward the squiggly line while another arrow was drawn from the other dot to a group of five dots. Then an arrow drawn from the five dots, taking a long curve around to near the open area of the semi-circle, then around the semi-circle and then into it behind the squiggly line into the enclosed area to a group of six dots. What exactly was Ulquiorra doing?

She looked at him in confusion as he glanced over at her. He looked back down at the crude drawing and gestured at it with his hands, indicating there was importance to it. But for the life of her she couldn't figure out what it was...until he drew out a six pointed star by one of the dots. After that everything clicked like a finely crafted and properly oiled machine and everything made sense. Nodding she dashed back to where her friends were standing and waiting.

"Wha's goin' on Twilight?" Applejack asked. She was feeling quite confused right now, having not been able to make out what they'd been talking about after Twilight had chased after Ulquiorra only to crash into him.

"Change of plans, girls, Ulquiorra's going in the front way, we're going around. Drop your saddlebags and follow me," she explained. She was about to elaborate on the plan as it was presented to her when her ears perked out at the booming echo of static again. Looking back she saw Ulquiorra was nowhere to be seen. "I've got to figure out how he does that..."

The plan was quite simple and easy to follow even if the instructions weren't presented on a full color spread sheet. The dragon was awake and aware of his surroundings. Ulquiorra would approach the mouth of the cave, evaluate the situation and provide a distraction while Twilight Sparkle and the others approached the long way around before teleporting into the cave at the back and approaching from behind.

His sonido had allowed him to approach and enter the cave undetected, only to come face to face with the dragon as if it'd been waiting for him the entire time. From what he could see in the dim light it was a considerably sized dragon, easily the size of a Gillian-class Hollow regardless of its crouched position. It frame was as heavily muscled as it was scarred, suggesting a male of considerable experience in combat, its skin dark and a row of bony points running down it head and along the spines like a mohawk, its golden eyes glaring down at him at it scowled through the darkness. From where he stood it appeared to have a quadrupedal frame, but he couldn't rule out the possibility of bipedal capabilities; the unicorn Lyra Hearstrings had demonstrated the significance of that fact yesterday.

"I wasn't expecting one so large," was all Ulquiorra could think to say. He was operating under the assumption that dragons weren't simply mindless beasts in the same manner as Hollows, and the only way to test that out was by talking to it and seeing how it responded.

The dragon continued glaring at him, blinking a few times and uttering a low growl, the noxious sulfuric fumes from his breath blowing past him. Much as he hated to, he had to agree with Rainbow Dash; the dragon's breath truly did stink.

Reaching out with his pesquisa he could feel the others approaching, slowly but surely getting into position. This would require some stalling in order to pull off properly. Unfortunately procrastinating wasn't one of his strong points. Continual talking to one that wasn't responsive wasn't something he was particularly skilled in; Princess Luna was better suited for that.

"I don't pretend to know your reasons for venturing so far into the territory of Equestria. Nor is it of any interest to me. However I am under orders to remove you as your smoke poses a serious health hazard to the ponies that live in the town below," Ulquiorra explained calmly. The dragon simply continued looking at him and blinking. Perhaps the vocal approach wasn't the best way to go. Perhaps the best course of action was to engage in a stare down and see which one of them would yield first.

"E-excuse me...sir?"

Ulquiorra was the first to blink at the voice. According to his pesquisa the six were now behind them near the back of the cave and slowly making their way forward. He'd focused so much attention on staring at the dragon to try and distract it he'd failed to notice the teleportation into the cave. Now though he was aware of Fluttershy's close proximity as she tried to address the dragon with whatever measure of courage she could manage. The dragon seemed equally aware of their presence as he turned away from the stare down to face the new voice.

"Sir...I know that you're really tired and all, and that all you really want to do is settle in for a long nap...but could you please...m-maybe find somewhere else to sleep? You see you're awfully close to Ponyville and a lot of ponies down below are---"

The dragon didn't allow Fluttershy to finish whatever she was saying and cut her off by violently -and loudly- roaring directly in her face, sending her flying backwards and crashing against the cave wall along with her friends who were unfortunately in the path with her.

That hurt a lot! All six of them were groaning and in pain from being tossed about so easily, each of their bodies more or less crumpling limply on the ground.

"That went bad," Rainbow Dash commented as her vision was swimming right now. How could an animal resist Fluttershy's nature? It didn't make sense to her, she'd managed to tame Discord and make him good so how could she not do the same with this dragon? None of it made any sense.

Ulquiorra wasn't surprised to see things proceed the way they had, he hadn't been expecting anything resembling a success from the meek pegasus addressing the dragon. However being right wasn't his primary concern right now, but rather the aggressive posture the dragon was taking toward them. That simply wouldn't do.

"Get your flank out of my face!"

"Move your leg!"

"You're squishing me!"

Things had gone from unfavorable to just plain bad in such short order that nopony could tell just what went wrong. The dragon had not only completely ignored Fluttershy's attempts at managing it, it went on the offensive and blew them out of the way with a single roar, leaving them in a pile on the cave floor, disoriented and trying to untangle themselves from one another.

"Real great plan Twilight! Whoever heard of sneaking up on a dragon?" Rainbow Dash asked sarcastically, unaware that the dragon was no longer paying any attention to Ulquiorra and instead was making its way over to them, a hungry look in its eyes as it licked its lips.

At least that's how it was until something caused them to stop fighting, a loud commotion erupting above them. They looked up just in time to see something shatter against the dragon's head in a cloud of smoke.

"I can't allow you to do that," they heard Ulquiorra say. Looking back as best they could they saw him standing with his right arm extended, some sort of red static energy dissipating around his hand and extended finger. "I have no personal care for their wellbeing. But I'm under orders not to allow any harm to come to them."

The dragon slowly turned away from them to face the original intruder again, giving them the time needed to untangle themselves and get back on their hooves.

"Cuatro Espada Ulquiorra Cifer. Fourth strongest Espada under the command of Sosuke Aizen. First strongest Espada under the command of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna."

The dragon stared down at Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra stared up at the dragon. It was another stare down just like a few moments ago. However this time the dragon reacted first by drawing in a deep, deep breath, and unleashing a torrent of flames that easily engulfed Ulquiorra before he could react or respond.

"Ulquiorra!" Twilight shouted in horror at having seen the entire display. He'd just saved them from the dragon only to meet the fate that was meant for them? The utter cruelty of it all! Now she turned to the dragon and was filled with rage over what was lost: someone who had never been blessed with knowing what friendship was, someone who had never known true kindness or what it was like to laugh, someone who was the greatest discovery in all the centuries of Equestria's history! How dare that dragon do something like that?

"Impressive."

At the sound of the voice all eyes turned toward the front of the cave and what remained of the fire and the burning rocks. What should've been present should've been nothing more than a pile of cinders and soot. But strolling out of the flames was none other than Ulquiorra, looking like he wasn't even singed and merely dusting his jacket off. How was something like that possible? He'd taken the full force of the dragon's attack and was completely unfazed; he didn't even look like he was suffering from an adrenaline high!

"You nearly managed to singe through my hierro in that attack. I was unaware that a living beast could generate such an intense heat. It is truly applause worthy that you were able to perform such a feat," Ulquiorra said calmly. He then proceeded to do what nopony had ever expected him to do and clapped. Three very slow and sarcastic claps of his hands before he put them back in his pockets and began walking forward again.

The dragon seemed confused at how such a puny thing had survived being burnt, but that confusion quickly turned to rage as it actually began mocking him with its clapping! Who did this runt think he was!? Letting loose a deafening roar, another stream of fire was let loose and completely engulfed the pale figure.

"Too slow."

From their vantage point the ponies were seeing the whole mess unfold and not believing a second of it. He'd been completely engulfed in pure dragon's breath fire that was known to be able to melt rocks in high enough concentrations. From that he'd emerged unscathed and actually went onto mock the dragon and anger it into attacking. At which point he'd disappeared in a flash of sonido speed and reappeared atop the dragon's head and was currently looking down on it as if with contempt, informing it that it was too slow to keep up with him.

The entire display was something that went completely over their heads. How could such a thing be possible? How could Ulquiorra be showing up such a vicious dragon -vicious enough even Fluttershy couldn't get through to it- and be doing it all in such a casual manner that it was like foal's play? The amount of questions they had just kept adding up, every new display and every new sentence just adding to the mounting pile.

Without further discussion Ulquiorra calmly lifted his left foot and brought it back down fast, stomping on the dragon's head with a loud crack, hard enough to send it toppling to the ground, leaping off almost casually and landing in front of it as it groaned, before reaching out with his left hand and grabbing it by the nose.

"You have displayed a limited measure of intelligence. It is likely you are intelligent enough to realize that you're incapable of harming me no matter how hard you try. You should be equally intelligent enough to understand the best course of action is to leave now while you're still able to move under your own power," Ulquiorra calmly explained as he kept his hold on the dragon's nose and tightened it.

To the others it was hard to watch. Ulquiorra was delivering an ultimatum to a monster of a dragon as he held onto its snout with one hand, seemingly trying to stare it down when his head didn't even come up to its nostrils, and bragging that it couldn't do anything to hurt him.

"He's...he's crazy..." Rainbow Dash stated.

The dragon seemed inclined to agree with her statement and violently pulled its snout free from Ulquiorra's hold and roared at him, before pulling back a massive fist and bringing it down and forward right on top of him.

The proper response to such an attack would be to dodge, as anything caught in its path would be reduced to a bloody paste in short order. Ulquiorra however, failed to do so. As the dragon's fist came down on his position he instead held his hand upward and caught it on the descent. The act effortlessly stopped its advancement, the force of the impact traveling around him and damaging the stone floor in the form of large cracks radiating outward from his feet, and chunks of debris flying in every direction as it gave way to the laws of physics that demanded such.

"That...that jus' ain't possible!" Applejack stated in disbelief as her mouth hung open. "Nopony's strong enough ta do somethin' like that! How can such a scrawny fella pull off somethin' like that?!"

Twilight watched in silence, stunned at just how many things were...wrong...with physics for such a display to be possible. How could Ulquiorra be displaying more strength than a fully grown dragon despite the sheer differences in their size and mass? The dragon had to weigh more than three hundred times what Ulquiorra did and was easily ten times taller at the shoulder, so why couldn't it do anything to overpower him? This was all very, very physically wrong...and not wrong like when Pinkie did something that seemed to defy physics, this was much worse than that! His skeletal and muscular structure shouldn't have been able to withstand that impact while the hard stone cracked beneath him. And even if it could there was no way his shoulder should've been able to remain in place with such a jarring blow; especially since the dragon had enough room to actually pull its claw back before throwing it forward for greater momentum.

What was his world of Heuco Mundo like for him to be able to do something like that!?

"He really is a monster..." she whispered in disbelief.

"Worse than that," Rainbow Dash stated, unable to turn away from what she was seeing.

They all immediately remembered how Ulquiorra had said he was the smallest of the Espada. And yet his small stature was proving to be more than the dragon could deal with. If he could do that all on his own then none of them wanted to see what the largest of Espada could do in a similar situation!

And as if that wasn't bad enough on its own it only got worse the more it was thought on. In addition to being the smallest of the Espada Ulquiorra claimed he was only the fourth strongest of the Espada. That meant where he came from there were three others even stronger than he was right now. And if that was the case it was a truly terrifying thought to give consideration to.

"As I have said you're incapable of harming me," Ulquiorra stated calmly, showing no visible signs of exertion at keeping the dragon's fist above him. "Simply by looking at you I can measure your strength. No matter how hard you may try to do so you'll never succeed at physically overpowering me. Your best and only course of action would be to leave the caves now. If you don't do so then I'll kill you..."

Whether it was because the dragon comprehended his words and took offense to them, or simply because it had become frustrated at the display of strength in its opponent Ulquiorra would never know what had triggered its rage. All he knew was that the ensuing roar in response to his statement was deafening. From what he could tell of the dragon's detectable levels of reiatsu and its increasing density it was preparing to direct its full fury against him. And based on these new readings this fight could indeed prove to be quite difficult.

It was safe to say that the shit was about to hit the fan.

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Some days it simply didn't pay to be a princess.

She looked up from rubbing the bridge of her nose to see Ulquiorra still standing there and waiting patiently, still with his hand bound by her magic. She decided it was best to release him right now as she thought over matters. What was she to do?

Luna's scowl could almost be felt from where she stood. That wasn't helping matters any.

"You understand how difficult a position this is for me?" she asked.

"I understand that you still don't trust me. A wise policy all things considered," Ulquiorra replied as he pocketed his free hand. "At the same time I have no reason to trust you yet I take you at your word that I will remain safe under your watch," he continued.

Celestia went back to rubbing the bridge of her nose, growing more frustrated by the minute. At one point she actually considered Ulquiorra to be a breath of fresh air, the break from royal decorum that he brought with him and such. But right now he was just another source of her growing headache and the day court wasn't even open yet.

"If I agree to this then you'll be under the direct command of Twilight while on the journey. You'll follow her orders like you would my own. If she tells you to do something I expect you to do it, understand?" she finally asked.

"Dear sister! Surely thou art not serious! Thee intends to let him go along?" Luna asked in disbelief.

"Ulquiorra raises several good points that're worth addressing," Celestia replied and materialized a scroll of parchment, a quill and an inkwell before quickly writing out a note and levitating it over for Ulquiorra to take. "Because of the severity of this situation I'm extending to you a limited reprieve from the rules established two days ago. You may proceed to Ponyville but your escort will be Twilight and her friends. Your role will be limited strictly to observational purposes only and won't involve combat. You're not to attack the dragon and are ordered to let Fluttershy handle the matter. And don't assume that I won't be aware of what's going on while you're away. Are we understood?" she asked.

"Indeed," Ulquiorra replied.

"Excellent. Once you arrive in Ponyville deliver this note to Twilight, it should sufficiently explain the situation to her and she can take it from there," she explained.

"Understood."

At that Ulquiorra disappeared from view, leaving nothing behind but two very confused Princesses and the fading sound of a booming echo of static.

Luna blinked and looked around. "We hath seen that technique once before when Ulquiorra Cifer first appeared in the dining hall, but we have not an understanding of what it is," she stated.

"You're not alone, dear sister," Celestia replied, already beginning to wonder if she'd done the right thing.

+++

As she sat on her throne and officially closed the day court, Celestia couldn't stop thinking about how this morning had begun and the events that followed. She was allowing a strange being free reign of her kingdom in the company of the Elements of Harmony and expecting him to abide by the honor system. She must've been out of her mind to consent to such a setup! And yet she had, just as she'd trusted the girls to reform Discord without her help. She must be getting senile in her old age, that was the only thing that made any sense. That's why she'd been worrying the entire day and unable to give the nobles the proper amount of attention that they were deserving.

Right now she was standing on the balcony, letting out a frustrated sigh as she observed the mountains in the distance. The smoke had subsided but she hadn't yet seen any dragon leaving; she wasn't entirely certain what to think about that just yet.

She could feel her sister approaching the throne room, obviously to check up on the situation. She'd been the most opposed to allowing Ulquiorra to leave with the girls due to her anger with his failure to recognize royal decorum. But even she had eventually seen the benefit that could be had if things progressed smoothly.

"You're up early," Celestia commented as she heard Luna's hooves clopping against the marble floor.

"We couldst not rest properly and eventually gave up any hope of a restful day's sleep," Luna explained as she approached and yawned. "What dost thou know of the situation with Ulquiorra Cifer?"

"Not much I'm afraid. They've finally reached the cave and the smoke is no longer pouring out but that's the extent of it. I'm waiting to see what happens next," Celestia explained.

Luna was silent and took up watching with her sister, standing up on her hind legs to look over the balcony railing properly and observe the distance for any trace of activity. Why were they not using the royal telescope in this situation when it was vastly superior? It wasn't even as if it was inaccessible at the moment but rather a mere five feet away from where they now stood!

A distant roar could be heard coming all the way from the mountains to the east. That really didn't sound good at this point, a roar indicated aggression and hostility. What was going on to warrant such? Had Ulquiorra Cifer interfered and not allowed Fluttershy to do what she had been assigned to do?

"Might we ask thee a question our dear sister?" Luna finally asked.

"Of course," Celestia replied and nodded.

"Why art thou standing naked in the throne room?"

The roar of the dragon was the most horrible thing anypony could recall ever hearing in their lives, the horrors magnified as the sounds reverberated off the cave walls and shook the entire ground. The horrors were magnified to an even greater degree than this already terrifying fact as large chunks of rock began to dislodge from the cave's ceiling, with stalactites falling like arrows and impaling themselves in the ground all around them.

"Cave in!"

It was an entirely redundant scream of terror but Twilight honestly couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment. Immediately her friends hunkered around her for safety as her horn glowed and she threw up a forcefield to avoid them being crushed to death, debris falling and bouncing off of it like large hailstones in a massive thunderstorm.

The commotion outside the cave was nearly deafening even behind the forcefield as the dragon was immediately on the move, throwing out huge clouds of dust and loose gravel as well as larger debris as it scrambled out the front of the cave, its massive wings unfolding as it took to the skies.

"At leas' the big fella's leavin'," Applejack finally spoke up as the cave in seemed to stop once the roaring did.

"Thank Celestia. Let's see about getting out of here before that dreaded beast comes back," Rarity added.

Twilight nodded in agreement and dropped her forcefield so they could leave. However before she even took a single step she noticed something; the sheer emptiness of the cave. Where was Ulquiorra? He'd been holding the dragon at bay single-handed -and in the most literal sense of the strange word she'd ever seen displayed no less- before the cave in had begun and...

"Ulquiorra!" she shouted as the realization finally came to her like a ton of bricks...or a grand piano being dropped from a Cloudsdale moving van. "The dragon's got him!"

Nopony would doubt that Ulquiorra was strong, and he'd been holding his own quite admirably, but now the dragon was out in the open where it had a greater range of movement. The Arrancar's small body and speed was no longer the advantage in this situation. There was a shared moment of terror at Twilight's words, as the horrors of the possibilities quickly sank into their minds at to what could be happening to him right now. Possibilities they didn't want to consider.

"No bucking way!"

There was no time for procrastination or discussion in this matter, they didn't have an hour to waste talking it over. Without so much as another word Rainbow Dash took off, flying out of the cave in the direction the dragon had headed, her tail flapping about wildly and uncontrollably as she did, blowing past the smouldering remains of fire and paying no attention to what her friends were saying behind her in protest of her actions. She was a pony on a mission right now and that mission waited for nopony! Unlike the others she was ready as she hurtled out of the cave mouth.

She was fast. She was incredibly fast! She was un-bucking-believably fast! She was the fasting bucking pegasus in all of Equestria and everypony knew it!

That said though, even she would admit the dragon had a considerable lead on her, and despite its massive size those huge wings were flapping hard enough to cover a significant distance in a short amount of time. She found herself having to flap her feathery wings as hard as she could just trying to catch up with it. Even as fast as she could move, it was still going to take at least an entire minute just to get in range to see the large ridges on the dragon's tail. That was a fact she didn't like to admit.

"You're not getting away from me!" she shouted, not that it did much good at either helping her actually catch up to the dragon or distract it in its course. She'd be surprised if she could even be heard at this distance.

She was getting closer. It was taking everything she had just to avoid being left behind but she was doing it. As she got closer she could definitely make out part of Ulquiorra's frame sticking out of the dragon's tightly clenched claw. Now she was presented with a difficult question; even if she could catch up with the dragon -which she definitely could, no doubt about it- how was she ever going to rescue Ulquiorra? It wasn't like she could pry the dragon's claws open and snatch him up, she wasn't that strong. There had to be something she could do.

She fell back in her pursuit and took to a higher altitude before pursuing after the dragon again, beating her wings with all her might to pick up the necessary speed to gain what ground she'd lost, and to pull off the only maneuver that would likely work in this case against such a huge beast. The only thing she was thankful for right now was how the dragon was flying in a relatively straight line, that would make it much easier to do this.

No time for hesitation, now was the time for being strong. The air erupted with a violent multi-colored explosion as her Sonic Rainboom was detonated in her approach, her trajectory hurtling her straight into the side of the dragon's back at unbelievable speeds.

The force of the impact against the scaly ribcage was significant as she ricocheted off to the side, spinning wildly out of control and off in a tangent, but it was enough to leave the dragon stunned and grasping the impacted area with its free claw, the hold on its quarry loosening enough that Ulquiorra fell free as their paths of travels diverged and became significantly different, the dragon continually flying away while he was in free fall toward the ground.

"Gotcha!"

At least he was until he came to a sudden jerking halt. Ulquiorra soon found himself free from the dragon's claw and in a much more awkward position, the cyan pegasi's forelegs wrapped around his trunk under his arms and keeping him from falling any further to the ground.

"Never fear, your friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash is here!" she stated with a sense of triumph.

"You deployed your Sonic Rainboom technique against the dragon," he observed.

"That I did, U.C.," she stated proudly as her wings continued flapping to keep them in the air.

"Why?"

Her wings nearly stopped beating at the question. Why? He asked why? Was he serious?

"Are you foaling me or something? To rescue your flank from that thing," she pointed out.

"Why?" he repeated, only to be met by another confused noise from Rainbow Dash. "Yesterday you were greatly infuriated with me for not being impressed by the display of your "Sonic Rainboom" technique. Why would you burn through the majority of your mana and leave yourself vulnerable for the purpose of trying to rescue me?" he asked.

"Wha' the hay are you talking about? Did you think I'd just leave you to get devoured or something because you ticked me off earlier?" Rainbow Dash asked him. Was he really serious?

"Correct."

He was serious! Oh Luna!

"Look I don't know what things are like where you come from but here in Equestria that's not how we do things. We don't let ponies -or whatever you are- die just because we're upset at them. That’s not what friends do for each other, there’s no logic in that," Rainbow Dash explained. "Besides I haven't wowed you yet, I can't let you get eaten before then!"

"You're completely illogical," Ulquiorra stated simply, finding nothing else to make sense in this context.

"Thanks," Rainbow Dash replied, obviously oblivious to the meaning of what he'd just said. "You can thank me later, though, the dragon's coming back and we gotta get outta here!"

True enough the dragon had circled back around and was currently coming toward them, roaring angrily as it flapped its mighty wings and bearing down on them, prepared to unleash the fullest magnitude of its fury.

That is until a boulder came flying out of nowhere and shattered against its head and left it dazed and no longer directly focused on them.

"What the buck?" Rainbow Dash asked. She'd been prepared to engage in whatever fancy aerial maneuvers were needed to get them to safety, but the sudden intrusion by a rock left her confused.

Another boulder followed and slammed into the dragon's ribcage on its injured side and made its flinch in pain.

"Direct hit Twilight!" Applejack called as she looked through the binoculars, only to have them yanked away from her by Rarity's magic.

"Marvelous aim darling. But if you want another bullseye to the head you'll need to adjust your aim three degrees to the right," she explained.

They lacked Rainbow Dash's speed and powers of flight. But that didn't mean they were helpless in the situation. While Rainbow Dash was away making her grand rescue attempt they'd scrambled out of the cave and done the only thing they could think to do; improvise. Which in this case was Twilight magically hurling large stones at the dragon as hard and as fast as she could, Rarity providing latitude and longitude for each shot, and Pinkie fetching the boulders to be used for ammunition purposes.

Even if they couldn't cause any serious injury to the dragon at this distance they could at least provide a distraction to keep him from attacking Ulquiorra and Rainbow Dash.

"On it!" Twilight replied as she grasped another boulder and hefted it for another salvo, not even noticing the roar in the distance.

"Nopony gets away with hurting our friends! Not even if they're a dragon!" Pinkie yelled as she shoved another boulder into place.

"He's comin' back ya'll!" Applejack suddenly warned as she saw the dragon's figure getting bigger. Their distraction was working alright, just a little too well as it was now completely ignoring the other two and coming back for them!

Another boulder caught the dragon in the neck just below the jawbone, making it reach up and grasp its injured area. And from the sounds it was making it was easy to tell that it was very displeased with being pelted.

"Do your "friends" actually believe they can stop the dragon with such a petty assault?" Ulquiorra asked as another rock came hurtling into view and smashing against the dragon's shoulder.

"Beats me but it gives us a chance to get out of here," Rainbow Dash pointed out. She was just about to do that when the dragon unleashed another angry roar and took off flying again... headed right back towards her friends! "Horse apples!"

"Are you able to catch up to the dragon with me in tow before it reaches the others?" Ulquiorra asked her.

"...No..." Rainbow Dash replied slowly, not wanting to admit the fact. Her rescue attempt had drained most of her mana and trying to keep herself and him up in the sky wasn't doing her any good. She wouldn't admit it but she had her doubts at to whether or not she'd be able to catch up to the dragon even before it reached her friends. She was just about to ask Ulquiorra what he had in mind, when much to her surprise he did his boom thing and disappeared right out of her forelegs and out of sight. "How'd he do that?" she asked in confusion. And the better question was where had he gone?

Nevermind! That was a question for another time, right now there were more important issues at hoof like trying to rescue her friends!

There was a great deal of panic back at the cave as the five tried to figure out what to do. The dragon was coming in fast and there was nowhere safe to hide that they couldn't be found. It could easily tear up the cave looking for them and their legs would never carry them far enough away in time to avoid being caught.

"Ah think we bit off more than we can chew," Applejack stated as the dragon got closer. It was only a few hundred feet away right now and that distance was closing quickly.

And then the last thing any of them ever expect to see happen actually happened; Ulquiorra had appeared in front of the dragon and stopped it in its tracks. Actually that was an understatement as what truly happened was something they couldn't properly comprehend.

The idea behind the sonido they more or less understood but that was as far as it went. What they didn't understand was how he'd managed to sonido in front of the dragon, in midair no less, and had halted the dragon by using both hands to press against its snout and slow its progression to a standstill, his feet kicking up clouds of what looked like dust in the process as if he'd slowly ground to a halt against the hard stone of the mountain.

He was literally standing in midair right now, hundreds of feet above any solid ground, and somehow generating enough force to overcome the thrust of the dragon's wings and stop it from advancing any further, a mere fifty feet away from the cliff's edge the others stood upon. A feat that was supposed to be absolutely impossible to pull off.

So just how in the nine pits of Tartarus had that just been possible!?

"Did he just..." Rarity asked but was unable to finish the sentence, the entire display simply too unbelievable.

"He stopped the dragon," Twilight answered, completely dumbstruck.

"In midair!" Applejack added in utter disbelief. Had Ulquiorra done the whole thing on the ground it would've been impossible enough to believe, but this was like impossible squared or something.

The dragon seemed to share their confusion, going cross-eyed to look at Ulquiorra as he stood there, presenting an immovable object.

"I believe I've adequately explained that I cannot and will not allow any harm to come to these ponies," Ulquiorra calmly stated as he drew his left hand back and brought a fist down firmly on the dragon's snout.

Under the best of circumstances, if the pony in question was really strong, this act would cause the dragon momentary pain and disorient them. But these were not such circumstances, Ulquiorra was no pony, and the dragon wasn't disoriented. Rather the dragon was now howling in intense pain and falling out of the sky from the force of the blow.

Being around Pinkie long enough made one comfortable in the fact that things could happen that nopony could adequately explained. They just accepted it for whatever it was. But that said, nothing Pinkie could conceivably pull off could ever prepare them for what they were seeing right now. Were there any laws of physics that Ulquiorra wasn't currently violating? Defying gravity, pound for pound generating far more force than could even be conceived as possible, withstanding hundreds of degrees worth of heat without suffering any burns, moving faster than the eye could see, and single hoofedly beating the snot out of a fully grown adult dragon!

Twilight's mind was running wild with more questions than ever before, more than she ever thought possible. The things Ulquiorra was doing right now as he faced off against the dragon couldn't be explained no matter how hard she tried to. She was certain there was some logical, physical, scientific explanation for it all, something that could be found somewhere and broken down into easy to understand facts that would all make sense if they were really applied.

But right now she wasn't coming up with a single one of those things as she was far too busy watching everything unfold before her, just like the rest of her friends.

"How can anybody be so unbelievably strong?" Rarity finally asked, being the first to find her voice. The entire display was unlike anything she could ever remember seeing before. Not even the fantasy novels she sometimes borrowed from Twilight talked about something like this, it was simply too unbelievable to be taken seriously.

"Sure beats the tar outta me," Applejack replied, "can ya imagine what it'd be like if he worked at Sweet Apple Acres? There wouldn' be an apple left hangin' by the end o' the first day o' applebuckin' season!"

Having recovered from the blow the dragon was making its way back toward them with a vengeance. It was out for blood and revenge and was going to tear through anything in its path without discretion.

"Look out Ulqy that big mean dragon's coming back!" Pinkie called out loudly.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response, not even looking back at who spoke or looking down to confirm the facts. Instead he opted to sonido out of view and back into view in front of the dragon's eyes. No words were exchanged as he raised his right foot and forcefully stomped right between its eyes, not even bothering to take his hands out of his pockets in the process.

For the life of her Rainbow Dash couldn't properly wrap her head around what she was seeing during her approach. First he'd disappeared out of her forelegs and apparently traveled between there and her friends faster than even she could move, and then it looked like he was beating the crud out of the dragon all by himself. He was super fast and super strong? What was this dude made from, dark matter or something? How could he send a fully grown dragon into screams of pain with a single kick when even she couldn't do that?

And didn't he say yesterday that she was faster than he was? What was up with that?

As she made her way back to her friends she didn't know whether to be seriously jealous, or wowed by the sheer awesomeness of it all. He was kicking more flank than she ever believed possible.

"RD ya feather brained idjit get outta the way!" she heard Applejack yell as she got closer. Right now it really did sound like a good idea, the skies were too dangerous right now and she made a beeline for the group figuring it was safest with them.

"Am I really seeing what I think I'm seeing?" Rainbow Dash asked as she touched down, wincing at the sight of Ulquiorra actually slapping the dragon right across its beak with enough force to move its head to the side.

"That and a whole lot more," Twilight replied and nodded, cringing at the sound of a loud crunch as Ulquiorra dove toward the dragon and kicked it in the lower jaw, making its head snap back as it tumbled backwards. "That's gonna hurt in the morning..."

From their vantage point it didn't look like the dragon was in any position to be getting back up again. And it seemed Ulquiorra had reached the same conclusion as he turned and walked -on thin air no less- back to the group and stepped down onto the ground next to them.

For a long moment there wasn't a single sound coming from the ponies as they just stood there in stunned silence. Then after a long moment he was bombarded with questions and statements from all sides about everything they'd witnessed in the course of just a few minutes. How could he overpower a fully grown male dragon? How could he fly without wings? How could he walk on air? He could he withstand the dragon's fire? How did he get to be so awesome? And so on, and so on...and so on... coming from five of the present ponies, each of them trying to gain an advantage at being heard and hopefully getting their questions answered.

Pomf!

His attention slowly turned to Rainbow Dash as she stood there with her wings fully deployed and pointing upward, her primary feathers extended in a manner that didn't look particularly comfortable to be in. Slowly all eyes turned to her as she appeared uncomfortable with this development.

"Really Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked in an incredulous manner at what she was seeing.

Rainbow laughed nervously. "What can I say? He's...awesome..." she tried to explain.

The significance of the entire display was lost on Ulquiorra, to the point he was willing to ask Twilight Sparkle to elaborate. However before he could even get the first word out their was a roar and a rush of wind behind them as the dragon once more came around, swooping up the side of the cliff and shooting over their heads at great speed.

"He jus' don' quit!" Applejack stated as she held onto her hat while looking up, only to go pale at the sight of the dragon preparing to unleash a massive fireball. "Hit the dirt!"

The ponies scattered from the scene as the fire came. Ulquiorra responded to the incoming assault by grasping the hilt of his zanpakutō and spinning one hundred and eighty degrees as he unsheathed it, a massive trail of his reiatsu following after the arching sweep and meeting with the fire, before cutting through the fire and dissipating the path all the way back to the dragon's mouth and slamming into the back of its throat.

To Twilight and her friends who saw everything it looked like he'd just overpowered the dragon's flames with nothing more than a single swing of his sword, the force of the swing traveling all the way back up to the dragon's mouth and causing its fire to peter out. As Princess Luna would say the awesomeness had just been doubled... Or at least that's what Rainbow Dash thought she'd say. To Twilight it was just another thing to add to the list of questions that needed to be answered.

Another burst of sonido and Ulquiorra appeared in front of the dragon, his left arm drawn back before his fist was slammed into the dragon's chest at full force and resulting in a very dull, very loud thud from the contact that could easily be heard from where they stood.

The dragon let out a loud groan of pain that suggested this had hurt it far more than any of the previous attacks, its front claws drifting to its midsection as it lost altitude and more or less crash landed on the hard ground in a collapsed fashion, groaning and panting heavily as if the wind had been thoroughly knocked right out of it.

"Did you girls see what I just saw?" Pinkie asked curiously.

"That Mr. Cifer fella sucker punching the dragon an' bringin' it down? Eeyup," Applejack replied.

"I don't think it's over yet, girls, look," Twilight stated and pointed as Ulquiorra disappeared from view and reappeared in front of the dragon, calmly resheathing his zanpakutō before speaking again.

"I grow tired of demonstrating the fact that you can't harm me. I have given you multiple opportunities to leave of your own volition but you've continued to respond in an overly aggressive manner. I'm unwilling to extend you anymore chances. Your very existence threatens the existence and wellbeing of countless others. And it is for that reason that you're going to die now," Ulquiorra explained to the downed dragon and extended his right hand, a ball of green energy forming at his fingertip.

The others had started to emerge from where they'd hidden in order to get a better view of what was going to happen next. They'd all heard the talk back in the cave but they'd assumed it was just a boast. But now with all the facts taken into account it no longer looked like that, it looked like he was not only serious but quite capable of doing such. Despite the facts and what they'd seen so far this idea horrified them.

Equally horrifying with the eerie green-hued glow the technique was casting over the immediate area and the shadows it was casting on the dragon's face, something about it was deeply unsettling and disturbing.

"Hey dude come on, the dragon's down for the count, it's not like he can get back up and attack again," Rainbow Dash stated in disbelief. Ulquiorra had already won, did he really need to press the matter further when it was already so obvious? She didn't even know exactly what he was doing but she knew it couldn't be good.

"Ulquiorra stop! What're you doing!?" Twilight shouted as she galloped over to him, the others not far behind her.

"What Princess Celestia herself will not do," Ulquiorra replied calmly and discharged his Cero at the dragon.

He missed.

His aim had been true and the dragon should've been reduced to a smouldering corpse. But instead his Cero was fired off toward the horizon as Fluttershy held onto his wrist with a single hoof and wasn't letting it anywhere near the dragon. She had spent this entire mission being quiet, scared, staying behind and doing everything else to convey her fear of the situation. He assumed her fear of dragon's outweighed her care for animals and she wouldn't have interfered. It appeared he assumed wrong as she was now doing everything in her power to actually defend the dragon from harm, including interfering with his Cero's trajectory.

Three things immediately came to his mind. The first being Fluttershy's speed and how she had managed to launch herself between him and the dragon just before the discharge of his Cero. He assumed her speed was enough to rival that of Rainbow Dash if she truly tried.

The second was something that seemed pointless currently but couldn't be ignored; while most of the ponies he'd encountered didn't quite come up to his waist at the shoulder, once they reared up on their hind legs the difference between their height and his wasn't even a full foot.

The third was her eyes. The look in her eyes as she stared straight into his was... intimidating. They were filled with a barely restrained rage the likes of which he hadn't seen since...

+++

"...I see. No mercy eh?" Ulquiorra asked rhetorically as he looking up toward the Shinigami that stood atop his head, a bright red Cero forming between his horns and aimed directly at his face. "How very Hollow-like."

Despite his best efforts he'd been incapable of defeating Ichigo Kurosaki and protecting the safety of Las Noches. Through a means he didn't understand the Shinigami had managed to survive having a hole blown through his chest via his Cero Oscuras technique and now stood before him -and on top of him- in triumph. He himself laid defeated on his ground, cut through from hip the shoulder, one of his horns severed and helpless to do anything other than look up at his own impending death.

"I don't care. I have no reason to live now that you've beaten me," he said bitterly as he watched the Cero being charged, his doom growing closer and closer by the second. "Do it." **

+++

...since he'd been Cero'd to the face by that brat.

How ironic.

"How dare you?" Fluttershy asked, oblivious as his Cero passed by her and disrupted the flow of her mane, the beam having come dangerously close to one of her flapping wings. "How DARE you?" she demanded as she stared at him, trying to burn a hole straight through him with her piercing gaze. "What gives you the right to decide who lives and who dies? How dare you try and kill something that can't even stand up against you? Can't you see that he can't even stand on his own feet, much less defend himself?"

It was ludicrous. In his time in Hueco Mundo he had stared down many who challenged him. His strength was recognized and subject to both respect and fear. His gaze was enough that even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were uncomfortable when staring him in the eyes and they'd attempt to focus elsewhere. And here he was, being stared down by the meek yellow pegasus who was easily the weakest in the group and finding himself unable to shake the feeling that he was the proverbial ant underneath the magnifying glass and being lectured.

The fact that she'd managed to even move his arm was amazing and most curious. Even more curious was how her reiatsu level had suddenly jumped when she'd intervened, and even now it was increasing dramatically as she spoke to him.

"All this poor dragon wanted to do was take a nap, that doesn't warrant death!" she stated, before turning her attention to the dragon itself. "And you! I can understand how badly you want a nap and how tired you are, but you can't nap here! You need to find somewhere else that isn't so close to a populated area where ponies and little animals are going to be breathing your smoke for the next hundred years. Now go on and shoo like we asked you too earlier. This whole mess could've been avoided if you'd just been a little more understanding the first time around," she scolded.

Ulquiorra watched -in great disbelief- as the dragon seemed to heed the words of Fluttershy and slowly stood itself back up on shaky legs, giving its wings a few cursory flaps before taking off into the sky again and setting off toward the east, far away from their current position until it was nothing more than a tiny dot in the sky.

His attention slowly drifted back to what was in front of him; namely a very pissed off looking Fluttershy, still glaring at him.

"It would seem Princess Celestia's trust in you was not misplaced," he commented, uncertain of what else he could say on the situation. What really was appropriate to say in this situation?

Author's Note

** Bleach chapter 351

Bonus chapter - extended dragon fight sequence

The plan was quite simple and easy to follow even if the instructions weren't presented on a full color spread sheet. The dragon was awake and aware of his surroundings. Ulquiorra would approach the mouth of the cave, evaluate the situation, and provide a distraction while Twilight Sparkle and the others approached the long way around. From there they would teleport into the cave near the back, and approach from behind where they would face the least amount of danger, comparatively speaking.

His sonido had allowed him to approach and enter the cave undetected, only to come face to face with the dragon as if it'd been waiting for him the entire time. From what he could see in the dim light it was a considerably sized dragon, easily the size of a Gillian-class Hollow regardless of its crouched position. Its frame was as heavily muscled as it was scarred, suggesting a male of considerable experience in combat, its skin dark in coloration, and a row of bony points running down it head and along the spines like a mohawk, its golden eyes glaring down at him as it scowled through the darkness. From where he stood it appeared to have a quadrupedal frame, but he couldn't rule out the possibility of bipedal capabilities; the unicorn Lyra Hearstrings had demonstrated the significance of that fact yesterday when she'd shown how she could balance on her hind legs and even walk about with only minor difficulty for several minutes.

"I wasn't expecting one so large," was all Ulquiorra could think to say. He was operating under the assumption that all dragons weren't simply mindless beasts in the same manner as Hollows -what with his interactions with Spike being all there was to go on so far, and the various historical accounts of some members of the species displaying considerable intelligence- and the only way to test that out was by talking to it and seeing how it responded.

The dragon continued glaring at him, blinking a few times and uttering a low growl, the noxious sulfuric fumes from his breath blowing past him. Much as he hated to, he had to agree with Rainbow Dash on the matter; the dragon's breath truly did stink.

Reaching out with his pesquisa he could feel the others approaching, slowly but surely getting into position. This would require some stalling in order to pull off properly. Unfortunately procrastinating wasn't one of his strong points. Continual talking to one that wasn't responsive wasn't something he was particularly skilled in; Princess Luna was better suited for that.

"I don't pretend to know your reasons for venturing so far into the territory of Equestria. Nor is it of any interest to me. However I am under orders to remove you as your smoke poses a serious health hazard to the ponies that live in the town below," Ulquiorra explained calmly. The dragon simply continued looking at him and blinking. Perhaps the vocal approach wasn't the best way to go. Perhaps the best course of action was to engage in a stare down and see which one of them would yield first. Would fury overshadow emptiness? Or would primal aggression suddenly become lacking when it realized the void of emptiness was staring right back at it?

"E-excuse me... sir?"

Ulquiorra was the first to blink at the voice. According to his pesquisa the six were now behind the dragon, near the back of the cave and slowly making their way forward. He'd focused so much attention on staring at the dragon to try and distract it he'd failed to notice the teleportation into the cave. Now though, he was aware of Fluttershy's close proximity as she tried to address the dragon with whatever measure of courage she could manage. The dragon seemed equally aware of their presence as he turned away from the stare down to face the new voice.

"Sir... I know that you're really tired and all, and that all you really want to do is settle in for a long nap...but could you please... m-maybe find somewhere else to sleep? You see you're awfully close to Ponyville and a lot of ponies down below are---"

The dragon didn't allow Fluttershy to finish whatever she was saying and cut her off by violently -and loudly- roaring directly in her face, sending her flying backwards and crashing against the cave wall along with her friends who were unfortunately in the path with her, the six of them each slamming against the stone before falling to the ground.

That hurt a lot! All six of them were groaning and in pain from being tossed about so easily, each of their bodies more or less crumpling limply to the ground and in a heap on top of each other.

"That went very bad," Rainbow Dash commented as her vision was swimming right now. How could an animal resist Fluttershy's nature? It didn't make sense to her, she'd managed to tame Discord and make him good, so how could she not do the same with this dragon? None of it made any sense!

Ulquiorra wasn't surprised to see things proceed the way they had, he hadn't been expecting anything resembling a success from the meek pegasus addressing the dragon. However being right wasn't his primary concern right now, but rather the aggressive posture the dragon was taking towards them. That simply wouldn't do. Regardless of what Princess Celestia might have ordered him to do on this mission, it was no longer of any importance. There was a much bigger issue at hand and in need of being addressed.

"Get your flank out of my face!"

"Move your leg!"

"You're squishing me!"

Things had gone from unfavorable to just plain bad in such short order that nopony could tell just what went wrong. The dragon had not only completely ignored Fluttershy's attempts at managing it, it went on the offensive and blew them out of the way with a single roar, leaving them in a pile on the cave floor, disoriented and trying to untangle themselves from one another.

"Real great plan Twilight! Whoever heard of sneaking up on a dragon?" Rainbow Dash asked sarcastically, unaware that the dragon was no longer paying any attention to Ulquiorra and instead was making its way over to them, a hungry look in its eyes as it licked its lips.

At least that's how it was until something caused them to stop fighting, a loud commotion erupting above them. They looked up just in time to see something shatter against the dragon's head in a cloud of smoke, a look of surprise washing over its face as the one of hunger was washed away.

"I can't allow you to do that," they heard Ulquiorra say. Looking back as best they could, they saw him standing with his right arm partially extended, some sort of red static energy dissipating around his hand and extended finger. "I have no personal care for their wellbeing. But I'm under orders not to allow any harm to come to them."

The dragon slowly turned away from them to face the original intruder again, giving them the time needed to untangle themselves and get back on their hooves and to a location that could be considered more secure than where they had been just a moment ago; like behind a chunk of large boulder.

"Cuatro Espada Ulquiorra Cifer. Fourth strongest Espada under the command of Sosuke Aizen. First strongest Espada under the command of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna."

The dragon stared down at Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra stared up at the dragon. It was another stare down just like a few moments ago. However this time the dragon reacted first by lunging forward and grasping Ulquiorra within its claw and picked him up off the ground, before turning and hurling him against the far wall, the stone cracking from the impact of the sudden stop.

The ponies gasped at what they'd just seen, the entire scene made all the more horrifying as the dragon was heard drawing in a deep, deep breath, and unleashing a torrent of flames that easily engulfed Ulquiorra's entire body before he could react or respond; if such a feat were even possible considering what he'd just been subjected to.

"Ulquiorra!" Twilight shouted in horror at having seen the entire display. He'd just saved them from the dragon only to meet the fate that was meant for them? The utter cruelty of it all! Now she turned to the dragon and was filled with rage over what was lost: someone who had never been blessed with knowing what friendship was, someone who had never known true kindness or what it was like to laugh, someone who was the greatest discovery in all the centuries of Equestria's history! How dare that dragon do something like that?

"Impressive."

At the sound of the voice all eyes turned toward the back of the cave and what remained of the fire and the burning rocks. What should've been present, should've been nothing more than a pile of cinders and soot. But strolling out of the flames at a casual pace was none other than Ulquiorra, looking like he wasn't even singed and merely dusting his jacket off. How was something like that possible? He'd been slammed against the cave wall at an incredible velocity, and taken the full force of the dragon's attack, and he was completely unfazed; he didn't even look like he was suffering from an adrenaline high! The heat of the flames didn't even look like they were causing him discomfort as he simply waltzed past them, his outfit not even burning.

How could something like this have been possible? It defied explanation.

"You nearly managed to singe through my hierro in that attack. I was unaware that a living beast could generate such an intense heat. It is truly applause worthy that you were able to perform such a feat," Ulquiorra said calmly. He then proceeded to do what nopony had ever expected him to do, he clapped. Three very slow and sarcastic claps of his hands before he put them back in his pockets and began walking forward again.

The dragon seemed confused at how such a puny thing had survived being burnt, but that confusion quickly turned to rage as it actually began mocking him with its clapping! Who did this runt think he was!? Letting loose a deafening roar, another stream of fire was let loose and completely engulfed the pale figure.

"Too slow."

From their vantage point the ponies were seeing the whole mess unfold and not believing a second of it. He'd been completely engulfed in pure dragon's breath fire that was known to be able to melt rocks in high enough concentrations. From that he'd emerged unscathed and actually went onto mock the dragon and anger it into attacking. At which point he'd disappeared in a flash of sonido speed and reappeared atop the dragon's head and was currently looking down on it as if with contempt, informing it that it was too slow to keep up with him.

The entire display was something that went completely over their heads. How could such a thing be possible? How could Ulquiorra be showing up such a vicious dragon -vicious enough even Fluttershy couldn't get through to it- and be doing it all in such a casual manner that it was like foal's play? The amount of questions they had just kept adding up, every new display and every new sentence just adding to the mounting pile.

By now even the dragon was aware that something was amiss. Turning its eyes upward as best it could, it could see its quarry perched just atop its head and looking down back at it.

Without further discussion Ulquiorra calmly lifted his left foot and brought it back down fast, stomping on the dragon's head with a loud crack, hard enough to send it toppling to the ground where it slammed its chin into the stone flooring and groaned at the sudden discomfort it was unexpectantly experiencing right now.

Ulquiorra said nothing, settling instead for leaping off of the dragon's head almost casually in nature, landing in front of it and turning around as it groaned, before reaching out with his left hand and grabbing it by the nose, taking hold of the soft tissue situated right between the nostrils.

"You have displayed a limited measure of intelligence. It is likely you are intelligent enough to realize that you're incapable of harming me no matter how hard you try. You should be equally intelligent enough to understand the best course of action is to leave now while you're still able to move under your own power," Ulquiorra calmly explained as he kept his hold on the dragon's nose and tightened it.

To the others it was hard to watch. Ulquiorra was delivering an ultimatum to a monster of a dragon as he held onto its snout with one hand, seemingly trying to stare it down when his head didn't even come up to its nostrils, and bragging that it couldn't do anything to hurt him.

"He's... he's crazy..." Rainbow Dash stated. She was known for being brash, and brazen, and on occasion even a bit crazy. But nothing she'd ever done had come close to this... not even the time she'd kicked the other dragon in the face, at least she could maneuver out of the way if things went south.

The dragon seemed inclined to agree with her statement and violently pulled its snout free from Ulquiorra's hold and roared at him, before pulling back a massive clawed fist and bringing it down and forward right on top of him.

The proper response to such an attack would be to dodge, as anything caught in its path would be reduced to a bloody paste in short order. Ulquiorra however, failed to do so. As the dragon's fist came down on his position, he instead held his left hand upward and caught it on the descent. The act effortlessly stopped its advancement in a full, dead stop, the force of the impact traveling around him and damaging the stone floor in the form of large cracks radiating outward from his feet, and chunks of debris flying in every direction as it gave way to the laws of physics that demanded such.

Fluttershy let out a terrified squeak as debris hit their hiding spot and ducked down. The rest of the ponies not faring much better at what they were seeing.

"That... that jus' ain't possible!" Applejack stated in disbelief as her mouth hung open. "Nopony's strong enough ta do somethin' like that! How can such a scrawny fella pull off somethin' like that?!"

Twilight watched in silence, stunned at just how many things were... wrong... with physics for such a display to be even remotely possible. How could Ulquiorra be displaying more strength than a fully grown dragon despite the sheer differences in their size and mass? The dragon had to weigh more than three hundred times what Ulquiorra did and was easily ten times taller at the shoulder, so why couldn't it do anything to overpower him? This was all very, very physically wrong... and not wrong like when Pinkie did something that seemed to defy physics, this was much worse than that! His skeletal and muscular structure shouldn't have been able to withstand that impact while the hard stone cracked beneath him. And even if it could there was no way his shoulder should've been able to remain in place with such a jarring blow; especially since the dragon had enough room to actually pull its claw back before throwing it forward for greater momentum.

And despite all of that Ulquiorra was indeed standing there, using a single hand to keep the dragon's claw away from him, his face displaying nothing that would indicate he was actually having to exert himself. If anything he looked... bored... like he had nothing to prove and was simply doing what he was doing for the sake of fulfilling some duty bound requirement to display his abilities.

What was his world of Heuco Mundo like for him to be able to do something like that!?

"He really is a monster..." she whispered in disbelief.

"Worse than that," Rainbow Dash stated, unable to turn away from what she was seeing. "Remember what he was saying on the way up here?"

They all immediately remembered how Ulquiorra had said he was the smallest of the Espada. And yet his small stature was proving to be more than the dragon could deal with. If he could do that all on his own then none of them wanted to see what the largest of Espada could do in a similar situation!

And as if that wasn't bad enough on its own, it only got worse the more it was thought on. In addition to being the smallest of the Espada Ulquiorra claimed he was only the fourth strongest of the Espada. That meant where he came from there were three others even stronger than he was right now. And if that was the case it was a truly terrifying thought to give consideration to.

Their attention was suddenly brought back to the display rather than their own horrified thoughts. There was a cracking sound that was distinctly not stone that caught their attention. A closer look revealed that Ulquiorra had caught the dragon's fist on one of the joints of its clawed fist. Was the exertion causing strain on that particular joint for the dragon or was Ulquiorra actually making an effort to crack solid dragon bone with nothing more than a single hand?

"As I have said you're incapable of harming me," Ulquiorra stated calmly, showing no visible signs of exertion at keeping the dragon's fist above him. "Simply by looking at you I can measure your strength. No matter how hard you may try to do so, you'll never succeed at physically overpowering me. Your best and only course of action would be to leave the caves now. If you don't do so then I'll kill you..."

With that he allowed his arm to come lower, bringing the dragon's fist closer to his head, before suddenly thrusting it back upward and causing its arm to fly upward and away from him.

"He... he didn't just do that..." Pinkie stated in surprise. He'd just shrugged off the dragon, tossing its lumbering limb to the side like it was foal's play.

"He did," Twilight stated in disbelief.

Whether it was because the dragon comprehended his words and took offense to them, or simply because it had become frustrated at the display of strength in its opponent, Ulquiorra would never know what had triggered its rage. All he knew was that the ensuing roar in response to his statement was deafening. From what he could tell of the dragon's detectable levels of reiatsu and its increasing density it was preparing to direct its full fury against him. And based on these new readings this fight could indeed prove to be quite difficult.

It was safe to say that the shit was about to hit the fan.

The roar of the dragon was the most horrible thing anypony could recall ever hearing in their lives, the horrors magnified as the sounds reverberated off the cave walls and shook the entire ground. The horrors were magnified to an even greater degree than this already terrifying fact, as large chunks of rock began to dislodge from the cave's ceiling, with stalactites falling like arrows and impaling themselves in the ground all around them.

"Cave in!"

It was an entirely redundant scream of terror but Twilight honestly couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment. Immediately her friends hunkered around her for safety as her horn glowed and she threw up a forcefield to avoid them being crushed to death, debris falling and bouncing off of it like large hailstones in a massive thunderstorm.

Ulquiorra observed the entire scene unfolding around him. The longer he drew this out the longer the bearers of the Elements of Harmony were put at risk of being killed by debris rather than the dragon itself. This location was hardly desirable for such a fight to be carried out. Something drastic needed to be done and quickly.

In a burst of sondio he appeared behind the dragon close to the mouth of the cave and discharged his Bala right into its back. The roar of anger halted as the dragon turned to face him.

The commotion inside the cave was nearly deafening even behind the forcefield and enough to drive them to try and protect themselves. They didn't even notice as the dragon's roar immediately died down, only for it to start up again. The commotion coming further from them near the outside of the cave was just as bad as it'd been as far in as they were due to the reverberations. The entire ordeal was rendered all the more frightening as the dragon was immediately on the move, throwing out huge clouds of dust and loose gravel as well as larger debris as it scrambled out the front of the cave, its massive wings unfolding as it took to the skies.

And then silence. After a long moment more silence. It was far too quite for any dragon to be present. Hesitantly they all stood back up and looked around, finding the cave absent of any signs of the dragon still being there.

"Looks like Mr. Cifer got the dragon ta get moseyin' on along all by 'imself," Applejack finally spoke up, the cave in seeming to have come to a complete stop once the roaring did the same.

"Thank Celestia. Let's see about getting out of here before that dreaded beast comes back," Rarity added.

Twilight nodded in agreement and dropped her forcefield so they could leave. However before she even took a single step she noticed something; the sheer emptiness of the cave. Whereas the others had been looking for the dragon her attention had been focused on something else; something much smaller in detail. Where exactly was Ulquiorra? He'd been holding the dragon at bay single-handed -and in the most literal sense of the strange word she'd ever seen displayed no less- before the cave in had begun and...

"Ulquiorra!" she shouted as the realization finally came to her like a ton of bricks... or a grand piano being dropped from a Cloudsdale moving van. "The dragon's got him!"

"Oh no," Fluttershy squeaked in terror.

Nopony would doubt that Ulquiorra was strong, and he'd been holding his own quite admirably, but now the dragon was out in the open where it had a greater range of movement instead of bunched up into a -comparatively speaking- small ball appropriate for a long nap. The Arrancar's small body and speed was no longer the advantage in this situation. There was a shared moment of terror at Twilight's words, as the horrors of the possibilities quickly sank into their minds at to what could be happening to him right now. Possibilities they didn't want to actually consider as they were all far too gruesome. Being devoured was only the beginning of such horrible possible thoughts.

"He's a goner," Applejack gulped. That dragon was already long gone by now and if it had a hold of him there wasn't a single bucking thing they'd be able to do about it.

"There's no way in Tartarus he is!" Rainbow Dash objected loudly and deployed her wings.

"Rainbow Dash, wait!" Twilight stated. Was she seriously going to try and--

"No bucking way!"

There was no time for procrastination or discussion in this matter, they didn't have an hour to waste talking it over. Without so much as another word Rainbow Dash took off, flying out of the cave in the direction the dragon had headed, her tail flapping about wildly and uncontrollably as she did, blowing past the smouldering remains of fire and paying no attention to what her friends were saying behind her in protest of her actions. She was a pony on a mission right now and that mission waited for nopony! Unlike the others she was actually ready for action as she hurtled out of the cave mouth.

Locating the dragon in flight was easy, it was far too big to possibly miss. Immediately she set her sights on it and followed in pursuit, her tail flicking about wildly as the wind blew over and across her lean frame as she flapped furiously.

She was fast.

She was incredibly fast!

She was un-bucking-believably fast! She was the fasting bucking pegasus in all of Equestria and everypony knew it!

That said though, even she would admit the dragon had a considerable lead on her, and despite its massive size those huge wings were flapping hard enough to cover a significant distance in a short amount of time. It defied common sense that something as large and heavy as it could possibly be so far ahead of her in just the course of a single minute. She found herself having to flap her feathery wings as hard as she could just trying to catch up with it. Even as fast as she could move, it was still going to take at least an entire minute just to get in range to see the large ridges on the dragon's tail. That was a fact she didn't like to admit.

"You're not getting away from me!" she shouted, not that it did much good at either helping her actually catch up to the dragon or distract it from its present course, whatever it might be. She'd honestly be surprised if she could even be heard at this distance with the wind blowing back in her face.

She was getting closer. It was taking everything she had just to avoid being left behind but she was doing it. As she got closer she could definitely make out part of Ulquiorra's frame sticking out of the dragon's tightly clenched claw and confirming his actual location. But now that she'd verified the fact, she was presented with a difficult question; even if she could catch up with the dragon -which she definitely could, no doubt about it- how was she ever going to rescue Ulquiorra? It wasn't like she could pry the dragon's claws open and snatch him up, she wasn't that strong. There had to be something she could do.

And then a light bulb clicked on and got her thought process going again.

She fell back in her pursuit and took to a higher altitude before pursuing after the dragon again, beating her wings with all her might to pick up the necessary speed to gain what ground she'd lost, and to pull off the only maneuver that would likely work in this case against such a huge beast. The only thing she was thankful for right now was how the dragon was flying in a relatively straight line, that would make it much easier to do this.

No time for hesitation, now was the time for being strong.

The air erupted with a violent multi-colored explosion as her Sonic Rainboom was detonated in her approach, her trajectory hurtling her straight into the side of the dragon's back at unbelievable speeds.

The force of the impact against the scaly ribcage was significant as she ricocheted off to the side, spinning wildly out of control and off in a tangent, but it was enough to leave the dragon stunned and grasping the impacted area with its free claw, the hold on its quarry loosening enough that Ulquiorra fell free as their paths of travels diverged and became significantly different, the dragon continually flying away while he was in free fall toward the ground.

"Gotcha!"

At least he was until he came to a sudden jerking halt. Ulquiorra soon found himself free from the dragon's claw and in a much more awkward position; the cyan pegasi's forelegs wrapped around his trunk under his arms and keeping him from falling any further to the ground.

"Never fear, your friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash is here!" she stated with a sense of triumph at her actions and achievements. She'd just tackled the dragon full force and rescued somepony in need. Today was definitely a good day to be alive!

"You deployed your Sonic Rainboom technique against the dragon," he observed, his tone completely unchanged and inappropriate for what he'd just been through. Not that she noticed really.

"That I did, U.C.," she stated proudly as her wings continued flapping to keep them in the air.

"Why?"

Her wings nearly stopped beating at the question. Why? He asked why? Was he serious?

"Are you foaling me or something? To rescue your flank from that thing," she pointed out.

"Why?" he repeated, only to be met by another confused noise from Rainbow Dash. "Yesterday you were greatly infuriated with me for not being impressed by the display of your "Sonic Rainboom" technique. Why would you burn through the majority of your mana and leave yourself vulnerable for the purpose of trying to rescue me?" he asked.

"Wha' the hay are you talking about? Did you think I'd just leave you to get devoured or something because you ticked me off earlier?" Rainbow Dash asked him. Was he really serious?

"Correct."

He was serious! Oh Luna!

"Look I don't know what things are like where you come from but here in Equestria that's not how we do things. We don't let ponies -or whatever you are- die just because we're upset at them. That’s not what friends do for each other, there’s no logic in that," Rainbow Dash explained. "Besides I haven't wowed you yet, I can't let you get eaten before then!"

"You're completely illogical," Ulquiorra stated simply, finding nothing else to make sense in this context.

"Thanks," Rainbow Dash replied, obviously oblivious to the meaning of what he'd just said. "You can thank me later, though, the dragon's coming back and we gotta get outta here!"

True enough the dragon had recovered from the unexpected collision and circled back around, and was currently coming toward them, roaring angrily as it flapped its mighty wings and bearing down on them, prepared to unleash the fullest magnitude of its fury.

That is until a boulder came flying out of nowhere and shattered against its head, and left it dazed and no longer directly focused on them.

"What the buck?" Rainbow Dash asked. She'd been prepared to engage in whatever fancy aerial maneuvers were needed to get them to safety, but the sudden intrusion by a rock left her confused.

Another boulder followed and slammed into the dragon's ribcage on its injured side and made it flinch in pain.

"Rainbow Dash, wait!" Twilight called, but it was already too late as the hotheaded pegasus was already flying out of the mouth of the cave before she could protest any further. That stubborn, brazen, featherbrained idiot! Didn't she realize that she'd just volunteered for a suicide mission? "This is bad..." she muttered and shook her head, before running for the cave mouth, the others hot on her hooves to see what the status on their friend was.

By the time they got out of the cave their was a loud rumbling explosion in the distance. By the time their eyes adjusted to the natural brightness provided by the sun they could see the telltale signs of a Sonic Rainboom in the sky, the spectral trail that followed in Rainbow Dash's wake hurtling off into the distance.

"Good gracious what's going on over there?" Rarity asked.

Twilight said nothing as she magically withdrew a pair of binoculars from her discarded saddlebags, frantically trying to focus on what was happening. By the time she had a clear line of sight for what was unfolding she caught the sight of Rainbow Dash plucking Ulquiorra out of of the air and was now keeping him from falling helplessly to the ground.

"It's alright, girls, they're both safe," she stated and released a long held breath of tension. "For the moment."

"Thank goodness," Fluttershy whispered, "I honestly don't know what went wrong, girls, for some reason the dragon just wasn't listening to me."

"Don' be sweatin' it none, Sugarcube," Applejack said in a reassuring manner as she placed a hoof on her shoulder. They knew Fluttershy had tried her best, it wasn't her fault the dragon was as mean and ornery as a sidewinder. None of them could possibly have known that things would've gone as wrong as they did, it sure as cider wasn't Fluttershy's fault that the dragon had responded the way it did. Outside of the time Discord hypnotized those beavers, this was the first time she could really remember Fluttershy's critter managing skills had actually failed them.

"Hmm..." Twilight muttered as she observed the scene, now locating where the dragon was in relation to the others and how it was currently flying. "It looks like Rainbow Dash actually injured the dragon somewhat. It looks like its favoring its right side... I think she actually tackled it after using her Sonic Rainboom and rammed into it, possibly to make it release Ulquiorra. It's possible she managed to bruise or even crack a rib or two on the impact," she explained.

From a scientific standpoint it seemed to make sense. She remembered yesterday how Ulquiorra mentioned when Rainbow Dash used her technique, her mana was actively used to strengthen her body so it didn't disintegrate when breaking the sound barrier -which required traveling at a speed in excess of one thousand, eighty three feet per second second- so logically it could be concluded that the same process strengthened her body enough to allow her to survive a collision with a full grown, well muscled dragon.

Actually now that she thought about it, it made a lot of sense.

"Shoot ah always knew RD was hard headed an' all, but ah never expected 'er ta be that hard headed," Applejack stated.

"What's happening now, Twilight?" Pinkie asked curiously, eager to find out the state of her friends, all the while planning what kind of party to throw for them.

Twilight wordlessly turned her attention back to what was ahead of her, preparing to give a detailed report of events that were unfolding. However her preparations and plans fell apart when she realized that the dragon wasn't backing down but rather getting ready to advance upon their friends once again.

"Oh shit, oh SHIT!" she exclaimed without even realizing the slip in dialect. "The dragon's getting ready to attack them again!"

They were too shocked by the news to ask Twilight about the sudden use of the unfamiliar term. All the way out there and away from solid ground, what could they do?

The binoculars were dropped as Twilight began panicking, looking around frantically for anything that could be used actively or passively to save her friends. A large boulder sat conveniently on the ledge, likely dislodged when the dragon escaped with Ulquiorra in tow. Without further deliberation she picked it up in her telekinetic hold and hurled it as hard as she could at the dragon's soon-to-be current position.

"More rocks! We need more rocks or they're going to die!" Twilight yelled.

They needed to act quickly. Hurtling large rocks was good and all, but with a dragon this size all it would do was provide a mild distraction. But under these circumstances it was all that could be asked for.

All she could do was hurl rocks blindly and pray that they landed. She didn't have enough time to factor in wind resistance, cross wind velocity and aerodynamics, she had to act in pure desperation right now.

Without word or warning Pinkie managed to find and shove another large boulder into their field of view. It was quickly picked up and hurtled at the dragon again. By the time Applejack managed to pick up the binoculars she saw it collide with the dragon's side.

"Direct hit Twilight!" Applejack called as she looked through the binoculars, only to have them yanked away from her by Rarity's magic.

"Marvelous aim darling. But if you want another bullseye to the head you'll need to adjust your aim three degrees to the right," she explained.

They lacked Rainbow Dash's speed and powers of flight. But that didn't mean they were helpless in the situation. While Rainbow Dash was away making her grand rescue attempt they'd scrambled out of the cave and done the only thing they could think to do; improvise. Which in this case was Twilight magically hurling large stones at the dragon as hard and as fast as she could, Rarity providing latitude and longitude for each shot, and Pinkie fetching the boulders to be used for ammunition purposes.

Even if they couldn't cause any serious injury to the dragon at this distance, they could at least provide a distraction to keep him from attacking Ulquiorra and Rainbow Dash.

"On it!" Twilight replied as she grasped another boulder and hefted it for another salvo, not even noticing the roar in the distance.

"Nopony gets away with hurting our friends! Not even if they're a dragon!" Pinkie yelled as she shoved another boulder into place. Suddenly, growing up on a rock farm seemed like a blessing.

"He's comin' back ya'll!" Applejack suddenly warned as she saw the dragon's figure slowly getting bigger in the horizon. Even without the binoculars she could tell what was going on. Their distraction was working alright, just a little too well as it was now completely ignoring the other two and coming back for them!

Another boulder caught the dragon in the neck just below the jawbone, making it reach up and grasp its injured area. And from the sounds it was making it was easy to tell that it was very displeased with being pelted.

"Do your "friends" actually believe they can stop the dragon with such a petty assault?" Ulquiorra asked as another rock came hurtling into view and smashed against the dragon's shoulder. Each boulder coming downrange was easily the size of a pony, but against a dragon of this size it was little more than gravel against a regular sized individual, comparatively speaking anyway.

Then again said gravel was coming in the form of large, several hundred to several thousand pound projectiles, crossing the distance between the mountains and here in a matter of just a few seconds.

"Beats me but it gives us a chance to get out of here," Rainbow Dash pointed out. She was just about to do that when the dragon unleashed another angry roar and took off flying again... headed right back towards her friends! "Horse apples!"

"Are you able to catch up to the dragon with me in tow before it reaches the others?" Ulquiorra asked her.

"... No..." Rainbow Dash replied slowly, not wanting to admit the fact. Her rescue attempt had drained most of her mana and trying to keep herself and him up in the sky wasn't doing her any good. She wouldn't admit it but she had her doubts as to whether or not she'd be able to catch up to the dragon even before it reached her friends. She was just about to ask Ulquiorra what he had in mind, when much to her surprise he did his boom thing and disappeared right out of her forelegs and out of sight. "How'd he do that?" she asked in confusion. And the better question was where had he gone?

Nevermind! That was a question for another time, right now there were more important issues at hoof, like trying to rescue her friends before they got eaten!

There was a great deal of panic back at the cave as the five tried to figure out what to do. The dragon was coming in fast and there was nowhere safe to hide that they couldn't be found. It could easily tear up the cave looking for them and their legs would never carry them far enough away in time to avoid being caught.

"Ah think we bit off more than we can chew," Applejack stated as the dragon got closer. Despite it all, Twilight hurled another large boulder at the dragon and caught it in the side of the face, but it simply bounced off the angle of its cheek, any damage it could've done being comparatively minimal.

"What're we going to do?" Fluttershy squeaked in terror.

"I honestly don't know. But if we die today then we're going to do so with great difficulty," Twilight stated firmly as her horn began to glow brightly.

The barrage of rocks served no point now, instead Twilight settled for pure magical blasts being discharged in quick succession inbetween short charge times, sending a steady stream of magical beams downrange in the dragon's direction, each blast kicking up dust as it traveled over the solid ground and into the open air beyond them. If they were going to die today there really wasn't anything she could do about it. But that didn't mean she was going to take it laying down and without resistance.

Each blast made contact with the dragon. However they failed to do anything more than shatter against its tough skin. It was no better than trying to spit watermelon seeds in its direction, except it was making the dragon all the angrier.

The situation was, for lack of a better word, hopeless. Fleeing wasn't an option as the dragon could catch them in no time either in its claw or with a stream of fire. Standing to fight wasn't an option as they were far too small to pose a significant risk. And Twilight's mana reserves were being further and further depleted with each shot she fired. There really wasn't anything they could do except resign themselves to the possibility that they were actually done for.

Applejack accepted this fate calmly and quietly, seeing no point in getting upset. Fluttershy cried to herself and weakly apologized for everything being her fault. Pinkie and Rarity wailed and carried on rather dramatically. Twilight was hunched over and panting raggedly, stubbornly wearing a look of refusal on her face, her horn steaming as she began charging another blast to try and send down the dragon's throat when she saw its open mouth. Her intent was to be defiant to the very end and planned on cooking the dragon's guts from the inside out if it was going to eat them.

By now the dragon was only a few hundred feet away right now, and that distance was closing quickly and there was nothing they could do about it. The only option left was to say their goodbyes and share gratitudes for having known each other.

And then the last thing any of them ever expect to see happen actually happened; Ulquiorra had appeared in front of the dragon out of nowhere and stopped it right in its tracks. Actually that was an understatement as what truly happened was something they couldn't properly comprehend.

The idea behind the sonido they more or less understood, but that was as far as it went. What they didn't understand was how he'd managed to sonido in front of the dragon, in midair no less, and had halted the dragon by using both hands to press firmly against its snout. This resulted in slowing its progression to a standstill, his feet kicking up huge clouds of what looked like dust in the process, as if he'd slowly ground to a halt against the hard stone of the mountain itself.

Right now, right in front of their disbelieving eyes, he was literally standing in midair, hundreds of feet above any solid ground, and somehow generating enough force to overcome the thrust of the dragon's wings and stop it from advancing any further, a mere fifty feet away from the cliff's edge the others stood upon.

The tears and the sadness stopped as the five ponies stood with wide eyes and open mouths at what they'd just witnessed take place before them. It was a feat that, by every conceivable standard of the laws of physics that governed their world and the use of their magic, should be absolutely impossible to achieve. What they'd just witnessed was more befitting of a mediocre quality story meant purely for entertainment purposes without taking real world physics into account. It was something that had to be impossible, a fact hammered home with each continual flap of the dragon's wings as it stubbornly tried to move.

It was a thought that bore reiterating: what they'd just seen was a feat that was supposed to be absolutely impossible to successfully pull off.

So just how exactly in the nine pits of Tartarus had that just been possible!?

"Did he just..." Rarity asked but was unable to finish the sentence, the entire display simply too unbelievable.

"He stopped the dragon," Twilight answered, completely dumbstruck and eyes wide, her own fatigue forgotten at the moment.

"In midair!" Applejack added in utter disbelief. Had Ulquiorra done the whole thing on the ground it would've been impossible enough to believe, but this was like impossible squared or something.

The dragon seemed to share their confusion after a long moment, going cross-eyed to look at Ulquiorra as he stood there, presenting an immovable object.

"I believe I've adequately explained that I cannot and will not allow any harm to come to these ponies," Ulquiorra calmly stated as he drew his left hand back and brought a fist down firmly on the dragon's snout.

Under the best of circumstances, if the pony in question was really strong, this act would cause the dragon momentary pain and disorient them. But these were not such circumstances, Ulquiorra was no pony, and the dragon wasn't disoriented. Rather the dragon was now howling in intense pain from the sudden cracking noise that was heard and followed the felt blow, and falling out of the sky from the force of the blow.

"Oh... my..." Fluttershy whispered in surprise.

Being around Pinkie long enough made one comfortable in the fact that things could happen that nopony could adequately explain. They just accepted it for whatever it was. But that said, nothing Pinkie could conceivably pull off could ever prepare them for what they were seeing right now. Were there any laws of physics that Ulquiorra wasn't currently violating? Defying gravity, pound for pound generating far more force than could even be conceived as possible, withstanding hundreds of degrees worth of heat without suffering any burns, moving faster than the eye could see, and single hoofedly beating the snot out of a fully grown adult dragon!

Twilight's mind was running wild with more questions than ever before, more than she ever thought possible. The things Ulquiorra was doing right now as he faced off against the dragon couldn't be explained no matter how hard she tried to. She was certain there was some logical, physical, scientific explanation for it all, something that could be found somewhere and broken down into easy to understand facts that would all make sense if they were really applied.

But right now she wasn't coming up with a single one of those things as she was far too busy watching everything unfold before her, just like the rest of her friends.

"How can anybody be so unbelievably strong?" Rarity finally asked, being the first to find her voice. The entire display was unlike anything she could ever remember seeing before. Not even the fantasy novels she sometimes borrowed from Twilight talked about something like this, it was simply too unbelievable to be taken seriously.

"Sure beats the tar outta me," Applejack replied, "can ya imagine what it'd be like if he worked at Sweet Apple Acres? There wouldn' be an apple left hangin' by the end o' the first day o' applebuckin' season!"

Down below and away from them the dragon flapped its wings to catch itself and stop its descent, shaking its head to clear its senses, wincing as the movement made its snout hurt worse.

Having successfully recovered from the blow that'd been delivered to it by something no bigger than its fist, the dragon was making its way back toward them with a vengeance. It was out for blood and revenge and was going to tear through anything in its path without discretion in order to get what it wanted.

"Look out Ulqy that big mean dragon's coming back!" Pinkie called out loudly at the sight of the dragon rising again.

"Ulquiorra! Get out of there, quick!" Twilight called out.

Fluttershy remained silent as she watched, unable to vocalize anything. Ulquiorra had just saved them from certain death twice, putting himself directly in the line of danger in order to do so. He was facing down a fully grown male dragon all by himself and exposing himself to danger all for their sake, and had done so even without being asked for help. He was... so heroic in nature. He was just like the knights in fairy tales, facing the ferocious dragon to rescue the princess and live happily ever after, except this time it was playing out in real life.

She'd never before felt so excited, and so terrified, then she was at that very moment.

Ulquiorra almost casually looked in the direction the dragon was coming from as it swooped back up in front of him, a claw drawn back in its approach and swung toward him to try and swat him out of the way like he was nothing.

Much like the first time this attack ultimately proved futile. As the claw approached from the side he calmly extended his left hand and caught it on the approach, stopping it in its track from moving any further.

"If you want to fight anyone else you'll have to kill me first," he explained calmly, before withdrawing his hand and quickly bringing it down on top of one of the dragon's fingers, resulting a loud cracking noise and the targeted digit sticking out at an odd angle.

"Did he just..." Rarity start to ask but failed to finish the question.

"He just broke one of the dragon's claws with a single punch," Twilight stated in response, not able to believe it herself. Dragons' claws were incredibly strong and resilient to damage, built for tearing and digging through solid stone as easily as Spike dug through dirt when he helped Rarity go gem hunting, to be exposed to lava without any consequence from the submersion.

And Ulquiorra had just effortlessly broken one of its bones right through thickened scales and toughed muscles, when said bone was twice as thick as his own arm.

Immediately the dragon roared in pain and clutched its broken claw.

"You're quite troublesome."

Despite the overwhelming pain it was experiencing the dragon looked up to see Ulquiorra standing right in front of its face and positioned right between its eyes. No further words were exchanged after that point, as he raised his right foot and forcefully stomped right between its eyes, not even bothering to take his hands out of his pockets in the process.

For the life of her Rainbow Dash couldn't properly wrap her head around what she was seeing during her approach. First he'd disappeared out of her forelegs and apparently traveled between there and her friends faster than even she could move, and then it looked like he was beating the crud out of the dragon all by himself. He was super fast and super strong? What was this dude made from, dark matter or something? How could he send a fully grown dragon into screams of pain with a single kick when even she couldn't do that?

And didn't he say yesterday that she was faster than he was? What was up with that?

As she made her way back to her friends she didn't know whether to be seriously jealous, or wowed by the sheer awesomeness of it all. He was kicking more flank than she ever believed possible.

The kick between the eyes -at least that's what it looked like from her vantage point in her approach- had sent the dragon grabbing for its face as its wings cut out in mid-flap and it dropped in altitude.

If she had to rank this on a scale of awesomeness it would be right at or above winning front row tickets to watch the Wonderbolts perform. Or maybe Cloudsdale getting picked to host the Equestria Games tournament.

"RD ya feather brained idjit get outta the way!" she heard Applejack yell as she got closer. Right now it really did sound like a good idea, the skies were too dangerous right now and she made a beeline for the group figuring it was safest with them.

"Am I really seeing what I think I'm seeing?" Rainbow Dash asked as she touched down.

Her attention was drawn back to the battle as the dragon recovered from the attack and prepared to attack again, only to be slapped right across the snout with enough force to move its head off to the side. She winced at that display of strength and confidence, pondering how much force someone so skinny actually commanded if they could do something like that.

"That and a whole lot more," Twilight replied and nodded, cringing at the sound of a loud crunch as Ulquiorra dove toward the dragon and kicked it in the lower jaw, making its head snap back as it tumbled backwards. "That's gonna hurt in the morning..."

Applejack nearly did a double take. Did Twilight really just use a word like "gonna" to describe and refer to something? This whole situation must've been worse than she thought if her friend was breaking from the otherwise proper and fancy grammar she so normally used.

Or maybe she'd just been hanging around them long enough that they were finally rubbing off on her.

"He's so heroic, saving us like he did," Fluttershy mused contentedly.

"I understand that he's a completely different species from us... but isn't he just so dreamy?" Rarity asked in response. He was indeed a hero to put himself in danger like that just for their sakes. How could one possibly ask for anything better?

Twilight shook her head as she continued watching the display. The dragon seemed to have fully recovered from the blow to the chin and made an effort to gain greater altitude, only for Ulquiorra to sonido his way over to it and actually stomp on its back right between the wings, possibly hitting a nerve cluster in the process as this caused the dragon's wings to lock up and sent it falling to the ground below.

"No way!" Rainbow Dash stated, her eyes wide in surprise.

There was a loud crash below that shook them from their own individual thoughts and brought them back forward as the dragon crashed into the trees below in the forest, flattening anything that was in its path from the rough landing.

From their vantage point it didn't look like the dragon was in any position to be getting back up again. And it seemed Ulquiorra had reached the same conclusion as he turned and walked -on thin air no less- back to the group and stepped down onto the ground next to them.

For a long moment there wasn't a single sound coming from the ponies as they just stood there in stunned silence. Then after a long moment he was bombarded with questions and statements from all sides about everything they'd witnessed in the course of just a few minutes as the six descended upon his position. How could he overpower a fully grown male dragon? How could he fly without wings? How could he walk on air? How could he withstand the dragon's fire? How did he get to be so awesome? And so on, and so on...and so on... coming from five of the present ponies, each of them trying to gain an advantage at being heard and hopefully getting their questions answered.

Pomf!

His attention slowly turned to Rainbow Dash as she stood there with her wings fully deployed and pointing upward, her primary feathers extended in a manner that didn't look particularly comfortable to be in. Slowly all eyes turned to her as she appeared uncomfortable with this development.

"Really Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked in an incredulous manner at what she was seeing.

Rainbow laughed nervously. "What can I say? He's...awesome..." she tried to explain.

The significance of the entire display was lost on Ulquiorra, to the point he was willing to ask Twilight Sparkle to elaborate. However before he could even get the first word out there was a roar and a rush of wind behind them as the dragon once more came around, swooping up the side of the cliff and shooting over their heads at great speed.

"He jus' don' quit!" Applejack stated as she held onto her hat while looking up, only to go pale at the sight of the dragon preparing to unleash a massive fireball. "Hit the dirt!"

The ponies scattered from the scene as the fire came. Ulquiorra responded to the incoming assault by grasping the hilt of his zanpakutō and spinning one hundred and eighty degrees as he unsheathed it, a massive trail of his reiatsu following after the arching sweep and meeting with the fire, before cutting through the fire and dissipating the path all the way back to the dragon's mouth, slamming into the back of its throat and choking it.

To Twilight and her friends it looked like he'd just overpowered the dragon's flames with nothing more than a single swing of his sword, the force of the swing traveling all the way back up to the dragon's mouth and causing its fire to peter out. As Princess Luna would say, the awesomeness had just been doubled.

Or at least that's what Rainbow Dash thought she'd say. To Twilight it was just another thing to add to the list of questions that needed to be answered.

Another burst of sonido and Ulquiorra appeared in front of the dragon, his left arm drawn back before his fist was slammed into the dragon's chest at full force. The impact resulted in a very dull, very loud thud from the contact that could easily be heard from where they stood.

The dragon let out a loud groan of pain that suggested this had hurt it far more than any of the previous attacks, its front claws drifting to its midsection as it lost altitude and more or less crash landed on the hard ground in a collapsed fashion, groaning and panting heavily as if the wind had been thoroughly knocked right out of it.

"Did you girls see what I just saw?" Pinkie asked curiously.

"That Mr. Cifer fella sucker punching the dragon an' bringin' it down? Eeyup," Applejack replied.

The dragon groaned as it tried to push itself back up again, only to collapse onto the ground in failure, only managing to get its leg out from under its massive bulk as the rough landing had hurt it more. But the struggling had proven enough to display something none of the ponies had expected to see; blood. The punch to the chest had been enough not only to knock the wind out of the dragon but also break its skin bad enough that it was bleeding from the injury.

Comparatively speaking the injury didn't seem anymore threatening than a rose thorn prick to one of them. But that didn't change the fact that Ulquiorra, with a single blow from his fist alone, had generated enough force to actually make the dragon bleed. It was a scary thought to consider actually.

"I think it's safe to say this matter is over and done for," Rarity cautiously stated.

"I don't think it's over just yet, girls, look," Twilight stated and pointed as Ulquiorra disappeared from view and reappeared in front of the dragon and facing it, calmly resheathing his zanpakutō before speaking again.

"I grow tired of demonstrating the fact that you can't harm me. I have given you multiple opportunities to leave of your own volition but you've continued to respond in an overly aggressive manner. I'm unwilling to extend you anymore chances. Your very existence threatens the existence and wellbeing of countless others. And it is for that reason that you're going to die now," Ulquiorra explained to the downed dragon and extended his right hand, a ball of green energy forming at his fingertip, several swirling trails of like-colored energy seeming to spiral and swirl into the center and add to its mass.

"No..." Fluttershy whispered in shock at his words, being the first one out from the hiding spot they'd picked.

Everything had gone wrong, she didn't know where but it had. This whole mess had started out as a simple relocation mission to try and convince the dragon to leave because of the threat it presented. From there everything had gone downhill and fast. The dragon had been awake and highly aggressive, had attacked them without provocation, which had resulted in Ulquiorra stepping up and protecting them from harm at his own expense. And then the dragon had grabbed him and they needed to rescue him. And then after they'd gotten done rescuing him he'd gone and rescued them again and proceeded to pummel the dragon almost effortlessly in order to keep them safe and the dragon away from them.

He'd been so heroic to watch. He was so calm under pressure and collected in what he did, able to so easily tend to the dragon when they couldn't, so dedicated to keeping them safe from harm. It was all so incredible to watch.

And then suddenly they found themselves here. The dragon had been beaten quite thoroughly, and even quite violently. It was prone on the ground and laboring for breath before Ulquiorra, who stood coldly and dispassionately before it, informing it he intended to kill it for failing to leave in a peaceful manner, and even at this very moment was preparing what she could only assume was an attack capable of fulfilling his promise. In the space of just a few minutes he'd gone from being an observer, to a hero, to a ferocious and merciless predator who, even in the face of a weaker opponent that couldn't fight back, intended to press his assault to the very end to prove his own overwhelming dominance.

This dragon didn't present anymore danger to them at this point. She wouldn't deny that it had attacked them without provocation, but that was in its nature as a dragon; one of the reasons she was so terrified of them when they were bigger than Spike. But right now as she looked into the watery eyes of this dragon she didn't see rage, or hunger, or even a primal territorial nature that would drive it to attack others. She saw fear, she saw despair, and above all she saw the realization of absolute, overwhelming helplessness in the face of something it couldn't compete against. It was like a poor bunny facing down an enraged timberwolf right now.

"No... please don't do this," she pleaded, her weak voice cracking. Unfortunately her pleas appeared to be falling on deaf ears as Ulquiorra remained completely unmoved.

The others had started to emerge from where they'd hidden in order to get a better view of what was going to happen next. They'd all heard the talk back in the cave but they'd assumed it was just a boast. But now with all the facts taken into account it no longer looked like that, it looked like he was not only serious but quite capable of doing such. Despite the facts and what they'd seen so far this idea horrified them.

Equally horrifying was the eerie green-hued glow the technique was casting over the immediate area and the shadows it was casting on the dragon's face, something about it was deeply unsettling and disturbing and just magnified the thought that they were about to witness a true execution of another living being.

"Hey dude come on, the dragons' down for the count, it's not like he can get back up and attack again," Rainbow Dash stated in disbelief. Ulquiorra had already won, did he really need to press the matter further when it was already so obvious? She didn't even know exactly what he was doing but she knew it couldn't be good.

"No... please..." Fluttershy croaked but to no avail, the ball seeming to whine at this point of its formation.

"Ulquiorra stop! What're you doing!?" Twilight shouted as she galloped over to him, the others not far behind her. She couldn't let this happen. She couldn't face Princess Celestia and admit that she'd lost control of the situation and had allowed Ulquiorra to kill the dragon through her own inability to stop him. There had to be something that could be done, anything!

"Don't," Fluttershy pleaded, tears running down her face at her own helplessness of the situation. The dragon was going to die and it was going to be all her fault for not being able to do what she was asked to do.

"What Princess Celestia herself will not do," Ulquiorra replied calmly and discharged his Cero at the dragon.

He missed.

His aim had been true and the dragon should've been reduced to a smouldering corpse. But instead his Cero was fired off toward the horizon as Fluttershy held onto his wrist with a single hoof and wasn't letting it anywhere near the dragon. She had spent this entire mission being quiet, scared, staying behind, and doing everything else to convey her fear of the situation. He assumed her fear of dragon's outweighed her care for animals and she wouldn't have interfered. It appeared he assumed wrong as she was now doing everything in her power to actually defend the dragon from harm, including interfering with his Cero's trajectory.

Three things immediately came to his mind. The first being Fluttershy's speed and how she had managed to launch herself between him and the dragon just before the discharge of his Cero. He assumed her speed was enough to rival that of Rainbow Dash if she truly tried.

The second was something that seemed pointless currently but couldn't be ignored; while most of the ponies he'd encountered didn't quite come up to his waist at the shoulder, once they reared up on their hind legs the difference between their height and his wasn't even a full foot.

The third was her eyes. The look in her eyes as she stared straight into his was... intimidating. They were filled with a barely restrained rage the likes of which he hadn't seen since...

+++

"...I see. No mercy eh?" Ulquiorra asked rhetorically as he looked up toward the Shinigami that stood atop his head, a bright red Cero forming between his horns and aimed directly at his face. "How very Hollow-like."

Despite his best efforts he'd been incapable of defeating Ichigo Kurosaki and protecting the safety of Las Noches. Through a means he didn't understand the Shinigami had managed to survive having a hole blown through his chest via his Cero Oscuras technique and now stood before him -and on top of him- in triumph. He himself laid defeated on dome of Las Noches, cut through from hip to shoulder, one of his horns severed and helpless to do anything other than look up at his own impending death.

"I don't care. I have no reason to live now that you've beaten me," he said bitterly as he watched the Cero being charged, his doom growing closer and closer by the second. "Do it." **

+++

...since he'd been Cero'd to the face by that brat.

How ironic.

"How dare you?" Fluttershy asked, oblivious as his Cero passed by her and disrupted the flow of her mane, the beam having come dangerously close to one of her flapping wings. "How DARE you?" she demanded as she stared at him, trying to burn a hole straight through him with her piercing gaze. "What gives you the right to decide who lives and who dies? How dare you try and kill something that can't even stand up against you? Can't you see that he can't even stand on his own feet, much less defend himself against you!?"

It was ludicrous. In his time in Hueco Mundo he had stared down many who challenged him. His strength was recognized and subject to both respect and fear. His gaze was enough that even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were uncomfortable when staring him in the eyes and they'd attempt to focus elsewhere. And here he was, being stared down by the meek yellow pegasus who was easily the weakest in the group and finding himself unable to shake the feeling that he was now the proverbial ant underneath the magnifying glass being lectured.

The fact that she'd managed to even move his arm was amazing and most curious. Even more curious was how her reiatsu level had suddenly jumped when she'd intervened, and even now it was increasing dramatically as she spoke to him, speaking unopposed as he found himself without a vocal response to give.

"All this poor dragon wanted to do was take a nap, that doesn't warrant death!" she stated furiously, before turning her attention to the dragon itself. "And you! I can understand how badly you want a nap and how tired you are, but you can't nap here! You need to find somewhere else that isn't so close to a populated area where ponies and little animals are going to be breathing your smoke for the next hundred years. Now go on and shoo like we asked you too earlier. This whole mess could've been avoided if you'd just been a little more understanding the first time around," she scolded. "Get out of here, right now! Be smart and just go away!"

Ulquiorra watched -in great disbelief- as the dragon seemed to heed the words of Fluttershy and slowly, painfully stood itself back up on shaky legs, giving its wings a few cursory flaps before taking off into the sky again and setting off toward the east, far away from their current position until it was nothing more than a tiny dot in the sky.

His attention slowly drifted back to what was in front of him; namely a very pissed off looking Fluttershy, still glaring at him with a ferocity he hadn't seen displayed in this world before. These ponies continued to surprise him and leave him in a state of confusion.

"It would seem Princess Celestia's trust in you was not misplaced," he commented, uncertain of what else he could say on the situation. What really was appropriate to say in this situation when you were facing down what was supposed to be the weakest of the group, who now displayed a capacity for brutality that rivaled several of the more violent prone Espada, and seemed fully willing to use it in response to his actions?

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Celestia went silent at her sister's question to her. She looked at Luna for any signs that would suggest she was attempting to be humorous but no such signs existed. Rather she looked quite serious and confused.

"Pardon?" she asked.

"We asked why art thou standing naked in the throne room," Luna repeated herself.

She felt rather foalish right now as it just dawned on her that she still hadn't replaced her traditional jewelry after the closing of the solar court. The uneasiness of the nobles had been her one and only distraction during the day from her worries regarding everything else. She'd fully intended to put them back on afterwards but in her uncertainty over the mission and Ulquiorra's first truly unsupervised visit she'd simply forgotten about it. Now Luna was calling her out on it.

"It's not as if there's anything wrong with it. Most of our subjects are naked throughout the course of their days," Celestia explained.

"T'was not the question dear sister. Why art thou devoid of thine's royal adornments?" Luna asked as she looked her over with a critical eye. "We understand that thee doth wish to do away with royal decorum whenever possible but certain things are simply uncalled for, dear sister. Surely thou didst not entertain the nobles in such a manner."

Silence.

"Sister?" Luna asked.

More silence.

"Dear sister surely thou doth jest!" Luna stated in disbelief. The look in Celestia's eyes had told the entire story even if her mouth was silent. She truly had done such! "Stars above and beyond, dear sister, we doth know that thou are mischevious but 'tis a knew level even for thee," she said and sighed, shaking her head at it all before turning to leave. "We art going to get ourselves doughnuts from Doughnut Joe's shop. And we wouldst like to see thee attempt to stop us from doing so," she said as she turned her head to face her, her scowl informing Celestia that she was displeased with her, just daring her to try something in response.

Celestia for her part was left uncertain and uneasy. She really didn't believe that Luna would be so uptight about her actions. She'd had to deal with the nobles before and agreed that they were bothersome and a pain in the flank to put up with time and time again. She thought her sister would be more open to the idea of the change in decorum but apparently she was wrong.

Before Luna could leave though there was a loud boom in the distance that brought her right back to the balcony to see what was going on. Were they under attack?

"The Sonic Rainboom?" Celestia asked as she saw the polychromatic shock wave rip into existence. To the best of her knowledge Rainbow Dash was still the only pony who could use such a technique, so the only logical conclusion was that she was in the area. However what caught her eye was the rainbow trail that originated at the center of the shock wave and was hurtling toward...

...right toward the dragon as it was leaving? Whatever was Rainbow Dash doing?

Luna meanwhile had magically grabbed the royal telescope from its resting spot to get a better look at events as they unfolded, managing to catch a glimpse as Rainbow Dash impacted the dragon's ribs before bouncing off from the angle of her trajectory and wildly spinning out of control. Whatever had possessed the little pegasus to launch an attack against a fully grown dragon?

Whatever it had been it appeared that her attack had done some measure of damage to the dragon as it grasped its side and its flight course suffered greatly. And then she noticed as something fell out of its clenched claw. Not now something but somepony... somebody!

"Ulquiorra Cifer!" Luna shouted in surprise.

Celestia was curious and commandeered the telescope to see what her sister was talking about, observing as Rainbow Dash managed to match up with Ulquiorra's downward trajectory and pluck him out of the air so effortlessly. As best she could tell the dragon must've captured the Arrancar and Rainbow Dash had launched a rescue mission to get him back; a mission that had succeeded. Unfortunately now it looked like they had to contend with an angry dragon that was bearing down on them intent on devouring them right out of the air.

And then a boulder wrapped in a lavender aura entered the picture and shattered against the dragon's side and distracted it. It was safe to conclude that Twilight and her friends were now launching their own rescue effort.

"What dost thou see?" Luna asked and wrestled control of the telescope from her sister to see what was going on. She looked just in time to see boulder after boulder slamming into the dragon and annoying it greatly as they shattered from the impact and fell to the ground. Ingenious! "Twilight Sparkle and her friends are most resourceful," Luna commented. However her look of excitement soon turned to one of horror. "The dragon's now going after them! And... and..."

"And what? What's happening?" Celestia asked as she grew more concerned by the second at Luna's silence.

Luna said nothing and passed to telescope back to Celestia, allowing her to see for herself what was going on, herself finding the entire thing too unbelievable to entertain. But sure enough there it was before them, Ulquiorra Cifer using both hands and halting the dragon's approach as he stood in mid air as if on solid ground. Not even the flapping of its large wings seemed sufficient to overcome such a minute obstacle. While they'd both been present when he'd said he was capable of flight it was quite different to see such an act rather than just hearing about it.

And then the beating began. Celestia didn't know whether to cringe or rub her eyes in confusion. "He's... he's beating the tar out of the dragon all by himself..."

The very notion of it all. Luna didn't even want to consider the implications of it, she truly didn't.

"Might we make an observation dear sister?" Luna finally asked. Celestia turned away from the telescope to look at her. "We remember Ulquiorra Cifer stating that he was overwhelmed by our presence and our strength eclipsed his own even though we didst not realize such a thing were possible. But in light of certain recent developments..." she paused and glanced back in the direction of the mountains, "we doth believe that he is bullshitting us."

Celestia was a little surprised by her sister's choice of language and how bluntly she'd just said what she did, even moreso by the fact that it was a term native to Ulquiorra's world rather than their own. However before she could raise the issue she was cut off by a bright green beam effortlessly cutting through the slowly darkening sky.

"What just happened? Did Ulquiorra Cifer just..." Luna began but was unable to finish the sentence.

Celestia looked back through the telescope to evaluate the situation. "No... no it looks like... I really can't believe it myself, it looks like Fluttershy managed to prevent an execution from taking place... and now it looks like she's scolding both Ulquiorra and the dragon at the same time," she relayed.

Luna laughed. Despite everything that had been going on and all the concerns she had she found herself laughing out loud. She could mentally picture Ulquiorra Cifer and the dragon, both of them with horrible looks on their face as an angry Fluttershy flew back and forth between them, yelling at them about their wrongs and doing so in that petite voice of hers raised to new levels in volume.

"And now it would seem the dragon is leaving. It would seem Fluttershy succeeded in her mission," Celestia stated.

"Most excellent dear sister!" Luna cheered. "Shouldst we depart to collect Ulquiorra Cifer and the Elements of Harmony? Nightfall is destined for not long from now and the journey back to Ponyville is quite long."

"That sounds like an excellent idea. There are a few things I wish to discuss with them and the sooner the better," Celestia agreed and nodded.

"Then let us depart," Luna replied, but quickly flared her wings out as she stepped before her sister. "But first thou art finding thine's adornments. Thou art going nowhere in your state of undress. 'Tis undignified."

It was unsettlingly still and uncomfortably quiet. Fluttershy hadn't said so much as a single word in the minute that passed since the dragon had left. She hadn't softened her stare, she hadn't even let go of Ulquiorra's wrist. It was just a dead stillness in the air like before a massive rain dropped. It was uncomfortable enough the others were feeling it as they observed the two and waited to see who would blink first.

"The tension's thick enough ya could cut it wit' a knife," Applejack quietly commented.

"I don't think a slice of tension would make a very good snack. It's all tough and chewy like beef jerky," Pinkie replied.

The others gave the pink earth pony a confused look at what she'd just said. But then again that wasn't the weirdest thing she'd ever said, just one of the more unexpected things they'd heard so far. They'd let it go for now as they waited to see how things unfolded.

"I don't believe I've ever seen Fluttershy this upset before. It's positively eerie if you ask me," Rarity added and shivered.

Not far away Ulquiorra wasn't doing much better than the rest of them. It was inconceivable that Fluttershy would be able to meet and return his gaze with an effectiveness such as this. It was disturbing, unsettling, and very confusing. "Do you intend to release my arm before nightfall?" he finally asked.

"How..." he heard Fluttershy respond in a low and passively hostile tone, "how can you be so cruel and merciless? How could you be so serious about killing a living creature?" she all but demanded as her foreleg shook, her reiatsu level seeming to increase further.

"It was a calculated decision and the most logical conclusion. Surely one dragon does not outweigh the lives of everyone in Equestria, your "friends" and your animals included," Ulquiorra replied. The whole reason she'd agreed to this mission was because he'd pointed out her animals were facing the possibility of death if she didn't. Why was she so upset with him having chosen the best course of action? "Had I not acted you and the rest of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony would likely be dead by now and Equestria would have been left defenseless."

"That doesn't make it your decision to make!" Fluttershy angrily exclaimed and flung his arm free in frustration as she glared at him, folding her forelegs across her chest. "How can you be so heartless as to decide that you're going to kill something that you're obviously stronger than?"

Heartless. How appropriate a term to use to describe him. Perhaps Fluttershy knew far more than she was letting on. Or perhaps she truly didn't know what she was talking about and was simply lashing out due to fury over his methodology.

Or perhaps it was anger with herself. Did she finally understand that she'd just wound up defending the same dragon that tried to kill not only her, but the ponies she was closest to? Did she understand how close they'd come to dying what was a very unpleasant death in any world?

At least now he had his hand free again. Perhaps it was time to reveal the truth to these ponies and show them what they were truly dealing with.

"Because I truly am heartless by nature," Ulquiorra replied as he reached up to the top of his jacket to pull the zipper downward. "See for..." he paused and cast an aside glance to the west, "we have company."

It was at that moment that both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna came into view and touched down for a landing near the rest of the group. Ulquiorra observed as each of the ponies gave a respective bow to their leaders, even the greatly angered Fluttershy seemed to have the sense to observe whatever protocol was in place. He himself remained standing and simply pocketed his hands.

"Rise my little ponies," Princess Celestia spoke softly, casting him a glance before turning her attention to Twilight Sparkle. "What news do you have to report, my most faithful student?"

"Mission accomplished, Princess, Fluttershy managed to make the dragon leave and Equestria is safe once again," Twilight spoke proudly.

"And is that all there is to report? Nothing out of the ordinary happened?" Princess Celestia asked. "No unexpected developments occurred?"

Twilight was started to feel a sense of nervousness. What was Princess Celestia asking about? Did she suspect something? Was she displeased and looking for answers in order to determine if somepony was guilty of something in order to hoof out judgement?

"The dragon was awake."

Twilight blinked and looked over at Ulquiorra as he spoke in a calm and collected manner, showing absolutely no regard for royalty or tradition. But at the moment she couldn't muster the concern to care about that.

"By the time we arrived the dragon was already awake and quite hostile toward your subjects and attacked them. It was necessary to intervene in order to fulfill your original orders issued upon our first meeting. To not harm your subjects includes both direct actions that could amount to harm, or indirect action that would reasonably allow for harm to come by not directly interfering to prevent harm," Ulquiorra explained.

Princess Celestia frowned some. If Ulquiorra had disobeyed her orders and attacked the dragon as he'd intended to do back at Canterlot castle then it would've been one thing. Instead his actions had been defensive in nature and his attack was in response to provocation. She wasn't entirely certain what to think at the moment. However before she could go too deep into thought the others began addressing her.

"You shoulda seen it Princess it was awesome! The dragon never stood a chance against Ulqy!" Pinkie stated.

"Yeah first the dragon tried burning him and he just walked outta the flames like a boss and wasn't even singed," Rainbow Dash added.

"An' then he stomped on tha' dragon's head an' knocked it ta the ground, then had 'em held by the snout like he was wranglin' a bull wit' a ring through its nose," Applejack added.

"And then the dragon tried to smash him like he was a walnut and Ulqy just stood their like this," Pinkie paused to rear up on her hind legs and extend her left foreleg above her head, doing her best to imitate his permanent frown, "and stopped the dragon's claw from ever touching the ground! It was like hoofwrestling or something! It was so cool!" she squealed.

"It was an incredibly barbaric display," Rarity commented, "but at the same time I can't remember seeing anything so knightly in nature. To think one would put themselves in harms way to protect us from a dragon. Oh it was just so marvelous!" she stated and shivered.

"Well now. It would seem you all had a very big day," Princess Celestia spoke as she looked around at each of them and back at Ulquiorra. They were all quite excited while he remained unmoved and stone faced as ever. "The others have spoken fondly of you. Do you have anything you'd like to contribute?"

"I do," Ulquiorra replied. If Princess Celestia was expecting kindness and tact from him simply because of a few glowing reviews by her loyal subjects then she was about to be sorely disappointed. "In my time spent with your subjects on this mission I have reached the conclusion that placing the safety of Equestria on their shoulders is the most idiotic concept that could possibly be imagined. If it was your decision to do such then you are without doubt the most foolish one I have ever met and would question the wisdom of your rule of Equestria. Without intervention these six would have been summarily devoured and the country would be plunged into toxic darkness."

"Ulquiorra!" Twilight shouted in response to hearing what he was saying. How dare he address Princess Celestia in such an unacceptable manner?

"Had circumstances been different you would have issued these six their death warrant. They stood no chance of victory in the up front confrontation that arose. They were outclassed in every respect and aware of the fact," Ulquiorra continued.

Princess Celestia's frown was deepening, as were the frowns and displeasure of every other pony that was present. They didn't seem to care to hear the truth. Even now he could see Rainbow Dash's wings twitching as she prepared to deploy them, most likely to fly at him and launch a verbal assault over how he was wrong to look down on her and the others. But she never got the chance as he continued speaking.

"That said, despite being aware of how hopeless the situation was they still did not hesitate to launch a rescue attempt when they believed it was needed," he stated. That seemed to temper the hostility he was presented with. That would allow him to continue in relative peace. "They chose to engage the dragon in direct combat because they believed I was in danger regardless of the unlikelihood of their succeeding. I must say it was an impressive display. And regardless of their efforts being unnecessary I must express some measure of gratitude for their consideration and loyalty."

"Aw yeah!" Rainbow Dash stated and leaped off the ground to throw her forelegs up into the air. "We're awesome!"

"That doesn't change the fact that your endeavor was quite moronic in nature and a waste of your mana," Ulquiorra countered. As expected previously Rainbow Dash was quickly in his face and displaying her hostility.

"Hey dude I saved your flank!" she shouted.

"My "flank" as you refer to it was never in any danger. While the dragon was indeed several times stronger than I originally believed it was still below my own level of strength, as demonstrated earlier. While my capture was unplanned I was perfectly capable of escaping on my own. I was simply allowing for a safe distance to be reached to ensure none of you were harmed. Had I responded prematurely there's a good chance you six would've been buried alive in a cave in," he explained calmly.

Despite the logic of his words they didn't seem to be registering with Rainbow Dash. She was currently attempting to burn a hole through him with her stare as if she were Fluttershy. However she lacked the yellow pegasi's qualities and her efforts were lackluster.

And after a minute of attempting to cut through his own stare with hers it seemed she was slowly realizing that she wasn't cut out for this as she began to back down as she grew visibly uncomfortable.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had been reluctantly silent at Ulquiorra's words and interactions since their arrival. His words had been most unkind about them and their subjects and how matters were addressed in Equestria. For the most part they could be tolerated, he was a stranger in a strange land after all, he still needed time to adjust to his new surroundings. But the stare down with Rainbow Dash and Twilight trying to scold/lecture him and being ignored was too much and it became time to intervene in order to restore some degree of harmony.

"Is there anything else to add?" Princess Celestia asked, hoping to distract all parties before they quite possibly came to blows.

"Indeed," Ulquiorra replied and turned his attention away from Rainbow Dash in order to address her directly. "Upon the start of this mission I assumed your trust in Fluttershy had been misplaced. The entire way up here she displayed extreme fear and a strong desire to be anywhere else. Her fear of dragons is significant and I doubted the validity of what you were saying. However I was quite surprised when I witnessed her successfully make the dragon flee from this mountain range, while at the same time exercising far more understanding and kindness than I would be willing to do myself. She even went so far as to defend the dragon when I concluded it was far too dangerous to allow it to continue living due to the hostility it had displayed up to that point. Even after it tried to kill those that are considered her "friends" she still chose to believe it deserved to live. I can't begin to understand why."

"Ooh! Ooh! And you should've seen what he did up to that point! Twilight was throwing boulders at the dragon to keep it from eating Ulqy and Dashie, then the dragon was like "ROAR!" and came charging us, and then Ulqy got in front of it and made it stop in midair and then punched it out!" Pinkie rambled loudly, the words flowing from her mouth so fast it was almost all blending together.

"I don't even want to think of how many laws of physics Ulquiorra broke in the course of a few minutes," Twilight groaned and hung her head.

"And then he... hey Mr. Cifer wha' was tha' thing ya were doin' tha' Fluttershy stopped?" Applejack asked as she turned back to face him. "When ya did that thing ah could feel somethin' like lightnin' runnin' up an' down mah spine."

"The technique is referred to as "Cero." It is a blast of highly concentrated reiryoku, similar to but more powerful than the Bala technique I used to distract the dragon the first time around," Ulquiorra explained before turning his attention to the now grounded Fluttershy, the look in her eyes nowhere near as intense as it had been. "Had you attempted to block my Cero directly with your body you would have been incinerated. It is quite fortunate you merely altered my aim instead. I'm still curious at to how you managed such a feat."

"Ya'll shoulda seen it. He sucker punched the dragon right in the gut an' brought it down right quick," Applejack whispered.

Fluttershy seemed to shrink under his gaze and his words, her own rage seemingly burned off, her reiatsu level nowhere near as high as it had been just a minute ago. Were all of these ponies prone to such random and unpredictable fluctuations in the pressure exerted by their reiryoku?

"I just... I couldn't just stand back and let that poor dragon get hurt anymore than he was. Not when I saw the look in his eyes, all the pain, and the fear... and all the... despair... It just... it just seemed so... heartless..." Fluttershy all but whispered in response.

Again with the term. As well as her noting of the dragon seeing despair when facing him. This was starting to seem like too much of a coincidence. At present time he was uncertain just what grand plan Twilight Sparkle might have in mind but he didn't care. The time for this deception, this "foreign dignitary" charade, was over. It was now time for them to find out what he truly was and understand what they were dealing with.

"As I attempted to explain earlier I am heartless due to it being my nature. See for yourself," he said as he reached up to the collar of his jacket and drew down the zipper.

They all watched as Ulquiorra removed his long tailed jacket to reveal his frame underneath. He was indeed scrawny as Applejack observed, yet his entire build was covered in a toned muscular structure, the same chalky off-white as his face and hands. A large black 4 in an archaic font was on the left side of his muscular chest... with a large gaping hole set right in the middle of his chest; a hole that ran clean through to his back as they observed when his jacket fell to the ground and let the light shine through. The silence at the reveal was enough that one could hear a pin drop.

"Oh... my..."

Much to everypony's surprise -if they were indeed listening- the squeaky statement hadn't come from Fluttershy but rather Princess Celestia who stood there with her mouth hanging open. She'd seen such when she'd scanned Ulquiorra's mind and memories, but this was her first actual seeing of the hole possessed by a Hollow. She'd assumed that when Discord had brought Ulquiorra to this dimension his body had been changed in a way that was suited for life in Equestria but she could see that she'd assumed wrong.

Twilight stood silent, her mind racing with questions and her eyes nearly going as big as the hole in Ulquiorra's chest as he stood there as if nothing was wrong. How could he have a hole completely through his chest and be fine? The placement of that hole meant so many serious health complications! No heart for circulation of blood, no spinal column to support his lower body, a severely compromised ribcage, no direct passageway to the stomach, and countless other matters regarding biological impossibilities presented by this development. The world around her was spinning as she found herself feeling incredibly lightheaded.

There was a thud as Twilight fainted and hit the ground, not that any of them really noticed.

Author's Note

For those that wish to see the extended fight between Ulquiorra and the dragon, as well as greater character interaction between the cast see here.

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

"Mr. Cifer... jus' wha' in tarnation are ya?" Applejack asked when she finally found her voice. This was... was... she really didn't know what it was or what to think!

"I wouldn't exactly be that blunt but I'd like to know that myself," Rarity added. This new development was a great deal to take in. She was really surprised that Twilight had fainted, usually that was hers and hers alone to do.

"In simple terms you'd all be readily familiar with I could be described as a ghost," Ulquiorra replied. He noted the "eep" sound that only Fluttershy had the voice to produce, however he paid it no mind before continuing. "In more detailed terms, I'm a Hollow. An earthbound spirit that has remained in the world of the living for too long and succumbed to corruption, transforming into a wild, instinct driven beast that devours the souls of others in an attempt to fill the void created by the loss of their heart."

Of the seven that remained conscious there were looks of horror on the faces of the five mortal ponies as the news reached their ears. Even the brash Rainbow Dash bore a look of terror at hearing the truth of the matter. However that was no reason for him to stop informing them about the extent of the matter.

"When a soul becomes a Hollow their body reforms, their heart forming their mask to protect the wild instinct they devolve into, resulting in a hole in their structure where their heart used to be," he explained and traced a finger along the cavity in his chest for emphasis. "Among the Hollow race there are three levels of evolution. Gillian, Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde, each more powerful and more dangerous than the last. Each level is achieved through the devouring of many hundreds or thousands of fellow Hollows. I am currently of Vasto Lorde status."

The looks of horror only seemed to increase as the details sank in and their pony minds comprehended what they were being told; he'd just freely admitted to having readily devoured his own kind to evolve and become what they were currently seeing before them.

Rarity was the first to react and in what was likely the most appropriate manner, gagging and promptly vomiting on the ground where she stood.

Applejack was visibly the most horrified by what she'd heard, even moreso than Fluttershy was. "Twilight was right... ya really are a monster..."

"If you're expecting me to launch an attempt to justify my actions, and assure you that I present no threat to your well being, then you're going to be sorely disappointed. There is no point in denying the facts of who and what I am, and what I've done in the past, both of my own volition and under the orders of others," Ulquiorra replied. He knew that he could inform Applejack and the others of his promise to Princess Celestia to not harm her subjects. But if Princess Celestia didn't fully trust him he saw no reason why they would either. It would be a waste of effort on his part, and he didn't feel inclined to engage in it.

Applejack's entire frame was trembling now. Ulquiorra was a... a murderer and a... a cannibal! And worse than that he'd been in her house and around her family! They'd all been in danger, showing him what their hospitality was like. Her brother, her granny and her little sister, all of them! Right now her stomach was threatening to rebel and empty itself on the ground, much as Rarity's had, but she'd managed to choke the reaction back down where it belonged.

"You could've turned the whole town into soul stew!" Pinkie shouted and broke the silence.

As much as the others hated to admit it, she'd easily summed up the nature of their fears and concerns in one tidy -if gruesome- sentence. This entire time the whole of Ponyville could've been killed off and there would've been nothing they could've done to stop it; certainly not after seeing how he'd laid into that dragon not ten minutes ago.

"Despite the stupidity of your statement you're quite accurate. I could have indeed killed everyone in the town of Ponyville and devoured their souls if I was so inclined, I don't deny that. However I am not so inclined. At my current level of evolution the consumption of souls is nothing more than a useless indulgence. Furthermore, Princess Celestia has seen fit to place me under her rule and ordered me not to do anything to harm her subjects in any way," Ulquiorra replied.

"And just why should we be inclined to trust you after all we've just learned about your nature?" Rarity asked from her new spot, trying not to let the smell of her own mess sicken her any further. It was bad enough she'd been sick in such an undignified manner, but right in front of everypony as well?

Ulquiorra said nothing at first, simply reaching down and scooping up a stone in his left hand. Finally after a long pause he began speaking again.

"Just as the dragon was many times stronger than all of you, I was many times stronger than it, to the point I could have easily killed it from the very beginning if I'd been inclined to do so," he stated, letting the words sink in before continuing further, "The situation is no different for myself. I have seen Princess Celestia's strength, or at least a measurable percentage of it. The differences in our strength is vast. If she were to find displeasure with me and flare her full strength, I would be crushed under the pressure her magical force exerts on the surrounding area," he stated, the entire time slowly tightening his grip on the stone until it cracked and shattered in his grip. He opened his hand, allowed the powderized fragments to fall freely and be scattered like dust in the wind.

Each of the conscious ponies looked at Ulquiorra and then back to Princess Celestia in a state of disbelief, their minds trying to process the information, as well as the symbolism of the display. The notion that he could so easily be crushed by their ruler, just like the stone in their hand -especially after seeing how he'd so easily dominated the dragon, and while doing so with only one limb at a time no less- was both chilling and at the same time reassuring; reassuring in that their ruler was looking out for their wellbeing and would punish anyone or anything that would try to hurt them, yet chilling to think about if they ever decided to be bad little ponies. A group shudder definitely didn't go unnoticed.

"And just why should we believe you anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked bluntly, not swayed by his display or his words.

The pegasi's stubbornness didn't surprise him one bit. It would've been more surprising if she had simply accepted him just like that. "What you should and shouldn't do isn't a matter for me to decide," he replied simply, glancing back to the Princesses in a manner that they could follow.

Princess Celestia observed as she was put on the spot, her subjects looking to her for answers and reassurances, while Ulquiorra left the matter in her hooves rather than trying to explain it himself. A wise decision really... she just wished it'd occurred before this incident had gone so wrong.

"From what I gather, Ulquiorra did save you, my little ponies. Twice if I recall," Princess Celestia gently reminded them as they looked toward her for guidance. This was one of the situations she desperately wanted to avoid in his introduction. She'd wanted to avoid the panic that would be experienced if his nature was found out. But sadly it seemed it was unavoidable now. Now it was purely a matter of damage control and attempting to prevent panic from spreading any further than these five. "I know that this is quite a shock for you all. This is one of the reasons I wasn't entirely convinced that Ulquiorra should come with you on this mission, despite the benefits that could be had if he witnessed Fluttershy's kindness working wonders in a manner he's never seen before," she explained softly.

"We too had our reservations due to his utter rudeness and contempt for royal decorum," Princess Luna stated and hmphed. However after a moment she turned back to address them in a gentler tone. "But if he were not dispatched thou wouldst likely be dead now, according to thee's own accounts. If Ulquiorra Cifer were truly intent upon causing harm we wouldst wager a hefty sum that he would hath simply let the dragon do as it pleased and not interfered. And the fact that he didst indeed show restraint when he regarded it as a threat to the wellbeing of Equestria... well... doth we need say more?"

It was quiet again as Princess Luna finished speaking. None of the ponies seemed to have any complaints to raise, at least not immediately so. The main commotion that could be heard was the whistling of the wind and the scraping of hooves against dirt as Rarity tried to bury her mess in a discrete manner.

None of them -not even Ulquiorra- knew how much time had passed before there was a groan from behind them as Twilight began to come around after her fainting spell.

"Okay that does it," she groaned as she tried to sit back up again, "no more rose petals on my pizza, they give me nightmares."

Princess Celestia couldn't help but chuckle at her student's choice of opening statement for regaining consciousness. Determining that the situation wasn't about to go immediately catastrophic she stepped over and gently brushed her cheek against her student's. "Nightmares again?" she asked.

Twilight smiled at the contact, not even having to open her eyes to know just who it was. "Like you wouldn't believe. I dreamt that Ulquiorra had a huge gaping hole in his chest that went all the way through," Twilight explained as she finally opened her eyes to try and let them shift and adjust. "That's really so ridiculous don't you think? Nopony could possibly... have... a..." she slowed and paused as she looked around and laid her eyes on the shirtless Ulquiorra, a hole going all the way through his chest. She hadn't been dreaming! "That's not physically possible!" she yelled and jumped up in surprise.

Granted nothing about Ulquiorra really seemed to be physically possible when she stopped to think about it, but the hole in his chest was the final straw and she couldn't take it anymore. Everything about him was wrong in this world. She'd wanted to study him in an in depth manner when she'd first met him, but now she was finding that idea less and less desirable. It'd be like trying to analyze Pinkie's weird Pinkie Sense all over again, but much worse. Studying Pinkie had resulted in her getting hit with a grand piano; what might happen this time around?

"Of all the things you've seen that defy your world's limited knowledge of physics, it's interesting that you take issue with the hole all Hollows possess," Ulquiorra commented as he watched Twilight Sparkle's unsteady attempts to stand herself back up.

"Everypony's got to start somewhere," Twilight reasoned as she stepped closer, "trust me there's so many things about you that don't truly make sense I don't even know where to begin except with that hole..."

"Uh... Twilight," Applejack spoke up, "ah don' think the laws o' physics and whatnot were written with ghosts in mind. Afterall we ain' never encountered ghosts before, ah don' think anypony's ever actually seen a real ghost before, not even in the Everfree Forest."

Yesterday his observation concerning Applejack placed her intelligence somewhat above Ichigo Kurosaki back in his own world, because she recognized that she lacked answers to his questions and didn't deny the fact. And today she was the first to point out the fact he wasn't of this world would explain why Twilight Sparkle's understanding of physics couldn't properly explain what she'd seen with regard to the dragon. So far the earth pony was displaying a respectable level of intelligence.

However Twilight Sparkle seemed too detached to fully hear and comprehend what her earth pony companion was talking about at the moment. She was currently busy going on about how his "ghostly nature" wouldn't explain how he was fully capable of interacting with the surrounding physical structures encountered, or how he could so easily overpower a fully grown male dragon and not display any signs of physical strain while the surrounding territory was destroyed.

"Twilight darling," Rarity spoke up, "I truly understand how passionate you are about the science behind everything, but there's a more pressing matter you're unaware of. Ulquiorra has said he devours the souls of others," she stated and gestured over in his direction.

"Oh I know all about that. He told me the first day he came to Equestria," Twilight stated as if it were nothing, drawing the shocked reaction of every pony present excluding the Princesses.

Maybe she shouldn't have said that so openly.

"Ya mean ta tell us ya had that information this whole time an' ya didn' think ta tell us?" Applejack asked, the displeasure in her voice easily detectable at being left in the dark like she and the others had been. She'd been lied to in more ways than one, by one of the ponies she considered to be a good friend. What else had she been lying to them about and for how long? "Ya didn' think we deserved ta know that the thing we been talkin' to an' havin' in our homes around our families might be dangerous!?"

"Yeah Twilight! If Ulqy made soul stew out of Ponyville there'd be nopony for me to throw parties for anymore, ever!" Pinkie added frantically.

The situation quickly descended into madness from there, Twilight Sparkle's friends quickly ganging up on her at her failure to share what they deemed vital information. She tried her best to reason with them, to explain that her actions had been in an effort to reduce redundant chatter by getting her friends together in an organized and private manner before revealing his true nature to them in an controlled environment, informing them as a group rather than giving each the full story one by one, and sharing with them details that the rest of the town didn't need to know about his true nature as it didn't directly involve them.

Her efforts at explaining seemed to do little good to quell the arguments. If anything some of the ponies present were shouting even louder now as she tried her best to make sense of everything. Even the guilt-ridden Fluttershy had seemed to join in the outrage. Looking past them he could see even the Princesses were becoming displeased with the way things were developing and spiraling out of control. And from what he could see Princess Luna had reached her tipping point and acted.

"SILENCE!" she bellowed in the Royal Canterlot voice, the booming echo stopping all the chatter and drawing their attention to her as she worked on composing herself before addressing them any further. "Doth not turn thine fury against Twilight Sparkle over her actions regarding the matter of Ulquiorra Cifer! T'was WE that directly involved her in this situation. Verily when we didst learn of Ulquiorra Cifer's past and the nature of his world we didst take pity on him and wish that he be shown the same consideration that we didst receive from thee upon our return," she explained in a passionate manner. "We were the one to put Twilight Sparkle in this difficult position and force her to make such a difficult choice. She is not to blame for what thou were and were not told."

Princess Celestia had remained silent during her sister's speech, weighing her options of when best to contribute something. And right now seemed like as good a time as any.

"I had my own concerns when I first met Ulquiorra and learned about who and what he was. I worried about the wellbeing of all my little ponies and what could come from the presence of... him... and what might happen whenever he might venture beyond Canterlot palace," she said and grimaced slightly while talking. Glancing over she could see Ulquiorra still standing there emotionless as always despite the discussion being about him. Undaunted she continued speaking. "Nevertheless I want you all to know and understand something that's very important. What I saw of Ulquiorra's past I could see nothing to indicate that he was truly evil. Some of his actions were certainly... distasteful in nature... but many of them were the result of following direct orders from someone higher up, someone that I dare say was far worse than Nightmare Moon and Discord during the early days..."

There was a shared gasp between the six at these words. None of them had apparently given much consideration to the possibility of someone from another dimension being a greater threat than anything they themselves had encountered in the past. Even Princess Luna seemed disturbed. Based on his readings regarding Equestria's history Ulquiorra could hazard an educated guess that Princess Celestia's description of Aizen was indeed accurate. There was a reason the Hollows that served him out of fear were motivated to do such.

"Worse... worse than Discord?" Rainbow Dash asked hesitantly, "no foaling?"

"Much worse I'm afraid. This... Sosuke Aizen as he was referred to, was a being of indescribable evil and treachery, the depth of which I couldn't properly ascertain. He dethroned the previous ruler of Ulquiorra's world as if it were nothing upon first arriving. Not even Discord's corrupting influence could really compete with how he gained followers and held power," Princess Celestia explained hesitantly. This was definitely an unpleasant subject to discuss and she really hadn't wanted to talk about it, not when Ulquiorra first arrived and certainly not now. But her most precious student and her friends were in the midst of panicking and disharmony, and she knew she had to do something.

Granted she was exaggerating a few points for their benefits. She just wished she could say she was exaggerating far more than she was. Ulquiorra's world was indeed a frightening place to contemplate.

"...That's not all either," Twilight hesitantly spoke up, distracting her friends from whatever they were busy thinking... or trying not to think. Slowly she made her way over to where Ulquiorra stood and took up a position beside him. "What I have to tell you, a lot of it you're not going to believe. There are points that you're going to possibly be terrified by... but I believe it's important enough it needs to be heard."

Ulquiorra listened as Twilight Sparkle launched into an extensive and considerably detailed recollection of events and facts as she'd been made aware of them herself, along with her own theories of explanation for events that didn't fully make sense. His ability to sustain himself on the naturally occurring mana of their world, Hollowfication and hierarchical structure of the species, definition of Arrancar and what it took to qualify as such, structural order and rule of the Espada, the role and purpose of the Shinigami and the Gotei 13, and Aizen himself and how he betrayed his own people in order to rule. He had to admit that her memory and attention to detail was remarkable, as even after three days of distractions she was recalling details he'd brought up on their first meeting.

However as he listened to her speak, he couldn't help but make observations of her manner of approach. Her delivery of details seemed to be structured in a manner that attempted to portray him in a positive light. According to her he was a victim of circumstances beyond his control and forced to do what he did in order to survive, forced to serve under the mortal enemy of his own race and quite possibly the one who allowed him to become a Hollow in the first place. It was hardly the most truthful recollection of events, certainly not a recount that he would ever give if asked. But he said nothing to correct her.

Throughout the lecture Twilight Sparkle presented, the faces of her friends displayed shock, fear, sadness, confusion, amazement, and more than once he couldn't help but note how Pinkie Pie's eyes seemed to spin in their sockets in a manner that suggested most of what she heard was going right over her head.

And then came the mention of Discord and his involvement in their entire situation. How he'd crossed the dimensional boundaries to bring him here, conveniently leaving out the fact that it was only after he'd died. He could only speculate about her reasoning for such.

Among the other details not shared included his explanation of Aizen's motives as he understood them. Perhaps Twilight Sparkle felt her friends couldn't handle the notion of one willing to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of lives for the mere purpose of forging a key, all for the purpose of carrying out a vendetta against a higher being?

Now that he thought about it, he'd rather not think about it. He instead redirected his attention back to Twilight Sparkle and her continued recollection.

"...And that brings us to what brought Ulquiorra to Sweet Apple Acres," Twilight finished before falling on her haunches and panting desperately for it. By the time she was done she'd been talking nonstop and uninterrupted for over forty five minutes. A rather amazing feat really.

At first it was nothing but silence apart from the occasional wind. Ulquiorra assumed it was simply the calm before the storm. However he never anticipated the storm that struck would be in the form of a pink earth pony moving at unbelievable speeds, and enveloping him in what would be an otherwise crushing force bear hug with both forelegs, trapping his arms at his sides.

"Oh Ulqy I'm sooo sorry!" she more or less wailed as she clung to him. Trying to sonido out of her hold would prove useless as tightly as she was holding onto him.

"Mr. Cifer ah... ah reckon we owe ya a mighty big apology fer how we were treatin' ya jus' a little while ago," Applejack added, although her voice was hard to properly hear over Pinkie Pie's unabated crying.

Were these ponies truly foolish enough to believe that Twilight Sparkle's revelation of his past -colorful as it was by her recount- suddenly changed everything and it became necessary to adjust their perceptions and attitudes towards him? If that were the case then they were far closer to trash than he originally expected. He was a murderer. At one point he was a devourer of souls and Hollows alike. To him, killing was business as usual and his to do if it was necessary. And yet they were treating him as if he were a victim of some unspeakable tragedy in need of comfort and forgiveness. These ponies were as foolish as the human woman was. How could they believe that he was in need of mercy? It was completely illogical...

+++

"I'm afraid I can't give an explanation that'll make sense in terms of basic logic, because the heart in this matter isn't logical by nature. It's like trying to describe friendship in scientific terms. It's something that has to be experienced rather than studied in an academic sense," Celestia replied. Ulquiorra didn't appear convinced. "Over the centuries there've been a great many scholars who've attempted to explain the condition of the heart and how it drives us to do things our brains tell us are illogical. Because of our hearts we do things we normally wouldn't do because it feels right; or simply because it feels wrong to not act in such a manner. It's... very complicated."

"So it would appear," Ulquiorra replied as he went back to scanning the pages of the book in his hands.

+++

Again with matters of the heart. It seemed even in this world he couldn't get away from such an illusive and illogical concept. Was this what motivated them to regard him with pity rather than fear? The same thing that made the woman pity him during his last moments in Hueco Mundo?

"You just wait and see Ulqy! I'm gonna throw you the biggest, absolutely bestest "Welcome to Equestria" party you or anypony else has ever seen, because if anypony deserves it it's definitely you!" Pinkie Pie stated as she continued clinging to him as if for dear life.

Perhaps it was a matter of malice rather than mercy that motivated them.

And perhaps they had decided to take this present course of action simply to make Twilight Sparkle shut up before she could get her second wind. That was a possibility he wouldn't doubt.

"I would settle for simply being released," he replied, finding it strange how the pink earth pony was so effortlessly keeping his arms restrained.

In terms of reiatsu she was a mystery, but she was equally curious in terms of physical strength. The earth pony Applejack worked hard on a farm and had developed a considerably muscular frame. This earth pony worked in a confectionery shop and had more fat on her frame than her counterpart. So why exactly was she so strong?

"Yer prob'ly not gonna get outta it that easy. Pinkie's quite determined when it comes ta throwin' her parties," Applejack stated. Regardless of who or what he was, Ulquiorra didn't stand much chance of avoiding a welcoming party thrown by Pinkie. Especially under these newly discovered circumstances of him literally being new to entire world, if not the entire universe in this dimension.

However that didn't mean she couldn't lend a helping hoof and try to pry Pinkie off of him. Being the recipient of one of those hugs the first time out was a lot to get used to.

"Oh my!" Rarity gasped, bringing the focus back to her, "I just realized something. As late as it is we'll never make it back to Ponyville before nightfall. And this mountain is right in the Everfree Forest. Girls I do believe we have a situation here," she pointed out.

The others quickly realized Rarity was quite right. Even if all of these sudden developments over the last hour hadn't occurred they still wouldn't likely have made it back to Ponyville before nightfall. They'd spent quite a bit of time getting up the mountain, and now getting down at this hour was going to be most unwise.

"Ah reckon we're gonna have ta set up camp an' spend the night," Applejack commented. "We can use the cave fer shelter in case it rains an' set out fer home tomorrow when the sun's up."

"You mean sleep outside on the hard and dirty ground like animals?" Rarity asked, repulsed by the idea of such a barbaric practice.

"Are you serious? Some of the best naps are had in the wide open outdoors!" Rainbow Dash stated.

His earlier observation of Rarity seemed the most accurate. All the complaining she hadn't done on the way up seemed threatening to spill out now that they were presented with the option of staying the night.

And the irony of her statement. An animal -intelligent as it was- objecting to the notion of sleeping on the ground like animals.

There was always the possibility of him directly intervening and taking them back to Ponyville himself. Carrying two at a time and using sonido would have them back at Ponyville in a matter of minutes and they could find their way home on their own before the sun fully set. But such a tactic was dangerous as he doubted their bodies could sufficiently withstand the journey at such high speeds. And considering they were one of Equestria's few available defenses, such a decision might not be wise if he intended to earn Princess Celestia's trust.

Fortunately there was an intervention by Princess Celestia before yet another argument broke out between all the parties involved. "You could always come back with us and spend the night in the palace and take the train back to Ponyville in the morning. It wouldn't be appropriate to just leave you to stay out here after all you've done."

"Really?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly at the prospect. Ulquiorra noted the unusual flaring of her reiatsu once again. All of them seemed to be experiencing a flaring of reiatsu levels at the prospect of spending time in Canterlot... all that is except for Fluttershy for some reason. Hers was strangely constant.

"Wait, what about Spike? He's back in Ponyville and probably worrying about us," Twilight Sparkle pointed out. "We should send him a letter letting him know about this development."

A letter? Was she expecting mail to travel at this time of day? He didn't see anything resembling a mailbox anywhere in the surrounding area.

"We have a better idea! We shalt go to Ponyville and fetch young Spike and bring him forth and meet thou at the palace," Princess Luna announced. "We shalt make a "slumber party" of the event."

"Slumber..." Twilight started at hearing Princess Luna's statement.

"...Party!" Pinkie finished. Immediately the two were side by side, forelegs wrapped around each other as they danced about on their hind legs, emitting excited squeals at the prospect in the most undignified manner Ulquiorra ever saw them engage in. "This is gonna be so awesome!"

The quiet sigh/groan and facehoofing by Rainbow Dash didn't go unnoticed by Ulquiorra, although he seemed to be the only one who did.

"Um... actually... if it's alright with everypony I think I'd rather go back to Ponyville and look after everyone's critters instead," Fluttershy spoke up, her voice raising only a few levels but surprisingly it was enough for everyone present to hear her.

"Really?" Twilight asked curiously as she untangled herself from Pinkie's embrace. The curiosity of the situation currently overriding her excitement of a slumber party with her friends at the palace. "Why?"

"Yeah Fluttershy, getting to spend the night at the palace is awesome!" Rainbow Dash stated.

"It's because of me," Ulquiorra stated, bringing everyone's attention back to him now. "Ever since my nature was made aware I've noticed Fluttershy's level of courage dropping steadily. All of you were affected by the news that I'm technically a ghost, however she has taken the news worst. The most logical conclusion available is to assume she has no desire to be around me because of this fact," he explained. Slowly he turned his gaze back to Fluttershy who was busy hiding behind Rarity at the moment, or at least trying to. "Am I correct?"

It was very small, almost imperceptible even to him, but the nod was there. She was indeed afraid of him being a ghost. So far she seemed to have the most sense out of the lot of them. The others looked at a predator and saw someone in need of a friend. Fluttershy looked at the same predator and saw something to be concerned by. Perhaps that's why her special talent was animals.

And perhaps that was why she had made an effort to protect the dragon from his Cero despite the fact it had tried to kill her and the others; because she recognized that he was the top predator of the situation.

Her own guilt over failing the task assigned by Princess Celestia was likely also a driving force behind her actions. Perhaps she didn't wish to be at the palace because it would require being in such close proximity.

"Hey so what?" Rainbow Dash as she hovered off the ground to better face him. Ulquiorra could tell she was looking for something to fight about and defending Fluttershy seemed to be the convenient option. "So what if Fluttershy is afraid of you for being a ghost? That's no reason to be mean about it!"

He felt tempted to roll his eyes in response to her statement. He had done nothing that would be considered mean or rude in nature regarding Fluttershy's well placed apprehension of him. She was the only one to see him for what he truly was apart from Princess Celestia. Perhaps he should amend his earlier observation about which ponies possess a uniqueness that would warrant further investigation.

Right now the best way to deal with Rainbow Dash was to ignore her and deny her the bickering that she seemed to crave. Instead of addressing her he turned to pick his jacket up off the ground and put it back on, the display of his rank and Hollow hole serving no further purpose beyond this point.

"Jerk," Rainbow Dash muttered and folded her forelegs across her chest.

"If there art no new business we shalt depart and escort dear Fluttershy home, and return to the palace with young Spike," Princess Luna said, taking the opportunity to excuse herself and stepping over to the butter yellow pegasus before they both disappeared.

"Now would probably be a good time to return to the castle as well," Princess Celestia commented. "Is everypony ready?"

"Not quite," Ulquiorra replied in stark contrast to the cheers of excitement and acceptance the others were giving. "Before we leave there is business to tend to."

Business? What kind of business could Ulquiorra be referring to that was preventing them from departing? Princess Celestia was just about to ask that question but was stopped by the sight of a familiar green glow coming from his fingertip. And they knew from experience that glow meant only one thing; he was getting ready to discharge a Cero blast.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Princess Celestia asked in a tone that left no doubt about it being a demand rather than a simple question. She was expecting an answer regarding his actions.

"Taking care of business," Ulquiorra replied and discharged his Cero without so much as a second thought.

Everypony had feared the worst when they saw he was charging his Cero, subconsciously worrying about what he'd do with it, who he might be turning his fury against. So it was only natural to be surprised when his aim had been for none of them but the cave itself, the beam hurtling through the mouth and effortlessly tearing through the roof, an explosion going off inside as the ground shook violently; violently enough for the entire cave to collapse in on itself and be left as nothing more than a pile of uninhabitable rubble.

"With the cave now destroyed no dragon can put Equestria at threat in the same manner again," Ulquiorra elaborated and slipped his hand back into his pocket. "Business is concluded."

"I've got to learn how he does that," Twilight stated to herself in a whispered tone.

The cave was leveled just like that. Anything that'd been left in there was buried and inaccessible now. He'd kicked the dragon's flank like it was nothing, brought down the cave with a single blast of his Cero, and pulled off one of the best one liners ever. That was just... so...

Pomf!

"Oh come on! Again!?"

"Really darling you should look into how to control that," Rarity commented, finding some measure of humor in it all.

Princess Celestia tried not to laugh. First the horror of having that frightening attack blow right past her and completely level the cave behind her, nearly scaring her bladder control right out of her in the process, and now Rainbow Dash's little...it was all too much for her as tired as she was. She was positive that when she was more awake in the morning she was going to be quite upset with everything that had transpired on this day. But first she had to actually get there.

"Now is everyone ready to go?" she asked. Getting no objections she cast the the teleportation spell, transporting the entire lot of them back to Canterlot palace. She had the distinct feeling that the excitement of the day was nowhere near being over just yet.

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

"If Hollows are souls then wha' was yer species before?"

"How's your sonido work?"

"How can your lower body function and keep you upright with no spine in the area of your Hollow hole when it clearly cuts through the most vital location of your body?"

"Do any of the Espada know how to party?"

"How come somepony as awesome as you isn't the lead Espada? What're the others like?"

"By any chance do you happen to know what the current fashion in Las Noches is?"

"You can actually transform!? Cool! What do you look like when you do?"

"How exactly does your pesquisa work? Is it something any of us can learn to do?"

"So these "Shinigami" have zanpakutō's like yours? How do you tell them apart?"

"What's that term you used when the dragon tried to set you on fire but couldn't do it?"

"You can eat mana? What's it taste like? Is it good on ice cream?"

"So there's millions of Hollows in this Hueco Mundo place and three Shinigami just waltz in and take over the place just like that? Seriously?"

"So you mean you punched the dragon right in the chest and it just toppled over in pain? And it was actually bleeding from getting punched?"

"It jus' don' sit right with me, a scrawny fella like ya being so much stronger than Big Macintosh. How'd ya get ta be so strong?"

"So what are the mechanics behind your air walking ability? And how'd you manage to generate sufficient friction and resistance to overcomes the dragon's weight-to-lift ratio of its wings and bring it to a complete halt?"

"Do you ever hear any of the other Hollows in there trying to talk to you or each other about stuff?"

"What do you mean there's no sun in Heuco Mundo? How does anything grow there?"

"So this "hollowfication" process that souls undergo restructures their body, and repurposes their heart to form their mask to shield themselves. If that's the case, then why does the surrounding bodily tissue in the chest area that surrounds the heart form the cavity?"

Those were just some of the questions he'd been subjected to upon the return to Canterlot palace. Why Princess Celestia and Princess Luna couldn't escort the ponies back to Ponyville just as had been done with Fluttershy, was beyond his understanding.

He was apparently the subject of great interest despite everything Twilight Sparkle had told them. Whatever measure of fear they had beforehand was completely overridden by curiosity once they arrived back at the castle. Spike's arrival and learning of his exploits had only complicated the matter, and he was questioned from six different directions over the course of three long hours, questions ranging from the serious to the insane, asking anything that could be thought of that he might have answers to. Questions that he was apparently expected to answer due to his knowledge on the subject.

It was a long three hours standing in place.

At the moment though he was blissfully free of the curious ponies and their unending stream of questions. The late hour had contributed to most of them turning in for the night, and those that had chosen to remain behind and awake were thankfully silenced by Princess Celestia informing them that it was time to retire.

Even if they were all currently awake, and currently hunting him down, he had little to be concerned about. Currently he stood atop one of the roofs to the palace, looking out over the horizon of the surrounding area, content in the knowledge that none of the ponies would be able to find him.

"Hey U.C. Dude!"

Correction. Almost none of the ponies would be able to find him. It seemed the annoying Rainbow Dash wasn't tired enough to the point of actually leaving him alone. How she managed to locate him was something of a mystery as he hadn't seen or felt her anywhere. Then again he hadn't felt particularly compelled to watch for her. Right now she was approaching him from behind. Perhaps if he ignored her she'd grow bored and leave; she did seem like the type that possessed a short attention span after all.

"Dude?"

Or perhaps she'd hover in front of his face and wave her foreleg about in an annoying effort to tell if he were awake or not, looking to see if he was blinking or giving any other signs of being conscious.

"U.C.?"

And perhaps she would get close to his face, close enough their noses were just about touching as she looked into his teal green eyes for any signs of life.

"My name is Ulquiorra," he stated firmly, the sudden signs of consciousness eliciting a startled yelp from the cyan pegasus as she flew back in surprise. "I am neither "U.C." nor "Dude" as you insist on referring to me. And I am certainly not known as "Ulqy" as the pink earth pony insists on addressing me by."

The initial shock was unfortunately not enough to keep the pegasus away from him, as once she recovered from the initial shock she was back hovering disturbingly close to him; in this case just outside of his arm's maximum reach.

"Yeah... well... your name really isn't easy to remember, or pronounce," Rainbow Dash pointed out. She folded her forelegs across her chest while resting her chin on her left hoof in thought. "The... Espada, they've got ranks like a military force or any other organization. Maybe I could just refer to you by your rank? You know... like calling somepony Colonel or General or something?" she suggested.

Not an entirely unacceptable suggestion. It was certainly better than the alternative being used by several of the other ponies who couldn't seem to understand how he preferred being addressed.

"It is acceptable," he replied and went back to watching the horizon. However Rainbow Dash showed no signs of leaving. "You obviously didn't go through the effort of finding me simply to discuss title or address. What do you want?" he asked bluntly.

"Aizen."

Had she even given any thought to what she said before she opened her mouth to speak? Most likely not. However it was only a moment before she began speaking.

"I don't get it, I really don't. You said this Aizen character and his two lackeys, whatever their names were, you said they were these "Shinigami" things that're enemies to Hollows, are directly responsible for Hollows being created by leaving souls stranded in the living world where they're most vulnerable, and they kill Hollows when they find them. So why exactly did you work for somepony... body... thing that's your enemy by every single definition?"

She was no longer hovering in a stationary position. She looked like she was pacing back and forth in her hovering.

"I mean... three Shinigami defect from their own group, whatever the hay it was called, head to Hueco Mundo or wherever, waltz in like they own the place, take over the place and nopony... no Hollow raises a hoof or claw or whatever in protest? That's just seriously, seriously wrong," she said as she stopped in front of him and turned to face him. "You said you've killed before, right? As tasteless as it is to me and the rest of the girls to even consider... well... why didn't you kill them on sight? How do you know they weren't there to wipe out every last Hollow they saw?"

He had been asked many questions since his arrival here in this dimension. Many of them were foolish in nature and didn't warrant an answer. So far only a handful of questions, mostly those asked by Twilight Sparkle, were intelligent in nature and seemed worthwhile giving a proper answer to.

However in the case of Rainbow Dash hers was a very valid question. She hadn't pressed him on anything concerning the physics of his dimension and how he could do the things he did, but rather the basic predator/prey nature of the current structural order of Heuco Mundo.

"Most Hollows that serve Aizen do so out of respect or fear for his power. It's not known precisely how a Shinigami became so strong, it's only known that he did. He exerts bravery in a world dominated by fear and predation. One could say he was recognized as the top predator of the food chain," Ulquiorra explained. The matter was far more complex than that but it was likely the pegasi's mind couldn't comprehend the finer details and he saw no point in wasting his time simply to be told she couldn't properly follow him.

"I don't see you as being the kind who's really afraid of anything," Rainbow Dash commented.

"As I said most Hollows. Those that don't fall into either of the above mentioned categories chose to serve Aizen out of gratitude for what he did to them. The Primera Espada-"

"You mean Starrk?"

"-Correct. He chose to serve Aizen because he could grant him an end to his loneliness, introducing him to Hollows that wouldn't crumble to dust simply by being in his presence."

"... What about you specifically? How'd this double crosser Aizen get you?" Rainbow Dash asked after a pause. "You don't seem like the type who wanted friends. What was it?"

She could be quite perceptive. But at the same time she could be quite nosy. Regardless of what she was, she was annoying. There was no denying that fact.

"Hueco Mundo is an expansive wasteland, nothingness stretches on for hundreds of miles in every direction. There's no warmth, no pleasant sights, no friendship or happiness, no reason to justify one's continued existence other than simply existing. When Aizen found me he gave me a reason to justify my existence. He gave me a purpose to live for and succeed at. Suddenly my life had meaning. There was no longer nothingness before me," he explained calmly.

"And you didn't have any problem with being his pawns? To be used and sacrificed at his whim simply because he believed he didn't need you anymore?" Rainbow Dash asked him. However she waited barely a second before continuing. "That doesn't... I don't know... sit uneasy with you? Knowing that the one who gave you a purpose could take it all away just for kicks?"

"Ultimately it was our purpose, even if it doesn't make sense to you. It is the reason for which the Espada were originally assembled. We were all aware of that fact from the beginning," Ulquiorra replied. "We were Aizen's to do with as he pleased. If he believed sacrificing us would best suit his purposes then it was our obligation to fulfill his orders..."

He was greeted by utter silence in response. Rainbow Dash seemed to have nothing to say in response despite opening her mouth several times as if trying to vocalize a point but no point came. All that was heard was blissful night time silence.

At least for a minute.

"Loyalty huh?" she asked as she set down on the roof not too far away from him.

"Indeed," he replied simply.

More silence. But not nearly as long as the last time.

"Looks like we both understand how it's not all it's cracked up to be..."

That was of interest. He didn't expect such a statement to come from the one who bore the Element of Loyalty. One of the other Espada would certainly think nothing of making such a statement, or even one of the lower class Arrancar that served Aizen even without being selected to fill the role of the Espada. At least one Arrancar came to mind immediately. But Rainbow Dash was most certainly no Arrancar, just a mere living pony.

He looked at her skeptically. Almost immediately her entire demeanor changed as if she'd been caught discussing top secret information. "Er... nevermind. I don't wanna talk about this," she stated quickly.

He looked down at where she currently sat with his skeptical gaze, noting as she flinched.

"If the matter was something you didn't want to talk about you wouldn't have brought it up in the first place even by accident. The very fact that you did would suggest it is something at the front of your mind and you're looking for any excuse to speak of it," he replied and continued his unblinking stare, causing her to flinch further. "If you have something to say then say it. Do not continue to waste my time by playing pointless games."

Rainbow Dash frowned in response. "You're as annoying as Twilight at times, you know that?" she asked in a manner even he could tell was rhetorical in nature. "Look... if I tell you about this is it gonna be in confidence or whatever? You're not gonna go running off to tell my friends or Princess Celestia that I said anything...right?" she asked.

"... During my time under Aizen's control there were many tasks I was charged with. However not one of them involved sharing secrets about my fellow Arrancar. Whatever you have to say I don't foresee it as being a matter that would warrant reporting."

It was a matter of truth that he never engaged in any "snitching" in Hueco Mundo. Primarily because he never had to as Aizen was quite aware of what was going on in his domain. However there was no reason to share that fact right now. What was most curious was why the pegasus wished to open up to him specifically.

The simple fact that his omission seemed enough to assure the pegasus that confidence would be maintained seemed to be what she was looking for. However, for whatever reason, she still insisted upon looking around as if someone were eavesdropping on her.

"... About a year ago there was an incident back in Ponyville. My... friends... felt that I was getting a little too boastful just because the townsponies were recognizing how awesome I was because of what I did. Saved a foal from a well, stopped a loaded carriage or two from going off the edge of a hill, saved some old folks from a falling balcony... you know, the standard hero stuff," she started. Seeing that he was listening quietly she continued. "So I started letting them know that they were right, that I was awesome and I was a hero. But my... friends... thought I was getting too full of myself or whatever. Rather than just talk to me about it, they decided that for whatever reason, I needed to be taught a lesson about my boasting, and concocted this elaborate scheme and created a ponysona known as "Mare Do Well" to show me up."

More silence from Ulquiorra. He wasn't even asking questions about what she was saying, like he was understanding everything as she laid it out. She didn't know whether to be thankful or weirded out. Either way she continued uninterrupted.

"Over the next couple of months my supposed friends, while in an elaborate disguise that only Rarity could create on such short notice, orchestrated an elaborate plot to prove to all of Ponyville that I wasn't as awesome as they thought I was. Applejack's incredible strength, Pinkie's ability to use her Pinkie sense to predict and intervene in tragedies, Twilight's control of magic, even Fluttershy's ability to fly. They crafted the image of an alicorn that was bent on stomping me into the ground in the most humble way imaginable, showing up to perform a heroic display whenever necessary and then disappear without a word being said. And when they weren't in costume and showing that together they were greater than me, they were talking up Mare Do Well like the greatest thing to come along since the Apple Family's legendary cider."

More silence from the Espada. While it allowed her to tell her story it was also annoying that it provided no distraction and instead left her to focus on the details exclusively. It was starting to get harder to share everything in a coherent manner.

"Scootaloo dismantled her fan club to me for Mare Do Well, Mayor Mare planned on honoring her as a hero, nopony even noticed me no matter what I did, and they wanted me to honor Mare Do Well for all the good she'd done. And then I... then I found out who Mare Do Well was...and what they did... a-and why they did it... and they, they actually had the nerve to make it out like it was my fault and I deserved it and they... they..."

Ulquiorra observed her in silence as she told her story. It was hard to tell if the current difficulty she was experiencing was due to sadness or anger. She was experiencing some kind of choking difficulty from what he could tell. More curiously was how her reiatsu was starting to flare as she recalled the details of her story, her body trembling.

"They just make me so mad! Anytime anypony else was showing they were good at something they didn't concoct some plan to show them up and prove to the town that they were nothing special! We didn't try and prove to Pinkie that she's not the best at throwing parties, or show Applejack that the rest of us are better at applebucking than her, or prove to Rarity that she's not the best at fashion, buck we didn't even try to show Twilight that her magic isn't all that great. But when it comes to me, suddenly it's open season and it's alright to engage in trickery and make me look useless. Me of all ponies, one of the Elements of Harmony, they picked me to trick because the town finally recognized I was awesome! They went and pulled the awesome right out from under my hooves and they were supposed to be my friends!"

It was definitely anger currently. Despite only possessing roughly half her normal level of reiryoku right now it was exerting a considerable amount of reiatsu on the surrounding area. And it seemed to be increasing.

"Some days I can't even stand the sight of them, much less hanging around them after everything they put me through! They're supposed to be my friends, friends don't do that to each others! There's nothing funny about what they did, it was cruel! They made me feel like I wasn't worth anything, like no matter what I did there'd always be somepony better than me just waiting right around the corner to stomp all over everything I've worked so hard for! And then they laughed at me and everything I was going through! And then they had the nerve to expect everything to go right back to normal like I wasn't hurt or anything, like there was nothing wrong with what they did... I just want to hate them so much for everything they did!"

The swelling of her reiatsu had been steady but significant, seeming to pique at her last statement before dropping substantially, like a fever breaking.

"Some days are better than others. Some days I can pretend like everything's alright and we're alright. Other days not so much... sometimes I wish I was the Element of Honesty because then I could tell them exactly how I feel about them. But instead I'm stuck as the Element of Loyalty and I have to live with feeling betrayed by them. I can't even tell them how I feel because they're supposed to be my friends, and if you aren't loyal to your friends even when they're jerks then you wind up being loyal to nopony..." she paused. A long, long pause before finally continuing. "Making matters worse is we're the Elements of Harmony. How can we expect to be harmonious when we need to if I tell them how much they upset me with their little stunt? Equestria could be in danger if I do that. All I can do is swallow my anger and wear the mask of Rainbow Dash: lazy good for nothing weather pony obsessed with being the fastest, joining the Wonderbolts and napping whenever I can..."

He would never admit it to anyone that might ask. But Rainbow Dash's story had left him... mildly surprised after hearing it. The fact that this unassuming world possessed the same issues as the human world was... intriguing. He hadn't believed that this world was as peaceful as Princess Celestia would have him believe and it seemed he was quite correct in his suspicions. But now he had some measure of tangible proof, proof that not all was as it seemed. Beneath their abnormally colored coats and child-like personalities these ponies were just as ruthless and un-peaceful as any of the Espada.

This was a matter that truly warranted further investigation.

"You're... you're not gonna tell anypony about this... are you?"

His attention was drawn back to Rainbow Dash as she was now looking up at him. Her entire demeanor had changed in the course of less than a minute. She was no longer bristling with anger and fury and as she looked at him her eyes looked quite irritated and wet.

"Somepony... somebody as awesome as you are... doesn't have to go telling what he heard some little pegasus talking about... right?"

"It is indeed a matter that Princess Celestia must be informed about," he stated. The look of terror on her face was immediate but she wasn't allowed to speak. "However I believe it is a matter reserved for you to discuss when you believe the time is right. It isn't something she needs to hear from me."

He could almost feel the pegasus relaxing before him at hearing the news. It was all quite pitiful really. Did Princess Celestia fully understand just who she had entrusted the safety of Equestria to when she provided these... ponies... with the Elements of Harmony?

Perhaps that was why Discord had seen fit to bring him here. Perhaps the agent of chaos held a similar view and believed a change was necessary for this world's safety. That was certainly something that would make some measure of sense... but at the same time it created new problems that didn't make sense and would need to be addressed.

"Thanks."

His attention was drawn back to Rainbow Dash yet again. She was a most curious pony to associate with. She quickly alternated in terms of opinions held towards others depending on various interactions. Earlier she was calling him a jerk, now she was confiding in him as if she could trust him despite the relatively short duration of their having known one another.

"Now it's my turn to ask the questions. Why do you not fear me? Out of all those you associate with, Fluttershy is the only one to see me for what I truly am. She is wise to have fear regarding me. You and the others may have concern, but you don't visibly regard me as a predator. Why?"

It was a matter that was completely illogical. They all knew what he was; a ghost, a devourer of souls, a murderer and strong enough to beat a full grown bull dragon into submission without even having to fully exert himself. And yet only Fluttershy seemed to truly regard him with the severity the situation warranted. It was a mystery that he wanted to get to the bottom of.

"Huh?" she asked curiously as she blinked, his question completely catching her off guard. "Well I can't really speak for the others and what motivates them. But me in particular? I dunno really," she replied and shrugged, "sure you're... different... but you never really struck me as that much of a threat to us. I mean sure you stomped the hay outta that dragon and everything but...I dunno. I can't really explain it. It's just sorta... seems right I guess?"

It wasn't an explanation that made sense to him. Despite knowing about what he was, despite seeing what he could do without even seriously trying, these ponies still didn't regard him as he should be. He wasn't even certain if Princess Celestia still regarded him with a healthy level of suspicion and distrust. Was this entire dimension built upon the concept of second chances being passed out to everyone and everything so freely? Were these ponies genetically engineered in a manner that rendered them predisposed to trying to find some measure of good even in the worst? Discord was alive. Princess Luna was alive. The dragon from earlier today was alive. He was alive. In Hueco Mundo such threats would be terminated immediately.

"There's a matter that must be tended to in the library. I must depart for now," he replied and disappeared in a flash of sonido, leaving nothing behind but a booming echo of static and one very confused pegasus sitting on the roof and looking around.

"I've gotta learn how he does that," Rainbow Dash stated.

Based on his preliminary observations it seemed safe to categorize Twilight Sparkle as partially nocturnal in nature. She seemed to keep stranger hours than the rest of the ponies and remained awake later in the evening than others for the purpose of reading. It seemed only logical that she would be in the library tonight while the others slumbered.

Fortunately that wasn't the case. On this night Twilight Sparkle was absent and that left him free reign of the unrestricted section of the library, the purple unicorn likely slumbering away like the rest of the ponies, minus Princess Luna's staff that currently stood by the doorway. Not that he expected anything less from one of the rulers, he was still a threat and rightly regarded as such. If Princess Luna had decided to engage in a different practice he would be... disappointed. At least Princess Luna seemed to regard him with more seriousness than Princess Celestia who allowed him to travel without an escort this day.

The absence of other ponies meant an uninterrupted chance to further study the history of Equestria. New questions and mysteries had arisen over the course of this day and they warranted further study; something that couldn't be done when being asked an endless supply of questions. But at the moment it appeared safe to conclude that such an interruption wouldn't occur.

Nevertheless he still chose to remain perched at the top of one of the taller bookshelves. Above the ground few would be able to locate him unless they knew to look all the way up in this particular spot of the library.

"Ulquiorra Cifer, art thou in here?"

So much for uninterrupted research. He'd sensed her long before he saw her, but he'd hoped she was simply coming in to pick up some reading material for a dull stretch of her watch when there were no duties to tend to. Sadly that was not the case as she was looking for him. Fortunately she didn't seem aware of him as she was currently walking past where he was perched. That... could have possibilities.

Without a word he closed his book and slid it under his left arm, stepped off the ledge and plummeted to the floor, landing feet first with a loud bang upon impact directly behind her. The sudden commotion in the otherwise quiet library startled the younger sister, and made her both jump and yelp, before turning around to see what the noise was.

"Thou art indeed a jerk!" Princess Luna stated and scowled at him, not appreciating the scare in the least. A scowl that failed to move him and instead was returned by his standard emotionless look. She was the first one to blink. She had more important things to tend to rather than attempting to stare him down in a useless manner. However he was the first one to speak.

"What do you want?"

Blunt and straight to the point. She expected no less of him. Nevertheless it was hardly enough to dissuade her.

"We came to see if all was well. Considering this night 'tis a slumber party thou didst depart quite early. Thou left before the "fun" could begin," she explained.

"The concept of "fun" is of no interest to me. It is nothing more than a waste of time and not worth engaging in for any reason," Ulquiorra replied and reopened the book to continue reading where he left off, paying no attention to the frown Princess Luna was currently giving him.

"Thou are most stubborn and unpleasant to associate with," she stated and continued to frown at him.

"And despite knowing that fact from the beginning, for some reason you felt compelled to directly involve your sister's student because you believed I was worth it for whatever reason. I can't help but question why," Ulquiorra replied as if her statement meant absolutely nothing to him. He continued reading through the paragraph he was on before casting an aside glance at her and continuing. "What was your motivation for going behind your sister's back to involve Twilight Sparkle and her company when dealing with me?"

"We believed that thee might benefit from experiencing kindness and friendship firsthoof. However we art no longer fully certain of that being correct. After all the goodness we ourselves experienced we didst have hope that thee might benefit in the same manner. But thou doth have no interest in such. We can see that we hath wasted our time," Princess Luna stated.

"You're lying," Ulquiorra stated simply and paused to slowly turn the page to continue the current paragraph. "If you have no desire to share the true motivations for your actions then it's of no consequence to me. However do not waste my time by spinning deceit as to what motivated you to go behind your sister's back in such a treacherous manner. I can only speculate that you must have had strong motivations to do such, knowing there would be consequences once your actions were found out."

Silence once again filled the library, neither party speaking any further. The only noises heard were the occasional turning of a page and Princess Luna's own breathing.

"Guards. Depart from here."

The shadow guards blinked at the command of their Princess breaking the still silence of the library. The order was confusing in nature but they did as ordered and left the entrance way to the library.

Princess Luna remained silent, monitoring as they left. Once she felt they were far enough away she turned to Ulquiorra and faced him directly. "What we hath to say may never be heard by anypony else under any circumstances. The ramifications could be most disastrous to the harmony of the kingdom."

Another one? Why did these ponies choose to view him as if he was a trustworthy confidant? He hadn't been in Equestria more than a few days, certainly not long enough to even try and craft the image of someone that could be trusted. Was this the work of Discord or were they naturally this trusting of strangers? Perhaps an inborn desire to want to trust others and see the good in them? If he pressed Princess Celestia would she have freely shared the facts relating the Elements of Harmony with him?

Considering her actions with Discord's rehabilitation it was entirely possible that she would have done just that.

"I understand," he replied. However he truly didn't understand the matter at all. It was all a mystery, but pressing her for details didn't seem promising. It was yet another matter he would have to further research at a later date.

"... Thou art not truly the first devourer of souls this land hath bore witness to," Princess Luna said as she looked him straight in the eyes, demanding his full and undivided attention as she spoke. Her entire posture was broadcasting the fact that he wasn't to speak while she was speaking. "One thousand and three years ago... when we became Nightmare Moon... we didst engage in such an act ourselves, but not of our own volition. The foul demon didst need souls to sustain its form and maintain control over our mind and body and to bolster its strength to properly contend with our dear sister," she explained, although not anywhere near a level that could be mistaken for calm. Her entire body was trembling as she spoke and her voice was shaky.

"By the time our dear sister was able to intervene it was already too late. The foul demon that possessed our body had devoured the souls of seventeen young foals that night in order to maintain itself... including the soul of young pegasus filly that was very dear to us... to me..."

He said nothing as Princess Luna spoke. However he did close his current book and tuck it back under his arm. This turn of events warranted his full attention.

"Our dear sister ensured that these facts were buried for she knew what harm would occur should they ever get out. She ensured the details of that night were buried with us, never to see the light of day again. And we art thankful that she did. But even though the demon that possessed us is forever gone, the knowledge of what we did is not. We will live on for eternity and forever remember the looks of horror on their faces; as we watched helplessly at what we were forced on that accursed night!"

Ulquiorra remained silent as Princess Luna talked. The story had some surreal quality to it and it seemed hard to believe. But her posture and body language told him that it was most certainly not any type of attempt at humor. The shaking of her shoulders as she dropped to her haunches wasn't the kind of shaking witnessed when one was attempting to suppress a laugh, that much he was certain of.

"Thou doth wish to know why we didst involve Twilight Sparkle as we did? Because we didst hope that if thou could find friendship and be forgiven even with all that thee hath done then... then maybe one day there wouldst be hope for us as well, and we too could be forgiven for all that we didst do!"

Rainbow Dash's confession had been about the betrayal by her friends in response to some insufficiently explained incident back in Ponyville. Leaving her feeling resentful towards them but forced to maintain a false image of everything being fine, the whole recollection being made in anger.

Princess Luna's confession had been about the entity of Nightmare Moon possessing her body and using it in the slaughter of their subjects for the simple purpose of sustaining its own life, to try and do battle with Princess Celestia, forcing its host to watch everything as it unfolded. Unlike Rainbow Dash, her recollection was made in sadness but delivered in neutral-to-anger terms, and lacked the same emotional resonance.

Rainbow Dash was able to resist crying, as she recounted how her friends had gone out of their way to engage in a cruel prank and attack not only her trust in them, but her own sense of self worth. Princess Luna was not as able, and now sat on the library floor, unable to control the tears that were currently escaping.

Why did these ponies believe he was so trustworthy? Why did they feel he could be confided in, and why did they believe he even cared about their problems enough to hear them? Did Princess Celestia know what her sister was doing right now? It was all very confusing to him.

Even more confusing -and outright disturbing- was the feeling of discomfort he was experiencing as Princess Luna cried freely. How -and why- was he being affected like this?

"Perhaps I was too hasty in accepting Discord's offer," he thought as he turned his attention back to the book to begin reading again in an effort to tune out the wails of the Moon Princess before him. "Perhaps I should have simply remained in the void and awaited my fate. Surely hell can't be as bad as this."

Morning once again returned to Equestria, once again bringing the change in rule as Princess Celestia raised the sun to begin the new day. It meant Princess Luna retiring for the day and no longer crying in his presence, lamenting over the actions of her alter ego a thousand years ago. The new day also meant the holders of the Elements of Harmony would be returning to Ponyville to continue about their everyday lives. More importantly though, the new day meant he would be able to continue his studies undisturbed and gain a better understanding of his surroundings.

"What is it you want?"

Or at least he could if Princess Celestia wasn't making her way into the library. A peaceful opportunity to study in silence seemed unlikely the way things were proceeding.

"The train back to Ponyville is leaving in half an hour," Princess Celestia explained, unfazed by the bluntness of Ulquiorra's manners of address. "I came to see if you wanted to see the others off before they returned home."

"No," Ulquiorra replied simply and turned his attention back to the book in his hands, saying nothing further despite feeling Princess Celestia looking at him. He had no reason and no motivation to watch the others leave. It was nothing more than a waste of time and a useless gesture to engage in. There were more important matters at hand right now.

Silence once again washed over the library except for the occasional turning of pages. Princess Celestia said nothing further, simply turning and leaving the library.

"Do you believe they'll talk about what they experienced yesterday?" Ulquiorra asked, waiting until she was just about to step out of the library before finally speaking up.

"How do you mean?" Princess Celestia asked as she stepped back closer to him, curious at the sudden breach of silence.

"Yesterday they were made aware of details pertaining to who I am, what I am and what I did back in my world. Do you believe they'll spread this information around Equestria through gossip or do you believe they'll refrain from such, and hide the fact that you have an unrepentant murderer as your newest subject?" he asked.

So that's what he meant. It was certainly a good question. So many new and unexpected details coming to light in such a short amount of time, some of her little ponies prone to talking about things that they shouldn't. It made sense that he'd be concerned about the possibility of such.

"I don't believe they'll go blabbing about what they heard. They're intelligent enough to understand that if all the details got out it would cause panic all over Equestria from those that are less informed. There are certain things the populace is better off not knowing and they're quite aware of that fact. I don't believe even Pinkie would want to go and terrify everypony with tales of a strange being whose exploits sound like something out of a story book. Your secret will be safe with them," she explained calmly.

"Hopefully they possess more restraint than Princess Luna when it comes to maintaining secrets."

"... Pardon?" Princess Celestia asked after a moment of confusion. What was he talking about? What had Luna been talking about?

Ulquiorra left her waiting until he was done reading the current paragraph before addressing her again.

"Your sister was all too willing to inform me how as Nightmare Moon she engaged in devouring the souls of several of your subjects before she was finally stopped. One would expect such knowledge would be more carefully guarded and not handed out so freely to someone new to the dimension. The ramifications to be had should such information ever become public knowledge would be quite disastrous. Your entire kingdom might tear itself apart with outrage and panic. The diarchy would suffer greatly and there would be widespread distrust to contend with, possibly a civil war as well," he explained calmly while slowly turning around to face her. "You're trusting your subjects with information of a most sensitive nature. Finding out about one murderer would be bad enough. I don't care to consider what the populace of this land would do should they ever find out there are two, one of whom is a ruler of theirs. For your sake and theirs I hope that you're right in the placement of your trust."

If Princess Celestia was prone to the same violations of the rules of physics as Pinkie Pie, he suspected her jaw would be on the floor by now. But for whatever reason she wasn't talking and he didn't feel compelled to ask why or even face her right now.

"Luna... Luna told you about that?" she asked after a long stretch of silence.

"Readily. I must say I'm mildly surprised, more by the fact that so many are so willing to trust me with their secrets than the details of what she did," Ulquiorra replied. However before Princess Celestia could get a word in edgewise he continued talking. "Do you now plan on having me executed after this revelation?"

She frowned. Was Ulquiorra deliberately going out of his way to taunt her with the fact that he knew more about the Diarchy than the rest of Equestria did? Was he challenging her? Was he trying to determine if she was soft in her rule and unable to make hard decisions when required? Even with everything she'd seen in his mind, there was still a great deal about him she didn't know or fully understand.

Why did Discord have to put her in such a position? Surely if he was interested in making her miserable there were easier ways to go about it.

"... At present I don't believe that's necessary," she finally replied and stepped closer. "The number of those who know growing from two to three really doesn't prove to be much of a threat. And so far you haven't given me any reason to believe that you aren't trustworthy or a blabbermouth. So long as I'm certain that the kingdom isn't in any danger I believe we can fully avoid any unpleasantries such as that."

The irony of her statement, was she even aware of how much her statement contained? She spoke of his trustworthiness despite having no trust of him. She kept him under watch through her guards, carefully monitored him during their interactions and engaged in various other methods of trying to gauge whether or not he was a potential threat and how much danger he posed. She regarded him as a security issue to the point she had bound his resurrección and prevented its release and even placed her student Twilight Sparkle in charge of him when he wasn't in their presence. And yet she spoke of trust when there was none on her part?

Most curious indeed.

"Then let us try and avoid unpleasantries," Ulquiorra replied and directed his attention back to the book at hand.

"Indeed," she replied and nodded, despite the fact he couldn't see it. "I believe I'll go see Twilight and her friends off now. Should I give them your regards?"

"Do whatever you wish, it makes no difference to me," Ulquiorra replied. If Princess Celestia desired to lie to her subjects who was he to stop her from doing so?

Without another word she turned and headed out the library, leaving Ulquiorra alone and to his own devices, with the exception of the two unicorn guards standing by the entrance. She trusted that he could keep himself busy enough in his research that she wasn't needed to guide him.

However when Luna awoke, she would definitely need to have another discussion with her about the importance of secrets.

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

"One week."

"Pardon?" Luna asked as she looked up from her current breakfast dish, being a bagel smeared with rich and decadent Fillydelphia cream cheese, a long withheld treat she was eager to re-indulge herself in all over again, and her sister interrupting her wasn't very welcome right now.

"It's been a full week since our little ponies learned about Ulquiorra's true nature," Celestia stated. It sure didn't seem quite like that amount of time, but it certainly was. One week ago she'd dispatched the Elements of Harmony to motivate a dragon to leave the area. One week ago Ulquiorra had proven his loyalty by saving her little ponies from harm and taking on the dragon himself. One week ago the Espada's secrets had unfolded before them.

And much to her relief there hadn't been so much as a single report of widespread riots or panicking among her subjects. It was safe to assume the secrets and details of last week were still secret amongst the seven; just as she'd expected from them.

"We art aware," Luna commented before returning to her bagel, before addressing her sister. "And what ist the status of Ulquiorra Cifer himself. Ist he still in the library reading?" she asked.

"Still in the library, standing up longer than any of the guards can hope to compete with," Celestia replied and chuckled, "I rarely see him out of there unless I have the guards bring him forward. You certainly weren't exaggerating when you talked about his reading skills."

Luna said nothing in response, choosing instead to focus on the delectable sweets of breakfast and making up for lost time.

Granted she could've enjoyed this treat at any time she desired such, Celestia's influence could do little to stop such from occurring. But immortality, combined with natural sibling rivalry, further affected with a mischievous streak, made for strange goings on from time to time. And what some would say amounted to a strange punishment was truthfully closer to being a dare. An exceedingly annoying dare actually. But one she had won nonetheless.

Breakfast continued in relative silence, apart from noises of pleasure Celestia was certain Luna was making for no other reason than to annoy her as she expressed her joy for the prohibition on sweets officially being lifted. But she'd let her sister get away with it... for now anyway. There were more important matters to tend to... such as the scroll that materialized above her head and was enveloped in her magic.

It was a rather large scroll. It was over a dozen pages thick if she were weighing it correctly. She knew Twilight could indeed be an avid writer and give detailed reports, but this was excessive even for her most times.

Perhaps it was from Rainbow Dash? Ever since Twilight had convinced her that books were for everypony she would sometimes make an occasional attempt at writing herself. Asking her to sample her work for review really wasn't out of the realm of possibilities with that wild pegasus.

"Doth thou plan on reading that or simply holding it?" Luna asked, wondering just what could be in the scroll. Usually Twilight Sparkle's friendship reports came later in the day after some excitement had been had. Perhaps she'd forgotten to send it yesterday and just now remembered? Most likely not, but one could never be absolutely certain of anything.

"Be patient dear sister, be patient," Celestia replied and unrolled the scroll, peeling the first outward sheet and starting to read it.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I regret to inform you that this isn't a friendship report but rather something of a different nature. As it's been a week since the last time any of us have seen Ulquiorra there's been more than a few questions asked. And since we aren't certain when he'll return to Ponyville several of us had the idea to send him a collection of letters so the ponies interested could ask these questions and get a response.

At least I hope they'll get a response. Knowing Ulquiorra like I do there's no guarantee how things will go. I can only hope that this doesn't turn out to be a waste of everypony's time, yours included.

Signed,
Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle

"Oh my..." Celestia said as she finished reading the note, a slight grin creeping over her face.

"What is it, dear sister?" Luna asked curiously.

"Letters to Ulquiorra apparently. Those in Ponyville are apparently quite interested in him, and they decided to write him directly," Celestia explained and grinned further. "I wonder what his reaction's going to be when he finds out he's gotten fan mail."

"Truly?" Luna asked as she stood up and walked over to read the first letter over her sister's shoulder. "Hmm..." she frowned, "something tells us this will not go well. We wouldst wager fifty gold bits that Ulquiorra Cifer doth not reply to so much as one letter."

"You're actually betting on Ulquiorra's development within our world?" Celestia asked. That was... odd. Had the Espada particularly angered her and made her rethink her investment in the situation?

Luna nodded in response. "We are indeed. Ulquiorra Cifer is not one that would concern himself with sparing others their feelings should they annoy him. And we suspect that should he answer any they will most assuredly be harsh and unforgiving in nature."

Luna had a very good point. Ulquiorra had been quite blunt in all of her interactions with him, and quite quick to call her out when he suspected something wasn't right according to his views; he'd really let her have it regarding the failed assassination attempt in the gardens. She still couldn't look at him without remembering that conversation and how everything had gone.

"It's a possibility. But we'll never know without trying," Celestia pointed out, levitating the letters over to her sister. "Would you mind delivering these to him after breakfast?" she asked.

Luna looked at the roll of letters and frowned. Her go into the library to play mail mare? Hardly one of her sister's more unusual requests. But venturing into the library had the possibility of a nasty surprise waiting for her... unless...

"We shall do so, dear sister, it will give us a chance to have a word with Ulquiorra Cifer..." she said as she magically took hold of the letters, grinning mischievously to herself at the thoughts that were currently entering her mind.

Luna appeared in the library in a flash of teleportation, hovering high off the ground near the ceiling, grinning at the brilliance of her plan and how Ulquiorra Cifer would never be able to sneak up on her from this vantage point. Her plan was quite foal proof as far as she could see since she had the high ground at her disposal.

Now it was just a matter of locating that Espada and delivering the mail, and then going to bed for the day, leaving her sister to manage whatever headaches occurred after this point.

"Ulquiorra Cifer! A word-"

She was interrupted by the sound that was characteristic of the sonido technique, the Espada appearing in front of her before she could even complete her sentence, looking her right in the eye with those emotionless teal green eyes as if she'd disturbed him in the middle of something important.

The disturbing aspect of it all was how he was so easily looking her in the eyes when she was so high off the ground. And then she remembered the one little detail that was most crucial and went forgotten when she formulated her plan; Ulquiorra Cifer's airwalking ability. It still baffled her how he could do something like that without the use of magic, or at least without any of the appendages their subjects used when they delved into magic. No horn for casting spells, no wings for flight, no latent abilities like earth ponies, just... she didn't know how to describe it.

Of course him being able to pop out of nowhere in such an undetected manner didn't help matters any. It was unnerving how he could move about as such.

"'Tis most disturbing how thee can do that," she stated and frowned. He said nothing and continued his stare. How did he so easily make her feel so uneasy. "Where hast thou been lately? We hath not seen you in the historical section the past few days. What doth occupy thine's time as of late?" she asked.

"Anatomy of the three pony races. If I'm to be in this dimension for an extended period of time, it's only logical to know all I can about those I must interact with," he explained calmly.

"Truly?" she asked and tilted her head. "And what hast thou been learning?"

"Based on my studies so far, it seems safe to assume the one called Rainbow Dash is quite lecherous in nature," he replied. "You wished to have a word with me when you appeared in the library. Did it pertain to my studies of your world, or the bundle you have tucked under your left wing?"

In her haste to try and pop in on Ulquiorra Cifer in an effort to take him by surprise she'd nearly forgotten the reason she actually came here. Fortunately, he was aware enough to notice minute differences and that reminded her of the bundle of letters she was currently transporting with her.

"These are for thou. Some of our subjects hath seen fit to write thee and ask questions since thou art not present to be asked directly," she replied and levitated the bundle over for him to take.

"What do they say?" he asked without even taking hold of them.

"Seeing as they belong to thou it would be improper for us to read them. 'Tis a task reserved for thee and thee alone," Princess Luna responded and pushed the bundle against him until he finally took hold of them. "We must take our leave now. It has been a long night and we need our sleep. A good morning to thee, Ulquiorra Cifer," she stated and disappeared just as she'd come, leaving the Espada alone with his bundle of letters.

"Curious," he muttered to himself and touched down on the library floor. He was certain his trip into Ponyville had convinced the populace that he wasn't worth interacting with but it seemed he was quite wrong about that possibility. He could understand Twilight Sparkle and some of her friends writing him but there were too many sheets present to be just from those seven. Perhaps the best way to get to the bottom of this curiosity would be to unwrap them and begin reading. He peeled the first sheet off as it was the most logical place to start.

Dear Ulquiorra,

How've you been doing since our last interaction? I hope everything's going alright in Canterlot. I still can't believe you've got access to the library and have no need to sleep, I'm so jealous of that fact.

I'm sure Princess Celestia explained things to you, but just in case she didn't here it is: a lot of the ponies around town have been asking about you, and since your visits are more or less restricted we decided it would be best to send you letters to ask the questions they can't ask you directly. The idea was such a good one I had to get involved too.

The next time you come to Ponyville could you help me with some matters of scientific study and exploration? I'd love to understand the nature of the mechanics behind your abilities, but without your help there's nothing I can do except academic hypothesis. The amount of beneficial discoveries that could be had are quite possibly limitless, and there's simply not enough parchment available to detail what kind of benefits to all of ponykind could be had with your presence in Equestria. For instance if we could learn the mechanics behind how your body can absorb mana from the area, and replicate it in living beings, the hunger problems in areas beyond the border could be alleviated. And then there's the matter of your hierro and how it could be used to prevent injuries in the workplace.

Did I spell that right, hierro? Our languages being two different standards and bridged only by Discord's magic can really be troubling. Pronunciation is one matter, but attempts at translating and spelling on a written dialect are a real challenge.

Maybe for the sake of ease in communication I should just refer to it as your armored skin. It makes about as much sense and it's far easier to translate.

Anyway, if you could come it would be really appreciated.

Signed,
Twilight Sparkle

P.S. Did I spell your name right? Everypony else is using the same spelling based on our language's structure of phonetic pronunciation. If it isn't right I'm going to feel more embarrassed than when I actually considered not studying you at all because of how you so easily violated the laws of physics of our world. But as a scientist I shouldn't be discouraged just because a challenge is significant.

Sorry. I'm rambling again.

Somehow this didn't surprise him any. The fact that Twilight Sparkle was the first to write him and the fact she still wished to study him in a scientific setting were to be expected. At least her ambitions were relatively noble in nature rather than self-serving. No talk of using him to further goals of usurping control from Princess Celestia and ruling in her place, no talk of attempting to use him as a catalyst to trigger her own evolution and become a new breed of life form.

"Granz she is not," he muttered and set the page aside and peeled off the next one to read.

Dear Ulquiorra Cifer,

Do you like muffins?

Signed,
Ditzy Doo

He studied the letter for a minute before flipping it over to look at the back side. That was the entirety of the message from Ditzy Doo?

He recalled his initial observation of the pegasus mare. Not overly intelligent but at least she was polite when addressing him. And she manged the proper pronunciation of his full name right off the bat. He went on to the next letter.

Dear Ulquiorra Cifer,

I must say word of your defeat of the dragon has spread over Ponyville like wildfire, and you're being regarded as something of a celebrity. If you have time before you must depart back for your own land, would you have time to stop by the Ponyville Elementary school, and address the class about this amazing feat of yours? Many of them still can't believe the tales of Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, and even with dear Twilight's assurance that most of what they say is perfectly accurate, I must admit even I have trouble comprehending the details.

Signed,
Cherilee

Speaking before a class full of children. Was the earth pony serious? It was most likely that she was indeed. It also seemed that Twilight Sparkle and her friends hadn't yet corrected their story about him merely visiting Equestria. Regardless he chose to press on.

Dear Mr. Cifer,

Your first name's harder to spell than it is to pronounce so I'm just gonna stick to your last name, I hope that's alright.

Anyway, folks around town have been abuzz ever since last week and I think they're right to. You're stronger than Big Macintosh and he once moved an entire house by himself when he was courting Miss Cherilee. Real long story there, you'd have to drop in and hear it sometime because it loses something in translation.

I'm still a might curious about just how strong you really are. I'd love to see what would happen if you ever tried to buck an apple tree. Maybe someday you can stop by Sweet Apple Acres again?

Signed,
Applejack

P.S. Anymore of that deep thinking going on that you'd like to share? I gotta admit being around you has been making me think harder than I'm accustomed to. Not that that's a bad thing.

Perhaps the one who held the Element of Honesty was looking to put him to work on her farm? At present time it at least sounded like a more promising purpose than simply studying the concept of "friendship" as Princess Celestia had assigned him. He shrugged and read another.

Dear Ulquiorra Cifer,

Being a unicorn my whole life the idea of not having magic, and yet still being able to carry heavy items and use an extremely fine level of dexterity, and control over even the most delicate of applications is highly intriguing. Having hands with fully articulate fingers like a dragon or a gryphon must be so awesome I can't even imagine what it's like to do what you can do without even thinking about it.

Is there a certain preference/dominance of your hands with one being more favored for use than the other or is there an ambidextrous symmetry to how you carry out physical tasks?

Signed,
Lyra Heartstrings

Somehow Lyra Heartstrings writing him was of no great surprise. She had taken a great interest in his hands and their untapped -to them anyway- potential for use. Had it not been for Twilight Sparkle mediating the first trip to Ponyville, the sea green unicorn would've dominated the conversation and prevented the others from having their say.

Dear Ulquiorra Cifer,

Seeing as you don't have a cutie mark of your own, we'd like to extend to you the invitation to become an honorary member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Having someone like you on board with us would be so awesome! Nopony would ever make fun of us again!

A word of caution though. Rarity is looking forward to the next time you come into Ponyville as she has plans on getting your measurements to start a new line and style of clothing. Watch your back.

Signed,
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo & Sweetie Belle,
The Cutie Mark Crusaders

Utter nonsense and childishness. Individually these three appeared respectably intelligent for their assumed age range. But when together that intelligence appeared significantly reduced.

From what he gathered of their organization their attempt at earning their cutie marks involved trying anything and everything of interest in the hope of more or less falling into their special talent. Did they not understand the repercussions they were dealing with? Did they have no concept of how many things could go wrong with such an approach? Why were the adults so useless in correcting them when it came to their own stupidity?

Dear Ulqy,

By the time I'm done you're going to laugh, smile, know what fun is like, and have lots of ponies to call your friends. That's a Pinkie Pie Promise!

Signed,
Pinkie Pie

If ever there was a piece of transcript worthy of being discarded and ignored this was most certainly it. He moved onto the next one.

Dear Ulquiorra Cifer,

I really must apologize for my un-ladylike behavior back on the mountaintop. How I reacted was uncalled for after all you'd done for us, how you put yourself in danger just to save us from that beastly dragon. It was all during a moment of most primal response, but that truly doesn't excuse my own bad behavior or my hostility after learning about your true nature.

By chance could you see about stopping by the Carousel Boutique at some point in the near future? I'd just love to craft you a new suit of clothing, one that isn't quite so drab in nature.

Signed,
Rarity

Surprisingly the crusaders had been right about their warning of Rarity. He moved onto the next letter in the pile.

Dear Ulquiorra Cifer,

The town council and I would be most honored if you could come to Ponyville sometime so that we might commemorate your heroism last week in saving the town and all its residents from the dragon that nested in the mountains to the south.

Signed,
Mayor Mare

Commemorate his heroism? Was she serious? These ponies believed that he was acting in the capacity of a hero, when they didn't know the details except for what they were told by the six ponies who were present? He was certainly no hero, he was merely abiding by Princess Celestia's orders. He moved onto the next letter.

I don't often say this about ponies other than myself, but in your case I'll make an exception: you're awesome!

What's your top speed anyway? Have you ever raced against anypony, and utterly dominated them and left them in the dust while you zoomed on ahead for the win?

Signed,
Rainbow Dash

P.S. How much mana DO I use up when I do the Sonic Rainboom? Not knowing is killing me!

It was rather amazing. The cyan pegasi's annoying nature didn't seem limited by the boundaries of in person interaction, but rather seemed to follow with the written word. Shaking his head he moved onto the next letter.

Greetings Sir,

If possible I'd like to set up an appointment to meet with you for the purpose of discussing the possibility of opening a branch store of Barnyard Bargains in Hueco Mundo. With a successful chain of stores in Ponyville, Fillydelphia, Manehatten, Las Pegasus, and as of recently Appleloosa I'd like to see about adding another location where ponies and others can benefit from great bargains.

Signed,
Filthy Rich

He remembered Filthy Rich. His hairstyle reminded him a great deal of Aizen's. He didn't particularly care for the stallion, but that was primarily due to how aggressive he seemed in talking up the greatness of his supposed empire. Without a second thought he moved onto his next letter.

You've so gotta come down to the club some night and hear as we rock out to some epic wubs!

Vinyl Scratch
A.K.A - DJ PON3!

...

Moving on.

Greetings Sir,

I regret to say that I was not able to make your acquaintance during your visit to Ponyville as I could not be reached. However, Twilight and her friends have spoken very highly of you, and I hope to one day rectify our missed opportunity. Whenever we meet I would love to hear more about your world and see how it compares to my native land, as I too am not from the territory of Equestria proper.

Signed,
Zecora

He was going to assume that this Zecora individual was of zebra descent. In this world the name would certainly seem to suggest such. This Zecora might have been the one he'd seen in the market place. Or perhaps there was a colony of zebras in the area; he was certain the one under the top hat had been a male and Zecora sounded like a feminine voice. Perhaps this one had some merit that was worth investigating, if for no other reason than to sort it all out. He moved on further.

Dear Mr. Cifer,

The answer to your question is yes.

Signed,
Time Turner

He flipped the letter over and studied the back of it but found nothing but blank parchment. Even holding it upside down showed no new information. He was confused now. He remembered the earth pony named Time Turner, but he certainly didn't remember asking any questions to the strange brown pony. He moved onto the next note.

Dear Ulquiorra,

Did you really have to go and teach Twilight about some of the profanity of your world? Do you know how she gets when she's frustrated in her studies? It's not pretty.

Signed,
Spike

...

Mission accomplished.

Overall the majority of the letters were of no importance. Their inability to speak with him directly were of no real consequence if this was all they had to say. It was fortunate that there was only one letter left to read before they could be dispatched with, and he could return to his studies on somewhat more relevant matters.

Dear Ulquiorra,

I'm sorry for how I acted back at the dragon's cave. I know that you're not a monster and I shouldn't have acted that way, even though I was really scared by the fact that you're a ghost, and upset over how you were dealing with the dragon, even though it was somewhat necessary considering everything. You really did save our lives and I should've thanked you for that fact, but at the time I just didn't think of it. I'm really, very sorry about that. I promise the next time you show up I'll try not to be so afraid around you, everypony deserves friends and understanding, even if they aren't ponies... even if they are ghosts.

And I'm so sorry for not being able to deal with the dragon myself. If I had just been stronger, more assertive before everything went wrong none of this would've happened. It's my own fault and I really don't have anypony to blame but myself. I never should've made you the recipient of my anger.

Signed,
Fluttershy

He felt something upon reading the last letter. He felt something, but he wasn't sure just what it was. He would admit that he was mildly surprised to see a letter from Fluttershy of all ponies. Considering how she had opted to return to Ponyville alone that night, he was certain he wouldn't be seeing or hearing from her again. She was scared of him, angry at him, angry at herself, and yet she still found the motivation to send him a letter along with the others.

These ponies were indeed full of surprises.

"And as you can see from the spread sheets detailing Chart 3A..."

She was trying very hard to stay focused on the current subject and what they were saying. She really was trying... but it was so very hard to maintain the regal appearance and not look tired and bored to tears. This one was completely unfazed by the new trial order of the day court and had come prepared with spread sheets like Twilight when she got geared up to give a lecture, and his droning voice made it so hard to stay interested.

It was a worthy cause this pegasus was currently representing, it really was. The use of treasury money wasn't motivated on the privileges of the wealthy but rather assisting the community, and she would gladly set aside the amount of bits that would be necessary as she could see how much good would come from it.

But the delivery, oh dear Faust, the delivery was so dry and detail oriented. So many facts and figures explaining not only why this was a good cause but how the money would be used, not just in the short run to get the project up and going, but also the projected next five years. If this kept up much longer she was going to fall asleep on the throne.

"Now if you'll direct your attention to Chart 4F..."

She wanted to groan right now and just hang her head. Couldn't somepony just make him be silent for even a minute? Was a timely interruption too much to ask for?

"And as you can see the requested funds will also be used for care and maintenance of-"

Boom!

"-Luna's mane!"

Princess Celestia suddenly found herself fully awake and alert, the sudden and familiar booming echo of static, the change in pitch of the pony's voice and their sudden outburst all combined to snap her back to what was at hoof. In this case it was a matter of Ulquiorra having suddenly appeared behind her current audience and startling them, finally breaking the droning nature of his voice.

She'd asked for an interruption and that was exactly what she'd gotten.

"Am I interrupting?" Ulquiorra asked evenly, a stack of parchment tucked under his arm as he stood there, paying no attention to the stallion in front of him.

"I must say you are," Princess Celestia replied in order to keep up the otherwise regal appearance. She then directed her attention to the stallion before speaking again. "The day court is in ten minute recess. As to you good sir I believe your proposal has a good deal of merit to it, I dare say it's even worth investing in. And I'll be sure to let my sister know that you thought of her wellbeing and grooming when you submitted your proposal."

The stallion was flustered but nevertheless nodded and moved to leave the throne room, continually glancing back at Ulquiorra in confusion, bewilderment and even a bit of resentment at being so rudely interrupted and so easily disturbed.

Princess Celestia waited for the audience to be cleared before magically shutting the throne room doors, after which she stood up from her throne and stretched, a series of creeks and even pops coming from her body as she did do. "I should scold you for interrupting the day court in such a manner when you could clearly see I had business to tend to," she pointed out in a manner that clearly showed her displeasure.

"If you must. However I doubt whatever lecture you have to deliver will be as dull and listless as the one you were being subjected to," Ulquiorra replied without even blinking. Even he didn't know for certain if he'd be able to stand through the entire presentation and maintain his stoic nature. This random pony had delivered more facts and figures than any briefing he'd experienced under Aizen's reign.

Observant and quick, a rather dangerous combination to have. He was certainly right that there was nothing she could do that would approach the proposal she'd been forced to sit through. But this was official business he'd interrupted by just appearing like that... official business that'd slowly been driving her closer and closer to unconsciousness until he'd appeared. Had the timing been nothing more than a mere accident? Or had he been watching and listening and deliberately chosen that moment to pop in?

"I believe you're right," she agreed and nodded, the only thing she could do to hide her own juvenile amusement at how funny the interruption had been. Shaking her head she turned her attention back to him and the parchment tucked underneath his arm. "I take it you've been reading your letters?"

"Indeed. At least some would appear to warrant a written response. The majority however were requests that I return to Ponyville at my earliest convenience," he replied, still finding the notion unbelievable. How did they still wish to interact with him?

"Really now," Princess Celestia replied in curiosity and amusement. It seemed he was becoming rather popular. This could be a good thing if the others still wanted to be friends with him. "Do you plan on attending?"

"I do not plan on engaging in any such foolishness. I lack the ability to travel beyond the castle walls in a free and unrestricted manner, the events of last week's emergency circumstances notwithstanding. There's no point in making plans and preparations for something that will never happen. I don't foresee any circumstances in the immediate or distant future under which you'll ever trust me to the point that I may travel like the others," Ulquiorra replied.

"You really think so?" Princess Celestia asked in a neutral tone with an equally neutral expression.

"I do. I foresee myself eternally tethered to a short leash and kept under close watch because of what I did back in Hueco Mundo, because regardless of your words, you still have no reason to trust me regardless of what I might do," Ulquiorra replied. He allowed Princess Celestia time to think over his words before continuing further. "I can only speculate on what your intention is. Perhaps you believe that depriving me of the opportunity to devour souls will drive me to the brink of starvation and bring out the primal instincts of my previous stages of evolution. Or perhaps you still believe I have the intention of assassinating you and want to keep a close eye on me. The reasons however do not change what the end result will most likely be."

Why? Why did she have to keep having conversations like this? And how? How did such a simple question bring up so much deep discussion on issues of trust and speculation? Was he doing this to her on purpose? Did he have some inherent ability to dig at her and strike below the surface with such ease?

Perhaps it was related to his predatory nature as to how he could so easily get at her.

She really, truly, honestly didn't know just what to do with Ulquiorra. It was so difficult to develop trust with someone in a situation like this. All of the tests she'd deployed up to this point had been spotted and called out immediately. How was she supposed to learn how trustworthy he was if she couldn't manage to outsmart him even once? He had no motivation to reveal his true nature if he could smell out a trap. It was like he was going out of his way to prove he had the superior intellect and wouldn't be made a fool of.

"Then we're at a stalemate it would seem. And as much as I hate to admit it I don't know what to do about it," Princess Celestia finally replied and hung her head, shutting her eyes tight in hopes of somehow being able to suffocate the migraine that wanted to form.

"How did you go about learning to trust Discord?" Ulquiorra finally asked in the silence of the throne room, causing Princess Celestia to look back at him. Seeing that he had her full attention he continued. "The spirit of chaos is not one that could easily be trusted, nevermind reformed from a blatantly destructive and unpredictable nature. Yet you and Princess Luna consider him a valuable tool and ally and he is not subjected to constant suspicion and surveillance. I can't help but ponder as to why," he explained.

She felt like her brain had shut down on her at being asked the question. Ulquiorra raised an extremely good point by bringing up Discord, and try as she might she had no answer to offer him up in response. How could she trust Discord after knowing his history and having personal experience with the kind of chaos he could reek, and yet when it came to Ulquiorra who she could -supposedly- easily overpower him just by displaying her magic, she couldn't do the same thing? Now that he'd pointed it out to her it didn't make any sense. She felt like banging her head against a wall.

"I'm sorry, Ulquiorra," she said as she closed her eyes again, "I don't have the answer that you seek. This is more complicated than even I would've originally thought."

He suspected that she was lying on the matter. But lacking further information he couldn't comment. Her trust of Discord likely had something to do with a saying of his own world, a saying relating to sticking with what you were most familiar even if it wasn't the most favorable of dealings simply because of knowing what to expect. Princess Celestia had over a thousand years knowledge of Discord, there was likely little about the spirit of chaos that she didn't know about. He was the familiar element in the equation, the one that she had some basis with even if it wasn't the best of arrangements.

He could also see that the discussion likely wasn't going to go anywhere. If that was the case then his presence here was no longer necessary. Princess Celestia had other matters to tend to other than simply answering his questions. Recognizing this fact he turned around and began walking toward the doors that lead to the hallway. "I'll inform your subjects that I won't be able to return to Ponyville."

"That... won't be necessary..." she spoke up just before he could grasp the door handle. He slowly turned and looked back at her skeptically. "You make some very good points, some of which I'm ashamed to say I didn't consider until now. And if we're ever going to get anywhere on this trust issue then I'm going to need to be more open to the idea of you interacting with my subjects in a natural manner. And...I also need to start thinking of you as one of my subjects rather than some strange being stranded in this world by the likes of Discord. If I don't... well we'll never get anywhere," she explained. Or at least she did her best to try and explain the situation to him. Why did he have to be so smart?

"You're quite certain?" Ulquiorra asked in an even tone, his voice giving no indication to what he might be feeling about what she was saying.

She nodded. "It's something that really does need to get done. Considering my actions with setting Discord on the path to reformation..." she paused at this, trying to figure out what to say next. "Does any of this make any sense to you?" she asked.

"Nothing has truly made sense since my coming to this dimension. One more thing added to the list is unlikely to make any difference," Ulquiorra replied and grasped the door handle. "What should I tell those who have asked? Would you suggest ambiguity and vagueness, or is a specific time frame able to be given?"

If she was ever to get anywhere on the trust issue with Ulquiorra she was going to need to start somewhere. Throwing random tests at him wasn't going to do anything, he'd made that point quite clear. It was time for a leap forward if they were truly going to get anywhere and she had to make that leap.

"Perhaps tomorrow morning would be a good time to depart. It'll allow me to make arrangements for a chariot and give you time to answer your correspondence," she replied. One more night would give her more time to think things over better. "For now though I must get back to my subjects. And please try not to scare anypony when you leave."

"I can promise nothing," Ulquiorra replied as he opened the door and disappeared in a burst of sonido, leaving Princess Celestia behind and alone with anxious petitioners eager to beseech her wisdom.

Spike let out a painful and pitiful groan as he held his scaly stomach while sitting at one of the tables in Sugarcube Corner. He hadn't felt right since sending Princess Celestia all those letters and now that it was mid-afternoon he was starting to feel worse; sick even. His gut was in churning turmoil and felt bloated, he felt worse than the time he'd wolfed down that entire gallon of ice cream because he mistakenly thought his future self would be the one experiencing the misery rather than him.

"Twilight," he moaned weakly, "Twilight I don't feel good, I feel like I'm gonna puke or something."

"Oh dear," Twilight replied at hearing Spike's announcement, not noticing the looks on her friend's faces. Anypony being sick was miserable, and a sick baby dragon was all the worse to deal with. Had he eaten something that didn't agree with him? Was there some illness going around or something? "Can you walk?"

"It hurts to even move, I can't make it," Spike replied weakly as he tried to breathe easily in hopes of easing the pain in his stomach but without much success.

"Alright Spike just hold try and stay calm while I get you to the bathroom," Twilight spoke in a reassuring voice as she used her magic to lift him up, at the same time trying to be quick to avoid getting dragon vomit all over Sugarcube Corner, that mess would never come out.

Unfortunately Twilight didn't get more than two steps away from the table before Spike could no longer hold it and let everything out, that being a very loud belch of green fire and over a dozen scrolls that dropped onto the table.

"Whew! I feel a lot better now," Spike commented and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He really hated sending large numbers of letters at any given time, and receiving them was even worse. But at least now it was over. "I'm hungry."

"Ya reckon Mr. Cifer wrote us back already?" Applejack asked as she looked over the scrolls on the table, each one of them with a name written on the outside.

"It could be," Twilight said as she set Spike back down in his chair and began sorting through the scrolls. "We'll need to deliver the ones to everypony that isn't here though," she pointed out before finally coming across her own scroll, picking it up and reading it.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

As you are likely to understand I'm not in the habit of using pleasantries when addressing others. However it has been impressed upon me by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna that doing so while here would be a good idea. Seeing as they are in charge I feel there is little choice but to concede even if I don't fully agree. For the time being I will employ the same pleasantries of address you and the others have in your letters.

Not all of the letters that were sent could be replied to. Whether or not that will be understood by anyone waiting for a response is not something I concern myself with.

To the best of my knowledge the spellings you have employed are accurate. The Equestrian language is nothing like that which I was familiar with and as such I can only make assumptions about the exact nature of how we can communicate as fluidly as we are. I suspect it to be the work of Discord in bringing me to this world.

The majority of techniques used by Arrancar-grade Hollows are largely instinctual in nature. Attempting to explain the basic mechanics behind their operation to one who is not familiar on some level with their workings may be difficult. I am uncertain if any successful attempt at replicating them can truly be made. However I am not opposed to the prospect should I ever find myself back in Ponyville. However others have made requests of me as well and I'm uncertain how much time can be devoted to any one individual when factoring in the matters of the commute and the curfew I am under as per Princess Celestia's orders.

Overall further communication would appear to be warranted.

Signed,
Ulquiorra Cifer

Twilight smiled as she read her letter to herself. This felt like progress was being made, real and tangible progress. The very idea of getting the opportunity to more closely analyze Ulquiorra's technique could yield significant scientific benefits for the entire world, and he was willing to cooperate with her studies. Or at least that was how she was reading his letter.

That was the reading she was going to go with.

Even now her head was swimming with excitement and she could barely focus on what was going on, visions of fame and academic recognition dancing wildly in her mind.

"Hey Egghead come on, what about the rest of us?!"

And then Rainbow Dash had to go and interrupt her little fantasy. Drat her luck. Scowling she set aside her letting and started looking through the rest of the pile.

"Here we go, Rainbow Dash, here's your letter," Twilight replied after giving it a quick glance and passing it to the cyan pegasus.

"Sweet!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed and grabbed her letter to read what he had to say.

Dear Rainbow Dash,

Upon learning of the fragile and delicate nature of your own mortality, and how your continued existence is contingent upon an answer to your question, I feel compelled to provide you with the answer you seek in order to sustain your life. I cannot deliberately allow harm to come to one of the six ponies who holds the fate of the world in the palm of her hands, or more accurately the cleft of her hooves.

The "Sonic Rainboom" technique you claim to have mastered consumes approximately sixty five percent of your overall mana reserves. Based on my observations of your status in the hours after the encounter with the dragon, I can say with reasonable certainty that your mana reserves are replenished at a rate of four percent per hour afterward.

In regard to your original question I am uncertain of my top speed as I've never been required to prove or display such. Perhaps "fast enough" is the appropriate answer.

Signed,
Ulquiorra Cifer

"That jerk!" Rainbow Dash shouted angrily, much to the amusement of her friends who were all laughing.

"I told you not to use that wording when you wrote him," Twilight pointed out as she chuckled. She knew Ulquiorra had no real sense of humor and wouldn't take to her letter structure the same way others would. But the fact that he'd gone out of his way to answer with sarcasm was quite interesting. "Alright who's next... aha, Pinkie your letter's next and... hmm..."

"What about mine, what about mine?" Pinkie asked excitedly as she bounced on her hooves, eager to see what kind of response she'd gotten. The fact Twilight was being silent and scowling in a confused manner only seemed to make things worse and filled her with an even greater desire to find out the details. "What's it say?"

"I think you'd better read it for yourself," Twilight replied and levitated the note over for Pinkie to read, the contents not making any real sense to her.

Dear Pinkie Pie,

Challenge accepted.

Signed,
Ulquiorra Cifer

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

The atmosphere in the halls was painful as the princesses walked by in forced silence, Luna lingering behind, afraid of what she might be facing and yet worried if she stayed too far back her sister would drag her forward across the marble floors by her ears; a most painful experience she had no desire to experience ever again.

"Get in," Celestia ordered once they'd arrived at their destination, her personal quarters. The door was opened quite easily by her magic as she stood there pointing a hoof for her sister to follow.

Luna reluctantly and hesitantly stepped into the room, Celestia soon following. The door was pulled shut and clicked into a locked position before a wave of magic washed over the room. Judging from its texture and intensity Luna could tell it was a high level soundproofing; something that didn't inspire confidence in her one bit.

"I'm not going to yell until I hear the full story. And I hope you have a good reason for your actions," Celestia told her, the tone of voice causing shivers to run up and down Luna's spine. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"We do. But we have a question, and if we do not ask now we fear we may never have the opportunity to," Luna stated and breathed to steady herself. "Dost... dost thou still love us?"

It was a cheap and shameless ploy, and Celestia could see right through it. Her little sister was attempting to appeal to her emotional side in desperation to saving her own flank. It was no different than a foal in trouble asking their parents if they were still loved despite what they'd done. It was a foalish maneuver that her sister was attempting to use on her with those big worried eyes of hers.

And unfortunately it was one that worked as well. Despite her own fury with her sister's actions, she couldn't maintain her anger with her sister herself. She found herself needing to vent her frustration with a sigh as she hung her head and shut her eyes.

"My dear little sister, I could never stop loving you even when you were Nightmare Moon, you know that for a fact," Celestia told her before opening her eyes and looking at her once again. "That said, I'm still upset with your course of action. Writing Twilight Sparkle directly is hardly upsetting to me, I'm really quite glad that you're finding ways to interact with our subjects and our friends. But this is another matter entirely."

"We are aware," Luna stated.

"You believe so? You're aware of how important this situation is right now? You understand how much danger the kingdom could be put in through your actions? You're aware of what you put in jeopardy by bringing Twilight into the equation? You know as well as I do how important she is and what is planned for her in the future. What do you think would occur if something happened to her at this stage in her development?" Celestia asked as she paced back and forth, the vented frustration coming back as she spoke.

"We would not let anything like that happen to Twilight Sparkle, she is our friend as well as thou's!" Luna stated.

"And how would you prevent any harm from coming to Twilight? Can you tell me that? Luna you haven't seen what I've seen, you don't know for yourself what Ulquiorra's world is like and what the status quo is. If he tried-" Celestia started but was quickly -and vocally- interrupted as her sister stopped her from speaking any further.

"If Ulquiorra Cifer had tried to lay so much as a finger on her he wouldst quickly find himself firmly embedded in the library wall!" Luna loudly stated and stomped her right front hoof on the hard marble floor, producing a fine spiderweb crack in the process as her wings flared out dramatically. "We love Twilight Sparkle as much as thee, if not even moreso, as she was the one who made it possible for us to be rescued from the demon! She is our friend and we wouldst never allow harm to come to her! We were there in the Crystal Kingdom, watching and waiting should she and her friends fail to stop King Sombra, we wouldst have ensured the Crystal Heart never fell into his hooves and that no harm come to the ones who hold the Elements of Harmony. Not even our niece Cadence couldst have stopped us should we have found it necessary to act!"

Celestia found herself taking a hesitant step back at her little sister's emotional outburst. She'd forgotten how truly frightening Luna could be when she successfully caught somepony off guard just as she'd done with her, going from quiet and reclusive to louder than life in less than a second.

"Do not assume we didst not weigh the situation carefully before we acted simply because we are the younger sibling, dear sister, for we did indeed. We believed Twilight Sparkle's involvement was most warranted under these circumstances and responded accordingly. You may not believe that we were careful in our actions but we most certainly were. Thou's student and our friend was never in any danger. Nor do we regret our actions for they were most certainly necessary," Luna said as she tucked her wings in at her sides.

Now that Luna's outburst seemed to have passed it was Celestia's turn to talk. And unlike her younger sister she didn't need to catch somepony off guard to be intimidating.

"Necessary you say? And how can you say that with such certainty?" she asked as she looked down at Luna.

"Thou hadst no intention of allowing Ulquiorra Cifer to interact with the outside world beyond the palace walls, we were most certain of that. We did not believe thee's course of action was the correct path and chose to intervene on his behalf. He is our subject now thanks to Discord, 'tis our responsibility to see to the matter properly," Luna replied, doing her best to present herself in a manner equal to her sister in terms of intimidating presence; an effort she was sadly failing.

"How I was dealing with the matter was my decision and mine alone. You don't seem to understand the severity of the situation, Luna; Ulquiorra is not a pony, dragon, gryphon or any other species we've had diplomatic relations with. He's the only one of his kind in this world and he presents a unique situation as well as a unique threat to those around him. He's-" Celestia lectured, but again was interrupted by an outburst from her younger sister.

"He is not the first devourer of souls this land hath encountered! Thou doth know that fact better than anypony!" Luna shouted directly at her sister, her emotions flaring about wildly. "Thou doth know what we did as Nightmare Moon on that fateful day! Doth thou not see thine's own hypocrisy in the matter at hoof? Our past actions were forgivable, but Ulquiorra Cifer's past actions are not!? We cannot allow ourselves to abide by such nonsense!"

She was left sitting on the floor of her sister's chambers, panting to catch her breath again after that last outburst. Her entire posture more or less silently stated that she wasn't done yet and her sister at least seemed willing to wait for her to get her second wind before saying again.

"Twilight Sparkle doth know full well about Ulquiorra Cifer's past and she doth possess no fear of it, rather fascination and intrigue. And we hath seen nothing to even suggest Ulquiorra Cifer has intentions to cause her or young Spike any harm. We art willing to state our continued rule on it."

Celestia remained silent in wait for her sister to finish her argument. And while she waited she couldn't help but think. Think back to the incident she was referencing. That was a very, very dark time indeed. A time that their little ponies could never, ever, under any circumstances, ever learn about. Many of them were still learning to trust Luna even now and that was the last thing she needed to get out. Word would spread like wildfire and panic would grip the nation. It wasn't unreasonable to believe that Equestria would tear itself apart at the seams if the truth got out.

"If thou doth insist on punishing us for our insubordination then so be it, there is nothing we can do to stop thee. But we doth not believe Ulquiorra Cifer deserves to be punished for actions that he was not in full control of at the time, for we know just what that is like; 'tis a most horrible experience to be sure. Thou wouldst be broken should it ever happen to thee."

+++

That was over a week ago. And yet it was a memory that just wouldn't leave her alone. For whatever reason it found motivation to keep coming back at the most unpleasant of times. Try as she might she simply couldn't get over how strongly her sister believed in defending the Espada to her, how much she had put on the line to try and help him because she believed he warranted it.

The whole thing ha been an ugly, unpleasant, and emotional episode. Yelling, shouting, screaming, arguing, and crying; lots and lots of crying. More than once hugging had been quite necessary; lots of hugging really, topped off with a great deal of reassurance. She was quite thankful she'd put up the soundproofing spell prior to things devolving into utter madness, as she didn't care to consider what would've happened had the entire palace heard their argument.

Eventually all was said and done, and the matter was settled as best could be expected. But the damage was done, and there was nothing that could be done after that point but damage control; something both of the Princesses were well versed in.

And now the only thing that could be done was wait and see how each day played out and hope for the best; something she was quite well versed in. It was unfortunately the only defense against another area she had much experience in, which was feeling helpless to control the outcome of things. For all of her powers and abilities, there were still areas even her strengths never amounted to enough. She could juggle the sun and the moon with such ease, and yet there were still so many things that she couldn't do.

She'd hoped that one more day of having time to think things over would ease her mind and give her some sort of insight to the matter at hoof, but so far there hadn't been any answers wanting to come forth. As she sat by herself in the royal gardens and looking up at her sister's night sky she felt frustrated, alone, and even scared of the possibilities that might unfold before her and beyond her control.

"Someone help me. Is that really too much to be asking?" she asked herself, knowing she wouldn't get a response from the hedge maze.

It was at this point in time that a clay flowerpot strolled over in front of her on three stubby little legs, an arm sprouting from the body with a full watering can and pouring its contents onto the dirt inside of it, the upper body of Discord popping out like a weed.

"Tell me my dear 'Tia are my ears smoking? Because right now they truly feel like they're burning."

"Discord..." Princess Celestia sighed and stood back up. Why him? Why now? Why her? "As much as I'd like to dismiss you I'm afraid that you could be of some assistance to me at this point..."

"Really now? Little ol' me?" Discord asked as he pulled the rest of his body out of the mobile flower pot. "And what might you need me for, oh dear Princess of the Sun?"

"Ulquiorra," Princess Celestia stated simply. "I don't know what to do with him. There are too many conflicting points to properly sort out. How much can I trust him? Can I even trust him? Is it wrong not to trust him when I find myself trusting you?"

"Let me ask you something dear 'Tia. Do you believe I'd do anything likely to bring harm to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, the two ponies I care about more than I do my own amusement at instigating disorder in the natural flow of things?" Discord asked in a serious manner. Princess Celestia remained silent at the presented question. And her silence meant he could continue. "Granted the lad has dangerous potential, even I won't deny that. But then again so does your dear student Twilight Sparkle, you know how unicorns can be and what's happened in the past. You remember the last assistant to ever serve under Starswirl the Bearded, you were there yourself. You know as well as anypony what could go wrong with that entire race."

She continued remaining silent. All very good points for consideration, that much was for sure. But it didn't make things any easier at all.

"I suspect you already know the proper answer, having seen so much in more than a thousand years of rule. You just want some reassurance from someone else," he pointed out, twisting his neck around into a loop as he looked her straight in the eyes. "Trust yourself my dear 'Tia, it's served you well in the past... even if you are far more of a stuffed shirt than I would care to freely associate with."

She scowled at him in response. "You aren't exactly the easiest to deal with either, being the living embodiment of a foal's scribbling attempts."

"Scribbling attempts? That's low even for you 'Tia!" Discord stated and frowned back at her.

It was a stare down between the two, each locking eyes upon the other. Princess Celestia was the first to growl and snarl. Discord followed her example without hesitation, the two inching their way closer to each other until their noses were practically touching. It was a tense moment and one that promised bloodshed and broken bones.

Or at least it would have if Discord's face hadn't morphed into something comical right before Princess Celestia's eyes, the results coming almost instantaneously.

Despite her best efforts Princess Celestia couldn't hold back her amusement and was soon reduced to a fit of laughter, falling back on her flanks until her fit finally passed.

"Discord you're absolutely terrible," she stated and paused to wipe a tear from her eye, "but I really do thank you. That's the first real laugh I've had in days, and I so desperately needed it after everything that's been going on."

"Always happy to be at your service m'lady," Discord replied sarcastically and gave a mock bow before straightening back up again. "I'm sure your sister could use the same, but she doesn't really share your unique sense of humor."

"I fear you're right," Celestia replied and nodded before standing back up again. "It would seem Luna has learned the hard way that simply because Ulquiorra claims loyalty, that doesn't mean he's willing to spare anypony their feelings. She wound up investing a great deal in this case and has very little to show for it except someone filled with great cynicism and little-to-no gratitude."

She still didn't fully understand Luna's motives behind it all. She suspected it had something to do with the shared similarities of the darker nature of their pasts, secrets that they couldn't allow their kingdom to become aware of. Perhaps Luna saw some part of herself in him and had tried to give him the chance she never had herself. She really didn't understand the psychology of it all, sometimes her little sister was far more complex than she cared to admit.

"I know, how about we put on some old bedsheets, make spooky noises and make Luna think the palace is haunted?" Discord suggested with a mischievous grin.

"That's rather juvenile even by your own standards, Discord," Princess Celestia pointed out and frowned once again. "If we're going to make Luna laugh, the way she really needs to, then we're going to need something more sophisticated than that, something far more substantial... This might require a couple days worth of planning..." she said as she used a wing to stroke her chin in thought.

"A-A-ACHOO!"

It was a well known but rarely discussed fact that due to the architectural design of the throne room there were certain areas where one could stand and the slightest noise would reverberate throughout the entire room; a fact that made the unsuspected sneeze quite surprising.

Of course when the sneeze in question was issued by somepony using the archaic royal Canterlot voice, the results were most spectacular, alarming, and frightening all at once.

And if such a forceful blast happened behind you when you weren't prepared, it could literally knock you off your hooves and to the floor.

"Bless you, Your Majesty," one of the shadow guards stated after recovering from the initial shock brought about by his commander. "Are you catching cold?"

"We art fine," Princess Luna replied and sniffed, stopping momentarily to readjust her crown after it was dislodged from the force of her own sneeze.

It was another beautiful day in Ponyville. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the sky was clear of pesky crowds, and it was her day off from working at the Ponyville post office. Yes indeed, for Ditzy Doo things were quite good. She was happily flying about high above the town, stretching her wings freely while she hummed a tune to herself. It was indeed the start to a very good day. The kind of day when simply floating about on the air currents seemed like the perfect way to relax with some private time.

Or at least it would've been if it wasn't for a royal chariot with two royal pegasus guards pulling it along cutting across her path, a very familiar individual riding on the back of it.

"Heya Mr. Ulquiorra Cifer," Ditzy greeted and waved a hoof as they came within earshot.

"Greetings Ditzy Doo," Ulquiorra said in response, his tone neutral and even as always. "I was operating under the assumption you were at work this time of day."

"It's my day off," Ditzy replied and gave a light shrug, "Cloudchaser and Raindrops said they'd go flying with me later today so I thought I'd practice some of my moves while I had the chance. What brings you by?" she asked as she began flying along to avoid being left behind as the chariot continued on its way.

"Princess Celestia has seen fit to dispatch me to Ponyville to interact further with Twilight Sparkle. Apparently there are matters she wishes to discuss in my presence," he replied. Was the pegasus really attempting to fly backwards? Or rather was she succeeding in her attempt? He wasn't entirely certain.

"Oh. Well have a good day then, I gotta get going now. Just one question though. Why're you upside down?" Ditzy asked.

"If you check, I believe you'll discover it's you that's upside down rather than myself," Ulquiorra replied as the chariot continued on, leaving the wall eyed pegasus behind.

"Huh..." Ditzy replied and looked up/down, "so that's why the ground was above me."

The meeting with Ditzy Doo had been uneventful if a bit confusing. Regardless, it hadn't slowed down his journey to Ponyville any and they'd be touching down momentarily. This was considerably different from the first two journeys he'd made to this area. The rules had more or less changed and everything was being played by ear at this point in time. He wasn't certain what would be done or what would happen, and he would have to approach cautiously in order to avoid any sort of disaster that might otherwise occur.

"One minute until we land, sir," one of the guards announced.

One minute. The time would be much shorter if he simply leaped from the chariot and landed feet first in Ponyville as he so easily could. The fact he had to rely on official channels proved to be a waste of time, but one he had to engage in regardless. Earning the ire of Princess Celestia was something he didn't fear per say, but she had the ability to blister his hierro with her presence alone. This situation had to be dealt with accordingly if anything positive was ever going to develop.

If nothing else it would present an interesting experiment to determine if Princess Celestia or Princess Luna truly believed they could trust him with more freedoms than previously.

The descent was silent, the landing and final stop smooth in nature and allowing him to disembark without issue. Almost at once the wiser of the ponies present took notice and began backing away from the area out of concern, seeing as none of them were the ones who had come to the initial meeting. At least they were intelligent enough not to come charging over to him an in effort to appear hospitable.

"I trust you were ordered to observe me throughout the day," he commented to the two pegasus guards as they were disengaging themselves from the chariot.

"Not in the strictest sense of the term," one guard replied.

"Her Majesty was... unusually vague in her orders this day," the other added. "Officially we're just here for the purpose of transport."

A rather strange development. His interaction with Princess Celestia was rather limited despite how much time he'd spent in this world. This seemed... out of character for her as far as he could tell. So many other matters had been subjected to specific orders and rules and yet this time was different. It was a mystery. It was yet another thing he would need to investigate upon returning to Canterlot.

For now though there were a number of other options available to him at present. He was familiar enough with about seventy five percent of the town to know where everything of importance was. The town hall, the elementary school, the various locations held and owned by the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and a number of shops that held no interest to him.

Perhaps venturing to Sweet Apple Acres would be a good way to start the day.

"Ulquiorra! What a surprise to see you today!"

Or perhaps addressing Twilight Sparkle as she approached would be best, as she had found him before he could leave. She was approaching from the west with Spike riding atop her back, a look of excitement on her face as she drew closer to him.

"I had no idea you'd be coming into town today. Why didn't you write?" she asked as she stopped in front of him.

Write and inform her that he was going to arrive in Ponyville? He didn't see how a fifteen minute journey between cities warranted the effort of sending a note in advance. Even if he did, it would still be foolish to announce his impending arrival, as it would simply give Twilight Sparkle and her friends to organize something in hopes of surprising him. And he truly didn't care for surprises of such a nature.

"The matter isn't important," he said dismissively, seeing no reason to really go into a detailed response about the foolishness of her question. "You and your friends have made a number of requests for me to return and Princess Celestia believed it would be a good idea for my studies regarding the notion of "friendship" and such. However I'm uncertain where to start," he explained.

He could feel the flare in the unicorn's reiatsu at the statement. For whatever reason she was becoming excited at his words.

"Don't worry I know exactly what to do. In the time I've spent in Ponyville I've gotten a really good grasp on friendship and what it's all about," she replied and turned around. "Rarity's shop is closest to here, it's a good place to start."

He was remembering the letter he'd received from the Cutie Mark Crusaders, specifically the part that was more than likely written by the young Sweetie Belle and her warning about Rarity's fashion and business-related motives, as well as Rarity's own letter more or less unknowingly confirming the warning. The notion of being subjected to whatever the snow white unicorn had in mind for him wasn't of any particular interest to him. But Twilight Sparkle was Princess Celestia's student and had more experience in this world than he did. Perhaps it was simply best to follow her lead for the time being.

However that didn't mean he had to travel in silence.

"Are those you consider your "friends" still displeased with you and how you chose to handle the matter of my nature?" he asked. Almost immediately he detected a dip in her reiatsu levels at the question as her ears drooped.

"You could say that," Spike commented as he rode along.

"They were upset for a few days after the fact, upset that I didn't involve them immediately with the full truth of the matter. I can't really say that I blame them. In my excitement of getting to be an educator and making Princess Celestia happy with my performance I forget lesson number two in friendship: trust. Tolerating other ponies and what they do is very important, but you have to go beyond that and actually trust them before you can make friends. Suspicion and secrecy really isn't the way to go, and I regret to say that I sort of forgot about that. I spent the last few days apologizing to them over and over again for what happened. They say they forgave me but... I still feel bad for violating their trust like I did..."

Ulquiorra said nothing in response to the purple unicorn's confession. He'd keep his observations to himself for the time being and how the referred actions related to what he'd heard from the others. The compare and contrast between Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash was at the least interesting. Perhaps the pegasus had used the situation to unleash some of her built up frustration at one of the targets of her displeasure.

"And what aspect of friendship inspires the willingness to put your life at risk in order to save others?" he asked as they walked along.

"That... I really don't know about that one yet..." Twilight replied hesitantly.

Just one more finishing touch... and... perfection!

Rarity stepped back and admired her hard work. It was an exquisite dress, the utmost petite of stitches, a wonderful accent of fine rubies without being overblown, and the highlights! Those oh-so-subtle but wonderfully noticeable silver highlights in the key areas! It was all a true masterpiece if she did say so herself. And it was destined for a very good friend and fellow socialite, Fancy Pants himself! She was positively giddy with excitement!

And then there was a knock at the door. An otherwise perfect fantasy unceremoniously interrupted and trampled on by the simplest of things. Curse the foul real world and all its unfairness.

"I'm sorry but we're closed unless you have an appointment!" she called, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice despite everything.

"Rarity? It's me, Twilight!" she heard back.

She sighed, figuring she could spare enough time for a friend if even just to tell her the same thing in a clearer fashion.

"I'm so sorry, Twilight darling, but I'm simply swamped right now. I'd so love to stop and chat but it's simply not in my schedule today," Rarity explained as she cracked open the door with her magic to see her fellow unicorn standing there.

"Oh?" Twilight asked, her ears drooping at the prospect, "I'm sorry I didn't know. I guess we'll just come back another day."

She really didn't want to be rude. But she really did need to get the next dress started. And as skilled as she was, it was simply better to do that without the distractions of any conversations. Nodding she closed the door.

"C'mon Ulquiorra, let's see what the others are doing," Spike stated.

The door was nearly ripped from its hinges as Rarity flung it open in barely restrained excitement. Ulquiorra was here in Ponyville? Really? The dresses could wait, this was really important!

"Oh I must really apologize I spoke too soon and was far too brash in my statement! Please everyone step right inside," she said quickly in an effort to keep them from scattering. "Can I get you anything?"

Ulquiorra gave a slight rise to his right eyebrow at her statement but said nothing, stepping inside after the other two did.

"Thanks, but we're fine. We're really just going around town to help Ulquiorra with the studies Princess Celestia gave him and thought you'd be the perfect first stop," Twilight explained.

"Why thank you for your confidence in me, darling. How can I be of assistance?" she asked and looked each of them over. Oh how much she wanted to fetch her measuring tape and notepad and jot down a few measurements for the Arrancar, there was so much potential sitting on those shoulders of his that she could barely stand it!

"Well on the way over I was thinking we could get everypony together and head on over to Sweet Apple Acres. It's usually a good place to go," Twilight suggested.

Truth be told Twilight had alternate plans in mind. She really, really wanted to learn more about Ulquiorra after everything last week, the shock and disbelief of his displays slowly giving way to pure scientifically based curiosity on the matter. Ghost or not, he was a walking treasure trove of valuable information that was just begging to be analyzed and uncovered. And the best place to do that was Sweet Apple Acres, far away from any other ponies and subject to lots of open space where the chance of collateral damage was minute. She really didn't want to think what kind of chaos there'd be if he ever discharged his cero inside of Ponyville where everyone could see it.

"Oh..." Rarity replied, trying to hide the let down at hearing the plans. Did they really have to go to Sweet Apple Acres? Today? Couldn't they do something nice in town instead? Maybe venture over to Sugarcube Corner? "Twilight I... really don't know how to say this without seeming rude but... I simply can't. If it were anything close at hoof, something for around Ponyville then perhaps, but all the way out to Sweet Apple Acres? Darling I'm sorry but I just can't do it..."

Another noticeable fluctuation in Twilight Sparkle's reiatsu, this time a significant drop in intensity. She was quickly approaching Fluttershy levels. Did she truly value these specific ponies so much that their unavailability at any given time faltered her this much? Why did she allow herself to become so affected so easily? Was she incapable of dealing with matters on her own?

What was this feeling he was suddenly experiencing? Where had it come from?

"Couldn't you stay for even just a few minutes? I know I said I'm busy but I could stand a break, it'd be a good opportunity to offer whatever help I might," Rarity stated before turning her attention to Ulquiorra. "Such as in your case good Sir. From what I understand, Discord brought you to Equestria with just the one set of clothing you have on now?" she asked.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied and nodded once.

"I was afraid of that really. Such an uncouth being to deal with," Rarity muttered. "I really can't stand such an unacceptable thought. I'd so love to do something that might fix up your wardrobe a little, provide you with some variety since you'll need to have your uniform cleaned eventually. And... not to be critical or anything but your look is so... drab. You really could stand to do with some accessorizing of some sort, some color mixed in to offset your off-white skin."

Her reiatsu was currently bristling in an strange manner. She seemed to be working herself into a state of excitement concerning his uniform as she critiqued it and his appearance, while at the same time trying to appeal to him with regard to letting her design him new clothing. This was a strange, strange pony.

"Seeing as I'm not alive in the traditional sense, it matters little how few articles of clothing I have available. What I have is adequate," Ulquiorra replied.

"Oh but I must insist! I can't in good conscience simply do nothing. Even a new jacket would be quite wondrous really. The long coattails are certain in this year but... I can't even believe I'm saying this, but for last week they were simply uncalled for, you could've fallen off that mountain with a single misstep on them. Just hold still while I grab my measuring tape, I'll be right back!"

More bristling. It seemed she was quite determined about this and wasn't going to take "no" for an answer. This was quite the change from last week.

"Is she quite serious?" he asked, as he turned his attention to the other two present.

"You don't know the half of it," Spike replied, the same look in his eyes that he'd displayed at the first meeting with Rarity. It was still a mystery.

"Rarity's... very intense when it comes to being generous. Best just let her do something for you, or she'll spend the whole day going on about fashion-related things. Which kinda brings us to lesson number three in friendship: kindness. In order to have friends you need to be kind to them. I know it's a strange concept after everything I've seen but... well it's a little like the mercy you would've shown the dragon if it left willingly," Twilight Sparkle whispered in an attempt to explain everything before Rarity came back, a number of sewing-related items levitating right behind her. He decided now was an appropriate time to put an end to this foolishness. And seeing as she was business oriented there was one statement in particular that would put an end to whatever she had in mind.

"I lack any currency in order to pay you for whatever work you might do," he stated simply and evenly. If she was capitalist oriented that would be sufficient.

"Oh I wouldn't think of charging you for it, it'd be my pleasure to design a wardrobe for somepony... somebody of your uniqueness. Outside of my work for Spike I've never done anything for a biped before, this'll be a brand new experience that simply must be done," Rarity replied as she brought out her measuring tape. "Now this will only take a moment..."

He felt something at those words. Something that felt completely different from the previous unfamiliar feeling just a minute ago with regard to Twilight Sparkle. He couldn't identify it despite his best efforts. Right now as he looked at Rarity and her enthusiastic smile, there was only one thing that he knew for certain.

This was not going to end well.

Chapter Twenty Two

Chapter Twenty Two

Twilight's entire world had shrunken from the wide world of Equestria, to the immediate surrounding territory as events played out before her, the entire time unable to believe her eyes at what she saw.

Ulquiorra had done the unthinkable and attacked without provocation, directing the full fury of his assault against poor Fluttershy of all ponies, driving his entire hand all the way up to his wrist completely through her ribcage as she hovered off the ground, her wings stopping in mid-flap from the injury she'd just sustained, her eyes wide with panic and pain, unable to utter even a single world. The entire world was silent, except for the blood pounding in her ears right now, and the blood dripping from Fluttershy's wound and onto the ground.

Fluttershy was struggling right now, trying in a futile manner to use her hooves to pull Ulquiorra out of her, but he was easily far more powerful than she could resist in her current condition. The slickness of her own blood only aggravated the situation.

This was bad. This was very bad. The severity of this situation could in no way be overstated, as her friend hung there helplessly, and impaled like she was a hat on a hat rack. She needed to be rescued and taken to the hospital immediately if she were ever going to have any chance of surviving her injury.

She had to do something. She had to do something! Move, Twilight, move!

But she found that, despite her best efforts, she couldn't move. Her brain was firing of synapses at the speed of light, telling her to move, to react, to utilize her magic to save her friend! But no matter what her brain was telling her, she found that her body simply refused to react, like it was frozen to the spot. It was like being cursed as a living statue, completely paralyzed and incapable of interacting with the world around her.

It was like she'd just stared into the eyes of a cockatrice again. Why couldn't she move!? Why couldn't any of them move?! After all they'd faced together, all the threats they'd stared down, why could they do nothing but stand and watch now?

Ulquiorra began sinking his hand deeper into her chest now, the sound of flesh giving way to sheer strength impossible to ignore. The struggling quickly grew worse, and Twilight was helpless to do anything more than watch in horror, as Fluttershy gagged and vomited a copious amount of blood down her own front, on Ulquiorra's arm, and onto the ground below.

She had no idea a single pony's body could possibly hold so much blood!

She was quickly losing all hope of Fluttershy having any chance at continuing to live. Her own inability to move her body wasn't helping matters any, as she dangled from his arm helplessly, her blood still dripping from her mouth as she coughed weakly.

Move! Move! Move! Damn it just move already! Do something!

It was Spike's turn to vomit as they watched helplessly, as Ulquiorra effortlessly drove his arm deeper, until his fist ripped completely through Fluttershy's back, tearing out where her spine would be, and driving her into a silent scream.

Twilight knew that even if Fluttershy could receive emergency medical treatment at this exact moment, that type of wound would leave her paralyzed for the rest of her life, and confined to a hospital bed if she were lucky. Not that many could consider such a form of existence to be luck.

Fluttershy's struggling grew weaker and weaker with each passing second, until finally all movement ceased and she simply hung there, her limbs unmoving as her eyes slowly rolled back in her head, her neck going limp and falling back. It was all over now, there was no hope for her.

The entire gruesome display hadn't even taken a full eleven seconds from the moment of impalement to the moment Fluttershy's life came to an end.

It was a moment of silence, sadness and shock. They'd just lost one of their best friends and one of their fellow Elements of Harmony, and what's worst they'd lost her in a most brutal and horrific fashion, watching helplessly as she was murdered by this monster that stood silently before them. None of them could think of what to say or what to do.

And then Fluttershy's body twitched.

Technically twitching didn't properly detail what just happened. It wasn't so much a twitch as a... ripple? It was like the surface of a pond being disturbed. The disturbances grew greater as Fluttershy seemed to just melt away and leave behind... a large insectoid creature impaled on Ulquiorra's outstretched arm.

What exactly in the bowels of the nine pits of Tartarus was going on here!?

Wordlessly Ulquiorra withdrew his arm in one swift motion, the wet slurping sound of flesh sliding about following as his arm popped free, and the corpse fell to the ground in a heap.

"Wha' jus' happened here?" Applejack asked, utterly confused by what had taken place, being the first to find her voice as the moment of overwhelming horror and shock started fading, only to be replaced by a moment of utter confusion.

"Is that..." Pinkie started to ask, only to silence herself a moment later.

"It's a changeling," Twilight said as she stepped closer, more or less confirming the fact they all knew. Immediately she recoiled as the creature's scent found its way to her nostrils. She then turned her attention up to Ulquiorra, as he just stood there silently and shook the blood from his arm. "How? When? What?" she asked aimlessly as she tried to find the proper question to ask. Did Ulquiorra know when he'd impaled what they'd all assumed to be Fluttershy, or had he believed it too?

"It would appear you're all quite foolish if you can't tell when one of your supposed "friends" wasn't as they seemed," he replied as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.

"When did you figure it out?" Twilight asked. "And how?"

"The moment I saw it at the cottage I knew it wasn't the true Fluttershy. This creature's reiatsu is completely different from that of Fluttershy, both in terms of intensity and texture," he explained calmly. "That is to say nothing of the cues given. Her entire demeanor was incorrect for what I have seen of her. Even simple physical contact was more than sufficient to tell the full story. Rather than fur you could feel a hardened exoskeletal carapace just below the surface of the illusion."

A silence hung heavily over the area as the facts sank in, nopony saying so much as a word as they all regarded the dead changeling before them that just a few minutes ago they'd been treating as one of their own.

Maybe this is what he'd meant when he'd called them all trash? Were they trash for not being able to notice the difference on their own?

Rainbow Dash was the first to respond, and was by far the most violent in nature, flying directly at Ulquiorra and slugging him across the face as hard as she could, eyes wide and teeth grit in rage. Despite the force of the impact, and the sound of the blow that made the others flinch, Ulquiorra didn't even blink. Rainbow Dash immediately followed up with five additional blows, each driven with as much fury as the last one as she grunted. Ulquiorra remained as unmoved as the first time, reacting only by quickly intercepting the seventh blow with the palm of his hand before it could land.

"If you continue your current course of action, your leg will be broken long before my face," Ulquiorra explained calmly. He was greeted in response by a kick to face from one of the pegasi's hind legs, with nearly enough force to snap his head back as it connected directly with the underneath of his chin, while she pulled her foreleg free from his grasp.

"Why!?" she yelled directly in his face as she tried to stare him into oblivion. "Why!? If you knew it was a changeling and not the real Fluttershy then why didn't you say anything!? Why'd you let us believe that you just killed our friend right before our eyes!?"

Ulquiorra remained silent and unmoved by Rainbow Dash's outburst, returning her gaze with his own. However this time she didn't flinch, and didn't back away like last time they were involved in a stare down. It was commendable to some degree. This time he was the one to turn away, in order to address Twilight Sparkle.

"You identified this create as a changeling. I assume you've had previous encounters with them before?" he asked, completely ignoring Rainbow Dash now.

"Y'all could say that's an understatement," Applejack commented.

Twilight nodded before speaking again. "It was late last year when my brother Shining Armor was getting married to Princess Cadence. The whole changeling hive invaded Canterlot and nearly took over before they were expelled, and they were never seen again after that. Until now that is," she paused and looked back at the corpse laying on the ground, serving as proof that last time hadn't been the last time.

"Considering what I know about you, it's safe to assume you have familiarized yourself with the information held by the Canterlot library regarding the species since you've had prior experience with them," Ulquiorra stated. She nodded in response. "Then you are also knowledgeable regarding the theories on the hive mind concept, and the speculation presented on it."

He watched as Twilight Sparkle opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it as a look of understanding washed over her face and she smiled.

"Of course! It all makes perfect sense now! How could I have missed it?" she asked and bopped herself in the head with her hoof.

"Would somepony just tell me what the buck is going on already!?" Rainbow Dash yelled. There were too many eggheads intercepting communication, and not leaving any answers for her to get herself!

"It's quite simple Rainbow Dash," Twilight began as she turned to face the enraged pegasus. "It's a recognized fact that many social insect species have some form of telepathy, that allows the queen of each hive to control the various drones, and direct their movements and engagements. In the past, researchers have discovered this concept applies to the changeling species as well, but on an entirely different level. Nopony is really certain how it works in terms of basic scientific physics, but there's a great deal of speculation. One theory is that the Queen maintains a telepathic link with each individual drone, and this is how she communicates over vast distances with her workers, and directs them in an organized manner as they relate information back to her directly. It's almost like chess, but moving many pieces all at once. However another theory speculates that all individual drones are capable of independent thought, and possess a telepathic link with each other, and share information back and forth, while the queen simply maintains the hive and ensures the continued existence of the species."

"What's that gotta do with anything?" Rainbow Dash asked, finding it becoming harder and harder to remain focused and calm. Nopony was telling her anything! "Why'd he have to let us believe that he killed Fluttershy for no reason? Why couldn't he have said that it wasn't Fluttershy but a changeling in disguise? Why'd I have to think I lost my best friend like that!?"

Her best friend? Ulquiorra nearly quirked an eyebrow in curiosity at the statement. Perhaps that explained why she had attacked him without direct provocation. Right now it appeared as if her emotional state was unbalanced, as her body attempted to decide between being enraged and being saddened.

"Without delving too deeply into matters that're obviously beyond your limited understanding, it was necessary to maintain the illusion to prevent alerting any other changelings in the area that they have been discovered. If changelings are like the various species of social insects, where there is one there are bound to be more. If they possess a method of communicating with one another over long distances, then the events that transpired here just now will be relayed back to them. They will be operating under the assumption that I willingly killed the one believed by all to be Fluttershy, rather than the truth that an imposter was killed due to failure to blend into their surroundings. And they will respond accordingly."

He paused to let his words sink in. All of the ponies present as well as Spike remained silent, a look of realization crossing over some of their faces while confusion remained on the others.

"Uh... Mr. Cifer... ah don't reckon ah have the same understandin' o' things that ya do. But if Fluttershy wasn' the real Fluttershy an' y'all were gonna do wha' ya done did... couldn' ya've done it back at the cottage an' not in front o' the rest o' us?" Applejack asked as she took a step forward, glancing over in the direction of the dead changeling.

"Yeah, Ulqy, why wait until we're all out here together before doing something mean like that?" Pinkie added.

"The actions taken were quite necessary. Seeing as you hold the Elements of Harmony exclusively, and amount to one of the few defenses this land possesses, it was necessary to determine how many of you had been replaced, and respond accordingly. Once it was determined who was whom, the proper course of action was to eliminate the imposters as quickly as possible while maintaining the proper guise," he explained calmly.

"You're still a jerk!" Rainbow Dash stated, crossing her forelegs over her chest with a huff.

"Yeah Ulqy you're really a meanie pants, like the biggest meanie pants ever met!" Pinkie Pie added.

"It's of no concern what you may think of me. Right now there are far more pressing matters to tend to than your petty opinions," Ulquiorra replied.

"What sorta pressing matters?" Spike asked curiously, wanting to say at least something in this great big, convoluted mess of a day.

"Determining whether the changeling that replaced Fluttershy was acting in a lone manner, or if more ponies have been replaced as part of a second invasion attempt. If this is the case, then the wise thing to do would be remove them through whatever means necessary, locate those that are missing and secure their safety, then determine the level of threat we're facing. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion after we have secured Ponyville and the safety of the residents," Ulquiorra explained.

There was a moment of silence between them. Suddenly it was a chorus of eyes going wide at their minds processed the information simultaneously.

"Oh buck!" Rainbow Dash stated immediately. "Why'd you have to be so right about this anyway?" she asked, not even waiting for a response before taking off in the direction back to Ponyville.

"Rainbow Dash wait!" Twilight called but it was already too late as the cyan pegasus was well out of earshot by the time she spoke. "This is so not good..."

"Then let us not waste time with pointless chatter," Ulquiorra replied and disappeared in a flash of sonido, Pinkie Pie's mane being disturbed by the sudden rush of air left behind in his wake.

"Dang."

Ulquiorra was the first to appear on the outskirts of Ponyville, observing the various ponies going about their business in town. He was in the process of discerning which of them were genuine ponies, and which were changelings in disguise. A process that was interrupted by a -relatively speaking- hard impact to his back, and a wave of what he could only assume passed for profanity in this world.

Rainbow Dash had arrived, and for the third time, failed to move him after crashing into him.

"I think I broke my muzzle," she groaned as she grasped her face with her front hooves as she sat on the ground in pain.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response. Rather he made a display that left her confused as he turned to face her knelt down closer to her level, slipping his hand between her hooves to grasp her muzzle, causing her to yelp both in pain and surprise at the same time and pull back.

"The bones remain properly intact. However some of the blood vessels have ruptured and caused swelling. I would recommend not landing on your head anytime soon if it can be avoided," Ulquiorra explained as he stood back up.

"Can it jerk! And keep your... hands... or whatever they are to yourself!" Rainbow Dash replied and climbed back up onto your hooves. "Just get outta my way, I can deal with this all by myself!"

"How?"

"Huh?"

"How do you intend to deal with the matter yourself? You lack the ability to distinguish between changeling and pony on sight alone. You can't prevent their escape once they realize their secret is out. And you do not possess the capacity that is necessary to kill without hesitation. The most you can do is complicate an already difficult matter and make the situation worse," Ulquiorra explained calmly and turned away from her. He didn't need to see her to know what her reaction would be, as he could easily feel it, her reiatsu flaring with her temper as she became angry at his words.

"Just because I'm cool doesn't mean I'm as dumb as you might think I am! Twilight's got the Elements of Harmony stored at the library. All we've gotta do is get 'em and we can handle this no sweat!"

"To what end?" Ulquiorra asked. He would admit that there was some recognizable level of intelligence, that she thought enough to consider using the Elements of Harmony, rather than simply attacking by herself. However she was still incredibly short sighted in her plan, and she was about to be made aware of that fact. "Assuming the logic of your plan is sound, what then? Will the Elements of Harmony be sufficient to deal with whatever changelings lay beyond the territory of Ponyville? Do they need time to recharge between uses, and if so how much? What if Canterlot is the primary target of the invasion, where would the wisdom be in such a situation? Deploying the Elements of Harmony without knowing all the details would be a most foolish endeavor. And that is to say nothing of the incomplete nature of your group. With Fluttershy absent, success is unlikely at best."

Rainbow Dash remained silent as he spoke, her demeanor slowly changing from enraged to confused, the flaring in her reiatsu adjusting accordingly.

"...So what do you propose that's so much better? If you try that... that... what you did back at Sweet Apple Acres, they're gonna flee aren't they? It's a small town, word travels fast, and there's gonna be a lot of panic if everypony sees you do any impaling in broad daylight," Rainbow Dash pointed out. Why'd he have to be so smart and so jerkish all at the same time?

She really hated to admit it but he'd brought up a thought she'd never given consideration to before; how often could the Elements of Harmony be used? They'd only used them three times in the past; once to defeat Nightmare Moon, once to defeat Discord, and again to release Discord. But there were significant gaps between each of those three uses. Was it really possible that they had to recharge between uses, and if they used them for Ponyville right now they wouldn't be able to use them if Chrysalis was trying to invade Canterlot again?

"Applejack was right. He really is a deep thinker..."

"Once Twilight Sparkle and the others catch up with us you will be informed," Ulquiorra replied before simply going silent and continuing his observations.

Rainbow Dash grunted in annoyance and re-parked her haunches on the ground. Sitting and waiting -and apparently being silent- really wasn't her speed for doing things. Why couldn't she just zoom in there and plow into a horde of changelings and send them flying in every direction like bowling pins? Stupid waiting. Stupid advanced battle tactics. Stupid logical eggheads. Knowing how fast the other girls ran, this was going to be a long five minutes waiting time.

"Perhaps you can better elaborate on something you said earlier."

She blinked and looked up as her mind wandering about was interrupted. Was he actually talking to her? Even if he wasn't facing her? That was... unexpected...

"On what?" she asked.

"Earlier you referred to Fluttershy as your "best friend." As I don't see the point in friends in general, the classification is a matter of confusion. How does one determine which of their friends is better than all the others?"

Rainbow Dash scratched her head for a moment, not really expecting anything like that. The Espada didn't strike her as the type that would be curious about friends. Was he pulling her leg? No that couldn't be it, he had no sense of humor from what she'd seen and experienced. Maybe he was serious?

"Well... out of everypony, Fluttershy is the one I've known the longest. She and I more or less grew up together back in Cloudsdale, attended the same flight school. Don't get my wrong, I like all the girls but Fluttershy's just special..."

"Even with the part she played in the "Mare Do Well" incident?" Ulquiorra asked. It seemed strange how Rainbow Dash could still exercise such trust after everything that had happened.

Why'd he have to go and bring that up? No seriously, why?

"It's not like I have much choice in the matter. We hold the Elements of Harmony, we've gotta stick together no matter what..." she paused, "is any of this making any sense?"

"Theoretically. You recognize there are bigger issues in the world than your own feelings, and have chosen to focus on them instead," Ulquiorra replied before pausing. "The others are approaching quickly. No changeling reiatsu signatures are detected among them."

It was another minute of silence before the rest of the group finally arrived at the scene. Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Spike showed no ill effects from having run all the way from Sweet Apple Acres, and seemed only mildly winded. Twilight Sparkle on the other hand was more or less exhausted and fell to her haunches as she panted and gasped for air as if she'd been submerged underwater to the point of nearly drowning. It was reasonable to conclude she was the least athletic of the group. However having run the entire way with Spike riding on her back certainly didn't help her performance any.

"Alright now that Twilight's here what's your big plan?" Rainbow Dash more or less demanded to know, her wings twitching from barely suppressed agitation.

Ulquiorra remained silent as he waited for Twilight Sparkle to regain her breath and composure. There was little point in going over the plan he'd devised during the wait if she wasn't aware enough to make sense of it.

"Huh? Did I miss something?" Twilight asked as her panting became lighter and she was able to better communicate.

"Merely discussing the possibility of an attack. Even from here I can tell there are a number of changelings present. Care must be taken to ensure they don't escape," Ulquiorra explained calmly before turning to face Twilight directly. "Your special talent is magic. Do you possess the skills necessary to seal off the town of Ponyville, and prevent any changelings from retreating before they can be eliminated?"

"You mean a forcefield?" Twilight asked, "well I'm not nearly as skilled as my brother when it comes to forcefields, but I'm really decent in their casting and application. Unfortunately the largest I've ever had experience in casting was just big enough to cover the entire library. But the entire town? I really don't know, I've never tried that before. To maintain integrity the power requirements would be enormous," she explained.

"What degree of integrity are you able to achieve when you shield the library?" Ulquiorra asked in an effort to map out her usefulness.

"It's... kind of hard to put into relative terms. Maybe... three direct lightning strikes in quick succession, four if I strained myself?" she offered in explanation, "but there's no way I could do anything of that magnitude for the entire town. For the power consumption rate to be kept manageable, I'd have to compromise the integrity. We're talking the minimum sustainable levels here for an area so large. And if I wind up stretching the mana too thin, it's entirely possible for the forcefield to crack under its own weight. I don't know how long I could maintain it if the changelings just try and plow right through it. It's really a tall order."

That explanation made a surprising amount of sense to him. Trying to apply a finite and given amount of resources, over an increased area, would certainly compromise integrity. However he gave serious doubts to what Twilight Sparkle was saying about her own abilities. He had seen the fluctuations of her reiatsu at its high points. Surely someone as powerful as her, could produce a powerful forcefield over the town if she were to try.

"Hey wait a second," Spike spoke up, bringing their attention to him. "Twilight how hard would it be to increase the opacity of your forcefield so it'd be easier to see?" he asked.

"I don't really know, Spike, I've never tried doing that before. In theory it should be relatively simple since it doesn't require a proportional increase in mana as translucence drops. It's just a matter of balancing everything to achieve the desired results. But why?" she asked. What was Spike asking for? And why did he know what opacity meant? She was certain he always tuned her out when she was talking to him about scientifically related matters.

"What if we don't need to keep the changelings from escaping by force, and we just make them think that they're trapped and can't get free? Sorta like how you meet Trixie the last time she was here," Spike proposed.

"Yeah! Slight of hoof and trickery, tha's the ticket. Ya completely overwhelmed that showoff with jus' paint an' puffs o' smoke," Applejack added.

The fact that Spike had come up with a plan of attack didn't surprise him. He knew from their games of chess that the dragon was far more intelligent than he let on, but he wasn't certain as to why he did what he did. The fact that Applejack had picked up on what he was suggesting also didn't surprise him. He knew that she too was more intelligent than she let on. The plan was relatively sound in nature; except for a single glaring error that needed to be addressed, and quickly before they decided to go ahead with the plan.

"Do changeling drones possess the intelligence to recognize a forcefield when they see it, and know they can't break through it?" he asked, causing the excitement to suddenly grind to a halt. "If they were ponies capable of the same level of intelligence and sentience you have shown, then it would likely work. But if they are reactionary and instinctual in nature, and don't recognize the forcefield, they'll simply try and crash through it, and succeed if it's a simple illusion," he explained and brought his attention back to Twilight Sparkle. "There are thirty seven changelings in Ponyville that I can detect. Assuming all thirty seven launch a continuous effort to escape the forcefield, how long would you be able to maintain it before the strain becomes too much?"

"Maybe... two minutes?" Twilight replied. There were way too many factors to go into detail about right now but she suspected Ulquiorra wasn't in the mood to hear about why she couldn't give an accurate measure of her forcefield's duration. All she could really do right now was throw out random and uneducated guesses.

"Two minutes will be sufficient for what needs to be done," Ulquiorra replied evenly. Two minutes would likely be more than enough actually. "Once I'm inside Ponyville, you may deploy your forcefield over the town. I will handle matters from there."

"Uhh... Mr. Cifer... ah reckon ah already know the answer ta the question an' all... but jus' wha' do ya have in mind fer doin' in this situation?" Applejack asked hesitantly.

Was she really serious in her question? What did she believe he intended to do to the changelings?

"I intend to kill them. If they're allowed to escape in the name of kindness, there is no reason to believe they won't retaliate with greater numbers," he explained simply. There was no use sparing them their feelings. If they weren't prepared for the ugly side of existence then it was their fault rather than his. Did they really believe that they could be the defenders of Equestria and not get blood on their hooves at least once in their lives?

Hooves? Their dialect was beginning to rub off on him, and he was finding it more difficult to differentiate between his and theirs. This was not amusing in any way.

The atmosphere seemed to change as his words of confirmation sank in, the group realizing what they were facing, and likely the thought of one of them being drafted to assist in what would surely be a massacre the likes of which they'd never before encountered.

"Isn't there any other way?" Rainbow Dash asked, being the only one who could manage to talk at the moment. The idea of initiating a bloodbath was... it was frightening even to her.

"No," Ulquiorra replied bluntly and faced the town. "Once I'm inside raise the forcefield. If you don't, anything that does not go according to plan will be your fault."

No more words were said as Ulquiorra began walking away from them and towards town to carry out the task he'd set for himself.

"I don't like this one bit," Rainbow Dash whispered to the others as she watched Ulquiorra making his way into Ponyville. "We're just gonna let him boss us around like this? And we're just gonna trust him to stick to his word and only go after the changelings? We're just gonna trust him not to hurt anypony else?" she asked.

"Ah don' reckon we got much choice in the matter. We all saw how he dealt wit' that dragon las' week, ah doubt the five of us could do much ta oppose 'im if we tried," Applejack pointed out. "All we can really do right now is trust 'im an' hope for the best."

Twilight remained silent, other than the shuddering of her breath as she tried to steady her nerves. The gravity of the situation was weighing heavily on her right now. Ulquiorra was enlisting her to be part of something that amounted to mass murder; simply because they were changelings didn't do anything to change that fact. If she did this then she'd be responsible for the loss of life; many lives actually. She couldn't do that, she'd never be forgiven for her actions.

And yet... if she didn't do it, Ulquiorra was promising a loss of life even greater than thirty seven. If the changelings got away and brought reinforcements, there was no telling how many hundreds would die here in Ponyville because she failed to act. Some of those hundreds might even include random ponies... even foals. No matter how she looked at it, she was going to wind up being indirectly responsible for a bloodbath of epic proportions. What choice did she have in this matter?

Ulquiorra was already in the heart of Ponyville now by what she could see, and was waiting for her in order to act. She really didn't want to be doing this... but if she didn't things could only be worse. Finally, and with much reluctance, she allowed her horn to glow as she deployed a large purple-tinged dome over the entire town, sealing it off from the outside world.

Almost immediately after the forcefield touched down, a chorus of horrified screams erupted from within and met their ears. Ulquiorra had wasted absolutely no time in going about doing what he said he'd be doing. From where they were standing they could see the chaos unfolding in a manner that would make even Discord uncomfortable. Ponies were screaming and running in terror in every which way, individually and in groups, Ulquiorra vanishing and reappearing in a manner that made it impossible to follow, his location a mystery except for when they'd see one pony inparticular fall as a massive shower of blood erupted from their backs, falling to the ground in a motionless heap.

Twilight had to shut her eyes, unable to stop the relentless flow of tears streaming down her face as she watched helplessly as desperate ponies came crashing headlong into her forcefield and pounded against it with their hooves, pleading to be let out. "I'm so sorry everypony," she wept as she kept her eyes shut. She couldn't bear to look into their eyes and see the sheer terror and desperation on their faces as they tried so desperately to escape. If her concentration faltered, then the forcefield would fail, and everything would be a failure.

Next to her Pinkie Pie wept uncontrollably as she hugged Spike like a teddy bear, not knowing what else to do. Off to the side Applejack and Rainbow Dash were silently holding each other, both of them feeling utterly powerless to do anything to help, uncertain of anything they could do to help or even who they could help. They were changelings... but up until the point their disguise actually fell, they were ponies as far as they could tell.

The end had come just as quickly as the beginning of it all, an eerie and disturbing silence settling over the town. There were no more ponies running back and forth screaming, no more desperate residents trying to break through her forcefield, only to be struck down in a shower of blood, and left crumpled on the ground in an omnipresent silence.

"Is it over?" Spike asked, almost nervous to hear the answer.

A sudden blast hit the top of the dome and sent ripples over the entire structure, the backlash affecting Twilight from the unexpected strain, catching her off guard, and forcing her to drop the forcefield as she fell to her knees. Had that been Ulquiorra's Cero just now? Or maybe it was his Bala since there was no massive trail of teal green energy after the forcefield fell?

"I'd say that's probably a yes," Rainbow Dash muttered. Out of everypony present, she was the first to begin stepping forward to survey the damage, and see if their trust in the Espada had been misplaced... see if they'd lost any of their friends in this horribly foalish idea.

There were corpses littering the ground in varying degrees of dismemberment, ranging from a simple stab wound through the head or chest, to being completely bisected and left strewn about. And the blood... oh there was just so much blood everywhere!

But out of all of the bodies they passed, not a single one of them was a pony. There was nothing to be found but dead changelings on the ground in this eerily silent town.

"Anypony seeing any ponies on the ground?" Spike asked as he looked about cautiously, trying not to be overwhelmed by the amount of death present on the streets.

"Not a one," Applejack replied. She really wasn't seeing any ponies anywhere, not even peaking outside of closed doors and windows. Where'd they all gone in such a short amount of time? It's not like Ponyville had any disaster shelters to run to in event of an emergency.

"Crud these things smell awful," Rainbow Dash complained as she held a hoof to her nose, wincing at the contact. Why did changelings have to stink so much? And why did the dead ones have to smell worse than the live ones? And for that matter how come that one imitating Fluttershy couldn't be smelt!? What was the reasoning behind it?

"RD ah think this'd be a lot easier without the nasal appraisal goin' on," Applejack commented, silently agreeing with the statement, but feeling it wasn't the proper time for such.

"I'm just stating the obvious," Rainbow Dash replied defensively and tried to wave the noxious odor away from her nose. "Smells like an outhouse in the summer."

Twilight's immediate response was to vomit right in the middle of the street, causing the others to jump in surprise. The combination of the smell, Rainbow Dash's vivid commentary, and the mental strain of knowing she'd been responsible for all of these deaths, becoming too much for her to tolerate. She coughed and tried to take a sharp breath, before retching and vomiting again. Rainbow Dash didn't even hesitate before moving to her side and rubbing her back.

"It's okay Twi', breathe, just breathe," Rainbow Dash told her, trying to focus on her friend's wellbeing, rather than the mingling of revolting scents taking place and trying to worm their way into her nose.

"Ah can't really say ah don' feel the same way mahself," Applejack muttered. This was all... really a whole lot to take in.

"Don't you worry Twilight, I'll go get you some of Mrs. Cakes ginger muffins, they're just the thing for settling an upset tummy," Pinkie said in a reassuring manner.

"Forget that, Pinkie, get her some water so she can rinse her mouth and get that taste out," Rainbow Dash stated as she continued rubbing her friend's back as she coughed and spat.

"Applejack!"

Applejack turned to her left at hearing her name called, just in time to see her little sister making a running tackle for her. She quickly reacted and Apple Bloom fell into her embrace. Bringing up the rear was Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and... Diamond Tiara? Seriously?

Casually walking behind them was Ulquiorra with his hands tucked into his pockets, not so much as a hair out of place. Smug looking jerk! Nevermind him, he was small potatoes right now.

"Wha's wrong little sister?" Applejack asked in a concerned manner.

"There were three changelings located at the elementary school when I arrived," Ulquiorra explained calmly in his approach.

Scootaloo nodded. "Twist, Featherweight and Silver Spoon were replaced and now they're missing. Miss Cherilee cancelled class for the time being."

"It was horrible!" Sweetie Belle stated.

Applejack looked between the fillies and down at Apple Bloom before scowling in Ulquiorra's direction. "If y'all traumatized mah sister, so help me ah'll-" she started but was quickly interrupted.

"Now is not the time. Your sister remains unharmed, as do all the ponies of the town. Now that all the changelings present have been eliminated, the time has come to proceed with the next step; locating those that were replaced, and ensuring their safety has not been compromised," Ulquiorra replied.

Why'd he have to know so much? Why'd he have to be so annoying and calm under pressure? And for that matter why did he have to be so right?

"How can I help?"

The question surprised them as it had been presented by the most unlikely one present; Diamond Tiara of all ponies. She looked quite concerned and quite serious, a massive change from her usual demeanor.

"Why do you even care?" Scootaloo asked, confused and annoying all at the same time. "You're nothing but a spoiled brat!"

"Look you know-nothing blank flank!" Diamond Tiara stated, her usual annoyed nature quickly returning. "Silver Spoon is my friend and if there's anything I can do to help her them I'm gonna do it, even if it means getting down in the mud next to the likes of you! Somepony just point me in a direction!"

"EVERYPONY SHUT UP ALREADY!"

The bellow had come from Twilight as she made her way over, finally recovered from her bout of sickness, and able to properly respond to the soon to be fight that was about to break out. She'd gone from despair to fury, and it was showing.

"There's gonna be plenty of time for all this bickering later, but now's not the time for it. We need to be organized, and not shouting at each other like a bunch of fucking idiots!" she stated and stomped her hoof.

Ulquiorra noticed as the looks on the pony's faces were either shock and fear from Twilight Sparkle's outburst, -along with a dramatic flaring of her reiatsu levels- or confusion at her choice of wording and use of terms native to his dimension. Either way she had managed to silence the bickering that was taking place. He almost felt the urge to clap.

Almost.

"Look. If we're going to do this, then we're going to do it right. The first thing we need to do is see who's present and who's missing. We need to go door to door and assure everypony that everything's alright, and inform them about what's going on. Once we do that, we can start getting volunteers to help in the search and rescue part while others focus on the cleanup around town," Twilight stated and looked over everyone assembled. "Rainbow Dash, can you take Apple Bloom and her friends around, and start reassuring everypony that everything is alright, and the situation is firmly under control? We don't need anypony panicking right now."

"You can count on me, Twi'," Rainbow Dash replied and saluted with her right hoof.

"Good. Once you get everypony calmed down, tell them to head to Town Hall and wait for us there. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, you and I will take attendance and figure out who we need to rescue, as well as chart out the surrounding territory for exploration, as well as determining a way to distinguish each other should more changelings be in the area, and currently laying undiscovered."

"Right behind ya Twilight," Applejack said as she set Apple Bloom down on her hooves.

"Right! One mass gathering, on it!" Pinkie added and saluted as well.

"Spike. Send Princess Celestia a letter and inform her about these developments, she needs to know if an invasion is really going on," Twilight stated.

"That won't be necessary, Twilight Sparkle," Ulquiorra spoke up, bringing the unicorn's attention to him. "Gathering ponies and keeping them calm will not be easy if I'm still present. I will return to Canterlot palace myself and deliver the message in person, and ensure the situation is under control. We will coordinate our efforts, and operations afterward, when we are secured on both ends."

She really didn't like being ordered around in this situation. Ulquiorra had caused who knew how much trauma to everypony, themselves included, forced her to participate in a slaughter, and was now intending to leave and go to Canterlot, away from the results of his actions?

But as much as she hated to admit it he was quite accurate in his hypothesis that search and rescue efforts would be hampered if everypony was afraid of his presence after everything that happened. It was going to take long enough to explain to them that the ones getting slaughtered were changelings and he'd been doing what he did for the good of Ponyville. Begrudgingly she nodded in agreement.

"Alright," she admitted. They'd do it his way for right now. But the minute this crisis was over she was so going to curse him out every which way she knew for everything he'd done wrong in this situation! "We'll send word once we have everypony located and accounted for. If the drones followed standard changeling behavior they were cocooned and stored somewhere in a secured location and left for later."

"Before I depart I will inform my escort that their assistance will be needed for the search and rescue efforts. You will likely need as much help as you can acquire," Ulquiorra replied.

"That'd be much appreciated. The more fliers we have the better chance we have of covering territory," Twilight replied. She was fully prepared for the Espada to take his leave but suddenly something occurred to her, something that would be vitally important for him to know. "Ulquiorra before you leave! If you find any changelings in Canterlot, any that're of bigger stature or have a green coloring to their exoskeletons, don't deal with them like you did here. According to the books I've read, such changelings are higher on the social ranking, and possess much greater intelligence and the ability to speak, serving as the queen's royal guard and advisers. If you find any maybe we can get some answers about the scale of the invasion."

"I will keep such information in mind," Ulquiorra replied before vanishing from sight, the only thing left behind was a booming echo of static.

"How'd he do that?" Diamond Tiara asked and tilted her head.

"That's a story for another time. C'mon we've got work to do," Rainbow Dash stated and took off, the fillies hot on her heels to assist in whatever manner they could.

"Uh... Twilight?" Applejack spoke up, bringing her friend's attention back to her. "Ah got a question before we get started. Jus' wha' exactly does "fuck" mean?"

"Admit the next petitioner," Princess Celestia commanded softly. The day court was in full swing, and it was business as usual for her. Ponies seeking out her council and wisdom, funding for various projects and goals, all the standard matters. The only change was this morning had started off light. This was the first time in over a decade she hadn't felt the nagging of a phantom migraine this early in the morning.

Unfortunately that peacefulness came to an end, as the moment the door was opened, none other than Ulquiorra appeared in a sudden flash, standing before her, not twenty feet away from the steps leading up to the her throne. He'd returned so soon? Obviously this couldn't be good.

And was he wearing a new shirt? It just had to be Rarity's work.

"Ulquiorra? What brings you back to the palace? Weren't you in Ponyville for the day?" Princess Celestia asked.

"I was. However a matter of great urgency has arisen, and you need to be informed of the development," Ulquiorra replied and paused. "Is the throne room secure? This news should not be heard by outside ears."

Princess Celestia nodded in understanding. Her horn glowed as the doors to the throne room were closed, and a magical shield deployed over them, preventing anypony from eavesdropping on them.

"Speak freely. What is this urgent matter?" she asked.

"There have been thirty eight murders in the town of Ponyville, each of them quite brutal and unexplained in nature. Among the victims is the one known as Fluttershy. When she was found her heart had been ripped out of her chest, and her spine was completely shattered," Ulquiorra stated.

Other than the gasp that came from Princess Celestia the entire room was silent. Not even the guards dared to breathe or move.

"H-how... w-who..." Princess Celestia asked in a shaky voice.

"By my own hand. I am the perpetrator. You were correct to fear me," Ulquiorra admitted. Before she even had a chance to respond he continued. "What's more-" he paused and disappeared from sight in a quick burst of sonido, appearing right at the foot of the stairs that left up to her throne. Quicker than she could respond to that, he delivered a roundhouse kick to the side of the head of the guard on her left, and delivered enough force to send him crashing into the wall. "-I am nowhere near done in my massacre of those around me. Many more will be dead before this day is over."

Before he could blink something strong had him around the neck, effortlessly lifting him up off the ground and squeezing tightly, and making it all but impossible to breathe. He could see Princess Celestia was very angry right now, her already immense reiatsu flaring out dramatically, and to a horrifying degree, the pressure being exerted against his hierro indescribable. Being in her presence right now was much like being in the presence of the sun itself, heat radiating off of her, and searing him in a way the remaining conscious guard seemed blissfully ignorant of.

"You come here to brag about murdering my little ponies and then have the audacity to claim more will follow, and you're stupid enough to believe that I won't do something about it?" she asked in a tone of barely restrained rage, tightening the hold she had on his neck. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you, shouldn't have given you the benefit of the doubt, shouldn't have listened to Discord when he brought you to me! I made a mistake, and right now I intend to correct that mistake..."

He couldn't breathe. His hierro was blistering. His internal organs were being pummeled. He could barely even keep his eyes open from the intensity of her reiatsu, as it was threatening to make them explode right out of his sockets. His death was most certainly close at hand this time. With great effort and great pain he slowly raised his right hand for the purpose of pointing over to the wall.

Princess Celestia was left uncertain of what he was doing, and gave an aside glance to what he was gesturing to. The remaining guard had dashed over to the side of his fallen comrade immediately after the attack, but was making no effort to revive him or assess his condition. It was...

Immediately she released her magical hold on Ulquiorra, drawing her powers back within her, to turn her full gaze to the sight before her. It wasn't one of her loyal guards that was laying unconscious on the floor, but rather a changeling that'd been knocked cold from hitting the wall headfirst! How was this even possible?

Her attention was drawn back to Ulquiorra as he was left in a kneeling position and gasping for the air he'd been denied previously, his off-white skin now covered in horrible red blisters. In her fury she'd wound up forgetting he was sensitive to the intensity of her magic, and she'd wound up hurting him without even realizing. Truth be told at the time she really hadn't even cared, considering what he was telling her. Now she was left deeply regretting her actions.

"I... I don't know what to say..." she whispered. Had the entire thing been nothing more than an act? Had her fury been unwarranted?

Ulquiorra slowly rose back to his feet, the blisters on his right cheek very obvious, as well as the singe marks to the remnants of his Hollow mask. But despite the amount of pain he was currently in, his face didn't convey such facts.

"If you paid attention, my wording was carefully and deliberately chosen. Not once did I ever state that one of your subjects was murdered, or that a pony had died," he explained, his voice calm and even as ever. "It was all quite necessary to not tip our hand too early. Knowing so little about the factual nature of changelings I chose to proceed with caution. Your reaction was... for lack of a better term of description... perfect. However this was not the only one present. There are at least one hundred other changelings present in and around the castle that must be dealt with."

Princess Celestia was left silent in response to his words, so many thoughts going through her mind all at once. The wellbeing of her subjects, the possibility of a full scale changeling invasion, and even what Ulquiorra had done, how he'd put himself in the line of fire to fool the changeling that had been in her own presence, that she herself hadn't even been aware of. He'd allowed himself to be mangled to deal with a spy she'd been ignorant of.

He really wasn't lying when he talked about his loyalty. And now she felt absolutely terrible; both for her actions, and for the smell of his burnt flesh reaching her nose.

"First thing's first, we need to see about getting you to the infirmary, and treating your... injuries... huh?" she asked in paused silence as she watched the blisters seeming to shrink and disappear in wisps of steam. What was going on?

"The damage you inflicted upon my hierro is minor. The internal organs your reiatsu bruised will heal as well. Right now my wellbeing is the least of our concerns. We have other pressing matters to attend to," he said as he looked over at the fallen changeling again. "A great many pressing matters if this is to be done correctly..."

"A-agreed. But where do we begin?" Princess Celestia asked, uncertain what else to say. Even after everything she'd done to him, he was taking it all in stride. How was she supposed to respond to such a being?

Hers was a good question indeed. There were several areas that needed addressing, and each one of them was closely interlinked with the others. Trying to keep all going at the same time would require a measure of delicacy, and proper timing if success was to be achieved.

Stealth had never been his area of expertise, he'd never really needed it to any significant degree. Stealth in his case meant performing a burst of sonido to arrive in an area, and delivering a fatal blow to the target faster than they could respond. In all other cases it'd been a matter of displaying the sheer overwhelming nature of his strength, and leaving the opponents crippled without hope. But this was an entirely different matter and he couldn't do that here. There were too many random variables to take into account, too many unknowns that had to be addressed up front. This would require a significant amount of work on all their parts.

"I rarely ever say these words, because they are rarely ever true. But at present, the only thing I can truly say, is that I don't know..."

Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Three

His whole head ached. It felt like his exoskeleton was going to split apart at the seams if the throbbing didn't come to an end soon. What in the name of Equestria had hit him? Why did he feel like someone had used his head to try and break a wall? Did anyone get the number of that runaway carriage that ran over him from behind?

"So you're finally awake. Very good."

The sound of the voice in the room brought him into better focus of his surroundings. It was a dimly lit holding cell filled with one table, one chair that he was firmly tied to with ropes, and standing at the head of the table and looking down at him was Celestia herself. Just great.

"I'm rather impressed you managed to replace one of my guards without me noticing, I applaud your skill really," she stated as she stepped closer to the table where there was better illumination. "Your skills notwithstanding though, I have no real time for games. I want to know what Chrysalis is up to. What's her game?" she asked. "And don't bother pretending like you're a low level drone who can't even speak, I know that's not the case. A low level drone would never be assigned to infiltrate the day guard."

"I don't have to tell you anything," the changeling barked in response. "You'll know what Queen Chrysalis has planned when your time comes. I'm not telling you anything; except for the obvious that your flank is as big as a buffalo and twice as hairy!"

"Your objection to my rule is noted," she replied sarcastically and stuck her tongue out from the side of her mouth in a mocking grin. "In all seriousness though, I really do need to know. What does Chrysalis have planned? How many changelings does she have in Canterlot right now, and how many more are ready to be deployed? Where's your hive currently located?"

"You'll get nothing from me you ancient hag!" the changeling stated, before hissing and spitting in her direction in obvious hostility.

Princess Celestia just shook her head and sighed. She had so hoped this could be done the easy way, but the changeling had gone with hostility right off the bat. Why did they always want to go about the hard way of doing things? "I guess it can't be helped then. I'll just have to probe your mind, and take the information that I need," she said as her horn began to glow.

"You come near me and I'll show you a new place you can stick that horn of yours," the changeling snapped.

She said nothing in response and walked around the table, to where the changeling remained trapped in the chair, leaning down until her horn was touching its horn, as she concentrated to locate and find out the information she was searching for, just as she had done with Ulquiorra upon their first meeting.

Unfortunately Ulquiorra's mind was an open book compared to this one. The changeling's mind was a mess of jumbled voices, incoherent noises, and indecipherable static. It was like trying to find one particular face in a crowd of thousands. This had to be an aspect of their hive mind, it was the only thing that made sense. Frowning at this discovery she pulled away, again noting how changelings always seemed to want to do things the hard way.

"You'll get nothing from me you ancient, wrinkly old nag! Get your sagging buffalo flank away with me!" the changeling barked.

The one-sided banter was interrupted by a booming echo of static sounded outside the holding cell door. Unfortunately there was so little light it was hard to tell just what was outside... unless you were already familiar with the commotion by now. From the look on the changeling's face, she could tell he most certainly wasn't familiar.

"What news do you have to report?" she asked as she turned away, using her magic to open the cell door.

"The day guard is currently carrying out search and rescue operations as we speak. Of the one hundred and thirteen changelings that were found within the boundaries of Canterlot, one hundred and twelve of them have been eliminated. The only exception being our current guest," Ulquiorra spoke as he casually strolled into the cell and brought his face into the light, watching the changeling's expression change with recognition of him. "Have you gathered anything useful from the interrogation?"

"I'm afraid not," Princess Celestia replied and shook her head. "He only woke up a few minutes ago, and has been reluctant to share anything other than rudeness, and his opinion about my age and such. When I tried probing his mind, all I got was gibberish and interference. It would seem he's intent on doing things the hard way," she explained. "To be honest I'm quite amazed he's still even alive. I was certain you crushed his head with that kick."

"Then perhaps a firmer touch is necessary," Ulquiorra replied as he turned to face Princess Celestia. "I shall gather the information you seek, if provided the opportunity."

This, she just had to see. She found herself growing quite curious at how Ulquiorra planned to go about extracting information from one so stubborn. What did he have in mind?

"Be my guest," she replied and stepped to the side.

"I would recommend waiting outside. I can't guarantee the results won't be messy," Ulquiorra warned.

Messy? What was he planning on doing to get the information from the changeling? Then again perhaps it would be best to wait on the other side of the bars, just in case. Wordlessly she nodded and stepped outside, shutting the cell door behind her.

The changeling had been silent the entire time as he observed the interaction between the two white figures, one a horrid ruler, and the other a vicious monster he'd seen tear apart his comrades in their disguise as ponies. He'd seen from a first point of view how he'd savagely murdered the one that replaced the pegasus Fluttershy. He'd seen from the others how he wiped out every operative they had in Ponyville, and during their talk, he'd managed to confirm the loss of every last one of their troops in Canterlot. This bipedal being was quite a monster to be certain, the likes of which had never been seen before. Such intensity, such hostility, such unrestrained violence, it was all disturbing!

But disturbing or not, he couldn't let on. He just couldn't. If he let on how terrified he was it'd be all over. No, what he had to do was maintain his cool, any way necessary.

"You think I'm afraid of you just because you've got a sword? Don't bet on it bucko. If you kill me, you'll never find out anything, so you'll just be wasting your time," the changeling stated.

"So it would seem," Ulquiorra replied as he unsheathed his zanpakutō. Without another word he extended his arm, and without any warning as to what his intention was, brought the blade down and sliced off his own arm just below the elbow, sending the severed limb flying along with a spray of blood.

Princess Celestia gasped from outside the holding cell at what she'd just seen. Had that truly been real? Had he just... just... suddenly she felt quite ill.

The changeling's eyes went wide in shock and horror at what it'd just seen. He cut off his own limb just like that? What kind of insane monster was he facing? What kind of demon was he currently locked up with!?

"As you can see for yourself that was my own arm. I can assure you, the act was quite excruciating to experience," Ulquiorra elaborated, his voice never wavering as he maintained a neutral, and unreadable expression on his face. To hammer the point home, he presented the stump close to the changeling's face, allowing it to see the remnants of the musculature and skeletal structure beneath all the blood and skin. "Every single nerve ending in the stump is currently lit up, and transmitting the indescribable level of pain and suffering that's being experienced. The intensity is so overwhelming it's comparable to being burned alive, and I can barely stand it," he continued on as he gazed at the captive changeling while pulling the stump back. "Right now you must be asking yourself a very specific question. You must be asking yourself "If he's willing to do that to himself, without hesitation despite the amount of pain he will experience, then what will he do to one whose pain and suffering he can't feel?" Am I correct?"

The changeling was too shocked to say a single word, still looking at his stump, the severed limb, and the blood that dripped from the wound and was paid no mind whatsoever. Wordlessly he approached slowly, his zanpakutō still grasped in his remaining hand.

"This nation's history holds conflicting views of your species. You're either regarded as soul sucking evil monsters, or a race cursed by your dietary requirements being incompatible with the world around you. Whichever of these accounts is more accurate, I don't personally care. I need information pertaining to your hive. To the scale of the current invasion, and where the remaining troops are so they can be exterminated," Ulquiorra explained as he slowly circled the changeling. "I can assure you, that you will not be escaping this unscathed. The only question is, to what extent you're willing to suffer in your loyalty to your hive's queen," he explained as he came to a stop in front of the changeling. "I know very little about changeling physiology. If you don't tell me what I need to know, then I will simply experiment with you, finding out what I need to know one way or another. Perhaps I will determine the hardness of your exoskeleton with my zanpakutō..."

It was true he had no real firsthand knowledge about the physiology of changelings, he only knew what he'd read about in the library. But it was safe to say that the changeling was beginning to panic at the prospect of being dissected in such a manner.

"Are you able to regrow parts of your body like other insects? If I were to violently rip your wings off your back, would they eventually regrow or would they be gone for good?" Ulquiorra asked as he slowly circled around back behind the changeling, lingering there for several long moments, before finally coming back around to the front, the blade of his zanpakutō dragging across the table. "Are there any extremities you're not particularly attached to? Perhaps a leg you'd be more willing to lose, compared to the prospect of losing the other one?"

"Help!" the changeling screamed and began jerking about to try and break free. Suddenly Princess Celestia was looking very good right now.

Ulquiorra paid no mind to the outburst, opting instead to simply continue the interrogation.

"There are multiple ways to go about extracting the location of your hive, regardless of how much you resist. Perhaps I'll settle on simply, and slowly, ripping your exoskeleton away from the soft tissue underneath, in a manner that will make each and every nerve ending in your entire body, light up with excruciating sensations," Ulquiorra said as he slowly began walking around the changeling again, the edge of his zanpakutō dragging across its exoskeleton on this pass, and slowly biting into it. "I've always been curious if one could truly die from experiencing an overwhelming amount of unbearable pain. If you truly have nothing you wish to share, nothing that would convince us your life is valuable enough to spare, then now seems like as good a time as any to see if there's any truth to the rumor."

"Stop! Stop! I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll tell you whatever you want to know, I promise!" the changeling shouted as it shook violently in terror, its bravado and resolve completely shattered as it felt the edge of the sword starting to cut through it's outer skin. "Our hive is in the west, three miles into the Everfree Forest just past the river! I wasn't told how many would be doing what, I was only directed to infiltrate Celestia's guard and await further instructions, that's all I know, I swear it! Just please don't hurt me!"

He stopped. Wordlessly he eased his zanpakutō away from the changeling's exoskeleton, and brought the tip of the blade back to the sheath, looking it straight in the eyes as it did so.

"For your sake I hope your information is correct, and you haven't chosen to engage in dishonesty with me. With my speed, the journey from here to Ponyville can be made in three minutes. The reported location you give will take even less time. If I venture out to the described location, and don't sense so much as a single changeling, I will return shortly in order carry out retribution," Ulquiorra warned before leaning in closely to the scared changeling's face. "And if I must return because you fed me false information, I can promise that you will be made to suffer very soon. First I will peel your exoskeleton from the soft flesh underneath. Then I will baste you in garlic butter with a hint of lemon. And then, while you're still alive, I will devour you in a slow, and deliberate manner, bit by bit, so you can experience every. Last. Excruciating. Sensation. Involved in the process..."

It was a threat of such unbelievable nature, that it was simply too weird to be imagined, being delivered by someone who'd cut off his own limb just to prove a point, his entire tone dead serious and devoid of any malice, hostility or mercy. It was all too much to take, and the changeling fainted in the chair without warning.

Theatrics weren't his area of expertise. They were far more suited for the Octava Espada. But his less than stellar performance was sufficient to achieve the desired results, that was all that mattered right now.

Without a word, Ulquiorra walked over to the door and stepped outside, meeting with Princess Celestia in the hall, and noticing the blank look on her face. He couldn't be certain, but she seemed even whiter than before. And the odor in the air told him a great deal about what had likely occurred during his interrogation.

For a species that -scientifically speaking- wasn't supposed to be physically able to vomit, there was a great deal of vomiting taking place lately with these ponies. First the unicorn Rarity, then Twilight Sparkle, and then Princess Celestia herself.

"I trust you heard what information he had to say?" he asked, indifferent to her suffering.

"Your arm..." she choked out hoarsely and coughed, "how could... how could..."

"It served to make him open up about what we needed to know," he explained as he raised the stump.

Princess Celestia was absolutely horrified at how casual he was about the loss of his own limb. How could any being do that to themselves without any hesitation? She watched as he raised his limb and... she blinked at the disturbance of the stump. An eruption of unidentified material shot forth from the remnants, and she watched as the missing limb replaced itself, seemingly building itself from the skeleton up all the way through to the skin in just a matter of seconds. What kind of magic was this!?

"My greatest power isn't offense, it's regeneration. Most Arrancar trade their high-speed regeneration for greater strength. But among the Espada, I alone am able to quickly regenerate any part of my body," he explained calmly as he looked over his new limb, flexing each of his fingers, the newly formed joints cracking and popping in the process of being moved for the first time. Unlike the last time he made such a speech, he felt it was best to withhold the information about what areas he couldn't regenerate. "That is why my hierro healed so quickly once you suppressed the majority of your reiatsu; because it's in my nature."

"That's... rather informative... and quite convenient..." Princess Celestia commented and shook her head to clear away the surprise. It was only now that she remembered seeing something about that in his memories. How could she forget such a feat? She'd even seen it firsthoof when he'd plucked out his own eye, only for it to regrow not long after. "I must say you've been considerably more volunteering with information than when you first arrived."

"The circumstances have changed since my initial arrival. It is necessary to react and respond accordingly," Ulquiorra replied. "Right now the circumstances must be addressed. We know the location of the changeling hive. We know an invasion is in the process of being carried out. The only question is what course of action do you wish to take? Shall I depart and destroy the hive and all that are present? Or do you wish to maintain the ideological belief that a peaceful solution can be had?" he asked pointedly.

What was she supposed to do in this situation? She knew the changelings were a threat to the safety of her kingdom and her subjects. They'd already been spared once by Shining Armor when he'd jettisoned all of them from Canterlot, but the interruption of their invasion didn't seem to slow them down much. But on the other hoof, she really didn't want to see any further killing going on. Allowing Ulquiorra to exterminate the hundred or so that were present in Canterlot, in order to avoid them bringing reinforcements, that would lead to an even greater loss of life had been hard enough. But the entire hive? Possibly the entire changeling population? Could she really go through with that?

Some days it really, really didn't pay to be a Princess...

"Alright everypony quiet down and listen up," Twilight instructed, as she tried to quiet the growing murmurs among the crowd.

Immediately after Ulquiorra's departure, their small group had set out trying to round up other ponies to assist in the search and rescue mission. But before that could be done they needed to convince everyone that they were safe, the situation was under control, and that the Arrancar wasn't out to shed their blood; hiding around the corner, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. That was the part that took the most time to pull off, considering how many had seen the extermination take place; especially for those who'd been minding their own business only to see the pony they were walking with struck down in a pool of blood before reverting back to their true changeling form.

Needless to say it'd taken a long time to get everything calmed down and straightened out. But finally what had started out as unrestrained chaos and panic, had been reigned in and reformed to better resemble the level of organization and professionalism, generally seen only on Winter Wrap-Up Day. This meant they could take a proper head count, figure out who was present and who was missing, and get everyone grouped together to find the others.

And now that they were properly organized -as well as silent and paying attention now- they could get this search and rescue operation under way!

"Alright as you can see from the map," Twilight paused as she gestured to the map of Ponyville and the surrounding territory pinned up behind her, "the entire area has been sectioned off. Now everypony has been divided up into one of three teams, to search the surrounding area to try and locate the missing ponies. Does everypony know who they're going with?" she asked.

"We do," Applejack spoke up and stepped forward. "Miss Cherilee an' ah are gonna be takin' the Crusaders, Diamond Tiara, Time Turner, Lyra, and Caramel ta Sweet Apple Acres, where we'll meet up with Big Macintosh an' Carrot Top, an' a hoofful of other volunteers, an' comb the whole area, see if the changelings stored anypony in any o' the old out buildings on the farm."

"Very Good. Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow Dash saluted before speaking. "I'm taking Flitter, Cloudchaser, Raindrops, the two guards from Canterlot, Thunderlane, and Rumble, as well as the rest of the weather team and flying over the whole area so we can provide a bird's eye view of the surrounding territory, and see if we can spot anything even remotely changeling related, at which point we either report back to another group or advance on ahead and lock down the location," she explained through her distorted voice thanks to the swelling in her muzzle from the earlier injury

"Alright," Twilight nodded and turned to the crowd, "everypony else who hasn't been selected for one of the other teams will help search Ponyville, and the area on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. We're going to need all the help we can get, because there's a lot of buildings to cover, and there's no telling what happened or when. They could quite literally be anywhere right now," she explained.

Spike climbed up on Twilight's back to get some altitude before addressing the crowd. "Now this is very important everypony. There's always the possibility that there are more changelings in the area, so proceed with caution. In case you get separated from your group, make sure to get audio confirmation. Most changeling drones can't speak our language, so it should be relatively easy. But just in case they actually do and we simply haven't realized it, you've all been assigned a password. Does everyone remember what it is?" he asked. The password confirmation had been his idea when Twilight had been experiencing difficulty with a spell that would allow everyone to tell in case someone got replaced. He'd opted to go with something obvious and simple.

"Inagaddadavida!" the whole crowd stated at once.

"Right," Spike nodded, "which is replied to by?"

"Bossa Nova!" the crowd added.

Twilight smiled. At the time she really hadn't thought Spike's suggestion would work, that it had too many shortcomings in logic, and a good magical spell was all they needed. But Spike had made one point very clear to her that she couldn't deny; time was of the essence for the missing ponies, and since changelings weren't known for carrying on intelligent conversations, there wasn't much chance of them being able to slip past the password system. She had to admit, he really was far more knowledgeable than she gave him credit for.

"Now every group remembers what to do if you find the missing ponies, right? Each of the land groups has a unicorn on hoof, if we find them we'll send up a beacon and everypony converges on that spot. Otherwise the air team dispatches a flier to each location to relay the information and we converge there," she explained. Everypony nodded in understanding. "Right! Let's go everypony!"

"On it!" Rainbow Dash stated as she and the rest of her squad took to the sky.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders Search and Rescue! Go!" came the excited yell from Applejack's group as the more excited fillies dashed off ahead of everyone else. Twilight just shook her head in response. If those three put half as much energy into practicing what they were already good at, as they did being ridiculous, they'd already have their cutie marks. But at least they had a lot of spirit to them.

Twilight looked back over the gathered crowd as the two other groups broke off. There was still plenty of helping hooves present, and they were needed considering how many buildings there were around Ponyville to go through. Complicating the matter was the lack of absolute certainty just how long the changelings had been active this time. Fluttershy's behavior had been off ever since last week's incident at the caves, but there really hadn't been a drastic difference until two or three days ago. Maybe if they'd been more observant, they would've noticed earlier on that something was wrong?

Ulquiorra had been right. They really were trash.

"Hey Twilight?"

She shook her head at the sound of Spike's voice, snapping her out of her daze. "Yes, Spike?" she asked.

"Well we know how things are going on our end, but what about in Canterlot? How do you think Ulquiorra and Princess Celestia are dealing with the situation, if they've got changelings there too?" he asked.

"I'd really rather not think about that right now," Twilight replied and shuddered. The thought of a repeat of the earlier incidents was not something she wanted to give any consideration to. She wouldn't even wish this on the changelings, regardless of what they'd done. The fact that it may very well be happening, right this moment, it was enough to upset her stomach all over again.

One thing was for certain. If Chrysalis really was behind this whole invasion, she really didn't want to be in her shoes right now.

Chrysalis really didn't want to be in her shoes right now, not with what was on its way, coming here towards her hive at this very moment.

It'd all started with the drone that had successfully replaced Fluttershy, and thus separated the fabled Elements of Harmony from one another. Everything had been going so well, until that strange, white, bipedal monster mercilessly killed it without any hesitation, killing Fluttershy in essence, right in front of the other Elements of Harmony.

That had been bad enough, it disturbed her greatly to see such brutality transmitted by one of her drones in its last moments. But then things had gotten worse, as this unstoppable force of violence and murder appeared in Ponyville, and made the announcement that chilled her blood.

"Good residents of Ponyville. I have come to kill all of you."

What followed immediately after that, had been the most terrifying display of violence and death she'd ever been forced to bear witness to. Each and every single one of her operatives had been wiped out and there was no telling if any of the other ponies had fallen beside them. For all she knew, the entire town of Ponyville was nothing but a mass graveyard now.

And then the reports from the operatives she'd managed to station in Canterlot without Celestia ever being the wiser. Sweet merciful Faust! She didn't want to even think about what happened in Canterlot! The last moments of terror experienced by her drones, the interrogation of one of her elites by the white biped who cut off its own limb just to prove a point, and the threats of incomprehensible torture. All the way through it, she still couldn't get a reading on whether or not this creature had specifically targeted her drones, or if it targeted indiscriminately, and simply killed whatever was in its path, drones and ponies alike.

And then... and then the report from her elite that chilled her to her very core...

"If you can communicate with your queen at this distance then relay this message to her. I am coming for you, Chrysalis, and it is my intention to kill you for what you have done here today."

That was the entirety of the message her loyal soldier had relayed to her, shortly before witnessing from his point of view his own execution at the point of a sword, most likely right through the eye and out the back of the head.

The majority of their hive was deep underground, unlikely to be found by anyone unfamiliar with changeling architecture. Regardless of the blood lust this creature possessed, it was highly unlikely to find their nest even with the directions it'd been given during her soldier's moment of weakness. However there was still the chance of it happening, no matter how remote.

Could they resist now that the element of surprise was gone? Despite the loss of a hundred and fifty drones -a hundred and fifty one counting her elite guard member- her hive still numbered in the several hundreds. They had a numeric advantage in case they were attacked, and her hive was quite furious when provoked. Yes... yes they'd be just fine.

"Just fine indeed..." Chrysalis grinned and flapped her wings in acknowledgment of the facts.

Facts that became irrelevant the moment the ceiling above them collapsed in a massive explosion, as a beam of green energy shattered the structure, and carved a large circle above them, sending her drones scattering in every direction in terror as smoke and debris flew about the area.

"Chrysalis I presume."

She'd been coughing so hard as a result of the explosion and all the dust that'd been kicked up she barely noticed the voice, but she instantly recognized the tone. Looking up as the smoke cleared her eyes went wide at the sight of what stood before her. The white bipedal figure that was directly responsible for the death of so many of her own.

"Ulquiorra Cifer. Quatro Espada in service to Princess Celestia. I have come here for the purpose of killing you, to ensure the safety of Equestria."

The air was filled with an unnerving sound as the sword was unsheathed slowly and methodically, easily intimidating and capable of shaking the resolve of anyone that heard it.

"Resist if it makes you feel better about your own impending doom. It makes no difference to me, as the end result will be the same regardless," he spoke calmly as he approached, his steps even and methodical.

Terror is what she felt as she was approached. Without realizing she began stepping backward until she bumped against the far wall and was left nowhere else to go.

There was a yell from the side as one of her drones launched itself in the enemy's direction. She couldn't even blink before witnessing the poor thing get completely bisected by a single stroke of the sword as if it were nothing.

So much for her resolve, her sense of superiority, and the belief that her hive could triumph over this monster. She was left with nothing more than panic and despair.

"This isn't fair! Equestria is supposed to be mine to rule! I defeated Celestia in combat, I deserve to be sitting on the throne in Canterlot! I claimed that right from her!" Chrysalis protested.

Ulquiorra slowed to a stop at her words and eyed her critically. "You defeated Princess Celestia? You are barely capable of even theoretically rivaling Princess Luna's level of strength. How did you defeat her elder sister?" he asked.

He... it was communicating with her, rather than executing her? This monster was actually taking an interest in her words, and giving her the opportunity to share her story with it? This couldn't be happening, and yet it was. Maybe... maybe she could use this to her advantage. Nervously she began to recount her tale.

"During the first invasion I gorged myself on the love of Shining Armor, the captain of Celestia's guards. His love for his fiance was so strong, I was easily able to overpower and dethrone her! Had my spell not been broken on the betrothed, I would currently be sitting atop that throne and ruling over all of Equestria, as my hive devoured all the love to be found in the land, and no longer be relegated to inhospitable territories, but free to reign in the most fertile areas of the land among all the others without fear! My hive would flourish as it so rightly deserves!" she recounted, all the while her eyes giving off a sickly, pale green glow that matched that of her horn.

This was a most surprising revelation. This entity before him, this queen of the changeling race, had bested Princess Celestia in overwhelming force and dethroned her?

She wasn't lying about her accomplishment, the fluctuations in her reiatsu weren't appropriate for dishonesty. Terror, yes, but not dishonesty. How was this a possibility? She had to be telling the truth... but it still didn't make sense.

But even if it didn't make sense, it didn't change the fact that he was addressing the one who had beaten Princess Celestia in combat. Just as Aizen had defeated the former ruler of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan Louisenbairn, and usurped his rule, forcing the Dos Espada to serve him instead. It hadn't even come down to a challenge of strength, but rather trickery and deceit.

He was duty bound to obey Princess Celestia. But he was bound by his own instinctive nature as a Hollow, to recognize the basic principle of survival of the fittest. And for better or worse, Chrysalis was the one who deserved the title of fittest. This simple fact changed everything on the matter, forcing him to reconsider everything.

He served Princess Celestia. That was a constant rather than a variable. If he were to betray her, then she would kill him for his actions. But he served Aizen faithfully, and had been killed for his loyalty and devotion to fulfilling his orders of protecting Las Noches against threats. His own loyalty was the reason he was here right now, and tasked with serving a new master. His loyalty was the reason he found himself in this predicament, struggling for answers on what to do.

What master was he supposed to serve? The one he'd sworn his loyalty to, or the one who was truly fit to rule this new land by defeating the previous ruler by force? Simply because the alicorn was stronger, that didn't mean she was right. But then again, he had never stopped to question if Aizen had been right.

Out of all the Espada, he was the only one who could achieve a second state of release. Rightfully he was the strongest of the Espada, yet he was ranked only on the abilities of his first release; even though he could fully kill at least the lower two who were ranked directly above him. The only one he truly possessed any doubts on was Coyote Starrk, he was a tough call.

Wordlessly, after much internal debate, he calmly resheathed his zanpakutō.

"Then it would appear I have allowed myself to fall into the service of the wrong figurehead," he replied simply and eased himself down onto one knee. "I have assigned my loyalty to the wrong individual, and I must correct that most glaring error. Allow me to serve you, and you alone, Queen Chrysalis, for you are the true and proper ruler of Equestria. Princess Celestia cannot be allowed to maintain her false rule, and I will ensure for you that she does not."

Chrysalis was left in stunned silence. Her spell... had it failed? Under normal circumstances a response indicating loyalty would never take this long. Had it failed to have the desired result, and yet the end results were just coincidentally the same?

This being before her had stormed into her hive, killed many of her loyal subjects as if it were nothing, attempted to kill her in the same unfeeling manner... and now he was swearing his allegiance to her, and promising to help her take the throne to Equestria for her? This was unbelievable, this was unforeseeable, this was... was... she knew she should be wary but the offer was so tempting and tantalizing, the chance to regain her proper rule dangling just in front of her and hers for the taking!

"You came here to kill me. Now you're asking me to let you serve? Why should I trust you?" she asked skeptically. If she had some kind of inkling that her spell had worked in the same manner it'd worked on Shining Armor, then it would be a different story. But this one was so different from anything she'd ever encountered before, its mind so unique, that she wasn't even certain her spell could work, yet had to be tried anyway. Had it been reflexive, or was he truly genuine in his sentiment about serving her?

"Because we have both been deceived and deprived of the proper order of things by Celestia's meddling," he explained. "Furthermore it is the only logical thing to do. What other choice do either of us have on the matter?"

He had a very good point. Here was this force of overwhelming violence and determination wanting to willingly serve her against a common goal, against their greatest enemy. It only made sense to agree. Yes, she could do that.

"Arise Ulquiorra Cifer! Arise and help me reclaim my proper place of rule in this land, and permanently establish my hive, and ensure its place in history!" Chrysalis commanded with glee, her smile threatening to crack her face if it grew any wider. She'd worry about his true loyalty later. As long as he helped her with her goals, that was all she cared about right now.

"Your wish is my command," Ulquiorra spoke as he arose to a standing position, "My Queen."

Chapter Twenty Four

Chapter Twenty Four

"Hey Twilight? Can we check Sugarcube Corner next?"

Each team had been assigned an area to check, with the instruction of going over every possible location with a fine-tooth comb, leave no stone unturned.

No seriously, leave no stone unturned, because knowing changelings that's where they very well could be hidden. And that was to say nothing of checking each tree, to see if it was hollow and acting as a secret compartment.

No beacons had yet been deployed from Applejack's team, and no fliers had swooped in from Rainbow Dash's team, meaning nopony was having any luck yet.

And in Twilight's case, she was having even less luck as she found herself having to deal with a hungry baby dragon.

"Spike we don't have time to be stopping for a snack. Those ponies are counting on us to find them," she reminded him. They'd stop and eat later on.

"I know that, Twilight, but I've heard rumors about there being a secret chamber in the basement, and I wanna see if it's true," Spike stated. In a small town like this rumors passed about easy, but confirming them was the hard part. And right now seemed like a very good opportunity to do just that.

Then he could make Snips and Snails shut up.

"You've been giving those silly stories consideration again? Spike what have I told you about listening to small town gossip and unsupported speculation?" Twilight asked him pointedly in a scolding tone. "There's no secret chamber hidden away at Sugarcube Corner. And I can assure you, all those other stories you might've heard relating to it aren't true either."

"You searched the Town Hall's records, relating to building blueprints, and construction permits for the area, didn't you?" Spike asked in a tone matching hers. Immediately he noticed her ears droop, indicating that he was painfully correct in his accusation. "So what was that about listening to unsupported speculation?"

"T-that's different!" Twilight stated in her own defense. "I was doing research to disprove the very notion of Sugarcube Corner hiding any secrets beneath the foundation. It's not like I actually believed any of those silly rumors you hear, whispered about in dark alleys by the misinformed."

"Uh-huh..." Spike replied incredulously. She was as bad as he was at times. "So how many more buildings do we have to check before-"

Spike was cut off mid-sentence as a loud, deep, thromming-type noise suddenly erupted, a bright sea green beam shooting up into the sky and spreading out like water poured on the floor.

"-Is that Lyra's beacon?" he asked.

"It must be, Spike, she was the only unicorn assigned to Applejack's team, and that's definitely coming from Sweet Apple Acres," Twilight replied. This was very good news indeed. The searching half of their mission was over, now they could proceed with the rescuing. "Let's go everypony!"

Diamond Tiara couldn't believe her eyes. Even though she'd seen everything unfold as she watched, she still simply couldn't believe her eyes.

Finding and saving Silver Spoon had been her top priority above all else, and she was willing to do anything to do just that... even if doing so meant associating with those three blank flanks and being stuck on the same team as them. She didn't know she'd have to tolerate so much stupid! Turning this search and rescue mission into an effort to try and get their cutie marks, had created its own brand of chaos that just complicated everything and made it all ten times worse.

And then what happened? What'd made for the perfect frosting on top of the burnt cake that was this day? Those three blank flanks had wound up finding the missing ponies. Purely by accident, but still. They'd wound up being the first to discover a massive nest of changeling cocoons stored in one of the old and dilapidated out buildings that really needed to be torn down, and hadn't seen much hoof traffic in recent time; all thirty eight of the missing ponies stored there in hibernative rest. How had those three managed to fall into so much luck and success?

Nevermind that, at least Silver Spoon would soon be safe. Then they could leave, and put some serious distance between themselves and the three blank flanked losers.

"There. Done," Lyra spoke as she cut off flow to the beacon spell. She was about to speak again, but stopped as she had to shake her head and steady herself. "Whoa. That spell makes you really dizzy when you cast it."

"Ya done good anyway, Lyra, that'll get everypoy here in no time. 'til then all we can really do is wait," Applejack replied as she turned her attention back to the nest of cocoons in the old building. How the hay had she not noticed this before? Granted it really wasn't used for much of anything anymore, but that really wasn't an excuse, Sweet Apple Acres was her property after all, she should be aware of what was going on around it.

"Aww we gotta wait? Why can' we jus' go ahead an' get 'em out now? We got more than enough hooves ta do the job," Apple Bloom complained. How were they ever gonna get their search and rescue cutie marks if they had to wait for somepony else to do what they could do themselves?

Diamond Tiara had to bite her tongue to avoid a sharply worded retort to Apple Bloom's utter stupidity; not that she wanted to, but with the blank flank's sister and Miss Cherilee in such close proximity, she couldn't get away with saying what she wanted to say.

"At least Silver Spoon's alright. That's all that really matters right now..." she told herself.

"So I guess our partnership is over?" she heard Sweetie Belle ask from beside her.

"Pretty much," Diamond Tiara replied. At least she was more intelligent than her two useless and dumb muscle friends.

"We did good work together though," Sweetie Belle pointed out.

"I guess," Diamond Tiara replied and shrugged. She didn't want to admit to the fact that these three had been integral to finding Silver Spoon and all the others, she really didn't. If she did admit the fact to herself then she'd have to acknowledge that they weren't as useless as they otherwise seemed.

Where the hay were the others!? What was taking them so long?

Celestia really didn't want to admit to the fact, but she was quite nervous right now, very restless, and unsettled by the events of this day.

She knew that she shouldn't have been surprised by the fact that Chrysalis would choose to launch another attack on the kingdom, it was to be expected from the likes of her. However she'd expected this much earlier on, perhaps she'd allowed herself to become complacent in the false concept of nothing occurring due to the lack of activity.

Unfortunately such thoughts brought her back to the thoughts regarding Ulquiorra and his actions... distasteful as they were to give thought to. The very thought of it all was... unsettling right down to her very core. She really didn't want to think about what he was doing at the changeling's hive right now... if indeed there was a hive.

Another disturbing thought entered her mind, that relating to earlier thoughts about the extent of the invasion. Supposedly a hundred and twelve drones had infiltrated Canterlot and replaced various citizens, those currently being sought out by the royal guard in a massive search and rescue effort. But what if there were more? What if, during Ulquiorra's absence, more changelings had arrived and were masquerading themselves right now, and she was none the wiser? She couldn't see their mana patterns, reiatsu or whatever he called it. How many of her loyal subjects weren't actually her loyal subjects right now? She hadn't noticed the last invasion, how was she supposed to recognize this one any better?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a disturbance. An incredibly familiar disturbance in the field of magic, in the form of a scroll materializing just above her head. Without a word she magically took hold and unfurled it to read what it had to say.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I trust Ulquiorra informed you about the situation here in Ponyville regarding the changelings. Please tell me that he did, otherwise this letter isn't going to make any sense.

I'm pleased to report that the missing thirty eight ponies have all been located and are safe and sound, Fluttershy included. All of them have been rescued from the cocoons and they're currently recovering nicely if a bit slowly.

I'm not quite as pleased to report that all of the changelings in Ponyville have been dispatched. Ulquiorra is quite efficient in his methods, but they're quite horrifying to consider. I'd rather not talk about those if that's alright with you.

How're things going on your end? Is the situation under control in Canterlot? What's the scope of the changeling situation?

Signed,
Twilight Sparkle

Celestia gave a faint smile as she came to the end of the letter. At least the situation in Ponyville was well in hand... hoof... that Arrancar's dialect was rubbing off on her. That wasn't important right now, what was important was that all of the Elements of Harmony were safe and together. As long as that was the case there was hope regardless of the situation.

This was a letter that required an immediate response.

Fluttershy groaned and rubbed her head with one hoof, and used her other to shield her eyes as she came around, slowly sitting herself up from where she laid on the ground. Everything was so bright, and loud, and it hurt her head like she was suffering from a migraine. What'd happened to her?

"Flutters!"

She didn't even have time to cringe at the volume of the voice, before she found herself being vigorously hugged by a bundle of colors. A bundle that she was slowly realizing was a very excited Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow Dash? What... what happened?" she asked.

"You don't remember?" Rainbow Dash asked as she pulled back to look at her friend's confused face. She really didn't remember. "You got replaced by a changeling. We just found you and the other missing townsponies not too long ago. You're the last one to come around and wake up," she informed her.

"A changeling? Oh my. Is everypony alright? Is anyone hurt?" she asked, finding new motivation to move her tired and aching body. Were all the other ponies experiencing the same thing?

"Fortunately nopony is hurt," Twilight said as she came into view and smiled at her friend. "We're so glad you're alright, Fluttershy, we were really worried about you."

"We were really lucky that Mr. Cifer was here today. He was the only one that managed ta see through the changeling's disguise, and know it wasn' the real you," Applejack added as she stepped up. "He wound up saving ya an' the whole town. We had a full scale invasion on our hooves fer a while."

Fluttershy blinked. It was Ulquiorra who saved her and everypony else? She had him to thank? That was... that was all very conflicting. So much hostility, aggression, and a willingness to kill others without hesitation... and he'd still saved them all? Just like that? This was all very confusing. She really would need to start being nicer to him now to properly thank him for what he'd done here today.

"Just don't ask how he did it," Rainbow Dash told her.

"Um... Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy spoke up as she looked at her friend, or more specifically the bandages on her muzzle. "What exactly happened to you?"

"You mean this?" she asked as she gestured to the bandages, "I wound up crashing into the guy when he stopped in front of me. His muscles are as hard as a mountain. I'm lucky I didn't break any bones, but I'll still be glad when the swelling goes down 'cuz I sound like a weirdo like this."

There was a shared chuckle amongst the group of friends, as well as a few other ponies who were close by. Although the laughing soon stopped as Spike released a firey belch and brought forth a scroll that landed in his claws.

"What's it say, Spike?" Twilight asked even as he was busy unrolling the scroll to actually read it.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

Yes Ulquiorra has indeed informed me of the changeling situation in Ponyville. I'm quite pleased to hear that all the victims have been rescued and are doing fine.

The situation in Canterlot is well in hoof and there's no need to worry. The royal guard is currently involved in its own search and rescue for the missing Canterlot citizens, but I have every reason to believe everything will go well. However I do request your presence and the presence of the others, as soon as Fluttershy is well enough to travel. While the situation is under control, it's best to explain it face to face in a properly structured situation. Since Ulquiorra returned without his escort, the chariot is still available to bring all of you to the palace.

Hoping to see you soon, my most faithful student.

Signed,
Princess Celestia

"Wow..." Twilight breathed as Spike finished reading the letter. That was all she could think of to say at the moment. Princess Celestia was requesting an audience with them. This was... incredible! "Wow..." she repeated.

"An audience with Princess Celestia? Simply marvelous!" Rarity stated.

"Yeah. Just great. For you guys maybe, but I've gotta stay here," Spike stated. "You might all be able to squeeze onto the chariot, but there won't be any room for me. And there's no way we can take the chest with the Elements of Harmony in it either, you can forget about that," he pointed out.

Twilight hated to admit it, but Spike had a very good point. The royal chariots really didn't have a great deal of room to them, and she really didn't know if all six of them could actually fit on it together; it was possible Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy would have to fly alongside. It was entirely possible Spike could ride on one of their backs to compensate for the lack of space. But that presented the possibility of him accidentally falling off if there were strong enough wind gusts. This definitely presented a difficult situation to be in.

Or at least it did until an idea came to her.

"Well Spike, if you're going to be here I've got an important task for you. We might've found all the ponies but there's still a lot of work that needs to be done here to ensure everyone's safety. And I think someone who's a skilled tactician would best be able to figure out how to keep everypony safe while we're away," she said as rested a hoof on his small shoulder.

"Really?" Spike asked, intrigued by the idea of being trusted with something of such importance.

"Really," Twilight nodded. "And if we need the Elements of Harmony, I'll send you a note and you can send them direct the same way you submit our friendship reports."

"That's a pretty tall order, Twilight, it's gonna take a whole lot of fire to do something like that," Spike pointed out. However he was quick to add, "but I can do it! It's just gonna take some extra effort to engulf the whole chest."

"That's the spirit, Spike, I knew I could trust my number one assistant to keep things going," she said as she nuzzled his cheek. Finally she turned to the others. "Alright girls. Princess Celestia asked for us to attend, what're we waiting for?"

This Ulquiorra Cifer was certainly strange. Not just in appearance and species but his basic personality. He'd come to her hive for the purpose of killing her, and instead he'd chosen to aid her in her goal of taking the throne of Equestria away from Celestia. He was even escorting her, and her hive's sizable forces, back to Canterlot to ensure their success.

Which brought up another strange aspect of him; flight. He was actually flying right beside her without the use of wings, the white material of his pants flapping about in the wind as he traveled along at an even pace with her as if it was nothing.

But still, there was something that didn't sit right, something she just couldn't shake...

"Ulquiorra Cifer. A word please," Chrysalis spoke up. His only response was an aside glance in her direction. She took that as a cue to continue addressing him. "Don't think that I'm not grateful to you and your willingness to help me retake Canterlot and all of Equestria for my hive. What I want to understand is why, when you originally served Princess Celestia. What changed your mind?" she asked.

"It was the only logical course of action open to me," Ulquiorra replied evenly as he affixed his gaze ahead. "You were the one who defeated Celestia. By all rights, rule is yours regardless of the fact you were ambushed by a third party, and she slipped back in during the resulting chaos. While I was loyal to her, it was a mistake on my part due to a lack of information to form an educated opinion of the facts. She is nothing more than a false ruler who deprived you of what is truly yours, and used trickery to gain my servitude. All that happens from this point on is setting things right."

Chrysalis listened in silence as the Espada -a term she didn't recognize but didn't feel like asking about just yet- explained his reasons for helping her. However her silence was interrupted as he shot forward, and turned to look back towards her directly... all the while flying backwards!

"There are also a number of aspects about Celestia's personality that I believe make her unfit for continued rule. She is too soft in nature, and unwilling to take a course of action, no matter how necessary, if the end result involves a loss of life. Her failing to kill you upon your first encounter is proof of such and now her mistake is coming back to her," he stated. She scowled in response. "I may have been loyal to Celestia but I did not respect her or her softness. You are quite different. I believe you have the character aspects far more suitable for a ruler, such as ruthlessness and a willingness to sacrifice a few of your own troops if necessary. It is only logical that you hold the throne of Equestria, since you are a true queen. Unlike Celestia, you I like."

He liked her... he liked her! He liked her? She didn't know whether to be highly intrigued, or absolutely repulsed by this announcement. Making the matter worse -besides the fact she still couldn't ascertain the true reason of his sudden loyalty- was how with no further discussion, he turned back forward to continue his escort, leaving her with an unobstructed view of his clothed backside in the process.

She'd sort it all out later. Right now she had a kingdom to retake and the force necessary to do just that! The days of Celestia were number for sure this time, and that number was down to zero!

"I still say we should've brought the Elements of Harmony with us..." Pinkie muttered.

Canterlot palace was eerily quiet as they stepped through the halls, a stark contrast to the chariot ride over that'd been filled with talking, and even some measure of laughing. The only sounds really heard was from their own voices, and the soft clopping of their hooves against the marble floors as they made their way to the throne room. The entire area seemed devoid of all life, both in guards, and servants, save for the scant appearance of one or two members of the staff occasionally encountered in an isolated manner. It was disturbingly morbid, like walking through a mausoleum or something of a similar nature.

"We could've worn them on the way up, like we did when dealing with Discord, and it wouldn't have taken up anymore room," Pinkie continued.

"Pinkie Pie," Twilight spoke as she turned to face the pink earth pony on her right. "Look. I know you're concerned and you've got a bad feeling about this. But Princess Celestia said the whole situation was under control. I really don't think she would've said that if we really needed to bring the Elements of Harmony with us. She's so much more thorough than that," Twilight pointed out.

Pinkie did have a good point. They simply could have removed the Elements of Harmony from their chest and brought them individually. Halfway up here to Canterlot she'd been the one to bring up the matter first, asking if it was really wise to leave them back at home with the changelings running around. It was surprising really, that she would've thought about it before anypony else.

But just as the matter with bringing Spike, bringing the Elements of Harmony in such a manner presented a new difficulty to take into account. While wearing them would've reduced the amount of needed space, it did nothing to secure them against being lost should turbulence be encountered. Just because Discord couldn't steal them, didn't mean something else couldn't happen to them.

"You've got to trust Princess Celestia, she'd never do anything deliberate to cause anypony harm," she added as they finally reached the throne room of the palace, finding it equally deserted, except for the presence of the aforementioned ruler who was in the process of pacing about. "Princess Celestia!" she called and more or less bounded over to her, her friends showing considerably more restraint.

Princess Celestia turned at the sound of her name and smiled at the sight of Twilight and her friends. "Twilight, it's so good to see you, I'm so glad you could come so quickly," she greeted as her student came to a skidding halt on the floor before her. "I trust you and your friends are all unharmed and accounted for?"

"Everypony's present and accounted for, thanks to Ulquiorra's assistance. I still can't believe he's the only one who saw through the changeling's disguise, and knew Fluttershy was missing. If he hadn't come to Ponyville today, I don't know what the situation would be," Twilight stated.

The irony of the whole situation. She'd dispatched Ulquiorra to Ponyville in an effort to show trust of him, and how did he repay her? By uncovering a changeling invasion taking place right under her nose. Right now she was quite glad she placed her trust in the Espada despite his nature.

"You aren't the only one that was fooled, dear Twilight, Canterlot has been afflicted as well. At least one of my own royal guard members was replaced, and even I didn't know any different; not even when they were in the throne room with me. The situation is indeed quite serious," Princess Celestia told her. "Currently everypony able and willing to lend a hoof, is assisting in a search and rescue mission, for the over one hundred ponies that aren't currently accounted for, the guards included."

"We can help!" Rainbow Dash stated as she and the others approached.

"That's very kind of you to offer, Rainbow Dash," Princess Celestia stated. She expected nothing less from the Element of Loyalty. However she was stopped as she noticed something out of place. "Rainbow Dash? Whatever happened to your face?" she asked at the sight of the bandage, tilting her head in mild confusion.

"I wasn't looking where I was going, and wound up crashing right into the dude's back when we were all running to Ponyville. He's a lot faster than I thought," Rainbow Dash replied, grumbling at the last part. The others chuckled in response.

"Hey speakin' o' Mr. Cifer where is tha' scrawny fella anyway?" Applejack asked.

"We managed to discover information pertaining to the location of the changeling hive, and had reason to believe was accurate. Ulquiorra went to investigate and deal with the situation if it proved necessary," Princess Celestia explained.

Almost immediately a group shudder was issued from the six. Dealing with the situation under Ulquiorra's standard was... nightmarish in nature.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I feel sorry for Chrysalis if she must face him on her own," Rarity stated. She'd only been informed of the details regarding the invasion of Ponyville after the fact, spared the firsthoof accounts due to being locked away in the boutique, and working her hooves to the bone. Having been informed of the situation afterwards had done nothing to spare her the horrors she'd encountered. And if a force like that was going to face the changelings right at their front door... she really didn't want to think about what would be encountered, her stomach really couldn't take it.

"Ya ain' the only one. Ah got no love fer Chrysalis, but tha' Mr. Cifer is absolutely brutal. Ya remember what he did ta tha' dragon las' week?" Applejack asked, shuddering in memory. That beating had been... savage to put it nicely. She still couldn't forget the crunch she'd heard when he'd so effortlessly broken the dragon's claw like it was kindling.

"Yeah! Ulqy's like a walking bug zapper!" Pinkie stated. The others chuckled in agreement with her analysis.

However the chuckling soon came to a stop, as the sound of buzzing filled the air and alerted everypony to a problem. Running over to the balcony window they could easily see just what that problem was; hundreds of changelings had filled the air above the palace, just like last time. This was very, very bad.

"I knew we should've brought the Elements of Harmony. But does anypony listen to me? Noooo!" Pinkie stated. Why is it whenever she knew what the right answer was everypony wanted to learn that fact the hard way?

"Looks like we got us a situation on our hooves," Applejack commented, uncertain of what else she could say on the matter.

"Indeed you do."

Everyone turned at the sound of the unexpected voice to see Ulquiorra standing at the entrance to the throne room with his hands stuffed in his pockets and... and much to their surprise, Chrysalis was standing not far behind him, looking completely unharmed, and in sharp contrast to what they'd been expecting to see.

"Ulquiorra? What's the meaning of this? Why is Chrysalis here and... more importantly why is she unharmed?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Queen Chrysalis is present to reclaim what is rightfully hers. And it is my intention to aid her in achieving that goal," Ulquiorra explained calmly as he began walking forward.

"Now jus' an apple pickin' minute here! Whadda ya mean wha's rightfully hers?" Applejack demanded to know.

"The throne to Equestria. Celestia was defeated by Queen Chrysalis, rightfully the kingdom is hers and hers alone. The fact that Celestia remains is an injustice that must be addressed," he explained calmly as he continued stepping forward.

"This is most glorious! Celestia you have no idea how much you've helped me, by sending this fine specimen after me. He was quite eager to help me out, once he learned the truth of the situation. I must say, if you didn't send him, I don't know what I would've done," Chrysalis cackled as she followed.

Princess Celestia's mouth hung open as her eyes went wide. It couldn't be true... and yet here was Ulquiorra, standing before her, and confirming it as being the truth. He'd gone over to Chrysalis' side just like that. "How could you?" she demanded to know.

"It was the only logical conclusion that could be reached under the given circumstances," Ulquiorra replied simply. "You were correct to be suspicious of my nature, and whether or not I could be trusted. Did you ever wonder why I was so quick to swear my allegiance to you upon our first meeting? Simply to ensure my survival, and continued existence in your presence. I recognized that your power was greater than my own at the time, it was in my best interest to keep you happy and placated. I had motivation to prostrate, humiliate, and kowtow myself to you, in order to make you believe I wasn't a threat, making you believe I was far weaker than I truly am, all in hopes you wouldn't analyze the situation too carefully. Imagine my surprise when it worked," he continued as he approached closer. "However the time for such deception has come to an end. I will no longer be humiliating myself in your name. I serve Queen Chrysalis now, and a new reign will begin."

Ulquiorra concluded by bringing his right hand forward and snapping his fingers. Immediately over a dozen changeling drones buzzed through the open window, and tackled those that held the Element of Harmony, pinning them to the ground before they could do anything in response.

"Quite marvelous isn't he?" Chrysalis asked with a smirking grin directed at Celestia. "It's a shame you didn't appreciate true talent when you first saw it."

"I knew I never should have trusted you when Discord brought you to me," Princess Celestia stated as she scowled at Ulquiorra. How could she not see the treachery in him?

"And yet you did. Your foolishness will be your downfall," Ulquiorra replied and grasped the hilt of his zanpakutō.

In a burst of sonido he was gone, leaving Chrysalis very confused at where he went, as well as what that noise was resulting from his disappearance. Immediately afterward he appeared in front of Celestia with his zanpakutō drawn back over his left shoulder, swinging it forward to cut off Celestia's head.

His blade never met its target as it was effortlessly stopped by another blade, resulting in an otherworldly clang. Apparently Celestia wasn't caught completely off guard.

She stood strong, a glowing double edged broadsword formed from her own magic easily holding Ulquiorra's sword at bay, despite the impressive strength he held in his small frame. They were close enough to each other they could easily see what their opponent held in their eyes. In Ulquiorra's nothing but treason and murder. In Celestia's nothing but vengeance.

"You'll pay for this, I promise you that. You'll pay for your treachery," Princess Celestia informed him before pushing her sword forward, completely overwhelming Ulquiorra, and sending him flying back, his feet skidding against the carpeted floor as he tried to stop himself from losing any further ground.

Princess Celestia didn't even wait before launching herself forward, her wings spread wide as she pressed the assault, her sword of concentrated mana crashing against his zanpakutō held in a one handed grip, a look of pure determination on her face. Unfortunately for her, her opponent wasn't losing anymore ground, nor was he moving from his spot despite the beats of her wings.

Ulquiorra responded by swinging his left leg upward to kick her in the side of the head. Or at least try to do so, if she didn't duck just in time, narrowly avoiding a direct blow to her horn.

Off to the sides Chrysalis watched, grinning in amusement and disbelief as events unfolded before her. Never would she have believed her good fortune. The slashes of swords and clashes of blades meeting as the two sides struggled for absolute dominance over the other. On one side Celestia, fighting for what the alicorn truly had no right to possess. On the other side Ulquiorra Cifer, fighting on her behalf and her entire hive. And the way he so easily appeared and disappeared from view faster than she could blink as he tried to get an advantage over Celestia! It was absolutely marvelous!

Or at least it would be, if it weren't for the sounds coming from the captured ponies, as they struggled in a futile attempt to get free from her drones that held them down so they couldn't interfere.

"Stop fussing so much and simply enjoy the show. It's not everyday you see a tyrant dethroned to allow the proper ruler to ascend," she told them and turned her attention back to the fight just in time to see yet another clashing of swords, in this case Ulquiorra's sword being blocked from completing a proper thrust by the blunt side of Celestia's sword.

She was quick, Ulquiorra noted. Celestia was able to easily intercept his attack as if it were nothing. However her reflexes would only aid her so far, there was nothing preventing her from being overwhelmed. Immediately he pulled back and pressed on with his attack, a series of continual rapid forward thrusts in Celestia's direction, easily overwhelming her defenses, and forcing her to backtrack as he pressed on, making her duck, dodge and move to avoid getting impaled.

"So much for you truly being immortal," Ulquiorra commented. Why would any being who couldn't die do everything in their power to avoid getting struck? It didn't make any sense. In a flash of sonido he was out of her sight, reappearing above her and in the perfect position to strike with a downward swing right across her exposed back.

If only it'd done some good.

Rather than a deep bleeding cut that severed her spinal column, and left her crumpled on the floor, his zanpakutō didn't even penetrate her skin, coming to a complete stop at her side.

It seemed the intensity of her reiatsu really was enough, that he couldn't hurt her even when she was caught off guard.

"Shit."

"Indeed," Princess Celestia replied and instantly snagged him around his scrawny neck with a golden magical band, easily throwing him to the floor before he had any chance to react. "You'll learn that those who threaten my kingdom and my subjects pay the price!" she stated as she reared up on her hind legs and stomped on his chest with her front hooves.

All the parties involved watched as Celestia repeatedly stomped on Ulquiorra's frame, slamming him against the ground with each successful impact, and all the while his body laying unmoving, except for the natural physical reaction to the incoming blows that shook his limbs. It was all very brutal and painful to watch.

Right up to the point where Ulquiorra reached up with his left hand, grabbing hold of Princess Celestia's right leg by her hoof, stopping its -and her- descent, followed by flipping his body up and out of the way, and delivering a brutal kick just under her chin, the action serving as a launching point to right himself and land on his feet. Then the display stopped being quite so painful to watch.

"You'd better hope I don't get loose from here or I'm really gonna let you have it!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she tried to throw the changelings off of her but without much success.

Ulquiorra remained silent as he quickly considered his available options. He needed to be quick, as Celestia was already recovering, and would soon be out for his head. Immediately he bolted for the balcony window, planting one foot on the railing, and leaping into the air to take off.

"I don't care how many times I see that, it still isn't right. Nopony should be able to fly without wings!" Rainbow Dash stated angrily.

Was she joking? Equestria was facing what was likely the greatest threat it'd ever known, and Rainbow Dash was upset that Ulquiorra could fly without wings? Twilight so wanted to facehoof right now.

It was necessary to get away from here. Celestia was far too strong for him to hope to beat in up front combat, and even in subversive combat, it wouldn't work as he couldn't manage to harm her. If he couldn't even cut through her reiatsu currently, what chance did he have as he was right now?

His thoughts were interrupted by a disturbance in his pesquisa. In a bright flash of light Celestia appeared before him in the sky high above Canterlot, easily cutting off his intended escape route.

"I won't allow you to escape me. Not after you've betrayed me like this, Ulquiorra. I intend to see to it that you pay for these crimes. And this time you will most certainly pay, I guarantee you that," Celestia told him firmly as she reformed her sword once again.

He didn't even blink before responding. "You're mistaken," he said before disappearing from her view in a flash of sonido, appearing both above and behind her by a good bit. "I have no intention of trying to escape your pursuit. Rather, I am simply gaining sufficient distance, to ensure Canterlot palace doesn't collapse in my presence, and cause harm to the true and proper ruler of Equestria," Ulquiorra stated calmly.

Celestia watched wordlessly as Ulquiorra lifted his zanpakutō and stretched his arm outward, the tip aimed directly for her, the look in his eyes...

"Enclose, Murciélago..."

Chapter Twenty Five

Chapter Twenty Five

At these words, Princess Celestia's mouth dropped, and her eyes went wide at the scene that was unfolding before her. She watched in horror as the chain bindings of her spell wrapped around Ulquiorra's zanpakutō, and provided a contrast to the glow of the blade, before violently shattering and exploding outward under the strain of what they were attempting to restrain.

"Oh shit!" she found herself saying without even thinking about it. The phrase from his world seemed highly appropriate for the occasion and these circumstances based on what she remembered from his memories.

From his position overhead, a massive eruption of pure black energy with a haunting teal green outline exploded outward like flames in a most violent fashion, the sheer magnitude sufficient enough to completely blot out her beloved sun from her view. Just looking at the display was enough to make her feel like her heart had stopped beating.

She could feel rain beating down on her body and her wings now. But it wasn't rain that was falling on her position, rain wasn't green, nor did it tingle against her skin like this! She could feel it running down her face, a drop landing on her tongue, her face screwing up from the sickly sour taste that instantly registered with her, and was quickly spat out in disgust.

Mana. Pure, highly concentrated mana. Ulquiorra's mana. His body was putting out so much mana, it was literally clumping together in the sky, and being given a physical form capable of interacting with the world surrounding it, simply due to its concentration. What kind of monster could release such huge amounts of energy at one time in such a wasteful manner?

She got her answer the moment the downpour stopped, and the flames cleared from the sky. And upon first sight of what remained behind, she wished she never asked. She had at least some understanding of what she was facing based on the memories she'd seen, but nothing could have possibly prepared her for actually witnessing it first hoof. Her eyes went wide with terror at what stood before her.

"Sweet merciful Faust!"

It was difficult to put into words the pain that they felt right now. Not from being forced to lay in an uncomfortable position on the hard marble floor, held down by changelings, who weren't exactly well known for their cuddly exteriors. Rather the pain they were experiencing right now was internal and emotional, the hurt of betrayal.

Ulquiorra had betrayed their trusts in order to serve Chrysalis, and without even the slightest hint that he doubted the legitimacy of Princess Celestia's rule. He'd so readily abandoned everything they'd been through together up to this point as if it didn't matter in the least. It was the coldest, most heartless manner that was physically possible. Even after saving them from the dragon, and discovering the changeling invasion, he'd still turned his back on them, and everything that could've been, in order to serve their enemy.

Making it all the worse, was how Chrysalis stood behind them and chuckled wildly as the fight unfolded. Even after Ulquiorra had departed, and Princess Celestia gave chase, she was still amused.

The laughter is what finally got to Twilight, driving her to the point she couldn't stand anymore. She grit her teeth and growled, her horn flaring to life and enveloping each changeling drone in her magical aura, effortlessly lifting them up and off of herself and her friends, before they were slammed together, heads butting up against heads, and knocking them unconscious, before they were finally cast aside like garbage, and allowing all of them to be free again.

Chrysalis wasn't laughing anymore. Instead she looked on with a shocked face; too shocked to respond a Twilight dove in a flying tackle, knocking her to the ground, and allowing her to stare down at her, her teeth exposed and lips drawn back in a violent snarl as her eyes narrowed.

"You put Ulquiorra under a spell just like you did my brother! Release him right now!" she ordered fiercely and stomped on Chrysalis to emphasize her demand.

Much to her displeasure, Chrysalis merely started laughing all over again, unconcerned by the stomp.

"You really are a foalish little pony," Chrysalis commented, her horn glowing neon green as Twilight was forcefully yanked off of her by the tail, resulting in a pain filled yelp in the process. "What makes you so certain your dear Ulquiorra Cifer is under a spell? Your friend chose to serve me of his own free will. When he heard of my plight, he was all too eager to willingly serve me, and escort my hive here so that we might reclaim what's ours."

"Tha's nothin' but a load o' horse apples! Mr. Cifer wouldn' do nothin' like that!" Applejack stated and stomped her hoof.

"Yeah Ulqy's no traitor!" Pinkie added.

"If you don't release him right now, Chrysalis, I'll... I'll... I'll blow your head right off your shoulders, and splatter your brains all over the back wall!" Twilight threatened as her horn began glowing brightly.

Chrysalis chuckled in an amused manner at the threat. "Oh dear Twilight Sparkle, you have so much spirit," she commented and yanked on the unicorn's tail again, causing her to yelp again and lose her concentration from the pain. "I'll enjoy breaking you, and your friends, of that spirit in due time," she said as she leaned in and licked her right across her lips. She already had big, big plans for Celestia's most prized student.

Twilight reached out to bite down on Chrysalis' tongue but missed by a mile, the changeling far too quick for her, and finding amusement in her actions.

However that amusement suddenly stopped as a massive wave struck them all at the same time, leaving Chrysalis to gasp at what she felt. It was like the air had suddenly become dense and incredibly hard, stifling in nature, and too thick to breathe. Turning her attention away from Twilight, she looked upward. The drones that hadn't yet descended to reclaim the city, or the palace, were falling out of the air like flies, unable to resist the sensations they were experiencing. What was happening? What was this overwhelming presence that left her with the sensations of millions of needles pressing against her exoskeleton?

"Get 'er!"

She was so distracted that by the time she realized just what was going on, it was far too late to respond to the five mares tackling her all at once, and driving her to the ground, breaking her concentration in the process, and leaving Twilight to drop to her hooves, and have an unobstructed view of the source of the overwhelming presence.

At first all Twilight could see was the darkness in the sky, and the green rain of concentrated mana falling from the sky, and deluging everything. And then it cleared, and her eyes went wide with terror at what she saw.

It was Ulquiorra... but at the same time it wasn't Ulquiorra. The Ulquiorra they knew didn't have wings, or a Hollow mask that was symmetrical and served as a helmet, or all encompassing white robes that displayed his Hollow hole rather than hiding it, or commanded a presence that left them feeling cold and full of fear just at the sight of him, and made it hard to breathe.

This wasn't their Ulquiorra any longer. This was something completely different.

Princess Celestia's lungs burnt with fire from holding her breath for so long. She hadn't even realized she'd been holding her breath since Ulquiorra' transformation until then. Her mind simply couldn't properly wrap around the facts, all of it too hard to believe.

"How long?" she asked him hoarsely.

"Since the very beginning," Ulquiorra replied as he looked down on her from his position. "I have been able to utilize my resurrección since the moment you placed your restricting spell on me. I simply allowed you to believe you'd succeeded in sealing off my released state. As I said, I prostrated myself before you as a matter of my own survival. Showing you how you'd failed, and I was still a threat to you and your kingdom, wouldn't have been the wise thing to do," he pointed out. "Did you honestly believe that I would tip my hand so easily? You're more foolish than I assumed. All the more reason for a soft and uneducated figurehead to be dethroned. It's the only logical conclusion available."

"Well then..." Princess Celestia muttered as she tried her best to muster her courage and steel her resolve to see this through. It was far too late to turn back now. "It would seem you've made your decision. Now I'm making mine..."

Ulquiorra watched in silence, observing Celestia with his pesquisa at her words. Immediately he could both see and feel her reiatsu flaring dramatically around her, and stretching out into the immediate area, like the flames of a forest fire. If she was trying to crush him with her presence, then she was most certainly off to an impressive start of showing her full strength.

Up until a point anyway. Her reiatsu had skyrocketed to a point he'd never witnessed previously, before finally coming to a complete stop. Was that really the full extent of her strength? She was certainly quite strong, he couldn't deny that. But based on his earlier encounters, he was expecting much more than this.

"You're strong," Ulquiorra admitted willingly, "however you cannot possibly hope to defeat me through strength alone. Unlike you, I am honed in matters relating to armed and unarmed combat. You cannot hope to compete with me, having experienced nothing but peace during your reign. You're soft and undisciplined," he explained.

"We'll just have to see about that," Princess Celestia responded and once again summoned her sword of pure mana. So much for hoping to cause him pain and suffering with the presence of her magical strength, he wasn't even flinching. She was going to have to do this the hard way. "I might not have your experience, but it looks like you're at a considerable disadvantage. Even with your sword, you couldn't lay a scratch on me. What can you do now without it?" she asked him.

"You're quite foolish. In my released state I have no need for my zanpakutō, as I have other weapons at my disposal. Allow me to introduce you to my Luna," Ulquiorra spoke. Immediately a javelin of green energy formed in his right hand. "Luz de la Luna..."

Princess Celestia didn't even have time to blink, as Ulquiorra was immediately in front of her, his javelin slamming into her sword, and easily sending her hurtling backwards end over end, his physical strength unbelievably greater than before. Had he really gotten so strong in his released state, or had he simply caught her off guard? Quickly she righted herself, and ground herself to a halt in the sky.

She saw Ulquiorra coming in fast and headed directly for her. Immediately she readied her sword to parry the coming blow. Unfortunately in doing so she was deprived of her hoofhold, and she found herself easily being overpowered, and driven back as if it was absolutely nothing. She had no idea that it was possible for him to deploy so much overwhelming strength with such ease and skill that it looked effortless.

One thing was definitely for certain. This battle was going to get ugly long before it came to an end.

Chrysalis struggled on the ground. She'd been stomped on, sat on, jumped on, spat on, her limbs hogtied with rope in a most uncomfortable manner, and now Fluttershy was staring at her. And all the while she was trying her best to break free. How had these ponies gotten so strong, as to launch a successful fight against her when they possessed no significant magical aptitude?

"When I get free I swear you'll all pay for this! I'll banish you all to the deepest, darkest part of the mountain underneath Canterlot palace! Not even Celestia herself will ever be able to escape and the caverns shall become your tomb!"

Applejack grunted in response as she finished tying the knot with her teeth, making sure to tie it extra tight for maximum hold and discomfort on Chrysalis' part. "We'll jus' see 'bout that. Rar' ya mind bein' a dear an' doin' the honors?" she asked.

"Gladly dear," Rarity replied as she walked over to where Chrysalis lay. "This is quite unladylike, and even barbaric, but it's most certainly necessary under these circumstances," she stated before lowering her head, taking hold of Chrysalis' horn in her mouth between her teeth, and biting down as hard as she could.

Immediately Chrysalis' entire body jerked as she screamed in intense pain, howling like a banshee at having her horn bitten down on. Even casual injury would be excruciating, but this went far beyond that and left her with blurry and swimming vision, her voice stripped raw from all the screaming she was forced to do.

Rarity finally let go and spat to get the foul taste of changeling out of her mouth, finding it quite repulsive in nature, and easily capable of rivaling their offensive odor. "If our dear guest is anything like normal unicorns, she won't be able to perform any of her magic for hours now. And even if she tries, we'll just bite her again!" she stated over Chrysalis' continued screaming. "But somepony else will have to do it next time."

"Nice work there Rar'," Applejack commented.

The situation was well in hoof. For all intents and purposes, Chrysalis was defeated and unable to hurt anypony, all thanks to Twilight's friends.

However that wasn't enough to sit well with Twilight as she continued watching, oblivious to the acts of her friends, or their actions, due to her unyielding focus on the events above as they played out before her.

High up above Ulquiorra and Princess Celestia were flying about, their weapons clashing violently as they tried to strike each other down. Princess Celestia was holding her own against Ulquiorra so far... but as the battle went on, it seemed the balance of power was slowly tipping out of her favor.

Whenever Princess Celestia managed to get into the right position to land what just had to be a bone shattering kick, she could easily knock Ulquiorra sideways and out of the air, forcing him to compensate and right himself in order to reengage in combat, leaving him vulnerable to a counterattack.

But these moments of success were few and far between. Anytime there was a direct clash and Ulquiorra landed a hit, Princess Celestia was being exposed to more thrust than she could overcome, and she was sent flying back. Ulquiorra was flashing in and out of existence with his sonido, striking against her, and disappearing from view only to reappear in a completely different location, and strike at her again, before repeating the entire pattern in an unending cycle.

Even from down here, she could tell that Princess Celestia was having trouble just keeping up with his pace, as he slowly but surely wore her down. Her movements were slowly getting more sluggish and sloppy in nature, and she was having an ever more difficult time retaliating against him.

"Anything we can do to help out?"

Her attention was finally torn away from the battle between her beloved mentor, and her despised enemy, to see her friends standing next to her and looking just as concerned as she was.

"Or maybe anything that I can do to help out?" Rainbow Dash asked and stepped forward in the small group.

"I don't think you could even get close to him, Rainbow Dash," Twilight replied and shook her head, "Ulquiorra's body was putting out huge amounts of mana unlike I've ever seen before. I don't think there's anything we could do that'd amount to any good in this situation," she explained and turned her attention back skyward, just in time to see Ulquiorra appear from behind, and land a kick to Princess Celestia's back that sent her hurtling across the sky. "I'm afraid this is one battle that Princess Celestia will have to deal with on her own..."

Princess Celestia panted hard, using her wings to stabilize herself to avoid falling out of the sky. Ulquiorra had been quite accurate when he said he was honed in the art of combat, something she was sadly lacking right now. He was unbelievably fast, and incredibly brutal in his continual assault against her, not pulling any punches as he struck anytime an opening presented itself without any hesitation. It was becoming harder and harder for her to keep up with him, and he knew it as well as she did.

And this entire time, he had all this power available and simply hadn't used it. That was truly frightening to consider.

"You're burning through your reiryoku far too quickly. At this rate you'll die soon," Ulquiorra commented as he came into her view once again. "The strain of maintaining your sword's physical structure is quite taxing on you, I can see it as plain as day. Yet you can't drop it, for you know once you do, I'll kill you where you stand."

"Worry more about yourself," Princess Celestia panted, "once I get ahold of you, it'll be all over for you. I promise you that."

It'd been something she'd been trying to do since the start of this entire mess. If she could get Ulquiorra to hold still for just a few moments, she'd easily be able to snag him in her telekinetic hold, and prevent him from attacking further. All of his strength, speed, and skill would do little for him if he couldn't even move. And once she had ahold of him she could see about breaking whatever spell Chrysalis had him under. And if he wasn't under a spell... well she really doubted that his regenerative capabilities would be able to overcome his neck being snapped and twisted around.

Unfortunately Ulquiorra wasn't a foal, and seemed to understand what she was attempting to do. Every time she tried to grab hold of him with her magic, he'd sonido away before she could complete the process, and press an attack against her, forcing her to abandon her attempt, and instead opt for defending herself when he reappeared in striking range.

However she wasn't a foal either. Once she managed to figure out the pattern, she figured a way to utilize this and provoke him into attacking, allowing her to approximate where he'd pop into view, and direct her attack there, thus catching him off guard and sending him on the defensive for a change.

Unfortunately for her, Ulquiorra seemed to learn this tactic after the first couple of successful kicks she'd landed to his frame, and no longer attacked her close enough to be counterattacked. Instead he'd sonido from view, and then when she saw where he'd be, he'd do the same thing and attack from a new angle.

"Empty threats from one that no longer possesses sufficient strength to back them up. I grow tired of this pointless exchange," Ulquiorra replied dismissively. "The time has come for me to finish you once and for all," he said as he extended his left hand and pointed right at her.

Princess Celestia's eyes went wide. She recognized Ulquiorra's Cero from having seen it up close once before, but this was completely different. This Cero was of a totally black energy, with the same teal green outline as the flames of his transformation, the inward whirling trails of energy flowing like water towards a drain. This was without a doubt going to be very, very bad.

"Of all the Espada, this is my Cero and mine alone. No other Espada has proven capable of duplicating its fully powered nature," he explaiend calmly as his attack finished charging. "Allow me to show you, my Cero Oscuras."

Princess Celesia had no time to dodge or evade as the all-encompassing black wave of energy hurtled in her direction at impossible speeds, engulfing her entire frame without mercy or hesitation.

Or at least that's what would've happened under normal circumstances. In this case, however, it was a matter of Princess Celestia relinquishing her structural hold on the sword the moment she realized just what this attack was, and using the resulting mana to erect a shield capable of protecting against the assault. The sound of roaring flames rushing past her ears sounded as the Cero made contact with the outer wall of the shield, only to be parted upon impact, and going harmlessly around her where it presented no harm to her.

No harm except for leaving her exhausted as the attack came to an end, her shield dropping in response to the lack of outside stimuli to justify maintaining it. Trying to hold back the Cero Oscuras was like trying to hold back a tsunami.

"Rather impressive," Ulquiorra commented as she panted, "you're only the second in history to withstand direct contact with my Cero Oscuras. However doing so has cost you over a third of your reiryoku. Can you perform the same feat a second time?" he asked as he began charging another black Cero.

"And why do you think I'd ever stand still to let you hit me with it, when I know that it's coming?" Princess Celestia asked him pointedly. Did he really think she'd just remain in one place and take it? If he did then he was in for a very rude awakening. Now knowing what to expect when the attack was fired, she'd teleport in behind him, and strike when he was vulnerable to a counterattack. She could rip off his wings and send him hurtling to the ground like a stone before he could regenerate them.

"I already have an understanding of your nature. Including the knowledge that you would do whatever it takes to protect that which is most important to you," Ulquiorra replied and readjusted his aim from her toward Canterlot palace, not even noticing as her eyes went wide at the revelation. "Do you believe Twilight Sparkle possesses what it takes to be the third to survive my Cero Oscuras?"

He didn't even wait for her to answer, before discharging his attack again. She watched in horror as the black column raced forward... headed right for Twilight as she stood out on the balcony and watched everything unfolding.

"Hold 'er down y'all she's tryin' ta get free!" Applejack stated as Chrysalis thrashed about, trying desperately to break the rope that held her.

It hadn't even been three minutes since they tied her down, and kept her restrained, that the changeling tried to break loose again, thrashing about madly, and uttering all kinds of gibberish as she pulled against her bonds. In an instant Applejack and Pinkie were on her again and trying to keep her pinned down.

"I'm gonna snap her horn right off her head! Hold her still!" Rainbow Dash barked.

"It won't be that easy, darling, her horn is as hard as any bone would be. Strong as you may be, I don't think even you could successfully break it off," Rarity pointed out, horrified at the very idea of dehorning, but uncertain of just what she could do or say under the circumstances. She hadn't heard talk of such brutality in many years, and it left her easily caught off guard to think one of her friends would ever mention such an act so casually.

"Fine then!" she stated and turned her attention to Pinkie. "Hey Pinks you know where we can get a hacksaw, right? If we can't break her horn off, then let's just cut it off! Nice and slow too, so she's got time to really feel it." she said as she stared Chrysalis right in the eyes, a wicked grin crossing her face.

Twilight turned away from the battle above, at the sound of what her friend was talking about. Did she even realize the severity of what she was wanting to do? "Rainbow Dash!" she yelled in a horrified manner, "what's gotten into you!?"

"She's gotta pay for what she did to Fluttershy, and the rest of us! And she's way too much of a threat to keep around in her full capacity! I'm starting to think that traitor up there had a point before he turned on us, maybe we shouldn't be so forgiving to those that do us wrong like that," Rainbow Dash stated in response.

All further discussion was immediately ceased by an explosion going off overhead, and an eerie darkness creeping over the sky. Everypony's attention turned away from Chrysalis and Rainbow Dash's recommendation, in order to look up through the balcony window at what was going on to try and get a grasp of the situation.

"A black Cero?" Rainbow Dash asked, surprised that Ulquiorra could actually change the colors of his attack. And what was the significance of the color change? And what was he shooting at? Wait... was he actually... yeah he was, he was firing it right at Princess Celestia, but couldn't get through her shield. "Way ta go Princess!" she cheered.

"It's not good, Rainbow Dash," Twilight stated as the attack came to an end. She could see that Princess Celestia was exhausted by the way her wings sagged despite being raised, the way her feathers drooped, and her head hung. She might've been able to withstand the assault, but it'd taken a lot out of her; more than she'd ever seen. She'd been so engrossed in studying Princess Celestia, she didn't even notice as Ulquiorra was now aiming in her direction, and preparing to fire another Cero until it was too late.

"Scatter!" Rainbow Dash yelled as they all ran for cover. All except for Twilight, who was frozen in place in fear as she watched the Cero descend for her at frightening speed.

It never reached her.

She blinked. What just happened?

It took her a moment to realize just why she was still alive. Princess Celestia had teleported directly into the path of the Cero's trajectory, not even a hundred feet overhead with her shield deployed again. Only this time it was much bigger across, and instead of parting the cero around her like a large stone in a river the structure of the attack was forcefully split apart against the domed nature of the shield, licking at the edges like flames around a log tossed onto a campfire, its destructive powers divided and cascading over all sides, and being diluted to the point of presenting no threat.

Princess Celestia had just put herself in harm's way to save her yet again.

The Princess turned her head, just enough to see Twilight's unharmed status out of the corner of her eye, giving her a small smile of reassurance to let her know she was safe, before turning her full attention back to the shield, leaving Twilight to simply look on, beating her wings to overcome the push of the intercepted attack and to avoid losing any further altitude than she could help. She was already getting pressed further down toward the palace than she was comfortable with.

His assault on her, she could fully expect that. She was his primary target, the one who presented the most credible threat. Yet after seeing that she could withstand his Cero Oscuras, he'd unexpectedly directed his assault against the palace, and all who were inside, especially Twilight herself. The utter brutality to his actions were absolutely horrifying.

The attack stopped and Princess Celestia's shield dropped, leaving her exhausted and gasping for air this time. The effort of actually stopping such an attack, rather than simply parting it, proved to be highly taxing in nature, and leaving her unable to maintain any notion of decorum or order. She didn't know if she could do that again if she had to, and she really hoped that she didn't.

"Cero Oscuras."

She was exhausted and weak, but still had enough energy to be alerted, and horrified at the voice behind her. When had Ulquiorra managed to move directly behind her? Immediately she spun around, only to catch sight of him as he was disappearing from view.

"Made you look."

She spun back around again, seeing Ulquiorra standing there and pulling back his right arm, not to discharge another Cero, but rather to hurl his javelin at her. Immediately she drew on her mana reserves to summon another shield to protect her against the impact of the attack that perverted her dear sister's name.

Unfortunately she was a second too late, and a measuring of mana too short. While she'd erected a shield before her, it was nowhere near strong enough to completely protect against the resulting explosion caused by the Luz de la Luna detonating upon impact. The shield shattered on impact, bits of it flying in every direction, as the force of the explosion itself sent Princess Celestia flying backwards, crashing against the balcony, and just barely missing slamming into Twilight, as the bounced and rolled against the hard marble floor, skidding to a stop on her side with one of her wings trapped under her body.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight screamed in horror and dashed over to her teacher's side. She was covered in bleeding cuts, deep scrapes, and burn marks that left her smouldering, many of her feathers charred black or otherwise melted, entire patches of once magnificent white fur now barren and absent.

"Twilight," Princess Celestia replied weakly and coughed between labored breaths, "I'm so sorry for all of this. I didn't know this would happen."

"Princess Celestia don't be silly, you don't have to be sorry. We've just gotta get you out of here so we can get you better," Twilight stated anxiously. She needed to get her back up on her hooves, get her walking and get the hay out of the throne room, and do so quickly before Ulquiorra could arrive to finish what he'd started.

"That will not be happening."

All activity in the room froze at the sound of the voice. Turning they could see Ulquiorra standing on the balcony and making his way in at a slow and painfully deliberate manner, another javelin forming in his hand in the process. Up close he was even more terrifying than far away.

"The reign of Princess Celestia has come to an end. There is nothing any of you can do to stop it," he stated calmly as he made his way over to where Celestia laid, his wings folding to allow him easy entry through the balcony, before extending one again.

"We'll see about that!" Rainbow Dash stated and dove into a flying tackle in his direction.

The impact of her hooves was solid against him. Unfortunately the contact proved to be with one of his sizable wings that'd folded up in front of him and served as she shield. It flexed briefly, before unfurling and sending her hurtling backward, brushing her away like trash, and sent her crashing against one of the palace walls.

Twilight watched everything unfolding in horror. Princess Celestia was horribly injured. The Elements of Harmony were back in Ponyville, and they had no way of contacting Spike. None of her friends could come anywhere near the measure of strength necessary to oppose Ulquiorra. The situation looked hopeless.

But she wasn't about to give up without trying. To the last drop of her blood, she would fight for everything that was important to her!

"Don't you come any closer!" Twilight barked as she stood between Ulquiorra and Princess Celestia, her horn glowing brightly, to the point sparks were beginning to fall from the tip. Princess Celestia had protected her from harm so many times, now it was time for her to return the favor. Ulquiorra was not getting past her without a fight.

"No Twilight!" Princess Celestia protested. She watched as Ulquiorra stepped closer and closer with a murderous intent in his eyes. Her limbs were scrambled and weak, like burnt rubber bands, unwilling to move no matter how much she willed them, her hooves scraping against her joints as she tried to untangle them. Ulquiorra was right on top of them now, his javelin held high at the ready. With one last push of effort and determination, she managed to force herself upright just in time to extend her -mostly- unharmed wing and sweep Twilight to the side, taking the strike in her place.

Everypony watched in horrified silence as the javelin passed completely through her, cutting apart her chest in the pass. In an instance of a flash, all the magnificent coloring Princess Celestia was known for faded out of existence, as her now off-white body began crumbling like stone.

Twilight's eyes were wide, time itself seeming to slow down to a near standstill. Princess Celestia's magnificent body, a structure some would regard as the pinnacle of absolute perfection, was crumbling like a house of millions of cards coming undone from the top down. She watched helplessly as her teacher disintegrated, her horn and wings disappearing in little tiny crystalline structures no bigger than ash, the erosion and decomposition working its way through her body at a steady peace. Loose particles from her missing limbs fell to the ground and away from the main body, piling up in a massive heap on the floor, loose particles blowing outward, as if being carried away by wind. The royal adornments she was known for wearing so proudly, lay sticking out of the pile of dust, her crown falling atop the heap with a heavy and resounding clang against the floor, and scattering the main stack of her powdered remains, before being buried under the pile of ashen remains as the last of the body crumbled apart.

Princess Celestia was dead. Dead and reduced to nothing more than a pile of dust and ash. A single flap of Ulquiorra's right wing was all it took to scatter her remains about the floor. And there wasn't a thing any of them could do about it, except watch in muted silence.

"No," Twilight choked out, tears streaming down her face as she dropped to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably next to what remained of the pile of ash and dust. "No!" she wailed as the sobs became all out crying.

There was the sound of ropes snapping, and a triumphant yell as Chrysalis finally managed to break free and climb back to her hooves. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever believe she would actually see the downfall of Celestia in such a manner. She'd had dreams about seeing the alicorn imprisoned and forced to work in her hive for the rest of her life, but this... this was so much more rewarding! The mightiest being in the entire world was dead! And now there was nothing that stood in her way of absolute domination!

"Guards!" she called. Immediately more changelings came, heeding the call of their queen and flying in through the balcony window. "Seize these ponies," she ordered. All at once her drones dive bombed the six and forced them onto the ground just as the last batch did. "Wonderful, simply wonderful!" she cackled.

Ulquiorra was silent, allowing his javelin to disappear as he knelt down and scooped the crown out of the pile of ash, dusting it off with his hand, before standing back up again and turning around.

"All hail the true ruler of Equestria," Ulquiorra stated as he approached Chrysalis, Celestia's crown held in his hands. He stood before her and reached out, depositing the crown on her head before stepping back and to the side.

"All hail Queen Chrysalis."

Chapter Twenty Seven

Chapter Twenty Seven

"... Chrysalis..."

Where had everything gone wrong? What had they done wrong, that lead them to their current position of hopelessness? What had happened, that had allowed the overwhelming odds to actually overwhelm them this time, and reduce all of their efforts to utter trash?

All of their planning, struggling, teamwork, and resistance, hadn't amounted to so much as spit this time around, and none of them could seem to recall a time that appeared so dark and hopeless. Nightmare Moon, Discord, King Sombra, they'd all been walks in the park compared to their current situation. Princess Celestia was dead. The Elements of Harmony were scattered across the Everfree Forest. The changelings had taken over Canterlot without opposition, and death was waiting for them and couldn't be escaped. It was enough to make them give up and...

Wait.

Wait just a minute...

Farewell Chrysalis? Was that what they'd just heard Ulquiorra say?

"What?" Chrysalis asked in utter confusion as she stepped forward. What was she hearing?

The next thing the changeling queen knew, the back of Ulquiorra's left hand landed square center with her muzzle, dislodging the crown from atop her head, and sending her flying back, and crashing into the base of the throne with a loud, cracking thud. The pain of the impact ran up and down her spinal cord, blurring her vision terribly, and reigniting the misery of her injured horn. She hadn't even seen the attack coming before it landed.

"What's the meaning of this? What's going on here!?" she demanded to know, her voice already being distorted by the swelling in her muzzle.

Without warning there was a bright flash of light that made her look away. It quickly faded and allowed her to look back, only for her eyes to go wide at what she saw.

Princess Celestia was standing in the middle of the throne room, minus the royal adornments, but completely unharmed. Like a dog fresh out of the bath, she shook her entire frame, as if trying to rid herself of water that wasn't even there.

"What's going on here is you've been duped, my queen," Princess Celestia replied in a sarcastic tone.

Upon seeing Princess Celestia's return, Ulquiorra turned to face Chrysalis directly. "Did you truly believe I would willingly serve someone such as yourself? Or even succumb to your mediocre attempts at mind control? You're even more gullible than I was informed," he stated.

Chrysalis looked around the room with her eyes wide. Her drones would be of no assistance to her here and now, not against the likes of Ulquiorra and Celestia together. Escape was necessary in a situation like this! Quickly, she bolted for the window... unfortunately Ulquiorra was much quicker, and cut off her path of escape by appearing before her, and nearly causing her to slam into him in her haste.

"Escape is quite impossible for you," he stated simply as he looked her in the eyes.

"Indeed," Princess Celestia agreed, before turning her full focus to her little ponies in the middle of the room. With a flex of her magic, the drones currently on top of them were sent flying wildly and crashing into the walls, thus allowing the others to get back up again. "I'm so sorry, my little ponies, but there's no time to explain," she told them in a soft manner, right before Chrysalis went charging for the throne room doors, and blowing past her. "Ulquiorra she's getting away!"

"That is what she thinks," Ulquiorra stated calmly as he resheathed his zanpakutō. He could detect the reiatsu in the area, he knew who was present and waiting.

Chrysalis was at the doors quickly and wrenched them open physically, the residual throbbing in her horn from Rarity's bite still interfering with her magic. Unfortunately the doors didn't lead to her escape, but rather a confrontation with the Princess of the Night herself. And she looked very, very upset.

"DIDST THEE TRULY BELIEVE THAT THOU COULDST ESCAPE OUR WRATH AFTER PULLING THE SAME STUNT A SECOND TIME? THOU ART INDEED MOST FOALISH!" Princess Luna bellowed, the force of the royal voice being delivered right in Chrysalis' face, being more than enough to send her toppling, and skidding across the slick marble flooring like a foal's toy, before crashing into a decorative pillar and coming to a stop.

In the center of the room where the Elements of Harmony lay captured, there was much confusion to be had as events unfolded before them, each of them finding it hard to wrap their heads around what was happening. Princess Celestia was alive? Ulquiorra was betraying Chrysalis? Princess Celestia was alive!?

Everypony's head was swimming right now as things developed, especially in the case of poor Twilight, who could do little more than simply stand there and stare with her mouth hanging open in disbelief. She hadn't even noticed the absence of the changelings keeping her restrained. However the others certainly had, and were taking full advantage of the fact that they were free again.

"Twilight, what's happening?" Rainbow Dash asked as she came over to her. However there was no response to be had from her, not even when she waved her hoof in front of her face. "Looks like the Egghead is scrambled," she commented.

"RD that ain' funny," Applejack stated, shortly before the booming voice of Princess Luna shook all of them, as Chrysalis went skidding into a pillar before coming to a stop. The sound of the impact was more than enough to make her flinch in response. "Tha' had ta hurt..."

"So good of you to make it, my dear little sister," Princess Celestia stated with a smile as she looked away from her student and her friends, and toward the doorway.

"We wouldst not miss this for all the cake and sweet tea in Equestria, dear sister; not after what this one didst dare to pull the last time," Princess Luna stated as she stepped into the room and smirked evilly at Chrysalis, and her pathetic attempts at getting back up again. "Thou, however, will so dearly wish that we wouldst have not been invited to this gathering!"

Chrysalis grunted in pain, hacking and coughing up a puddle of blood on the floor, before getting back up into a standing position. "You think I'm beaten just because of this turn of events? Hardly! My entire hive is present in Canterlot, and outnumbers your guards ten to one. Even you can't argue with such numerical superiority!" she laughed, before coughing again, but remaining undeterred in her belief that victory could be achieved.

Ulquiorra's response to her statement was to appear behind her in a flash of sonido, followed up by slapping her on the back of the head with the back of his hand. The force of the impact sent her toppling forward, and easily flooring her once again, her chin slamming against the marble floor with a crunch as she landed. "You spend far too much time talking," he stated simply as he looked down at her.

Did she even possess an understanding of how easily he could've killed her at any point during which she was talking, and rambling on endlessly? Most likely she didn't, and was too blind by her own arrogance to consider such a possibility. She'd been blind to everything that'd been unfolding around here, even the most obvious things he was certain she would've spotted a mile away. And yet she hadn't. She'd been so obsessed with the notion of taking Equestria for herself and her hive, she'd allowed herself to be afflicted with tunnel vision, blinded by the crown, and throne, and ignoring everything else, her own drones included.

Whatever happened to her, happened because it was her own fault, and hers alone. She had no one to blame except herself for her own stupidity.

His attention was drawn back to Chrysalis' prone form, as she laid on the ground and groaned in obvious pain, making no effort to get back up from where she lay. Somehow it seemed highly appropriate for one such as her to be defeated in a whimper, rather than in a bang.

"Whether or not you know it, Chrysalis, all your drones are being rounded up and detained as we speak. Their superior numbers are doing little to aid their resistance. And everypony they've captured has been located and rescued. Your attempt at taking our kingdom away from us, has come undone by your own shortsightedness," Princess Celestia told her as she lowered her head to the changeling queen's ear. "I was really, truly willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, and believe that after you were defeated the last time, that you were trying to maintain a peaceful existence with the rest of Equestria. But it seems I believed wrong about you. Based on your actions here today, I truly don't see any hope of redemption for you. You've forced my hoof this time."

Princess Luna nodded as she approached the changeling's prone form. What was to be in store for her was most assuredly not a pretty fate. If anything, death would be the merciful option for her. "Dear sister we shalt deal with this problem from here on out. Thou wouldst be better at elaboration than we. We sense there art many questions that must be answered."

Everyone present watched as Chrysalis' form -as well all the other unconscious drones that were laying about- was enveloped in an aura of Princess Luna's magic and lifted up off the floor, before being escorted out of the throne room, certain mutterings coming from the younger alicorn that left the others more than a little uncomfortable, and not really wanting to consider what awaited the deposed queen.

"Princess Celestia?"

It was a tiny whisper that was heard, but it wasn't from Fluttershy this time. Rather it was from Twilight as she stood there, with eyes wide and legs trembling as she looked up at her mentor.

Twilight approached cautiously until she stood directly before her. This couldn't be real, it just couldn't be. Princess Celestia was dead and turned to dust, she'd seen it herself! This had to be an illusion, nothing but a simple illusion, brought about by a nervous breakdown, by a feverish mind so desperate for some source of comfort, that it hallucinated what it wanted, in order to compensate for it simply not existing.

She slowly, cautiously extended her foreleg to reach out and touch the figure before her. The contact was so, so light, so delicate, guided by a fear that the slightest disturbance would cause it to fade from existence, like a stone disturbing the serenity of a lake, and sending ripples out to distort the image.

Firmness. Her hoof didn't pass through what stood before her, but stopped on contact. Fur, muscle, skin, and bone. Actual heat, and the sensation of a pulse just below the surface. This was no illusion that stood before her, but a physical construct. And if it was a physical construct, then that could mean one thing and one thing only; it was really Princess Celestia in the flesh! She was alive!

"Yes, Twilight, it's me. I'm here," Princess Celestia replied with a gentle smile, confirming what her student wished to know. She watched as Twilight stood dead still for a moment. She could practically hear all the little gears and cogs turning as her mind tried to process everything.

She gave only the briefest of flinches at the sound of the breath Twilight took, her eyes beginning to water, and her mouth beginning to quiver. The next thing she knew, her student was instantly on her, holding onto her for dear life and crying openly. She only hesitated momentarily out of surprise, before sitting down on her haunches, and wrapping her wings and a foreleg around her shaking frame.

"Uh... Princess?" Rainbow Dash asked as she approached cautiously, bubbling over with curiosity right now. So many things had happened so quickly, she didn't even know where to begin. "Forgive me for being blunt and all, but just what in the FUCK is going on around here?!"

It was a word Rainbow Dash had no idea what it really meant. It'd been one of a number of strange, foreign words she'd heard mentioned by Twilight in the past week or so. But despite not knowing exactly what it meant, it still seemed somewhat appropriate to be using under these circumstances.

Rarity nodded. "I'm quite inclined to agree, even with the bluntness, to say nothing regarding the rudeness, of Rainbow Dash's question. There have been more twists and turns present, than I can hope to wrap my horn around. First Ulquiorra kills Fluttershy, but Fluttershy turns out to be a changeling, which leads us to discover a second changeling invasion taking place. Then after we find everyone that's missing, we learn that Canterlot was besieged in the same manner. Then when we come here, we're greeted with the development of Ulquiorra defecting to serve Chrysalis, and escorted her and her hive back to Canterlot. Then Ulquiorra does battle with you, and transforms into... something... before killing you before our eyes. And then after much running around, and a great amount of struggle and drama, we find out Ulquiorra actually betrayed Chrysalis' trust, and you're still alive and unharmed?" Rarity paused a moment to catch her breath. "Forgive me if I'm being rude, Princess Celestia, but... I'm having trouble understanding just what went on here."

"Yer not the only one Rar', ah'm more lost than a penguin in Saddle Arabia," Applejack added.

"Yes, I believe that I have much explaining to do," Princess Celestia replied and nodded while she stroked Twilight's shaking back, pausing briefly to softly whisper words of comfort and reassurance in her student's ear. She'd never expected her to react like this.

"Just one question before you start, Princess," Rainbow Dash spoke up, bringing the attention to her. "Can he really be trusted, after everything that happened?" she asked as she gestured a foreleg in Ulquiorra's direction.

Rather curious, Ulquiorra noted. Out of everything that had occurred, the one who held the Element of Loyalty was just now questioning whether or not he could be trusted? These ponies were even stupider than he first thought. It was possible they were even stupider than Chrysalis. They had no reason to trust him upon their first meeting, but had still done so regardless. Even after learning the truth of his nature, they still seemed to trust him; to the point some of them were willing to share matters of great personal secrecy with him.

Now that he thought about it, it didn't make sense. The acting on his part, as well as his overall performance, had been atrocious in nature. The dialogue he'd spoken had been cliched and over-the-top by any measure, and his course of action had been stiff and inarticulate. And that was to say absolutely nothing of the poor logic of everything that'd taken place, all for the purpose of fooling Chrysalis. Did they truly believe he would kill the one who supposedly regulated the natural cycle of the sun, and maintained life on the planet? Did they truly believe he'd been convincing in everything, and assumed he was truly the villain? If that were truly the case, then these ponies were indeed quite stupid.

However he kept his observations to himself, and simply allowed Princess Celestia to do the talking. She was better able to explain the situation than he was.

Princess Celestia considered Rainbow Dash's question concerning Ulquiorra and his trustworthiness. It was a very, very good question. To be perfectly honest, there were a great many aspects she couldn't be considered pleased with, when regarding the whole of Ulquiorra's actions; particularly how he'd been keeping such a huge secret as his release still being accessible and operational. And that was to say nothing of how he'd used Twilight as a pawn, and put her in such peril in the process. The simple fact that nopony had died, seemed to be the only blessing she was consciously aware of right now.

But she couldn't dwell at that at this point in time. Not when her subjects were looking for reassurance that everything was alright. They were scared, confused, and in need of stability right now. She would have to swallow her concern, and do what she'd done so well for the past thousand years; fake serenity for their benefit.

"I can assure you, Rainbow Dash, Ulquiorra is trustworthy. He was actually the key to everything working out as well as it did," Princess Celestia assured her, as she used her feathers to stroke Twilight's quivering frame along her spine. The lying... so much lying... "Everything that's happened here today, since the discovery of Chrysalis' actions, has been a carefully thought out, organized, and executed plan."

"Everything?" Pinkie asked curiously as she tilted her head to the side, finding it hard to believe that everything that happened had been planned out in advance.

"Well... almost everything," she admitted, "there were indeed a few curve balls that even I didn't anticipate. And even I was as surprised as everyone else," Princess Celestia elaborated and turned to Ulquiorra to look at him directly. "I was certain your resurrection form was thoroughly sealed and inaccessible. How did you break the restraining enchantment you were under?" she asked. She needed to figure out that mystery if she hoped to be successful the next time.

"As I stated, my resurrección has always been accessible. I simply chose not to use it, and allowed you to believe your spell worked in the desired manner. It was unlikely from the very beginning you would be able to manipulate something you didn't fully understand. It would be no different from Applejack attempting weather manipulation. However, when you instructed me to make my betrayal appear convincing to everyone, it became a matter of utter necessity to reveal the truth," Ulquiorra explained calmly as he slid his hands into his pockets. "Despite everything being an act to fool Chrysalis, there was a deal of truth in my words, regarding how my actions were motivated by self preservation; something I'm certain you can understand quite well. However that is a story for another time; a time when your subjects have been properly assuaged of their fears, and curiosity about everything."

Princess Celestia nodded slowly, almost absentmindedly. Despite her own inner turmoil, born from the newfound questions about everything, there were other important matters to tend to first; such as the six ponies before her, who had been put through so much in such a short amount of time. Right now they had to be her primary concern. She'd deal with the Espada later, after the situation and their fears were addressed.

"Make yourselves comfortable, my little ponies, this is going to be a rather long explanation of events..." Princess Celestia advised them.

Looking between one another briefly, the five sat down on the floor to listen, hoping for clarification on what had taken place over the course of the day.

+++

"The circumstances have changed since my initial arrival. It is necessary to react and respond accordingly," Ulquiorra replied. "Right now the circumstances must be addressed. We know the location of the changeling hive. We know an invasion is in the process of being carried out. The only question is what course of action do you wish to take? Shall I depart and destroy the hive and all that are present? Or do you wish to maintain the ideological belief that a peaceful solution can be attained?" he asked pointedly.

What was she supposed to do in this situation? She knew the changelings were a threat to the safety of her kingdom and her subjects. They'd already been spared once by Shining Armor when he'd jettisoned all of them from Canterlot, but the interruption of their invasion didn't seem to slow them down much. But on the other hoof, she really didn't want to see any further killing going on. Allowing Ulquiorra to exterminate the hundred or so that were present in Canterlot, in order to avoid them bringing reinforcements that would lead to an even greater loss of life, had been hard enough. But the entire hive? Possibly the entire changeling population? Could she really go through with that?

Some days it really, really didn't pay to be a Princess...

She closed her eyes and took a breath, only to open them and see Ulquiorra was still standing there and looking at her, waiting for her instructions. She briefly found herself wondering just how long he'd stand there if she simply said nothing, before his patience finally ran out and he chose to act on his own in a rogue manner.

Wait. That gave her an idea.

"A moment of your time, Ulquiorra, there's something that needs to be discussed before any course of action takes place," she explained as the tip of her horn began to glow as she stepped closer to him.

"What is your intention?" Ulquiorra asked.

Princess Celestia said nothing as she stopped before him and lowered the tip of her horn to his forehead and closed her eyes.

"Can you hear me, Ulquiorra?"

It was Princess Celestia's voice but it wasn't being registered by his ears. Was this mental telepathy she was engaging in right now?

"In case you're wondering if this is mental telepathy, it is. But you need to concentrate if you want to communicate," the voice stated.

This reminded him a great deal of his initial experience with Discord, back in the void he'd found himself in after the battle. In a way it was disturbing to experience all over again. He wasn't even aware such a feat was possible. However there were more important matters to tend to, than simply dwelling on such facts.

"You are indeed full of surprises. For what purpose did you choose to engage in this exercise?" he asked.

"I wish to discuss matters with you in private, and this seemed like the most secure option available. How certain are you that there aren't anymore changelings in Canterlot at the moment? How do you detect them, and tell the difference between who is who and what?" she asked.

"My pesquisa allows me to detect the differing reiatsu patterns. While a changeling may be able to replicate a pony's outward appearance, they are incapable of hiding this fact from me. The inability of the low level drones to communicate in a normal verbal manner adds to their detection," he explained. "That said, I cannot say with absolute certainty that there has not been a subsequent infestation in the city, while my attention has been directed elsewhere. Furthermore there have been several instances in the past, in which my pesquisa has not been one hundred percent accurate. It is theoretically possible that there could be changelings I failed to exterminate."

"And each one of those could be relaying information back to their queen without our knowing it. That's why this conversation requires secrecy," Princess Celestia replied. "The changelings have to be dealt with accordingly, I don't deny that. But even if I agreed with your motives, and allowed you to exterminate the hive, along with every single changeling present, that still wouldn't guarantee success. If even two or three changelings currently in hiding remain, they could still rebuild the hive, and the species, and it would only be a few years before they become a significant threat again," she explained.

"My knowledge of the species is rather limited. Explain," Ulquiorra replied after a brief pause. How exactly did two drones go about rebuilding an entire species into a sizable force?

"Like social insects, the role of the changeling queen is to ensure the continued existence of the species, although Chrysalis' goals go far beyond simple existence. Regardless, if she should die, the hive would sense her absence, and respond in seeking to create a new queen. Several prospective, sterile female drones, would be submerged in large vats of royal jelly to cause the necessary changes, to trigger evolution to queen status, and allow them to repopulate the species. And there's no telling how many changelings could be hatched in the course of a single year. Hundreds possibly," she explained.

He could see the difficulty in this situation. Total eradication of an entire species specializing in trickery would be difficult, even for him to pull off... at least without mass casualties among those that could be considered innocent in nature. Rather like cockroaches. And the possibility of spies relating information back to their commander could not be ruled out from the equation.

"What would you suggest as the proper course of action?" he asked. If she was bringing up these points, then surely she had something in mind.

"Chrysalis is hardly the most intelligent around, and likely would not extensively plan contingencies for her own downfall. But the selection of a new queen is entirely instinctual to the species, according to observations carried out over the decades. To prevent that, we'd have to take a course of action likely to draw every changeling out of hiding. We'd have to do something to make her believe they can be out in the open without fear... something that would make her believe total victory can be hers..." Princess Celestia explained.

Even though her voice was a mental projection, he could still hear the tone she was taking, and imagine the change to her facial features that would likely accompany such if she were actually speaking. The fact that her face remained neutral the entire time, spoke of her skill in hiding her emotional status when around others. She was up to something, but he couldn't yet tell what.

"Tell me, Ulquiorra, how skilled are you in the art of deception?"

He blinked, mentally as well as physically. That was a question he never anticipated before. "My ability to perform theatrics is quite poor. I'm genuinely surprised my performance was bought by the changeling in the first place," he explained. Surely Princess Celestia had something in mind when presenting the question. But what was it? "What exactly do you have in mind?"

"Something of a very unorthodox nature. It will be tricky to pull off properly, and will require the help of others, but I believe the rewards are worth any difficulties that might be encountered. You already know the possible location of the hive. Would you be opposed to traveling there, under the guise of defecting to Chrysalis, in order to serve her instead of myself?" she asked. When she received no immediate answer she continued. "Chrysalis is quite proud of herself, and egotistical in nature. She'll likely boast about how she defeated me in the past through an example of trickery, and how the rules of nature dictate that she's the only one who should rule Equestria, or something along the lines of such rubbish. If she were to believe she had gained an ally... someone who would willingly assist her in gaining what she wants, and believes she deserves... she might bring her entire hive with her to Canterlot, and they'd all be in one area where they could be dealt with accordingly," she explained.

"... One moment while I properly organize my thoughts," Ulquiorra replied slowly and paused, analyzing her words, and trying to properly structure them. "You wish for me to feign treachery, and deceit, under the assumption there are changeling spies infesting Canterlot that I haven't found and subsequently exterminated, for the purpose of tricking this Chrysalis into coming to Canterlot, and foolishly bringing the entirety of her available forces, all for the purpose of ensuring their nest is cleaned out, in order to prevent a new queen from emerging from whatever survivors lay undiscovered. And you wish me to do all of this, without killing them? And all of this in the hopes that this Chrysalis will be so short-sighted, and hungry for power, that she will trust me immediately after our first meeting, simply because I defect at the first instance of her bragging of defeating you... assuming she brags of defeating you in the first place?" he asked. Was she quite serious in this elaborate and overly complicated scheme? And if she was quite serious, to the point she believed it would work, then just how stupid was the changeling queen if she were to actually fall for such a ruse?

"Essentially that's correct," she replied and gave a physical nod. "I can understand if you have doubts about the likelihood of success, as it does sound somewhat convoluted and based on speculation. But I've had a history with Chrysalis over the years, I've come to have somewhat of an understanding of how she thinks and reacts. That's why I believe this plan will work as desired."

"And what of Twilight Sparkle and the other Elements of Harmony? Will they be made privy to this grand plan of yours, or will they be left in the dark? Assuming they are even involved to begin with..."

Princess Celestia suddenly went very, very silent at his words, nearly breaking the telepathic bridge in the process out of surprise. "How and when?" she asked once she finally regained her focus and her voice. She didn't see any reason to elaborate further on the question, since he more than likely knew the finer details of the matter.

"The moment the earth pony called Applejack chose to inform me of their status as the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and how they have been used in the past. In the future, you may wish to speak to your subjects about how much they trust others, and their willingness to talk. If such a revelation had been made to any other Espada, those six would have been killed almost immediately," Ulquiorra replied. "I suspected shortly afterwards that you had ulterior motives in sending me to Ponyville, shortly after this discovery. I suspected that it was your intention to put me within striking distance of this world's greatest weapons, should I prove to be a significant threat to you or anyone else," he explained, noticing the minute flinch at his words. And at the flinch, he proceeded onward. "Regardless of those facts, and the fact that should one die, the Elements of Harmony will cease to function, you will notice I have made no effort to harm any of them in any way. Quite the contrary actually."

Silence on her part. She had no immediate reply to the revelation he'd just made. Taking this as a cue, he continued yet again.

"That said, I don't believe this revelation will bolster your trust in me to any greater degree than currently. I merely wish to know what variables will be in place that will need to be addressed, and how well you wish for me to present this defection to the enemy. Do you intend to leave them ignorant of the facts that are transpiring, or do you wish to bring them to Canterlot where they may see things unfold in the event one of them has been replaced in my absence?" he asked.

She'd underestimated his intelligence far more than she'd originally thought, it seemed. His deductive reasoning, and the speed at which he'd arrived at the conclusion of her motives based on nothing more than a conversation with Applejack, was quite impressive, and enough to impress and disturb her all at the same time. And despite possessing the knowledge that Twilight and her friends could present a threat to him, he'd made no effort to bring any harm to them; to the contrary he'd actually protected them when a mission had gone bad. He hadn't even criticized her for her actions when he had every opportunity. She really didn't know what to think about all of this right now. She'd have to put this issue aside for later, and address it when the kingdom wasn't under the threat of siege.

"I think having them close at hoof would be best. But I fear leaving them in the dark will be necessary for the time being, until we can properly determine if the plan can be shared in a secure manner," Princess Celestia replied.

"A logical conclusion," Ulquiorra agreed. The Elements of Harmony being present would indeed be the best solution as far as he could see. Those six were the greatest defense this land had, and if this plan of Princess Celestia's failed, they may be needed. "Assuming Chrysalis plays her part as anticipated, and is as gullible as you would have me believe, to what degree do you wish for me to sell my defection once I bring her to Canterlot? She will likely flee if the facade is dropped immediately," he pointed out.

"That's something I've given consideration to. It's very unorthodox... but do you believe you could make an assassination attempt look believable?" she asked.

He was silent for nearly a minute at her words before finally replying. "I'm beginning to question your sanity for multiple reasons. The further you delve into this plan, the more I have doubts about your critical thinking skills. Despite the sheer difference in our levels of strength, you wish for me to launch a failed attack against you, in the hopes of tricking what is essentially a highly evolved cockroach, for the purpose of vacating her hive's contents and bringing them to Canterlot. This plan will fail the moment she sees my zanpakutō fail to cut through your skin, even after making direct contact," he pointed out, finding the entire proposition ludicrous. Ludicrous didn't even begin to go into the full depth of the stupidity of it all. Twilight Sparkle could formulate a more coherent and streamlined plan than this; of this he was absolutely positive. Even Rainbow Dash could possibly do better than Princess Celestia in this instance, and she had forgotten that the Elements of Harmony wouldn't work without Fluttershy being present.

He didn't even give her the opportunity of a chance to respond, before pressing onward to make it perfectly clear that he doubted her. "There are no attacks or techniques available to me that would even be capable of harming you. In the course of my studies I've read about your exploits, both prior to, and during Princess Luna's one thousand year banishment. I have a very good theory as to what your true strength is. None of my Ceros would even be capable of scorching your fur, but would rather cascade off of your body like water. And even if your physical body could, by some miracle, be injured by what I'm capable of, history's accounts of the strength of your shields, utilized for protecting entire groups during times of conflict and disaster, would suggest it would be futile to even try and overpower you..."

She really hadn't expected such an articulate rant to be delivered in such a short amount of time. And she really hadn't expected Ulquiorra to go into such detail to reveal that he'd studied her out. He was incredibly detail oriented in his explanation of why her plan wouldn't work. But at the same time, he'd been focused on the wrong aspect entirely.

"Despite your assessments, I still have reservations about the sincerity of your statement concerning the differences in our respective degrees of strength. But assuming it's accurate, you just need to leave the matter to me. I know a few instances of slight of hoof and trickery, a few teleportation spells that will leave Chrysalis convinced of my untimely demise, and her unopposed rule, if you simply sell it properly. She won't know the difference, and as long as you don't let on, neither will anypony else," she said as she did her best to assure him.

"Assuming everything goes according to plan what then? How will it be determined if this trickery has been successful, and how long will I need to play the part I am being dealt?" he asked, curious to see just how far out she'd planned this ruse. If those who held the Elements of Harmony were going to be present, did Princess Celestia even care if they were traumatized by her supposed death? There were ramifications to her actions that she wasn't considering.

"Once Chrysalis believes I'm out of the picture, I'll depart to the assigned coordinates, and conduct an investigation of the nest, along with a few specially selected guards. Once we've determined that all the changelings are in Canterlot, I'll deliver a signal that everything is going according to plan. After that, we'll return in full force, and deal with them in the appropriate manner," she explained.

Ulquiorra remained silent as he considered what to say next. He had lead her down this line of discussion to gather what he believed was relevant information, to get a feel for just what she was plotting out. He was already out of his element enough as is, and jumping to uninformed conclusions would only aggravate the situation. Now it was necessary for him to analyze everything he'd gathered up to this point, weigh it, and measure it out to arrive at the proper conclusion. On top of that it was necessary to determine what he could say, what he should say, and what he wanted to say. There were many areas in Princess Celestia's plan that amounted to gaps in logic, lapses in judgement, and so on. If Twilight Sparkle and the others were present, odds were good that they would be in possession of the Elements of Harmony, unless Princess Celestia planned on taking a course of action to discourage them being brought along. If they were used, there was no telling how he might be affected if he was within range. Had that fact been accounted for, and addressed accordingly? He didn't believe she would intentionally sacrifice him, but he couldn't be absolutely certain of that.

Another issue was Chrysalis herself. He possessed very little information on the changeling in question, and couldn't determine the nature of her character. If things proceeded in the manner Princess Celestia had hypothesized, what would happen once she wasn't there? How far would Chrysalis go in attempting to judge his supposed loyalty? Would she require him to harm one of the ponies to prove he was on her side? Amputate a limb? Sever a spinal column? Gouge out their eyes? Or would she possess a measure of sadism so significant, that she would demand he perform tasks on them that even Nnoitra would find distasteful?

And would she truly be foolish enough to want him to try and kill Princess Celestia, if she were truly the one who raised and lowered the sun each day? Or at the very least, was believed to be the one who did such?

Then there was the matter of his supposed treachery, in the presence of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Princess Celestia had instructed him to study and try to understand the concept of friendship; something that had occurred with those six ponies more than any others. Despite the Mare Do Well incident, he highly doubted that deceit was among the core lesson plan, regardless of what the intention was. Did she understand that this plan could jeopardize her other endeavors with him?

And that was to say nothing of the bearers themselves. Princess Celestia's plan, in order to trick Chrysalis, involved the staged display of her apparent death, and all in front of possibly the most important and influential ponies currently alive, and possibly with no forewarning of what they should expect. These ponies, unlike himself, were living beings prone to emotional instability, and not ruled by logic. The potential for mental trauma was considerable under these circumstances. Had she even considered that fact? Did she care that she may be scarring this world's best defense, all for the sake of stopping a single enemy without significant bloodshed? When all was revealed, would they be capable of understanding her intentions? And if not, what repercussions would be had?

Not that he truly cared about the ponies themselves. Despite what they might believe, they weren't his friends. If they were traumatized by this plan, it was their fault for being highly emotional in nature, and incapable of understanding what the bigger picture was.

He considered bringing all of these points up, one by one, and poking holes in Princess Celestia's plans, forcing her to see things from his perspective. If he so desired, he could easily put her in such a position, and make her agree that total eradication of the entire changeling species was the best course of action available. He could indeed go with such a route. Simply refuse her plan on the grounds of absent logic.

He could. However simply because he could, didn't mean that he should. Was it really his place to explain to a supposed immortal just why her plan would fail? Or should he allow her to learn these facts for herself? If she was forced to experience the consequences of her actions for herself, she would be less inclined to do so again in the future... assuming they all lived through this. Then he would be able to remind her of this incident in the future, and potentially use it as leverage against her.

Logically speaking... perhaps the best option available was to simply keep his mouth shut, and play along with what she wanted. If everything went to hell at some point, it would simply be necessary to respond as he saw fit. He couldn't be faulted for abandoning the charade if the situation became drastic in nature.

"I want you to know that I possess significant doubts concerning the wisdom of your plan. There are many factors that can go wrong. I predict this situation will not end well, regardless of what you may have in mind. Your subjects may not receive your plans as well as you hope. They are emotional in nature, prone to short sightedness. The fact this is so poorly presented does not inspire confidence," he stated firmly. "To make this grand charade of yours convincing, I can make no guarantees of what I will be required to do in your absence. If I'm ordered by Chrysalis to injure your subjects, to solidify her belief in me, the best I will be able to do, is ensure whatever injuries they receive are not permanently debilitating in nature," he continued before she could even get a word in edgewise. Going out of his way to harm others was not something he had any particular desire for. This was a conflict of interest she needed to be aware of. Briefly mentioning the previous considered complications couldn't hurt, should something occur during it all; at the very least it would absolve him of a responsibility to warn her of what could occur. "But regardless of those facts, I have been assigned a duty, and it is mine to carry out, regardless of how distasteful I find them. If you wish me to "sell it" that I have defected to serve this Chrysalis, then I will indeed sell it, and leave her totally convinced of what you want her to believe. There will be no doubt in her mind that you have been killed off, and she may rule free and clear. I will allow you to do things your way, regardless of my own personal doubts, and observe how they develop. But I will act accordingly if necessary, to carry out your original orders," he replied, seeing little other option available to them.

The conversation was interrupted by a groan coming from the holding cell, signalling the changeling was coming around after passing out.

"Excuse me a moment. If I'm to "sell it" with my defection, then I will start now," he stated.

Princess Celestia broke the telepathic link between them and stepped back, watching as Ulquiorra wordlessly turned around and drew his zanpakutō as he stepped back into the holding cell. She had a suspicion of what was going to happen, but she really had no desire to see it confirmed.

There was a startled yelp from the changeling almost immediately after.

"If you can communicate with your Queen at this distance, then relay this message to her. I am coming for you, Chrysalis, and it is my intention to kill you for what you have done here today."

That had been the entirety of the message before a sickening noise of flesh being pierced by steel silenced the changeling's outburst. After which Ulquiorra stepped back out, sliding his blade back into the sheath.

"Let us begin then..."

+++

Over the course of the next hour, the assembled ponies were made aware of all the intricacies of Princess Celestia's master plan for dealing with the changelings. Everything had been laid out for them. How Ulquiorra's defection had been a gamble to convince Chrysalis to assemble her entire hive in Canterlot, and how such had been motivated to prevent a secondary invasion should some of them escape their detection. How their combat had been staged for the purpose of selling his defection. How they had been brought to Canterlot to ensure they weren't targeted again. How her death had been a carefully orchestrated effort between herself and Luna, to replace her body with a replica made of ash, the slight of hoof performed at the last possible moment to ensure it was convincing. How their detainment in a low-level holding cell had been deliberate, to ensure they would escape. And how during the time after her supposed death, and her reappearance, they'd been at the changeling's hive, scouring every last inch to ensure it was completely empty; a significant feat considering how extensive the hive itself was.

"... And that's what brings us to now," Princess Celestia finished, her mouth feeling rather tired after such a long explanation.

The assembled audience had been mostly silent and captivated by the tale that was spun for them. None of them, with the exception of Ulquiorra, had even noticed as Princess Luna returned to the throne room. And over that time, Twilight had quieted down almost completely, other than the sound of her own breathing as she continued being held gently.

"Whoa..." Rainbow Dash breathed in amazement, being the first to find her voice in response to the extensive details they'd been provided with. Princess Celestia had really gone all out in her planning of events that'd occurred since their arrival. She wouldn't have even considered half of the things that'd come up in the explanation, like a drone evolving into a new queen, or the possibility of spies or anything like that.

Things like this made sense as to why Princess Celestia was the one in charge, she had the foresight to think these things out.

"I must say... that was all certainly quite an endeavor to engage in," Rarity stated, uncertain of what she could possibly add that was of any relevance.

"Not ta be second guessin' ya er nothin' Princess, but couldn' ya've given us at least some warnin' on what ya were plannin' on doin'?" Applejack asked curiously as she stood up from the spot where she sat. "Ah know ya did wha' ya did 'cause ya had good reason an' all, but ah nearly had a heart attack when we all thought Mr. Cifer turned ya ta dust back there," she pointed out, doing her best to remain calm. And to not give consideration to the fact that she and the others had more or less been lied to on a massive scale. She could understand the why, but that didn't mean she appreciated it any.

"I apologize for the concern I caused you and the others, Applejack. I truly did want to involve you all on the plan, and please understand my decision to not do so, wasn't reached lightly. I had to operate on the possibility that one or more of you had been replaced by a changeling. Only Ulquiorra can really tell the difference, and he was away carrying out the plan," Princess Celestia apologized. If she'd known for certain that they hadn't been compromised, and that there were no changelings to hear her plan, she would've told them in a heartbeat. But Ulquiorra's appearance had prevented that from occurring. "It was all a matter of absolute necessity. I had to ensure that Chrysalis would assume she'd won, and had no contingency plans in place, otherwise everything would've been for nothing. And as much as I despise Chrysalis I really didn't want her entire hive wiped out of existence..."

"Yeah... well..." Rainbow Dash muttered, "it still doesn't excuse him of the fact that he beat the tar out of us! Seriously, first he targets us with that black Cero of his and could've killed all of us, then he kicked Twilight right in the ribs, and punted her like a hoofball in the process. That's just taking it way too far!" she stated and angrily gestured in the Espada's direction. "And that's to say nothing of what he did to me..."

"You're quite foolish," Ulquiorra commented, speaking up for the first time since Princess Celestia began her explanation of everything. From the way the cyan pegasus was talking, she hadn't paid attention to what she'd been told. Now it was up to him to rectify that matter. "Did you truly believe that my Cero Oscuras would have been allowed anywhere near Canterlot Palace, if Princess Celestia was incapable of stopping it? She was given more than sufficient time to respond. If her strength wasn't capable of such a feat, she would've simply changed its trajectory, in the same manner as Fluttershy when the dragon was dealt with, rather than choosing to intercept and block it," he pointed out. When no rebuttal was offered, he continued with his explanation of their own shortsightedness. "As for my actions regarding the rest of you. Neither of you were in any danger of being seriously injured. You yourself were merely swept aside, while Twilight Sparkle was simply rolled over. If you were observant, you would notice the lack of any bruising around her ribcage, and even your neck," he pointed out. "Didn't you find it strange how you could so easily pick up and transport her, during your escape, without causing her significant pain?" he asked. From the look on her face, it was safe to conclude that she indeed did not consider such inconsistencies. Perhaps she could give Chrysalis a run for her money in the stupidity department.

"Everything that occurred here today, occurred for the purpose of carrying out the assignment. As I stated, I was merely following orders. And my orders were to be convincing to everyone in my supposed betrayal; you included," he explained. "That said, I must admit my surprise at how easily Chrysalis fell for everything. It hardly seemed like anything approaching a convincing performance. I'm not a skilled actor capable of such. With the speed at which I agreed to serve Chrysalis, and retake Canterlot for her, I was quite certain she would've seen through the numerous glaring errors in logic that were present. The entire time I was playing the treacherous lackey, I was certain she would discover the truth, and respond accordingly. The fact she didn't, does not speak favorably of her."

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute! What about the Elements of Harmony!?" Pinkie asked quickly, "Ulqy said they were scattered throughout the Everfree Forest, don't we need to find them before somepony else does?"

"Did you really believe that in my efforts to be convincing, I would go so far as to genuinely compromise the actual defensive options of this world? Either through harming you directly, or by directing my focus on the Elements of Harmony themselves?" Ulquiorra asked as he directed his focus on the pink earth pony. "Merely another falsehood for the purpose of tricking Chrysalis, and luring her into a false sense of security. However unlike the other falsehoods, this one became necessary due to your own actions," he explained.

"Say what now?" Rainbow Dash asked in surprise.

"Princess Celestia's plans for events that transpired were rather extensive, including the matter of locking you six in a cell you would have the greatest chance of escaping, due to a combination of Twilight Sparkle's magical aptitude, and the lack of outside factors that would negate such. She believed that you six would launch some type of counterattack against the changelings, possibly keeping them occupied for an extended period, in order to buy time for the hive to be located, secured, and searched. But the possibility of trying to retrieve the Elements of Harmony was not considered. Once Chrysalis discovered your escape she was the one to make the assumption, and nearly dispatched a squadron of drones to intercept you. With these developments, it became necessary to hastily concoct the story that I could reach the Elements of Harmony first, and dispose of them before intercepting you. It was quite fortunate that she didn't choose to question my false sincerity. Otherwise everything might've been ruined. The bloodbath Ponyville experienced today would've been nothing compared to what could have potentially happened."

The whole room was silent after Ulquiorra's explanation of the events that transpired and what motivated them.

At least until Rainbow Dash decided to open her mouth. "Now just an apple picking minute here!" she stated.

"Tha's my line RD," Applejack objected. However the cyan pegasus didn't seem to pay her any mind as she focused exclusively on Ulquiorra.

"Are you saying that you're the one who saved the day, and made sure everything went according to some great big, convoluted plan?" she asked him as she hovered in front of him.

"Such a statement is not necessary for me to make. If you think back to before the elaboration, Princess Celestia made the statement herself, when you asked whether or not I could be trusted," Ulquiorra responded calmly and flatly.

Rainbow Dash frowned an growled in response. Here he was claiming responsibility for their victory status, and he was doing it in the most nonchalant manner she'd ever seen anypony ever brag in. She didn't know what was angering her more right now; his claim of victory, or the subdued manner he was claiming it. But either way it was infuriating to have to put up with.

"Jerk!"

"It was your own brash actions that forced me to act. Had I not, it would've been you that put all of Princess Celestia's work in jeopardy," Ulquiorra explained pointedly, all the while maintaining his even tone despite his annoyance.

He was finding himself highly annoyed by his interaction with Rainbow Dash, even moreso than usual. Her act first and ask questions later approach to doing everything, had nearly cost Princess Celestia the desired results. Had Chrysalis even been the slightest bit suspicious of him as he tried to defuse the situation, the entire incident would have ended with many, many more deaths than what had already taken place.

Not that such results were entirely unfavorable to him. Had the matter been left to him, he wouldn't have had any problem with such a genocidal approach if it were deemed necessary. But for whatever reason, Princess Celestia had wanted the situation resolved with as few deaths as possible. He possessed serious doubts about the logic of her actions and motivation, knowing that if the changelings remained alive they would present a significant threat to Equestria's wellbeing, no matter what was done with them.

But it hadn't been his call to make. It was Princess Celestia's command, and it was his role to carry out orders... just as it was his role to convince the human woman to come to Hueco Mundo through whatever means necessary... just as it had been his role to protect Las Noches at any cost. Up to and including his own life.

His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the flapping of wings, as an armor-clad pegasus guard flew into the room, and set down before them, before turning to address Princess Celestia.

"We have good news to report, Your Highness, all of the missing residents of Canterlot have been located, freed, and are doing fine. Furthermore, all the present changelings have been rounded up and secured," the guard stated.

"Most excellent news indeed. Thank you for the update," Princess Celestia replied before dismissing the guard.

"So what about Discord?" Rainbow Dash finally asked, deciding to change the subject. Arguing with the Espada wasn't going to get her anywhere, she was certain of that. "Did he play any part in this?"

"Oh. About Discord..." Princess Celestia said and paused in thought...

+++

"I don't like it, 'Tia, I don't like it one little bit," Discord stated as he paced back and forth across the floor of Celestia's private chambers. Being summoned for a conference was one thing. But what the alicorn was suggesting, what she'd summoned him from a particularly nice nap for, this was something else entirely! "You want to utilize my chaos powers, for something that ultimately amounts to just one big joke?!" he asked as he came to a stop and faced her directly, his left eye twitching as he spoke. "Nope, nope, nope, not gonna happen, nuh-uh, count me out! I refuse! I don't like the changelings anymore than you do, but this is distasteful even by my standards! And THAT is saying something! What you're planning is a wasteful endeavor for my abilities!"

Celestia flinched as Discord bellowed, quite thankful she had soundproofed her quarters prior to the meeting. If there were any changeling spies nearby, they'd most certainly hear him if she hadn't. This was a development she hadn't anticipated. Discord was actually turning down the opportunity to engage in chaos and practical jokes? That was strange even by all standards associated with him.

Next to her stood Ulquiorra, his hands in his pockets, completely unimpressed by the volume or the display Discord's tirade.

"This coming from the draconequus who once turned Applejack's entire harvest into cubes," Ulquiorra commented dryly in response. Discord's priorities were as strange as his appearance.

"Now you listen here, lad," Discord stated as he stepped closer and looked Ulquiorra in the eye, "cube apples pack and travel better than round apples. They don't roll off tables, you can stack more in crates... I was just doing Applejack a favor in the course of my reformation," he explained.

"Based on her accounts of events that unfolded, she was unappreciative of your supposed favor," Ulquiorra replied, unimpressed by Discord's defense of his actions. "As I recall, none of the ponies would buy her wares after you tainted them."

"Now you listen here, I-" Discord began, only to be silenced as Ulquiorra grasped him by his throat, pulling his head back down to his own eye level.

"Do you intend to assist on this matter or not?" Ulquiorra asked simply. He was in no mood for long discussions, when he could instead be off, and dealing with the changelings by himself. If he didn't have to entertain Princess Celestia's plans, the threat could over by now. If Discord was going to be of no assistance, then it was better to dispense with him immediately, rather than continue wasting time on him. "If not, then stop wasting our time and say such, before I attempt to force a definite answer from you."

Discord laughed in response to the threat, too amused to keep it to himself. "And what could you possibly do to me?"

"That is something you don't want to find out," Ulquiorra warned evenly, "that fact aside, you said yourself that you were aware of me. And as such, you are best likely to understand exactly what I'm capable of if necessary..."

Why her? Why now? She could feel a migraine coming on again. Seeing Ulquiorra and Discord at each other, Celestia sighed to herself and used her magic to forcefully pull them apart before they could come to blows. And knowing what she did about these two, those blows could be devastating. She'd seen what Ulquiorra could do to a grown dragon without even exerting himself. She'd seen what Discord could do with a snap of his fingers and a little imagination. And right now she really needed the both of them.

"Gentlecolts, we really don't have time for this," she explained as calmly as she could. With that said she turned her attention to Discord, since he was going to be quite needed for everything to work. "Discord, currently I'm very furious with you, and how you lied to me about Ulquiorra knowing about the Elements of Harmony. And don't try and worm your way out of the truth. But that's for another time. My own anger aside, I'm willing to forgive you, and your shenanigans, in exchange for your assistance. I truly don't understand what your objection to this matter is, and why you don't wish to help. But whatever it is, I need your help on this. Perhaps now more than ever before," she explained, "all I need from you are two things. First and foremost, I need you to shield Ulquiorra's mind to protect him, in the event Chrysalis attempts to brainwash him. I don't know how her spell might affect him otherwise, and I really don't want to find out."

Sound logic indeed, Ulquiorra noted. If Chrysalis truly possessed the same ability as Kyōka Suigetsu, then Discord's assistance would indeed be required.

"And the other thing?" Discord asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. In response a letter was plucked from under Celestia's right wing and hovered in front of him.

"I need you to place a passive enchantment on this document. One that, as the letter is read, Twilight and the others will feel a sense of calm. One that will motivate them to not bring the Elements of Harmony along with them. Too many things could go wrong otherwise. If they were to bring them, Chrysalis might direct an assault against them, and jeopardize everything. There's also the fact that, should they be used, I have no idea how Ulquiorra might be affected by them, not being native to our world," Celestia explained.

Ulquiorra remained silent at her words. Princess Celestia had given this matter more consideration than he had anticipated. However there were still other matters that she didn't seem aware of; matters that he would stay silent about, and observe how they played out.

Discord scanned the document, his eyes moving from left to right as he read it over. Finally he let out a disgruntled sigh and straightened up.

"Alright, 'Tia. I'll do these two favors for you. But keep in mind I'm not your own private galactic reset button. After I do these two things, I'm getting the buck out of here. I don't want to be present should everything go south. Once I leave you're on your own. And for your sake, I hope you have everything planned out properly. Otherwise I wouldn't want to be in your shoes once the smoke has cleared," he stated and snapped the fingers of his lion's paw.

+++

"... Discord was... not involved in this matter. He wanted to be well out of Canterlot, on the off chance the Elements of Harmony were used," she replied. She still had absolutely no idea why Discord didn't want to be involved in this matter. It was really most unusual. But that was another question for another time.

"Tha's ta be expected ah guess. Being' chaos an' all, he mighta gotten swept up along with Chrysalis an' the others if we'd brought 'em," Applejack commented. She really couldn't blame Discord for wanting to save his own flank in all of this.

"Oh my," Rarity spoke up, "I just realized something. Now that Chrysalis and her hive have been captured, what's going to become of them? If they're not going to be... executed... then what fate awaits them?" she asked.

"Yeah tha's a mighty good question there, Rarity," Applejack replied and turned to face Princess Celestia, "wha's gonna happen, Princess?"

It was certainly a fair question to ask. To be truthful it was a matter she'd been considering as well. What to do with an enemy that was a threat to the safety of her subjects, while at the same time not condemning them to death? Perhaps she should've devoted more time to thinking about the aftermath, than actually getting to this point.

"You don't need to concern yourselves with what the fate of Chrysalis and the rest of the changelings will be. Their punishment will be firm, but it will be fair," she assured them. For the time being the dungeons would work at keeping them from going anywhere or trying anything, and it would allow her time to better think things over. But for the time being, there were more important matters to tend to, such as the wellbeing of those who held the Elements of Harmony. Everything that unfolded here today would be a lot for anypony to deal with.

"I've gotta say, Princess, it feels weird not being the ones who saved the day and all. But at least in the end, everything turned out alright," Rainbow Dash stated in an effort to change the subject. She was really tired of the talk being about the changelings and all. And she really didn't want to think about the broader implications of everything.

Of course that still didn't mean she fully trusted the Espada after everything that happened today. Princess Celestia said he could be trusted. She'd explained why he could be trusted. But that didn't mean she did just yet. Even with his explanation, still nothing. Maybe she would sometime in the future, but right now she really didn't feel up to it. Just because he served as a pawn for Princess Celestia, didn't mean she wasn't still sore with him.

"Other than that big hole in the wall Twilight made when she tried to blast Ulqy," Pinkie pointed out, bringing everyone's attention to the aforementioned area of damage.

"A rather impressive show of force, to be certain," Ulquiorra commented dryly.

"Yes... well..." Princess Celestia replied slowly and looked back at the hole. That was a development she truly hadn't taken into consideration. Part of the wall, the balcony and even the royal telescope was completely obliterated from existence, to say nothing of the section of floor itself, cut out by her student's beam. She'd always known Twilight's potential for magic was strong, but this was surprising even to her. "Compared to what could've happened, the damage is little more than a divot. It shouldn't prove too difficult to repair," she replied reassuringly.

"Celestia..."

It'd been a whisper so soft and so quiet her ears almost didn't even register it. To be truthful she'd felt it more than heard it, when she felt the movement of Twilight's jaw against the feathers of her wings when she spoke. Most curious.

"Twilight?" she asked as she looked down at her student's still frame.

"Don't touch me..."

Another soft whisper. This time she'd properly heard what was said, but she had no idea what she meant.

"Twilight?" she asked again and leaned in closer.

"Don't touch me!"

It was a shrieking scream this time instead of a whisper, as Twilight fought and kicked her way out of Princess Celestia's embrace to stand before her, her eyes filled with conflicting emotions and hurt.

"You used us! You lied to us! You lied to me!" she shouted through her hoarseness. "I... I hate you!"

Without saying another word, or even waiting for a response, she turned tail and ran out of the throne room, crying all over again, and leaving the others in stunned silence.

"... Wow..." Rainbow Dash replied, too shocked to say anything else.

"Oh dear," Rarity added.

Princess Celestia couldn't say anything as she watched her faithful student run off in pain; a pain that she herself seemed responsible for causing. What had she done?

Ulquiorra said nothing as he watched Twilight Sparkle's exit, uncertain what exactly to think about how events had unfolded. While Princess Celestia's plan had played out very close to how she had anticipated everything -much to his surprise at such a fact- the aftermath had proven to serve as a possibility he'd predicted. Five of the six had responded rather well, and taken everything in stride -or at the very least, were more skilled at hiding their hurt and sense of betrayal, at realizing they had been nothing more than pawns to further a ploy- while the sixth did not. It was hardly surprising that Twilight Sparkle would be the one most traumatized, considering the bond the two shared with each other.

Slowly he turned around to face Princess Celestia directly. From the look on her face, he could easily tell that a verbal "I told you so" was entirely unnecessary, as she was fully understanding he'd been right all along, about how things could so easily go so wrong.

This would lead to interesting developments. Of that he was quite certain.

Chapter Twenty Eight

Chapter Twenty Eight

Over the past thousand years, Celestia had cast a great many, many teleportation spells on herself and others, traveling great distances in short amounts of time, going from point A to point B with extreme precision, and masterful control, even with a full entourage of other ponies in tow.

That said, this was the first time in several long centuries that she'd cast a teleportation spell, and wound up missing the intended destination. Instead of arriving with her hooves firmly settled on the floor, she'd wound up teleporting just below the ceiling level. By the time she realized this fact, gravity had already kicked in, and she plummeted to the floor where she'd landed squarely -and quite painfully- right on her haunches with a loud crashing thud.

Then again, this was the first time in several long centuries she'd tried to cast a teleportation spell using the least amount of magic possible, in an effort to prevent her disappearance from being easily detected. Unfortunately that drop in magical consumption seemed to correspond with poor aim regarding the target destination, and that's how she got in this position.

Unfortunately knowing the why didn't make it hurt any less.

"Oh that hurts," she moaned/whined as she moved to lift herself back up and reach around to rub her aching flanks. It was then that her ears became assaulted by a most riotous commotion. Letting her eyes adjust to the dimly lit dungeon halls, she could see Luna laying on her back, legs stuck up in the air as she laughed her flank off. She couldn't help but frown in response. "It's not funny Lulu!" she stated firmly.

"We beg to differ dear sister!" Luna cackled in response as she rolled onto her side. "T'was most hilarious to observe!"

Celestia's frown only deepened as her sister carried on. She was having far too much fun at her expense, and detracting from the overall mission. It'd taken a great deal of effort to get this far, made possible only by rousing her sister her from slumbers, and informing her of the crisis, and securing her assistance. They really didn't have time for this foalishness!

Fortunately it seemed Luna understood this fact even without being reminded, as she soon calmed down on her own, clearing her throat as she stood back up. She was just about to address her when she stopped, her eyes going wide in the dim light.

"Dear sister what hast happened to thou!?" she asked and closed the short distance almost instantly. "Thou art severely injured! What hast Ulquiorra Cifer done to thee!?" she demanded.

Celestia looked over herself at the various injuries she sported from the conflict back up in the throne room. From her point of view she really did look like a terrible sight, like she'd gone ten rounds with a dragon, and just barely managed to escape with her life.

"Lower your voice, dear sister, it's all part of the plan," Celestia replied as the tip of her horn lit up, her injuries fading from existence almost immediately. The goal had been to sell the belief that she was dead. And such a sale would be hard to pull off if she didn't show some measure of damage to indicate that she was out of her league. Had they just seen her shatter without any inclination that things had gone wrong, it would've been completely unbelievable. And that meant having to cast the illusion of her being injured and weakened, and on the verge of death. However it was only a matter of seconds before her stunning white coat, and colorful flowing mane and tail, were returned to their natural glory. "Better?" she asked.

"Not quite dear sister, thou didst miss the blood on thee's back," Luna stated, pointing out the large patch of stained red fur just past her wings.

That was rather strange indeed. The illusions should've all faded simultaneously. Turning her head and looking at her back to the best of her abilities, she found the offending injury, and cast another dispel attempt but it remained unchanged. "Oh my," she said slowly as she looked at it more carefully, "that's not an illusion, Luna, that's real blood..."

"Thou were truly injured?" Luna asked in a concerned tone as she stepped around to look her sister's back over. The dim lighting truly didn't help, and even with an illumination spell cast it still wasn't enough assistance. "We cannot see a source of injury to explain the blood's presence. 'Tis a mystery," she stated.

"And we don't have time for games. Such a shame as I do love a good mystery," Celestia sarcastically replied with a sigh. Nevermind that though, she'd worry about the mystery blood later, right now there was important work to be done. "How did the substitution go with my double?" she asked.

"Absolute perfection dear sister. Thanks to our synchronization, thee's replacement was teleported into place the exact moment thou didst disappear from the scene. We didst even manage proper alignment with thee's royal adornments thou didst teleport out of," Luna replied. It was nothing short of luck that the slight of hoof had worked out in the manner that it had. Had either of them been too slow or too quick on their end everything would've gone horribly wrong, and the entire illusion would've been ruined.

And with Discord being unwilling to assist them in this plan, a fact that Luna still couldn't fathom, they had to go it alone, relying on each other, just like old times. Not that she was opposed to that or anything; she adored the chance to intimately work with her sister, even if the timing did interfere with her own sleep. She was getting away from the main issue, that being how the spirit of chaos had suddenly taken a very hooves off approach to this entire issue, based on what Celestia had told her. His flat out refusal complicated matters greatly, significantly increasing their risk of failure if they didn't pull everything off.

Fortunately that wasn't the case in the matter. So far everything was proceeding according to plan. "However we must say, 'twas not easy finding enough ash to magically construct a life-sized replica, all within the blink of an eye, and in the pose thou didst assume at the moment leading up to thou's teleportation. Synchronization issues aside, we were most certain we wouldst run out of ash before we finished crafting thou's backside," she smirked.

Celestia scowled in response to the comment, but said nothing. She'd deal with her little sister's wit later on when there wasn't a crisis occurring.

However the conversation once again turned serious as Luna began speaking again.

"Tell us, dear sister, what was that significant tremor of power we didst feel minutes ago? We hath never felt anything like it before, and 'twas detectable even down here in the dungeons."

Her little sister would just have to ask that question, wouldn't she?

"That was Ulquiorra I'm afraid," Celestia replied with a sigh, lowering her head and closing her eyes. "Apparently that binding spell I placed on him, failed to adequately restrain his resurrection state. He informed me during our staged combat, that he's been able to access it this whole time, and simply chose not to use it until now," she explained. It was unnerving to think that he could've done something like that, and simply kept the fact to himself. Incidents such as that interfered with her ability to trust him fully. Such secrets were dangerous, and she didn't know how to respond to such. Her shock had been truly genuine, and she had no need to act on that particular matter.

And then there was the matter was Ulquiorra's actions in their "combat." He had been fierce, incredibly strong, and even if he was pulling his punches, he was a force to be reckoned with. If he truly could unbalance her hoofhold with a single swing of his javelin, and he actually had been holding back, how strong was he when he felt like being serious?

And just what could he do if he used both hands during a fight!?

And then there was how he had targeted Twilight directly with his Cero Oscuras, correctly concluding that she would indeed put herself in harm's way in order to protect her student from danger. It more than likely added to the story that he had defected to Chrsyalis' side. And it was a tactic that had gotten her lined up with the balcony, in order for him to get her back into the throne room where Chrysalis would witness everything. But it was a tactic she'd have to speak to him about later on, to make it perfectly clear that he wasn't to do something like that ever again.

She remembered her earlier conversation with him. How he'd gone to great lengths to explain how none of his Ceros would be capable of hurting her, or even bypassing her shields should they make contact. Had he subtly been trying to tell her of what she should expect in this charade? Had his tactic of forcing her to protect Twilight, been nothing more than a ruse to further her own plans? Did he correctly assume that if she believed she couldn't overcome his Cero Oscuras, after first experiencing it for herself to gauge its destructive potential, that she would've torn his arm right out of its socket to prevent it from being fired?

There were far too many questions present right now. She felt like her head was swimming in a sea of uncertainty.

Her worries aside, however, she found it impossible to deny the impressiveness of how his tactics had been devoted to her own overall plan, despite his uncertainty of the overall validity, and his own criticism of what she was aiming for. He'd passed up opportunities to strike her body directly, and instead went out of his way to make contact with her sword.

His performance, coupled with his ruthlessness had been perfect, and there was no way Chrysalis could've doubted his sincerity after such a performance. His emotionless expression and flat voice had added greatly to selling the story that he was committing treason of his own volition.

She needed to stop thinking about her own amazement, otherwise she'd wind up forgetting that she needed to be upset with him.

"Truly?" Luna asked as her eyes went wide with surprise at the news. Her sister had told her about his released state, about the things she'd seen in his memories about his strength, his speed, his power and so forth, laying out exactly why she'd made the attempt to seal it off to begin with. And now THAT was loose in their kingdom with no restrictions holding it back. "Is it as bad as thou didst fear?"

Celestia remained silent for a moment in thought, uncertain of just what to say in response.

"The scary part is I really can't tell. I can't even tell if he was truly attacking with his full strength, or if he was merely toying with me, while making the entire performance look real in an attempt to fool Chrysalis. For all I know, he could've truly killed me if he wanted to. If he hadn't taken several opportunities to speak to me during our battle, and inform me of what the best course of action was, I would've sworn she really had swayed him," Celestia stated grimly and looked down at the floor. "If push came to shove, and the situation were truly desperate, it could've easily gone either way..."

Luna sighed and closed her eyes. This was a serious, serious matter they had to deal with right now. Ulquiorra Cifer had managed to severely complicate the matter at hoof, and introduce an element of potentially disastrous consequences by revealing his deception so openly. They were truly in uncharted territory right now, and it was terrifying to think about.

"... Enough talk about our guest and his deception," Luna finally stated. If they devoted too much time to the Espada, they would wind up losing themselves, and miss their opportunity to deal with Chrysalis. They had to prioritize right now. And right now the Espada was the least of their concerns. 'Tia was still alive and physically unharmed. For her right now, that was enough to suggest he could wait until later. "Discussing Ulquiorra Cifer further will prove futile until we can act, let us tend to matters that we can indeed affect. We hath tended to the guards after verifying who art what. They hath been disguised as other changelings, and are blending in with the rest either in the air or on the ground, and will launch a counteroffensive once they art informed the time is right."

"Most excellent indeed," Celestia replied and refocused herself on the pressing matters they were facing. That part of the plan had been one of the most difficult to pull off. Any one of the royal guard, either of the solar or the lunar division, could've been replaced by changelings, and prove to be compromised. However only the one from previous had been found and all the others had proven clean. They'd been whisked away to the dungeons, informed of the plan, and provided their disguises and their orders. Now there was only one part left to play. "Are you ready to proceed to the changeling hive and determine if it's empty?"

"Ready when thou art, dear sister," Luna replied and saluted, "let us cloak and depart, for we doth wish to be present this time when Chrysalis realizes she hast been had!"

"I couldn't agree more, Luna. I want to get this over with quickly, and get back to Twilight and the others before they wind up getting hurt," Celestia agreed. The sooner this matter was tended to the sooner they could return home and take care of everything.

"Twilight Sparkle? Thou's student and her friends art present for this charade? Hath they been informed of what we art up to?" she Luna asked curiously. That detail hadn't been a part of the overall plan.

"I'm afraid there wasn't enough time to tell them what was taking place. Ulquiorra and Chrysalis appeared not two minutes after they did, and I still wasn't certain if any of them had been replaced. By the time I knew they were the genuine article, we were already besieged. I'm afraid they were swept into the thick of it. All the more reason to get back as quick as possible," Celestia replied.

"'Tis bad dear sister. Art thou certain they will understand thee's intentions and the reasons behind them, and not feel betrayal themselves?" Luna asked. Things could so easily go bad the way they were going right now. Anything could happen and go wrong, and there would be little they could do to stop it from here. "They hath never been put in such a situation before. For everypony's sake, we hope that they art most understanding, dear sister. 'Twouldst be most ugly otherwise," she said as her horn lit up and cast an invisibility spell over the both of them.

+++

Why did Luna's words have to ring so true; especially in a situation such as this?

Her little sister had warned her about the potential for things to get ugly and go wrong if they weren't careful, that Twilight and her friends might not see things from their perspective, and instead might feel violated and used. She had so dearly hoped that Luna was simply being overly cautious, and no real harm would be done. But as she sat before the door in front of her, she realized that Luna had a better understanding of things than she herself did.

"This is all my fault," she told herself and hung her head and continued to sit in front of the door to Twilight's old room. Everything had gone so, so wrong. Chrysalis had been defeated and the changelings had been rounded up, and all of their victims had been located, rescued, and were doing well after recovering from the shock of everything that happened to them.

Unfortunately all of that seemed to pale into comparison to what hadn't gone according to plan. In her zeal to address Chrysalis' threat, she had utterly failed to take into consideration the emotional attachment Twilight had with her, and how it could so easily be fractured without even realizing it.

"Twilight please open the door," she more or less pleaded, but was given no verbal response. Not that she could blame her. She'd realized her mistake far too late to correct it, and now her student had to pay the price for her actions.

"Your student appears to be quite stubborn," Ulquiorra observed as he approached the door Princess Celestia had been speaking to for the past five minutes.

She really didn't need his cold and calculating approach to life in general right now, she really didn't. She didn't care to hear what he had to say on the matter, about how everything was illogical, and unsound, due to the heavy reliance of emotion. If he were to say anything of that sort, she couldn't guarantee what he'd be on the receiving end of. She was still quite sore at him for so many reasons.

"She's quite upset, I'm afraid. She's been crying the entire time and won't let me in. The door is quite sufficiently locked, and she's maintaining an active field to prevent tampering. To be honest I'm quite surprised she can maintain such concentration in her state," Princess Celestia replied. She wasn't proud to admit it, but in her reign she'd indeed made some unsettling and hurtful mistakes, mistakes that she still regretted to this day. It appeared she had one more to add to the list with regard to her precious student.

Ulquiorra truly couldn't understand the situation. Princess Celestia had vast magical strength, and considerable rule over Equestria. Canterlot palace was hers to manage as she so pleased, and those in her service were required to obey her. And yet, when it came to Twilight Sparkle, her approach was as if she had no magical presence, and couldn't command cooperation. Whatever relationship she had with the lavender unicorn, it seemed paralyzing in nature when it came to doing something that might upset her.

It was truly a mystery.

With no further word he stepped forward, withdrew his hand from his pocket and knocked firmly on the door. When he got no response he spoke. "Twilight Sparkle. If you fail to open this door, then I will open it myself."

Nothing but the muffled sound of the unicorn's unabated crying. This was ridiculous.

"I don't know if you'll be able to get the door open without magic," Princess Celestia told him, doubting the entire basis of his statement.

"We shall see. Step aside please," he replied and stood directly in front of the door, waiting until she did as requested before acting. He shifted his weight to his left leg while using his right leg to deliver a brutal side kick right to the middle of the door, delivering enough force to shatter the structure, and send millions of splintery pieces flying wildly.

At least that's what should have happened.

Instead of being reduced to kindling, Ulquiorra watched as the surface of the door wiggled, waves spreading out from the point of impact, and making their way to the corners and sides of the door like ripples in a pond where a stone had been dropped. It seemed Twilight Sparkle was prepared for what might happen. Ulquiorra could only speculate as to the nature of the spell, and its intended purpose, having no true experience in the field of magic himself.

"If you believe a kinetic force dampening spell will be sufficient, then you are-"

He was interrupted as the waves that had spread out immediately reappeared, and flowed backwards to the point of impact, being his foot that was still pressed against the door.

It was a well known fact, that Newton's Third Law of Motion stated when one body exerts a force on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force, equal in magnitude, and opposite in direction to that of the first body.

Another well known but seemingly unnumbered law of motion dictated all force travels along the path of least resistance.

In this particular case, the path of least resistance was him, as the door exerted enough force to send his one hundred and twenty one pound carcass flying backward, and skidding on his back along the marble flooring of the hallway, before coming to a dead stop upon crashing head first into an opposing wall with a loud thud.

"-mistaken..."

Princess Celestia watched the entire event unfold in complete disbelief. It wasn't a force dampening spell her student had used, but rather a force reflection spell. The harder one tried to push against it, the harder the spell bushed back. And looking at Ulquiorra's temporarily prone form against the opposite end of the hallway, it went without saying he'd pushed quite hard against it. The fact that Twilight had the foresight to use such a spell, as well as the concentration to maintain it, even in her current state, spoke volumes for her talent in magic; something that would serve her well one day in the coming future. Provided she ever recovered from this.

"Your student seems quite prepared," Ulquiorra commented dryly as he picked himself up off the floor. She was also quite frustrating in nature, but it was more than likely that Princess Celestia already knew of this fact.

Princess Celestia nodded silently, the physical gesture being her only response as she continued standing in front of the door.

"There are a great many aspects I fail to understand pertaining to this situation," he stated as he approached again and stood by her side. For the last hour since Twilight Sparkle's departure, he'd experienced nothing but utter confusion. "Among I believe the best places to start, is your own inaction. You possess vast magical strength, and a reiatsu level and structure that could crush me. I find it highly unlikely that Twilight Sparkle could in any way overpower you. Why do you not simply wrench the door from its hinges, and march in there, since you have the authority to do so, and explain to her that the safety of your kingdom is of greater importance than her own personal feelings?" he asked.

She could. If she truly wanted to display the authority of her rule, she could simply undo all the spells Twilight had placed on the door, march right in there without a problem, and explain the full gravity of the situation that they had faced up to this point. There was nothing stopping her from doing just that.

Except for the fact that she didn't want to take that route. She would never exercise such a display, and especially not regarding Twilight.

"Despite your observations about my character and potential, I have no desire to engage in the tactics of a tyrannical dictator. I've ruled over a thousand years without having to resort to such, and I have no intention of starting now. My actions have already done enough harm regarding Twilight, there's no need to add fuel to the fire," Princess Celestia responded and hung her head.

A strange reasoning. Princess Celestia seemed to care more about her subjects than her own authority. When she'd first told him of her plan for dealing with Chrysalis, he'd seen certain aspects of Aizen's personality in her own. The plan was elaborate and overly complex, but the very basis seemed reasonably similar to some of Aizen's previous gambits, if not far more ridiculous. But now in the aftermath, when the threat had been neutralized, her concern was directly on the wellbeing of her subjects.

He was starting to see less of Aizen, and more of Tier Harribel, in her personality now. Out of all of them, the Tres Espada was the only one who really showed any actual concern for the wellbeing of her fracción, and didn't treat them as servants, slaves, or otherwise cannon fodder. Perhaps it was why her subjects were so loyal to her; because she was loyal to them in return.

At the moment though, it was little more than an observation, made in an attempt to better make sense of the entire situation. There were more important matters to tend to right now.

"As ruler you're certainly entitled to such a decision. I however, favor a more direct approach for handling the situation."

Princess Celestia watched curiously as Ulquiorra approached the door, as if he was about to try and kick it in again. She knew that a rebounding spell like this would produce the same results no matter how many times he might try and bypass it, and would continue to do so until Twilight allowed it to cease. She had doubts that even his Cero would breach it. But much to her surprise he wasn't trying to force it open, but instead was drawing his hand over it, his fingers curled in a manner like he was trying to open a large zipper sideways.

After several such passes she finally had to speak up. "What exactly are you trying to do?" she asked him.

"All Arrancar possess an ability known as descorrer, which allows for the opening of gateways between dimensions. Hollows use this or a similar technique to travel freely between Hueco Mundo, the living world, and Soul Society, via the pathways separating the three worlds," Ulquiorra explained calmly before slipping his hand back into his pocket. "It would seem my own descorrer ability doesn't work in this world, for reasons I can't yet determine."

It was disturbing to suddenly find out one of his abilities was either missing or non-functioning, while being left with no clue as to why. Perhaps there were no outer dimensional boundaries connected to this world, and thus there was nothing for his descorrer to open up? Or perhaps when Discord had brought him here, he had decided to engage in mischief, and deliberately leave him incomplete?

Regardless of the exact reasoning for the lack of his ability, it would have to wait until later. Right now he could feel Princess Celestia's attention focused on him.

"Another secret you've been keeping from me? Just like the fact you've been able to reach your resurrection stage at any time you wished?" she asked him directly, the displeasure obvious in her voice. She'd been so preoccupied in her worrying about Twilight, she'd completely forgotten about that part. Now that she was no longer distracted and her attention brought back to the other facts, she was feeling anger.

"You didn't ask if my released state was not accessible should I find the need to actually utilize it, despite your sealing spell being in place," Ulquiorra pointed out flatly. It was the full truth on the matter, she'd simply assumed that his failure to achieve release back in the garden had been a sign of success, rather than an indication that he simply wasn't trying. What purpose would there be in making a dedicated attempt? Had he done so, he could've leveled the entire palace. "You yourself said I was under no obligation to share with you, information I believe is sensitive in nature. As I recall, you said I was well within my rights to refrain from revealing such material. And seeing as how revealing such information could potentially jeopardize my existence, I saw no reason to point it out."

She had indeed said that upon their first meeting when Luna took offense to his evasiveness. However she had no idea he'd be throwing it back out at her in such a manner, and especially not so soon. It was all very unpleasant; especially the oh so subtle way he was suggesting that it was her fault for not thinking to ask if he was lying to her.

And that was to say nothing of the insinuations he was making, regarding the security of his own skin. Did he truly think that she would kill him? Or was he merely using that as an excuse to justify his secrecy?

"You realize that this development makes it harder to trust you, right?" she asked.

"I am aware," Ulquiorra replied dryly. Was she aware of the irony of this current line of discussion about how it was hard to trust him, after assuring the Elements of Harmony that he was indeed trustworthy? He could point out the contradiction to her, but he had sufficient reason to believe that such a revelation would only make the situation worse.

"This is likely going to have an adverse affect on the progress of your integration with the rest of Equestria," she pointed out.

"I am aware of that as well," Ulquiorra replied, unfazed by this news. Did she expect him to feel bad about the fact that he was going to be under greater suspicion? Or to grovel and seek forgiveness for his deception? He'd known from even before the moment of "Enclose..." that things could go quite bad from here on out. Regardless of that fact, he'd made the decision to go ahead with the reveal, in order to comply with Princess Celestia's order to make the whole charade look believable and convincing. "I didn't foresee this situation ending without consequences for at least some of those involved, myself included. I don't expect the claim of "I was merely following your orders" to be an excuse, or a justification for the actions I took. Nor do I believe I'll be shown any leniency for putting the safety of your kingdom above all other concerns, in order to stop the threat presented by Chrysalis' presence. If there are to be consequences for my actions, then there is nothing I can do about it," he explained calmly in an unflinching manner.

How could anyone so calmly accept their fate like that? He was unflinching, and unapologetic about the fact he was currently in trouble, and just approaching it so casually. Before she could even begin asking questions, he started speaking again.

"That said, I will not refrain from reminding you that it was your request, that I make my defection look believable, which necessitated the action I took. The moment Chrysalis saw that I failed to cut you, demanded desperate measures for the ruse to work. Nor will I refrain from questioning how you were unaware of my falsehood, when we were engaged in telepathic communication. You too bear responsibility for the events that transpired in the manner they did, because of your over-zealousness that bore remarkable similarity to a personal vendetta against Chrysalis. You didn't even seem to consider the trauma you would inflict upon the uninitiated. I can't help but question if you were looking out for the kingdom... or if you were simply after revenge for your earlier encounter..."

"That's enough," Princess Celestia spoke firmly.

"It is quite ironic," Ulquiorra continued regardless of the order. What he had to say needed to be said, needed to be heard. He believed it was relevant to the conversation right now, and his point would be made. "When we first met you regarded me as a monster, as a soul-sucking demon. You feared me for what you saw of my abilities. You understood that I was an unapologetic murderer. And yet, even from the beginning of our interactions, I possessed more concern for the wellbeing of your subjects than you yourself. I was willing to handle problems by myself, and shield them from what could harm them. Even before this entire situation played out, I recognized the potential for harm that your subjects might face at how things played out. My actions, if undisturbed, would leave them blissfully unaware of what would come. I cannot help but wonder, which of us is the true monster here..."

"I said that's enough!" she repeated, far firmer and harsher than before, and with a corresponding flare of her reiatsu.

It appeared he'd managed to strike a nerve with her in his observation. Never before had she flexed her strength in order to silence him. And while it wasn't of the same magnitude as when he'd made his first display in the throne room, he could indeed feel the burn against his skin beginning. She was quite angry, but doing her best to remain in check, and not go overboard.

"I'm very displeased with you, and your actions, at the moment. But at the moment I don't have the time to deal with you in the manner I feel is most appropriate. My primary concern right now is Twilight's wellbeing. But rest assured, you and I will most certainly be having a lengthy, and most likely unpleasant discussion, after everything has settled down. You're dismissed until then. And don't try to leave the palace."

She was thankful, and relieved, when Ulquiorra simply turned and left, rather than continuing to talk. Right now she didn't need the added frustrations he could present, she had enough problems going on behind the door as her student cried helplessly, her heart aching anew with each audible sob.

Aching worse still, because she knew he was right, and she was partly responsible for what had happened. She had nopony to blame but herself for how Twilight was feeling right now. Out of everything she'd taken into consideration in laying out her plan, her student's psyche hadn't been among them.

She didn't know what had her the angriest right now; Ulquiorra's secrecy, his accusations that she was a monster too focused on revenge to consider other possibilities... or that he had pointed out this possible development, and she'd been too blind to see it; too blind to even consider it as actually being a possibility.

"Am I the true monster?" she asked herself in a whisper.

The only answer she received was the continued, unabated crying from behind the door.

Finding Princess Luna in the company of the other five holders of the Elements of Harmony wasn't a surprise to him; so much reiatsu in one spot could easily be detected over ten miles away even by even the Diez Espada. They had been together at Twilight Sparkle's untimely departure, it only made sense that they would still be assembled. The real curiosity of his unintended meeting with them, was why they had all converged in this particular hallway, and remained just behind the corner. If they too were seeking Twilight Sparkle, then they were a considerable distance away.

"What hast thou discovered?" Princess Luna asked, being the first of the group to speak up after spotting him.

"Twilight Sparkle has been located, and is currently in an emotionally distraught state, and will not speak with anyone. Princess Celestia wishes for her student to exit the room she has sealed herself in of her own accord, rather than forcing her way in. My own attempt to opening the door proved futile. And Princess Celestia has dismissed my presence until the situation with Twilight Sparkle is firmly under control. Furthermore, my permission to leave the palace has been rescinded, and I am once more confined to the grounds for what offenses I have committed here today," Ulquiorra replied, covering the relevant details in hopes of eliminating any redundant discussion about what events had transpired in the last hour.

"Oh dear," Rarity stated at hearing the news.

"Oh my," Fluttershy added in her usual tone.

"'Tis not good. We didst fear that something of this nature may happen the way our dear sister didst plan everything. However we didst hope that we were merely being overtly concerned about nothing. 'Twould seem we were not," Princess Luna replied.

Why, oh why, did Celestia insist on these gambles of hers? What had happened during her absence, that brought about such a course of action?

Silence crept over the hallway after this, the news about their friend -or acquaintance- being upset enough to not talk with any of them. For most it was very depressing news.

"Ah'm gonna go talk ta her," Applejack finally spoke up and broke the silence. She was just about to set off down the hallway, and try to find her friend and give her a much needed talking to, when Rarity stopped her from moving so much as a step.

"Applejack dear I know you're concerned, but I believe what Twilight needs more than anything right now, is the time to cool down before any of us go to confront her. The poor dear is likely still quite volatile right now, and regardless of what we intend, our efforts might just upset her even more," Rarity pointed out.

A surprisingly well thought out observation by the seamstress pony, Ulquiorra noted. Emotions were not his area of expertise, nor even something he himself had any real experience with, as he didn't truly have them. But the logic was sound enough to make some measure of sense to him. She as well as the others continued to present surprises in terms of intelligence.

Unfortunately there was the habit of them presenting stupidity right after intelligence. He estimated one of the other four would do or say something idiotic within the sixty seconds that followed Rarity's observation, if the currently established pattern was followed.

"So you mean we've gotta let Twilight be a saddie pie until she's feeling better?" Pinkie asked, not the least bit happy about the idea of leaving one of her friends sad and alone. That was a position she'd been in way too many times to wish it on anypony.

"I'm afraid so dear. Right now, only Twilight knows how she's feeling. We can still be there for her, but she has to be ready and willing to accept our help. Until then, all we can do is just wait patiently," Rarity replied as she closed her eyes and sighed. "The same would go for all of us. After everything that's happened, I believe we're all in need of time to cool down, and properly think things out. What happened today wasn't easy on any of us."

"Well that just stinks!" Pinkie replied with a "hmph" and reared up on her hind legs to cross her forelegs over her chest.

"Yeah I'm with Pinkie on this one, we're Twilight's friends, we should be in there trying to help her out, not standing around twiddling our hooves with dopey looks on our faces," Rainbow Dash stated.

It was strange to observe these ponies. They had all been present for the revelation that Princess Celestia had used them to further her plan of dealing with Chrysalis. They all had equal reason to be infuriated with Princess Celestia, and react in a similar manner to Twilight Sparkle at learning that they were nothing more than pawns in a complicated game of chess, more or less sacrificing them for the sake of allowing her bishop -in this case himself- to move into the proper position to achieve a checkmate.

And yet despite the revelation -minus the complicated chess analogy- none of them had shared their associate's outrage at the reveal. Even Rainbow Dash, who had the most reason to feel betrayal due to her Element of Loyalty status, hadn't seen fit to take a route similar to that taken by Twilight Sparkle.

It was truly something he couldn't quite wrap his head around. Why were these five so willing to accept Princess Celestia's actions, and accept them so calmly?

Then again, Rarity was advising a cool down period. Perhaps their tempers ran far deeper than he was giving them credit for. Perhaps she was attempting the logical course of action, for fear of what could go wrong if they simply responded without thinking.

"Unless you can bypass the spells Twilight Sparkle is currently maintaining, you will likely be unsuccessful at doing anything beneficial. I attempted to force the door open with a kick strong enough to kill a Gillian, and it refused to budge," Ulquiorra commented, deliberately leaving out the part about how the door had budged him; he really didn't want to deal with Pinkie Pie's potential amusement at being hurled down the hallway and possibly asking to see it done again.

"Tha's a lot o' force then?" Applejack asked. She remembered that term referred to a higher evolution of Ulquiorra's race, but where exactly it fit in with their world in comparative terms was still a mystery to her.

"A great deal more than any living pony could ever hope to generate. Twilight Sparkle's spell completely negated the force of the impact as if it were nothing. Forcing the door open will likely not be possible. And unless Princess Celestia is willing to override her student's magical field, it's little more than a waiting game," Ulquiorra explained.

"What about the wall?" Pinkie asked after a pause. "Twilight's spell is protecting the door, but couldn't we go trough the wall if we chip away at the masonry and just pull some stones loose?"

A rather interesting and intelligent thought to entertain. If the whole of Twilight Sparkle's focus was directed at the door exclusively, the surrounding architecture would remain unaffected, and even accessible if given enough effort. Furthermore it would be logical to assume Twilight Sparkle's focus hadn't been on the entire room, as it would require her to exert considerably more reiryoku and concentration.

It would also be logical to assume that Twilight Sparkle, even if perfectly calm, wouldn't anticipate someone attempting to come through the wall to reach her.

The surprising aspect of it all was that Pinkie Pie had come up with the idea. Perhaps she was merely obfuscating her stupidity?

"Tha's not a bad idea Pinkie. An' if there's a window in the room, Rainbow Dash could fly in an' talk ta Twilight direct," Applejack added.

The scene was quickly devolving in nature. The other holders of the Elements of Harmony seemed quite intent on ignoring Rarity's observation that the best course of action was to simply leave Twilight Sparkle alone for the time being, in favor of gaining entry to her room through force, and confronting her directly. What type of emotional state possessed them, that they would willingly walk into a volatile situation, and risk making everything worse?

"We wouldst not recommend such," Princess Luna spoke up, the others immediately ceasing their bickering about the best course of action to take and instead focusing their attention on her. "Our friend Twilight Sparkle is upset enough. We need not to further disturb her during this sensitive time. Our dear sister likely doth have this matter well in hoof. It wouldst be best to simply stand back, and allow her to deal with the problem in her own matter. She hath set things into motion. 'Tis only fitting to let her deal with the consequences of her own actions. We doth not need to make her angrier than she art already."

"Ah this blows!" Rainbow Dash stated and stomped her hoof on the ground. "Twilight's our friend, and we can't do anything to help her when she needs us?"

Pinkie reared up on her hind legs again, her forelegs tucked at her sides with a scowl on her face. "It would seem in this chapter of life, we find ourselves relegated to the status of background characters who play no part in the main storyline," she stated in a dull and even tone.

"... Say wha'?" Applejack asked, confused by what exactly Pinkie was talking about.

"That's my Ulqy impression, pretty good huh?" Pinkie asked before setting back down on all four hooves and turning to face Ulquiorra. "How was I? Pretty good?"

There was a great deal of nonsense in Pinkie Pie's words. Did she truly believe she was pulling off a convincing imitation of his personality, or was she merely trying to lighten the tense mood with her randomness, and distract them from the fact that they were currently useless?

Five hundred and eighty three seconds. A rather impressive record, all things considered.

"Anyway..." Rainbow Dash spoke up, deciding a change of subject was in order. She really didn't want to continue with this current line of discussion, it was unpleasant enough as it was. "Look. I'm as loyal as the next pony. But if we can't do any good here, then I'm just gonna head on home. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted after all the adventure we've had today, and it feels like I've been up for nine weeks straight," she paused and yawned. "I'm gonna get some shut eye, and try and put some of this on the back burner for the time being. What Rarity was saying, cooler heads prevailing or something like that."

"And I really need to get back to my animals, and make sure they're all alright. They've been on their own for two days, and I'm scared to think of how terrified they must've been with that changeling playing as me," Fluttershy added. At that she slowly turned her attention in Ulquiorra's direction and looked up to make eye contact. "I never did get the chance to say it before everything seemed to get out of control. But thanks for saving me. If it weren't for you, I'd probably still be in that pod with everypony else, and nopony would've known until it was too late."

"Yes I must say your timing was quite impeccable. To think that so many changelings were running about, and we didn't know it," Rarity replied and shuddered.

Ulquiorra remained silent at their words, submerging himself in deep thought. Impeccable timing and coincidence didn't seem like a possible solution to the question before him. There had to be something more to it.

"Mr. Cifer?" Applejack spoke up, bringing his attention back to her, "ya got that look on yer face like ya got some deep thinkin' goin' on again."

"How can you tell?" Pinkie asked, confused at to how Applejack could come to such a conclusion when the look on his face never changed.

"At present time I'm uncertain..." Ulquiorra replied slowly.

The night had fallen not long ago, the sun dipping down to give way to Princess Luna's moon, and a corresponding reduction of outside ambient light to go along with it.

However this fact had no relevance to Twilight at all, having no care for whether it was day or night right now. She lacked the energy necessary to work up to caring as she laid on her old bed, her frame completely still, and her eyes bloodshot. She'd run out of tears long ago and her body was no longer wracked by the constant sobs; just the utter stillness and silence as she laid there in the darkness of her old room. She was exhausted physically from crying, and mentally from exercising her magic so hard, and for so long in an effort to maintain her isolation. Right now there was nothing to keep out anypony who tried to gain entry, other than the possibility that they still believed the room was inaccessible.

The door opened silently, the hinges behaving as if they were well oiled, and not issuing so much as a squeak. The only indication of the disturbance being the sudden invasion of light from the hallway, the stream interrupted by the silhouette of a tall horned pony, before the door was gently closed again.

"Twilight?"

She said nothing in response. She didn't want to speak to the one in the room right now. She didn't even want to see, think about or even smell the one in the room right now. She wanted to be left alone.

"Twilight?"

She tried closing her eyes and willing the invader away, trying to make them vanish through the power of her mind alone. Unfortunately that didn't seem to be doing any good whatsoever, as the imposing pony remained, and seemed unwilling to move.

She truly didn't want to do it. But she knew the only option she really had, was to confront the intruding pony directly. If she didn't, then the disturbance to her isolation would never end. She slowly lifted her head from where it lay on the mattress, and turned her glare to the source of her unhappiness, hoping the misery in her eyes would warrant silence.

No such luck unfortunately. She was still there looking at her; Celestia remained, and wasn't moving from her spot. The Princess' patience would likely not run out anytime soon. Direct confrontation was the only thing that was available to her now.

"Twilight?"

"Get out," Twilight whispered in a low raspy tone.

"Twilight I-" Celestia started but was interrupted.

"I said get out!" Twilight shrieked louder, causing the alicorn to falter before even taking a step forward. "I don't want to speak to you! I don't even want to look at you! Get out! Get out! GET OUT!"

Celestia remained, standing silent as her student screamed at her, moving only when she stopped to take a breath, her head hung low as she moved closer. "Twilight I know you're upset with me. And you have every right to be. Today was incredibly stressful to go through, I can understand that fact. But unless I know exactly what I did that was wrong, there's no way I can help you," she spoke softly in her approach.

"Help me? You think that you can help me? You can't help me, nopony can help me! You took everything away from me today! You destroyed everything I knew with that stunt you pulled earlier, and you didn't even care about it!" Twilight shouted angrily, unconsciously using her magic to hurl a pillow directly at her. Not that it made any difference. It'd wound up smacking her directly in the face, before simply falling to the ground, the impact doing nothing to make the alicorn blink nor even budge from her spot.

Despite being exhausted, she felt a new surge of energy running through her frame, and allowing her to climb down off the bed into a standing position. "Do you even know how much damage you caused today? Do you know how traumatizing it is to watch somebody you care about, crumble like stone right before your very eyes? Do you even care? DO YOU!?" she asked/demanded. "You destroyed my sense of trust in you, and everypony else, when you made me think you died saving me. You completely destroyed my sense of order, and not ten minutes after I got done telling Pinkie Pie that she needed to trust you better, because you'd never mislead us on anything! You lied to us, and treated us like we were disposable junk not worth keeping! Now I don't know what to believe anymore, and it's all thanks to you!" she screamed as her body strained for breath with every word uttered.

Celestia closed her eyes and lowered her head at her student's words, now understanding the source of her pain. Through her own actions she'd managed to disrupt Twilight's sense of order in the world, and left her confused and uncertain about everything. Twilight's trust in her had apparently been a pillar on which she built her outlook on the rest of the world, and she'd managed to shatter that pillar without even realizing it. Now she was lost, hurt, scared, and feeling alone.

Perhaps the Espada had been right all along. A truly disturbing thought.

Unfortunately for her, Twilight seemed to just be getting warmed up, as she started ripping into her again like a rabid animal.

"How many other things have I taken at face value, and on blind faith, that you've been misleading all of us on?" she asked/demanded to know. "How many of the rumors that I've heard about you are true? Do you not raise the sun, and it's just a naturally occurring phenomenon that you take credit for!? And what about those horrible "Molestia" rumors so many other ponies have talked about, are those true too!? Did you lock Discord away because he wouldn't fuck you!" she shouted and stomped her hoof, her choice of language drawing an audible gasp from the alicorn. However she didn't take the time to stop and admire her work of causing the immortal to flinch, but rather continued without distraction, attacking like a bloodthirsty beast with its sights set on injured prey. "Is that it? Is it!? Did the spirit of chaos not want to succumb to your sexual advancements? Did you do it because he preferred your little sister instead of you? And while we're on that topic, what about Princess Luna herself? Did she get sent to the moon because she didn't want an incestuous relationship with her own sister? Did you make Cadence your niece for molestation purposes? How many royal guards have you bedded and banged over the centuries, by telling them they'd be charged with treason if they didn't fuck you? Did you fuck Shining Armor too!? What about me? Was I the next in line to get fucked senseless by you, by being made your faithful student!?" she shouted angrily. "What do you clop to at night!?"

Celestia remained silent throughout Twilight's outburst, no matter how painful it was to hear her prized student accusing her of such heinous and despicable acts. Acts that she would never consider performing, acts that she'd never consider even thinking about. Her words cut her quite deep, and all the while she just remained still and silent as Twilight vented angrily, unleashing the full amount of her rage at the only one she could.

But as deep as they cut, they were nothing but accusations. The cuts Twilight had felt, they weren't accusations, but rather acts that had indeed taken place.

Fortunately her student seemed to hit the point of needing air, and began sucking in deep breaths to try and counteract the dizziness that was setting in, thus bringing a detour to the tirade of statements she knew Twilight would never dream of using if she were calm. This was the opportunity that was needed to try and address her.

"I can now understand how much I've hurt you, Twilight, and I can't hope to apologize enough for how my actions affected you, no matter how hard I might try," Princess Celestia apologized, unable to do much else right now. "If you feel the need to strike me for what I've done-"

She was silenced as a purple hoof connected with the left side of her face and took her completely by surprise, moving her head to the side in the blink of an eye. Twilight hadn't even hesitated before taking the opening presented to her. To be honest, it was surprising how much physical force her student could generate, especially considering she was standing on her hind legs in an unsupported manner.

The initial blow was followed up by a backhoofed slap, moving her head back in the other direction, and then another that moved her head back into the direction from the initial impact.

"You destroyed everything I knew!" she panted through ragged breaths as she set back down on all four hooves, the angered and hurt glare never leaving her eyes. "I had so much respect for you. I looked up to you. I trusted you with my life. I would've gone to Tartarus for you if you'd asked me to do so. I loved you! I loved you just as much as I did my own mother. I even loved you more than Cadence! I would've done anything you asked me, absolutely anything! I would've been your concubine if you'd asked me, and I wouldn't have thought twice about it! And what do you do? When Equestria's in danger, you don't even tell us about what's got to be the most traumatizing thing you've ever done to any of us, and make us think you died in the process of trying to defeat someone you told us we could trust! I almost killed Ulquiorra because you made us think he was the one that betrayed us! I almost murdered a friend because you forced him to pretend to go bad! Do you have any idea what that realization feels like!?" she shouted as she found her second -or third- wind. "We were loyal to you, and this is how you repay us? By turning our world upside down, and leaving us not knowing what to believe anymore? Driven to the point that we'd murder another in retaliation for your death!? I hate you! Do you hear me, I! HATE! YOU!" she shouted right in her face, stomping her hoof with each punctuation to emphasize the degree of hurt she was experiencing right now.

Over the centuries of her rule, she'd been accused of many hurtful and heinous things. But never before by one she cared so much for. And the fact she had chosen to integrate bits of the Arrancar's native language into her verbal tirade, had just seemed to make it all the more painful to hear. She found herself flinching at every single foreign profanity hurled at her; a subtle indicator that her student saw more trust in the Espada than in her. She could practically feel Twilight's rage boiling right now as she vented her pain and her frustration, practically see the boiling affect in her magical aura and the wafts of steam-like energy coming off of her small body.

"I-" she started, but never managed to finish. The next thing she knew, Twilight had flown into a physical rage, and proceeded to wale on her with her front hooves, delivering blows to her body like she was in a street fight, or engaged in some boxing match gone horribly wrong. She'd been caught completely off guard by this uncharacteristic turn of events.

But even if she had seen it coming from the beginning, she still wouldn't have done anything to the contrary. Twilight was hurting far more than she could fully understand right now. Hurting from betrayal, and having her outlook on the world turned completely on its axis, and desperately looking for an outlet of any sort to try and make sense of it all. And seeing as she was the one responsible, it only seemed acceptable that she be the one to serve as her outlet. Taking a few minor bruises -and much to her own surprise, a bloody nose- for her student's benefit was the least she could do.

Twilight's punches and blows were steady but uncoordinated. They were guided by anger and fury, rather than an informed knowledge of how to cause the most damage possible. Celestia didn't even flinch as she served as Twilight's punching bag, her body absorbing the slowly weakening and tired blows, as she exerted herself to the point of complete exhaustion.

And then it happened. Much like a fever hitting a high point before breaking and the body's temperature falling back to normal, Twilight's anger seemed to hit a high point with a particularly loud scream, and one final blow, before finally breaking and giving way to another emotion; sadness. Her body was now slumped and her head hung low as she went silent, other than her heavy breathing.

"I know that I've hurt you quite badly, Twilight, but I had no idea just how badly until now," she said softly, "I'm not proud of what I did today. I acted in a manner I believed would allow me to best serve and protect everyone at the same time. But instead of that, my actions wound up costing me one of the few things I value more than anything..." she said with a sigh. Never before could she remember such a bad situation with a past student. Never before had she made a mistake this big. "Being eternal doesn't mean you're perfect, it simply means you have time to discover new ways to fail, despite your best intentions. I'm sad to say this isn't the first plan I've had in my reign that has gone horribly wrong. And sadly it won't be the last either. There are times I'm going to make mistakes. And when I do there will be consequences involved," she admitted.

"And that's supposed to make everything better? A weak apology and telling me that sometimes you suck? You think that sets things right after you successfully destroyed my entire outlook on life, and left me uncertain if I can even trust my friends now?" she asked bitterly, not even looking up from where she sat. Rather she simply turned her back to her and faced the wall. "You might as well just banish me to the moon right now, or wherever else it is that you stick us mortal ponies, because you know what? I just don't fucking care anymore, I don't have the energy necessary. I don't regret what I said to the ruler of Equestria. I don't even regret hitting you..."

A long stretch of silence, the only audible noise coming from the soft scratching of a hoof pawing against the floor.

"I know there's nothing I can ever say that will make things better, Twilight, it's just not possible. You grew up trusting and respecting me from the beginning by default, because that's what was expected of you. But trust and respect have to be earned rather than expected automatically. And that is something I've been quite lax in. I have no doubt my subjects will forgive me for what's happened here today, but those I consider to be my friends and loved ones are another story. I'm going to have to earn back what was lost here today. It's going to be a long, difficult journey to engage in, and I have to do it alone. All I can do, is ask for you to please allow me the possibility, and the opportunity to earn your trust back, my faithful student... and my dear, dear friend..." Celestia spoke softly, the strength of her voice wavering throughout.

"... You're asking an awful lot of me, you know that?" Twilight asked weakly after a long, awkward pause. She didn't want to consider Celestia's words right now, she didn't want to have anything to do with her right now, especially not after everything she'd said to her. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust you again. I can't even forgive you right now after what happened today," she stated. She remained silent a while, waiting to see if any response was given.

How could she forgive someone, when their actions had driven her into a homicidal rage? What if she hadn't stopped at Ulquiorra? What if she couldn't have stopped? What if she'd been overtaken by her magic again, just like she had been during her entrance exam, and killed not only her friends, but everypony in the castle? What if her rage had extended beyond the castle, and all the way back to Ponyville, and leveled absolutely everything between here and there? Did Celestia even consider those possibilities beforehoof when she decided that this was a good idea at the time? How could she possibly forgive and forget?

That was one of the things that truly terrified her about this whole ordeal. As a filly her untapped magical strength had been unbelievable; to the point that only Celestia could suppress it at the time. And now, after so many years of study and practice, that strength had only increased, to a degree she didn't even know about. What if... what if it had gotten to the point that it truly couldn't have been suppressed, even if Celestia had been there to help? How many could've died by her hoof?

When no response came forward she spoke again. "I'm not going to make any promises about what I will or won't do, because I can't make any promises right now. I can't say I'll ever forgive you for what happened here today. You can try, but don't expect any miracles," she all but whispered. "But even if I do. Even if I could find it in myself to forgive you right this second for what you've done to me, nothing is ever going to be the same again..."

Another uncomfortable silence came over the room, neither party saying anything nor looking at each other.

"Dear Twilight Sparkle," Celestia began, causing Twilight to slowly blink at what sounded like the beginning of a letter. "Knowing you has provided me a great opportunity to learn about the true importance of friendship. Today I learned a most important lesson, and I fear I learned it the hard way, this lesson costing me a hefty price. Friendship, as with all other relations, is founded on the concept of trust. Trust is unbelievably strong, and capable of holding others together when nothing else will. But despite this resilient aspect, trust itself can be quite delicate and fragile in nature, and it can be undone without us ever realizing it, because of one stupid, horrible mistake we made, without ever thinking about it. Sometimes when we do what we think is the best course of action for everyone involved, we wind up making terrible mistakes that destroy that trust. And once that trust is gone it can be very, very difficult to get back, regardless of how hard one tries," she continued, pausing to take a breath. "Sincerely, your faithful student, 'Tia."

Twilight blinked again, utterly confused by what she was hearing. "Seriously? 'Tia?" she asked, looking up at the alicorn who sat before her, and whose fur around her muzzle looked wet and matted from her own shed tears. Now that she was actually looking at her she looked so much different from her usual self. She hadn't even noticed it, either during the yelling, or even the beating, she looked like a mess devoid of regal nature. No fancy jewel encrusted adornments, no ethereal flow to her mane and tail as it laid limply against her, and now thanks to her own outburst, a bloody muzzle.

In terms Ulquiorra would likely use without hesitation, she looked like shit.

"And you... my faithful student?" she asked. The absurdity of it all was creeping under the residual layers of rage, sadness, anger, and betrayal that was currently coating her, acting like a figurative paint stripper, and allowing curiosity to slowly peak through, one pinprick-sized hole at a time. "This isn't some kind of joke is it? Because if it is I'm-"

Celestia shook her head, quelling whatever was going to be said next. "I believe a casual term of address is appropriate under these circumstances. For the time being at least," she replied. Now wasn't the time for titles of formality. Hopefully it'd help her student relax better. "And if I'm to be the one learning, I'd say it's very appropriate, since you're more well versed in the matter than I. Wouldn't you say so?"

"I... guess so... 'Tia," Twilight replied, hesitant about using such an abbreviated form of address. It sounded so strange...

This was all an uncomfortable situation to be in right now. So many things had gone terribly wrong in such short order, and now she found herself in unfamiliar surroundings, looking for some bit of stability to grapple onto, the contents of the impromptu friendship report played in the back of her mind.

Without warning her head shot up, eyes going wide as she let out a gasp. "There's something I need to take care of. Are the others still here?" she asked as she stood up from her spot on the floor.

"I'm afraid not. They left for Ponyville some hours ago when it started getting dark out. They wanted to stay, but they had matters to tend to," Celestia replied. "What's come up?"

"Let's just say you helped me realize something very important; a major fuck up on my part that I need to tend to right away," Twilight replied as she moved to stand up. She moved to leave the room immediately... yet for some reason she didn't fully understand, she stopped to face her teacher. Perhaps it was due to some compulsive need to engage in closure for the sake of organization. Maybe some obsessive compulsive desire that was overwhelming her own foul mood right now. Whatever it was, she found herself once again addressing her teacher. " Maybe... maybe one day, I'll be able to come to terms with everything, and find I can forgive you. I don't know. Maybe some day, something can come from all of this horror that's unfolded today."

Despite all the pain that was involved with today's events, some already had come from this whole horrible event as far as she was concerned. One small beacon of light and comfort, in this sea of hurt and sorrow she found herself in. Through everything that had occurred, Twilight finally realized that she wasn't perfect, that just because she raised and lowered the sun, it didn't mean she was any different from her. Her image of being the perfect ruler was tarnished... and she was alright with that, because she truly wasn't. Nor did she have any desire to be regarded as such.

And perhaps... just perhaps, Twilight would realize that nopony had to be perfect in order to be a ruler; a valuable lesson for one day.

"Maybe some day," Celestia replied and nodded. "I won't keep you any longer than necessary, seeing as you have other matters to tend to."

"Actually... 'Tia..." Twilight began slowly, giving the new title another test, "I can't even believe I'm saying this, but... could I ask you for one favor? There's something I really need to take care of, but it's going to take an awful lot of magic, and I don't know if I have it in me right now to do it on my own. I... I need your help..."

She really didn't feel right about this, asking... 'Tia... to grant her a favor after everything that'd happened. All the yelling, the cursing, and accusations, the assault and battery... and so... so much betrayal. But this was an important matter at hand... hoof... and right now the alicorn before her was the only one who was capable of assisting her.

"Anything, Twilight, how can I help?" Celestia asked.

+++

"Nice thinking Twilight! What was that back there anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked as they flew along at greater speeds. Ulquiorra was way too much of a threat to face up close, their only hope right now was speed and maneuverability to outpace him, and get the Elements of Harmony before he could catch them.

"It's called a flash bang blast. It disrupts the visual and auditory senses and leaves the recipient dazed and confused for as much as twenty seconds before it clears. After seeing him withstand that blast back at the castle, I didn't think I could overpower him, so I just distracted him so we could get by. Hopefully it buys us enough time," Twilight explained, finding herself have to shout to be heard over the wind.

"Twilight please! This is me we're talking about! Twenty seconds is more than enough time to get away. Why I bet he's... oh horse apples!"

She'd made the mistake of looking back behind her, believing her speed was superior, and Ulquiorra wouldn't be anywhere in sight. She couldn't have been more wrong if she'd tried. Instead of being nowhere, he was right on the edge of her vision, and slowly creeping inward, easily keeping pace with her. So much for a twenty second lead and Twilight's knots keeping him distracted.

"He's on our tails! This is bad!" she stated. What were they gonna do? What were they gonna do? If they kept doing what they were doing now they were gonna be done for. She needed to come up with a plan and fast. "Twilight, you said your magic's recharged? Teleport outta here!"

"What?! Rainbow Dash you're crazy!" Twilight stated.

"No I'm not, hear me out on this one! Without your weight I can fly a lot faster, and can serve as a distraction, and keep him occupied. If the Elements of Harmony really are scattered like he said, you're the only one of us that has any chance of being able to locate and reunite them again. Leave the traitor to me, I'll keep him busy for the time being. When you do find them, head for Sweet Apple Acres, and I'll meet up with you after I lose him, and then we'll go back to Canterlot and save the day! It'll work!" Rainbow Dash stated, all the while beating her wings as hard as she could. "Lemme do this, Twilight, I couldn't do anything to save Princess Celestia, let me at least save you, alright?"

"... Alright," Twilight agreed and nodded, "but I still don't like this."

"I don't like it either. But if we stay together, we're likely going to die together. And I don't want that on my conscience," Rainbow Dash explained.

Twilight nodded silently in understanding, her horn lit up as she teleported away, immediately freeing her up to continue flying at greatly increased speeds. Now she'd have a fighting chance against Ulquiorra, and wouldn't have to worry Twilight in the process.

"Now he's really gonna get it! He's gonna learn why Rainbow Dash is a hero!" she stated to herself.

Without Twilight slowing her down she could pick up some much needed speed, and really shoot ahead and set up what was bound to really slow Ulquiorra down big time. No matter how strong he was, there was no way he could stop this one.

She took the chance and glanced back. Ulquiorra was still on her tail, but didn't seem to be closing the distance any. At least that meant he was locked on her instead of going after Twilight. Maybe this could actually work out. Turning back to face forward, she adjusted her angle of travel upward and far above the treeline, knowing what needed to be done.

The Espada had seen the Sonic Rainboom from a distance, he hadn't been impressed. The Sonic Rainboom had been used in his rescue, he hadn't been impressed. This time he was gonna see the Sonic Rainboom as up close as one ever could, and if he was still unimpressed then that was just gonna be too bad for him!

She veered right as hard as she could, making a hundred and eighty degree turn before flying straight at him, her wings beating hard before extending fully outward and locking in place, her blood pounding in her ears, the air kicking off of her as she could see the mach cone forming around her as she approached the velocity of the speed of sound. Up ahead was Ulquiorra, directly in her flight path, merely standing there in the sky and unmoving as he stared at her, as if he'd been waiting for this the entire time. Target acquired.

Wing position, optimal. Speed, one thousand sixty feet per second and accelerating. Angle of approach, twenty two and one half degrees. Distance from target, eleven seconds and counting. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, speed approaching one thousand eighty three feet per second.

Five, four, three, two, one!

Target engaged!

"Booyah!"

The Sonic Rainboom erupted behind her just a split second before she plowed directly into Ulquiorra at full force, her hooves slamming into his chest near the shoulders, and driving him back with more thrust than he could overcome.

The tree ahead of them shattered as Ulquiorra's back met with it, tearing a large section of canopy off in the process. The same occurred with the second, and each subsequent tree that was impacted along the flight path, bark and the underlying wood splintering and sent flying in every direction, limbs crashing to the ground as they were severed from the trunk being obliterated, entire canopies crashing to the ground as their flight path gradually took them lower and lower toward the ground. They'd completely cut through more than two dozen trees before they were out of the wooded area, and into a clearing.

"You aren't like the others," Ulquiorra stated in a calm tone, his voice carrying no hint of him being in any amount of pain despite it all, like crashing through trees was no problem at all. "I was wrong in my earlier evaluation. Unlike your friends, you possess the willingness to do whatever is necessary for the sake of others, even if that includes murder. I can see it in your eyes," he said in a casual tone that just made her blood boil all the worse.

"Shut up!" she yelled.

"Twilight Sparkle's desire to kill me was fueled by her rage over the loss of her mentor Celestia, and her own helplessness to do anything about it. Yours is far different from hers. You possess the willingness to kill due to a far more sinister aspect of your own personality. It is in your nature, just like it is for an Espada. I must admit that I never before believed you could be so Hollow-like in nature," he continued, his tone of voice and pacing of speech completely improper for the fact he was on the receiving end of a major beating from the back and the front. It was all so casual and collected as if he was carrying on a conversation in the same manner she would with her friends.

"I told you to SHUT UP!" she yelled louder.

"Make me," Ulquiorra replied defiantly, completely unimpressed by her rage. "You can't deny the truth. You and I are similar in nature."

"I'm nothing like you! I'm not and I never will be!" she stated as she continued flying along at top speed. "My friends are counting on me! They need me! I'd do anything it takes to help them because they're my friends! Even if that means killing for them, even if that means dying for them! I'm nothing like the monster you are!" she shouted.

"Indeed you're not," he replied calmly before grinding himself to a halt much as he had done with the dragon, leaving her stuck in midair, and unable to overcome his resistance. In an instant he reached out with his right hand, and grabbed her by the neck, hoisting her up with ease. "You're weak and emotionally unstable, short sighted, and quick to anger, and devoid of any logical thinking capabilities. Your misplaced devotion to those who, by your own admission, have betrayed you in the past, leaves you weakened and easy to outsmart. Instead of fleeing, you chose to stand and fight, to buy Twilight Sparkle more time in a useless attempt to locate the Elements of Harmony. You should have saved yourself instead."

The grip on her throat was too much to resist, his strength was too much for her to struggle against no matter how much she tried. He was choking all the air out of her, and she couldn't even reach him to punch him in the face in an effort to break loose. She couldn't breathe, and quickly everything was turning dark. Very, very dark.

"Such is the price you pay for your loyalty..."

+++

No matter how many times she closed her eyes and tried to put the thoughts out of her head, they refused to go away. They kept resurfacing over and over again, disturbing every effort she made to get some sleep. She felt exhausted, yet she just couldn't rest properly, her mind wandering back to the events from earlier this morning.

It wasn't the fact that she'd wasted three Sonic Rainbooms on the Arrancar that upset her; not really anyway. It wasn't even the matter of how he'd so effortlessly fooled them into believing he'd gone over to Chrysalis' side, she understood that he was acting under Princess Celestia's orders to be convincing until he was ordered to drop the charade; she could accept that. There were far, far more pressing and disturbing matters at hoof that were keeping her from being able to get the sleep she really wanted to enjoy right now at this late hour.

Fluttershy being replaced by a changeling was weighing heavily on her mind right now. None of them had noticed the switch and that was disturbing enough, but for her it was so much worse. Here Fluttershy was her best friend, her oldest friend, and she hadn't even noticed that she wasn't herself. What had she done? She'd brushed off the inconsistencies as Fluttershy just being Fluttershy, and still being spooked by the Espada being a ghost. The only one who noticed the -now painfully- obvious differences, had been said Espada, and he knew almost nothing about what Fluttershy was like. He'd known something was wrong the instant he'd seen her. What kind of friend was she to not notice how her friend wasn't who she was?

But even more disturbing than her poor status as a friend, had been his words directed towards her, his comparing her to a Hollow, his stating that she was like a heartless soul-sucking demon no different from him. There was no way they were similar in any manner, it just wasn't possible!

And yet... most disturbingly... what if he was actually right? What if there was some aspect of her personality and nature that dwelt just below the surface and was lurking, just waiting for an excuse to be let out? What if she really was a heartless, soul-sucking demon who had no qualms with murder, and she just didn't know it yet? She remembered her conversation with Rarity back in the holding cell, how she'd readily said she'd kill for the good of Equestria without giving it any thought. What if she was absolutely serious in her statement?

"Snap out of it, Rainbow Dash, that's not who or what you are. You heard him and Princess Celestia, everything was just an elaborate plan to trick Chrysalis and nothing more. You're no monster, there's no hole in your chest where your heart belongs. He was just being really, really convincing," she mentally told herself.

However this was the fifth time she'd told herself such and it still hadn't helped her rest yet.

Would she really, really kill another if her friends were depending on her? Could she actually bring herself to do that, end one life for another? She didn't know, and right now she really didn't want to think about it either.

What was really weird, was how a conversation they'd had while he was engaged in trickery, was more disturbing to her than the fact that Princess Celestia had played them, even though it was for a good cause. Or perhaps even worse, that what he'd said in charade was more disturbing than what was talked about in the hallway, after the charade was dropped.

"This isn't working," she sighed as she sat up on her cloud bed. Sleep was determined to stay away from her for the time being, unlike Tank, who was snoozing along quite comfortably, blissfully unaware of anything going on around him. "If you can't sleep, you might as well get your Daring Do fix and do something productive," she told herself as she climbed off her cloud bed and decided to do the egghead thing, and catch up on some much deserved reading. She still had that one book in the series she hadn't even gotten past the first chapter in.

If there was one thing she could count on with Daring Do, it was the book always being able to make her forget her problems, and instead focus on something else. She could just submerge herself in the adventures of the pegasus archeologist, and forget about all the stresses and problems of the day, for as long as she could spend reading.

Or at least she could, if it weren't for a knocking at her front door interrupting her train of thought.

Who could be visiting her at this time of night? Fluttershy maybe? No, she didn't like to fly after dark. Derpy perhaps? Possible, but that wasn't the knock she usually used, hers was something of an odd tune she said Lyra taught her. Raindrops? Couldn't be ruled out.

Standing here and speculating wasn't going to get her anywhere, she knew that well enough. With a sigh, she set her book aside and walked out of her room, down the winding staircase, and over to the front door to find out who the mystery guest was.

The first thing she noticed in her line of sight was her friend Twilight, who was currently looking quite haggard.

The second thing she noticed was her flapping wings. They looked like they were really big butterfly wings, expertly carved from solid ice, and holding countless archaic runes the likes of which she'd never seen before, and what she could only assume were complex calculations and permutations of various scientific figures... or something science-sounding like that.

"Twilight?"

"Rainbow Dash... I'm so sorry!"

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked and cocked her head. What was going on here? "Sorry about what?"

"Mare Do Well," Twilight stated without hesitation, "it was all my idea, I was the one that came up with the concept, and orchestrated the whole mess. I even came up with the basic idea of a costume for all of us to wear. I thought you were boasting like Trixie, and I didn't want that, none of us did. We just wanted you to understand something about being humble, we never thought that what we were doing would hurt you so much," she said as tears started dripping down her cheeks again while she paused to try and compose herself.

"We were so, so wrong to do it Rainbow Dash, we violated your sense of trust, and risked our friendship when it wasn't our call about what you were doing. We should've just kept our noses out of your business and let you enjoy your fame, you deserved it. Instead all we wound up doing was hurting our friend, and it was all my fault, and I'm so sorry!" she finished before breaking down and crying all over again.

Rainbow Dash was left silent at the unexpected confession, pulling Twilight into a hug more out of instinct than conscious thought. Here was Twilight on her front porch, discussing the Mare Do Well incident with her, and apologizing for all of the pain they'd caused her, and even admitting that she was the mastermind behind that whole ugly incident. No attempts at justifying her actions, no efforts to blame her for deserving what she got, just pure confession and apology.

"I was a horrible, horrible pony, Rainbow Dash, I'm so sorry!"

The cyan pegasus didn't know what to say and was left in stunned silence. Here was Twilight Sparkle, one of her supposed best friends, bawling her eyes out into her shoulder, and confessing to so many things she'd wanted to point out ever since the Mare Do Well incident, and taking full responsibility for it all. This was all very weird to be experiencing.

"Hey... come on Twi' stop crying," Rainbow Dash said as she rubbed the unicorn's lower back as she cried into her shoulder. "Yeah it was bad, and yeah I was upset, who wouldn't be? But I'm not mad about it, not anymore anyway," she stated, unsure of what else she could say. Ever since Twilight started spilling her guts and apologizing, she could feel all the months of frustration starting to seep away. She had no idea what set this bomb off... but she was glad it had been. Now she just had to tend to her friend. "It's gonna be alright, Twilight, it's gonna be alright," she said softly. This whole situation was leaving her really uncomfortable right now.

And yet despite all the discomfort she was feeling right now, she still felt better than she had in a long, long time. This was... therapeutic in a way.

"I'm sorry," Twilight whispered as her latest wave of crying finally came to an end.

"I know, Twilight, I know. It's alright now, you don't need to cry anymore," Rainbow Dash replied and stroked the unicorn's long mane.

"No, it's not alright. Not yet anyway," Twilight replied and sniffed as she moved to untangle herself from the pegasus. "You've got to come to the library. Tonight. Right now if possible. Please."

"What for Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked, confused at her friend's sudden change. What exactly was so urgent that it couldn't wait until tomorrow after she had the chance to get a few hour's worth of shut eye?

"I'm going to get the others together, and we're going to give you the proper apology that you deserve. I might've been the mastermind, but they were all willing participants. We're all guilty on this one," Twilight explained as her wings lifted her up off the cloud and back into the air.

At this hour? Twilight was seriously going to go all around Ponyville, round up their friends, haul them all back to the library, and make them apologize for being involved in the Mare Do Well incident? Was she serious?

What was she talking about? This was Twilight of all ponies, of course she was serious!

"If you say so Egghead," Rainbow Dash replied and shrugged, before flapping her wings, and joining her friend in flight. It seemed rather amazing, for a pony who'd never spent a day in her life flying she seemed to have the whole thing pretty much down pat. No wobbling or struggling to stay up, just smooth sailing and flapping.

Probably magic. Yeah that made sense, no way Twilight knew the fine details of flying on her own. Maybe the skills were built directly into the wings.

"Hey Twilight? Not that I'm not thrilled about this decision of yours but what exactly brought it about? I thought the matter was long closed," Rainbow Dash finally stated. This was way too much of a coincidence given recent developments. Had Ulquiorra been talking after he said he wouldn't? If he had he was so gonna get it the next time she saw him.

"Trust me, Rainbow Dash, that's not a story to be shared right now. I'm gonna wait until I get everypony together, before I approach that hornet's nest. It's a story best heard with friends... and if everypony's willing... maybe some nice hot s'mores to serve as comfort food. I have a feeling we're going to need them before the night is over," Twilight replied.

S'mores? Usually Twilight didn't talk s'mores unless... oh that sneaky unicorn! Was she actually and actively going to use this whole situation as an excuse for a slumber party at the library? Ge them all together, emotionally unsettle them, and suggest that they spend the night together for comfort's sake? Clever filly if that were truly the case.

"Whatever you say, Twilight," Rainbow Dash replied with a grin of genuine amusement.

The only question now, was how Twilight would be reacting to the major news they had to share with her?

Chapter Twenty Nine

Chapter Twenty Nine

The throbbing in her horn from when that accursed snow white unicorn had bit her was no longer excruciating to the point of her vision being blurry, having calmed down considerably to simply being miserable in nature. She still couldn't perform any feats of her magic, as it would just reignite the pain, and start throbbing all over again. However it was a moot point as she couldn't perform any magic while confined in this dimly lit cell anyway. The entire area was blanketed in a magic cancelling field, and there was nothing she could do in response to it.

She'd been bitten, stomped on, spat on, sat on, kicked, her horn bitten and threatened with cutting off, effortlessly played for a foal, sucker punched and left with a busted muzzle, the back of her head nearly broken, and now locked in a cage. And on top of that, she'd been tricked into involving her entire hive, the entirety of the current generation of changelings. She'd so easily fallen for the words of a stranger she'd just met, promising to assist her in retaking Equestria for her hive, and this is how things turned out.

And now here she was. Locked in a poorly lit cage, her loyal drones on another floor entirely, left alone to wait out their fate. What Celestia had in mind for them was truly heinous in nature, and made her wish she'd actually been killed instead of simply imprisoned.

She'd found out from Luna that she and her entire hive would be exiled from Equestria proper, to a facility that had the dubious honor of being referred to as "the waiting room to Tartarus." A penal colony located deep inside gryphon territory, and known for the unusual magical qualities of the area it was built in; simultaneously able to magically sustain whatever or however many inmates were sentenced there, while at the same time negating any attempts at magic carried out inside the facility to prevent escape. A facility that was rarely used, except for when dealing with the most violent of all violent criminals, who presented a true risk to society, and couldn't be placed anywhere else; even the gryphons, who were known for the penchant at hostility, rarely encountered a criminal severe enough to be sentenced there.

And unfortunately, she and her hive had drawn a life sentence at the facility for their actions here on this day.

"Chrysalis you foal," she said to herself as she rested her forehead against the bars of her cell, her voice sounding distorted from earlier, mentally kicking herself for everything that'd happened. Why had she allowed herself to trust a being she'd never seen before, when he came promising to help her retake Equestria for herself? Why had she allowed herself to be so gullible and let her guard down?

Then again what could she have done to the contrary? He'd thrown her across the throne room without even trying, it wasn't like she could've actually stood up to him and fought him off. He'd slapped her on the back of the head, and nearly broke her jaw against the marble flooring from the force of the impact of landing. She couldn't have resisted even if she'd tried. Even her attempts at mind control had been futile.

She'd been flankbucked once again it seemed. Fate was so, so cruel at times.

Her thoughts on self pity, and how unfair life in general was, were interrupted by the sounds of hoofbeats coming down the hallway. Perhaps guards carrying out searches to ensure none of them had escaped? Maybe there was a unicorn she could sweet talk into assisting her? Unfortunately no such luck in this case, the source of the hoofbeats entering her view, and she saw that it was Celestia's little annoying sister Luna, and the even more annoying stone faced Ulquiorra. This truly couldn't be good for her.

"Two of the three responsible for my situation. Such an unfortunate meeting," Chrysalis commented as she rested her forelegs against the bars and used them to support her weight in a lean. She scowled particularly at the sight of Ulquiorra. "I have nothing to say to you, biped."

"I have questions," Ulquiorra stated simply.

"That doesn't concern me," Chrysalis replied and stepped back from her perch, and walked over to the far wall of her cell consisting of stone rather than metal. She had no desire to talk to the one who'd betrayed her and tricked her into her current position.

"These bars will offer you no protection should I choose to come in there and demand answers," Ulquiorra explained, taking his left hand out of his pocket to give a demonstration, showing as he began bending one of the bars out of shape as if it was nothing, causing Chrysalis' jaw to drop at the sight of it. Perhaps he should go ahead and rip the entire section of bars from the masonry that held them, to prove to her that he was not to be trifled with.

"We doth advice thee not to anger him Chrysalis, when Ulquiorra Cifer doth get like this, we cannot control him. We hath seen him angered before, and 'tis not a pretty sight. One time before, he didst become like this, and we did bear witness to him jerk a being's spine out of their back, and show it to them. There was nothing we could do about the unfortunate incident, as we were forced to go vomit at the sight of what we didst see," Princess Luna explained.

Ulquiorra stopped his demonstration of strength, but failed to remove his hand from the bar, as he turned his attention to Princess Luna at her words. What nonsense was she speaking of? He hadn't ripped anyone's spine out of their back in his time here. Nor was he particularly motivated to do such, as it was an entirely wasteful manner at killing, when impalement through the chest was so much more effective and straightforward.

Then there was the practicality issue of actually trying to separate the spinal column from where it joined to the pelvic bones and ribcage; the spinal cord that the individual vertebrae were designed to provide protection to, as well as the tissue that linked them together, would never withstand the amount of force necessarily to rip that particular section of the skeletal structure out of the body. Even if he would engage in such a tasteless manner of execution, there was the distinct possibility that should everything go right, and the entire spinal column come free without a hitch, the skull would come along with it, thus ripping the victims eyes out, while in the process of turning the remains of the head inside out from where the tissue connected to the bone structure. In such a case there would be nothing left to show the spine to as the eyes would see nothing but the collapsed fleshy remnants of the head and face.

Such a procedure could indeed be performed, but only through significant surgical effort, and only after the individual it was performed on had died. If the victim was still living, they would've died from the traumatic shock long before they were able to see their own innards being displayed, in a morbid and ultimately redundant manner of telling them they were soon to die.

Princess Luna appeared to catch his gaze in her direction, laughing nervously as her serious look faded and gave way to one of far less professionalism. "We didst believe some degree of levity would assist thee," she said in her own defense.

Ulquiorra ignored her and turned back to face Chrysalis, who appeared equally dumbfounded. "When did you decide to launch a second attack on Equestria?" he asked simply.

"And what concern is it to you?" Chrysalis asked defensively. Why did he care after all he'd done to her already?

"I possess questions. You possess answers. And the dragon from earlier is in no position to speak, so my options are limited to you," Ulquiorra explained evenly despite her obstructiveness. Right now he had to put up with her, as she was the only link they currently had access to that could communicate intelligently. At present time she was too valuable to risk losing.

"Dragon?" Chrysalis asked and blinked in confusion. What dragon was he talking about? When?

"Thou doth not want to know," Princess Luna replied in a low tone. This wasn't getting them anywhere. "Queen Chrysalis," she spoke up, "as one member of royalty to another, we ask that thee answer the questions presented. We suspect that thou hath been made into an unwitting pawn, and art innocent of the charges against thee. If thou doth help us with this mystery, we shalt speak to our sister about thee's sentence. But thou must be honest with us, if thou art deceitful thee's fate will be most unpleasant as a result."

Much to their surprise Chrysalis began cackling madly at Princess Luna's words, her head thrown back as she howled with laughter.

"A most unpleasant fate you say? My entire species is being shipped off to some remote penal colony, far beyond the bounds of what's come to be our home, stored away from the light of day for what's going to prove to be a very long time. Do you know what the average lifespan for changeling drones amounts to? Fifteen years. While I'll live considerably longer than that, my children most certainly won't, and without any available males to enable repopulation, my entire species will go extinct in Tartarus' waiting room! And because of my long lifespan I'll have the dubious honor of experiencing all my children dying around me, and knowing that once the current generation is gone, there won't be any others. The only option I'll have to spare myself this suffering, will be to end my own life, and traumatize them in the process by depriving all those hundreds of changelings of their mother, and them realizing that there's no hope for their species!" Chrysalis stated as she directed her gaze in Luna's direction. "So tell me, Nightmare Moon, what can you possibly do to me, that will be a more unpleasant fate than spending every day of the rest of my life, knowing that my race has been sentenced to extinction, and forced to watch it occur?" she asked, her tone indicating a challenge.

Ulquiorra observed as Princess Luna sputtered at the taunt and the title of her past self, likely a severe insult to be hurled at her. The fluctuations in her detectable reiatsu were considerable, and he half expected to see her reiryoku arcing off her body like lightning at some point.

"I've already been sentence to a lifetime of misery, sadness, and death. Nothing you could possibly do could be any worse than that," Chrysalis taunted.

"We shalt see about that," Princess Luna stated in a vicious tone, malice and ill intent practically dripping from her lips with each word uttered.

"Princess Luna," Ulquiorra spoke in an even tone. He could see what Chrysalis was doing, and how the alicorn was taking the bait being dangled in front of her. “Now is not the time for pettiness,” he explained in a calm manner.

He waited until Princess Luna turned her attention to him, and nodded her understanding that he was right, before finally turning his attention and focus back on Chrysalis. “I make no claim of knowing what this facility is like that you will be departing to. But I’m quite certain your presence there will be rendered far more intolerable, if your hind legs are paralyzed and you must drag yourself along the floor by a single functioning limb in order to be mobile. How long do you believe it would take for your exoskeleton to erode away against a rough stone structure, and leave the soft tissues underneath exposed?” he asked her. "I've heard that septicemia is a truly insufferable condition to contract and leave untreated..."

The nervous gulp that came from Chrysalis was quite audible in nature, the changeling queen understanding exactly what he was saying, and believing that he had no qualms with doing such; after what he’d done to so many of her changelings, she had no reason to doubt him, and the way his voice remained so neutral and even just made it all the worse.

“What is it you wanted to know again?” Chrysalis finally asked.

“When did you decide to launch a second attack against Equestria? Ulquiorra asked.

Chrysalis sighed something unintelligible, before sitting down on her carapaced haunches to get into a semi-comfortable position. She cleared her throat before speaking again. “The decision to make a second grab for Equestria had been in the planning process for months before actually being carried out. It started off slowly, a drone here, a drone there, nothing too major that might alert anyone’s attention. We started by targeting isolated and lonely ponies who wouldn’t raise much concern if they didn’t talk much, didn’t interact with others on a significant level, or seemed a bit strange. We even targeted old ponies that'd died previously and hadn't been discovered yet. From there, we began looking for other targets of opportunity who could be safely replaced, to aid us in our gathering of reconnaissance of Ponyville and Canterlot to determine the best course of action,” Chrysalis explained.

“How did you come to the idea of targeting the holders of the Elements of Harmony and replacing them?” Ulquiorra asked.

“Isn’t it obvious? The Elements of Harmony are the most powerful force to be found in all of Equestria. If we could separate them then even if we were found out it wouldn’t make any difference as they couldn’t be used,” Chrysalis stated. It was a fairly obvious solution to the conundrum; six individual ponies, six different targets to pick apart, six easy ways to render the Elements of Harmony useless. It was amazing how nopony had thought of such before.

“Why was Fluttershy specifically targeted?” Ulquiorra asked.

“Out of all of the Elements of Harmony, Fluttershy was the easiest to secure. Quite, isolated, meek, and often left to her own devices while other ponies go about their daily lives, completely unaware of the presence of the meek yellow pegasus who can’t even be heard talking, even when she’s surrounded. It was the most logical choice, to focus our attempts on her than any of the others. And once we had the Elements of Harmony separated, it was easy to engage in the next part of the plan, increasing the number of changelings in each of the cities, targeting and replacing other ponies who could either directly or indirectly affect the other Elements of Harmony. Friends, family members, loved ones, anypony that could prove to be disruptive to them, and beneficial to our goal,” Chrysalis explained, a grin crossing her features as she thought back to the elegance of it all.

“A rather pragmatic approach to the situation,” Ulquiorra commented. Subterfuge and destabilization could indeed lead to devastating developments if not stopped immediately. It was quite fortunate he’d been so quick to discover what was up; even more fortunate that Princess Celestia had allowed him to depart when she had. “Had I not become involved, how long would it have been before you launched a full scaled attempt?” he asked.

“If everything had gone according to plan,” she paused to scowl directly at him, “another three days would’ve been more than enough to allow us to have sufficiently secured both cities. Not that it makes any difference now,” she grumbled.

“What was the significance of your timing?” Ulquiorra asked. Chrysalis responded with a confused look at the question. “Why did you wait until you did in order to replace Fluttershy with a changeling? What was the significance of the three days before the planned assault?”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. You’re asking why we chose to perform on a specific day?” Chrysalis asked.

“Correct. It has been estimated Fluttershy was replaced two days ago. What was the significance of waiting until then instead of choosing any other day? Why didn’t you choose to make such a move last week?” Ulquiorra asked.

He observed Chrysalis as she tried to formulate an answer. Changeling body language wasn’t too particularly different from that of ponies, and it became quite obvious that she had no idea what he was asking about. She lacked the answers he was looking for, that would lend credibility to his theory. This lead to three possibilities:

One: The changeling attack had no connection to the dragon, and was separate and not indicative of any discernible pattern of behavior, and it truly had been a matter of coincidence.

Two: While the changeling attack may have been planned out months in advance, the timing and decision to proceed could suggest that it was still directly related to the incident regarding the dragon, and was yet another attempt against the holders of the Elements of Harmony, and Equestria as a whole.

Three: If Chrysalis had been involved by an outside force, her lack of knowledge could be sufficient to suggest she wasn’t conscious of the fact she was to play a role. It would also suggest the outside force possessed a sentient nature, as well as enough intelligence to not leave behind any information that would constitute a loose end that could be traced back to a source of origin, and possibly unravel whatever operation was currently in the works.

Of the three possibilities these facts could be read to support, he favored possibilities two and three. The thought that two attacks on the holders of the Elements of Harmony within such a short amount of time, holding no connection to one another, didn’t seem logical to him.

“Then thou art of no use to us. Come, Ulquiorra Cifer, let us depart,” Princess Luna stated and turned to leave.

“There is still another question to ask,” Ulquiorra stated in response and made no effort to move from his spot, keeping his attention focused on Chrysalis. “When I arrived at your hive, you said something that didn’t make sense. At first I assumed it was some standard speech, similar to boastful concepts of conquering the world. Afterward, when I had time to rethink the structure of your statement, I came to inconsistencies between this assumption and your words. I need clarification,” he explained. Chrysalis said nothing so he continued speaking. “Your term of “devouring love” is most confusing. Your phrasing seeming to treat the notion of love as something of a real and physical nature, such as wood or stone, rather than an intangible emotional concept like hope or happiness. Your terminology didn’t suggest bringing despair to the optimistic, and crushing their will to live, but rather depriving them of something real. Can you elaborate on what you meant with your selected terminology?” he asked.

"Oh love is quite real in nature, quite real indeed, and very much physical in construction. Love is as real as the air we breathe, and it's just as vital to the existence of life; especially to those that feast upon it for nourishment, such as us. Equestria is surging with the most love to be found in any region of the land, and is a veritable paradise... a paradise that my kind seems unwelcome in," Chrysalis stated. When Ulquiorra said nothing in response she continued. "Do you have any idea how long we've been searching for a suitable location to live in? How many generations have been spent on the move from place to place, searching for any establishment of sentient life with enough love to sustain us like a civilized society? Equestria is the only place capable of doing that and so much more! But we've been rejected from this paradise because those who rule feel we're too parasitic for their perfect little world. Celestia and her like want to keep all of the love for themselves, and not share it with anyone they have no liking for. We've tried so many times to implement diplomatic negotiations over the years, but we've always been rejected. Time and again we've been given no consideration, our needs have gone ignored for so long," she moaned.

Princess Luna looked between Ulquiorra and Chrysalis, the look on her face one of confusion at what she was hearing. Her sister had been engaged in diplomatic discussions with the changelings in the past during her absence?

"'Tis a lie! Our sister wouldst not keep something of such from us!" she stated.

"You obviously don't know Celestia as well as you think you do. But then again you weren't around a hundred years ago, so you wouldn't know," Chrysalis stated in response. Her attention was no longer on Ulquiorra, but rather the younger of the two sisters. "My hive has slowly but surely been starving for years! Do you know what it's like, having to hide yourself from view, and surviving on scraps when others are free to feast to their heart's content? We've tried asking, we've tried begging, we've tried pleading! And each time we've been shot down and summarily rejected! We've grown desperate, and have been forced to take drastic measures to survive, because of the likes of Celestia and her greed! We had no other choice but to take the course of action we took if we were to survive! My own children are perishing, one by one, because we have no food for ourselves, and yet we're tortured by the delicate aromas in the air that just remind us of how hungry we are! The only reason I'm still alive and standing before you, in order to answer your questions, is because six of my own children decided to sacrifice themselves in order to sustain me, and allowed themselves to die instead! They loved their mother so dearly, that they couldn't bear the thought of continuing on without her. And now it would seem their sacrifice was meaningless as we'll all die soon enough..."

Ulquiorra stood silently and listened as Chrysalis talked, observing her reiatsu intensity as she shared her tale. His statement about her strength in comparison to Princess Luna's had been something of another falsehood, necessitated by carrying out Princess Celestia's orders. While Chrysalis' overall level of strength couldn't have truly competed with Princess Luna, it had been significantly greater than currently. Somewhere between now and their initial meeting Chrysalis' reiatsu had dropped considerably. It almost even had a different texture to it.

In her current state, the earth pony Applejack would've been able to go toe to toe -or perhaps hoof to hoof was more accurate under these circumstances- and come out victorious in a physical altercation. Twilight Sparkle was more powerful than Chrysalis was currently, even without resorting to her magic. If her hive was indeed starving as badly as she was suggesting, it would reasonably explain the utter desperation of her decision to invade Equestria, and make a grab for rule; it was a simple matter of preservation of the species, and no different from a pack of wild dogs attacking a herd of larger animals. It wasn't even much different from Hollows with insatiable hunger turning on their own and evolving into Gillians.

Still. The notion of an emotion actually being tangible in nature, and a source of sustenance, sounded ridiculous to him. But all things considered, it wasn't the most ridiculous thing he'd heard since arriving here.

"Oh please! Thou art attempting to tug at our heart strings!" Princess Luna replied, disgusted with the tale that was being weaved before them. How dare Chrysalis slander her sister's rule with such a disgraceful tale? She had half a mind to unlock the door and nag slap her where she sat.

"Believe whatever you wish to believe, because right now I don't have the energy to care. I'm tired, I'm defeated, and the only reason I have left to go on living, is to try and keep my children from panicking," Chrysalis replied and laid down on the floor of her cell, using her forelegs as a makeshift pillow. However it wasn't two seconds later before she brought her head back up. "Oh drat! I suppose it's too late now to ask for a final request while there's still time..."

"And what kind of request couldst thou have the nerve to make after insulting us in such a manner?" Princess Luna asked. She certainly had some nerve.

"I would like to negotiate for the release of my hive," Chrysalis replied simply.

Princess Luna quirked an eyebrow at this. "Surely thou doth jest. Our sister will not release thee no matter what thou might say," she stated.

"My hive, not myself. I don't deny that I'm responsible for what I did or that I did it. But my children are innocent of whatever charges they face, merely doing as their mother told them as that's how our species works. I can quietly resign myself to whatever fate I'm destined for, but they don't deserve to share it with me, for the duration of their lifetimes. Surely you and your sister have enough kindness in you to at least let me plead my case," Chrysalis explained.

"Really now? Thou doth expect us to believe such?" Princess Luna asked skeptically. Did Chrysalis take her for a foal?

"I don't really expect you to do anything. I'm just asking that you inform your sister, and let her deal with the matter. A mother has to try and do what she can for her children. Surely you'd do the same thing to protect your own subjects if faced with a similar situation," Chrysalis replied.

"Assuming the unlikely possibility of Princess Celestia granting your request what then?" Ulquiorra asked, interrupting the back and forth conversation between the two. The emotional drivel being traded right now was thick enough it could be cut with a knife. "You've already attested to the fact your hive is starving to death. Assuming you can secure their freedom, what will change this fact?"

Chrysalis chuckled to herself. This one was quite observant in nature. "I intend to make one last plea for my hive to be granted refugee status in Equestria. Surely there's somewhere Celestia will allow them to nest and live in peace with her subjects. There's got to be someplace in this vast land where my children can live, without suffering from constant starvation," she explained.

"And why doth thou believe this time will be different from any other time that thou hast mentioned?" Princess Luna asked.

"Because unlike all the previous times, I intend to offer Celestia something that's never been put on the table before; my life, in exchange for the freedom of my hive," Chrysalis replied simply.

The resulting silence in the dungeons was so stifling a pin could be heard dropping from the other end of the hall.

But that lead to the obvious question of who would be down there, and playing around with pins in the first place?

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

Her eyelids were drooping as she walked through the halls, emotionally and physically exhausted from everything that'd happened today. An invasion, betrayal, consequences and damage control, and a roller coaster of emotions. As far back as Celestia could remember, this felt like one of the longest days she'd experienced in a good five hundred years. This day felt like it'd lasted nearly three months, and such a length of time was absolutely ridiculous. All she wanted to do right now was wish Luna a good evening, go back to her chambers, and collapse on her bed.

"Princess Celestia."

She gave a startled yelp and faltered backward at the sudden and unexpected booming appearance of Ulquiorra directly in front of her, her exhaustion temporarily abated by the sudden surge of adrenaline that came from him giving her such a scare. Coffee would've been the preferable option for fighting off drowsiness.

"A situation has arisen," he stated calmly.

Celestia sighed and used her wings to rub her face. "Ulquiorra, I'm in no mood to be dealing with you right now. It's been a very hard, very long day, and all I want to do is go to bed. I'll tend to you when I'm better rested and not so testy; I don't wish to make any snap decisions right now that I'll wind up regretting once morning comes. I've already made enough of those, and I wish no more," she stated. He certainly had some nerve showing himself right now when she was still furious, not only with his deception, but his accusations about her being a monster bent on revenge, to the point that she'd intentionally put her subjects in harm's way just to get what she wanted. He truly had no idea just how difficult these matters were for her. Did he think she did these things for fun?

"The situation pertains to Chrysalis rather than myself. She's requesting your presence in the dungeons. Princess Luna is with her now," Ulquiorra explained.

She looked up at him. He now officially had her attention, fuzzy as it might be. "And what exactly were you doing in the dungeons with Chrysalis?" she asked. What kind of business could he have with her?

"Conducting an interrogation, in an effort to gather answers to certain anomalies that were noticed earlier in the evening. During a conversation with the holders of the Elements of Harmony, both Fluttershy and Rarity made mention to something that-" he started explaining.

"Ulquiorra. I'm sure it's all quite interesting, but to be blunt, could you please just cut to the chase? I really don't feel like standing around for a long period of time, and hear the explanation that you have to give," Celestia interrupted. Listening to him try and explain a situation was going to make her fall asleep on her hooves the way his voice was so dull and even.

He weighed his available options. Princess Celestia did need to be read in on the theory, and made aware of the circumstances that resulted in its discovery. But he doubted she had the mental focus necessary to consider the intricacies of everything. Perhaps the best option was to put it off for the night, and focus on the other matter at hand.

"Chrysalis has requested your presence in the dungeons. She wishes to attempt negotiations in order to secure the release of her hive, in exchange for her own life," he explained simply.

Celestia blinked at his words. Two thoughts immediately came to her mind. The first thought was that she was far more exhausted than she originally thought, and she simply hadn't heard him right. The second thought was that she had indeed heard him right. and Chrysalis was up to something. Whichever was correct, Ulquiorra obviously thought it was important enough to chance a meeting with her when she still hadn't summoned him yet.

"What exactly has been going on around the palace while I was away?" she asked out loud.

"That is something that would take far too long to explain at present time," Ulquiorra replied simply. "I merely came to deliver Chrysalis' message. Do you intend to grant her an audience? Or should I return and tell her no meeting will take place?" he asked.

All she wanted to do was go to sleep for the night. and enjoy a few hours of blissful nothingness. to distract her from the turmoil of the entire day. Was that really asking for too much right now?

Apparently the answer to that question was a big fat "yes", as she found her bed seeming further and further away with each passing moment.

"I'll be right there... right after I swing by the kitchen for a big cup of coffee," Princess Celestia replied with a low grumble, "I'm going to need it..."

"Very well," Ulquiorra replied before flashing out of her line of sight, the characteristic sonido boom left behind in his wake.

"That gets very annoying after a while," she muttered to herself and set off for the kitchen and her coffee... and maybe a danish for the added boost of energy the sugar would bring with it.

Luna paced uneasily outside of Chrysalis' cell. She would never admit it out loud to anypony else, but ever since Ulquiorra had departed to find her sister, she'd been unable to stop replaying the changeling's words in her mind. It had to be nothing more than filthy lies and trickery, it just had to be!

And yet she couldn't shut her brain off, and stop going over Chrysalis' words, about how she'd tried to establish residency for her hive within Equestria's borders, only to be refused time and time again over the past hundred or so years. It had to be a matter of nothing but absolute lies, her sister would never do anything like that!

And yet... what if there was even some measure of truth in Chrysalis' words? What if she truly had tried for a peaceful coexistence at some point in the past? What had gone so wrong in her absence that this proved to be impossible? Had she truly been underestimating her sister? Had Ulquiorra Cifer been right in his observation of her and her potential?

Her thoughts were -thankfully- interrupted at the sound of approaching hoofsteps and... no wait, they were muffled and in a pattern of two rather than four. Those weren't hoofsteps but rather footsteps. Ulquiorra Cifer was returning alone.

"Didst thou find our sister?" she asked as the Espada came into view.

"She will be with us momentarily," Ulquiorra replied before returning the spot he'd been standing during the interrogation in order to wait for the arrival.

"Good," Chrysalis muttered from inside her cell. She'd rather not be left waiting for an indefinite period of time, left to get her hopes up that everything would go well, and that this would actually work out for everyone involved, only to have her hopes dashed against whatever hard rocks Celestia had to throw against her. That would be absolutely cruel.

Unfortunately the growing silence made it hard to stay focused when coupled with her nerves about the coming discussion. "So do you mind elaborating on what you were discussing earlier? I believe I have a right to know, since it pertains to me in some manner," she commented.

Ulquiorra considered it. On the one hand, there was the fact that Chrysalis had resigned herself to death in order to save the lives of the other changelings. Assuming Princess Celestia accepted the terms of this agreement, her time was quite limited, and there seemed to be little reason in explaining matters to one who wasn't long for this world, as it would be a waste of breath.

On the other hand, he and Princess Luna had been willing to discuss the matter with Chrysalis in order to obtain information from her in the first place. The fact that there was no information to be had didn't really change the fact that they were sharing this theory with her. It wasn't as if there was any hard information that would compromise their current situation, even if she were to somehow get loose, which wasn't a possibility for her.

"We have reason to believe the holders of the Elements of Harmony are being targeted in a specific manner. Eight days prior to the discovery of Fluttershy's disappearance, a dragon took up residency close to Ponyville. From what I'm told, this is not an uncommon occurrence. However it is uncommon for them to be awake and alert, as if it was waiting for their arrival in order to carry out some ulterior motive," he explained.

Chrysalis' aching jaw hung open at Ulquiorra's words. Was he serious about this? "And... you think there's some sort of connection between that, and our actions here on this day?" she asked slowly to try and make sure she was understanding him properly.

"It's a possibility that can't be ruled out as of yet. There's presently no hard physical evidence to indicate such, so it's little more than theory and assumption. That was what we were trying to find out when we came to question you," Ulquiorra explained, not once directly facing the inside of Chrysalis' cell.

"'Tis indeed most disturbing to consider," Princess Luna added. She didn't want to think about the possibility of there being something worse than Discord loose in this world and causing all kinds of havoc; especially the kind of havoc that could result in death. As bad as Discord was, he was more foalish in nature, and did what he did for the sake of his own entertainment. And while she remembered the dark times more than a thousand years ago, even then Discord's actions didn't seem like they were intended to end the life of anypony.

Chrysalis remained silent at this, uncertain of what else to say on the matter. Saying nothing seemed like the best course of action right now.

Unfortunately her not talking seemed to kill off any measure of conversation that was going on. Without her contributing anything, Luna went back to pacing silently while Ulquiorra simply learned against the wall in wait. Maybe she should've added something when she had the opportunity.

"When did our sister say she would be present?" Princess Luna asked as she turned to face Ulquiorra again.

"I'm not entirely certain," Ulquiorra replied after settling in for the wait. "Sometime after coffee."

"Oh dear," Princess Luna groaned and hung her head.

Hot coffee and a sweet danish. Usually that was a mid-morning snack for her during recess from the day court. Right now it was her fuel, to keep her alert and awake for this despicable meeting with Chrysalis that was cutting into her sleeping hours. If this was nothing more than a joke, there would be consequences for such. Tartarus would be sending a bill.

Unfortunately, with this being a meeting held in an official capacity, that meant some degree of proper decorum had to be observed. That meant finding the royal adornments that'd been abandoned in favor of tending to Twilight. And that meant spending part of her caffeine boost getting herself properly situated and halfway groomed.

Sometimes she really did wish that she had the vast powers and position that many of her subjects seemed to mistakenly believe she held, by virtue of being the one to raise the sun. If there were truly a reinvigoration spell, that could make a pony feel as awake and alert as if they'd just gotten eight hours worth of sleep, she'd have it memorized and cast it constantly. But sadly she wasn't in such a position, and instead had to settle for what was at hoof.

She made her way into the dungeons via a teleportation spell, not wanting to burn off anymore of her alertness during the walk there. A good plan, except for one glaring fact; she'd specified the destination as being the dungeons in general rather than where her sister and the others were. That meant walking the distance to find them.

"Thou art late."

Fortunately the walk wasn't an extensive one. Chrysalis' cell was on the top floor of the dungeon, while the cells of the others were on the lower levels. Unfortunately that didn't keep her little sister from being displeased with her arrival; she apparently wasn't happy with the waiting aspect of it all.

"I was a little distracted," Princess Celestia replied in as calm a manner as she could muster under the circumstances, as she approached where Luna and Ulquiorra stood, bringing her to where Chrysalis was held. "So what exactly is this situation we have on our hooves right now? I must say I still don't fully understand it."

"We doth believe a matter of trickery is at hoof. But we shalt allow the prisoner to speak for herself," Princess Luna replied and gestured in Chrysalis' direction.

"Yes that would likely be the best course of action," she replied as she turned to observe Chrysalis as she got up from where she laid on the floor to approach the bars. "So tell me, Chrysalis, what's your game this time?" she asked.

"Oh please, Celestia, I'm too tired for games right now," Chrysalis replied dismissively, "the matter at hoof is quite serious in nature, I'm sure you're aware of it." Celestia remained silent at her words. Undeterred she continued. "I'm quite certain there's no love between us, all things considered; certainly none that I can feel anyway. But regardless of what you may think of me I'm not a monster, I do care about others, especially those that're my children. Regardless of how you may feel about me specifically, I ask you not to hold anything that happened today against my hive, they were merely doing as instructed to do. If someone must be punished, then I humbly ask you to spare them, and instead direct your fury at me specifically."

Princess Celestia remained silent as Chrysalis spoke, attempting to make her case to the best of her abilities, her expression remaining neutral throughout as she listened.

Finally she was presented with a stretch of silence that she took as a cue to speak. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm having trouble with believing your sincerity on the matter, Chrysalis, you're not exactly the most trustworthy of beings I've ever had dealings with over the years. Ours isn't the most pleasant of histories together," Princess Celestia pointed out. She considered pointing out a number of examples, but decided against such as it would take up too much time. "Assume I did take you at your word. What assurance would I have that you couldn't command your hive from a distance to launch a third attack on Equestria and my subjects?" she asked.

"Because once I manage to secure the release of my hive, I plan on abdicating my rule to a new queen. With any luck, someone new to the scene can better negotiate for the peaceful integration of the changeling race into Equestria's territory than I can," Chrysalis replied. "If it'll make you feel better, you can even select the successor of your choice, to ensure that there's no trickery. There are a few hundred potential candidates to choose from, making it impossible for me to stack the deck in my favor."

"You were never known for being highly logical, Chrysalis, but you're making even less sense than usual," Princess Celestia stated. Then again maybe it was her own tired state that was responsible. For all she knew Chrysalis could be making perfect sense and she simply wasn't realizing it.

"You'll have to forgive me, the past year hasn't been kind to either myself or my children. My muzzle is likely broken, I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I'm cranky, doing my best to be diplomatic with somepony that's already made it clear they have no reason to trust me, somepony who deceived me and my entire hive, into believing we finally had a shot at a new home where we wouldn't be relegated to the shadows, and subsisting on whatever scraps of love we can come across and pick up. Eloquence isn't exactly my strong point right now," Chrysalis replied with hostility in her voice. "If you want the bottom line then it's as follows: I only want what's best for my children, that's all I've ever wanted. In all the times we've come before you, that's all we've asked for. So I ask you one last time; if you can see fit to grant them refugee status within your territory, and pardon them for what they did here today, then I'll gladly accept whatever punishment you have to hoof down in their place, even if that punishment is death."

Again Princess Celestia remained silent as she listened to what Chrysalis had to say. She focused on the changeling queen as hard as she could, studying her for any visible or otherwise perceptible signals to show that she was up to something, that she had some treacherous measure she was hiding. Unfortunately she found nothing to suggest such. Then again she too was tired and her focus wasn't in top form right now but still.

"You expect me to seriously believe your words after everything you've done?" she asked skeptically and frowned.

"Truthfully? No I really don't, you've got no reason to trust me," Chrysalis replied before going back to laying down on the floor. "But I truly have nothing left to lose. What awaits my hive is death and extinction if things continue as is. If they were merely set free. death by starvation is only a few months away unless something is done. And being banished to this accursed facility you have picked out for us... well most of my children are getting up their in years, they don't have a lot of years left to live. Unless I can give birth to a new brood, you're looking at the last generation of changelings that'll ever exist. Surely your fury towards me isn't so strong, that you'd see fit to punish all of us with extinction... right?" she asked, "you're... not a monster like I am... y-you wouldn't force a mother to watch as her children died off all around her, because she was doing only what she needed t-to save them..."

She remained firmly silent at Chrysalis' words. The changeling queen was known for treachery, trickery, deceit and subterfuge. No matter what she said, or how much appeal she put into her efforts, she needed to remain firm. She couldn't falter after everything that'd happened. She had to be strong for her subjects!

And then Chrysalis did the one thing she never thought she'd ever see the changeling queen do; she started crying. Just utter nonstop crying, tears falling freely down her cheeks as she squeezed her eyes shut and blubbered.

"Please don't let my children die! Don't punish them for what I did! I'm the one that's responsible! Do whatever needs to be done to me, but please don't hurt them! Please, Princess Celestia, please!" she bawled from her position on the floor.

It was a trick. Nothing more than a well rehearsed, carefully orchestrated display designed to play upon her emotions and leave her with deep regrets over her hostility upon seeing the redeeming qualities to a monster. It was nothing more than a sham Chrysalis was putting on, Princess Celestia was absolutely positive of it! There was no way somepony like Chrysalis could truly have such a heart, and care for anyone except herself.

So why wasn't it halting?

She was certain Chrysalis' theatrics would expire once she realized nopony was feeling any sympathy for her; not herself, or her sister, nor Ulquiorra, not a one of them was falling for it. None of them was foalish enough to believe the strangled pleas as her body was wracked by her choking pleas. All they had to do was wait for her to realize her ploy wasn't going to work. A good kick to the side of the bars to startle her out of her performance should do the trick.

Except it didn't. The clang of her metal shoe against the bars seemed to go unheard by the intended target.

How could she maintain her performance so well? How could she put so much fake passion into her acting? Why wasn't the charade letting up, when none of them were saying a word, and just letting Chrysalis wallow in her misery?

"Sister? Where art thou going?"

And why was she feeling the sudden and overwhelming urge to immediately leave the dungeons?

"I need time to think," she hastily called back in response, leaving her sister and Ulquiorra behind and standing in silence.

"... Didst thou see that one coming?" Princess Luna finally asked as she turned to face the Espada.

"I admit, I did not," Ulquiorra replied. He hadn't expected Princess Celestia to be so affected by what was unfolding here; it seemed Twilight Sparkle's reiatsu intensity wasn't the only one linked to her emotional stability. Turning his attention to Chrysalis, it seemed she too was a part of whatever percentage of the population suffered such. The fluctuations in her reiatsu were too significant to write off as a willful attempt at suppressing their natural intensity; from what he'd seen, very few in this world had the ability to consciously suppress such.

"Thou can stop thee's theatrics now, Chrysalis, our sister hath left and can no longer view thou's performance," Princess Luna stated, obviously annoyed by it all. She became even more annoyed when Chrysalis seemed to not hear her words at all, not once looking up or around her.

And the longer it went on the more uncomfortable she herself became...

"We must depart, there are urgent matters we must tend to," she stated and teleported away, leaving Ulquiorra behind with the still crying Chrysalis.

Ulquiorra gave no pretext for leaving the dungeons, settling for silently turning on a heel and walking off at a leisurely pace, leaving Chrysalis behind in her misery. There were far too many criers in this world for his tastes.

By the time Luna finally caught up with her sister, she found her leaning against a pillar for support, and trying to get her breathing under control, as if she'd just come off of a most traumatic experience imaginable. It was a terribly uncomfortable sight to see when she herself wasn't feeling all that emotionally stable right now.

So much for asking her sister directly about Chrysalis' tale about past involvements together. What she'd picked up during their confirmation suggested there was something between them, but nothing that amounted to positive proof.

"Sister," Luna said softly as she approached, "what is wrong?"

Celestia remained silent, other than the sounds of her breathing, seemingly not hearing Luna's words. She continued remaining unresponsive until she felt the soft touch of her sister's cheek brushing against her exposed wing. It was of small comfort, but right now any comfort was better than none. Without a word, she unfurled her wing and draped it across her younger sister's back.

"Sister. Please tell us what is wrong. We doth need to know," Luna stated as she moved closer.

"In my many centuries of ruling alone, I've encountered many things, Luna. Many things that've made me question my resolve during certain campaigns; campaigns that I'm not proud of. There've been so many things that occurred in your absence that I so dearly wish had occurred a different way. But this... this development with Chrysalis... I don't know what to do anymore. I just assumed it was yet another attempt at a coup, but... oh Luna what do I do now? So many things are unfolding around me right now, and I feel so lost right now, and I don't know what to do anymore!" she huffed and plopped her backside on the floor in frustration.

Why did she have to grant Chrysalis an audience when she was so tired? Why didn't she simply refuse, and not be presented with this possibility that things weren't as simple as they appeared on the surface? Why did Chrysalis suddenly have to be presented in a third dimensional manner?

"You are tired, dear sister, you need your rest. Everything will seem clearer in the morning, once you have gotten some sleep to clear your mind," Luna said as she nuzzled Celestia's neck in a comforting manner.

Celestia blinked. Luna had dropped her old world manner of speech in addressing her. That was quite unlike her. This situation must've been a lot bigger than she thought if her sister was speaking in the modern dialect so freely.

"Come, dear sister, everything will be better after you have slept. Tomorrow things will make much more sense. As always, I shall guard the night, and watch over the kingdom, and our subjects. You have done enough for today," Luna told her as she used her magic to bring Celestia back into a standing position.

Celestia sighed as Luna took the lead away from her, escorting her back to her chambers like she herself had done for her so many centuries ago, when they were both so much younger, so much more carefree. The irony of it all. Somewhere along the line, Luna had grown up and matured considerably, and wasn't hesitating to show such right now. Even if she wanted to drag her hooves, she suspected it wouldn't do any good to slow her down.

The next few minutes were a blur, Celestia barely catching what was taking place before her. Somewhere along the line, Luna had managed to bring her back to her chambers and tuck her into bed, pulling the covers up over to her neck before casting a sleep spell on her in order to guarantee she slept rather than laying up all night worrying.

"Clever little filly," was the last conscious thought to go through her mind.

"Rest, dear sister, leave everything to us..."

The throne room was empty except for his presence. Not even laborer ponies were present to fix the aftermath of Twilight Sparkle's fury.

Then again he wasn't entirely certain how anyone would go about repairing this degree of damage. The fact that the marble structure along the floor had been melted indicated a significant amount of heat involved with her attack; over fifteen hundred degrees Fahrenheit was necessary to perform such a feat, and leave behind nothing but a long trail of polished stone as smooth as glass.

Perhaps Twilight Sparkle truly could have killed him in that instant if he was in his present state. If she had focused such a wide beam into a concentrated area, he had doubts that his hierro would've been able to withstand the sheer cutting force behind it. It would seem he'd managed to escape death yet again.

Or, considering the intensity of Twilight Sparkle's rage, at the very least he'd managed to escape having his skin peeled/burnt from his frame all the way down to his musculature.

"What's the current state of Princess Celestia?" Ulquiorra asked without even turning from his crouching position, as he continued inspecting the floor, causing Princess Luna to stumble in surprise. Did she truly think she could sneak up on him? Surely she would've learned to give that up by now.

"Currently asleep and getting the rest that she ist in desperate need of," Princess Luna replied and sighed, also feeling tired from the day's events. She'd been awakened far too early, and gone through a great deal herself. She'd be retiring early this evening, maybe leave a note asking her sister to lower the moon for her due to exhaustion. But first, there were other matters at hoof to deal with. However, her sister's past with Chrysalis was not one of them. She would more thoroughly question her at a later time when they were both more rested than currently, and less likely to snap at one another. "How do we proceed from this point?" she asked as she stepped closer to him.

"How do you mean?"

Princess Luna blinked at his words. "What doth thou mean by how do we mean? Hast thou ceased thine investigation into this matter already?" she asked.

"I have not. However at current time I'm without any leads to follow up on, and a proper investigation can't be carried out while confined to the palace and on my own. My intellect doesn't render me unstoppable," Ulquiorra explained.

"Thou art not alone in the matter. Even if the Elements of Harmony art away in Ponyville, we art still here to assist thee," Princess Luna stated.

Ulquiorra slowly stood up from his crouching position and turned to face her, studying her closely at her words. He truly hadn't seen this one coming. "You still trust me, despite everything that's happened here today? Even when Princess Celestia does not?" he asked flatly, finding the notion difficult to believe.

"Our sister didst initiate much that occurred on this day. We didst warn her that things could go wrong in her gamble. She doth share part of whatever blame doth go around. Rest assured, we art not at our happiest with thee's actions today. Thy deception, while warranted based upon what we hath heard others speaking of, hath left us with a measurable uncertainty and unease. But thou hast protected our friends at least twice, and saved them from harm. We art willing to ignore the less than tasteful actions thou hast engaged in, in recognition of such feats," Princess Luna responded. "Furthermore if there truly is a threat worse than Discord loose in this world, we shalt need all the help we can get, in vanquishing it to protect Equestria from future harm. This situation, 'tis bigger than all of us. We cannot bicker about unimportant matters if we are to be successful."

It was a highly logical way of looking at the situation. Princess Luna certainly had no real reason to trust him after everything that'd happened. Yet she recognized that the nation itself might be under the threat of siege, and was willing to set her personal feelings aside in favor of the greater good. That would be quite beneficial in this situation. There was no need to be "friends" to accomplish this goal; he certainly hadn't been "friends" with the other Espada, and it hadn't interfered with their ability to accomplish their assigned tasks.

"Thou might not be permitted beyond these palace walls, but there art more ways than one to communicate with the outside world, and our subjects within it. Art thou interested?" Princess Luna asked.

"More magic I assume?" Ulquiorra asked. He hadn't seen any signs that would indicate this world possessed anything similar to telephones or computers, and he had his doubts about the mail services at this hour; surely the dragon Spike didn't serve as the community mailbox at all hours of the day.

Now that he thought about that, it still seemed strange how he could be used to send and receive letters via enchanted blasts of fire. Even after he'd seen a demonstration, it still seemed preposterous.

"Magic like thou hast never seen before. Prepare thyself for journey Ulquiorra Cifer, for the world thou art about to see is unlike anything else this world will have to offer..."

Chapter Thirty One

Chapter Thirty One

Deja vu. It was the best way he could think of to explain what he was experiencing right now. It was a dark, boundless void of absolute nothingness, stretching on as far as his eyes could see, and infinitely beyond even that extensive unit of measure. There were no sights, no sounds, no smells, no physical sensations of any sort to experience; not even ground beneath his feet.

An absolute nothingness, with only his presence, and that of Princess Luna beside him, to provide contrast.

"What is this place?" Ulquiorra asked, noting that unlike the last void he could hear his own voice and was not limited purely to his own thoughts and observations.

"This, Ulquiorra Cifer, is a world that few art ever allowed to experience. 'Tis the realm of dreams, and 'tis our domain to watch over during the night. Thou hast been granted passage here due to the severity of the situation," Princess Luna explained.

A strange explanation. The realm of dreams? During his conversation with Princess Luna in the Canterlot throne room she'd touched his forehead with her horn, he sensed her reiatsu increasing...and then they were here in this endless blackness that didn't even seem to have a floor to it.

Then again with everything he'd seen in a period of less than two weeks -the most recent encounter being a large sentient insectoid that explained how they fed on intangible emotions like other species did vegetables- perhaps this wasn't all that hard to believe. Perhaps it was time to stop being skeptical about everything. Could it truly be that in this world, things really were as simple as they appeared, and there were no underlying connotations to wrestle with?

Unlikely. But for now he was simply an observer and nothing more.

"For what purpose?" Ulquiorra asked. What good would this do him right now? As he spoke he noticed the void beginning to fill with what appeared to be wisps of semi-dense fog.

"Due to the circumstances we find ourselves in, we believe communicating with our friends at once is most prudent. And a resting mind is infinitely sharper than one suffering from sleep deprivation. Hence a conversation in the realm of dreams is the proper way at current time. Now be silent, we must concentrate in order to locate the dreams of our friends, and bring them forth. 'Tis not an easy task."

Ulquiorra watched in silence as Princess Luna closed her eyes and sat down on whatever served as ground in this darkened emptiness, her horn glowing as wisps of the fog-like structures began moving back and forth in front of her, being sorted through like the card holder drawers at an old library. It appeared she knew what she was doing, but to him it was all a mystery, as he saw no inner details to indicate what she was seeing, sensing, or otherwise trying to locate.

"Huzzah! We hath found Rainbow Dash!" Princess Luna stated with excitement as she opened her eyes. However once she did her eyes went wide with surprise. "Oh dear. Thou may wish to-"

She was interrupted as a multicolored blur came hurtling through the fog, with all the excitement of a body crashing through a plate glass window, bits of the ethereal material flying in every direction like shrapnel.

"-duck," Princess Luna finished.

A loud thud immediately sounded as the multicolored blur came to an immediate halt against Ulquiorra's frame, making it very easy to identify the source of the destruction as Rainbow Dash herself, dressed in a brightly colored blue and yellow spandex getup, symbols of confusion flying around her head like planets orbiting in a solar system at high speed.

"Who put that mountain there?" Rainbow Dash asked as her head bobbed about freely.

"That's the second time you've regarded me as a mountain after having crashed into me," Ulquiorra commented as he looked down at her, "and what precisely are you wearing?"

At hearing his voice, Rainbow Dash shook her head to rid herself of the dizziness and the spinning confusion symbols, before looking up at him through the goggles that still hung on her face. "Hey what're you doing here? And get your hands off the Wonderbolts greatest Captain ever!" she stated and leaped away from him. "You could get arrested for doing crazy stuff like that!"

The strange outfit, the title of Captain and the name of the organization he recognized from hearing once before. It was enough for him to get the jest of what her dream had been about. Without a word, he pointed behind her until she turned and saw Princess Luna looking back at her.

"Princess Luna? What's going on here?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"We art afraid 'twas necessary to interrupt thou's dream of excellence, Rainbow Dash. Due to certain circumstances, we didst believe conversing with everypony at once, and immediately, was the best option. And to avoid disturbing anyone's sleep, a meeting in the realm of dreams is the only way to achieve such," Princess Luna explained.

"Hold up. This is a dream?" Rainbow Dash asked, finally stopping to remove her goggles and peel back the hood of her Wonderbolts uniform. "So I'm not the greatest Captain ever?"

"Not currently, but perhaps one day thou shalt be. For now though, thou art our friend, and 'tis a matter of importance that we speak with all our friends," Princess Luna explained. "If thou wilt be patient, we shalt set out to locate the others now."

Rainbow Dash watched curiously and scratched her head in confusion, as Princess Luna went back to browsing through the fog to find the other ponies that made up the Elements of Harmony. She then turned her attention to Ulquiorra as he stood and observed in silence.

"So how'd you get here anyway?" Rainbow Dash finally asked in a low whisper. "I thought you said you didn't sleep. And if you don't sleep you can't dream... at least I don't think you can..."

"Royal escort. Apparently the situation has changed," Ulquiorra replied simply and left it at that. Princess Luna requested silence as she worked, he intended to allow her such.

More silence between them, as Princess Luna worked to locate the others. Silence that Rainbow Dash seemed intent on disturbing and violating, in the same way her mane violated the basic laws of biology.

"Um..." she mumbled as she looked in his direction again, uncertainty apparent on her face as she did so. "Look I've tried ignoring stuff, but it's not working, and I really need to know. What you said earlier during the chase... did you really mean all that stuff back there? About me being like... like you?" she asked.

He studied her in silence as she waited for an answer. The fact her muzzle was no longer bandaged, and her voice was no longer distorted, at least lent credibility to the notion of this truly being the realm of dreams rather than real life. He'd inspected the damage himself, there was no way the swelling would've gone down that fast after everything that'd happened today; especially not after she crashed into him again just a few minutes ago.

"Does it disturb you to consider the possibility that you don't know everything about yourself?" Ulquiorra asked her. It was an entirely rhetorical question to ask, as he knew full well it was a source of discomfort and disturbance to many, to be confronted by facts about themselves, that they had never given consideration to for whatever reason. It was no surprise that the pegasus was disturbed by his observation regarding her personality and her nature.

"More than I care to admit," Rainbow Dash mumbled. "I've gotta know. Please? I have to know if that's what I'm really like."

Ulquiorra now found himself in an interesting situation. What exactly should he do? Should he be brutally honest with Rainbow Dash in answering her question, and let her deal with the aftermath since she wanted to know so badly? Or should he exercise self-restraint, and make an effort to spare her feelings, in an effort to maintain whatever group cohesion they possessed as he still needed their help? Like it or not, he needed these ponies, just as they needed him. He had to adjust his manner of behavior accordingly to ensure success, or the consequences to be had would be disastrous.

However before he had the chance to say anything in response Princess Luna spoke up as she turned her attention toward them. "We require silence in order to perform the task at hoof. If we art to locate the rest of our friends, we must be able to concentrate properly. We request that thee keep thy discussions to thyself until all art present and accounted for," she stated, her voice carrying an edge of tone that indicated it wasn't a mere request to be considered and potentially ignored, but rather an order of conduct to abide by.

The two watched in ordered silence as Princess Luna returned to the task at hand -or hoof depending on who was questioned- of trying to locate the others bearers of the Elements of Harmony, various wisps of fog being sorted through, and pushed aside in favor of new and unexplored ones.

It was likely going to be a long wait in this strange, strange world.

Rarity. Applejack. Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy. Spike. Twilight Sparkle. One by one each of them was brought forth from their own dreams, in a state ironically looking like they were being telepathically carried through, while still in their sleep, and gently placed on whatever served as the ground. Ulquiorra assumed that once the six had been located and brought forth, that would be the last of it, and the meeting could be started.

That is until Princess Luna brought forth Princess Celestia, just as she had the other six, and deposited her off to the side. Most curious.

"Our sister doth need to be read into what is taking place. And as said, a resting mind is far sharper than one that is deprived of sleep," Princess Luna stated in response to the unasked question.

It made a considerable amount of sense. During his efforts to inform Princess Celestia of recent developments, discoveries, and theories she'd been short and not allowed a proper explanation. Considering the potential sensitivity of the situation, it was only logical to bring her in as well.

He observed as one by one, the others began to rouse from whatever slumber had been induced upon them by Princess Luna, likely for the purpose of avoiding another run in as was experienced with Rainbow Dash. The fewer redundant explanations he had to carry out the better.

"Wha's goin' on?" Applejack mumbled as she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "An' why's it so dark?"

"This doesn't look anything like the lecture on the realities of transdimensional theory I was giving at Canterlot University," Twilight mumbled in a similar manner, before shaking her head to try and clear the drowsiness away. Looking around, she didn't see anything familiar except for her friends and... why was Princess... why was... 'Tia... here as well?

"Welcome back dear friends," Princess Luna spoke up, hastening the transition into a fully awake status. That was assuming one could truly be awake in the realm of dreams. Perhaps it was best to instead classify their presence, as a conscious-like state suitable for communication in a dream realm crossroads meeting.

That didn't sound right. That didn't sound right at all...

"My word, whatever happened?" Rarity asked as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. The look on her face easily told her confusion as she looked around. "Before we turned in, weren't we all at the library at Twilight's insistence?"

"I think so," Fluttershy replied and rubbed at the back of her head, feeling like she'd landed on it.

"Yeah, Twilight called us all over to apologize to Dashie about the whole Mare Do Well thingy, and then we settled in for a sleepover," Pinkie stated, seemingly the least fazed of all of them.

"I'll take your word for it," Spike replied as he stood up finally. "What I wanna know is why we're all here in this black... place..." he said as he looked around and found nothing but themselves present.

"Thou art all still sleeping so there is no need to worry. Thou were brought from thine own dreams, into the realm of dreams directly, so that we might speak with each of thee without disturbing thy much needed rest," Princess Luna explained.

"Ooh! Ooh!" Pinkie Pie stated and bounced enthusiastically. "That means we can have a dreamland pajama party!"

Ulquiorra found himself caught off guard as the entire area was flooded by a blinding flash of light that faded away as immediately as it came, leaving all of the ponies -and Spike- behind and dressed in what he could only assume passed for night clothing in this world. The mortals of the group were wearing what appeared to be T-shirts that were color coordinated to fit each of them. The Princesses were dressed in a similar but significantly more regal manner in terms of shirts, and for some reason, they had socks on their hind legs as well.

"What happened?" he asked evenly as he faced Princess Luna... who seemed to be having a hard time controlling her emotional state.

"Lucid dreamers," she snorted, "sometimes have considerable," she tried to suppress a growing chuckle, "control over the way things play out in the dream world," she finished, sounding as if she was in a rush to complete her sentence before a bout of giggles could overtake her.

Rainbow Dash's response was far more vocal, and floored her as she roared with uncontrollable laughter that left her powerless to speak.

"What exactly is so funny?" he asked. He was responded to by a mirror being summoned before him.

His appearance had been utterly defiled.

Just as the others had been dressed in a manner he assumed was appropriate for sleep, he too had been dressed. Fluffy white bunny slippers on his feet. A two piece pair of dark blue pajamas with stars, crescent moons, and clouds. And a night cap with a fluffy white ball on the very end of it.

By now all of the others were joining in on the hysterics, even Twilight Sparkle. For whatever reason, the ludicrousness of his getup seemed to have a paralyzing effect on them.

"Leave me out of whatever nonsense you find amusing," Ulquiorra replied simply, grasping the neck of the top by two fingers in the collar, and ripping it off his frame, the pants and slippers in tow, and leaving him behind clad in his normal Espada garb -jacket included- the nightcap nowhere to be found. "Now is not the time for foolishness."

Princess Luna continued chuckling for several more seconds, before finally getting ahold of herself and straightened up, coughing and clearing her throat to get the attention of the others, and more or less bring them under control.

"Ulquiorra Cifer is correct. 'Tis quite serious, and not the time for joyous laughter," she stated, "the matter at present requires all of us to be on the same page, and at the same time due to the complexity of what we art currently facing."

"And what exactly are we facing, dear sister?" Princess Celestia asked, speaking up for the first time since her arrival here. It'd been a very, very long time since she'd last been here with Luna.

Princess Luna looked over at Ulquiorra and nodded once. He regarded her for a moment, before finally stepping forward to address the gathered masses.

"Six of those present have already been made aware of the situation and the theories regarding it. This explanation is for the benefit of the other three who were not present originally, as I can't verify their level of knowledge," Ulquiorra explained as he faced Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike. He waited a moment to ensure they understood, before continuing the briefing.

"Due to several statements made by the ponies Fluttershy and Rarity, a matter too significant to be passed off as merely being coincidence, has been brought to our attention. My arrival in Equestria occurred approximately thirteen days ago, due to the deliberate actions of Discord. For reasons completely unknown to us, the spirit of chaos chose to cross the boundaries between dimensions, in order to locate me, and bring me back to life here in this new world. In that time, two specifics events have occurred within closer proximity to one another. The first occurred four days after my arrival, and came in the form of a dragon taking up residency in caves nearby; not an entirely unusual occurrence from what I've heard. However no one present seems to remember the last time a dragon settling in for a nap awoke a mere ten hours into it; a time that strangely coincides with the arrival of a group of six ponies sent to motivate it to leave."

He paused briefly in his explanation to evaluate the three who were most likely to benefit from his words. So far they seemed to be paying attention to his words, and didn't appear to be hopelessly lost. That was good. He could continue.

"Eight days afterward brings us to the second event that has occurred, that being the changeling invasion. Again this is not an impossible or unlikely occurrence from what I've heard. However the timing of this event is highly suspicious. Individually either one of these occurrences could simply be regarded as a normal occurrence, or a matter of simple coincidence, as they have taken place in the past; however not with such frequency. From these two separate incidents, we can gather three specific similarities. They are-" Ulquiorra began but was interrupted as Twilight Sparkle began speaking.

"Both events resulted in us being targeted, and directly involved in a manner that could cause the Elements of Harmony to become unusable, and render Equestria defenseless. Both events also occurred within a period of less than twenty four hours that coincided with each of your two visits to Ponyville, and meeting with us. And both events didn't occur until after you arrived in Equestria," she stated.

Silence. Utter silence as everyone looked at her in either surprise, confusion, or amazement.

"Am I right?" she asked as she looked back in his direction. "Listening as you talked, it seemed like the only three things that really made sense, and directly corresponded," she explained.

Quite impressive. Twilight Sparkle had been able to correctly extrapolate the three significant factors from each of the two events, simply by listening to him give a briefing of what each event consisted of, and how the timing was suspicious when viewed by someone who wasn't native to this world, or accustomed to whatever routine was had. A rather respectable degree of critical thinking.

"That is correct," he replied and nodded once. That saved him from needing to give the details. "You can see why this appears to be suspicious," he said, more to Princess Celestia than anyone else present.

"I'll admit that when the matter is presented in such a way it... does seem rather strange. Now that you mention it, it's quite strange. I don't really seem to remember a frequency of crises occurring like that before," Princess Celestia stated and rubbed her chin with her hoof. "But ultimately what do you think it means? Do you believe there's a significance to all of this?" she asked.

"I do. However I see little point in explaining the matter to you specifically at present time," Ulquiorra replied flatly.

"Say wha'?" Applejack asked, utterly surprised by what he'd just said.

"Ulquiorra Cifer, what art thou getting at?" Princess Luna more or less demanded to know.

Ulquiorra chose to ignore their questions directly, opting to address Princess Celestia directly instead. They would get their answers, but only in the manner that he determined to be most appropriate. "To put in simple terms you don't trust me. This in and of itself is a wise policy to maintain, but your distrust wavers considerably from one moment to the next, and is unacceptable. What has to be said is of considerable importance, and there is no room for indecision. You need to commit fully to a single standard. Either distrust me, and I will work with those present that are willing to assist. Or drop your suspicions, and accept the facts that you have seen for yourself. Twice since my arrival, I have taken actions that have saved the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, despite knowing that while they remain alive, my existence could one day be threatened by them. Twice I have essentially saved the world of Equestria through my own intervention, when you have been unable to do so on your own," Ulquiorra explained, pausing to let his words sink in.

He could hear the mumbles coming from the others present, but his focus was primarily on Princess Celestia as she remained silent. And seeing as she was saying nothing in opposition, he pressed on in his address.

"There's nothing I can do that will make you trust me. I'm not naive enough to believe that a few good deeds, regardless of their size, will undo what you've seen when you've scanned my memories. But like it or not, this is an impasse that cannot be addressed without cooperation. Regardless of how you may feel about my actions during our staged combat, this is an issue of true severity that we're all facing right now. Like it or not, there's reason to believe that I'm your best hope of protecting Equestria from future dangers."

Celestia remained silent as she listened to Ulquiorra talk. She had to admit that he was technically correct, about how his actions had saved Equestria twice already. Had the dragon killed Twilight and her friends... or had Fluttershy remained undiscovered as the changelings increased the density of their invasion... she knew what the answer was to both scenarios, but she didn't want to think about it.

"And what brings you to this conclusion regarding your continued importance to this world?" she asked cautiously. He was presenting her with a rather demanding and tall order right now.

"Because you apparently trust Discord, despite the nature of his being, and what he's capable of doing if he so wishes. And for whatever reason, Discord has seen fit to bring me into this world. This brings us back to the topic of earlier discussion concerning the statements made by Fluttershy and Rarity. These statements have resulted in the discovery of five very specific questions for which we currently have no answers," Ulquiorra explained.

"Five? I thought you said there were only four questions," Rainbow Dash stated.

"Yeah, Ulqy, what gives?" Pinkie asked.

"The fifth question was discovered after you left for the evening to return home," Ulquiorra replied, before returning his attention to the three who hadn't been present the first time around. "Do you care to hear the questions?"

It was entirely rhetorical in nature as he planned on informing them regardless of what they wished. The matter was far too big for this group to be fragmented, no matter how much he might try on his own to make it work. From what he'd seen, these ponies relied on teamwork almost like they relied on air or food.

And swaying Princess Celestia over to their side would be quite beneficial if it could be done. To have the support of both halves of the diarchy would greatly bolster their chances of success.

"...What are these questions?" Princess Celestia finally asked, wanting to get to the bottom of his whole matter at once. Once she had a better understanding of what Ulquiorra was thinking, she could better decide how to proceed from here on out.

"Keeping in mind the two previously mentioned events, regarding the dragon, and then the changelings, the first question is whether or not Discord knew of these events, and how they would transpire if they were allowed to play out uninterrupted. Did he know that these six would die, or that Equestria might fall if something wasn't done to change the events of the future?" Ulquiorra asked.

The others had already sat through this and three other questions, and were very familiar with what was up. Instead of worrying about the details, they watched the other three to see what reactions they'd have. So far just blank looks and silence.

Ulquiorra took it as a cue to continue speaking unopposed.

"Assuming the first question is accurate, and he was taking preventative measures, the second question is why Discord chose me specifically. In my world alone, four other Espada died before I did, along with countless other Arrancar. I don't even want to consider what the available stock was, if the spirit of chaos was actively browsing who knows how many other different worlds and realities. What exactly was it about me specifically, that caused him to decide I was right for the job?"

Celestia had no answers to offer up at this question. Why exactly had Discord selected Ulquiorra? She suspected it wasn't the simple matter of him being interesting in nature, and a perfect candidate for learning about the magic of friendship; at least not entirely. Now here he was, asking the same question she was suspecting. What had made Ulquiorra so special? What separated him from the other Espada?

Then again, from Ulquiorra's own report, out of all the others he seemed to be the most calm, cool, and level headed, as well as the one most likely to follow orders that were given by one in charge. And his strength was quite noteworthy; that was impossible to deny, even if she hadn't given the matter her utmost priority. Perhaps he was selected for being a near-perfect blend of all the above, and those traits allowed him to best fit whatever Discord had in mind?

Off to the side she saw Twilight heavily engrossed, a chalkboard hovering in front of her, as she scribbled about like mad on it, her tongue cocked out of the side of her mouth in concentration. However she had little time to observe her student's work, as Ulquiorra began speaking again.

"Assuming Discord was indeed taking preventative measures in order to protect Equestria, the third question is why he himself is not able to act in a direct manner. From the research of Equestria's history regarding his last appearance, it seems safe to assume Discord's powers and abilities are limited only by the boundaries of his own imagination and self restraint. If Discord's abilities are as vast as they seem, why would he be unable to directly interfere with future events that would soon transpire? Why would he need the help of an outside party, if a simple snap of the fingers and the will to do something, was all that was needed?"

Now Celestia felt the sensation of nervousness running up her entire spine. She'd never stopped to consider the notion of something being beyond Discord's control. It was true he kept his powers in check, and had never directly targeted other living beings in a manner that would kill them... at least not to an extent she was ever aware of. Could it be true that Discord's powers couldn't be used in a manner that would directly cause death, and that's why he hadn't done anything regarding the dragon? No that couldn't be it, Discord wouldn't have had to kill the dragon, he could've just made it leave the caves and head elsewhere via teleportation.

Or, knowing Discord's penchant for random chaos, he could've simply turned the dragon's smoke into cherry pie filling.

Off to the side she heard the loud gulp of nervousness coming from Spike as he began to bite at his nails. Twilight seemed too stunned to do anything but stare, the chalk she'd held now resting on whatever served as the floor here.

And just like a predator detecting blood and injury, Ulquiorra continued even further, unabated by the fear around him.

"Assuming Discord did know of the events that were about to occur, and needed an outside force to act in order to save not only Equestria, but those that hold the Elements of Harmony, the fourth question is how much he knows. Specifically, what events does the future hold, that he himself is incapable of dealing with despite his vast powers? If the spirit of chaos was incapable of dealing with either a solitary dragon, or the changeling invasion, then what will the third event be that he's powerless to affect?"

"W-w-what!?" Twilight shrieked at his words. Discord powerless to do something? It was impossible! Discord was quite possibly the most powerful being in existence, bound only by the depths of his own imagination, and able to do whatever he wanted, the only thing more capable than him being the Elements of Harmony themselves... well that and his friendship with them, especially Fluttershy and Pinkie, but still... the idea of Discord being... being... she gulped nervously, unable to finish that thought.

She suddenly felt something very soft and downy laid across her back. Looking up she saw Princess... she saw 'Tia... sitting next to her, and extending a wing over her out from under the shirt Pinkie had dressed her in. Apparently she could tell how upset she was and, was responding accordingly.

Right now, despite everything that'd happened previously, she really didn't feel it within her to shirk away. Right now it was all so comforting, as her mind considered the possibilities she was presented with. The terrible, horrible, frighting possibilities that just oozed pure, unadulterated nightmare fuel!

"These are certainly some disturbing thoughts to entertain," Princess Celestia stated, uncertain what else to say as she tried her best to be both comforting, and sagely at the same time. "So you have reason to believe that what's happened so far, is just the beginning of whatever events might be unfolding?" she asked.

Now it was Ulquiorra's turn to be silent in thought. For a moment anyway.

"I believe it's the safest assumption to make," he replied, uncertain of what else to say in response to the question. What reason did they have to assume that only two incidents would be all there was, and the matter had been concluded? Things simply didn't work that way... at least not back in the dimension he came from. "At present time the hypothesis can be neither confirmed nor denied. However the timing of everything that's happened up to this point is highly suspicious; too suspicious to be coincidental."

"So there are no new theories on the matter?" Rarity asked.

"At present time no. The interrogation of Chrysalis revealed nothing beneficial. If anything it only deepened the mystery at hand," Ulquiorra replied.

"Wait a second," Twilight spoke up, "Rarity? You and the others knew all about this already?" she asked.

"Quite so, darling, Ulquiorra read us in on it after you left our little group. I must say it's rather dreadful to consider," Rarity replied. "We intended to tell you and Spike about all of this at Ulquiorra's request. But last night... well tonight actually, was so chaotic in nature, we all figured it would be best to wait until you were better rested and able to focus, before dropping this unpleasant discovery on you," she explained.

"Making this a most proper setting, as everypony is thinking clearly at present, and not overcome by emotion or exhaustion. If we doth wish, we could spend the entire night discussing, and thou wouldst not feel the least bit tired," Princess Luna explained.

"If y'all don' mind, ah'd like ta hear jus' what this fifth question is that Mr. Cifer was talkin' 'bout earlier, before we move onta anythin' else," Applejack spoke up.

"Thou may think otherwise after hearing it," Princess Luna muttered, before turning to the Espada and nodding for him to inform them of what he had her, hoping that they could cope with the revelation on top of everything else.

Ulquiorra nodded in response before stepping back out of the crowd to address all of them directly. "The entire basis for the original four questions, has been the assumption that the two incidents over the last eight days were separate incidents, the only connection being those that hold the Elements of Harmony being targeted and threatened. We cannot ignore the possibility that this hypothesis is entirely incorrect. We must also consider the possibility that these two incidents are actually connected directly. If such is the case, we are presented with the fifth question; is another party involved in the matter? If so, then we must ask who, or what, this other party is. Further, we must ask how this party relates to Discord; specifically, what type of entity has sufficient influence that Discord himself cannot directly interfere, with whatever plan has been put into motion? And if this is truly the case, then how is my involvement beneficial?"

There were many different types of silence that would be experienced. The current silence that overtook the group, was what could best be described as a dead silence. Not a single word from anyone present.

Being that they were all... he wasn't entirely certain what they were right now. Dream representations of their physical beings perhaps? Whatever they were, he found that it was impossible to utilize his pesquisa here to gauge the fluctuations in their respective reiatsu levels. He couldn't even establish a baseline reading right now; he might as well be staring at a pile of rocks right now.

"You believe..." Princess Celestia began, being the first to actually speak up after being presented with the last question, "that somewhere in this world, there's a mystery being with enough power to eclipse Discord, and is actively targeting Twilight and the others, because they hold the Elements of Harmony?" she asked.

He examined her. Reiatsu wasn't detectable in this world, but facial expressions were. Hers were minute in nature, not the stone chiseled appearance she attempted to maintain throughout the day when dealing with her subjects and petitioners. If he had to guess, he would say hers were of concern. Perhaps she was seeking to assure the holders of the Elements of Harmony that such a situation was an impossibility?

"It is merely a theory to try and make sense of what has been happening, and provide a logical explanation for everything. Right now the "bigger fish" hypothesis seems to make the most sense, in explaining what has happened over the course of the last thirteen days. My appearance in your world, preempting two serious incidents, either of which would cause devastation to Equestria and the surrounding territory? If you possess a more likely theory I would be interested to hear it," Ulquiorra replied. If there was something to believe in he would much rather believe that someone or something was directly responsible for everything that was going on, rather than the notion of everything truly being random chance and coincidence.

"Um..." Fluttershy spoke up, "I guess I could always ask Discord if something's up. If he knows then surely he'd tell us... I think..."

"Would he?" Applejack asked as she stood up and faced the shy pegasus. "Ah know Discord's reformed an' all, but ah still don' trust 'im all that much. Ah don' think he'd be honest even if we asked 'im directly. Y'know how much he loves his games an' all," she pointed out. "Jus' 'cause he ain' exactly evil, don' exactly mean he's good either."

She hadn't forgotten about the conversation she'd had with Ulquiorra at their first meeting; she wasn't certain she actually could forget something like what he'd dropped on her so casually. She'd never before considered the possibility that Discord wasn't evil, and now that she had given it consideration, she wasn't certain what to think anymore. It did kinda make sense when you looked at it; Nightmare Moon had been destroyed by the Elements of Harmony and left Princess Luna unharmed, and Nightmare Moon's goal of eternal night would've had the effect of depopulating the world through mass starvation, so she could've been seen as evil. But Discord? If he was evil, then how come he was only encased in stone rather than being destroyed?

Unfortunately that line of thinking had the unintended consequence of leaving her questioning a lot of other things since then. What if this entire time, she'd been looking at things wrongly? If Discord wasn't evil then who was? Were the changelings evil? And if they were, did that make locusts and grasshoppers evil as well? They all more or less behaved similarly in the name of survival, choosing to focus on themselves than those around them that might be affected by their actions.

And if Discord wasn't evil, and the changelings weren't evil, then what in this world truly was evil?

Ulquiorra remained silent and observed their interactions. He was certain that the hypothesis of there being something worse than Discord loose in their world would have driven them into hysterics; the original four questions had certainly disturbed the majority of the group earlier on in the evening. Perhaps not having physical bodies was what kept them calm right now. Without a physical body hardwired to engage in the fight or flight response, and no corresponding adrenal gland, perhaps it was impossible to panic. Then again that theory didn't explain Spike's nervous reaction only a few minutes ago.

He could speculate as to the perceived inconsistency... but at the moment he became distracted as Rainbow Dash spoke up.

"So lemme see if I get what you're saying, because I'm kinda lost here," she stated as she stood up from where she'd been sitting. "In addition to your theories that Discord decided to involve you to prevent disasters in Equestria, you also think there's something out there right now that's worse than Discord, using various villains and threats against us, is just getting started, and can somehow prove resistant to what Discord can do, when we don't even know the full limits of just what Discord can do?" she asked.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied. A rather vague generalization of what he'd been explaining up to this point, and devoid of the finer points of discussion, but correct nonetheless. At least Rainbow Dash was able to follow along with the train of thought.

"Ha! I knew it!" Rainbow Dash yelled excitedly and turned to face Twilight. "See, Twi', I told you so! That means it's gotta be real; Slender Mane DOES exist!"

Slender Mane? A most curious statement for the cyan pegasus to be making.

"Ugh," Twilight groaned and hung her head, "Rainbow Dash, we've been over this before; numerous times in fact. "Slender Mane" is nothing more than an urban legend designed to keep foals from trying to venture into the Everfree Forest. No such creature could possibly exist," she stated.

"Oh yeah, sure, an urban legend to keep foals out of the Everfree Forest, as if it isn't dangerous enough with what's known to be inside there. Come on, Twilight, that's just a stupid coverup story to hide the real truth of the matter," Rainbow Dash objected. "You've got all those books in the library that talks about this very subject. Creatures of old from beyond the stars just lying in wait, creatures that could make Discord burst into flames just by looking at him. How can somepony as well read as you, not believe in Slender Mane?" she asked.

"Rainbow Dash, those are nothing more than works of fiction. H.P. Lovecolt was a fictional writer, not a scientist, or even an archeologist. His works were meant as a source of entertainment. They're not meant to be taken seriously. I can say with certainty that nothing like Slender Mane, or anything from Lovecolt's novels, exists in this world," Twilight stated firmly.

Ulquiorra quirked an eyebrow. Were these two quite serious about whether or not fictional creations existed in this world?

Then again, he was asking his question about the interactions between a pegasus and a unicorn... in the presence of a dragon, two alicorns, and a handful of other talking ponies. Who exactly was he to be passing judgement in this case?

"Oh come on, Twilight, you can't just write it off as being the work of fiction. They could exist and nopony knows, because anybody who sees them goes mad from the revelation. They could be out there in the Everfree Forest right now, hiding in plain sight, and anybody who sees them goes insane and is never heard from again!" Rainbow Dash protested.

"Rainbow Dash," Twilight muttered through grit teeth, stopping only to take ragged breaths in an effort to calm herself before she said something she'd regret... again. "The physical requirements for such a creation to exist would be astronomical, to the point of physical impossibility. The size of such, able to dwarf even a large dragon, would require a massive bone density, to ensure their skeletal structure doesn't snap under their own weight. The density needed to support their frame would cause them to weigh so much, simply trying to move would cause a fatal heart attack to occur from just trying to move a single limb. And with each step they could successfully take, if they existed, they'd cause the ground to quake, and everypony would notice it. What makes you think such a being could possibly exist in this world, when they're scientifically impossible?" she asked, hammering the physical impossibilities home as hard as she could.

"Exhibit A," Rainbow Dash replied without missing a beat, gesturing with her foreleg in Ulquiorra's direction. She'd seen the physically impossible things he'd done in his time here, ranging from the dragon, to the flying, to withstanding her Sonic Rainboom, and withstanding his fight against Princess Celestia. That had to amount to proof of concept or something... right?

Rather curious. Rainbow Dash was using his presence and existence, to try and prove her theory about fictional creatures existing in their world was a possibility? Rather well played actually.

Off to the side, he noticed as Pinkie Pie burst out laughing, clapping her front hooves together in absolute amusement, as Twilight Sparkle sputtered in response. It would seem the one regarded for being the most intelligence had been bested by the one regarded for being... not the most intelligent. Had Rainbow Dash set this entire discussion up at the mention of "Slender Mane" and lead the unicorn into a trap? He wouldn't admit it out loud, but even he was mildly impressed if that was truly the case.

The mayhem, however, was interrupted as Princess Luna brought her wings forward, placing her two forward primaries between her lips, and performed what he could only assume was a whistle in the archaic royal voice, bringing everyone's attention back to her, instead of what else was currently going on.

"As much as we art entertained by this witty banter, we wish to make something quite clear. What is being discussed is nothing more than speculation and unconfirmed hypothesis. We can assure thee that throughout history, there hath been no beings in existence who couldst overpower Discord. There is no reason to be concerned or afraid of such a notion," Princess Luna said as she did her best to reassure them. "We called all of thee here, so that thou might be brought up to date on the matter in an organized manner. Not so that thou may be terrified by ghost stories... even if it is the ghost telling the stories," she finished and chuckled weakly at her little joke. Sadly none of them seemed to share her humor.

"So then ultimately we've got five very good, and very disturbing, questions to which we have no answers, and a great big mystery on our hooves that deals with a lot of coincidence, that might or might not be connected with your appearance in this world," Spike elaborated, getting the gist of it all rather quickly. "Now that we've all got an idea of what the theory is, what're we supposed to do exactly?"

"One of two things," Ulquiorra began as he stepped forward into the middle of the gathered group. "The first available option was to read you, Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia in on the theory, and present each of you with the questions in an effort to gather knowledge. You and Twilight Sparkle were specifically informed, due to the simple fact I have found myself in a position where I need your help, strange as it may sound. As it was explained to the rest of your group, you're far more knowledgeable about the day-to-day occurrences in Ponyville than I am. If something were out of place, you would be far more likely to notice it than I would. I need you seven to keep me informed, and alert me of anything that stands out as being unusual," he explained, hoping this would be the last time such an explanation was necessary.

Twilight blinked. "Did you just say you needed us?" she asked.

"Trust me, Twi', it isn't easier to believe the second time hearing it," Rainbow Dash stated before turning to face Ulquiorra directly. "You said one of two things. If that's the first, then what's the other one?" she asked.

"Currently my permission to travel has been rescinded, due to the matter of my resurrección still being accessible, despite Princess Celestia's attempts at sealing it off. This is a result of trust issues, complicated by emotional and physical exhaustion from the day's events. And while she's free to do as she pleases, for whatever reason she wishes, I believe the current situation necessitates my free travel, if I'm to continue protecting you from the unexplained, and unexpected dangers that are potentially coming. If there truly is something making a move against the kingdom then, logically speaking, we will need to work together in a unified manner," he explained. He then slowly -almost deliberately slow- turned his attention to where Princess Celestia sat silently. "Wouldn't you agree with that assessment of the situation, Princess Celestia?"

On the outside, Celestia was the picture of calm and serenity, showing no visible signs of anything at all being wrong. It was the same veneer she wore when hearing petitioners from all walks of life, for long hours without end.

On the inside, however, she was a raging mass of absolute fury. She saw what Ulquiorra had done over the course of this conversation of his, and how he seemed to have done so without any effort. He'd made her ponies scared with his theories, and then more or less placed everypony's focus directly on her, putting her in a predicament where she had to make an unfavorable decision, and make it in a specific way, or she would be seen as the bad one; that was provided she wasn't already seen as such for what she'd done. Making her all the angrier, was the fact that Luna had helped him orchestrate the entire confrontation.

Was this his idea of payback for something she'd done to him over the course of his stay? Was that what this was about? She certainly hadn't seen anything vindictive in Ulquiorra's personality, but then again she hadn't seen the fact that he'd been hiding his release from her either. She wasn't entirely certain what to believe anymore. Right now she felt like she was facing off against him in a game of chess, and he was awaiting her next move, while already being fully prepared to counter no matter what piece she played.

Begrudgingly, she had to admit he was intelligent. To come up with something like this, while she'd been distracted trying to tend to Twilight's emotional meltdown, wasn't likely the easiest of things to do.

Her thought process however was distracted by the feel of something touching her foreleg. Looking down she found it to be Twilight, her hoof resting on her leg as she silently looked up at her, the look in her eyes quite similar in nature to those of a foal that was looking for acceptance from its mother. There were so, so many things she could say right now on the subject, and some of them were not very appropriate for young ears; not even those of someone with an extensive vocabulary of vulgarities, as Twilight had demonstrated possessing. But looking into those eyes, the eyes of the little filly she'd wound up causing so much unintended pain, only one thing came to her mind right now, only one conscious thought that she could hear above all others.

Checkmate.

"You present an interesting situation for consideration, Ulquiorra. I admit I hadn't considered the possibility of another party actually getting involved, and manipulating others to attack the Elements of Harmony, in an effort to throw Equestria into chaos. Perhaps bringing Discord under control has blinded me," she stated as she closed her eyes and sighed, doing her best to exercise diplomacy. "I have to admit that you have indeed saved the country, and quite possibly the world, twice already, and I should trust you more than I have been. I apologize for that. I will... reinstate your freedom of travel."

She hated being put in this predicament. But at the moment there was very little she could do in response. She'd have to wait for the proper opportunity to present itself before she could really do anything. Right now the only option available to her, was to allow things to happen at their own pace, all the while waiting and watching for the proper opportunity to respond accordingly.

"Yay!" Pinkie cheered excitedly. "This calls for a party! The biggest and bestest blowout Ponyville's seen yet! We've gotta make up for Ulqy missing his "Welcome to Ponyville" party and his "Welcome to Equestria" party and both of the "Ulqy saved the world" parties we missed out on!"

"Such extravagances aren't necessary," Ulquiorra commented dryly.

And perhaps the proper opportunity had just presented itself, in the form of the pink earth pony's obsessive focus on celebrations. This could have potential. She would've stroked her chin, if she didn't think the display would attract unwanted attention.

"Yes, Pinkie, a grand celebration to recognize our newest resident of Equestria, as well as our newest hero, does sound quite appropriate. We shall all be in attendance for this get together, once you can get it organized and kicked off. The only question is... should it be hosted in Ponyville or in Canterlot?" Princess Celestia asked as she slowly turned her gaze to Ulquiorra, grinning a small but mischievous grin at the Espada.

He didn't like parties? Well that was going to be too bad for him, as she intended for him to attend, and be not only the guest of honor, but the center of attention. And she was going to ensure his attendance, by being there as well. All things considered, it would be quite minor compared to everything that'd happened today. But in a way it felt quite fitting.

"You can count on me, Princess, this is gonna be the biggest blowout anypony's ever seen before!" Pinkie stated and bounced excitedly.

Ulquiorra remained silent in response. What could be said in response to this latest turn of events was something even he wouldn't say out loud.

He'd made the mistake of underestimating Princess Luna, and she'd nearly crushed him with her presence. Here he was eight days later, and his underestimating of Princess Celestia had him condemned to experience whatever it was that served as Pinkie Pie's obsession with noisy and colorful celebrations.

Well played, Princess Celestia, well played indeed.

Chapter Thirty Two

Chapter Thirty Two

"Um... Princess Luna?" Twilight spoke up, bringing the attention of the night princess to her. "Is there any way that I could speak to someone privately? Away from the others?" she asked.

Luna tilted her head in curiosity at the request. "We apologize, Twilight Sparkle, but attempting to maintain a cohesive environment, at the same time as sectioning it off, is not a possibility. If thou doth have something to say in private, thou couldst wait 'til morning comes. Or thou couldst trust thy friends to be understanding and respectful of what thou doth have to say," she replied.

Twilight looked around, her cheeks feeling warm as she considered what to do. What she had to say was really, really important. But at the same time, what she had to say was private in nature, and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted the others to hear it. But then again if she didn't say it now, she didn't know when she might have the opportunity to say it again.

She found herself feeling like she was being asked to perform on stage in front of others. She felt like she was in Trixie's place, but lacking the showmare's confidence in what she did in front of others and being the center of attention. Even if these were her friends and she still trusted them, that didn't exactly make it any easier. Making matters worse was the fact that all eyes were on her currently, expecting her to say something after hearing her request. She couldn't exactly say nothing now, not under these circumstances.

"Do we have enough time to talk? When exactly is dawn?" Twilight asked, wondering if everything could be postponed.

"Time, like all other things, Twilight Sparkle, is relative here. We hath seen entire years play out in the course of a single night. Thou art in no danger of running over an allotted time for the night. Speak freely and without worry," Princess Luna insisted, doing her best to ease the younger unicorn's worries.

So much for that idea. Looking around at all the faces looking back at her, she realized that there wasn't much else she could do other than be honest; anything less and somepony might be suspicious about why she asked about a private setting. So she took a breath to steady herself, and summon her courage before addressing them.

"What I wanted to do was apologize. But thinking over it, I've come to realize that I've got a lot of ponies to apologize to for everything I've done," Twilight said slowly. So far no interruptions, that was a good start. She turned to face Rarity and the rest of their little group of friends first. "Girls... I'm so sorry for not telling you about Ulquiorra in the first place. I always planned on letting you all in on it from the beginning. I was going to tell you the first day at Sweet Apple Acres... but Rarity, you were busy and I didn't want to disturb you with all your work. And Rainbow Dash, you were at a weather conference and I had no way of getting in touch with you. And I didn't know if we could just wait for you to not be busy, and Ulquiorra had to return to Canterlot before sundown, and I didn't know when he'd be able to make a return trip. I guess I could've just told Applejack, Pinkie and Fluttershy, but then we'd need to explain everything a second time, and be asked the same questions, and get the same shocked reactions again. It just seemed so... redundant to do. And then when we did get everypony together, we were all surrounded in Ponyville, everypony was practically hanging onto him, and there was no good time to drop that information, otherwise there'd be pandemonium. So I had to concoct the "foreign dignitary" story for the time being, and it was kind of true at the time. And I know it wasn't right to lie, but I didn't know what else to do at the time and... oh girls I'm so sorry!"

It was an honest, heartfelt apology they were viewing right now; a lot different from the apology they were issued at the top of the mountain in front of the dragon's former cave. No attempt at justification of her actions, no attempt at making herself look like the good filly, just pure apologizing for what she'd done. Without a word, Applejack stood up from where she was sitting, and walked over to her, before pulling the unicorn into a comforting hug.

"It's a'right now, Sugarcube, we understand. Or at least ah do anyway. Ah reckon it would be a might strange tryin' ta explain Mr. Cifer ta me, and then turn right around an' try givin' the same explanation ta the others. But jus' don' do it again, a'right?" Applejack asked.

Twilight just nodded in response, the gesture seeming to be enough for Applejack as she soon untangled herself and went back to her previous spot, allowing Twilight to properly see the four other faces of acceptance and understanding of her friends.

That had been the easier of apologies. Now came the more difficult one. Slowly she turned her attention to Ulquiorra as he stood by Princess Luna's side.

"Ulquiorra I... oh I don't even know how to do this one. Lying is one thing, but I didn't lie to you, I attacked you not once, but three times. I did more than attack you, I tried to kill you, and you didn't even do anything wrong that would remotely justify my actions. Even after what happened earlier in the day back in Ponyville, it's still no excuse. I still feel terrible just thinking about that, both by the facts and by my own actions."

Ulquiorra stood and observed silently. He failed to understand exactly why Twilight Sparkle and the others felt the need to apologize in a profuse manner for something that amounted to a misunderstanding. He also failed to understand what motivated Twilight Sparkle to stand up and approach him. And he certainly failed to understand whatever possessed the unicorn to rear up on her hind legs, and wrap her forelegs around his frame in the manner she was doing right now.

If nothing else, at the very least it provided an opportunity to make an observation on the contrast between her and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie possessed surprising strength from what he could tell; had she attempt to deliver the same bear hug to Yammy Llargo that she did to him, it wouldn't be an unbelievable exaggeration to assume the Diez Espada would find himself completely overwhelmed, his hierro cracking from the strain put upon it.

Twilight Sparkle, on the other hand, had made the deliberate move to avoid entangling his arms in her embrace, and by comparison was barely applying any pressure at all. She seemed perfectly content to simply apply the minimum amount of force necessary to hold onto him for the time being.

"I'm sorry, Ulquiorra," she stated, her voice muffled as her face was currently against him.

"I see no reason why I should forgive you for what you did yesterday," Ulquiorra replied as he looked down at her. She looked back up with sadness in her eyes to meet his empty gaze. Sadness and disappointment. "To forgive you would first require me to blame you for something that was done. I do not. In my opinion you've done nothing wrong, so there's nothing that needs to be forgiven," he explained.

Curious. The look of surprise and doubt on her face at hearing his words.

"But I... I..." she stammered in uncertainty, "I attacked you. I intended to murder you where you stood for what you did. Or for what I thought you did."

"And currently I'm alive and unharmed. I fail to see why a continued issue must be made of what transpired," he stated. "If there is no new business to warrant this continued position, then I request to be released."

Twilight remained silent, but gave a small nod and slid her forelegs away from his frame and set back down on all fours again. Slowly she turned around to face... 'Tia. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it instead. This went on several more times, each time an effort being made to say something but coming up with nothing that seemed appropriate.

"I..." she finally got out, but that was as far as she could actually get into her attempted apology.

There was the old saying that hindsight was twenty/twenty. And now that she was here, she was agreeing with that saying. If she had simply managed to stay calm, keep a cool head and not succumb to so much hostile emotion. If she could have simply put more thought and less feeling into what she had to say, this entire situation could've played out so differently, been resolved so much better than it had been.

"You don't need to apologize to me, Twilight, it's quite alright," Princess Celestia stated in a reassuring manner.

For Twilight this was a dividing moment. On the one hand... hoof... she was being told by the one that caused her so much grief, that she had no obligation to apologize for what she'd said and did. Her objections were more or less being validated before her.

But on the other hoof, when she thought about the things she'd both done and said, she felt the need to apologize. She'd reacted when she was emotionally destabilized and not thinking things through properly, reacting in a blind manner full of hostility. She'd accused the sun princess of doing horrible things, yelled in her face, cursed her out, physically assaulted her, and then more or less dared her to send her to the moon. Now that she was thinking much, much clearer and wasn't so excited, she really did feel horrible for what she'd done; horrible enough she wanted to crawl into the deepest hole she could find, and just hide herself away, ashamed of what kind of monster she'd been.

"I should, though," she muttered quietly.

"Alright, I'm confused now. What exactly happened?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Is this about what happened earlier in the throne room?"

"In a way it is, I'm afraid," Princess Celestia replied with a sigh. She was going to have to approach this subject carefully. "Today Twilight learned a very important, but also very hard, lesson. And I'm afraid the way in which she went about learning it, was under less than desirable circumstances. And I'm equally afraid that I'm to blame for such," she explained.

Three mentions of "afraid" in a single statement, rather interesting really, as far as he was concerned. Perhaps it was worth seeing how this played out.

"What're you talking about, Princess? What're you to blame for?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"In all honesty I'm to blame for a great, great deal of pain and suffering that occurred today. It was no emotional exaggeration when Twilight said I used you six, I truly did. I had you all come to Canterlot in order to try and ensure you were still yourselves, and hadn't been replaced by changelings. And in the process of attempting to safeguard you, I wound up utilizing your presence to further convince Chrysalis that Ulquiorra had indeed betrayed us, and that I was no more. By not informing you about this, I can't even begin to consider how much emotional, and potentially psychological, harm my actions might've caused. I can't begin to apologize enough for what I've done, nor do I have any right to ask any of you for your forgiveness," Princess Celestia replied and looked down at what more or less served as the ground.

She allowed her explanation to sink in for a moment before continuing to address them.

"Perhaps what I should regret most, out of everything worth regretting so far, is the fact that I didn't, until just now, consider just how severe the possibility of psychological trauma was. As unusual as he is, Ulquiorra is still one of my subjects by virtue of being in Equestria. And as one of my subjects, I ordered him to fake defection over to an enemy force, and make it convincing to everyone involved. As bad as that was, I can't even begin to say how sorry I am, if I wound up making any of you believe that I might one day ask the same from any of you; make you go on some mission, and leave even your friends wondering if you'd really betrayed everything. And to think of it now... oh my little ponies, I'm so, so sorry if any such thoughts occurred here today. I swear, on the honor of the royal diarchy itself, nothing of that nature will ever be allowed to transpire," she stated.

A statement of such a nature piqued Ulquiorra's interest. He wouldn't vocally confirm it, but the possibility of such wasn't something he'd truly considered occurring. If asked, he would assume the ponies would be upset more with the sum total of Princess Celestia's actions, rather than the possibility that they might be used in the same way he was. And while he truly doubted she would ever do something like that, that wouldn't prevent the possibility of such a thought entering their minds. Of all the things the Elements of Harmony could choose to be upset about, that one was out of left field even for him.

Perhaps she'd given this more thought than he'd assumed.

Off to the side, he noticed as Applejack's posture softened, a look of relief crossing her features. Perhaps such a thought had indeed entered their minds.

"I'm not perfect, not by any measure, no matter how much my subjects wish I was. Wisdom and age doesn't mean you don't make mistakes, and I've made quite a few mistakes in my rule; and I'm afraid that I'll make many more before my rule eventually draws to a close. I'm not proud of what I've done in the past, and I'm quite certain I won't be proud of what I do in the future when I make mistakes. I'm going to mess up, and my subjects won't take the revelation well, and there's sadly nothing I can do to stop it from happening," she paused and raised her head to look back at them. "But you, my little ponies, I prefer to think of you as my friends rather than my subjects. And my actions today were not how a friend should act. It was so, so wrong to trick you like that, no matter what the reasoning was behind it. I can't expect you to forgive me for what I did. I can't even ask you to forgive me. All I can rightfully do is apologize for my actions, and whatever suffering I might've caused, and try to earn back the trust you once had in me. Even then, nothing will ever go back to the way it was, that's an impossibility," she concluded.

Everyone remained quiet at this, not saying a single word. Not even Luna or Ulquiorra spoke up. It was as silent as the surrounding was dark and oppressing.

Finally Rarity took it upon herself to break said oppressing silence. "Princess, I-" she began, but was summarily interrupted before she could go any further.

"Please, Rarity, I would appreciate it if those I consider to be my friends, wouldn't feel the need to use such formalities around me; not after what I've put all of you through," Celestia stated with a sigh. As if to emphasize her point, one by one, the royal adornments she wore so proudly dissolved and were blown away like ash by an unseen and unfelt breeze, leaving nothing but her, and her alone behind. "There's nothing that would be considered rude, wrong... or even blasphemous, to refer to me by my given time, or some variation thereof. If anything it would be a big help to me, to better be among others, and not so revered all the time," she explained.

"You mean... you want us to simply refer to you as "Celestia" like you're nothing more than the average commoner pony?" Rarity asked, finding herself feeling quite baffled by this sudden development. "Oh my... I must say that will certainly take time to get adjusted to."

"Let me see if I've got this straight," Rainbow Dash spoke up now that the ball had gotten rolling. "You're abdicating? No more "Princess Celestia" looking over Equestria? Is... is that even possible?" she asked. The very ideas was... scary actually.

"No nothing like that, I'm not abdicating my throne and tasking Luna with watching over both the day and night, that would be utterly cruel," Celestia replied and shook her head. The last thing she needed was her ponies getting anymore scared than they might already be. "For better or worse, my rule will continue. What I ask of you, however, is not to see me as some ruler of high authority, but just another pony who's as prone to errors in judgement as anyone else. And... someone in need of a group of understanding friends... even if she doesn't deserve them."

Twilight watched as her friends approached, moving to the side to give them room as they came up to Princess... to 'Tia to offer her their forgiveness and support. They had... a lot more forgiveness in them than she felt she had in herself right now. They were taken in by the words and the demeanor and... well everyone could see that they were all willing to oblige in her request to treat her like a regular pony. Did she think that a few words could undo what'd taken place? Did they believe... nevermind, she really didn't feel like considering it right now. She just shook her head... and promptly smacked her muzzle against Ulquiorra's arm. She'd wound up walking over to where he and Princess Luna were standing and watching the scene unfold with neutral expressions.

"Lesson number four," she mumbled to herself.

"Pardon?"

It came as no real surprise that Ulquiorra had managed to hear her, his ears were deceptively sharp despite the fact they were pressed against the sides of his head rather than mounted up top where they'd have a greater range of motion. He'd effortlessly heard her this time just as he had when she'd mused on the possibility of his Hollow hole being an illusion.

"Lesson number four in friendship: apologize," Twilight stated in explanation, gesturing with her head over in the direction of her friends who were all close at hoof to offer 'Tia whatever she needed. Currently it was Rainbow Dash pulling her into a hug as she hovered off the ground. "And by the looks of it lesson number five: forgiveness."

Ulquiorra looked away from Twilight Sparkle's current position and back over to Princess Celestia, the rest of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and Spike as well. They all seemed quite loyal, supportive, and comforting in nature.

So long as it wasn't him at the center of the pile.

"I see no further reason to remain here. The others have been briefed on the theory, informed of how they're needed, business has been concluded," he stated simply, his voice carrying enough firmness that it disturbed the emotional fest taking place.

"Business hath not yet been concluded. There art still several topics that need to be discussed," Princess Luna replied. Ulquiorra said nothing in response, and went back to is silent observations. She took it as an opportunity to speak, since now everypony was more or less focused on her. "We wouldst ask..." she started, but paused and cleared her throat, before working her jaw back and forth as if to make it pop. Finally she spoke up again. "I would like to ask that you, all of you, extend the same consideration that you would my sister. You are all my friends as well, and I would like to be treated in the same manner. I wish to be known simply as Luna by my friends, rather than "Princess Luna" all the time. Being royalty is lonely business," she explained.

"Oh my. My head is starting to swim with these sudden developments," Rarity commented. However her demeanor quickly changed as her appearance brightened. "But it really is such an honor, to find oneself in a position where they can regard royalty as friends, and address them in such a manner. I for one shall be quite happy to fulfill your wishes, Luna."

"Me too! Me too!" Pinkie stated and bounced in place excitedly.

"Marvelous!" Luna stated and pulled Twilight into an excited hug, easily lifting her right off the ground, and resulting in a startled squeak from the smaller pony. "We... I apologize, Twilight Sparkle, I found myself carried away for a moment," she said as she set her back down.

To Ulquiorra it was all quite curious to observe. In every conversation he'd been involved in with Princess Luna, she had spoken in an ancient and archaic version of the current language, and referred to herself in the sense of being multiple entities speaking as one. Currently she was speaking in a modern dialect, and using a singular reference with regard to herself. He couldn't help but wonder the reasoning behind this. Perhaps it was due to being banished to the moon for one thousand years, and left unable to adjust as the common dialect changed, and simply continued speaking in the same manner she had for what was likely the majority of her life.

"Let there be hugs all around!" Luna stated happily.

"I choose to refrain from such," Ulquiorra replied simply and took a step back. He'd already been engaged in more close physical contact with others in his time here than he ever had back in his own world. And it was quite enough for him.

There were amused chuckles all around in response. He paid them no mind.

"Um..."

It was a quiet little statement, but one that was still heard nonetheless. A statement that'd come from a concerned looking Fluttershy, currently situated next to Pinkie Pie.

"I know that we've done apologies and all already, but... well I... there's something that I kind of need to say... if nopony has any objections, that is," she said softly.

"You?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously, "what've you got to apologize for, Fluttershy, what'd you do wrong?" she asked.

"It was... back at the dragon's cave last week. I was so terrified at the thought of having to face that big, mean dragon, that I just wanted to get out of there so badly. I tried talking to it, I really did, but it didn't seem to do any good. I thought for sure we were going to get eaten... but then Ulquiorra stepped in and distracted the dragon to keep it from hurting us. He was so, so strong, and fearless, and I suddenly didn't feel afraid anymore, because I just felt like the situation was under control. But then things went wrong, and the dragon captured him, and suddenly I was scared all over again. And then... then when Ulquiorra actually started beating the dragon without even trying I didn't feel scared again. But then I saw the look in the dragon's eyes. He looked so scared, so terrified and hopeless, so full of despair as Ulquiorra just so effortlessly overpowered him. Suddenly this big, mean dragon, was finding out what it was like to be weak and helpless against somepony even stronger than he was, and there wasn't anything he could do about it. It was like the dragon suddenly became this... really big bunny rabbit or something and..." she paused to try and compose herself before continuing any further.

"The dragon could've hurt us all, could've killed us all, and all because I wasn't assertive enough to do what I was asked to do and make it leave. And when Ulquiorra had to step in and save all of us, what did I do? Suddenly when it's the dragon that's in trouble and not us, I defended it instead of my friends, because I felt sorry for its predicament, because I didn't want to feel guilty over my own weakness being the reason it was going to die. I know it was wrong, but... but I just couldn't stand to see it be killed, and know that it was all my fault," she stated before turning her attention to where Ulquiorra stood. "And you Ulquiorra, I'm so sorry for how I treated you. You saved us, but at the time I just didn't see it, all I saw was the look in the dragon's eyes when it realized it was helpless. I was so mad with myself, but I didn't realize it until long after I yelled at you and... I'm a... I'm a bad pony!" she wailed, her voice much higher than was normally characteristic for her.

The more Ulquiorra observed, the more he doubted the legitimacy of Princess Luna's statement about their minds being well rested. Fluttershy's demeanor didn't appear to be that of someone who was physically and emotionally calm. It was entirely possible they'd been brought here in a calmed state, but that seemed to be the extent of it.

Rainbow Dash was the first pony to go to Fluttershy's side, and try to reassure her that she wasn't a "bad pony" as she put it. Perhaps it was due to the "best friend" status she mentioned earlier. The others weren't far behind her.

"Has this matter been concluded now?" he asked as he turned his attention back to Princess Luna, and away from the scene of Fluttershy resting her head on Rainbow Dash's shoulder.

"You are quite an impatient one, Ulquiorra Cifer," she stated in response, not pleased with the Espada's perceived anxiousness to leave. "We are quite close to being finished. But one matter still remains that must be addressed directly, and we believe amongst friends is the best. This matter pertains to Chrysalis," she explained.

"Chrysalis?" nearly all those present asked in unison. Were they rehearsed in expressing their surprise, or was it simply a matter of coincidence?

"Luna? Do you really believe this is the appropriate setting for such a discussion?" Celestia asked curiously.

"Why not? We have made ourselves seven new friends who we regard as being of equal importance as ourselves. If not among them then who? And if not now then when?" Luna asked. Her sister made several attempts to say something in response but in the end she chose to remain silent instead. Seeing as everyone was looking back at her, she chose to continue in her address. "During our interrogation of Chrysalis to try and gain information regarding Ulquiorra Cifer's theories, Chrysalis requested an audience with our sister, wishing to negotiate for the pardoning of her hive in exchange for her own life."

Not so much as a word was being uttered in response. They were all staring at her, like she'd burst into some foreign language. Only her sister and the Arrancar weren't wearing confused looks on their faces. Undeterred she pressed on with the explanation.

"Chrysalis is claiming that she was acting as a mother to protect her children, those being her hive. She is claiming that they were starving to death at the time, and their attack was one of utter desperation for basic survival. And now she is pleading on their behalf, willing to end her own life for their benefit," she concluded.

"It's gotta be a trick," Rainbow Dash stated quickly and dismissively, not buying it for a moment that Chrysalis could possibly be remorseful and in possession of redeeming qualities. It was impossible! "She's gotta be lying, planning a coup or something."

"It's indeed a possibility. However the fluctuations in her reiatsu didn't match those of someone who was feigning remorse or despair, in an effort to arrange a counterattack at a later date," Ulquiorra replied as he stood with his hands tucked into his pockets, his posture and position more or less unchanged since the moment everyone had arrived.

"Wait a second," Pinkie spoke up, "you mean you can tell when somepony's lying just by looking at them? You're like a living polygraph or something?"

Polygraph? In this world?

After seeing Twilight Sparkle in possession of a respirator, he really couldn't doubt the possibility of such technology existing in this world.

"Not quite. I can detect the fluctuations in a being's reiatsu that coincide with their emotional state. While it isn't infallible, I find it difficult to believe that any individual could consciously produce such fluctuations deliberately, when they have no knowledge of the concept of reiatsu to begin with. It would be no different than Rarity attempting to perform a Kidō right now," Ulquiorra explained.

"I'm afraid I really don't understand," Rarity replied and tilted her head. She got the basic gist of it all, but hardly anything else.

"Precisely. You possess no knowledge of the mechanics of Kidō, and could no more perform a Byakurai, than Chrysalis could willingly force her reiatsu to fluctuate in the manner I witnessed. I believe it's safe to assume Chrysalis is being truthful, in her desperation about the current suffering of her hive," he stated. Whether or not she was talking about the plight of the entire changeling species, or just her own hive, he wasn't certain yet.

It was an explanation that made sense to Twilight. Like in her case, she knew about Ulquiorra's sonido, his pesquisa, his hierro, and lastly his Cero. But just because she knew of them, that didn't mean she could replicate and use them herself... at least not yet anyway. But the concept of a pony's mana exerting a very real physical pressure on the surrounding territory that could be felt to the point it could cause discomfort to others wasn't something anypony outside of their little group had any knowledge of; at least no knowledge she'd heard of. If the intensity of the felt reiatsu that Chrysalis could produce was indeed in flux, and such fluctuations were tied to true emotional disturbances, then scientifically speaking it's possible she did have some sense of remorse.

Scientifically speaking anyway.

"So... Chrysalis ain' specifically evil... Huh. Didn' really see that one comin'," Applejack replied and scratched at the back of her head.

"You're telling me," Rainbow Dash stated, "somepony like Chrysalis, motherly and caring? She strikes me as more the kind to be sadistic, cruel, ruthless, heartless and..." she came to a stop in her description when she turned her head and realized she was using terms that could easily apply to Ulquiorra just as well as they could Chrysalis. "Uh... no offense."

"None taken," Ulquiorra replied. At least they were catching on to what he was and understanding it better.

"Mind if ah ask a question?" Applejack spoke up. "While this is interestin' an' all, what ah don' get is why we're bein' told 'bout it. Wha' exactly are we supposed ta do with this information?"

"This is... a sensitive and complicated matter we're currently facing. With this new information, I don't believe this is a decision that can be made alone. All of you are our friends. I'd like to know your opinions on what's the best course of action to take," Celestia explained and looked around at all of them before continuing. "Located within gryphon territory is a special facility we'd planned to send the changelings to. They would be housed, properly fed through the magical properties unique to the particular geography in question, and prevented from escaping, while at the same time being allowed to live. But Chrysalis has informed us that her hive only has a few years left to live unless she gives birth to a new brood; something that wouldn't be possible at the facility due to gender segregation. And even if she were to now, it's likely that the changelings would eventually go extinct within the facility. And with this new information, I find myself at a moral crossroads. I feel Chrysalis must pay for what's occurred, and all of the ponies she put in harm's way. But the death of her entire species isn't something I believe is reasonable. But I honestly don't know what to do with them. I can't simply banish them from Equestria, because there's nothing to prevent them from returning yet again, just as they've done in the past. And even if Chrysalis truly did wish only for the wellbeing of her hive, there's nothing to say that ten years down the line, she wouldn't make yet another power grab. And after so, so long of ruling alone, I don't feel comfortable making such important decisions all by myself anymore. This matter is too big for one, or even two, to make on their own. I need to ask you for your advice, my friends. What do you believe we should do?"

Spike and the others remained silent and looked at each other. First they were welcomed into the fold as being friends -not subjects but friends- to the Princesses of Equestria, and told they could refer to them by name in a completely casual manner, and now they were being asked to weigh in on an important matter like this? That was both quite awesome, and quite intimidating at the same time.

"What exactly are the available choices?" Spike asked, wanting to know just what he was getting into before he actually suggested anything.

"There are several options to choose from, but none of them are quite simple," Celestia stated in explanation before continuing on to explain what could be done. "The first option is to simply proceed as intended, and ship the changelings to the facility, and let them deal with the matter. The positive is that Equestria won't have to worry about another invasion. However the negative is the possibility of the extinction of a somewhat sentient species."

They were quiet while waiting for Celestia to list off the next option. While this one would certainly get the changelings out of their manes, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't eventually find a way to escape. The confines were physical in nature, and everything physical, no matter how well secured, wasn't impenetrable. At best it was a temporary solution. But how long would temporary be? Would the walls outlast those they had to hold?

"The second option is to assume Ulquiorra's theory is correct, and Chrysalis wasn't acting on her own but was being used. In which case we forgive them and set them free, and hope the kindness they're shown will convince them to not try any hostile takeovers again," Celestia continued. Nopony said anything just as before. But the looks on their faces suggested skepticism. She couldn't really blame them, even she was skeptical, considering her history with Chrysalis. Undaunted she continued. "The third option is by far the most distasteful available. We fulfill Chrysalis' request to select a new queen, and try to establish a peaceful coexistence with the changeling race, and hope that a peaceful integration is at all possible."

"Uh..." Rainbow Dash muttered and scratched the back of her head with her hoof, "why exactly is that one distasteful?" she asked.

"Because, Rainbow Dash," Celestia began and sighed, "if we were to allow Chrysalis to select a new queen to take her place, it would require that she die first, for a new queen to be born. Social insects like the changelings won't have more than one queen per hive. Chrysalis pleaded on behalf of her hive, and offered her own life in exchange for their freedom and wellbeing. As much as I wish there was another way, I really don't believe it's a possibility. Chrysalis may be a mother, she may want what's best for her children, but she's still quite proud and greedy. It would only be a matter of time before she eventually starts asking for greater and greater concessions. I don't believe long term peace could be had with her alive. Maybe another queen, but not her..."

Everyone present was silent at Celestia's words, and even long after she finished talking none of them made so much as a peep, her words weighing heavily on their minds. Was she really asking them what they all thought she was asking?

"Then ultimately the choice is the death of the entire changeling race, or the death of Chrysalis. Regardless of how the matter is phrased, those are the only two options that can be arrived at," Ulquiorra elaborated plainly. Princess Celestia had used far too many words in trying to cushion the blow that was dealt to her subjects in trying to seek out their advice on the matter.

More silence. At least until Rainbow Dash decided to break it by being noisy.

"I have to refuse. I'm not gonna actually vote on killing somepony. I'm no murderer," she stated firmly and stamped a front hoof. She didn't care what Ulquiorra said earlier, she was going to prove him wrong no matter what!

"I can't do it," Twilight added quickly, "I can't, I just can't, I'm sorry. I can't face that again, not after what happened today already. Please don't make me do this," she pleaded as she began breathing at a much quicker pace.

Luna extended a wing to stroke Twilight Sparkle's back and pull her into a calming hug, curious as to what exactly had happened today that she'd missed out on. Was she still this upset over what happened with regard to Ulquiorra Cifer? Or had something else taken place and caused her trauma?

"You are under no obligation to partake in the matter, Twilight Sparkle. It is not a matter of voting, but rather asking for your own opinions and advice. We are not taking tally, and deciding the fate of the changelings based on a matter of ballots," she said softly.

Ulquiorra nearly quirked an eyebrow at seeing Twilight Sparkle's reaction. Was her current predicament the result of his utilizing her forcefield to keep Ponyville contained, in an effort to dispatch the changelings? Were all of the residents of this world so caring, that they felt sorrow even for the loss of an enemy, that saw them as a source of food and something to exploit? If that was the case, then he wondered if he could truly rely on them when he couldn't be present.

The more he observed these ponies, the more he found himself doubting the notion that they possessed any redeeming qualities. Emotionally they were unstable, and seemed to fluctuate from one extreme to another with very little warning. When it came to a logical discussion about the possibility of killing an enemy, they found it distasteful, yet in the heat of the moment, they were as violent as any Arrancar. And in their interactions it almost seemed like they felt a compulsion to apologize to, and forgive others, regardless of what had been done. He had forced Twilight Sparkle to aid him in exterminating all the changelings in Ponyville, and she had wound up apologizing to him for attacking him in Canterlot.

There was also the issue of the other ponies regarding Princess Celestia's actions, and his own supposed betrayal. Forgiveness seemed to be serious business in this strange world. He couldn't help but find himself curious as to what the outcome would be should one refuse an apology, refuse to forgive for some transgression. It all made for an interesting thought exercise, but practical application would have to wait for another time; another time when he wasn't trying to figure out what the Princesses would seek the counsel of these seven, who were emotionally weak, and unprepared to face such a question.

And then, like a Cero to the face, it hit him. What if they weren't truly seeking the counsel of these ponies and the dragon? What if it was, instead, an effort to teach these seven about the brutality of the real world beyond their comfort zone, and get them adjusted to making hard and painful decisions about sensitive matters? If that were truly the case, then a great deal of what Princess Celestia had been doing up to this point suddenly made a lot of sense when applied to that context. If this had ultimately been the goal, then it was logical that she wouldn't give heavy consideration to the potential for emotional trauma, as it would simply be par for the course.

This matter would require a great deal of reevaluation. That much he was certain of.

Rainbow Dash was the first to raise her hoof and speak up, interrupting the silence that surrounding all present.

"I just got an idea," she stated quickly and turned to face Twilight, "Twi', without going into totally complex and Eggheadian terms, how much power do you think Discord would need to use to cross dimensions?" she asked.

Twilight frowned at Rainbow Dash's choice of wording. But it was indeed a legitimate question, so she chose not to scold her on using made up terms. "I can't say for certain, Rainbow Dash, all I can say for certain is that the requirements to do so would be substantial. Starswirl the Bearded had a great deal of theories regarding interdimensional travel, and what alternate realities and universes might be like, as well as the process for opening and maintaining a gateway between the worlds. But they were only theories, as even he didn't have the magic strong enough to actually put his theories to the test. So... assuming Discord didn't simply bypass the magical requirements through an act of chaos, I guess he must've used a great deal of magic to do something like that. But why, Rainbow Dash? What's this have to do with your idea?" she asked.

"I'm getting to that. Chrysalis launched this attack due to hunger and starvation, right? Meaning they needed something to eat, right? But changelings only eat love, right? Well if Discord has enough magic to bring him," she paused and gestured to Ulquiorra, "here from his own dimension, and bring him back to life in the process, then wouldn't he have enough magic to make it so the changelings could eat and survive on other stuff like other ponies do? If the changelings could make it on fruits and vegetables, wouldn't that solve all the problems we're facing with them?" she asked.

"I'm afraid it's not quite that simple, Rainbow Dash," Celestia replied, a touch of sadness in her voice as she closed her eyes. The idea presented was certainly one that was worth thought. However it was a solution that could make an already difficult problem all the worse if implemented. "Chrysalis' hive is much, much smaller than it was when they launched their invasion against Canterlot during the royal wedding. But there are still hundreds of changelings currently alive, that would need to be taken into consideration. Could the current state of the crops sustain two hundred more mouths to feed, and ensure nopony starves once winter sets in?" she asked. "And the matter of feeding them, doesn't even take into account the need of housing them."

Rainbow Dash had started out very enthusiastic about her idea. But hearing Celestia talk quickly brought her down from her emotional high, as the words of wisdom easily sunk in. She'd never stopped to consider the possibility that they might have to share their own food supplies with the changelings if they were converted. The idea of everypony starving had never even entered her mind.

However she wasn't about to simply let the matter go just like that.

"I'm not saying that they'd have to live here in Ponyville with us. Equestria's a pretty huge place, lots of territory out there, surely they can find somewhere to set down and develop in," she quickly suggested.

"Even if that could work, Rainbow Dash, there's also the moral and ethical issues that would be involved in such a decision," Twilight pointed out, "the changelings have been what they are, been doing what they've been doing for as long as they've existed. It's all they've been, it's all they know. Is it right to force them to become something completely new, simply because we'd find it more convenient for ourselves to deal with? How would that make us the better of the two species?" she asked.

Rainbow Dash groaned internally. Why was this so hard to do? Why couldn't everypony just quit thinking of how to make things difficult for her?

"Hello," Rainbow Dash said as she waved her hoof around in the air, "we don't go around feasting on others like they do. We're trying to look into a way to actually help them out here. What's the harm in changing their dietary needs, in favor of something that's more common and less harmful? You can't seriously be telling me that the better option is to leave them as they are, Twi'," she stated.

"That's not what I'm saying at all, Rainbow Dash, I'm asking about the ethical matters of upsetting the natural order of an entire species, and potentially affecting the surrounding environment and ecosystem in the process. Who are we to say that we're the right ones to be making this sort of decision all by ourselves?" Twilight asked, not even waiting for a response before continuing on with her verbal assault. "If we do this, then what comes next in the name of improving conditions from our viewpoint? What species would we target next, because we've determined they have deficiencies that need to be addressed? Where does it all end?"

It was an interesting contrast between the thought processes of the two ponies. Whereas Rainbow Dash focused on idealism, Twilight Sparkle focused on the scientific aspect to explain why simplistic thinking wasn’t called for in this situation, and what could go wrong with attempting such a recommendation.

Unfortunately the cyan pegasus didn’t respond kindly to being politely informed that she was nonsensical and devoid of critical thinking skills. What ensued was a back and forth argument between the two ponies, that quickly escalated from simple arguing, to all out shouting at each other. What was right, who was right, what was the proper course of action under these circumstances? Did saving the lives of an entire race, and allowing them to peacefully coexist with the rest of the world, justify what was suggested about being done?

Intellectually speaking it was all quite interesting from his point of view. However he could certainly do without the method of delivery. The fact the others were silent and simply observing, heads moving back and forth as if watching an organized sport involving a ball being served between two competitive participants, did nothing at all to help the matter.

Making matters worse was the fact Ulquiorra knew that once logical points could no longer be pointed to, the two would stoop to insults and personal attacks against one another, and degrade into petty bickering. He didn't even want to guess at what the two would find at fault with the other, and throw it out in retaliation.

And with his current position, he was more or less at the physical center of the shouting match.

The veins in his head and neck so desperately wanted to throb right now.

Instead he settled for a single stomp on whatever it was that served as the ground of this world. A stomp that resonated like a clap of thunder directly overhead, effectively silencing all the participants, startling others who hadn’t been participating, and eventually bringing their attention back to him.

To be perfectly honest with himself, he'd been surprised at how effective it had been. Perhaps it had been Princess Luna's handiwork? Or did his Espada powers continue to function in this world? As much as he'd like to explore it, he unfortunately had to leave it be for now, and address the more important matter at hand.

"I didn't choose to come to this world for the purpose of listening to your bickering," he stated calmly, "you have no desire to be instrumental in the death of an entire race. That fact is noted and understood. That doesn't change the fact, however, that something must be done about the situation at hand. The only reason Chrysalis and the rest of the changelings are still alive, is because Princess Celestia requested that I follow some convoluted plan to allow for their capture rather than extermination. And now that all the facts are in evidence, it would appear ultimately that same fate is going to befall them regardless. Death is ultimately the answer that will be arrived at, the only questions will be where will it occur, and how quickly will it occur?" Ulquiorra asked in a rhetorical manner, cutting to the bone of the matter in short order. "The logical course of action would be to kill the changelings rather than allow them to live. Simply because they're destined to die doesn't make them any less of a threat to the kingdom's safety. That, is ultimately, the long and the short of the matter. You can quibble over the details all you want, but eventually you'll all arrive at the same conclusion."

It had been a long, wordy way of relaying the simple message of "shut the fuck up" but it felt appropriate to do so in such a manner. These ponies were bickering far too much over what should've been a simple decision. Leaving the changelings alive would only provide them the opportunity to escape and attack again sometime down the line.

Perhaps the most confusing matter at hand regarding these ponies, was Princess Celestia herself. She had gone out of her way to convince him to not eliminate the changelings and their hive. She had planned on their capture and imprisonment in some far away facility, where ultimately they would all die regardless, the only difference would be the speed at which this came about; years of misery opposed to being gone in an instant. Did Princess Celestia simply not wish to give the order that would result in them being wiped out?

Or... did she have no qualms with seeing them die, and simply wished for it to be a matter that would result in them suffering for years? Perhaps his observation about her potential for tyranny wasn't that far off after all.

And now that he had gone down this path of consideration, a new possibility was presenting itself. What if in her planning, Princess Celestia hadn't simply not taken the emotional wellbeing of her subjects into consideration? What if she truly had, and chose to go ahead regardless, knowing full well that they would be disturbed? Had everything that occurred been part of a grand effort to educate these six on the brutality the world was capable of, and motivate them to become emotionally numb to what took place around them?

If that were the case, then he would truly need to readjust his outlook on many, many things in this new world.

Celestia tried not to groan too loudly. While a number of good things had come from this dream meeting of Luna's, frustration and the threat of a migraine was turning this experience into a nightmare. She hadn't wanted things to so quickly devolve into this bickering and issuing ultimatums as it had. And putting Twilight and her friends in this position truly hadn't been one of the better ideas they had. She needed to step up and do something while it was still an option.

"I apologize for dragging all of you into this matter. There's no excuse for getting you involved in something so sensitive and complicated. I won't ask you any further on the issue with the changelings. I'll figure something out tomorrow. But thank you for at least hearing the situation, it means a lot to me," she stated.

"Perhaps now would be the proper time to conclude tonight's meeting. I have doubts that anything meaningful could be further added at this point," Luna stated as she stood up, preparing to send those assembled back to their own individual dreams. There were other matters that needed to be tended to anyway.

"Tha's prob'ly a good idea," Applejack agreed and gave a nod.

Seeing as things were about to be split up, Twilight turned her attention back to Rainbow Dash, knowing there was something that needed to be tended to first.

"No hard feelings over what was said?" she asked hopefully. She felt bad enough about the whole Mare Do Well incident, she didn't need to feel bad about their shouting match as well.

"No hard feelings..." Rainbow Dash agreed and left it at that.

Ulquiorra had assumed that would be the end of it. However it seemed Princess Luna had left time for one last hug between the ponies before the meeting was dispersed.

The next thing he knew, he was back standing in the throne room, Princess Luna by his side, and the channel in the marble still unattended.

"Most unusual," Ulquiorra commented, uncertain of what else to say on the matter.

"It can be to those that are uninitiated," Princess Luna agreed, "what now?"

"We see what develops in the morning. Until then we wait..."

The stone floor of her cell was cold, and seriously uncomfortable against her carapace. And the bunk that came furnished with the room was far too small for her to fit on it. That amounted to a long and unpleasant night, filled with no dreams, and utter misery.

The floor could've been tolerated if that was all she had to put up with. Left to her own thoughts and misery, she could've eventually fallen asleep, restless as it might be.

Unfortunately for her, the hard floor had been the least of her problems. These cells might be enough to suppress her magic, but nothing could suppress her connection to her hive, to her children. Throughout the night she could feel everything they were experiencing. Their terror, their desperation, and even their deaths. Many of them had sadly not survived the night, what little reserves they carried with them, utterly exhausted by yesterday's actions. And here she'd been by herself, unable to do anything to console her children as they called out for her, begging her for help.

Her misery, however, was distracted at the clip-clop of hooves against stone flooring coming in her direction. Casting a wayward glance in the direction of the sound, she eventually saw Celestia approaching, an iron key wrapped in her magical aura and inserted into the lock, allowing the door to be opened before she finally stepped inside.

"After giving the matter much thought," she began slowly, "I've determined to allow you and your hive to leave Equestria's borders in peace. No harm will come to you, and you'll be allowed to find a new location to live," she explained.

Chrysalis tried to chuckle at her words, but the only noise that came forth were soft rasps.

"A fat lot of good your kindness does us now," she whispered, "most of my children died last night. I myself am so weak from starving myself for so long, I can't even move anymore. We're dying, Celestia, setting us free now hardly seems worth it..."

Celestia sighed as she stepped over to Chrysalis' prone form and sat down on her haunches. There was nothing she could say that was appropriate in this situation after she'd caused so much pain, suffering, and misery. Instead she remained silent and closed her eyes, as she lowered her head, touching her horn to Chrysalis' horn. Immediately a pink aura appeared around her body, and began flowing into the changeling's body, like it was fog being sucked up by an exhaust fan.

"There's nothing I can do to make the situation right. But the least I can do is supply you and the others, with provisions for your journey," Celestia explained. She had over one thousand years worth of love in her, to give freely in whatever manner she saw fit. She had more than enough to spare the remaining changelings, so starvation wouldn't be a main concern for at least a while. It was the very least she could do for them, before sending them out into the world.

Chrysalis remained silent, utterly stunned by Celestia's generosity in giving her own love so freely in order to feed her, and by extension the rest of her children. At the first whiff of such a delectable delicacy, she eagerly lapped at the flow to quell her own overwhelming hunger, and to stash away as much as she could for later, in an effort to make up for so, so long of going without.

It was a slow but steady flow that continued for several minutes before finally terminating, Celestia letting out a winded sigh as it ended. Being fed on, even voluntarily, proved to be a tiring experience to take part in, on par with any involved physical activity. But it should prove to be sufficient for the intended purpose.

"Despite everything that's happened between us over the years, Chrysalis, I never wanted to see you suffer needlessly. I take no joy in your misery," Celestia said soothingly as she stroked the changeling's mane with a wing.

"Closer..."

It was a hoarse whisper, but still loud enough she could hear it. Barely. Curiously she leaned in closer.

"Closer... please..." Chrysalis croaked weakly, unable to manage enough strength to raise her voice any higher than it was.

Celestia leaned in closer still, to better hear what Chrysalis was trying to say, barely a foot away from the changeling's face at this point.

Without the slightest bit of warning, Chrysalis projectile vomited some thick green goo in her face, sending her stumbling backwards, and falling over in surprise at the sudden act. She tried desperately to clean the filth off her face, only to find that it'd already hardened in place, and now had the consistency of plaster. She realized only too late that this wasn't vomit, but rather the goo changelings excreted to hold ponies prisoner. Immediately she tried to cast her magic, only to feel the reverberations of her horn from being firmly encased in the hardened mixture and rendering her powerless.

It was only after her failed attempt, that she remembered the insides of the cells were insulated to negate the use of magic. Even if her horn was free, she still wouldn't have been able to do anything.

Complicating matters, was the goo was enveloped nearly her entire head, the only exception being her eyes, with her mouth firmly held shut, and leaving her unable to call for help; unable to even breathe! And she'd come here without an escort of guards because she hadn't believed it would be necessary. How foalish of her.

"My dear Celestia, you truly are an idiot," Chrysalis cackled as she stood back up to her full height. "You just provided me with a rather substantial meal out of the kindness of your heart. Did you truly believe I'd be so weak, I couldn't speak above a whisper? You're quite gullible in nature to fall for such a trick."

Celestia tried to move, but quickly found herself pinned to the ground, Chrysalis standing over her and peering down at her with great excitement. "You really fell for that sob story, like I said, you're quite gullible. I made you feel sorry for us and our plight, and you willingly walked right in to give us your unconditional love, ready to save us even after all we've done to you. I really should thank you for accepting that we were starving so badly we were on the verge of death, it made everything so much easier," Chrysalis gloated and chuckled further. "Now my dear princess, I intend to take every last ounce of love you have to offer for your subjects, and give it all to my children! No longer will they have to worry about starving to death, or compete over what food is available, we'll no longer have to resort to cannibalism to survive! Those of my hive that're still alive will soon know the beauty of life!"

Celestia could feel herself being forcefully fed on at this point. Through the haze of the goo encrusting her face, she could see the pink fog-like field of her love being drawn into Chrsyalis' body again, driving the changeling queen to greater and greater heights of ecstasy and excitement as she gorged herself. This situation was going very bad, very fast, and all because she had a heart. Immediately she began kicking to try and get away, knowing that if Chrysalis gorged herself on enough love, her strength would return in full, and she'd be a substantial threat to everyone all over again.

"Struggle all you like, Celestia, it won't do you any good. I'm not stopping until I've absorbed every last drop of love you have in you," Chrysalis stated and grinned evilly.

And then a white hand was driven completely through her chest, as if she were nothing more than tissue paper, quickly entering Celestia's view with a loud, wet, visceral crunch as the exoskeleton and underlying soft tissue gave way to the greater force. Immediately the feeding stopped as Chrysalis gasped in pain and surprise.

"What?" she croaked out, struggling to turn her head around.

Ulquiorra had appeared directly behind her without her even realizing it, and impaled her with his own hand, the booming staticy echo of his sonido trailing behind him.

"As I said yesterday, you spend far too much time talking," he stated simply, twisting his blood covered arm in her chest before forcefully ripping it back out, her body being dragged along for the ride as hooves dragged against the stone floor, before popping free, the action causing Chrysalis' body to slide across the floor, before slamming against the bars of the cell, and dropping to the floor like a stone.

Celestia could say nothing, only watch helplessly as events played out before her, while her mind raced at everything that had happened; not the least of which being the fact Ulquiorra had just saved her. Even after everything she'd done, he still saved her. Immediately she scrambled to her hooves and tried to get the changeling goo off her face again.

"Hold still."

She felt as Ulquiorra placed a hand on her withers, the other she could feel groping around on the mask of hardened goo that covered her face. She barely had time to assume he'd found a seam or something to grab onto, as the next thing she knew the mask was broken and forcefully ripped off. She could feel bits of fur being ripped from her face in the process, the goo having solidified over some of the longer and less maintained hairs and entangling them into the mix. But at the moment she was too preoccupied with sucking down deep, ragged breaths of air to actually voice her discomfort.

Fingers, it seemed, came in quite useful. Perhaps he had good reason to doubt the idea of them having built this world with their hooves and their magic.

"How," she panted, "how long?" she asked. When had he arrived and when did he make the decision to actually step in and rescue her rather than letting her be feasted upon?

"Once I realized the matter had escaped your control," he explained and dropped the solidified remnants, the structure cracking and breaking against the hard floor. He then briefly turned his attention to Chrysalis as he heard her ragged gasps for air, before turning back to Princess Celestia. "Despite everything that was discussed last night, I still possessed doubts about the truthfulness of Chrysalis' pleas. When I realized you were going to the dungeon unescorted, I decided to follow and observe. Changelings by nature are infiltrators, it would make sense if deception was their special talent. It would seem she managed to fool everyone involved... myself included," he admitted.

"Celestia..."

Both of their attentions turned away from the matter at hand in order to look down at Chyrsalis' prone and bleeding form. Considering the injury she sustained, it was remarkable she was still alive and breathing, nevermind the miracle that she could still talk.

"Don't punish my children, please... there's only a few left alive..." she coughed weakly. Slowly she turned her attention back to Ulquiorra as he stood over her, looking down at her with those cold, empty eyes of his that had left her unnerved since she first saw them.

"The one," she stopped to try and breathe and swallow, "the one that... that motivated the attack on Canterlot. It was... it was... was..."

They remained silent as Chrysalis strained herself to speak. Unfortunately she never managed to reveal the name she was trying so hard to say, as her injury finally caught up with her, leaving her desperately gasping her air, her body twitching... and then nothing. All the tension in her body was released as she went limp against the ground, giving one last exhale as her green eyes rolled back in her head.

Ulquiorra remained silent as Princess Celestia stepped forward to examine the lifeless body, confirming the fact that Chrysalis was indeed dead instead of playing another trick.

"She's gone..." she said as she slowly stood back up and hung her head.

"And with her, our only lead," Ulquiorra replied.

It had been nothing more than a theory, the basis of which being the two events he'd been present to partake in, and minor statements made by those involved about the uncanniness of his timing. His logical mind demanded that there be some sort of connection, something to make sense of the seeming randomness of it all. With her last words, Chrysalis seemed to have confirmed that there was indeed another player involved, but had died before she could properly share what she'd known. Whoever or whatever was out there and engaged in this game of chess against them, Chrysalis had taken that information to the grave with her.

In his haste to save Princess Celestia, had he just condemned Equestria?

Chapter Thirty Three

Chapter Thirty Three

Twilight jolted awake, her sleep disturbed by a sudden commotion in close proximity to her ears. It was silent again as her eyes adjusted to the dim light supplied by Luna's moon at this pre-dawn time of night. Once they finally adjusted and she no longer had to squint to make out the various objects around the room, she could hear the same disturbing noise again. As she looked around the room she realized that the disturbing noise turned out to be Rainbow Dash snoring... with her face pressed against her chest and holding her close, her forelegs wrapped firmly around her.

It took her a moment to recall everything that'd happened, most of it being very bad in nature. But despite all the bad, a lot of good had still come of it; such as repairing a friendship she had absolutely no idea had been fractured to begin with. If nothing else, she could at least say that the relationship she and the others held with Rainbow Dash had been strengthened. They had that at least.

The irony of it all. If she hadn't experienced the meltdown over what 'Tia had done to them, she might never have learned just how upset Rainbow Dash had been. It was almost like that saying, what was it again? One of one thing, half a dozen of the other?

Rainbow Dash gave another snore against her chest, the commotion seeming to set off a chain reaction that caused the others around them to snore or otherwise mumble but not wake up. All in all it was cute, really. But cute or not, this wasn't exactly the sort of situation she was entirely comfortable waking up in, with one of her friends utilizing her as a pillow, rather than sleeping in/on their supplied sleeping bag.

Maybe she'd crept over in her sleep during that last hug during their meeting in the dream world with Ulquiorra and the others? It would at least make some logical sense out of everything. But regardless, she still needed to get the pegasus off of her; especially with her muzzle still bandaged up and swollen. Sleeping like this really couldn't be all that good for her recovery.

"Rainbow Dash, wake up," Twilight said as she nudged her friend. The pegasus snorted a bit but simply readjusted her position, resting her face back in Twilight's chest again and continued snoring away, oblivious to what was going on.

Twilight frowned some. She knew Rainbow Dash was a heavy sleeper and all, but she really couldn't just leave her in this situation all night. She decided to roll out the heavy artillery in this case.

"Oh Rainbow Dash," she whispered and craned her neck to bring her next to her friend's ear, "I just got a copy of the latest "Daring Do" book..."

Rainbow Dash snorted in a startled manner and popped her head up, eyes half lidded as she proceeded to look about the darkened room.

"Huh? "Daring Do"? Where? Where?" she asked as she moved her head from side to side. This continued until her ears detected Twilight's giggling, and her sleep clogged mind slowly putting the pieces together. She blinked her eyes a few times before scowling at her. "Very funny, Egghead," she grumbled, "what's the big idea anyway?" she asked before pausing to yawn, mumbling something about how well she was sleeping and how it was far too early to be up and awake.

"The big idea was to wake you up because this isn't your sleeping bag. You were sleeping on top of me," Twilight stated.

Rainbow Dash blinked in confusion for a moment and looked down, realizing that indeed it wasn't her assigned sleeping bag from last night, but rather it was Twilight's sleeping bag and the aforementioned unicorn that she'd been sleeping on.

"Oh. Sorry about that," Rainbow Dash replied, but made no immediate move to get back up and off of her. "I wondered why my pillow was so soft. I tell ya, Twi', you're kinda plushy."

Twilight blushed at Rainbow Dash's comment and how casually she just tossed it out there, as if they were having a conversation about books or food or something run of the mill. But instead of run of the mill things, Rainbow Dash was talking about her being plush and soft like a pillow or some piece of furniture.

Adding to her confusion and embarrassment, Rainbow Dash seemed perfectly content to settle in against her, and get comfortable for going back to bed all over again.

"R-R-Rainbow Dash," Twilight objected as the pegasus settled her head on her chest and shut her eyes. She wanted to object at a much higher volume, but doing so would disturb the sleep of their friends. And after everything they'd gone through today, they all needed their rest.

"Oh lighten up, Twilight," Rainbow Dash replied with a chuckle as she opened her eyes again and climbed off of her, "I'm just having a little fun with you, that's what friends do with each other. Not that you aren't cozy or anything," she said and gently poked Twilight's exposed belly with her hoof.

Twilight's forelegs jerked as she covered her belly in response to the poking. She gave the mischievous pegasus a disapproving frown, but it was short lived as she truly couldn't bring herself to be displeased with Rainbow Dash's antics. The least she could do was allow her friend to have her laughs. In hindsight, after the whole "Mare Do Well" mess, they were fortunate Rainbow Dash was even still talking to them. They'd all apologized, but she still felt that they were going to need to do a lot more than simply say they were sorry to make everything right.

"Maybe I need to stay away from Sugarcube Corner for a while," Twilight commented before rolling over onto her stomach to get into a more comfortable position.

"I wouldn't go that far, I didn't say you were fat or anything. Plush, not plump," Rainbow Dash pointed out. There was a huge difference between being fat and being soft. Pinkie was... well not to be rude but Pinkie did have a fair amount of pudge to her from all the sweets she gobbled down. Twilight on the other hoof didn't carry much extra weight on her bones, but she was still physically soft, like a big cuddly stuffed animal or... wait, what was she thinking!? Immediately she shook her head in an effort to clear away those thoughts about her friend. "Bad Rainbow Dash, bad!" she thought to herself.

A change of subject was needed. Yeah, that was it, a change of subject. Something that could be discussed other than their physiques.

"Hey... Twilight?" she asked in a whisper as she sat down next to her friend, opting not to go back to her designated sleeping area just yet. "Did you have a really weird dream before you woke up?"

Twilight thought on the question, trying to recall what she'd experienced during her slumber, between the apology they'd all issued to Rainbow Dash, and now during this conversation. She could vaguely recall a dream where she'd been giving a guest lecture at the most prestigious university in all of Canterlot, but that was drastically overshadowed by what came next, by the meeting between herself, her friends, the Princesses, and Ulquiorra. They'd all been there in some darkened area and, discussing matters pertaining to several theories about Ulquiorra as to why he was here in their world, why Discord had brought him here, if the dragon and changeling incidents had been connected, and who could possibly be behind it.

All in all it had been a really weird dream to experience.

"Now that you mention it, yes I did. Everyone was in it and talking, and you were wearing a Wonderbolt uniform," Twilight explained.

"Okay now that's creepy. I dreamed that I was the Captain of the Wonderbolts, I was doing my aerial maneuvers over Canterlot, and then the next thing I know I'm crashing into what's his name and Princess Luna is there, and then each of the girls were brought into the dream for some kind of great big meeting," Rainbow Dash whispered. "When Princess Luna brought you in, you had your mane done up in some kinda bun, red rimmed glasses, and a really ugly necktie."

Twilight blinked in surprise. That was how she dreamed herself being when she was giving the lecture. Well except for the necktie of course, she thought it looked good. But the similarities were way too coincidental to just be isolated dreams held by them individually.

The only logical, scientific conclusion she could come up with, was that Princess Luna had brought them all together just as she'd explained in the dream. Meaning they'd all had the same conversation and heard the same facts, terrible and disturbing as they might be.

"Did I hug Ulquiorra?" she finally asked, one last effort of hoping it had all just been one wild dream.

"Did you ever. Not that he accepted the apology you gave, the big jerk," Rainbow Dash replied, louder than she'd intended but thankfully not enough to disturb the others. "So it was a dream, but not a dream. It's times like this I'm glad I don't use unicorn magic, it gets way too confusing," she stated.

Twilight ignored Rainbow Dash's comment, instead choosing to think on what had been said during the meeting. Right now she wasn't entirely sure just what to focus her attention on more; Ulquiorra's theory about them being targeted in an organized manner, or Chrysalis' plea for the other changelings. Either way it was something grim to be considered.

However her thought process was interrupted as Rainbow Dash started talking again.

"So the dude can beat a dragon all by himself, and he actually needs our help. How awesome is that?" she asked.

"More like terrifying actually," Twilight replied. Ulquiorra had brought up theories based on observations and snippets of conversation that, when revealed, made a great deal of sense and left her wondering why she herself hadn't realized it beforehoof. The dragon, the changelings, his arrival here in Equestria, it was all too coincidental to just scientifically be written off as purely coincidence. "What if Ulquiorra is actually right? What if there's someone orchestrating attacks against us and the rest of Equestria? That's... that's..." she paused, unable to come up with the proper word.

"Heavy?" Rainbow Dash suggested.

"That's not exactly the term I would've gone with, but yes, that thought is... heavy... in nature," Twilight stated.

"You're worrying too much, Twi', after all we've been through, is there really anything left that could be thrown at us that we couldn't deal with?" Rainbow Dash asked casually. "We hold the Elements of Harmony, the most powerful force in Equestria. We defeated Nightmare Moon and saved Princess Luna, we beat and reformed Discord over to our side, you're the prized student to Princess Celestia, we're friends with the two most powerful ponies in the whole world. And on top of that all, we've now got U.C. thrown into the mix, who's not only strong enough he can beat the living daylights out of a dragon without even trying, but he can freakin' transform to get even more powerful! We've got this situation well in hoof and in the bag, there's nothing that can be thrown at us that we can't deal with easily," she stated, barely able to keep her voice at a whisper the more she went on.

Twilight really wanted to believe her friend's optimism, that no matter what the situation was well within their control and there was nothing they could face that they couldn't deal with. They had the Elements of Harmony and possessed the ability to neutralize any threat they encountered. Celestia and Luna -it felt really weird to think of them without including their title as Princess in their names- possessed enough magical strength to move the sun and the moon respectively. Discord regarded them as his friends and would likely do whatever was necessary to keep them safe, and he possessed reality warping magical abilities. And now there was Ulquiorra, somebody with so much strength and skill it just boggled the mind how such a small frame kept it all in check. All in all they were a group of eleven very strong, very powerful beings. Was there anything in Equestria they couldn't face and defeat?

"I hope you're right, Rainbow Dash," Twilight replied and yawned, "we should really see about going back to bed. Tomorrow we've got a lot of work to do; even more than usual," she stated.

"Yeah? How do you figure?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Considering everything that happened yesterday, we may need to see to damage control. Changelings or no," Twilight paused to yawn again, "a lot of Ponyville likely still thinks Ulquiorra was serious about trying to kill them. If he's going to be visiting Ponyville again in the near future, and perhaps regularly, then we need to do everything we can to assure the rest of the town they're in no danger from him. And that's to say nothing about them possibly seeing him actually fighting against Celestia way up above. This whole situation," she yawned again, "could be a whole lot bigger than we thought," she explained.

"Oh. Yeah. Good point, I forgot about that," Rainbow Dash replied. It really wouldn't be all that good for all of Ponyville to go scattering and hiding like they had with Zecora. "I guess expecting everypony to just forget what happened and come to that party Pinkie's gonna throw for him, would be a bit much."

"Probably," Twilight stated and yawned. The excitement was dying down and all she wanted to do right now was sleep. She rolled over, fluffed her pillow until it was just right, and promptly collapsed face first onto it. That was that.

"... Hey Twilight?"

Or maybe not.

With a groan Twilight raised her head and glanced over at Rainbow Dash through a single opened eye, the unseen frown more or less demanding an answer as to why her slumber was being violated. A fact that was more or less lost on the cyan pegasus.

"Was my idea for the changelings really that terrible?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Twilight let out a very tired sigh as she began tiredly running calculations, trying to measure if the effort to raise her head was a worthwhile employment of power just so her voice would be clear. Eventually she determined it was.

"From a detached perspective dealing with facts and figures, the idea of converting the changelings so they can eat pony food leaves many questions unanswered and simply opens the door to a lot of headaches that would need to be ironed out before it could ever be implemented successfully," Twilight explained, pausing briefly to stifle a yawn. "However from a perspective of heart and kindness, I thought it was a very touching idea and I liked it. It's just," she yawned again, "it's just not something that can be implemented just like that. Not without taking everything into account and... oh forget it, I'm too tired. Rainbow Dash, you're a very caring pony, and I'm glad, and very lucky, to have you as a friend. That's all that's important right now."

"Thanks Twi'," Rainbow Dash replied, touched by her friend's kind words.

"Now please, please, please shut up and let me go back to sleep," Twilight pleaded.

"Oh. Right. Goodnight, Twilight."

"Goodnight..."

It had been raining since early this morning, the overcast sky shutting out her magnificent sun. For once Celestia was perfectly alright with that, the weather was highly appropriate for how she felt right now. On this day her magnificent sun brought her absolutely no joy.

She didn't want to admit to the fact that this morning's incident with Chrysalis had shaken her and greatly disturbed her; far more than she cared to think about. The day court had been cancelled early on this day, just before noon, due to the nature of the petitioners proving to be too much for her to bear in her current state.

Making matters worse was the fact that it was all her fault, and she had nopony to blame but herself.

The usual petitioners were no problem to deal with. She'd been putting up with them for a thousand years by herself through both good and bad, this day was no different.

The real problems had started when the petitioners came in search of answers regarding yesterday. The changeling invasion, the green rain, the sudden appearance of the strange white biped who did battle with her high above in the sky -apparently not high enough to escape the watchful eyes of whatever subjects had escaped changeling capture- and the status of the kingdom's security. How could she possibly tell them the truth? How could she inform her own terrified subjects that yesterday had all been an elaborate plot of hers to deal with the changelings once and for all, while at the same time avoid throwing the kingdom into a panic at the revelation that even she was prone to stupid ideas just like everypony else?

While she was on that subject, how could she possibly explain the nature of Ulquiorra to them in their current state. There was only so much damage control she could do right now.

And then the critics had come. Those that seemed to draw an almost perverse pleasure in making her squirm under their scrutiny and accusations, pressing her on matters of great sensitivity. Only this time their accusations had hit much closer to home than they usually did. It was with them that she tried closing the day court.

It was one of the few, few times in recent history, that she'd ever taken a serious and authoritative stance with her subjects, and ordered them to do something, and informed them there would be repercussions for disobedience. After that they couldn't wait to get out of there.

The divot left by Twilight's period of undiluted rage hadn't helped matters one bit. And with the skilled stonemasons currently unavailable, simply regenerating the melted marble via magic wasn't an available option. It was currently being replaced the old fashioned way.

Right now she was standing silently outside the office of Canterlot's chief medical examiner, regarded as the best in his field of expertise, conveniently located just a mile from the palace.

To her side was Ulquiorra standing just as silently as she was, the Espada being unusually attentive to her on this day. And by that she meant he hadn't taken his leave from her presence except when it was necessary. It was strange, almost disturbing, how he'd been violating his own usual pattern of behavior so readily. And while he hadn't been fretting over her wellbeing, his cold silence and emotional distance didn't seem to possess the same nature it normally did. It was... all quite strange really. It was like he could exercise concern, but had no desire to actually show it.

"You didn't have to follow me here, you know," she pointed out, finally breaking the silence in the room that seemed to easily grow in thickness and tenseness.

"There are questions that need to be answered. That would not be possible back at the palace," Ulquiorra replied simply.

Princess Celestia's decision to release Chrysalis and her hive, as well as the decision to subsequently feed them, had been entirely illogical in nature. But it had been her decision to make. However it had been his decision to intervene when Princess Celestia had lost control of the situation, and fell victim to Chrysalis' attack.

Sometime after that, Princess Celestia had sent for the medical examiner for the purpose of performing an autopsy on the changeling queen; a process he saw no beneficial purpose to, as the cause of death seemed quite obvious, seeing as he was the one who administered it. But then again, it wasn't his place to question her decisions on the matter.

"I assumed you'd come to insult me for my moment of weakness, and my decision to release Chrysalis and what remained of her hive. To hammer home the point that my heart makes me weak, about how I'm illogical, and soft, and how this entire mess could've been avoided if I'd simply allowed you to exterminate them from the moment they'd been discovered," she replied. Ulquiorra said nothing in response. Even after she waited he still said nothing, it was disturbing. "What? Nothing about how if I'd let you do the logical thing, the entire mess with Twilight could've been avoided, and a lot of misery wouldn't have had to happen? How I was out for revenge for some as of yet undisclosed incident in the relatively distant past, and was blinded to what might happen to those around me in carrying out this whole elaborate and convoluted plot? Nothing about how badly things could've gone from my decision to actually feed Chrysalis, and her resulting actions?" she asked him pointedly.

"From the structuring of your questions, it would seem that you have already given consideration to such possibilities. There would be no purpose in me saying anything along such lines at this point," Ulquiorra replied simply, not once turning his gaze towards Princess Celestia, nor making any efforts to look beyond the remnants of his Hollow mask.

She wanted to say something, anything, in response to Ulquiorra's cold logic, something that would take the edge off this day. But she couldn't. Despite how she felt, taking out her frustrations on another was too undignified, even for her own lax standards. Ulquiorra really hadn't done anything to deserve her anger being directed at him; at least nothing new since yesterday when he'd accused her of being obsessed with revenge.

For now it was just more silence, stretching on without any readily identifiable end.

Minutes ticked by like hours as the two simply stood, Celestia being the first to yield and actually sit down as the waiting continued.

Eventually though patience won out, as the medical examiner -a gray unicorn stallion dressed in standard doctor's garb- stepped out into the hallway, a clipboard grasped in an alabaster aura.

"Doctor, what have you learned?" she asked almost as soon as the examiner was out of his office.

He looked at Princess Celestia, sparing only a momentary glance at Ulquiorra, before shrugging and answering the question he'd been asked.

"As per your instructions, Your Majesty, I was quite thorough in my examination of the body. The cause of death was due to severe organ trauma caused by impalement by a large implement. Death would've been quite sudden in nature," the stallion explained as he looked over his notes before passing them to her. "Along with immune system indicators that would suggest long term viral infection of some sort, I also discovered signs of malnourishment that suggest this changeling hadn't fed for an extended period of time. Considering the severity of the damage to its internal systems I believe that had she not been killed, she would've died regardless within a week at most. Even if you'd given her all of your love, Your Majesty, there was nothing you could've done to save her," he explained.

Celestia sighed and closed her eyes while lowering her head. When she'd sent for the medical examiner to have an autopsy performed on Chrysalis' body, this was definitely not the kind of information she'd been expecting to hear. She had no idea the situation had been so bad, so desperate.

"I see," she replied slowly.

Ulquiorra remained silent as he listened. This report made some sense in explaining why Chrysalis had been so weak at the time he'd found her, and why she had gotten weaker and weaker as the day went on.

"That's not all, either," the doctor explained as he flipped to another page, "as per your instructions I was thorough. Among other areas explored, I also examined the changeling's brain. It's really a fascinating organ compared to a pony's brain, remind me to show you the differences sometime. Anyway. I examined the changeling's brain and found something of great interest. While there are many and startling differences, you'll notice my observations. As you can see, I noticed signs of considerable mental instability. And from what I've seen I'd venture a guess and say that at some point in the recent past, the changeling experienced some sort of violent traumatic event that caused her to, for lack of a better term, snap. And I truly don't believe she ever recovered from whatever psychotic episode took hold of her on that day."

"What you're saying is Chrysalis was insane," Ulquiorra elaborated. Was it truly necessary to use such a complicated manner of explaining the situation when a simple "she was insane" would have sufficed?

The doctor remained silent for a moment, stopping to nod before flipping his notes to the next page. "In simple terms, yes. However there's far more to it than that and I'm... not entirely sure what to make of it. Present alongside the physical indicators of a mental disorder, are signs of a severe physical disorder that has damaged the various lobes of the brain and nervous system to varying degrees. I've never seen anything like this in a real world setting, only in medical text books, and even then only when dealing with other species. But if I had to hazard a guess I would say the changeling was suffering from an advanced stage of... spongiform encephalopathy..."

"I'm unfamiliar with that term," Ulquiorra stated simply, finding himself mildly interested in the doctor's statement about Chrysalis suffering from some form of brain damage.

"Spongiform encephalopathy is a brain disease, but unlike psychosis which deals with the mental aspects, spongiform encephalopathy deals with the physical aspects of the mind, causing lesions and deterioration of the brain tissue. It's incurable and untreatable in nature, and those who contract it die a very debilitating death. However I'm uncertain how she came to contract it in the first place. Changelings possess no traditional functioning digestive system like ponies, making digestion of any sort of food impossible, which should make spongiform encephalopathy impossible to contract. The only way one becomes afflicted with it, is engaging in the act of cannibalism," he explained.

Cannibalism? The utter irony of it all. That was an area he was well versed in, as it was a part of his very nature; the reason for his own existence and level of evolution. But to hear confirmation of it actually taking place in another species. Now last night's conversation suddenly made a greater amount of sense. Chrysalis has said a number of the other changelings had sacrificed themselves in order for her to live on. If love were truly physical in this world, and served as a source of nutrition for the changeling species, then perhaps they had used their love for her to ensure her survival, and left nothing for themselves. And in the process they must have caused her to contract this disease. Perhaps that was the traumatic event that caused her to lose her sanity as well? A veritable double whammy as it were; losing one's children, and contracting a fatal illness for their efforts without even realizing it.

There were many questions to figure out currently. When had the changelings sacrificed themselves for Chrysalis? When had she experienced her psychotic break? When had she contracted the spongiform encephalopathy, and for how long had it been ravaging her system? If she was brain damaged on top of being insane, then how well could they trust what had been said by her?

He'd assumed that whatever entity had used her as a pawn hadn't been smart enough to remove any traces of itself from her mind, and thus left behind loose ends that could lead back to it. Now, however, he could no longer be certain of such. For all he knew her efforts to name someone as responsible were nothing more than the delusional ramblings from one who was both insane, and going into shock from traumatic injury and severe blood loss.

"Doctor, just before Chrysalis died, she was trying to say a name. You're regarded as the best in your field of medical examination. Is there any way you could recall this information? Any way at all?" Celestia asked him hopefully/desperately.

"I'm afraid not," he replied with a sigh and closed his notes, "I possess a great many skills in the realm of medical examination, but sadly that's not among them. I could tell you almost anything else about the changeling's body and its state before she died, but matters pertaining to the mind are beyond my expertise. As ravaged as it was I'm not certain any information could be retrieved even if I knew the proper expert to name. Truly it's a miracle she was able to function at all," he explained. "If she had anything to say, I'm quite certain it was unintelligible gibberish at this point."

Bad news meant different things to different individuals. In this case it was no different. For Ulquiorra, this news meant that they were officially without any leads in the mystery pertaining to who or what was behind the two attacks against the holders of the Elements of Harmony. They had a mystery on their hands, and there was nothing they could do but wait and see what was down the line, just waiting to strike when they least expected it.

To Celestia, however, bad news of this magnitude meant far more and far worse; at least with regard to herself. Ulquiorra was out one unconfirmed theory based around his own random observations. But to her, discovering the truth about Chrysalis' condition left her feeling devastated. She had no idea the situation had been so dire, that the changelings were so close to extinction and this had more or less been their last attempt at saving themselves from total annihilation.

And what had she done? She'd hastened their suffering without even realizing it.

"Thank you for your work, Doctor, you've been most helpful and informative in the matter," Celestia replied, "come, Ulquiorra."

"Just a moment, Your Majesty," he spoke up, "what do you want me to do with the body?" he asked.

"For the moment just leave it in cold storage. I'll be back later, once I have the opportunity to make the proper arrangements," she explained. He nodded in understanding of her request. With no new business to tend to she took her leave, teleporting away with Ulquiorra in tow. There was plenty of business to tend to back at the castle as it was.

"I possess significant doubts that I will ever become accustomed to this method of transportation," Ulquiorra commented upon their return to the palace throne room.

The very notion of instantaneously disappearing from one location and arriving at an entirely different location was quite strange, completely different from his own sonido or any other method of travel. Not knowing the mechanics behind it didn't help any. Being thrust into a location he didn't properly understand wasn't on his list of desirable activities. Nor was finding himself stuck inside a wall if something went wrong.

"It's preferable to being rained on," Celestia pointed out.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response. Debating the benefits of teleportation compared to other means of travel wasn't what he wanted to do right now. Instead there was another matter in need of discussion.

"In light of this new information, what is your intended course of action concerning the remaining changelings?" he asked bluntly.

"In light of this new information..." Celestia paused, "I intend to show mercy on this matter. With so few changelings left alive, I simply don't see the point in going through all the red tape to have them shipped off to some penal colony facility. Nor do I wish to accumulate anymore blood on my hooves than I already have. I intend to ask Discord to implement Rainbow Dash's plan from last night, and enable them to survive on regular foods like anypony else. After that they'll be escorted out of the borders of Equestria proper and allowed to go wherever they wish," she explained.

Mercy? Princess Celestia believed that this course of action was one of mercy? True mercy would be a swift death to end their misery, not allowing them to continue existing in such a pitiful state. If the changelings had succumbed to their own hunger and resorted to cannibalism against one another, then it stood to reason that they were all in a similar state as Chrysalis.

But then again, he wasn't the one in charge. If Princess Celestia had made up her mind there was little he could do. Little except for questioning the wisdom of her decision.

"You're aware that by leaving them alive, a new queen will rise, their numbers will multiply, and they might launch another attack at some point down the line, correct?" he asked, referencing the reasons she cited when convincing him to go along with this charade in the first place to prevent a full scale, full frontal attack for the purpose of decimating the hive and every changeling present.

"I'm aware of the possibility. But it's a chance I'm willing to take, in hopes that the gesture and the newfound food sources, will be enough to satisfy them. Once a new queen evolves, then maybe a proper diplomatic relationship can be entered into," Celestia explained.

Ideological nonsense and nothing more. He would need to begin questioning Princess Celestia's mental stability if she kept spouting off such ridiculous statements and expecting others to consider them valid. She wasn't being logical in the slightest.

But again, what could he do on the matter? There was very little that he could actually hope to accomplish on his own. He would simply have to abide by whatever her decision was, and be prepared to act for whenever things went horribly, horribly wrong, just as they were destined to.

"Very well then," Ulquiorra replied and left it at that. He knew when it was time to let a topic of discussion drop, and when to attack it viciously. And right now this was the former. "And what of my own fate, now that there is no longer a crisis taking precedent?" he asked.

To some, his present course of action might seem strange. Princess Celestia had informed him that once everything settled down, she would be dealing with him and the trust issues that resulted from his secrecy... and more than likely, the way he'd sold his supposed defection to Chrysalis. What he was doing right now, was going out of his way to remind her of the fact that she was supposed to be upset with him, and make her return to an earlier promise of dealing with him for his actions, and issue whatever consequences were going to be coming his way.

But as always, there was a methodology not only to what he did, but also why he chose to do it. And in this case it was a necessity to determine future interactions, and how to proceed from here on out. It was necessary to gain a greater understanding of Princess Celestia's character, and her degree of reasonability.

Celestia thought on his words. There were so many conflicting things going on right now, that she really had no idea just where to begin on thinking things through, and determining how to respond accordingly. She knew that she had reason to be upset with Ulquiorra... but after everything that had happened up to this point, she couldn't help but wonder if they were good reasons.

First there was the matter of his deception, and how he'd deliberately kept the status of his resurrection from her. He'd allowed her to believe that her binding spell had been successful, and that unpleasant aspect of his character had been safely, and effectively, locked away and no longer something to worry about.

And then he'd gone and shown her that she was wrong in that assumption, that she'd failed in her attempts, and he'd simply been playing her for a foal the entire time.

He'd tried to pass his secrecy off as a matter of self preservation, reasoning that if she knew about how her spell hadn't worked, she'd treat him as a hostility to her world and her subjects; possibly to the extent that she might actually kill him if the truth was known.

But then she stopped and thought about the matter, about his words during all their interactions. Right now she was remembering the conversation they had the day after Ulquiorra had visited Ponyville, how he explained that he and the three Espada ranked above him were forbidden from using their resurrections within Las Noches, as the release in power from any one of them could destroy the entire city. And then how he'd fled Canterlot before using his resurrection, explicitly stating that it was to prevent the palace from collapsing around them. And after what she'd felt of his strange, unique nature, she could see the reasoning behind that.

Such thoughts brought her back to the garden, and how his attempt at using his release -something that she'd insisted upon- had failed. He'd been faking the entire time... possibly because he knew actually completing the act would prove catastrophic for them to experience. Perhaps... perhaps his deception hadn't been so much for protecting his own skin, as it was theirs.

The second matter was their combat high above Canterlot. Or more specifically, how he'd utilized Twilight's presence during that instance. Instead of focusing his attention on her, as she was the primary target for that part of the deception, he'd instead turned his attention toward her student and attacked without mercy, and with an attack that could've killed everyone in the throne room; a fact she knew for certain, having felt the incredible force behind the Cero Oscuras for herself. That alone would be sufficient to hold against him... until she once again stopped and thought about it. That was something that'd been going on since last night's conference, and it was complicating everything.

The combat had... now that she thought on it, it'd seemed very strange to encounter. If Ulquiorra had really intended to kill her with the Cero Oscuras, wouldn't he have simply utilized his sonido to appear in close proximity to her before releasing it? Instead he'd taken the time to explain exactly what she was going to be facing off against, giving her ample opportunity to prepare for a dodge or block with her shield. And on top of that, he'd attacked from a distance, thus adding to the time she had to react. If he'd been serious from the start, she suspected he would've gone with a very different approach.

Of course his clashing with her wasn't what had her upset, but rather when he'd chosen to involve Twilight. He'd correctly gathered that in order to protect her student, she'd throw herself in harm's way without hesitation. But everything that lead up to that moment... he'd been so slow in adjusting his aim toward the palace and where Twilight had stood on the balcony. He'd directly asked her, if Twilight was strong enough to withstand his attack. He'd asked her and then actually paused, before actually discharging it, giving her the necessary time to prevent any harm from occurring... and all after first confirming that she could indeed do such. He hadn't charged headlong into the matter, and simply determined that it was safe to attack Twilight directly; instead he'd felt everything out in a methodical manner, determining the best course of action to minimize casualties, in his own unique way.

Add to that was the fact that her own deception had relied upon being in the presence of Chrysalis. And one way or another, he'd gotten her back into the throne room where her ashen replica was designed to be for the swapping. If he hadn't gone with the course of action taken, it's possible things might not have succeeded.

Then there was the third matter, of the conversation they had afterwards. How Ulquiorra had accused her of being a monster, uninterested in the emotional wellbeing of her subjects and friends, accused her of having no concern for the psychological trauma her actions could result in for everypony involved in their deception, and accused her of simply being out for revenge against Chrysalis. That, more than anything, left her the most furious.

But after much thought, she realized it wasn't the Espada that she was truly angry with. He'd been the recipient of her fury, but not the intended target of such. It'd taken her so long to understand that the one she should truly be angry with right now, was herself. It had been her plan to proceed in the manner they had. It'd been her that brought Twilight and the others here, and left them uninformed of everything. It'd been her that told Ulquiorra to be convincing in his performance. All he'd done -other than criticizing her tactics- was follow the open-ended instructions she'd given him to go by.

She supposed she could hold his actions in last night's conference against him, how he'd utilized terror of the unknown to secure his unrestricted travel. But that thought died nearly as fast as it'd come up. She'd been present as Ulquiorra explained how he saw the situation, what had caused him to formulate the theory, and why he believed it to be accurate. And looking at it from the perspective of coincidences not occurring -at least not in rapid succession- even she wondered if he was onto something that she'd missed.

Chrysalis' dying attempts at a final statement had certainly lent credibility to the notion, regardless of what the doctor might've said about her mental state.

Of course that didn't mean she was happy with how he'd conducted himself and backed her into the proverbial corner. But she could at least understand the reasoning behind it. And in light of everything that'd happened, she could do little more than be sore with him for his choice of tactics; just as she'd been sore with Luna for going over her head, and bringing Twilight into this mess in the manner she had. But being sore and resenting one's actions, didn't justify significant consequences for such.

"I've given this matter a lot of thought and consideration. What we find ourselves in is a very difficult situation, full of uncertainty. What I said yesterday, was said during a moment of emotional instability, and a period of being distraught with how things had progressed. Had I been approached when I was calmer, I don't believe I would've acted anything like I did yesterday. I'm sorry, Ulquiorra, making you the recipient of my anger wasn't appropriate. Nor was it appropriate to deal with the matter in the way that I did. I was upset, but I should've been upset with myself rather than you," she explained and hung her head.

Ulquiorra remained silent as he observed Princess Celestia. She was soft in nature. Full of doubts and uncertainty, and a good deal of remorse for what she did. She recognized when her actions were wrong, but apparently that recognition only came after they'd been carried out, and the consequences could be witnessed.

He could so easily exert psychological control over her right now if he were motivated to do such. Allowing her to see the error of her ways, while pointing out prior to and after things had gone wrong, would establish his credibility in the future for whenever the next incident should arise, and her notions differed from his own. But timing was everything, and right now he didn't believe the timing was right to go through with such a strategy. He would instead wait and see how things played out on their own, without his influence.

"Since you first arrived in this world, you've been a hero at least five times already, and it hasn't even been a full two weeks yet! You've saved Twilight and her friends, my subjects, you even saved me when I was too naive to suspect Chrysalis' last act of deception. I honestly don't know what is appropriate to say in this situation," she stated.

"Then perhaps it's safe to conclude this matter," Ulquiorra replied. Why some believed that talking was a constant necessity was beyond him. "And if these two matter have officially come to an end, I will need to return to Ponyville at the earliest convenience. There is still one more matter of importance to tend to," he stated simply, deciding to change the subject of discussion. He also needed to evaluate whether or not she was being sincere when she told the others she would reinstate his permission to travel; to say nothing of her seriousness when she claimed to supposedly forgive him, in light of her rethinking things.

"Oh? What kind of matter?" Celestia asked, curious about what could've brought up such a sudden change of topic. Maybe it had to deal with his theory, and the belief that he needed to be present and available anytime a significant crisis arose?

"The unicorn Rarity still possesses my uniform jacket from yesterday. I wish to retrieve it before she makes any attempt at modifying it to suit her tastes, or to make it conform to her sense of fashion."

His... jacket? That was the matter of importance he had to tend to? Was he joking? That was the thought, but it only took one look at his expressionless face to tell her that he wasn't. Unfortunately his deadpan deliver just added to the unintentional humor of it all, forcing her to try not to laugh.

"Proceed then," she said simply. If he was that set on retrieving what was his, who was she to refuse under these circumstances. He gave a brief nod, before disappearing in a burst of sonido, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Thoughts that she didn't necessarily want to be left with, without a distraction from them. Despite all the work that had gone into patching everything up, that didn't mean the sting of everything was gone. There were some aspects that would take considerably more time to heal than others.

Her attention was drawn to a sudden tingling occurring just overhead, as a scroll materialized before her. Curiously she opened it to read who had sent what.

Dear Celestia,

I just want to start off by saying, that feels as weird to write out as it does to say.

I've thought a lot about everything that's happened since yesterday. And through all of that thinking, I've managed to realize something important. While I might be mad over how things proceeded, you still deserved better than what you received. When we spoke last night I wasn't thinking, and instead let my emotions guide me. The proper response should've been after everypony had sufficient time to calm down, sort things out, and determine how they really felt. But I was too upset to remember that fact. So to make up for that I'm submitting this to cover what was glossed over, left out, or otherwise forgotten in the heat of the moment.

I was upset with what happened, and for multiple reasons. It's not every day you watch somepony supposedly die and crumble to dust because they were protecting you from harm in the process. And it's not every day you find out that the death you witnessed was nothing more than the equivalent of one big joke.

To put in simple terms, you hurt me, Celestia. You hurt me in ways that I truly didn't believe were possible until I actually experienced them for myself. I can't even begin to describe the emotional state that I was in at the time, because I truly don't even know what it was. Deception, anger, sadness, etc. they were all being experienced at the same time. Every single emotion I was experiencing was fighting for dominance over the others in some weird contest.

Even now, when I think about what happened, I still feel hurt. I understand why you took the course of action that you did; at least I do now after I've had a chance to talk with everypony, and do a little independent investigation on my own to verify everything. But simply knowing the why doesn't change what was experienced. It puts it into context, but that's about it. I hate to say it, but there really are some things for which books can't properly address.

I don't hate you. I can say with all honesty that the statement to the contrary was a mistake on my part. If I could recant it I would. In all honesty I don't believe that I could ever hate you. I can be upset with a course of action you take, but that doesn't translate into being upset at the pony directly. You've done so much for me in the past, been a teacher, adviser, and even the one who helped me have friends in the first place. The sheer wrongness there would be in hating you can't even be covered in ink and parchment. I should know, I've been trying to do just that and failing miserably.

Knowing that you aren't perfect in your rule... it makes it easier to talk to you. I'm not so scared of messing up around you anymore. I understand that you're a Princess, but knowing that you make mistakes too, makes it seem easier to relate to you now. It's not so terrifying to think about that fact anymore. It might sound strange, but I actually feel like a weight has been lifted right off my withers.

Last night when you talked about wanting to be regarded as a friend, I admit I was skeptical about it. But now, as I think about it with a clear mind, I think that it's something that can be made to work with a little effort. As I've learned, friendships aren't perfect in nature, but the ones that are invested in are the ones worth maintaining.

There are so, so many things that I wanted to say when I started writing this letter. But some simply don't fit the overall flow, and others I just can't seem to put into actual words. It's almost like trying to describe the color of red to a pony that's blind; some things simply don't translate. Complicating the matter is that I can't ask others for advice on this particular problem. I don't know if I was justified in my anger and what I did, it's just so complicated. I don't even know if it's appropriate for me to still feel negativity toward you when you've chosen to not feel the same toward me.

Any advice on this matter would be welcomed right about now.

I wish there was more I could say. I really do. But at the moment this is all I have that I can contribute.

Your friend,
Twilight

Celestia read over the note silently. She could understand Twilight's uncertainty over everything; uncharted territory tended to cause that in ponies. Even for her, in all of her experience, there were things she didn't know how to address properly. And right now the exact manner in which to proceed was one of them. Here Twilight was reaching out to her for guidance, and yet she had nothing to offer in response. Try as she might, she couldn't think of any advice that seemed eloquent for this.

Not eloquent, but perhaps relevant. Conjuring quill and parchment, she began writing a response.

"Dear Twilight," she dictated as the quill went to work, etching out the words she spoke. "If there is any proper advice to be had on the matter, I would most certainly welcome it myself right about now..."

Chapter Thirty Four

Chapter Thirty Four

June 11, 0002 ANM

Dear Ulquiorra,

To begin with I really don't believe that this casual and informal approach is really the best way to go about relaying information of such an important nature. But as part of the group I was outvoted by a significant margin when it came to including the dates, report numbers, and various other important information. Apparently the others believe it's not important to mark the date since your arrival in our dimension seventeen days ago. They seem to think that your arrival being the twenty sixth of last month is enough to know.

Excuse me. Spike says I'm rambling about proper decorum and organization again. I guess I am.

As per your request, the others and I have been keeping tabs on everything going on around Ponyville to try and discern if there's any pattern that could predict possible attacks in the future. I'm happy to say that we're leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to be thorough.

I'm also sad to say that I literally mean no stone is being left unturned in our search. You can blame Pinkie for that one...

Having learned from the changeling encounter we're also performing daily check-ins with each other to ensure nopony in the group has been replaced or otherwise compromised. Unfortunately, we're still entirely uncertain of just how to go about verifying each other. Not that we have any distrust among us, we're just trying to figure out the best course of action. Spike suggested we simply continue relying on the password confirmation system we used prior to Chrysalis' capture. While this can work just fine in most instances, there's always the possibility of a potential imposter eavesdropping and hearing the word at some point. If you have any recommendations we'd like to hear them.

Getting back to the report. The others and I have been compiling our observations into lists to try and discern any type of pattern, anything that might coincide with the days of the previous two incidents. In my case, however, I've gone further back to analyze everything that's happened since the day of your arrival to see if there's been any noticeable activity that could raise a red flag.

Most of the details we've seen are mundane. Really, really mundane. Interactions with certain ponies, the usual happenings that might be expected in a town of this size, occasional unexpected events but nothing that would seem out of the ordinary. Even Pinkie's ability to sense what's about to happen isn't detecting anything.

I've looked back to the days prior to discovering Fluttershy's replacement by a changeling. According to Applejack, two days prior, there was something that greatly disturbed the timberwolves that prowl the Everfree Forest at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres. However I'm not aware of anything that could disturb timberwolves in a manner like she described, and there have been no other such incidents with them.

The most outstanding incident that's occurred locally in Ponyville since your arrival, at least that any of us has been aware of, was a ten degree difference between the estimated and actual temperatures seven days ago, or the day after the timberwolf incident. This might not seem particularly outstanding to you, as weather by nature is very hard to predict. But our reports come from Cloudsdale directly, and their estimates and predictions of the temperature are accurate to within a three-to-five degree margin of error, so TEN degrees difference is highly unusual. So far none of us are certain of the significance of this deviation. Whether or not the deviation in weather is even tied to the timberwolves is a mystery in and of itself. The only time I've heard of timberwolves acting up is during Zap Apple season, and right now that's months away, so it couldn't be that.

This is a really frustrating report to submit to you, Ulquiorra, due to the fact that we have so little to actually report. This whole report more or less states that we have nothing to report, which really removes the whole reason for it to even exist, other than to satisfy some requirement for paperwork to actually exist. Of course if we were going with that route then numbering and dating would be necessary. No worries, I can have the reports numbered correctly if that's it.

Rambling again. Sorry.

So cutting straight to the bone of the matter, there's very little to go on. The fact that we've lost Chrysalis leaves us devastated, both in a professional manner and an individual manner. I certainly had no love for her after what she did to us, but to find out the situation was so dire... even I can't bring myself to hate her. To think that they might've been in that state the first time they showed up and we just kicked them out so brutally...

Right. Sorry. Professionalism.

I can't even begin to imagine how things are from your perspective, and how the details about the changelings are computing with your logical outlook to life. To think that the changelings would encounter a love that was so pure, it ultimately proved to be their own undoing. Perhaps they truly weren't the mindless beasts we thought they were.

I wish I had more information to report, but sadly I have nothing. I don't even have a thousand words for submitting a halfway decent report on the activities around Ponyville. So I'm going to close out this report for the time being, and will continue to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

Signed,
Twilight Sparkle

Ulquiorra scanned over the page before setting it down, contemplating this day's reports. Twilight Sparkle was nothing if not thorough in nature, even if that thoroughness entailed explaining how she had nothing to report and apologizing for such.

The holders of the Elements of Harmony, as well as Spike, were taking their fracción duties surprisingly seriously. That was both good and bad for many different points.

One of the bad points was the varying degrees of seriousness they employed. While they all had enough sense to compile group reports to submit for his reading, most of the others saw fit to submit their own individual reports of what they experienced on their own.

The majority of what was written was trash. However there were exceptions. The reports submitted by the unicorn Rarity, were quite detailed in nature, however those details tended to become bogged down in irrelevancies that had no bearing on anything other than her work and social interactions. Unless she believed her weekly spa sessions with Fluttershy could give insight into establishing a pattern, he really saw no point in the inclusion of details relating to mudpacks, hooficures, and mane styling.

While Rarity's reports tended to be bogged down with rather excessive detail about irrelevancies, the reports Rainbow Dash submitted tended to be the direct opposite, the information contained being sparse and disorganized. Half of her first report had been spent asking him to teach her the same profanities he'd taught Twilight Sparkle on their first meeting. The fact she was so much like Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez already served as effective motivation to keep him from doing such.

Fluttershy's reports were difficult to categorize, due not only to their nature, but also the nature of the pony who submitted them. Apparently her ability to communicate and work with animals was a two-way street. According to her initial report she had deputized her "animal friends" as it were, and told them to keep her informed of any strange activity they might encounter. So far there was nothing they had to report. Not that he was truly surprised by that fact.

The reports submitted by Pinkie Pie were by far the most... bizarre in nature. He'd believed Rarity and Twilight Sparkle to be competing for having the longest reports, but neither of them had anything on Pinkie Pie. The pink earth pony's first report had been well over one hundred pages long, and included charts and graphs, details about the various ponies that lived in Ponyville, as well as various details about the town that had no logical importance. Notes on ponies who moved to town, who moved away from town, the usual day-to-day activities and who was doing what, and where they were doing it. There were even star charts, and a map detailing the position of the moon in the night's sky.

And all of that had pertained only to the information he could readily decipher; there were still many things he couldn't yet. And considering it was Pinkie Pie, he wasn't entirely certain he wanted to. There were some things in the world that the mind simply wasn't meant to know.

"How long do you intend to remain there, before speaking whatever you've come to say?"

However a lack of coherency and understanding of the enclosed documents did nothing to affect his pesquisa and prevent him from knowing when Princess Luna was lurking around the corner to the library.

"How you can always tell when somepony is near by, it is quite annoying," Luna commented as she stepped into the room. She'd been so quiet in her approach, not even touching the ground this time as she stepped on a cushion of condensed air. And it had all been for naught, as she'd been discovered all the same. "Another late night of reading, it would seem. What do your friends have to say this time?" she asked.

"The bearers of the Elements of Harmony are not friends of mine," Ulquiorra replied simply. "Pertaining to what reports they have submitted, quite little of any relevancy or usefulness. If there is any useful information to be found in these documents I have not yet located it," he explained as he turned his attention back to the stack of papers he had in his hand.

Luna remained silent as she looked about the library, documents spread about the room in some manner she sure had some semblance of organization, but she had no understanding of it herself. From her perspective it was just clutter.

"Have you had any success in cross referencing what they hath submitted, with the information housed in the royal library?" she asked.

"Not at present time," he replied.

"Then perhaps now is the proper time to make such an announcement. Since your arrival in our world you have spent every day in the library, studying in a manner that would make Twilight Sparkle turn green with envy. While you may feel this is adequate, others do not feel the same. We have arranged for a set of quarters for thee so that you do not have to spend every moment in here," Luna explained.

"I do not require rest in order to survive. As such personal quarters serve little use to me," Ulquiorra replied without hesitation, "and I believe ever since the meeting, you've been attempting to adjust to the modern dialect, and no longer refer to yourself in a collective sense."

"WE as in my dear sister and myself, smartass," Luna replied with a wry grin at his comment. So few ponies seemed to understand just how hard it was to change from a manner of speech that was all one had known for a thousand years. Old habits were quite hard to break, and hers was perhaps one of the oldest. "Be that as it may, you do have a set of quarters to retire to, so that you do not need to stand at all hours of the day as a statue. It is... how to put this without it being insulting... quite disturbing to others who visit the library."

His intention was to point out that it was none of his concern, or his fault, if others were disturbed by his mere presence. He was a resident of this dimension thanks to Discord's actions, if those native to here couldn't accept that fact then perhaps it was their issue instead.

However he stopped just short of vocalizing such a fact. The diarchy wouldn't have arranged quarters for him simply because his presence in the library was disturbing. It would make no sense. Something else must have been up for such a development to take place.

"You're aware the prison cells are physically incapable of holding me, correct?" Ulquiorra asked, reminding her of what she had bore witness to just five days ago during their last communication with Chrysalis.

Luna chuckled in an amused manner at his words. "Do you truly believe you would be confined to the dungeon?" she asked. He said nothing and simply continued reading the documents held in his hand. "After all of the good that you have done for Equestria, I will not allow something like that to happen even if my sister did try such. No, Ulquiorra Cifer, we have picked out quarters much more suitable for someone of your hero status," she explained.

"Hero?" Ulquiorra asked as he lowered the notes and turned to look at her. "I still find it ludicrous that I would be considered a hero. You and the others are aware of my history and my nature of being. I do not qualify as the hero type. I don't act out of noble intention, or a desire to save others because they're in harm's way. Nor do I desire fame and fortune for my actions. I am merely doing as I was instructed upon my initial arrival in this world. The simple fact that several of my actions have been considered heroic is nothing more than a matter of coincidence," he explained bluntly.

"And yet here you are, pouring over notes submitted by those that hold the Elements of Harmony, looking for any possible clue to explain just who or what may be putting Equestria at risk of harm, even though you are not required to provide such assistance. If that is not the actions of a hero then we know not what would be," Luna explained and shook her head. Ulquiorra seemed unconvinced and simply shuffled to a new page to read. She frowned but decided to try again. "Tell me, Ulquiorra Cifer, you know of my past better than anypony... anybody apart from my sister. Do you believe that I deserve to be respected and loved by our subjects after what I did more than a thousand years ago?" she asked.

"The two matters are not similar. One thousand and three years ago you were possessed by the entity that transformed you into Nightmare Moon. As you explained, you were forced to do what you did, as you had no control over your body. I do not have a convenient excuse and was responsible for my own actions. In your case you were possessed by a demon, in my case I am the demon," Ulquiorra replied, not once taking his eyes off the notes he held in his hands.

"That does not change the fact that since your arrival, you have been a hero to many. It is not an understatement to say that without you, Equestria would likely be in a very dire position right now. You have saved Twilight Sparkle and her friends, you have even saved my sister. You can claim you were simply following orders, nopony will care. Some of history's best heroes were simply following their orders at the time," Luna replied.

Ulquiorra remained silent for nearly a minute after Princess Luna's statement, all the time trying to discern the page of Pinkie Pie's notes. After being unable to determine the importance of cake frosting, he spoke again. "The difference between someone who is a hero, and someone who is a war criminal, often depends on which side is asked."

Luna frowned in response to Ulquiorra Cifer's words. If he was suggesting he was a war criminal, then what did that say about her sister? She could give a number of retorts on the matter but stopped herself. Arguing with the Espada was an exercise in futility, his intelligence as well as his analytical nature, had already been underestimated far too many times. If this back and forth trade of points was continued they would be here all night trying to leave the other speechless. That or he'd just decide he had nothing left to say and go back to reading, and utterly ignore her presence.

"Have it your way then..."

Ulquiorra turned back to his notes, assuming that was the end of the discussion. However he soon discovered that while the discussion was over, the matter was not. The next thing he knew he was subjected to a most unusual sensation, as his whole body was enveloped in a blue aura, and he found himself floating off the ground, along with the discarded pages that laid about on the library floor.

"You wish to do this the hard way, Ulquiorra Cifer? Then we shall do it the hard way," Luna stated and smirked. "You may have no need for your quarters, you do not even need to use them. But at least be aware of where to find them," she stated and trotted out of the library, the Espada firmly in tow.

Ulquiorra was silent as he took stock of the situation, and weighed his available options. Currently grasped in the magical field of the second most powerful being in this world -that he could detect anyway- and being forcefully taken to see a room he hadn't requested, and had absolutely no need for. His available options for response were quite scarce. There was little more he could do in this situation other than go along and silently wait to be released, at which point he would return to the library and continue his work uninterrupted.

"Rather extravagant."

Luna had been expecting some sort of statement in response to the Espada seeing the quarters that had been selected for him. However what she'd gotten was... underwhelming in nature. She'd expected something considerably more than just those two words as he was set down inside the room.

"We were not quite certain how you would like your room to be furnished, so we erred on the side of caution. If it is not to your liking it can be changed accordingly," she explained as she placed the various notes down on the desk.

Ulquiorra looked around the room. On the east wall was a large picture window, beneath which was a writing desk and simple chair. North sat a bed of simplistic design, its frame large enough to hold his own if he were to use it. To the right was a large wardrobe, a most curious sight seeing as he only had the one set of clothing with him. The west wall featured a closed door, to the right of it was a green sofa next to an empty book case. On the south wall was the doorway that lead to the room, next to it a light switch. It would seem logical, that if this world had electricity from hydroelectric dams, that Canterlot palace would be supplied with such. Glancing upward revealed a rather intricate light fixture dangling by a chain interlaced with electrical wiring.

"I'm not certain as to the importance of the sofa," Ulquiorra commented as he stood in the center of the room. Everything else served a purpose that he could understand and accept. Except for the sofa. "I can see the use of the bed. However the sofa and the chair seem superfluous in nature."

Luna blinked at Ulquiorra's statement. In his mind, the chair and the sofa were excessive and extravagant in nature? The room was quite spartan in nature and very plain, far more stripped down than they would be for anyone else that would be afforded quarters. And yet in the Espada's mind even this barren setting was in excess. It was... depressing to hear, saddening even.

"It is always possible that you might one day have guests to stay over. The sofa folds out into a bed," Luna explained, hoping the suggestion would inspire him to consider the possibility. The look of response on Ulquiorra's face told her that he doubted the legitimacy of her statement. Undeterred, Luna pressed on. "Ulquiorra Cifer. You may have doubts, but you will have friends, even if you do not believe such."

Ulquiorra remained silent. Princess Luna's words held no relevance for him. Despite everything he'd been through in his time here, he still had reason to doubt the legitimacy of her claims about friendship and such. He had reason to reevaluate his previous outlook. He even had reason to at least give consideration to what was being said. But as of yet he had seen nothing of significance, that would actually make him stop and readily embrace what he was seeing as truly valid. At best it was merely a curiosity that might warrant being further explored at some point.

"We shall see," he replied simply. Now it was Princess Luna who was silent as she approached him, stopping only once she stood before him.

Ulquiorra quickly found himself in a position not unlike he was four days ago in the dream world, the pony enveloping him in an unwanted hug. However unlike with Twilight Sparkle, Princess Luna's height was enough to allow her to easily wrap her legs around his neck and rest her head on his shoulder.

"You may represent emptiness, Ulquiorra Cifer, but we shall not allow you to be condemned to remain in emptiness. We all see you as more than a living weapon. You are not intended to be used during times of crisis, and then discarded when no longer needed," she explained, before releasing him and setting back down on her hooves. "I must take my leave for the evening, and tend to my royal duties now. In recent times there have been a great many bad dreams in need of address. A good evening to you, Ulquiorra Cifer," she told him before turning around and exiting the room.

Ulquiorra stood silently as Princess Luna exited the room, leaving him to his own devices as she was needed elsewhere. There was an irony to her words and actions. Whether or not she was aware of it, he didn't know, nor did he truly care.

These ponies continued to provide a source of interest to him. As well as confusion, and even irritation. Despite everything they knew, they still stubbornly chose to believe that he was someone in need of friends and company. They had discounted the unpleasantries of his past, and even his basic nature. They had chosen to believe that he wasn't a monster that was beyond reform, but someone who deserved the companionship of others. And they chose to maintain this belief, despite knowing full well that he could easily kill all of them if he was so inclined.

If any of the lower ranked Espada had been brought to this world instead of him, all of these ponies would be dead by now. Equestria would be little more than a mass grave, with only Princess Celestia and Princess Luna surviving to tell the tale.

Perhaps that was why Discord had selected him specifically. Perhaps the spirit of chaos knew full well that he wasn't inclined to harm others in response to the irrelevant annoyances they could present. However that still did nothing to answer the question of just why he'd been brought here in the fist place. What mission did he have to fulfill?

He could ask the same questions over and over again, devoting entire months to the subject, and still he wouldn't be any closer to the answers he sought. The only one who likely knew was Discord, and the spirit of chaos was nowhere to be found since the last time Princess Celestia had summoned him for the purpose of setting the changelings free; something he had regrettably been absent for, as it had occurred when he'd gone to retrieve his uniform jacket from Rarity's shop. Without the spirit of chaos being present, there were many things he was left unable to sort out.

The situation was the metaphorical equivalent of banging his head against a stone wall.

There were many, many questions right now, and not a single viable, tangible answer for any of them. Even with enlisting Twilight Sparkle and the others, it did nothing to clear off the many mysteries he was facing. Even with all he'd read about this land and the strange beings that dominated it, he was no better off than he had been upon his initial arrival in Equestria. Not with those five questions hanging over their heads just as the sword of... the sword of...

What was that tale of legend?

Yet another question to add to the pile.

Without a word he picked up the stack of notes and began sorting through them to regain his previous place, trying to make sense of what the pink earth pony had reported on. To some, this information would seem as a massive invasion of privacy. Would those mentioned be consenting to such if they knew it was all in an effort to save them and their friends?

Friends. Yet another mystery this world held. For all his efforts to understand it, it still remained elusive, incapable of being unraveled. It was something he saw no practical need for, and yet it was embraced by the residents of this world as if it was vital to life. It made no sense at all. It was through "friendship" that Rainbow Dash remained loyal to the others even after Mare Do Well. It was through "friendship" that the holders of the Elements of Harmony remained united through good times and bad.

At one point in time, his eyes saw everything that existed in the world. Everything that could be explained was plainly visible to him. It was simple, it was logical, it was right.

And then Orihime Inoue had, in a very roundabout manner, made him see that this perspective was incredibly limited, and there did indeed exist things that were beyond the physical limitations of his eyes.

He couldn't see love. Yet, in this world, love not only existed, but was physically tangible in its own right; a fact he had to accept when he witnessed Chrysalis feeding on Princess Celestia, both with and without her consent. The two had been involved in a display the likes of which he'd never seen before, and as much as he didn't want to, it was a fact he had to accept.

Just like love, he couldn't see friendship. And yet, just like love, friendship supposedly existed in this world, and was apparently tangible in its own right. It was a concept that was so foreign to him, so impossible to consider, and yet in this world it was accepted as existing and wasn't even questioned.

There was no logic to it at all.

+++

"Friendship isn't something that's easily defined from an analytical standpoint, my student Twilight had to find that out firsthoof. Friendship is something that has to be experienced to be understood, and even then it isn't understood in simple black and white terms, there are no clearly defined boundaries or prerequisites for categorization. I'm afraid the best concrete answer I can give you is that friendship is a relationship of mutual care and affection shared between two or more individuals."

+++

Princess Celestia's words ironically echoed in his mind at that exact moment. It was almost as if she'd known from the beginning about what he would encounter in his quest for knowledge.

And now Ulquiorra found himself presented with another question, this one dealing with Princess Celestia. Had she known? Did the alicorn know full well that his quest would prove fruitless in nature, and simply allowed him to discover this fact for himself? Did she know that his analytical nature wouldn't serve him here in this new world, and simply stood back to let them realize the fact for himself?

The questions were piling up higher than ever now. The more he thought on everything, the more he soon realized didn't make much-to-any sense.

"Perhaps this is a matter that I cannot simply think my way out of. This very well may be a situation that requires submersion and participation to truly understand..."

...

Did he really just think that? Was he seriously considering a hands on approach to try and understand what friendship really was, and if it truly had any merit?

"If nothing else, making them believe I've committed myself to the endeavor may serve as an aid in getting to the bottom of the five questions, and discovering my true purpose in this world. If they no longer have to distract themselves with the silly notion that I need to have friends, there will be more time to devote to important matters."

From what he could see, the decision reached was a simple, logical conclusion to arrive at, based on all the information he had available. It would provide a learning experience to uncover one mystery -in the process, perhaps showing these ponies that friendship wasn't a valid concept, and they were merely deluding themselves with nonsense- and potentially assist in uncovering another, much greater mystery.

From what he could see there were few negatives to the plan. If he was correct then these ponies would learn a hard, but much needed lesson about the realities of existence, and they could focus on more important matters. If he was incorrect... then perhaps he would be one step closer to understanding the heart; that mystery of an intangible concept he had been so close to having a grasp on back in Hueco Mundo.

With his notes in tow, and without further discussion, he proceeded back to the library, in hopes of being able to garner some information that would actually be useful.

Luna was silent as she walked into the throne room. The matter pertaining to Ulquiorra Cifer was indeed a complex one with no easy solutions available.

On the one hoof they were faced with the simple fact that the Espada didn't believe he had friends in Equestria. But behind the simple fact of the problem was the complex issues of how to go about correcting it. Was it really their place to meddle in the matter? Ulquiorra Cifer had said he didn't have friends, however he had not said that he wanted friends... but at the same time he never conclusively said that he didn't want friends.

There were many options available for them to use, but was it really their place to actually go about using them, simply because they believed they were right in doing it? They could try any number of things to make him friends, but if he had no desire for friends was it even right to try? How right was it to meddle?

Her sister's actions with Twilight Sparkle had been a necessity. Had she not been guided into friendship with others, the soul devouring evil of the foul demon Nightmare Moon would... she'd really rather not think about that right now...

But Ulquiorra Cifer was different. He couldn't possess one of the Elements of Harmony, nor was she aware of a single prophecy that could in any way be connected with him. While there was a magic in friendship, she found herself wondering if there was truly an urgency that needed to be addressed in this case.

All of that dealt with the matter of the one hoof. There was an entirely different hoof and corresponding different matter to address.

Beyond the simple matter of Ulquiorra Cifer and friendship, was the mystery that had been uncovered during the conversation with the ponies Rarity and Fluttershy. The five burning questions for which they had no answers. The five questions that all seemed tied to Discord, who was conveniently absent and unable to answer a single one of them. Was it deliberate on his part? She'd learned long ago to not put anything beyond the spirit of chaos.

She would assist the Arrancar in any manner she could on this matter. Twilight Sparkle and the others would most assuredly be assisting on the matter as well. Even her sister would be assisting how she could. Two alicorn Princesses, one dragon, and six exceptional ponies amounted to a considerable force to reckon with. Surely between them all they had to uncover something that would make some sense out of everything.

"My sister is right," she said to herself as she slowly ascended the stairs to the throne, "some days it truly does not pay be be a Princess. Matters of this great complication should not be experienced by anypony..."

With a sigh she closed her eyes, turned around and sat down to begin her royal nightly duties...

... And immediately leaped back up to her hooves on the stairs as the throne emitted a sound most undignified in nature, surprising her in the process and causing her cheeks to redden.

"Good gracious!" she stated. That hadn't been her, had it? Immediately she turned around and began scanning the throne, quickly finding something that was out of place. There, placed underneath the plush cushion that sat naturally on the throne was something entirely foreign, something made of rubber.

"A cushion of whoopee?" Luna asked in disbelief as she levitated it up to her. When had that been placed there? It must've been done before her shadow guards came on duty so... "Oh dear sister, this is without a doubt your hoofiwork, thou mischievous sprite. But 'tis crude even for thee," she growled as the gag item fell to the floor, another obscene sound coming from the device upon impact.

Behind her she could hear the snorting of barely repressed snickering. Her guards were laughing at her plight, and doing a poor job at trying to hide the fact. She scowled in response and disappeared in a flash as she teleported in front of them.

"Thou doth find this funny? That thou's Princess has been made a mockery of with such a foal's toy?" she asked them. Both guards were extremely tight lipped, doing their best to look dead serious... and struggling not to think of how things had unfolded as it would simply get them going again.

Luna didn't fall for it for a second. If anything their stone faces only drove her onward with a wry smirk. "Thou didst not take humor in it? Thou were not biting back laughter at the fluster of thine's Princess being taken by surprise in such an undignified manner?" she asked pointed as she paced before and between them, eying each of them as she passed by them slowly. Finally she stopped in front of the guard on her right and looked him straight in the eyes. "Thou didst not giggle at the perverse noise of this toy?" she asked as she levitated the whoopee cushion over in front of him.

She observed the guard do his best to bite his tongue and remain stone faced. She smirked wider to herself as she used her magic to squeeze the device and make it sound off, loudly, several more times. By now the barely suppressed smile of the guard was twisted in misery and he was going cross eyed in a desperate effort not to laugh; his partner was hardly doing any better at it. Slowly she walked over and faced the guard on her left.

"Thou doth look like one who wouldst enjoy a cheap laugh," she said as she leaned in closely until their noses were almost toughing. "A little amusement at some unsuspecting pony's expense. Thou didst not derive amusement from such a cheap tactic?" she asked a she brought the whoopee cushion forth and squeezed it, quite slowly to drag out the rude sound it made to a ridiculous degree.

By now the poor guard's eyes were starting to roll upward as he desperately tried not to laugh, to snort, to chuckle, to do anything that would inform his ruler that he was indeed amused to no end, and her inquisition was only worsening the matter.

The guard on the right was less fortunate and collapsed in laughter, unable to contain his amusement another moment. Luna looked at him, and then back at the other guard, who by now looked close to wetting himself. "Thou aren't most naughty little colts we find ourselves tasked with," she scolded in a disapproving manner, "thou shalt be punished for thee's actions here this night..." she warned.

And then went with a deliberate mood whiplash tactic of sticking her tongue out and crossing her eyes before him, blowing a long raspberry and sending the guard over the edge in hysterics as he pounded his front hooves against the hard marble floor. Luna merely looked down at him and smirked.

"Once thou doth regain thine's composure, makest thou ready, for we hath much work to do. This act was a declaration of war against us, and we must meet with a proper response. Our dear sister doth wish to prank us? She doth not know what she hath started," Luna explained and shook her head disapprovingly. But not disapproving of the guards and their foalish amusement, but rather that of her sister's antics. "Our dear sister, thou doth wish for a war, thou shalt have war, for it! IS! ON!"

Chapter Thirty Five

Chapter Thirty Five

Tuesday, June eleventh, second year of the new calendar: After Nightmare Moon

Observational notes pertaining to the mysterious concept known as "friendship" and other curiosities in the world of Equestria

Entry One

I have arrived at a conclusion. To properly organize my thoughts and observations about the strange aspects of this world, the most logical decision is to keep written notes, for future reference and easier recollection. Despite my intelligence, as well as my keen analytical nature, my mind is simply not a computer capable of perfect recollection of every detail at any given moment. I make no claim of being perfect, nor have I been accused of such. I am aware of my own shortcomings and know what my limits are. I do not maintain the nonsensical belief that I am perfectly capable of doing anything I set my mind to, or because I wish to arrive at a specific outcome; I am simply not that foolish.

There are a great many observations that could be made on my new surroundings, both the place and the beings that serve as the dominant species. However I don't believe they possess any true relevance to the matter at hand.

The unicorn named Twilight Sparkle has identified five specific lessons regarding the concept of friendship. In numerical order they are: tolerance, trust, kindness, apologize, and forgiveness. Supposedly, these five lessons are regarded as crucial to maintaining a successful friendship. To some degree I'm able to understand this. Out of the five lessons shared, I have arrived at the conclusion that tolerance is the primary key, and the one necessary to hold all other parts together.

To form a friendship with others, there is a need to tolerate their idiosyncrasies and habits that you would otherwise find distaste with. This makes the most sense, as perfect cohesion of any group is impossible, a fact I am keenly aware of with regard to the other Espada.

Tolerance was tested during the initial visit to Ponyville, during the assembly orchestrated by Twilight Sparkle. Despite my efforts to convey my disinterest with everything they had to present for consideration, a majority of the ponies refused to write me off as not worth their time.

The other four lessons seem dedicated to maintenance and upkeep. To some degree it is understandable, as everything needs maintenance at some point, be it the walls of Las Noches, or six ponies with the ability to speak.

The concept of friendship appears to be as foreign in nature as the beings that inhabit this world. Unlike a simple partnership between parties sharing a mutual interest, and where there must be some mutual benefit to maintaining the partnership, the concept of friendship seems to be devoid of anything resembling such compensation. The pony Filthy Rich has explained the mutually beneficial nature of his business partnership with a number of others who contribute to the success of Barnyard Bargains, and how he in turns contributes to their monetary success.

The friendship between the ponies who possess the Elements of Harmony displays no such mutually beneficial form of compensation that I can see. A friendship with the pony Applejack doesn't yield free apples from her farm at any given time. Nor does a friendship with Rarity yield free clothing or services at any given time. And a friendship with Rainbow Dash would seem to yield nothing at all, as those she seems physically closest to, are the ones most subjected to her boisterous attitude and egomania.

Rainbow Dash serves as a complication to the understanding of the mystery. The other five she associates with chose to engage in trickery and deceit behind her back, the act of which filled her with considerable resentment toward them, but she did not terminate her friendship with them, despite not forgiving them until just recently.

I suspect the above mentioned complication has something to do with how they possess the Elements of Harmony, and how they must work together to utilize them. However I possess no understanding of how a group can employ harmony when individual members harbor resentment and even hatred towards one another. The Espada were anything but harmonious in nature, the only unifying force to the group being Aizen's position as ruler. Even then, conflict was regular, and most members chose to work alone rather than partner with another Espada.

Yammy Llargo is the exception rather than the rule.

Back on the topic of these ponies tasked with bearing the Elements of Harmony, these "mane six" as I have heard them be referred to by others. They are as strange and complex as the notion of friendship itself, and filled with just as much nonsense, if not more.

The unicorn Twilight Sparkle possesses considerable intelligence, as well as a thirst for knowledge that seems to know no bounds. She has taken an incredible interest in my basic physiology and the nature of my being. Even after being horrified at how easily I do not conform to the natural laws of their world, this horror was short lived as her scientific mind reasserted itself. She serves as a walking contradiction at various times, a significant curiosity in this world full of curiosities. She makes attempts to get along with others, but at the same time does not willingly suffer fools gladly. She possesses an incredible degree of hostility and a penchant for violence, and yet when tasked with assisting in the extermination of a changeling infestation, became physically ill and displayed signs of emotional trauma. This is the same pony who made every effort to kill me just hours later when she believed Princess Celestia had been killed. The same pony that felt a deep sense of regret afterword, and felt compelled to apologize for her actions.

The pegasus Rainbow Dash possesses a much greater propensity towards murder than Twilight Sparkle. Along with this she possesses a significant degree of general hostility and a quick temper, perhaps even greater than she herself realizes. Comparatively speaking she's not too dissimilar from Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, as they both seem to possess the same negative personality traits. The cyan hair, as well as the density of her reiatsu when performing her "Sonic Rainboom" technique are also quite similar. Despite this observation, I can't help but wonder if her first actual kill will be a conscious decision on her part, or the result of losing control of her volatile temper, and taking her aggression out on whoever is unfortunate enough to be within the vicinity.

I must also question if this fury of hers is inherent to her nature, or if it's the result of the trickery carried out against her by the others. Reevaluation may be necessary.

The earth pony Pinkie Pie continues to remain a mystery in all regards. Despite taking issue with how I violate the known laws of physics of this world, Twilight Sparkle seems to simply accept the violations this pony causes on a daily basis. My preliminary evaluation of her being a portion of Discord still stands, seeming to be the most logical explanation available. There are many questions surrounding her. Questions I can't find answers for, just as I'm unable to evaluate her own capacity for murder and blood lust. There is something about her, but as of yet I don't know what.

Unlike Rainbow Dash, reevaluation will be necessary. The question I find myself asking is if the gain in information will be worth tolerating her presence and idiosyncrasies for a lengthy period of time.

Then there is the pegasus Fluttershy and her contradictory nature. On the surface she is calm, meek, and unimposing; seemingly kind to others without consideration for how her actions may adversely affect herself. Below that surface is a beast of such fury that, upon my first encountering with it, I found myself taken completely by surprise and rendered temporarily speechless. Such fury that she was able to force a -supposedly- full grown bull dragon to leave its cave merely by scolding it, when I myself was incapable of doing the same through physical superiority. It is quite possible that her capacity for murder is the greatest of the six.

Current theory would suggest Fluttershy's propensity for murder is so great, she herself is terrified of what she is capable of doing, and makes every effort to bury this fact as deep as possible, to the point she can't call upon it at will. This would explain her outwardly timid nature. It would also explain her kindness towards others, as it would serve to further deny what she truly is, both to herself and to the outside world. Despite her best efforts, I believe the others are aware of her true nature, and actively attempt to utilize it whenever necessary.

The earth pony Applejack, and the unicorn Rarity, as of present time, do not display any significant indicators of a propensity towards violence and murder. This does not mean that such a propensity is not possessed by them, however, as that would be a foolish assessment. At best it would mean they are more capable of concealing whatever dark secrets they possess, compared to their associates.

The dragon Spike is another curiosity of the group. Although he does not possess an Element of Harmony on his own, he seems to be contingent to a number of endeavors the six engage in. Based on several observations I would estimate his level of intelligence to be on par with Twilight Sparkle herself. His skill in chess, as well as his tactical mindset as seen during the changeling outbreak, would suggest he is regarded as an important asset by the others. However as an asset he seems to be quite mismanaged, as the others prefer to utilize him for mundane purposes such as cooking, serving, and general runabout work, to say nothing of tasks that require actual hands rather than hooves. I can't tell for certain whether he resents this or not. If he truly does resent his treatment, then eventually there must be a breaking point to observe.

The unique personalities of each of these individuals serves as further confusion when attempting to understand their friendship with one another. If I were asked to speculate on the matter, I would point out situations in which conflict would likely occur, and any attempts at a successful partnership would fall apart through strife and distrust. I have identified multiple situations in which this would occur in any given interaction. And yet, despite my calculations, they continue to surprise me by defying logic, and trusting each other to a greater degree than would seem possible.

Perhaps more surprising than the group cohesion they seem to exert in opposition to all logical odds, is their willingness and even desire to associate with myself. I am their physical antithesis, the embodiment of what is opposite of them. They believe in peaceful solutions, I believe in logical solutions regardless of their nature. they value the lives of others, I do not see the value in the lives of those who present a threat. They hug, I do not.

Curiosity is a viable theory of explanation. Each of them appears to have found something to my character they wish to explore further.

Another theory is Princess Celestia has ordered them to associate and interact with me, for the purpose of furthering my own orders of trying to understand friendship. I certainly wouldn't put it past her, but if that theory has any grounds I must question why, if they're acting under orders, they are so nonsensical in nature in how they carry out their instructions. There is no professionalism with them unless it pertains to their own work in my absence.

However this theory does not withstand scrutiny when considering their status and importance. As the ones who possess the Elements of Harmony, and thus amount to this country's best defense, it is highly unlikely Princess Celestia would order them to be in my presence for any reason if she still possesses doubts regarding my sincerity. But at the same time this scrutiny does not stand up to the fact that Princess Celestia chose to release Discord from his stone entombment in the belief that the pegasus Fluttershy could reform him. Her course of action could have resulted in the six being wiped from existence in the blink of an eye, or the spirit of chaos could have chosen to cause the diarchy to cease to exist. There is no end to the chaos that could've been implemented during that window of opportunity.

I also find myself questioning the sanity of Princess Celestia herself. In addition to the above mentioned actions, there are the numerous endeavors she's made to determine if I have any inclination to strike her in a treacherous manner. Each of her attempts has been incredibly transparent, and each of them has been addressed accordingly, with a note made regarding her lack of tact and the futility of her attempts. Regardless of how many times she is informed about my loyalty, she refuses to accept it as the truth. To some degree this is understandable and logical. However that does nothing to make it any less annoying. This game of chess she insists upon playing will need to come to an end at some point in the future. If not, then it will be necessary to explain the contradiction to her in an effort to force her hoof hand and make her cease the illogical behavior.

All of this pertains only to the mysteries native to this world and its inhabitants. There are mysteries that relate to myself and my presence here that leave me, for lack of a more appropriate term, concerned.

The location of my Hollow hole does not seem to be the same as it was prior to my death. I remember it originally being set higher in my chest than it currently is. I have no idea how this has occurred, or what the significance is. I have no idea whether it is merely my perception and memory that was off, and my physical structure remains unchanged, or if something else is occurring with my body.

But if something truly is occurring with my body, what exactly is it? What is occurring, for what reason, and perhaps more importantly, is it something that can be stopped?

I have thoroughly inspected the abilities natural to my body. Everything seems to be in check, with the exception of all garganta-related abilities. As of yet I'm unable to determine the significance of this and can only speculate. If Discord truly brought me to this world to fulfill some specific mission, then it would seem to make sense that he would attempt to keep me here until I do just that.

Which brings about the next point of curiosity. After several incidents have occurred I have engaged in meticulous examination in an effort to discern an explanation for what has occurred. To the best of my abilities I have examined the levels of my strength, both back in Las Noches and here. I can discern no differences in the nearly three week period between then and now. Perhaps that is why this is all the more disturbing to encounter and give consideration to.

The dragon encountered on my fourth day in this world possessed a level of reiatsu and physical strength on par to Quinto Espada, Nnoitra Gilga. Defeating it proved to be only minor in difficulty, and then only due to the need to safeguard the holders of the Elements of Harmony, and keep them from being killed in order to follow Princess Celestia's orders. Despite this fact, however, I experienced a complication I never expected to encounter; pain. The dragon's fire failed to burn or even singe my skin, yet I still experienced the pain of the burn. It proved to be quite unpleasant.

Pain was also present upon stopping the dragon's fist. It was nothing that couldn't be tolerated, but the discomfort ran from my palm, to my shoulder, all the way down to my lower back. How such a weak opponent could present such difficulty is beyond my understanding.

The next situation proved to be my encounter with Princess Celestia during the changeling invasion. During my attempt to make my treachery look convincing, I made an effort to strike her down with a cut across the back. As I predicted, the attack caused her no harm, as her reiatsu was far too dense to cut with my zanpakutō. Instead the injury was mine, as the palm of the hand I was using to hold Murciélago became cut instead. Such is the nature of a clash between two bodies of reiatsu, the weaker taking damage from the physical blow.

Ordinarily this wouldn't warrant mentioning. The only reason I have chosen to write it down is due to the fact the injury occurred despite the use of comparatively little force in delivering the blow; it shouldn't have been enough to result in any injury on my part. Despite that fact, an injury did occur. Were I not in possession of my high-speed regeneration the damage to my palm would've taken considerably longer to heal than it did.

One possible explanation for this is the reishi-like substance of this world referred to as "mana." The two appear quite similar in nature as I'm able to feed and sustain my existence off of it with relative ease. Mana also appears to have a much greater density than reishi itself, at least in the capitol city of Canterlot. However this means little. Despite being similar the two are not perfectly identical. Perhaps my body has not yet adapted to this new world and can only gain partial sustenance from the mana in the area, and with time the acclimation process will resolve this inconsistency. Or perhaps mana is simply not as nutritious in nature as reishi. Perhaps mana is more akin to what's known as "junk food" and can only provide minimum sustenance and my body is reacting accordingly. This would seem logical to some degree, as mana is used for the casting of various magic spells in this world. To date I haven't encountered another being who actually consumes mana.

Back to the discussion of pain. The presence of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, primarily when they're together, is quite painful to experience. It is difficult to explain in an adequate manner what it's like to experience their reiatsu levels when they aren't restrained to a tolerable level. Princess Luna's reiatsu is rather concussive to experience. When she flexes her strength to a significant degree, I can feel it exerting force against my body, it's almost suffocating in nature. The first time I encountered her fury I found myself completely unable to breathe until I left the area.

Princess Celestia's reiatsu is considerably more destructive in nature, and more hazardous to encounter when she is angered. When she directed her fury against me, her reiatsu caused significant burns and blisters to my skin, easily causing damage to my hierro, and bruising my internal organs in the process.

Primera Espada Coyote Starrk's reiatsu was intense enough to cause lesser Hollows to die merely by being in his presence. It's not a matter of doubting the existence of reiatsu levels with greater intensity than my own, I'm fully aware that they exist, I have even encountered them for myself. The matter of concern is the fact that Princess Celestia's reiatsu can cause physical damage to my body if she chooses to flare it. I'm not certain what to make of this fact as of yet.

Three theories exist to possibly explain this mystery. However none of them can as of yet be substantiated with any direct physical evidence.

The first theory pertains to myself. If my body is still made of highly concentrated reishi -and by extension of my presence here, mana as well- particles, it's theoretically possible that I'm more vulnerable to the forces Princess Celestia can exert on the surrounding territory, while the other ponies remain blissfully ignorant of her destructive potential due to their flesh and blood construction.

The second theory pertains to Princess Celestia herself. Her special talent appears to be control over the sun itself, deciding when it raises and when it lowers, and doing so by herself. According to the history of this world, the task was originally carried out by a team of the thirteen strongest unicorns known to exist, indicating it was a considerable task to perform. Yet because of her special talent relating to the sun, she seemingly performs this feat by herself with great ease. If she's somehow connected to the sun, perhaps it's possible the sun is able to exert feedback through her body, and during times of emotional unease this feedback is more readily detectable. Perhaps I burned because it was the equivalent of standing next to the sun itself. However that wouldn't explain why the guard that was present remained unharmed.

The third theory involves Discord himself. Perhaps the spirit of chaos modified my body in some way to make me vulnerable to Princess Celestia's reiatsu in an effort to keep me under her control, because he believed it necessary. It would be quite foolish to put anything past Discord. According to Princess Celestia, he's responsible for me in the same way a child is responsible when they receive a pet; if I'm bad then he will be punished. Perhaps this is his equivalent of attempting to train me to behave myself.

However it must be remembered that what these ponies possess is not reiryoku, but rather something else entirely. Just as mana and reishi are not identical, what these ponies possess is certainly not true reiryoku. And what force they exert when flexing their strength is more than likely not the same as reiatsu. What it truly is, I don't know. But it is the only comparison that I can make.

There are no answers to be had for any of these questions. All that is present are unsubstantiated theories and speculation. I have devoted a number of days to little more than extensive research and unguided speculation. Even I have lost count of how many hundreds of books I've read in what would be considered a desperate attempt to garner some helpful piece of knowledge to make sense of my situation. In all of those books I have found nothing that would make sense of my presence, nor have I found anything that would assist in making sense of the concept of friendship.

I have arrived at what I believe to be the most logical conclusion available under the present circumstances. As strange as it may sound, I believe that I am in need of the others. With Discord nowhere to the found and questioned, and the Princesses potentially having their own agendas, Twilight Sparkle and the other ponies are likely the most qualified to assist in solving these mysteries.

My intention is to head for Ponyville first thing in the morning. If there are answers in this world, they will likely be found there. Twilight Sparkle's intelligence makes her a valuable asset right now. Perhaps with her help I can get to the bottom of at least some of these mysteries.

If nothing beneficial occurs from my exploration, I will at least be present should the third incident somehow coincide with the timing of my arrival just as the last two did.

End of report

Subsequent entry: See about locating a functional pen in this world if at all possible. Quills and ink wells leave much to be desired.

Chapter Thirty Six

Chapter Thirty Six

It was way, way, way too early to be up this morning. It was as simple as that, just way too bucking early to be up and awake. All Rainbow Dash wanted to do right now was just get another hour or so of sleep to compensate for what she'd lost last night.

But sadly she wasn't getting that right now. She had to perform her early morning weather duties, check in with Twilight and the others, carry out her assigned weather duties for the day, keep an eye out for anything weird around Ponyville and the surrounding territory, and then see what her friends were up to for today.

Having all that to do in her state meant getting awake in a hurry. And unfortunately there was only one sure way to go about doing so, that made sense in her sleep deprived mind.

She needed to take a cold shower. Meaning she had to go outside to locate a stray cloud and give it a good, solid kick to bring down a deluge of rainwater that was just short of freezing from setting outside overnight.

"Stupid early morning weather duties," she mumbled and yawned, scratching at her side with her hoof as she flew along, eyes barely open enough to keep her from crashing into anything. "Stupid mysteries, stupid reports, stupid, stupid, stupid..." she yawned more as she made her way over to a cloud that looked like it had enough rain for her needs.

The haphazard buck given had the desired effect of triggering a downpour of cold rainwater, the chill causing a shrill scream of surprise as it easily beat through her fur and against her skin. She hated that! But at least she felt more wide awake and alert now.

Once the initial shock was over, it really wasn't all that bad. And once the rain actually got moving, it wasn't really that cold. Since she was here she might as well finish with getting cleaned up, it really wasn't that big of a deal. Humming an offbeat tune to herself, she proceeded to wash up and get herself ready for the day, letting the rain pelt away at her wings, mane, and face.

Most of the one sided conversation with herself was held in unintelligible mumbles, serving as a vocal outlet as she figured out what today was going to involve beyond her assigned duties and responsibilities. Today was Wednesday, so she had her race with Applejack later this afternoon, but she didn't know what else there was. Shrugging, she threw her head back to catch a mouthful of rainwater to gargle with.

"What exactly are you doing?"

Rainbow Dash coughed at suddenly hearing the unexpected voice, nearly choking in surprise from swallowing wrong. After a particularly hard cough, she finally turned around to glare at whoever it was that decided to sneak up on her.

To her surprise it was none other than Ulquiorra, standing there in the middle of the sky as easily as she stood on clouds, his hands tucked away in his pockets, looking at her in the way only he could.

"Dude that's not funny!" she yelled. She was cold, she was dripping wet, and her awesome mane was matted against her head in a very uncool manner, and this jerk had managed to sneak up behind her with ease and take her completely off guard. She had plenty of good reason to be furious with him right now.

"I apologize then," Ulquiorra replied simply, his expression completely unchanged.

Rainbow Dash frowned again. "Yeah? For some reason I don't think you mean that," she stated in response as she eyed him incredulously.

"A correct suspicion, as I did not," Ulquiorra replied, "where can Twilight Sparkle be found at this time of day?" he asked.

There were a lot of things Rainbow Dash wanted to say right now. A lot of things she could say to try and put the Espada in his place for interrupting her shower, nearly drowning her mid-gargle, and then trying to pump her for information about her friends. Yes indeed, there were a lot of things she wanted to say.

But she wasn't going to say any of them. She knew from the beginning that the Espada was a jerk and that it was in his nature, yelling at him wasn't going to change that, and it'd just get her all the more riled and bristled, and it wouldn't even make her feel good. She was just going to have to let the issue drop. At least he was asking and not demanding, that was something.

"Knowing Egghead she's probably at the library, but I don't know what she's doing right now. She could be reading or sleeping, or knowing her she found a way to read in her sleep," she replied and shrugged, "what brings you by Ponyville at this time of day?"

"Questions for which no answers appear to exist in Canterlot's library. Continued scouring of the many hundreds of books available in an unguided manner would serve little to no purpose," Ulquiorra explained.

He'd spent days reading. Hundreds of books being read through in search of answers, some small sliver of information that could help put everything into perspective. Some passage of history to explain Princess Celestia, to explain Discord, to possibly reveal if there was another player in the world. And despite all his efforts he'd only been able to cover a small portion of the total number of books gathered.

It was too early to write off the entire library as useless. But as it was currently, he was doing little more than metaphorically beating his head against a wall. He didn't doubt his own ability to gather answers, but what he did doubt was the effectiveness of doing such. Time was likely not on his side, and he doubted he had months to go about it on his own. There was little choice but to ask for help from others; a fact he'd more or less been forced to recognize and admit to when he'd made these ponies his fracción. And now here he was, forced to call upon them for assistance once again, because he didn't have enough time to do it all himself.

"Yeah? Well good luck then. I'd talk more but I've gotta get ready for work, we've got rain scheduled for after midnight tonight. I'll try and swing by later though," Rainbow Dash stated.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response. The primary reason he'd sought out Rainbow Dash was to gather Twilight Sparkle's location. The fact that he'd identified her reiatsu signature first had been nothing more than a coincidence. He was just about to sonido away, when a startled yell from the cyan pegasus gave him reason to pause momentarily.

"Before you leave, did you say anything to Twilight or anypony else about what we talked about? Y'know... about Mare Do Well?" she asked.

"I did not," he replied simply.

"No?" she asked, not entirely sure whether she should believe him or not. He was always so... even when he spoke, his voice never carrying any hint of what he might be feeling or thinking. It was grating on her nerves! "Okay that's strange, and not Pinkie Pie strange either. More like weird strange. The same day as the changeling invasion, Twilight came by my house and practically broke the door down to apologize for it. She even made all the others apologize too. I didn't tell anypony about that, so how'd she know?"

"I am uncertain, just as I am uninterested. Perhaps Princess Celestia's ruse showed Twilight Sparkle what it's like to be betrayed by the one she trusts most, and from there she pieced the rest together herself," Ulquiorra suggested. With that exchange finished, he left to tend to matters of a greater importance, leaving the cyan pegasus behind in a burst of sonido.

Rainbow Dash just scratched her head in confusion. There were way too many things going on around here to keep track of. She confides in the Espada about her problems, then her problems resolve themselves, and he didn't play any part in it? What exactly was he, a plot device or something?

"Forget it, I'll ask later," she muttered to herself as the improvised shower stopped, allowing her to proceed with shaking herself dry.

Spike hummed to himself as he went about getting ready for the day and whatever it might bring. He was the first to wake up this morning, Twilight still slumbering away from her usual late night studying session. It was the usual, normal routine to be encountered. The only thing different was that Twilight wasn't studying some ancient tome to garner a better understanding of old magic, or some unexplained mystery of Equestria's history. Instead this time around it was due to Twilight trying to spot a pattern in all the random, day-to-day events that went on around Ponyville.

If there was a pattern to be established, he sure wasn't seeing it; none of them were really. Try as they might, none of them could really discern what events were the ones that needed to looked out for. Not even Pinkie, the master mare of randomness, could make out anything of relevancy. And that fact was slowly, but surely, starting to drive Twilight nuts! He could see the warning signs early on, he knew full well what was coming down the lane. He was doing everything in his power to head off the coming panicked meltdown and inevitable relapse, but unless there was some type of break soon... things were going to get very, very ugly. He wasn't even sure Princess Celestia could help this time.

His melancholy thoughts and even his early morning routine actions were interrupted by a knocking at the front door, bringing his mind back to the present. Who could it possibly be at this time of day? The library wasn't even supposed to open for another hour for crying out loud!

"We're not open yet!" Spike called back, not even bothering to walk out of the kitchen. For a moment it was silent again, other than the normal noises that were associated with morning business. Thinking nothing of it, he went back to getting breakfast ready.

Another knock occurred. Whoever it was at the door, they didn't seem to listen to his words.

"I said we're not open yet!" Spike called back, louder this time.

Once again silence. Spike poked his head out of the kitchen doorway and looked at the front door, expecting another knock to occur. He watched, and watched, and watched some more. Finally when he was convinced the knocker had moved on, he went back to the kitchen to finish cooking.

And then a frightened scream from outside the library caused him to jump in surprise. Where'd that come from? Curiosity got the better of him and he went to investigate, unlocking the front door and opening it to see where the scream had come from.

"Greetings."

Spike looked up at the voice. Standing before him was Ulquiorra, his hands tucked into his pockets as he just stood there, his face expressionless as he looked down at him.

"Ulquiorra? What're you doing here at this time of day? Did you see who was knocking? And what was that scream I heard just a minute ago?" Spike asked, finding the whole thing very confusing right now.

"Trying to locate Twilight Sparkle. I was indeed the one knocking. As to who was screaming, I believe it was the earth pony Bonbon. I can only assume my presence is still a matter of concern, for those who were present for the changeling extermination," Ulquiorra responded.

"Yeah I could see that," Spike replied. He'd been left behind in Ponyville to oversee the operation as Twilight and the others headed to Canterlot at Princess Celestia's request. And while he only learned of the gory details of that event from what the others told him, his experience here back at home hadn't exactly been much better.

He hadn't witnessed the supposed death of Princess Celestia, but what he'd been present for was far more chaotic. He'd been put in charge of more or less the entire town; left to try and keep everypony calm, and reassure them everything was going to be fine. Even after they'd all learned the truth of the matter, about the changeling invasion that had beset Ponyville, many of them had still been worried that Ulquiorra would be returning to kill the rest of them, that he'd just been saving them for later, all to strike at a more convenient time.

Even with the Cutie Mark Crusaders doing their best to help out, along with Big Macintosh, and a few others who possessed a more commanding presence than himself, it was certainly no slice of cake. Did anypony really have any idea how hard it was to keep over a hundred ponies from panicking, after witnessing a massacre up close?

And then had come what the town had collectively referred to as "The Event." What he'd later learned was Ulquiorra transforming, had been seen as far away as Ponyville. And it'd absolutely terrified everypony, and sent them running back to their homes to hide. They didn't have a single clue what they'd been experiencing, only that its appearance on top of everything else that'd happened, was something they didn't want to face.

He wouldn't admit it to anypony who asked, but not knowing what was going on at the time, even he'd gotten scared and hid behind Big Macintosh, feeling some sense of safety with the big, strong, stoic stallion.

What he couldn't figure out was how word of Ulquiorra's actions wasn't sweeping the country like a wildfire in the middle of a dry summer. He knew how gossip worked and how fast word could travel. By now everypony in Equestria should be talking about the event. The only thing that he could figure, was that maybe the changeling invasion had taken center stage. Maybe there were mitigating circumstances that led to the overshadowing of Ulquiorra's involvement; like ponies being held in cocoons, or mass hypnotism or something.

Oh well, standing here and just thinking to himself wasn't going to get anything done.

"Might as well come in, no use standing outside," he finally said as he opened the door wider, "care for a cup of coffee?" he asked.

Ulquiorra stepped inside, silently agreeing that there was no use in standing outside, as his unattended presence would merely cause more terror to the town's inhabitants. "I've heard the term used by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna on several occasions, but I have little understanding of just what it is," he replied as the door was closed behind him.

"Really? That's a shame. Come on, let's get you a cup so you can see what you've been missing out on," Spike stated as he jogged back to the kitchen.

Ulquiorra followed at his own pace, observing as Spike made use of a step stool to get a third mug down from the cupboards and set it on the table next to two others, before grabbing a potholder and pulling some strange looking kettle off the stove and pour a steaming liquid into each of them.

"You're in for a treat, this is a special blend. We get the beans fresh and I roast them myself," Spike explained as he set the percolator down on the counter. "The secret to a great blend of coffee is all in the grind. Can't be too coarse, can't be too fine. This, Ulquiorra, is a science that anybody can appreciate," he stated as he pushed the cup forward.

From Spike's description, this "coffee" sounded like a dedicated endeavor. It looked a great deal like tea, however it smelt nothing like tea. With his curiosity mildly piqued, he picked up the offered cup to sample the strange brew.

He was quite thankful he'd only sipped the strange beverage.

Despite the strong smell, he'd still expected to encounter something that was at least similar to the tea served by Applejack on their first meeting. Instead his taste buds had been greeted by what had to be the liquid equivalent of a punch in the face from the rainbow-maned pegasus. It was stout. It was strong. It was mildly bitter. He found himself briefly wondering if the brew was capable of serving as both a paint stripper and rust remover. This was supposed to be a beverage that was enjoyed?

"Coffee..."

It was a tired mutter coming from behind him. Turning his head he saw Twilight Sparkle approaching slowly, her mane in an unkempt mess, her eyes mostly closed with circles beneath them. Her entire appearance suggested she was still asleep. It was an observation reinforced by the fact she walked past him, saying nothing except mutterings for coffee as she approached the table. Her movements contained a sense that suggested this was nothing unusual for her, and something she'd gone through numerous times, to the point she had no difficulty navigating in an impaired state.

"Coffee," she muttered again as she stood up, resting her forelegs on the table and pulling the steaming mug over to her, tiredly but eagerly picking it up with her magic and sipping at its contents. "Ahh that's the ticket," she sighed with contentment, a look of relaxation crossing her face.

Ulquiorra silently regarded the entire display, and then the partially full cup held in his hand. Twilight Sparkle had no problem tolerating the volatile brew, and even seemed to take great pleasure in its consumption. She was displaying no signs that suggested it was a caustic concoction. Curiously, he took another sip.

Perhaps it was simply an acquired taste. It would make the most sense.

Twilight sat silently as she nursed her cup of coffee, several more sips through closed eyes and contented smiles. Nothing like a good cup of coffee to start off the day. "Spike, I'd be lost without you," she said as she finally opened her eyes, feeling the caffeine jump starting her system and getting her primed and ready for the day and whatever it might bring.

And then she saw Ulquiorra standing there and looking at her. She nearly dropped her coffee cup on the ground in surprise.

"Ulquiorra? What're you doing here?" she asked curiously. Suddenly her curiosity was replaced by a sensation of mild panic. "Wait, is there another dragon on the loose? Is an Ursa Minor wandering around and destroying the surrounding territory?!"

"Not to my knowledge," Ulquiorra responded calmly, completely unfazed by her sudden anxiousness. Had any such incident occurred he would've dealt with it personally, rather than bothering to involve the ponies and put them at risk of harm; a process that would result in handicapping him and forcing him to take precautions to protect them, while at the same time trying to stop the threat. And all while trying to remember that he wasn't supposed to kill as a first resort. "My purpose here is of a different nature. I've come to the conclusion that there are questions for which there are no answers in Canterlot's library. And I fail to see the logic in continuing pointless studying for something that either doesn't exist, or is buried in some obscure tome behind thousands of others," he explained.

"Oh?" Twilight asked curiously before taking another sip of her coffee. "Is this about the mystery at hand? About why you're here and what the next big event against Equestria might be?" she asked.

"Partially. But based on your report, I don't foresee my presence positively contributing to any sort of discovery. Rather I come about something far more confusing, an area you appear to be an expert in," Ulquiorra explained, finishing the cup of coffee and setting the cup down before continuing. "What you and the others call "friendship" continues to elude my understanding. There are no similarities I can draw between it and what I know. The business partnerships of the earth pony Filthy Rich make sense, they are mutually beneficial in nature, and the parties involved profit from being united, rather than being apart. Your friendship with the others doesn't appear to offer anything that is mutually beneficial in nature. Try as I might, I can see nothing that would explain your continued association with one another. Even holding the Elements of Harmony does nothing to provide a logical explanation. The relationship you have with the others appears very high maintenance in nature, and more trouble than it's worth, when you receive no compensation for the investment of your time. What conceivably brings you together? And in logical terms, what binds you together, and serves as sufficient motivation for your continued association and interaction?"

The room was strangely silent. Ulquiorra observed Twilight Sparkle and the strange appearance on her face. This was confusing, in that he'd expected the unicorn to launch into an in depth explanation about the topic, and what she'd learned about it in her time in Ponyville. Instead he was greeted by silence, broken only by her gulping down the rest of her coffee in one gulp. He nearly asked her how her stomach lining didn't corrode away when exposed to high concentrations of such a caustic substance, when she interrupted that train of thought by finally speaking.

"That's a... very good question actually," she said slowly as she set the cup down on the table and looked at him, carefully weighing her options and how to proceed. Leave it to Ulquiorra to ask the difficult questions. Right now he was making her feel uneasy, like a teacher asking her a question she hadn't prepared for. "I think I can see why you're having trouble understanding this."

"You can?" Spike asked curiously.

"I think so. But don't hold me to that just yet, I might be wrong," Twilight said to Spike, before turning her attention back to Ulquiorra again. "You're looking at this from the point of view of a scientist: detached, clinical, trying to observe a cause and effect correlation in order to explain how Action A leads to Reaction B, and understand all the various steps involved with arriving at these results. Trying to pick apart a concept, and not only separate its various factors and standards for organized study, but also boil them all down to their individual, primary components, and determine the science behind their function," she explained before pausing. A rather long pause really. "Am I right?"

Ulquiorra considered her words and how she'd structured her explanation of the situation. He had to admit that she was indeed right about the thought process that was going on. It was mildly surprising how she was able to easily understand his analytical nature.

"So far," he stated simply. He was finding himself curious as to where this went.

"Right. That's where the problem is coming from," Twilight stated as she got down from the table and walked around, back into the main portion of the library. Ulquiorra turned to observe her, as she brought over chalk and a rolling blackboard.

"Before I begin there's something I want to say. If there's a quintessential definition of friendship that exists, then it's something I don't possess. The best I can do is share with you what I've learned about it, based on my own experiences and discoveries. Some might make sense, some might not," she explained as she stepped in front of the blackboard.

"Wait a minute! You're going to give a lecture now!?" Spike asked as he came jogging out of the kitchen and past Ulquiorra. "Twilight, you haven't even had breakfast yet, is this really a good idea?"

"I'll be fine, Spike, go ahead and eat without me. This is a little more important than breakfast... unless you'd like to join us first," she said as she directed the proposition at Ulquiorra.

"Perhaps another time," he replied, not particularly interested in anything that made use of actual flowers as an active ingredient. The reishi in the area was more than sufficiently sustaining for the time being.

"Alright," Twilight replied and nodded, barely noticing as Spike slowly walked back into the kitchen. Now it was a matter of finding how to word this properly. "You remember how I came to be living in Ponyville, right?" she asked.

"I do," Ulquiorra replied. He remembered the tale of how she'd been set to oversee preparations for the Summer Sun festival, and in doing so, meeting the others who would come to hold the Elements of Harmony. It had been that fact, that exercise in careful orchestration on the part of Princess Celestia, that had allowed for the defeat of Nightmare Moon. It had also served as the catalyst to Twilight Sparkle studying the same concept that he was currently attempting to figure out. "Is it relevant to this?"

"More than you'd ever guess. Before I came to Ponyville, I actually had a similar way of thinking. Everything that was worth knowing about was something that made sense. Don't get me wrong, things that don't make sense are still worth devoting time to; I'm a scientist, and I'd be lax in my duties to turn my back on something just because I couldn't understand it. But on the topic of friendship, and friends in general... well... at best I saw it as a waste of time. Time that could be better utilized for more important matters like reading, studying and learning new things. At worst... I considered friends to be nothing more than ponies who got in the way and complicate a situation beyond reasonable degrees, and all because they were too stupid to realize what they were getting into was way over their heads, and best left alone by them," Twilight explained, regretting the fact that she was ever so blind with regard to others. It was a shame of hers that she'd love to erase if possible.

"What changed your mind?" Ulquiorra asked. Twilight Sparkle's tale of herself was proving to be interesting, much to his own surprise. This pony did have a similar outlook to his own, something he'd never expected to encounter in this colorful world. What exactly had occurred to change her?

"In simple terms, Nightmare Moon happened. My studies had pointed out how the thousand year banishment would be ending on the night of the Summer Sun celebration, and it did. Princess Celestia was nowhere to the found, and the terror of legends of old was free to enact eternal night, unopposed by mortal ponies. My research on the matter pointed out the location of where the Elements of Harmony were held at the time, deep in the old castle ruins of the Everfree forest, and I knew they'd be our best chance of stopping her. I set out to try and retrieve them on my own, as I was the only one who knew full well what had to be done. But I didn't remain on my own for very long, as the others had decided to tag along, regardless of my protests, or my hostility toward them. I thought they'd just get in the way, but they wound up being the key to victory. Each one of them helped me get past a specific obstacle Nightmare Moon threw at us. Dangerous animals, treachery, terrifying illusions, a collapsing ledge, a broken bridge... they helped me past each of them, putting themselves in harms way in the process, and even remained at my side when facing down Nightmare Moon herself. That... was something else..."

He remained silent as Twilight Sparkle explained the details of the event in question, pausing momentarily to catch her breath. He still possessed doubts about what she was saying, but not anything pertaining to the facts of the events that transpired, he'd accepted them as the truth. What came into question dealt more with how the actions of Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, had caused the unicorn to change her outlook on life, and be what she is right now. If it were him in the situation, he would assume the five ponies had become involved, for no purpose other than attempting to save their own lives, seeing as eternal night would affect them all equally. Had they not contributed they would have nobody to blame for their fates but themselves. He would even speculate that their motives may have been due to cowardice; that they had tagged along in hopes of a quick death rather than a slow one.

"Don't get me wrong. I didn't automatically reach the conclusions about friendship that I have today. At first I didn't know what to make of it. I thought maybe they were simply tagging along in an effort to save their own lives, seeing as eternal night would affect them all equally. I... don't really want to acknowledge it, but a darker part of my mind wondered if... maybe they tagged along because they thought it was a suicide mission, and they were looking for an easy way out of a dire situation. I'm... ashamed of the fact that I had those thoughts at all..." Twilight explained once she began talking again, hanging her head at the last part.

Her words and observations being remarkably similar to his own thoughts. It was remarkably disturbing. Perhaps more disturbing was the fact that it felt incredibly familiar to him. Why was that?

He didn't even have the chance to inquire about the mystery, as Twilight Sparkle was already talking again, and dominating the conversation.

"Before you ask what the relevance of this story is, I'm getting to that. After everything was said and done, and a lot of confusion was finally over, I found myself living in Ponyville with five new friends, but very little actual understanding of friendship itself. That's why I submit friendship reports to Princess Celestia whenever I do learn something about it. For all my scientific knowledge, my ability to recite complex mathematical formulae from memory, I might as well have been the village idiot at the time. Even now, after all these years, there's still a lot of it that I don't fully understand. I understand basic bits and pieces, enough to have a rudimentary grasp on it... but it's something I haven't mastered yet. It's like trying to figure out calculus without knowing basic mathematics, or studying quantum physics without an understanding of even basic physics," she explained.

"What you're trying to say, is that you won't be able to assist me on the matter," Ulquiorra elaborated, cutting her off before she could go any further in this one sided discussion. Spike had been quite correct when he'd predicted a lecture would be occurring.

"What? No! No, no, no, no!" she objected quickly at hearing his words, her reiatsu flaring about in the process. "I'm not saying that, anything but! What I'm saying is, or at least what I was trying to say is..." she paused a moment in hesitation as she pondered, "this isn't something for which a definite answer exists. That's something that gave me the hardest time before I finally started to understand it myself. Friendship means different things to different ponies. It's not something that can be categorized and boiled down into simple facts and figures. Friendship isn't something that can be deduced by the mind, it's... it's something that has to be understood with the heart."

"The heart," he repeated slowly.

It was a matter that seemed impossible to escape, even in this world. It was a matter of cruel irony really. Back in Hueco Mundo, the heart was a concept introduced to him by the human woman. He'd discounted it as nonsense, regarded the heart as a source of pain, as a cause of pointless suffering and death. And yet despite it all, bit by bit, her words had chipped away at his mind, tantalizing his curiosity, and driving him to question her further. Part of it had been an effort to destroy her beliefs in such nonsense and show her the futility of her own hope; which would in essence assuage his own curiosity on the matter. But another part of it had been his own desire to make sense of what she was saying.

How ironic that it was a concept he'd just started to understand in the last few seconds of his life.

And now here he was, being told that one concept he had no true understanding of, was connected to another concept he was equally confused by.

"Then it would appear hopeless for me, as I possess no heart with which to understand the concept of friendship," he commented. Did she possess a response to such a fact? Perhaps some effort of trying to convince him that it was indeed something he could learn if he attempted? Or would she recognize the futility of her own attempts and simply resign herself to letting the matter go?

He observed her as she remained silent, a pensive look on her face, evidently giving serious consideration to what her next words would be in this difficult situation.

"You know what? I'm calling bullshit on this one," Twilight stated as she finally spoke up again, "I've never been to Hueco Mundo, and I don't know how things go there, beyond what you've told me about it, but I really doubt that you're incapable of learning about friendship, or any other subject that you seriously wanted to. I managed to learn about the importance of friendship, hell, even Discord learned about the importance of friendship. I just can't accept that it'd be impossible for you," she explained, "I think we just need to figure out a way to help you make sense of everything. It's... it's like adapting a lesson plan to specific students to better make sense of the material. Yeah, that's it... Pri-- Celestia tasked me with being an educator to you, I'd be lax in my duties if I didn't do everything I could to help you on this one."

Ulquiorra felt the urge to raise an eyebrow at her words. She seemed dedicated to this cause, nonsensical as it was. He wasn't certain whether he should try and dissuade her or not. She was willing to invest a significant amount of time and effort in this endeavor. She also seemed quite convinced that this was a worthy cause to become involved in; worthy enough to distract herself from attempting to determine the pattern of events he'd tasked her with. He doubted that anything nonviolent he could attempt, would be sufficient to convince her otherwise.

Nor was he fully convinced that he should. He'd come here to try and solve the various mysteries he was faced with, not disregard them simply because he found them difficult to accept. He was going to need to exercise some degree of openness, and restrain some degree of skepticism.

"You're welcome to try," he said simply, "perhaps we should begin with the basics. What do you get out of your friendship with the other holders of the Elements of Harmony? What form of compensation do you receive from associating with them? What form of compensation do they receive from association with you? How is it mutually beneficial to everyone involved?" he asked.

Twilight... she wasn't sure what she wanted to do in response to his questions. Maybe facehoof? Despite all of Ulquiorra's intelligence, it was almost like talking with a foal who simply didn't understand what he was being told. He was still trying to compare friendship with a business partnership, despite everything she'd just told him. If she was going to do this right, she was going to have to take things slow, and carefully think over what she'd learned in her three years here in Ponyville, surrounded by those she considered friends. Maybe they could both learn something from this, and unravel mysteries together.

"In terms that would qualify as physical or monetary compensation, not a darn thing. We occasionally treat each other at our own expense, but whatever we get out of the act wouldn't be enough to either justify or sustain our association over the long term," she elaborated. That was probably the wrong way to start things off, but she didn't care, it had to be addressed.

The look Ulquiorra was currently giving her told her he was having trouble accepting her explanation. Undeterred, she continued.

"I can't speak for the others, only for myself. What I get out of my friendship, and my continued association with them, is a great deal more important to me than any form of physical reimbursement for my investment. I've got five very great, and very diverse companions, who are there for me when I really need them. Five ponies who are willing to drop what they're doing and help me out of a jam when they recognize that I'm in trouble, and that things have escalated to the point where I can't deal with it on my own. They're there for me when I'm sad, or scared, or hurt, or alone, or even when I just need somepony to bounce ideas off of, and engage in intelligent conversation about whatever. They're willing to put up with my idiosyncrasies and look beyond them, even when I wind up driving them nuts without even realizing it. They've helped me realize that there's a wide, wide world out there that's worth experiencing for myself, rather than just reading about from the comforts of the library. They've helped me grow as an individual, and expand my mind to consider things I otherwise would've discounted, and they never asked for a single thing in return. I trust those girls with my life; I've actually done that several times so far. Without them I don't even think I'd still be alive right now," she explained.

Ulquiorra remained silent and unmoving at her words, his lack of reaction causing her to frown in response. She'd put a lot into that speech and was hoping for something in return other than disbelief and simple skepticism. Perhaps she was expecting too much, too early on. Maybe she needed to try again.

"That amounts to friendship to you?"

And then again maybe she didn't. Maybe he really had been paying attention, and had simply waited for her to finish talking.

"Well sort of, but it goes a lot further than that. We care about each other, we're there in case we need each other, and when one of us is in trouble, we worry about them and do whatever we can to help out. It's like the time Rarity got sick with the stomach flu, we all did what we could to help her get better, or at least try and make her feel a little less miserable during her recovery. We didn't stop and worry that she might be contagious, or that we might be putting our own health at risk, we just did what we thought was right," Twilight explained. She was getting the feeling that things were starting to spin out of control, and that she was at risk of losing him due to disbelief. She had to think of something to help him understand! "Being a friend also involves doing nice things for each other, even when you have zero moral or legal obligation to do so; it's something you do because you care about the pony, and don't want something bad to happen to them. We've all done it countless times with one another, or somepony else that was in need at the time, and we never bothered to ask what was in it for us."

"You act because of the concern that lies with others rather than yourself, because it is the right thing to do," he elaborated. In more accurate terms it was a guess on his part to see if he was understanding what she was trying to say.

"Exactly!" Twilight exclaimed in excitement and optimism. He really was starting to understand! This was so great!

"Then it was out of concern for Rainbow Dash, that you and the others created the persona of Mare Do Well, and used it against her in a way that wound up traumatizing her," Ulquiorra replied.

And there went her excitement as easily as it'd come. Being reminded of Mare Do Well was bad enough, but being reminded by him out of anyone else had made it hurt much worse. Her ears flattened and her posture dropped at his words.

"... Rainbow Dash told you about that?" she asked. It was the only way she could think of that Ulquiorra would know anything about it. And if she'd told the story as upset as they'd found out she'd been...

"She did. However I can only speculate as to why she chose to trust me with a matter of such sensitivity," he responded. It was a matter he'd been questioning periodically since that night. Perhaps it was simply due to the fact he had no reason to judge her as being anything more than trash, and wouldn't make an issue out of it. Or maybe it was due to some pressing need to talk to anybody and he was merely a matter of convenience. For whatever reason, it wasn't important to him. "What aspect of friendship is it that dictates backstabbing, trickery, deceit, and traumatizing others?" he asked pointedly. Her reiatsu had been dipping ever since he'd brought up the past incident, and now that dipping was coming even faster.

"That... that was a horrible, horrible mistake on all of our parts. I never should've come up with the idea, and none of us should've ever carried it out. We should've realized from the start just how bad of an idea it was. We could've talked to Rainbow Dash, told her we were concerned about how she was acting. We could've addressed that situation in any number of different ways than we did," she said as she hung her head and closed her eyes. "And Rainbow Dash, oh poor Rainbow Dash, I didn't know we'd hurt her so bad. I don't even want to think about what she went through for so many months, feeling like she couldn't trust us when she needed us most," she paused. A long pause. "Rainbow Dash is one of those ponies who measures her sense of importance by her ability to be exceptional at what she does. And we just come in, and destroy all that because we found her boastful in nature, because we thought we knew better than her. We could've caused severe, long term psychological trauma to her with our actions, and we were too blind to see it..."

Ulquiorra remained silent throughout the explanation, uncertain if there was anything worthwhile to contribute. At present time he could think of nothing.

"We all apologized to her once we discovered just how wrong we were. And she said she forgave us when she realized how sincere we were... but I think it's going to take a long, long time for the hurting to finally stop..."

Silence. Nothing but long, monotonous silence, broken up only by the sound of cooking coming from the kitchen.

"If there's one thing the Mare Do Well incident taught me more than anything, it's a very important lesson about the magic of friendship. This is one lesson that I was never able to submit to Celestia because I couldn't make it sound right. But with you, Ulquiorra, I don't think the bluntness would bother you," she said as she opened her eyes and lifted her head to look at him in a more direct manner. "Sometimes friendship is about being assholes to one another, yet still being there for each other regardless of the fact.* Friendship isn't perfect, there are going to be bumps in the road, and difficulties ahead that will test the bonds that unite you. And you're going to be both surprised, and grateful, when those bonds withstand whatever trials and tribulations you go through together. When you're willing to let go of your own pettiness because somepony needs you, that's friendship right there."

"Obtuse, eloquent, and reasonably logical all at the same time," Ulquiorra thought in response to the explanation. Twilight Sparkle had a way with words, even if she tended to use far more than were truly necessary. Was she simply padding her statements to add to the effect?

"What you're trying to eloquently say, is that friendship amounts to knowing who precisely has your back, when all has gone to hell. Correct?" he asked, hoping to cut through her wordy explanation and get to the heart of the matter.

"Er..." Twilight paused in thought at his words, "that's... actually not that far off. It's a little basic in nature, but that sounds a lot like what the core of friendship really is. Maybe we actually got somewhere," she said with a sense of pride and smiled.

Now that she thought on his words a little more, that sounded a lot like her early experience regarding friendship. The girls had her back when everything had gone to hell, or more accurately, Tartarus. They'd been there to help her despite all the danger they faced just by being there, by daring to defy Nightmare Moon and attempting to find the Elements of Harmony. They had her back, just like she had theirs.

"Then progress has at least been made in one area," Ulquiorra replied, his voice lacking the pony's enthusiasm.

"I can't wait to share this news with the girls," Twilight stated, shortly before her stomach began growling, causing her to blush and chuckle in an embarrassed manner. "But maybe I actually should wait and have breakfast first..."

"Sound logic indeed," Ulquiorra commented.

Once again Twilight Sparkle's reiatsu was flaring, wildly at the prospect of sharing some discovery with the other ponies. Exactly what series of events had he unknowingly set into motion on this morning?

"Gonna be a few more minutes, Twilight," Spike called from the kitchen as he flipped the pancakes he was currently cooking.

"Oh..." Twilight replied. At the news her stomach started growling again, causing her to frown down at it, like she could make it behave through the power of her own annoyance. What to do until it was time to eat? She thought on that. And hunger or not, she was starting to realize something of importance. For all this talk about progress and such, there was something they were missing; something that was pretty big.

"Ulquiorra, there's something I'd like to ask you. Something that's pretty important, and related to the matter at hand... hoof... whatever, it's important, and it's relevant," she explained.

"And what is it?" he asked, mildly curious now. Instead of answering him right away, she approached him and extended her right foreleg towards him, much as she had during their initial encounter back in the Canterlot library.

"Will you be my friend, Ulquiorra?" she asked him simply.

He remained silent at her words, a mix of confusion and curiosity at her question, and uncertainty of the proper way to respond. Should he go with the standard approach and point out how there was no relevancy to the request? Perhaps question if she was quite serious even after everything had happened? He was quite sure that if she were reminded of the part he made her play with the changelings, she wouldn't be so inclined to ask such a question so freely.

However if he did attempt such an approach, she might cite lesson number five again, as justification for making the request. Forgiveness was... interesting, to say the least.

And then he started considering the nature of the request. If friendship was truly about knowing who had your back, then it could be argued that their friendship status was already confirmed between them, strange as it might sound. Perhaps the request was born from some sort of formality or ritual to confirm said status.

And then it was back to his earlier thoughts, about his own motivation on the matter, and the reasoning for why he came here in the first place. With that in mind, only one course of action truly seemed logical to him at this moment.

"If you'll have me as a friend," he finally replied, sliding his hand out of his pocket, and wrapping it around her hoof to return the gesture. With that his commitment to this strange, new endeavor had been sealed. There was no telling how things would go from here on out, without waiting to see how things progressed.

Author's Note

* Contributed by Ryanmiaku. Truer words have rarely been spoken.

Chapter Thirty Seven

Chapter Thirty Seven

Things were a might bit strange right now. That was Applejack's observation of the morning at the market.

She'd pulled market duty this morning, tending to the stall to sell their apples to whichever ponies cared to buy them up. Normally it was a position that required relatively little work once the initial setup was done. After the apples were hauled in and set out for display, and the stand was erected and deployed, it was just a matter of patience and getting their attention, and their wares usually sold themselves.

But today things were different for some reason. Things had started out decently enough, but after the third customer things had suddenly stopped. Now that she thought about it, the entire marketplace seemed quiet, nor nearly as many ponies out and about as there had been just a few minutes ago. It was eerily similar to when Zecora still scared ponies anytime she came into town.

"Somethin' definitely ain' right," she muttered to herself. Where was everypony?

"Of that I'm certain."

The voice behind her caused her to spin around and see just who'd managed to sneak up on her. She hadn't heard any approaching hoofsteps, she hadn't even smelt anypony that might be approaching her from behind.

The first one to come into view was Twilight. Standing next to her was Spike. Standing behind the both of them was Ulquiorra himself. Just when had they gotten there?

"The question, however, what is this curious thing that isn't right in this unusual world?" Ulquiorra asked her directly.

"Mr. Cifer? Boy howdy, ah sure didn' expect ta see ya here in town today. Wha' brings ya by?" Applejack asked him, her concern relieved at seeing just who'd been behind her the whole time.

"Questions for which I possess no answers. Twilight Sparkle and Spike have been doing their best to answer them," Ulquiorra explained as he stood with his hands in his pockets.

Twilight nodded. "Ulquiorra's been making great headway in understanding friendship. We had a significant breakthrough already," she stated excitedly.

Ulquiorra remained silent at the unicorn's enthusiasm, not wishing to go as far as she had in her take on the situation.

"Really now? Well ain' that fantastic. Ah didn' wanna sound like the doubtin' type, Mr. Cifer, but ta hear yer actually figurin' out friendship an' makin' progress is something else!" Applejack stated and smiled. "If ya don' mind ma pryin', what've ya figured out so far?" she asked.

"That friendship is knowing who has your back, even when there is no obligation for them to do so," he explained. So far that was the explanation that made the most logical sense. From his limited understanding, one that qualified as a friend was one who was there to help you, even if such help wasn't necessary, and was doing so of their own free will, rather than because they expected to be compensated for their involvement.

That wasn't to say friendship was anymore logical in his view than it was yesterday. If anything, it seemed even more confusing, as he still couldn't seem to understand the concept of assisting one when it wasn't necessary; why bother when it didn't have to be done? And why assist if there was no guarantee of getting something in return?

But at least it was somewhere to start, some piece of information to help him make sense of things that currently made no sense. Having this starting point would allow him to better reach an informed conclusion. And if nothing else, this endeavor would likely save him the difficulty of trying to convince the others to focus less on him, and more on their surroundings.

It would also save him from having to explain the importance of situational awareness to the ponies, and how the opinions of others regarding him was of no true value. If he made such an attempt they would likely brush him off, and insist on going about whatever they were attempting to do in the first place.

Applejack was silent at his words. When she'd heard Twilight's statement, she'd been expecting something more of a revelation than just that. Not that he was wrong in his analysis or anything; friendship really was a whole lot of what he said, but it was so basic and boiled down, that to her it just seemed to go without saying. But then again, the Espada was more or less learning things from the ground up, meaning he was giving it serious enough consideration to actually bother with it in the first place. Maybe for him, this simple fact really did amount to a significant revelation.

"Ah tell ya what, tha' sounds like a major discovery ta be makin'," Applejack commented, uncertain what else she could say.

"Only time will tell. Opportunities to exercise this discovery have been scarce," Ulquiorra replied and glanced around the marketplace. "It would seem many have not recovered from what they witnessed unfolding here."

"You can't really blame them," Spike commented. He hadn't seen what the others had seen, but his vantage point at the time had been terrifying enough. First he'd heard the reports of how Ulquiorra had utterly dominated the dragon like it was foal's play to do so, and then the changeling massacre... in a way it was scary to think of what the Arrancar next to them was fully capable of.

Even more terrifying to him, all that had been done when Ulquiorra wasn't even in top form. What could he do if he really wanted to open up?

"I don't blame them. They're wise to fear me after witnessing everything, just as Fluttershy was wise to fear me," he replied without even looking back. "There are only ten in this world that know of my true nature. The others still believe me to be of this world and its known physics. If they were to know the truth they would experience the truest form of fear and despair," he explained calmly.

Twilight unconsciously shivered at his words. Sometimes it was so easy to forget that Ulquiorra really wasn't one of them. Well... not so much forget, as simply not consciously recalling the information, and not remembering to actively apply it in the present situation. She didn't really think she could ever truly forget what Ulquiorra was. Information like that just didn't disappear, at least not without some outside force acting to...

She stopped thinking and frowned. She was rambling to herself now! If spike could hear what was going on inside her head right now, he'd be laughing.

Regardless of the distraction she'd caused to herself, by getting hung up on technicalities, she couldn't help but agree with what Ulquiorra had said. Everypony other than them believed that he was native to this world, indigenous to another location, but still bound by the same rules of physics, science, and magic that all others were bound by. They didn't know anything about Hollows, or Hueco Mundo, or anything else that was tied to him. If they were still this scared of him while thinking he was just another native of the world, how would they react if the truth ever came out and his otherworldly nature was revealed to them?

Pandemonium wouldn't even come close do describing what would befall Equestria if the truth came out at the wrong time. Pandemonium would be what they had after the rioting and widespread panic of the reveal had calmed down.

"Well shoot," Applejack spoke up, the sound of her voice snapping Twilight out of her thoughts. "Mr. Cifer, ah can't speak fer the rest o' Ponyville er nothin'. But ya've done a whole lotta good since gettin' here, ah-"

"If your intention is to give some motivational speech, pertaining to how my actions amount to heroism, there is no point. Simply because I've kept you six from being harmed does not amount to my being a hero. My actions are nothing more than abiding by Princess Celestia's orders, and nothing more. At best we are nothing more than allies, working together to address circumstances beyond our control," Ulquiorra explained, cutting off whatever Applejack might've intended to say. Simply because his actions might be seen as good, that didn't mean he was a hero. He didn't need to be adored by the natives of this world, he simply needed to get to the bottom of the mysteries at hand.

"You keep saying that," Twilight spoke up. Her focus had gone from worrying about the possible explosion of widespread panic over the truth of Ulquiorra's nature being revealed, to his pessimistic outlook on things around him. "You keep saying that you're simply following Celestia's orders. That you don't have any real concern for our wellbeing, and that you're simply keeping us from harm because you're required to. But I really have to ask; why'd you interpret Celestia's orders in such a manner?" she asked.

"You know, that's a really good question," Spike added as he looked to Ulquiorra for answers. "The first time Twilight and the others were put in harm's way when they faced that dragon, you didn't simply distract it and lead it far away where it wouldn't do any harm. Instead you beat the snot out of it, so that it couldn't cause any harm to anypony. Isn't that going above and beyond the call of carrying out a simple duty?" he asked.

"Huh," Applejack muttered and scratched her head with her hoof, "y'know ah never stopped an' thought about it like that. Ya did go outta yer way ta demonstrate ta the dragon tha' ya were the stronger o' the two; ah still don' have a clue wha' the dragon was thinkin' when he failed ta pound ya inta the ground like a tent stake back there. Why did ya go that route anyway?" she asked.

He would admit that it was a reasonable question. Fighting the dragon in the manner he had chosen wasn't an absolute necessity to protect the holders of the Elements of Harmony. There were other available options at the time he could have selected, in order to neutralize the immediate threat it presented to them.

But ultimately those options would do nothing to address the larger problem.

"I could have done so. But at the time there were too many variables to account for. Would the dragon have detected my scent if I used my sonido, and tracked it back to the caves? Would it have given up the search for the one that angered it, and simply returned to its established home to begin napping again? Would it have returned to the cave regardless of how far away it was lead?" he asked, causing them to remain silent in thought. These were all things that needed to be considered, all of them viable answers to their questions. Seeing them in thought, he continued. "That is to say nothing of the theory of the dragon being targeted at the six of you. Had I simply fled there is no reason to believe it would've given chase. At the time I was nothing but an unknown. If the dragon was on a mission to kill you six, why would it have bothered with me, unless I was proving to be an insurmountable opposition?" he asked further.

No answers were coming from any of the three present. They were silent as looks of confusion and thought crossed their faces. All their speculation, postulating, and theorizing, didn't stand up to the simple facts he presented. Not that he cared any.

"The course of action I took at the time was necessary to abide by Princess Celestia's orders. Nothing more, nothing less," he concluded.

"Alright..." Spike said slowly in response to this new information as he thought. "Assuming all that's true and there's nothing more to it than that. Would you have done the same thing for anypony else in a similar danger? Hypothetically speaking, if you were assisting on a field trip with Ms. Cherilee, and you'd encountered a ground dragon, and it displayed the same level of hostility, would you have beaten it in the same manner, simply to follow Princess Celestia's instructions of not letting harm come to any of her subjects?" he asked, causing Twilight and Applejack to look at him in waiting for answers.

Ulquiorra would admit there were things he couldn't foresee coming. From time to time, he was presented with developments he couldn't predict, and could just as easily be caught off guard as anyone else under the correct circumstances. This was just such a circumstance. Spike had asked a question for which he had no ready answer. Princess Celestia's instructions to him was to neither attack her subjects, nor do anything to cause them harm, or put them at risk. These instructions had been rather malleable in nature, depending on how they were looked at. However he had given it no amount of extensive thought, beyond how it related to protecting those who held the Elements of Harmony, and how, by extension, preventing them from dying served to protect Equestria itself from harm.

But what about those who didn't hold the Elements of Harmony? What was his obligation to them in abiding by his orders? Within the circumstances of the hypothetical situation Spike had crafted, would Princess Celestia have seen his actions as necessary for protecting a group of regular everyday ponies? If she did see such, would she take action if the dragon had been killed by him? To the best of his knowledge, Princess Celestia didn't maintain rule over dragons native to beyond the borders of Equestria proper. Technically they couldn't be considered her subjects, and thus exempt from her instructions. But would he go to the same lengths he had for the others?

For one who was still regarded as being so young, it was hard to deny Spike's intelligence. Well done really.

"I'm uncertain," he finally stated and left it at that.

There were a number of things that could be said. Things to belittle their belief in him being a hero. Things to point out that he was doing nothing more than abiding by Princess Celestia's orders, and he had no true care for whatever might happen to them. If they didn't possess the Elements of Harmony, he wasn't certain he would've taken the course of action he had. He could so easily point those facts out to them.

But he chose not to. He was here today under the guise of trying to understand the concept of friendship. Belittling them for their own stupidity would more than likely be counterproductive to what he was aiming to achieve. Which would in turn hurt his efforts to uncover whatever mystery warranted his presence in this world. His current course of action was overall necessary.

For the time being he would need to bite his tongue, and keep his more negative opinions to himself. He was going to need... to play nice... regardless of how foolish it seemed to him. Perhaps later he'd refresh their memories, and thoroughly remind them of just what he was.

"Say, Applejack," Twilight spoke up. She could feel the unease in the air around her, the current line of questioning somehow proving to be uncomfortable in nature. A change of topic was necessary. "I just thought of something. To help Ulquiorra get a better understanding of friendship, we're asking other ponies what it means to them. It'd be a big help if you could tell us what friendship means to you," she explained.

"Wha', me?" Applejack asked, slightly confused by the sudden question. A nod from her friend confirmed it. "Ah tell ya wha', Twilight, tryin' ta put that inta words is like tryin' ta do the whole applebuckin' harvest by mahself; it's a tall order," she explained and paused in thought. How would she describe this in a way that their guest would understand? Think... think...

"... Ah guess one way o' puttin' it is... friendship means knowin' ah've got ponies who look out fer me when ah get too distracted with other things. Sometimes ah get so focused on what ah'm doin', ah wind up gettin' forgetful 'bout things tha' need ta be done. Or sometimes ah'll get so far in over mah head ah can't find mah way out on mah own, an' these girls are there ta make sure ah don' get lost," she explained.

One explanation by Twilight Sparkle, one explanation by Applejack. The two had a number of similarities and amounted to little more than minor variations of a single account. Overall what could be gathered from Applejack's explanation was of only minor difference from what he'd already been told. However he said nothing, and Applejack started talking again.

"Ah tell ya, ah don' know jus' where ah'd be without mah friends. They helped save the farm once when mah family got in over our heads an' couldn' do it alone. They didn' even wait fer us ta ask before pitchin' in an' lendin' a hoof. If that ain't friendship then ah don' know what is," Applejack stated.

"Then you've received some form of physical or monetary compensation for your association with the others?" Ulquiorra asked. This new explanation by Applejack seemed to make more sense, seemed to be something he could understand better than the more vague concepts shared by Twilight Sparkle.

"Well... ya could say that. But that ain't why ah'm friends with 'em, friendship ain't about wha' ya can get outta it. There's some things in this world tha' jus' can't be measured in the context o' bits an' such," she stated.

This concept appeared to be a running theme in this world; anything that couldn't be broken down into easy to explain values was described as being something that couldn't be measured, labeled, calculated, and typified in physical terms. It was a concept that he was very slowly, very begrudgingly, being forced to accept as a possibly valid explanation; especially after everything that'd happened in Las Noches.

That matter aside, there was a specific similarity he noticed between the two explanations; both of them were structured in a manner that supported and emphasized the importance of companionship.

Perhaps that was truly why he couldn't understand friendship himself. He'd never had any need for companionship before. Perhaps his aspect of emptiness is what prevented his understanding of the matter. He never had any true need for companionship before, he'd done fine on his own. The only reason he worked with the other Espada, was for the purpose of serving Aizen.

With that as a consideration, he was left to wonder if this would need to be reported to Princess Celestia. What point would there be in attempting to study and understand something if he wasn't physically capable of understanding it?

But then what? Princess Celestia had assigned him the task of studying friendship. It was his primary purpose in this world. What would become of him, if he were to tell her that he couldn't fulfill his purpose? He wasn't the type for giving up when things proved to be difficult. Even when things had gone very, very wrong back in Las Noches, he had still dutifully done his best to complete his assigned mission, futile as it had proven.

"You know, I just thought of something," Spike spoke up. He could see this conversation likely wasn't going anywhere; not with the way the conversation back at the library had gone. A change of topic was definitely necessary. "Pinkie's pretty much an expert on when it comes to friends. I bet if anyone could explain it, she could do it," he suggested.

Twilight blinked. Spike hadn't seriously just said that, had he? Pinkie Pie and Ulquiorra were like polar opposites in nature. Could Ulquiorra really make sense out of anything the pink party pony would have to say on something as complicated as friendship? Something that she herself still didn't get all the time?

"Perhaps that would be most prudent. If this "Pinkie Sense" you referred to is a real condition, it would seem wise to presume she's already aware of my arrival in Ponyville, and preparing another surprise in some vain hope of making me smile. Delaying the inevitable would serve no purpose, and may only put others in the line of fire if said surprise goes wrong," Ulquiorra replied as he tucked his hands into his pockets.

"Knowin' that girl, ah wouldn' be surprised one bit. When it comes ta Pinkie she's always wantin' ponies ta be happy an' smiling, goin' outta her way ta make it happen," Applejack explained.

"I think she's got her work cut out for her when it comes to Ulquiorra," Spike commented. However it wasn't until after the words came out of his mouth, that he actually thought better about what was said. "Uh... sorry, no offense."

"None taken. It's an accurate assessment," Ulquiorra replied evenly. If Pinkie Pie were truly obsessed with making him laugh, or even smile, she would be facing a significant uphill battle ahead of her. He had never laughed before, never smiled before. He had no reason for such irrelevancies in his life. Perhaps one day she would realize that fact and drop her wasted efforts.

"Now that you mention it... if you don't mind me asking, Ulquiorra, how come you don't smile or laugh?" Twilight asked curiously. It couldn't simply be that he refrained from either due to his nihilistic outlook on life; nihilism couldn't override someone's natural physical responses to outside stimuli.

But then again what if it could? She didn't know anything about the physical nature of Hollows, with the exception of what Ulquiorra had freely shared with her when asked. Of all the Espada his aspect of emptiness, just as Applejack's Element of Harmony was honesty. Applejack was an absolutely terrible liar, even before she'd been selected as a bearer. Maybe it was similar for Ulquiorra? Maybe he didn't laugh because there was literally nothing to him?

No that couldn't be it! Nothingness didn't observe a sense of duty. Nothingness didn't go out of its way to protect others that were regarded as important. Nothingness didn't... now that she thought of it, nothingness shouldn't display any curiosity about what surrounded it, and at the same time defined it by its absence. There was definitely more going on here than meets the eye.

A sudden thought occurred to her; what if Ulquiorra was wrong about his outlook on life? Not wrong as in choosing the wrong belief system, but rather in his own understanding? Nihilism was the belief that nothing has any meaning because nothing truly exists; an absence of anything that holds true value or merit to justify a reason for its existence. If that were Ulquiorra's outlook to life, then why would he spend all his time in the library and read about Equestria and all it had to offer? Why would he care about what might happen to them? Why would he care if Celestia found displeasure with him and his actions? For that matter, why would he ask Celestia to provide him with a reason to justify his existence? None of it made any sense to her. The only thing that seemed to make sense, was the possibility that Ulquiorra might have made a premature decision about his outlook on life.

Maybe he'd confused the concept of nihilism with the belief of minimalism. That was entirely possible, and a logical explanation for the inconsistencies she'd seen since the Espada's arrival. But she needed to follow up that theory with facts.

"What I mean is... is it because they're irrelevant? Or is it because you haven't yet found anything that would warrant such a response?" she asked, finishing up the initial question that'd been paused by her thoughts.

Ulquiorra remained silent in thought. It was a valid question to ask. It was a specific question, and phrased in a specific manner, that he hadn't ever given consideration to asking himself. At one point in time he would've simply disregarded it as the nonsensical curiosity of an emotional and illogical being, trying to make sense of their surroundings, in an effort to grasp some intangible lifeline to maintain their sanity.

However he wasn't certain if that logic still applied now. He had been confronted with so many new concepts in his short time here, that he wasn't quite certain what exactly to believe in anymore. Magic, talking animals, friendship, exceedingly bright colors... everything standing in stark contrast to what he'd once accepted as the borders that defined existence.

There was certainly nothing in the realm of Hueco Mundo that would warrant such a useless gesture to show something that would be regarded as interest. Perhaps that was part of it. Perhaps there were aspects to himself that even he didn't fully understand.

"Yet another mystery to add to my next report," he thought to himself, before addressing the unicorn in response to her question. "At present time I have no readily available answer. Perhaps it's something else that will need to be discovered, in order to be adequately answered."

Twilight tried not to frown. It was an answer, but it was pretty much a non-answer and didn't amount to anything. This was going to be harder than she thought. But regardless, she remained optimistic that they could discover something beneficial down the line, it would just take some measure of diligence to get there.

"Well... if anypony has the answers we're looking for, Pinkie's probably a good candidate. If you haven't smiled simply because you haven't found anything worth smiling about, she'll probably be the one who knows what'll do the trick," Spike suggested.

He possessed significant doubts about Spike's take on the matter. It was highly unlikely that Pinkie Pie would be able to make him smile or laugh simply by presenting him with something that piqued his interest to a significant degree.

Unlikely, but not impossible. He'd been taken completely by surprise before. Who was he to say that him smiling was something that wouldn't happen?

"We shall see then," Ulquiorra responded and began walking in the direction of Sugarcube Corner.

"Hey jus' a minute now," Applejack spoke up, causing Ulquiorra to stop in his tracks, and turn to face her. "Mr. Cifer, ah gotta work the market fer most o' the mornin', but sometime this afternoon, could ya maybe swing by the farm? We... we sorta got some work on the barn that needs ta be done, an' yer strength'd be mighty useful," she explained.

Once again with the prospect of manual labor. Not that he was opposed to the notion. Being able to do something physical in nature had a certain appeal to it, something that couldn't be achieved with these supposed studies. Perhaps it would be worth exploring.

"If there's time in the day," he replied, before setting off for the bakery again.

"We'll see you later, Applejack," Twilight replied before following along with Spike in tow.

Applejack watched in silence as the others left the marketplace. The conclusion of the meeting hadn't exactly been how she'd wanted it to be, but there really wasn't much she could do about it. There wasn't much she could continue adding to the discussion, and as long as Ulquiorra remained in the marketplace, traffic would be ground to a halt. She didn't want to be unfriendly or anything, but business was business. Mr. Cifer likely understood that fact, he was all about being logical and such; she couldn't see him taking offense to being informed of the situation and asked to assist by not being present. And if he did... well she'd try and make it up to him later.

Right now though, she had to get back to business. Ponies were starting to show up again, and ponies meant the possibility of getting apples sold.

"Apples! Nice red, delicious, juicy apples!"

Chapter Thirty Eight

Chapter Thirty Eight

Pinkie Pie knew that something was up. She had to know, as her Pinkie Sense was working, and it was a strong one this time. Out of all the times it'd kicked in to alert her of something happening, the combination of left ear twitch, right forehoof ache, and double sneeze, had only happened twice so far. And such a combination meant a very specific event was taking place right now.

Ulquiorra was back in Ponyville!

And if Ulquiorra was back in Ponyville, then it was another opportunity for her to try and make him laugh. And she wasn't about to waste such an opportunity. Eagerly she worked on the latest attempt to make the Espada grin, then ducked down behind the counter of Sugarcube Corner with only her tail exposed to indicate her current location. The few patrons that were present, were far too engrossed in their baked goods to pay her much attention.

At least until her tail started to twitch like mad. That was a Pinkie Sense she really hated experiencing, as it meant something was about to fall, and potentially hit some poor pony right on the head!

"Oh dear! Oh dear!" she stated as she stood up, the surprise she'd been working on forgotten about as she launched herself over the counter, preparing to run outside to warn everypony about what was developing. She couldn't forgive herself if she let some poor, unsuspecting pony get hit right on the head by something if it could be avoided.

However by the time she managed to cross the distance between the counter and the door, the door was already opened, and the sound of a flowerpot shattering on impact against something hard, telling her that it was too late to warn anypony about what she'd known was coming. But she was distracted from that fact by bits of clay shrapnel flying freely into the bakery, in a manner consistent with a flowerpot being tossed horizontally rather than falling vertically.

What exactly was going on here? This was strange... strange even by her standards of strangey strangeness.

"Get in! Get in!" a voice called as Pinkie found herself being herded back into the bakery and the doors slammed behind them, but not before another flowerpot had come hurled through the opening. However this time there was no crash involved, leaving her even more confused than before.

She looked around and quickly realized what was going on. Spike, Twilight, and Ulquiorra were all present, the former two panting and out of breath, the latter as perfectly composed as ever, and strangely holding a potted plant in his hand.

"What?" she asked and tilted her head to the side. Even she hadn't seen this one coming.

"Roseluck," Twilight panted in response.

"We were just walking by, and without warning she just started throwing potted plants at us," Spike elaborated inbetween breaths.

"Myself specifically. I believe the others were merely regarded as collateral damage for being in the vicinity," Ulquiorra replied and set the intact potted plant on the ground, some of the dirt and shards of broken clay falling from his hair and shoulders to the floor in the process.

"Seriously? What could've made Roseluck turn into such a big meanie pants just like that?" Pinkie asked, quickly appearing behind Ulquiorra with a feather duster, and standing up on her hind legs to sweep the remaining clay and dirt off of him. "Usually she's such a nice and friendly pony. This is completely unlike her."

Ulquiorra chose not to question just where Pinkie Pie had managed to procure the feather duster. It hadn't been in her possession at the time when she was at the door. And she'd had no time to go and acquire it even if it had simply been behind the counter.

"I know, Pinkie, it's a complete mystery to me," Twilight added. Maybe this was the precursor to the third event Ulquiorra had theorized coming? If it was then it was... rather underwhelming to experience. "You three wait here. I'm going to go back out there and talk to her, and see if I can get to the bottom of this," she stated.

"Oh no. Twilight, you're not going to sing Roseluck a few bars of the four-letter word chorus, are you?" Spike asked. No matter how much he considered it, he still didn't like it; Twilight and profanity simply didn't mix.

"Don't be silly, Spike, I'm simply going to approach and have a nice, reasonable, intelligent conversation with her, and find out why she started throwing potted plants at us. And then I'm going to ask her if she needs any help putting them back together again. A gesture of good will, despite being on the receiving end of her tirade, should help do some good," Twilight explained, before picking up the intact potted plant with her magic and trotting her way back out the door, effortlessly closing it behind her in order to prevent anything else from getting inside.

The inside of the bakery became quiet once Twilight had left, apart from the hushed murmurings of the patrons who'd been present previously. All the excitement had broken them out of their morning routines and left them curious about these recent developments.

"Boy Ulqy," Pinkie spoke up as she continued her efforts to clean the Espada off, "I tell you what, I'm gonna need a toothbrush or something, you've got a lot of grunge inbetween these ridges on your mask thingy," she pointed out.

"It would be appreciated if you refrained from such. I'm perfectly capable of tending to matters related to hygiene by myself," he replied, but made no move to stop the pink earth pony as she brushed him off. He was trying to exercise and observe lesson number one right now, and not brush her away like she was trash. However it was proving to be quite tempting to do such.

"So Ulqy, what brings you to Ponyville this time?" Pinkie asked, completely oblivious to the previous statement as she continued to dust him off.

Seeing as the pink earth pony wasn't about to heed his request, he remained silent and exercised a burst of sonido to step out of her reach, turning to face her in the process before he spoke again. "Attempts to better understand the concept of friendship. So far I've learned that every pony has their own interpretation, and there is no definite answer to what constitutes friendship, other than knowing that someone has your back when things have gone very wrong," he explained.

Spike nodded in agreement, but couldn't think of anything to really add on the matter. Despite his best efforts at racking his brain, trying to add something that would be meaningful to what Ulquiorra had learned so far, was proving to be quite difficult. Trying to explain friendship was... well it was harder than his attempts back in Canterlot of trying to convince Twilight she needed friends.

Pinkie blinked at Ulquiorra's sudden movement, but dismissed it as easily as she did the feather duster, finding herself far more intrigued by what he was saying about friendship.

"Ooh! Well for me, friendship means parties, and fun, and lots of laughing, and making sure nopony ever has to be a saddie pie," she explained.

Ulquiorra accepted the fact that Pinkie Pie was quite nonsensical in nature, despite what he could only assume were her best efforts. But her concept of friendship was far different from what he'd been expecting to hear.

In the case of Twilight Sparkle and Applejack, their definition of friendship entailed support from one another, in one form or another. He would admit that, to some degree, their definition made sense to him. When all the points were boiled down to remove matters that amounted to irrelevancy, their definition of friendship basically amounted to maintaining peaceful relations with potential allies for in times of need. It was a concept that required one to be aware not only of their own strengths, but also their weaknesses, and appropriately responding to such.

In some way, he was already conforming to their definition of what friendship meant. He recognized his own inability to keep these ponies safe, due to the various circumstances that worked against him, and had responded in turn by calling upon the holders of the Elements of Harmony to assist him in the matter. They kept tabs on the town, and surrounding territories, and he would provide protection should a threat be discovered. In some strange way, it all made perfect sense to him.

In the case of Pinkie Pie, however, there was no such mention of support, but rather matters he had no experience with. What could she possibly gain by trying to instill these ideas of nonsense in others?

"Sadness and despair are basic aspects of existence, and tied to the heart. They are not something that can simply be escaped or pushed aside," he pointed out.

"Oh trust me, I know all about sadness and despair. Sadness and despair are what I grew up in. If anypony knows about them then it's definitely me," Pinkie replied.

He stared at her in response to such a statement. What could this pink, ever-smiling pony possibly know about despair? What was her experience that she could claim to be an expert on the topics?

"Explain."

"When I was just a filly I grew up on my parents' rock farm. It was just me, my sisters, and our parents. There was no talking, there was no smiling, there was no happiness. Just rocks, rocks, and more rocks, as far as the eye could see, surrounded by the dullest and most lifeless trees you ever did see. Every single day it was nothing but moving rocks from one location to another. There were no sights to see, there were no parties, there were no birthdays, no visitors or friends, just rocks. This is the world that I grew up in. This was the world that I spent most of my early life in. Nothing but rocks and utter despair in every single direction," Pinkie explained, wincing at the unpleasantness of the memories that were being brought back.

Ulquiorra remained silent, allowing the story to be told uninterrupted. Truth be told he was mildly curious at this point, wondering exactly what events had needed to unfold to result in Pinkie Pie being who -and what- she is today. At the very least, her story gave some measure of insight into the issue of her strength. If she'd grown up working on a rock farm, likely moving heavy stones about, that would explain how her strength rivaled Applejack's.

"You see, Ulqy, I've been thinking about this since the first time we met, and I finally realized something. You and I, we're a lot alike. We both know what despair is, the only difference is how we each deal with it. You see sadness and despair as things that can only be accepted. I see sadness and despair as things that nopony should ever be left to face alone, things that nopony needs to experience," Pinkie explained as calmly as she could. She didn't want to admit the fact, but this really wasn't easy to go into detail about. Taking a steadying breath, she continued. "What's my definition of friendship? Not leaving anypony to experience the sadness that I did while growing up. I might not be able to eliminate all the sadness and despair in the world, but if I can make ponies happier in their day-to-day lives, then that's what I consider to be a job well done."

Ulquiorra continued remaining silent, even after the story was concluded, uncertain exactly what to make of it or the strange pink earth pony that told it. She didn't deny the existence of sadness and despair -either in herself or in the world around her- but rather chose to regard them as nonessential in nature, and simply ignore their existence.

Pony psychology was not one of the subjects he'd versed himself in during his time in the Canterlot library. Physiology, yes, but not the psychology of the three races. But if the psychology behind Pinkie Pie was anything like the psychology of humans, he could at least hazard a theory behind the motivations for her actions; a matter of wish fulfillment by proxy. Perhaps in attempting to ensure happiness in others, she was attempting to erase a past that was less than pleasant for her to experience. Perhaps by giving others the memories she wished she herself had, she was surreptitiously erasing her own past through denial; if others around her were happy, then she must be happy too. And if those around her were happy as children, and had the memories she wished that she herself had, then her own memories did not exist because they would serve as an unacceptable point of conflict.

At present time it was nothing more than a theory. There was no evidence available that would actually support such a theory, but it was the only thing that came to mind right now.

And now that he gave thought to it, something else was becoming apparent to him. If the above theory was accurate in nature, then he could see her possessing certain similarities to Aizen, and how he went about his business in Hueco Mundo. Which in turn gave rise to another thought; what exactly would a meeting between Aizen and Pinkie Pie involve?

However he never got the chance to give serious consideration to what possible disasters could occur from such an encounter, as his thoughts were interrupted by the approach of Twilight Sparkle. Whatever matters involved the earth pony Roseluck, it was likely safe to say they were concluded since she was approaching alone.

"So what happened, Twilight?" Spike asked as the mare walked through the door. Even if he wasn't familiar with emotions, he could tell that the look on her face was not one associated with pleasing news. "Did you find out what's up with Roseluck?"

"I did," Twilight began slowly as she approached and sat down on her haunches next to them. "It would seem that when the changelings were... eliminated... a few innocents were caught in the line of fire and suffered the same fate," she explained.

"I was informed all thirty eight missing Ponyville residents were located and in good condition. The only ones to die were the changelings present. Of that I am absolutely certain," Ulquiorra stated.

He had acted quickly in killing each of the changelings present, picking them out of wherever they'd been hiding, eliminating them with great speed and efficiency. He had personally identified each of the thirty seven changelings located in Ponyville and tended to them himself. No ponies had been targeted, nor had they been harmed. All that were dead were those regarded as the enemy. Of that there was zero doubt in his mind.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, Ulquiorra. You might not've killed any ponies, but innocents were still harmed," Twilight explained as she looked up at him, "you told us some of those changelings were here for months as part of the full-scale invasion. And apparently one of those changelings took the form of a pegasus pony that Roseluck developed feelings for."

"What?" Pinkie asked in surprise.

"Seriously?" Spike asked in utter disbelief? "But... but how would that even work? I mean... how could Roseluck not know something was up when they suddenly couldn't talk?"

"According to what Roseluck said, their special somepony was new to town and functionally mute from the very beginning, but that didn't stop her from caring," Twilight explained as she looked at Spike. And then she slowly turned her attention back to Ulquiorra. "And apparently on that day, she was present and witnessed what amounted to her special somepony's execution. According to her account you literally appeared out of nowhere, skewered them through the head, and disappeared again, leaving her alone as the pony she cared about so much died right in front of her, before reverting to their true changeling self. And when she saw you in town again today, she just lost it..."

The bakery became silent at this revelation, nopony and nothing daring to say a word in light of this new information. To lose somepony was hard enough on its own. But to lose somepony in such a gruesome way, only to discover that they were an imposter, it was something else entirely. It was a whole other level of gruesomeness that they didn't even want to consider.

"But... but it was a changeling," Spike stated as he tried to wrap his head around it. How could Roseluck feel such sadness for something that was never true to begin with? It was just so... impossible! "Doesn't she understand that it wasn't real? That she was just being tricked by Chrysalis? How could... why... she... she..."

"The heart wants what it wants," Ulquiorra stated, interrupting Spike's inability to properly articulate his thoughts. It was strange to actually be using such a statement so freely, and he could see that the others shared his doubts, as they were all now looking up at him in confusion. "It is a saying from one of the plains in my dimension. An explanation for why beings desire something that's completely illogical in nature. To explain why one yearns for something to the very depths of their being, despite consciously knowing that nothing good can ever come of it," he explained.

Yet another reason he still held doubts and confusion about the concept of the heart. Here was a viable option of how the concept has easily and completely overpowered the logical aspect of the mind. Roseluck's feeling for the changeling that had truly been the pony she cared for, were doing little to help convince him that it was worth learning about. She was deliberately ignoring the parasitic aspect of the changelings, and how she had been put in a position of great danger, choosing instead to focus on what she believed was really the truth of the matter.

Did he possess resentment for Roseluck, and her choosing to see him as a monster that murdered the one that was special to her? No he did not. He held no resentment for her or any other pony, regardless of how they chose to perceive him. They were living, emotionally driven beings, vulnerable to their own illogical nature, and motivated to do things an outsider such as him would find doubt with. Resentment for them would serve no point.

"That's a... rather astute explanation of the situation," Twilight replied as she looked up at the Espada, more out of surprise over the use of the phrase, than the explanation given. His world had the same saying? That was... highly coincidental in nature. How many other similarities were there between their two dimensions?

"Merely an analysis of the facts in evidence," Ulquiorra replied, "that being said, I don't believe any attempt at an apology would be accepted. Therefore I see no beneficial reason to bother with such at present time," he explained, effectively shutting down any attempt Twilight Sparkle might make in trying to suggest such a course of action.

Twilight was silent, unprepared for Ulquiorra's preemptive response. It was true she was going to suggest an apology from him, but he made a good point overall with his two statements. Roseluck was emotionally raw right now, and being in that position herself barely more than a week ago, she could see the logic in refraining from such. If Roseluck felt even half as bad as she had when she'd cursed Celestia out, and accused her of some of the most heinous things she could imagine, then getting through to the florist pony would be like talking to a brick wall.

"I agree with Ulqy on this one," Pinkie announced, causing all three heads to turn and look in her direction. "Matters of the heart are a real fickle pickle to be dealing with. Right now Roseluck needs a cooling off period in order to start feeling better. Otherwise we'll just make her more upset than she is."

He hadn't seen that one coming. To think Pinkie Pie would agree with his logical outlook on life, was something he had never given consideration to. Her randomness and seeming lack of critical thinking skills, had lead to him discounting her potential for intelligence, only to be surprised now.

Perhaps it was necessary to be more careful around her from here on out.

"So what now?" Spike asked finally. Leaving Roseluck alone, he could agree with that, he really didn't want to get hit by anymore potted plants today.

"Good question," Twilight replied as she thought, "maybe we should go and see what Rarity's doing?" she suggested.

"I was under the impression that Rarity's workload was substantial in nature. Would it not be considered a better example of friendship to not disturb her work process if she's busy?" Ulquiorra asked, seeing it as a sufficient opportunity to test the theory. If the unicorn Rarity was busy, disturbing whatever train of thought was currently in place, sounded far more appropriate for one who was a nuisance in nature.

He also had no interest in being measured and examined any further than he had been so far. But he saw no reason to mention that fact.

"I think he's getting it," Pinkie stated with a smile, "but Rarity's had a lot of time to get caught up on most of her work. She was in here not too long before you got here, to pick up a snack before getting back to what was left," she explained. "You three go on ahead, I've got a lot of work to do. First I've gotta deliver a get well cake to Wheelie over at The Wagon Depot, his lumbago's acting up again and he can't do any work on wagon wheels until he gets better. And then I've gotta tend to some stuff back here with Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Probably gonna be busy for the whole morning, and most of the afternoon too."

"Well if you say so. See you later, Pinkie," Twilight replied, a little unsure by the pink pony's sudden enthusiasm at sending them away, and just what she could be working on. But she'd learned long ago to be cautious on what she questioned her about. And even though she couldn't use the Pinkie Sense herself, she did get a strange sensation that now wasn't the time to be asking questions.

"If we're going to get moving, now would be a good time. Roseluck's reiatsu pattern isn't in the immediate area," Ulquiorra explained.

"That's probably a good idea. Although if you could just sonido us out of here, it wouldn't matter where she was right now," Twilight pointed out.

"As I explained, I have no idea how well your body would stand up to the speeds at which you would be traveling in such a situation," he replied. Why exactly was it so hard for her to understand such a fact?

"I know, I know. But I've been thinking about that. The only way to find out if it's safe is to actually try it. I'm not saying you'd have to cover a long distance or anything. Maybe just three meters for the initial endeavor?" she suggested.

An interesting thought. Using sonido, it was possible to cover considerable distances in the blink of an eye. But utilizing it for short term movement to determine the resilience of a foreign body... He would admit that it wasn't something he'd given serious consideration to before.

"Another time, perhaps. For now, if our intention is to seek out Rarity, I would recommend we do so before any other Ponyville residents decide to take up implements of convenience against us," he explained.

"Well then let's get going already!" Spike spoke up. If they were going to leave then they should get going, rather than just standing around and talking about how they should get going. The longer they stood around talking, the more opportunity it gave Roseluck to come back and pelt them with potted plants.

Pinkie watched as the trio finally left Sugarcube Corner in search of Rarity. The moment they were out the door, she was off like a shot, disappearing into the back of the bakery. As much as she wanted to be with her friends right now, it simply wasn't an option at the moment. There were a lot of things that needed to be done, and not a lot of time with which to get them done. But considering what the potential payoff was, she was willing to make the sacrifice in this case.

"Geronimo!"

Chapter Thirty Nine

Chapter Thirty Nine

Rarity hummed contentedly to herself as she went about her business, pinning the pieces of a dress pattern to the selected material in order to go about making her cuts, and starting with the initial fitting. There was a lot that needed to be done, but she felt quite relaxed as she worked. Granted this wouldn't be the easiest of dresses to make, the client having a unique body tone all her own, but she was confident the adjustments she'd made when taking the measurements, would be sufficient to compensate for any potential difficulty.

Now that she thought about it, she was quite confident in her abilities to compensate for unforeseen difficulties. She was a professional fashionista afterall, unusual body types posed no great difficulty for her! She was Rarity! If anypony could do it then she was most certainly the one!

Her well placed confidence in her own skill was inspiring her, she could feel it surging through her veins, and pulsing just below her skin right now, making her fur stand on end. She was boiling over with ideas right now just begging to be released!

This called for a new tune to hum, something with a little bit more of an octane rating to match her current mood.

She made her cuts to the material with great precision, exercising poise, grace, and a sense of elegance that spoke of her skill with a set of scissors. There were no snags, no torn threads, no unsightly burrs between the cuts as she made corners, and met both gentle and sharp turns. All the while humming a gentle melody that wouldn't be out of place at a concert hall in Canterlot; a piece that could truly only be experienced to its fullest from the gentle delicacy of a talented unicorn musician playing a well tuned grand piano. A tune she was absolutely positive Octavia would have appreciated hearing.

And then, as the last scraps of unnecessary material gently fell away from the main cuts, she immediately switched the uptick to something that sounded more appropriate for the kind of musicians Vinyl Scratch would associate with; something with a comparatively violent, and pounding, but fully controlled beat.

All at once a maelstrom was unleashed within the confines of the Carousel Boutique. A whirlwind of parts of fabric, lace, sheers, needles, pins, colored threads, and gemstones circled about her, matching the pounding rhythm she hummed that left her lips tingling like mad.

The nearest ponnequin was adorned and draped with the various bits of fabric falling into place, seems butting up against each other, held firmly in place by an aura of baby blue magic. A battalion of white headed pins quickly entered the dray, darting in and piercing the fine material up and down the folds, securely anchoring them in place to give the pile of bits of fabric a crude shape, something that ultimately worked towards a physical proof of concept.

The melody coming from Rarity's lips suddenly took a steep fall and became a much gentler tune as she examined her work carefully, eying each seam, each line, every individual joint of her work, looking for any glaring errors that would need to be addressed, to be re-pinned before stitching could begin. Little corrections being made for the proper fit and finish that her work demanded. She expected nothing short of absolute perfection in her work, why should her customers be given anything less?

The speed and beat of the rhythm picked up once again, unconsciously bringing Rarity to her hind legs, her hooves held above her head, the creation pulled loose from its mount as she swung her forelegs in the direction of the sewing machine. The fabric was gracefully slid into place, as the correct bobbin and thread were applied with ease. Another change in the rhythm, corresponding with a movement of her foreleg as the sewing machine roared to life to stitch down the first of many fine seams.

She spun on her rear hooves in a circle, her eyes closed as the beat of her hum overtook her. She was no longer simply stitching a dress for a client. Instead she was the conductor of an entire orchestra, one filled with colors, sights, sounds, and physical sensations of all different blends. The steady tacking of the sewing machine in the background, paused only as one seam was switched for another, and another, matching the melody of her mind, and her inspiration.

The frills, the tucks, the lace, each tacked on and stitched down with the smoothness of fine crystal that was born from many years of experience in the field, standing in stark contrast for the organized chaos that was the piece her symphony was currently playing out.

The ponnequin quickly became draped again, the physical proof of concept showing all the signs of well hemmed and stitched seams, and finely tuned edges. Immediately it was assaulted by a barrage of gems embedding themselves into the material at her command. To someone without proper knowledge of things, such a display would look crude, suggesting they were nothing more than an afterthought, and to do nothing more than try to cover up an overall lack of quality. But that was why they were without proper knowledge, because they truly wouldn't see the fine details she'd seen in her mind's eye, and how her vision was coming to life before her, perfectly in step with the melody within her.

And just as it had all begun, the magnificent maelstrom, born of creativity and inspiration from her own confidence, the project was concluded. And it was nothing short of utter wonder. Everything had come together so beautifully, a symphony of silk, lace, and jewels to accentuate each beautiful aspect it had to hold.

"Magnifico!" she spoke joyously as she set back down on all four hooves, and stepped closer to admire her own work.

"Quite impressive."

Rarity let out a startled noise as she spun around to see just who had come into her shop without her knowing. And if she hadn't been surprised prior to this moment, she certainly would be now as she found both Twilight and Spike, standing in the doorway and applauding. Behind them stood Ulquiorra and... well, he at least looked like his interest had been captured by whatever he'd seen. Something told her their applause hadn't been for the dress itself.

"Twilight, darling," she began as she worked to regain her composure, "not that I don't love having you over, but whatever are you doing back here? I didn't even hear you come in," she stated.

"Sorry, Rarity," Twilight apologized as she stepped forward, "when we came here, the front door was left ajar when we got here. And when we didn't see you we thought something might be up so we just let ourselves in. Then we found you at work and... all I can say is wow," she explained.

"It is quite rare to make such a statement, but I found myself rather amazed by the degree of skill being exhibited just now," Ulquiorra added in his usual calm tone. Nevertheless, he had been amazed. The manner in which Rarity flexed her reiryoku, exercising considerable finesse in what she did. He had no knowledge of what amounted to fashion, but he could at least appreciate competence when he saw it. She had effortlessly kept more than two dozen different items afloat in her telekinetic field, guiding their movements in a grand, but carefully orchestrated manner.

And all while splitting her focus not only on her work, but the strange tune she'd been humming, and her own coordinated physical movements. The end results spoke well of her skills.

"Oh my," Rarity stated in surprise. Ulquiorra was actually commenting favorably on her work? "You are?" she asked.

"Lying in order to spare the feelings of others isn't a specialty of mine," Ulquiorra responded, "in my studies concerning unicorns and the implementation of magic, I have learned a considerable degree of concentration is needed for successful endeavors. Despite splitting your focus on four specific tasks without any observable connection to one another, the manner in which you constructed the garment speaks highly of your own individual abilities," he explained. "I would even go so far as to say your degree of focus and concentration exceeds that of Twilight Sparkle, based on what I have observed."

"Huh?" Spike asked in surprise. Had he just heard right? Did Ulquiorra really just say that Rarity could concentrate better than Twilight could? Was he... was he really serious?

Not that he was putting down Rarity or anything! But still, it was Twilight he was talking about. Twilight, Celestia's prized student, the one who overcame an Ursa Minor when nopony else could. The one who saved Luna from Nightmare Moon by figuring out the mystery of the Elements of Harmony. The one who figured out how to overcome Discord's second reign of chaos and put him back in stone where he belonged. And Ulquiorra was casually saying that Twilight's degree of concentration was exceeded by Rarity?

He really wasn't sure what to think about that...

"That's likely an accurate assessment," Twilight added, "I could probably do some of what you did, Rarity, but I know I couldn't do everything that you were doing. At least not all at the same time. And what was that tune you were humming during it all?" she asked.

Rarity blinked at the surprise of actually being complemented by Ulquiorra on her work, now noticing that she was being addressed by Twilight. Clearing her throat, she turned to address her friend. "Oh it's just a little melody, darling, something that just seemed to pop right into my head along with my inspiration on this dress. It's not exactly something you'd find at the music stores. It's just... one of those pathways where inspiration takes you when you allow it to."

Spike said nothing. Ulquiorra noted that once again, the young dragon had the same strange look on his face as he had the previous time. He really needed to inquire about it sometime, in order to understand what it was about the unicorn Rarity that caused such a reaction.

"Anyway, Twilight, as I said, it's not that I don't enjoy your company, but what exactly is everyone doing here at this hour? There isn't another crisis occurring right now is there?" Rarity asked.

"No, fortunately it's nothing like that. Ulquiorra came to Ponyville to get a better understanding of what friendship's all about," Twilight explained.

"I have been given several definitions and explanations of what friendship amounts to, each one differing based on who the explanation has come from," Ulquiorra elaborated.

Twilight nodded. "Applejack, Pinkie, and myself all have a different take on how to explain it. So we were wondering if you could contribute something as well."

"Oh dear," Rarity replied in surprise, "that's... quite the question to be asking right off the bat. I don't really know if I can just suddenly start explaining what friendship is from my own point of view. It's not like coordinating colors, and determining the line between tasteful and garish when it comes to applying sequins. I'm afraid I'll need some time to think on it, in order to give a proper explanation."

It was a rather strange development to encounter, Ulquiorra noted. Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie had no trouble giving an explanation of their own definition of what friendship was. Yet when it came to Rarity, she could not do the same when asked, and instead needed time to compose an answer. What was the reason for this irregularity? Perhaps her views were similar to his own?

If that were truly the case, then things had suddenly become more interesting to him.

"Then I see no reason to further waste your time with this inquiry," he replied, "I will leave you to your work, undisturbed," he said as he turned to leave.

Twilight frowned, uncertain of what to think. Ulquiorra's method of delivery was still incredibly blunt in nature, but on the other hoof, he'd at least explained that his decision to leave was based on not disturbing Rarity's work.

Then again, she was finding herself curious as to why Rarity wasn't able to answer a simple question. Maybe she was currently so task oriented on her fashion obligations, that she needed time to cool down and refocus her thought process? If that were the case then she could certainly understand it. That was a situation she'd been in more than once.

"Before you leave, Ulquiorra, a moment of your time," Rarity spoke up as he turned. She was thankful that he had some understanding of how stressful her work could be, and how sometimes an artist simply needed to be left to their own devices. However there was something to tend to first. Something she hadn't been able to address when he'd come to reclaim his jacket, and leave just as quickly as he'd arrived. "When I had access to your jacket, I was quite thorough in my studying of it. From what I can tell, the only method available to you for carrying goods, are the two pockets on the pants of your uniform."

"That is correct," Ulquiorra replied, uncertain exactly where she was going with this. Usually stating the obvious was his to do.

"That's what I was afraid of. And knowing that your stay in our world would likely be extended, I simply couldn't let such a travesty occur. So with that in mind..." she trailed off, her horn glowing as the supply closet doors parted, allowing for a parcel wrapped in white tissue paper to be brought forth in her baby blue aura, and be presented to him. "I hope this is to your liking."

Curiouser, and curiouser. Taking hold of the presented parcel, he peeled back the tissue paper to see just what Rarity had spent her time on.

At first glance it appeared to be a modified saddlebag. But a closer inspection revealed no similarities to suggest this was what had been done. Instead it resembled a satchel of some configuration. It was a black, heavy, likely water repellent duck canvas, that was used in its overall construction. Upon even further inspection it was easy to tell that this was not a simple, one-compartment bag with a flap. The sides were held by a zipper, likely to allow for expansion depending on contents. There were also what appeared to be mounting points with reinforced stitching, possibly to allow for items to be carried outside the main compartment. The flap was secured by two side snap release buckles, the straps on the bottom held by two adjusting slide buckles should greater length be needed. A compartment zipper was present near the top front of the flap, and a second zipper on the back of the body. A wide, adjustable length shoulder strap -as well as a moveable padded shoulder rest- was affixed to the sides with steel hardware, in contrast to the plastic fixtures used to hold the flap shut.

Below the flap were numerous pockets, small compartments, and a divider and organizer held to the main body by six snaps, the male halves sewn into the canvas liner of the satchel's interior, and completely hidden from the outside. At the bottom were two brass... he wasn't sure what they were. They appeared to be grommets, but with a mesh netting in the centers. Perhaps they served as drain holes, should liquid ever find its way inside?

It was well designed, and well made; the stitches were quite small from what he could tell. Everywhere there should be an edge appeared to be rolled under twice to prevent fraying. And the bottom and sides looked to be reinforced, should considerable weight be carried. Yet it was also simple, and incredibly utilitarian in nature. There was no useless excessiveness to its design, nothing that amounted to flash, or useless kibble. The only decorative aspect he could see on the entire structure was a small number 4 embroidered on the top right-hand corner of the flap's front, done in teal green thread, and in the same archaic font as his own ranking.

"A satchel?" he finally asked after a long, silent period of studying its design. He wasn't entirely certain of what else to say on the matter.

Rarity nodded. "Something I came across in my studies of far away fashions, utilized by races that can't properly make use of saddle bags. It seemed rather appropriate," she explained. "That said, I must say that attempting to construct something purely spartan in nature, devoid of any flare or individual touches, is quite a unique experience for me. But knowing the target audience and adjusting appropriately is what's truly important."

He could see the practicality of the satchel. And based on what he'd learned so far, he was reasonably certain that he had a greater measure of understanding regarding Rarity's motivation, than he did have days ago. Hers was the Element of Generosity, and from what he understood of her, she was generous in nature with others... up to a certain point anyway. His possession of only two pockets, would logically lead her to believe that a solution was necessary, even if he never truly had a need for such.

Twilight stepped forward to examine the satchel herself. There were aspects of the design that she could see the practicality of. But at the same time she saw certain areas that she really had no idea what they were about. But her own observations weren't the primary thing on her mind right now; rather she was curious as to how Ulquiorra would react to such a gift.

"... Is it, to your liking?" Rarity asked, uneasy after the long, awkward pause. She'd tried so hard to stay focused on what she believed -or at least assumed to believe- was attuned to his tastes. And if it wasn't... then she'd just have to start over and try again.

Ulquiorra remained silent as he considered everything. There were a number of things that could be said in this situation; some of them more appropriate than others. And in light of his recent efforts, only one thing that could be said, seemed truly appropriate in nature.

"It is," he stated simply. At the very least, the simplicity of the design could be appreciated from a minimalistic point of view. Wordlessly he slid his right arm through the strap, slipping it over his head, and allowing it to come to a rest on his left shoulder, the main body of the satchel reaching his right hip, and resting in a manner that didn't interfere with his ability to place his hands in his pockets. Available, yet unhindering, and out of the way until it became necessary.

"Oh that's so good to know," Rarity stated with a sense of relief. Assuming something was to somepony's liking was one thing. But to get actual verbal confirmation was so much better. And as Ulquiorra had stated, lying wasn't his specialty. And even if it was, she certainly doubted he would ever consider sparing someone their feelings in the name of politeness.

"For your troubles," Ulquiorra said simply as he reached inside his right pocket.

"Oh no," Rarity chuckled, finding herself amused at the misunderstanding. She'd constructed the satchel in a friendly gesture, and had never expected anything in the way of payment for her services. However as she attempted to explain that fact, the words were silenced upon seeing just what Ulquiorra had set down on her sewing machine stand. "Oh... my... word..."

Twilight blinked in confusion. What exactly was she looking at?

Spike's nose immediately began twitching. All day long he'd been smelling something, but unable to tell exactly what it was. But now, with the the strange object separated from Ulquiorra, his nose was better able to discern exactly what had been tickling it this whole time; a sizable chunk of corundum mineral. In simple terms, a gemstone!

Rarity's eyes were wide, her mouth hanging open in surprise, shock, and awe at the gem that sat on her stand. In terms of size alone it had to be fifty carats at least, the whole body exquisitely cut. But its coloring, the sheer depths of the redness it possessed were unlike anything she could remember encountering. She would dare say it was even more vibrant than the fire ruby Spike had given her.

"Where in the world did you ever gain something like that?" she finally asked, unable to hold her curiosity in any longer.

"A gift from Princess Luna," he replied. It was the most accurate answer he could present. In truth he had no idea who it had come from. He'd only become aware of its existence the night before when he'd examined the desk in his quarters, and found it tucked away in one of the drawers. He could only assume it had come from Princess Luna; possibly some gratuity for saving Princess Celestia from Chrysalis' feeding.

Whatever the reason for its presence, it was something he had no true use for. He'd brought it along with him simply for the possibility of it coming in handy during his attempts at understanding more about the concept of friendship. Perhaps some pony he encountered would be able to make better use of it than he could. Parting with it would be of no significant consequence to him, regardless of whatever monetary value it might hold. Giving it away was little more than tossing out a useless piece of rubbish to him.

"A dragon's blood ruby," Twilight stated as she approached to get a better look at it, but suspecting she knew exactly what it was even from halfway across the room.

"A what now?" Spike asked as he turned to look at her. Did she just say what he thought she said? Dragon's blood?

"A dragon's blood ruby," Twilight repeated as she stepped closer to examine the gem more carefully, "like all rubies they're made of exquisitely cut corundum mineral. But dragons' blood rubies are renowned for the deep, vibrant red coloring they possess, that sets them apart from all other rubies. You could set one next to any other ruby you want, and it'd look pink in comparison," she explained.

"Oh my," Rarity replied. Was this really real? "I don't think I've ever heard of a dragon's blood ruby before. Which is quite strange, all things considered," she said, mumbling the last part, "are they rare in nature?"

"Well they're not as rare as some gems I've heard about, there are some types out there so rare, only one or two of them are known to exist in the whole world. But dragon's blood rubies are certainly up there in terms of rarity; especially at this size!" she explained as she turned her attention away from the ruby and back to Ulquiorra. "Ulquiorra, that gem that Luna gave you... based on the size, and the rare nature of its type, on the open market, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities to say that it might fetch a literal million bits to a collector."

"Oh my!" Rarity stated in surprise. Was this real? Was this actually happening? Ulquiorra had actually presented her with something that was worth a literal fortune, and done so without a second thought? This was really too unbelievable. "Twilight, darling, are you serious about this?" she asked.

Twilight nodded. "Trust me, Rarity, gemstones might not be my specialty, but they are something that I've read about. I have at least a general idea on the topic," she explained before turning back to the Espada again. "Ulquiorra... are you really sure you want to part with something like that? The fact that Luna saw fit to give you something like that is... is... it's unprecedented!" she stated.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Ulquiorra asked in an even tone as he looked at her. He would admit that the notion of the ruby possessing such value was mildly interesting. But not interesting enough to warrant him maintaining possession of it. No good could come from him simply keeping it. The use of trophies to conjure memories of sentimentality was a practice he truly couldn't see as beneficial in nature. And something that held value to a collector, was useless unless the proper collector was available to supply demand for it. "My aspect of death is emptiness, not greed. I have no need for possession of such an item, regardless of how much of a monetary value it might possess. I am not the Noveno Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie. It's loss means nothing of significance to me," he explained, "if another can benefit from it, then so be it."

They flinched at the mention of death. It was so easy to forget that Ulquiorra was a... whatever he was. He was technically a ghost, but he had an actual physical mass, along with everything else usually encountered in a living being. And so long as his Hollow hole remained obstructed from view, they could continue treating him like he was anyone else, and forget the unpleasantries of the matter.

Spike groaned and held his stomach with both hands, an unpleasant look crossing his features. "Could we please stop talking about how it's a dragon's blood ruby? It's making me sick to put those two thoughts together," he moaned and left forth a belch of a foul nature.

A matter of curiosity. Ulquiorra looked to Twilight Sparkle for clarification, wondering just why Spike would be feeling ill over the name of some gemstone.

"Dragons eat gemstones," Twilight said in response, not even needing to hear what the question was, before knowing exactly what it was that he was wondering about, "they're sort of a dragon's equivalent of candy."

"I would assume they'd be considered more of a delicacy as rare as they are," he replied. He found it hard to believe that a dragon like Spike could actually eat and digest hardened minerals like those that made up rubies. He'd assumed the sapphire ice cream present during their first meeting in Canterlot had been nothing more than a name based on the coloration of the presented treat, and the rough looking toppings were nothing but sprinkles. "Assuming gemstones are rare in this world."

"That's actually an interesting topic of discussion," Twilight stated. She never stopped to consider that other worlds might not share the same mineral structure as their own, or that gemstones of various kinds might not be as readily available as they were here. She was fully prepared to launch into a long, articulate explanation about the nature of their world, and the naturally occurring nature of the various gemstones native to their world. But the look on Ulquiorra's face was enough to stop her dead in her tracks. She decided to give it some more thought, and change course. "Well... to put in simple terms, there are both rare and common gems in our world, and both are naturally occurring. Whether rare gems occur less frequently than common gems, or whether they're rare because dragons favor them to a greater degree, and thus seek them out more eagerly, is a matter of debate. But suffice to say, dragon's bl- DBR's are regarded as rare due to how hard it is to actually find them in nature," she explained.

Rarity nodded in agreement. "Sometime when you're free, I'd be happy to show you some of the best areas I've discovered for gem harvesting. There are untold hundreds out there, just waiting to be discovered and made use of."

Strange. The more he observed in Ponyville, the more mysteries he found himself presented with for consideration. Mysteries he wasn't certain on whether or not they were worth exploring. They would either prove as a useful investigative tool for getting to the bottom of the mystery, or they'd prove to be nothing more than a useless distraction.

"Perhaps," he eventually replied, "for now though, it would be best to depart. There are other matters that can be tended to while you tend to whatever work is pressing," he explained.

"Just a moment, Ulquiorra, before you take your leave there's a matter I really do need to tend to," Rarity replied, once again preventing him from leaving. Seeing him looking back at her, she continued. "As much as I'd really like to, I don't believe I can accept this dra- this magnificent gemstone; not for the satchel, and certainly not for the shirt I made you either. The gesture is greatly appreciated, but for it to be fair I'd have to do much, much more work than I'd ever have time for, in order to not feel like I'm taking advantage of you," she explained.

"Then perhaps I'll be motivated to take the difference out in trade," Ulquiorra replied. Rarity was indeed a strange unicorn. And if she insisted on making this an issue, then he'd respond accordingly. "I'll consider it a matter of even trade if you can provide me with certain, specific information about a topic of importance. Quills and inkwells leave much to be desired. If I'm to engage in extended correspondence, I will need to know where I can locate a pen."

"... I'm... sorry. Did you just say a... pen? Like the structures Applejack and other farmers use for corralling those filthy pigs?" Rarity asked, completely confused by what he was asking. "You'll have to forgive me. I'm confused as just how something like that could be useful for the purpose of correspondence."

Ulquiorra paused in thought to consider the next response. Either he hadn't been specific enough, or this world didn't possess ink-based writing implements besides quills. He'd have to try a different approach.

"A pen, much like a quill, is a pointed writing implement. However the pen differs by utilizing a self-contained, no spill, ink filled cartridge attached to the point, housed in a tubular construction body of similar size to a drinking straw," he explained.

"Really?" Twilight asked upon hearing this description. Self contained ink cartridges? On the one hoof, that sounded like it would save time when writing, as it would prevent the need to dip the quill when starting a new line. And it sounded like spill accidents would be eliminated. But on the other hoof, it also sounded wasteful in nature. A quill could be utilized through numerous inkwells, but Ulquiorra's description didn't sound like there was any option for refilling. "How many pages can you write with one of these pen things before they run dry?"

"Presumably several hundred," Ulquiorra responded. Truthfully he had no idea himself and could only presume. Immediately he noticed a change in the unicorn's posture and temperament.

"Se-se-se-" she stuttered, her eyes wide with surprise, "se-se-se-several hundred pages!?" she asked. Immediately, in the blink of an eye, Twilight was on him, standing on her hind legs, and holding onto his shoulders with her hooves. "Ulquiorra, these things you speak of, does your world have them? Are they common? Are they expensive? Can we go to your world and get some!?"

Despite Twilight Sparkle's sudden burst of mania over something as mundane as writing pens, he didn't flinch or blink. He'd been on the receiving end of far more disturbing displays while still keeping his cool.

"If I were able to return to my own world dimension, I would have before now," he pointed out. He observed the momentary pause between his words, and the drop in the unicorn's emotional display, her ears drooping as the realization of his words set in; he couldn't return to his home of Hueco Mundo.

"I'm really sorry, Ulquiorra, I forgot all about that," Twilight said as she released him and set back down on all four hooves again. How could she be so stupid as to ask him something like that? How could she allow herself to be lulled in by the prospect of being able to write several hundred pages of notes, with something no bigger than a drinking straw, and in the process forget that Ulquiorra didn't have a home to return to!?

"It's not a matter of consequence," Ulquiorra replied. Truthfully he was uncertain if he even wanted to return to Las Noches. Considering the severity of his last fight there, the city had suffered considerable damage prior to his death. There was no telling what had occurred in his absence. Would he really care enough to survey the wreckage and rubble?

Perhaps not. And there was no telling what consequences would be had, should he ever do something like that. There were still too many mysteries in this world to unravel.

"I assume pens aren't available in this world then," he said as he returned his attention to Rarity, getting back on the subject of proper writing implements. "When I was exterminating the changelings hiding in the school building, I noticed numerous pencils present on the desks. Perhaps you can inform me where they can be acquired instead?" he asked.

"Pencils?" Rarity asked, a little confused at how things had suddenly taken such a twist. She thought for a moment before answering. "If I remember correctly, Barnyard Bargains usually stocks them with the rest of the scholastic and office supplies. They were on sale last fall when I had to take Sweetie Belle and get her properly equipped for the new semester," she replied, although it hardly mattered as it still didn't make much in the way of sense.

Ulquiorra had willingly supplied her with a ruby of considerable value when he hadn't even been required to, and now he was willing to consider the matter closed so long as he could acquire some pencils? She really had no idea what was going on. Was this all really real? And of the questions present to her right now, just what was she going to do with such a gem? At the moment she only had Twilight's word to go on, but if her friend was accurate in her speculation, a literal fortune was sitting right on her sewing machine stand right now. This was... this was a great deal to take in.

"Then it would appear Barnyard Bargains will be among the stops made today," Ulquiorra commented. He was prepared to leave, but suspected that as soon as he attempted, he'd be stopped for another question. Instead he was stopped as a gemstone, green in color, and considerably smaller than the one he'd given to Rarity, was levitated into his field of view, enveloped in the same color of aura as that which was used in the construction of the dress.

"For your troubles, good sir. Feel free to stock up on whatever you might need," she told him, her voice taking on a tone he wasn't familiar with.

He considered what he was being presented with, and the significance of the gesture itself. Having no understanding of how the economy in this world was structured, he had no exact understanding of precisely how much this small emerald now resting in his hand was worth. It could be considerable just as easily as it could be petty for all he knew about it. Having no understanding of the bits-to-yen ratio of conversion was of equal difficulty in understanding.

However he possessed doubts that Rarity was the type to present something of petty worth to another; at least to one who she considered significant. And it seemed unlikely that she would provide him with something that couldn't be broken, and change provided for.

For the time being he would have to speculate. He'd make the conservative estimate that one bit held approximately the same value as one hundred yen, and that the emerald held a market value of approximately thirty bits.

"Thank you," he eventually replied. If he was truly going to get a grasp of what friendship meant, he was going to need to get into the habit of using pleasantries. A relatively small price to pay, all things considered. Without any further discussion he pocketed the emerald and turned his attention back to Spike and Twilight Sparkle. "Shall we take our leave now?"

"That's probably a good idea," Twilight agreed and nodded. The idea of getting moving again would serve as a good distraction to the screw up she'd just committed. "Thanks for your time, Rarity."

"Anytime dear. And I'll try to have an answer to that question by the next time I see you," Rarity replied before finally turning her attention back to the dress at hoof, smoothing out the fabric and taking one more look at it, just in case she'd missed something the first time. It simply wouldn't do to have the presentation messy for when her client showed up. And beyond that it gave her something more concrete to focus on for the time being; something that she could actually address in an orderly fashion. The ruby itself would simply have to wait for the time being.

Ulquiorra observed Rarity in silence. The fact she returned to her work suggested there would be no more interruptions to experience. That suited him just fine.

"To Barnyard Bargains then."

Author's Note

Moondance, by Nightwish

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty

"Let's see..."

Fluttershy studied the list she held between her front hooves. There were quite a few supplies she needed in the way of fruits and vegetables, as well as other food items for all her animal friends. Fresh worms for the birds, fish for the otters, to say nothing of Henry the bear, feed for the chickens, nuts for the mice and squirrels, and that was to say nothing of everything she needed to get for the salad that Angel Bunny wanted for his dinner tonight.

She just hoped the marketplace up close, wasn't as crowded as it looked from near the edge of Ponyville. Some of the items she had to get were more pressing than others right now; primarily the fixings for the salad.

However her thoughts were interrupted by a booming echo of static coming from the left, causing her to issue an "eep" and jump in surprise at the sudden noise.

"Woohoo! This is awesome!"

She blinked, surprise temporarily overpowering startlement. That was Spike's voice, but what could he be talking about? Looking over to her left, she saw Spike... and he was tucked under Ulquiorra's arm in a manner not too dissimilar from a piece of luggage being carried. But despite that fact he looked quite excited, like he was having the time of his life.

"Ulquiorra? Spike?" she asked curiously.

"Greetings Fluttershy," Ulquiorra replied.

The next thing she knew, she could hear the sound of hoofsteps and panting approaching from the right. Looking in that direction she saw Twilight come running up, and looking like she was out of breath.

"You two," she panted as she came to a stop, "whatever happened to three meter bursts, for the purpose of carrying out experimentation in a safe and controlled manner?" she asked and frowned.

"Aw come on, Twilight," Spike moaned.

"Spike," Twilight groaned, preparing to launch into a detailed explanation. However she stopped when she noticed Fluttershy standing between them and looking very confused. "Hey Fluttershy, how're you today?" she asked, her tone of voice changing completely, from one meant for lecturing and scolding, to one intended for pleasant interactions.

"Oh, hey Twilight," Fluttershy replied slowly, "I'm alright. Just going to the market for a few things. What about you?"

"Well it's all very interesting really. Ulquiorra came to Ponyville to get a better understanding of what friendship is. And so far we've gotten three very good explanations from Applejack, Pinkie, and myself. Then we went to Barnyard Bargains to stock up on some writing supplies for Ulquiorra," Twilight explained, smiling the entire time as she gave a basic overlay of what they'd been occupying their time with. "And right now we're carrying out some experiments," she said, pausing as her frown returned, "or at least we were until somebody decided to go joyriding instead,"

"Aw come on, Twilight," Spike repeated and groaned further, "you said we needed more information, didn't you?"

"That's not the point, Spike, there's a proper order for doing things," Twilight stated.

"I'm confused," Fluttershy stated and blinked as she looked between them. What exactly was going on here? And had she walked into this, or had it found her instead?

"Twilight Sparkle has been attempting to analyze the mechanics behind my sonido," Ulquiorra answered simply. If he allowed the unicorn to explain the situation to Fluttershy, they'd be standing around a good fifteen minutes, waiting for her to reach the conclusion. Even then, it was likely Fluttershy would need clarification of just what was said.

Sometimes a high degree of intelligence could be a hindrance.

"More accurately, I've been analyzing the mechanics behind his sonido," Twilight corrected. "With the mage's sight spell, I can see the flow and distribution of mana that goes into it. Although at first it was hard to do so accurately. Even just moving three meters at a time, it's hard to follow Ulquiorra's movements precisely. But after the initial rough patch things have proceeded rather smoothly. I think I finally have enough data to perform a more in-depth analysis, and construct a theory behind how ponies might be able to duplicate the technique," she explained.

Ponies being able to utilize sonido in the same way an Arrancar could. He truly doubted the legitimacy of her claim. But perhaps it was best to let her learn that fact for herself. Sometimes being forced to experience failure was the best educator in existence.

"Oh," Fluttershy replied flatly at the explanation. She... guessed she could understand it. "But why is Ulquiorra carrying Spike around?" she asked.

"That was the next step in experimentation. Ulquiorra has doubts that a pony's body could withstand the forces experienced when he engages in his faster than sight movements. It's the reason he didn't carry us back from the mountain top after the dragon left. And as I correctly pointed out, the only way to make a determination is to attempt such and see the results. That's why we limited the test range to three meters, as it should provide sufficient room for experimentation and study, while not being such an extended distance, that the travel could cause harm to the body. It's still far too early to make any determination of what the long term effects of sonido travel will be," Twilight explained. Then she turned her attention back to Spike and Ulquiorra, a frown returning once again. "That was really dangerous, Spike, you two going so far without letting me know anything!"

"But nothing happened! I'm fine, see?" Spike protested.

"Okay... but why is Ulquiorra carrying Spike around?" Fluttershy asked again.

"Based on the exploits I've been informed of, provided they're accurate, Spike's body is the most durable available. The ability to digest gemstones with ease, as well as be exposed to lava without experiencing harm, made him the best candidate for initial testing. It was determined that if anyone can withstand the effects of sonido travel, he would be the one," Ulquiorra elaborated.

"And it's awesome!" Spike added with much gusto. "This even beats the time Rainbow Dash took me flying!"

He considered Spike's words. But more importantly, he considered the sensations that resulted from such words. He briefly felt the urge to remark with the statement of "high praise indeed" to being compared favorably to Rainbow Dash and her own exploits. Perhaps he was spending too much time associating with these ponies, and their personalities were slowly beginning to rub off on him.

"So where to next?" Spike asked eagerly.

"For the time being I believe enough travel by sonido has been performed," Ulquiorra responded flatly. Before Spike could even get a word in edgewise in protest, he started talking again. "Twilight Sparkle's concerns are well grounded in reality. Regardless of the fact you've withstood a grand total of sixty meters worth of travel with no ill effects, there's a difference between being thorough, and being reckless," he explained.

Spike sighed and mumbled in response, not liking that this was the end for his high-speed travel excitement. But like it or not, there wasn't much he could do about it in protest. With a grumble he slipped loose as Ulquiorra loosened his hold and landed on his feet on the ground.

Twilight tried not to sigh in response to Spike's mood. She could understand that he was excited about how things were progressing, but she still wished he could understand the concepts of moderation and safety. That was why she insisted on three meter bursts.

Then again maybe this was her fault. After the first few attempts had proven successful, she'd become very excited. However unlike Spike's adrenaline induced high, her excitement was due to how much she was learning, and the notes she'd been able to take on what she'd seen. And with any luck... the possibility of being able to replicate his sonido and do it herself. She'd seen the way his mana fluctuated and flowed, now she just needed to figure out how to replicate it in herself. Maybe her own excitement had spurred Spike on to suggest they go further in the next burst, leading up to her having to go chasing after them when Ulquiorra had traveled thirty meters without warning.

Maybe it'd be best to classify this one as a mutual screw up on both their parts.

Shaking her head, she decided a change of topic was necessary. And seeing how Fluttershy was still present, she couldn't think of a better place to start than with her. "So, Fluttershy, what're you picking up from the market today?" she asked in as pleasant a tone as she could manage.

"Oh. Um..." she paused, caught off guard by suddenly being involved in the discussion again. "Just some food for all the animals. You wouldn't believe how many different things need to be kept stocked to take care of them all," she replied.

"And now another mystery," Ulquiorra stated, presenting it more to the group than anyone in particular.

"What, another one?" Spike asked in surprise.

"Oh dear," Fluttershy whispered, uncertain she wanted to stick around for this. Anytime Ulquiorra started talking about mysteries it made her really nervous.

"During our time spent with Rarity, she made a statement I thought nothing of. Now that Fluttershy mentions food for her animals, the statement has suddenly become much more relevant than previously," Ulquiorra replied as he looked over them. Fluttershy's look was one of confusion, potentially from trying to understand the meaning of his words. Confusion was also worn by Spike and Twilight Sparkle, but due to different reasons. "Based on Rarity's statement, Applejack and other ponies engaged in the agricultural field raise livestock. But ultimately for what purpose? It would seem safe to assume ponies are vegetarian in nature. But ultimately the purpose of raising livestock is for a source of food; more specifically meat. So it must be asked, who precisely is supplying the demand that warrants the cost of the endeavor?" he asked.

Silence. Nothing but utter, stunned silence. Was this another topic they never gave consideration to?

After several moment's worth of pause, Twilight Sparkle spoke up in response to his question.

"Well... technically speaking, ponies are indeed vegetarian in nature. Or at the very least, that's how they prefer to be. Ponies themselves usually raise livestock for the secondary sources of food they provide; eggs from chickens, milk from cows and goats. As to the... the meat..." she paused in discomfort, "Equestria engages in trade relations with the Gryphon nation. The majority of their land is considered rough terrain, and it's hard for them to properly raise livestock in their own borders. So they trade with us since Equestria holds flatter, grassier areas," she explained.

Ulquiorra remained silent as he listened to her explanation. It made sufficient sense to him. It was a business partnership that he could understand, and it was mutually beneficial in nature, and easily withstood logical scrutiny.

However before he could say anything, Twilight Sparkle continued speaking. Apparently whatever she had to say was... extensive.

"That said... there are ponies who choose to engage in the consumption of meat... either as a side dish, or as a main dish, depending on individual preference. It's... it's not a widespread practice, even though there's nothing technically wrong with it. I guess there's enough of a pony subculture to engage in such, that it provides sufficient demand for a product within Equestria's borders. But it's... it's just not commonly done," she explained uneasily.

He could detect the discomfort coming off of Twilight Sparkle during her explanation. For whatever reason, this appeared to be a difficult subject for discussion. Was it an activity she'd engaged in at some point? Perhaps her unease was because she was explaining it in front of Fluttershy, a pony known for caring for animals? He could press the issue and seek clarification on the matter. But simply because he could, didn't mean he should. If he was going to make this friendship concept work, he was going to need to operate below his usual level in order to appear more civil in nature. He could always revisit the issue later.

For right now the unicorn had earned herself a reprieve. She should consider herself lucky.

"Fascinating," he finally said in response. He then turned his attention towards Fluttershy, who looked mildly uncomfortable with the whole situation. "When we approached you with regard to the dragon, I noticed several species of carnivorous animals on your property, including what appeared to be a grizzly bear. Assuming they're in your charge, is it a matter of discomfort for you, that they engage in the consumption of other animals?" he asked.

"... No..." Fluttershy answered, her voice barely above a whisper, a slight disturbance in her mane resulting from a barely detectable shake of the head. "They're just doing what they're instinct tells them. It would be wrong of me to be upset at them for simply listening to what they are. I couldn't care for them if I had to scold them for doing what's in their basic nature. It'd be no different from getting mad at Twilight for liking daisies on her sandwiches instead of daffodils, or Rainbow Dash for liking to fly instead of walk... o-or even you, for being... being..."

"Cold and merciless?" Ulquiorra asked, assuming that was what she was getting at, but lacked the courage to vocalize for fear of possibly offending him. She gulped nervously, but nodded regardless. Hers appeared to be a pragmatic outlook in life, realizing that certain things simply couldn't be changed, and thus choosing not to get upset by them. "A logical approach," he concluded.

Once again, another stretch of silence. It would appear the four of them had no idea what to speak of next. Perhaps it was best to conclude their interaction now.

"Um... h-how are your studies in friendship going?" Fluttershy finally managed to ask.

So much for concluding their interaction. "As Twilight Sparkle explained, I have been given three different interpretations of what friendship is, with a promissory note for a fourth from Rarity, once she arrives at the best explanation she can give. Furthermore, I have been able to grasp a basic understanding of what the concept of friendship amounts to. However each pony we've interacted with have given differing accounts from their own perspectives, necessitating reevaluation. Perhaps you could contribute something for further consideration?" he asked. If they were going to go about and collect friendship interpretations from the other holders of the Elements of Harmony, they might as well get Fluttershy's while they were here.

"Oh. W-well..." Fluttershy stuttered. Ulquiorra was asking for her help again. That was definitely surprising. "I guess... if I had to try and explain friendship, I'd say it's being kind to others around you. A-and being understanding of what they're doing, and supportive in what their endeavors might be, even if you don't always agree with them, or what they're trying to do. B-but it's... it's also necessary to know the difference, of when to be supportive to a friend, and when to be firm and object to something when you're worried, because you think they're putting themselves or others in danger..." she explained as best she could. "It's... well it's not really easy... trying to remember that being firm and not taking the easy way, is another aspect of friendship. Sometimes... sometimes one needs to be emotionally strong, to help someone who isn't or can't be strong on their own..."

An interesting explanation if nothing else. The explanations provided by Twilight Sparkle and Applejack more or less focused on utilizing the support provided and made possible by others. The explanation provided by Pinkie Pie seemed to -in theory at least- focus more on bolstering the morale of others, which may or may not serve to bolster her own morale as a result. And now the explanation by Fluttershy, which seemed to focus on tolerating others and whatever insanity they subscribed to, while speaking up in opposition when it was necessary to prevent harm from possibly occurring for one reason or another.

He could start formulating a theory based on the information he had, but perhaps the best option was to first wait and obtain the missing third of available data from these ponies first.

"So that's four down, and two to go. Maybe we should try and find Rainbow Dash next to get her definition of friendship," Spike suggested as he spoke up.

"That was a meeting had earlier this morning on my way to Ponyville. I believe at the moment she's still tending to the matter of her job," Ulquiorra replied. He doubted it would be considered friendly to interrupt someone's work for the purpose of simply asking them a question. And then there were other factors to consider. "Furthermore, I'm uncertain if Rainbow Dash can be trusted to give an unbiased answer on this matter."

"Uh..." Twilight started but paused in surprise, "say what exactly?" she asked and quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Based on previous interactions and what they've entailed, I believe Rainbow Dash may have an emotional or physical investment in the matter at hand, and would either consciously or unconsciously attempt to structure results in what she would consider a beneficial nature," Ulquiorra explained.

"O... okay?" Twilight replied, uncertain of what he was getting at here. "And what exactly are you basing this newfound theory of yours on?" she asked. What exactly could the Espada have seen to make him believe that Rainbow Dash had an agenda?

"Context applied to three previous events. The first event occurred the day after we all met and coincided with the dragon, consisting of two separate displays of penna tumescence, the significance of which was only understood afterward when I began reading on the anatomy and biology of the three pony species. Then there was her declaration that I was considered "awesome" by her. The significance of which was only discovered in the second event, that being the letter received the day before the changeling situation was unearthed. Along with a second declaration of being "awesome" she confirmed that it is a statement usually reserved for herself. The third event occurred the day after and coincided with our arrival at Sweet Apple Acres, and consisted of Rainbow Dash's supposed trip and fall, leaving her in a compromising position against me," Ulquiorra explained, laying out the available evidence for consideration and review.

"Penna wha'?" Spike asked, utterly confused by what exactly he was being told. Lost, he looked to Twilight for clarification. If anypony knew what fancy words Ulquiorra was using, she would definitely be the one.

"Penna tumescence, Spike," Twilight began, "it's a medical term that refers to the condition when a pegasi's wings stiffen in response to mental or physical stimuli, signifying a state of significant physical arousal and-"

Twilight immediately covered her mouth with her hoof. At being presented with a question, and lack of understanding on a subject, her brain had immediately launched into explanation mode, calling up the relevant information to the question presented. She'd realized only too late just what she was saying, as the more logical part of her brain immediately issued the "shut the fuck up!" command to silence what was saying. Spike didn't need to be hearing about the finer details of pegasus anatomy at his young age. What was she doing!?

"Wait, wait," Spike stated and immediately turned to Ulquiorra, "are you saying you think that Rainbow Dash wants you to rut her because she popped a wingboner?" he asked. The Espada didn't even have a chance to respond before Spike succumbed to riotous and amused laughter.

"Spike!" Twilight shrieked in surprise -and embarrassment- at what her assistant had just said, and in such a blunt manner as well. "What're you... when did... do you... where did you learn about stuff like that?!"

Spike, upon hearing the tone in Twilight's voice, managed to straighten up and become halfway more serious than he had been just a few moments ago. "Just because I'm a baby dragon, doesn't mean I'm a baby by default, Twilight. I've heard and seen a lot of stuff, I've got an idea of what's going on."

Twilight didn't know how to respond to this information. She'd always seen Spike as being so innocent in nature, he was so much younger than she was, and there was still so much that he didn't understand yet; he didn't even know what a bachelor party was for crying out loud!

"Just great," she groaned and facehooved. She sighed inwardly, knowing that this matter would have to be addressed one way or another. And like it or not, she had to accept that Spike was knowledgeable in some less than savory facts. She was going to need to ask around town and find out just who he'd been talking to about these things. And then she would need to have a word with them about appropriate discussion. But first she had to tend to something more pressing. "That doesn't mean you should go broadcasting stuff like that. Plus you could be a little more subtle about the things you know; some things just aren't polite the say out loud," she pointed out.

Spike gave her an incredulous look in response; the kind of look that dripped with "you did not just say that" at hearing her words.

"Twilight, have you heard some of the things that've been coming out of your mouth lately?" he asked her. Almost immediately he could notice her posture starting to change, as realization finally started setting in. "You never used to use profanity before. Not even when a situation was really bad and would warrant it. But ever since you met Ulquiorra, you've slowly started becoming a Miss Swears a Lot. And you're taking issue with me simply asking if Ulquiorra thinks Rainbow Dash wants him to bend her over and-"

Twilight cleared her throat -loudly- interrupting what Spike had to say next, and she was glad it did, as she really didn't want to hear it. She would have to concede that he had a fair argument to make. Even she was starting to notice the change occurring within herself. What had started out as nothing more than pure curiosity regarding the variances in dialect between two differing races, had somehow lead to her having what would be considered socially unacceptable outbursts, and at totally unacceptable times. If the others had known just what she'd been saying all those other times... she really didn't want to think about it.

"Noted," she said and sighed, doing her best to pinch the bridge of her muzzle in frustration. This was a wrinkle in everything that desperately wasn't needed to be experienced.

Off to the side Ulquiorra silently observed their interaction. Despite Twilight Sparkle's objection to Spike's bluntness, it was indeed an accurate assessment of the situation, and how he saw it himself. Rainbow Dash's actions, when examined from the context of recently acquired knowledge regarding pegasus biology, would suggest a carnal desire on her part... or at least lend credibility to the notion of it being a possibility. The displays of physical arousal in recognition of his superiority, the declaration of being "awesome" to inform him of her interest. And -accidental status notwithstanding- presenting herself to suggest availability and willingness. It was a possibility that couldn't be discounted, even if he would like to.

But still... wingboner? That was an actual term?

Tuning out the banter going on between the unicorn and dragon, he looked over at Fluttershy, and it was easy to determine that she was experiencing a significant degree of discomfort with everything she was witnessing, and the subject matter that was being discussed in front of her. Pony body language was certainly easy to read once one became initiated and learned what to look for; it was almost as easy as human body language.

And then his pesquisa detected something that grabbed his attention, interrupting the way this discussion could've gone otherwise. "There's a strange reiatsu approaching Ponyville's marketplace from the east," he announced, ceasing any private thoughts and personal bickering that was going on. Suddenly all eyes were on him and seeking clarification. "The approach is slow, consistent with a pony casually walking from one location to another. But the reiatsu does not coincide with any species I've encountered so far. Not any of the three pony races, nor alicorn, dragon, or even changeling."

"Oh dear," Fluttershy squeaked in fear.

"How strong?" Twilight asked.

"Strong. The exact degree of which, however, I'm uncertain," he explained. It was one of the difficulties of trying to properly gauge one's strength based on their reiatsu, when every species encountered produced differing patterns and textures.

"I'm not sitting this one out," Spike declared. He'd missed seeing Ulquiorra demonstrate his strength when facing off against the dragon at the caves. He'd completely been absent for everything that'd happened with the changelings, and missed seeing Ulquiorra's transformation. But he was gonna be bucked if he missed out on the third time around.

Spectators. Just wonderful. Ponies acting as spectators to whatever may be coming would mean he would have to restrict himself to avoid unnecessary casualties. And that was something he could do without. And yet, if he were to leave them behind to investigate this approaching presence, he could be walking right into a trap that was set just for him. What if whatever entity was hiding behind the scenes, had been observing his actions, and sent out a decoy that he could detect, to distract him from what he somehow couldn't detect?

"Gah! Drat this stupid cart. Picking right now to fall apart!"

His thoughts on various possibilities were interrupted by the strange voice, obviously close at hand judging by the volume. To the side he noticed as Twilight let out a relaxed breath.

"Stand down, Ulquiorra. That strange reiatsu you sensed just now, that probably belongs to Zecora. That's her voice, I'd know it anywhere," she explained.

Zecora? So the strange letter writer had returned to Ponyville. Perhaps it would be prudent to meet the mystery mare and learn more about her, to determine if there was a threat level to her. Simply because she was an ally, that didn't mean she hadn't been utilized for malicious purposes.

"And judging by what she's saying, she's having some trouble. Maybe we should go and help," Twilight suggested.

Even he saw that one coming, and he was the stranger here.

"Lead the way then," he replied, having an idea of just what would be involved in this meeting.

Much to his surprise, the walk was incredibly short before they found the source of the mystery reiatsu. This Zecora had managed to come much closer to their presence than he was comfortable with, considering just when he'd detected her. The proximity was far too close for his liking, and greatly reminded him of how Discord had managed to subvert his pesquisa for the first time.

What the group of four came upon was undoubtedly a zebra, mare in nature, wearing an old cloak, her frame adorned with numerous gold rings, her mane done up in a mohawk, and trying hard to move a broken wooden cart all by herself, one of the wheels completely off of the axle, and a corner firmly embedded in the ground. And all the while muttering to herself in a rhyming nature.

He wasn't sure why, but something about the one before him reminded him vaguely of Zommari Rureaux.

"Zecora, it's so good to see you again," Twilight greeted as she quickened her pace over to the zebra, interrupting her grumblings in the process. She'd heard something along the lines of "stupid part, just my luck" and suspected how she knew the rhyme would end. But at hearing her voice, Zecora looked up and her mood seemed to brighten considerably.

"Ah, Twilight my friend, such a pleasant sight. I regret to say, currently I'm in a bit of a plight," Zecora greeted in response at seeing the unicorn approach. "My cart, sadly, is quite old. Perhaps it's time to look into replacing, truth be told."

"So it would appear," Ulquiorra found himself commented as he stepped closer. Now that his attention was on the cart rather than the zebra pulling it, he could see it was indeed in a worn condition. The wood looked incredibly old, cracked, rotten in some areas, coming apart at the grain in others. On top of that it looked crude in nature, and he couldn't help but wonder if she'd made it by herself. It looked like a miracle it'd made it for as long as it had.

"Where are my manners?" Twilight asked rhetorically as she saw Zecora's surprised reaction. "Zecora, this is Ulquiorra Cifer. He's the one we told you about the last time you came to Ponyville."

"Ah," Zecora muttered absentmindedly as she looked him over. Such a strange, strange looking being to encounter. So little fur for keeping warm, such a strange method of locomotion, and... such a strange attire. "My apologies if I did seem rude, good sir. But with everypony's hoop and holler... I must admit, I did expect you to be much taller."

Stranger and stranger. Did she always speak in rhymes? And if so, for what reason?

"I have heard of your exploits with the dragon. But I must admit, it is a feat that I cannot fathom," she stated upon seeing that he wasn't talking in response. Someone that was so small, he didn't even look like he weighed as much as Applejack did. So how could he be so strong, if the farm pony's account of events that transpired were to be believed?

"You're not the only one," Spike added in agreement. Simply hearing about what Ulquiorra could do, it simply didn't do justice.

"Trust me, Zecora, seeing it didn't help make any better sense of what happened," Twilight told her. She could go into detail about how what she'd seen defied all measure of logic, both in the realms of science, and even her understanding of magic. But she didn't think the shaman would properly cope with the information that Ulquiorra wasn't naturally occurring in their world. Instead she decided to change the subject to something a little more pleasant in nature, and not so focused on Ulquiorra himself. "So what brings you back to town so soon?"

"My own carelessness, I must confess. The greater humidity of the forest, left some supplies in quite a mess. I thought I stored them properly, but I did not. And due to my carelessness, they have succumbed to rot," Zecora explained glumly.

"Eww," Twilight stated in response. She didn't even want to consider what kind of a mess she had back in her hut if some of her stuff was rotting due to high humidity levels. It was reasons like that, that she wished Zecora lived in Ponyville instead of the Everfree Forest.

A greater degree of humidity in the forest than in Ponyville? Theoretically he could understand it to a degree. But to such an extent, the difference was enough to cause items to rot within the forest? Rather curious in nature. But if that was the case, it would certainly explain the rough condition of the cart, looking as if bare wood had been left to sit in the rain for years, the water soaking in and causing it to crack, split, and warp.

Stepping closer, he looked closer at the cart and its condition. There was a lengthwise crack visible and running down the middle of the axle on the side the wheel had fallen off. Theoretically he could see the crack causing the tension holding the wheel retaining peg to come loose, and if the journey was bumping, it wasn't impossible for it to be knocked loose and fall away. The wheel coming off, however, was still a mystery. Unless she'd made a sharp turn, and the ground hugged the wheel more than anticipated, and wrenched it off.

"This axle is damaged," he stated bluntly.

"And according to Pinkie, the pony that does wheel-related repairs at The Wagon Depot is down with lumbago, meaning he can't help us any," Twilight said and sighed. This wasn't good.

Ulquiorra remained silent as he considered the situation. On the one hand, he had absolutely no obligation to be of any assistance to Zecora, despite her friend status with Twilight Sparkle and the others. It wasn't his problem to get into, and none of them had asked him to provide a solution to the matter. Nobody could truly be upset with him if he simply walked away without another word.

Yet on the other hand, he was presented with a unique situation. If he was going to convince these ponies that he was gaining an understanding of friendship and what it meant, he was going to need to do certain tasks uncharacteristic for himself. And right now, he was being presented with a situation in which this could be done.

"I can repair the axle," he stated simply.

"You can?" Spike asked, surprised by the statement.

He'd just committed himself to this little experiment of his. Now was the time to make it believable. With that in mind he nodded. "With a few supplies from Barnyard Bargains, and some time; during which Zecora can gather what she needs," he explained.

"What do you need?" Twilight asked. Ulquiorra actually volunteering to help had significantly thrown her, and left her uncertain of just what was going on. But if he was actually putting his friendship lessons to the test, then she was going to do whatever it took to help him out in the matter.

One roll of fourteen gauge bailing wire. Twelve wood screws, with a depth of no more than one inch each, and a thread diameter of three sixteenths of an inch. One dowel rod, seventh eighths of an inch in diameter. And one phillips head screwdriver. These were the materials Ulquiorra had requested, and they were what Spike had been tasked to go and acquire while Fluttershy and Twilight helped Zecora get what she needed that was available. And as Ulquiorra worked, Spike watched in wonder.

The wheel had easily been shoved back into place on the axle. After that the dowel rod had been cut down to size with a single chop of his zanpakutō, the shortened length stuffed into the peg hole on the cracked side of the axle to serve as a retaining peg. Five screws were place around the axle at various locations, tightened down to a certain extent, before the bailing wire was looped around each of them, while the axle was squeezed to the point the crack closed, the wire pulling tight to prevent easy separation again. This was followed by the axle being wrapped a dozen more times, the wire being cut in the same manner as the dowel rod, and the loose end firmly wrapped around a sixth screw that was tightened into place.

And once Ulquiorra was done with the process, he repeated the screwing and wire wrapping process on the side of the axle where the wheel hadn't fallen off. Spike had no real idea as to why this was done, but seeing as how Ulquiorra had given him the money to acquire everything, he figured that there must've been a very good reason behind it all. Maybe it was to prevent further cracking and breaking from occurring along the axle. Or maybe it was due to the symmetry of it all. But whatever the reason, Ulquiorra had worked as silently as he had proficiently, until the task was completed.

"Is that it?" he finally asked.

"It is," Ulquiorra confirmed, "the dowel will prevent the wheel from coming off again, while the wire wrap will prevent the crack from opening further, resulting in a compression fit to prevent the new peg from falling out. The nature of the repair work is basic, but should suffice so long as the wood doesn't deteriorate further," he explained.

"That's pretty impressive," Spike stated as he looked over the work done, "where'd you learn to do stuff like that anyway? No offense, but you never struck me as the carpenter type."

"Memories prior to my ascendancy to Vasto Lorde status are few and far between. Even I don't know for certain, what I did prior to that point. For all I know, at some point in the past, I was an architect," he explained. Looking down he realized that he still possessed the screwdriver. That was one thing he hadn't accounted for. Perhaps he should've asked Filthy Rich if he possessed a toolkit that could be borrowed instead. Seeing nothing better to do with the tool, he pocketed it in the satchel, should it ever come in handy again at some point in the future.

"Looks like the others are coming back now," Spike stated as he looked in the direction of the marketplace. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Zecora were returning, carrying various bags of supplies, and with Applejack in tow to lend assistance in carrying everything. They must've really been loaded down with weight. Right now he hoped the old rickety cart was up to the challenge that laid before it.

"Whoo doggy," Applejack stated as they approached, her pack of supplies being the heaviest of the four. She liked Zecora, and she had absolutely no qualms about lending a helping hoof to a pony in need. But this had caught her completely off guard, necessitating temporarily closing down her market stand, in order to put her strong frame to work in carrying the supplies that were needed. And truth be told, some of this stuff was heavy even by her own standards.

"We're back," Twilight announced, pointless as it might be. She could see that Spike and Ulquiorra were looking in their direction and were aware of their presence. But she still felt the need to say something. "How's the cart repair coming?" she asked.

"Completed," Ulquiorra stated simply, seeing no reason to use excessive words to get the point across.

Twilight tried not to sigh. Ulquiorra's bluntness seemed to be a permanent aspect of his personality. But at the same time, he'd gone out of his way to not only volunteer, but actually fix Zecora's cart; something he'd had absolutely no obligation to do. He'd even gone so far as to spend his own money for the supplies needed, and as far as she knew, he didn't have anything except for what was in his pockets, leftover from the emerald Rarity had given him. If that wasn't a selfless act of friendship, she really didn't know what was.

But still... she wished his personality wasn't quite so abrasive at times. How did he expect to make and keep friends, if he was so cold at times? She could see more than just the surface of a matter, and discover the more difficult matters that others couldn't quite understand. But that didn't mean other ponies were as blessed; they wouldn't as easily be able to see in Ulquiorra, what she herself had seen.

Applejack stepped closer to examine the supposed repair work. It was definitely not something one would ever catch Rarity doing. But it had an appearance that reminded her a great deal of work on the farm, when a more proper repair simply couldn't be done. It was basic, it was utilitarian, but it was functional despite its unassuming appearance. In a lot of ways it was just like Ulquiorra himself.

"Tha's real nice work, Mr. Cifer, looks nice an' sturdy," she commented, "fourteen gauge wire?"

"Correct," he replied. It didn't really surprise him that Applejack would be able to identify wire gauge on sight alone. Farm work consisted of more than simply kicking trees to harvest apples, and if she wasn't proficient in her work, whatever it might entail, then the farm would fail. Knowing the tools and materials used in your trade, and how to use them properly, as well as effectively, was a necessity.

"Good sir, you have reinvigorated this old cart. While I did not witness it, your skills are like an art," Zecora commented as she brought her share of the supplies over, surprised to see what had been done in their time away. With her cart repaired, perhaps this would turn out to be a good day. Without another word she eased the bag of supplies off her back and into the back of the cart.

One by one the supplies were loaded up into the back of the cart, each new amount of weight causing the cart to creak quietly, until everything was fully loaded up.

Unfortunately the creak had been an indication that the cart wasn't up to the task it was presented with; a fact made obvious as the creak grew into the sound of wood cracking, which soon turned into the bottom boards breaking under the strain, the bags falling out beneath what remained of the structure.

For a moment, nopony even breathed at the sight before them.

Just for a moment though.

"Gah! Stupid cart, I do not believe it-"

"What a worthless piece of---" Twilight stated, inadvertently about to finish the rhyme for Zecora, only to be interrupted as Spike covered her mouth with his claw before she could finish, giving her a disapproving glare at knowing where this was going. It was enough to convince her that it wasn't the proper route to go. "Sorry..."

"Applesauce," Applejack grumbled, "well. Looks like we're gonna have ta go with Plan B then. Everypony grab a bag an' we'll help carry 'em back ta the hut."

More thoughts ran through Ulquiorra's mind as he considered everything that happened. The cart had been in far worse condition than he'd thought, to simply fall apart in such a manner. Perhaps termites were the root cause rather than humidity and water damage.

Whatever the reason, however, it was of no relevance. What was of relevance right now, was how the others had made the determination to help Zecora carry her supplies back to wherever she lived. Ultimately that meant venturing into the Everfree Forest, a location well known for its dangerous nature.

"There will be no need for that," he stated simply, interrupting the unloading process they were engaged in, and bringing their attention back to him. "I will tend to the matter by myself."

It was a calculated decision to make, but not an easy one, as there were multiple factors to consider with this situation. On the one hand, there was the possibility that Zecora was a mole operative, and was being used for the purpose of luring these three into the Everfree Forest, where they would be put at threat of harm or death, from the various creatures that lurked in there. Even if he were to follow, there would be no guarantees that he could provide sufficient protection from the various unknowns. And if Zecora was being used for such purposes, she would have grounds to object to the prospect of going with him instead, as he would not be the desired target.

On the other hand, there was the possibility from earlier. There was the possibility that Zecora wasn't a mole, but rather a decoy, the nature of which being designed to draw his attention to her, and leave him distracted enough that the others could be targeted when his guard was focused elsewhere. It was a classic strategy to engage in, and effective against those who didn't pay attention to all the various details. If she was intended as a decoy, she wouldn't object to his company.

But at the same time, there was the possibility of such a strategy failing, as the others knew that there were hidden dangers to be on the lookout for, so catching them off guard wouldn't be as easy as it would've been before his arrival. At the very least, they were slightly more aware of the world around them.

"By yourself?" Spike asked curiously. Having only heard about what the others had seen Ulquiorra do, it was still somewhat hard to fully believe his strength.

"Mr. Cifer, ah know yer strong an' all, but it's a long walk ta Zecora's an' those bags're kinda-" Applejack protested, only to be silenced as she watched Ulquiorra effortlessly lift the bags as if they held nothing but raw cotton.

Now that she thought about it, she really should've known better than to doubt him. He'd carried Twilight and Rainbow Dash, each under one arm, when he was faking out Chrysalis, and that was between three and four hundred pounds total. And he'd flown back with them in tow, suggesting his strength was long term in nature, rather than just short burst. Now she felt like a foal for even speaking up in the first place.

"Lead the way," Ulquiorra said as he turned his attention to Zecora, who had a look of amazement at the feat of strength she was witnessing. As to be expected from someone making such a discovery.

"Uh, before ya go, Mr. Cifer," Applejack spoke up again to get his attention back, "the walk ta Zecora's is a way's off. Ah'll prob'ly be done here by the time ya get there an' back. Bu' when ya do, would ya mind swingin' by Sweet Apple Acres?" she asked him hopefully.

Again with a request to stop by Sweet Apple Acres. Whatever was there, it must've possessed significant importance to Applejack for her to be asking about his presence a second time.

"Should I return to Ponyville and be unable to locate you, I'll head to Sweet Apple Acres then," he replied. The smile seemed to indicate that it was the answer she desired. With that matter addressed, he now turned his attention back to Zecora.

"Follow good sir, and I shall show you the way," Zecora stated before turning to guide him toward her hut, still surprised that he'd been so willing to help after just meeting her. First working to repair her cart, and now carrying everything for her, and all without being asked. "For such generosity, I will promise fair pay."

He considered explaining how monetary compensation for his efforts was of no interest or use to him. But taking the time out to actually explain such a fact, would mean delaying whatever discovery would occur on this journey, and potentially putting others at risk. He'd have to wait and explain the matter adequately until they arrived at their destination. For the time being he simply said nothing, and followed behind the zebra who was acting as his guide.

"Y'know, that Mr. Cifer's really changed a lot since we first met him," Applejack commented as they eventually disappeared from view.

"He really has," Fluttershy added and gave a nod.

Twilight didn't say anything in response to the statements of the others. Ulquiorra wasn't the same entity that they'd met on his first arrival. A lot had changed in their short time together. He'd gone from being cold and dispassionate about everything except learning, to going out of his way to protect them from harm when recognizing that the world was in even more danger than they thought. And on top of that already impressive fact, he was taking the study of friendship seriously, and gaining an understanding of it. He was slowly, but surely, moving away from what he used to be.

And maybe... just maybe... he was getting to be a little less empty.

Suddenly, before any of them knew what was going on, the four were grabbed and dragged off by an unseen force before they had any chance to respond, a crazy and demented laugh echoing as they vanished from view, without a trace being left behind.

Chapter Forty One

Chapter Forty One

"Why are we diverting from the main path?"

The walk back to where Zecora lived had been carried out largely in silence, neither party speaking along the journey. Ulquiorra possessed little motivation to engage the zebra in any conversation, primarily due to her strange manner of speech. And whenever Zecora looked back at him and saw his neutral expression, she changed her mind about actually speaking up.

For a considerable portion of the time the two journeyed together, the only distraction was the sound of feet and hooves against the ground, occasionally the snapping of a crushed twig, and eventually the sound of crunching grass, as Zecora moved away from the well-worn dirt path that indicated heavy traffic in this area; heavy enough that all the grass had been completely eroded away.

"A matter of much necessity I fear. Poison Joke it seems, to the path, grows very near. A detour we do need, or we will be exposed to the weed," Zecora explained as she paused to address him, before walking again.

Poison Joke? That was something he remembered reading about, as he studied about his surroundings, and how they were detailed in the Canterlot library. A very strange plant no matter how it was looked at. There was no real history as to where it came from, or how it came to be in existence. There was a great deal of speculation about its nature, theories that it was a creation of Discord's from long ago, but ultimately it was little more than guess work. The only confirmed information available dealt with the nature of its effects on others, signs exibited by those that had come into contact with it, and the available treatments for those that were infected by its pollen.

All in all, a most unpleasant bother to encounter. Right now he'd rather avoid seeing what it would do in reaction to his Arrancar nature. Without a word he followed the change in direction.

"Perhaps some herbicide would be a wise investment," he stated as they continued along the new path.

"What you speak of is an unnatural way. It is not something I would consider, even on my most frustrating day," Zecora replied as she stepped to avoid a fallen branch.

Another rhyme. Another uncertainty in this world. Another opportunity to simply remain silent and continue walking. The sooner they arrived at the designated location, the sooner he could determine if Zecora was a distraction. And the sooner he could return to Ponyville and continue his efforts there.

"If I may ask, however did you get assigned the dragon task?" Zecora asked as she turned to face him curiously. "Considering you are a dignitary, I would believe Princess Celestia would be more wary."

There were a great many things Ulquiorra encountered, and had to deal with in his day-to-day interactions with others. Some of these things were easy to tolerate, and others not so much. If he were to categorize everything on a scale of differing levels of intolerance, the cover story told by Twilight Sparkle would rank high on said scale. From the very beginning he'd allowed the unicorn to act as his guide, allowed her to spin the tale of him being a visiting dignitary from a foreign land, here to establish diplomatic relations with Equestria. Even from the beginning he'd objected to such, as it would interfere with his interactions with others. If they believed he was a dignitary then their actions would be guarded, stiff, artificial, and not give an accurate measure of what exactly he could expect in this strange world.

He had tolerated such nonsense for a period of no more than two days, before finally dispelling the notion entirely, and quite brutally in the process. He had no interest in being regarded as something he wasn't. Whether the rest of Ponyville had been made aware of his true nature after last week, or whether they still believed what they'd been told, he was uncertain. And right now he was uninterested, as he didn't have to specifically deal with them. But Zecora was another matter entirely, and she would have to be dealt with appropriately.

"The story shared with you by Twilight Sparkle and the others was not a matter of truth. I am no foreign dignitary, nor am I here to established diplomatic relations with Equestria, or any other country in this world. My presence here is the result of Discord's interference in the natural order of things," he explained bluntly. "In simple terms, the spirit of chaos chose to rip me from my own world, my own dimension, and deposit me here in this strange world."

He knew that by sharing such information freely would complicate the matter at hand. If Zecora was truly being utilized for nefarious reasons, revealing the truth of his origin could have adverse affects, whatever they might be. But at the same time, if whatever had sent the dragon after the holders of the Elements of Harmony, was actively using this zebra as a source of information, then there was the possibility of the revelation causing said mystery force to rethink its approach.

That was, of course, assuming his true nature wasn't already known by whatever he was up against. In hindsight, perhaps utilizing his released state had been a mistake on his part. Perhaps even now, this possible entity was attempting to concoct a countermeasure just for it.

As his attention settled on Zecora rather than his own thoughts, he noticed as she remained quite still, with her mouth hanging open at his words. It was safe to say she hadn't seen that one coming. And the fact she wasn't speaking suggested she had reason to believe his words. Perhaps it was appropriate to continue the matter, and show her just how far off base she'd been in her beliefs.

"What I am is a Hollow. An earthbound spirit subjected to the taint of the living world, mutated into a beast of pure primal instinct, driven to devour the souls of others in an effort to satiate the hunger caused by the loss of their heart. When this hunger becomes too great, some Hollows will turn on other Hollows and devour them in turn. Those that survive and devour enough Hollows will eventually evolve to new, more powerful levels. I am of the highest possible evolutionary level; Vasto Lorde," he explained, giving the stunned zebra a basic rundown of the facts of his nature.

Silence. Other than the background noises of the forest, there was nothing but silence to be heard. Except for laughing. Zecora's silence was soon replaced by her throwing her head back and all-out laughing. Did she find his story amusing? And if she did, was is truly that amusing? This was most unusual. He'd encountered a number of reactions to the truth about himself being revealed, but humor had never been one of them.

The laughing continued for several long moments before Zecora finally managed to regain control of herself, wiping away the tears that had started to fall from her unrestrained amusement. She could tell just by the look he was giving her that he didn't share in her amusement.

"I apologize if I seemed rude good sir, I merely found your sense of humor amusing as it were," she explained in an effort to justify her actions. "While it is an interesting story that you tell, I'm afraid I must say no sell. While you can possibly tell it best, tales of such beings are very common in my homeland to the west. And from what I can see standing before me, you are no roho mlaji."

Roho mlaji?

Without any doubt, this was a most unusual conversation to be having. That was about the only thing he could say for certain. Through all of her rhyming, had Zecora just told him that beings who devoured souls were regarded to exist in this world? Perhaps he was truly not the first Hollow to ever set foot in this dimension?

Unfortunately he didn't have any answers to such technical questions. To do so would require extensive knowledge of the spiritual equivalent of quantum physics, in order to postulate and speculate about the boundaries that separated various dimensions, and how their overall integrity might be affected at certain points of time. Perhaps Hollows at some point in the past had managed to fall through a weak point in the dimensional fabric when utilizing garganta travel, and wound up here?

Princess Celestia had stated that he was the only Hollow to ever be present in her land. However it was entirely possible she was speaking exclusively of her own knowledge and personal accounts. Perhaps wherever Zecora hailed from, it was beyond the boundaries of Equestria proper, and what happened there was beyond Princess Celestia's awareness.

Whatever the reasoning was, it prevented a curiosity. Perhaps further investigation at a later point was necessary.

"Do you possess a logical explanation as to how I was able to defeat the dragon, in the manner that was described to you?" he asked simply, deciding to veer back to the original discussion at hand. Discussing whether or not other Hollows existed in this world would do little until more information could be gathered.

"Ah... about that, I must admit, if there is a reason, I do not see it," Zecora sheepishly admitted. She'd gotten so carried away in his tale about what he was, that she'd completely forgotten about that topic. "This way," she finally said and began walking again.

Ulquiorra remained silent and continued following the zebra. The questions-to-answers ratio was becoming further and further unbalanced with every step he took. And every interaction with new -and untrusted- individuals simply deepened the overall mystery.

It was getting to the point of ridiculousness. If he were any of the lower ranked Espada, right now he would be at the point of screaming obscenities and demanding answers. Even if he was himself, he couldn't deny that such actions sounded minutely appealing to consider.

"I possess questions for which no answers exist. Perhaps you can be of assistance," he finally spoke up. If he wasn't going to get to the bottom of his on his own by just standing around, then perhaps it was time to utilize the proverbial shovel and start digging. "The first question relates to you and your method of speech. Is it due to a neurological condition that affects your ability to verbally communicate with others? Or do you possess the ability to communicate in a normal fashion, and instead it is a deliberate decision to construct rhyming sentences?" he asked.

"On that matter, I am quite happy to report the latter. To construct a proper rhyme, one must invest thought and time. To do so readily, one must practice steadily," Zecora replied as she walked along.

Ulquiorra was about to speak again, but stopped himself before ever opening his mouth. He could try and seek confirmation of Zecora's rhyming exercising being nothing more than an exercise to keep her mind active and such, but doing so would ultimately be of little overall value. The fact that it was deliberate meant she did indeed have the ability to communicate in a regular manner, and right now that was of far more probative value than anything else.

"For the next question I will require a straight answer without any attempts made to rhyme, as the information could be of a most crucial nature. These roho mlaji you speak of, what do they look like? What pattern of behavior do they engage in? And how are they killed?" he asked. If these creatures Zecora was referring to were truly Hollows by another name, then it was information he would need to be made aware of, so he could alert Princess Celestia and the others of the fact.

He could hear the sounds of Zecora's attempts at thinking -why she was making so much noise while thinking, he wasn't sure- before finally taking a deep breath to address him. "They have no appearance. The roho mlaji are nothing but tales from my country, told to advise others to not live a life marked with regret, for such may prevent them from eternal rest, and drive them to great resentment in the afterlife. The roho mlaji are proverbs, not creatures of an actual existence," Zecora explained calmly, doing her best to do so without any rhymes; a feat surprisingly more difficult than she first thought. Perhaps it was something she could practice more often.

"You're quite certain of that fact? No historical accounts regarding white skull-like masks? Misshapen bodies with large, gaping holes in their chests where their heart would be?" he asked, pressing on further in his inquiry. Whether or not Zecora was being utilized as another pawn, there were more important matters at hand right now. He couldn't afford to be so guarded and cautious in how he proceeded, that he wound up passing up valuable information in the process.

"Quite certain," Zecora said as she slowly stopped walking and turned to face him with a critical eye. "Why are you so curious about an old tale from a faraway land? What significance do you believe it holds to you?" she asked him.

He considered being quite frank with Zecora at the moment. He gave serious consideration to going into detail to explain the situation to her, and the importance of her answers and information. Making her aware of the world of Hueco Mundo and everything that it held, would possibly convince her of the severity of the situation, and why he was so interested. If there were tales of creatures like Hollows in this world, then at some point there must have existed something to serve as the catalyst of such tales.

He gave such facts consideration. However he stopped himself before ever bringing any of these up. He realized that the more time he devoted to Zecora, the longer he was away from Twilight Sparkle and the others. And if Zecora had truly been sent as a decoy, then that was exactly what was wanted!

"Morbid curiosity," he finally replied and began walking again. Dropping everything now and sonidoing his way back to Ponyville would be the prudent decision to make. But if he did that, if Zecora was in communication with the mysterious force, then his sudden absence could possibly alert it to the jig being up. He would have to bide his time, continue escorting Zecora to the designated location, and then hurry back to the others. "Perhaps we should proceed before anything else of value suffers from the humidity of the forest."

Zecora said nothing and simply nodded as she once again began walking, Ulquiorra keeping pace easily. The sooner this matter was settled, the sooner he could return to Ponyville, and the better off they would all be.

The experience of being grabbed from behind and roughly jostled, while in the company of two other ponies and one dragon, was far removed from the list of experiences that Twilight would ever consider to be pleasant in nature. But had she been asked? Had her abductor possessed the pony decency to first ask her beforehoof, if she minded being scared half to death by being grabbed from behind without warning? Fuck no! She and the others had just been grabbed like fruit in a fruit stand heist. And when confronted with such facts, there were only two words in the Equestrian language that seemed to adequately confer just how upset she'd been over it all.

"Pinkie Pie!"

Did the pink pony have any idea just how uncalled for her actions truly were? The timing of her snatch and grab couldn't have possibly been worse if she'd tried. Did she understand the fact that she could've had her head bucked right off her shoulders by surprising them in such a manner, during a time when they were all on high alert? She'd put herself in serious danger with that little stunt. Did she really have no concept of that simple fact?

And just how did she go about bringing all four of them from the Ponyville marketplace, all the way to Applejack's barn at Sweet Apple Acres? It was several miles worth of distance to cover, and somehow she'd done it all in what seemed like just a few seconds. And as long as they were on that topic of discussion, when did...

"Don't ask that question, Twilight, you know you'll regret whatever answer you get," Twilight scolded herself. There were some questions best left unasked, and some that needed to be unanswered.

Fortunately the bubbly pink party pony seemed to understand that something was wrong, as she stopped bouncing about -in mid bounce no less- and turned to address her directly. "What's up Twilight?"

"Can I ask this one, Twilight? Please?" Spike asked, interrupting before she could finish drawing a breath.

Twilight looked at Spike, curious about why he was volunteering, but equally curious at just what he was going to go about asking. Regardless she nodded to give him the go ahead.

"Okay," Spike said in a manner that practically dripped of eagerness, despite his best efforts to appear serious. He cleared his throat before turning to look directly at Pinkie. "Pinkie... just what the fuck were you thinking by grabbing us like that!?"

"Spike!" Twilight protested, completely unaware of Fluttershy's squeak in surprise, or Applejack's statement that sounded like "whoa nelly" or something along those lines. When exactly did he start using such language? First him knowing about wingboners and rutting, and now this?

Spike turned back to face Twilight again, an incredulous look on his face. "What's the matter, Twilight? Don't like hearing it coming from me? Well that makes two of us. So let's make a deal. I'll stop if you stop, is it a deal?" he asked.

He didn't know the full extent of whatever foreign profanities Ulquiorra had taught Twilight on that night in the library, or even why such an otherwise logical individual would feel such subject matter was appropriate to engage in. And he didn't even know what all of the words meant either. But he figured none of it was stuff that should be said in polite or mixed company. And whatever possessed Twilight to start using it, he wanted it to stop. She was the older of the two, she should be setting the example for him to follow, not the other way around. Which brought him to this idea of his. If certain things were alright for her to say, then they should be alright for him to say too, and with as great a frequency. And if she didn't like that idea... well then she had the ability to stop it right here and now.

Twilight looked at him with uncertainty, before finally closing her eyes and sighing. "Deal..."

Applejack just shook her head, deciding to let those two have their own issues themselves. She also decided to do the interrogation thing herself, and turned to face the confused looking Pinkie.

"So Pinkie, wha' exactly's the big idea o' grabbin' us an' bringin' us all ta mah barn?" she asked. She wanted to get to the bottom of that curiosity, and get back to town to tend to the apple stand. That back in five minutes sign wasn't going to keep the customers waiting forever. She'd put it up when she saw Zecora and the others having trouble carrying everything that they were trying to carry, in order to lend her natural earth pony strength to the endeavor. But this was turning out to be a lot more than five minutes. If she didn't get back soon then customers would be getting upset, and some of the less than honest townsponies -there were always a few of them in every city- might start stealing her wares.

"To get ready for Ulqy's party silly," Pinkie stated and grinned quite hard, her tone suggesting that it was an obvious question with an even more obvious answer; as if it required no explanation whatsoever.

"... Say wha' now?" Applejack asked, confused by the answer.

"Don't you remember back in the dream thingy when Celestia said Ulqy should get a big blowout of a party? Well what better time to do it when he's both here in Ponyville, and away and distracted carrying out an escort mission with Zecora? He's here but he doesn't know what's going on so we can surprise him!" Pinkie answered excitedly as she started bouncing about again.

The four assembled looked between themselves in confusion as Pinkie began diverging from talk purely about parties, and started talking about stuff they had no understanding of. Escort missions? HUD? Two player support? And what exactly did Luna have to do with any of this? And that was just the few words of gibberish they could get from the pink pony, her rapid fire manner of speech even more difficult to understand than usual. It was like she was having a high level sugar rush, on top of her own natural hyper nature.

Twilight couldn't help but wonder. If Pinkie met a steel plate in her current condition, could she bounce enough to vibrate her entire molecular structure right through the plate?

"Twi' do ya have any idea wha' she's talkin' 'bout?" Applejack asked.

"I got lost after "post-hit invincibility" whatever that means," Twilight replied. They weren't going to get anywhere like this. Igniting her horn, Pinkie was quickly grabbed in her magical aura and lifted up off the ground to keep her restrained, and brought her closer for conversation. "Pinkie!"

"Yes?" Pinkie asked, the sudden burst of hyperness gone as she now conveyed a high state of awareness of her surroundings as if nothing were out of the ordinary. Twilight just shook her head in a confused manner. She decided to skip all the possible stuff she could ask about, and instead cut to the chase on the matter.

"Pinkie, I get that you're excited about throwing Ulquiorra a party. I even get why you're excited about throwing Ulquiorra a party. But just grabbing us out of the blue like that was incredibly dangerous and you could've gotten hurt doing it. We've all been on high alert for nearly a week now. Not knowing it was you, one of us could've wound up hurting you because we thought something bad was happening," Twilight pointed out as she maintained a firm hold on Pinkie, hoping it would also serve to hold her concentration throughout the explanation.

Pinkie blinked a few times, as if she was being presented with a foreign concept she simply couldn't wrap her head around, and had wound up getting lost in attempting to listen. However as she blinked the look of confusion in her eyes was slowly replaced by one of understanding, as the concept of Twilight's words fully sank in.

"Oh..." she replied, her tone accompanying a change of demeanor. "Sorry everypony, I got carried away because I was so excited about Ulqy's party," she apologized.

Applejack sighed as she approached. "Tha's a'right Sugarcube, we understand why ya did it an' all. But nex' time try an' be a bit more careful, a'right? Ah'd feel like a pile o' manure if one o' us wound up hurtin' ya 'cause we didn't know it was you," she said as she rested a foreleg on her withers.

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie replied, her demeanor brightening at Applejack's kind words.

"It doesn't look like much of a party right now," Spike pointed out as he looked around the barn. He'd been in Ponyville long enough to know that when Pinkie did a party, she did things big and loud, and the barn was anything but. It was... disappointing really.

"That's because we're not ready yet. When I was going over everything I found out I'm gonna need your help. We need to get everypony to show up, and the refreshments, and decorations, and gifts, and we gotta get Ulqy in here, and the more hooves the better!" Pinkie stated.

That was... unprecedented. Pinkie actually saying she needed help throwing a party? Right now that was either an honor, or reason to be concerned.

"Just one question... at the moment," Twilight replied as she set Pinkie back down and released her hold on her, "is this supposed to be a surprise party? Because if it is, I don't see how it's going to work. Ulquiorra can detect mana from vast distances. He's going to know something's up for sure," she pointed out.

"And that's where you come in, Twilight, I've got something extra special in mind for you. Listen..." Pinkie said as she stepped closer to fill her friend in on what was expected of her.

Somehow the tree before him failed to prove to be a surprise. The library that served as Twilight Sparkle's home was made from a tree despite being set in a town. Zecora's home consisting of a tree in the middle of a forest only seemed fitting. The only outstanding aspect of the entire presentation were the tribal masks hung about the tree in some fashion. Their overall design, combined with the fact Zecora was a zebra, left him relatively certain that her native land to the west was in some way similar to the continent of Africa. Or at the very least, the concept of Africa that he was familiar with.

However there were more pressing matters at hand, such as returning to Ponyville. Zecora had been all too willing to simply walk the distance, and he'd been forced to keep pace with her, rather than doing anything that might rouse suspicion. Had he known of the location beforehand, and carrying fewer items, he would've lifted her up off the ground, and taken to the skies to travel at a far quicker pace, and be done long before now.

Being considerate of others had significant drawbacks, it seemed. And so did taking considerable steps to not raise the suspicions of an unfamiliar, when they themselves were considered suspicious in nature.

Perhaps the most frustrating part of this entire endeavor was the fact he'd volunteered to do it of his own volition, rather than being asked or ordered to do so. But then again that had been due to his own motivation more than anything else. It wasn't friendship or compassion that drove him to take on this mission, but rather the need to determine the current threat level. And if nothing else, it at least lent credibility to the notion that he was better understanding friendship, and would be more able to sell his story to the others. Which would in turn divert their attention away from the ridiculous notion that he needed to be taught about friendship, and thus be better able to focus on identifying disturbances that would help establish a detectable pattern.

The only point so far that could be considered good, was the lack of any detectable reiatsu patterns that could give him cause for concern. Other than the patterns of various low-level wildlife, the only reiatsu he could detect belonged to Zecora herself. Perhaps she truly hadn't been sent as a decoy to divert his attention.

"That is the last," Zecora said and let out a long tired sigh as she walked out of the doorway. She was quite thankful for all the help she'd been provided with on the journey back to her home. Unfortunately the organization was something that only she could tend to, as only she knew full well just where everything went. And sometimes that took considerable effort. "Never did I believe I would be done so fast. Had it not been for you, I do not know what I would do."

Once again back to the rhyming. But there was nothing he could do about that except accept it for what it was. His task here had been done, there was no longer any need to remain here.

"Then I will be taking my leave now," he said as he slid his hands back into his pockets.

"Ah. Before you set out for your destination, we should first discuss compensation. For all that you have done today, it wouldn't be right to let you go without pay," Zecora stated as she stepped closer.

More interruptions, thus forcing him to maintain appearances to avoid rousing suspicions. This was more tedious than fooling Chrysalis. And on top of that it was preventing him from returning to Ponyville to ensure the safety of the others. That simply wasn't acceptable.

"Another time perhaps. For now I really must be leaving," he stated, concluding such with a burst of sonido, and leaving a confused Zecora behind in the process.

He'd spent too much time away, investigating the nature of the zebra and her trip to Ponyville. He truly hadn't intended to be away for so long.

As she waited just outside of the library, Twilight paced back and forth anxiously. Why her? Why her? Why her? Why did she have to get assigned the part that she did? Didn't Pinkie know what she was asking of her right now? There was no way this was going to work, it just couldn't work. How could it possibly work?

"Calm down, Twilight, calm down," she scolded herself during the most recent turn to face the direction she'd just paced along. "You're getting yourself far too worked up over something that isn't even worth it. All you need to do is find Ulquiorra and get him to come to Sweet Apple Acres. You can do that easy enough, he's very logical, he'll listen to reason. It's not like he has to be convinced to do anything unusual. It's not like he's going to have any reason to be suspicious. Just... just be patient, be yourself, and everything will go fine."

That's what she told herself. If only it were that simple to be calm, cool, and collected about things. But sadly it wasn't, and the longer she waited, the more anxious she got. The hard part about all of this was actually waiting for Ulquiorra to make his appearance before proceeding with everything else. Waiting could be so darn frustrating!

And unfortunately, when you waited while being anxious, your mind tended to wander. And where it wandered to wasn't always pretty. Case in point, Ulquiorra being gone for so long. She'd been to Zecora's hut plenty of times to know about how much time it took to walk both there and back to Ponyville, and it shouldn't be taking this long. The way Ulquiorra had so effortlessly lifted everything out of the broken cart with just his two hands like it was nothing, she just knew it couldn't be taking long because he would need to stop and rest.

And that was saying nothing about how he'd so effortlessly forced an adult dragon into a dead stop... while standing in midair at the time! Somebody who could do something like that, after spending twelve hours hiking up a mountainside without even the slightest hints of fatigue, could surely walk to Zecora's hut and back without getting tired from carrying a few supplies.

But what if it wasn't that? What if they'd run into trouble out there? The Everfree Forest was a dangerous place, full of animals that they still hadn't cataloged at this point in time. What if one of those unknown creatures had discovered them, and right now Ulquiorra and Zecora were captured and about to be eaten? What if Rainbow Dash was right!?

"What am I thinking!? This is Ulquiorra we're talking about! If he'd encountered anything in the Everfree Forest that he couldn't handle, we would've seen evidence of it before now. We would've known if he'd discharged a Cero, or if he had to use his resurrección," she thought, pointing out the absurdity of it all, and scolding herself for being so unreasonable. It had to be a far more mundane reason to explain what was taking so long.

But still, that didn't make waiting any easier to deal with. She had no idea where he was right now, and he could literally be anywhere. Why didn't she put a tracking beacon spell on him when she had the chance? At least then she'd have an idea of his general location.

That was a frustrating aspect of Ulquiorra as far as Twilight could see. He somehow had this habit of not being noticed until he wanted to be noticed. He could so effortlessly appear behind somepony in near silence, and they didn't know he was there until he spoke up and startled them in the process.

"Wait a minute..."

With that thought in mind she smirked. He liked sneaking up on ponies? Well she'd fix that in very short order. Standing firmly she place, she whirled her body around as hard and as fast as she could, nearly popping her neck in the process, letting out a loud yell of "Caught you!" as she faced... empty space...

Ulquiorra hadn't been behind her at all.

What was going on here? A subverted running gag or something? She sighed in anxious frustration and outright annoyance.

"Damn it, Ulquiorra, where are you when a pony needs you?" she asked no one in particular.

It might've been fate, chance, coincidence, or just sheer dumb luck. But whatever it was that seemed to be controlling actions around Ponyville, as soon as she asked the question, Ulquiorra appeared directly in front of her in a flash. And that unnatural timing and close proximity was enough to bring a startled yelp from her, as she fell backward and landed on her haunches.

"That's not funny," she grumbled as she climbed back to all four of her hooves.

"It wasn't my intention to be humorous," Ulquiorra replied as he looked at her. "Has anything noteworthy transpired during my absence?"

He would just have to phrase his question in that manner, wouldn't he? Phrasing it that way, after letting them all know that he can spot deception, that was just great. She was going to need to be calm to sell the story.

"Not really. Just more of Pinkie being... Pinkie," she replied, figuring it was quite true and quite worth telling. "Now that you're back, should we head to Sweet Apple Acres and see what it is Applejack was asking about?" she asked him.

"At present time I fail to see a reason not to," Ulquiorra replied. At least if it were manual labor, it would be something he could properly grasp. Without another word he set off for the farm, Twilight following close behind him.

"So how did things go with Zecora?" she asked as she walked alongside him, glad that the Espada hadn't simply flashed out to shorten the journey.

"There were no unforeseen interruptions. The fact no incidents have occurred during my absence, would suggest Zecora was not utilized as a decoy for the purpose of luring me away from Ponyville," he explained, noticing how Twilight nearly tripped in the process.

"Say what? You... you thought Zecora was a... like a trap or something?" she asked him.

"Under current circumstances it was hard to consider otherwise. Hence my decision to proceed. If Zecora had been dispatched to Ponyville with the intent of luring several Element holders away into the forest, my volunteering to proceed alone would be objected to and refused, indicating something was amiss. At the same time there was the possibility that Zecora was being utilized as a decoy, specifically to lure me away from the town, leaving it vulnerable to attack, while at the same time trying to gather information about my nature. However, based on all available information, it would seem safe to determine Zecora played no part in any nefarious schemes," he explained as they walked along.

Twilight thought on his words as they walked. She wanted to write it off as him simply being overly suspicious of the unknown. But to do that she'd have to disagree with him on the matter, and try as she might she simply couldn't. His theory that Chrysalis had been used as a pawn, would certainly suggest Zecora wasn't above such a corrupting influence either. But she really didn't want to go around and be suspicious of her friends anytime they talked to her, or asked her to do something to help them.

"Another mystery may have also been uncovered," he stated during the following silence.

"Oh no..." Twilight groaned, "another one? I'm almost afraid to even ask. Please... please tell me it has to do with her rhyming and not something else..."

"That is not something I can do, as it does not," Ulquiorra replied. "During our travel back to her home, Zecora mentioned an old tale of beings called roho mlanji. She insists they're nothing more than folk tales to motivate others to live a life without regrets. But from her explanation they possess a remarkable similarity to the basic nature of Hollows," he explained, adjusting his gait when he noticed her beginning to fall behind. "I believe the matter is one in need of further research."

"You mean... you think Hollows have found their way to Equestria in the past? But... but how could that even be possible? Didn't Celestia say something about you being the only Hollow to ever set hoof... foot... whatever, in Equestria?" Twilight asked, feeling utterly confused, scared, and intrigued all at the same time.

"I can't comment on the physical possibilities of such. I don't have access to the proper fields of physics to explain interdimensional travel by non-corporeal beings across the planes of different realities. At present time all I can do is speculate about the reality of everything we've encountered so far," Ulquiorra explained. "Despite her longevity, it's unlikely Princess Celestia is aware of every single detail that occurs throughout the entire world. If there are old tales of monsters that devour the souls of others, there must be a point of origin for them. And if Hollows truly have visited this world at some point in time, then it is possible some races have developed abilities to neutralize them. In which case it would be wise to learn them, just in case."

"Don't think about it, Twilight, just don't think about it," she mentally told herself, desperate to head off her own mind and prevent it from going down the course that it naturally wanted to take after being presented with this new and terrifying information. First there was the theory Ulquiorra developed when conversing with her friends, and then this new theory that Hollows have come into this world in the past? She really needed to stop leaving the Espada unattended, he just kept getting into trouble when she was gone! And that trouble just kept causing more and more worry.

"Maybe Celestia will let me talk him into moving into the library so I can keep an eye on him," she thought as she walked. That way he couldn't get himself into any trouble when he was left unattended. However almost immediately after she considered such, she shook her head. "What am I thinking!? Ask Ulquiorra to move in with us? Oh that's real bright thinking right there, Twilight. He's already more or less said that he thinks that Rainbow Dash might actually be physically attracted to him. The last thing you want to do is add fuel to that fire. You don't want to make him think that you're after him too! You don't want to give him the insane idea that you and your friends want to be his harem!"

Now that she thought about it, that line of thinking was just too weird to even consider. Not the thought about being in a harem of sorts, there was nothing actually wrong with polygamy; not legally anyway. It wasn't uncommon for some ponies to partner up in groups of three or more when forming a family. The real headache came when two or more of the participants were friends prior to the arrangement, and if the relationship went bad, it usually tended to spoil the friendship and left the participants bitter. That was one reason she was careful in her interactions with others. It was one reason she never did anything that might be considered flirting with Thunderlane, just in case there was something between him and Rainbow Dash.

And it was for that reason, that she was careful when she interacted with her friends, to not do anything that would suggest she had any romantic feelings for any of them. There were simply too many things that could go wrong there.

No. There was nothing wrong with the idea of several of them being in a consenting relationship. The real problem with the thought was the prospect of who they'd be involved with. Them being physically attracted to Ulquiorra? They weren't even the same species. Not that there was anything wrong with that, she wasn't intolerant of mixed couples or anything. There was certainly nothing wrong about relationships between ponies and gryphons, or even ponies and buffalo. But ponies and Hollows? That was... was... it...

"Don't think about that either!" she yelled to herself in frustration. She could see why Celestia got so upset with him at times. He was starting to drive her to a frazzle, and he really hadn't even done anything yet! It was bad enough that she wanted to start pulling her mane out. And then after she got done with pulling it out, she wanted to put it right back in, according to both hair length and color hue. That was assuming she didn't take the time to borrow a pair of scissors and clip each hair to an equal length with one another.

"... Twilight?"

"Huh?" she asked and blinked in confusion. Had he said something and she'd been too distracted to hear? That must've been it. Curiously she looked up at him for clarification, and he was looking back at her. In fact he'd turned completely around to face her in order to address her.

"I asked if there was a problem. Your entire demeanor is consistent with one under great mental strain," he elaborated.

"Oh," she replied, "let's just say these theories and mysteries you come up with are disturbing to consider. Before you came here, we never would've thought twice about any of this stuff. It... it's a lot to get used to," she explained. And that was putting it very, very mildly.

"That is a matter we both share. Yours is a world that serves as an antithesis to everything I once regarded as normal and acceptable. There are contradictions I cannot yet reconcile, despite my best efforts," he replied. Seeing that she was beginning to walk again, he turned and continued. "Many contradictions, and many mysteries."

"I don't mean to be critical or anything, Ulquiorra, but sometimes I wonder if you see mysteries where there are none," Twilight commented as they walked along.

"Mysteries exist regardless of whether or not one actively looks for them. Such as why there is a significant amount of reiatsu in the same direction as Sweet Apple Acres," Ulquiorra replied as he once again turned to face her directly. "What exactly are you not telling me?" he asked her pointedly.

He observed as her entire demeanor changed, as she grinned and giggled nervously, looking from her right to her left with quickly shifting eyes. It was more than apparent that he'd caught her doing something. The only question was just what that something was.

Without warning she quickly stood up on her hind legs and wrapped her forelegs around him, her horn glowing brightly in the process.

"SURPRISE!"

During his time in Equestria he'd been subjected to several teleportations, and each time was the same; a strange tingling sensation, followed by an immediate change of scenery following a brief period of sensory distortion affecting the audio and visual organs. So it went without saying that he'd just been subjected to a surprise teleportation on Twilight's part. However it took a little longer to determine that he'd been teleported to the barn on Sweet Apple Acres. For whatever reason, he was uncertain.

Just as he was uncertain about the exact decor of the barn itself. Or why a significant number of ponies were present and yelling at him, in a manner that suggested enthusiasm rather than terror. Looking around he could easily identify the majority of them as being the same ponies who had come to meet him in the park during his first trip here.

And he was quite uncertain as to why Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were both present and accounted for. With no answers as to what was up, he turned to Twilight as she set back down on all four hooves, again looking at him nervously.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"It's your party, Ulqy!" he heard Pinkie call as she appeared right next to him, a smile on her face of such considerable size, he wondered how it was physically possible in the first place. "Everypony gets a "Welcome to Ponyville" party, and you missed out on yours, so we're making up for that one right now! And then later we're gonna make up for all the other parties we've missed in your time here!" she stated and blew an extending party horn in excitement.

A party? For him? And with the diarchy present... he was just now recalling the exchange that was had during that conference from several nights ago. It would seem Princess Celestia and the rest had been quite serious about them being in attendance. Serious enough that Twilight had been utilized to hijack him... much in the same way Coyote Starrk had done with the woman Orihime back in Hueco Mundo after that unexpected turn of events. And much like the Primera Espada, he could tell that she wasn't exactly happy with what part she'd played.

It was time to stop and take stock of his situation. He was surrounded by ponies who should be terrified of him. He was in the presence of both members of the diarchy. He had just been forcibly brought here by the one who held the Element of Magic. And everyone seemed intent on him being the guest of honor for this party. Escape seemed quite impossible under these circumstances. And from his vantage point it seemed he had little option but to be present for this celebration.

This could not end well.

Chapter Forty Two

Chapter Forty Two

If he were to count the diarchy, he was currently in the presence of sixty five ponies, spread out over a wide range of age ranges. Considering Spike was also present, and often spoke in a dialect that failed to differentiate his dragon nature from those he was surrounded by, that made the total sixty six. All in all it was a considerably sized group for the one building to house all at once. And that was on top of the various tables holding assorted types of refreshments.

He looked back at Twilight once again. Based on her demeanor, he could assume that this hadn't been her own idea. Her posture didn't suggest that she was particularly proud of herself or how things had turned out; nothing to suggest that she'd intended from the beginning to surprise him with this social gathering he found himself at. Perhaps it had been a matter of coercion on the part of the others to make her bring him here. If that were the case then he couldn't blame her for resorting to such tactics.

He began weighing his options again, and what he could do in response to this turn of developments. He'd already ruled out the possibility of simply leaving this gathering.

But at that thought he stopped, and then started to ponder. Why would he give serious consideration to leaving, after everything he'd been through so far? What served as motivation to be absent from this gathering?

Was it due to how nonsensical these ponies could be at times? Such information was certainly nothing new to him; he'd been aware of their nature from his first meeting with them. That was one aspect many of them shared with six other Espada, to say nothing of the many Números that served Aizen. But it wasn't an aspect of their nature that he actively chose to hold against them; certainly nothing that would motivate him to leave.

It was certainly ludicrous that these ponies seemed to consider it a necessary endeavor to actually throw him a party of any sort. Such an exercise didn't seem beneficial to him in any manner. And yet for whatever reason it was, these ponies felt that it was worth coming together and being present to do just that, despite having every reason to be afraid of him.

Celebrations, much like forgiveness, appeared to be serious business with these ponies. On that note he examined his surroundings more carefully. A good portion of the assembled ponies, he wasn't surprised to see. Twilight and the others being present, that made sense to him. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna being present, that made less sense, but not so much that he couldn't understand it. As royalty they were entitled to be present for whatever it was they wished, it was their prerogative. Even ponies such as Filthy Rich, Ditzy Doo, and even Lyra, he could in some way understand them being present for this gathering, as they were among those least put off by his nature. If any of them would be present, it was most certainly them.

But all the others made varying degrees of less sense as he went over each and every pony present. Some of them, such as the three who made up the Cutie Mark Crusaders, he believed he could make sense of that. But those such as the pony who operated the Quills & Sofas shop, or the blue mare that was co-owner of Sugarcube Corner, or even the red-maned filly who wore purple-framed glasses and spoke with a lisp... those and many others were the ones that truly confused him with their presence. What is it that interested them in him so much? Why did they not fear him? Or at the very least, why did whatever fear they might possess, prove so insufficient to keep them away from him?

However the mystery of why these ponies were present, did nothing to address the mystery of why leaving was considered in the first place. In his time -both here and in Las Noches- he had exhibited a considerable tolerance for trash, and possessed considerable patience for when it was a necessity. He was hardly the type to be driven away by mere nonsense and outright idiocy.

Another look around the room. All of them were more or less staring at him at this point. They seemed expectant of him to do or say something, suggesting they saw him as the center of attention for this gathering. He briefly wondered just how long they'd be willing to remain waiting if he simply remained silent and did absolutely nothing. It was more than likely that his patience would win out if it came down to it.

But at present time he didn't feel inclined to take such a route. He was admittedly curious about everything taking place right now. Perhaps the best course of action was to simply see how things progressed. There was certainly nothing in his area of detection that struck him as unusual that would warrant his immediate attention. And then there was the matter of what he'd set out to do today. Perhaps this would be the best way of going about doing just that.

"And what precisely does one do at a party?" he asked as he turned his attention to Pinkie, her grin never seeming to leave her face throughout his silence.

"What they do, Ulqy, is have fun! C'mon I'll show you!" she stated eagerly and took hold of his wrist -how such was done with hooves, he still didn't know- and proceeded to pull him in the direction of the others.

What had he gotten himself into?

Twilight's entire body felt as if she'd been holding a breath for several minutes, despite the fact she knew full well that she hadn't been. She could feel the adrenaline coursing through her body at high speeds, fueling the primitive fight or flight response that was genetically leftover from a time long, long ago in their course of evolution. She'd been so tense during her wait for Ulquiorra to appear, she'd become even tenser when he'd actually appeared and it was up to her to execute the next part of the plan, and now that he was following Pinkie she felt everything come crashing down against her. She had to sit down and catch her breath before she passed out.

So many things could've gone wrong in the whole execution of Pinkie's plan. There were so many points that relied on luck and chance, and she knew beforehoof that everything would've fallen completely apart. That wasn't how things were supposed to go! There had to be structure, and order, and contingency plans in place in the event of failure! That's what made it all the more surprising when things had progressed as Pinkie had -more or less- intended. Ulquiorra was present, a good number of ponies were present, her obligation was done. Now all she wanted to do was find a quiet spot to take a long nap and let her nerves recover.

Something soft and downy landed on her back. Looking over her shoulder she realized that it was Celestia's left wing draped over her like a comforter, a neutral-to-caring look on her face.

That was another mystery that Twilight didn't understand. Anytime the Princesses came to Ponyville, it was treated as a very big deal. And with both of them present at the exact same time, even moreso. So how exactly were they both present and nopony was fawning over them like usual? Pinkie had her have Spike send them the notice and invitation, to which they'd gladly accepted. But she'd been absent for their arrival, as she was tasked with fetching Ulquiorra and bringing him back here.

Was it some sort of incognito enchantment, that when cast affected everypony present in the area, and her absence had shielded her from the affects? Or... had the lingering animosity prevented it taking hold on her? Whatever it was that served as an answer to the question at hoof, all she was aware of right now was the fact that Ulquiorra seemed to be getting the most attention out of anyone present.

"How am I supposed to address you in public?" she asked in a hushed tone. That was another question to which she had no answer, as she'd never stopped to give it any actual consideration. She'd never stopped to consider such a situation, because she honestly never thought that Celestia would have anything to do with her in a public gathering after everything that happened.

"However you're comfortable with," Celestia replied in an equally soft voice. She understood the predicament well enough to understand Twilight's uncertainty. Regardless of what had happened between all of them, there was still the expectancy of others to observe a certain type of decorum in a public setting. Unfortunately there were no easy or concise answers to give right now. "We're not here in an official capacity. I don't believe there's anything wrong with a casual approach."

She nodded absently at Celestia's words. There was nothing of any real use in her words, but she still filed the information away for use at a later date, in attempting to formulate her answer. But for now there was a more pressing question that she wanted to ask. Or rather, questions.

"How did you get everypony to be so relaxed around you?" she asked as she looked around. She'd never seen so many look so relaxed when in the presence of royalty.

"A little beseeching on our part, and informing them that the guest of honor was far more in need of their attention than ourselves," Celestia explained as she continued using her wing to stroke Twilight's back, thankful that she didn't seem inclined to refuse her gesture.

At one point in time, Twilight would've taken the answer given at face value. Who could refuse a request from the Princess of all ponies? But that point in time was no more. After what happened with the changelings, she'd developed a sense of cynicism regarding multiple things. And as a result she doubted that things were as simple as that. But grilling Celestia right now would lead to nowhere. Right now there was another question that needed to be asked.

"So how come everypony isn't afraid of Ulquiorra? All day long they've been taking steps to avoid him like he was the cutie pox. But now they seem like they did at their first meeting. Is that a result of beseechment... or brainwashing?" she asked, whispering the last two words so only Celestia could hear. And judging by the change in rhythm of her back being stroked, she felt it safe to assume she wasn't far off in her line of questioning.

"... I guess you could say it's a little of both," Celestia replied as her wing remained still, before it was finally withdrawn and tucked in again. "What it is, is a therapy technique that was designed to treat ponies with phobias that are potentially debilitating in nature. Their fear is suppressed, and they're exposed to the supposed cause of their phobia in a carefully controlled environment, allowing them to associate it with pleasant experiences, in an effort to dissolve the fearful response," she explained. She noticed Twilight's demeanor change to one of curiosity. If there was anything that could interest her student, it was learning about new kinds of magic. And for that she was thankful. "Normally it's a process spread over numerous appointments to address long term problems, problems that've plagued ponies for years on end. But I believe this is the first time it's ever been used to try and address an issue that's been short term in duration."

Twilight's expression was... extremely neutral in nature, almost unreadable really. It was surprising that she could maintain such an expression. And Celestia honestly couldn't tell just what she was thinking right now, as she sat there and silently looked up at her from where she sat. It was... unnerving to be unable to tell if her student currently found disfavor with her actions right now.

"Do you think that's the best course of action to take?" Twilight finally asked after a long stretch of silence between them -silence in general overall at this party was impossible- as she turned her attention back to Pinkie and Ulquiorra as he was more or less examining the refreshment table at this point. "Mass mind control?"

"... Despite everything that's happened up to this point, I don't believe Ulquiorra deserves to be feared and shunned by the others. Not anymore at least," Celestia replied after a thoughtful pause. It didn't serve as justification for her actions, but it didn't amount to condemnation either. "If Ulquiorra really is trying to learn about friendship, we owe him a helping hoof. How we go about providing that is a judgement call, just like everything else we do in life. And sometimes, it's the wrong judgement."

There were no comforting words to be had from Celestia's explanation. But anymore Twilight had come to expect that as a possibility. It was a long, involved way of saying "We all make mistakes at times" and structured in a way to try and cushion the blow of the statement. She couldn't deny that Ulquiorra could stand some good PR right about now, what with all the good he'd done. However the method used in going about it still didn't set well with her, even if she could agree that it did seem like the most logical course of action.

There was really nothing she could say in response. Nothing that hadn't already been said anyway. Nothing that was polite enough to share here in front of the others.

Add to that, nothing that'd been said up to this point had done anything to soothe her nerves. She still felt uncomfortably frazzled right now from the lack of structure and order.

"I need some punch," Twilight stated as she got up to walk over to the refreshment table.

He had allowed himself to be lead by Pinkie over to where a number of other ponies stood, all the while trying to make sense of everything that was occurring. How exactly these ponies weren't running in terror like they had been earlier, it was a mystery to him. They were treating him like an everyday occurrence rather than what he truly was.

Were the inhabitants in this world truly so forgiving in nature, that even his actions could be looked past? Did they realize that his course of action had been necessary for their own safety? Or had they simply realized that they were not the intended target of last week, and come to the conclusion that they had nothing to fear from his presence? Whatever the exact reasoning was, it continued to elude him much as a fox did a hunter.

Perhaps the best course of action was to simply not focus too heavily on the particular mystery at hand. If he did then he very well might become distracted and lose sight of something important. Already the voices of the ponies around him was being interpreted as nothing more than unintelligible background noise. There had been some type of discussion going about for the last five minutes that he hadn't given much notice to, due to his focus being elsewhere. He could very well be missing out on something of importance by not paying attention.

"-and then the doctor says "Wait a minute, if this is the thermometer, then where did I put my quill!?""

And then again, perhaps he hadn't.

As best he could tell, Pinkie had just finished telling some kind of joke that had reduced her to hysterics, several others joining in her amusement and laughing to various degrees. It would seem he'd chosen to pay attention just as the punchline was told, and he'd missed the entire setup. Not that it truly made any difference in his case, as humor wasn't an area he had any expertise in.

Off to the side Rainbow Dash was laughing up a storm, hovering upside down with her forelegs holding her abdomen as her frame was racked. It was safe to say she was one of those who had greatly enjoyed whatever the joke had been. Spike appeared greatly amused as well, although he still managed to remain upright.

Rarity, on the other hand, appeared quite indignant and was showing no signs of amusement.

"Pinkie, darling, do you truly believe such a vulgar joke was appropriate?" she asked pointedly as she frowned at the oblivious party planner. "And that's to say nothing of the obvious discomfort that such a situation would cause. Quill points are quire sharp! How is such a situation funny in the first place?"

"Aw lighten up, Rarity," Rainbow Dash laughed as she rolled over to right herself, "stuff like that is classic humor. What's not to like?"

He could easily tell that this conversation wasn't one necessary to be listening to, and that his attention could be better focused elsewhere. Such as the minor curiosity of one of the refreshment tables actually holding numerous pieces of silverware. He truly hadn't expected to see such present, but there had indeed been stacks of knives, forks, and spoons present; something that brought him back to his earlier observation regarding the dexterity of hooves and how they could be used in manipulating small items. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, as well as Twilight, had made use of utensils via manipulation of magic. Spike had done so through use of his hands. But he truly didn't remember seeing any pegasi or earth ponies using such during his previous visits. Perhaps this would be interesting to observe, as none of the books he had read up to this point had adequately explained the matter of hoof dexterity. It was still a mystery to him at this point.

However the curiosity of how an earth pony like Applejack could make use of a knife and fork, soon gave way to another curiosity. As he looked down the rows of tables that held the various refreshments, he noticed Twilight doing... something. From where he stood it almost looked like she was trying to arrange everything in a specific order, one section at a time. Was she... was she actually sorting the loose candy bowl right now?

"What precisely is she doing?" he finally asked, unable to reach a conclusion on his own. Perhaps the others knew something he didn't.

Rarity stepped forward and looked in the direction she saw Ulquiorra looking. What she saw was quite disturbing to her, as she knew this wasn't good. To say the least, it could interfere with the party that Pinkie was throwing. To say the most... oh poor, poor Twilight...

"I'm afraid she's experiencing a bit of a private crisis at the moment. Twilight is... let's say sensitive about certain matters, shall we? She doesn't exactly do well in an unstructured environment that's devoid of at least some kind of order. When she's exposed to certain events that disturb her, she succumbs to certain obsessive compulsive tendencies as a coping mechanism to try and alleviate her stress," Rarity explained. "I'm not even certain if she's consciously aware of her current actions."

Rather strange. Twilight was a pony brave enough to trek up a mountain in order to face a grown dragon at the request of Princess Celestia... and yet she was incapable of being within unstructured environments without making an effort to structure them to her liking? It was all quite paradoxical in nature, not something he'd ever expected to encounter. All this time he'd simply assumed she was tidy and orderly in her endeavors. Instead she was more like a prisoner to certain unreasonable idiosyncrasies.

It also seemed rather... contrived in nature, that such a fact was being mentioned just now. Twilight was the first outside pony he had met, and he hadn't been aware of such a fact in any of their interactions together. He recognized that she was detail-oriented in nature, but nothing like this. It seemed unusual that such would be making an appearance just now.

Then again he hadn't asked if she possessed any neurological deficiencies of such a nature. Nor had he taken any interest in what she chose to do in her own time. So long as she was able to function and fulfill her duties, and keep him properly informed about what was going on around Ponyville, he truly didn't care what she was like.

Perhaps the lack of mention was due to it being something not openly discussed in the same vein as matters such as the weather. In this world that would likely make the most sense.

Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement to Rarity's statement as she flapped her way over to them in order to watch Twilight's actions. She really didn't want to admit it, but seeing the familiar fidgeting of her friend was starting to make her nervous. She'd seen both the meltdown and the fallout that had occurred the last time the unicorn got upset like this, and she really wasn't looking forward to such again; especially if this was something more pressing than not being able to keep to a self-imposed schedule.

"I thought we'd gotten her past this point," the cyan pegasus muttered as she flapped.

Spike said nothing as he climbed up on Pinkie's shoulders to get a better view of everything, before simply shaking his head. "I've seen Twilight like this before. If we can get her distracted with something else, even something small, she should calm down enough to go back to normal," he explained.

"Yeah? Like what?" Rainbow Dash asked. Getting Twilight calmed down sounded like a really good idea right now.

"Whatever we do, we'd better do it fast. I think Twilight's getting ready to try and even out the icing on the cupcakes!" Pinkie stated, her tone suggesting far greater urgency than her statement commanded on its own.

"Oh not this again," Spike groaned. Getting covered in flying frosting might be tasty, but if anypony asked him for his opinion, he'd much rather eat the cake normally.

"Don't worry, little dude, I've got a plan," Rainbow Dash stated in a confident manner, before turning to face Ulquiorra. "Are you game for this?"

"Twilight?"

Much to her displeasure, Twilight was discovering that the punch supplied for the party was doing very little to soothe either her nerves or her mind. There were just far too many chaotic things going on right now for her to be able to properly structure her thoughts in a way she felt was acceptable.

"Twilight?"

First there was the whole aspect of what Pinkie had asked her to do, and how she'd involved her in this plan. Not that she was completely opposed to the chaotic randomness that was Pinkie Pie and all her inner workings. She'd been involved in random plans before, seen how things have managed to work when she was certain it was an impossibility; she still had the scars from when she tried to figure out how the Pinkie Sense worked. But this was the first time she'd ever been directly involved in a snatch and grab type of operation.

Or at the very least, the first time she'd ever been tasked with being the one to do the actual snatching...

Grabbing Ulquiorra and teleporting him directly to the barn of Sweet Apple Acres in order to surprise him? Had Pinkie possessed even a mild understanding of just what could've gone wrong with such an approach? Did she even care?! And what did Ulquiorra think of her now for the part she'd played in all of it?

"Twilight?"

And then on top of that already unpleasant aspect of the day, there was her discovery that Celestia had more or less brainwashed Ponyville in order to control and structure their behavior. She hadn't even bothered to hide such a fact when pressed on the matter!

But that wasn't the most disturbing part of it all. Suppressing their fear of Ulquiorra so they could interact with him in a comfortable manner in order to get over their concern. According to Celestia that was the only goal she had in mind in doing this. Whether or not that was believable, she didn't know right now. The disturbing part was that the more she thought on it, the more she found herself actually agreeing not only with it, but also supporting the overall merits to be had. If a phobia was allowed to take root it would prove incredibly difficult to treat down the road, so the most logical thing to do was prevent it from becoming established, and doing so as soon as possible, by removing the aspect that caused the fear of the event.

However Celestia hadn't simply made them forget the event that caused their fear, but rather gone a step beyond that and actually suppressed their fear of the event.

Right now she wasn't certain what disturbed her more. Was it Celestia's actions here today? The fact that she could agree with the motives for such? Or the fact that, when looked at in the right kind of context, her efforts to introduce Ulquiorra to Ponyville was hardly any different in nature? Both had involved trickery and deceit against the unknowing. So what really separated them from each other? Was she as manipulative in nature as Celestia herself?

"Twilight!"

"Huh?" Twilight asked, shaking her head to clear her senses. She looked and saw Rainbow Dash, standing off to her side right now and looking rather concerned.

"Twilight, what exactly are you doing? You're making everypony nervous," Rainbow Dash pointed out.

Twilight blinked in confusion. What exactly was Rainbow Dash talking about? She wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary that would make anypony nervous. All she was doing was just sitting and thinking over Everything that had been going on up to this point. How could that make anypony nervous? It wasn't like she was... she blinked again as something came into her field of vision. Why was she using her magic to hold a butter knife covered in chocolate frosting and bits of candied sprinkles?

That was enough to give her pause, to say nothing of confusion. Setting the knife down next to the tray of cupcakes -apparently a victim of her own lack of attention, judging by the way the icing looked- she looked at the rest of the table she was standing in front of, and began to notice how everything looked. It looked very organized. And then she started to realize exactly what had been going on that caused their concern. She'd gone off on one of her tangents, and started mucking up the order of things in an effort to organize them better.

She sighed and closed her eyes, not as much out of surprise as it was disappointment. She was doing it again...

If anyone asked, they would be told of how she liked to have order and structure in her life. She liked things that went according to plan and by the book. she liked it when things came together in the manner that they should, and she really hated it when things didn't. She was neat, clean, tidy, orderly, organized, and very proud of it!

Unfortunately she had learned the hard way that organization, while good, had consequences. She had learned firsthoof how organization, when left unchecked, could become the equivalent of an autoimmune disease and cause debilitating effects to its host. When a mind bent on organization didn't have disorder to straighten out, that absolute need to organize didn't simply resign itself to the notion of a job well done, but rather started looking around for anything that'd been missed in the previous run through and needed to be addressed. Anything that stuck out as wrong regardless of the fact that just five minutes ago it'd been proper and decent.

Even the number of friends per species wasn't immune from such organization. Their little group, not counting Spike, had consisted of two unicorns, two earth ponies, and two pegasi. Everything divided up into neat, even little pairs. But if she made a friend with an outside earth pony, she found the need to do the same thing with an outside unicorn and pegasus as well, in order to try and keep the balance. The only reason she hadn't done the same with regard to Spike was because there were no other dragons to approach.

It was that overwhelming need for organization and structure that she attributed to her major screw up. To the event that had involved her making use of the "want it need it spell" in order to construct a friendship crisis for her to solve, in order to submit a friendship report to Celestia before missing her self-imposed Tuesday deadline.

After that things had been different. With the help of her friends, she'd realized that there had been a serious problem in need of being addressed. And along with that help there had been support, as they did everything in their power to help her try and relax, try and loosen up and let go of the need for absolute order in everyday life. That in itself had been a long, serious struggle, and had taken months of effort. They had done their darnedest to help her learn how to let go of controlling everything.

And to an extent they'd been able to do just that. With their help she'd been able to step down from the number of checklists she needed for day-to-day activities. She'd even been able to reduce the overall length of some of her checklists. And for less important matters, she'd even been able to bring herself to write her lists in shorthoof, rather than spelling everything out in extensive detail on the off chance that she forgot something to the extent that she needed to be walked back through the process of remembering it all. In her own opinion she'd made considerable progress in relaxing, even if others didn't see it. They had to understand that significant degrees of change took time to accomplish.

But now as she looked at her own work, she realized that maybe her progress wasn't as far along as she would've liked. Oh sure, she'd learned how to work on the fly when it was needed, but if she was unconsciously straightening things up around her, it was obvious that she had a lot of work to do on herself. This had to be the result of everything happening today in the way it had. As the saying went, old habits die hard. And if she was slipping back into old habits after so long, there must've been a good reason for it.

"I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash," she said and sighed as she opened her eyes. She couldn't blame the others for being concerned. She was about to say something else, but never got the chance to. As soon as she'd opened her mouth, she found it stuffed as one of the cupcakes on the tray had more or less been shoved in, with enough force driving it that she automatically closed her mouth in response, but not quick enough to bite down on whatever had done so. She immediately wanted to object to such treatment... but stopped short as the rich, delicious, chocolatey taste met with her tongue and served as an override switch to the more logical parts of her mind. Instead of a verbal complaint to being force fed, a contented "mmmm" of taste satisfaction was heard as she chewed, a look of temporary contentment on her face as her eyes drifted shut while she savored the flavor.

"I told you it'd work," she heard Rainbow Dash state confidently to nopony in particular.

"Surprisingly you were correct."

Rainbow Dash's statement wasn't anything out of the ordinary to Twilight. She was accustomed to Rainbow Dash's boasting and antics about one thing or another. However it was the following statement that caused her to pause in mid-chew and turn around to see it was Ulquiorra standing there. He'd been the one to stuff the cupcake in her mouth. Why exactly had he gone and done that?

"It would seem I was wrong to doubt you," he said as he looked past her and in Rainbow Dash's direction, before turning his gaze back to her, causing her to swallow anxiously out of reflex, downing the cupcake in the process as she met his eyes. And as she met his eyes she noticed that they somehow seemed... different. However she didn't have time to question this fact, he began addressing her directly. "Whatever has caused your concern, perhaps now isn't the most appropriate time for such."

Twilight couldn't help but look at Ulquiorra in a confused manner. This was so... so unlike him. Was this something that could be attributed to him taking his studies in friendship seriously? Or maybe he'd always been like this, and the previous cold and merciless approach had simply been an effort to maintain separation for whatever reason? It was all a mystery she couldn't answer right now. But at least it gave her something constructive to focus on. Wordlessly -and she'd admit, a bit dumbly- she nodded in agreement with his suggestion, all the while wondering just what exactly it was about him that seemed out of place. She couldn't put her hoof on anything specifically, whether it was his manner of speech, or his mannerisms, or even his posture, but there was just something about him that was... off...

For Ulquiorra it was strange to observe. How one cupcake could serve as sufficient distraction to interrupt behavior brought about by a psychological issue, he didn't have a clue. To interrupt obsessive compulsive behavior, the confectionery goods supplied for the party must have some significant quality to them. Perhaps there was more to their unappetizing appearance than he first assumed.

However that was neither here nor there. Whatever crisis had been starting to form, seemed sufficiently under control right now, and his immediate presence was no longer necessary to maintain order. There were a great many ponies suddenly interested in his presence again, and a few questions that could stand to be answered. With that in mind he slipped his hand back into his pockets and turned to take his leave.

Unbeknownst leaving a silent, wide-eyed Twilight staring at him as he walked away.

"Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked at seeing her friend be so still and so silent. Had they wound up doing something wrong, in trying to prevent a neurotic meltdown, and wound up making things worse? Was all of this her fault, as she was the one who talked Ulquiorra into using his speed to pop a cupcake into Twilight's mouth? She figured that if Twilight couldn't launch into some kind of explanation she'd have to focus on something else, and it'd be enough to stop her from slipping back into old habits. At first it seemed to work, but now she wasn't sure.

"Are... are you okay?" she asked.

"... He called me Twilight..." she stated slowly, never turning around to face her directly.

"Yeah? So? That's your name, right? Why wouldn't he call you Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked, now finding herself more confused rather than concerned. What was her friend going on about this time?

"Rainbow Dash," Twilight said as she turned around to face her with a look of concern, "I need your help in finding the others, but doing so in a tactful manner. Something is definitely up, and it could turn out to be something very bad if we don't get on top of it quickly..."

One by each, each member of their little group had been pulled away from what they were doing at the party. Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Spike, Fluttershy, and even Celestia and Luna had been collected from their own endeavors. Such was hardly as easy feat to perform, all things considered, but it'd been done regardless. And once they were all gathered, they were lead off to a less occupied corner of the barn at Twilight's insistence, giving them some measure of privacy without causing suspicion like walking out of the building would.

"Okay, Twilight, what exactly was this all about?" Rainbow Dash asked from where she stood. Trying to drag Pinkie away from a party, and quietly at that, was hardly the easiest thing in the world to do. Whatever it was that got the unicorn upset, it'd better be good. If there wasn't some immediate crisis right now then she was going to be upset.

"I think Ulquiorra's suffering from poison joke exposure," Twilight stated quietly yet bluntly. She was met by eight surprised and disbelieving faces in response to her statement, and an assortment of varying noises of confusion. But thankfully there were no loud outbursts that would cause shock throughout the entire barn. Taking that as a good sign, she continued. "I saw something on his wrist just as he was putting his hand away in his pocket, something that wasn't there before. Something partially obscured by the sleeve of his jacket, I think it was a blue spot but I couldn't be sure," she explained.

"A blue spot? Just one? That seems kinda weak to go on," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "When we traipsed through poison joke the first time, we were covered in blue spots. Shouldn't he be too?" she asked. She considered asking if it might be something like a tattoo that was seen. But she'd seed the Espada without his jacket on and knew for herself that the only marking he had was that number on the left side of his chest.

Twilight shook her head in response. "Not everypony who suffers from poison joke develops the telltale blue spots. You didn't, and neither did Applejack. It's not an exact science like mathematics, it's all dependent on multiple unexplained variables," she explained. That was one of the things that made poison joke exposure so hard to diagnose. Just because there were no spots on Ulquiorra's face, that didn't mean he wasn't infected.

"But Ulquiorra Cifer is not of this world, nor even of flesh and blood. How can a Hollow be affected in such a manner?" Luna asked curiously.

Truth be told Twilight was very curious about that as well. Ulquiorra's otherworldly nature left so many questions that just didn't seem to have any answers right now. She wasn't even sure if it would be possible to get any answers about how he interacted with the world around him. She wanted to explore that question in depth, but before she could get a word out edgewise, Applejack started talking and derailed her train of thought.

"So blue spot aside, wha' exactly makes ya think Mr. Cifer's been affected. He don' really seem any diff'rent than any other time," she pointed out.

"And I know that I'm no chemist, physician, or anything else that requires such a degree, but doesn't exposure to poison joke require the better part of a day for symptoms to manifest? Ulquiorra wasn't gone even two hours in the Everfree Forest. How could he be affected so quickly after possible exposure?" Rarity asked.

"That... is a very good question. I honestly don't have an answer though. Maybe he's just started being affected and it's still in the early stages. Maybe not being of this dimension makes him easily susceptible to it," Twilight replied. It was certainly a good question to ask. She knew from her own experience that out of all of them, Spike had a significantly greater allergic reaction to poison ivy exposure; so significant that he would start developing the telltale rash less than fifteen minutes after coming into contact with it, whereas they didn't. Maybe it was the same for Ulquiorra. But nevermind that right now, there was another question to answer!

"Look. I know that Ulquiorra still seems like this usual self. Cold, merciless, blunt and such, but there's something about him that's off. Something that I should've noticed on the way up here when he referred to me by my first name," she explained. Nopony seemed to catch on, meaning she had to continue in explanation. "From the moment I met him, Ulquiorra has been nothing if not consistent in his method of address. When he addresses someone, it's always by their full name or title, just like he was first introduced to them. But on the way up here it was just "Twilight" not "Twilight Sparkle" or anything like that. It's just... it's not him."

Slowly all nine heads turned in Ulquiorra's direction, observing his interaction with the others at the party. None of them could hear just what was being said, but it looked like he was having a conversation with Mrs. Cake at the moment.

"It's not just his manner of address that's off, either. Look at him. His posture isn't as rigid as usual. His facial features aren't as hard set as they usually are. And his eyes aren't as piercing as they were earlier in the day. And he's actually mingling with the others! It's like he's... relaxed or something," Twilight pointed out.

"And that's a bad thing?" Pinkie asked.

"Yea, Twilight, is it?" Spike asked. She was making it out to be a serious problem, but the way she was talking just didn't seem to match up with what she was trying to sell. It was like she was trying to explain two different books at the same time, but one kept overlapping the other and prevented it from happening in the way she wanted. "Ulquiorra's been serious from the moment he's gotten here, rigid as a piece of wood, and always suspecting that something wrong is going to appear just around the corner. Is it really a bad thing if he's suddenly calmer than before?"

"But he's not calmer, Spike, it's not of his own volition that he's acting this way. If he's suffering from poison joke exposure then his current actions aren't guided by his own desires, but by the fact that he's been drugged and is currently in an impaired state. Right now he's no different than a pony suffering from the side effects caused by narcotics," Twilight pointed out. How could anybody think that this was currently a good thing? This wasn't the Ulquiorra that they'd come to know. Just because he wasn't experiencing a drastic change like they had, that didn't mean that it wasn't wrong. Ulquiorra was sick and in an impaired state. "We need to go to Zecora's and get a poison joke antidote," she declared.

"Do we really need to?" Rainbow Dash asked, bringing several eyes toward her in the process. "I mean, I get that the dude isn't exactly himself, but is that really a bad thing? Look at him," she said as she gestured to where he stood, now apparently interacting with Ditzy Doo's two daughters, Dinky and Sparkler. From their vantage point, they didn't seem all that put off by him. "He's not acting like such a huge pain in the flank anymore. He's not hurling terms like "illogical" or "irrelevant" about all the time. He's actually taking an interest in the things other ponies are doing. How can that be a bad thing?"

"Are ya serious?" Applejack asked in surprise, her tone barely suppressed as she faced the cyan pegasus. "Mr. Cifer ain' 'imself. Jus' 'cuz he's bein' nicer don' mean that it's a'right ta leave 'im as is. He was finally takin' a good hard interest in wha' friendship is, and ya actually wanna leave 'im all doped up an' wacky 'cause ya like 'im tha' way? Tha' don' sound like friendship ta me one bit," she stated. And that wasn't saying anything of how dishonest the idea was.

Were there aspects to Ulquiorra's personality that she didn't like? Hay yes! But that didn't mean she wanted to use something like poison joke to change his abrasiveness into something more appealing. She would never even consider such a thing, never! And it appalled her to think that one of her friends would actually suggest such a thing; least of all the one who represented the Element of Loyalty. Where was the loyalty in using somepony like that?

"I'm quite inclined to agree. Leaving someone in need in an impaired stated simply isn't the proper way to do things," Rarity replied with a huff. However a moment later her expression changed to one that wasn't quite so indignant. "But at the same time, I must also admit that my curiosity is piqued on the matter. Just what is our dear guest like in this state? Shouldn't we at least evaluate the situation, gather information, and then determine how immediate a response is necessary?" she asked.

"Say what?" Twilight asked, confused now by what her friend was saying.

"When it comes to alcohol, there are ponies who can tolerate it, and there are those that can't. Some become tipsy after as little as a sip, others can down an entire magnum of champagne and carry on a perfectly intelligible conversation without missing a beat. And while Ulquiorra isn't a pony, and it's certainly not alcohol he's being affected by, I believe the principle is the same. We've only just suspected that he's under the affect of poison joke, and so far he's not displaying anything that would be considered dangerous or inappropriate behavior. No Ceros through the roof, no picking up and hurtling ponies across the room in a show of strength. We all know that he's immeasurably strong, but so far he seems to have sufficient control of his cognitive abilities to not be posing a threat to anyone present," Rarity explained as she looked back in his direction, noting how Dinky seemed to be laughing about something that was said. Somehow that tiny act seemed like proof of her concept as far as she was concerned. "I'm not saying that we should leave him this way, as it simply wouldn't be right. I'm just asking if we truly need to treat the situation like it's a full blown emergency. One spot and a slight change in demeanor does not a crisis make."

Twilight nodded slightly in understanding of what Rarity was saying. She'd read about the effects of alcohol on ponies, and how body chemistry, diet, and even time of consumption could all contribute to a pony's rate and degree of inebriation. But this was still uncharted territory to be in. Poison joke was unpredictable and there was no way of telling just how Ulquiorra might be affected. He might be just fine, but then again he might not. Waiting around could be risky.

"Um..." Fluttershy mumbled, almost too quietly to be heard over the background noise of the party. But regardless of that fact she had indeed been heard by those closest to her, all of whom were now watching her. Now she really wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. But she'd started to say something important, and she needed to finish it. "Is there... I mean... is it... um... would it really be a bad thing if we left Ulquiorra as he is? Just for a little while?" she asked.

Twilight was about to say something, but Luna raised her hoof in silent objection, signalling to let Fluttershy continue speaking without interruption.

"W-what I mean is..." she stuttered, pausing out of nervousness, "Ulquiorra's never gotten to experience happiness. You can tell just by listening to him talk. He doesn't know what it's like to have friends or anything like that and it's... it's just so sad. If we, I mean maybe we should, I mean..." she stopped and took a deep breath in an effort to steady herself. This was proving really hard to say. She needed to dig deep down and find the necessary strength to finish what she was saying. "Is there any harm in letting Ulquiorra stay like he is? Just for a few hours? If the poison joke is really relaxing him, and he's experiencing what it's like to not be uptight at all times... maybe he'd be able relax on his own when we get him the antidote? Maybe... maybe he could actually learn how to be happy?"

It'd taken so much strength to get it all out. And now that she had, she felt like she was going to collapse where she stood from sheer exhaustion. She felt something soft touching her back shortly after she finished speaking. Looking up she saw Luna's wing extended and draped over her back in support, a comforting smile on her face.

It wasn't the most eloquently worded argument Twilight had ever heard. But regardless of that fact, Fluttershy had added her two bits to the debate, and the reasoning behind her position. She would admit that it was certainly a novel idea to consider. But there was simply no way of telling what would happen. There was no way of even telling if Ulquiorra truly was relaxed, or if he simply appeared that way due to the poison joke's influence.

Right now there were a lot of differing opinions coming from everybody, and she didn't know how to sort this out. Right now there was only one option that came to mind that made sense. She turned to look at Celestia, seeing as she had the greatest deal of wisdom on difficult matters like this.

"What should we do, Princess?" she finally asked. She hadn't used that term of address with regard to Celestia in a while, and it felt strange to do so again after such an absence. But at the exact same time it felt right under these circumstances. They were in need of a ruler right now, not a friend.

"What do you think we should do, Twilight?" Celestia asked after a momentary pause, putting the question right back on her. "This is a very unique situation right now. This is the type of situation a ruler must face every day, where there are no easy answers available. I could certainly give my opinion on the matter, but as I said we're not here in an official capacity," she explained.

"But-" Twilight began to protest but was cut off.

"Just for the time being, Twilight, let's pretend that you are a Princess, and must make a decision for your subjects since they've sought out your wisdom," Celestia stated. The amused look on Luna's face at her statements was certainly not missed by her, but she chose to ignore it for the time being. "You've been presented with a problem, and the others have all presented their points of view. We know that we can't allow Ulquiorra to be impaired indefinitely. Nor will we consider such an approach The question relies purely on the short term right now. How do we best address the problem, and what should our course of action be? How do you believe we should address the situation?"

To put in simple terms, Twilight didn't know exactly what to think right now. This reminded her a great deal of the setup to the entire Crystal Kingdom mess. She'd been told that she had to face an important test, freaked out over it, and then discovered just what that test was.

But that had been before the major cluster fuck of last week where everything had been turned upside down, to an extent that even Discord would turn green with envy over. After that complication she didn't really know how to feel. This question she was presented with didn't generate the same freakout response she had back then.

Not that such a fact made the situation any easier to deal with. It just changed the feel of everything. In the end they were still faced with the same problem as previously; Ulquiorra was more than likely suffering from poison joke affliction, her friends were divided over just what the proper course of action was, and Celestia thought that it was best to put her in charge of the decision making.

"Come on, Twilight, this is where the rubber meets the road. It's decision making time, and apparently your intellect is the one everypony is counting on," she told herself in an effort construct a motivational speech. Unfortunately it wasn't doing much good. "Alright forget the motivational speech. Try to stop thinking about the fact that Ulquiorra's a friend, and everypony is wanting to leave him as is for one reason or another. Let's look at this from a logical, scientific approach. We've got Ulquiorra, an Espada, a life form not indigenous to any region of Equestria, and he's been exposed to poison joke. We have no idea how he's being affected, or even if he is being affected. It's all just mere speculation at this point. There's no telling what the long term of this situation is. For all we know Ulquiorra's Hollow nature might allow him to overcome infection at an accelerated rate... meaning that even if we went to Zecora's right now, he might be cured by the time we get back. Maybe... as much as you hate to admit that you're thinking about it right now... maybe this is a good opportunity to gather scientific evidence first..."

So much for trying to sort things out in her head. She was quickly realizing that she was as bad as the rest of them. Here Ulquiorra was afflicted and possibly suffering, and she was willing to make an experiment out of him for her own selfish purposes. What kind of friend was that?

At least she wasn't completely alone in such a fact. Maybe she could take solace in that fact, as she turned to face them all directly.

"Alright," she said and paused to take a breath, "the first course of business is talk to Ulquiorra and see how he currently feels. If he doesn't show any signs of distress, then we'll step back and observe, and allow him to continue operating in his current state as we observe. If all is well with him, we'll give him the duration of the party so he can continue his interactions, in hopes that his time under the poison joke will be somehow beneficial once he's cured. Maybe he can learn new experiences, maybe not. I just don't know. But how we respond should be based upon what's best for Ulquiorra right now, not what is it that we want. If he expresses discomfort for his current state, we go for the antidote. If he starts displaying any signs of becoming dangerous, we immobilize him and go for the antidote before he can hurt anypony. But until then we just play it by ear, observe, and hope for the best," she explained, finding it quite easy to slip into the leader role despite her own uncertainty. "And may Faust forgive me for deciding to use Ulquiorra as a lab rat. I am so, so sorry..."

Celestia said nothing, but gave a comforting smile as she reached out with a feathery wing to stroke her mane along her neck. She really didn't want to put Twilight in such a difficult position, but such positions were common for those in charge, and that was something that she'd need to learn and understand, and do so soon.

"And how do we determine if Ulquiorra Cifer is under the affects of poison joke without rousing suspicion?" Luna asked them. Now that the decision was made, she wanted to see what happens next.

"I'm quite certain that we'll figure something out. In the meantime though, we should probably get back to the party so as to not rouse suspicion. If we simply loiter here in the corner others will wonder what's up," Rarity replied. And besides being suspicious, she really didn't want to appear as standoffish.

They had a plan and a course of action selected. Now all they needed to do was wait and see how things progressed before moving any further. With a nod the nine went back to mingling, acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary, leaving none the wiser as to what was gone on.

None except for three sets of ears that had just happened to be at the right place at the wrong time, unseen the whole time as their presence had been obstructed by several large bails of hay...

"So what exactly are we doing out here?"

Outside of the barn, and away from the festivities, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had gathered in order to talk uninterrupted by what was taking place inside. There were simply too much noisy adults present for them to have a conversation without being interrupted or eavesdropped on. Often times that was par for course with them. But what wasn't par for the course was the fact that both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were also present; being more or less dragged out of the barn had left them little choice in the matter.

"And why exactly did you dumb blank flanks have to involve us anyway?" Diamond Tiara asked, annoyed beyond all measure at how she'd been so unceremoniously involved in all of this.

"Wha's goin' on is Mr. Cifer's sufferin' from poison joke. An' the adults 're jus' leavin' him tha' way," Apple Bloom explained. Even after saying it, even after actually hearing it for herself, she still couldn't believe that it was the truth. Even her own sister was going along with such a scheme? That was just plain unacceptable, "So wha' we're gonna do is take care o' business ourselves. An' you're gonna help us do jus' that," she concluded, emphasizing the last part by pointing her hoof at the two stuck up fillies, much to their surprise and disbelief.

Scootaloo nodded in agreement. "You're gonna come with us to Zecora's, you're gonna help us gather ingredients for a potion, and you're gonna help us bring back an antidote to cure him," she added.

"Oh yeah? And why should we do any of that for the likes of you?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"Because ya owe Mr. Cifer, tha's why. If it weren't fer him ya never woulda known Silver Spoon was replaced by a changeling," Apple Bloom pointed out.

"What?" Silver Spoon asked as she turned to face her best friend. "Diamond is that true? You honestly couldn't tell me apart from one of those icky changelings?"

"I thought you had a sore throat and that's why you weren't talking," Diamond Tiara protested in defense of her actions.

"And besides owing him, you owe us. Don't forget that we're the ones that actually found where they stashed Silver Spoon and the others," Scootaloo was quick to point out, not even stopping to consider that they finally had something to hold over their heads. Not even stopping to let the drama play out between the two over the revelation that one friend couldn't recognize when the other wasn't who they were supposed to be.

Sweetie Belle nodded. "Helping us help Ulquiorra would be the best course of action for everyone all around. I really don't think it would be a good reflection on the two of you, if it were ever discovered that you two didn't at least try to help somebody that's regarded as a national hero two times over," she pointed out, deciding that if they were going to make use of their assistance, the best course of action would be to paint the situation in terms that they could fully understand. "What would the rest of the class, nevermind the town, say if they found out it was three blank flanked fillies who were the only ones that chose to do the right thing, while everyone else let a hero continue to operate in an impaired state?"

"Not that we've got anything against that. If you wanna hang back and miss out on the awesomeness of being heroes, that's fine by us. But things would go a lot faster with a couple extra sets of helping hooves," Scootaloo stated. It was definitely an interesting situation to find themselves in; either they could keep all the glory for themselves and do the right thing, or they could share the glory and see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon covered in mud, tree sap, and whatever else they had to crawl through in order to get the necessary ingredients.

Either way they really couldn't lose. It was more or less a matter of preference, like choosing between rocky road or chocolate chunk vanilla ice cream; you couldn't go wrong regardless of the choice.

"But that witch lives in the Everfree Forest. It's too dangerous for a bunch of fillies like us to be running around in unsupervised," Silver Spoon pointed out.

Apple Bloom frowned at this. "First off Zecora's not a witch, she's a shaman," she stated, not liking the term that'd been used to describe somepony she liked to consider as a friend. "Second of all, fightin' dragons is dangerous too, but Mr. Cifer did tha' regardless o' the fact. He saved Ponyville an' all o' us at the very least. If we can' rise ta the occasion when he needs somepony's help, wha' exactly does that say about us?"

Nopony said a word in opposition after that, knowing full well that Apple Bloom was right. They were dealing with somepony -somebody as he would say- that was a hero in so many ways, who was experiencing his own time of need, and the others were doing nothing to help him despite knowing that he was in need. And if the adults weren't going to do anything beneficial, then it fell on them to pull up the slack! At least that's how the Crusaders saw it from their own view of the world.

"But shouldn't we at least let some adults know what we're going to do, before we actually do it?" Silver Spoon asked. The three turned to look at her as if she'd just asked the dumbest thing that could ever be asked. "I mean, we're talking about heading into the Everfree Forest by ourselves, without adult supervision. Don't you think it'd be wise to have somepony know in case they need to start looking for us next?"

"Don't be a foal," Scootaloo replied dismissively as she gestured toward the barn and through the space between the barely open doors. "Haven't you seen what's going on in there? All the adults are under some kinda spell or something. They like him this way even though it's not the real him. If we told them what we were doing they'd probably stop us from doing the right thing."

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked at each other and blinked in disbelief. Trying to talk sense into these three was impossible! They were dead set on this crazy idea, and there didn't seem to be anything they could do to stop them from going through with it.

"Stay here, go, I don't care really. Standing around and talking won't get us anywhere. I'm outta here," Scootaloo stated and took off at full gallop, anxious to do something constructive.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle didn't say anything as they took off, eager to catch up with their friend and fellow crusader. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon just continued to look at each other.

"Well Diamond, what do we do now?" Silver Spoon finally asked. Sometimes it was wise to lead, but in other times -times like this- it was best to follow. Surely Diamond Tiara knew what the best course of action would be; she was the oldest after all.

"... You know they're right, don't you?" Diamond Tiara asked after what felt like a five minute pause, as she desperately tried to make sense of everything. "It'd be bad for us if they got the glory and we didn't. That'd make it so much harder to say anything to them if they got a medal or something," she pointed out, feeling repulsed for just thinking of such a ridiculous thing. "Besides that, if they go get themselves killed, all our hard work won't even amount to a pile of manure."

At that statement Silver Spoon frowned, and she frowned hard. Diamond Tiara had a very good point right there. And it was a point she knew better than almost anypony.

To an uninitiated outsider, what she and Diamond Tiara did to others might look like stereotypical bullying done by the well off at the expense of those decidedly less well off, all for their own amusement. And while neither one of them could -or would- deny that at least part of what they did was based on that simple concept, there was a much deeper aspect to their interactions. Perhaps the simplest way of trying to explain it was to say it was a form of tough love. Locate a target, infuriate them with criticism over some field of insufficiency, then stand back and observe the resulting developments. Sometimes the only way to get others motivated to succeed in their endeavors, was to get them riled up to the point they strive for success out of pure spite. Some cases were just difficult like that.

Besides, considering how nonsensical those three could be, they needed all the motivation they could get if they were going to succeed at anything; especially if that was getting their cutie marks. Sometimes they were simply too apathetic to strive for success on their own.

They'd invested far too much of their own time into those three blank flanks, laughing at their expense while simultaneously driving them to try harder at what they did -which sometimes lead to very amusing results, again at their expense- to just throw it all away now. Besides that, if they got killed then they'd never have the chance to rub it in their faces how they'd been the driving force that motivated them to get their cutie marks.

"Well what the hay are we waiting for?" Silver Spoon asked before charging ahead to catch up with the others. She wasn't about to throw away all her hard efforts for nothing.

Diamond Tiara didn't say anything and simply followed after Silver Spoon, to make sure her friend would stay alright, and to make sure the others didn't die on this ridiculous quest.

"There'd better be a medal and recognition for doing this..." she thought to herself, before following after them.

Chapter Forty Three

Chapter Forty Three

"I'm tellin' ya, bro, with the level of digit dexterity ya got, ya could crank out some wicked tunes on any instrument ya pick up!"

As far as Ulquiorra was concerned, this entire gathering was most odd in nature. The level of interaction he was having with others greatly exceeded anything he assumed would be realistic, all things considered. He was more or less sought out and pulled into conversations about varying topics, with an enthusiasm that was all too unusual from his perspective.

Filthy Rich wished to discuss business propositions with him, despite the fact that he'd witnessed a relatively brutal slaying to one changeling right inside Barnyard Bargains.

The next interaction he had was with Cup Cake of Sugarcube Corner. She was mostly interested in how he was faring, and how their fine land compared to his foreign land. All in all it was a rather strange interaction.

Ditzy Doo's youngest daughter, Dinky Hooves, had enjoyed questioning him about unusual things, and laughing at the way he talked when he provided answers. Apparently his particular style of speech served as a source of amusement to the filly, much to her older sister's chagrin.

The pegasus colt by the name of Rumble hadn't been sure of just what he wished to discuss, and terminated his interaction shortly after initiating it.

And now the unicorn Vinyl Scratch was talking about his potential for musical aptitude due simply to the nature of his hands. Apparently the only other ones who had the potential to match him, were either unicorns or gryphons. For whatever reason, she seemed the most intent on conversing with him at the moment. Even after their initial meeting in the park, she still seemed to possess incredible intent when it came to interacting with him.

"I would assume musical inclination to be the more important of the two factors. And it is a factor I don't possess," he replied. How long did she intend to keep up this nonsense before acknowledging that it was a lost cause. "Furthermore, I fail to see how anything could be cranked out, as none of the instruments you've shown me possess anything even remotely similar to a crank mechanism."

He was certain that would be the end of the discussion. Unfortunately his statement seemed to do nothing to deter the white unicorn, as she simply started laughing in response to his statement. He no more understood it than he did Zecora's amusement. What exactly was so funny on this matter?

"Vinyl."

His attention turned away from the white unicorn before him, to Twilight as she approached. Perhaps the question of what exactly was so funny, was one that wouldn't be answered anytime soon.

"Oh hey Twilight, how's it shakin'?" Vinyl asked as she turned her attention towards her and away from Ulquiorra.

"Uh..." Twilight paused, uncertain of just what that particular usage of slang meant in this particular situation. Sometimes she wondered whether Vinyl Scratch or Rainbow Dash were the worst offender of such language indecency. But she continued regardless. "I'm just seeing how everything's going. Making sure the guest of honor is enjoying himself," she explained as she turned her attention to Ulquiorra.

Guest of honor? That was certainly a title he never thought that he would ever hold. But then again that was nothing new, as he'd been experiencing a lot of strange things lately.

"So how is everything going, Ulquiorra? Are you enjoying your party?" Twilight asked him.

"At present time I'm uncertain. This is the first gathering of this kind that I've ever been privy to, making it difficult to determine how things are proceeding. Furthermore, no one has ever taken the time to ask me about my own state of enjoyment before. It's a question for which I have no available answer," Ulquiorra replied. It was certainly a unique question, if nothing else.

"But you believe everything is alright, right?" Twilight asked further. "Nothing like dizziness, disorientation, dry mouth, or itchy skin to distract you from the party?"

"None," Ulquiorra replied, becoming mildly curious at this line of questioning he was being presented. "Why?" he asked, noting a shift in Twilight's posture at his own questioning. This was starting to remind him of his own questioning of Zecora in an effort to gain information regarding her tale of roho mlanji.

"Let's just say that Pinkie's parties can be kind of disorienting to someone who's not accustomed to them. I know I sure was when she threw a surprise party the first day I moved to Ponyville," Twilight replied.

Vinyl nodded in agreement with her statement. "Ain't it the truth. Pinkie's a nice mare, but sometimes being around her when she's excited makes my ears ring something fierce. Might wanna add that ta the list o' things."

He would admit that was a reasoning he could fully understand. Pinkie was an anomaly that he didn't fully grasp, nor was he entirely certain that he truly wished to attempt and grasp. There were certain things that were better off being left undisturbed and unapproached. And at the moment the pink earth pony would seem to qualify as one of those things. Or at the very least she sat on the fence of such a classification.

Again he found himself wondering about what kind of chaos could be had should Pinkie ever find her way to Las Noches. What would the ultimate planning abilities of Aizen amount to when put up against the unpredictable nature of the pink earth pony?

Perhaps that would be the invariable meeting between the irresistible force and the immovable object. It was... almost amusing to consider the kind of chaos that could be possible in such a situation. The meeting between Pinkie and Yammy Llargo by itself would likely yield significant interest, as the Diez Espada lashed out against the perpetually cheerful earth pony.

Of course that was assuming anyone was still alive in Las Noches to begin with. The destruction to the city caused by his fight against Ichigo Kurosaki, as well as whatever else had occurred during his absence, left him wondering -or more accurately, doubting- if anything was actually left that could be returned to.

Now that he stopped and thought on it, what could the current state of his own dimension be if Aizen had succeeded in his mission? What would occur should the Spirit King actually be killed? And what would Aizen do once he actually achieved his goal?

Were any of the other Espada still alive? What of the many Arrancar that had been gathered to serve? Had they survived their clashes with the forces of the Gotei Thirteen? And if they did, had they survived Aizen himself? If he had accomplished his goals, and thus no longer had need of their services, had he eliminated them? He was a Shinigami after all, it was in their nature to do such. And if he had no more need of them, it stood to reason that he would do such.

That brought about another thought. But unlike all the previous ones, this was one of a truly disturbing nature. What if he was the last living Hollow to be found? What if all of Hueco Mundo, and everything that was present, had been utterly wiped out of existence.

He had no idea just why the thought was disturbing in nature. That in itself was an utter mystery. All he knew for certain, was that it was disturbing to give any consideration to.

And perhaps even more disturbing than that possibility, was the fact that he'd just discovered that his mind had been wandering. What started off as simply agreeing with how Pinkie Pie was a mystery, had left him pondering on whether or not there were any other Hollows left alive back in his own dimension; two topics that were supposed to have absolutely nothing to do with each other, and yet one had indeed lead him indirectly to the other.

"These ponies are more of a corrupting influence than I initially suspected. It would seem that even I am not immune to their innate ability to spread nonsense, as if it were the common cold," he thought.

"Ulquiorra?"

His attention came back to the present and his surroundings. Had his mind wandered to an even greater degree than he had been aware of? Looking over he saw Twilight as well as Vinyl looking at him in a confused and uncertain manner.

"Are you alright?" Twilight asked as she stepped closer to him.

"Ya kinda zoned out on us there. First we were talkin' about Pinks, an' the next thing I know you're standin' still like a statue in the park." Vinyl elaborated, "something botherin' ya?"

Very strange. He must have been distracted for more than just a few seconds if others had taken notice. Usually his thinking process was much faster than that. Thinking back to the conversation he'd had in Canterlot palace in the immediate aftermath of the changeling incident, he'd been able to deduce five very complicated questions in a relatively short amount of time.

It was something that would need to be addressed later. For now there were other matters at hand to deal with.

"Merely absorbed in my own thoughts. There are a great many things going on right now, and I'm uncertain exactly how to respond accordingly. Being the first gathering I've ever been present for, I'm left lacking much information on what's appropriate," he elaborated. That seemed to be the most accurate recollection he could give currently. There were too many ponies around who hadn't been vetted, to go into greater detail at this point. There was only so much that could be said around them without resulting in a breach of security.

"But you're alright?" Twilight asked again as she came a step closer to his position.

"To the best of my abilities to make such a determination, I believe so," he replied, "what of yourself?"

"Huh?" Twilight asked in uncertainty.

"The others explained that when subjected to times of great stress, you succumb to obsessive compulsive tendencies in order to introduce structure to what is perceived as a chaotic environment. Being uncertain of which stressor was responsible for your episode, I can only speculate. What is your current condition?" he asked.

To Twilight that was a question she truly didn't expect to be presented with. Ulquiorra was actually taking an interest in how she was? He was asking how she was doing? That was... highly unusual for him. And it just lent credibility to her theory, on which she'd been trying to gather more information.

But at the same time she couldn't really deny that him taking an interest in her wellbeing -artificial as it might've been- was a nice change from the usual.

"Oh," she replied and thought for a moment, "I'm alright now. Thanks for asking. It's just been really stressful lately. A lot of things going on, one thing leads to another, you know how it goes," she explained.

"Truly I don't. The fact that such a problem hasn't arisen until just now strikes me as very odd in nature. Looked at from a certain point of view, it seems contrived. As if it were a random thought that would be added to a story with no buildup to suggest its prior existence before that point in time. Almost as if it were nothing more than an afterthought," he explained.

Twilight blinked, unprepared to be presented with a statement structured in such a manner. "That's a... very literary way of explaining things. Do you do any creative writing?" she asked, highly intrigued by the notion of the Espada actually having a creative side to him. Maybe this poison joke incident could actually give them some insight into his character. Maybe the others were right for wanting to wait before acting.

"I do not. However the principle is still the same," he replied as he looked at her. "Why was this matter not brought up before now?"

And then again, maybe even poison joke couldn't make him do something he didn't want to do. There were way too many variables going on right now to tack them all down in a coherent manner. But she'd worry about that later, she had other matters to tend to; such as this potential invasion of privacy she was being faced with.

"First and foremost, it's not exactly something you bring up during the introductory phase of meeting someone new. It's rude, unnecessary, and could be construed as an effort to generate sympathy from someone, or as a leverage tool to inspire greater willingness for interaction than would be had under normal circumstances. It might even be construed as an attempt to gain pity. I'd much rather be treated by others as an intellectual equal rather than a charity case. And if I've done anything to suggest otherwise then I apologize for such," she explained. "Secondly, it's not something I like to discuss openly. I'm aware that I have a problem sometimes, that I get carried away in my need for things to be organized. But that doesn't mean I want it to be constantly addressed, as if I believe others have to be reminded of the fact. It's rude, and highly counterproductive in establishing communication with others. Thirdly, it's something that I believed I had under control, and thus didn't need to constantly discuss it like it was a fresh, ongoing problem that was in need of address. It's an issue I've been working on and getting help for, but it doesn't define who I am. Sometimes slips and relapses just happen when we're not thinking straight. That doesn't mean it's a serious issue though. Nor does not mentioning it previously mean that it's some contrived issue that was just thought up on the fly."

This really wasn't something she wanted to talk about. not out in the open and around other ponies anyway. But Ulquiorra had pressed the issue, necessitating her to speak up. Trying to move him to a less occupied spot of the barn simply wouldn't have been a possibility, meaning others would have to hear what it was that she had to say about herself. Whether or not that would affect future interactions, and to what extent, it would meaning waiting and seeing.

"You're not the only one," Vinyl replied quietly, speaking up for the first time since the two had begun their conversation. Twilight was looking at her more than Ulquiorra currently. "I've kinda got a thing of my own. I count steps."

"... Say... what now?" Twilight asked. Where had that come from, and what was she talking about?

"Steps. I count each step in every set of stairs I go up or down. But it's not something I like talking about to just anypony because..." she paused as she looked around the room in an effort to judge the current concentration of potential eavesdroppers before continuing in her elaboration. "It doesn't matter how many times I go up them or down them, I still count them. It's like I can't do one without the other. Sometimes... sometimes I feel like I need to count them backwards too... like one might've disappeared on me when I wasn't looking. There are fifteen stairs to the stairwell in my house that lead to the second floor, and I still count them. And it's not just the stairs either, it's the floors too. There might be fifteen stairs, but there are seventeen steps that have to be climbed," she explained, loud enough for the two of them, and only the two of them, to actually hear what she had to say.

Twilight blinked. That had been incredibly weird, and to say nothing of random. Where exactly had that come from? The disc jockey pony was just standing there and admitting to having some idiosyncrasy that she supposedly had? Now that seemed contrived in nature. This sudden revelation was very random, very out of left field, very... nice of her to do, to try and make her feel like her need for organization wasn't the weirdest thing out there.

"Note to self: See about talking with Vinyl more often," she thought as she smiled. "That's actually rather interesting. Tell me, Vinyl, why count the floors as additional steps when they're not actually integrated into the structure of the staircase?"

Ulquiorra simply said nothing about the strange revelation being made. He'd been aware from the beginning that these ponies possessed strange idiosyncratic behaviors. However he wasn't aware of the true depths that said idiosyncrasies ran. Nor was he able to find any reason to be interested in learning about such.

However Twilight's reasoning did make a good deal of sense to him, leaving one less mystery to address. It seemed reasonable that she wouldn't want to be known by her disorder, whatever it might be. However, as he addressed an itching sensation at his neck just under the collar of his jacket, he couldn't help but wonder how many others were going to arise before another could be adequately addressed. What exactly was going to be happening next in this strange world?

To put in the simplest terms available, absolutely every single part of Diamond Tiara's body was aching right now. Her legs ached with every step she took, her back was screaming at her, her lungs burnt and strained her ribs, and if she wasn't allowed to rest very soon, she was going to start heaving her guts out from severe physical exhaustion.

Next to her, Silver Spoon didn't appear to be doing much better. This was shaping up to be a stupid, stupid idea! Traipsing through the Everfree Forest to keep three dumb, useless, blank flanked fillies from getting eaten by something? Why had they even agreed to do this in the first place!?

Making it all the worse was the fact that said dumb, useless, blank flanked fillies weren't showing any signs that would indicate them experiencing the same physical exhaustion. They still seemed just as fresh as when they'd started on this journey of theirs. It was like perpetual motion of something, it was just plain unnatural!

"I need to rest," Silver Spoon panted as she trudged along. Keeping pace with the other three was proving to be outright impossible, but keeping sight of them was starting to become an equally impossible goal to achieve. If something didn't change then they were going to get left behind.

"Ain't no time fer rest," Apple Bloom commented as they kept walking along like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"If I don't get a chance to sit down and catch my breath, I'm gonna puke," Diamond Tiara whined through her exaggerated gasps for air.

"That's not our problem," Scootaloo stated as she stepped under a low hanging branch.

"How come you three aren't the least bit tired? We must've been walking for hours by now," Silver Spoon complained.

"Fifteen minutes actually," Sweetie Belle corrected as she slid around the side of a rock in their path.

"This ain't nothin'. We do more running around than this in a single day when we go out crusadin'," Apple Bloom pointed out. Compared to some of their efforts this was like a walk in the park... even if the particular park was the Everfree Forest as they walked to Zecora's. The only reason they weren't currently galloping was because they couldn't take the risk of the two slackers getting hopelessly lost on the way.

Behind them Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara groaned. Both from the fact that there would be no rest for the weary, and because of the revelation that'd come from Apple Bloom's word sinking in. They were saying the reason they were so strong was because of how much exertion they put into getting their cutie marks! They'd wound up creating this problem themselves, and now they had to pay the price for it! They were being hoist by their own petards!

"We've created three monsters," Silver Spoon moaned and hung her head.

"Three blank flanked, strong as a bulldozer, monsters," Diamond Tiara stated, feeling the distance between them growing wider apart. Unicorns and pegasi weren't meant to have so much physical strength to them!

"Diamond," Silver Spoon panted, "do me a favor. Find a rock, and put me out of my misery..."

Diamond Tiara ignored her friend's theatrics, instead trying to focus on not losing sight of the three up ahead of her. Getting left behind had no appeal to it. Apple Bloom had already threatened to tie them to a tree and leave them behind like mutts if they couldn't keep up.

There had better be a medal in it for them after all they were going through.

There were a lot of things that Celestia truly had no care for. Among them was the use of widespread magic over her subjects, for whatever reason. She had tried to reconcile her actions with herself, telling herself that the course of action she'd taken had been necessary. But despite her best efforts, she couldn't truly do that.

Twilight was aware of the one spell she'd used on the ponies in the immediate area, the one that suppressed their fear of Ulquiorra in order to allow for unrestricted interaction with the Espada at the party currently taking place. However she hadn't been informed of the second spell that was in place. The one that had been cast on the assembled ponies, that was designed to leave them relaxed around the diarchy, and treat them like they were just any other ponies. She told herself that it was the best course of action to take for everyone involved, but that didn't necessarily mean that she actually believed her own words.

Being in charge was such a pain in the flanks at times.

That didn't even take into account all of the efforts being made to keep things running smoothly with regard to Ulquiorra. The powers that be were more or less working overtime to keep the rumor mill in check, and prevent panic from overtaking the land. The fact that anypony had asked about the incident from several days ago, meant that she hadn't had everything under control. And now she was doing damage control to prevent panic.

But that would only work for so long. Even with everything she commanded, only so much could be done. Sooner or later she would have to address the matter openly; maybe even release a press statement.

"I think Twilight might've been right about it being poison joke."

It'd been a hushed statement that snapped her out of her own thoughts. Looking to her side she saw that it was Rainbow Dash addressing her as she sat. That was a little bit unexpected, she was certain it would've been Twilight updating her on such.

"Are you sure?" Celestia asked as she turned her attention to the cyan pegasus.

"Kinda. I think I saw spots under his collar when he was scratching his neck. Twi' might know what she's talking about," Rainbow Dash explained as she looked over to where Ulquiorra currently was, that being in a conversation about Pinkie regarding something or other.

"Has he displayed any strange behavior that might be grounds for concern? Anything that might actually confirm our suspicion?" Celestia asked. The fact that he was actually conversing with Pinkie in and of itself struck her as strange in nature, but not necessarily as something to actually cause concern. At least not just yet.

"Nothing yet. So far he's just mellow and stuff. It's weird seeing him like that," Rainbow Dash replied she said as she watched with Celestia, before turning her attention elsewhere. "Even weirder how only Twilight noticed something possibly being out of place."

"Yes, I can understand how such a revelation could be disconcerting to consider," Celestia replied as she gave a nod. "We like to think that we have a firm grasp on the world around us, that we'd be aware of something being out of place. And yet when it comes down to it, we're just as oblivious of such as rocks are to the wind."

That was a little deeper than Rainbow Dash was expecting to encounter. But she nodded in agreement even if she didn't completely get it, figuring it was better than looking dumb and asking her what exactly she meant. Simply because they were on more relaxed terms, that didn't mean that she wanted to appear as a complete idiot around Celestia.

"So what exactly is Pinkie doing right now?" Celestia asked her.

"I think she's trying to teach the dude some party games..."

Ulquiorra looked down at the strange implement currently resting in his hand, consisting of some piece of fabric and what looked like a push pin. To say he didn't understand it would be an understatement.

"What exactly is the purpose of this?" he finally asked. Whatever Pinkie was up to, there would need to be greater elaboration before he could do anything one way or another.

"It's for a game of "pin the tail on the pony" Ulqy!"

Hardly elaboration to any significant degree. If anything it just lead to greater confusion, as he looked around the room.

"All of the ponies present appear to be in possession of their tails," he replied, pointing out what should be rather obvious, "furthermore, I fail to see how such a concept could be considered a game. Wouldn't using a push pin result in bodily harm to the recipient? I don't foresee anyone volunteering for such a duty."

It was a concise, logical explanation of how he saw the situation. The only thing that had been left out was how, if any pony was truly missing their tail, the reattachment was best done in a hospital following proper medical procedures, rather than attempting to tack it on in a manner that would never heal and rather serve as a useless, lifeless stump that would rot away and potentially cause serious infection in the process.

Adding to his uncertainty over the whole matter, Pinkie merely laughed in response. He was apparently missing something, but he wasn't sure just what it was yet. Adding to the confusion was how other assembled ponies were also laughing.

"You don't play it with a real pony, silly, the idea is to try and pin the tail on the picture of a pony while blindfolded," she stated and gestured over to the other side a room, where a rough caricature drawing meant to represent a pony -minus its tail- was being pinned to the barn wall.

He looked at the drawing, and then back at the mockup tail that rested in his palm. The general idea of this whole thing was beginning to take form in his mind. But that still didn't mean he possessed a sufficient grasp of just how it was supposed to be entertaining to engage in.

However, judging by the look in the pink pony's eyes, he was about to be shown why others found it entertaining, even if it truly wasn't.

Perhaps he shouldn't have agreed to go along with what the foals had asked about.

"This can't end well, can it?" Celestia asked.

"Probably not," Rainbow Dash replied as they watched.

"Do you think we should intervene before something happens?" Celestia asked.

"I don't think it's reached that point yet. I think we should wait and see where this goes first. Who knows, we might be pleasantly surprised. Right now I'm gonna grab a cupcake, settle in, and catch the show," Rainbow Dash commented. However no sooner had she spoke, did a cupcake present itself before her, wrapped in a golden aura. Looking up she saw it was Celestia's work, snagging each of them a cupcake to snack on. "Thanks."

"No trouble at all. That's what friends are for," Celestia replied before taking a bite of what promised to be a most delicious frosted chocolate cupcake.

Except it didn't taste all that delicious. And it most certainly didn't taste like chocolate. This cupcake was tainted by something that was a sickly shade of green oozing out of the center.

It was okra paste!

There was only one pony in all of Equestria that would have the unmitigated gall to even dare and defile her confectionery treats with a source as wicked and vile as the much hated/feared/loathed okra paste!

"LUNA!"

It was a bellow from across the room that met with such intensity of force against Luna's mind, that she was nearly blown over from the nonphysical impact of it. Her pleasant conversation with Fluttershy and Rarity had been interrupted with great malice that was felt rather than heard from audible words. It was the kind of bellow that could only be experienced through the magic of a telepathic link shared by two alicorn sisters for discrete communication, in situations where conversation along more traditional routes wasn't a possibility.

Looking over to where Celestia sat, Luna took in her appearance. She was calmly sitting down, maintaining the usual face she did when dealing with their subjects in an official capacity. It was one of the best poker faces in existence, as it gave no indication of how she was really feeling right now. The serenity she attempted to portray stood in direct contrast with the tone of her telepathic voice.

This could either be a source of great fun, or great misery. she wasn't sure as to which just yet.

"Is there a problem, dear sister?" she asked along the same telepathic lines that had been opened.

"You know very well that there's a problem. Nopony else would think to use okra paste to defile sweet baked goods," Celestia replied angrily, wanting so angrily to crush the cupcake within her grasp right now.

"Oh. That," Luna replied. Suddenly trying to maintain her own poker face was proving incredibly difficult, as she so dearly wanted to laugh at imagining the kind of face her sister so dearly wanted to be showing right now. "Thou didst bring it upon thyself. Thou didst start this war of pranks, we art only abiding by the rules of engagement," she replied, before quickly adding, "besides, thou didst most certainly deserve it! Thou knowest how much we hate mashed alfalfa!"

Celestia was left mentally stammering as she attempted to construct a proper response. She could feel the veneer of serenity cracking before her right now, and the urge to engage in truly juvenile behavior right here and now, was growing stronger by the second.

"Thou art in so much trouble once we return to the palace, thou little brat," she shot back.

"Then perhaps we shalt have our fun now while the opportunity is still present. If we art to be punished, then 'tis only appropriate we are punished for something significant," Luna replied, unfazed by what her sister was telling her.

"Laugh it up, Lulu, just you wait," Celestia warned.

"Thou may wish to laugh it up thyself, dear sister. It doth promise to be a long night indeed, and thou wilt fall asleep long before we retire with the rising of the new day's sun. Thou cannot stay awake all the time. Anything could happen," Luna replied, the grin she was mentally giving practically being felt over the telepathic link.

Silence. Utter silence crossing the link, yet Luna could tell that the horrors of her words were properly sinking in and getting the point across. She could feel her sister's uneasiness, and could only imagine the look on her face just beneath that veneered poker face she was trying so desperately to maintain.

"... Oh fuck me..."

At that squeaky little comment from her sister, Luna lost it and burst out laughing, much to the confusion of those around her.

"... And tha's the story, Zecora," Apple Bloom said in conclusion of her tale to the zebra shaman, explaining the perceived severity of the situation, as well as why they'd ventured so far out to find her.

Zecora listened quietly as her guests explained the matter. She didn't exactly know how Ulquiorra had managed to become afflicted with poison joke, as she'd made sure to show him the path around the current growth of the season. Yet according to them he was suffering from it, for whatever reason. Had he not heeded her warning and simply traipsed through it without regard for its presence?

Or... could it have been exposure to the pollen? It seemed absurd to give any consideration to. Poison joke affliction from pollen alone was so rare it was almost unheard of, as pollen itself hardly ever managed to carry the contaminating aspects of the plant itself. And when it did, it was in such small amounts, that only the most vulnerable could become afflicted. And Ulquiorra hardly seemed like the type to be highly susceptible to such.

But as unlikely as it seemed, it simultaneously made the most sense out of all the possibilities open to them.

"This situation is quite bad, there is good reason for concerns to be had," she replied as she stepped into her hut in order to consult her books, the five fillies venturing behind her. Where was that one tome? "Your friend is indeed a plight, thank you for bringing this fact to light."

"Does she always talk like that?" Diamond Tiara asked Scootaloo.

Scootaloo frowned. Part of her wanted to ask Diamond Tiara exactly what she meant, to suggest that she saw nothing wrong with the way Zecora spoke. She'd been around the zebra so long that understanding her rhymes was easy. But another part of her, the part that had to put up with the uppity earth pony's whining and slow pace, the part of her that was currently stronger than her logical part, chose instead to knee her in the shoulder. She was met with a grunt of protest but give the command of "hush"; something she never would've gotten away with doing back in school, or even in Ponyville.

"Let us see... let us see. Apple Bloom, might you assist me? To prepare an antidote I will need my book, but there are several piles through which to look."

"On it, Zecora," Apple Bloom replied and moved over to where the zebra kept her reference material. If she needed to consult a book for a potion that should be standard around these parts, something must've been up.

"The rest of you, I may need help from you all. This potion, it must be delivered before nightfall," Zecora announced.

"Why by nightfall? Will Ulquiorra's infection become permanent if we don't get it to him by then? Is he going to be under the influence of poison joke forever?" Sweetie Belle asked, suddenly finding herself very nervous as the prospect of there being a time limit in place. Already she was starting to anxiously look about the room for anything that might aid them in their efforts.

"No. The Everfree Forest is quite dangerous at night. You fillies should try to be home while it's still light," Zecora replied, an amused grin on her muzzle as she explained.

The party game of pin the tail on the pony hadn't quite been what he'd been expecting it to be. Under the proper context he could see how it might be considered an interesting exercise, meant to test balance, coordination, muscle memory, equilibrium, and the ability to make course and directional adjustments based on vague units of measurement that possessed no correlation with a ruler. And all while being blindfolded.

Being effortlessly spun about by Pinkie had also been a strange experience. She was deceptive in her level of physical strength, and continued to leave him confused.

Of the dozen or so that partook in the game, his placement had not been particularly outstanding. There were those far more skilled and seasoned in the event than himself, while others seemed graced by the luck of the draw as it were. Which category Ditzy Doo fit into with her perfect placement, he wasn't certain.

Having taken part in it, he still couldn't understand what exactly made it fun to experience. However he did see that it might possess some useful aspects if applied in the correct manner. Knowing how to regain one's center of balance after being forcefully spun about in a disorienting manner, certainly had practical applications. However being made to rely on others for guidance was less than appealing.

There were other activities currently taking place inside the barn. Some of them he could find to be mildly interesting, such as the throwing darts competition that Carrot Top and several others were engaged in. Watching the game be played by those that possessed no fingers had been informative, while at the same time confusing.

Others, such as Toss Across being played by Dinky and several other foals, not quite as much. While there was the matter of hand/eye coordination, and determining how much strength was necessary to launch a beanbag to a desired distance, it simply hadn't been enough to hold his interest.

And then there was the matter of the game of horse shoes. He really didn't know how to describe that one. Equines playing a game with what amounted to actual footwear for them. That would be like humans playing the game, but making use of sneakers, sandals, slippers, galoshes, and whatever else they wore to protect their feet.

As for himself, currently he was being served a slice of cake provided by the mare named Cup Cake. Whether it was a matter of irony or pun, he wasn't entirely certain.

"So, dude, how's the party going?"

His attention was drawn to Rainbow Dash as she hovered over in approach, followed closely by Twilight. This was a question he'd been getting with some degree of regularity from other ponies. What their fascination was with his perception of the party's progression, he wasn't certain.

"There have been a number of developments that are mildly interesting in nature. However if you're asking if I'm enjoying myself, I truly can't say, as it's a foreign concept to consider," he explained.

Rainbow Dash tried not to frown. Fun obviously wasn't in Ulquiorra's dictionary, but she'd at least suspected that for a while now. The way he explained things was like listening to a live reading of an encyclopedia. She'd thought the poison joke might've livened him up at least a little bit, but apparently not. What did Twilight see in this guy anyway?

But she remained undeterred, and continued in an effort to have a conversation with him. "So Twi' tells me you've been learning about friendship. How's that going?"

"So far I've been given several definition of what friendship amounts to, given by different ponies with different points of view. Some have been more useful than others," he replied.

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Applejack, Pinkie and Fluttershy have all been helping. What about you, Rainbow? If you had to describe what you considered friendship, what would you say?" she asked.

"Well that's a toughie, Twi'," Rainbow Dash replied as she scratched her head in through before turning to face Ulquiorra. "If I were asked this question a few months ago, I might say friendship is knowing that those you hold closest to you, would never do anything to trick you into believing you're worthless to everypony around you."

Twilight flinched at Rainbow Dash's words, even if they weren't directly aimed at her while she was talking. They hurt to hear, but it was really no less than she'd deserved.

"However that was then. Now though, I'd say friendship is having ponies who, when they realize that they did something that hurt you, even unknowingly, they'll go out of their way to make it up to you, and prove that they're not a bunch of heartless jerks," she stated. "Anypony can screw up, do something that they thought was warranted at the time. But how they deal with their actions when they realize they made a mistake, that's when you know how you've got friends."

Ulquiorra observed them silently, noting Twilight's physical reactions to Rainbow Dash's words. It was all more than likely related to Mare Do Well and the fallout from such. The flinch and corresponding drop in detectable reiatsu from Twilight indicated hurt, while that which immediately followed indicated a positive feeling.

"Lesson numbers four and five I presume."

"Pretty much," Twilight replied with a shrug, uncertain of what else to add.

It was all mildly interesting to observe. However it also suggested that maintaining a friendship was very labor intensive, and required a great deal of thought and precaution being exercised at any given time. In that regard it really wasn't all that different from a basic business partnership.

He turned his attention back to Rainbow Dash as she continued to hover in place. The fact she was flapping her wings so little in doing so would suggest she shouldn't be airborne at all, and yet she was. But the most confusing aspect to her presently was her eyes. There was a hardness missing from them that had been present previously. They didn't possess the same intensity and ferocity that they once held. Something about her had changed, but what was it?

"You ponies continue to provide many mysteries for consideration," Ulquiorra replied as he picked up the supplied fork to sample the piece of cake on his plate. The way things had been progressing over the course of this day, sampling the provided sweets hardly seemed out of the ordinary.

The cake was... strange to encounter. The dark layers wedged in between the white icing possessed a certain viscous quality, like a combination of lightness and moistness, but not able to be properly categorized in one manner or another. There was also a bitter quality to it -nothing like the coffee from previously, but still noticeable- but it was counterbalanced by the utter sweetness of the icing that bound it together, the two working together in tandem to provide a more mellow flavoring. All in all it was... unique to experience.

"Is it good?" Twilight asked him. Watching Ulquiorra actually eat was... strange. Not just in how he manipulated the utensils to carry out the task, but just plain eating in general. It just seemed... odd... for a ghost to actually do something like that. There were just too many areas where there were gaps in scientific knowledge.

"Rather sweet in nature. But not entirely unpleasant," he finally replied.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked at each other. That was probably as close as they were ever going to get to Ulquiorra saying that he liked something. But then again he was going back for another bite of the cake, so that had to be worth something.

Apple Bloom felt herself going cross eyed as she stared at the corked bottle before her. The brew inside was a thick, olive green sort of concoction, and didn't look anything like what she'd helped concoct the last time. She was also pretty sure that some of the ingredients she'd helped gather weren't there the last time either.

"Uh... Zecora? Ah know yer the expert on stuff like this. But is this stuff really gonna work and fix Mr. Cifer? It don' really look like enough ta bathe him with," she pointed out as she eyed the mysterious mixture with uncertainty.

"This is not a potion with which you bathe, Apple Bloom. Rather, it is one your friend must consume," Zecora explained as she slid the bottle into a leather pouch, pulling the drawstring shut around it and sliding it over her head and onto her neck.

"Ugh, I'm glad I'm not him," Scootaloo grunted, remembering the smell that was involved in the potion being mixed. If it smelt that bad, she didn't even want to think about what the taste would be like.

"Let's just get it back to Ulquiorra and let him worry about it. We've got a long way to go, and it's not getting any earlier out," Sweetie Belle replied.

From behind them she could hear the discontented groans of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, obviously not pleased about having to get up from their resting place in order to get running back home again. They'd done nothing but complain all the way out here, and slowed down the entire group terribly. And she was really wondering if the time that was saved by them helping gather ingredients, was really worth the time spent bringing them out here.

"Do you dance?"

Among the many things that left him confused at this party, it was safe to say the question currently being asked by Lyra was certainly in the running. It was confusing enough to warrant him actually setting down his empty punch cup before addressing her.

"Dance?" he asked as he turned to better face the green unicorn that stood before him. She nodded as she grinned in response. "It's something I've never had reason to engage in. Furthermore, I'm uncertain if it would even be a physical possibility. The differences in our height, to say nothing of our basic anatomy, would suggest that it would be incredibly difficult to do together efficiently," he explained.

He could see Lyra thinking over his words, her mouth twisted off to the side as she considered the points he raised. Finally he observed as she reared up onto her hind legs, using her forelegs to try and balance her posture, before apparently finding the equilibrium necessary to support her upright nature. He couldn't help but wonder if she made it a regular habit of attempting a bipedal method of locomotion. It would at least explain how she could so easily do it compared to the other ponies.

"Is this better?" she asked him as she eased her forelegs down to her sides, now confident that she wasn't about to lose her balance anytime soon.

Ulquiorra observed her as she stood. The height difference was significantly reduced, but there were other matters to be concerned with. There was still the difference in basic anatomy to consider, such as how their own individual limbs bent, and the multiple joints to her hind legs. Then there was the matter of stability. Simply because Lyra could maintain her balance in a standing position, or engaged in a slow walk, that didn't mean she would be able to do the same thing when engaged in any sort of dance, especially if rapid movements were required. There was the distinct possibility that her balance could give out at any moment and result in potential serious injury.

And that was to say nothing of how her frame may not be able to support all of her weight being in an upright fashion, regardless of the fact that she had become skilled in her balancing act. Prolonged exposure and use might result in damage to her skeletal structure.

"Perhaps if I knew what was involved, I would be better able to make an informed decision about participation," he finally replied.

"Well let's see what we can do about that. Vinyl! How about something with a bit of an octane rating?" Lyra asked.

"On it Ly'!" Vinyl called back and bounded over to the music system. She sorted through the selection, made sure all the instruments were in proper check, cranked up the dials, and brought the barn to life with a pulsing beat belting out from the speaker system.

Ulquiorra was torn over what to focus on more. On the one hand there was the synthesizer equipment Vinyl was using, which appeared to make use of complicated electronics and computer programs, which he was certain this world hadn't developed considering the overall state of technology he'd seen up to this point.

On the other hand was Lyra's particular style of dancing. Whereas the other ponies who were participating right now were more than content to dance with all four of their hooves on the ground, the green unicorn's style was one all her own. Apparently her skill in bipedal motion ran much deeper than he first anticipated. However the longer she continued, the more... disturbing... her movements became in nature.

Was she really... did she just... was it... shouldn't that step be physically... did...

"Just how outdated are those anatomy books?" he asked himself as she watched Lyra's movements. "I think I'll sit this one out..."

"We should've gone by scooter, we could've been back home by now," Scootaloo grumbled.

Heading out to Zecora's had been a relative breeze, all things considered. They'd been fresh, it'd been early in the day, it was all good. But now as they were heading for Sweet Apple Acres to accomplish their goal, things were starting to work against them. It was almost like the road had become more unforgiving, and there were more low hanging branches to watch out for. Maybe it was all a matter of perspective, but she really didn't care, she just wanted to get back to the farm, get out of the forest, and get away from the two dead weights that could barely trudge along at this point.

"Don' be silly, Scootaloo, we couldn' all fit in the wagon. An' even if we could, we didn' have enough helmets fer everypony either," Apple Bloom pointed out as she ducked underneath a low branch.

"That's why we should've gone on ahead by ourselves and left those two out of it. They're nothing but dead weight. If we'd gone by ourselves we probably would've been done and back at the party by now," Scootaloo pointed out before turning her head to look behind her. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were pitiful as they tried to keep up. This was a bad idea from the very beginning. "FAT dead weight!" she yelled back to them.

"Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle stated in protest. Sure they didn't care much for either Silver Spoon or Diamond Tiara, but there was no reason to be getting rude about it.

"What? They are! They're fat, they're soft, they're useless and sorry excuses for earth ponies. If they don't like it then they should pick up the pace and burn off some of that weight they're carrying around," Scootaloo stated.

"Scoots, don' start it up, please? Le's jus' get back ta' the farm so we can get Mr. Cifer his cure. Tha's what we set out for ta begin with," Apple Bloom stated. As much as she'd like to agree with Scootaloo that those two really were overweight, especially Diamond Tiara, she knew that the longer they spent arguing, the longer they were going to be stuck in the forest, and that didn't do anypony any good.

"Fine, fine," Scootaloo grumbled in surrender, "but if something comes along and tries to eat us, we're leaving them behind."

"It doesn't look like too bad of a sprain," Redheart said as she eased the icepack onto Lyra's injured leg, "but I wouldn't try dancing like that again for a while."

This was a development Ulquiorra had suspected of being a possibility. He'd watched the seemingly spastic movements of Lyra's dance routine, made all the more unpredictable by Pinkie's decision to toss her a hula hoop, all the while knowing that something was bound to go wrong. That something manifested itself in the form of her right hind leg giving out of her, and causing her to collapse on top of herself. To say the least, the results weren't pretty. She was quite fortunate that it was only a sprain and no bones had been broken in the process.

Perhaps next time, if he participated then, a slow dance would be in order. Perhaps if he had done so this time, Lyra's injury wouldn't have occurred, as she wouldn't have needed to overexert herself.

Had this injury not occurred, he very well may have participated, provided the beat was something slower.

"Now that's a party bummer," Pinkie lamented. Things had been such fun up until now. Maybe she really shouldn't have tossed Lyra that hula hoop so she could accentuate her performance. But she'd just been having so much fun at the time...

"Perhaps it would be appropriate to bring this gathering to a close," Ulquiorra commented. It seemed like a logical conclusion to reach. With one of them being injured, it seemed unlikely that the others would consider it in good taste to continue having "fun" while the other watched helplessly. His concept of friendship might've been vague at best, but even he knew that such a practice would be considered mean. And while he was quite capable of being mean, he simply didn't feel the need for it under these circumstances.

"No, no," Lyra protested as she moved, letting out a pained noise in the process, "that's not necessary. We can keep partying, I'll just sit it out and watch."

Rather interesting. If he were asked, he would assume now was as good a time as any to bring an end to everything. And yet they still wished to go on. Were the parties thrown by Pinkie considered so worth experiencing, that even personal injury wasn't enough to discourage their participation?

And with that thought in mind, he found himself wondering about something else entirely. Did these ponies possess an equine equivalent of the word personal? It was certainly an interesting thought to give consideration to, even if it truly didn't amount to anything of substance.

His attention was brought back to the present as Lyra was helped onto a hay bail near one of the walls, allowing her to sit without aggravating the sprain she suffered, while still being able to watch anything that happened around her.

"If this party is to persist, what happens next? Is there more dancing to be had, or are there other activities planned?" he asked as he turned his attention to Pinkie, the look of optimism on her face failing to be removed despite everything that'd happened.

However she didn't even get the chance to say something after taking a deep breath, before there was a crash at the barn doors that drew everyone's attention to them.

As the doors parted, in stepped five very dirty, very exhausted, very familiar fillies. Each of them was displaying varying degrees of exhaustion, and each of them was covering in varying degrees of filth, and each of them more or less leaning on one another for support. Diamond Tiara was currently slumped against a trudging Apple Bloom, her trademark tiara still on her head only because it was currently tangled in her mane. Silver Spoon was more or less serving to support Sweetie Belle and keep her from collapsing onto the ground, leaving Scootaloo to simply drop where she stood. Not a single one of them wasn't panting or otherwise gasping for air.

As far as strange developments went, this was one Ulquiorra truly hadn't been expecting. He had been aware that at some point the three who made up the Cutie Mark Crusaders had left the party, as he neither saw nor sensed their presence after the initial meeting. However he hadn't noticed the disappearance of Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon, nor had he really cared. He had assumed the three had ventured off in yet another effort to gain their cutie marks; the current state they were in -as others gave cries of surprise, and concern, and rushed to tend to them- was certainly not out of the realm of stories that he'd heard about their efforts. However considering the animosity present between the two groups of fillies, he had sufficient reason to doubt the notion of them tagging along for whatever reason.

And what kind of exertion could they have engaged in over such a short period, that they were as exhausted as they currently were? As far as foals went, their reiryoku levels were certainly respectable.

"What exactly is the meaning of this?" he finally asked as he stepped forward.

"Tha's a darn good question," Applejack replied as she turned back to face her sister. "Jus' wha' in the wide world o' Equestria ya been up ta, Apple Bloom?"

There were a lot of things that Apple Bloom wanted to say right now. Things that sounded very thought out and intelligent. Things that conveyed a sense of wisdom that was beyond their own ages, and would leave others surprised that foals could think to such a degree.

But in her tired state, as she reached to undo the pouch Zecora had hung around her neck, none of those things were coming to mind right now. Instead she had to opt for something that was more straightforward in nature. "Doin' the responsible thing," she panted as she slid the bottle out from its leather wrapping to sit on the floor. "Fetchin' Mr. Cifer a poison joke antidote."

Scootaloo nodded in agreement and moved to stand back up, but thought better on it and simply remained on the floor, moving only to reach over and scoot the bottled potion closer.

"We heard what the adults were saying, they were gonna leave you infected because they liked you the way you are right now," she stated.

"So we went and got the antidote ourselves," Sweetie Belle stated in conclusion.

A combination of stifling silence and hushed whispers fell over the barn at the revelation made by the three fillies. A strange combination that only grew stranger as Ulquiorra slowly turned to face the Elements of Harmony for clarification, noting how each of them flinched under his gaze. However it wasn't the kind of flinch associated with surprise, but rather the kind given when one realized they were in trouble and had been caught doing something they shouldn't have.

"Is what they say true?" he asked flatly. However they truly had no need to answer him, as he could already tell by their body language that it was. None of them, not even the Princesses, was presenting a body posture that suggested they were particularly proud right now. "Did you truly intend to leave me in an impaired state after making the discovery that my condition had become compromised?"

"It's not how it sounds," Twilight replied slowly as she hung her head.

"Then explain how it truly is so that I may comprehend," Ulquiorra stated as he turned his attention on her.

"Well... at first it was just a suspicion, when you called me by my first named something you'd never done. But then... then we noticed the spots that go with some cases of exposure, then we knew for certain," Twilight explained.

He hadn't noticed any spots on his person. On a hunch he rolled down his right sleeve, only then noticing a number of them all up and down along his arm, with more slowly beginning to fade into existence, and stretching up onto his palm. Strange how they had hidden so well. Perhaps that was what had caused his neck to itch, rather than the power of suggestion. Without any prompting on his part, Twilight started speaking again.

"We didn't automatically decide to just leave you be, that would be dangerous and irresponsible since we didn't know what the long term effects might be," she stated.

Applejack was torn on what to contribute. On the one hoof she felt her natural honesty wanting to make it clear that she'd been outright opposed to the idea of leaving Ulquiorra the way he was, and that she'd been outvoted. That was primarily why she hadn't interacted with him too much during the party, because trying to keep it a secret in his face would've been too much for her.

But at the same time there was another matter. Rainbow Dash might be the one who represented loyalty, but that didn't mean that she wasn't loyal in her own right. And being loyal to your friends meant not selling them out just to save yourself. It was one of those cases of being stuck between a rock and a hard place. For better or worse, she was in it as deep as her friends right now, sticking it out through thick and thin.

"It was my idea..."

And then much to Applejack's surprise, it was Fluttershy who spoke up next, the shy mare taking a cautious few steps forward in her address. Somewhere, she wasn't certain just where, her friend had managed to find her courage once again.

"You just seemed so relaxed... so laid back, like you could... like you could actually enjoy what you were experiencing. I just... just thought that it might be a good experience. That you didn't have to be so tense all the time. I just... hoped that maybe... just maybe... y-you could understand what it's like to have fun..." she explained.

"Now, darling," Rarity spoke up as she approached and put a comforting hoof on her withers, "you aren't solely to blame. Despite all of us holding a different opinion, we still all agreed to go with the course of action that we did, in addressing this matter. If anypony is to blame then it's all of us, not any one of us."

"It wasn't your fault, girls, I was the one who had the bright idea that we wait," Twilight spoke up as she moved forward, "if anypony is to blame, it's me. I was the one that decided we should wait before proceeding. We didn't have much information at the time, and we wanted to make sure before proceeding. We all agreed that we would go and get the antidote if you were showing any signs of distress or discomfort. But since you weren't showing any indication, we agreed to wait for the party to be over before we responded, due to the time that would be invested in going to get the antidote, and the uncertainty of whether or not your Espada nature would cause you to heal on your own without any intervention," she explained as she looked at the floor, uncomfortable with looking him in the eyes. "And... then there was also the idea that... maybe this was a good thing. If you really were relaxed, we thought a short break from the everyday standard would do you some good, like a vacation."

"We really were gonna change you back, dude, we just... thought we should wait and see. You know... don't rush in without a plan? Don't cause a panic by just casually mentioning poison joke and whatnot," Rainbow Dash offered up in explanation.

He remained silent as he observed them, listening to their words. There were a lot of things that could be said and done under these circumstances. They had used him for the purpose of experimentation, to determine the extent of his Espada abilities, and to see if these unique circumstances could in any way affect his standard outlook on life and the world around him.

And out of all those that had known about his condition, and been in a position of being able to actually do something about it, it had been five small children who had ventured into the forest to seek the antidote for his condition, and at their own personal risk. It was all quite fascinating to consider.

"We're really sorry, Ulquiorra, we really didn't deal with the situation like we should have. You're our friend, and you were in need, and what did we do? We decided to experiment on you like you were a lab rat," Twilight apologized as her head hung.

There were a lot of things that could be said and considered with these revelations taking place. But before any of them could be addressed properly, it would be wise to make use of the antidote that had been procured for him. If the poison joke was truly affecting him, and not in a physical manner, then it had to be mental in nature. It would be logical to tend to the problem and determine the extent of the damage before doing anything else. Without a word he stepped closer and picked up the bottle, popped the cork, and downed the contents.

It was a brew of such a revolting nature, its taste made him want to voice his disgust. This foul concoction was of such a pungent nature, that Spike's special blend of coffee was like a mild brew of tea in comparison. It was truly surprising that something of this stoutness could be contained by a simple cork.

At first he was unaware of anything different. He looked at his arm and the spots that remained, which slowly began to fade shortly after he consumed the potion. And as the spots faded he began to feel his mind growing clearer. Whatever fog-liked stupor had been bestowed upon him by his traipsing through an area infested by poison joke, and all without his realization, he could actually feel it fading away. He could feel his senses returning to their former level of clarity and sharpness. Now he could think clearly, and address the others in a proper manner.

And from what he could see, they were equally aware of this fact. The flinch given as he slowly turned his gaze on them, was like they were bracing for a physical blow to be delivered.

"There are a great many things I could say on this matter. I could easily berate all of you on the decisions you made, and how you handled the situation. Along with your tactics being underhanded, your reasoning was quite childish in nature. You believed that anything I experienced while in an impaired state, would influence me when I was no longer under the influence of poison joke? Did you even give consideration to the possibility that what you were doing, might give rise to the equivalent of a drug addition? And for what? This concept that you call friendship. How exactly is it considered an example of friendship to take advantage of one who is both incapable of making an informed decision, and giving informed consent?" he asked them pointedly. Not a single word was said in defense of their actions. Not by Twilight Sparkle, or Spike, and not even by Princess Celestia or Princess Luna, who were technically in a position of being able to do so.

Their silence was contrasted by the muttered whispering of the other ponies in attendance. They didn't appear very pleased with the news that the holders of the Elements of Harmony could resort to such tactics. And that displeasure was about to grow, as he continued on.

"You six are very well renowned for your feats in protecting Equestria, and the lengths you've gone through to help others in their time of need. And yet this time around, it was five children who rose to the occasions when others did not, putting themselves in harms way to help out another. By venturing through the Everfree Forest where they could've been killed by any one of the seven hundred and fifty known and cataloged dangerous species that regard the forest as their home. It seems amazing that the youngest, and most unorganized, of all those present, were the only ones who reached the conclusion to do what they believed was the right thing. Because they apparently don't share your skewed views on the matter."

Not a word. Not a single word was offered up in defense of their actions by any one of them. They all at least appeared to realize that he was correct in his observation, questioning their status as national heroes if this was how they truly acted. The reiatsu throughout the barn was steadily dropping as he continued; even from the Princesses. If they were reacting in such a manner, it seemed safe to conclude that they were in on it as well to some degree.

"All that said, I should probably commend and congratulate you," he stated, causing those in attendance to go from experiencing guilt to experiencing confusion. And after a few seconds for the obligatory questions of surprise were voiced, he continued. "In all my time here, I never expected to discover that you ponies possessed such guile. I had believed that I'd come to learn as much about you as I realistically could, and what could be learned was of limited use and viability. So I find it quite fascinating to make this discovery. The fact that you were willing to exploit the impaired condition of another for your own benefit, leaves me quite intrigued. It's truly a fascinating discovery to make, and warrants further investigation and interaction."

"Did... any o' ya see tha' one comin'?" Applejack finally manged to ask, this turn of events easily taking her off guard.

"Even I couldn't predict that one," Pinkie commented, utterly stunned by it all.

Out of all the possible ways things could've proceeded, this had to be the strangest possibility by far.

First the discovery that the Cutie Mark Crusaders had been eavesdropping on their conversation -and getting the details wrong in the process- and deciding to set off into the Everfree Forest to find Zecora themselves, because they didn't have a full grasp of the situation and what was going on.

Then they discover the absence of said Crusaders, only after they return covered in mud and tree sap, and tell Ulquiorra about what they heard, and most likely misinterpreted, forcing them to come clean about what was going on, and why they chose the course of action they had.

Then they were scolded by Ulquiorra for their actions, as he laid out just why they were wrong to do what they did... which quickly took the strangest turn yet, as he congratulated them for doing what they did, right after he got done scolding them.

The number of questions just kept racking up by the moment, and it didn't look like there were any answers to be had anytime soon. Ulquiorra's monotone delivery of whatever he had to say, whether it was scolding or congratulating, made it very hard to tell whether he was being honest, or sarcastic, or anything else. They couldn't even tell if he was upset with them, as his expression never changed. Was it possible to get any straight answers?

Unfortunately that was a question that could only be answered in the affirmative. Before they could even begin looking for answers to the other questions facing them, the beaten and bloody body of some unidentified colt stumbled in through the open barn doors, and collapsed on the ground.

"P-P-Ponyville's being attacked!" he cried out weakly.

Author's Note

Deleted Dance Scene with different music

"Do you dance?"

Among the many things that left him confused at this party, it was safe to say the question currently being asked by Lyra was certainly in the running. It was confusing enough to warrant him actually setting down his empty punch cup before addressing her.

"Dance?" he asked as he turned to better face the green unicorn that stood before him. She nodded as she grinned in response. "It's something I've never had reason to engage in. Furthermore, I'm uncertain if it would even be a physical possibility. The differences in our height, to say nothing of our basic anatomy, would suggest that it would be incredibly difficult to do together efficiently," he explained.

He could see Lyra thinking over his words, her mouth twisted off to the side as she considered the points he raised. Finally he observed as she reared up onto her hind legs, using her forelegs to try and balance her posture, before apparently finding the equilibrium necessary to support her upright nature. He couldn't help but wonder if she made it a regular habit of attempting a bipedal method of locomotion. It would at least explain how she could so easily do it compared to the other ponies.

"Is this better?" she asked him as she eased her forelegs down to her sides, now confident that she wasn't about to lose her balance anytime soon.

Ulquiorra observed her as she stood. The height difference was significantly reduced, but there were other matters to be concerned with. There was still the difference in basic anatomy to consider, such as how their own individual limbs bent, and the multiple joints to her hind legs that were absent from his. Then there was the matter of stability. Simply because Lyra could maintain her balance in a standing position, or engaged in a slow walk, that didn't mean she would be able to do the same thing when engaged in any sort of dance, especially if rapid movements were required. There was the distinct possibility that her balance could give out at any moment and result in potential serious injury.

And that was to say nothing of how her frame may not be able to support all of her weight being in an upright fashion, regardless of the fact that she had become skilled in her balancing act. Prolonged exposure and use might result in damage to her skeletal structure.

"Perhaps if I knew what was involved, I would be better able to make an informed decision about participation," he finally replied.

"Well let's see what we can do about that. Vinyl! How about something with a bit of an octane rating?" Lyra asked.

"On it Ly'!" Vinyl called back and bounded over to the music system. She sorted through the selection, made sure all the instruments were in proper check, cranked up the dials, and brought the barn to life with a pulsing beat belting out from the speaker system.

Ulquiorra was torn over what to focus on more. On the one hand there was the synthesizer equipment Vinyl was using, which appeared to make use of complicated electronics and computer programs, which he was certain this world hadn't developed considering the overall state of technology he'd seen on to this point.

On the other hand was Lyra's particular style of dancing, as she demonstrated the movements involved for him. Her forelegs were crossed in front of her, cannons resting on top of one another as they were held just below her chest line, pulsing her pasterns and hooves up and down in a floppy manner. This manner of movement was combined with what looked like a series of small jumps from one hoof to the other in a seemingly random pattern; right, left, right, right, left, right, left, left.

After several repeats of this particular pattern, Lyra lifted her right foreleg up and rotated her pastern.

"Alright I love this song! C'mon" Rainbow Dash stated as she came over from the side to watch Lyra dance. Without any further discussion she hovered over next to Lyra and proceeded to join in the display.

Ulquiorra observed them silently, the two mares failing to move in a properly choreographed manner, but in sync enough that there was little difference between their movements, which as this point consisted of them holding their front hooves on their hips, their heads slightly turned upwards and to the right as they stomped out an alternating left, right, left right pattern, with a tendency towards taking little steps to their right, and dragging their right left over to meet with their left.

More ponies were beginning to join in on the dance now. And the number of non-pegasi displaying bipedal capabilities was beginning to become surprising in nature. At this point the dance moves consisted of the ponies crossing their front hooves over their left hip, spreading and flexing their hind legs, moving their upper bodies in an up and down motion three times, two quick movements of their hips, and three rotations of their right legs.

"Come on, Ulqy, it's a lot of fun!" Pinkie stated as she bounded over to Lyra's other side to join in. At this point all the ponies involved turned to the side, spreading their forelegs out while raising their right hind leg as high off the ground as they could manage. The next movement was them bringing their right leg back down and kneeling down on it, while flexing their left leg, and resting their right front hoof against their chin.

And just like that, the music looped back and began to repeat. And along with it, the movements displayed by the ponies who were participating in the dance. And this time around there was the added surprise of Fluttershy actually participating with the others.

Off to the side he observed Applejack more or less filling the role of a spectator, tapping her right front hoof and moving her head and upper body to the beat of the music. The only ones of the mane six not participating to some degree at this point were Twilight and Rarity.

"I can't dance like that," Twilight offered up in response to the unasked question before her. Unlike the others who had succumbed to the beat of the song, she was without the ability to remain on her hind legs for any extensive period of time. If she tried copying their movements, she knew she'd just fall right over. She'd be much better suited for a slow dance with a partner if using such a style of posture. "Truth be told... I can't dance at all."

"It doesn't strike me as much of an actual dance really. More like wild, obscene gestures of the body," Rarity commented from where she sat, finding the entire concept to be somewhat leud in nature.

Ulquiorra simply continued to remain silent as he observed the display. Not being an expert when it came to dancing, he couldn't comment on Rarity's position. It was certainly no style of dance he had ever seen. But then again that was to be expected. However his thoughts were interrupted as Ditzy hovered into his view.

"Come on, Mr. Ulquiorra Cifer, it's lots of fun," she told him in an effort to get him joining in.

Ulquiorra continued his silence as he pondered the matter, and what the appropriate response would be. Pinkie had explained that fun was the purpose of a party. According to them, dancing in this manner was supposed to be fun. Could their truly be any harm in indulging in something that was so ridiculous in nature, while in the company of others? He truly couldn't see a point in actually doing it. But at the same time he truly couldn't see any particular reason to not attempt such. Some things, he would admit, had to be experienced to truly be understood.

Once again the music looped back for another repeat. It was on this particular loop that he could feel his foot starting to move with the beat. And from that point his right leg, and soon the rest of his body, began to succumb to the apparently contagious tune reverberating off the structure of the barn.

He knew the steps involved from watching the others engage in the odd style of dance. Mimicking them shouldn't prove to be all that difficult. The most difficult part would likely be not putting his full force into his jumps, as such could possibly bring the barn down around them.

Applejack, Twilight, and Rarity all looked at each other in a confused manner, then back at Ulquiorra, and then back at each other. They were experiencing a state of shock at what they were seeing. If there had been bets placed, none of them would've put their bits on the Espada actually attempting to dance. And yet here he was doing just that. His movements were rough and stiff, obviously not in the same degree of sync as they were for the others, but it was still dancing nonetheless.

"It's definitely poison joke," Twilight whispered to Rarity. If Ulquiorra was actually dancing, there wasn't any other excuse that she could think of.

"Unequivocally," Rarity agreed, unable to do anything more than watch the display that was going on in front of them, as Ulquiorra hopped from foot to foot, his hands bouncing roughly in beat with the music.

"Why do ah get the feelin' that he should be holdin' a lasso right 'bout now?" Applejack asked as she watched him rotating his right arm freely. Seeing someone with hands doing this dance made things look a lot strange than when ponies were doing it and just waving a bare hoof around.

Chapter Forty Four

Chapter Forty Four

Ulquiorra was not one of those that could be easily fooled. His mind was sharp, keen, analytical to a fault. Where others would notice nothing, he would notice minute details that held considerable relevance to what was going on around him. He was highly aware of his surroundings, and surprise was not something he easily succumbed to.

Those facts in evidence, however, even he couldn't have predicted this development occurring.

During the time that was spent escorting Zecora from Ponyville back to her home in the Everfree Forest, an exercise during which he spent his time gathering greater reconnaissance, and determining whether or not the zebra could be properly trusted, there had been no attacks. Nothing had occurred against Ponyville itself, or even the holders of the Elements of Harmony. Everything had been peaceful for lack of a better word.

Yet during his time spent attending a party at Sweet Apple Acres, a location that was quite literally just down the road from Ponyville in terms of distance and location, some force had apparently decided to launch an attack.

Was there a relevance to the timing of the event? Had it been a specific decision to prove a point, that it could strike anywhere at any time without fear? Was it doing this to prove that he couldn't be relied on for safety? Was it even connected to the theories developed during last week? Was it a matter of true coincidence? Had their been no relevance to the timing, and whatever was responsible, was simply unaware of his nearby presence?

"PIPSQUEAK!"

His thoughts and confusion were interrupted by the excited yell being issued by Princess Luna at the sight of the injured colt at the doorway. The next thing he became aware of, was being shoved from the spot he'd been standing, as she rushed past him in a frantic manner. He hadn't been knocked off his feet, and sent stumbling for a stable foothold, in a considerably long while.

None of this was making any sense. There were too many unknowns to address. Why would Ponyville be under attack? The holders of the Elements of Harmony were all present and accounted for. There were no other high-value targets in the town that would warrant an attack...

... Except that there were.

It was true that the holders Elements of Harmony were all present and accounted for at Sweet Apple Acres. But the actual Elements of Harmony themselves were back in Ponyville, and thus vulnerable. His attention had been diverted, forced to focus on one target rather than another. His focus had been on the safety of these ponies for so long, he'd never stopped to consider that they wouldn't be the primary target.

The entire revelation had occurred within the time frame of the first three seconds after being informed that Ponyville was being attacked.

Unfortunately that was three seconds longer than it should have taken for him to arrive at the conclusion, and realize the mistake he'd made.

"Damnit."

With that he was gone in a flash of sonido, leaving the ponies behind before they could protest, ask questions, or even insist in coming along to help. The fewer distraction he had to deal with right now, the better off they all were.

This couldn't be happening, this just couldn't be happening! There was no way any of this should even be allowed to happen!

One moment they were all having a party without care, and the next, the first foal in over a thousand years to truly appreciate her nights comes stumbling through the doors, bloody and badly injured, clinging to life like she clung to him right now. There was too much blood to know for sure just how bad his injuries were, but from what she could tell one of his ears had been violently ripped off, and one of his eyes had been gouged out, leaving behind nothing but an empty, gaping socket.

She was of two minds right now. One was desperately worried for Pipsqueak's condition as she held him, his blood staining her coat in the process as she kept telling him to stay with her, to not leave her. His little body had taken so much injury, it was amazing that he was still even breathing, weak as it might be.

But the other mind was one filled with desires for righteous vengeance. Whatever force had injured Pipsqueak would pay for its offenses. If she wasn't so concerned for the young one right now, she would've set off to take care of business herself! Right now he was the only thing keeping her calm and able to think clearly.

"Sister! We must get him to a hospital immediately!" she called.

"I'm afraid that we can't, Luna," Celestia said slowly as she approached her sister's position. She could see her sister tense up, but continued speaking before she could react. "Pipsqueak said that Ponyville was being attacked, but we have no idea by what. If we took him to the hospital we would just be putting him in danger of whatever is currently there. And if we left now, we would be leaving our present subjects vulnerable. Ulquiorra may be addressing whatever is currently in Ponyville, but we know nothing of what's currently taking place. Ponyville may be only one of the targets of whatever is going on," she explained, hoping that a calm, cool, and collected outlook on the situation would help her sister calm down. She understood how her sister felt about foals like Pipsqueak, but being emotional right now would get them nowhere.

Unfortunately she hoped wrong, as Luna's temper just seemed to flare at her words.

"Then what would you suggest? We simply let Pipsqueak die as we wait for something that may not even come!?" she bellowed furiously. "Protecting our subjects means far more than you are willing to consider, sister. When they are in need we must arise to the occasion, and Pipsqueak is truly in need!"

It was a tense scene as the two Princesses verbally battled it out over what the correct course of action was right now. Tense enough that everypony else was backing away, slowly moving to the far walls of the barn in case something bad happened.

Everypony except for one earth pony who dared to stand in the middle of the two and clear her throat loudly to get their attention; that being Nurse Redheart.

"Perhaps we should examine him before deciding to pull the sheet over his head," she suggested.

Celestia felt relief when she saw her sister finally calm down and let the nurse examine Pipsqueak. She would thank that nurse greatly once everything had been addressed. With her sister not panicking at the moment she could focus on other matters. Such as the commotion going on behind her.

The commotion that... involved Rainbow Dash laying on the barn floor, with Pinkie sitting on her back as she struggled and fought? She knew Twilight's friends could be silly at times, but this didn't look like the usual brand of silliness she'd come to know and enjoy.

"Get OFF me Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she tried to fight her way free.

"Not gonna happen, Dashie," Pinkie replied.

"Rainbow Dash, charging off without a plan is incredibly dangerous right now," Twilight lectured.

Celestia now had an idea of what was going on. Rainbow Dash wanted to go flying off, either to get a better idea of what was going on, or join in the fight herself. Her friends, however, didn't want anything like that, and were preventing her from leaving to do such. Now it all made sense.

"Your friends are correct, Rainbow Dash," Celestia said as calmly as she could in her approach, causing the cyan pegasus to go silent as she looked up at her. "Venturing out now without knowing what we're up against, could just complicate the matter. The best course of action would be to just stay here and wait," she explained.

"But," Rainbow Dash grunted as she struggled to get a foreleg out from under Pinkie, "if we're just waiting in here, how're we gonna know what's going on? We need eyes in the sky!" she pointed out.

"That may be true, Rainbow Dash, but under these circumstances, perhaps someone a little more durable would be best at doing such," Celestia explained, "leave this one to me, friends. I'll find out just what Ulquiorra is up against."

It was the sounds of chaos that assaulted his ears as he arrived in Ponyville. The town had truly been subjected to attack, but by what?

Glancing upward and all around him showed no threats of considerable physical size. That, combined with the absence of piles of cinders where buildings stood, and no significant spikes in reiatsu, ruled out the possibility of it being a dragon. Furthermore the scale of this damage was far too small for one to cause. The claw marks on the buildings alone was enough to discount the idea.

He scanned the area. Whatever was here had to be smaller than a dragon, that much was obvious. But to be hiding from his sight, it would have to be smaller than a house, as well as possessing a reiatsu that wasn't significantly greater than that of the ponies still present.

Small enough to hide its frame behind a building without a significant degree of effort. Reiatsu that wasn't significantly greater than some of the stronger ponies he'd encountered during his time here. Attacking with four primary claws per limb, and a trail consistent with a secondary claw that got in the way; almost like dragging nails down a chalkboard, yet able to easily cut into trees, and even stone. Something that was hiding from him, and yet sending all the ponies around him running about and screaming in terror. What could this threat be?

An excited scream from his left caught his attention, as a yellow pegasus filly with a purple mane and tail nearly flew right into his head, stopped only as he moved out of the way to avoid the collision, and quickly stop her approach with one hand. Perhaps this one had some usefulness to her.

"What is attacking Ponyville? Where is it currently?" he asked bluntly. He needed to know exactly what was going on.

Unfortunately it seemed the filly's terror of what was going on, didn't manage to override her fear of him, because as the revelation set in such began struggling more than ever, and babbling incoherencies.

"I have no time to coddle you out of your state of fear. I need answers, and I need them now. Where. Is. It?" he asked again. He was doing his best to be patient, tolerant, and understanding of these ponies, but right now he was in need of information rather than terror.

He didn't want to admit it, but perhaps Twilight Sparkle and the others were correct that his image needed to be improved. If he couldn't extract vital information from the populace when it was necessary, then maybe the unicorn and the others did have a point he was entirely unaware of.

However such thoughts were interrupted by another terrified scream coming from his right. But this wasn't like others of simple terror, this was a scream filled with utter pain.

"Hide," he commanded as he released the filly. He now had an idea of where to start his search. Quickly he crossed the distance and rounded the corner behind the store from which the yell had originated. And just as quickly he halted his pace upon discovering the source of the scream.

According to the seventeenth edition of the book "Everfree Forest Bestiary" there were eight hundred and seventy nine known and cataloged species of animal indigenous to the wild. That which stood before him, looking roughed up currently and with a damaged left wing at an odd angle, was number four hundred and ninety seven - the manticore. Regarded as dangerous for the blend of physical strength, land speed, maneuverability that outpaced its lumbering size, limited flight capabilities that were used to enhance the aforementioned ground-based abilities, respectable durability, and the ability to inject its victims with a deadly toxin that caused total muscle paralysis, leaving the victim to die painfully and slowly from suffocation, as the muscles in the chest simply wouldn't allow for the respiratory system to perform its duties.

A fact that the pink pegasus foal currently pinned to the ground and impaled on its stinger, would soon be learning for itself.

A rescue at this point in time was quite impossible. Death had been guaranteed from the moment the skin had been pierced by the stinger. If he was the merciful type, the best he could do was shorten the duration of the suffering that would be experienced, by delivering a single terminating blow to the skull, and ceasing all brain activity in an instant.

But at present such charity couldn't be afforded. The individual suffering of others came second to both securing the village, and ensuring the Elements of Harmony themselves remained safe.

However, he stopped in his tracks before even proceeding to do such. The first instinct was to eliminate this threat outright. But that instinct could no longer be relied on like it had in the past. Not if there was the possibility of gaining new information from an interrogation of such. Taking it alive would be necessary, and that significantly complicated the situation.

"How fun," he thought to himself at realizing such a fact.

With this determination in mind, he observed as the manticore withdrew its blood-covered stinger from the chest of its unfortunate victim. This matter would need to be addressed carefully, and with an intense degree of delicacy; neurosurgery as it were.

Getting her subjects calmed down, and assured that everything would be alright, wasn't always the easiest thing to do when there was a crisis going on. And news of Ponyville being under attack certainly qualified as a crisis. The entire ordeal had taken a lot more time than Celestia had anticipated, and not being able to leave Luna in charge during her absence -short as it would be- hadn't helped any. Her sister was far too preoccupied with the injured Pipsqueak to be able to think coherently at this point in time.

Of course the most difficult part of it all, was the risk of some of the more adventurous ponies trying to head out once her back was turned, feeling that without her presence, that justified it being a free-for-all where they could run wild. Simply because Rainbow Dash was being held down by Pinkie, that didn't mean everything was well in hoof.

What she wouldn't give for a good foalsitter right about now, as she made her way to Ponyville to evaluate the situation for herself. Much as she'd like to believe that Twilight had the situation well in hoof, her friend was only one unicorn, and simply couldn't overcome several dozen excited townsponies if they all panicked at once. She was going to need to take care of this matter as quickly as possible.

However, as she descended and came to land, she became aware of the fact that such a task might be easier said than done. The town certainly wasn't leveled, not by any stretch of the imagination. But there was a significant amount of damage done to various buildings and other physical structures. Nothing that a few days worth of cleanup efforts couldn't tend to. But that wasn't what concerned her right now.

All around her were the sounds of suffering, and the sounds of loss. Whatever had occurred prior to her arrival, had caused a significant amount of death and suffering to the ponies who were present. But of it all, how much had been prior to Ulquiorra's arrival, and how much had occurred as a result of his presence?

And for that matter, where had the Espada gotten to? Where had the attacking threat gotten to?

The answer to the first question was more or less provided by the telltale boom off to the side of her, revealing Ulquiorra returning. If he was using his sonido, it stood to reason that he'd traveled a considerable distance prior to her arrival.

"What happened?" she asked plainly, having little patience to go into detail in voicing her curiosity on everything.

"Two specific incidents. The first was a manticore coming into town and attacking any pony it could find. The second has the potential to be far more disturbing in nature; the theory we've been working on over the past few days, was just shot to shit by today's events," he explained simply. Nothing about today made any sense at all, and that fact was far more unsettling in nature than any attack could be. If something could be understood then it could be adequately addressed, regardless of its scope or intensity. But that which couldn't be explained couldn't be adequately addressed, leaving them at its mercy for the time being.

"A manticore?" Celestia asked in disbelief. Was he serious? Did he even know what a manticore was? "But... but they live deep in the Everfree Forest. It's almost unheard of for one to ever leave the forest and venture into an established settlement," she stated.

"A fact that only deepens the mystery at hand," Ulquiorra replied, "but there are other matters to address. I'm quite certain the wellbeing of your subjects at the moment, is far more pressing to you than anything I might have to say," he theorized.

He was quite right, Celestia noted to herself. He had a way with theories that was quite involved and logical. But right now all she truly cared about was the current state of her subjects. She knew that there were injured ponies to tend to in the here and now. The Espada's mind was sound in nature, she was certain of that. Anything he was currently thinking wasn't likely to be forgotten about if forced to wait. It could wait until a time that was a little less chaotic. A time when there wasn't a broken and blood-stained beanie cap laying at her hooves.

"And what of the manticore? Is it safe to bring the others back to Ponyville?" she asked him.

"... At the moment, the town is safer than it was prior to my arrival. The manticore will not be presenting anymore threat. As to the others, it would be wise to have them all present and accounted for, where they can be observed. Assistance will likely be needed for those that are currently injured and dying," he explained.

Ponyville General Hospital was currently the busiest place in town. Nurses and other staff rushing back and forth, gurneys being moved down the halls carrying those that were too badly injured to move under their own power. Those that were less seriously injured than others were in the process of being tended to in the hallways, to make room for those that were more seriously injured and in need of significant care.

And all the while, one lunar princess anxiously paced up and down, while her friends and family watched on in concern from the receptionist area, as they stayed out of the way of all the chaos unfolding around them; both for their own safety, and to allow the hospital staff to move about unimpeded.

When Celestia had come back to brief them on what was going on, nopony had truly known just what to expect when they actually returned to Ponyville. Imagination and uncertainty had run wild, cooking up wild and impossible scenarios. But even the most brutal of scenarios that they could concoct in their own imagination, could do little to prepare them for what was truly experienced once they arrived back.

Able-bodied adults were more or less drafted into assisting in the search and rescue operation that was being carried out all over Ponyville. To some it was frighteningly reminiscent of searching for the missing residents during the changeling outbreak. But this time there wasn't any searching through attics and basements for cocoons. Instead it was more like sifting through piles of rubble, broken carts, and toppled trees to find those that were injured and in need of help... and those for whom help was too late in arriving.

After location came transportation to the hospital. An arduous task as it had to be done with great care. Simply grabbing survivors and pulling them only risked greater injury than what they'd already experienced, meaning they had to be carefully extracted and loaded onto stretchers for slow transport and loading onto gurneys. After that it was all up to the hospital staff, as the rescue workers tended to other matters as they could.

Regardless of rank, social position, or any other aspect that might lead some to believe they would be excluded from such work, nopony had opted for such. Twilight and the others hadn't hesitated to help out in any way they could, clearing rubble and keeping an eye out for anyone unaccounted for. Spike, along with Cheerilee, had been assigned the task of looking after the Cutie Mark Crusaders and the other foals present and unharmed, keeping them at the schoolhouse for the time being. Even Celestia hadn't hesitated to get down and dirty like the others, staining her white coat without the slightest regard for royal decorum as she sifted through whatever mess needed her attention.

But the most surprising aspect of the entire search, as far as they could tell, was the fact that Ulquiorra had taken part in everything. That being he'd worked right alongside them in clearing debris while finding survivors, tending to the more physically involved rescues that they couldn't on their own; like lifting an entire fallen tree and hurling it into a clearing where it wouldn't cause trouble. Or lifting a section of building to allow them to search underneath it. Whatever fear they had of him based on previous experiences, seemed greatly displaced by what they'd been observing take place on this day.

Currently he, much like the others, was standing in the reception area and silently waiting, watching, and staying out of the way.

And all the while, Luna continued her anxious pacing in the halls.

Celestia sighed as she watched her sister pace. She'd been a mess ever since Pipsqueak had managed to find his way to Sweet Apple Acres and inform them that Ponyville was being attacked. She knew that her sister had special feelings for this colt, him being the first one since her return to really show that she was loved by her subjects. She'd heard her speak of him favorably in her tales recounting her visits in Ponyville. And as a result of finding her favorite subject wounded, she'd nearly gone to pieces. She hadn't even been able to assist in the search and rescue, far too focused on the matter resting in her blood-stained forelegs.

"Luna," she spoke calmly as her sister turned to begin her new lap at pacing. However she seemed to go unheard. With a frown, and a little magic, she gently picked Luna up off her hooves and set her back down in a sitting position facing her. "Luna. I understand that you're upset. But pacing back and forth isn't going to do any good. The doctors aren't going to come out here any sooner, and you're simply going to make yourself a nervous wreck in the process," she explained calmly.

"I cannot bring myself to relax as easily as you have, sister. It is a feat I find to be impossible," Luna replied as she moved back into a standing position. "Our dear subjects were attacked, practically in our presence no less! I cannot believe the audacity that was to be had as a result of such a move! To hear of them being attacked from a great distance is one thing. But we were spitting distance away and still Ponyville was attacked. I simply cannot be calm when thinking about such!" she protested furiously.

This was a matter on which Ulquiorra was in full agreement. However it wasn't a matter of audacity that he was questioning right now, but rather the basic logic -or lack thereof- behind it all. The timing behind everything failed to make sense. What was the reasoning and significance behind it all? There had been no attack or hostile activity during the time he was deep in the Everfree Forest, and unable to respond due to other matters at hand. That would've been the near-perfect opportunity to launch an attack against these ponies. And yet it was an opportunity that wasn't exploited.

"What is your theory on the matter, Ulquiorra Cifer?" Luna asked him pointedly, bringing him out of his own thoughts. "Your mind is always working in manners we do not see coming. What do you have to contribute?"

Some would have likely flinched at being questioned in such a direct and abrasive manner by one who held such a position and power. However he wasn't one to do such. Princess Luna's hostility did little to disturb him, and his reactions showed such as he calmly turned to address her.

"Elaboration will require a location significantly more secure than what we currently have access to. There are a number of details that are best left unheard by some. Both for the purpose of security, and to prevent a possible panic," he explained.

Luna blinked. That wasn't the answer she'd been expecting to hear, nor was it one that pleased her. If anything it just left her more worked up than she had been previously, since it suggested that he knew something, but was refusing to tell her just what he knew. She wanted to yell, to scream, to curse him out for his stubbornness, to bring down the full wrath of her royal rule down on his head for his insubordination.

However she soon found that juvenile desire abating itself, as her attention was drawn to something more tangible in the immediate area; that being Pinkie Pie hugging her around her neck.

She'd been so distracted she hadn't even noticed her friends being by her side until just now. All of her attention had been focused elsewhere on this horrible, horrible day. And if it wasn't for the pink earth pony currently rubbing her back in a soothing manner, she still might be ignorant to the fact that she wasn't alone. Gratefully she returned the hug. "Thank you, my friend."

Twilight herself didn't know what to say as she just stood and watched. So many things had happened today; things that her morning cup of Spike's special blend of coffee simply hadn't been sufficient to prepare her for. And as much as her mind desperately wanted to run through the list of everything that happened and organize it -both chronologically, and in order of severity- her heart simply wasn't in it right now.

Maybe she should try and focus on something else at the moment, like how Ulquiorra had willingly assisted them in looking for victims of the manticore assault. She honestly hadn't expected that when she came to Ponyville to assist in the search and rescue efforts; not after everything he'd gone through because of them. She couldn't help but wonder if he truly wasn't upset with them for their actions, or if he truly did hate them for what they'd done, and was simply a master of hiding his contempt and emotional state from them.

That was assuming Ulquiorra even had any emotions to begin with. Half the time she truly didn't know what to believe regarding the Espada, based either on her own observations, or what he told her when queried.

"So whatever happened to the manticore anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked from where she stood at the side. Even she knew when a change of subject was needed. Some of the time anyway. "They're not exactly the easiest beasts to deal with."

Applejack cocked an eyebrow at hearing her friends' words. "This bein' said ta the guy that beat a dragon senseless like it weren' nothin'."

"Hey a manticore's an entirely different kind of beast," Rainbow Dash replied defensively, opting to hover off the ground and cross her forelegs over her chest. "Sure the dragon was big and strong. But manticores have a lot less mass to contend with against gravity. They don't have to devote as much strength to remaining mobile, and instead can devote it to nimbleness and agility," she explained.

"A very accurate assessment of the facts," Ulquiorra spoke up, interested in how Rainbow Dash seemed to understand the matter of basic physics in this matter. He had assumed that if this discussion came up, the cyan pegasus would focus on the dragon's build and strength rather than the manticore's attributes. Perhaps it had to do with her own nature, allowing her to recognize that muscle mass didn't directly translate into strength. "When first encountered the manticore attempted to stand its ground and fight. However that bravado soon gave way as it realized it was no longer the dominant predator. What occurred afterward was of a most curious nature, as it appeared to be trying to decide whether to stand and fight, or outright flee. In all my time I can honestly say I don't recall ever seeing such a conflict in the fight or flight response all animals possess. Hesitation, yes, but never this degree of indecisiveness. It was almost like a struggle between the conscious and unconscious mind, going on at the same time. I honestly don't know what to make of it."

"That doesn't really explain what happened to it. Did the manticore get away?" Twilight asked.

"Not quite. When primal instinct won out the manticore made an effort to flee; a wasted effort as it were. Allowing it to escape would ultimately present it with the opportunity to return at a later date. It has been eliminated through a simple snap of the neck, and left just outside the village should an autopsy be desired, to determine if its body can reveal anything of use. Perhaps it can tell us something where the others did not," Ulquiorra explained.

"Oh my," Fluttershy mumbled. However that was all she had the nerve to say at the moment. There was just... so much brutality going on right now, it was hard to even think about. And if it wasn't brutality against ponies, it was brutality against others. She couldn't help but wonder just what had happened to the world in such a short amount of time. She certainly didn't remember it ever being quite like this. Surely Ulquiorra wasn't behind all of this... right? It was all just a matter of outright coincidence that things were progressing the way they were right now... right?

It had to be Ulquiorra's theory at work, right? His theory that Discord had known that there was something wrong in their world, and that was why Ulquiorra had been brought forward, because his help was needed.

Ulquiorra regarded her but ultimately said nothing in response. Her concerns weren't his own, he was under no obligation to address them. Hers were most likely concerns that laid with the wellbeing of animals like the manticore, rather than the wellbeing of her fellow ponies. But her misplaced priorities were her own prerogative.

Right now his interest was being held by the presence of a familiar reiatsu pattern. A pattern that belonged to a unicorn -Dr. Stable as he'd been introduced- coming down the hallway, Nurse Redheart following close behind. And from what he could see, neither of them was particularly cheerful or upbeat in their approach. If he were to wager as to the nature of what news they had to share, he would place his bets with the possibility of this being a report about how the more seriously injured ponies had died from their injuries. All around him he could detect different reiatsu patterns and textures, meaning he was aware of when one or more of them simply faded away.

"What news is there to report?" he asked before either of them could even open their mouths to speak, seeing no reason to wait as it simply wasted potentially valuable time.

Dr. Stable found himself a little confused by being addressed in such an abrupt manner, and by one so strange in nature as well. Usually he was greeted in a more respectful manner than such. He wanted to respond, but a look from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna was enough to tell him that nerves were running high for all of them. He decided to drop the matter and simply give them the details that were being asked of him; but only to the Princesses.

"To be frank we have numerous wounded, ranging from simple skin abrasions, to severe internal injuries, some of them in emergency surgery as we speak. Others weren't so lucky, I'm afraid. I don't even want to begin tallying up the ratio of dead-to-living just yet, as I have no idea which patients will survive, and which won't," he explained solemnly. Delivering such news was never easy, even if it wasn't being delivered to family members and loved ones. Simply admitting to such difficult in itself, as it meant vocally acknowledging to others and oneself that all of their medical expertise sometimes amounted to absolutely nothing.

"Doctor, what of the foal Pipsqueak? Will he be alright?" Luna asked him anxiously.

"Pipsqueak is currently in stable condition, and we're cautiously optimistic that he'll survive. But I'm afraid he'll need a lot of supportive therapy before he makes a full recovery. He'll have to learn how to compensate for his lack of depth perception, and he may experience a loss of balance and coordination due to the damage of his ear. Only time will tell for certain," he explained, his calmness serving as a contrast to Luna's own disturbed nature.

Luna didn't know what to think, or even say. The good news was that Pipsqueak was alive, and would likely remain that way for a good while. But the bad news soured the happiness she was experiencing, as she worried about what kind of life he may have to live from here on out. Foals were incredibly hardy and could bounce back from much due to their youth, but there were some things that simply couldn't be overcome; at least not easily. Would Pipsqueak feel remorse over his new inabilities in life? Would he experience depression? Would he... would he...

"What of the pegasus foal? The one unfortunate enough to be stung by the manticore?" Ulquiorra asked, interrupting Luna's thoughts in the process. "And spare whatever positive spin you may attempt. I don't deal in optimism, only facts."

Dr. Stable frowned in response to the manner of address. He was also slightly confused as to why this one would care about another, especially after all of the stories he'd heard about his actions last week. Maybe there was more to it than he'd heard?

Regardless, he'd been asked a very important question, and an answer was needed. "The prognosis... isn't good, I'm afraid," he said as he addressed the group rather than any one individual. "As you all know, manticore venom is something we have no cure for, no antidote. Even as we speak, the paralyzing nature is taking its toll on the body, first affecting the outer extremities, before eventually migrating to the main body, preventing the muscles in the chest from expanding with the lungs, and eventually the victim dies from internal suffocation. It's a very slow, painful way to die, and I'm afraid with the amount of venom introduced into their system, the end is still many hours away," he explained slowly.

"Oh no," Pinkie wept.

"Isn't there anything that can be done?" Twilight asked hopefully. "Simply because medical technology isn't up to snuff, that doesn't mean magic can been ruled out. Just the other day I was reading about a procedure developed by the Neighponese ponies for utilizing medical magic to purify the body of toxins. Couldn't we do the same thing in this case?"

"I'm afraid it's not quite that simple, my dear. Such a technique hasn't yet been recognized as medically legitimate, or peer reviewed and included in medical journals. And removing the various toxins a body accumulate through living, doesn't mean that it can remove venom as well. I'm sorry, but there are some things for which magic is useless," Dr. Stable explained, a hint of sadness creeping into his voice as he did so."I'm afraid all we can do is try to make the time left as painless as possible."

"So... so they're really gonna die? There's nothing we can do for this foal?" Rainbow Dash asked cautiously.

"I'm afraid not," Dr. Stable replied.

Ulquiorra listened silently as the doctor spoke, laying out the specifics of the situation before them. He knew that, if this was back in the human world, there were medical procedures that could indeed save the injured foal. But he only knew of these procedures in a rudimentary nature, and even if he were to speak up and be ordered to proceed, he lacked the necessary skills to perform such. The Octava Espada could certainly perform such a procedure if he'd been present.

Who was he fooling? Granz could likely synthesize an effective antivenom if he felt so inclined.

But even if the procedure could be performed successfully in this world, he truly doubted that they possessed the necessary sterile conditions to prevent contamination/infection from actually removing the lungs from the chest cavity, and leaving them to expand and contract outside of the body. Even if he spoke up, death would still likely occur in the immediate future.

With those facts in mind, there was only one course of action he could think of that truly made sense to him right now.

"Then perhaps it's the proper time to begin considering alternatives," he stated.

"I'm sorry but we're already doing everything medically possible for the suffering. There's nothing else we can do," Dr. Stable replied.

"I beg to differ. There is an alternative that's available under these circumstances. We can put an end to their suffering," Ulquiorra stated as he prepared to elaborate, withdrawing his right hand from his pocket in the process. "There is a procedure I know of that can do just that. Rainbow Dash, would you mind turning around?"

Rainbow Dash blinked in surprise and confusion at being addressed, uncertain of what to think, but turning regardless. If he was actually asking her for help -again- then who was she to refuse? Giving a brief nod she turned in the air until she was facing away from everypony.

"Here," Ulquiorra stated as he stepped closer and gestured to the spot on Rainbow Dash's neck that met with the base of her skull, the coarse hair of her multi-colored mane brushing against his hand in the process. "This location would be key. One swift application of force would be more than sufficient, detaching the brain from the brain stem, and terminating all life functions in a time frame of less than sixty seconds," he explained.

"W-W-WHAT!?" Rainbow Dash yelled as she immediately spun around and recoiled in fear at hearing his words. "Y-y-you're actually talking about... about killing some poor foal? Just like that? Like it's nothing!?"

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied, not the least bit surprised by the reaction of the cyan pegasus, or any of the other ponies in the immediate vicinity. Considering the decibel level she was utilizing, he shouldn't be surprised by the actions of anyone in the entire hospital.

"Oh my word," Nurse Redheart breathed in a gasp, not only due to the nature of his statement, and the coldness it was delivered in, but the nonchalant attitude he had about him. How could he be so callous about life, that talking about ending it came about as easily as conversations about the weather?

"Ulquiorra," Celestia spoke calmly as she took a step forward, recognizing that this had all the makings of a very bad situation. "I don't want to rush to any judgements, either one way or the other. But I'm going to need to ask you to elaborate on what precisely you're talking about. The way you're presenting your case so far leaves much to be desired," she explained. She needed to do something to keep the others calm, to prevent too great a level of panic from setting in. There were too many injured present for such.

He would admit that he hadn't expected Princess Celestia to be so calm about what he was saying. He'd predicted a far, far more emotional reaction to come from her at the suggestion of actually killing one of her subjects, in defiance of her original orders of not harming her subjects. The fact that he hadn't been simultaneously floored and subjected to the hierro-burning fury of her intense reiatsu, left him momentarily stunned. But only for a moment, before he spoke up in address as requested.

"It's true that I'm heartless, just as it's equally true that I'm a monster. But these two facts don't necessarily go together like complimentary goods, nor do they indicate a sadistic nature," he began. The fact that he was being heard out at all suggested a great deal of reasonability. Maybe even the opportunity to lay some beneficial groundwork on his part. "According to your medical professionals, there's nothing that can be done to save the foal in question. Your own experts have verified that death cannot be prevented in this case. In fact they have gone one step beyond that, and confirmed that death for this one will be a most miserable experience. What is being suggested is nothing more than sparing pointless suffering where such is possible," he explained calmly.

"What's being suggested is nothing short of murder," Dr. Stable replied, appalled at what he was hearing. Surely Princess Celestia would never go along with such a plan, and would instead throw this self-confessed monster out on his one visible ear that was tacked to the side of his head.

Ulquiorra turned away from Princess Celestia to face the doctor, noting the flinch in his posture as he met his gaze; an appropriate response as far as he was concerned. "The truest definition of murder is the unjustified taking of life through an act of malice. What is being suggested, is an act devoid of any malice. In fact it could be argued that suggesting to the contrary would be the truly malicious act, as it would serve to only inflict greater suffering on one that is helpless," he explained calmly. "Furthermore it is the most logical suggestion. Not being forced to expend finite resources on one that has already been condemned to death, they could be devoted to others who still have the potential to live."

It was the most logical conclusion that could be reached. Spending time and resources tending to the dying, in order to try and keep them alive for a little while longer, ultimately would serve no beneficial purpose, and do nothing to better anyone. But even though he'd laid out everything in basic, logical details, he truly doubted that it would be so easy to sway these ponies. It was more than likely that they valued the life of their own kind to such an extent, that even if one was suffering miserably, and unable to contribute anything else in what little time they had left, they would still fight with all their might to preserve the believed sanctity of those last few hours.

It was truly a pathetic notion.

"How can... how can... how can you even suggest something like that?" Nurse Redheart stammered in surprise. Was he really reducing lives to matters of logic? Did he really think it was that easy to view matters of the world? "How can you hold no sanctity for life, after doing so much to help so many? You helped bring the injured here! You carried foals in here like the precious commodities that they are! And now... now you're suggesting euthanasia, like we're talking about a sick dog?! How can you possibly be so heartless? So callous?"

He truly wasn't disappointed. This was the response he'd fully expected to be greeted with. It was true that he'd provided his services however they were necessary, ranging from locating victims, to making them accessible, to even carrying them when necessary, simply because no others had been available. He'd exercised concern to avoid causing unnecessary injury with his great strength, in handling these ponies and their fragile bodies. But that didn't mean he held their life in any high regard. He was merely following the most logical course of action.

But it wasn't Nurse Redheart that needed to be convinced he was correct in his observation. Instead it was the diarchy that stood silently in the reception area, letting him speak freely. Slowly he turned to face them.

"As I've admitted, I am indeed heartless in nature. But even I possess a limit as to what I can tolerate. And needless suffering and pain is not something that I can easily or willingness tolerate. There is no benefit to what this foal is going through. And if the only reason others are arguing in favor of leaving them alive to suffer it out, is to fulfill some ideological belief pertaining to morality, then that is truly heartless. Some would even say sadistic," he pointed out.

At the very least it was partially true in nature. He had nothing against seeing others suffer miserably, it truly did nothing to bother him. But that only pertained to situations in which the sufferings of another could be truly beneficial in nature; such as extracting information from a potential source of information. But one suffering because they were subjected to torture, or the realization that they were in a hopeless situation, was wholly different from what was presented before them right now. This was suffering for the sake of the most revolting kind of sadism known; for the simple purpose of making others feel better about themselves. For maintaining foolish notions that weren't even necessary.

Suddenly it was like the entire village was full of the like of Nnoitra Gilga. He was certainly one that would have no problem is leaving another alive to suffer, simply because it would amuse him to no end. He would torture someone even if they didn't have any information, and do so simply to prove the point that he could do so.

"I make no effort to hide or deny the fact that I have killed in the past. Many have even witnessed my actions. However, with only two exceptions, every death has been efficient and incredibly swift. Not even the changelings were left to linger on and suffer. Why should a pony be shown any less consideration for their plight?" he asked. Again it was at least partially true. Whenever he killed, he preferred to do it quickly and efficiently. But that was primarily due to neutralizing a threat, rather than any desire to show mercy. Even a wounded threat was still a threat to contend with; he'd learned that the hard way.

Celestia listened silently as all the parties present spoke, supplying their input on the matter, and how they felt the situation was best resolved, all the while withholding her own opinions to avoid undue outside influence on the matter. They weren't yet asking for her to settle the matter, so she didn't feel inclined to step into the mess just yet. She would let them say what they had to say, listening to each side explain their position -either calmly or not- before rendering her verdict.

It was like being back in the day court.

"And you're quite certain that there's nothing that can be done?" she asked as she turned her attention to Dr. Stable. "There's no medical procedure that might make any difference?"

"None, I'm afraid," he replied and sighed, closing his eyes momentarily, "the most we can do is keep them comfortable, and let things take their course."

"And how long do you believe it would take for things to take their course?" Celestia asked.

"I'm afraid there's no exact answer. It could be as few as three hours, or as many as thirty. Determining the exact rate isn't an exact science, there are too many variables to take into account," he explained.

"And," she began as she turned her attention back to Ulquiorra, "you're certain that what you're proposing is the more merciful option? More so than keeping them sedated and on painkillers so they aren't aware of how much pain they're bound to experience?" she asked.

"Far more merciful than being left to suffocate slowly over the course of thirty hours, during which time hospital staff and resources will have to be utilized for a cause that's ultimately pointless. All the while taking time, care, and resources away from others that may still be able to continue living beyond thirty hours," he explained, calmly and logically. "Furthermore, the process would be as painless and bloodless, as it is swift."

"P-Princess!" Dr. Stable stammered in surprise. Was this really happening? "You're actually considering what this killer, this monster has to say?"

"You would dare speak to my sister in such an impudent manner?" Luna asked, unable to keep herself calm at what she was hearing. She'd been patient ever since the news of Pipsqueak's state had been presented to her, and listening as the matter of the suffering foal was debated back and forth. But to hear such a manner of address was cutting against the grain for her, and she could no longer keep her mouth shut.

"It's quite alright, Luna," Celestia stated calmly as she extended a wing towards her sister. "As a physician trained in caring for others, he would be quite remiss in his duties if he didn't raise his objections to what was being discussed, regardless of who it was discussing them," she explained, noting that the frown on her sister's face remained. Regardless, she turned to address the stallion before her. "I can understand that this isn't an easy question to address; it certainly hasn't been easy any of the other times that it's come up during my rule. Euthanasia of the dying has always been a hotly contested subject, filled with passionate discussion on both sides of the aisle. So many well thought out points being raised in support and opposition of such a procedure. And, fortunately or unfortunately, it's one of those topics I can neither condemn nor condone. It's a topic far too big for only one pony to set policy on for the entire nation. I too lack the perfect and infinite wisdom necessary to pass such judgement for everypony. I don't even believe such judgement would be possible to make flawlessly."

Another case of passing the buck, Ulquiorra noted. Somehow it didn't surprise him. If Princess Celestia truly had no inclination of ruling her subjects through fear and oppression, as she had so claimed before, then it would seem reasonable that she would seek to avoid garnering the image of either wanting her subjects to suffer, or possessing the desire of seeing them killed outright for whatever reason.

Unfortunately her unwillingness to commit to one side or the other, inhibited his ability to act in this matter. He couldn't do the most logical thing, as these weren't logical beings. His actions would have consequences for himself, if he didn't first get clearance to proceed.

"Ah... ah wanna say somethin'," Applejack spoke up slowly, quietly, "ah mean... ah don' wanna say somethin', ah feel like ah have ta say somethin'..."

Ulquiorra now turned his attention to Applejack, as did everyone else present. What could this earth pony have to say, that she felt so strongly about, she actually felt the compulsion to voice her opinion?

"Ah... ah agree with Mr. Cifer on this one," she stated slowly, "ah don' think it's right ta be makin' some poor foal suffer. Ah can't quit thinkin' about, what if it were Apple Bloom who'd been stung? Ah... ah couldn' stand it if it were mah little sister who was the one dyin' like that an' such. Ah couldn' look 'er in the eyes an' tell 'er everythin' was gonna be alright when it wasn', ah jus' couldn' do it. A-an' ah'm real sorry if any o' ya didn' wan' ta hear such, but it's jus' how ah feel on the matter, but ah jus' couldn' keep it ta mahself any longer," she explained.

Twilight had to fight to stifle her gasp at Applejack's words. When it was Ulquiorra suggesting such it was one thing, but never did she actually believe she'd hear Applejack agreeing with him that killing another pony was right, regardless of the circumstances behind it. Ulquiorra was the living, breathing -sort of anyway- equivalent of a killing machine, it only made sense that he'd suggest what he did. But this was Applejack they were talking about! The one who held the Element of Honesty, and one of the best pony friends anyone could ever find themselves having. How could she seriously be siding with him on the matter? And how could she do it with such calmness?

"Um..." Fluttershy whispered, causing Twilight's neck to practically snap as she spun to face her. The look on her friend's face made her flinch, but she couldn't stop talking now. Summoning her courage, she pressed on. "I... I actually agree with Applejack on this. I... I think it would be the right thing to do. We need to think about what's best for the one that's actually suffering, n-not about what we want for ourselves."

"W-what?" Rainbow Dash practically squeaked in surprise. She couldn't believe her ears. "Fluttershy, what're you saying? H-how can you be saying something like that?" she asked. Was everypony suddenly going bloodthirsty around her?

"Because I..." Fluttershy gulped nervously, "because I think it would be for the best. It's just like with the animals I take care of. Nature doesn't always deal with success stories. Sometimes... sometimes nature can be very cruel, and you have to be the one to do what's best, even when you don't want to. It's s-something that I've had to accept in being a caretaker, and... s-something that I've had to tend to... Sometimes there are no easy solutions, only hard ones, and as ponies it's our responsibility to make them for those that are unable to themselves," she explained as calmly as she could. "I know it sounds cruel. B-b-but sometimes life is cruel, no matter how much we wish that it wasn't."

Ulquiorra would admit that he hadn't seen either one of those opinions coming forward. He'd expected all those present to be in objection to the notion of what was being discussed. And yet Applejack and Fluttershy were actually agreeing with him.

The more he was certain that he fully understood these ponies, and all that there was to know about them, the more he wound up discovering about them. Interacting with them was almost like peeling an onion.

"But... b-b-but Fluttershy, you were the one who kept Ulquiorra from killing that dragon! Why is this situation different? Why is it okay when we're talking about a pony?" Twilight asked. She was positive Fluttershy would've objected, she would've wagered money on it. How was this happening? Did she really not know what her friends were like?

"That was a different type of situation, Twilight, that one way my fault. My being scared is why the dragon attacked us. I wasn't assertive enough. Ulquiorra was just doing what he believed was right, it wasn't his fault that he treated the dragon as a threat. If I didn't stop him, that dragon's death would be my fault because it could've been avoided," Fluttershy explained. "But this isn't the same. We're not talking about a death that could be avoided. We're talking about the suffering of another, who we know is going to die no matter what we do. And if it's unavoidable... I don't think it would be very kind to just drag things out unnecessarily. And besides that, it's really not fair to the one who has to deal with whatever decision is made."

"But it's not really our decision to make, is it? We're treating this foal like they're an orphan, but so far nopony has looked to see about the parents. Shouldn't any decision being made be up to them?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yes! Parents! Brilliant, Rainbow Dash! This is a decision that the parents should be making, not us!" Twilight mentally yelled. Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if Rainbow Dash was simply obfuscating her stupidity, purely so she could surprise others with her intellect later on. It would certainly make sense.

"That will be an impossibility in this case," Ulquiorra replied calmly, once again entering the fray. "Along with being able to detect and measure the levels of an individual's reiatsu, I can also detect their specific patterns and textures. Textures that bear similarities with certain family members. Textures that remain even after death. Textures that indicate the two with the closest similarity are already dead, and cannot be consulted on what it is they want," he explained. There would be no passing the yen -or bit- on this matter. Nor would there be any opportunity for them to feel better about this matter. However he would give them a moment to let the facts sink in. Slowly he turned his attention to Princess Celestia before beginning to address her. "You have said that you will neither condemn nor condone the notion of euthanasia. That discussion aside, do you have any intention of preventing it from occurring without your consent?" he asked.

Celestia remained silent, carefully considering her words before attempting to speak up. She'd learned by now that one had to be careful when dealing with Ulquiorra, and that was exactly what she intended to do. On the surface it looked like he was truly sincere about wanting to spare an innocent foal any unnecessary suffering. If she didn't know any better she would suspect that he was making a genuine effort to be merciful in nature. But she'd seen the Espada's memories, and mercy wasn't something that she remembered witnessing on his part. But at the same time she hadn't really witnessed anything that would suggest he possessed an interest in killing for the simple sake of killing. Nor had she witnessed any truly sadistic personality traits.

There was also the matter of how he was taking ample time to calmly lay out just why the proposed course of action would be in the best interest of the foal, as well as others. She was positive he was simply making an argument from a logical perspective, just as he did in any other situation. But even with everything she knew about him, she couldn't help but feel that he was being sincere about what he was saying, despite his monotone delivery.

And then there was the matter of his current question to her. Was he deliberately giving her a way out of making such a difficult decision, about a topic she had been so careful to avoid? Or was he simply challenging her to try and stop him? Why did he have to be so infuriating all of the time?

"It would seem that no matter what course of action is taken, there will be repercussions to be had. But regardless of that fact, a decision has to be made," she said as she slowly faced Ulquiorra. "Do... do whatever you believe is necessary..." she finally stated with much unease. She really hated doing this.

Dr. Stable frowned and simply walked away, muttering something under his breath, and wanting no part of this. He could object, he could protest, but it would do little good when the one he was objecting to was one of the rulers of the land.

None of the others present spoke up either, after hearing what Celestia had to say. They could all raise points of objection, argue about how wrong it was to be considering this line of thought. But ultimately it would be little more than registering their complaints, in an effort to make themselves feel better. Ultimately their efforts would do little more than serve as an effort of self-comfort, to convince themselves that they played no part in such gruesome business. Deep down each of them more or less understood that fact.

Nurse Redheart let out a quiet sigh at how things were turning out, muttering a quiet "this way" as she turned around, preparing herself to lead the way to the room where the foal in question was waiting. She wasn't anymore happy with this turnout than Dr. Stable was. The simple fact that she could see both sides of the argument didn't help any either. Both sides had made very good points in the debate. But there was little she could do about it, other than serve as an escort, and keep him from wandering into the wrong room and scaring patients in the process.

Ulquiorra remained silent through it all, walking behind the earth pony as she lead the way. There was far too much discussion for something that should've been such a simple choice.

"Twilight? Where are you going?"

He briefly paused at the question and turned around to look behind him. Sure enough Twilight Sparkle was walking in the same direction, currently several paces behind him. Rather curious.

"To bear witness to what's about to occur," Twilight replied without looking back to the others. "All of our actions have consequences that we have to live with. Even if others can't. And this is the consequence of my actions. I was the one who actually brought Ulquiorra to the party at Sweet Apple Acres, leaving Ponyville vulnerable for attack. If I hadn't gone along with such, this entire mess could've been avoided. The manticore could've been stopped before anypony died. I'm responsible for everything that happened here today, everything that went wrong. And I need to see this, so I won't make the same mistake in the future," she explained.

As he had said before, rather curious. For whatever reason, Twilight Sparkle had reached the conclusion that she was in some way directly responsible for the manticore attack, and needed to be punished as a result. Guilt was apparently overriding whatever logic would otherwise be guiding the unicorn in this case. It was true that she had taken him away from Ponyville, but even he possessed doubts that in doing so, she had allowed everything to happen as it did. The events that transpired today didn't coincide with anything related to their theory. And while the theory was still inconclusive and formed from only two incidents, nothing matched up with what had taken place. Blaming Twilight Sparkle for the manticore attack was no more logical than blaming Fluttershy for the changeling invasion.

"Twilight that ain' nothin' but a load o' manure righ' there. Ya ain' responsible fer wha' happened. Ya didn' know wha' was gonna happen, none o' us did," Applejack protested.

"Yeah, Twilight, even I didn't see this one coming, how could you be expected to know a manticore was gonna attack?" Pinkie asked.

"C'mon Twi', you don't wanna do this. We've already seen so much death going on, more than we ever expected to experience," Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"And we're bound to see a lot more before everything is said and done, Rainbow Dash. Something is out to kill us. Things aren't like they used to be," Twilight replied. "But you're right, I don't want to do this; I have to do this. Just because I didn't know this would happen, doesn't make me any less guilty in the matter. This has to be done."

Ulquiorra said nothing as he listened to the discussion. He possessed doubts about the validity of Twilight Sparkle's words and reasoning. He also possessed doubts about any of the ponies possessing the mental strength necessary to observe one of their own being killed, for whatever reason, and knowing that there would be no twist or surprise reveal at the end. If she were to witness this, it was possible she would suffer.

But then again he'd been surprised before by the hidden depths of these ponies. Perhaps Twilight Sparkle wouldn't go all to pieces upon witnessing this.

For now though he would simply leave her to sort out whatever she was trying to deal with. He began walking again, following after Nurse Redheart as she once again lead him down the hallway to the patient in question, a second set of hoofbeats lightly echoing off the walls further on down the line, indicating that Twilight Sparkle had made her decision to come along.

"This isn't right," Rainbow Dash mumbled as she watched her friend slowly disappear down the hallway. Quickly she turned to Celestia. "Princess? Isn't there something you can do? Can't you say something to Twilight, to make her understand that this is a bad idea?" she asked.

"I'm afraid not, Rainbow Dash," Celestia replied as they watched Twilight walking away from them. "This is something that Twilight has to sort out for herself. She blames herself, and believes she has to make some sort of amends for her actions. I could try and talk her out of it, explaining how she's not responsible for anything that's happened here today, but unless she truly believes it, it would do little good. Interfering might actually make things worse for her, possibly driving her into a state of depression and guilt, which could motivate her to do anything if left unchecked. I'm afraid that all we can do is wait, and give her the room that she needs..."

"She's in here," Nurse Redheart said uneasily as she opened the door to the last room on the left of the hallway, before stepping back to allow the two of them inside to do what was necessary.

Ulquiorra remained silent as he stepped into the sickly green-colored room, vacant except for the foal in question currently laying on a gurney, her side bandaged and wrapped, slowly being stained red from the injury it covered. An IV drip was attached to her left foreleg as she laid there, her breathing labored as she struggled in a futile manner. Already the venom was working its way through the main body. It seemed unlikely that the foal had thirty hours to suffer at the rate things were progressing. It was likely that the sparseness of the room, and the lack of extensive medical equipment like he'd seen with other ponies, indicated that the staff recognized the case as being hopeless.

Even over the labored efforts of the foal to try and breathe, he could still hear the soft gasp that Twilight Sparkle issued upon confronting what she believed was the consequences of her actions. However, he failed to detect anything that would coincide with a weakening of her resolve. To the contrary, she seemed to be making an effort to harden her determination to see this through.

"H-hey there, little one..." she said shakily as she entered the room and approached the gurney cautiously, her demeanor like she was afraid to make a great deal of noise. "What's your name? H-how're you doing?"

"Cupid," the foal breathed weakly as she tried to move her head to look over, but found it very difficult to do at all. "I hurt," she whimpered as she gave up any attempt to move and simply let her head flop back onto the gurney. "Are my mom and dad here? Can I see them? Please?"

Twilight felt her heart sink at Cupid's words. There was no way she could tell this poor foal that her parents were dead. She'd have to do something else.

"Maybe later. But don't worry, they're safe and sound. N-no one can hurt them, now that Ulquiorra is back in Ponyville," she replied as calmly as she could. It wasn't exactly a lie, was it? It wasn't like the dead could be harmed. And... maybe after this was all over, Cupid would see her parents again.

"I hurt," Cupid whimpered again, "and I can't breathe. It's hard to even catch my breath..."

"I know, little one, I know," Twilight replied as she stood up on the gurney to stroke Cupid's mane in a comforting manner. "But it's going to be alright, we're here to help. This is my friend, Ulquiorra, and he's... he's going to make the pain stop hurting so much," she explained, earning a weak smile from the foal in response. "Just... just close your eyes, and try to relax. Y-you'll be alright."

"Promise?" Cupid asked her.

"I promise... after this you won't be having anymore pain. A-and no more broccoli either," Twilight replied as she tried to keep herself composed.

"But I like broccoli," Cupid protested weakly.

"S-sorry, I didn't know. No more spinach then?" Twilight asked.

"Eww. No more spinach," Cupid agreed, causing Twilight to giggle weakly in response, the only thing she could do without breaking down into tears right now.

"Just close your eyes, and before you know it, you'll feel so much better. You'll be able to relax more easily."

"Okay," Cupid agreed and closed her eyes just as told.

Ulquiorra was silent as he remained back with Nurse Redheart, exercising a measure of professional courtesy as he allowed Twilight Sparkle to say her peace to the foal named Cupid. While it would be far better to have this matter done with as soon as possible, he would allow her a few minutes to do what she believed was necessary.

And once that time passed, and he was certain she had no more words to offer in comfort of the dying, he stepped forward and stood next to her, looking down at the pony before him, and her struggles to breathe.

Unlike Twilight Sparkle, he had no words of comfort or consolation to offer up, as it simply wasn't his place. His task was far more straightforward and productive in nature. Slowly he withdrew his left hand from his pocket and placed it over Cupid's eye that faced upward, both to hold her head still, and prevent her from seeing what would happen next, as he withdrew his right hand in preparation. If Twilight Sparkle wished to leave the room, or simply avert her gaze, it would be a decision she had to make on her own, without him assisting her in the decision.

Twilight looked on as Ulquiorra formed his right hand into a fist and placed it at the back of Cupid's neck, holding it right at the base of her skull, before drawing back about an arm's length of distance, and swiftly bringing it forward again.

She jumped at the sound of the blow landing, surprised more by what she had heard, rather than what she hadn't heard. She'd been expecting to hear the exaggerated snap of bones breaking under incredible force, sounding like the snapping of fresh produce like carrots or celery. And she'd expected to hear a sort of squelching sound like flesh tearing apart, almost like an overripe tomato being smashed. But she hadn't heard anything at all like that when Ulquiorra's fist connected against the base of Cupid's skull. If anything it was just a dull thud, almost like a hoof clop against a sizable block of wood. It was... underwhelming from what she'd read in books that discussed death scenes.

She'd also been expecting a lot more than what she saw. Cupid's body had flinched from the impact, but it was more akin to a foal reacting to being tickled in surprise. It hadn't been at all like the idea she had, about the entire body being violently shaken from the blow it received. And her head certainly hadn't come completely off her neck either; something that she'd almost been expecting to happen, considering the sheer degree of strength Ulquiorra commanded. She'd just been expecting something... different, something that would scream "dead" to her. Not... not this. As he withdrew his hand from her head, it almost looked like Cupid was sleeping, like she could simply wake up at any time.

It was... it was almost too peaceful in nature to simply observe, something that'd happened in the space of just a few seconds, with no fanfare or dramatic flare, simply devoid of everything that would in some way emphasize what had just happened. It was just... so hard to believe; more so when she remembered the absolute brutality Ulquiorra had been capable of when dealing with the dragon. And yet the one whose body could generate such unmeasurable brute strength, at the same time could command such a delicate touch when it was truly needed.

"It's done," Ulquiorra stated simply, snapping her out of her stunned state in the process, and bringing her back to the present as the facts began to sink in. She'd been so absorbed by how things had happened, she'd completely forgotten just what was happening. But now the facts were beginning to sink in, and she began to realize just what it was that she'd witnessed.

"She... she doesn't look like she's dead," she stated in disbelief. As far as she could remember, this was the first time she'd seen another pony that was dead. "She just looks like she's sleeping..."

"I can assure you that she is not," Ulquiorra replied calmly as he slid his hands back into his pockets. "If you wish to examine her corpse to verify, feel free to do so."

Twilight looked back at Ulquiorra, and then back down at Cupid's prone form in contemplation. Slowly her horn glowed, as a wide, thin beam of magical light shot forth from the tip and shown down on the pegasus before her. Slowly it ran from the tip of her muzzle down to the end of her tail, scanning her body in one direction and then the other. She could tell that Ulquiorra's explanation of what would occur had been very accurate. The blow he'd delivered had easily and cleanly severed the point where the brain was connected to the brain stem, terminating any and all signals that would travel to the rest of the body and maintain proper function. Even the heart had ceased any residual beating it might've had to carry out, as the last energy supplied by the firing synapses within the brain expired throughout the body.

"She... she really is... gone..." Twilight mumbled as the scan cut out. Slowly she set back down on all four of her hooves, looking down at the floor.

"I must say, I was expecting a far more emotional reaction out of you, at witnessing the death of one of your own," Ulquiorra commented.

"I don't have any right to be sad and crying like a foal about this. Not when it was my fault that this whole mess happened," Twilight replied as she slowly turned back around to face him.

He still doubted her words, failing to see specifically how she could be blamed for everything that transpired this day. She could be blamed, but that didn't mean the blame would be accurate in nature, or that it was something she had truly earned. However he wasn't about to try and argue such a point with her. At present time her sense of guilt wasn't doing anything to negatively affect her. Until such a time did arise, it mattered little just what she chose to believe.

"That is your decision to make. But for the time being I will need you to stay focused. There is another matter to tend to, and it is one of great importance," he replied.

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

"With everything that's transpired here today, it's safe to assume we have a new mystery on our hands. And we will have to unravel it," he explained.

"A... another mystery?" she asked. Already she could feel the sensation of her mind swimming from the possibility. There were already so many mysteries to be keeping track of, it felt like the equivalent of trying to keep a dozen spinning plates properly balanced all at once, and doing so without using any magic.

"Correct. Four days ago we established a pattern of events that coincided with the last two attacks we faced. Today that pattern was not simply broken, but outright defied. We must determine not only the why, but the how as well."

Chapter Forty Five

Chapter Forty Five

"This just isn't right," Rainbow Dash muttered as she paced in the hallway. Despite being separated from Twilight only for a couple of minutes, it felt like they'd been away for hours. Why did time have to be such a fickle thing to deal with? "Right now, Twilight's alone in there, watching that dude actually... kill another pony. How come I'm the only one that's not okay with that?" she asked as she turned to face the others, who were currently all too content to just sit or stand in place like it was nothing. "And how come none of you made a good argument against it? How come you didn't try and talk her out of actually doing this?" she asked them with equal parts confusion and hostility.

"As I said, Rainbow Dash, this is something that Twilight needs to sort out for herself. We can't make her decisions for her, simply because we wish to spare her what we consider to be avoidable hardships," Celestia explained calmly from where she stood, simply waiting much like everyone else was.

"But you two are the Princesses in charge of Equestria. It's your job to govern ponies. Couldn't you, like, order her not to go?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"You present an interesting argument for consideration, Rainbow Dash," Luna spoke up, "it is true that we do govern the land. And we do offer guidance when it is sought. But we do not govern the day-to-day events of our subjects and what they go through. We are not dictators, we do not step in and stop behavior on the simple basis that we do not like it. And there is certainly much behavior going on in Equestria proper that we do not like... such as mismatched socks being seen as acceptable."

Nopony said anything in response to Luna's statements. None of them were really certain what sort of a comeback to offer up to what they'd just heard, finding it to really come out of left field.

"Say... wha' now?" Applejack asked, too confused to think of anything else to say.

"Did I say something wrong?" Luna asked as she turned to Celestia for clarification on the matter.

"No, Luna, but perhaps making an attempt at humor wasn't the best option right now," Celestia replied. Even if she did find the notion a bit humorous, and a fine tension breaker. But sometimes laughing just wasn't appropriate. "The point remains, however," she continued as she turned back to face the others, "that we don't oversee every single aspect of an individual's life. We don't stop them from making bad decisions, just as we don't make them choose good decisions. It's not our place to say. The best we can do is offer our guidance when advice is sought. And although we could advise Twilight to not make this decision, there's nothing we could do to actually stop her from such," she explained calmly.

"Okay... that makes sense I guess," Rainbow Dash slowly replied, turning her attention away from Celestia and Luna, and more towards the others. "But that still doesn't explain why none of you gave her a reason for why she shouldn't be doing this. Rarity, you said Twilight was a sheltered pony, how come you didn't object? Won't something like this break her, leaving her a crying, drooling, babbling mess?"

"Really, Rainbow Dash," Rarity huffed at her friend's own brand of theatrics, "simply because I said Twilight was sheltered, that doesn't mean she's as fragile as the glass to a light bulb. She's not so delicate that she'll shatter at the slightest unsettling disturbance she meets with. Twilight's a mare of a refined strength; she'd have to be in order to serve as Celestia's student. I daresay, after everything that's happened in the past week, she's far stronger than we give her credit for; stronger than even she may give herself credit for."

"Alright, alright, I'll admit that's a good point," Rainbow Dash relented, knowing that she couldn't win this argument with Rarity. She'd seen what Twilight had been capable of before, and categorizing her as weak really didn't seem appropriate. Somepony who was weak certainly couldn't blow apart a wall, floor, and who knew what else that was behind it. Or shake the castle by yelling. "But I still don't get why nopony tried to argue against it. How come there wasn't one single reason offered up for why Twilight shouldn't go see it happen?" she asked. She'd made the best argument against it that she could have at the time, but why hadn't the others? Why hadn't they explained to her why this was a bad idea? Why hadn't any of them been able to relay the downside of watching an execution take place?

"Prob'ly 'cause o' what Twilight said, 'bout somethin' tryin' ta kill us. Like she said, we're prob'ly gonna be seein' a lot more death before everything is said an' done. This might be somethin' we're all gonna have ta face at some point down the line. She's jus' pickin' when she starts confrontin' the ugliness of everythin'," Applejack replied. Right now it seemed like the most logical answer she could give. At least the one that was most logical to her.

Rarity nodded in response. "I'm afraid I must agree, no matter how much I wish I could do to the contrary. This is a beastly situation we find ourselves in, and we may be forced to confront some utterly horrifying concepts and realities that we never before had to even consider."

All of the others more or less nodded in agreement to Rarity's statement, but contributed nothing further to the discussion, each of them with their own reasons for refraining from such, beyond the obvious reason of the whole talk being rather depressing.

"So... how come I'm the only one who's not alright with all of this? What is it? Am I... am I the sheltered one of this group or something? How does something like that even happen?" Rainbow Dash asked. How could something like that even be possible? She was the one who could utilize the Sonic Rainboom. She was the one destined to be a future Wonderbolt. She was the one who not only kicked a dragon in the face, but faced down Ulquiorra. So how come she was the one most disturbed by the topic of death?

"Ooh, ooh! I know, I know!" Pinkie stated as she bounced excitedly, before landing on her hind legs and rearing herself up, folding her forelegs over her chest in the process, and clearing her throat before she spoke up again. "A literal case of having your head in the clouds," she stated in a low, completely serious, deadpan manner. Before eventually devolving into barely suppressed snorts and giggles.

"Another impression o' Mr. Cifer?" Applejack asked as she cocked an eyebrow at Pinkie's antics.

"Yep!" Pinkie replied before setting back down on all four hooves again. "How was it? Pretty good?"

"Almost intelligent."

They all jumped in surprise at the unexpected voice, turning to see Ulquiorra and Twilight approaching as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Perhaps the most surprising matter was how Twilight looked... reasonably alright.

"Citing pegasus abilities to manipulate not only weather, but the clouds themselves, in order to reference an old saying about one not being grounded in reality," Ulquiorra elaborated as he approached, hands still tucked into his pockets. "However if the ultimate goal is to imitate me, considerably more work will be needed before any measure of success can be had."

Rainbow Dash knew that she could say something in response, but right now her mind was on something more important. Without a word she glided over the short distance and landed to hug Twilight around the neck. After everything her friend had gone through -or might've gone through- she was probably in need of a hug right now. Or at least one at the very minimum. She was very thankful when the hug was returned, as that indicated Twilight had enough brain functioning to be aware of her surroundings, and how to respond.

"You okay, Egghead?" Rainbow Dash asked her. But right after she asked the question, she thought better of it. "No of course not, not after that. What I mean is-"

"It's alright, Rainbow Dash," Twilight replied, cutting the cyan pegasus off before she could try and stammer about aimlessly. "It's done. And it was... almost peaceful actually, as strange as that might sound. Just one tap and it was over," she explained. She didn't really know just why she felt so calm after witnessing what she had. Was it shock and the gravity of the situation hadn't fully set in yet? Or maybe it was something else far more pressing. "I'm... I'm alright, right now. But Ponyville might not be."

"Say what?" Rainbow Dash asked as she pulled back and disengaged the hug to look at her friend. "Is this about the manticore attack? But the dude said he broke its neck," she pointed out.

"The manticore may have been terminated. But that doesn't mean any threat has been stopped, or that any mysteries have been solved. And we find ourselves with yet another mystery that must be addressed," Ulquiorra replied from the side.

"Another one?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief. There was just no way this could actually be happening. It was starting to seem like every single time they turned around, there was another mystery just waiting to slap them in the face and catch them off guard. "Do I even want to know what the details are to this one?"

"There is a strong likelihood that you won't. But it will need to be done regardless," Ulquiorra replied calmly, unaffected by the theatrics before him relating to her exasperation. "However that is a task best dealt with in a more secure location, such as the library, and after Spike has been reacquired. All those that are informed should be present for this briefing."

Cheerilee tried not to sigh. She really, truly, loved her students. All of them, from the very bright like Twist, all the way to the other end of the spectrum, occupied by those like Snips and Snails.

That fact aside, however, love did little to calm her current exasperated nature, the result from having had to try and clean five very dirty fillies who had run into the Everfree Forest unsupervised, and came back covered in dirt, mud, tree sap, and a host of other substances. All of which had to be washed and hosed out of their coats, manes, tales, off their hooves, and just about everywhere else it could hide. And being one of the temporarily assigned caretakers at the moment, that task befell her primarily, as Spike's small size served to be more of a hindrance than anything else, despite his best efforts.

And at the moment, he appeared to be suffering the torture best known as the pre-sneeze purgatory, trying to alleviate his suffering by attempting to force it to happen.

Cheerilee could certainly sympathize with the young dragon. That was a measure of misery she'd experienced all too often.

However that was doing little to answer a specific mystery. Apple Bloom and her two friends venturing off into the Everfree Forest, she could understand that. Anytime there was a yell of "Cutie Mark Crusaders" there was bound to be trouble to some degree. But how in the world did Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon get involved in this mess? The two groups really didn't get along at all, making it seem unlikely at best that the two would work together on anything, unless they were made to do so by an outside force.

"A-a-a-"

"Uh oh. Y'all might wanna duck," Apple Bloom stated and promptly dropped to the floor without any further discussion. Anypony who'd been around Spike long enough to see what it was like when he had to sneeze, knew to keep a healthy distance away from the front -and sometimes the sides- of his head.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle didn't need to be told twice, or even have the situation explained to them. Seeing Spike about to sneeze, both dropped to the floor just as a flash of green flames erupted overhead.

"Bless you, Spike," Cheerilee stated after seeing the display, and being thankful nopony had been anywhere nearby at the time. "Are you catching a cold?"

"No," Spike sniffed, "somepony's probably just talking about me."

"Say wha' now?" Apple Bloom asked, pausing momentarily before finally standing back up again. "How's that even work?"

"You know how the old superstition is a pony's ears are burning if they're being talked about? Ulquiorra says where he comes from, the superstition is you start sneezing if somepony's talking about you," Spike explained.

"That's just ridiculous," Diamond Tiara commented from where she sat, bored out of her skull with having to be stuck at the school, and desperately wanting to get home and take a proper bath with the proper mane shampoo her family bought. The only shining spot of this whole mess was the fact that she wasn't sticky right now. "Ponies talk about me all the time, and I never sneeze."

"Maybe it only works if somepony has something nice to say," Scootaloo mumbled to herself, just loud enough for some eavesdroppers to hear. As expected, Diamond Tiara immediately fell for the presented bait. Sometimes that filly was easy to predict.

"You've got some nerve, blank flank, don't forget that I was the one that saved us. When that timberwolf came after us, I-"

"Fell down and tripped it with your fat flank, making it smash its head against the tree. Some rescue mission on your part," Scootaloo interrupted, further angering the uppity earth pony bully, and causing a nice shade of rage red to appear under her coat.

This wasn't happening. This simply wasn't happening. Cheerilee sighed and grumbled to herself, pinching the bridge of her muzzle as she tried to remain calm. She might love each of her students, but love only went so far. Right now these girls were testing her patience, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep her cool before she did something she was certain she'd regret.

However before things could get too far out of hoof there was a knock at the schoolhouse's door, serving as a much desired interruption to the constant back and forth squabbling.

"Thank Faust," Cheerilee thought as she approached the door, currently locked for safety purposes; a necessity when she had to be out back and clean up those five. "Who is it?" she asked.

"Miss Cheerilee. If you could open the door."

It certainly wasn't the answer she was expecting. But the voice was easily recognizable to her. Walking over, she undid the latch bolt and opened the door, allowing her to look out and see that it was indeed Ulquiorra standing on the other side. With everything that had been happening so far, his presence was comforting to see.

"Mr. Ulquiorra, it's good to see that it's you. What news do you have to report?" she asked.

"Spike's presence has been requested at the library, in order that we might sort out this matter, and determine not only what occurred here today, but why it occurred," he explained calmly through the narrow opening he was presented with.

"I see," Cheerilee mumbled, not exactly keen on the prospect of losing the only one who'd been present to assist her through this all. "So is there any information about those that were caught in the attack? Any prognosis on how they're doing? Is there any word on Pipsqueak's condition?" she asked as Spike approached.

"The hospital staff report that they are optimistic Pipsqueak will survive. However regarding the others, I haven't been authorized to say as of yet. A final confirmation of survivors and fatalities has not yet been taken, and there is no point in preliminary speculation," he explained.

"Oh..." Cheerilee replied, trying her best to sound neutral, although uncertain if her efforts were successful. "What about my students? Is there any word on when it'll be safe to let them return home?" she asked.

"Not as of yet. But with the manticore disposed of, and no others detected in the immediate area, it, will likely be safe to release them once their families come to pick them up," he replied. He could to some degree understand her desire to be free of her charges; it was something he too had experienced when the ponies around him reached some of their more nonsensical levels of behavior. However he wasn't there for the purpose of relieving her of her misery; her suffering would have to be dealt with on her own.

"Mr. Cifer? Can we come too?"

It was a question from Apple Bloom as she stood just a few paces behind Miss Cheerilee, along with the other two of her organization. Their approach was slow, and the look in their eyes being one of hope.

"You're going to be talking with our sisters and their friends, right?" Sweetie Belle asked as they approached closer. "Couldn't we come with you and Spike and meet up with them at the library, rather than waiting around for them to come and get us? Just waiting seems rather... pointless."

Of the three who made up the Cutie Mark Crusaders, each of them possessed their own respectable level of intelligence for ones their age. However Sweetie Belle appeared to be the most intelligent at the moment, recognizing the futility of the situation at hand. Him traveling to the school to pick up Spike, return to the library for the discussion, then the others coming here to pick them up and take them back home, would indeed seem like excessive travel and waiting.

However that wasn't his problem. At the moment there were more pressing matter at hand than pointlessness and futility.

"That will not be possible. The matter needing to be discussed is of a sensitive nature. And despite your efforts in the Everfree Forest being beneficial to Ponyville, it isn't a matter appropriate for ones so young," he explained. The last thing needed were three potential leaks that would let sensitive information out into the general populace.

"Say what?" Scootaloo asked and blinked in confusion. What did he mean about their efforts being beneficial?

"Our efforts? You mean us going in and getting you the antidote from Zecora?" Sweetie Belle asked. Was he saying... what it sounded like he was saying?

"Are ya sayin' that... that we mighta actually saved Ponyville?" Apple Bloom asked.

"It's not out of the realm of possibilities. Being unfamiliar with poison joke affliction, I can't say for certain how things would've progressed," he explained. He then paused momentarily in thought. It was certainly not within his character to do what suddenly came to mind. But if he intended to keep up the appearances he had been maintaining upon his first arrival, perhaps it would be appropriate. "With that fact in mind, perhaps your presence would be most beneficial here, in assisting Miss Cheerilee with the others until such time that their families can arrive for them."

Cheerilee wasn't quite sure how to react to these words. On the one hoof, the idea of Apple Bloom and the others thinking that they played a part in saving Ponyville could lead to disastrous consequences. But on the other hoof, what Ulquiorra was presenting seemed like a novel and ingenuitive way of keeping the girls under control and attentive. If they felt that if they had important role to fill right now, they might actually buckle down and be serious in what they do.

"You... you actually want us to do something with actual responsibilities? Like we're actual adults and not just foals?" Scootaloo asked. She never saw something like this coming before. Even before Ulquiorra could get an answer out, Sweetie Belle squealed with excitement at the prospect.

Near the back of the school, where they watched everything unfold before them, Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara groaned.

"Woohoo!"

Having been around Ulquiorra for so long, it made sense that the booming static-y echo of his sonido would eventually become a commonplace noise, and no longer disturb those around that heard it, catching them off guard and leaving them momentarily confused.

Spike's excited yell upon arrival, was an entirely different matter, and caused a fair amount of surprise as it disturbed the relative silence of the eight ponies currently in the library, even amongst the diarchy. And more confusion when they saw Spike actually being carried under Ulquiorra's arm like a piece of luggage.

"That's awesome!" Spike cheered.

Ulquiorra simply said nothing in response, having heard Spike's cheers of excitement beforehand earlier in the day, and simply set him down on the floor. Now that this impromptu group was assembled, they could begin.

"What's awesome, little guy?" Rainbow Dash asked as she hovered on over.

"Traveling via sonido. Talk about an adrenaline rush!" Spike stated.

And then again, perhaps not. He could already feel just how this conversation was going to proceed, and it was going to be a waste of time. He would need to head it off before anything could actually come of it, and amount to a distraction to why they were actually here.

"Let's try and stay focused, shall we?" Twilight spoke up, cutting Rainbow Dash off before she could say anything in response to Spike's statement. She understood that time was of the essence, the day beginning to stretch into the late afternoon and all, so it made sense that they might travel by way of the Espada Express and... Espada Express? Great, now she was starting to think like Pinkie. Nevermind, they had more important work to deal with right now. "You two can discuss sonido all you want, but only after we get to the bottom of what's going on around here."

Ulquiorra paused at Twilight Sparkle's words. This was the second time today that the unicorn's words had compared to his own thoughts. He was seriously starting to wonder if she possessed telepathic abilities, or if she was simply like-minded to him. But it was something that was best saved for another time. For now there were more important matters to address.

"Ulquiorra? Do you want to take the lead on this one?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she looked at him.

"I believe I'll allow you to take point on the matter at hand. Perhaps you have observed something that the rest of us have not," he replied. However if he were being completely honest, his decision had more to do with keeping the unicorn focused on important matters, rather than allowing her the opportunity to become distracted by less important issues, and potentially become of a reduced capacity in terms of usefulness. For now he would simply stand back and observe.

"Alright," Twilight breathed, a little taken off guard at basically being given the reigns in this one. But she wasn't about to disappoint. With a flexing of her magic, she brought over a large rolling chalkboard behind her, before she began speaking again. "So everypony remembers how, five days ago, Ulquiorra discovered some very disturbing news that pertains to us. Two attempts on our lives with potentially lethal results, both of them within the space of barely more than a week. And as we discussed, both of these events have three things in common. Both events resulted in us being targeted, and directly involved in a manner that could cause the Elements of Harmony to become unusable, and render Equestria defenseless. Both events also occurred within a period of less than twenty four hours that coincided with each of Ulquiorra's two visits to Ponyville, and meeting with us. And both events didn't occur until after Ulquiorra arrived in Equestria. And ever since that revelation, we've been attempting to discern some type of pattern that could be used to predict future events. Unfortunately we haven't discovered anything. We're no closer to being able to recognize danger now than we were last month! The way things have been going, it's a miracle that we're still even alive to wield the Elements of Harmony! Despite our best efforts we have absolutely no information to go on, as we attempt to protect ourselves from one day to the next. We've attempted to analyze everything from variations in temperature, to the position of the moon in the night sky, all the way down to inconsistencies in hoof traffic in and around Ponyville, and we don't have the slightest piece of information to go on. This is absolutely pathetic."

As he listened to Twilight Sparkle speak to the others, he would admit to himself that he was mildly surprised by the subject matter being discussed. He hadn't expected her to basically be beating them over the head with the fact that they had no information to go on, and to do so in a manner that could be considered hostile. Even knowing everything that he did about her character, that still seemed uncharacteristic for her to engage in. Perhaps a well timed interruption was needed, before she began to berate them in depth for their shortcomings, and render them uncooperative.

"Twilight Sparkle," he interrupted, "a simple statement regarding the lack of information would have been more sufficient. However such a statement would be inaccurate, as we do possess new information with which to work," he explained.

"Wait, we do? Seriously?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Correct. However a map of the layout of Ponyville, as well as the surrounding territory, will be necessary for a proper explanation to be given," he replied.

A map? Twilight really wasn't certain just what he needed a map for, but she didn't ask. Instead she picked up one of the pieces of chalk and went about sketching a map of Ponyville. Not an overly accurate or particularly to-scale interpretation of a map, the chalkboard simply wasn't big enough for that, and she really didn't like that fact. But anyone with even a basic understanding of some of the landmarks could use it to triangulate their position on it.

Finally, after several minutes of quick sketching, she was done, the chalk stick worn down to nearly half of its original overall length. "How's that?"

"Serviceable enough," he replied as he looked over the end results. Saying nothing more, he took hold of the chalk stick, and began modifying the drawing. His movements were much quicker than Twilight Sparkle's consisting of quick, rapid, precise movements as he would move in to make a strike, before moving to a new location and repeating the process until he was finally done. At which point he stepped back, allowing the others to see the inclusion of X's, five-pointed stars, and check marks across the map of Ponyville.

"And what exactly are we looking at here?" Celestia asked as she studied the map in confusion. She knew there had to be some meaning to it, as Ulquiorra wasn't the type who engaged in pointlessness for whatever reason. But right now that meaning was lost to her.

"A map of today's incidents. The stars indicate buildings and locations that I visited during my time here today. The check marks indicate which buildings were damaged during today's attack, and the X's indicate where each victim was located in the immediate aftermath," he explained as he turned back to look at them.

"Ah really don' see jus' how this is supposed ta help us," Applejack commented as she looked at the map.

Ulquiorra ignored the comment before continuing to speak, addressing the group overall rather than any individual member. "During a significant portions of the day, I was outside the borders of Ponyville. During this time, I was escorting Zecora back to her hut, with her supplies in tow," he explained as he drew a line into the area designated as the Everfree Forest on the map, stopping to mark it with a capital Z. "During this time, I was away for a period of more than one hour, and unable to respond should an attack be launched. The distance between here and Zecora's hut is significant in relative terms. This would have been the optimum time to strike. Instead an attack didn't occur until I had returned, and was brought to Sweet Apple Acres to attend a party. What's more, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were also in attendance. This presents us with a significant mystery-"

"Ah think ah know wha' this one is," Applejack interrupted. When nopony immediately spoke up in response she continued. "That bein' jus' why did this happen when ya were within spittin' distance o' Ponyville, instead of when ya were further away an' not as able ta respond."

It was a rather simplistic interpretation of the events that had transpired here today. But nonetheless it was at least accurate in what was covered. Once again Applejack was displaying her intelligence.

"Partially. However the mystery goes far deeper than the simple fact that it occurred so close to our presence. There are a number of facts that are inconsistent with both of the previous events we've faced up to this point. First and foremost there is the fact that none of you were selected as targets this time around. As the holders of the Elements of Harmony, it goes without saying that you six would be considered a prime target for attack, due to the delicate nature of your continued existence being tied to the safety of this world. Should something happen to any one of you, the Elements of Harmony would become useless. And yet none of you were put in a position of danger this time. Instead," he paused and glanced back at the board, the others following in the direction he was looking, "this was the scope of the damage, and the targets on the receiving end of the attack."

Rarity raised her hoof, much like a foal would when asking a question in class. "I'm sorry, but couldn't this simply be explained as a matter of timing? Perhaps we were the intended target, but were saved by Pinkie's idea of having a party at Sweet Apple Acres?" she asked.

"Theoretical but unlikely. If you six were the intended target of an attack, I fail to see the logic in simply attacking random ponies and locations in an incoherent and unguided manner. Nothing beneficial could come from such a tactic of approach. Once it was determined none of you were present in Ponyville, the logical course of action would've been to proceed to Sweet Apple Acres in hopes of locating, isolating, and exterminating at least one of you," Ulquiorra explained.

"Wouldn' that be pretty much like walkin' right inta a death trap er wood chipper er somethin'?" Applejack asked him. After he'd pointed out how he, Celestia, and Luna were all present at her farm at the same time, it just didn't seem all that logical that something would just walk up to them and start a fight.

"It would be. However, I have failed to witness anything that would suggest whatever third party we're facing holds any regard for the wellbeing of those that are utilized in attacks. If the primary goal was to eliminate one or more of you, and thus render the Elements of Harmony useless, then it wouldn't matter what the cost of such was; especially when the cost is but a proxy," Ulquiorra replied.

"Wait a minute, that doesn't make any sense," Twilight spoke up. There were a number of confusing points coming about, and she felt that if she didn't say something now, then she was going to get lost. "We've been discussing how it seems strange that this attack occurred while you were at Sweet Apple Acres rather than on the way to Zecora's, even though Sweet Apple Acres is closer in terms of distance. So if the loss of a proxy isn't considered a major loss, why would it matter just where you were when the attack was launched?" she asked.

"A matter of timing and opportunity," Ulquiorra replied, "the loss of a proxy wouldn't be considered a significant cost. However the loss of an opportunity to strike would be. Should the objective be achieved, whatever was used would likely be discarded after serving its purpose and outliving its usefulness. However if the objective is interrupted before the goal can be obtained, then it's another matter entirely. An attack on you six at the time was likely not launched due to the proximity of a superior force that could cut short whatever would be attempted, rather than out of any measure of concern. It may also have been due to efforts to maintain secrecy; efforts that we will determine once an autopsy is performed on the manticore."

"Which brings us back to one of the original questions. If this was an orchestrated attack, why was it launched when the three of us were so close by? Even if we were distracted at the time, it was a risky gamble to take," Celestia pointed out. "Even more curious is the question of why Ponyville was attacked in the first place, when Twilight and the others weren't present. If they're the primary target of everything, then why did everything unfold in the way it did?"

Celestia hadn't wanted to admit it outright, but she had maintained some small measure of doubt about Ulquiorra's theory ever since first hearing about it. The report about Chrysalis suffering from insanity had given her some reason to believe that the Espada was simply being paranoid in his beliefs; there was always room for some measure of hope. But today's actions seemed to do little more than confirm that his theories held merit. Two incidents in close succession could theoretically be possible. But three incidents was far too many to be a matter of coincidence. Like it or not, she would have to fully accept that something was up, and very wrong. And that thought left her very uneasy.

"A very good question. One that presents us not only with an excellent theory, but also another mystery," Ulquiorra replied. He was interrupted only briefly by the groaning, grumbling, and statements of disbelief at being confronted with this statement. He used the interruption to glance over to his left. "That glass display case by the stairs. The one that holds and proudly displays the Elements of Harmony. How many are aware of its presence here?" he asked.

"Anypony that makes use of the library," Twilight replied, uncertain of exactly what it had to do with whatever theory he had in mind.

"Then their location isn't a national secret, nor are they apparently treated like a national treasure. Which presents us with two inconsistencies," Ulquiorra stated and glanced back at the board again briefly. "Our attention was focused on protecting those that were chosen to wield the Elements of Harmony, keeping them safe from what might seek to harm them. In the process of doing that, however, all of us left the actual Elements of Harmony unguarded and vulnerable. In essence we were taken in by the equivalent of a shell game," he explained.

Nopony said a word in response to Ulquiorra's revelation. At least not at first. This was a blow they hadn't been expecting to encounter. So much focus had been on them, none of them had stopped to think that the Elements of Harmony might be treated as a target rather than themselves. It was something that made so much sense it had to be blatantly obvious, and yet at the same time it was something that hadn't been considered.

"So what exactly is this first inconsistency that you have noticed?" Luna asked, being the first to speak up.

"It's the location of everything," Twilight spoke up, "look at the map. All the places that were attacked. Everywhere that a pony was injured. None of it was anywhere near to the library. There's nothing to even indicate a systematic approach to trying to locate the Elements of Harmony. There's no rhyme or reason, the entire layout is completely random. It's like the objective was just to kill and terrify. To show that there's no predictable or detectable pattern," she explained.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied, noting how Twilight Sparkle continued to remain focused on the matter at hand. Her focus would keep her competent during this time, and not allow for a breakdown to occur. "From what I've been told, the Elements of Harmony have been housed in Ponyville, and on display for all to see, ever since Discord's reformation. This openness means their exact location is known by at least some of the residents; possibly all, based on the nature of gossip and word of mouth travel. And yet this location remained untouched by the manticore, while all other locations were struck. The music shop, the bowling alley, Quills and Sofas, Barnyard Bargains, etcetera. All out of the way locations, devoid of any significance, with no connection or pattern. Even the ponies themselves that were attacked, there is nothing to suggest any sort of connection between them. It is nothing more than indiscriminate and inconsistent damage," he explained.

"So what exactly does all of this mean?" Celestia asked bluntly, wanting to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible.

"At present time I'm uncertain of exactly what this new information means. The only thing I'm certain of is that we now have five new theories that must be considered and addressed," Ulquiorra replied.

"Oh my," Fluttershy mumbled.

"Oh dear," Rarity added, not liking where this was going at all.

"Here we go again," Pinkie stated as she pulled a hoofball helmet down over her head, struggling some to get it down past her unkempt mane before it finally slid into place with an audible pop.

Rainbow Dash regarded her friends before shaking her head and turning to face Ulquiorra. "Alright, we're not getting any younger, let's hear them."

"I agree. Let us not hesitate due to our own discomfort. Speak, Ulquiorra Cifer," Luna added.

"Very well then," Ulquiorra replied. At least some of these ponies weren't afraid to face the ugliness of what this world had in store for them. "The first theory relates to today's attack, as well as our efforts over the last five days. We have attempted to analyze and recognize some discernible pattern that would give us indication of future attacks. Some telltale sign to serve as an early warning system. And yet we haven't been able to do that. The random nature and lack of organized structure relating to today's attack, gives us the theory that there is no pattern to recognize, and it will be necessary to remain on high alert due to the fact that anything can happen at any time," he explained.

Silence. He expected as much from them being informed that they were in constant danger; such news was always disturbing, no matter who was informed. Undisturbed he continued.

"The second theory is that the randomness of this attack was deliberate. It's possible that whatever force is at work has become aware of our efforts, and is responding in turn, by making an effort to hide any potential warning signs, and leave us guessing wildly."

"Ya think that maybe we managed ta spook whatever's pullin' the strings?" Applejack asked curiously. That at least sounded like what he was saying.

"Unlikely, but it can't be said for certain. A change in tactics might suggest the ability to become startled at being detected. But it could equally suggest a mindset that views everything as a source of entertainment," Ulquiorra replied. "The third theory deals with the timing of the attack, as well as the location. The fact the attack occurred just a short distance away from us, could suggest either arrogance or professionalism. Perhaps the entity responsible for everything took this course of action to demonstrate that it's fully capable of causing death and devastation at any time and any location, and is not deterred by a strong presence. Basically instituting terror in an effort to make everyone afraid of their own shadows."

"What about bad timing? Isn't it possible that whatever it is, it just wasn't aware of your proximity at the time?" Twilight asked.

"Again it is a matter that's unlikely. I can't believe that whatever force is responsible for everything, it could be outwitted by a simple party, regardless of how random the timing was," Ulquiorra replied, shooting down Twilight Sparkle's own theory in short order, before he continued speaking as if he hadn't even been interrupted. "A fourth theory would suggest that this entire attack was a display of superiority. To suggest to us that the Elements of Harmony are not an inhibiting factor, and would not amount to an effective defense. Considering the lack of secrecy regarding their location, it would be foolish to believe that this entity is ignorant of their location, and simply missed them due to oversight."

"That... that just can't be," Pinkie Pie stated in disbelief as she pulled her hoofball helmet off her head. "The Elements of Harmony can't be useless, they just can't be! They're like the most powerful force in Equestria, the only thing capable of stopping Discord! How could they possibly be useless!?" she yelled.

"It's merely a theory that must be considered. My knowledge of the Elements of Harmony is limited to what I have been told by others, and that information is lacking in nature. Has any effort been made to scientifically understand not only what the Elements of Harmony are, but how they operate, and what limitations even they must abide by?" Ulquiorra asked as he turned his attention to Twilight Sparkle, seeing as she appeared to be the most scientifically inclined present. The only response he got was a shaking of her head from side to side, and incoherent mumbling. "The simple fact is that we possess no hard knowledge of their nature. Is their source of power finite? Do they need to recharge between uses, and if so for how long? Do they cause harm to the body when used? Why did they succeed in purifying Princess Luna of the malevolent Nightmare Moon entity, but Discord could only be imprisoned? Exactly what is the definition of "evil" that they work against?" he asked, listing off the various points for their consideration. These were all questions that needed to be answered, and they needed to be answered quickly.

"At this point I'm not sure if I even want to know what the fifth theory is. The other four have been terrifying enough," Rarity commented.

"Ah don' think we have much choice in the matter, Rar'," Applejack replied and turned her attention back to Ulquiorra. Not that she was really comfortable hearing these theories being laid out, as it was reminding her a great deal of last week's conversation. But like it or not it had to be asked. "Wha's the fifth theory ya got on this?"

"The fifth theory regarding today's attack is the most unlikely, but it can't be discounted. It's the possibility that today is completely unrelated in any way, and is simply a matter of coincidence. The laws of probability dictate that at least some unexplained events are unrelated and have no connection. Nature is predisposed towards being wild and unpredictable, it would be foolish to assume that absolutely every animal attack is somehow relevant," he explained.

The fifth theory was one that he truly didn't buy. It seemed very unlikely, and relied too heavily on the concept of coincidence for his liking. The notion that a wild animal could break established patterns and venture into a village so far removed from its usual territory, and attack random ponies in an unprovoked manner, simply didn't seem possible. And its seemingly indecisive nature when he'd confronted it, had been a matter of great curiosity. The only reason he'd included the theory in the first place was for the sake of completion, as he didn't want to rule it out simply because it was weak in nature.

"Hold up," Rainbow Dash stated, "let me get this straight. After you take the time to lay down these theories, and scare some of us half to death with the possibility that the Elements of Harmony are actually useless... you just throw out this last one that everything was just a random animal attack?" she asked him, clearly not happy with the whole idea. She didn't even give him the chance to explain himself before she started talking again. "Are you such a jerk by nature? Or is it just with regard to us?"

Ulquiorra remained silent in response to the outburst. It was no concern of his how he was regarded by these ponies. More than once the cyan pegasus had informed him of how she considered him to be a jerk. Did she truly believe he was unaware of this fact? Or did she even remember her declarations against him? Either way it wasn't a matter of any importance.

"RD, now really ain' the time ta be gettin' inta this. There's ponies dead 'cuz o' wha' happened here today, an' we don' know squat about why. So jus' save the bickerin' fer another time, a'right?" Applejack snapped. Was she the only one remembering that gruesome fact right now? Rainbow Dash should've at least remembered that fact, especially after the fit that she'd raised at the hospital. Simply because she hadn't objected to what Twilight had done back there, didn't mean that she was alright with everything. "Now we got a tough question facin' us. Exactly wha' are we gonna do about this?"

The room became quiet after Applejack's statement, none of the ponies having anything foolish to offer up after being reminded about the severity of the situation. At least she was somewhat grounded in the reality of the situation, again emphasizing the fact that he'd found her interesting enough to continue basic interaction with.

It was at this point, that Princess Celestia stepped forward and cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Perhaps the time has come for a different approach, my little ponies," she spoke calmly, before turning her attention towards him and speaking again. "Ulquiorra, before I say what I have to say, I have an important question to ask. During your time here in Equestria, what have you learned about friendship?" she asked.

He remained silent as he regarded the strange nature of her question. She was selecting now of all times to ask such an off topic question? He significantly doubted that she was so scatterbrained in nature, that she would actually ask such, unless she had something specific in mind. Perhaps this was another test of hers, and she was goal oriented at the moment. Perhaps the question she was presenting, was the intellectual equivalent of a carrot on a stick, and if what he had to say pleased her, then perhaps there was something in it for him that could be regarded as beneficial in nature.

With that thought in mind, he began to consider everything he'd been made aware of during his time in this strange world, in an effort not only to formulate an adequate answer to give, but also give it in a tactful manner, and see how things progressed from there. With a cautious approach, he began speaking in response.

"To the best of my understanding of all facts in evidence, the concept of friendship is not only a matter of tolerating the idiosyncrasies of others, but also a matter of trusting them to behave in an efficient and appropriate manner when it's required of them. Friendship amounts to knowing who has your back when everything has gone to hell around you, and who is loyal to the cause you support, who is willing to lend you their strength when your own is inadequate. Friendship is providing assistance to others even when you have no binding obligation to do such, and not asking to be compensated in return for services rendered; however there is nothing to prevent the providing of compensation to others as a form of gratitude or kindness. Friendship is being honest with others, but not honest to the point of seeming cruel, even if the facts support your position and degree. Friendship is knowing when to be supportive of others in their endeavor, and when to withdraw support when their endeavors can have serious consequences if allowed to go through unhindered. Friendship is looking out for the emotional wellbeing of others. Friendship is refraining from exploiting openings that are presented amongst one another. Friendship is also being willing to forgive others for actions that would be considered stupid or hurtful, and moving on from that point, rather than lingering on what happened and can't be changed. But perhaps the quintessential aspect of friendship, is the existence of bonds and relations with one another that can't be adequately explained to outsiders, but are regarded as important regardless of that fact."

It was a culmination of information drawn from not only the various explanations he'd been given over the course of the day, but also things that he'd observed through various interactions around town. Some had been very straightforward and easy enough to understand. Others had been less than clear in nature and were the result of assumptions and guesswork on his part.

However simply because he was relaying this information didn't necessarily mean he agreed with it. Everything being covered made it easier for him to understand the concept of friendship, but that didn't necessarily mean he understood friendship itself. He could see how some may have a need for it, but that didn't mean he had a need for such. Simply because some of these ponies believed that he was their friend, didn't mean he believed the same was true for him. The concept of friendship might have its uses to others, but to him it seemed far too fragile in nature to truly regard as a viable option.

Then again he had never been ordered to actually form friendships. The extent of his orders in this area had been to learn about friendship and how to form it with others. And he had indeed educated himself with what he regarded as being the most important aspects involved with the formation of such bonds. As far as he was concerned right now, he had done just that. And in the process of his learning, he had given these ponies reason to believe that he had taken their notions seriously, thus removing whatever motivation they might've held to try and further socialize him.

Regardless of his own inner feelings, however, he thought he saw something resembling a smile on Princess Celestia's face. Perhaps his answer was what she'd wanted to hear after all.

"That's a very good answer, Ulquiorra, you've managed to learn far more than I believed possible. And that makes what I have to say next, so much easier to actually say," she explained. In truth his answer was a relief to her. "When Discord first brought you to our world, Ulquiorra, I admit that what I saw of your memories was disturbing; terrifying actually. Yours was a world so alien to ours, it seemed inconceivable that you would be here. Where you came from, death and violence was the norm for everyday life. It scared me to think about that being introduced to Equestria. But then you surprised me, asking to be assigned a new purpose in life to justify your existence. It was then that I saw the possibility of hope. I saw an opportunity that I hoped could be used, to try and retire you from your old ways, to assign you a more peaceful purpose in our world. I truly believed that I could decommission your violent past, and provide you with a new opportunity to go along with the new world. But in light of everything that's been going on recently, I believe that my initial assumption was premature," she explained.

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to say something, confused by exactly what Celestia was saying, and attempting to ask for clarification. But before she could even get the first word out, she was effectively silenced by Applejack unceremoniously stuffing her hoof into her mouth, cutting off what she was about to say, and leaving her to mumble around the foreign object.

"What I'm about to ask of you Ulquiorra is something that goes against the teachings of Equestria, and I don't do this lightly, but it's something that must be done, that much is clear. Due to everything that's transpired over the past few days, I must ask you to take on a new assignment. I need you to take on the role of a protector to our subjects, and keep them safe from whatever it is that's trying to harm them. Luna and I are rulers, not warriors, and it's simply not a role we're very well suited for, despite our own strength. Compared to you, Ulquiorra, we're quite soft in nature, and there's not much that we can do about that; at least not without terrifying our subjects in the process of trying. As unpleasant as it may seem to consider, we find ourselves in need of someone with your qualities," Celestia explained calmly.

This wasn't something that she wanted to admit to. But it was something that needed to be admitted to, she realized that fact. Whatever was responsible for this siege on Ponyville had chosen to attack practically in their presence, whatever the reasoning was. Depending on how one looked at it, it could practically be considered a declaration of war against them. Such a brazen act, it practically defied all logic. And if her little ponies were going to be made into targets right under her very nose, then these were times that called for desperate measures. And right now she couldn't really think of anymore desperate a measure than giving the Espada permission to return to his old warrior ways, and use whatever measure was necessary to actually protect the ones important to her.

Ulquiorra remained silent as he considered Princess Celestia's words. He was all but certain that he knew what she was talking about. But was she certain of what she was talking about? That was the question at hand. Perhaps it was best to approach with caution to try and determine the exact nature of the statement.

"If I understand what you're saying, you need me to return to my old ways -ways that you hoped could be put behind me- due to these new developments. And you're making this statement, understanding full well that there will be situations where lethal force is the only option that will be available to prevent a greater loss of life to your subjects. Am I correct?" he asked her pointedly, wanting to make sure she knew exactly what she was asking of him; as well as wanting to know if he was understanding her correctly. From what he was hearing, it almost sounded like she was publicly condoning his previous behavior in following her orders; that being to not harm her subjects. An order that he'd interpreted in a manner that supported the use of force.

Celestia nodded slowly and solemnly in response to the question. "You are. As I said, I'm not asking this lightly. If I had reason to believe that this matter could be addressed any other way, then I would insist on doing so. But sadly I don't believe we have that option, otherwise I wouldn't be asking this of you. I understand that there are going to be times when killing will be necessary, and all I can do is ask that you try and refrain from such whenever possible."

"That is understood," Ulquiorra replied, being the only break in his continued silence. He would admit that this wasn't a development that he would've predicted; at least not in the immediate future. Whatever had happened with Princess Celestia over the past few days must have been significant if she was willing to let him handle matters as he saw fit, and no longer insist that he abide by some silly notion relating to the concept of friendship. Perhaps his explanation has satisfied her to a sufficient degree. But whatever the reasoning, if her only instruction was to refrain from killing unless it was necessary, then he wasn't about to argue with her. She was leaving much to his discretion in her reinstating of him as a warrior. "I will do my best in this matter, Princess Celestia."

"I have no doubt of that," Celestia replied, "as the first detail of your new assignment, I'd like you to remain in Ponyville for the next few days. Possibly for a week, just in case. The manticore that caused today's attack might have been dispatched, but if one of your theories is correct, there's nothing to suggest that was the end of it. And if that's the case, I'd rather have you present where you can provide the most immediate response, rather than in Canterlot and waiting for a distress call," she explained.

Spending a week in Ponyville, waiting to see if disaster was going to strike again sometime in the next few days. He could think of worse ways to be spending his time; matters of far less productivity. But he could see the logic of being present. At the rate things were happening around them, one week might be more than sufficient to intercept whatever was coming next. And then there was the practical reason for him being present; the Elements of Harmony were also present. Six individual artifacts, and six individual ponies chosen to wield them. That added up to twelve targets that had to be protected from whatever was working against them.

The Elements of Harmony themselves could realistically be relocated back to Canterlot palace and kept under lock and key, rendered inaccessible to whatever was out to render them useless. But as for the ponies themselves, that wasn't as easily done as said; not without significant disruption and possibly causing greater suspicion. These six were far too integrated in the day-to-day activities of the town to make it possible to relocate them. His relocation, however, would present considerably fewer headaches to deal with.

"I'm going to help out, too."

His attention turned from Princess Celestia to Twilight Sparkle. And apparently the attention of everyone in the room did as well.

"Twilight?" Celestia asked, confused by her statement.

"I said that I'm going to help out too. However I can," Twilight repeated.

There were a lot of things that Ulquiorra could say right about now regarding Twilight Sparkle's statement. There were also a lot of assumptions he could draw, and conclusions he could reach. But he decided to refrain from such until he gathered more information about exactly what she had in mind.

"Ulquiorra's going to be in town now, that's fine, but what about when he leaves? We can't expect him to stay here all the time just because we might get attacked, it's simply not a possibility. And we can't expect him to come running when things go bad; if something happens to Spike we couldn't even get word to Canterlot in an orderly fashion. We got lucky this time, but what about next time? Or the time after that? The minute Ulquiorra leaves to return to Canterlot, we're as good as sitting ducks as it is. We can't consider this acceptable anymore, we need to take responsibility for ourselves, so when Ulquiorra isn't here we aren't as good as dead," she explained, doing her best to present her case is as a calm and rational manner as possible. "We got lucky today, but ponies still died. And there's no telling how many more are going to die before everything is said and done. And I know that there's nothing we can do to stop that from being a possibility, but that doesn't mean we have to just sit back and take it. If there's anything we can do to prevent a loss of life, then I think we should do just that."

"That's a very pragmatic outlook, Twilight," Celestia replied cautiously at hearing her words. Had this all come about from her decision to observe Ulquiorra's actions at the hospital? Perhaps something born from a sense of guilt? Or had this been a long time coming, as her student learned that the world wasn't always a nice place? "What did you have in mind for this new strategy of yours?" she asked.

"Well..." Twilight replied a bit hesitantly. Having the courage to speak up was one thing, but the courage to elaborate was something else. "I can't speak for the others. I can't even ask them to help out on this. But for myself, I want to learn more effective spells, more advanced spells. Spells that can repel a dragon or a hydra in case we encounter one. I... I'd like to see some of the books in the restricted section of Canterlot's royal library, like "Advanced Arcane Arts of Magic and Defense"," she explained.

Celestia remained silent. Did Twilight know the full extent of what she was asking right now? To those that didn't actively use magic the request might not seem like much. But the tome she was referring to wasn't exactly known for passive defense spells. This was offensive magic she was asking about, usually reserved for those who engaged in high-risk missions, and who had to go into dangerous locations on a regular basis, where confrontation couldn't be avoided. This was magic that would be used against large, powerful dragons to drive them back or... permanently cripple them at the very least. This wasn't anymore of something to enter into lightly, than her own course of action with Ulquiorra.

Unfortunately it wasn't something she could flatly deny. She could try and ease their worries by explaining how the royal guard could be diverted to Ponyville to guard everyone, or how she and Luna could spend more time in town. But ultimately it wouldn't do anything to address the point Twilight had made; they were pretty much on their own when one of them wasn't here. And if they didn't exercise responsibility for themselves, then who would?

"I'll see what I can do about having it sent as soon as Luna and I return to Canterlot, both to return to business as usual, and to have the manticore thoroughly examined to see if there are any clues that can be found," she stated. It went without saying that the book itself was highly important and needed to be guarded carefully; she knew she could count on Twilight to exercise extreme caution, and not simply leave it laying around where anybody could find it.

Anybody? Ulquiorra's dialect was continuing to rub off on her. He hadn't even been here for a month, and already his manner of speech was slowly but surely beginning to offset and replace their own in certain situations.

Ulquiorra was of mixed opinions on this matter. Twilight Sparkle wishing to assist was something that he could easily predict, as it was a basic part of her nature. Currently her ability to assist in a matter such as this was limited in nature, best reserved for a passive role by providing intelligence, and allowing the more skilled to handle it. She likely seemed aware of that fact, as she was requesting access to the restricted sections of the library in order to address her own shortcomings. Whether or not she could advance her own usefulness would require patience to determine.

"Ah'm in too," Applejack announced, "ah might jus' be a simple farmpony who can't do magic, but ah'm not gonna let that slow me down any."

"Well if Applejack and Twilight are gonna be stepping up then so am I. I'm not gonna sit on my flank during all this," Rainbow Dash stated.

Ulquiorra observed as all around them, the others present made similar declarations, to varying degrees of bravado. He had significant doubts that the majority of them could contribute anything beneficial beyond the role of intelligence gathering. But attempting to tell them that right now would likely be a waste of effort.

This was likely not going to end well. Of that he was quite certain.

Chapter Forty Six

Chapter Forty Six

"The hour grows late, dear sister. We will soon need to return to the palace in Canterlot and attend to the most crucial of our royal duties," Luna explained. There were a great many things that the two of them could do as royalty and get away with it, at least as far as the short term was concerned. But when it comes to raising and lowering their own respective celestial bodies, that was a duty that simply couldn't be shirked. If they didn't keep on schedule then their subjects would begin to worry about the imbalance. The last time that had happened, the farming guild had been quite vocal in their concern about how fifteen minutes more of darkness could adversely affect their crops. It was something she truly didn't get, but she would take them at their word simply to avoid such a headache again.

"I'm afraid you may be right, Luna, duty calls," Celestia replied. Much as she'd love to spend the night here with her friends, she had obligations to tend to. "I'll be along momentarily, after I collect the manticore's corpse. It wouldn't do to let the scavengers have it, and deprive us of whatever clues its carcass might contain."

"That may not be the most prudent course of action available to us at this point in time," Ulquiorra commented. He only paused long enough to ensure he had their attention before speaking again. "My new assignment requires me to be present in Ponyville for the next few days, just in case the manticore wasn't the end of this attack. But at present there are thirteen high-value targets in need of protecting with extreme caution. Instead of simply relocating the dead manticore, the most practical decision would be to relocate the Elements of Harmony, their corresponding bearers, and Spike, back to Canterlot palace where they'll be much more secure, compared to an open village," he explained.

"Ya mean pack up an' jus' leave Ponyville fer Canterlot? Jus' like that?" Applejack asked in a confused manner. It certainly sounded like that's what he was suggesting. "Mr. Cifer, ah know yer looking out fer us in yer own way an' all, but ah can' be gone from Sweet Apple Acres fer a whole week. Ah got way too much work ta do around here. There's duties an' responsibilities involved here," she explained.

"I can't really leave either. There are a lot of animals that count on me, and most of them are still recuperating from when that changeling was here. I just don't think I can do it," Fluttershy added.

Ulquiorra remained silent despite their objections. On the one hand these ponies were being very foolish. Their continued safety was directly tied to the safety of Equestria, and if something were to happen to them, then the entire nation would suffer as a result. They were essentially the equivalent of a carotid or femoral artery. Their silly notions should be the least of their concerns right now, as they had a responsibility to something far bigger than their own limited view of the world.

On the other hand, he could understand their reluctance to leave, despite the urgency that they do just that. He understood what it meant to have duties and responsibilities that needed to be filled, even when others would suggest abandoning ship to save their own skin. It was that understanding, that sense of duty and obligation, that was responsible for him being here right now. Even when he had the opportunity to flee the battle over Las Noches and save his own skin, he'd declined to do so in the name of fulfilling his orders from Aizen. A lesser Espada would've chosen to flee their post and live to see another day.

With that fact in mind he really couldn't berate them for their decision to stay, despite the danger that they would undoubtedly face in doing so.

"Then if your intent is to remain, we should discuss how to reduce the number of locations that will need to be guarded," he replied simply.

Rainbow Dash blinked in confusion. Had he just given up on making an argument? If he had then that was kind of surprising. But nevermind that, an idea just came to her, and she needed to make it known before somepony else said something and got her distracted.

"We could all head back to my place. Nothing would think to look for us there," she suggested, "and even if they did think to, there's nothing that could really reach us so high up. Besides, nopony's truly known what a good night's sleep is until they've slept on a cloud."

"A situation that would likely cause even more difficulties than simply venturing to Canterlot," Ulquiorra replied.

"Say what?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"If you'll remember, you pointed out your home during my first tour of Ponyville. While being perched significantly high off the ground would provide some measure of security, the practical difficulties are numerous. Assuming Twilight Sparkle's cloud-walking spell lasts for more than a few hours-"

"Three days. However the duration can be extended if necessary," Twilight interrupted.

"-simply traveling from one location to another would present considerable, time-consuming difficulties that would need to be addressed. And securing you seven, along with the Elements of Harmony, would do nothing to translate into securing Ponyville as well. For me to be present in one location would result in the other being unguarded and unmonitored as my pesquisa doesn't extend outward to an infinite degree. And that doesn't even go into the lack of defense against flight-based attacks; should another dragon be mobilized, cloud matter will provide no protection from its fury."

"Wow Ulqy," Pinkie breathed in response, "Applejack said you were a deep thinker. But I didn't think you actually thought so far in that you came out the other side. You actually came up with all of that in just a few seconds?" she asked.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied simply.

"Then we shall need a new solution to the problem at hoof," Luna commented as she shifted her stance. Unfortunately recognizing such was the extent of her knowledge right now.

"I actually might have one," Twilight spoke up, bringing everyone's attention to her. "We need to secure not only ourselves and the Elements, but Ponyville as well. But we're faced with the difficulties of ourselves being too integrated into the town to just pick up and leave at the drop of a hat, and how we can't go too far without leaving Ponyville vulnerable. But what if everypony spends the night here at the library? It's a fixed location, easy to secure, close to everyone's home, and Ulquiorra wouldn't have to leave Ponyville exposed to another attack while safeguarding us. Everything and everyone could be guarded at the same time with very little in the way of difficulties," she explained.

"Hmm," Celestia muttered in thought, stroking her chin with one of her wings. "That sounds like a viable option. What do you think, Ulquiorra?" she asked.

Ulquiorra considered the possibility. If the others weren't going to willingly leave Ponyville, then having them all present in an easy to protect area made the most amount of sense. From this specific location in town he would be able to detect any disturbances within its borders. All in all it seemed like the least objectionable option that was available to them.

"Considering our limited options, it may be the best choice open to us at present," he replied.

"Oh my. Something just occurred to me," Rarity spoke up, "we might be here, safe and sound in the library thanks to Ulquiorra's presence? But what about our sisters? What about Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom?" she asked.

"Hey yeah, and what about Scoots? We might not be related, but that doesn't mean she's in any less danger than the other two," Rainbow Dash quickly added. How could she have possibly missed such an obvious fact?

"Oh my gosh! The Cakes! They could be in just as much danger because I live with them! The twins could be gobbled up in the middle of the night!" Pinkie stated in terror.

"And what about Angel Bunny? Something terrible could happen to him and all the other little animals," Fluttershy added.

Twilight tried to be calm, tried not to lose her temper as her friends voiced their concerns about friends, relatives, and other acquaintances, and how they might be in danger simply by knowing them. And for the most part she was doing well at holding her tongue. But when the discussion turned to the absurd notion of bringing everypony into the library for the night, that was when she just lost it.

"EVERYPONY JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!" she bellowed as loud as she could, immediately bringing a complete halt to the bickering going on back and forth. That was better. A lack of chaos meant she could get a word in edgewise. "I-" she started, but could only cough in response as she tried to clear her throat. "Oh wow, that's really hard on the throat," she commented, before trying again. "Look everypony, I know we're all worried about those that're important to us. But there's no way in Tartarus that we can fit so many ponies into the library at once. We need to approach this situation calmly and rationally, not running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. If we start panicking now, we're bound to lose. We-" she tried to explain, but started coughing again before she could get much further in detail. She never should've bellowed like that.

Luna decided to step in, seeing her friend unable to continue with whatever explanation she was intending to give. She couldn't help but admire her efforts at mimicking the royal voice in an effort to regain order, even if the results were lacking. And now she was learning about the hazards of speaking in such a manner when ill-prepared.

"Twilight Sparkle makes an excellent point. Concern for loved ones is fine, but it is dangerous to let such concern run unchecked. We... I mean I may have a solution to the problem at hoof we are facing. For those that live outside of Ponyville and may be in danger due to their relation, I believe a solution is available. While Ulquiorra Cifer guards Ponyville and those present, I will dispatch a number of my own guards to patrol the areas, both to ensure nothing unusual occurs, and that no harm comes to anypony present. The night is my domain, and I will not allow such a travesty to occur on my watch," she stated firmly.

"That's quite a decision to be making, Luna," Celestia commented at hearing the determination in her sister's voice. It was... almost frightening how she could so easily switch between friendly and serious without any warning. "But are you sure it's wise? Not knowing what we're up against, it might be dangerous to do something like that," she pointed out.

"Rest assured, dear sister, those that guard the night are not the type to slouch about. They are well equipped for duties that your own day guards are not. They shall be fine, as will those that are under their watchful eyes," Luna explained in a reassuring manner, before turning to address the others. "Before we take our leave, are there any other points that you feel need to be raised? Any details that need to be hammered on?"

"Hammered out," Twilight quickly corrected without even giving it any thought.

"I can think of none," Ulquiorra replied, unconcerned with the nonsense that was going on about him. However Princess Luna and Twilight Sparkle stepping in to prevent a certain percentage of the entire town being brought into the library to be watched over, was something that he could be thankful for. Simply because he could tolerate these ponies, didn't mean he wanted to do so in large numbers for long hours; he would be doing enough of that over the course of the week without being housed in the same building as them.

Then again there was nothing saying he had to stay confined to the library. Truthfully he would be more useful above the library where he could have an unimpeded line of sight. It would also grant him some measure of solitude.

However that solitude would hardly be impenetrable. Two of the ponies that would be present possessed the ability to fly, and could easily reach him if they so desired; just as he'd experienced back in Canterlot. There would be nothing to stop Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy from setting out for the purpose of seeking him out, either to seek his counsel as if he was a caring individual... or worse, because they intended to hug him...

All around him the ponies looked at each other in an attempt to figure out if there were anymore points that needed to be raised while Celestia and Luna were still present, and actually able to address them in an order manner. Hopefully there wouldn't be, and all further discussion could be brought to a halt.

"Well... something just occurred to me. Where is Ulquiorra going to sleep? Twilight has spare pillows, blankets, and sleeping bags for all of us whenever we stay over. But Ulquiorra is... taller than all of us. I don't think there's any way he could actually get comfortable and rest properly," Fluttershy pointed out.

Fluttershy's statement did little to truly surprise him. Knowing that her attribute was kindness, her concern for him likely didn't surprise anyone that was present.

"Hollows don't need sleep in order to survive or function. To warrant sleep, it would be necessary for there to be absolutely no better way to occupy my time; no duties to fulfill, no research to conduct, no threats to address. Since that is unlikely at best, I will have no need for accommodations; especially since I will be keeping watch outside during the course of the evening," he explained.

"I'd recommend against that. We're gonna be getting rain after midnight," Rainbow Dash pointed out, "you might be able to just waltz right through dragon fire like it's cotton candy, but I doubt even you could stand out in the rain and not get soaked to the bone."

He didn't want to admit to the fact that he'd forgotten that piece of conversation from earlier in the day when he'd first arrived in Ponyville. Now that she'd mentioned it, he remembered Rainbow Dash mentioning something about having to get ready for rain overnight. He also didn't want to admit to the fact that she was correct; his hierro would protect him from a number of different types of harm, but being drenched by rain was definitely not on that list. Not that it would impair his wellbeing in any way, but wearing soaking wet clothing was something that he didn't feel particularly motivated to experience again.

That fact, combined with the fact that his air-walking ability would do nothing to keep some of the ponies away from him, would suggest that perhaps the best option available was to simply remain present for the night. If nothing else there was always the possibility of some books being present that would be more useful to him than the ones in Canterlot's library. At the very least it would serve as a distraction from their insanity.

"Noted," he replied, "it would appear I will be present for the evening."

"Yay! Slumber party!" Pinkie cheered excitedly.

"There will be much work needing to be done before any attempt at another party can be had. If everyone is to be present then the building will need to be fortified. All the doors and windows will need to be secured, in order to prevent unauthorized entry. Furthermore-" Ulquiorra explained. However his explanation was cut short by a loud grumbling making itself known. It was a grumbling that sounded consistent with a large, vicious beast making its presence known in order to induce terror in its prey. And yet there wasn't a single foreign reiatsu presence anywhere that could be detected. "What precisely was that?" he asked.

"Sorry, that was me. I'm getting really hungry," Pinkie replied with a sheepish grin.

"You're not the only one," Rainbow Dash stated as she rubbed her stomach.

"Same here," Applejack added.

All around him was the agreement of experiencing a state of hunger. Yet another shortcoming of living beings. But there was little that he could do about that. That meant either postponing the fortification, or doing it by himself. However even he realized that there was only so much he could realistically do without the magical intervention of Twilight Sparkle; assuming his assessment of her skills was accurate.

"If there are no other pressing matters then we truly must be taking our leave now. Sunset and moonrise cannot be postponed," Luna stated, growing visibly distressed the longer they unnecessarily remained in Ponyville. She enjoyed spending time with her friends as much as anypony, but she understood there was a difference between having fun, and being responsible.

"Calm yourself, Luna, we'll be departing in just a moment," Celestia said in an effort to calm down her younger sister. They still had plenty of time to get back to Canterlot and deal with their duties. It wasn't like they were being pressed for time currently. And there were still other matters that needed to be tended to before she was comfortable with taking off just like that.

"There are certain matters that cannot wait a moment, dear sister. Certain urgent matters that must be tended to quickly," Luna stressed.

Celestia, for the life of her, couldn't figure out just what it was that had Luna so agitated. It wasn't so late in the day that the moon had to be raised. She was about the press her on the matter, until she finally saw the desperate look in her little sister's eyes, and suddenly realization dawned on her; Luna was in need of a potty break, and didn't wish to use the local facilities, as she was doing her best to appear discrete. That certainly explained much, such as the constant little shifts she'd made in where and how she stood throughout the conversation. Considering how upset she'd been all day since finding out about Pipsqueak, is was no wonder this was happening.

"Very well then, Luna, we'll be taking our leave now," Celestia reassured her, before turning to the others once more, "take care, my little ponies. We'll be doing our best to try and figure out this mystery, and get to the bottom of it as quickly as possible."

She could certainly say a lot more, but at the moment she couldn't see the point in such. Telling Ulquiorra the obvious about the importance of protecting Twilight and the others would be a waste of time, and going into long-winded speeches would serve no point except for making Luna dance about in a desperate manner. For that reason she would cut this short. Some things were just too important to wait.

Twilight preferred to eat healthy whenever possible. It was as simple as that. She didn't subscribe to the notion of fast food being an acceptable alternative to a meal consisting of proper ingredients measured and mixed in the proper proportions.

But on top of the day they'd had to far, none of them really felt like waiting the half hour or more for a proper meal to be prepared and cooked. On top of that, she really couldn't see on insisting that Spike do the work himself in this instance. And any of them actually trying to lend assistance in the kitchen... no. Just no. So instead of all that hassle they opted to do something that he rarely ever gave consideration to; they ordered takeout from one of the fast food places.

The order had been from a place recommended by Rainbow Dash, the food consisting of crispy hay fries that had literally been fried in grease, and some kind of sandwich consisting of a vegetable mix of indeterminate construction actually compressed into patty form, and served on a bun covered with sesame seeds. All in all it struck her as unusual, and not the most transparent of meals that could be experienced, what with the insides of the sandwich being compressed food bits, and there being no way of telling just what parts of what plants had been used.

But despite it all she had to admit one thing above all else; for fast food it tasted very good even by her standards. Especially when there was ketchup to dip her fries in.

"I told ya you'd like it, Egghead," Rainbow Dash commented as she watched her friend more or less dive into another bite of her hay bacon cheeseburger.

"And you were right," Twilight replied in between wiping her mouth with her napkin to clear away all of the ketchup that had accumulated. Tidiness be damned, this was good. "This is actually pretty delicious. I can't believe I've never heard of the Hayburger before."

"Ah don' know. It doesn' really have much taste to it compared ta home cookin'," Applejack commented. This type of food might've been fine for some others, but it just wasn't her cup of tea. Everything tasted dry and overcooked to her, even the lettuce that was included. And no amount of ketchup or mayonnaise was gonna help that any.

"Quite frankly I agree with Applejack. This fast food leaves much to be desired, both in taste and quality," Rarity added. Out of all her friends she was the least satisfied with tonight's meal, her burger sitting untouched in its wrapper, and only nibbling at the hay fries. Although to a trained observer, they might notice that her efforts suggested she was currently trying to hide a guilty pleasure in front of everyone.

Fluttershy's position was silent and more visual in nature. Unlike the others she was content to simply munch on a fresh apple from Twilight's kitchen, rather than eat anything from a fast food place.

Rainbow Dash just shrugged in response. More for her, Twilight, Pinkie, and Spike then.

"Hey wait a minute, aren't we forgetting about something important?" Spike asked as he spoke up. "What about Ulquiorra? He hasn't had anything to eat since the party," he pointed out, gesturing over his shoulder to where the Espada in question stood by the front door, facing away from them.

Each of them stopped and looked over to where Ulquiorra stood, not saying a word as he kept his back to them while he guarded the front door. They all more or less understood that he didn't have to eat in the traditional sense in order to sustain himself. However not offering him anything probably wasn't the nicest thing they could've done under the circumstances.

"I don't know, he doesn't strike me as much of a vegetarian," Rainbow Dash commented. If they'd offered him anything for dinner, she had her bits on him refusing.

"A correct observation," Ulquiorra announced from where he stood, causing them to flinch at the revelation that he'd been paying attention the entire time. They'd really have to watch what they said around him, lest they say something they'd regret later on.

"Yeah I thought so. You're probably the type to favor a nice juicy cut of steak or something," Rainbow Dash replied.

"Really Rainbow Dash," Rarity huffed in response to her friend's statement. "This is hardly appropriate mealtime discussion to be having. It's simply revolting."

"Regardless of such, it is an accurate assessment," Ulquiorra replied calmly without even looking over his shoulder. "Due to aspects of a Hollow's nature, there is indeed a certain propensity towards carnivorous practices when it comes to eating," he explained.

"Yeah, only trouble with that is there's no place around here where you can get a good porterhouse cut," Rainbow Dash commented before turning her attention back to what remained of her meal.

"RD, ya really shouldn' go an' talk 'bout stuff ya don' have an understandin' of. The way yer talkin' right now, somepony might think ya actually ate meat before," Applejack pointed out.

"And who says that I haven't?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Ulquiorra would admit to anyone that might ask, that the way the conversation had been going lately, it was all just trivial dribble that could be tuned out without missing anything of importance. However when it came to Rainbow Dash's question, it was enough for him to take interest as the rest of the library went silent. In fact it was enough that his interest demanded he turn around and face the lot of them. Twilight Sparkle had explained how some ponies did indeed engage in the consumption of meat, but he truly hadn't expected to find out that the cyan pegasus was one such pony.

"Wait," Spike spoke slowly in disbelief. Was he actually hearing this correctly? "You've actually eaten meat before?" he asked her.

"What can I say? I used to be friends with Gilda, remember? And if you're friends with a gryphon, eventually you're gonna be invited over to their house for dinner," Rainbow Dash explained and shrugged. "When you're a filly you don't think about these things as much."

Even from where he stood Ulquiorra could tell the others were uncomfortable -even repulsed- with what Rainbow Dash was talking about. Twilight Sparkle was not a part of the group, as her reiatsu levels were bristling and fluctuating, indicating an interest in what was being discussed. It also suggested a disregard for the well being of the others present, in favor of gaining information that could benefit herself.

"Really? Can you go into more detail? What was it like?" she asked, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Let's see..." Rainbow Dash replied as she rubbed her chin with her hoof in thought. "This was years ago, back during junior speedster camp. I remember there was more than one kind of meat... I think it was chicken, pork, beef... and venetian. Out of them the beef was the tastiest, followed by the venetian, pork, and then the chicken in that order. But the beef was also the toughest to chew at the time. Plus there's the indigestion to deal with, that's a given. But if you can get past all that, it's not too bad," she explained as best she could.

"Fascinating. What about now? Is this a practice you still engage in?" Twilight asked.

"Well..." Rainbow Dash hesitated as all eyes were on her, and some of them didn't look all that friendly right now. But then again some of the things she'd found out about her friends today hadn't been all that comfortable to her, so they really shouldn't be judging her. "Sometimes, when there's a joint conference with the weather teams that oversee gryphon territory. But it's not like I'm going out and acting like a vulture," she explained.

Rarity remained silent as she listened to Rainbow Dash's explanation of the events of her past. She would admit that the idea of such an act was revolting to consider. However, browbeating her for her decisions wasn't the proper thing to do. It wasn't Rainbow Dash's fault that she'd been corrupted by that detestable gryphon.

But while she wouldn't lecture Rainbow Dash, hearing the cyan pegasus tell her tale had caused her to think about something. And as far as she was concerned, that something was worth exploring in better detail.

"If you don't mind my asking, darling, something just doesn't seem to add up. You seem to be the only one present that has no problem with... eating meat... yet you were the most vocally upset about the idea of euthanasia. Why is that?" she asked.

"Wait, what? What'd I miss out on?" Spike asked, taken by surprise by the way this conversation was going. First it was meat, and then they were on the topic of euthanasia? What kind of events had been going on while he'd been helping take care of Apple Bloom and the others?

"Because the two aren't related to each other," Rainbow Dash replied, ignoring Spike's question in order to address the unicorn. "I never went out and hunted down something for a meal. The meat was already processed, marketed, and bought in those cases. It's not like me abstaining would've made a difference, just like it's not like how I created a demand for it. I didn't do anything except be polite in those cases," she explained.

Now that Rarity heard it actually be explained, she would admit that it did make some greater amount of sense to her. As Rainbow Dash had said, she didn't go out and hunt down her meals when she wanted meat. It wasn't really the same as the predatory habits of others if she was simply being polite to her hosts; that was something she'd had to put up with so many times before, she knew how it went.

"Wow, Dashie, I had no idea you were omnivorous!" Pinkie stated excitedly by this new revelation. This was big news; big, BIG news!

"Like I said, Pinkie, it's not something I do regularly. It's just one of those things, you know?" Rainbow Dash asked, making an effort to calm whatever had excited the pink earth pony. The last thing they needed right now was anything resembling a party due to this revelation.

"Hold up!" Spike called loudly to get their attention. He had questions that he wanted answered, and he was getting tired of being ignored in favor of discussions about diets. "What euthanasia? What's been going on around here that I've been missing out on?"

Ulquiorra considered the situation before him. Spike amounted to an important member of their little organization, serving as a direct -and expedient- line of communication to Princess Celestia. And yet the others were treating him in a manner that was inconsistent with his potential value. He was asking a legitimate question, and the others were all hesitant to answer in an honest fashion. Was it simply due to their own discomfort with talking about such? Or was it a psychological matter, as they all attempted to protect the youngest among them from some of the more unsavory facts of life? Whatever the meaning behind their actions, it was something that would need to come to an end.

And much to his mild surprise, Twilight Sparkle seemed to be taking just such an initiative as she began speaking up.

"... One of the ponies attacked by the manticore, she was stung and injected with it's venom. T-there was no antidote or treatment available. And rather than let the foal suffer, Ulquiorra..." she paused as she looked back at him, and then back to where Spike sat. Even he could tell that she was trying to think of how to word this delicately, while still being honest. "He did the merciful thing under the circumstances..."

"You mean he... he actually killed a pony?" Spike asked.

"An operation sanctioned by Princess Celestia. She agreed that it would be the most merciful option available, as the alternative was a protracted death by suffocation," Ulquiorra explained calmly, keeping things simple so Spike could properly grasp what was being said. Due to his youth, he would require a significantly more cautious approach than the others.

Spike remained silent at hearing the Espada's statement, uncertain of what to say, uncertain of what to even think about what he'd just been told. This was deep on a level of deepness he couldn't remember ever being before. It was enough to make him feel like his stomach was doing somersaults. Painful, contracting somersaults that could tear the tissue apart from the inside out and-

He suddenly let loose a large, painful, noxious belch of green fire into the air, a large tome materializing just overhead. A tome that Twilight quickly enveloped in her magic, as he let out a sigh from the tension leaving his body, and his stomach once again feeling relaxed; relaxed to the point that he was hungry again.

"Is that the book you were asking about, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.

"It is. "Advanced Arcane Arts of Magic and Defense" just as requested. It looks like I've got some studying to do after dinner," Twilight replied as she looked at the cover.

"Ugh. When you say stuff like that, Twi', you give me flashbacks to when I had to do homework after dinner. You get way too excited about stuff like that," Rainbow Dash stated.

"Well this homework, Rainbow Dash, may wind up saving our lives at some point down the line. Ulquiorra can't stay in Ponyville all the time, and we have to be ready for anything. According to everything I've read, there are incredibly powerful spells housed within these pages," Twilight explained.

"You mean even more powerful than what you hit Ulqy with last week in Canterlot?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight was about to speak, but she stopped just after opening her mouth in order to think. She remembered what Pinkie was talking about, that rage-induced attack she'd launched in an effort to kill Ulquiorra for what she'd believed he'd done to Celestia. It had been a devastating, terrifying thing to engage in. It scared her even to think about it.

"I don't know about being more powerful, but they're definitely more efficient in nature. And they're likely much safer to use as well," Twilight replied.

"Safer? Ah don' think ah follow. Wha' do ya mean by safer?" Applejack asked.

Twilight sighed as she carefully set the book down next to her, before turning to address her friends. "Remember the conversation that was had when Ulquiorra wasn't impressed by the Sonic Rainboom? There are two types of techniques in this world. Those that can't be performed after a certain point of exhaustion has been reached. And those that can continue to be performed until the user dies from exhaustion. The Sonic Rainboom fits into the category of the first technique, whereas what I did would be categorized as the second. I didn't realize it at the time, but that's why it took me so long to recover. What I did when I unleashed that attack, if I'd tried to make it any stronger at all, I would've died as a result from draining all of my mana. There would've been nothing left to maintain my body's functions. It's like Ulquiorra said back then, how I barely had enough mana left to even stand after that," she explained.

Rarity did her best to suppress any noises that would indicate her surprise and terror at Twilight's explanation. She remembered back to their confinement in the holding cell, how she'd observed her friend's weakened condition, her labored movements as she fought for consciousness while addressing them. She'd been so concerned about how her friend had looked half dead in the immediate aftermath of her fury. And now she felt horrified at the revelation that she had come so close to being completely dead as a result of her own actions.

"And you believe these new spells will be safer to use?" she asked cautiously.

Twilight nodded in response. "They will be, since they aren't techniques that consist of exerting pure mana energy for the purpose of simple destruction. Spells don't allow for exhaustion to the point of death, because safeguards are woven into their makeup to prevent such, effectively moving them into the first category. If a pony doesn't have the necessary mana to cast the spell, it simply won't work, rather than literally draining the life out of them. The chances of dying in such a manner from casting any spell are... well I won't say they don't exist, because there's always the chance for something to occur. But the chances are statistically minute, to the point of being insignificant in nature," she explained, doing her best to make it clear that what she was about to attempt wouldn't be nearly as hazardous as what she'd attempted previously. Just thinking back on it was enough to make her uneasy. To consider everything that had happened, and the reasons for why they happened... she had to tune those thoughts out now, before the shivers started running up and down her spine in an unrestrained manner.

"And precisely what type of spells are we talking about?" Ulquiorra asked.

"To be honest I really don't know. There was a lot of reference material about the book to read, but nothing specific about what was housed within. But then again that's to be expected, all things considered. I won't know until I actually buckle down and start reading," Twilight replied, before popping the last of her burger into her mouth to finish off the meal. "And speaking of which I really need to get started. I've got a lot of reading to do, and I need to find a place to secure the book for when I'm not reading it."

"Before you do that, Twi', do you think we should write Celestia first?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm not sure, why?" Twilight asked curiously. What was Rainbow Dash getting at with such a question? She knew it certainly wasn't about letting Celestia know that the book made it through just fine, that would be redundant ever for herself to do.

"Canterlot palace keeps meat in stock for when the gryphon ambassadors show up for important meetings and stuff, right? Maybe they could spare a steak for our guest?" Rainbow Dash suggested.

Now that was something Ulquiorra hadn't seen coming. Out of all the possible forms of interaction that could be had with any one of these ponies, either individually or in a group fashion, Rainbow Dash actually inquiring into acquiring a steak for him was definitely not on that list. Yet again, these ponies were proving to be more interesting than they appeared.

"Oh honestly, Rainbow Dash, now you're just trying to be vulgar on purpose," Rarity huffed, disgusted with the direction this conversation was slowly but surely headed.

"Am not," Rainbow Dash retorted as if it was truly valid in nature, and fully adequate as a rebuttal. "I'm just trying to be friendly here."

It was at this point that Ulquiorra decided to speak up and interrupt the conversation that was being had. The way things were currently going, he couldn't see anything more beneficial being had right now.

"Assuming a steak could indeed be acquired, it would become necessary to first make sure contamination by poison joke did not take place. Deliberate or otherwise," he pointed out. Immediately all discussion ended when he mentioned poison joke, reminding them of what they'd done to him earlier. Some looked at him, while others couldn't bring themselves to make eye contact at their ears drooped, indicating discomfort with what he was saying.

"We deserved that," Twilight commented, knowing there was no way to deny the implication that they might try and drug him. After what they'd done to him at the party, he had every right to be suspicious of them and any of their future actions. "You've got every right to be angry at us over that..."

Ulquiorra remained silent momentarily to consider his options. This was necessary due to one of the immediate thoughts that came to his mind, being the notion of sarcastically thanking Twilight Sparkle for her permission to hold a grudge against them for their actions. It was certainly a possibility, but it simply wasn't his style of doing things. At least not to that extent anyway. A different approach was needed in this case.

"And yet I bear no anger towards any of you for your actions today. It would be a useless gesture with no beneficial results. Showing displeasure would not undo what occurred," he explained calmly. If they were looking to be rebuked for their actions in an effort to make themselves feel better, then they would need to continue looking. "As I believe I explained at the party, your small group managed to surprise me with your hidden depths. Prior to today I didn't believe any of you had the guile necessary to make the decisions that you did. You saw an opportunity that you believed would benefit you at the expense of another who made themselves vulnerable, and you chose to exploit it. It was a pragmatic decision on your parts. It was a decision I would have made. The fact that you chose to perform the actions you did, means there is more reason to interact with you than simply serving in a protective role."

Silence. That was expected considering the subject material that was being discussed. Receiving a compliment rather than condemnation had definitely not been what they'd been expecting to take place after being reminded of their actions in the first place. And being compared to him -which by extension, involved comparing their actions to everything they knew that he was capable of- had likely shocked a few into remaining that way.

Of course that wasn't his problem. If the others were unprepared for his observations about the darker aspects of their nature, then it wasn't his fault. They could stand some toughening up if they were going to survive what the world might throw at them.

"Hold up, this is tough to swallow," Rainbow Dash spoke up, being the first in the group to do so. "How can you not be upset when we basically took advantage of you in the way we did? You said it yourself, we were willing to sacrifice Equestria's security for our own short-sighted purposes. And we did it when you were drugged and not yourself. Doesn't that make you at least a little upset with us?"

He remembered the conversation had at the barn of Sweet Apple Acres. He had belittled them for their childish, short-sighted nature. He had even complimented them on their actions, as he had been genuinely surprised by such an unforeseen development taking place. But he hadn't mentioned anything about Equestria's safety and security during that discussion. He had chosen to focus more on how they violated their own notions of friendship, rather than the more serious issues that could've been involved, simply because he didn't know how the poison joke would've affected his effectiveness at the time. Had Pipsqueak come through the door first, he wasn't sure how he would've responded.

Based on her words, it seemed reasonable to conclude that the cyan pegasus had been giving the matter some measure of deep thought on her own, even if she was misrepresenting some of the relevant details. In which case the surprises simply continued to mount as this day continued.

"No," he replied simply.

It was interesting to observe these ponies. The more sedate he was, the more upset they appeared to grow with his lack of a reaction. Perhaps they had all arrived at the conclusion that they deserved to be struck with retribution for their actions, and his refusal to drop the proverbial hammer was simply making matters more unbearable for them?

He briefly considered that possibility for a moment. Under the guise of friendship, perhaps it would be appropriate to berate them for their various actions, and give them whatever sense of punishment they felt that they had earned, assuaging them of whatever guilt they were carrying around, in order to help them focus on the more important matters at hand.

He considered such. But ultimately decided against it. Whatever pain they were in, they had earned it. And it would serve as an effective educator, and motivate them to not do something similar again in the future.

What could be better justified under the guise of friendship, than taking a course of action to try and teach them how to be strong on their own?

"Why not?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Was she quite serious with this line of questioning? This was rather unusual behavior to engage in. He couldn't help but wonder what currently drove her, spurring her onward in her quest for answers as to his reasoning.

"In your own words on the subject of friendship, the true measure is how others respond after realizing they have done something wrong. You have come to the conclusion that what you did was wrong, that point was reinforced by what happened to Ponyville during our absence, and it's unlikely that you would ever take such a course of action again," he explained calmly. Not that he doubted their potential for stupidity and short-sightedness. But after realizing that other ponies died while they had him distracted, he doubted even they would forget about that.

He waited. There was no immediate response from Rainbow Dash, nor any of the others at present time. With no disturbance he continued speaking once again.

"There is also the matter that I am at least partially responsible for the events that transpired. During my journey into the Everfree Forest I was warned about the presence of poison joke by Zecora. She warned to avoid the main path due to overgrowth, and instead take a longer route for the purpose of safety. Suspecting that something may occur during my absence, I chose to disregard her words and travel the shortest path, believing that my sonido would prove adequate against its presence. Knowing that such is not the case, that is a course of action I will not be taking again. Had I not presented such an opening in the first place, there would have been nothing for you to exploit. Therefore the only thing appropriate for me to say in this situation is touché," he explained calmly.

He couldn't deny that he was at fault to some degree, it would be a matter of being dishonest with himself. However he didn't necessarily have to admit to such a fact either. The only reason he had done so right now was to try and make an effort to put an end to this current line of discussion. Pride was never a strong point of his anyway.

More silence around the room. A longer stretch of silence than what he'd been met with previously. Perhaps it was safe to assume the discussion was now over, and he could return his attention not only to the front door, but also the territory surrounding the library.

"Now wait just a second here!"

This time it was Pinkie Pie that spoke up and brought his attention back to them. The way things were proceeding currently, this could be a very long conversation that was being had.

"If you don't think we're gonna use poison joke on you on purpose, then why'd you even mention it in the first place? What was the point of all that?" she asked him.

It was a fair question to ask, all things considered. She did raise a good point. Why bother bringing up the possibility of poisoning, only to inform them that he didn't believe they would stoop to such a tactic?

"Merely to serve as motivation to not try such, even if at some point down the line it may seem like a valid notion," he explained. He felt the urge to go further in his explanation, to point out that such a tactic hardly matched up with all the explanations and definitions of friendship. However he knew that such would be redundant at this point in time, and thus saw no reason to truly do such.

"You jerk," Reainbow Dash growled in response to his statement and banged her hoof on the table, clearly dissatisfied with him. "And to think I was willing to see about getting you a nice big juicy piece of meat..."

There was a snickering that followed Rainbow Dash's statement, followed by a crashing noise, and intense, riotous laughter immediately after. All eyes turned to see the source of the commotion, and found Spike to be rolling about on the floor after having fallen out of his chair, laughing uncontrollably as he gripped his stomach and sides.

"Okay I'm lost, what's so funny?" Rainbow Dash asked, utterly lost by this sudden change of events.

"Yeah Spike, if there's something so funny that you fell out of your chair, then you should share it with your friends, they might wanna laugh too," Pinkie pointed out. Not that it did much good though.

Twilight didn't share the same interest in Spike's current laughing fit as her friends. While they might be in the dark about what was going on, she at the very least had an idea on what her little dragon was laughing at. And it was anything but polite in nature. She wanted to scold him at least a little for his crudeness, but at the same time she knew that it really wasn't his fault. Ulquiorra had presented the setup to them for consideration, and Rainbow Dash had unknowingly contributed with a line that could so easily be misconstrued as something else. If she got upset with him, then she'd have to get upset at both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie for that belching contest last month; which would involve being upset at herself, as she had allowed herself to get drawn into it and actually participate. It'd been rude, crude, obnoxious, and burnt her nostrils when she'd choked, but she'd participated regardless. She really couldn't go acting all high and mighty on this.

So instead of doing anything hypocritical, she simply levitated Spike off the ground, dusted him off, and righted his chair before sitting him back down again.

"I fail to see the humor of the situation," Ulquiorra commented dryly.

"Yer not the only one," Applejack replied before she turned her head back to face Spike again. "Wha's so funny anyway Spike?"

Twilight tried not to frown at the way things were progressing. Spike's riotous behavior was going to make it incredibly difficult to exercise any measure of decorum with these proceedings. Everyone was becoming very interested in what Spike had been laughing at, meaning they were looking for an explanation. Unfortunately an explanation was going to mean everyone finding out about Ulquiorra's theory, and embarrassing Rainbow Dash at the same time. She'd hoped that she could explain the situation in private to her flying friend, but even if she found a way to excuse herself and lure Rainbow Dash to a more private setting, that would leave Spike unsupervised, and he might think nothing of making a crude revelation. She was, regrettably, going to need to do something to prevent that... or at least mitigate the damage somehow.

"Earlier in the day Ulquiorra pointed out several specific instances he noticed that, when viewed in a certain context, would suggest there's a certain carnal desire in effect that may lead to-"

"Egghead, just spit it out already," Rainbow Dash interrupted, not having the patience to listen as her friend worked up to whatever she was trying to say. "What's wrong with simple, easy to understand terms that everypony can understand?" she asked.

Now Twilight was getting mad. She was trying to explain the situation cautiously, delicately, and with as much tact as possible when considering just what was being discussed. But Rainbow Dash apparently didn't have enough patience for that approach, nor appreciation for the fact that she was trying not to embarrass her. But apparently she wasn't in the mood to appreciate the gravity of the situation.

Well if that was the case, then there was nothing she could do but give Rainbow Dash exactly what she wanted, and let her deal with the consequences for herself. That thought almost made her grin wickedly.

"Alright then, Rainbow Dash," she replied. Rainbow Dash wanted simple, easy to understand terms? Then she was going to get them. "It would seem that you've given Ulquiorra the impression that you want him to bend you over, and rut you until you can't even stand up."

Spike, who had been calming down from his laughing fit at this point, had stared in utter disbelief at Twilight's words and the bluntness of them, before immediately starting to laugh all over again. The others had settled in simply staring in shocked disbelief, except for Rainbow Dash, who nearly choked as a result.

"W-what!?" she croaked loudly. Was this Twilight's idea of a practical joke? Was she trying to prove that she could keep pace with both her and Pinkie? It had to be something like that, Twilight would never say something like that normally. "What the... h-how... who the... but I... and they... what in..." she stuttered incoherently in response, her attempts at communication intermixed with random sputtering from disbelief. Finally, and with much effort, she managed to construct a coherent response. "Where'd he get such a dumb idea in the first place!?"

"I believe the slang term "wingboner" was used to describe part of the relevant behavior of this case," Ulquiorra replied simply. He truly hadn't expected this development to occur, but now that it had, he was mildly curious to see where this would lead. But so far it was doing nothing but causing a notable blush to develop and bleed through the cyan mare's coat.

"W-wingboners?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief. Where'd he learn that term? Who'd he been talking to? No, seriously, who had he been talking to? Who had been talking to him? How did something like that even come up in a conversation? And how would it come up in a conversation that he'd take part in?

Off to the side she suddenly heard some dainty laugh taking place, and spun her head around to glare at Rarity as she hid her mouth behind her hoof. As if that was actually fooling anyone. "And just what's so funny?" she demanded to know.

"Nothing at all, darling, I assure you. I'm being quite serious about this new development," Rarity said as she cleared her throat and attempted to calm her friend down. "I'm just wondering if my services will be needed in the near future, that's all."

"Say what?" Rainbow Dash asked, instantly going from annoyed to outright confused by that statement.

"Well if your interest in Ulquiorra is really that strong, I would hope you would go out on at least one date beforehoof," Rarity explained as she did her best to be serious. "So tell me, darling, could I interest you in a nice dress for your big night? Perhaps a nice black silk number to contrast with his standard clothing? Or do you favor plain white with black edging?"

Rainbow Dash didn't know what came first; her surprised sputtering at what Rarity was suggesting, or the riotous laughter from her friends around her at what the fashionista was saying. She was quickly moving away from confusion, and back towards anger once again from the teasing she was on the receiving end of.

She quickly took a headcount of what was going on around her. Over by the door Ulquiorra was standing as stone faced as ever, not showing any sort of reaction from what had been said. That nearly scared her worse than if he had reacted, as that blank slate expression made it impossible to determine what was really going on inside his head. Was he upset? Was he embarrassed? Was he actually liking the idea?

Next up was Twilight herself. She looked somewhat amused, but not nearly as much as the others. Was this payback for interrupting her explanation of the situation? Then again she didn't look like she was having the most fun here, so she didn't know what to make of it.

And then there was Fluttershy. Out of those assembled at the table, she seemed the least amused. If anything she looked uncomfortable and even embarrassed. At least there was that. At least one of her friends had some decency to her. She couldn't say the same for Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, or even Spike. They were having way too much fun with this at her expense.

And then, like a buck to the face, a thought came to her. It wasn't exactly the nicest of thoughts to ever cross her mind, that much was certain. But right now she wasn't feeling all that nice, so she was willing to work with it.

"Alright you ponies, laugh it up," she chided them, before turning her attention back to the giggling Rarity. "Crack whatever jokes you want. At least I'm not the one who decided to make him new clothes to wear." That got Rarity's attention. Perfect. "I bet you had a lot of fun using that measuring tape on him, huh? How close did you have to get for those measurements? Did you take them with his jacket on? Or did you make him take it off so you could get a better look at his physique first? How much ogling went on during that time, under the guise of genuine research?"

Now it was Rainbow Dash's turn to smirk as Rarity's demeanor changed from amused to embarrassed, the coat around her cheeks staining a nice, vibrant pink from the blush underneath her fur. Off to the side she noticed as Spike's own laughing came to a halt as well. Two for the price of one, and now onto the next one as the fashionista attempted to protest. Applejack would be next.

"And at least I never planned on putting him to use in order to get my chores done," she stated, bringing the farmpony back into the realm of seriousness. "So what was it behind your motivation, AJ? Was it the idea of him being able to buck trees at the speed of his sonido that got you excited? Or the possibility of him getting all hot and sweaty in the afternoon sun? What, some farmer's thing about manual labor and such? What other kind of physical activities did you have planned for him?"

"W-what in tarnation!?" Applejack choked in protest as her cheeks nearly turned as red as her own cutie marks. What was that featherbrained pegasus even talking about? Off to the left of the table the only one left laughing was Pinkie. And the fact that she was laughing at their own flustered status was quickly becoming annoying. Now she had an idea of what Rainbow Dash had felt like just a minute ago.

Rainbow Dash smirked as she turned her attention to the last one laughing at the table, ready to let her have it as well. But then she stopped in her proverbial tracks. She was coming up blank on just what she could bring up, that could possibly have such connotations that would indicate physical attraction between her and the Espada. Darn it!

"Uh... somepony help me out here?" she asked.

"Pajamas?" Spike offered up without even thinking about it. That was an unfortunate side effect of being tasked with assisting others; sometimes you wound up speaking up when you should've just kept quiet.

Rainbow Dash thought for a second about what Spike had said, before remembering what he was talking about. Now that was some good material to work with,

"Right. Seriously Pinkie, you stuck the dude and yourself in pajamas without any hesitation," she pointed out, immediately bringing an end to the pink pony's laughter. "Pajamas. Maybe you were trying to tell us something back there? Maybe hinting at a little wish fulfillment perhaps?" she asked, watching with interest as Pinkie squirmed in discomfort at what was being suggested. And then she decided to go a bit further. "Maybe Pinkie could use your services more than I could, Rarity..."

Twilight would admit that she hadn't seen this development coming. She hadn't expected nearly this much humor to come about from her bluntness. But at the same time she was glad this was the way things unfolded, as it meant a lot less drama and difficulty would be experienced, from the notion of cross-species physical romance. As long as they could all trade laughs, things could be kept running smoothly.

That is, so long as nopony started getting cruel. Intervention might become necessary if Rainbow Dash started to really push the envelope here. Turnabout was fair play and all, but everything had its limits.

"Alright then, we've all had a chance for a good laugh. And I think we can all agree that, under the right circumstances, and in the right context, we've all done some things that could easily be misconstrued as something that they're not," she stated, making an effort to prevent things from turning ugly.

"And what did you do?" Rainbow Dash asked as she turned her attention toward her. She'd only been interested in making herself not be the center of attention in this particular case, and had gone about doing such by embarrassing the others in the same manner she'd been. But at hearing Twilight's words, she now became very curious. And at seeing her now flustered nature, she was getting even more curious.

"Me?" Twilight asked as she blinked. This certainly hadn't gone like she'd intended. But... there really wasn't any harm in sharing, was there? It's not like there was anything inherently wrong with it. And after everything that'd been said about their behavior, hers might pale in comparison. "Well on the first night we met, we were studying in the library and I sort of... fell asleep leaning against him..." she admitted sheepishly.

Rainbow Dash's response was to snort and snicker at her confession, obviously amused by what she had to say. Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy were neutral in appearance, and didn't do anything to suggest to her that they were taking any amusement from her story. However when it came to Pinkie she looked... confused. Confused and tilting her head to the side, much like a dog would do.

"What's so bad about that?" she asked, not getting it at all. "When I get tired I can sleep just about anywhere. There've been times I've fallen asleep standing up and in mid-sentence. Sorry, Twilight, I'm just not seeing it."

"I have to agree with Pinkie on this one, darling, we all know how devoted you can be to your studies. You falling asleep against something conveniently located is... more to be expected than seen as a source of amusement," Rarity replied.

At seeing their subdued reactions to her tale, Twilight didn't know whether she should feel relieved, or embarrassed. She'd thought that it was a pretty good story for comparison purposes, and she'd expected at least a little teasing to be had. But at the same time she was glad nopony had made an issue of it.

"I guess you're right. It's not like any of us have actually done anything questionable in nature," she agreed as she allowed her body to visibly relax.

"Maybe not, but I still feel weird for actually making somepony think I was interested in doing something like that," Rainbow Dash said as she turned her attention to Ulquiorra. "No offense, dude, you're awesome and all in what you can do, but I just don't go that way. The whole interspecies thing is just..." she paused as she tried to find the right word to describe the situation. Ultimately she couldn't do that, and rather than ask Twilight or Rarity for the appropriate phrase, she just continued on without it. "Earth ponies and unicorns, there's no issue there. The three pony tribes have been united for so long, nopony would even think twice. Zebras, still no issue, they're still equines and all. Gryphons... that's where it starts getting a little tricky. At least for me anyway. I was friends with Gilda and all, sure, but... ugh, I should've just kept my big mouth shut..."

"It's alright, Rainbow Dash, I think everyone gets the point you're trying to make," Twilight told her. She wasn't entirely sure about the others, but at least she had an idea of what her friend was saying. "But there's really nothing wrong with interspecies relationships, history is full of them. But those tend to involve members of species we've had long, long periods of interaction with; species that have been fully integrated and normalized into our society. Species that we've grown up with, and come to know about as well as we know ourselves."

"Geez, Egghead, way to beat a concept right into the ground like a tent peg. I think we get it already," Rainbow Dash complained. She almost preferred it when Twilight was being blunt and straight to the point, even if what she did have to say could be embarrassing. At least then she didn't feel compelled to keeping hammering it over and over again.

"... I'm a little confused. How exactly did we wind up having this discussion anyway?" Fluttershy asked as she finally spoke up.

"In simple terms, a series of events that involved numerous misunderstandings, including aspects of the carnivorous lifestyle, poison joke affliction, and certain displays and statements that could be misconstrued as signs of physical attraction," Ulquiorra replied. He'd been listening silently to the banter going about around the table, as the ponies attempted to embarrass one another by pointing out various behaviors on each of their parts, and how they could easily be interpreted as something that they weren't intended as. None of it truly held any relevance to him. The only reason he'd spoken up in the first place had been to cut through the foolishness in an effective manner.

At least this misunderstanding was now behind them. It would be one less thing he had to concern himself with. Although it was a little curious how his species was seen as important, but his ghostly status wasn't. Perhaps the concept of necrophilia was treated differently in this world.

"Okay, I guess that makes sense. But I still don't understand what got Spike laughing. I didn't say anything that funny, did I?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Twilight knew that if the situation was explained from their perspective, Spike was going to start laughing again. So she decided it would be best to cut the little dragon off at the pass. Her bluntness last time hadn't yielded any significantly negative results, so maybe a second time wouldn't do any worse. It'd probably go over better than what she'd been saying just a minute ago. Maybe she just should've gone with "there's nothing wrong with ponies boning gryphons, or vice versa" or something like that. Oh well, that was neither here nor there. Right now she had something else to tend to.

"Well when looked at in the right context, what you said to Ulquiorra earlier in the conversation, about meat, could be construed as having a significantly perverted meaning to it. Something that isn't exactly discussed in polite company," Twilight explained, doing her best to keep her tone even and civil, rather than betraying her own amusement.

Alright so that wasn't exactly the most blunt of deliveries that could be given. She needed to give at least some consideration to the others present; or at least Rarity and Fluttershy. Spike might be a lost cause at this point, considering what he seemed to know despite his young age.

Rainbow Dash was silent, her confusion only growing, as she tried racking her brain in an effort to get what Twilight was saying. What had she said that could possibly be misconstrued and made into something perverted? All she could remember saying was... was...

She didn't even need a mirror at this point, she could feel her face contort in surprise as the realization suddenly came up and smacked her in the face full force. And once she realization was made, she couldn't help but vocally groan at her own stupidity, and lack of critical thinking. "Oh fuck me..."

"I believe you already explained that you weren't interested in such an endeavor," Ulquiorra replied dryly. However he stopped short of asking her what had changed her mind, as he truly wasn't interested one way or the other.

Immediately Spike started laughing all over again. Or at least he would've been, if he wasn't using both of his hands to desperately keep his mouth clamped shut. And was currently losing the struggle.

"What?" Rainbow Dash asked, both confused and annoyed now.

"You're really not helping yourself with stuff like that, Rainbow Dash," Twilight pointed out, doing a better job of keeping her amusement to herself at that point. But just barely.

"Wait, what?" Rainbow Dash asked. She was beginning to get very, very frustrated at what felt like being on the edge of an inside joke, and constantly delivering the punchline without even realizing it. Everypony was having a laugh at her expense. "Are you saying... wait, that's what that means!?" she asked, taken by surprise at what was being suggested.

"It's an amazingly versatile and flexible word," Twilight said simply and shrugged in response. And it really was amazing. She remembered her conversation with Ulquiorra when he'd agreed to teach her some of the words that were native to his own world. And when that word in particular had come up, it had been difficult to get a proper grasp on the proper context, when it had such a simple meaning. Why exactly did a word that basically meant fornication, get used not only as a noun, but also as a verb, a adjective, and an adverb? It violated all the basic rules of grammar.

And yet despite that fact, she had found that it seemed so, so appropriate to use in a number of circumstances.

"Well then," Rarity said slowly, "if Ulquiorra's dialect is going to be integrated into our own, due to continued interaction on all of our parts, perhaps it would be best to learn the full meaning of it. After all, a lady doesn't go about hurling profanities at the drop of a hat, even if she has no idea what they mean."

Across the table Rainbow Dash just groaned and rested her head on the smooth wood. Why couldn't Twilight have told her about all this beforehoof? Why did she have to wait until now, after she'd embarrassed herself, to let her know what she was saying? Worse than that, why did she have to wait until after she'd practically cursed out Princess Celestia!?

"Note to self. Don't be saying any of these words around Scoots, or the other Crusaders," she told herself. The last thing she wanted to do was teach those fillies dirty words and get in trouble for it. She could get herself in trouble just fine without the help of others. And she really didn't need to be blamed with corrupting the youth of Ponyville, by teaching them fancy foreign profanities and expletives.

That was all the more reason to agree with Rarity. If Twilight would teach them what she had learned from the Espada, then they could avoid any similar unpleasant situations in the future.

Ulquiorra simply continued his silence. None of this held any relevance to him. And unless there were anymore surprise developments, he could go back to performing his duties in an undisturbed manner. Was that really too much to ask for?

Author's Note

The really annoying part about this chapter is that I had Twilight's newly discovered love for fast food drafted weeks before "Twilight Time" came along and made it canon to the show. What started as an uncanny prediction about possible character depth now looks like I'm just acknowledging the source material.

Chapter Forty Seven

Chapter Forty Seven

"Hey girls, wait a minute! I just thought of something really super duper important!"

Apparently the answer to his question was, yes, being left undisturbed to carry out his assigned duties was indeed too much to ask for. The excited chatter of Pinkie Pie from behind him was enough to distract almost anyone. He had to focus harder on tuning her out, and not allow her to serve as a distraction.

"Ulqy said he got exposed to poison joke when he just boomed right through it on the way back from Zecora's didn't he? Doesn't that mean that, at most, it only took fifteen minutes for him to have a full blown case of it? That's really, really fast to go from exposure to affliction. That's like anaphylactic shock speeds isn't it?"

And just like that, he stopped focusing on trying to ignore the pink earth pony in favor of what was going on outside the library. He could speculate on how this world knew about concepts such as anaphylaxis, but he was more curious as to just where Pinkie Pie was going with this.

"I know that nopony's immune to poison joke, but when we get exposed we at least have a few hours delay before the onset of any symptoms starts. But if poor Ulqy gets exposed he's affected immediately. And what if it's not even the plants responsible? What if he's vulnerable to the pollen!? If that's the case then it's not safe for him to go into the Everfree Forest at all."

Curiouser, and curiouser. This was not a development he could have foreseen taking shape. Was this in response to his earlier remark suggesting that they might stoop to poisoning him for their own benefit? It seemed unlikely at best, but nothing could be ruled out just yet.

"I honestly don't think things are quite that serious, Pinkie. At least not quiet yet. It's true that the exposure to affliction time frame was incredibly short under these circumstances. But it's incredibly unlikely at best, that Ulquiorra is so hypersensitive to poison joke, that he's vulnerable to the pollen itself. There's never been a reported case of such a serious allergic reaction before; either here, or anywhere else in Equestria that we have contact with. It's... unprecedented," Twilight explained calmly.

"No offense, Twilight, but ah kinda think this whole darn situation is unprecedented. Ain' never been another Hollow in Equestria before. We don' know sick 'um 'bout wha's normal and wha' ain't," Applejack pointed out. This whole conversation was starting to remind her of the first time they'd seen what Ulquiorra could do, and how effortlessly he could do it if he pleased. Twilight had objected to how badly Ulquiorra had violated the known laws of physics in his fight with the dragon, and it'd been her that pointed out how him not being native to their world meant he probably wasn't bound by the same rules that they were.

Granted this was a different situation entirely. In the first case it'd been a way of explaining just how Ulquiorra could easily kick so much flank, on top of walking on air the same way Rainbow Dash walked on clouds. It'd been a way of justifying how he could demonstrate a degree of strength that exceeded what the size of his muscles would suggest being possible. But this time around it was a matter of explaining just why the Espada might be vulnerable to poison joke, in a manner that made him far more sensitive to it than any of them were. Right now it was the only thing that really made any sense to her.

"Hmm..." Twilight mumbled as she rubbed her chin. Applejack did raise a good point with that. There was still so very much about Ulquiorra that they simply didn't know. Everything so far had been nothing but assumption, with occasional peeks at what was just below the surface. And sometimes that lack of information could just be so frustrating to contend with, as it made it very difficult to know the safe limitations of his abilities, and how he could be properly utilized.

No wait, that sounded far too cold. That train of thought made it seem like Ulquiorra was nothing more than a tool, no different from a hammer or a hacksaw. But he wasn't that, he was an intelligence, sentient, living -somewhat- being. He was their friend... or at the very least he was her friend, he'd said so himself. They weren't trying to use him like he was just a throwaway commodity, but rather they were trying to figure out how to best utilize his strengths, in situations where their own was inadequate. And in return they would do the same for him... once they determined what he was inadequate in dealing with. That's what friends did for one another.

"You raise a very good point, Applejack, we really don't know how Ulquiorra might be affected by poison joke. We have no idea what his level of resistance is, nor do we know if environmental conditions play any part in it," she admitted.

"... So what exactly are we waiting for? Let's do it! Tomorrow morning I'll fly out to Zecora's and get her to whip up some more antidote, and then we can go from there," Rainbow Dash stated.

"Rainbow Dash, are you actually suggesting we experiment on Ulquiorra like he's a lab animal?" Twilight asked incredulously. Was her friend seriously suggesting that they have a repeat of earlier today? Had she forgotten how much trouble they'd gotten into for what they'd done? "Didn't you learn anything from earlier today?"

Rainbow Dash frowned momentarily in response to Twilight's question, as well as her attitude. Here she was making a serious suggestion, and she was getting nothing but hostility in response. But undeterred, she continued onward. "You don't think I learned anything from what went down today? Trust me, I learned plenty. That's why I suggested getting the antidote first. We've got a flank-load of questions with no answers, and I suggest that we do something productive about that, instead of just sitting around and twiddling our hooves," she stated as she stood up from where she sat, resting her front hooves on the table to get more altitude as she addressed Twilight. "We're not experimenting on him. Or at least not for stupid, selfish reasons this time. He's putting himself on the line to keep us safe from whatever might be trying to kill us. Don't you think we owe him, in trying to figure out just how much of a risk he's at?"

"I'm inclined to agree with Rainbow Dash on this one. It's something that we need to know, and it's also something that Ulquiorra deserves to know. It needs to be determined how much of a threat he's facing just by being here, in such close proximity to the Everfree Forest, and who knows how much poison joke currently in bloom. If he's vulnerable to a northbound wind then I'd say that's quite important," Rarity explained.

Ulquiorra listened as the group discussed matters that related to him. They were actually displaying concern for his own wellbeing. He could easily write it off as an exercise of what was in their own best interest, with them realizing that should he become incapacitated, their lives -and Equestria itself by extension- would be put at risk. It would be a logical conclusion to reach under any circumstances, seeing as he was quite possibly the only thing keeping them alive right now. They couldn't be faulted for considering what was in their best interest; not when there was so much at stake. With the wellbeing of the world tied to their own wellbeing, it was all the more logical that they would be concerned.

And yet the manner in which they were carrying on, didn't specifically sound like such a train of thought was what they were engaging in. There were too many references to his wellbeing and such. Were they genuinely concerned more about him than his abilities, and what they stood to get out of them?

Was this what it was like to actually have friends? To have others concern themselves with your condition rather than their own, even if they were the ones that faced the most danger?

"-and that's why I don't buy discount mayonnaise anymore!"

Sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder if perhaps he became too absorbed in his own thoughts. This was at least the second time he'd missed whatever Pinkie Pie had been saying. But if she was merely talking about her foodstuffs buying habits, he truly couldn't see the importance of it all. However paying attention from here on out would probably be a very good idea.

At the table where she sat, Twilight was currently pinching the bridge of her muzzle with her hooves. With the exception of Pinkie's little contribution, each of her friends had made very good points as to why they should go through with this idea of theirs. They had all provided a coherent, well thought out justification for why they should experiment on Ulquiorra. This was a lot like earlier today, regardless of the reasoning and motivation behind their respective positions.

"So what do you think we should do, Twilight?" she heard Rarity ask. She looked up at her friends with a tired expression as she considered everything.

"I think it's Ulquiorra's decision, seeing as he can actually give or withhold informed consent under these circumstances," Twilight replied as she turned her attention to the Espada by the front door. These proceedings involved him directly, so it was only fair that he be involved as well. "What do you want to do, Ulquiorra? What's your opinion on the matter?"

And now it was back to him. It seemed like he was going to be directly involved in this discussion no matter what approach was attempted.

"A number of good points have been made so far," he spoke as he walked toward the table where the others sat. "We have very little information to go on. We know that I'm vulnerable to poison joke just as everyone else is. However we don't yet know just how vulnerable. It's a valid point that the only way to determine the level of vulnerability is controlled exposure, to ever-increasing amounts in order to determine the precise threshold. To choose not to proceed would pose as a breach of security, and gross negligence on my part," he explained as he stood before them, looking over at each of them as he spoke. "And as you have pointed out, unlike last time, I am fully able to give my consent to these proceedings, and make an informed decision about how to proceed. Furthermore I would be lax in my duties if I were to refuse. And as Rainbow Dash has said, we'll have the antidote on hand for when it's needed. Everything will be a controlled situation this time around."

Twilight didn't know how precisely to take Ulquiorra's consent to the proceedings. On the one hoof it was a perfectly logical decision to make, and she knew that if Ulquiorra had any personal opinions on the matter, he wouldn't allow them to get in the way of his duties to Celestia, because that would be an emotional reaction fueled by spite. And both spite and emotion were two things Ulquiorra wasn't about.

But on the other hoof, Ulquiorra appeared to more or less be consenting to letting them drug him, and trusting them to not have their way with him... Alright that sounded incredibly dirty. She needed to rephrase that. Perhaps she should say that Ulquiorra was actually willing to trust them to be responsible with this newfound position of control that they might be gaining over him and... no that didn't sound any better. This was all Rainbow Dash's fault, she had to go and use that double entendre that got this whole mess kicked off in the first place.

Alright, time to try this one more time. Ulquiorra was willing to trust them, to not become corrupted by this newfound power that his potentially impaired condition might grant them. He was actually trusting them to be responsible. Yeah, that sounded much better in her mind. Then again while it didn't sound as dirty, it sounded quite preposterous in nature. Ulquiorra actually willing to exercise friendship lesson number two with them? Seriously? There was a great bit that could be drawn from that. Either he really was understanding what friendship was about, and he was demonstrating that fact right now... or he was recognizing the dire nature of the situation, and simply responding accordingly. Whatever the exact reasoning, it was going to be interesting.

"Well then, I guess tomorrow we're going to be busy," she stated.

"Perhaps even more so than we assume," Rarity replied, "in the event that we discover Ulquiorra is sensitive to the pollen of poison joke, perhaps we should have another set of clothes on hoof. Zecora's antidote might take care of whatever symptoms come about, but it won't do anything to get the pollen out of his uniform. Under the worst case scenario, he may need to have it washed after every visit. And for the sake of modesty for those that value it, a change of clothing would definitely be a good idea."

"Isn't that just a bit excessive, Rarity? I get that whites are hard to keep clean and all, but seriously? Washing his clothes after every visit? What in Tartarus for?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"To remove whatever pollen he might pick up during his time here, Rainbow Dash. The antidote might cure him, but it can't render someone immune against continuous exposure. Any pollen stuck to his clothing is bound to come into contact with his skin, and merely reinfect him," Rarity explained.

"So how come he's not covered in spots again already?"

Everyone looked to where Spike was currently standing. He did raise a very good point with his question; good enough that Ulquiorra was already rolling up his sleeve to inspect his skin for any new spots. If he were truly hypersensitive to poison joke pollen, why was his skin currently clear? Perhaps the affliction only generated spots some of the time? It was possibly, but there was no definite answer to be had currently.

"Metabolism perhaps? He drank the antidote rather than bathing in it, maybe it's still coursing through his system and hasn't broken down yet, meaning it could be preventing reoccurrence at the moment if his clothes are currently saturated," Twilight suggested. It seemed to make the most amount of sense right about now.

"Then perhaps it would be best if I go back to the Carousel Boutique now, and start work on a new set of clothes for Ulquiorra. He may be in need of a shower sooner than we thought," Rarity replied as she stood up from where she sat, ready to head back out and get to cracking right away. She was in a situation where her special talent was quite necessary, and she simply couldn't ignore that fact.

"I'd recommend against that. As late as it is, it's going to be pouring out there by the time you get done making the dude a new set of clothes. You're gonna be soaked, and then we'd never hear the end of how your mane's styling has been ruined by the deluge," Rainbow Dash objected, more so out of wanting to avoid hearing Rarity's incessant complaining about the matter than anything else.

"There are some things more important than my coiffure, darling, and this is most certainly one of them. I would be undeserving of the Element of Generosity if I allowed something like my mane to stand in the way of ensuring the wellbeing of another," Rarity explained.

Applejack just shook her head and silently stood up. She and Rarity might not get along the best out of everyone, but she still had an understanding of how her friend's mind worked. And as a result she knew that trying to talk her out of a generosity kick would take more time than it would to simply let her do what she was setting out to do.

"Ah might not be a fancy seamstress, but ah'll go with ya anyway, jus' in case somethin' happens," she explained. If something did occur and Rarity was targeted while she was away, at least she wouldn't be on her own.

"Separating isn't advised under the present circumstances," Ulquiorra spoke up. Division meant greater security risks to contend with. That was why all eight of them would be spending the night together. Had they already forgotten as much?

"Well... we could all go with Rarity over to the Carousel Boutique while she works. Then we wouldn't be separated and at risk. And it's really not much different from being here at the library," Fluttershy suggested.

"I can't," Twilight stated in response. There was nothing wrong with Fluttershy's logic as far as she could see. But there was more involved than simply remaining together. To emphasize that fact the levitated the ancient tome into view again. "I have to stay here and study this. And considering its importance I don't want it to leave the library, not even for a little while. Anything could happen."

"The matter goes deeper than simply being in the company of each other. Even if everyone is present and accounted for at Rarity's place of business, the Elements of Harmony would still be present here, and once again left vulnerable. It would be necessary for myself to remain here and safeguard them," Ulquiorra pointed out. That was about the only shortcoming in the logic of Fluttershy's suggestion. And if Twilight Sparkle was going to be present, then he would need to remain behind even more so. However it was looked at, splitting up presented a security risk.

"Oh I don't think you'll need to worry about that anytime soon, Ulquiorra, the Elements of Harmony are well secured where they are. In truth I don't think even you could gain access to them currently," Twilight stated in an effort to assuage his concerns. However all she got for her efforts were seven sets of eyes upon her, and looking at her in disbelief. Perhaps she should've phrased that a little differently. "There's a number of spells in place to prevent them from being stolen. If you don't believe me, just try and lift the case and see what happens," she explained.

Ulquiorra remained silent as he listened to the explanation, and the resulting challenge to disprove what was being said. He looked over at the glass case that proudly displayed the Elements of Harmony, standing openly by the stairs that led up to the second story of the library. He'd been in this world long enough to know that not everything that existed could be seen. But he still doubted the legitimacy of Twilight Sparkle's words. Wordlessly he stepped over to the case and stood before it, before reaching out with one hand in an effort to lift the case off its pedestal.

Much to his surprise the case refused to budge from its resting place. This was rather curious in nature. He flexed his muscles a little more in an effort to overcome whatever resistance it was the held the case in place. There was still no response to be had. Now he was becoming very intrigued by this development. He could easily overpower a dragon with one hand, and yet this case couldn't be moved?

"I'd suggest using both hands if you still have doubts. But if you did, the wood of the floor might give way first," Twilight spoke up. She could tell that Ulquiorra was actually struggling in an effort to lift the case from its pedestal, and getting nowhere in the process. It was actually odd to observe, someone being so strong, and yet being incapable of doing anything with all of that strength he had under his control. She could've let him continue struggling, but she didn't want to actually see him get frustrated, and by extension, see what he might do as a result. "The glass itself is also heavily shielded by magic. It's protected by a constantly active, passive forcefield, that draws mana from the surrounding territory to maintain itself. When any kinetic force is detected on the surface area, the forcefield switches to active use, and goes about converting kinetic energy into is fuel source to sustain itself," she explained, her words carrying a sense of pride with them.

"Meaning... what exactly?" Rainbow Dash asked, utterly lost by her words.

"In simple terms, Rainbow Dash, the harder you try and hit it, the stronger the shield becomes as a result of the force applied to it," Twilight elaborated.

"Fascinating," Ulquiorra replied and gave the glass an experimental flick, the simple gesture failing to display the sheer degree of strength that was transmitted through his fingers. Immediately the surface was distorted by a flickering magenta energy field coming into full view. Quite fascinating. "A creative safeguard. However what safeguards are in place should someone not attempt force to gain entry? What if someone were to use a glass cutting tool in an effort to steal the Elements of Harmony?" he asked her.

"A forcefield on the inside of the glass, working in tandem with the forcefield on the outside," Twilight replied simply. "Some of it is Celestia's work, the rest is mine. Unless all the spells are deactivated, I honestly don't believe that anything could get through. I don't even think you could get through."

"I don't know, Twilight, Ulqy's pretty darn strong. I've got twenty bits that says he could do it if he really, really wanted to," Pinkie replied.

"Yeah, sorry Twi', but I'm with Pinkie on this one. Anyone that can punch out a dragon isn't going to be stopped by a simple forcefield. You saw what he did the last time he was up against one, even if it was stretched kinda thin," Rainbow Dash added.

"That was a forcefield I was actively maintaining by myself, Rainbow Dash. It was limited by what I could do on my own. This one is self-supporting in nature, and would draw their strength from whatever Ulquiorra could do in an effort to gain entry. It's not that I doubt his strength, I really don't. It's just that the nature of the spells negate that strength. You're talking about matters that are more or less of an impossibility in this case," Twilight explained, doing her best to remain calm about the notion of her friends actually gambling on the matter of whether or not Ulquiorra could actually bypass the forcefields.

"Then perhaps it is a hypothesis that deserves testing," Ulquiorra replied as he stepped away from the pedestal and looked back at them. "You're quite certain the Elements of Harmony are in no risk of being pilfered?" he asked as he turned his attention to where Twilight Sparkle stood.

"... Certain enough that I'd rather not see you possibly break your hand while trying to prove otherwise," Twilight replied slowly, uncertain on whether or not Ulquiorra might actually try something like that in the name of being thorough. She certainly couldn't put it past him to try something like that.

That... that was a new one, Ulquiorra noted. He was fully prepared to do just that if it was necessary to test the stability of her security measures. What was a hand to him, when he could easily make the damaged tissue and structure repair itself? He knew that they couldn't tell of his high-speed regeneration abilities, as they hadn't been informed of such an ability before. But regardless of that fact, these ponies were starting to show more concern for his wellbeing, even if that concern would put their own wellbeing at risk in the process.

"Is this what it's like to have friends?" he asked himself curiously as he looked over each of them, trying to make sense of these strange developments. There was a great amount to take in and try to analyze. "Does having friends mean that they will willingly disregard concern for their own wellbeing, in order to focus on your own?" he asked himself further. The descriptions of friendship that they had given him over the course of the day would certainly suggest that such was the case. However actually seeing them being employed before him was something new to experience. It was a practice that struck him as odd. These organic, living, frail beings were showing more concern for him than they should. He was more or less dead already, so what difference did it make it he was harmed in some manner? His ultimate purpose in this world was to protect these ponies and their corresponding Elements of Harmony from harm. His level of comfort and wellbeing was ultimately inconsequential.

So why couldn't they see that for themselves? Was it a matter of guilt over what had happened earlier today? If it was, then it was ultimately a futile gesture on their part. Why was it so hard for them to understand that he didn't hold a grudge against them? If he held any negative position on the matter, it was simply with how they had taken a course of action that put them at such risk; a course of action that had been corrected by the Cutie Mark Crusaders taking it upon themselves to do what the adults of their world had not done.

"To think it would be five children who demonstrate the first truly selfless act of friendship," he thought to himself. Perhaps it was irony, or perhaps it was something else. Whatever it was, it was worth noticing. The others, Twilight Sparkle and the rest, it could be argued that they all had something to gain from their interactions with him, and were either consciously or subconsciously working towards goals of their own. Apple Bloom and the others, however, didn't appear to harbor such from what he could see, and had set out to acquire the antidote simply because it had been the right thing to do. Perhaps they were simply too young to understand the finer points of quid pro quo. Whatever the reasoning, there was nothing to do about it right now. There were bigger issues at hand.

"Assuming you're correct about the safeguards in place to protect the Elements of Harmony, what of yourself? Can you adequately split your concentration, to not only deploy and maintain a forcefield, but also focus on learning what the tome in question has to offer?" he asked the lavender unicorn.

"Easily," Twilight replied without even stopping to think, "Rarity's not the only one skilled with multitasking abilities."

He was well aware of that fact. However there was still a lack of certainty over just how much concentration was needed to maintain a forcefield, and if that concentration was dependent upon both the size and the supplied power. Could the library be shielded if her concentration on one area wavered in favor of another? Would she become distracted by a complicated spell and opt to drop the forcefield to free up her thought process? There were too many variables present to account for currently. Too many things that could go wrong.

"A change of clothes and a shower can wait until later. The hour is too late to justify such an endeavor," he stated simply.

"But Ulqy," Pinkie Pie began as she gave him a look of concern. It was almost strange to observe such. "What if you're covered in pollen and break out in the middle of the night when we can't get out and get you an antidote? Twilight might be able to whip one up, but some of the ingredients can only be found in the Everfree Forest. It'd be too dangerous to go out in the middle of a storm to get what we'd need," she explained.

"Should I once again become afflicted with poison joke during the course of the night, then the theory presented by Rarity and the others will be confirmed as a matter of fact rather than mere speculation. We will be able to determine that whatever level of saturation my clothing has suffered, is either enough to trigger a response, or it is not," he explained, mainly to try and keep everyone from rushing off in a manner that would leave them vulnerable and exposed. The hour was growing later and later, and even with his pesquisa, the dark shrouded many things that weren't always there in the light. Simply because he could see them and sense them, didn't mean that he was willing to take the chance if it could actually be avoided.

"Are you really sure you want to do that?" Fluttershy asked him. When he turned his attention to her she flinched under his gaze. As to be expected. "What I mean is... it's really not any trouble for us to go ahead and go over to Rarity's to get you some new clothes made," she explained.

"My assigned duty is to provide protection to your group, as well as Ponyville in general for the time being. Looking out for your wellbeing is not something I can adequately do, if you're all running around in an effort to try and look out for mine," he stated simply.

"But that's what friends do for each other, silly, they look out for each other when they're in need," Pinkie replied.

"Friends," Ulquiorra mentally repeated to himself. Pinkie Pie had simply hurled it out with such disregard and optimism, as if it meant absolutely nothing to present the title to one or another. Even after everything it still struck him as foreign. He had an understanding of the basics that went into structuring the concept that amounted to friendship. But it was nothing more than a basic understanding at best. He could see how it might apply under these circumstances. He could even understand how these ponies might believe that they all were friends with one another. But none of that meant he could truly grasp the depths of the understanding that could be had.

When he'd started off this endeavor in the morning, it had been for a simple overall purpose. He'd set out to make these ponies believe that their efforts in helping him gather an understanding of friendship had been successful, which would then be used to motivate them to let the issue drop, in order to make them resume their responsibilities of keeping him informed about the day-to-day occurrences happening around Ponyville. It had been nothing more than an effort to make them straighten up, fly right, and stop focusing on irrelevant matters that had no bearing on more important issues that simply couldn't wait.

However things were no longer that simple. What had started out as an attempt to make these ponies focus, had quickly become muddled by unexpected discoveries, an unforeseen poisoning, a brazen daylight attack practically in his presence, and a significant number of deaths occurring as a result. And now they all found themselves here, trying to make sense of everything that'd happened over the course of the day, and addressing a number of varying topics that seemed to bear no relation to one another.

To say that he wasn't entirely certain what to think right now, would be an understatement.

"And you do pretty much need us right now. You said that yourself back in Canterlot," Pinkie pointed out.

She was correct that he had made such a statement in the immediate aftermath of Chrysalis' defeat, when he'd realized there was far more going on than originally suspected. He had needed these ponies to keep him updated on what took place when he wasn't present. However he hadn't meant to suggest that he needed them for other matters unrelated to reconnaissance gathering. They could prove very useful as sources of information, but that didn't translate into being necessary for everyday things. At least not in his mind anyway. Perhaps he hadn't properly phrased that to them, and the misunderstanding was his fault rather than theirs.

"It's true that I did make such a statement. However that was with regard to gathering information that could be used to ensure not only your continued safety, but the safety of Equestria itself. I possess no need for creature comforts, which is what a new suit of clothes would qualify as. And even though you believe they are warranted, I can't allow them to take precedent and create a breach of security," he explained in an effort to diffuse their argument. However it wasn't his intention to simply stop there. These ponies had given him a significant bit of information over the course of the day; information that he could use in this situation. "And if you truly believe that we are friends, you won't continue to press this issue, knowing that I'm uncomfortable with what you're suggesting."

Twilight frowned at hearing Ulquiorra's words. To her it didn't really sound like an appeal to friends, born from discomfort with what they wanted to do; it certainly wasn't like what Fluttershy's explanation had been. To her it sounded more like an attempt by the Espada to weaponize the concept of friendship, in order to control their actions in a manner he deemed fit. It was really hard to tell for certain, but that's what it basically sounded like to her. But she really couldn't blame him for taking such a course of action, when his previous attempts at dissuading them from their intended course of action weren't yielding the desired results.

"Note to self: have a conversation with Ulquiorra on that later," she mentally told herself, putting that particular note above the note about talking with Vinyl Scratch later on, in response to what she'd done at the party for her.

"... If tha's wha' ya want, Mr. Cifer, ah guess it's best ta respect yer wishes," Applejack slowly replied in defeat. How exactly was she or anypony else supposed to argue with that line of reasoning? They could try and make any number of varying arguments about how it was in his best interest -and by extension, theirs as well- to get him into some clean, non-pollen contaminated clothing for the night. But ultimately it was his prerogative if he wanted to stay in that condition. Unless... there was another way of getting motivation. A certain, sneaky, underhoofed way of getting the point across.

She considered it. Considered using the whole interspecies thing to suggest Rainbow Dash might not be able to keep her hooves to herself in case he suffered a relapse in the middle of the night. But almost as soon as the thought entered her mind, she discounted it entirely. It was far too cruel, and too tasteless, for her tastes. She couldn't be that mean to one of her friends. Much as they didn't like it, it seemed that they'd have to let Ulquiorra do as he pleased in this case.

"Can I say something about this?" Spike asked as he spoke up. He was fine with letting the others talk and all, but every now and then he felt the need to contribute something to the discussion. At seeing no immediate objection, he turned his attention to the Espada. "Ulquiorra, when you were under the affects of poison joke, what was it like exactly? Maybe if we knew, we'd know what to look out for overnight," he suggested.

"That's... actually a good idea, Spike," Twilight commented. Sometimes it could be surprising how many good ideas Spike had going on. "What was it like while you were afflicted, Ulquiorra? Can you describe it? Any noticeable differences that you can recall?" she asked.

Cooler heads were starting to prevail once again, he noted. No discussion of running about under cover of darkness, left exposed to who knew what in a blind panic. Now they were instead attempting to focus on how to address the situation at hand, with the limited resources they had directly under their control. And thanks to Spike, they were now attempting to gain answers to a question that had yet to be addressed. And now that the ball was in his court, so to speak, he proceeded to think on the question in an effort to provide the desired answer.

"It's difficult to codify what was experienced into simple words and terms. Not even being aware of my own impaired condition at the time adds greater complication to the issue at hand. Terms like foggy, and hazy, seem most appropriate to serve as a basic description. Disorientation would be an appropriate term to use under these circumstances, or even a sense of disconnection from reality. My focus on my surroundings was hampered, as were the full extent of my mental facilities. I lost focus on what was genuinely important, and allowed myself to become distracted by irrelevancies unfolding around me. As said, it's difficult to describe in simple terms. In hindsight it could almost be described as having my senses numbed or dulled," he explained.

As said it was very difficult to properly explain. It wasn't even due to trying to simplify what he'd experienced so they could understand it properly. Rather it was due to his own lack of understanding on the intricacies of what had taken place. He'd been drugged, used, and utterly confused. That was the simplest way he could think of putting it.

"Is that why you took part in the party games?" Pinkie Pie asked him in a curious tone. However she didn't stop there, but rather continued with further questions. "What about the cake? And all the conversations? And the dancing with Lyra? Was any of that your inclination? Any at all?"

He'd heard that tone before, not just here, but back in his own world. It was one that combined desperation with the hopefulness of the supplied answer being what they wanted to hear. Even he could see the desperate look that her eyes held, as she tried to salvage something about this day.

"No," he stated simply. There was no reason to go into excessive detail about how the only reason he'd participated was due to his impaired state. They understood it, they didn't need to be obsessively beat over the head with that fact. Had he been able to focus properly, he wouldn't have engaged in any of today's foolishness. But on the other side of that coin was another matter. Had he been able to focus properly, he wouldn't have discovered that not everything was quite as foolish as it had appeared on the surface. But that was another tale for another time. And possibly reason for further interaction once this crisis wasn't hanging over their heads.

"Oh..." Pinkie replied slowly, not happy about this change of development.

Twilight decided to hold her tongue on this one. She had some measure of suspicion about Ulquiorra's recent statement, but she didn't think engaging him in a debate right now was the best of ideas. A battle of wits certainly made for lively discussion, but now simply wasn't the time. Right now she could be utilizing her time in researching the spell book that Celestia had sent her.

"Okay girls, if there's no new business to discuss, I'm going to be down in the basement doing some research," she announced as she stood up from the table, once again picking up the tome in the process. As far as she could see there was nothing to justify her being up here. And unless something developed in the next ten seconds, which was an occurrence even she doubted occurring, there was simply no sense in hanging around while the others lamented how Ulquiorra hadn't enjoyed himself at the party.

Then again considering everything that'd happened at the party, it really wasn't that much of a surprise. Even if he didn't hold a grudge against them for leaving him impaired for their own amusement, that didn't mean he appreciated their efforts. And that was on top of his stoic, logical nature, which would naturally preclude him from emotional reactions of any sort.

Whatever. All this thinking on the issue was giving her a headache. And right now she could think of better uses of her time than just sitting here, and constantly running over what had already happened, while at the same time getting absolutely nowhere. She'd try and decode the Espada later on. For now she had new spells to learn.

"Actually Twi', there's something I'd like to bring up for discussion, and we're probably gonna need you for it, being the brains and all," Rainbow Dash spoke up.

Twilight tried to keep her cool. She was starting to have an understanding of how Ulquiorra felt on his first trip to Ponyville, when he'd asked her how many more pointless conversations he'd have to engage in. And right now that's what it felt like she was being engaged in by the others. Didn't they understand how important it was that she learned these spells before Ulquiorra had to leave? They only had a few days time in which they could count on him immediately responding to danger.

Slowly she turned her attention to Rainbow Dash, the silent command of "get on with it already" practically dripping from her features like water right after a shower.

Seeing that she had Twilight's attention, Rainbow Dash turned to address Ulquiorra. "So just how strong are you anyway? I mean, I get that you can take on a fully grown dragon by yourself and beat the crud out of it like it's foal's play, but that doesn't tell us much. And then there's the fact that you can transform, and get even stronger than before. When you did that back in Canterlot, the shock wave that came from it literally knocked the wind out of me, and I wasn't standing anywhere near you. But that still doesn't tell us anything. So just how much stronger do you get when you transform? Are there any round numbers here so we have at least some idea of what we're dealing with?" she asked.

This is what Rainbow Dash wanted her around for? There had better be something significant planned for this line of discussion. That's all Twilight could think about the matter right now.

Ulquiorra remained silent in thought, considering what to say in response. Simply because an answer was desired didn't mean that excessive honesty was warranted. There was only so much he was comfortable with sharing openly. Depending on what entity -or worse, entities- was working towards their deaths, and to what extent of observation it was capable of, simply having a conversation about his abilities could tip the balance further out of their favor than it already was. He had no doubt that his resurrección was already common knowledge to the enemy. Depending on the level of integration and saturation, the same could be said for his high-speed regeneration; a fact that made him all the more glad he hadn't discussed its limitations with Princess Celestia.

There were many, many ways that things could unfold, positively or negatively. But a lack of information, and a resulting uncertainty that nearly bordered on paranoia, wasn't exactly the best justification to shutting down relevant communication entirely. These ponies were his allies, and this was information that they needed to know; especially if Rainbow Dash truly did have something up her sleeve, and she first needed information of her own in order to proceed.

"There is no exact science for determining the increase of strength an Arrancar gains when utilizing their resurrección. Their released state can be as little as two time stronger than their sealed state. However there have been rare occurrences where the resulting multiplication in power was as high as twenty. In the case of my resurrección, the increase in overall strength is approximately five times greater than my previous state," he explained, leaving the details relatively vague and without anything specific. If they were being eavesdropped on, perhaps it would be possible to frighten the entity with overwhelming levels of information, detailing just what was being faced.

"F-f-five times stronger!?" Rainbow Dash asked/croaked in surprise and disbelief. Was he being serious? There was that big of a difference between his sealed and released state of transformation? She could already feel her wings bristling and tensing up from this revelation. "Y-you mean you can go from beating up on a dragon like it's nothing, to five times that degree of awesomeness?"

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied simply. He noted how the cyan pegasus gulped and readjusted the position of her forelegs at her sides, as if she was attempting to pin down her wings to prevent another embarrassing display from occurring in front of everyone; a situation likely made all the more embarrassing by Twilight Sparkle's revelation that he was aware of the significance of such. Not that it meant anything to him. And especially not after Rainbow Dash herself had said that the situation was not as it appeared to be.

"Huh," Applejack replied simply and adjusted her stetson. Maybe it was true what other ponies said about the strong, silent types. And she couldn't think of anyone that was as silent as Ulquiorra was; not even Fluttershy could hold a candle to him. In fact, now that she thought about it, if one were to compare the two side by side, Fluttershy would be a veritable chatterbox like Pinkie. That was definitely a weird mental image to conjure up.

"Okay now I'm confused," Spike spoke up, "five times stronger, I understand that, even if it does kind of boggle the mind to think about. But what Twilight and the others told me about the whole changeling mess in Canterlot... are you as strong as Celestia when you're in your released state?"

At one point in time, Twilight would've considered such a question to be utterly ridiculous in nature. She might've even considered it borderline blasphemous. The idea that anyone could possibly rival Celestia in strength was unthinkable. She was their ruler, and the one who, for a thousand years, juggled the celestial bodies of the sun and moon all by herself. How could anypony rival her in terms of strength?

And then that state of worship had come crashing down against the hard truths of reality, when she learned that their perfect ruler truly wasn't so perfect after all. And now, hearing that question from Spike, she too was curious about the truth. She'd seen a good portion of the fight for herself, witnessed how easily Ulquiorra had batted Celestia about like it was nothing. And even though she now knew it wasn't real, she couldn't help but wonder just how much was an act, and how much was truth.

"Is something like that even possible?" Rarity asked. However as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt the need for an immediate followup. "No offense to you, Ulquiorra, I don't mean to come off as being rude. But... you just don't strike me as the type who could raise and lower the sun as she does. It's... you have to understand what's being suggested here. For over a thousand years, Princess Celestia has been the one to bring forth the sun and usher in the new day. The idea of anyone, even yourself, being able to rival her is just... a difficult concept to accept," she explained.

"No offense is taken. It's understood why the concept as difficult to accept, as formulating an answer is equally difficult," Ulquiorra replied. They had no idea how difficult of a question it was. But they were about to... perhaps. "There is a great deal of difficulty in determining overall strength. It must be stated that what you ponies possess is not reiryoku or reiatsu. I simply use those terms to make sense, as what you do possess is similar in nature. However that similarity doesn't allow for proper determination of overall strength, as I have no way of telling whether or not what you possess is of a greater or lesser concentration to the matter of my world. Every observation made up to this point, has been based on the assumption of mana and reishi possessing a one-to-one ratio with each other. Without any ability to confirm or deny this assumption, everything amounts to guesswork," he explained.

Twilight nodded in understanding. What Ulquiorra was saying was perfectly reasonable and logical. Attempting to formulate definite answers while lacking definite information was indeed a difficult endeavor to engage in. And unless Ulquiorra or one of them suddenly found themselves possessing the ability to gain specimens of each material, and conduct a molecular breakdown of the two in a side-by-side fashion, all they really had to rely on was guesswork.

"Assuming the two materials to possess a one-to-one ratio in all the relevant areas, what's your observation on the comparison between your strength and Celestia's strength? Which one of you would you consider to be the stronger of the two?" she asked, finding herself more and more curious as to what the answer could be.

"Again, attempting to formulate an answer is quite difficult due to numerous factors. To perceive someone's reiatsu level, it needs to be within a range that can be comprehended by the one attempting to sense it. If a target's reiatsu level is too intense to be detected, the seeker won't be able to register anything, and receive a negative reading. It's like trying to take in a wall-sized painting while looking at an area no bigger than one square inch. That-"

"So you can't sense Celestia's power?" Pinkie asked as she interrupted the explanation.

"To the contrary, I'm quite able to sense it. The difficulty lays in determining just what I'm sensing at any given time. Princess Celestia has displayed varying levels of reiatsu intensity, depending on her mood, and the situation in which she is in. And lacking clarification on exactly what levels she's been displaying, I can only speculate as to how deep her true level of strength runs. For all I know Princess Celestia could have been flexing only thirty percent of her total strength during our staged combat over Canterlot; possibly in nervous response to discovering that my resurrección was still accessible. Whatever percentage she utilized, it was nearly the highest I have experienced yet," Ulquiorra explained.

"Wait, wait, I'm confused now," Rainbow Dash spoke up, "I kinda get that you need to do your whole resurrection thing to get stronger after a point, but Celestia only has the one form, and can call on extra strength at will. So how exactly did you go about, battering her about the sky like you did, if she was only using thirty percent of her strength? Was any of that fight real?" she asked.

He could feel himself beginning to grow frustrated with this line of questioning. How many times did he have to explain that the situation was difficult? What they were asking were question that couldn't be answered in simple black and white terms.

"As explained, I'm uncertain of how much of her strength Princess Celestia was actually using. And seeing as our combat above Canterlot was not real, the matter is further complicated. There are a number of unexplained and undefined variables. All I can say for certain is that having vast reserves of strength, is not the same as having access to that strength. For example, one quirk of human biology is that their musculature can generate far more physical strength than their own body can withstand. If it weren't for biological restrictions keeping their overall strength to a manageable ten percent, the resulting strain would snap tendons and tear muscle from bone. I suspect the matter is similar in the case of Princess Celestia; simply because her reserves run deep, she may not be able to freely call upon them just because she wants to," he explained.

"Now hol' on there," Applejack spoke up, "somethin' here jus' don' make any sense. Back at the royal weddin' when the changelings invaded the first time, Celestia fought with Chrysalis an' lost. Then las' week when Chrysalis shows up again we beat the crud outta her ourselves. Now if Celestia's as strong as yer suggestin', how's somethin' like that even occur? Shouldn' she've been able ta crush Chrysalis like a bug the first time around?"

"Yeah that's a good point. I mean, Celestia's strong enough to move the sun, but Chrysalis is too much for her? I get it that she gorged herself on love and stuff, but still, it's Celestia of all ponies!" Rainbow Dash stated.

And now they were beginning to get into the questions that he himself had been asking. There were far too many inconsistencies going on around here. There were many things that didn't seem to make any sense. And while further investigation was warranted, he had no idea just where to begin.

"When you encountered Chrysalis last week, she was already dying from starvation, and in a weakened condition. According to the medical examiner in Canterlot, she would have died within a week; this is likely why you were able to overpower her in the way you did," he explained, reminding them of what he had assumed Twilight Sparkle had informed them of earlier in the week. "Not being present for the first changeling invasion, and limited only to what details have been shared with me, I can't properly comment on events that unfolded. If others were in attendance, yourselves included, one possible theory is that Princess Celestia was restraining herself in order to avoid collateral damage and potential casualties. Eliminating an enemy is not cost effective if the resulting loss of resources is significant. The scorched earth approach is rarely ever warranted, due to the devastation it causes. Another possible theory is that while alicorn magic is of greater concentration in terms of strength, it's also slower to respond, and by the point Princess Celestia realized she couldn't keep pace with Chrysalis with the amount of magic she was using, she simply didn't have enough time to respond and adjust accordingly."

"Slower?" Fluttershy asked, confused by what he was saying.

"Like molasses in January slow?" Pinkie asked.

"This is the first time I've ever heard of something like this," Twilight added in confusion, before turning her attention to Ulquiorra. "Can you explain this theory in better detail?" she asked.

"Without further information that would be difficult. How much information is available relating to alicorn magic? How much study has been devoted to the subject?" he asked.

"Um... not much, I'm afraid. A-almost none, actually," Twilight replied slowly, almost ashamed to be admitting such. "There really haven't been that many alicorns around for scholars to study. For a long time throughout our history, only Celestia and Luna were known to exist. And in recent history my sister-in-law, Cadence," she explained.

"Perhaps a confirmation of theory then," Ulquiorra noted. There was no way it could be mere coincidence. "Three alicorns throughout your world's recorded history, each of them filling what is essentially an administrative role. Maintaining a position of authority in which their considerable but sluggish strength wouldn't pose an undue burden to those around them."

"Wait, wait, I'm getting confused all over again," Rainbow Dash stated as she flapped her wings to set herself into a hover just off the ground. "Are you saying that Celestia's too strong to be a good fighter? Or is she too slow?" she asked, trying to get a bead on just what was being said.

"RD, jus' how in the hay can anypony be too strong ta be a good fighter? Ah know ah'm not a dedicated scrapper er nothin', but that jus' doesn' make much sense ta me," Applejack pointed out. The whole notion sounded ridiculous. Being too strong to fight sounded like being too strong to do your chores, and that just couldn't be a physical possibility.

"By not being able to adequately control that strength. Strength, without the necessary finesse to properly utilize it, amounts to nothing more than blind destruction, and presents far more harm than good to that which is in need of protection in the first place. If someone is unable to control their own abilities they're nothing more than a bomb," Ulquiorra explained calmly in response to Applejack's question. He then turned to face Rainbow Dash in order to address her. "In response to your question, the answer is potentially a combination of both categories. Seeing what I have seen, experiencing what I have experienced, it's possible that Princess Celestia's strength is so sluggish in nature because even she cannot adequately control it."

"WHAT!?"

Ulquiorra looked around him. All seven present speaking with such unity in their surprise was hard to believe. Sheer coincidence? Or perhaps their insanity ran much deeper than he thought.

"Um... h-how is something like that even possible?" Fluttershy squeaked out.

"Yeah Ulqy. I've heard of some pretty outrageous stuff before, but that's really out there even by my standards, and that's saying something," Pinkie added.

A rather strange statement for the pink earth pony to make. That was almost precisely what Discord had said in response to Princess Celestia's plan during the changeling invasion. She was not currently helping his speculation that she and Discord were actually divided beings.

"For our world's recorded history, Celestia has been faithfully and dutifully raising and lowering the sun every single day for more than a thousand years. That's more than three hundred and sixty five thousand controlled exercises of her magical abilities. How exactly could she not have adequate control over it?" Twilight asked. Something was wrong here, but she didn't know what it was. She could feel herself starting to grow agitated by what the Espada was saying, but she didn't have a clue as to why. After everything that had happened up to this point, why was this upsetting her?

"We are merely discussing unconfirmed theory, nothing more," Ulquiorra replied calmly, before continuing further with such. "Simply because Princess Celestia has adequately learned how to perform her duties, does not mean she has learned how to adequately and safely use the full extent of her total strength. Currently there is no way for us to accurately determine just how much raw magical energy Princess Celestia has access to. What we have seen up to this point could simply be whatever portion she has learned to safely utilize up to this point," he explained.

"Do I sense another simile to your world coming?" Pinkie Pie asked him. He remained silent for several moments in contemplation, before speaking up again.

"You remember the details of the human turned Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki, correct?" he asked. Most of them nodded, the only exception being Fluttershy. That didn't surprise him, as she had requested returning to Ponyville, rather than spending the night at the palace after the defeat of the dragon, due to her disgust with his tactics and outlook, and his ghostly nature. "Aizen kept extensive, detailed records on his growth and development. As a human, he possessed a considerable level of reiryoku; far more than any low-level Shinigami would possess. So much so that often what was felt by the others around him, was merely the excess that bled off from him, that his body could not contain. He was literally overflowing with reiryoku, like a water spigot in need of a new rubber gasket. His reserves ran so deep that he simply didn't have the skills necessary to exercise proper control over it. This was a fact that was exemplified by his first encounter with a Gillian-class Hollow. According to the available records, Ichigo Kurosaki was able to repel the resulting Cero of the Gillian with only minor difficulty, and drive it back to Hueco Mundo. However the resulting exertion triggered a massive release of reiatsu that neither his body, nor his zanpakutō, were prepared to encounter. If it weren't for Quincy intervention bleeding off the excess reiryoku, the resulting explosion from the both of them would have been quite... significant," he explained, emphasis on the last word in the sentence.

Silence all around the room, most likely due to surprise at his tale. That was perfectly alright as far as he was concerned. Some concepts needed to be thought on silently in order to be properly understood.

"And... you think that Celestia might be in a predicament of a similar nature to this Shinigami you mentioned? Unable to control her own strength, because there's so much of it?" Rarity asked curiously, wanting to have an exact understanding of just what he was saying.

"Is that what he was saying? If anything I thought it'd be like that top Espada, Starrk was it? You know, the one so strong he could kill other, lesser Hollows just by being in the same area as them. That would make more sense, right? Celestia's got all that magical strength to her, but she can't open up with it because she might hurt others just by being around them," Rainbow Dash suggested. "The dude said it himself, Celestia could crush him if she wanted. And if he could be crushed by her, the same one who punched a dragon and made it bleed, then wouldn't us ponies be like dust in the wind?"

He wouldn't admit it to anyone if he were queried, but he was mildly surprised by how Rainbow Dash had remembered that piece of conversation from back then. He had figured that if any of these ponies would remember, it would be Twilight Sparkle. However, since she had been unconscious at the time, it made sense that someone else would remember it. And Rainbow Dash had displayed surprising degrees of intelligence at points in the past, including how she'd managed to lure the lavender unicorn into an intellectual trap. He truly couldn't continue to underestimate the cyan pegasus.

That fact aside, the ponies engaging in an intellectual discussion about the nature of their rulers could be considered a good sign. It indicated a willingness to look past what had simply been accepted at face value by default. It indicated a willingness to learn and grow.

"Actually..." Twilight Sparkle spoke up slowly, suggesting she was thinking even while she was in the process of speaking, "between those two theories on possibility, that might make the most sense. Celestia has been alive for over a thousand years. And maybe it's just me, but I find it difficult to believe that in that time she's been unable to master her own strength, regardless of how much she might command as an alicorn. Possessing such intense magic, that the full magnitude is harmful to others, just strikes me as being more believable than the notion that she's magical incontinent."

"It's certainly a possibility that must be considered. However it's a possibility that relies on the supposition that Princess Celestia has actually had ample opportunity and practice to master her alicorn strength. Your own history details how she was forced to take over the responsibilities of Princess Luna, royal and otherwise, in addition to her own for a thousand years. An increase in responsibilities of that magnitude would likely leave little opportunity for honing skills unrelated to diplomatic rule," Ulquiorra explained. That was one thing he had considered right off the bat during all this discussion of hypothesis. Simply because one possessed significant amounts of time, didn't mean that they truly utilized it in a responsible manner. Coyote Starrk was a fine example of such; sufficient amounts of time, and he chose to utilize it by lazily sleeping away every moment he could.

Princess Celestia on the other hand was a different matter. He truly didn't want to consider how many bills, laws, motions, and other technical aspects of rule she'd been required to commit to memory. All of the petitions she had to hear day in and day out. Even his own patience wouldn't have sufficed for such a long stretching obligation.

"Noted," Twilight Sparkle replied as she rubbed the bridge of her muzzle. "And what's your theory on this enigma? You've always got some sort of interesting thought process going on. Which category do you believe is most likely?" she asked him.

"Truthfully I don't know what to assume at this point. The ability to detect reiatsu, or similar properties, can complicate matters. When the amount of reiatsu being exerted increases, so does its texture, becoming harder and more violent. When Princess Celestia raised her levels during our skirmish over Canterlot the density and texture increased greatly... up to a point. After she went beyond a certain point, the texture changed and became more... I'm not entirely certain how to adequately describe it. It was almost ragged in nature, like fabric that had been torn and started to fray at the edge. It was wild and unrefined, almost like a raging bonfire. That in itself would support the possibility that Princess Celestia has only learned how to properly utilize a portion of her strength. However, what I encountered prior to that engagement would suggest the intensity of her strength is enough to cause harm to others," he replied.

"And that was... wha' precisely?" Applejack asked him.

He remained silent momentarily as he contemplated exactly what to say on the matter. What he had to say would likely yield many more questions. But sometimes that was simply impossible to avoid.

"When I arrived to brief Princess Celestia, a changeling was present in the guise of one of her guards. The explanation I gave before knocking out the intruder proved to anger her, and the resulting flare of reiatsu was enough to cause significant bodily harm to myself; bruised internal organs and third degree burns to a significant portion of my skin. The pain experienced was... quite intense," he explained.

"Now that's a load of manure!" Rainbow Dash spoke up, and quite loudly in the process. "We saw you later that day. You didn't look the least bit burnt. How could you do everything you did if you got hurt in such a manner?" she asked.

"I'm inclined to agree with Rainbow Dash," Rarity commented, "if Celestia's presence did cause you such serious injury, how were you still able to be up and walking around?" she asked.

As to be expected. At least this time around the answers would be simpler to give. "High-speed regeneration. Most Arrancar choose to trade this ability in exchange for greater offensive strength. I did not. That fact provides a significant tactical advantage in combat. The loss of a limb is of no consequence when it can completely regrow in a matter of minutes."

"... Regrow a limb?" Rarity asked, uncertain as to whether she should be horrified by the prospect, or simply stunned by the notion of what he was saying.

"As in complete replacement of all joints and bones in addition to tissues, regardless of size of complexity? And without the need to retrain and recondition the new muscle tissue, to bring it back up to the quality of what it replaced?" Twilight asked, her interest piquing by the second. Immediately the concept of salamanders was coming to mind, attempting to draw parallels between the two.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied, "however there will be no demonstrations of such. Regrowing lost mass requires significant resources that could be better utilized elsewhere."

Twilight tried not to look disappointed at Ulquiorra's announcement. Did he really think that she would ask him to cut off his own arm just so she could observe his regeneration in action? She was a lot of things, but even she wasn't that callous and thoughtless towards others and their wellbeing. Granted, watching such a feat would be incredibly educational in nature. But she really couldn't see herself asking Ulquiorra to go so far just for her.

"And I'm not about to clean up the mess," Spike added bluntly, "I do a lot of things around here. I do that without a lot of complaining. But I absolutely, positively draw the line at disposing of severed body parts," he stated and folded his arms across his chest. He didn't get paid nearly enough for such nonsense.

"Now don' worry, Spike, ah'm sure Twilight wouldn' ask ya ta do somethin' like that," Applejack said in an effort to reassure him. Although she truly had no idea for certain just what Twilight might do in such a case when nopony was looking.

"Um... I don't mean to interrupt or anything. But something just occurred to me," Fluttershy spoke up as she turned her attention to where Ulquiorra stood. "You said Celestia hurt you when she got mad, that you got burnt in her presence. I'm just wondering what happened to the changeling? And what about the other guard? Usually there's a minimum of two guards in the throne room at any given time. Assuming you were in the throne room at the time, that is. Were they hurt too?" she asked.

The number of intelligent questions coming from ponies other than Twilight Sparkle was beginning to become surprising. Yet again these ponies were proving to be quite interesting to interact with.

"That is where things become strange. Neither the other guard, nor the changeling, were bothered by the flare of Princess Celestia's reiatsu. There is a significance to that fact, but I am uncertain of just what that significance is. At present time I can only speculate and theorize," he explained.

"The more I hear going on, the more my brain hurts from things getting complicated. Every single time I think we understand something, something else comes along and turns it on its head," Rainbow Dash grumbled.

"I can sort of relate to that," Twilight added and sighed as she stood up from where she sat. "All of this discussion has been very interesting, as well as very educational. But it needs to stop. Or at the very least, I need to stop participating. If I allow myself to get distracted, I'm not going to get anywhere in studying the tome Celestia sent me, and I simply can't have that," she explained as she held up the book to emphasize her point. It wasn't an easy decision to make either. Either learning new and advanced spells, or sitting and talking with Ulquiorra more and exploring his theories in greater detail. It was a tough choice to make. But if she didn't fulfill her responsibilities, then they might not be around to have any other discussions. Much as it pained her, she had to tear herself away from her friends, and get cracking on what was seriously important. "Now in case anypony needs me for something far more pressing, I'll be down in the basement studying."

She waited momentarily to see if anybody truly did speak up and try to distract her. None of them did, and for that she was thankful. She turned to leave and head to the library's basement where she could study in peace, but then stopped and turned to face Ulquiorra again. Slowly she walked over to him, as she had business to tend to first. Business that she wouldn't feel right leaving unresolved just yet.

"I know that you don't have much need for gratitude, and I can respect that. But there are still times that I think gratitude is warranted. Like right now for example. After everything that's happened, something specific has to be said. You don't have to say anything in response, but I still have to say it," she explained. At seeing him not offering up anything in objection she continued, holding out her right hoof. "Thank you for being my friend, Ulquiorra. Even after everything that happened today."

Ulquiorra considered what to do in response to this gesture. He was under no obligation to say anything in response, and she had acknowledged that fact. Even if he was under some sort of obligation, he wouldn't know where to begin in even voicing a response. After much consideration -all occurring at incredible speeds- he simply withdrew his right hand and grasped her hoof, just as he had done when he'd accepted her request, strange as it had been. If it would allow her to better focus on what was actually important, it was of no consequence on his part.

Chapter Forty Eight

Chapter Forty Eight

Due to a number of various factors, the basement library was a very isolating place to be in. Other than the muffled commotion emanating from the upstairs and weakly filtering its way downward, it was relatively silent and free of distractions down here. And for that fact, Twilight was very thankful.

She had known even before receiving this book that the spells contained within were very advanced and difficult in nature; definitely not something for a novice to be attempting. But she was no novice. She was the protege of Princess Celestia, and if any unicorn could decipher these arcane spells, and properly understand the mechanics behind their casting, then it was without a doubt her. That wasn't even a matter of arrogance, that was a matter of absolute fact!

But it was also a matter of fact that these spells were still going to be difficult to not only learn, but also master. She was going to need to do far more than simply get the gist of the mechanics behind each of the spells she was attempting to learn. She had to be able to do far better than simply being able to recite the aspects from memory at the drop of a hat. With each of the spells she was attempting to learn, she was going to need to become intimately familiar with all of the intricate little details that went into the proper casting and maintaining involved. That would require equal amounts reading and actual practice. However practice would be difficult in this case, as it would require large, open areas for the purpose of safety. Getting any one of a number of factors wrong could lead to a serious backfiring of highly charged magical energies.

That was why it was necessary to study, study, and study some more. This wasn't going to be any simple walk in the park, not even for her.

"What do you want, Pinkie?"

Of course that would be easier if there weren't any interruptions to deal with; especially the kind of interruptions that came looking for her. And as much as she loved her friends, there were times when she could really stand to be away from them. Like right now damn it!

"How'd you know I was there? I was being extra special, super duper quiet! Even I couldn't hear myself coming!" Pinkie stated as she stopped in her tracks, utterly surprised by how easily she'd been caught creeping down the stairs. She'd approached with such a softness in her steps that nopony should've heard her. So how exactly did Twilight find her out? "How'd you hear me coming?" she asked.

"I didn't hear you, I smelt you. You smell like cotton candy, Pinkie, you have since I met you," Twilight explained as she looked up from the book. The sooner she got this interruption over with, the sooner she could get back to what was actually important. "So what's so important?" she asked.

"You've been down here for four hours, Twilight, it's really late. Don't you think you should come upstairs for bed? Spike's already fast asleep," Pinkie stated as she began approaching again.

"I can't, Pinkie," Twilight replied and sighed, "these spells are incredibly complex in structure. They have to be studied out very thoroughly if I'm going to actually learn them. I can't just breeze through them like they're any other simple spell. It's not like we're talking about anti-gravity here," she explained.

"Oh..." Pinkie replied. However she didn't turn to leave just yet. There were still other things to try and convince her friend to turn in for the night. "Do any of them involve utilizing the magic of nearby earth ponies to achieve the desired results?" she asked. Maybe if she could get Twilight to explain the complexities to her, she'd realize that she needed sleep. Like how Discord had made himself realize that using unrestrained chaos magic would lose him Fluttershy as his friend. It was worth a try.

Twilight shook her head. "No. At least not in the section I'm in. I don't know about up ahead though. As complex as these spells are, skipping ahead really wouldn't be advised."

"Oh," Pinkie replied again. Oh well it was a long shot anyway. Silently she stepped closer until she stood to the side of Twilight, and eased herself on the ground to lay next to her. "So what spell are you working on learning?" she asked.

"It's a spell that creates lightning by utilizing the ionization in the air," Twilight replied, shifting the tome a little to let Pinkie get a better look at the page, even if it wouldn't make much sense to her. "It's a very potent, offensive spell."

"Isn't that like weather manipulation? Doesn't that kinda intrude on pegasi duties and responsibilities?" Pinkie asked curiously, tilting her head to the side at the impossible to comprehend details on the page she was presented with.

"No not really. Pegasi usually manage the clouds which bring about snow, rain, thunder, lightning, and other elemental aspects. But pegasi don't create or control lightning themselves, just as they don't create clouds with their own four hooves from the latent moisture in the air. Yes it's done at the weather factory, but that's through specialized, purpose-built machinery intended to perform such tasks," Twilight explained, turning away from the page momentarily in order to address her friend's question. At least she looked like she understood what she was explaining. Deciding to take that as a good sign, she turned back to the book. "Also pegasi don't have a corner market on weather manipulation. It's not all that common, but I've read about small remote towns tasking a unicorn or two with such duties if they don't have the money to pay a fleet of pegasi. Although they experience less scheduled weather as a result because they're limited to what's provided through nature."

"Wow, Twilight, that's pretty amazing to learn. I thought for sure there were rules and red tape in place to prevent things like that. Not that I'm sure why it's called red tape, I'm pretty sure tape isn't good for paperwork," Pinkie stated. She moved to sit up again, but grunted as she pushed herself up in an effort to rotate her withers properly, resulting in an audible pop sounding. "Wow, Twilight, that's some super bad posture to be in, I've already got a catch in my back. I can't imagine how many knots you've got in your back."

"It's fine, Pinkie, I-" Twilight tried to say. But before she could even get a proper word out, Pinkie had once again decided to show just how random she could be. Instead of vocally interrupting her, the pink earth pony had leaned over her, and started rubbing at her back with her front hooves. That effectively put an end to what she had to say in response, as the only thing to come out of her mouth was a contented moan/whine from what she was experiencing. She couldn't believe how incredibly good that felt right now.

"See what I mean, Twilight? This wouldn't feel nearly as good as it does, if your back wasn't just chock full of deep tension pockets in need of alleviating," Pinkie explained as she carried out her impromptu massage. "One thing you'll learn about earth ponies, Twilight, is that they make the best masseuses around because they've got lots of stamina, and their physical strength lets them really apply the pressure where it's needed," she explained, emphasizing the statement with a particularly firm push into her friend's lower back, earning a particularly high pitched squeak. "Just don't tell Aloe and Lotus about this. Trade secrets and all that."

Twilight moaned as she laid her head down on the ground, resting on her chin like a dog would, as Pinkie worked her over. She could feel all the tension practically oozing out of her body like it was sweat, leaving her in a state of comfort she couldn't remember experiencing before. It was starting to prove really difficult to keep her eyelids up, and equally difficult to concentrate on anything more than the kneading to her back that was currently going on.

Pinkie giggled at seeing Twilight's posture. She couldn't help but imagine the silly look she probably had on her face right now; eyelids drooping and eyes unable to focus, mouth open crookedly with her tongue hanging out of the corner, her ears half drooped and hanging limply. She's have to try and get a picture of that face one of these days.

"Like it, do we?" Pinkie asked rhetorically as she trailed her hoof down Twilight's spine. Twilight's response consisted of her right hind leg twitching and spasming, her hoof tapping firmly against the hardwood floor of the basement. Pinkie giggled more at seeing this and made another pass over the vertebrae ridges, and bringing more ecstatic twitching and tapping. "That's it, Twilight, you just relax and let little ol' Pinkie Pie take care of it," she cooed as she moved up her back and rub circles in between the unicorn's wither ridges.

At this point Twilight couldn't even think about speaking. Her mind was currently mush, and anything more complex than an incoherent moan was out of the question, as she pressed the side of her head against her foreleg as a makeshift pillow.

"That's it, Twilight, you just relax. Just close your eyes and go to sleep, and everything will be alright in the morn-"

Pinkie's soothing voice was broken as she felt herself immediately lifted off of Twilight, and found herself suspended off the floor in a magenta colored aura. That wouldn't have been too objectionable, if not for the fact that the sudden sensation of being lifted up so quickly had made her squawk in surprise. And now she found herself face to face with an annoyed and fully alert looking Twilight.

"Pinkie, what were you doing? Were you trying to make me fall asleep?" Twilight asked her.

Pinkie tried to look away, feeling herself grow uncomfortable with Twilight's eyes on her in such a manner. But try as she might she couldn't escape her gaze. It was almost like looking Ulquiorra in the eyes right now, and she didn't like that one bit. The only thing she could do right now was come clean, must as she wished she could do otherwise.

"Yes," she mumbled in an admission of guilt.

"Pinkie," Twilight sighed as she stood back up and set her friend back onto her hooves, "this is very important work I'm doing. You know that."

"I know, I know, but we're all worried about you, Twilight. Well actually you've got the others worried, but I'm worried and scared. I'm scared of what's happening to you. You've got so much going on right now, and there's nothing I can do to help you. There's nothing I can do to even try and help you. This morning you were trying to help Ulqy learn what friendship is all about. You were trying to help him learn the same valuable lessons that you've been learning. And now... now you're studying spells that're meant to be used for hurting others, for killing others! Everything is just changing so much and it scares me. It makes me wanna go curl up in a hole somewhere and hide. You're changing too, Twilight, I can see it. You're becoming more like Ulqy is," Pinkie stated.

Twilight wanted to respond to Pinkie's statement, or objection, or whatever it was. She needed to understand the seriousness of the situation, and that things needed to change when it was necessary to address an unforeseen situation that arose, and drastically shook up the status quo. There were so many things she could say to hammer that point home. But that last sentence made her hesitate. That hesitation was quickly pounced upon by Pinkie as she started talking again.

"You're becoming something that you're not, Twilight, and you're scaring me. Friends shouldn't do that to one another. I don't want you to be a killer, and I don't want you to have to kill either. If we get so scared that we change ourselves completely, we're going to lose sight of what's really important to us," she stated as she slowly turned her gaze down at the floor. "What happens after this point, Twilight? How far do we go? Do Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake have to grow up in a world where there's a monster around every corner, hiding in the shadows and just waiting to pounce? Do we become paranoid enough that we all have to become willing to kill others because we think they're a threat to us? How far does this have to go, Twilight? And more importantly... how far can it go before it destroys our friendship completely?" she asked.

Twilight had been ready to launch into a response to Pinkie's nonsense, picking apart her hyperbole bit by bit, and carefully explaining in detailed facts as to why she was making a whole lot out of nothing. But the more she listened, she had to stop and think on what her friend was actually saying. She found it necessary to let her words sink in and simmer a bit, rather than just responding to them with a dismissive approach.

She wanted to approach the matter with a clinical, scientific perspective, and explain to Pinkie how change and adaptation to new surroundings was a necessity in order for a species to survive, and how failure to respond accordingly could result in extinction. But something told her that such a detached approach wouldn't have the desired results. If she was going to get Pinkie to understand all of the important details, her approach would need to be tailored to something the earth pony would understand.

"If you want to know the truth, Pinkie, you're not the only one that's scared," she started, "I'm scared too. Really scared actually. When I think about what happened here today, about all the ponies that got hurt, and how easily we could've been present for that," she paused and gave a shiver to emphasize the point. Not that she was lying or anything like that. But sometimes with Pinkie, a little bit of theatrics was necessary. "We were asleep at the switch, and we paid for it dearly. We know there's a threat against us, and what do we do? We decide that the best course of action available to us is to throw Ulquiorra a party. We didn't take his warning seriously, and look what happened."

"But Twilight, none of us could've known that was gonna happen. Ulqy himself said it didn't match the pattern we were working on," Pinkie protested, not liking where this was going at all.

"Let me finish, Pinkie, I'm not done yet," Twilight said as she raised her hoof to silence whatever her friend might have to contribute. "I'm not saying that we shouldn't have parties anymore. I'd never say that, and especially not to you. I'm just saying that we have to be more vigilant from now on, and we have to be prepared to take responsibility for ourselves, rather than waiting for someone to come to our rescue. We've done it before, we just have to do a little more of that now. Times are changing, and we've got to meet them accordingly. And since this whole clusterfu--- this whole mess was my fault, it's only appropriate that I take responsibility for what transpired."

"You keep saying that you're responsible, but I'm not believing it," Pinkie said slowly as she stepped closer to where Twilight stood, looking her directly in the eyes. "Twilight, I honestly don't know what your thought process is, but you're not responsible here. You didn't do anything wrong. If you did something wrong by bringing Ulqy to the party, then I did something wrong too, by actually throwing the party for him in the first place. That would mean I used a party to cause harm to others, like deliberately and on purpose. Now if you think that you need to be blamed, then you just blame me too. I'm not letting you heap this responsibility on your withers alone. Not this time. That's not what friends do. Either we're both responsible for what happened to the ponies in Ponyville, or neither of us is responsible, understand?" she asked as she slowly leaned in even closer, the action causing Twilight to take a step back and fall onto her haunches.

Twilight didn't want to admit it, either to herself or anyone else. But at that moment Pinkie was actually scaring her. She'd couldn't remember the last time her friend had exercised this significant a degree of seriousness. She couldn't help but flinch at trying to look into those currently piercing blue eyes. Her friend had adopted a gaze that could easily rival Ulquiorra's, and even give Fluttershy a run for her money. There was certainly no malice behind them that she could see, but that didn't make it any less unpleasant to be on the receiving end of.

The next thing Twilight knew, Pinkie had grabbed hold of her and enveloped her in a firm, unyielding hug.

"You're not alone, Twilight. You're not and you don't have to be. No matter what you might think about your own responsibility, you don't have to do this alone. We'll be there for you. Even if the others won't be, I will be, no matter what happens," Pinkie told her, showing no signs of discontinuing the hug anytime soon.

Twilight wasn't entirely certain what to say in response to Pinkie's statement. It was made of equal parts firmness, comfort, and support. Whatever the reasoning was behind her thought process, she seemed convinced that what was being done down here, was... Twilight really didn't know how to finish that thought. Did Pinkie assume that she was punishing herself with her selected course of action? Did she assume she was heaping too much responsibility on herself again, just as she'd done in the past before?

Whatever it was that guided the pink mare's actions, she seemed quite sincere about not leaving her alone to her own devices on this matter. She also seemed completely unwilling to end this hug anytime soon, as she began rubbing her back with her hooves.

A hug that she eventually found herself returning, easing her chin down against her, allowing her to breathe in the cotton candy scent of her friend's mane.

"Thanks, Pinkie, I really appreciate that," she told her as she allowed her eyes to rest. Knowing that she wouldn't have to do everything by herself meant a lot.

"Come on upstairs, Twilight, you need your rest too. You can't burn the candle at both ends. Well actually you can, but that makes it very difficult to hold onto, as you've got hot wax dripping down your leg then," Pinkie stated.

"Sorry Pinkie but I just can't do that," Twilight replied as she untangled herself from the embrace. Considering it was Pinkie involved in the embrace, it was a literal example of untangling she had to be involved with. "Studying these spells is really important, and it's something that needs to be done."

"But-"

"I really appreciate what you said, Pinkie, but there are certain responsibilities that have to be tended to, friends or no friends. But at the same time that perfectly illustrates why there's no need to worry about me; because I have you and five other very good friends looking out for me. I know you won't let me dig myself into a hole that I can't get out of. And that fact means a great deal to me, especially right now. But right now I really need to study these spells because there's a lot at stake. You and the other girls are my best friends, and Ponyville is a place I've come to regard as being my home, not a temporary assignment from Celestia. And I'm not about to just stand idly by as some unknown threat tries to come into my home and harm my friends. Knowing that I've got friends who've got my back means more to me than I could ever say. But I need to have their backs in return, and the only way that can happen is if I can learn these spells, so we don't have to rely on Ulquiorra all the time," Twilight explained as she looked Pinkie in the eyes, effectively cutting off whatever protest she had to give in response. If there was one thing Pinkie would understand well enough, it was the need to help friends.

"... Okay, Twilight, if you say so," Pinkie said slowly as she stood up from where she sat and moved to head back upstairs. She really couldn't argue with Twilight if she believed she was trying to help out her friends when they were in need. She honestly couldn't say that if the situation was reversed, that she wouldn't do the same thing if presented with the opportunity. There were very few things that she wouldn't do in the name of helping out a friend, so she kind of understood where Twilight was coming with this. It was like a mutual understanding was shared between them at this point. And if that was the case then she wasn't about to jinx it. Even Ulquiorra seemed to understand that there was a time when you needed to back off when a friend was committed to something. And if he could understand that, it wouldn't do at all for her to not do the same. "But if you need anything don't hesitate to ask, even if it's just something like a drink of water, or maybe a pillow... or if you need to stay over for a couple of days because of a bedbug invasion," she called back as she ascended the stairs back up to the main floor.

"Thanks, Pinkie, I-" Twilight was in the process of saying, but stopped in mid sentence as the words sank in. A bedbug invasion? Did Pinkie know something she didn't?

Actually that was a stupid question. Pinkie always knew something that she didn't. And sometimes the stuff that Pinkie knew, she didn't want to know as it scared her. Nevermind that though, she had more important stuff to focus on. She still had a long way to go on understanding this spell before she could move onto the next one.

She was thankful that Pinkie had taken her explanation so easily and without much resistance. If she had argued the matter, she wasn't sure that she could've kept the matter completely friendly in nature. The explanation that she'd given had dealt with facts, just not all of the facts. She knew that if she went into all of the details involved, Pinkie might not be able to adequately deal with them. It's for that reason she had to keep the discussion civil, to not bring up the matter of Cupid, or Roseluck, or any of the other ponies who had been hurt on this day.

But she was also thankful for Pinkie's little interruption, as it reassured her that she wasn't isolated in this matter. She knew her friends would be there for her, but actually hearing it confirmed made her feel much better.

And that back massage Pinkie had given her, had made her feel reinvigorated. She felt like she could study for hours without interruption now. And with the severity of the situation they were presented with, she was going to need that. There were too many ponies counting on her right now, and she couldn't afford to let them down. Too many had already been let down because of her, and she was going to have to live with that fact. All she could do now was try and prevent that from happening anymore, and pray that her efforts did some good.

"Faust, please don't let anymore ponies die because of me..."

"It didn't work."

It was getting late in Ponyville. Late enough that most of the rest of the town had turned in by now, indicated by how many homes were now dark when looked at through the windows of the library. The darkness presented by the lack of lights coming from inside the various homes was offset by the brightness of the full moon, illuminating the fog that was rolling low against the ground. And as it grew later and later, the others had grown proportionally more concerned about Twilight's wellbeing as she remained isolated down in the basement. It was that concern that motivated them to try and convince her to come back upstairs and get some sleep. And it was that concern that had motivated Pinkie to volunteer for the assignment at hoof, and bring Twilight back from her pit of isolation.

Unfortunately, as they were finding out as the pink earth pony came trudging back up the stairs, her best efforts -the only efforts she ever made with anything- simply weren't good enough in this case.

"It didn't?" Fluttershy asked, unsure of whether she should be confused or scared about this revelation. How could Pinkie not succeed at something like this?

Pinkie nodded glumly. "I told her how worried we were about her, and how we were all there for her, I even tried that super duper back massage technique I learned from watching Aloe and Lotus do it hoping she'd fall asleep and we could carry her upstairs and put her to bed. None of it did any good," she explained before sitting down on the floor and pouting in defeat. "Twilight won't listen to us. She's convinced that she has to be doing this; that she's responsible for everything, and has to pay the price. I tried to talk her out of it, but she's not listening. Instead she wound up talking me out of trying to help her."

"Oh dear," Rarity sighed at hearing the news.

"Okay that does it. We tried the nice approach, that didn't work, it's time to try the firm approach," Rainbow Dash stated as she marched over towards the door to the basement. "If Twilight doesn't want to listen to us, then I'm gonna drag her out here with the rest of us."

"Knowing Twilight Sparkle, you will likely be the one forcefully ejected from the basement first," Ulquiorra commented from where he stood by one of the bookshelves.

The hours that followed the evening meal hadn't been allowed to be wasted on matters of uselessness. With hunger no longer being a valid excuse, and no valid reasons for the ponies to be returning to their individuals homes for one thing or another, the library being secured against intrusion had been the top priority. The doors had been locked and bolted, as had all of the windows in addition to being shuttered. This on its own would ultimately do little to deter intrusion, but it presented a medium that would give significant warning should forceful entry be attempted.

Only two things were lacking from total security at this point. Or at least as total as was possible under the circumstances. The first and the most important was a forcefield deployed around the entire structure, and prevent entry from any attempt that wasn't subterranean in nature. However that wouldn't be possible without the assistance of Twilight Sparkle, as only she possessed the sheer magical strength that was necessary to deploy a shield of sufficient size.

That was, of course, assuming Rarity even possessed the ability to use forcefields at all. Twilight Sparkle had explained that her brother was a specialist in forcefields, but there was nothing in her explanation of the facts that would adequately explain just how common the ability was among the unicorn race. He could understand Twilight Sparkle possessing knowledge of such spells, seeing as her sibling possessed such knowledge. Perhaps it was a talent that was specialized in by her entire family. However, other unicorns were another matter that were as of yet unverified. But assuming forcefields were as common as telekinesis, that still left the matter of sufficient overall magical strength; again, something that only Twilight Sparkle possessed as far as he could determine.

The second option was of significantly less demand in terms of power necessary to achieve, to the point even Rarity would be able to adequately perform such. That was what he had come to understand as being a "shall not pass" charm, and consisted of either a kinetic force negation spell, or a force reflection spell, being applied to all entrances and exits of the building. And while such an approach would do nothing to prevent unauthorized entry through a wall, it would certainly increase the difficulty of gaining entry into the building, and reduce the number of weak points in need of being guarded.

That being said, however, he was presented with another difficulty. Even though Rarity possessed sufficient reiryoku for applying such charms to the various entrances, she had declined to do so. The explanation given was that she had no desire to exercise her own influence over what was under Twilight Sparkle's control. The logistics of such he truly didn't grasp. This was a matter of safety and survival; desires and comfort were of no relevance. And yet he couldn't properly force the issue to make the white unicorn comply. Any such attempt on his part might yield to substandard results on her part, and might actually interfere with Twilight Sparkle's ability to perform such a spell whenever she was available. For the time being he would simply have to let the issue rest.

After the library had been secured to the best of their abilities, he had more or less paid the ponies no mind, and instead focused on the assortment of books that were available for reading. He would admit, more to himself than anyone else, that the books contained in the Golden Oaks Library provided an interesting change from what he'd read in the library of Canterlot palace. Some of them present dealt with the town of Ponyville more than anything else. But proper reconnaissance work wasn't glamorous in nature, and often involved considerable amount of study regarding run of the mill details, in order to gather information in a cumulative manner. It wasn't like what was often portrayed on the ridiculous television programs humans seemed to be fanatically obsessed with.

If he was to be bound to this dimension indefinitely, that was one thing he could be thankful for; the lack of electronically-based media saturation. These ponies seemed perfectly content with books for information gathering, and that was just fine with him. He had seen how humans could be when exposed to portable technological advancements. It was a wonder more of them didn't die every single day from being hit by a car, as they crossed against the lights when traffic had the right of way.

But for every positive aspect, there was a corresponding negative to take into consideration.

Whereas humans were obsessed with everything electronic and technological, those that truly deserved to be considered trash possessed a remarkable talent for removing themselves from the gene pool. Theses ponies, while not obsessed with technology to the point of needing it to even function from one minute to the next, didn't seem to possess such an innate ability. Those that were foolish and idiotic didn't seem as prone to terminating themselves as the human species. Perhaps it was due to fewer distractions, leaving them with greater situational awareness.

Whether or not that possible situational awareness has contributed to the results of today's attack by the manticore, he wasn't certain. Perhaps some lives had been saved due to the lack of portable electronic distractions. Or perhaps that awareness had been inadequate to save anyone from an attacking manticore. Considering how fast the beast could be when in pursuit of prey, that possibility was entirely likely.

For the most part his attention had been elsewhere, apart from occasionally listening up and catching bits and pieces of whatever was being discussed around him. Most of what was said was nonsense, but the majority of them had enough sense to leave him alone and not try to strike up useless conversation. At some point during the passage of time Spike had turned in for the evening, but the ponies had not. It could be understood, seeing as he was still the youngest of the group. And since there was nothing of significance to preoccupy themselves with, his decision to retire was of no significant consequence.

However he did begin to pay more attention as the talk slowly turned from nonsense, to bringing Twilight Sparkle back to the upper levels of the library for the night. The concern displayed by the others for her wellbeing was slowly becoming more noticeable to him. But he held his tongue, not seeing it as a worthwhile use of his time to interrupt them. Even after Pinkie Pie descended the stairs to enact some convoluted retrieval plan, he kept silent.

Up to the point of Pinkie Pie's failure, and Rainbow Dash's decision to escalate matters with the use of force. That was enough to make him close his current book, after memorizing what page he was currently on.

"If she does not wish to be disturbed, then it would be best to abide by her wishes and not disturb her," he pointed out, before deciding that a follow up was necessary. "Fluttershy's explanation of friendship covered her being a friend involved knowing when to allow someone to go about their business unimpeded. Why is that fact being ignored under these circumstances?"

"It's really not all that simple," Rarity began as she walked over to where he stood. "The others and I have been around Twilight for years, you could say we've gotten a feel for her idiosyncrasies as it were. We have something of an understanding of her inner workings. At least to some degree. She's a... very complex mare despite her appreciation for the simple and mundane. She has an unhealthy tendency to automatically assume that, because she was Celestia's student, she has a moral obligation to be the one to try and solve the problems of everyone else. And even though she's been getting better at it, she still hasn't been able to completely let go of this notion of responsibility. Sometimes she can get so focused on something that she develops tunnel vision and becomes blind to everything around her. And it's our concern that that's what might be taking place now. If she believes she's responsible for everything that happened today, there's no telling what length she'll attempt to go to in an effort to assuage her guilt, or meet some intangible sense of responsibility that she's taken upon herself," she explained, detailing the importance of keeping their friend in check. However it still felt strange to be talking about such so freely when there was very little to keep such a conversation from filtering its way down towards the basement. "I truly don't want to speak ill of the dear, but such behavior can be incredibly self destructive if not properly kept in check."

More developments that he didn't foresee coming. This was not good to know. In fact this could prove to be downright disturbing. This matter would have to be addressed.

"You're claiming that Twilight Sparkle is predisposed towards tendencies of self-mutilation and suicide?" he asked. If this was what was being said, then the situation was worse than he'd assumed. His evaluation of the lavender unicorn had been that her potential for destruction and bloodshed faced outward rather than inward. What if he was wrong?

"Oh goodness no, nothing like that!" Rarity quickly stated, horrified by what he was saying. "Twilight is simply not the type to do such things. At least not intentionally. What I meant to say is that her behavior can be detrimental to her overall health if she's left to her own devices. If she didn't have Spike as her assistant, I truly believe that she would forget to take breaks from her studies in order to eat, sleep, and tend to her own hygiene. Sometimes the dear just needs a reminder of when to step away for her own good."

Applejack nodded. "Twilight's usually got everythin' under control when Spike's around ta help out. But sometimes she jus' needs a helpin' hoof in keepin' everything straight. We've all been there at one time er another. But tha's one o' the good things 'bout havin' friends; ya don' have ta be stranded when yer in over yer head."

He remained silent as he listened to Applejack's words. Words that...

+++

"I can't speak for the others, only for myself. What I get out of my friendship, and my continued association with them, is a great deal more important to me than any form of physical reimbursement for my investment. I've got five very great, and very diverse companions, who are there for me when I really need them. Five ponies who are willing to drop what they're doing and help me out of a jam when they recognize that I'm in trouble, and that things have escalated to the point where I can't deal with it on my own. They're there for me when I'm sad, or scared, or hurt, or alone, or even when I just need somepony to bounce ideas off of, and engage in intelligent conversation about whatever. They're willing to put up with my idiosyncrasies and look beyond them, even when I wind up driving them nuts without even realizing it. They've helped me realize that there's a wide, wide world out there that's worth experiencing for myself, rather than just reading about from the comforts of the library. They've helped me grow as an individual, and expand my mind to consider things I otherwise would've discounted, and they never asked for a single thing in return. I trust those girls with my life; I've actually done that several times so far. Without them I don't even think I'd still be alive right now," she explained.

Ulquiorra remained silent and unmoving at her words, his lack of reaction causing her to frown in response. She'd put a lot into that speech and was hoping for something in return other than disbelief and simple skepticism. Perhaps she was expecting too much, too early on. Maybe she needed to try again.

"That amounts to friendship to you?"

And then again maybe she didn't. Maybe he really had been paying attention, and had simply waited for her to finish talking.

"Well sort of, but it goes a lot further than that. We care about each other, we're there in case we need each other, and when one of us is in trouble, we worry about them and do whatever we can to help out. It's like the time Rarity got sick with the stomach flu, we all did what we could to help her get better, or at least try and make her feel a little less miserable during her recovery. We didn't stop and worry that she might be contagious, or that we might be putting our own health at risk, we just did what we thought was right," Twilight explained. She was getting the feeling that things were starting to spin out of control, and that she was at risk of losing him due to disbelief. She had to think of something to help him understand! "Being a friend also involves doing nice things for each other, even when you have zero moral or legal obligation to do so; it's something you do because you care about the pony, and don't want something bad to happen to them. We've all done it countless times with one another, or somepony else that was in need at the time, and we never bothered to ask what was in it for us."

"You act because of the concern that lies with others rather than yourself, because it is the right thing to do," he elaborated. In more accurate terms it was a guess on his part to see if he was understanding what she was trying to say.

"Exactly!" Twilight exclaimed in excitement and optimism. He really was starting to understand! This was so great!

+++

"... Ah guess one way o' puttin' it is... friendship means knowin' ah've got ponies who look out fer me when ah get too distracted with other things. Sometimes ah get so focused on what ah'm doin', ah wind up gettin' forgetful 'bout things tha' need ta be done. Or sometimes ah'll get so far in over mah head ah can't find mah way out on mah own, an' these girls are there ta make sure ah don' get lost," she explained.

One explanation by Twilight Sparkle, one explanation by Applejack. The two had a number of similarities and amounted to little more than minor variations of a single account. Overall what could be gathered from Applejack's explanation was of only minor difference from what he'd already been told. However he said nothing, and Applejack started talking again.

"Ah tell ya, ah don' know jus' where ah'd be without mah friends. They helped save the farm once when mah family got in over our heads an' couldn' do it alone. They didn' even wait fer us ta ask before pitchin' in an' lendin' a hoof. If that ain't friendship then ah don' know what is," Applejack stated.

"Then you've received some form of physical or monetary compensation for your association with the others?" Ulquiorra asked. This new explanation by Applejack seemed to make more sense, seemed to be something he could understand better than the more vague concepts shared by Twilight Sparkle.

"Well... ya could say that. But that ain't why ah'm friends with 'em, friendship ain't about wha' ya can get outta it. There's some things in this world tha' jus' can't be measured in the context o' bits an' such," she stated.

+++

... rung with a familiar echo from earlier in the day. What could have been discounted as simple nonsense from illogical beings at the time they were mentioned, was now being repeated with a new context. It was almost interesting to watch unfold.

But interesting or not, there were still matters that he could point out to them. And seeing as Applejack had an interest in the type of thought process he possessed and engaged in, there was no reason to not bring them up.

"Would it not be more logical to encourage her to develop her own strengths, so as to not constantly need to rely on others for assistance?" he asked. The more he learned about friendship, the more he wondered if it was really worth all of the effort that went into it. It sounded more and more like an excuse to be weak, a justification for being weak. Was friendship even recognized by those that weren't weak? "Surely being required to drop your own endeavors for the purpose of coming to her assistance, is not a productive use of your time. Even friendship must possess some limits of what's acceptable."

"Like we haven't already considered that?" Rainbow Dash asked as she hovered over to where he stood. She then proceeded to look around the room as if she she someone was possibly eavesdropping on her, before hovering closer still. "I might not be the smartest here," she began in a low whisper as she leaned in for him to hear, "but I have read some books, and I have a theory. I think it's psychological with her."

Ulquiorra could do without the close physical proximity he was forced to share with Rainbow Dash, as she attempted to keep her voice low during her explanation. However the theory she was presenting was intriguing enough to warrant his tolerance for the time being.

"Explain," he replied.

"Twilight told you about her past in Canterlot, right? About not needing friends and such?" she asked him. He nodded once in confirmation. "I think that pendulum thing kinda swung too far the other way. I think she went from being convinced that she didn't need friends at all, to being convinced that she does need friends. And... I think she might kinda be subconsciously trying to maintain that belief, because she doesn't want to think that she doesn't need friends," she explained.

To say Rainbow Dash's theory left much to be desired would be an understatement. While she did have a thought that she was trying to convey, the structure in which she presented it left out many coherent details to explain just why she believed her theory was correct, or why it was even relevant in this case.

But that wasn't to say that her attempts at conveying her thoughts had been inadequate to get his own going. While her theory wasn't precisely fleshed out to a manner he would consider acceptable, it was enough to at least get him thinking on her words. If a change in perspective was in play here, then it could possibly explain things. But as in the case of analyzing Pinkie Pie's explanation of friendship, a lack of knowledge of pony psychology limited his ability to do little more than hypothesize and speculate on the matter.

Rainbow Dash's theory -for the time being he was willing to classify it as a theory- was essentially that Twilight Sparkle was unconsciously hindering her own performance abilities and handicapping herself, in order to prove to herself not only that she was in need of the assistance of others, but also that she was incapable of succeeding on her own in various activities to various degrees. Was the desire for companionship truly so strong, that these ponies would willingly feign weakness and incompetence simply so they wouldn't have to be alone? Even for a relatively short term duration?

If that was the case, then it was truly a strange concept for him to consider.

"And you possess some evidence to support this theory of yours?" he asked her.

"About as much as you do for yours," she replied and shrugged.

It seemed that for the second time today, "touche" was the only appropriate response he had to give. The theories he had come up with over the last several days hadn't been based on hard, physical proof that was readily available for review, but rather speculation and circumstantial evidence, along with a healthy dose of suspicion. There had been very little in the way of definite confirmation to support his theories. Perhaps the same applied in this situation. as well.

"RD, ah really don' think it's like that," Applejack interjected from where she stood, before approaching them. "Ah don' think tha' Twilight would jus' purposely do somethin' like that."

"That's just it, Applejack, she's not purposely doing it, she doesn't even realize that she's doing it," Rainbow Dash replied as she set down on all four hooves in front of her. "That's what subconscious means. She doesn't want to think that she doesn't need us. And she sure as hay wouldn't want us to think that she doesn't need us for anything, like she's some sort of snob or something. It makes perfect sense."

"I'm sorry, darling, but I just don't believe that Twilight would ever do something like that, either consciously or unconsciously," Rarity replied in a soft tone as she approached, further distancing herself from the basement doorway. "For your theory to work, Twilight would have to be willing to exploit our natural good nature, and take advantage of our willingness to help each other when in need," she explained.

"Unless she doesn't even realize she's even doing it. Like I said it's subconscious. She's not doing it on purpose or anything, she's just trying to make us feel like we're needed, and reassure herself that she's not slipping back into her old routine," Rainbow Dash shot back, trying to defend her position from the two who were attempting to pick it apart like birds with a piece of bread.

Ulquiorra merely kept silent as the three ponies around him discussed back and forth, with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie being silent off to the side, observing their three friends with varying degrees of interest and concern. What was being presented was a mildly interesting theory about the lavender unicorn, but without actual evidence to either confirm or deny the theory, it was nothing more than speculation. It didn't even possess any probative value that he could use in his own theories on the matters they were facing. If anything it simply made Twilight Sparkle appear to be a liability in terms of group integrity.

He would need to speak with her on the matter later. Personally. If she truly was handicapping herself, then it was a habit that she would need to break in very short order.

And if that were the case, then he would need to give Rainbow Dash more credit in the intelligence department.

However, as he opened his eyes again, he became aware of a disturbance in the room. In the brief moment his eyes had been shut in thought, something had changed. Something that should've been physically impossible to occur during such a short amount of time. And yet as he stood there watching, it had indeed happened.

"Precisely what are you doing?"

Pinkie Pie turned her head to look at him curiously, stopping the activity she'd been engaged in just a moment before. For whatever reason that motivated her actions, she was currently laying on her back on the floor, and attempting to use her front hooves to pull on what appeared to be a pair of socks over her hind legs. Blue and white striped socks that looked like they could stretch past her gaskins.

"Getting ready for bed. Staying up late at a slumber party is no fun if your friends are too busy to actually have fun with you," Pinkie replied and went back to pulling the one sock down all the way, wriggling her hoof until it was a snug fit. With that one done she proceeded into the next one. "So I might as well turn in. We've got work to do tomorrow and I don't wanna miss out."

"A fair point," Ulquiorra replied, deciding it simply wasn't worth it to try and debate the matter any further than that. "But what is the point of the socks?" he asked. Strange as it may seem, he was finding it a matter of greater curiosity as to why she was deciding to wear socks, rather than where she managed to procure them in such a short amount of time. There were simply some things that shouldn't be questioned.

"I like wearing socks to bed. They feel so nice and soft against your hooves. And besides, it's easier to keep them clean that way since you're not walking all over them all the time," Pinkie explained as she struggled to pull the second sock down all the way on her leg, before finally rolling over onto her side and looking over at them again.

There was a moment of awkward silence shared between them. It was then that Ulquiorra became aware of the sudden disappearance of Rainbow Dash, and the slamming of some inside door in the distance, followed by the muffled sound of running water.

Applejack just shut her eyes and shook her head. "Ah don' wanna know..."

"We are in agreement then," Ulquiorra replied dryly. In this world there were some things that simply shouldn't be questioned. And then there was the matter of some things that he simply didn't want to question.

And then there was a flash of lightning, and a crash of thunder coming from outside the library. That was soon followed by the sound of rain beginning to fall.

"Oh dear. This is certainly going to complicate the cleanup efforts for tomorrow," Rarity commented.

"Perhaps it should be asked why, in light of the attack launched against Ponyville, the rain was not postponed for a more convenient time," Ulquiorra commented. Under normal circumstances that kind of statement would seem nonsensical to make. But under normal circumstances the weather wasn't managed by ponies gifted with wings and the ability to fly.

"Oh. Um... it's not really that simple," Fluttershy spoke up as she stepped closer. "Ponyville's weather is managed by a team of pegasi. And for something area-wide it takes all of them to manage all of the clouds. A scheduled rainfall isn't exactly something that can just be called off at a moment's notice," she explained.

"Noted," Ulquiorra replied. It was an explanation that made sense to him; far more sense than the notion of ponies being able to manage absolutely everything around them in this little town of theirs. Their were limitations to what they could do. And the fact that these ponies were incapable of controlling absolutely every aspect of their lives was fine to him. Them learning how to work with and through adversity, how to address that which couldn't be managed through a simple flexing of magic, would serve them well if they were to survive. Learning how to address struggles would do well for the strength of their character.

"Whew," Rainbow Dash breathed as she reentered the room, her mane -as well as the fur on the rest of her head- showing traces of having been wet down and dried off in a hasty manner. "What'd I miss?" she asked.

"Discussion of how the rain will be affecting tomorrow's cleanup efforts," Ulquiorra replied, not interested in whatever the cyan pegasus had been up to. He could speculate, but he truly didn't want to.

"Yeah sorry about that. If we hadn't been corralled like we were, maybe I could've poked a few holes in the clouds so the town wouldn't get hit by the full load. But we were and I couldn't get the word out," Rainbow Dash replied. She'd certainly wanted to do something about the pileup of everything that they were going to be facing, but the circumstances of the day had been beyond her control. "I mean, I guess I could head out and do that over the more serious areas of Ponyville, pull an emergency sky clearing and in the morning file a 1031-C with the weather bureau, explaining why it was necessary to interfere with a scheduled storm, and why it had to be done without clearance from them. Only problem is-"

The explanation of details Rainbow Dash was currently involved in was interrupted by a loud clap of thunder directly overhead, causing the library to tremble from the proximity, and both Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie to shriek in terror.

"-that. Those clouds are heavily charged with static electricity to help the nitrogen in the soils. Punching holes in them is... hazardous. Pegasi can withstand some significant elemental conditions in the line of weather duty, but getting struck by lightning isn't among them," she concluded, the thunder serving as perfect emphasis of the point she was trying to make to the others.

Ulquiorra considered her words. The explanation given seemed to make a decent amount of sense to him. Running around in a lightning storm was bad logic no matter how it was explained, even if it was to try and break up pockets of the storm itself. Even if it was wise, it would require that the cyan pegasus venture out into the dark on her own, leaving her vulnerable to whatever might be out there and working to avoid detection by his pesquisa. Perhaps the lightning would have the unintended benefit of presenting a threat to whatever was present that shouldn't be, and discouraging anything that would threaten the town under cover of nightfall.

However that thought gave way to another thought, and that one was far more disturbing to consider.

"Is it really a wise decision to be inside of a large tree during a lightning storm?" he asked. Lightning had a strong tendency to strike tall targets like trees. The library might be a sitting target as they stood here. Perhaps all of them going down to the basement would be the best option for their safety.

"Magical lightnin' rod," Applejack replied casually, "Rarity an' ah've been through this once before. Library's perdy safe in weather like this. Especially since Twilight reinforced the windows ta not break so easily," she explained.

One less thing to concern himself with. However he was now presented with another question: if the library itself was protected against lightning strikes, why would Twilight Sparkle possess the knowledge that her forcefield could withstand several consecutive lightning strikes?

Then again it was Twilight Sparkle. She possessed a certain thoroughness about her that would almost make him question why she wouldn't do something in the name of accuracy. It could even be assumed that it was out of concern for protecting buildings other than the library during a storm. Considering her character that seemed reasonable.

"Back to a previous question though, what're we gonna do about Twilight? Just how long are we supposed to leave her alone down in the basement?" Pinkie asked as she approached.

"You've got me there, Pinks, I don't have any answers," Rainbow Dash replied. There were nothing beneficial that she could contribute in this matter. Or at least nothing that was coming to her mind right now. "I know I said that I think Twilight's doing this out of some need related to her belief on friends. But I'm also wondering if she's doing this because she... well, because maybe she thinks she needs to be punished."

"Punished?" Applejack asked as she quirked an eyebrow, not sure what exactly she was talking about.

Rainbow Dash nodded. "You heard Twilight back at the hospital. Don't tell me you haven't considered it being a possibility," she replied. She already knew that the others had questions to ask about what she was suggesting. So she decided to cut them off before they could actually ask them. "Think about it. If she thinks that she's responsible for all the death and suffering Ponyville's been struck by, don't you think she's going to do something to try and make herself feel better about it? Something that'll make her feel like she's paying some sort of price for what she believes she did, to make it up to the others?" she asked.

"Darling I think we've already covered that theory," Rarity pointed out, only to have Rainbow Dash shook her head in response.

"That was about Twilight needing help when she's stressed. What I'm saying is different. I'm saying that she's got a lot of guilt going on inside of her, and she's looking for some kind of outlet for it. She thinks she did something wrong, and now she's looking for some way to make it right, but doesn't know how to do it. Studying those spells is to prevent a reoccurrence of today, but that's future tense. She needs something for the past tense, for what's already happened and can't be changed no matter how much she tries. I think if she gets that outlet she'll feel a lot better, and more open to reason," Rainbow Dash explained as best she could.

Rarity listened in silence as Rainbow Dash explained her theory relating to Twilight's current condition. She would admit that she'd never considered such a possibility before. But if she did then she would feel the need to immediately follow up with the question of just where Rainbow Dash had come up with such a theory that dealt with a matter as complicated as psychology. Maybe it would be best to question her later, when the situation wasn't quite so serious.

"Well I suppose it's technically possible," she replied.

"Guilt does kinda make ponies do funny things. Ah reckon it's a possibility, even if she's no foal," Applejack added.

"Um... if this is really the case, then what do we do to help Twilight?" Fluttershy asked them, uncertain of the best way to proceed from here.

"Don't worry about that, Flutters, I've got a plan. You girls might wanna head on up to bed, this could take a while," Rainbow Dash replied and started to walk towards the basement door.

"Assuming your theory is accurate, and Twilight Sparkle's current course of action is due to feelings of guilt and personal responsibility, how do you intend to handle the situation? None of you possess training in the field of psychology," Ulquiorra pointed out. He hadn't seen fit to entirely discount this new theory, as it did make some degree of sense; at least in an academic sense. But in how it would be addressed was another matter entirely, as any mishandled approach could have significant consequences to address. The last thing that any of them needed right now was Rainbow Dash potentially planting notions in Twilight Sparkle's mind that weren't there to begin with.

"Like I said, I've got a plan in mind. But before I go into details I need to know something. What exactly does "handle" mean?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Of course," Ulquiorra thought to himself. The predominant species of this world lacked hands, it would only make sense that any derivative words wouldn't be in their language either. "In this specific context it refers to having a situation under control when addressing it. To deal with something, and take responsibility for its management," he explained.

Rainbow Dash gave a curious look at his explanation, before finally nodding and shrugging, deciding that it made enough sense. "Anyway I plan to "handle" this by talking to her. If it is guilt then the first order of business is to get her to recognize it for herself. Once that's done then we can proceed from there, however necessary," she explained.

"Uh... talk? Yer jus' gonna talk ta her?" Applejack asked, not entirely sure she was hearing this right. This was the same Rainbow Dash who kicked a dragon in the face. The same Rainbow Dash that tackled a dragon head on, and tried to knock Ulquiorra right off his feet with multiple blows to the face, before going off and yelling in his face. And she was seriously planning on just talking to Twilight? "Ya sure yer not a changelin' er somethin'?" she asked.

"Very funny," Rainbow Dash replied and frowned. But then again if she'd heard herself ask the same question a couple of years ago, she might be asking the same thing of herself. "Talk has gotten us pretty far up to this point, even I can't deny that. Might as well give it a try."

"You do have a point, darling, but are you sure you're the best candidate for this task? I don't mean to be rude, but you've really never been the most patient of ponies. Don't you think that maybe I should be the one to try and talk to her?" Rarity asked her.

"No offense, Rarity, but you're not cut out for this. If Twilight needs a push she's gonna need somepony who's not afraid to just push. You might have better patience, but I'm a lot more stubborn than you could manage," Rainbow Dash stated before finally moving towards the basement door again. "Like I said, you girls might wanna head up to bed. This could take a while, and there's no sense in all of us losing sleep."

The others watched in silence as Rainbow Dash made her way over to the basement stairs, turned, and pulled the door shut behind her with a click, leaving them alone in the resulting silence of the library.

Alone in the silence, with the exception of the continual sound of rain beating against the outside, and the low rumble of thunder off in the distance.

"So..." Applejack began as she slowly spoke up, breaking what was beginning to become a stifling silence to experience. "Someone mind explainin' jus' what went on here? Ah know wha' we all saw, but ah'm feelin' kinda lost right now..."

"I'm afraid you're not the only one, Applejack, I feel a bit lost myself. That... that didn't seem like the Rainbow Dash we've come to know and love. She was so... assertive, and yet at the same time... it was almost like she has an actual plan for how she intends to proceed, rather than playing things by ear in a Discord may care approach," Rarity replied. The idea of Rainbow Dash's change in approach was... well... it was almost like she'd suddenly matured considerably or something.

Ulquiorra merely remained silent as he considered everything that had happened over the course of the day. In the matter concerning Twilight Sparkle's reaction to today's events, they had progressed from the theory of her obsessive compulsive behavior affecting her judgement, to the theory that she was subconsciously hindering herself in the name of friendship, to the possibility that she was being driven by unrealized guilt. Varying -and sometimes absurdly wild- theories were nothing new to him, but the fact that two of the three theories had come from Rainbow Dash rather than any other pony had been the most unusual aspect of it all.

Every single time he thought he had these ponies properly figured out, they went and proved that there was something else to them that contradicted earlier preconceived notions.

He couldn't help but wonder if the other ponies in this town held as many surprises

Once again the silence returned. A stifling silence that just seemed to grow all the more intolerable with each passing second. It finally reached the point where Applejack once again couldn't take it anymore.

"So... we jus' turn in now? Jus' like that?" she asked the others, uncertain of just what was proper under these circumstances.

"Well I really don't want to, but I kinda need to," Pinkie replied reluctantly and yawned. "If I don't get at least four hours of sleep then I'm no use to anypony. And considering what tomorrow might bring, I'm gonna need those four hours," she explained.

"I'm afraid I have to agree. As much as I care for Twilight, I simply can't afford to stay up the entire night in hope that Rainbow Dash will be able to talk her into coming back upstairs to bed," Rarity added.

"And I really do need to get up early to tend to all the critters in my care. I don't know what they'd do without me being there," Fluttershy stated.

"Well than ah guess tha's that," Applejack replied and shrugged, "ya girls can head on up ta bed, ah think ah'm gonna hang back here wit' Mr. Cifer a while longer an' wait. Jus' in case RD can't, um, handle things on 'er own an' needs a little backup."

The pattern of Ulquiorra remaining silent due to a lack of anything relevant to comment on remained intact and unbroken, despite this change in development. With the nature of their work and responsibilities taken into account, he would have anticipated Pinkie Pie being the one volunteering to stay up while the others turned in for the evening. Not that he had truly anticipated any of them choosing to wait up in the name of helping another. But he would have assumed the hyperactive pink earth pony would be the one to fill such a duty.

Regardless of this unforeseen development, it was of no importance at this point in time. So long as no threats managed to disable them, which in turn would put Equestria itself in harm's way.

Pleasantries of an irrelevant nature were exchanged between the four ponies, before Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie eventually made their way up the stairs to the second floor of the building, leaving him behind with Applejack.

"And then there were two," he thought to himself.

Chapter Forty Nine

Chapter Forty Nine

It certainly wasn't a heavy rain that was falling just outside of the library, but it was a steady rain that didn't sound like it would be letting up anytime soon. For some ponies the sound of rain falling was relaxing and soothing, something to be listened to for the purpose of falling asleep peacefully.

For Applejack, it just served as a reminder that she should probably use the restroom soon. The way she was feeling right now, as she sat in the dimmed library, the only significant amount of light coming from sporadic flashes of lightning, there was no way in Equestria that she was going to be able to rest anytime soon. There was too much concern boiling inside of her gut and just under her skin, for her friends, to be able to relax right now.

Concern, and agitation at the occasional sound of pages being flipped just a few paces away from where she sat. The fact that Ulquiorra had opted to ignore her in favor of reading one of Twilight's many books wasn't exactly helping matters any. Wasn't he supposed to be on guard duty or something?

Then again considering how he didn't even seem to get visibly disturbed over anything they encountered, it was entirely reasonable to believe that the book was doing nothing to distract him from his task. Multitasking really didn't seem out of the realm of possibilities for him. And she really couldn't put her hoof on it, but something about his demeanor just seemed to remind her of a coiled and cocked spring. Like at any moment he could go off with frightening results if it was necessary.

The ticking of the clock really wasn't helping her either, as it just served as yet one more thing to wear on her nerves during this long stretch of intermittent silence. Between the ticking of the clock, and tapping of the rain occasionally accented by a clap of thunder, and the Espada's page flipping, Applejack was about ready to get snippy in an effort to vent her current frustrations. She really wanted to, but she couldn't do something like that. She was far too polite -and intelligent- to be acting so irrationally simply because of her concerns.

Looking over at the clock she saw how late it was getting. How late, and nary a peep from the basement. This was definitely unexpected. Knowing Rainbow Dash and Twilight like she did, she'd been generous in allotting a full ten minutes of time before expecting to find the pegasus back in the main room, either under her own power, or being escorted out by Twilight's magic. But that ten minutes had been a good while ago, and now she really didn't know what she should be expecting. This was uncharted territories to her. Did the silence and lack of activity emanating from the basement mean things were going according to plan? Or were things going very wrong down there?

Another page flip. She wanted to sigh in frustration right now. Just sitting here in silence, unable to do anything but wait, wasn't sitting well with her. Her farmer patience was doing little to assist her in this matter, and she wondered if she should've gone up to bed with the other girls. If she'd known Twilight and Rainbow Dash would be taking this long to be doing whatever they were doing down there, she just might have done that.

Another page flip. She looked over at the Espada, still standing as silent as ever, seemingly absorbed in his book of choice. What he was reading that was so fascinating, she really didn't know. In the dim light she couldn't read the cover even if it was visible, and she really wasn't certain that she wanted to actually ask about it. Getting an answer she really didn't want was entirely possible, and she knew that full well.

But still, simply sitting here with nothing to do but wait, and try to keep her patience as all the noises around her served as a point of aggravation, just didn't seem like a worthwhile endeavor to her. So she decided to take a different course of action.

"Mr. Cifer," she spoke up, "ah hope you don' think ah'm pryin' too much. But wha' do ya do fer relaxation?" she asked him. To her it seemed as random as something that Pinkie would come up with. But right now she couldn't think of anything else to ask, and just continuing to sit there in silence just didn't sit right with her. Something random was better than nothing... right?

"Relaxation?" he asked as he paused his reading, keeping one of his fingers placed at a specific spot as he turned his attention to her.

"Yeah. Ya know, unwindin' an' such? Jus' doin' nothin' an' takin' the opportunity ta let the stress o' the day jus' melt away," she explained, not really prepared to be giving a proper explanation of just what relaxation meant. She never even stopped to consider that he might not have any sense of such a concept. Everypony that she knew, knew something about relaxation, so why should he be any different?

"I can't say that I've ever seen the usefulness of such a practice. Simply doing nothing seems like a waste of time that could be better utilized elsewhere," he replied.

Applejack wasn't sure whether she should frown or not. That really wasn't the kind of answer she was expecting to get. In some ways it reminded her a lot of Twilight during her early days here in Ponyville. Back when she saw friends as being a waste of time because of what she felt were more pressing matters to tend to. And in some ways it reminded Applejack of herself at times, when she'd become so task oriented on work, she couldn't see what else was going on around her. And it was times like that, that she was very glad she had friends to help shake that tunnel vision from her mind.

"Furthermore, relaxation is a luxury that can't be afforded during this current time. There's too much at stake to simply stand around doing nothing," he continued.

"Fair enough," Applejack replied, not wanting to argue that particular point with him. "But one o' these days, yer gonna run out o' books to read in Canterlot's library, an' we won't be faced with certain death from an uncertain enemy. Wha' do ya plan on doin' then?" she asked.

That question gave Ulquiorra reason to pause in thought. What would he do should a day like that ever occur?

"A fair question. One for which I have no answer," he replied, before turning back to the book in his hands.

Applejack frowned. After getting that answer the silence once again returned. Glancing over at the clock that worked in tandem with preventing a perfect silence from being what was experienced, she wanted to groan at seeing just how little time had actually passed. This was going to be a long night, she was certain of that. Longer than the nights when she'd had to sit up with a sick Apple Bloom.

"And now a question for you," Ulquiorra spoke up, "earlier in the day you asked me to assist with some matter at Sweet Apple Acres. Was there truly a task to tend to, or did Pinkie Pie task you with lying to me, in order to bring me to the party she threw?" he asked.

"Uh..." Applejack paused, caught off guard by the question. Did he really think that she'd lie to him like that? Then again she doubted he'd ask if he didn't suspect otherwise. "It was fer a real reason. One o' the joists supportin' the hayloft is startin' ta show signs o' rot an' needs ta either be reinforced er jus' replaced. An' ya'd prob'ly have an easier time than an earth pony tryin' ta climb up a rickety ladder, while tryin' ta hold onta nails an' a hammer, an' all the while tryin' ta keep yer balance an' not go splat down below," she explained.

Ulquiorra considered her explanation. The mental image that had been conjured by her words wasn't exactly the most appealing of things to consider. Despite Lyra Heartstrings' talent with bipedal locomotion, he doubted that any pony would be able to adequately scale a ladder placed at a sixty degree angle, and all with half of their limbs not being fully accessible at the time. Even with the prospect of a tool belt for keeping nails contained, he didn't see how it would be a possibility; at least not without a significantly more involved process.

"Does it qualify as an emergency situation?" he asked.

"Er... no not really. So long as nopony goes traipsin' aroun' up there, it should be fine fer the time bein'. But still ah'd rather get it tended to rather than jus' let it go," she explained, caught off guard by the fact that he'd taken an interest in the matter at all. She'd expected something along the lines of blunt dismissal, saying how matters of hers were irrelevant to him, and not a worthwhile use of his abilities.

"Ultimately my purpose here is to protect the ponies residing in the town and the surrounding areas. Not to engage in construction and renovation of various buildings," he replied, before turning his attention back to the book. "That being said, should I come across a potential hazard during my patrolling of the area surrounding Ponyville, I would be negligent in my duties if it was left unaddressed."

Applejack looked over at Ulquiorra curiously, uncertain of just what to think about the answer that he gave. Was he saying that he could tend to the barn joist? Or was he... she shook her head, trying to clear the confusion. Sometimes she could understand Rainbow Dash's reaction to him. But she decided to not make a big deal out of the matter right now. When she got tired she wasn't always thinking properly. She turned to look at the clock again and noted the time, marveling that the cyan pegasus hadn't been hurled through the basement door yet. Maybe she really knew what she was talking about.

It was a simultaneous clap of thunder and flashing of lightning that snapped Applejack awake, causing her to let out a startled snort of a snore, bolting upright from what she didn't even realize was a slouched position against the nearby wall. She looked around in confusion, eyes wide from the sudden burst of adrenaline she felt from being startled, before finally recognizing where she was, and letting out a sigh of relief as she slumped back against the wall, feeling her body relax again.

"Ah fell asleep?" she asked herself, not believing that she'd really done so. She remembered closing her eyes, but that had been simply to rest them, not to try and actually sleep. Wait, had she actually fallen asleep? It seemed like only a second ago that she was listening to the clock ticking. "How long was ah out?"

"Approximately two hours."

It took Applejack a moment or two before finally recognizing the voice as belonging to Ulquiorra. Looking over to the side she saw the Espada, still in the same position, but at a slightly different location of the room, and reading what looked like a different book. Had he really been reading that entire time while she'd been asleep?

"Why exactly are you doing this?" he asked her. Applejack blinked, uncertain of what he was asking. And for that matter, why would he even ask her anything to begin with? Before she could even get a word out to let him know just how confused she was, he continued talking. "Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash have no way of knowing that you remained awake in case you were needed, while the others headed off to bed. You have nothing to gain from exhausting yourself. And the nature of farm work would suggest there are only a few hours before you will need to rise in anticipation for the new day. So why do you choose to do something that is simply illogical in nature?" he asked.

Applejack listened to the question she was presented with, thinking on it momentarily, before simply shrugging. "Wouldn' exactly be the first time ah've gone without sleep an' had work ta do the next day. When we lost our folks, Big Mac an' ah perdy much had ta raise Apple Bloom ourselves. She was a colicky foal too, so we didn' get much shut eye fer a long time. Ah don' know how we managed exactly, but we did," she replied, before stopping to yawn and stretch, shaking her head in an effort to render herself more awake and alert.

There were several points Ulquiorra could make regarding Applejack's statement. Simply because she could go without sleep during an earlier point in life didn't mean that she would be able to do the same now that she was older; especially if she was out of practice. However that wasn't a discussion that he felt particularly inclined to have.

"That still doesn't explain your motivation to actually do such. I fail to understand the reasoning that justifies such an endeavor," he stated, becoming slightly more curious as to what drove the earth pony to engage in such an illogical behavior. He understood that there was some reason for such, but just what was that reason?

Applejack looked at him, before simply shrugging. "Ah reckon fer the same reason yer around but don't participate in the stuff goin' on around ya; ta be available in case somethin' happens so ya can address it in a timely manner. Plus it wouldn' hurt ta be awake in case the theory on poison joke pollen turns out ta be accurate."

As far as Ulquiorra was concerned it was nothing more than pure speculation on Applejack's part. But speculation or not, there was a certain logic to it that he had to note.

"Fair enough," he replied. If she wished to continue remaining conscious then it was she who would bear the consequences of her actions, not him.

More silence, except for the rain, the ticking of the clock, and the page flipping. Applejack frowned, not liking it one bit. There had to be a better way of utilizing time than just sitting around and trying to fend off sleepiness.

With that thought in mind she couldn't help but wonder if Rainbow Dash and Twilight had managed to fall asleep downstairs. That would certainly explain the quiet that was coming from the basement. Curious about that prospect, she walked over to the door and tested the handle, but found it to be locked. Getting in under her own power wasn't going to be a possibility without breaking the door down, and she'd rather not do that. There had to be another way of finding some answers.

"Mr. Cifer?"

He didn't stop reading the book detailing the surrounding territory, but he did give an aside glance to indicate that he was at least paying attention.

"Do ya have any idea o' what they're doin' down in the basement?" she asked him.

"I do not," he replied bluntly and turned back to the page he was on.

"But wha' about tha', um, tha' sonar thing ya can do? Ya knew when Twilight an' the others were comin' back from town, and there wasn' a window ya could look through," she replied.

Ulquiorra was about to point out that his sonido was high-speed movement, not some form of x-ray vision that allowed him to see through various substances and what was beyond them. But he paused and gave the matter greater thought. Perhaps her use of the word sonar hadn't been a mispronunciation of sonido, but meant to refer to his pesquisa, which Twilight Sparkle had explained was similar to the echolocation of a bat. The two were similar enough in concept to be a believable theory.

"As Twilight Sparkle explained, pesquisa is similar to a bat's echolocation. But instead of utilizing sound waves to map out physical obstacles, it uses a ping of reishi to locate and identify reiatsu, as well as similar energy patterns. Physical objects don't serve as a hindrance of the process, but that isn't the same as seeing through them. Simply because I am aware of their presence in the basement, that isn't the same as being able to see what they're doing," he explained. After giving a pause so that she would have time to comprehend his words, he continued. "That said, I can tell that Twilight Sparkle's reiatsu pattern is significantly more stable than it was during the time you were asleep. This at least suggests she is experiencing a corresponding state of greater emotional stability."

"Really?" Applejack asked. He could really draw such speculation and whatnot just by detecting Twilight's magic? It sounded familiar, like she'd heard him give such an explanation before, but right now it just wasn't ringing any definite bells. Maybe she was more tired than she realized. Maybe he was right that she did need to go to bed. "Ya reckon RD knew wha' she was talkin' about?"

"I'm uncertain. Every time I believe that I've reached an accurate conclusion of the facts, you ponies manage to prove me wrong by presenting previously undiscovered information, that necessitates reconsidering everything," Ulquiorra replied.

More silence. He was alright with that. Silence allowed him to better focus on his surroundings. Silence would possibly inspire Applejack to turn in, and give up her futile efforts of remaining awake for no reason.

"Mr. Cifer? Do ya mind if ah do a little speculatin' about ya?"

It was a matter of curiosity that motivated Ulquiorra to pause from reading his current book of choice, and turn his attention to where Applejack sat. He assumed that she had simply gone back to sleep during the period of silence that had been experienced. Whether she had, or had simply gone back to sitting silently and thinking, he wasn't certain. However it wasn't important enough to concern himself with.

"I don't," he replied. It might be interesting to see what she had to say about him. Applejack was, after all, one of the ponies that had a respectable degree of intelligence about her.

"Well... ya don' exactly strike me as the kind tha's deliberately standoffish an' cold fer the sake o' being such ta others. Ya sorta strike me as somepony, ah mean someone tha's the philosopher type, curious 'bout wha's goin' on aroun' ya since it's all new an' such, but not knowin' jus' how ta go about interactin' wit' others an' wha' they're doin'. And that not knowin', an' maybe a bit o' hesitatin' motivates ya ta hang back an' jus' observe things while tryin' ta get a feel fer things," Applejack stated.

Ulquiorra listened as she spoke, analyzing her words and what she was saying. Hers was at least an interesting theory regarding his nature. There were certainly a number of inaccuracies about how she interpreted him and his nature, but there had also been a few points that were truthful; such as not being deliberately cold to others. Simply because he chose not to interact with others when they displayed irrelevant, nonsensical behavior, didn't mean he had some overt desire to inflict misery and suffering on them. Needless cruelty ultimately served no purpose.

"An interesting theory at the very least. But matters are not quite as complicated as you believe. There is simply no point in becoming involved in needlessly irrelevant matters," he replied as he turned to the next page.

"Irrelevant in what way?" Applejack asked him. She grunted as she stood up out of a sitting position, stretching her tired muscles in the process, before slowly walking over to him. "From wha' ah remember durin' our second meetin', yer not workin' fer that Aizen character no more. Until yesterday, officially, yer mission was ta learn about friendship an' such. Now ah can understand that somethin' like that might be a bit strange to ya, but how could anythin' actually be irrelevant ta learnin' such?"

That gave him reason to pause his reading, reason to look up from the page he was on, in order to better look at Applejack, and to better think over what she'd said. It was a fair point that she was currently making. His services to Aizen had certainly been terminated upon his death, his days of a warrior officially ending at that point in time. Discord had informed him that he was free of his previous duties, and Princess Celestia had assigned him a new purpose to go along with his presence in this new world. Strangely it was a purpose he hadn't expected to encounter, a role he hadn't expected to fill; that of a student.

Now that he gave the matter a greater degree of thought than before, he wasn't merely another student assigned difficult to comprehend material; certainly not like the students that attended Miss Cheerilee's classes. By placing him under her rule, and assigning him the original task, he had more or less become Princess Celestia's student. In simple terms, he and Twilight Sparkle shared a title and position. And while Princess Celestia had seen fit to request that he return to his old ways in order to protect her kingdom, in recognition of the fact that they were up against a genuine threat, she hadn't officially ended his apparent apprenticeship under her. It was always possible that once this crisis had been addressed, she would insist that he return his previous purpose in this world, and once again begin his studies of the concept of friendship.

That was a thought that he had truly never considered. If this matter hadn't been pointed out to him, it was entirely possible he would've passed it over. It was just like the situation back in Canterlot, where little snippets of conversation from Rarity and Fluttershy had given birth to the -apparently confirmed- theory that something was out to kill them. And if it wasn't for the insight of Applejack on this matter, he might never have given any actual consideration to it at all.

"You present an interesting outlook, for hypothetical consideration and analysis, if nothing else," he replied, "what would you suggest as a solution?" he asked, curious to see what advice she might have to offer.

"Well ah'll tell ya right now, there's a piece o' advice that Twilight had ta learn the hard way, an' she would've saved herself a lot o' trouble if she'd just taken it sooner durin' her studies: stop thinkin' so dang hard 'bout stuff," Applejack stated. However she was quick to continue before he could interrupt. "A lot o' ponies an' others make things out ta be more complicated than they really are or really need ta be. And if yer the thinkin' type ah could see why ya might be doin' the same. But there are times when ya jus' don' need ta be doin' such," she explained.

"And you believe this simplistic outlook on life is sufficient in nature? To simply not give consideration to various matters?" Ulquiorra asked in response. That was the piece of advice Twilight Sparkle had to learn? Was she quite serious?

"It's worked out perdy well fer me so far. Some things aren't nearly as complicated as others want ta believe they are. Sometimes ya jus' gotta take things at face value an' not worry so much," Applejack replied before giving a light shrug. "What ah'm tryin' ta say, more er less, is that sometimes ya gotta do less thinkin', an' more participatin' even if it don't make a whole lotta sense. Like when you an' Carrot Top were playin' darts back at the barn. Ah know that wasn' exactly yer idea, but fer the sake of reference ah think it works."

Ulquiorra was silent in thought as he considered Applejack's words of advice. Could things truly be as simple as she was making them out to be? The very idea seemed preposterous to even give basic consideration to. And yet Applejack was presenting such a notion of simplicity as being a motto she apparently lived by.

Was it truly possible that he was overthinking matters that simply didn't need the fullest scope of his attention? It was a possibility that couldn't be ruled out, even if it did seem quite unlikely, to the point of being preposterous. But then again he was dealing with a world where the dominant intelligent species had hooves, believed in -and used- magic, and could actually see and interact with him as if he were a physical entity. And that was to say nothing of how even the weakest of ponies didn't seem like they would be crushed by his mere presence. This wasn't the first time he had to consider that the standard rules of logic didn't apply here; at least not to the same degree it did back in his own world.

"I'll take it under advisement," he finally replied, "but it will have to wait until the situation isn't as serious as it is currently. Until then it will have to wait while more relevant matters are addressed," he explained as he turned back to the book and turned the page. Simply because he was willing to give the matter further consideration at some point in the future, that didn't mean he could lose focus on what was currently important.

"And somethin' like, uh..." Applejack asked as she tilted her head to better read the title of the book he held in his hands. "How's geology relevant in this case?" she asked, not really seeing it herself.

"Knowledge pertaining to the nature of the surrounding territory can be quite relevant in any situation. The most common mineral deposits in the territory around Ponyville are limestone, quartz, feldspar, mica, and granite. Knowing what deposits can be found in what locations, could prove crucial at some point in time," he explained.

"How so?" Applejack asked, not really seeing what he was saying.

"This world is full of unknown and potentially dangerous creatures, any number of which could be utilized against us. Should some burrowing, subterranean carnivorous beast be utilized, being able to reach a deposit of granite might mean the difference between life or death," Ulquiorra explained. "Based on my research back in Canterlot, such a situation occurred in the Neighvada desert a number of years ago. The creatures responsible were able to easily burrow through the loose soil making up the ground, but incapable of getting through solid, dense pockets of rock."

"Huh," Applejack replied, not entirely certain what else to say after hearing that. "Learn somethin' new everyday ah guess."

Applejack hadn't been expecting the following silence. She'd expected some sort of sarcastic remark to her statement about learning something new, or even some measure of cynicism. Even a touch of snark wouldn't have been blinked at. But the simple silence had left her feeling... a little disappointed actually. Ulquiorra having no qualms about giving up the last word just seemed to give a sensation of incompleteness.

Oh well, that was neither here nor there. Right now she had more important things to focus on that witty banter with the Espada; namely her friends.

There was a hollow, cracking thud in the darkness of the library.

"Yeowch! Worthless inbred son of a nag!"

Followed by a string of Equestrian profanity. That was enough to gain Ulquiorra's interest and bring his attention to where Applejack currently sat, rubbing her jawbone as she mumbled various words. He could easily assume that the earth pony had once again fallen asleep where she sat. But instead of leaning against the wall like the last time sleep had tried unsuccessfully to claim her, it seemed likely that her body had relaxed and she'd fallen forward, slamming her jaw against the hardwood floor of the library, which resulted in her snapping back to consciousness again.

"Your dedication to your cause is respectable. But ultimately there's no point in your continued efforts to remaining awake. It's quite impossible for you to aid the others, and your efforts are doing nothing but causing you harm," he pointed out, the injury she'd just sustained perfectly proving it to be a matter of fact. "Go to bed, Applejack."

"Yer concern is touchin' an' all, Mr. Cifer," Applejack replied as she rubbed her jaw. "But even if ah did turn in, ah probably wouldn' be able ta actually sleep. Ah'd probably jus' wind up lyin' there an' thinking 'bout RD an' Twilight. At least if ah'm awake, ah won't feel guilty fer not bein' able ta actually do anything," she explained. She then paused to yawn, even if stretching her mouth that far caused it to hurt. "Might not make a whole lot o' sense, but it's somethin' friends do fer one another. We make sacrifices 'cause we care. Shoot, ah'd stay up fer the girls all night if ah had ta."

Ulquiorra considered reminding her that he was well versed in the matter of making sacrifices, going so far as to reference several key examples. But ultimately he decided against it. He had already made such a point to her and the others in the past. It was more than likely she was overlooking such a point in her sleep deprived state. Maybe he could use that to his advantage, and present her with something that would convince her to turn in due to its complexity.

"Then perhaps you can provide assistance with a question for which I have no answers of my own," he replied.

"Well ah'll help however ah can. Wha's on yer mind?" Applejack asked, curious to see just what the Espada was talking about. What kind of question could he have, that he was actually willing to ask her for help?

"The concept of friendship in general is a matter of confusion and complication, with some aspects being even more so than others," he began, "you're aware that Twilight Sparkle considers me to be her friend. Her sentiment, I'm relatively certain, is shared by several other members of the group. But specifically how does one go about considering another to be their friend? Hypothetically speaking, if I take this matter seriously, how would I know if someone is my friend?" he asked her.

Applejack blinked at Ulquiorra in confusion, her mouth slightly agape as the confused "uhh..." went unissued. This was what he needed her help with?

"Mr. Cifer... ah don' wanna be rude, but ah feel like ah jus' got asked ta describe colors by a blind pony," she stated uncertainly, "that... ah don' know how ta answer. Ah'll try an give ya an answer, but ah don' know if it'll be the one yer lookin' for," she explained. This was going to be a difficult one to try and address. She was going to need a minute or two in order to think it over, and try to structure her answer appropriately. How exactly did you go about explaining something that was so basic, it was right up there with breathing? Some of this stuff just plain had to be felt rather than explained.

She couldn't help but wonder if it was better that he asked her instead of Twilight. Knowing Twilight, if she was asked, she wouldn't be able to answer without extensive diagrams, and various books referencing the subject.

"Well... fer starters, friendship sorta works like a two-way street. Two pon--- two individuals can't really be friends without some level o' reciprocity goin' on between 'em. It's sorta like a dance, there's gotta be cooperation an' trust an' such. It's... well it's kinda like the business deal between the Apples an' the Riches. It's mutually beneficial an' all, but we never let matters like profit get in the way o' what we got with one another. Considerin' someone a friend means bein' willin' ta not let the little stuff get under yer skin an' drive ya apart; like puttin' up with Twilight when she would insist on reorganizing mah apples based on color hue," she explained, chuckling at the last part as those memories forced themselves forward. She was appreciative of the desire to help, but not when she was trying to sell them at the market!

"That doesn't specifically answer the question of how one knows when someone is their friend. What are the telltale signs to observe, for making such a determination?" Ulquiorra asked. The explanation given was of little value in this matter. If his originally assigned purpose ever became relevant again, how was he to fulfill it if he couldn't even answer what was likely the most important question? And why hadn't Princess Celestia thought of that beforehand?

Applejack tried not to frown. He was a tougher nut to crack than she thought. This was going to have to involve kicking off the proverbial boots and rolling up the proverbial sleeves if she was going to get anywhere in helping him.

"A'aright then," she began, "ya've gotten to know a fair number o' ponies, right? Are there any ya'd prefer ta spend time with more than others if ya were given the option? Any ya don't feel duty bound to fer one reason or another?" she asked, figuring that was as good of a way of presenting the case as any.

Ulquiorra considered the question, mentally running through the list of every pony he'd come to know, and to what extent he knew them. Out of that entire assortment, were there any that he would put above the others, when presented with a situation in which he didn't have to concern himself with either their immediate wellbeing, or the wellbeing of Equestria itself? Certainly, some of them were interesting individuals to associate with. But did being interesting warrant a significant investment of time?

"There are several," he eventually replied, seeing it as the best answer available. Flat denial didn't seem appropriate right now.

"Well then, sounds like ya might actually have yerself a few friends," Applejack replied and smiled. Things were really, really starting to look up around here as far as she could see. But with that thought came another one. It didn't seem exactly in line with the others, but it did manage to strike her as potentially being important. "But jus' so ya know, it is possible ta be friends with some ponies in a group without bein' friends with others. Jus' because they've got certain friends doesn' mean yer obligated ta have 'em as yer friends too, it don' work that way. Sorta like with Twilight, ya could be friends with her without necessarily bein' friends wit' Pinkie, RD, or even mahself. Freedom of association an' such," she explained.

That statement in itself could easily answer several potential questions. And it gave reason to listen further, disregarding the notion of using the question as a tool of motivation to convince Applejack to turn in for what was left of the night.

"Another way of knowin' if ya got friends er not, is the difficulty experienced when it comes time ta end the friendship. Ah know it might seem simple ta do, outside lookin' in an' all, but it really ain't. Like it er not when ya get to be friends wit' somepony, ya get attached to 'em an' the company they provide. An' when they do somethin' tha' hurts ya in ways ya jus' can't forgive an' forget, ya jus' gotta call it quits, no matter how much ya desperately wish it didn' have ta be done," Applejack continued, her voice and outward expression no longer as upbeat as it had been early in the conversation. It was a detail that failed to slip past Ulquiorra's perception unnoticed.

"The concept of friendship sounds quite similar to the concept of the heart, and the potential it has for causing harm and suffering to others," he pointed out, "is it worth it? The potential for harm seems significant in nature, and I can't help but wonder why anyone would willingly put themselves through such a gamble," he continued, finding the presented situation too good to pass up on asking the question.

"Well ah can't speak fer everypony on this, tha's jus' not possible. But fer mahself ah think it is. Somethin' Granny Smith told me growin' up, there's two ways o' goin' through life. Ya can either always be guardin' yerself an' scared o' gettin' hurt, never really takin' a chance. Or ya can be willin' ta take take yer chances an' the lumps that're thrown at ya along the way. Jus' because somethin' could end badly doesn' mean that it will, an' ya can't always plan on the worst case scenario. Ya gotta have a little optimism in life... difficult as it might seem," Applejack explained. She truly hadn't been caught off guard by Ulquiorra's position on the matter. She'd had a number of conversations with him ever since their first meeting, and a few things had come up over during those encounters. Truth be told, she would've been surprised if he hadn't been somewhat pessimistic about it. "Life's a gamble. Sometimes ya come out on top, other times ya don't. Ain't much more to it than that."

"A fair point," Ulquiorra replied, recognizing the fact that she had a point. There were very few certainties when it came to life, regardless of who or what you were. Even with every precaution he had taken, in meticulously planning out every detail that could possibly need to be addressed, there was still no guarantee that anything Aizen had planned had worked out as intended. And although it was likely that it had, there was still the possibility that something unexpected had occurred, and thrown everything out the window; something like Ichigo Kurosaki's Hollowfied form. "Was that also something you were aware of, Aizen?" he thought to himself in contemplation. If even his own Lanza del Relámpago could do nothing to harm that monster, he couldn't help but wonder what Aizen could do against it.

"If ya don' mind Mr. Cifer, ah've got a couple o' questions ah'd like ta ask," Applejack spoke up in an effort to ward off the silence that she knew was coming. She saw him move his eyes away from the pages of the book and over to her, indicating that she now had his attention to at least some degree. "Ah really don' mean ta be pryin' inta matters, but ah'm a might bit curious. Those several ya mentioned... am ah one of 'em?" she asked.

Ulquiorra considered the question carefully. Originally the earth pony had asked about those he didn't possess a specific duty or obligation to. Those that Princess Celestia hadn't tasked him to safeguard against harm. Technically all of Ponyville was under his protection, and he was obligated to all of them. Only technically, however. Regardless of the assignment, the ones present in the library were his true obligation. But how did that obligation coincide with the concept of friendship? If he was obligated to protecting these specific ponies, could he truly interact with them in a free manner?

Perhaps it would be simpler to just assume that the rules of interaction applied to the bearers of the Elements of Harmony as well. If he were to assume such, then it could simplify matters to a significant degree.

"You are," he finally replied. If he was honest with himself, Applejack was one of the six he would prefer spending time with if that specific opportunity was ever presented. Some of the other were far less desirable. But her reaffirming that he was under no true obligation to associate with all of them, and especially not at the same time, reduced the number of complications that were present in this entire friendship concept.

Applejack smiled at his words, feeling more relaxed than when she asked the question. That was good, good news to be finding out, as it made the entire conversation easier to have.

"A'right, now fer the next question," she started as she stepped a bit closer. "Do ya mind gettin' hugged by a friend?"

Applejack wasn't sure quite what it was, but something about the ensuing silence and Ulquiorra's stillness was making her nervous. Had she just asked him the wrong thing? At the time it really didn't sound all that bad to her. But now that the words were actually out there in the open, she was now having doubts about whether or not she should've even approached this subject. And as he slowly turned his head to look at her once again, she tried hard not to flinch under his gaze.

"I fail to see why there is so much obsession over such a meaningless gesture," he finally replied. It was yet another mystery his logical mind. How did such a simple example of physical contact mean so much, that it was a point of interest to others? "I am also curious as to why you would bother to ask, when the others feel no such obligation before going ahead with what they plan to do."

Applejack shrugged, doing her best to stand her own ground, and not feel intimidated into backing down. "Didn' feel like doin' any grabbin' on ya if it wasn' welcome," she replied. That was one thing she and Pinkie never really saw eye to eye on, what with the pink earth pony favoring surprise and spontaneity when issuing most of her hugs; something she knew for certain that Ulquiorra had found out for himself. "Blame it on a pony bein' stubborn an' not turnin' in when she needs to," she said and shrugged again, "ah'll make ya a deal. Ah get a hug outta ye, an' ah'll turn in fer wha's left o' the night. How's that sound?" she asked, putting her proposition forward. Something she probably wouldn't have done if she hadn't been so tired right now.

Ulquiorra considered her words. Truthfully it made no difference to him whether or not Applejack went to bed. She would be the one experiencing the consequences of her actions rather than him.

But in considering that fact, another one came to mind. These ponies would be returning to their everyday lives once the new day officially began with the rising of the sun. Or within a few hours of such occurring. They would once again be vulnerable to the outside world, and need to fend for themselves if he wasn't there. That would be difficult to do if the ability to react in a timely manner was hampered by exhaustion.

There was also the matter that, regardless of what she was asking for, her proposition had a certain capitalist structure to it. Intangible goods aside, she was displaying a materialistic approach to doing things, and offering to swap goods in what she considered to be a mutually beneficial manner. It was almost like a business deal. It was a... respectable endeavor.

With that thought in mind, he memorized the page he was on, before closing it, and sliding it nearly all the way back into its available space on the bookshelf. "It is acceptable."

"A'right then," Applejack replied as she shifted about before rearing up on her hind legs... before falling backwards and landing squarely on her flanks with a resounding thud before she could right her balance. "Dangit, that hurt," she grumbled as she climbed back to her hooves. She tried again, carefully shifting her weight upward and rearward to bring her onto her back hooves only. This time she was met with much better results. For a period of two seconds, before she fell over again. "Dagnabbit! How in the hay does Lyra make this look so danged easy?" she asked, both in frustration and pain. This really wasn't working out as she'd hoped.

It was a fair question to ask. Even Ulquiorra wondered about the answer to such. One possibility was that Lyra Heartstrings possessed less weight than Applejack, both due to the difference in species, and the corresponding difference in muscular structure and fat content, and this physical difference resulting in a better distribution of weight, allowing for differences in overall balance.

Another possibility was that Lyra Heartstrings had devoted extensive time and practice to being able to not only stand, but also walk -and even dance- on her hind legs without difficulty, learning the intricacies of how to carry her weight efficiently. The exact reason for why she might practice such an exercise in the first place was a mystery to him; one that he had failed to adequately address when presented with the opportunity. Perhaps he would address that at some point in the future, assuming their paths crossed again on their own. If they didn't then there was no reason to simply seek her out for that specific reason.

He watched as Applejack climbed back onto her hooves, muttering certain things to herself as she once again tried to stand on her hind legs. Unlike the last two times, this time she hadn't shifted her weight all the way back, and was keeping her forelegs forward. Although her posture was unsteady in nature, this was the longest she'd been able to remain on just two legs without toppling over. She shifted about uneasily, trying to use her forelegs to steady herself, before taking a tentative step forward. When she failed to fall down, she took another. Unfortunately her balance gave out on that second step, and sent her toppling forward.

Fortunately the fall was short in nature, as she was close enough to the Espada to hold onto him and avoid meeting the floor a third time. And it'd been a miracle that she'd managed to miss hitting her face against the hilt of his zanpakutō.

"Ferget it, it's overrated," Applejack muttered, really not seeing the point in the method of locomotion. It was then that she remembered she was learning against Ulquiorra for support, and noticed the firmness involved. Curiously she poked at his abdominal area with her hoof. "Wow. Yer really all muscle, huh?" she asked.

"Comparatively speaking," Ulquiorra replied as he looked down while she poked at him. "I still don't understand the significance of such a physical gesture. Ultimately what purpose does it serve?" he asked her.

"Huggin'? Well it's not really somethin' that means one thing er another, it's sorta a catchall gesture. Ta some it's a way o' showin' trust ta one another, 'cuz ya really wouldn' be huggin' someone if ya don' trust 'em ta some degree," she replied, pausing to let the information sink in before continuing. She wanted him to understand that fact first and foremost. "Fer others it's somethin' more important. When somepony's panickin' over somethin' an' can't calm 'emselves down 'cuz emotions are runnin' high, sometimes a well timed hug helps ta ground 'em back in reality. Helps take the terror outta the situation an' remind 'em that they're not left ta fend fer themselves," she explained.

On the issue of trust, Ulquiorra could understand the significance of the gesture, and Applejack's actions. Making yourself vulnerable to one that wasn't trustworthy was quite unwise. The fact she was acknowledging such a fact indicated that, despite everything that had happened, she still saw fit to trust him. Whether that trust was due to what he could do for them in terms of keeping them safe, or for other unrelated matters, he wasn't entirely certain right now.

On the issue of providing emotional stability to one in need, he wasn't quite as certain about that one. He had certainly witnessed what could've been considered as such an act, between Pinkie Pie and Princess Luna back at the hospital. But at present he couldn't foresee any situation in which he'd ever have reason or motivation to engage in such a notion himself.

"Jus' so ya know, Mr. Cifer, it really ain't a hug unless both parties are doin' it," Applejack pointed out, feeling a bit silly that she was the one doing all the embracing.

Ulquiorra continued looking down at the pony in contemplation, before finally relenting, and bringing his arms up and around her, reminding himself that he was doing this in an effort to better ensure their safety, and the continued survival of Equestria. That was the only reason he was willing to consent to this ridiculous behavior.

It was then that he noticed Applejack seeming to sink deeper into the insisted upon embrace, rather than breaking it. That wasn't a part of the deal.

"I have fulfilled my end of the deal. It's now time for you to do the same," he pointed out as he withdrew his arms.

"Fair enough ah guess," Applejack replied and yawned as she set back down on all four hooves again. "Thank ya kindly fer yer time, Mr. Cifer. Ah'd wish ya a good night an' all, but ah don' think it'd make much difference to ya."

She really didn't want to go to bed, not while Twilight and Rainbow Dash were still in the basement by themselves. She wanted to be up here to greet them when they finally came back up, and make sure everything was alright. But in her tired state she'd made that specific deal, and there was no honesty in squirming out of it now. So with a measure of reluctance she began to walk towards the stairs.

And then she stopped as her ears perked up and twitched at the sound of a doorknob being worked, and it was coming from the door that lead down to the basement! She turned around just in time to see the door open, Twilight coming up the stairs first, followed shortly by Rainbow Dash clutching something wrapped in cloth in her teeth.

Once the two of them were out and back in the main library, the basement door slowly swung itself shut, the front of it seeming to melt as its appearance changed to look no different than the side of the wall it was built into. Having seen the door opened earlier in the evening, it answered a very good question that Applejack had, but never really got around to asking. She'd always known that there was a basement to the library, but until she actually saw the door itself, she had no idea just where the stairs to it were located. According to Twilight it was a security precaution for safeguarding the more sensitive things located in the library. Why the Elements of Harmony themselves weren't stored down there as well, she didn't know for certain. But considering the double forcefields in place, and combined with Ulquiorra's own inability to lift the case itself, they were probably safe where they were right now.

Applejack opened her mouth to say something, but immediately closed it again when she looked at Twilight's current condition. In simple terms she looked like a mess. The fur on her face looked matted with tear stains and other traces of something or another, and her eyes had traces of a bloodshot state to them. When Ulquiorra had talked about Twilight and the matter of emotional stability, she didn't think to expect that it would possibly involve the unicorn crying her eyes out down there.

"Uh... hey there, Twilight," she greeted, caught off guard and uncertain of just how to proceed on this matter. "How ya holdin' up?" she asked.

"I'm alright, Applejack, now anyway," Twilight replied as she uncomfortably shifted her weight about with her hind legs. "I'm doing better than I was. All thanks to Rainbow Dash's help."

Rainbow Dash set the cloth-wrapped item down on the floor, before wiping her mouth with the back of her foreleg to try and clear away some of the stale dust that had proven to be an occupational hazard in this case. Having hands would've helped big time.

"Eh. It's not like I did anything major, Twilight. I was just there, you were the one that had the breakthrough to get through," she replied.

Applejack blinked. Was Rainbow Dash actually being modest for a change? That was a little unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome.

"Nothing major?" Twilight asked, her tone of voice clearly showing her lack of belief regarding the statement that had just been made in front of her. "You were there for me when I needed you, Rainbow Dash, even when I didn't know that I needed you. You came to my rescue and helped me. That was not nothing," she stated.

Applejack blinked again, confused and lost. "Wha' exactly happened down there?" she asked.

"Nothing happened," Rainbow Dash stated quickly, cutting off whatever Twilight might have had to say in response. "All I did was provide a wither to cry on when it was needed. I was just doing what any friend would do, and returning the favor from when Twilight helped me with a problem a few months ago. It's not like I did anything special," she said dismissively.

Applejack thought on that. Or at leas tried to think. What exactly was Rainbow Dash talking about? What favor was she using to try and justify/excuse the fact that she could be just as soft and caring as any of them? She certainly couldn't remember anything in the last few months that had been a problem Rainbow Dash had been going through. But then again living outside of Ponyville proper, she wasn't always up on everything her friends did when she wasn't in their company.

Looking between them she could tell there was some degree of discomfort going on. So she decided to do something about that; change the dang subject. "So wha's the thing RD brought up here?" she asked.

"Oh. That," Twilight spoke up, remembering the object from earlier, and lifting it up with her magic. "Something for tomorrow. Something that I'll need Ulquiorra's help with," she explained.

"And precisely what is that?"

Twilight nearly jumped at hearing the Espada's voice. How she wound up forgetting about him being there, she didn't really know. But nevermind that, it wasn't important right now. Right now him actually being there was beneficial, as she wouldn't have to explain the matter multiple times. In response to the questions she was presented with, she carefully unwrapped the parcel to show what it contained.

Ulquiorra examined the object with all the care and attention he usually exercised when a matter was important. But he truly couldn't see why this was important. Or how he could be of any use.

"A lantern?" he asked as he looked at the old, antiquated light source. It appeared to be constructed of steel, with a domed top and a thick wire handle that would swing freely, approximately the size of a one gallon can, and possessing a round glass lens at the front mounted on a small hinged door. It looked quite old and discolored, and he briefly wondered if it even still worked. "And precisely how does an antiquated bullseye lantern figure into anything?"

"Yeah ah'm kinda wonderin' that mahself," Applejack added. It wasn't that lanterns were uncommon in Equestria or anything like that. Most ponies still used them for the purpose of illumination. But with the advent of electrical lighting being made possible from hydroelectric dams and stations, especially in the much bigger cities like Manehattan and Canterlot, the use of lanterns was usually reserved for power outages or camping purposes. But at places like Sweet Apple Acres and other farms where electricity didn't run, lanterns were still frequently used.

But certainly nothing like the one Twilight was currently holding. The entire structure looked like it was meant for focusing light in a very narrow area. As far as lanterns went, Applejack preferred the kerosine variety, with the metal frame and glass globe, as the design allowed for a greater degree of area lighting, making it much easier to see when it was necessary.

"Actually it's not a traditional lantern, although it's easy to confuse for one. What it is, is a containment lantern. When the lens door is opened, the enchantments placed on the inside of the housing create a special vacuum that draws in and, as the name suggests, contains, various forces like a dragon's fire, or pure concentrated mana, by holding the material in a stasis field. This primarily served three purposes. First, it could be used as a method of long term illumination. Secondly, it could be utilized for defensive purposes, by absorbing dangerous spells or dragon's fire, and preventing harm from taking place. And third, when the front lens hatch is opened, the contained force could be utilized offensively if need be, by sending it right back at the caster," Twilight explained.

"Wow," Applejack replied, not certain what else to say in response. "Sounds like a mighty interestin' thing ta have on hoof. Are they rare er sometin'?"

"Sort of, Applejack, but that's primarily due to the labor intense nature of their construction than anything else. Properly applying the enchantments to the inside of the lantern is something that takes a great deal of skill, patience, and experience. As a result containment lanterns tend to fetch high prices, and those that own them aren't often likely to part with them if they don't have to. The only reason I have one is because Celestia provided one when I moved here from Canterlot. That way if Spike was in Canterlot or otherwise unavailable, I could still submit a report so long as I had him breathe into the lantern first. But since Spike hasn't had to go to Canterlot on business in a long while, I haven't had much use for it, so it's just been in the basement gathering dust," Twilight elaborated, using the cloth it'd been wrapped in to try and wipe some of the dirt away from its shell.

"And how does this matter involve myself?" Ulquiorra asked them. He would admit that the notion of the lantern's construction was mildly interesting. But what purpose did that serve them now?

"Well, with your permission of course, I'd like to try and use the lantern to try and contain one of your Ceros. The way I see it, Ulquiorra, is that if we do such, then should whatever it is actually comes for us, we'll have a better fighting chance than if we're left to our own devices," Twilight explained. It had seemed like a logical conclusion to reach, just in case her work at learning these new spells should fail. With the destructive potential of a Cero on hoof should it be needed, they'd stand a much better chance of survival.

"I have serious doubts about the notion of this artifact withstanding the forces it will be subjected to," Ulquiorra replied as he looked away from them and to the lantern itself. "But you present a unique situation for consideration. If you truly can do what you propose, then it may be a worthwhile endeavor to engage in," he stated. He could certainly see the practicality of the proposal. But he would still need to see this for himself in order to believe it.

"Well, girls," Applejack spoke up, pausing in order to yawn. Now that they were up here and alright, she could really start to feel the exhaustion weighing on her. "Ah'm glad yer alright an' all, but ah really need ta turn in now. It's gonna be dawn in a few hours."

Twilight turned to face Applejack and frown at what she said. It was the type of frown that marked both confusion and concern. "You've been waiting up for us all this time?"

"Eyup," Applejack replied and gave a brief nod and closed her eyes, feeling too tired to put any serious effort into giving an answer. Sometimes her brother had the right idea on things by keeping it simple. However she opened her eyes again when she felt something around her, and saw Twilight hugging her firmly.

"I really appreciate you doing that, Applejack, it was really nice," Twilight told her.

Rainbow Dash just grinned from where she stood, watching everything unfold. Applejack sitting up all these hours just to make sure Twilight was alright wasn't the kind of thing that just anypony would do. But then again her own sitting up with Twilight, holding onto her as she cried her eyes out, and getting her awesome cyan coat messy in the process, also wasn't the kind of thing that just anypony would do.

"Alright, enough of this mushy stuff," she spoke up to get their attention, before stretching her wings as she yawned. "I vote we all turn in. I don't know about you, but I'm gonna need to get up early and clear those clouds away for tomorrow morning. We're gonna need the sun for everything we need to do," she explained.

"Yer not the only one," Applejack replied as she untangled herself from Twilight. "Ah'm glad ya girls are alright. An' ah'm even gladder we can turn in now," she said as she yawned yet again. "Dawn waits fer nopony."

"You girls go on up, I'll be there in just a minute. I need to get a drink of water first," Twilight told them.

"Alright Twi', we'll save you a pillow," Rainbow Dash replied, before looking directly at Ulquiorra. "Don't let her try and sneak back down into the basement. I wouldn't put it past her to try something like that," she told him, before turning around, giving a muttered "C'mon AJ" as she walked past, heading for the stairs that would lead them up the stairs.

Twilight watched as her two friends tiredly walked up the stairs -so tiredly that Rainbow Dash didn't even try to fly up the distance- to the sleeping area, staying silent until they disappeared around the corner. At that point she turned to face Ulquiorra, who was currently looking back at her. But it wasn't the kind of look that suggested concern, rather it was the kind that suggested curiosity with why she was still standing there. Now that she was certain they were alone, she could speak up.

"I'm sorry, Ulquiorra," she said and sighed as she looked down at the floor of the library. "I tried my best to be strong, I really did. I tried really, really hard to be emotionally strong and untouched by everything that happened here today. I tried to be hard, tried to not pay it any attention, tried to tune it out and not let the suffering of others get to me. But despite my best attempts I just couldn't do it; not for long anyway. I couldn't even pretend that I could be hard, because I wound up falling apart at Rainbow Dash's prodding. I just started crying like a newborn foal and couldn't stop myself. I don't even know if I could've tried to stop myself. I..."

Ulquiorra observed as she paused her explanation and apology as she made an effort to get her breathing under control. He could see that she had been growing agitated throughout her speech, reaching this point where she needed to pause.

"I... I just don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I can actually bring myself to kill. I know what we're up against, but that doesn't make it any easier to actually consider it as a viable possibility. I think about what I might have to do, what distasteful things might become necessary, a-and I don't know whether to cry or throw up at the thought of it. I just... I just..."

"Twilight Sparkle," Ulquiorra spoke up, interrupting whatever she was attempting to say. "I have no expectations of you being a murderer. Nor do I believe that what lies ahead will be a simple matter to address. We're all facing unfamiliar territory, you and your friends, as well as myself. If there was a comfort zone experienced beforehand, this entity we face has forced us well beyond it," he explained calmly.

"But I thought-" Twilight attempted to protest, only to be interrupted yet again.

"It was you, Twilight Sparkle, that explained how friendship provided a source of strength when your own was insufficient. And while I still find this to be ludicrous in nature, it is your own advice. Whether or not you actually take your own advice makes no difference to me. I'm merely pointing out the obvious," he explained, presenting a point of argument that he didn't foresee her having the ability to argue. He was merely referencing her own logic from earlier in the day, faulty as it may seem. "At present time you're exhausted and incapable of observing the situation in an efficient manner. Go to sleep. The matter can be better discussed tomorrow morning when you're sufficiently rested."

Twilight stood silently as she listened to Ulquiorra's words. She truly hadn't expected something like that. She'd been expecting any manner of other responses that would possibly demean her position for being weak and non-conductive of survival. But instead of that he seemed to be supportive to some degree. Maybe she was even more tired than she realized.

"Alright," she replied and nodded. "Goodnight Ulquiorra."

No response given. She wasn't really surprised about that. Exchanging pleasantries was a very inconsistent thing with him. Oh well it was no matter. She turned around, wincing in the process, before slowly and softly walking off towards the stairs.

Ulquiorra observed her slowly ascend the stairs along with the others. Once he was certain she wasn't about to come back down again, he withdrew the geological book he'd been studying and turned back to the page he'd been on.

What remained of the night passed in relative silence and without incident. The rain had ended around four in the morning. And no assaults or attempts at gaining entry had been made against the library. Whatever that fact meant, Ulquiorra wasn't certain. Whether the manticore was a fluke, or simply the precursor of something bigger, it would need to be waited on to see.

A fact that may prove easier as daylight was now making itself known, with the rays of the sun creeping in through the cracks in the shutters. Daylight meant a greater field of visibility, greater alertness, fewer places for potential dangers to hide.

For him it wasn't that much of an issue. Both of his eyes and pesquisa were fully capable of discerning threats either in the light or the dark. But for those whose company he was forced to share, the difference between day and night could literally mean the difference between life and death.

However that wasn't a matter he particularly held against them. He too was faced by certain limitations to his abilities that he didn't fully comprehend; specifically the number of times his pesquisa had failed to reveal details that would have otherwise been noticed. There was the simple fact of existence that physical limitations were something that couldn't be overcome simply through hard efforts.

At least in most situations. While physical strength could be augmented through extensive exercise, there was a limit to just how much it could be augmented. The earth pony Applejack was a fine example of this fact. Hers was a body that had been toned and hardened from many years of physical exercise, and she possessed great physical strength as a result. But despite this fact, there was only so much that could be done. One day she would reach her physical pique, and no amount of hard work and determination would allow her to go beyond the limitations of her body.

Even he wasn't exempted from this fact. Regardless of how much strength he possessed, how he could easily lift forty pounds of weight to every pound of body mass he possessed, it was impossible for his sealed state to become any stronger than it was currently. Unless he utilized his resurrección he was already at the pinnacle of his own strength.

His thoughts were interrupted by the quiet but noticeable sounds of stirring from upstairs, indicating that the others were waking up from whatever degree of slumber they had acquired. Soon they would be descending to the main floor of the library, and seeking to return to their duties around town, whether they were their own, or those that they volunteered for after the events of yesterday.

That was a matter he still didn't particularly favor. He understood that they had duties and responsibilities for various reasons, and that they couldn't be avoided simply because there was a risk of danger involved with carrying them out. But the matter was still unfavorable in nature. Them splitting up required a much greater deal of vigilance to be exercised in order to cover all eight potential targets.

Unfortunately there was very little that could actually be done about that. He had been tasked with performing a specific mission within a set of limitations. And he had little option but to do just that, to the best of his abilities, regardless of how they might be hampered.

As some might say, just another day at the office.

"Are you sure you girls don't want to stay for breakfast at least? Spike's making pancakes."

The night had been long and rough, but as far as Twilight was concerned it had been alright, because she'd had her friends there with her. They had helped her out immensely during her time of need. And naturally she was reluctant to end the gathering. One by one each of them had gotten up and around as the sunlight of the new day filtered in through the bedroom windows, and got themselves ready for what was ahead of them.

But that still didn't mean she couldn't try and convince them to hang around a little longer. And what better offer than Spike's famous pancakes? Who could pass those up? And out of those that could, how many of them could continue their resistance once chocolate chips were introduced to the equation?

"Much as ah'd like to, Twilight, ah really gotta get goin'. Big Macintosh got stuck with quite a bit o' work yesterday wit' everythin' goin' on. An' ah really wanna check on Apple Bloom an' make sure she's alright," Applejack replied.

Pinkie nodded in agreement. "The Cakes are gonna be putting out coffee and doughnuts for the volunteers. I've really gotta get there early and help with the setup. There are ponies counting on us to help them, and that help comes in many forms."

"No time for breakfast for me," Rainbow Dash added, "first thing's first, clearing the early morning fog that rolled in with the chill that last night's rain caused. Then I've gotta actually get the clouds cleared away to let the sun in. And then I need to get to Zecora's and pick up some more poison joke antidote so you can do those tests. I'm probably just gonna quick grab a doughnut or two later."

"And I really don't want anypony to think that I'm being rude by not staying. But the animals really need me. I usually feed them first, and I can't keep them waiting. Some of them are really fragile, and Angel Bunny can't take care of them all on his own," Fluttershy explained. "But I'd like to, I mean, if it's alright, stop by for lunch."

"I'm sorry, darling, another time perhaps," was all that Rarity had to offer.

"Alright then," Twilight replied and tried not to sigh. She understood that they all had to go and tend to their own lives. Of course there was the possibility of them all spending the night again tonight, if Ulquiorra thought it would be in their best interest. That thought gave her some reason to be happy.

But first there was another matter that needed to be addressed.

"Actually, Rainbow Dash, you might not need to right now. I wanted to have a word with you about that first," she stated. When she saw that she had her attention, she turned to face Ulquiorra where he stood. "Ulquiorra, I know I said that we'd start on the poison joke tests today. But... would you be upset if we postponed that until tomorrow? The spells I studied last night were more complicated than I originally considered, and I'd like to try and practice them while they're still fresh in my mind and easy to remember."

Ulquiorra considered the question. It was an interesting situation to be in. On the one hand there was the matter of his own vulnerability in this world, and it being further explored to determine its fullest extent. On the other hand was the matter of these ponies learning how to better fend for themselves when he wasn't available.

When it came down to the two options available, these ponies learning to fend for themselves took priority. His condition would remain unchanged regardless of how much time passed. The same couldn't be said for them. When it came down to that, them being the ones that held the Element of Harmony took priority. He could still function to some degree when he was impaired, but the same couldn't be said for them.

"I have no objection to such," he replied, "however I do possess a question. Why is it necessary to clear the fog, rather than moving the clouds and allowing the sun to evaporate it?" he asked. It wasn't a matter of genuine curiosity pertaining to how weather duties around Equestria were managed. Rather it was a matter of recognizing a possible redundancy in the way things were done.

Rainbow Dash didn't even blink before answering. "Because under the right atmospheric conditions, fog acts like a refractor to the sun and can potentially blind ponies. It works best to knock out the fog first, even if it is kinda gummy compared to regular clouds and a real pain in the flank to do."

"Fair enough," Ulquiorra replied, seeing the point in what she was saying. Although he doubted that the matter was truly as serious as she was making it out to be. But then again stranger things had happened, and he hadn't gotten around to studying the weather of this world yet, beyond the fact that pegasus ponies were tasked with keeping it in order.

Small talk and pleasantries were exchanged between the ponies, along with promises between them to see one another during the day. Finally the other five walked out the front door, leaving him alone with Spike and Twilight Sparkle, the latter of which was now looking at him.

"Will you be joining us for breakfast, Ulquiorra?" she asked him.

"Perhaps another time. At the moment there are other matters that need tending to," he replied and started to turn away. While the others preoccupied themselves with food, he could do more research.

"Oh?" Twilight asked as she blinked and subtly tilted her head to the side as she looked at him. "Well if you say so, that's your decision to make. But do you really think that's a good idea after going the entire night while neglecting your mana intake?" she asked, noting how the question caused Ulquiorra to pause in place.

"Twilight? What're you talking about?" Spike asked, scratching the scales on his head in confusion.

Twilight didn't directly answer Spike's question, or even look right at him, but rather kept her attention on Ulquiorra as he looked back at her.

"You stopped right after finding out that the forcefields protecting the Elements of Harmony absorbed the ambient mana in the area, because you didn't want to weaken their protectiveness in case something happened, right?" she asked him. When no immediate answer was given, she continued with the interrogation. "You went without because you believed it to be prudent, even though you were likely getting hungrier and hungrier at the time, right?"

"And how did you arrive at this conclusion?" Ulquiorra as he turned back around to properly face her. This was quite an interesting theory she was presenting for consideration. What was more interesting than her theory, however, was the fact that she was correct.

Trying to precisely measure the substance known as mana was difficult, as there were no hard defined units of measure to reference. Or at least none that he was aware of; it wasn't like there were any books he'd come across yet that talked about mana being measured either by the cup or by the pound. He'd had no way of knowing just what the power requirements were for the dual forcefields -along with whatever enchantments were in place- currently protecting the Elements of Harmony. And he'd had no desire of shorting them out by creating a vacuum with his own consumption, so he'd made the conscious decision to defer priority to it rather than himself.

However there was still the matter of the question that hadn't yet been answered. Just how had she known in the first place?

"Mana sensitivity. Since my special talent is magic itself, I'm better versed in the field than most, so I'd have greater reason to be aware of the different levels of ambient magic in an area. Not that I'm bragging or anything. Anyway, when we first met, I noticed that the air felt... different, and I had to concentrate harder to use any magic that utilized ambient mana rather than direct mana. And when you explained that you could draw sustenance from the mana in the area I just put two and two together," Twilight explained before pausing to let her explanation sink in. After a moment of silence she continued in her explanation.

"Being around the forcefields as they guard the Elements of Harmony, I've become aware of just how much mana they absorb to maintain themselves throughout the day, and I've learned how to compensate for such. So naturally I could tell the difference of when you were, for lack of a better term, eating. The drain was significantly greater. So it was easy to tell that you stopped, and that you did so not long after finding out about their nature. So it seemed only natural to assume that you fasted for our sakes. And I have to say, I didn't know just how much mana you normally absorbed at any given time. It was actually surprising. But I didn't want to say anything at the time, because I didn't want you to assume the wrong thing, or for me to not properly explain everything."

So that was it. He hadn't given this unicorn enough credit if she was truly sensitive to the ambient levels of mana in the area, and could detect such changes to her surroundings. Her deductive reasoning was certainly of a respectable level if she could take so little information, and be so right in her speculation.

"After everything you've done for us, Ulquiorra, the very least we can do in return is supply you with a suitable breakfast to make up for your loss. We don't know just what we might be facing today, and you might need to be at your full strength at some point. And I doubt you can make up for more than ten hours of fasting in less than an hour," she pointed out.

He listened as Twilight Sparkle explained the situation to him. She had a number of good points on her side of the discussion. It would be hard to argue with her on what she was saying. He was in a position where he could do little more than simply agree with what she was saying.

"Very well then," he replied, acknowledging defeat.

"Alright then! You heard him, Spike, pancakes all around!" Twilight called excitedly.

"On it," Spike agreed and saluted, before turning to face Ulquiorra directly. "So... butter or syrup?"

Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty

This was only the second time that Ulquiorra had actually sat down to engage in a meal with them. And from the first time back in Canterlot, Twilight knew that he could eat a pretty big meal with ease if he wanted to. So it struck her as odd when he'd silently pushed his plate away from where he sat after just two pancakes. She knew they weren't all that filling, especially not at the size they were made; not when she herself could easily eat six without even trying. Something was definitely up, that much was obvious.

"Ulquiorra, is something wrong? Are the pancakes not to your liking?" she asked. He'd eaten in relative silence, and he'd polished off the two pancakes that Spike had whipped up for him without any measure of complaint. But it still didn't seem right. "Do you want butter on the next one? Syrup? Fresh fruit?" she asked.

"The food is fine as it is, Twilight Sparkle. There is no need for pointless indulgences," he replied calmly, cutting her off before he could be allowed to build up sufficient room for panic or worry. "While the idea of breakfast to compensate for the lack of mana intake over the night was well thought out, the results are simply not panning out as anticipated. Your gesture and kindness has not gone unappreciated or unrecognized, but the effort is unfortunately lacking. The amount of mana being gained is negligible in nature, and it wouldn't be very effective to consume the potentially several hundred pancakes necessary for total compensation to occur. The foodstuffs of Ponyville don't appear to be as saturated with mana as what was presented back in Canterlot," he explained.

It was a situation that presented something of a mystery. He had seen the ingredients used in the construction of the pancake matter, and the inclusion of eggs and milk would suggest that the latent mana found within should be more plentiful. Perhaps the cooking process caused a breakdown that resulted in it being lost. He couldn't be certain, at least not without some closer examination of the details. Perhaps if he'd examined the cooking process more closely, he could've garnered more useful information. Perhaps a compare and contrast of the food preparation procedure, both for here and Canterlot, would be necessary.

"That... that doesn't make any sense," Twilight replied, uncertain of what else to say. How could the food they produced locally, possibly possess less mana than the food found in Canterlot? Most of it was imported from all over the world, it wasn't like it was rich by virtue of being within the border of their capitol city.

Spike just frowned in response. "Had I known that was gonna be the case, I would've just whipped up a batch of tack instead..."

"Spike, be nice," Twilight told him.

"Tack?" Ulquiorra asked, uncertain as to what he was saying.

"It's sort of a cross between a biscuit and a cracker. Long ago it was a regular food staple, but these days its usually regarded as emergency food," Twilight explained, her brain kicking into explanatory mode by default when presented with a question. "Generally it comes in two variants, hard and soft. Hard tack is usually made from just flour, water, and a pinch of salt. Because of it's simple construction and how hard it bakes, it has a long shelf life and can last years without going stale, but it's not really easy to eat plain. Soft tack uses shortening as an ingredient and is easier to eat, as well as tastier, but it doesn't stand up as well and can perish in a matter of months if not stored properly."

"Well it's not like he's absorbing the actual nutrients in it," Spike offered up in defense of his suggestion. Why go through all the extra effort if it wasn't going to be worth it? "Sure it could use some jam when you eat it, but it's not all that hard."

"Said the baby dragon who loves his corundum," Twilight quipped. Had Spike forgotten about the fact that he could easily eat things that nopony could?

Spike frowned at Twilight again. It was the kind of frown given whenever she overlook something obvious. It was the same kind of frown he'd given her just yesterday.

"Something tells me that a hard baked biscuit wouldn't be enough to slow Ulquiorra down any," he quipped.

"If such were to occur, I would indeed be surprised," Ulquiorra replied as he stood up from his seat at the table. The banter between the two had been entirely unnecessary. "Spike's logic is sound in this case. If proper nourishment is not possible, the extravagances of pancakes would present no practical benefit over a simpler foodstuff. But ultimately it's of no matter. I will simply resume once we're no longer in the vicinity of the forcefields. That should allow both to operate without risk of overlap," he explained.

Twilight silently nodded, acknowledging that Ulquiorra did have a point in what he was saying. But she still couldn't help but wonder about why the pancakes weren't doing any good. Maybe the ingredients weren't fresh enough? If that were the case then maybe a few apples from the market would be in order. But just how many would that few apples turn into?

Then again, maybe they wouldn't need to resort to that. Maybe there was another option available, and she simply hadn't thought of it yet. What was that old saying, about the solutions being right under your nose? Or maybe in this case it was more appropriate to say right on your head.

"Maybe there's another way," she said as she stood up from her seat to approach him. "Back in Canterlot, when the changeling situation was going on, Rarity did a mana transfer for me when I was in need, and likely saved my life in the process. And considering all that you've done for us, both actively and passively, I don't see why I couldn't do the same for you. Ponies might use mana for their various fields of magic, but you're the one that needs it for sustenance. It's not right to hog it," she explained. "Just take what you need, it'll be alright."

That was a development Ulquiorra hadn't seen as being a possibility. And it was enough of an unforeseen possibility, that it gave him reason to pause in thought. Did Twilight Sparkle understand the significance of the fact that she was more or less inviting him to feed on her like a parasite? He wasn't certain how to feel about such a proposal.

Nor was he certain that it should be referred to as a proposal. That sounded wrong even to him, logic notwithstanding.

"Hold it, Twilight, you can't do that. Not with all the spell practice you've been talking about doing today," Spike protested. He understood what she was saying, but he also understood that she could be short sighted at times with her planning. That was one of the many, many reasons she relied on him for help. "I'll do it instead, that's the better option," he added before she could protest his protest.

Twilight blinked, momentarily caught off guard by what Spike was saying, before finding her voice once again to speak. "That's really nice of you, Spike, but it's alright, really. I have far more mana to give," she explained.

"And I can't use magic, so I don't need all of mine nearly as much as you do yours," Spike pointed out. "I'm your number one assistant, so let me assist already."

Curiouser, and curiouser. If he didn't know what to think about Twilight Sparkle's... proposition, then he really didn't know what to think about the proposition of Spike. The two of them were actually disagreeing in a manner as if it was to be an honor to have him absorb their mana into himself.

Exactly what breed of insanity was this?

He watched the back and forth banter continue for several minutes, each of them doing their best to make their point to the other on just why they were best suited for what they were attempting. He would admit that each of them did raise several good points to defend their position. But he truly doubted that they understood what was really being argued.

Did they truly believe that this was both relevant and necessary? If they were all stranded in a region where the ambient mana was so minute it would qualify as nearly nonexistent, then he could better understand their reasoning and justification. But Ponyville didn't qualify as such a region. Indeed, no region that he'd been to would qualify as such. His capability truly hadn't been reduced to that significant of a degree. The only thing acting as an inhibitor right now was the passive enchantments protecting the Elements of Harmony, and that matter would be resolved once they left the library.

"These ponies take the concept of friendship and helping one another to an extreme," he thought to himself. Was this gesture of good will truly so important to them, that they were unwilling to wait the few minutes it would take to actually leave the library? If it were a matter of true importance, he could simply sonido his way to Sweet Apple Acres, and proceed to absorb as much mana as necessary, since the area possessed an abundance.

Was it possible that this... endeavor they were arguing about, could be connected to last night's conversation regarding relationships? Maybe there was something subconscious at work here?

He would rather not think about that.

"Am I to assume this is another aspect of friendship?" he asked, bringing the exchange between the two to a complete halt as they turned to look at him. "I would be lying if I said I didn't find the situation fascinating to some degree. And while I'm certain there is some justification for what you're proposing, I truly don't believe the situation at hand warrants such desperate measures being taken as of yet. To the best of my ability to determine, Ponyville itself is rich with a sufficient degree of mana, that feasting on one another is simply unwarranted."

Twilight and Spike looked at each other, and then back at Ulquiorra where he stood. They could both agree that he had a good point. And now that they weren't involved in a tug of war over who should take point on the matter, they could see the wisdom in what he was saying. And now they could also feel silly for being willing to take such extremes, without first considering the more mundane options available to them.

"Sorry," Twilight replied sheepishly.

Ulquiorra paid it no mind. The discussion of cannibalistic behaviors was over, and now it was time to focus on more important matters. "What activity has been planned for the day?" he asked, figuring it would be far more relevant than anything else that could be discussed. If he was to be spending time with these two, then he should have some idea of how his time would be managed throughout the day.

"Oh. I was thinking that we might head to Sweet Apple Acres to carry out the experiments. A wide open area would be the best setting for practicing these spells and such, and I can't think of anywhere more wide open than there," Twilight explained, figuring it was the best option available.

"Then am I to assume you've successfully resolved your personal issues from last night, and are ready to proceed?" Ulquiorra asked, mildly curious as to how things might be proceeding. If Twilight Sparkle's time resting had allowed her to adequately address whatever mental demons she was facing, then all the better.

"To be honest... no I haven't," Twilight replied slowly as she shook her head. "When I made the determination to take this course of action, I had a lot more resolve than I do now. At least I think it was resolve, it might've been a state of shock, or even denial. But now that I'm thinking instead of reacting, I honestly don't know if I can actually go through with this course of action," she explained as she hung her head. There was so, so many thoughts going through her mind right now. So many thoughts that she truly didn't want to play host to. So many thoughts that she just wished could be shut up and shut out.

But she couldn't afford to focus on that right now. She couldn't afford to focus on despair and let it consume her. There were ponies counting on her and the rest of the girls. She needed to keep her head up in this situation and think things through. From a purely technical perspective, the situation they were currently in really didn't differ that much from all the others they'd been in, when Equestria was in danger and counted on them. Certainly there were details that differed. But overall the mission still remained the same as every other time; confront the enemy, kick some flank, save the world. She had to remember that, and not get bogged down with the more intricate -and possibly superfluous- details.

"But whether or not I can do this, that doesn't matter anymore, because I have to do this. We don't get to choose our responsibilities, and we don't get to call timeout when ponies depend on us to do what they can't. We need to set aside our own... um... what's that word mean? Personal?"

Rather strange, Ulquiorra noted. Twilight Sparkle was stopping her speech to query him about a foreign word and its overall meaning?

"Relating to the affairs or matters that deal with a particular person. Although if a person is unavailable, such as in this case, a particular individual will suffice and serve the same purpose," he replied in explanation.

"... Right then," Twilight replied and nodded, "we need to set aside our own personal comforts in situations like this. It's just like Fluttershy facing the dragon; both of them. She was terrified, but we needed her to do it. This situation is no different for me, for any of us."

+++

"You should fear my power, yet you still fight like you think you can win. I don't understand you," he stated as he pursued Ichigo Kurosaki, the Shinigami flying backward from the force of the impact, unable to correct or even adjust his ballistic trajectory. Not even the summoning of his Hollow mask was proving to be of any assistance to him on this matter.

Not even the feeble attempt to block his hand with the blade of his Tensa Zangestu proved to be of any use, as the Hollow mask cracked under the force of his grip like a brittle ceramic plate. He pulled back and hurled the Shinigami straight at one of the freestanding pillars, the force of the impact easily shattering its structure, and sending him hurtling into the one directly behind it.

"If that's because of what you call a heart, then it is the heart that causes you pain. It is because of your heart that you will die," he stated. After seeing the overwhelming odds that he was up against, surely the Shinigami would drop any foolish notion of being able to defeat him. It would make his death so much easier if he would just give up right now.

Unfortunately it seemed logic was completely absent from this one. As the smoke cleared, he could see Ichigo Kurosaki was still standing, and looking at him with the same eyes. Nothing had changed in him at all. Whatever stubbornness this Shinigami possessed, it apparently hadn't been beaten out of him yet.

"I don't fight because I think I can win... I fight because I have to win!" **

+++

Three times. Three times now, Twilight Sparkle had displayed certain traits that reminded him of Ichigo Kurosaki to some extent.

The first time had been during their initial meeting in Canterlot, and was the result of her reiatsu fluctuating in a highly unstable manner.

The second time had also been in Canterlot, and occurred during the changeling invasion. That time it had been the look in her eyes, and the beast that laid just below the surface, making itself known during a time of absolute disregard for everything and everyone around it.

And now the third time, as he listened to her explain how she was presented with a definable need to succeed at a specific goal, regardless of the fact that she might not be physically able to achieve such.

Despite her significant level of intelligence, she still possessed an almost primal degree of stubbornness about her, that seemed to refuse to acknowledge the futility of struggle, that refused to consciously address her own fear and...

"Perhaps her similarity to Ichigo Kurosaki isn't such a bad thing after all," he thought to himself. Perhaps the lessons learned from facing the Shinigami back in Las Noches could be effectively applied in this situation. Domination through force might prove unnecessary, if the same domination could be had through a simple exercise in logic.

"You're afraid, more so of the abstract, currently undefined possibilities of what this course of action might entail for the future, rather than the course of action itself," he hypothesized as he looked at her. The manner in which her eyes went wide would suggest his hypothesis was acceptably accurate. With that fact in mind he chose to press onward. "It isn't the act of killing that scares you. Nor is it the emotional reaction you would face after having to take a life. What truly scares you is the thought that one day you might not feel anything. You look at me, and the ease in which I have killed others, and it scares you to think that you might become like me. You fear losing the regard you hold for the lives of others, and will have no qualms with murdering them for whatever reason. That if you proceed down this path, one day you might even come to... enjoy the prospect of murdering someone."

For the majority of what Ulquiorra had been saying, Twilight had simply sat still, eyes wide and mouth hanging slightly open. However the conclusion of his speculation had been enough to cause her to gasp and physically recoil, as if he'd just delivered a physical blow to her.

"How... h-h-how did you know?" she asked, completely lost for an explanation. How could his words cut not only so deep, but also with such precision? She suddenly felt very uncomfortable and very cold as she looked at him. It was like he wasn't looking at her, but rather through her. She felt like she was transparent right now.

Spike, for his part, remained silent where he sat, unable to do anything but look on and watch as Ulquiorra went about verbally picking Twilight apart with frightening and unrealized accuracy. The Espada was picking up on things that he never had, and he was the one that knew Twilight best. Shouldn't he have been the one to know when she was in trouble and suffering?

"You aren't the first to experience such thoughts. Nor will you be the last," Ulquiorra replied dryly, seeing no point in going into the details of how he arrived at his -correct- conclusion of the facts. The fact she wasn't denying anything he said was enough confirmation for him. And now that he had recognized the problem, it was time to proceed with the next part of the problem. "Would you be surprised to learn that killing is not an activity I take pleasure in?" he asked her.

"Wow... really?" Spike asked, suddenly finding his voice since this whole for today began.

"But I thought that... that..." Twilight stammered as she tried to find the appropriate words for the situation.

"That because I'm so efficient at it, and can do such so casually, it must be something that I enjoy doing, correct?" he asked. However it was entirely rhetorical in nature, as he already knew the answer. "You're attempting to apply your world's logic and values to a wholly alien matter. Enjoyment and a sense of fulfillment aren't requirements for being skilled in a particular field. Killing is not something I have any particular care for, I merely do it because it proves to be a necessity. You have to remember, killing is an everyday necessity in Hueco Mundo where only the strong survive. Only the strongest Hollow may assert control of a Gillian and seek to evolve into a Vasto Lorde. There is no room for hesitation or reluctance," he explained evenly.

"So... I'm not weak for not wanting to go through with... all of this?" Twilight asked him, curiosity temporarily overriding everything else she was experiencing. "You're not disappointed in me?

"If I was, would it truly make a difference? Would learning of my disappointment serve to make you overcome your fears? Would you be able to kill something if it was in the name of pleasing me?" Ulquiorra asked her. Half spoken utterances of "uh" and "um" were the only audible response that Twilight could manage in response to the question. "The matter at hand is quite serious. If you truly intend to go through with this, then make sure it is for the right reasons. Do not seek out praise, or revenge, or even attempt to avenge those that have already died. Do not act out of anger, or fear, but rather because you believe it's the correct decision. Do it because you believe the act is justified by the circumstances, because no other alternative is feasible. And if you can't do that, then acknowledge the fact early on while you still have the chance to make the decision, rather than attempt to wait until it's too late."

He could imagine what a number of the other Espada would've given for advice in response to Twilight Sparkle's question. The more violent members would have berated the unicorn for her weakness, and quite possibly going far beyond that. But he wasn't like the other Espada. Killing was a matter purely of business and necessity, not a source of excitement or enjoyment. At least in his case, he didn't particularly care to engage in the analysis of the motives of the others.

"That... that actually makes me feel a little better..." Twilight stated slowly.

"Wait, it does?" Spike asked as he turned to look at her.

Twilight looked back at Spike and nodded slightly. What Ulquiorra was saying, it actually made a lot of sense once she started thinking on it. Or at the very least she thought that it made sense. Perhaps she was reading something into his words that wasn't there, in some unconscious effort to view his statement as a source of comfort during this difficult time. Or maybe she just wanted to believe that his words carried some wisdom that she hadn't considered on her own.

But whatever the reasoning was behind it actually was, his words had helped her, one way or the other. When she'd made the determination to take this course of action yesterday, her mindset had been different. She didn't want to admit to the fact, but she had been entertaining certain thoughts that she certainly wasn't proud of. Thoughts that scared her in the light of the day. Thoughts that made her bawl her eyes out with Rainbow Dash's help, and left her shaking in the aftermath. Thoughts that she wanted to violently expel from her mind, and never again admit to them being her own.

But not being able to do that, she instead had to settle for refocusing her priorities. Cupid was dead, as were her parents. As were possibly many other ponies that considered Ponyville to be their home. There was nothing that she could do for any of them now. Instead she had to focus on the here and now, and on the ponies that could benefit from her intervention. She had to think of what they needed right now. And what they didn't need was the personal student of Princess Celestia, engaging in a bloody campaign to try and exorcise her own emotional turmoil, of self hatred, fear, and poorly defined rage.

"I'm afraid I don't have an answer to that one, not yet anyway," she finally said as she turned her attention back to Ulquiorra. "Can I have more time to think on it? This is... as Rainbow Dash would say, heavy stuff to consider."

"The sooner a definite answer can be arrived at, the better off we'll be," Ulquiorra replied. Sooner or later Twilight Sparkle would have to face the matter head on, no matter how uncomfortable she was with it. The most he could do was give her advice, he couldn't hold her... hoof, through this situation. "You can have the time you need to arrive at a conclusion, but only if you're truly using it for legitimate deliberation. Don't assume that you can procrastinate freely," he warned.

"Something tells me you won't have to worry about that happening," Spike quipped, unable to keep his sarcasm restrained. Twilight procrastinate? The very idea was hilarious to even consider.

Twilight just shook her head, not wanting to say anything else on the matter. "I might be able to give an answer better after I've actually tried practicing these spells. There's really not much sense in getting all excited and prepared for something, if it's not a physical possibility to actually do it, right?" she asked.

The point being raised, much like others in the past, was fair in nature. If Twilight Sparkle truly could not wield these spells she was studying, then there would be little point in significantly involving her in the matter. Up to this point they had all simply been assuming that she was able to perform as required. They had yet to receive actual confirmation. That had been an oversight on all of their parts, his own included. How could he make such a careless mistake?

"Then perhaps we should proceed. The sooner we begin, the sooner we can arrive at a definite answer, and we can proceed accordingly," Ulquiorra replied. And the sooner they arrived at a definite answer, the sooner he could determine how much responsibility he truly needed to take up for himself.

"Rather strange."

The saddlebag that Twilight Sparkle wore rattled and clinked as they walked, filled with the supplies she said they would be needing over the course of the day. In addition to a number of hastily scribbled notes -she claimed that they were hastily scribbled, but he was unable to tell such- and assorted goods that ranged from packed food to strange looking scientific instruments, there was also the lantern from last night riding around inside the canvas structure. Anything that she couldn't carry herself had been relegated to the backpack that Spike possessed.

The fact that this world possessed backpacks was mildly interesting in and of itself. Even more so was the fact that the design of the backpacks in this world bore a remarkable similarity to the backpack designs of the human world. However he had noted a number of other similarities between the two worlds, so it wasn't all that unusual. What was more unusual -assuming that Rarity hadn't created the backpack for Spike- was the fact that apparently there were enough species in this world that could actually utilize the construct, to warrant them being regularly available.

That fact notwithstanding, the primary curiosity of the moment laid with Ponyville itself. Or perhaps more accurately it was the residents of Ponyville that were the primary curiosity, as they went about their daily routines.

"What's strange?" Twilight asked, turning her head to look back at him as she walked on his left side, while Spike walked more to his right.

"The general atmosphere is... sedate in nature. Such a development is unexpected," Ulquiorra explained.

From the moment they'd left the library, he could tell that something was off. There were too many ponies out and about. Those present and helping both with assessing the damage from yesterday's attack, and cleaning up the resulting debris, were expected to be seen. But those that had not volunteered for such duty, but proved to be present regardless, left him confused. It almost looked like they were going about their daily lives as if nothing had happened. Considering how sensitive these ponies appeared to be he'd expected an entirely different reaction.

"Had an attack of this magnitude occurred in the human world, the entire area would be subjected to increased security, a heightened presence of armed authority figures attempting to control the situation and restrict civilian interference, and many more onlookers. There would also be significantly more machinery present to assist with the cleanup and restoration," he continued, giving a mildly detailed picture of the contrast between how each world handled their affairs. "And that is to say nothing of the countless reporters that would be present, and asking questions for which nobody has any answers..."

"But I thought you said most humans weren't spiritually aware and couldn't see you. How could they be asking you questions? Especially if you don't have to remain in the human realm, but can freely travel back and forth?" Twilight asked, utterly confused by what he was saying. This seemed highly contradictory. She definitely remembered Ulquiorra say that only one out of approximately one hundred thousand humans possessed the spiritual awareness necessary to detect and react to the presence of Shinigami or Hollows. That was one thing that'd been discussed very early on after his arrival.

Of course that left a lot more questions rather than answers; like how they could see and interact with Ulquiorra? Were ponies more spiritually aware than humans in general? Or had Discord altered him in some way so they they could see and interact with him?

"They aren't. However being able to view a Hollow has no bearing on interviewing their fellow humans, and forwarding their foolishness to others," he explained.

"So wait a minute. Are you complaining that we're not like humans? Or complimenting?" Spike asked. The way Ulquiorra was talking, it was... really hard to get a bead on him properly.

"Merely commenting on the differences witnessed. Relatively speaking, this world appears to be subjected to constant adversity and risk. Yet the reactions of those under threat don't appear to match up with the reality of what could happen. Approximately one week ago, Ponyville witnessed a massacre where numerous residents were cut down where they stood. It was only after the fact, that anyone realized they were changelings. Despite that fact, the status quo of everyday life seemed to reestablish itself, and in an almost seamless manner; individual exceptions notwithstanding. Filthy Rich seemed relatively cordial during the acquisition of writing supplies, despite witnessing a decapitation inside his store, with the head rolling to a stop at his feet. Even you yourself seem to have recovered from the trauma you experienced, from knowing that you helped facilitate the massacre. I can't help but question why exactly this seeming acceptance of things as they come is commonplace, while other species react to such occurrences in desperate attempts to prevent a repeat of the events from ever occurring again, because they were too traumatized the last time and don't want to face such a second time," Ulquiorra explained as they walked along, casually stepping over a loose piece of debris that had been dislodged during yesterday's attack, and not yet picked up. But at the size it was, leaving it where it lay presented no hazards.

But right now the pieces of debris that had yet to be picked up were of no interest to him. At the moment he was more interested in how these ponies could be so relaxed and secured in their environment, that they required very little recovery time to apparently get over whatever was a source of concern to them. He hadn't been present for the aftermath of the dragon attack, so he didn't know exactly what the recovery process had involved. Nor had he been present the last few days in order to tell just what had transpired in the wake of the changeling massacre. There had certainly been ponies that screamed at his sight and ran from his presence. But those reactions hadn't been shared by every pony he'd encountered.

Perhaps they had recovered due to understanding that they were not the intended target, and instead had simply been lead to believe otherwise in an effort to maintain secrecy?

"What other choice do we have?" Spike asked him as they walked along. "I know that I'm not exactly the brightest, but isn't the only other alternative to more or less lock yourself in a room and just wait in terror for something to come and find you? That doesn't exactly sound much like living to me. What... what exactly is the point in going on living if you're just gonna spend your time in a constant state of fear?"

Twilight meanwhile wasn't hearing the conversation going on between Spike and Ulquiorra. At the moment she was deeply absorbed in her own thoughts, her body running on autopilot as they walked. She didn't want to admit it, but the Espada had raised some good questions, and she found herself lacking some good answers.

Her and the other girls, they'd been through a great deal together ever since they first met. Nightmare Moon, an encounter with a dragon, Discord, the changelings, Sombra, parasprites... and that was to say nothing to everything that'd happened since Ulquiorra arrived in their world. He hadn't even been here for a full month yet, and so far there had been more going on in that limited amount of time, than she had ever seen here in Ponyville over the past couple of years.

All that in mind, it would seem to make sense why their small group would be able to recover relatively quickly from whatever had been thrown at them. Being the ones tasked with keeping Equestria safe, it kind of went without saying that they'd need to be able to adapt to what was going on around them, lest they let the world down when they mentally shut down and became babbling foals from the mental overload.

But what about the others? What was there to explain how all the other ponies in Ponyville seemed to take all kinds of disaster in stride, with only minor difficulty? Granted, the rest of the town hadn't exactly been brought up to speed on the second dragon being present. And they had done their best to see about damage control in the aftermath of the changeling invasion in order to keep them from being terrified of Ulquiorra the next time he came to town, because they understood that he was simply trying to keep them all safe... he was just doing it in his own unique way, that was all.

But still, damage control aside, Ulquiorra did raise a very good point. As she observed various ponies walking or cantering, foals galloping on their way to school, she couldn't help but think on it. Were they simply well adjusted to disasters in general, and learned how to take them in stride once the initial excitement had worn off? Maybe something linked to basic, primal instinct that was passed down from generation to generation, dating back to the time long before Celestia and Luna took rule? Maybe it was a learned behavioral response developed in the wake of all sorts of adversity they simply couldn't overcome, and had been developed as a coping mechanism? Something to keep themselves from going mad when facing the possibility of having your neighbors be dead the next day?

She knew that yesterday's party had been possible due to Celestia's involvement, her "therapeutic approach" as it were, that involved suppressing the sensation of fear in those present. But that only explained the ones at the party. It didn't do anything to explain the aftermath with the ponies who hadn't attended.

Maybe Ulquiorra's own actions yesterday had done much to ease the fears of the percentage of ponies that still ran when they saw him? He had assisted them in finding those that had been hurt. And it hadn't just been the heavy lifting where he would pull a piece of building or a fallen tree off of them either. She still couldn't believe how she'd seen him actually carrying the injured to the hospital when all other available hooves were full. It just seemed so out of sync with the mental image she'd had of him up to that point. It was like he was displaying actual kindness of his own volition.

This was going to require some seriously extensive research to try and get to the bottom of.

"Twilight?"

But that would have to wait until later, as right now there were more important matters to tend to.

"Sorry, Spike, I wasn't paying attention. I had something else on my mind," she replied and shook her head. It was only then that she noticed how she'd fallen behind the others and was now bringing up the rear. Oh well, that really wasn't important right now. "Ulquiorra," she spoke up, drawing the Espada's attention to her as he glanced over his shoulder back at her. "There's something I need to speak with you about. But I think it would best be saved until we get to Sweet Apple Acres," she explained.

"Very well then," Ulquiorra replied and turned his attention back forward then. Why Twilight Sparkle had felt the need to mention such a fact, rather than simply waiting to mention it once they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, he really didn't know.

The rest of the walk proceeded in silence, none of the three really having anything more relevant to add to the discussion.

At least until Spike moved to round the corner of the building they were walking back, and promptly fell backwards from colliding with something hard, and letting out a yelp of surprise and pain as he rubbed his nose.

"Sorry 'bout that!"

At seeing Spike fall, Twilight moved ahead to make sure he was alright, and came face to... neck... with the loud pony in question that'd caused Spike to be knocked to the ground.

"Snowflake?" she asked at seeing the tall, muscular -very muscular- white pegasus pony standing before her, a bandage wrapped around the top of his head and underneath his chin.

"Aw come on, Twilight," the muscle bound pony groaned, "you know my name is Bulk Biceps," he complained.

"Right. Sorry. I don't know why that's so hard to remember," Twilight apologized. What was so hard to remember about that name? Just looking at him should be enough to remind her of who he really was. "What happened to you anyway? Did you get hurt?" she asked.

"Yeah somethin' like that. Yesterday when the manticore attacked everypony was tryin' to get away, but one little squirt of a colt got caught. And I couldn't just stand by and watch so I swooped down and attacked so the foal could get away. I pounded it and managed to break a wing, but all I got for my troubles was hurled right into a building," Bulk Biceps explained.

To Ulquiorra it seemed strange to observe the conversation that took place. These ponies were, by their very nature, easy to scare or otherwise startle, and the great majority of them seemed incapable of overriding their prey instincts. When presented with the type of situation that demanded fight or flight, flight was almost exclusively selected.

And yet despite that fact, this pegasus with diminutive wings, and an aerodynamic status that looked like it could rival a bumblebee, who looked like a stereotypical caricature for those that abused anabolic steroids, had managed to break the pattern of behavior by actually attempting to face the manticore by himself, despite the futility of the situation. That would certainly explain the damage it'd displayed upon his arrival, thus answering one of the many, many mysteries that seemed drawn to him like flies were drawn to decay.

It was quite possibly due to this pony's efforts that Pipsqueak had succeeded in getting to Sweet Apple Acres, to warn them of the attack that had been underway. By directly interfering where others chose to flee, it was possible that Bulk Biceps had managed to save the majority of Ponyville through his actions.

He may have to revise his list of ponies he deemed interesting enough to warrant further interaction.

"Well that was very brave of you to do, Bulk Biceps, you should be proud of yourself," Twilight replied and smiled at him, causing the tall pegasus to blush at the compliment, taking on a nervous demeanor. "Lu- Princess Luna will likely want to thank you personally for intervening and saving Pipsqueak's life," she stated, stopping short of addressing Luna in an informal manner. Around friends it was one thing, but around others it was another entirely.

"P-P-Princess Luna? Seriously? She... I..." Bulk Biceps stammered in surprise at what Twilight said. One of the country's ruling actually wanting to thank him for something he'd done? This was too much to believe. This was... it was... in light of this new information, he did the one and only thing that was clear in his mind at this particularly point in time. "YEAH!"

"Then again, perhaps not," Ulquiorra thought to himself.

Applejack stopped her examination of the apple tree in order to let out a yawn that was desperately pleading to be vocalized. She idly noted that Ulquiorra had been right when he'd told her to turn in for the night, as she was paying for it now. But that was neither here nor there, as she still had a mountain of work to do. Yesterday's distractions had set them back a fair bit, and now it was time to be playing catchup.

"The things we do for our friends when we don't think about it," she thought to herself and rubbed her eyes.

But being tired from a lack of sleep was only part of the problem she was dealing with. In addition to being tired and wanting to take a nap, there was the issue of her butt still hurting from falling flat on it twice in a row last night. She wasn't some soft, delicate little filly who couldn't take her lumps when they came, but that still hurt darnit! Sleeping hadn't been so bad, but walking home when the full ache of her ungraceful landings had set in hadn't been the most enjoyable of things to do. And she really wasn't looking forward to trying to ignore the ache she'd be experiencing when she did her bucking.

He would have no idea just how so, but she was thankful that her brother had enough sense in his head to not ask why she'd been walking so funny when she'd made her way home. That would've been one awkward conversation to have, and even more so if Apple Bloom had wandered in to it. She didn't even want to be considering just how awkward it could be, and how the conversation might somehow turn to whether Ulquiorra was harder than the floor and...

"Now don't go and think stuff like that, AJ, that just plain sounds wrong," she told herself. After that little revelation last night that involved Rainbow Dash, things were definitely going to be different. Different and just plain wrong.

Oh well her rest break was over, now it was time to get back to work. Which in this case involved a mighty buck to the base of the tree. Unfortunately the only response she got was the dislodging of a half dozen or so leaves.

"Wha' the?" she asked herself. That hadn't turned out at all like she planned, she should've gotten a lot more than that. Undeterred she pulled back and tried again, putting her full weight into it. This time she was rewarded with a greater yield... unfortunately it was in the form of a broken branch toppling to the ground. "Aw c'mon! Dern stubborn tree! Give already!" she growled as she looked up at her opponent.

"There are no apples present on the tree to give."

Applejack spun around in surprise at the sudden voice behind her, even though she knew by now that it had to belong to Ulquiorra. But simply knowing who it belonged to didn't make it any less surprising when it came out of nowhere. She'd known Pinkie for years and still jumped when the party planner would appear out of nowhere and give an excited yell.

Ulquiorra being able to sneak up on her didn't surprise her any. Truth be told she'd be surprised if he didn't manage that a time or two. He was lighter than anypony, his feet were padded with whatever those things were that he wore, and he had that ability to walk on thin air like it was paved ground. Everything about him just spoke of stealth.

Twilight and Spike on the other hoof was another matter entirely. How had she not noticed them approaching? Was she too absorbed in her work to be paying attention? Or was it simply that she hadn't expected to see them so soon after leaving the library?

"Well howdy there," she greeted, slightly less enthusiasm in her voice than her friends normally received when being welcomed. "Wha' brings y'all here so early in the mornin'?" she asked.

"As it was explained to me, matters pertaining to scientific discovery, and magical experimentation," Ulquiorra explained calmly, preventing Twilight Sparkle from launching herself into an in depth elaboration of today's plans. She herself had decided to cut today's plans in half in order to save time, so there was no point in her getting off track and distracted by pointless conversations.

Twilight nodded in agreement. "We were wondering if we could use Sweet Apple Acres to conduct some experiments, since they require a wide open area and can't be performed inside. And it's hard to find any area wider open than here," she explained.

Applejack thought on the matter and rubbed her chin. She didn't have any objection to her friends wanting to spend time on the farm for one reason or another. But when it came to Twilight and experiments, she felt herself growing nervous about the prospect. Normally she'd insist on being present just in case something went wrong, and Twilight's scientific knowledge failed to take into account certain basic logic that could only be learned from working on the farm. But right now she really didn't have the time to be observing them, and making sure they stayed out of trouble. She had way too much work to get done. And as much as she wanted to be friendly, some things just simply took precedent.

"Much as ah'd like ta say yes, now's not really a good time fer such," she replied, "ah've got an awful lot o' work ta do. This poor tree's showin' signs o' blight contamination, an' it can be a health hazard ta the rest o' the orchard. Much as ah hate to, ah gotta bring it down. Darn shame too, seein' as it's always been a good producer," she explained.

To Ulquiorra it now made sense why Applejack was trying so hard to kick a tree with no produce to it. She was trying to bring down the tree herself, although he didn't exactly see it being a possibility. She was strong, he wouldn't deny that fact, but he wasn't sure just how much of her strength would be necessary for such a feat. He truly hadn't seen a serious exercise of her reiatsu, and thus could only detect what was at the surface.

"Hmm..." Twilight mumbled in thought. Then she got an idea. "We might be able to help. With just a slight modification, we could conduct our experiment, and bring down the tree. With your permission of course."

"Yeah?" Applejack asked, now becoming intrigued by the idea. Magic really wasn't her thing, that went without saying. But it couldn't hurt to hear her out. "Wha' ya got in mind?"

"Well in simple terms, I guess I'd call it a controlled lightning strike," Twilight replied, getting geared up not only for the explanation to follow, but also the task of structuring it in a way that would make the proposition seem reasonable to Applejack. "One of the spells I was studying last night was how to summon lightning, utilizing just the static electricity in the air. But it can only be done in an open environment, like Sweet Apple Acres for example. Now modifying today's plans accordingly, if the spell goes accordingly, it should not only bring down the tree, but also add nitrogen to the soil and produce a better yield of apples when it's time to harvest them," she explained.

Applejack looked back at Twilight in an incredulous manner at the explanation. "... Yer sayin' ya wanna hit mah orchards with a lightnin' bolt? An' ya thought ah'd be alright wit' that idea?" she asked, doing her best to sound neutral about the idea. She always knew that Twilight was... a tad bit unusual in nature, but this was just plain weird. Actually it sounded downright crazy! "Ah'm gonna have ta say no. Sounds like too much of a risk ta the rest o' the orchard ta be takin'. Lightnin' ain' no toy ta be playin' with," she stated. "If ya don' mind ah'm gonna have ta ask ya ta leave. Ah've got chores ta be doin' right now."

Twilight couldn't help but look on in silence. Applejack was actually asking them to leave Sweet Apple Acres? Just like that? She'd never done anything like that before. The whole thing had left her speechless and unable to respond, as she watched the earth pony return to trying to bring down the tree by herself, and not having much success in the process. That was even more odd than the cold reception she was giving them. Twilight had seen Applejack easily bring down trees on her own before, so why was this proving so difficult? Was it because she was sleep deprived?

She looked over to Ulquiorra, who caught the movement of her head out of the corner of his eye, and looked back at her. She didn't say a single word to him, but rather gestured with her head in the direction of Applejack and the tree. Since they'd made the trip all the way out here, it would be a shame to go back without doing something, after taking the time to actually seek out Applejack. The least they could do was lend a hoof of assistance before actually leaving.

Ulquiorra looked between Twilight Sparkle, and the struggling attempts of Applejack. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together; she wanted him to help Applejack bring the tree down, and save her some of the work she would otherwise have to do on her own.

On the one hand he was under no obligation to truly help. He had already managed to convince these ponies that he understood matters pertaining to friendship, and thus had little reason to maintain the appearance of one who was truly attempting such studies. Furthermore, if Applejack's request that they leave was anything approaching normal interaction, periodical lack of compliance wasn't out of the ordinary. His refusal wouldn't be considered out of the realm of normality.

On the other hand, however, there was still the need to maintain appearances to a limited degree, that would indicate a conscious practice of what he had learned. All the necessary price of keeping these ponies useful to him, illogical as it might be.

He considered the available options before him. And in the end he arrived at the conclusion... that he couldn't determine a valid reason to not assist while they were present.

"If I may, Applejack..."

The sooner the matter at hand was addressed, the sooner they could tend to more pressing matters that actually had some bearing on their wellbeing.

When Ulquiorra had faced down the dragon high atop the mountains, Spike hadn't been able to watch, as he was tasked with looking over everypony's pets and keeping them out of trouble.

When Ulquiorra had faced off against Celestia high above Canterlot in order to fool Chrysalis, Spike hadn't been able to watch, as he was tasked with keeping Ponyville's search and rescue operations running smoothly.

When Ulquiorra had faced down the manticore inside Ponyville, and assisted in the search and rescue efforts for injured ponies, Spike hadn't been able to watch, as he was tasked with helping Cheerilee keep the foals safe and sound at the schoolhouse, due to his -comparatively speaking- heightened level of durability.

In each of these three incidents he had only been able to hear stories about the exploits of the Espada, and how he had displayed unbelievable degrees of strength. Stories that didn't seem to do a justice to the events as reported.

So for him it was something of a treat to watch how Ulquiorra had uprooted the entire apple tree, literally ripping its massive roots right out of the ground, with a single firm kick to the base, performing a task that Applejack had been trying her hardest to do, and all the while getting nowhere. He had cheered to a ridiculous degree at watching how he had so easily toppled the tree like it was nothing, and how he'd removed it from the orchards like it was foal's play

Unfortunately, good deed or no, they still had to leave Sweet Apple Acres at Applejack's insistence. He still didn't get what the big deal was. But he really wasn't in a position to be protesting, and simply continued to walk along with Twilight and Ulquiorra. If they couldn't use the farm for these experiments, then they'd just find another area to set up and try. It's not like they were limited in terms of out of the way, wide open fields where they could operate without interruptions.

"I still don't get why Applejack wanted us to leave. I've never seen her act so... unfriendly. Even when she was trying to harvest the entire orchard by herself, she was still friendly and volunteering to help others when they needed it. I just don't get it," Twilight stated as she shook her head, walking on in confusion over it all. "Ulquiorra? Did you detect anything strange while we were there? Anything that stood out to you?" she asked as she turned her attention to him, hoping that maybe he was aware of something she wasn't.

"Nothing," Ulquiorra replied as they walked along, "but if I were to speculate on all the available information, however, I would theorize that Applejack is prone to astraphobia."

"Astraphobia?" Spike asked.

"Even I don't know what that one means," Twilight stated as she looked to Ulquiorra for clarification.

"In simple terms, a strong fear of lightning. During last night's storm, it was impossible to be unaware of the disturbances to her detectable reiatsu that coincided with each lightning discharge, regardless of how hard she attempted to remain calm. Furthermore Applejack's change in mood occurred only after finding out what the experimentation would involve," Ulquiorra explained. "In simple terms-"

"In simple terms, I was completely insensitive to something that's disturbing to one of my friends," Twilight interrupted and frowned at the thought. How could she be so insensitive and oblivious?

"Wait a minute. Applejack's one of the bravest ponies we know. How could she be scared of something like lightning? And wouldn't we have known before now?" Spike asked, finding the whole idea preposterous. Applejack did embody honesty after all, it wasn't like she could just lie about her fears to them.

"I don't exactly know the how, Spike, all I know is that fears and phobias are funny things. The research I've done on the subject of phobias in general would suggest that it's possible to overcome them to some extent, but traumatic encounters can cause them to resurface unexpectedly. And let's face it, yesterday was traumatizing for everypony. It's possible that Applejack is suffering a relapse in a previously conquered area. However it's equally possible that she simply never said anything because we never asked her," Twilight explained. Of course it probably wouldn't have been such a big issue if she hadn't done the bonehead thing, and try to bring lightning to what was Applejack's home. Granted she didn't know, but that didn't mean she wasn't still at fault. She'd have to apologize later on, and profusely too.

Ulquiorra remained silent during his observation. Twilight Sparkle and Applejack served as an interesting compare and contrast with one another. Twilight Sparkle's obsessive compulsive tendencies, and a need for some level of structure and organization, had only recently come to his attention, and were likely due to the amount of stress she had been under the past few days. Applejack's fear of lightning was similar, but far less pronounced, and much less likely to interfere with day-to-day activities. It was also interesting how Applejack was able to resist her fears, while Twilight Sparkle's tendencies towards order proved to be more difficult.

It was an interesting thought to consider. And he would've done just that, if not for the fact that Twilight Sparkle had stopped ahead of him, serving to prevent him from moving any further without physically meeting -and potentially injuring- her.

"Why have we stopped?" he asked.

"I think this area would work well enough. I haven't seen any ponies for the past few minutes, so I don't think anyone would get hurt if we set up right here," she explained.

Ulquiorra glanced around them, scanning the area with his pesquisa. This unincorporated area of the territory separating Ponyville from the Everfree Forest didn't show any immediate signs of intelligent life. Proceeding with what Twilight Sparkle was proposing would most likely not lead to any significant damage or loss of life.

"Very well then. How do we proceed?" he asked.

"In order. Step number one, locate an area. Step number two," she paused and levitated her saddlebags off and set them down on the ground, "get comfortable. Step number three, deploy the necessary equipment."

Another pause as she went to work, her horn glowing as she cast a spell, causing a long metal stake to flash into existence, and fall to the ground, partially burying itself in the soft dirt and grass a good hundred feet ahead of them.

"A lightning rod?" Ulquiorra asked.

"In a way. Lightning is unpredictable, so something is needed to attract and guide it in a safe manner," she explained as she sat herself down on her haunches, rotating her neck until an audible pop was heard. "Onto step number four; proceed with caution. Now I'm going to need to concentrate, this is a difficult spell, especially since I have no experience with it," she explained.

Ulquiorra understood the subtlety of what Twilight Sparkle was saying, without actually having to say it. It was essentially the same statement he was making during their meeting in the dream world. However hers was a more straightforward and less wordy way of politely telling someone to shut their fucking mouth and not interrupt what they were engaged in. He could accept and respect that.

"Let us proceed with the experimentation then," he said as he slid his hands into his pockets, preparing to observe in silence.

Author's Note

** Bleach Chapter 348

Last breather chapter before the shit starts hitting the fan again.

Chapter Fifty One

Chapter Fifty One

Twilight moaned as she sat on her haunches on the floor of the Carousel Boutique, her left eye currently bandaged and hidden from view. A towel hung limply around her neck, while a wastebasket sat next to her on a matching towel spread out on the floor should she need to make use of it. However she was quite certain there was nothing left in her to actually vomit. Right now she was delicately rubbing at her aching belly, hoping to sooth her stomach and make it stop its near-constant flip flopping.

Intellectually she knew that the gesture would do nothing to soothe the nauseated feeling she was currently experiencing. But that still didn't stop her from trying it, in a desperate attempt to ward off the sickening feeling she was trying to not pay any attention to. Right now she was motivated to try anything that would even be rumored as capable of stopping her dry -and painful- heaves from continuing.

"Try this, darling," Rarity said as she approached, a porcelain cup of still-steaming tea being levitated in front of her. "I find that a nice hot cup of ginger tea is highly effective for settling an upset stomach," she explained.

The way she felt right now, Twilight really didn't want to drink anything. But at the same time she was desperate enough to actually try it. She reached out with a hoof, before rethinking the matter entirely, and wrapping the cup in her magic instead, and levitating it over to her.

"Thanks," she mumbled, before giving the tea a tentative sip, both due to the heat coming off of it, and to try and avoid upsetting her stomach any further. She couldn't help but wonder if the tea was a special recipe that Rarity got from Zecora, as the brew was already starting to make her stomach feel a little better, giving her motivation to take another sip.

"No trouble at all, Twilight," Rarity replied reassuringly, "although I must admit that I'm curious. What exactly happened that caused all this?" she asked. The entire morning had been strange since leaving the library. And as they sat here in the Carousel Boutique, she couldn't help but wonder just what had gone on while she'd been otherwise occupied.

Some may have assumed that she'd left that morning to tend to dress orders for her various clientele. And truthfully she had done just that. But those plans had changed upon seeing how the others around town had been pitching in to assist with getting the town back to normal after yesterday's events. Being the generous type that she was, she had volunteered what services she could to assist, dirt and filth be damned. There were ponies that needed all the help they could get, and what kind of Element bearer would she be if she didn't come to their aid? If she could help out with yesterday's efforts, and all the horrors that were contained there, she could certainly help with this.

And that was just what she'd been doing for most of the morning, ever since the clouds had been cleared; sorting through rubble for transportation and cleanup. Although at times she would admit the difficulty was intense. Moving rubble for cleanup was supposed to be done in an organized manner that contributed both to safety and effectiveness. Organizing the rubble in a particular way was something she sometimes had to remind herself to save for another, less chaotic time.

And then there was the matter of how her usefulness wasn't static. She hadn't simply been assigned to one particular area and left there, to perform the same task over and over again. Everypony involved was working in shifts, in tandem with one another, volunteering or otherwise being assigned specific tasks to carry out, differing based on the situation.

That assigned task in this instance, had been her and several others moving wheelbarrows full of debris to a designated dumping ground just on the outskirts of Ponyville so the area could be better cleared, as there would be fewer hazards on the ground to address; the likes of which primarily being broken glass and old, rusted nails that'd come loose during all the chaos yesterday.

In her own mind she'd performed her task admirably with others, even if she had been slower than the more physically capable stallions she was working alongside. It wasn't entirely her fault she was the last to arrive at the dumping location. Or that she would be the one that would be last to leave after emptying her wheelbarrow. It was just how things were.

However it was that status at end of the line, which had likely lead to this latest development.

She'd been trying not to complain, to not focus on how the working conditions were absolutely ghastly when it came to her hooficure, and how she would need to visit the spa again when everything was settled, as she struggled to upend the wagon in her tired state. And it was during that exertion, that she'd heard the unmistakable sound of Ulquiorra's sondio not too far from where she'd been at the time. Being curious -and in truth, wanting a short break from the toils of such hard physical labor- she'd naturally gone to see just what was going on. And it was that curiosity that had lead her to find Ulquiorra, Twilight, and Spike present all at the same time, with Twilight being violently sick where she'd stood, and poor Spike being the unfortunate victim of such a fact, his front completely covered in vomit.

Naturally under such circumstances, she couldn't simply leave them in the state they were in. So hastily returning the wheelbarrow, she excused herself from any further volunteer work in the cleanup, citing more pressing matters that needed to be tended to. Which lead them to where they were now, with Twilight getting tea to soothe her stomach, and Spike being given access to her bath -and her various soaps- so that he could clean up, and avoid any risk of his scales becoming horribly stained from what he went through.

"It's a really long story, Rarity," Twilight replied, pausing to take another sip of tea. It was really starting to make her feel a lot better. And if Rarity really intended to hear the full story, she would need her stomach properly relaxed so she could talk without the risk of being sick again. "Are you sure you have the time to hear it?" she asked.

"I've always got time for my friends, darling, don't fret yourself about it," Rarity replied and motioned for her to go on.

"Alright then," Twilight replied, stopping to finish the tea and set the cup down on the floor. "It's sort of like this..."

+++

Spike was doing his best to remain quiet while Twilight sat and concentrated on the spell she was trying to cast. He'd had a lot of experience with keeping his mouth shut from the number of years he'd been assisting her. But still, when the experiment was something that managed to excite him, being quiet proved to be more difficult.

He looked over to where Ulquiorra stood, stoic as ever, and looking like he was utterly bored as he stood at attention in observation. How could he be so calm at any given moment? It just seemed so baffling to him. Didn't anything excite the guy?

That thought was interrupted as Twilight murmured to herself in concentration, sitting stock still with her eyes closed, and head aimed upward towards the sky as her horn continually glowed. As he waited for something to happen, he couldn't really remember any past time when he'd seen her take this long to cast a spell. Was something wrong? Was the spell not taking? Did it take more mana than she had to give?

He then became aware of an... he wasn't sure just how to describe the sensation that was against his scales. Itchy didn't really seem to adequate describe it, because it wasn't painful in nature. But tingly didn't do it justice, as it commanded more of a presence than that. Just... just what in Tartarus was going on here?

Suddenly, and without any warning to signal its coming, a massive bolt of lightning flashed into existence in the distance with a loud crackling noise, striking the lightning rod in front of them, and then disappearing in an instant, leaving behind nothing to indicate it ever existed, other than smoke wafting up from the metal stake.

The flash might've lasted only an instant, but it was more than enough to get Spike's heart racing. The close proximity that'd been shared with such a powerful force was really intimidating to experience. He was really glad Applejack had asked them to leave Sweet Apple Acres now, uncertain of just what kind of reaction the earth pony might've had if she'd been so close to so much raw natural power.

"Woohoo!" Spike cheered after a delayed moment, the terror giving way to absolute excitement. Now that he wasn't quiet so scared stiff, he could admire just how awesome that'd been to experience.

Twilight's response, however, consisted of heavy and exhausted panting as she slouched, no longer looking composed and in control of the situation. As her head hung low, Spike couldn't help but feel concerned for her wellbeing.

"Twilight? A-are you okay?" he asked nervously as he stepped over to where she sat.

Twilight continued to pant, before finally managing a nod. "I'm alright, Spike, really" she panted, "I'm just winded. That spell takes a lot more than I originally believed."

"At least we know it works now," Spike replied as he rubbed her back.

"It does. But not well enough," Twilight replied as she moved to sit up properly. "If I ever have to use that spell for real, we can't afford to wait ten minutes in order to cast it. I need to keep practicing it in order to get faster. It needs to be something that can be cast in less than a minute. It has to be instantaneous, something that can be cast by reflex if at all possible," she explained.

Ulquiorra said nothing as he observed. The lightning had been significantly greater in magnitude than what he'd anticipated to see. The fact that the lightning rod hadn't melted from the heat it was subjected to was somewhat surprising.

However that didn't change the fact that the requirements to use it were significant in nature. Besides the ten minutes that had been spent waiting, the spell had required fifteen percent of Twilight Sparkle's total reiryoku to be cast. It definitely wasn't a spell that could be utilized quickly or efficiently. For it to be viable in its current form would require significant advanced planning. Currently Twilight Sparkle would be best utilized as a specific resource rather than a front line force; something along the lines of a mortar or a howitzer.

In simpler terms she did have her usefulness. But only if she worked in tandem with others who could withstand ten minutes of assault. Meaning that without his assistance, she wasn't of much use.

"Stand back, Spike, I'm going to try again, see if I can cast it any faster this time," Twilight instructed. She's already moved from hypothesis to proof of concept concerning the actual casting of the spell. And now that she had the knowledge of how to successfully cast it and rain down lightning without the need for clouds or pegasi intervention, she just needed to figure out how to go about streamlining everything to speed up the process. And the only way to do that was practice, practice, practice!

Ulquiorra continued to remain silent and observe things unfold, noting the fluctuations displayed in Twilight Sparkle's reiatsu and reiryoku levels, as she went about attempting to recast the spell, in an effort to yield better and more efficient results.

Twice more, he observed as the lavender unicorn successfully cast the spell, raining down lightning on the designated target, and subjecting it to greater abuse. After the third lightning strike had landed, he could see signs of metal fatigue becoming present, as it slowly began to sag to one side. If the strikes had been back to back, he had no doubts that signs of melting would be present at this point in time.

Each successive casting was also growing shorter, bit by bit. The second lightning discharge had come after just nine minutes of effort, and the third after eight minutes. She was indeed learning how to become more efficient through continual practice. But the effort involved was significant. Each successful casting was leaving her physically exhausted and drained, leaving her gasping for air, and nearly collapsing on the ground in the aftermath.

At the current rate of depletion it was highly unlikely that the unicorn would be able to kill herself from exhaustion, regardless of how haggard she appeared afterward. But regardless of that fact, he decided to intervene after the fourth successful casting of the spell. She might not die, but near-total exhaustion wasn't acceptable either.

"Twilight, stop! You're bleeding!"

However before he could intervene, Spike was already in the process of doing just that. At hearing she was wounded, however, he stepped closer, and observed that blood was dripping from her nostrils as she hunched over, gasping for air as if she'd been running for miles.

But on closer inspection there was more going on than a simple nosebleed. As he rotated her head upward to look at him, he noticed the white of her left eye was also turning blood red. Demonic possession not being a valid theory, the most logical explanation present was that all of the straining she'd done had ruptured several blood vessels, and that was the source of the bleeding in her eye and from her nostrils. Hardly grounds to be concerned, but it was an indicator that her efforts were harder on her than she'd anticipated.

"I'm alright, Spike, I-" she panted as she moved to sit back up again. But as she tried to reassure the young dragon that everything was perfectly alright, she gagged as the blood dripping from her nose came into contact with her tongue. She coughed hard and spat onto the ground to the side, before wiping her mouth and tongue with her foreleg to get try and get rid of the coppery taste. "I'm alright," she repeated again, "you two might want to stand back. I'm going to give it another shot."

"I would advise against that," Ulquiorra warned as he straightened up, "the costs of the spell are significant. You've already drained sixty percent of your reiryoku. You would only be able to successfully cast the spell two more times at best, leaving yourself severely weakened. And not knowing what may be encountered later in the day, it would be wise not to engage in total exertion simply to practice a single spell," he explained.

Twilight wanted to protest Ulquiorra's observation of her abilities and her current state. She wanted to argue that she was fully capable of continuing so long as she had a few minutes to catch her breath, and maybe something to drink as well.

But deep down she knew that any attempts at arguing with Ulquiorra would be pointless. Trying to convince him that she hadn't bled most of her mana out in casting those lightning spells would be an impossibility. The fact that he could see and measure stuff like that put him at a considerable advantage over everyone else. His eyes could see things that theirs were incapable of seeing. On his very first meeting with Rainbow Dash, he could easily tell that her Sonic Rainboom could only be used once a day. Not only that, he could tell just how much mana she absorbed per hour, as her body replenished itself. That was information that she had never been able to determine on her own!

That had been on their first meeting, when he barely knew anything about her. And if he could so easily determine so much with so little, what chance did she have of him being wrong after so much interaction?

"Alright. You win," she replied and nodded in defeat, knowing there was no way to win the argument. He had her at a tactical disadvantage. But regardless of that fact, she wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet. "So if we're done with the magical aspect of today's practices, should we move onto the next part? Should we see if the containment lantern can actually contain your Cero?" she asked.

"I still possess doubts about the effectiveness of the properties of your lantern," Ulquiorra pointed out. He could easily foresee the artifact being destroyed in this exercise. "However doubts are not scientifically valid. Unless we try, we will know nothing. The results may be surprising to all of us."

Twilight couldn't help but smile at Ulquiorra's words when he started talking about scientific validity. Now he was really speaking her language.

"No."

Twilight turned her head in Spike's direction since he was the one objecting. He had a look of determination on his face that she'd only seen a few times before; one that suggested an age greater than what his actually was.

"We should be getting Twilight to the hospital, her eye shouldn't be red like that," he pointed out.

"Ultimately for what purpose? To divert resources from those in genuine need of medical attention?" Ulquiorra asked calmly, serving as a contrast to Spike's anxious state. "Subconjunctival hemorrhages can occur from sneezing or coughing. In this case it most likely occurred from the strain Twilight Sparkle was exerting on herself in order to cast the spell. The blood vessels of the eyes are particularly fragile in nature and rupture with great ease. Assuming you could even get in to be seen, you would most likely be sent home and told to rest," he explained.

"How exactly do you know all this stuff?" Spike finally asked, finding it hard to believe that the Espada seemed so knowledgeable about everything. It wasn't even the cocky, arrogant type of knowledgeable that some ponies would display when they went spouting off about how they knew something. No, this was the calm, calculated, analytical type of knowledge that was displayed by someone who was well-read in a particular topic. And if it was one thing or another that Ulquiorra had chosen to comment on, he could believe it. But with everything?

"When I was first brought to this reality by Discord's intervention, I arrived at the conclusion that I should familiarize myself with anything that may be of relevance if I was to remain here for an extended period of time. When it was determined that the majority of my interactions with others would involve ponies, I expanded my studied to include relevant matters such as the anatomy of the three races," Ulquiorra replied calmly. Was it really that hard to believe? "I will admit, however, the medical wing of the royal libraries is extensive. There are a number of books I haven't yet gotten around to reading, due to more pressing matters demanding my attention."

Twilight was pretty certain that Spike had some kind of retort in mind for Ulquiorra. So she decided to intervene and stroke Spike's head to the side of his green ridge. Sometimes he was cute when he was worried.

"It'll be alright, Spike, I'll just put in some eye drops when we get home. And if necessary, I remember where Pinkie keeps her eye patches," she said as she did her best to calm him down. They were getting far too distracted. "But right now, could you get the lantern out? We've got important research and preparation to engage in, and that takes precedent over a red eye."

Spike grumbled, not really liking the fact that his concerns were being brushed aside so easily. How exactly was he supposed to be a good assistant if he couldn't even assist? But for better or worse, he was being outvoted on the matter of how best to address Twilight's wellbeing, and he was left with little choice but to sigh, mutter an "okay" of defeat, and go to fetch the old lantern from her saddlebags for what she was planning.

"Just one question. Where exactly should we set it up? From what I've heard this is gonna be... pretty big. And if things go wrong, somepony might get hurt if they're in the blast zone," Spike pointed out. Just because he couldn't get Twilight to take it easy, didn't mean that he had to keep his concerns and observations to himself.

"Hmm..." Twilight mumbled as she rubbed her chin in thought, before turning to look at Ulquiorra. "It is a good point. We need to determined the best location for setting up to prevent such."

"Twenty two degrees southeast," Ulquiorra replied, after taking the time to scan the surroundings to the best of his abilities. And after a moment's pause, he gestured in the direction, just in case neither of them understood. As far as his pesquisa could detect, there was no life in that area that would be harmed should everything go wrong.

Strange as it might seem to outsiders looking in, he did have some measure of concern for the wellbeing of these ponies. But then again it was his assigned purpose. So perhaps it really wasn't all that strange after all.

However before Spike could even take the first step in the specified direction, he spoke up in interruption. There was an unforeseen development about to occur and needed to be addressed.

"We're about to have company," he stated simply, alerting them to the fact.

"How many? Friend or foe?" Twilight asked in response, wanting to know exactly what they were about to be facing.

"There will be no need for combat in this particular encounter," Ulquiorra replied and replaced his hands back in his pockets. There was no way of misidentifying these particular reiatsu signatures.

Twilight and Spike looked at each other, although Spike had to look away as the sight of her one bloody eye was making his hurt and water, and required him pinching his own shut. Never mind that now though, there was still the matter of just who might be coming, and why Ulquiorra seemed so calm about it. Were the girls coming out to find them? Did some of the other ponies from town come to investigate the bolts of lightning that'd been coming down over the last half hour?

And then she heard the faint buzzing in the distance.

Living in Ponyville long enough, there were certain instances and events that one came to be intimately familiar with. Certain sounds that were unmistakable in nature. So it really proved to be no challenge to know that three certain fillies would be crossing their path any second now.

Running into the Cutie Mark Crusaders was nothing new, what with their penchant for being anywhere and just about any given time. But the odd part was the timing of it all. Why exactly would they be out and about at this time of day when school was in session?

"This can't end well," Spike groaned.

"Just be nice, Spike, everything will work out," Twilight told him, trying to stay calm, despite the potential for disaster that was going to be present now.

Disaster that, as she observed, manifested during their approach.

She knew the hookup of their wagon to Scootaloo's scooter had never been the most secure of hookups, regardless of how much it had proven capable of withstanding with those three. However, as they approached quickly, she never expected that the wagon hitting a partially obscured rock would be enough to buck the frame with enough force that it would send a now terrified Sweetie Belle flying, as if she'd just been tossed by a catapult.

"Oh shit!"

It was a statement shared in unison by both Spike and Twilight Sparkle, despite the former's reported dislike for the use of profanity. Ulquiorra wasn't sure what to think of that fact, as his mind was more focused on the fact that Twilight Sparkle was simply watching, rather than making any conscious effort to prevent the inevitable. Perhaps it was due to the suddenness of it all preventing that thought process from engaging. Perhaps the type of magic that was needed, wasn't the type that acted upon basic instinct. But whatever the reason, he could tell that the screaming filly's trajectory was beginning to be affected by gravity, and impact with the ground was imminent.

Those facts in mind, he was the quickest to respond to the situation at hand, by stepping forward, and catching the falling Sweetie Belle in his arms before she could make contact with the ground, and possibly break something in the process. Instead of landing with a sickening thud and wet squelch, what was heard sounded much more like the squeak of a rubber toy. Whether it was an audible statement from her, or a result of how she came to a stop against his frame, he couldn't really be sure. Nor could he muster the curiosity to actually care.

"Ya a'right Sweetie Belle?"

Ulquiorra looked up from the unicorn filly in his arms, her eyes still squeezed shut as her body displayed signs of still bracing for the impact that wouldn't come. For whatever reason, she seemed to have failed to register the connection her body had made against his musculature, despite the fact that it should've felt much harder than the ground itself.

That matter wasn't important at the moment. He looked up and saw the other two young ponies, quickly dismounting their transportation and haphazardly discarding their helmets as they galloped over to them to check on their comrade.

Sweetie Belle looked up from her balled up, cowering position at the sound of her friends' voices and approach, and came face to face with him, her expression going from shocked to utter embarrassment in very little time once she made the realization of what had just happened.

"Sorry," she stated quickly, her voice cracking and squeaking in the process.

He said nothing in response, and simply set her back on her hooves on the ground as the others approached.

"That was an awesome catch!" Scootaloo stated excitedly as she came to a halt in front of them.

"Yeah that was perdy cool, the way ya didn' have ta dive er nothin'. Jus' stepped right up an' caught Sweetie Belle like she was a fly ball," Apple Bloom added.

Twilight wasn't sure exactly what to say. On the one hoof the interaction between Ulquiorra and the three fillies was interesting to watch. But on the other hoof, her mind was burning with questions as to just what they were up to, and why exactly they were present. Shouldn't they be in school right now? Were they engaged in truancy?

"What're you girls doing here? What about school?" she finally asked, wanting to get to the bottom of this whole mystery.

"Miss Cheerilee gave the class the day off on account o' all the ponies tha' got hurt yesterday. Not even half of 'em managed ta show up today," Apple Bloom explained. She agreed in this case, as there wasn't much point in having school if only a few of the students could actually make it to class.

"I don't even want to think about how many of them we're not gonna see again," Scootaloo stated as she looked at the ground. These were unpleasant thoughts to have thrust upon them at their young age.

Spike winced at Scootaloo's statement, not wanting to think about that either. Thinking about it brought back memories of last night's conversation. Unlike them he actually knew what had gone on, even if he hadn't seen it for himself. But not seeing it happen hadn't made things any better. In fact, knowing what happened but not witnessing it had actually made things worse, as his imagination had worked to try and fill in the blanks.

"We were going to spend the day at the park, but there's still cleanup going on over there. So we just decided to come out here for a while," Sweetie Bell explained in an effort to break the silence that resulted from Scootaloo's statement. They should be spending their time worrying about getting their cutie marks, not about how they'd never be seeing their other classmates again. "So what're you three doing out here with that old lantern?"

Twilight looked between the three fillies and then back over at Spike as he held the containment lantern in his claws. She'd very nearly forgotten about it upon discovering they weren't alone, and watching everything that had unfolded. How exactly could she explain this situation to them properly? And more importantly, how did she convince them to not try and help out?

"What the hay happened to your eye?!"

And along that same vein of thought, how exactly did she explain the matter of a subconjunctival hemorrhage to these three, when they weren't exactly regarded for their patience?

"Oh it's nothing serious," she said as she waved her hoof dismissively, "I was just trying too hard to cast a particular spell, that's all. It looks worse than it is," she explained.

"Actually... it looks kinda cool. Real freaky and stuff. Is that something anypony can do?" Scootaloo asked.

Well that sure wasn't how she figured things might play out. She expected a reaction more akin to fear, not fascination and interest. Every single time she thought she had these fillies figured out, they managed to go and surprise her with something new.

Sweetie Belle just shook her head. Looking at Twilight's red eye was making her own eyes hurt and water, and she really didn't want to think too much about it. It was really starting to freak her out.

"So what's with the old lantern?" she asked again.

"Oh... just a little science experiment with Ulquiorra's help, that's all," she replied, hoping that they'd take the hint to not get too nosy about what was going to happen. After Applejack had asked them to leave the farm, they'd picked this spot for their project due to the fact that, should anything go wrong, there wouldn't be any innocent bystanders who could get hit by a an errant bolt of uncontrollable lightning, or a rogue Cero, or possibly the shrapnel from a defective lantern if it couldn't contain the forces it would be subjected to. And if something were to go blooey -she knew it wasn't the scientifically accurate term for things going horribly wrong, but it still seemed appropriate- the fewer ponies around to potentially get hit, the better.

"Is it alright if we watch? It's not like we've got anything better to do right now," Scootaloo replied, "there's no school to go to. And the adults won't let us help with the cleanup work. Something about not being big enough, or responsible enough, or whatever."

Twilight wasn't sure how to respond to that question. Having the three around could be dangerous, but she also knew from previous experiences that trying to motivate them to leave could be tricky. If they didn't play it right and came off as being secretive, they'd just sneak off to observe from some other place, and quite possibly get hurt in the process. That was entirely unacceptable. She looked up to Ulquiorra for answers to the problem at hoof, hoping that his degree of wisdom could assist on this matter.

Ulquiorra could see the predicament Twilight Sparkle was in. To some extent anyway. If yesterday's actions of these three fillies were any indication of regular behavior, carrying out today's experiments could prove difficult. He would prefer to avoid any unnecessary and avoidable deaths if at all possible.

And perhaps there was actually a way to do just that. A way to show them just how dangerous the situation truly was, and why they would be wise to keep their distance as this was carried out.

"In recognition of your services rendered yesterday, you will be allowed to observe. Provided you maintain a safe distance with Twilight Sparkle. The potential for injury is significant if safety precautions aren't observed," he explained as he looked at them, and then back at Twilight Sparkle where she stood.

Twilight stood in silence, her jaw nearly falling open in response to what Ulquiorra had said. Was he serious about letting the Cutie Mark Crusaders stay and watch what they were about to do? Did he know just how many things could go wrong? She wanted to say something in protest, but the look he was giving her didn't exactly look like the kind of look someone would give when they were actually open to debate. Something about the way he was looking at her right now just seemed to suggest that the best course of action to take was maintain silence, and actually agree with what he was saying.

"Okay, girls, you can stay and watch. Stand over here by me," she reluctantly instructed. She could get a passive use shield going in a matter of seconds, so in case anything went wrong they'd have a good chance of not getting injured. "Spike, could you take the lantern out about one hundred paces and set it down? Make sure the door is open and facing this way, we've only got one shot at doing this properly."

"On it," Spike said as he clutched the lantern tighter and took off at a jogging pace to get to the designated location.

"... So wha' kind o' science experiment is this yer doin' anyway Twilight?" Apple Bloom asked, confused as to how a lantern could be of any use; both so far away, and obviously empty. Even if it wasn't the both of those things, it was still morning.

Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but then shut it again. How exactly did she explain the intricacies of what they were attempting to do, and make it understandable to these three? That gave her plenty of reason to pause, as she tried to formulate an answer.

"You'll just have to wait and see, my little ponies, you'll understand it better that way," she finally stated, seeing it as the most logical answer available to them.

The three looked at each other in confusion, before simply shrugging and sitting down next to Twilight, as they watched Spike run out to the requested distance, before setting the lantern down on the ground, and making his way back over to them at the same pace he'd set out on.

"Hmm..." Twilight muttered as she rubbed her chin in thought, before turning to face Ulquiorra. "Is that too far out for you?"

"Not at all," Ulquiorra replied simply, waiting for Spike to get out of the danger zone before proceeding. Why Twilight Sparkle had not simply levitated it out on her own, he wasn't certain. But at the moment that was neither here nor there. Questions could come later on when the matter was settled down.

The wait for Spike to return was relatively short, all things considered, before he finally rejoined the others, panting as he sat down, winded from the long jog.

"Okay everypony, stand back. To the sidelines and the rear is definitely safest in this case," Twilight announced and prepared her shield should it be needed. The only downside to such was that she couldn't cast it and the mage's sight spell at the same time. She really wanted to study his Cero as it was charged and fired, and learn the mechanics that went into it so she might be able to replicate it in herself. But then again, perhaps it was best if she didn't try such. She already had her own spells to attempt and learn, she really didn't need the added hassle of Ulquiorra's techniques added to her plate. Not right now anyway. "Ready when you are Ulquiorra."

"Very well then," Ulquiorra replied as he withdrew his right hand from his pocket and pointed in the direction of the lantern.

The three fillies sat by Twilight and watched curiously, uncertain of just what they were supposed to be looking at. What kind of science experiment was this anyway? Was something supposed to happen? And if so, then when was it actually going to happen?

Such thoughts, however, were interrupted by the glowing green orb that flickered into existence just past Ulquiorra's fingertip, and began to grow outward in size, whirling trails of same colored energy seeming to flow into it, much like water flowing down a drain.

There was the natural urge to ask questions about what they were seeing, about what Ulquiorra was doing, about what that strange noise was, and the haunting teal tint that he was giving off right now. But that urge never go to be acted upon, as the discharge effectively silenced them, dirt being kicked up in every direction from the beam hurtling down the clearing at a breakneck pace, the resulting shock wave easily felt by them from where they stood, and leaving them certain that they would've been blown over if they were taller.

Further downrange where the lantern rested, the Cero connected with near pinpoint accuracy. In the flash prior to that connection, the enchantments went to work, latching onto the mass of reiryoku energy, and forcefully drawing it inside of its constructed casing, much like a turtle pulling its head back into its shell, or something else along those lines.

When the dust settled, and the Cero faded, Ulquiorra was left uncertain of just what to think. He had expected the lantern to be obliterated on contact in a sizable explosion from the point where his Cero contacted. Instead he had just bore witness to the lantern swallowing his Cero like it was nothing, and the door swinging shut and latching itself automatically. This was truly an unexpected turn of events.

"Wow!" Spike stated in utter amazement and disbelief, this being the first time he'd ever seen Ulquiorra's Cero in actual use before. The sheer amount of force he controlled, while simultaneously making it look so easy, was simply unbelievable.

Pomf.

He hadn't heard that noise. There was no physical we he could've heard that noise.

And yet it had been there as plain as day. Turning to face the others, Ulquiorra saw them staring at him. Apple Bloom looked at him in confusion, Sweetie Belle in terror, and Scootaloo in utter amazement, with her eyes nearly as wide as her grin, her tiny wings sticking straight up.

"That... was so... AWESOME!" she announced, her voice cracking on the last part of her statement, causing both Twilight Sparkle and Spike to cover their ears due to their proximity.

"I know, right?" Spike asked once he was certain it was safe to uncover his ears again.

"Is that how ya beat the dragon Mr. Cifer?" Apple Bloom asked curiously.

"In all honesty it was Fluttershy that defeated the dragon. I merely injured it to the point that it would actually listen to reason and do as instructed," Ulquiorra replied. However he'd purposely decided to leave out the part about how he'd nearly succeeded in killing the dragon with his Cero, and how it only still existed because Fluttershy had intervened on its behalf due to her own guilt. And he'd certainly left out the part about how the entire display had been preposterous to the highest order. Why the dragon had refused to recognize the hopeless of the situation and flee for its own life, he would likely never understand. All he could do was speculate that it wasn't in control of its own actions, and wasn't presented with the opportunity to actually flee when confronted by a superior opponent.

"I have no idea what that was you did, but I felt it running all up and down my spine! That was absolutely incredible!" Scootaloo stated.

Ulquiorra couldn't help but think on Scootaloo's words. They possessed a similarity to a statement made by Applejack much earlier on, regarding a sensation running the course of their spines when in the proximity of his Cero's discharge. Perhaps the matter of the wing deployment was nothing more than an involuntary muscle spasm brought on by atmospheric stimuli, generated by his Cero; similar to the disturbances in the atmosphere created by a lightning strike. Seeing as pegasi ponies were tasked with manipulation of the weather, it would make sense that they might possess a greater sensitivity to atmospheric changes than the others. However that failed to explain why Fluttershy's wings remained at her sides when she had been present for the discharge. Nor did it explain the display on Rainbow Dash's part prior to that.

"It was you... y-y-you were the one..."

His thoughts on the matter were then distracted by the squeaky, shaky statement that came from Sweetie Belle. Unlike her two companions, she was displaying no signs of amazement, but rather terror, as she tried to hide behind Apple Bloom and Scootaloo for protection.

"You were the one from last week, the... the thing that blotted out the sun with utter blackness over Canterlot. You're the eclipse, the... t-t-the monster!" she squeaked in terror.

Ulquiorra remained silent in thought. This was certainly not an unforeseen development that was occurring right now. Truth be told he'd been expecting to encounter a situation like this ever since the changeling incident. What left him uncertain, however, was how long it had taken for this to actually develop. The fact that in the days following, such a reaction hadn't been widespread in all the ponies he met, left him wondering if Princess Celestia had some hand in the aftermath. Perhaps she was exercising crisis management and suppressing sensitive information that could cause a panic? It was a possibility that couldn't be ruled out; not after everything he'd seen occur, and certainly not after everything he'd read up to this point in the royal library.

"Sweetie Belle don' be silly. Mr. Cifer ain' no monster."

But at the moment, Princess Celestia and whatever part she was playing, was a matter of neither here nor there. He would question her another time when there were less pressing matters to tend to.

Right now, however, he was present and currently in the middle of what he could foresee being a minor crisis with these ponies. He could practically feel Twilight Sparkle's desire to diffuse the situation for whatever reason. And she most likely wanted him to play some part in the diffusion. But he would deny her that ability to insist upon it.

"Your young friend is correct in her observation. I really am a monster," he stated casually. What use was there in denying the truth?

"What?" Apple Bloom asked as she turned to look at him.

"You are?" Scootaloo asked and followed. "How?"

"I don't deny my nature. However things are not as simple as all that. Monsters are unfamiliar entities, who are generally recognized and cataloged into one or or more of three specific categories in which they possess the potential to cause harm to others: the nature of their outward appearance, the nature of their abilities, or the nature of their character. I fall into the second category, for reasons of which you are already aware. The dragon, the changelings, the manticore, the aforementioned eclipse, and now the witnessing of my Cero being discharged up close and personal," he explained calmly.

His interaction with these three ponies had been limited. However his experience with Sweetie Belle, while limited, had given him some reason to believe that she possessed a reasonable degree of intelligence. Her manner of speech had included some degree of complication and refinement that the other two didn't share. Perhaps logic would indeed work in this situation. But considering the age range, he may have to simplify it to some degree so it could be more easily understood; just as Twilight Sparkle had simplified the explanation of what nihilism truly meant.

However at the moment, all that had been accomplished from his explanation, was the unicorn filly barely peaking out from behind the other two in order to regard him. Undaunted with the results, he continued in his explanation.

"Your fear is reasonable in nature, and even logical. However in this instance it's unwarranted. Despite my being a monster, Princess Celestia has seen fit to trust me; to the point she has tasked me with keeping Ponyville safe should a repeat of yesterday occur," he stated. If they trusted Princess Celestia, then they should have reason to believe him. However he wouldn't be surprised if they were still suspicious of him, as the holders of the Elements of Harmony had been after learning about his true nature.

"Ah don' get it," Apple Bloom spoke up as she tilted her head to the side, the large bow the held her mane together flopping and bouncing from the motion. "How can ya be a monster if yer doin' good things and not hurtin' nopony?" she asked.

Ulquiorra said nothing at first as he looked at Apple Bloom and the other two young ponies. Unlike the adults of this world, their lack of knowledge regarding the finer details of life could truly be excused due to their youth and corresponding lack of real world experience. It wasn't truly stupidity that kept them from understanding things. They lacked the experience that would help them understand that doing good deeds didn't truly mean anything, as anyone could truly do such if they wished. The concept of affably evil apparently didn't exist to them. Even Aizen could've been accused of doing good deeds, depending upon how his actions were viewed by others. But nobody would argue that Aizen himself was actually good.

He considered explaining the fact to them, pointing out how good deeds didn't necessarily make a good individual. But he ultimately chose against going with that particular approach. Not due to the subject material, but more out of the difficulty in explaining the situation, and the time that would have to be invested in such. And right now time was something that had to be managed more intelligently.

He would explain things in finer detail to these three later on. But for right now he would have to customize his explanation into terms they might readily identify with.

"While it's true that evil individuals can be considered monsters, not all monsters can truly be considered evil in nature. The definition of "monster" is incredibly vague and subject to interpretation, depending not only on who is asked, but just how the question is worded and structured. As explained I am certainly a monster, but I am not the type of monster that causes needless suffering to others. For every action there is a reason to justify it. And I foresee no reason that would amount to sufficient justification for causing harm to any ponies," he explained.

"So..." Sweetie Belle spoke up slowly as she further peaked out from behind her friends. "All the rumors that were going around town, about there being a monster being sent to throw Equestria into ten thousand years of darkness... none of that's true?" she asked, somewhat less scared and more curious than she had been just a couple minutes ago. Could he really be a monster, and so eloquent and intelligent at the same time? Just because he said he was a monster, that didn't make him one... did it?

The utter foolishness of these ponies. Ulquiorra nearly quirked an eyebrow at what he heard. What kind of rumors had these ponies been spreading to one another as if it were no different than the common cold? He would have to address that matter.

"None. What was witnessed, was nothing more than a side effect of dealing with Chrysalis and her changelings. Although I will admit, I find myself rather curious as to how exactly you correctly arrived at the conclusion that I was the one responsible for the incident," he replied, wanting to get to the bottom of this new mystery. He didn't doubt that, had anyone been looking toward Canterlot at the time, they would've been able to see his resurrección occur, even if they wouldn't be able to see his form. But the massive release of reiryoku that exploded around him when he revealed his resurrección differed so much in appearance from his base Cero, that the connection shouldn't have been made based on sight alone. There was certainly more going on than meets the eye, but he wasn't yet certain of just what it was.

"Well a lot of us saw the eclipse when it happened. Something big and black blotting out the sun is kind of hard to miss. And I don't know about anypony else, but I kind of felt it too. It was really frightening to have that feeling just suddenly wash over you like it's a tidal wave. And when you did that thing just now I noticed how similar that feeling was, and then I just put two and two together," Sweetie Belle explained as she slowly stepped out from behind her friends.

Truth be told, as far as Sweetie Belle was concerned, frightening didn't even begin to describe what she'd experienced. It was more like terrifying. It was like coming face to face with the physical ponyfication of fear itself, as it reached out and swept over everyone present. She really didn't know just how to go about properly elaborating on what she'd experienced during that brief period of time, when the sun hadn't been visible from their vantage point. She knew a lot of fancy and complex words that other ponies her age didn't, but that knowledge was really failing her right now. It was like trying to explain what a tree was to somepony who had never even seen a plant of any sort.

And then when she'd seen what Ulquiorra could do, and felt what he could do, a sudden flashback to that panic-stricken moment had come right back and bit her right on her blank flank. The only thing she could be mildly thankful for, was the fact that the sensation experienced when he'd shown what he could do, didn't carry the exact same stifling intensity as the last time. But that hadn't exactly made it any easier to actually sit through.

"Fascinating," Ulquiorra replied. He truly hadn't believed that the reiatsu of his resurrección would be experienced as far away as Ponyville. Not with how every single pony he'd encountered seemed to able to tolerate his presence, when any human right even a slight spiritual awareness could so easily be floored in the same circumstances. Perhaps it was due to Sweetie Belle being a unicorn, that had allowed her to actually feel his reiatsu from such a distance. The way she described it as a tidal wave would suggest that he could still overwhelm them, just as Rainbow Dash's statement last night would suggest the same. And yet none of them were sent to their knees while in his presence. This was certainly a peculiarity to be encountering. Perhaps another of Discord's examples of trickery? And if it was, then ultimately for what purpose?

"Okay I'm a little confused now," Scootaloo spoke up, breaking his train of thought, and bringing his attention to her. "How'd you cause that eclipse thingy to happen anyway? As high up as it was, wouldn't you have to fly to do that?" she asked.

"Correct. And it is for that reason that I did," Ulquiorra explained.

Scootaloo snickered at the answer given, before bursting out laughing. The answer given had been so ridiculous, and delivered in such a deadpan and serious manner, that it was impossible to not be highly amused by it.

However that amusement soon died down, as she realized nopony else was laughing. Ulquiorra, Twilight, and Spike all looked quite serious in nature, giving no indication that would suggest it'd been an attempt at humor. No laughs, no chuckles, no smiles or grins, not even a smirk. Everyone outside of her and her friends were quite serious in nature. Almost dead serious.

"You mean... you actually can fly? Without wings?" she asked.

"Correct," he repeated, just as calm as the first time.

"But how can... how... what the... but..." she stuttered in disbelief. There was no way that this could be possible. Nopony could fly without wings! But Ulquiorra wasn't a pony... but he didn't have wings, but he flew, but... but... "This stinks! Pound Cake can fly and he's just a baby! You can fly and you don't even have any wings! Every single pegasus in Ponyville can fly EXCEPT for me! None of this is any fair!" she shouted, utterly frustrated by it all.

Ulquiorra remained silent as he observed the three fillies talking back and forth, with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle trying to bring Scootaloo's mood back up, either through reassurances that she would learn how to fly, or pointing out that they too couldn't perform certain tasks that they should be able to at their age. He turned his attention to Spike and Twilight Sparkle who had moved to the side before this point, and they looked back at him, presenting nothing that might be productive in this matter.

"Show me," he finally stated, bringing the back and forth bickering to a halt, and bringing their attention back to him. "Show me how you attempt to fly."

"Um... okay..." Scootaloo replied and slowly stepped forward. Taking a deep breath, she started flexing her wings to loose them up, before beginning to flap them, and gradually picking up speed until they were buzzing at a considerable rate. Before long they were going the fastest they'd ever gone before. And slowly, very slowly, her efforts were beginning to pay off, as she could feel her hooves leaving the ground.

However just as soon as she felt the grass no longer under her hooves, her wings gave out and she crashed back to the ground with a thud, panting and wheezing from her efforts.

"That's pretty much as far as she gets when she tries flying," Sweetie Belle explained as she looked up at Ulquiorra. Apple Bloom silently nodded in agreement.

This was a matter that wasn't right. Of that fact, Ulquiorra was quite certain.

"And where did you learn that?" he asked. Surely in a world such as this, where the inhabitants were blessed with second chances and friendship, surely there were those that specialized in teaching pegasus ponies the proper manner in order to fly. Somehow the notion of such things being left purely to animal instinct didn't register with him as being a likely possibility. Survival of the fittest didn't seem to apply outside of the Everfree Forest. Instead it seemed like the concept was survival of just about everyone through the help and intervention of others.

"Well... nowhere actually," Scootaloo replied as she slowly climbed back to her hooves. "Rainbow Dash is teaching me though. Or... she will be when she's got some time. But I've been watching her when she's flying and what she does."

"Do you now," Ulquiorra replied as he looked down at her. "Have you truly been watching her as she's flying? Or have you simply been observing her in flight?" he asked.

"Say what now?" Scootaloo asked.

"Is that a trick question er somethin'?" Apple Bloom asked, not getting what he was saying.

"The manner in which you were attempting to fly is far more appropriate for a bee hovering about a flower. Have you even observed other pegasi taking off in flight? Or have you simply observed them when they're already flying? The movement of your wings may be conductive of locomotion while on your scooter, but it's entirely wrong for attempting flight. Proper flight requires rotation of the wings in addition to up and down movement, to be propelled forward through the air via manipulation of the air currents," he explained.

"Rotation?" Scootaloo asked. She looked back towards her wings, giving them another set of warmup flaps to get them moving again. She tried to move them like he was talking about, but it was hard to get them to do anything flap up and down. As she tried to move them, she couldn't help but think that it was weird how they didn't respond. It was almost like they weren't even her own wings, and she was looking at the wings of somepony else. "I can't do it. I don't get it, are they broken or something? Why's it so hard to make them move?"

Muscle memory was the first possibility that came to Ulquiorra's mind. Based on what he'd observed, Scootaloo's primary method of getting around town was riding on her scooter, using her wings to generate movement in the same fashion an on-board engine would. If it was something she had been utilizing for years, then it was likely the movement she was most familiar with, and most likely to rely on by default.

There was also the possibility of skeletal deformation being at work. But that was quite low on the list of possibilities, based on the way he'd seen her move and flex her wings in other situations.

He briefly considered the possibility of it being psychological in nature. Perhaps a fear of heights? But he quickly discounted that notion entirely.

"A lack of practice is more likely. If you're serious about learning how to fly, then you'll need to come and understand that it takes far more than simply trying to muscle your way through like the Diez Espada would," he explained.

"Who?" Sweetie Belle asked, confused with the term he'd just used.

"A large, stupid, brutish individual I was tasked with working alongside. Comparatively speaking, a living sledgehammer. No finesse, no intelligence, just dumb muscle with poor impulse control, and a tendency to shout at inappropriate times," he explained. He noted how the description given caused some amused chuckles, but he paid it no mind.

"So what you're saying is... practice, practice, practice?" Scootaloo asked.

"Correct," he replied, feeling no need to elaborate further. If this pegasus truly wished to take to the skies, then she would need to work towards it with genuine interest; not the same half-assed approach that was used by these three when they attempted to gain their cutie marks. "Perhaps at a location less likely to experience explosions, and dangerous scientific experiments that could level an entire mountain."

+++

"I'm sorry, darling, I don't mean to interrupt your story, as it's quite riveting in nature. But are you quite serious? Ulquiorra was being sociable with Sweetie Belle and the others? Even after they interrupted what you were doing?" Rarity asked. She certainly didn't want to suggest that Ulquiorra was mean-spirited or abusive in nature. But she knew from her own experience that he didn't possess the greatest degree of tolerance for when important matters were sidetracked by what he considered to be nonsense. And if there was one thing the Cutie Mark Crusaders did better than anyone... it was most certainly nonsense.

"I know it seems strange to hear. I was there and watching it, and it was definitely strange to watch. But that's how things went. I always knew that he could be patient, but I didn't know that he could be so... compassionate," Twilight replied. The way Ulquiorra had been so calm when talking with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle still seemed so strange. From the Espada's efforts to calm Sweetie Belle when she was scared of his unbelievable strength, to giving Scootaloo hope in overcoming her inability to fly. None of it had been anything he'd been required to do, or asked to do, but rather it had all been of his own volition. She could supposed that his actions yesterday had been due to how they had been the ones to get him the antidote. But the degree he'd exercised didn't seem like that was all there was too it. If it was anyone else then she'd believe it. But Ulquiorra didn't deal in excessive gratitude or coddling. It was... really strange. Strange enough she almost wondered if he'd truly relapsed from poison joke. But then she'd discounted that notion as being ridiculous, as he hadn't been acting like that yesterday. "No offense."

"None taken," Ulquiorra replied from where he stood in the Carousel Boutique, listening silently as Twilight Sparkle recounted the events of this morning to Rarity. He could interrupt and elaborate on the parts that weren't being recalled with full accuracy, but ultimately there was little point in doing so. It truly didn't matter to him if her recollection was being guided by personal opinion rather than actual fact. While he had exercised civility towards the three fillies, he hadn't been quite as civil as she was making him out to be. But that was neither here nor there. However it could be seen as possibly giving some insight into how her mind worked at times.

"Whew!" Spike breathed as he walked into the main room, fresh from the shower he'd taken, smelling lightly of talcum powder, and feeling greatly refreshed from earlier. "That's much better. Thanks for letting me get cleaned up, Rarity, I'd hate to have to walk home like that."

"No trouble at all, Spike, what kind of friend would I be if I left someone in such a state?" Rarity replied.

"Spike, I'm so sorry that I threw up on you," Twilight apologized upon seeing him return. She hadn't meant for something like that to happen, but it had all happened regardless. It'd all happened so quickly that she didn't even have the chance to avoid hitting him. She hadn't been able to warn him, or even turn her head to the side.

"Hey, these things happen. It's not like you did it on purpose," Spike replied, wanting to put the whole ugly incident behind him. The less he thought on things, the better off he felt. "So what'd I miss?"

"Twilight Sparkle has been bringing Rarity up to speed on the events that occurred this morning, that lead to our meeting," Ulquiorra replied, seeing no reason to elaborate any further than that.

"And doing a beautiful job at it. Although I must admit, I still don't quite understand how all of that lead up to our meeting. What happened then?" Rarity asked curiously.

"Right. I was just getting to that point," Twilight replied, "anyway. After the Crusaders left..."

+++

"Spike, could you go retrieve the lantern? And be careful? I'd hate it if something bad were to happen," Twilight stated, concerned more for the wellbeing of her assistant than the lantern and its contents. Losing their experiment would be bad, but compared to losing Spike it would be nothing more than a minor-to-moderate setback.

"Alright, I'm on it," Spike replied as he took off at a jogging page over to where the lantern had been placed.

Ulquiorra simply remained silent as he watched. There had been a great deal of unforeseen developments occurring on this day. He truly hadn't expected to be encountering the Cutie Mark Crusaders today. Truthfully it was strange that any foals would be allowed out after what happened yesterday. He could only speculate as to what possessed the adults to carry on their everyday activities with only mild adjustments.

But at the moment that speculation would have to wait for another time, as he became aware of the fact that Twilight Sparkle was looking up at him and smiling. It wasn't the wide, ear-to-ear and teeth exposed type of smile that Pinkie Pie was famous for. But nonetheless it was a smile.

"What?" he asked, curious as to why she doing such.

"Are you sure you don't have a heart? What you did for Sweetie Belle and the others, that was a really nice thing to do," she stated.

"I believe it's already been explained how being heartless, and being a monster, do not necessarily go hand in hand. Nor do they indicate a personality bent on sadism and ensuring the suffering of others through the exercising of cruelty," he replied simply. The three had truly done nothing that would warrant harshness on his part. "Truthfully they would be wise to fear me. However if they wish such, it would be wise that their fear be for the appropriate and correct reasons," he elaborated.

"And you helping Scootaloo, helped them realize that fact, how?" she asked him.

"Merely pointing out a glaring error in her technique. An error that apparently no one else either recognized, or simply chose not to point out. The exact reason for such a lapse in judgement, I'm uncertain," he explained. Did she truly believe that his informing Scootaloo that she was foolish in her approach was a kind gesture? Hardly. What he had done with the Cutie Mark Crusaders had been no more and no less than what he had done in any other interaction, when faulty logic had been presented for consideration; he called them out on it, and explained the fallacy of their logic. The simple fact that he hadn't berated them to the extent he could have, meant absolutely nothing of significance.

Ulquiorra could claim whatever it was that he wanted about the situation. He could claim that he was being logical, or that he was simply doing what came natural to him. But from Twilight's point of view, he was actually starting to understand friendship better. He hadn't been hostile towards Apple Bloom and her friends, hadn't chased them off from the location in which they were conducting their experiments, or even belittled them for their lapses in logic. He'd been relatively cordial in nature, all things considered. It was entirely possible that his behavior was in recognition of how they'd helped him yesterday during his time of need. Or it could simply be that everything he'd learned about friendship up to this point was actually starting to click, and he was actively referencing it in his interactions. Maybe what she'd been witnessing was his own attempt at exercising kindness.

However her train of thought was interrupted as Spike came back, carrying the containment lantern in his claws and panting.

"This thing is still warm. Is that even normal? Shouldn't it have cooled off by now?" he asked as he set it back down on the ground.

"Containment lanterns always run warm when they're in use, Spike, it would be a violation of basic physics if they didn't radiate at least some heat from what they held inside of them," Twilight explained as she observed the teal green glow shining through the lens on the front. The fact that the lantern was still intact and showing no signs of excessive strain were all very good indicators that it was perfectly up to the task of keeping Ulquiorra's Cero under control, and unlikely to explode. And that meant it would be safe to store back in the library.

"If you say so," Spike replied and shrugged, "so now what do we do?"

"Actually, I was thinking on that," she replied as she turned her attention back to where Ulquiorra stood. "I know you have your hesitation on the subject, but I'd like to try and understand your sonido faster. More specifically, I'd like to see how it might affect a pony's body. And I'd like to volunteer for that," she explained.

Somehow this turn of events didn't surprise him any. Twilight Sparkle's desire to understand anything even remotely related to science was strong, and he knew that full well. And apparently it was strong enough that she was even willing to put herself at risk of bodily harm to get the answers she desired. Did she truly grasp the risk that she would be subjecting herself to in this experiment? Organ failure and tissue disruption couldn't be ruled out as potential outcomes.

"I think if we follow yesterday's protocol, we should we alright. Start out with a short, three meter burst, and then stop and examine what results are had. If there are no signs of physical harm, then we continue in a controlled and cautious approach," she explained further, presenting her case for his consideration. "I'm willing to take the risks, as I believe this could be potentially vital research. And I don't feel right about asking somepony else to serve as the lab rat for it. If I can't step up to the situation... then I'm not really worth my salt, am I?" she asked.

He was quite certain that no matter what he said, Twilight Sparkle wasn't about to simply forget this idea of hers, and would not let the issue drop until she got what she wanted, regardless of the dangers that she would face in the process. Didn't she understand that simply because Spike was durable enough to withstand the forces of instantaneous physical movement, that didn't mean she could claim the same? There was no reason to believe that any pony had the physical constitution necessary to come out of this alive, and with their physical body still fully intact.

"You're quite certain that you wish to proceed with this plan, even in your current condition?" he asked, giving her one last opportunity to let the matter drop entirely.

"We don't always get to wait until we feel that we're ready. Sometimes we just have to go when things the opportunity presents itself, even if the conditions aren't right," she replied.

He couldn't argue with that logic, as it was reasonably sound. Often times it was necessary to proceed regardless of the readiness of the individual. Sometimes failure was had, sometimes not.

"Very well then," he replied as he stepped closer to her. "For this a firm and secure hold will be necessary. Remain still," he instructed.

The way Ulquiorra picked her up was quite different from the last time he'd done so, during the changeling invasion when he'd had to pretend to defect to Chrysalis' side. In that instance his approach had been one to suggest a certain degree of roughness, with little regard for the wellbeing of the one getting carried. It was likely born from a necessity to convince the changeling queen that he was truly devoted to her. But this time around it was completely different, as he was using both of his arms to not only hold onto her as he picked her up, but also support her weight in a manner that felt like it wouldn't put any undue strain on her body. None of her limbs were left exposed and hanging out; but then again that made sense, as they would be subjected to what just had to be significant physical strains.

It was... actually nice, all things considered.

"I think I'm ready," she replied, once she was certain she was settled in properly.

"Very well then..."

+++

"... and that's pretty much how it happened," Twilight stated in conclusion as she eased the towel off her neck, feeling far better than when she'd arrived here in the first place. "More or less," she said as she stood up to stretch her legs and let her muscles flex better. She'd been sitting down for way too long as it was.

"Well I must say that's quite an interesting story, and it does explain quite a few things. But I can't help but wonder something; just what was it like when you were being carried around by Ulquiorra?" Rarity asked her.

"Well in simple terms it's very... educational. It turns out movement faster than the eye can perceive works both ways, and when you're the one moving at such a rate, you don't see where you're going. One moment you're standing in one location, and the next it's a completely different location, and you have no idea what route you took in getting there. It can be very disorienting to experience if you're unprepared, but that's as far as it extends... for the first few attempts anyway. It's sort of like teleporting long distances, but more physically taxing to experience. When we realized that I wasn't experiencing any physical damage from the sonido, we started going further distances with each use. And that's when I started to feel... funny. At first I just attributed it to being a massive influx of adrenaline due to what we were doing. But it seems I was wrong," Twilight explained.

"You could say that was an understatement," Spike commented, causing Twilight to flinch in an uncomfortable manner. "I don't get it, Twilight, how'd you get sick anyway? I didn't when I was the one being carried around," he pointed out.

"I'm aware of that, Spike, and I'm really not sure. But I do have a few theories that might explain it," Twilight replied. And all of them were very sound theories. First and foremost, her body wasn't accustomed to such rapid movement, and it had responded the way it did due to that fact. Secondly, attempting her sonido travels that soon after breakfast -consisting of heavy pancakes and rich maple syrup no less- hadn't been a good idea, and if she'd waited a few more hours, things might've gone better. Thirdly, it was possible that in her exhausted state from her own experiments with the lightning spell, her already weakened state hadn't been up to the strain she would be put under, and her motion sickness had been an unfortunate side effect. Forth, but highly unlikely, was that in the position she was being carried, Ulquiorra's hand had been pressing against her stomach at just the right location, that the combination of it and the high-speed movements had triggered an emetic effect.

No matter what the answer was, it still lead to the same unpleasant results.

"But we did learn something very important today," she stated, "Ulquiorra's concern that a pony can't withstand his sonido travel are without ground. Despite the end result, my body didn't suffer any serious damage, like organ rupture or internal bleeding. That means, theoretically at least, it is safe to utilize such movement if necessary. It might be unpleasant, but that doesn't mean it's unsafe. And with continued exposure, my body might be able to adapt to the conditions, and won't be fazed by it anymore," she explained, before pausing to think a moment, and then turn her attention to where Ulquiorra stood. "That is, if you don't mind."

Ulquiorra couldn't deny that the result of today's events had earned his curiosity. Learning that his sonido didn't instantly cause serious bodily harm to these ponies -or more specifically, a pony that was as physically soft as Twilight Sparkle- had been somewhat... surprising to discover. However today's results only provided them with a new theory, not an actual proof of concept. The fact that the limited distance they'd covered did nothing more serious than cause motion sickness, was of limited value. There was nothing to say that traveling longer distances, such as from here to Canterlot, would be safe to engage in; either now or in the future. It was possible that continued exposure may result in her body becoming more resilient to the strain it would be put under, making her more able to withstand extended travel.

It was even enough to make him wonder about the physical resiliency of pegasi and earth ponies, and how it might affect their efforts at travel.

However his thoughts were interrupted as his pesquisa detecting a quickly approaching reiatsu of a very familiar texture, and the ringing of the bell above the front door of the Carousel Boutique.

"That's strange, I could've sworn I left the "closed" sign up this morning," Rarity commented, shortly before the pony who'd invaded her store came into view. "Rainbow Dash? What're you doing here, darling?" she asked.

"You..." Rainbow Dash growled as she locked her eyes on Rarity where she stood. "I'm gonna KILL YOU!"

None of them had the opportunity to respond to, or even comprehend, Rainbow Dash's statement, before the cyan pegasus flew into a rage as she flew forward, and slammed into Rarity with full force, sending her flying backwards and crashing into her work table, toppling it and sending the tools of her trade flying in every direction.

Rarity crashed hard to the ground with a cry of pain, landing roughly on her back as she slid along the floor. However she had little time to recover, as Rainbow Dash landed on top of her, effectively pinning her to the floor and leaving her unable to move.

Rainbow Dash glared down at her as she raised her right foreleg, before bringing her hoof down on her face as hard as she could, eliciting a pain-filled scream to accompany the sound of her hoof connecting with her skull. Another quickly followed, and another, and another, and another, each one bringing an accompanying scream. Rarity's attempts at shielding her face and head with her forelegs was ultimately proving futile.

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight yelled as she approached, far too stunned to be able to construct a more appropriate response to the situation unfolding before her. She didn't have the time necessary to think about what was happening, all she knew was that she had to do something.

Unfortunately Rainbow Dash was in absolutely no mood to talk, and Twilight found that out as she got right within striking range of her friend. She never even saw the blow coming that landed on her face, but she certainly felt it after it landed, finding herself actually sent sailing from the force behind it.

How in Equestria did a pegasus get to be so strong!?

Rainbow Dash seethed as she turned her attention back to Rarity below her, her face and head bloody and bruised as she screamed and cried in both terror and pain, unable to open one eye due to the swelling and bruising already developing around it, while blood leaked from her muzzle and stained her white fur. But it was far from over, as the next thing she became aware of was a pair of scissors laying close by, sent flying by the impact against the table. Without a single word she reached out and grasped them in her right hoof, and lifted them up over her head, before jamming them down as hard as she could, aimed right for Rarity's exposed snow-white neck.

Filler - an unanticipated encounter (one)

Unfortunately it seemed that he would be denied that knowledge. Before Twilight Sparkle could even begin to inform them of what her plan was -even before he and Spike could begin their requested approach- a loud, piercing scream sounded from somewhere outside the library. A scream that had the potential to be blood-curdling, if hyperbole were to be considered valid.

And it was, apparently, a scream that Twilight Sparkle saw fit to issue her own scream in response to upon hearing it. Which in turn caused Spike to jump in terror.

Perhaps that knowledge wasn't as desirable as he originally thought. How valid could it be, coming from one who was easily terrified by the scream of one that wasn't even close at hand?

"Oh just great! What now?" Spike asked as he tried to steady his breathing and slow his heart rate, before it managed to slam out of his chest.

"I don't know, Spike," Twilight replied. She wanted to point out that whatever it was, the timing couldn't have possibly been worse. As they were being escorted out of Carousel Boutique, she'd heard Celestia say something about Rainbow Dash spending a few days in Canterlot away from the rest of them. And with Rarity still at Ponyville General in indeterminate condition at the moment, they were down by two if they were faced with a situation that warranted using the Elements of Harmony.

But then she stopped herself from making just such a statement. At the moment they had no real reason to assume that the scream was a sign of genuine danger. This was Ponyville for crying out loud! If that scream had come from any one of the flower trio sisters, the odds were very good that it was a gross exaggeration of the situation; like their response when the town had been stampeded by bunnies of all things!

Right. Just a gross over-exaggeration of something utterly trivial in nature, that could be addressed with five minutes of discussion. That had to be it. The odds of disasters being stacked on top of one another in such quick succession, were so statistically minute, that they didn't even bear mentioning. There was no way in the world that they could be subjected to an attack by a manticore yesterday, Rainbow Dash's mind screwing today, and then some other attack right now. It was so close to being physically impossible that it was almost laughable.

"But I'm about to find out," she continued as she made her way towards the door in order to check.

What she didn't mention, however, was that if it really was nothing more than a false alarm, then she was going to find out who was responsible, and then she was going to kick their ass. She was even going to go one step further than that, and make use of Applejack's patented apple bucking technique; she'd seen it in action plenty of times, she was fairly certain that she could achieve the appropriate results with her level of knowledge.

Yeah. That was exactly what she was going to do to whoever was pulling her leg. That was just the kind of mood she was in right now; the kind of mood where she just simply had no tolerance for stupidity.

But she never managed to get that far. As she opened the library door, prepared to seek out whoever was making all the unnecessary racket, she immediately froze in her tracks at what she saw, and screamed herself.

"Ulquiorra get out here right now!"

It was a scream of sheer terror. Even he could recognize that. But just what could the unicorn have seen in opening the door to the library, that he himself couldn't readily detect with his pesquisa? Therein laid the mystery. Mildly curious, he approached the doorway and stood behind her to see what she saw.

He wasn't prepared to see what she saw.

It was bipedal. Humanoid actually. And it was tall. Far taller than him, nearly seven feet in height, but not quiet as tall as Yammy Llargo. But whereas the vast amount of the Diez Espada's bulk was solid muscle, a significant portion of this one's bulk was fat. Three hundred pounds wasn't outside of the scope of possibilities. It looked much like a human in nature. But the number of physical deformities it possessed was enough to suggest that it wasn't a human.

Black shoes and black pants were immediately recognizable, made from some material he couldn't identify, but he wanted to say denim. Red gloves of a significant length, going far up the arms, and looking to be made of leather. The stitching on the side gave the impression that if its muscles were significantly flexed, the physical strain would cause the seams to explode.

The front was obstructed by an apron made of tattered black material, and literally saturated with dried blood; saturated to the point that the black barely registered as even a default color. He truly had no idea that it was possible for such a color to be so physically overwhelmed in such a manner.

The head, and by extension the face, was covered in a hood made of the same blood-soaked material, obscuring any attempts at visually identifying just who or what this entity was. And it appeared as if it was there to stay, as the hood and -most likely, although he didn't understand how- the head underneath was skewered by a number of large nails.

The skin, what was visible, and along with being utterly dirty, was a most unusual coloring, something of a blend between gray and lavender, covered in large scars that looked both infected, and stitched up in a most haphazard fashion. And in between those scars were many, many more large nails sticking out in every direction. And perforating the skin through the lower back were what looks like three giant-sized fish hooks. Hooks that should've left it utterly paralyzed, and unable to move about in the manner it was currently.

But perhaps the most outstanding aspect of what he saw before him, was the weapon it was currently yielding, and utilizing a downward swing to effortlessly reduce an unfortunate gray earth pony to nothing more than a fine red paste, garnished by bone fragments.

The wooden shaft should've been shattered by the obscene amount of weight that the head had to possess. How could it even be lifted without shattering? One side of the head was large, wide, and stuffed by many large square spikes, making it look like a giant meat tenderizer. The other side was large, much like a bearded axe, but with an overly long cutting edge, the entire front portion extremely jagged, as if it'd seen the severest of severe abuse. Huge chips were missing, with the present portions reground to look like giant saw teeth. And both sides appeared to be wrapped tightly in chains to hold it together.

Just what was this thing, that was currently throwing Ponyville into chaos? And why could he not sense it with his...

Wait. Now he was picking it up with his pesquisa. But it was odd. The readings were all over the map, and utterly impossible to lock down. If what he was reading was accurate, then this thing was anywhere from Diez Espada level to... to his own...

This thing standing before them, swinging an obscenely large weapon around -despite the fact that the wooden shaft should've cracked apart from the strain of moving what had to be five hundred pounds of steel at the end- could quite possibly be just as strong as he was right now. As ludicrous as it sounded, that was the reading he was getting right now.

He didn't know whether to regard this as being the truth, regardless of how implausible it seemed, or to simply disregard his pesquisa entirely for being utterly unreliable.

"Ulquiorra, just what the FUCK is that thing!?" Twilight asked frantically, horrified at what she was seeing. The stallion hadn't even had a chance to escape before being crushed like a piece of rotten fruit, and reduced to nothing more than a greasy spot on the street.

She'd been wrong about the statistical odds of this happening. Very, very wrong indeed...

"At present I'm uncertain," Ulquiorra spoke in response, bringing her out of her fear-induced stupor. "Stay inside with Spike, and get to the top floor of the library. Don't come out for anything," he instructed. This wasn't a situation in which she could assist him. If she tried then she would simply get hurt, further weakening the overall situation for Equestria. "I will deal with this matter. Personally."

No further words were exchanged as he stepped past Twilight Sparkle, and out into Ponyville at large. And he remained there until finally hearing the door to the library shut, and the lock clicking into place. Not that it would do much good against that... thing... should it turn its attention towards them. But it was better than just leaving the door standing wide open, and inviting trouble in.

He observed the strange humanoid's movements. It went without saying that it was male, judging by the way the body moved. It was also exerting a great deal of effort in swinging its axe about, leaving him to question just why it was carrying such a cumbersome and unwieldy implement. All that weight on the head was working against it in terms of leverage. But regardless of the perceived physics on the matter, the humanoid was indeed lifting the axe up, preparing for an overheard swing down onto an unfortunate pegasus stallion who had become frozen in place through sheer terror, and was about to be reduced to a bloody mess.

That simply wouldn't do.

The distance between them was crossed in a flash of sonido, Ulquiorra appearing directly in front of... whatever the strange humanoid was. Without a single word exchanged, he withdrew his right hand from his pocket, and delivered am open-palmed blow to the fat gut with enough force to send it stumbling backwards, ruining the balance it'd been trying to maintain while simultaneously holding the giant axe in its hands. Why it simply didn't let go of the axe in an effort to regain its own balance, he didn't know.

"Leave," Ulquiorra told the pegasus, briefly turning his attention away from the opponent to make eye contact with the pony. He could do far better without a vulnerable target directly behind it.

Fortunately reason seemed to win out over terror, as the pegasus nodded, before taking off as fast as it could. And just in time too, as the axe-wielding giant was already recovering from the delivered blow.

So much for the theory that this thing was as weak as the Diez Espada. That blow would've been sufficient to completely remove the lummox's head from his neck. This was going to require a trial and error approach to doing things.

Spike didn't know what to say as he watched Ulquiorra step out of the library, before Twilight hastily slammed and bolted the door shut behind him. First the screams, then the erratic behavior? What exactly was happening? And perhaps more importantly, what was going to happen next?

"Twilight, what's going on out there? What's happening?" he asked, almost more terrified of the unicorn's current actions, than the unknown that was more or less just beyond that door.

"Ponyville's under attack, Spike, there's a monster out there killing ponies left and right with a giant axe!" Twilight explained quickly as she ran about the lower floor of the library, shutting and latching each of the windows. She had no idea if doing such would do any good, but she wasn't going to let uncertainty stop her from being thorough.

"So what's the panic about? This'll take Ulquiorra, what a minute? Thirty seconds? Doesn't he pretty much have this in the bag already?" Spike asked, not seeing the logic behind Twilight's current course of action. What could possibly oppose Ulquiorra with a track record like his? Dragons, changelings, manticores... what exactly could have Twilight so worked up?

"I don't know, Spike, I think this might actually be something Ulquiorra can't easily handle. He said to stay inside and get to the higher floor of the library. That really doesn't sound like the words of advice coming from somebody who's got the situation well in the palm of their hand," Twilight pointed out.

She stopped to look around the main room of the library, realizing that she had secured all of the entrances and exits of the first floor. Or at least secured to the point the latches and bolts would permit; she highly doubted any physical structure could withstand the impact of that axe. With that thought in mind, she scooped Spike up in her magic.

"Let's get upstairs, just in case," she told him.

"Can we at least watch what's going on? I don't wanna be left in the dark again!" Spike protested as he found himself not so gently being carried up the stairs to the loft. He really wanted to see what was going to develop, after missing out on the last three incidents where Ulquiorra had been involved.

Dodging -if it could really be called that- the giant axe on the downward swing was a matter of utter simplicity, and involved little more than stepping one foot to the left, and turning his body sideways just as it began to fall, leaving his opponent absolutely no time to compensate for his new position, before burying the jagged axe head into the ground.

Ulquiorra's followup move was far simpler, less dramatic, and consisted of an uppercut to the chin, sending his opponent staggering back from the impact, the axe head being ripped free from the ground as a result, and dragged along the soft ground, cutting a trench in the process. A groan of pain was also earned for his efforts.

Unfortunately the groan and the staggering was all that he'd earned for his efforts.

Upon learning that the initial readings of his pesquisa had been inadequate, and this opponent was considerably stronger than the Diez Espada, Ulquiorra had stepped up his game. Instead of attempting to properly feel out the strength of this one through a gradual increase in the strength of his blows, he'd gone right to utilizing enough force to cripple -or potentially outright kill- the Quinto Espada. Nnoitra Gilga could brag about his hierro being the strongest of all of Hueco Mundo, all that he wanted to, but that uppercut would've still been enough to remove his head.

Instead it only seemed to daze the one standing before him. And he was already recovering from the blow. This was not looking promising.

It was entirely possible that he was indeed facing an opponent that was just as strong as -or, disturbing as it may be, even stronger than- he himself was in his current sealed state. There was still a number of available options to choose from if that were the case. But utilizing any of them here in Ponyville would have the unintended consequence of potentially adding to the body count. And he would rather avoid that right now if at all possible. There was a large difference between these ponies dying, and them dying for no reason.

He was going to need to gather more information before coming to a conclusion. And as his opponent once again readied his cumbersome weapon for a strike -this time it appeared the meat tenderizer end was going to be used- he knew what had to be done.

He met the swing, allowing his right hand to be struck this time, as he brought the weapon to a complete stop.

The force of the swing was considerable, he would admit that. It was easy to see how the pony who had been struck had been turned into a bloody paste. It was nearly enough to rival his own strength, as he actually had to put some measure of effort into actually halting the swing. And even then, it had still been enough to actually dislodge him from his position, and cut two channels in the ground. They might've been short, but they were still evidence of the physical force he was up against.

"Impressive," Ulquiorra commented. Before disappearing in a flash of sonido, and kicking his opponent right in the face, the toes of his foot connected right with the chin.

The force of the kick was enough to send the larger of the two tumbling backwards, falling ass over teakettle, before eventually coming to a complete stop in a position that just screamed extreme discomfort. If the spinal cord wasn't severed, he would be quite surprised.

With his opponent down, he glanced down at his palm. There were a number of small abrasions from where the spikes had come into contact with his skin. The fact that his hierro had been defeated, if only to a minor degree, was not overly surprising. But the fact that it had been a normal weapon that had done it, that was the truly surprising aspect; even more so was the fact that it had survived the impact, and remained intact.

At the moment though it wasn't a matter of importance. The minor abrasions were already healing over, and the enemy was...

... getting back up again...

Just how hard did he have to strike this thing to make it stay down?

And perhaps more importantly... would he actually have to use both hands?

Speaking from a purely technical standpoint, watching from the balcony didn't actually count as being outside of the library. The balcony was a part of the library's basic structure, it was just... open air in nature. It wasn't like they had walked right outside and actively put themselves in harm's way. They had simply opened the doors and... walked into an area that wasn't as structurally enclosed as other parts of the library were.

Yeah. That was it. It was all a matter of technical readings and interpretations of the structure of the wording.

"Oh come on! Ulquiorra should be able to pound this thing into the ground! What's he doing down there? Why isn't he trouncing it?"

Her thoughts on the matter soon became irreparably interrupted by the complaints coming from Spike as he sat atop her back to get a better vantage point at looking out over the balcony railing. And she couldn't help but frown at his position on the matter. She had legitimate concerns about the safety of so many who were involved, and Spike was treating this like a spectator sport.

"Spike, be serious! This is a dangerous situation we're in," Twilight scolded him.

"I get that, Twi'," Spike stated in defense of himself, "but just look down there. How can Ulquiorra seriously be struggling against that thing? Is he actually playing around, or is he really having trouble? Why doesn't he just kill it already?" he asked. From all the stories he'd heard about Ulquiorra's exploits, the struggles going on down below just didn't make sense to him. How could that punch not take its head completely off the neck?

"You'd think he's restrained or something. Like he can't move around in his own skin or something," Spike commented.

Something inside Twilight's mind suddenly clicked at Spike's words. It was like a mystery finally being solved before her, and she hadn't even seen it happening.

"Spike you're brilliant!" she stated.

"Naturally," Spike replied and beamed with pride at being recognized for something. For about two seconds, before confusion washed over him. "Wait, what? What'd I say?"

"It's like you said, Ulquiorra's restrained here," Twilight stated as she turned back to watch the fight unfold, and wincing at the blows that were currently being traded. "Ulquiorra has unbelievable offensive capabilities, but they're incredibly destructive in nature. You saw what his Cero could do. But he can't open up like that in Ponyville, there's too much risk of collateral damage if he does. He can't give it his all, so naturally he can't dominate the field," she explained.

Suddenly it all made absolutely perfect sense. That was why Ulquiorra couldn't blast this thing with his Cero. And even utilizing his resurrection might have destructive potential, with the possibility of leveling a number of buildings around Ponyville. The risk was just too great, and he was consciously aware of that fact. That must've been why he hadn't actively utilized any of the landscape to his advantage; like slamming that ugly thing right into the nearest building, and letting it feel what it was like to land on a pile of hard stones. the force of the impact would've utterly destroyed the building in the process.

"Okay then... we know the why behind it. So what do we do with it?" Spike asked, his confusion just growing by the minute. What exactly were they supposed to do anyway? Go down there and use themselves as bait so Ulquiorra could take the fight outside of town?

"We get involved and level the playing field, Spike," Twilight replied with a knowing grin, as her horn started to glow.

Right cross. Left cross. Right jab. Left jab. Right hook. Left hook. Liver shot. Uppercut. And finally a haymaker, sending the giant toppling to the ground like a felled tree, and falling on his back, crashing onto the giant fish hooks.

Boxing wasn't a field that Ulquiorra was particularly skilled in. It was never something he ever had any need for, as he had never encountered an opponent who could withstand the assault he was capable of delivering from just strength alone. Or at least not until he had gone up against Ichigo Kurosaki.

And now this thing as well.

But regardless of those facts, the moves themselves were known to him on at least some rudimentary level. And so far they were serving their purpose of delivering an effective beat down.

Or at least they were, until he heard the thing groaning, as it began to stand back up again. Pounding away at this opponent was like trying to tenderize beef jerky; an exercise in futility. Underneath all of that fat was a surprisingly well developed musculature that refused to fall to the mercy of his fists, and even his feet.

Perhaps it was time to stop treading so lightly, and go right for the kill, by twisting its head around until he succeeded in breaking its neck.

That thought, however, was quickly interrupted. He felt the disturbance before actually seeing the evidence of such, consisting of the creature being enveloped in a magenta aura. Now it was struggling and grunting, aware that it was being directly targeted. This made him keenly aware of a simple, undeniable fact that had developed.

Twilight Sparkle had gotten involved in the matter.

Looking back over his shoulder, he saw her standing on the balcony of the library, and looking out over the battle.

"Ulquiorra! No time to explain, I can't hold onto this thing for long!" Twilight yelled to him as she struggled to maintain her concentration, and fight against the strain her field was being put under. "When I give you the signal I want you to hit it with your Cero and go all out! Understand?"

Ulquiorra didn't know just what the lavender unicorn was planning. He had instructed her to stay inside and not get involved, and yet she was doing that regardless. She seemed to believe that she had some sort of plan ready to set in motion, and it involved him utilizing a Cero near the middle of Ponyville. What exactly was she planning?

The incoherent protests of the creature in front of him drew his attention back to it, and he could now see that it was actually being lifted off the ground, but only by a small degree, and that degree was constantly fluctuating as the distance from the ground increased and decreased with its physical struggling.

He soon began to have an idea of just what the pony was planning. In recognition of what he believed was being set into motion, he partially withdrew his zanpakutō, and split the tip of his left pointer finger open.

"On your command, Twilight Sparkle," Ulquiorra replied.

Even from where he stood, he could tell that the strangulated growl coming from the lavender unicorn was significant. It sounded far more appropriate for one who was exercising genuine physical strain to try and perform a difficult task, and putting on a great deal of show to demonstrate that their exertion was real. In short it was far more appropriate for show than anything else. But then again his knowledge of magic was limited, and it truly could've been a matter of significant exertion on her part, as she hurled the creature vertically into the air at what had to be a speed of several hundred feet per second, its garbled howls of protest quickly dying out as it got outside of audible range.

"NOW!"

As he began charging his Cero, his Gran Rey Cero to be specific, he would acknowledge that this plan of Twilight Sparkle's had a significant degree of merit to it. Skyward there were no targets that would become collateral damage, meaning he didn't have to concern himself with the wrath of Princess Celestia for exercising a measure of his real strength. There would be nothing this time to prevent him from making use of his own forbidden technique.

"C'mon Ulquiorra, hurry! Gravity's gonna bring that thing back down any second!" Spike called from where he stood next to Twilight, not even paying attention to the eerie shade of violent light coming from the sphere that the Espada was powering up.

"Of that fact, I'm well aware," Ulquiorra replied as he calmly raised his arm skyward.

The report of the Gran Rey Cero being discharged was considerable, even by his own standards. And the resulting flash of deep violet light was of a similar nature. There were elements in its display that looked a great deal like a lightning strike had just taken place. And the degree of reiryoku that was released with its discharge... well, it was quite easy to understand why the Gran Rey Cero was forbidden within the dome of Las Noches.

And just as quickly as it had come, it was over. The flash of violet light had dissipated, once again allowing for a clear view of the blue sky. And the falling remnants of the former enemy, tiny bits of charred and unidentifiable debris landing all around him. It went without saying that there was no getting back up from this one.

Next to him there was a flash of light, as Twilight Sparkle materialized in his view, with Spike riding atop her back. She was currently panting and gasping for air, looking much like she had when she had run from Sweet Apple Acres to Ponyville during the changeling invasion. In short she looked like she was about to collapse where she stood.

"One word," she panted, silencing him before he could even start to speak. "You say one word about us not staying in the library like we were told," she continued, "and I swear, I'm going to paint your tongue blue," she finished as she continued to pant.

It was a threat that was of such a ludicrous nature, Ulquiorra really didn't know how to respond to hearing it. It was so preposterous in nature, it almost warranted laughing. Almost.

"Noted," he finally stated in response. There were more important things than dominating a discussion. And he had to admit, without Twilight Sparkle's assistance in providing an opening for him to exploit, he would likely still be fighting that opponent right now. That was enough reason for him to simply let the matter rest.

"Ulquiorra? Just... just what was that thing?" Spike asked as he climbed down from Twilight's back and proceeded to look around at the wreckage, some of which was still smouldering from it being hit by the Cero. "It looked like you. I mean, not exactly, but its frame was... was..."

"Humanoid in nature. I'm aware," Ulquiorra replied, "however I have no idea what it was. Physically speaking, something like that shouldn't have even been able to move. I'm left as confused as you are," he explained. There were way too many questions present, and no answers available. And it was getting to be quite infuriating. Even his own patience was beginning to wear thin.

"So what now?" Twilight asked as she straightened herself up somewhat, and her breathing now under better control than just a few seconds ago. "Do we look for clues that'll help Rainbow Dash? Or... do we investigate this matter, and see if there are other... whatever that was... that has to be contended with?"

It was a good question. So far they'd been facing one crisis after another, in a back to back fashion. But now they were facing two crises at the same time. Rainbow Dash's mind had been compromised, and she'd been turned against her friends, believing them to be her abusers. And now, not even a full hour later, they were faced with this unforeseen development. Which one needed to be given top priority in this matter?

"Zaidi ya hapo! Makafiri!"

Perhaps it was a question that had already been answered for them. A quick flexing of his pesquisa was giving unfamiliar readings in the area. In the entire area actually. Dozens, no, hundreds of them. They were, for lack of a better term, surrounded. Quickly his eyes began scanning their surroundings to try and gain some visual confirmation of just what they were up against.

But once he actually had visual confirmation, he didn't actually believe what he was seeing.

The enemy that currently had them surrounded, and was slowly advancing on their position, appeared to be humans...

Filler - an unanticipated encounter (two)

"Ulquiorra, what are they?" Twilight asked nervously, instinctively moving closer to where the Espada stood. All around them were hundreds of "humanoids" as Ulquiorra described them, and all of them were saying things that made no sense to her. Many of them were carrying what looked like tools, or weapons or some sort. She seriously doubted that they were here to fix leaky pipes with those wrenches, or help Ponyville with its gardening with those shovels they were carrying.

"They look to be humans, from some portion of the African continent. But their reiatsu doesn't possess the same texture as the humans I encountered back in my world," Ulquiorra explained calmly as his eyes shifted about, taking in the details of their surroundings. There was absolutely no uniformity between them. Their manner of dress varied greatly, as did their armaments of choice. In terms of strength they were all little more than trash. Individually they were of only minute significance; if they were to go up against a pony like Applejack, they would lose quickly. But he highly doubted they would take turns in attacking any particular target. Just the way they moved seemed to suggest a swarm mentality of attack.

And he highly doubted that they would settle on swarming him exclusively. That would've made things far too simple.

"I would recommend retreating back to the library."

"No good. We're cut off," Spike stated nervously and gestured in the direction of the building. There were humans over there too. Lots of them. And they didn't look the least bit friendly in nature.

Ulquiorra calmly shifted his eyes from side to side, weighing his options of approach.

The first option was to utilize the gonzui technique, and simply pull the souls right out of the humans, thus immediately ending the threat they posed. All of them were so weak as far as he could see, it would prove trivial to end their potential threat in such a way. But there were two problems with such an approach. The first was that he truly hadn't evaluated whether or not he actually still possessed gonzui since getting here, as he had no need to determine whether or not he could suck the soul out of a pony. Attempting it may fail, and at a crucial time too. The second was the remote possibility that the technique would also suck out the souls of at least some of the ponies in the area. And while that could be explained away as collateral damage, it wasn't something he particularly wanted to engage in right now, seeing as there was no way of telling just which ponies might become affected. For all he knew Twilight Sparkle would be one of them. And that would mean his head on a platter.

The second option was to utilize his sonido, and send these humans flying as he plowed into them and through them, scattering them like dust in the wind; bowling as it were. But even with his speed and such an approach, there were hundreds to contend with, and slowly working their closer, poised as if they were ready to pounce at any second. Even as fast as he could move, there was no way of ensuring the ones he struck would be the ones about to attack. He could easily wind up taking out a large group of them to the west, while one from behind could exploit the opening presented. And he highly doubted that either Spike or Twilight Sparkle would have the constitution and initiative to retaliate in his absence.

The third option was, again, to utilize his sonido, but this time for the purpose of scooping up both Spike and Twilight Sparkle, and depart to higher grounds. He had already confirmed that both were physically capable of withstanding the forces they would be subjected to, for the duration of the distance they would need to travel. But even retreat was risky under present circumstances. Spike's small size, combined with his draconian durability required very little in the way of securing him for travel. Twilight Sparkle was another story, with her greater degree of mass. He couldn't simply tuck her under his arm and be off, as there were too many unknown variables to account for right now; significant internal damage, and even death, couldn't be ruled out as a possible outcome of such a course of action.

There was also a fourth option, but it reeked of utter desperation, and wasn't worth the time it took to actually think out.

He could feel a disturbance in the ambient mana in the area, and he became aware of Twilight Sparkle encasing the three of them in a small forcefield.

"We're not going to be able to talk our way out of this, are we?" she asked him as she moved closer to where he stood. It almost looked like she was trying to hide behind him for protection. For a forward assault it would likely work, but they were surrounded.

"I have significant doubts. Even if we could understand what language they were speaking, I doubt they would be willing to listen to us," he replied. They seemed undeterred by the presence of the shield, and still continued their advance towards their current position.

"So... what's the game plan now?" Spike asked nervously, afraid of what the answer might be.

"You and Twilight Sparkle will remain behind the shield. I'll tend to this matter, and clear a path to the library so you can get to safety," Ulquiorra replied.

"No good. Even if we can get to the library, I doubt the door's going to keep them from getting inside. Not with axes and picks at their disposal. The door will be reduced to kindling in no time. And I don't have enough mana to expand my shield to encompass the whole building," Twilight stated, "I don't even know how long I can keep the shield up if they push the assault."

Ulquiorra observed her. Her overall reiryoku levels had been reduced to just under one third of what they had been at the start of this morning. The continual practicing of the new lightning spell, the teleportation, the use of the shield, and even sending the last opponent flying, had significantly weakened her. And even though her current reserves still put her above a regular unicorn in terms of strength, she still wasn't anywhere near her top form in terms of performance. Even if she could grab Spike and teleport the both of them away, there was no way of determining what distance would be needed to achieve safety.

In simple terms, this wasn't a good situation to be in.

"Then it appears we'll have to fight our way out," he commented.

"Fight? As in... kill?" Twilight asked as she looked up at him for clarification.

"Potentially," Ulquiorra replied.

Twilight tried not to frown. That wasn't exactly the answer she'd been looking for when she'd asked. She had hoped -ridiculous as it was- that Ulquiorra might offer up some other answer. Something, anything, that wasn't all but actual confirmation of the fact that they might have to actively shed blood and end lives themselves. Despite his advice at breakfast, she really wasn't sure if she could bring herself to actively, and deliberately, kill another individual, even if it was necessary. She understood that humans were bastards in nature, but didn't even bastards deserve to live?

And then an old glass bottle shattered against the outside of her shield, engulfing the whole thing in a cascade of fire. Her legs nearly buckled, and her concentration nearly faltered enough to let the shield drop.

"I don't think they're gonna give us much choice," Spike commented grimly as he looked out around them.

Ulquiorra remained silent as he considered their available options. There were a great many to choose from, but almost none of them were any good, or would be of any use to them in this situation.

And then he heard something. Something that sounded mechanical.

And then he saw what it was that he'd heard. One particular human was working its way through the crowd, with much darker skin than the rest, wearing a burlap sack over its head, and wielding... a chainsaw of all things...

The human gave an excited yell as it leaped forward and brought the chainsaw down against the shield, causing sparks to fly in every direction as the cutting chain was ground against the dome.

"I... I-I don't know how much longer I can hold out," Twilight stated as her stance began to falter, and her legs began to buckle. There was way more strain being applied to her shield than she'd anticipated, and she was having a lot of trouble compensating for such.

"Then don't. Allow your shield to drop, and we'll proceed with a new approach," Ulquiorra replied, "I'm about to release a significant portion of reiatsu. As weak as these humans appear to be, they should succumb to being subjected to a greater concentration, causing them to falter. As soon as they are, drop your shield and proceed as necessary," he instructed.

Up until now these ponies had only been exposed to the amount of reiatsu that his body couldn't perfectly suppress on its own, due to the sheer magnitude of it all. They had yet to experience just how dense that reiatsu truly was. And if these humans were anything like the ones he had experience with, they would easily be sent to their knees in seconds, and be left unable to move. The weaker one might even die off immediately from having their souls crushed by the pressure they were subjected to.

Twilight tried to reply, but didn't even get the chance to get a word out before she was suddenly subjected to an overwhelming, stifling sensation. It was like the air had suddenly grown both heavier and thinner at the same time. The last time she felt something like this, it'd been during the changeling incident. But this seemed a lot more concentrated than the last time around. If the last time had nearly knocked the air out of Rainbow Dash's lungs, she didn't want to consider what this would've done to the cyan pegasus.

But as she looked outside, it looked like it was having the desired effect. The humans were starting to drop to their knees, the fight being taken out of them from what they were subjected to. It looked like they were being deprived of air.

All except for the one using the chainsaw, and trying to cut downward through her shield. The one seemed a lot hardier than the rest of them.

"Drop your shield now," Ulquiorra instructed.

And the moment the shield dropped, he went into action.

The chainsaw was easy enough to stop with the palm of his left hand, the teeth failing to cut through his hierro as they easily glided over the skin, all the while casting sparks in every direction.

The one eye that was visible through the hole in the burlap bag, which had gone wide at what was being witnessed, went even wider as he easily leveraged the chainsaw back on its wielder, pressing the rotating chain against the outside of the bag, and then right through its skull. As the machine was turned against the one holding it, sending blood flying in every direction, along with bits of bone and brain matter, and showering him in the process of it all, he couldn't be sure which was louder to hear; the roar of the motor, or the screams of agony as the human's brain was cut through, until its entire head was split in half all the way down to the neck.

As the human collapsed on the ground, his body twitching from the nerve impulses still running through it, Ulquiorra noticed that the others were starting to look like they were overcoming the presence of his reiatsu and getting back up again. That simply wouldn't do...

All around Twilight and Spike, bloody carnage, and general chaos, was unfolding at incredibly high speeds. They hadn't even had time to look away before the first human was killed in a showery spray of bodily bits, before getting at least partially coated in it themselves. The only thing staving off the nausea at the moment was the high degree of adrenaline coursing through their systems.

And just as quick as the one human was down, and no longer able to make any noise, countless others all around them were sent either flying or falling. Ulquiorra was nowhere to be seen now, traveling at speeds faster than their eyes could perceive. And considering the carnage that was unfolding around them, neither one of them was certain that they actually wanted to follow. Some things were better left unknown... like the mystery of the severed arm landing next to them, still clutching the spade its previous owner had held in life.

"Spike," Twilight gulped, trying to hold back that ever-growing sense of nausea, while trying not to look at the bloodied stump of a limb. "I think we're fucked."

"Well you know what they say," Spike replied as he grabbed for the spade, fighting to pry loose the hand that gripped the shaft. "When the going gets fucked, the fucked get going!"

Twilight didn't know how to respond to Spike's comment, or his use of language, or even the way he was acting. She suspected it was some sort of disassociative coping mechanism in response to the sheer degree of stress they were currently facing. From a psychological standpoint it made sense, as she truly didn't believe he'd ever normally act like this on his own.

Her thoughts, however, were interrupted as a bladed implement went flying just over her head, spinning end over end, before the cutting edge firmly embedded itself in the face of a human armed with a wrench that had been charging right for them, and went unnoticed by her until just now.

The force of the impact had snapped the head back, while the body had continued forward as all the tension was immediately released, causing it to fall to its knees and then topple over backwards, trapping its legs underneath its body, the pipe wrench dropping to the ground with a clank, its twitching hand no longer able to hold onto it, what with the curved blade buried so deep into its skull.

"Come on, Twilight, pick up the pace already! I can't watch your back and mine at the same time!" Spike stated as he took a good two handed grip on the spade and prepared to make good use of it.

Twilight blinked and shook her head, trying to clear the confusion from her mind. She looked between Spike as he shouldered the spade, and then back at the dead body before him. They were pretty much already up to their necks in carnage right now. And escape was pretty much impossible. With that thought in mind she looked between the wrench,and the curved bladed implement, trying to settle on which one to grab.

What Ulquiorra was in the process of doing to the humans before him couldn't truly be called fighting, as the term would at least suggest some sort of struggle was occurring. But for him, with the speed of his sonido, and their inability to respond to or even see his movements, he might as well have been cutting down overgrown plants. What he was facing didn't even warrant unsheathing his zanpakutō.

It didn't even really warrant using both of his hands. But regardless of that fact, there was undeniably a sense of primal satisfaction to doing just that.

Humans were being scattered like flies left and right, and he really wasn't even trying all that hard. His attacks were very basic in nature, consisting of a backhand slap to the face, a punch here, an kick there, a knee or elbow strike to a vulnerable target, and the occasional impalement of his fist through a chest or two, just to break up the monotony. If he were feeling an urge to exercise the dramatic, he'd switch to using his foot to hook a human at the back of their neck and fling them away in a random direction, or sweeping a human's leg out from under them and stomp down on their head, crushing the skull in the process... and even grabbing one upturned human by their leg, and swinging him about like a club for knocking down a group of several or more that has clustered together, before discarding him after having served his intended purpose; and serving it admirably.

He spared a glance back at Twilight Sparkle and Spike. Spike was at least trying to make an effort in procuring himself a weapon, but Twilight Sparkle seemed frozen on the spot, and unaware of the human running towards her while brandishing a wrench.

A sudden yell brought his attention back forward, and he became aware of the human charging towards him, while waving a... his mind wanted to call it a kukri for some reason, but he couldn't tell for certain. But that was neither here nor there right at the moment.

"Excuse me."

In one quick movement he snatched the large, curved knife right from the human's hand, turned back around, and flung it in the direction of the human with the wrench. He watched as he spun end over end, well over Twilight Sparkle's head, before firmly burying itself in the human's head, right between the eyes. The results in this matter were satisfactory in nature.

"Thank you."

And then he turned back and punched the other human in the face with enough force to completely remove his head from his shoulders, and sent it flying into the chest of an another unsuspecting human.

It was results that he truly hadn't expected to happen. But he wouldn't object to the way it had turned out.

Twilight was certain that bones were broken as she slammed the wrench down on the human's exposed foot. It should've been an excruciating things to be subjected to, but the response she'd gotten had only been temporary in nature, consisting of an angered yell, a bit of hopping around, and a return to hostility. It was absolutely nuts!

However it became a matter of irrelevancy as Spike was there to pick up the slack, and slammed the flat part of his commandeered shovel against the human's face, sending them toppling over.

"Stay!" Spike stated as he slammed the spade down on the human's face. "Down!" he continued as he repeated the blow. "Damnit!" he yelled as he rotated the spade ninety degrees, and brought the edge down onto the human's chest, cutting deep into his tissue, and earning a pain-filled yell, before the body went limp.

The sheer degree of casualness Spike was exhibiting about the unrestrained violence they were forced into... that was a major concern for Twilight right now. He was adapting to this matter way too easily for her tastes. It was almost like he was enjoying himself. He was far too young to be entertaining such disturbing thoughts, and actually looking forward to doing this stuff.

She flinched as Spike ripped the shovel out of the chest cavity, pulling blood and certain bits of bodily tissue in the process. And that brought her up to another matter of why she simply couldn't get her head into the game; possibly the reason why she couldn't adapt to everything as easily as Spike was.

Death wasn't unknown to Equestria. But the mechanics involved in this case were confusing to no end. Every single living organism in the world hosted countless strains of bacterial contaminants, held in check by the host's immune system preventing the rapid multiplication of such. But upon death, and the immune system shutting down, these bacteria were given unfettered access, allowing them to quickly multiply, and break down the host tissue. This allowed for the host to be reabsorbed by the many various parts of the ecosystem and serve as nutrients, allowing for said ecosystem to continue thriving and prospering. It was the true cycle of life. Through death their was rebirth.

But the process was a complex one and could take anywhere between days and months, depending on the environment in which the death occurred. And it only applied to the soft organic tissues that made up the musculature and related structures, not the bones themselves.

Therein laid the source of the confusion. These humans didn't seem to be abiding by the rules of nature. When one of them died, it was only a matter of minutes -or sometimes just seconds- before their bodies seemed to begin decomposing into a thick, bubbling, tar-like substance, and evaporating away like water on a hot frying pan. It wasn't just their flesh, but also bone, and even clothing! Such things were supposed to be physical impossibilities! And yet they were happening all around them without fail.

"Twilight!"

Her thoughts on the impossibilities of what she was seeing unfold all around her, were interrupted by the yell coming from Spike, alerting her to the fact that a human wielding a wood cutting axe was coming right at her. She immediately yelped and fell backwards on her haunches, barely missing the axe cit colliding with the side of her skull, and nearly toppling over backward in the process. But she had no time to recover herself, as the human had already recovered from his swing, and was bringing the axe bit down.

Immediately, out of some form of instinct she really didn't comprehend at that point, Twilight parted her hind legs, just as the ax bit was firmly buried in the ground right between them.

The axe bit had come within less than an inch of nicking something important to her. And if she had been born a stallion, something very important would have been more than just nicked...

Now it was personal. That was more than enough motivation to get her in a fighting mood, as she retaliated by swinging the wrench around and smacking the human upside the head with it, knocking them right off their feet.

As Twilight climbed back to her hooves, she determined that she would worry about the consequences of her actions later, when they were all alive and able to worry. But they had to stay alive to get to that point, and that's just what she intended to do!

Ulquiorra spared a glance back at the others. His attention had been directed elsewhere during the time, but Twilight Sparkle had apparently overcome whatever stumbling blocks she had been faced with, and was now getting as involved in the matter as Spike was. She was beginning to take things seriously now, and fighting back with increased ferocity. That was far more conductive of actually surviving this matter.

He observed as the lavender unicorn took a particularly aggressive approach to one human, consisting of knocking them down, straddling their chest, and proceeding to unmercifully beat their head in with the wrench she had made use of. With that fact in mind, he returned his focus to his own matter, and snapped the neck of the human nearest to him as easily as he would a twig.

Unfortunately things went wrong in that short amount of time, as they next thing he heard was a frightened scream from Twilight Sparkle. Turning around, he saw her now laying on the ground on her back, grappling with a human that was firmly holding onto her pasterns... and sprouting four, writhing, barbed tendrils from its mouth as it tried to bite at her face.

In a flash he crossed the distance, and delivered a sweeping kick to the human's face, shattering the head and reducing it to a mess of red chunks and blood spray that flew everywhere.

And then there was an eruption of tissue as an enormous creature, similar in appearance to a centipede, erupted from the stump of the neck. Only it was much, much bigger than any centipede he had ever seen before; far bigger than should've been possible for the human body to house in addition to its normal physical structure.

This... was as far from normal as he had ever seen. Exactly what the hell was going on around here?

A roar of green flames, courtesy of Spike, quickly entered his line of sight, engulfing the strange creature with ease, as it writhed about and screamed in agony.

Ulquiorra's approach was considerably lacking in terms of flash when compared to Spike's approach. But it was far more effective in nature, consisting of the discharge of a Bala at the base of the neck -or whatever it was- and more or less disintegrating the creature entirely.

Entirely, and quite messily, as various bodily fluids were sent flying in every direction, suggesting this creature was of a particularly juicy nature.

Twilight rolled onto her front as she retched, trying hard to get something out in response to being covered in unidentified viscous materials that reeked like nothing else she'd ever smelt before, and being front and center for a brutal butchering of a slaughter.

"Ulquiorra?" Spike asked, ignoring the fact that Twilight was trying her best to be violently ill on a hopelessly empty system.

"Yes?" Ulquiorra asked in response.

"None of that was normal for humans, was it?" Spike asked.

"Not even close to normal," Ulquiorra replied. He was hopelessly confused by everything that had happened up to this point.

And then there was a loud echoing crack, and he was struck in the side of the head by something.

On an unconscious level, Ulquiorra had been aware of the fact that, through a combination of all their efforts, the assortment of humans present had dropped from potentially hundreds, to almost none. The only evidence left behind of their presence had been their assortment of various weapons, and the minute traces of their reiatsu from where they had fallen, and subsequently dissolved away.

But while the crowd had been thinned out considerably, there were still a large number present, and they were of a significantly different appearance.

Up until now, they humans they had been fighting looked like angered civilians from some remote village, who had simply grabbed whatever had been handy, before marching off as an angry mob to confront them and kill them.

The ones that were currently falling into place, however, wore what appeared to be uniforms of some paramilitary organization, and carrying far more modern and effective weapons. Rifles were present, along with large metal riot-type shields, adorned with various decorative images likely intended to intimidate, and electrified batons that crackled with electricity.

The situation had grown progressively worse with the arrival of these soldiers. Or perhaps they were mercenaries of some sort. He really didn't care just what they were, one way or the other. Their weaponry could cause far more damage from a distance, and there was little he could do to stop that from occurring. He was fast, potentially faster than a speeding bullet, but even he couldn't outpace hundreds of speeding bullets.

Through one course of action or another, this situation had just degraded into a turkey shoot. And they were in the middle of it.

"Fuck," he muttered to himself.

Chapter Fifty Three

Chapter Fifty Three

Celestia looked down at the page before her and frowned, deeply upset with what it had to say.

June 14, 0002 ANM June 18, 0002 ANM

.

This wasn't a report that was sent to her for inspection and consideration. It wasn't a part of the everyday headaches involved with running a country. Instead it was something of a considerably more difficult nature; her own private journal. She had been -unsuccessfully- trying to maintain these daily records, detailing what happened throughout her day. It had been a naive endeavor from her youth, back when the kingdom had been much smaller, and much simpler. Back then she could easily keep pace and fill pages each night with so little effort. But as the kingdom grew, both in size and complexity, that task wasn't as easily filled due to more and more time needing to be devoted to the intricate details of keeping everything running smoothly.

She knew it was a foolish notion to try and make up for her laxness. She knew that there was no realistic way she could ever keep a running journal going. Even when it came to important details, her ability to write about the day's events escaped her.

Case in point was her latest journal entry, consisting of nothing more than the date, and a dot of ink that was intended to be the start of a capitalized letter. She'd intended to write about bringing Rainbow Dash to Canterlot to oversee her wellbeing. But after four additional days she still hadn't been able to do just that. And even if she had the time to actually sit down and try to write, she simply couldn't figure out just how to write such. How exactly did one go about detailing the events of five days ago, and what she had to sit through one of her friends accusing her other friends of doing to her?

It was questions like that, that provided further and further motivation to drop this foolish notion of trying to maintain a journal for her own benefit.

She wasn't entirely sure why, but Ulquiorra's opting to remain in Ponyville just seemed to add to the difficulty she was experiencing.

According to what she'd grasped, Twilight had managed to lasso him into assisting with a plan she had concocted; a plan that she believed would somehow help Rainbow Dash's recovery. However her student had been in such a manic state at the time of explanation, she'd truly only understood about half of what had been said. And being pressed for time, she couldn't seek clarification if it ran longer than a few minutes.

However that inability to seek clarification only extended to being in the flesh within Ponyville. She had sent a letter asking for better detail of just what Twilight had been planning, but so far she had received nothing back. She was literally in the dark as to what was taking place in Ponyville, as her entire attention was focused on what was occurring inside the palace.

"Forget it," Celestia sighed to herself, returning the sorry excuse for a journal to its resting place in her chambers. Who was she foaling? Herself? This was a useless endeavor. With a grumble she stood up from where she sat on her bed, and walked out of the room, the double doors swinging shut and locking themselves behind her. There were far more pressing matters to tend to right now. Matters that could actually benefit from her presence and involvement.

"Princess Celestia."

She stopped dead in her tracks at the dull, monotone voice that came from her left. Turning her head, she came face to face with Ulquiorra as he stood in the hallway several paces away, his hands tucked into his pockets as usual.

"Ulquiorra," Celestia replied in exchange of greeting, "you might find it strange, but I'm actually glad that you're back," she stated. Perhaps his calm, logical approach to things could prove to be beneficial in this matter.

"The matter at hand has truly become that serious, then?" Ulquiorra asked, mildly curious by the announcement. He never considered the notion of Princess Celestia actually being glad for his presence. Seeing him as beneficial in certain circumstances was one thing, but glad was another. He wasn't exactly certain how to interpret such a statement, unless it was in relation to a situation getting out of control and needing swift -and potentially brutal, all things considered- intervention to stop it from spiraling any further.

"Sometimes I have grounds to wonder," Celestia replied. These past few days had been so difficult. "Can you tell me what's been going on in Ponyville the last few days? Twilight has been... less than clear on everything, and I'm not sure why."

"An extensive investigation of Ponyville and the surrounding territory, utilizing my ability to detect residual traces of reiatsu to determine the locations Rainbow Dash was present at on the thirteenth of this month, and gathering any relevant eye-witness testimony to corroborate the evidence," Ulquiorra explained, giving a simplified account of what had happened ever since the departure. When Princess Celestia didn't immediately speak up, he continued with his explanation. "The purpose of this endeavor was two-fold in nature. To determine if anything unusual occurred that would explain the unpredicted change in not only behavior but also thought, and to thoroughly debunk Rainbow Dash's preconceived notions of what she experienced five days ago and prior, while also proving the innocence of those she considers to be her friends," he finished, filling her in on exactly what had been taking place for the past five days on his end.

"I see..." Celestia replied slowly as she took in the details of the story. She wasn't certain whether the idea was the result of Twilight's mind being at work, or Ulquiorra's. If the two were working in tandem with each other then either one of them could have come up with this strategy. But at the moment it wasn't important. Whoever was deserving credit for the approach could wait for another time. She also suspected the "proving the innocence" angle was about proving it to Rainbow Dash rather than anyone else. "So what did you find out in your investigation? Anything beneficial?"

"Unfortunately no. Despite the thorough nature of the search, nothing conclusive was found. I've been unable to detect anything that would be out of place from the very first time I visited Ponyville. Other than the damage caused by the manticore attack, nothing out of place could be found. Whatever unexplained event is responsible for warping Rainbow Dash's mind, and turning her against her friends, I have been unable to find any trace of it. This unfortunately raises numerous questions. Was this unexplained event present prior to my arrival in your dimension? Did the encounter occur in the air where there would be nothing for residual reiatsu to cling to, and thus rendering it undetectable to my pesquisa?" Ulquiorra asked, more rhetorical than anything in order to elaborate on the difficulties that had been encountered. Those were just some of the questions that had to be asked, some of the possibilities that had to be considered. Truthfully those were some of the less disturbing possibilities that had been entertained over the past few days.

"Then ultimately you've come all this way to report that you've found nothing?" Celestia asked, unsure of how to interpret such. Surely if that was the case, Ulquiorra would've done the more practical thing and simply submitted a written report via Spike, rather than taking the time to actually travel such a distance; especially since his presence here left Ponyville unguarded.

"To the contrary, I have found something. Essentially a map of every single land-based location Rainbow Dash has visited over the course of a week. Every location in which residual traces of her unique reiatsu pattern was located has been documented and mapped out," Ulquiorra explained.

Celestia blinked in confusion at Ulquiorra's statement. "But I thought you said you couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. How does knowing where Rainbow Dash has been help us in this case?" she asked.

"It doesn't. Our situation does not benefit from knowing which trees appear to be preferred napping locations to a lazy, opinionated, egotistical pegasus. However it may benefit her by serving to discount her false beliefs about the timeline of events, by forcing her to confront actual, irrefutable facts, corroborated by multiple eye witnesses willing to testify not only to seeing her, but also interacting with her, and being aware of her general demeanor," Ulquiorra explained.

Back in Ponyville he had refrained from picking apart Rainbow Dash's recollection of events from her point of view, simply because he was uncertain how his actions might affect her mental stability. He had chosen to refrain simply due to a lack of relevant information, and an inability to make an educated decision.

However that caution of approach had been put to an end when he'd witnessed Princess Celestia not refraining from pointing out the inaccuracies of the tale of events. She had exercised no concern in the matter of potentially causing trauma when bringing up the inconsistencies of memory, and the impossibility of the events occurring in the way they were described. And if his restrained method of approach to the matter was unwarranted, then there was sufficient reason to abandon such.

"While your approach does have merit at first blush, I'm not certain of its validity. What we're dealing with isn't a simple matter of Rainbow Dash experiencing amnesia," Celestia replied with a sigh as she stepped forward. "We haven't exactly been sitting on our flanks here back in Canterlot the past few days, being waited on, and fed sweets. Both Luna and I have been putting a great deal of effort into looking after Rainbow Dash's wellbeing, and trying to help her however we can. Unfortunately we have nothing to show for all our efforts," she explained.

Ulquiorra considered asking just what the diarchy had been attempting in order to address the situation at hand. For some reason the immediate images that came to mind involved lots of hugging and kind words, hugging her while she cried hysterically. If coddling was their idea of help, then Rainbow Dash would never get better. If anything it might only serve to deepen her current state of being.

"And what specifically has the regimen of treatment consisted of up to this point?" he asked.

Celestia tried not to frown at the question being asked, and the exact tone in how it was presented. It seemed innocent enough in nature, but how things seemed and how things were, were two entirely different matters. With that doubt in mind, she wasn't entirely certain that she liked the question being asked, or what he might be alluding to. But at the moment she really didn't feel up to having an argument with him. She'd let it slide for the time being, as there were more important things to address.

"Apart from assuring her that she's secure here at the palace, we've been attempting to address the matter of her memory. But so far we've run into... complications. Whatever it is that's affected her recollection of events, it's unlike anything either Luna or I have ever experienced in our time. And not knowing what we're dealing with, it's too risky to attempt any memory-related spells. Attempting to suppress or otherwise wipe the false memories could have serious, long-term consequences. If we don't exercise extreme caution on this matter, we could accidentally wipe everything from her mind. And removing knowledge is far simpler than attempting to return it," she explained, leaving Ulquiorra to figure the rest out for himself. It went without saying that a total mind wipe was a terrible idea to even give consideration to, seeing as it more or less killed the individual it was performed on.

And making that matter all the worse, was the fact that such an approach might not even work at removing the source of the issue. For all they knew those retched, implanted memories could still remain, and continue tormenting what was essentially a foal trapped in an adult's body. The potential for psychological harm was far too great to give any serious consideration.

"If such serious measures are being considered, am I correct in assuming that simpler options such as hypnosis have been considered, and subsequently discounted?" Ulquiorra asked evenly, more out of curiosity rather than concern.

Once again Celestia shook her head. "The notion of hypnosis possessing any therapeutic value is highly misleading. It's a party game, meant to entertain guests as the hypnotized is convinced that a piece of ice is as hot as lava, or that a feather weighs hundreds of pounds. But in the realm of therapy, its use is limited. Under the right conditions it can be valuable, but not when it comes to the matter of memories. It could be used to reassign certain reactions to certain stimuli, but not to make someone forget what they experienced, or believe they experienced," she explained.

If only things were as simple in real life as they were in fiction books. If hypnosis truly worked in the manner so many authors believed it worked, it would've been attempted already. But sadly that wasn't the case, and they had many, many difficulties in front of them to address.

"Then precisely what methodology of treatment has been utilized during my absence?" Ulquiorra asked bluntly. The way things were being described to him, he began to wonder if anything was being done at all. Were they even addressing the problem? Or were they simply waiting to see what would develop on its own?

"A number of varying approaches, intended to keep Rainbow Dash's mental state stable. Canterlot palace provides the perceived safety of distance from the others, and a number of royal guards who are always on duty to fill her with a sense of security. Rainbow Dash knows that she can turn to either Luna or myself anytime she needs to talk, regardless of what she has to say, no matter how vulgar it might be at the time. During her waking hours, we provide emotional support. And Luna has been tending to the matter of her dreams when she sleeps, preventing the formation of nightmares based on these questionable memories, and instead presenting her with dreams based on pleasant memories with her friends. The idea is to let her recover under her own power, while providing the support she believes she needs, while subtly trying to guide her back to where she needs to be," Celestia replied calmly, laying out what the plan had been since their departure from Ponyville.

Or more accurately, what they had switched their plans to, after learning how they couldn't adjust the malicious memories Rainbow Dash was unwillingly harboring. If directly dealing with those implanted memories wasn't a possibility, then they had to go about doing it in a different way. If direct intervention on their part wouldn't prove beneficial, then they would provide supportive care, as well as provide Rainbow Dash with what she might need to overcome the trauma herself.

"If you don't mind my asking, Ulquiorra, what're you doing back in Canterlot? I didn't believe you'd be leaving Ponyville unattended unless so ordered. And I don't believe any serious matters have developed that would warrant you coming to fetch me, otherwise you would've mentioned them immediately, and only if Spike was unavailable to send an alert. So I can't help but wonder what brings you here, after everything that's happened already," Celestia pointed out. She knew that something was out of place, and she was growing curious as to just what that something was.

A correct observation on her part, Ulquiorra noted. As was to be expected from one who held her position.

"An accurate assessment of facts. Leaving Ponyville and its inhabitants unguarded for any extended period of time would be unwise," he replied. Despite all efforts made over the last few days by a handful of individuals, motivated to prevent another incident similar to the manticore attack, and motivated strongly enough to put their own natural fears aside in the name of a greater good, the results were still lacking. For all intents and purposes, Ponyville was still soft. Comparatively speaking, the difference made by these motivated individuals amounted to using suede work gloves in a fistfight, as opposed to going at it bare knuckled boxing style. "The intended purpose of my presence was to submit my findings for consideration, and to verify Rainbow Dash's current state of wellbeing, due to the mounting curiosity being expressed through town. The sooner these tasks can be addressed, the sooner I can return before something happens in my absence." he explained.

Normally standing around and talking was something he wasn't opposed to. But the more time spent here, the more time he spent away from Ponyville and the vulnerable targets located there. And despite numerous investigations of the territory that surrounded Ponyville, in an effort to scour the countryside for anything resembling a conceivable threat, and turning up nothing concrete, his extended absence was still unwise.

How simple things would be if he still had access to his Descorrer. All the more reason to interrogate Discord, should the spirit of chaos ever choose to make himself known again.

"I see then," Celestia replied calmly, understanding what he meant. However there were still questions at hand to address. "I certainly don't mean to take up anymore of your time than necessary, but I have to ask. Why didn't you simply submit your findings through Spike? His fire is much more effective for long distance communication, than making the journey, even at your speed," she pointed out. She knew that he must've had good reason to engage in the course of action that he did. But she just wasn't seeing them right now.

"An accurate assessment of facts. However sending reports through Spike would be insufficient in this case. Merely submitting a written report for her to read would do nothing to motivate Rainbow Dash to consider that her recollection is incorrect. Instead a more persuasive argument will have to be made. One for which the explanation of such would best be given while traveling in order to save time," Ulquiorra pointed out.

Celestia could easily pick up what he was getting at; the basic message of stop wasting time. With a nod she began walking, with him accompanying her.

"So how exactly do you intend to present this "persuasive argument" of yours to Rainbow Dash, so she might understand what it is you've found?" she asked now that they were underway.

"Unlike the other Espada, I possess a unique talent. Solita Vista, which allows me to give a visual display of what I have witnessed and experienced. A written report may be easily disregarded during a period of emotional instability. But witnessing a televised account of everything is far more difficult to ignore," Ulquiorra explained, referencing the same technique that had been used when submitting his first report on Ponyville.

"Televised?" Celestia asked, unfamiliar with the term, and curious with what he meant.

"A series of moving images projected on or against a flat surface. More specifically, a firsthand account of my findings, witnessed through my own eyes," he elaborated, giving a simplified account in order to avoid having to explain the human concept of television. That was a conversation for another time, far removed from now.

Celestia remained silent as they walked. Now she had a proper name to apply to the technique Ulquiorra had sprung on her a good while ago. Unfortunately knowing what it was called, didn't make it any less painful to remember watching how he'd plucked out his own eyeball, a crush it into a fine dust like it was nothing. She didn't know what was the worst part of it all; watching the display itself, or how he just carried on with that empty socket until his eye grew back.

With that thought in mind, she really didn't know just how the Solita Vista technique would affect Rainbow Dash. But if there was the chance of it working, it had to be given consideration. A visual recount would certainly carry more weight than some coldly written report dealing in statistics, or whatever it was.

"It certainly sounds like an interesting approach to attempt," she commented as they walked along, not knowing what else to say at the time. It was hard to properly comment on the unknown. "So what can you tell me about the state Ponyville was in when you left? Reports on everything have been sparse the past few days," she explained, hoping to change the discussion to something she would have an easier time discussing.

"Cleanup has been completed, and reconstruction has begun. Ponyville General Hospital is still being tight-lipped as to the official figures regarding victims of the attack. In exchange for my focus on the matter pertaining to Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle has been focusing almost exclusively on better learning the spells found in the tome you delivered. She expends large amounts of mana to the point of exhaustion, then initiates a recharge spell to allow for the collection of large amounts of mana, and then repeats the process," Ulquiorra explained, giving the highlights of the past few days on his end.

"That certainly sounds like one of Twilight's method of doing things; repetition to the point of utter exhaustion," Celestia replied and tried not to smile too much at the nature of her student's -correction, her friend's- efforts. "Can you elaborate on which spells Twilight is trying to learn?" she asked.

"I'm unfamiliar with what the proper names are. But the spell that has received the majority of her focus is for the purpose of summoning lightning. What began as ten minutes of effort to cast it once has, through constant repetition and practice, been reduced to two minutes of effort. It would seem Twilight Sparkle's talent for magic is more considerable than even I could have anticipated," he explained. However to save time he'd opted not to inform her of the other efforts Twilight Sparkle had been engaging in.

One endeavor she had expressed interest in undertaking -and he suspected, likely the reason she had requested this specific tome- was attempting to recreate Princess Celestia's mana sword on her own. But it was a highly complicated process; far more complicated than generating raw lightning. Giving raw mana a defined form outside the body required constant and intense concentration in order to hold the shape, and the power requirements were considerable. If there was too little mana in the area, then it needed to be provided by the caster. And according to Twilight Sparkle's expertise, the required density of the mana particles needed to be of the same density of tungsten alloy in order for it to be effective at cutting or blocking.

The very first time the lavender unicorn had tried to cast the spell, the results had been lacking. The construct had barely qualified as a dagger in terms of size and appearance, and the duration of its existence had barely been two seconds before it violently shattered and dissolved, leaving Twilight Sparkle mentally and physically exhausted, collapsing where she'd stood.

After that unfortunate development, she had decided to stick solely with the lightning, until she reached a level of skill that she believed was adequate in its casting and deployment.

Nor was he entirely certain that he should be informing her of the activities of other Ponyville residents. However that was a matter more of saving time, rather than operating in secrecy. There was no reason for her to not know what was going on, but it didn't necessarily have to be him that brought the matter to her attention. She likely had her hands full enough as it was with what was already on her plate.

And with that thought in mind, now it was time for him to ask a few questions, and for Princess Celestia to act as the source of information.

"Along with information pertaining to the condition of Rainbow Dash, there is growing curiosity pertaining to the manticore. Has any relevant information been discovered yet?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not. Despite the thoroughness of the medical examiners, nothing new has been garnered. No latent magical signatures to indicate an outside involvement, no physical abnormalities to suggest genetic modification, no brain lesions, no signs of viral affliction, and no signs of a fungal infection that would explain its actions. As far as the finest medical professionals available are concerned, what we have on our hooves is nothing more than an everyday, run of the mill manticore, with a broken wing and a broken neck from when you brought it down," Celestia explained, bringing him up to date on their discoveries, and the lack thereof.

He had no hard proof for support, but based on the tone Princess Celestia used, Ulquiorra believed that she disagreed with the diagnosis of the medical examiners who had been tasked with the examination. He too had reason to disagree with those who were in a position of authority for making such a determination. But without the ability to detect actual magic, and having absolutely no idea just what to be looking for that would be considered out of the ordinary, he was limited to relying on others for help; regardless of how revolting such a thought was.

"And what is the state of Rainbow Dash?" he asked simply, opting to steer the conversation into a more relevant topic of discussion.

"To be perfectly honest, I'm not one hundred percent certain about her current state. Physically she's alright, but mentally it's another story. Even after the inconsistencies in her memories were pointed out, she's still convinced beyond reasonable doubt that she went through everything she remembers experiencing, and that her friends have betrayed her in the worst possible way," Celestia replied and let out a tired sigh. "We're doing our best to try and help her, but I don't know if we're doing any good. To say she's deeply upset would be a serious understatement. I could try and explain the situation to you, but I have the feeling that seeing her for yourself would work far better than anything I can articulate in my own words," she explained.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response. A great deal of information could likely be gained from observation on his part, rather than listening to the secondhand accounts of an untrained observer. He could more easily discern things that others couldn't, and make observations about her state that others would miss.

The only information he could truly gain from further questioning of Princess Celestia, was just how she could tend to Rainbow Dash while simultaneously tending to her royal duties. But at the moment he had no interest in such information; bureaucracies and their managing was an acquired taste. So he instead opted to maintain his silence, and continue his walking as he was escorted to where the cyan pegasus was.

The gardens of Canterlot palace were certainly not the location Ulquiorra had expected to find Rainbow Dash in. Considering her condition, he had expected her to be isolated in the infirmary and subjected to round the clock observation in order to prevent her from harming herself. He had expected professional medical staff with degrees in psychology and psychiatry being called into to address the matter, and try to aid in her recovery.

Instead of a professional, clinical approach, Ulquiorra was met by sunshine, gentle pre-summer breezes, and wide-open green spaces.

The sheer number of things that could go wrong with this approach were limitless. He was aware of that fact from even before they stepped out into this area. Was Princess Celestia aware of the same facts? Did she even care about such possibilities? Or did she have countermeasures in place, should something either go wrong or appear to go wrong?

"The first few days here, she spent crying and screaming, breaking down, and scrubbing herself in the hottest showers possible; hot enough she eventually burned herself, and we had to magically cap the maximum allowed temperature of the water supplied by the plumbing. The past few days, however, have been marked by a lack of crying, and instead have been replaced with a great deal of negativity. She's swung away from sadness over believing she's been betrayed, to outright resenting the others for what they did to her. In her mind she was robbed of her dignity, her pride, and her dreams. She's convinced that she's nothing more than an empty shell of her former self, and there's nothing left to her but bitterness," Celestia explained as they stepped into the gardens, doing her best to give him an idea of what he'd be facing here.

"And knowing this, you deemed it best to allow her access to an unsecured area, and by herself?" Ulquiorra asked bluntly as he turned to look at her directly. Surely she couldn't be this foolish, as such would defy the logic of even basic physics.

"Despite your doubts as to my intelligence, Ulquiorra, I'm not as stupid as you might have concluded," Celestia replied simply, letting his covert insult slide. She had no need for being petty right now. "It's all a part of the treatment, getting her out into the sun and fresh air for at least one hour every day, instead of letting her brood in her room, isolated and in the dark. Plus she's not unsupervised, as one of our best nurses is accompanying her, and ready with a sedative spell should it prove necessary to prevent her from doing something harmful," she explained.

She knew full well that so many things could go wrong out here in the garden if she wasn't careful. But she was careful, and hadn't allowed things to be left to random chance. There were security measures in place for various circumstances and locations. So it was highly unlikely that Rainbow Dash would be able to hurt either herself or somepony else.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response. He doubted that the cyan could be stopped from doing anything by just a single nurse, regardless of what magic was possessed. Twilight Sparkle had proven incapable of stopping the cyan pegasus from beating Rarity due to a sudden blow to the face, and it was only through Spike's timely -and surprisingly overpowering- intervention that she'd been stopped. One unicorn, taken by surprise, would likely yield little more than a speed bump to a motivated pegasus.

"Per chance do you know where in the garden the two might be?" he asked, not able to pick up any signs of any pony present, with the exception of who he assumed to be a gardener, who was in the process of tending to a wild rosebush.

"Hmm..." Celestia mumbled as she rubbed her chin and scanned the area with her eyes, trying to find some sign of the two mares. "Truthfully I don't. But I don't believe we have any reason to worry. Nurse Goodwill usually reports that Rainbow Dash spends her time sleeping in one of the trees. And she would report to me if something should happen," she explained, having great confidence in her selected nurse. She had served the diarchy well in her time, and it wasn't likely that she would be unable to do the same here and now.

Ulquiorra said nothing at first, opting to scan the area with his pesquisa, as it was far more thorough than any eyesight might be.

"This Nurse Goodwill you speak of. It goes without saying that she's a unicorn, correct?" he asked her.

"She is," Celestia replied and nodded.

"As I thought," Ulquiorra replied, "I believe I have located her position. But I cannot say the same about Rainbow Dash," he elaborated as he turned to face her. "Rainbow Dash is nowhere to be found in the royal gardens. Nor is she anywhere that is within range of my pesquisa. In simpler terms, she is nowhere to be found within the palace," he stated.

It took a moment for Ulquiorra's words to register with her. But when they did, they hit with all the force of a ton of bricks landing right on top of her. That simple statement had hit with an incredible degree of bluntness, with greater force than any browbeating he could deliver for her perceived foalishness.

"You're... y-you're certain?" she asked, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Quite certain. Rainbow Dash is gone, and your contingencies have failed to keep her safe and secured. Because of your approach, we have no idea where she has gone, no idea when she left, or even if she left of her own volition. What we do have, however, is another mystery, and a missing mare that must be located as quickly as possible. If we fail to do so in a timely manner, there is absolutely no telling what could happen," Ulquiorra stated bluntly.

In simple terms these developments placed them squarely up shit creek. The only thing that prevented them from being devoid of a paddle for maneuvering said creek, was the fact that he could tell Nurse Goodwill was still alive, and that meant she could possibly answer questions as to what had become of Rainbow Dash in the first place.

And while the number of questions they were facing were quickly becoming significant in nature, he could think of one in particular that was facing them imminently. Would they be able to find Rainbow Dash in time, or would they be finding a body?

Chapter Fifty Four

Chapter Fifty Four

Pain.

Pain was what she was aware of, the only discernible thing in the dark void she found herself in. Nothing but pain... and then an overwhelmingly bitter smell entering her nostrils that brought her back to consciousness as she bolted upright and coughed, leaving her utterly confused as to not only where she was, but what was going on around her.

"Easy now, my little pony, easy," she heard a calm, comforting voice say, as a foreleg was eased against her creamy yellow midsection, gently pushing her back down into a sitting position against something firm; something that felt like it had the consistency of tree bark.

As her senses cleared and the vile stink faded, she became more aware of just who the voice had come from. That being Princess Celestia, as she looked down at her with a kind but worried face. And standing next to... she gulped. Princess Celestia was standing next to the strange white biped whose name she couldn't remember the proper pronunciation of, but knew full well that his gaze was enough to give her the shivers anytime she made eye contact with him.

And right now, as he looked down at her with that flinch-inducing gaze that made the blue hairs of her mane feel like they were standing on end, she couldn't help but wonder if her mother had been right about wanting her to become a lawyer instead of a nurse.

"Nurse Goodwill."

Fortunately her focus on the scary one was broken by Princess Celestia's voice resonating in her ears, bringing her attention to a much more preferable individual to deal with.

"Can you tell me what happened here?" Celestia asked calmly, but with a hint of concern in her voice as she spoke.

"I... I don't know. What exactly happened, Your Majesty? Why am I here?" she asked, still confused by what was going on. Why were they hovering over her with concern? And why was she sitting up against a tree?

"We were hoping that you might know. When we came to the gardens, we found you propped up against a tree and unconscious, and Rainbow Dash is gone. Do you remember anything that happened?" Celestia asked.

Goodwill thought on the matter, trying to concentrate and figure out the answers to the questions she was being presented with. Unfortunately her memory was fuzzy right now, making it hard to concentrate.

"I... I don't really remember. The last clear memory I have before waking up here, was needing to console her when she just started crying for no reason. She was holding onto me for dear life, and I thought for sure she was going to suffocate me... and then... then it was overwhelming pain. It felt like my horn was on fire. I think I passed out from some sort of sensory overload, or something along those lines. That's... that's all I can remember, I'm sorry," she replied.

"It's alright, my little pony, you're not to blame," Celestia said in a reassuring tone as she stood herself back up again, before turning her attention to Ulquiorra. Outward she was as calm and serene as anything. But on the inside she was a raging mass of concern and worry. Rainbow Dash was missing, and they had no idea where she was. They didn't even know for certain if she'd left of her own volition, as Goodwill's recollection could be interpreted as anything.

To say the situation was bad would be an understatement, as well as utterly redundant. Rainbow Dash had been in her care, and now she was going. She'd been as good as foalnapped from right under their noses. Those that held the Elements of Harmony were divided, and now one of them was missing. Could this situation get any...

NO! She had to stop herself before she could finish that thought. That was not the question that anyone should ever ask, because invariably once it was asked, or even considered, matters found a way to progress in just such a manner. She needed to maintain some degree of levelheadedness, otherwise they would never get anywhere. Nothing good ever came from panicking in a situation like this.

"So how do we proceed from here?" she asked, directing the question at Ulquiorra. If anyone knew the answer to the question at hoof, it would be the Espada. Of that she was certain.

"At present I'm uncertain. Being absent five days has left me unaware of Rainbow Dash's current mental stability, making it difficult, if not outright impossible, to determine what motivation was at play. The only thing I can say for certain is that Nurse Goodwill was not accosted by a third, as of yet unidentified party, but rather by Rainbow Dash herself," Ulquiorra stated.

"And how did you arrive at such a conclusion so quickly?" Celestia asked, somewhat baffled by how he'd just thrown that out there for consideration.

"Residual saliva on her horn, containing traces of Rainbow Dash's reiatsu signature are still present, along with teeth imprints in the keratin, showing she bit down considerably hard," Ulquiorra elaborated as he gestured towards the unicorn's horn. "From this we can speculate that the intended purpose was to render Nurse Goodwill unconscious, as she was the only one present who could prevent her from leaving. Furthermore, the imprints show the greatest degree of force was applied near the tip of the horn, which is the most potentially sensitive location of the entire structure, due to the cluster of nerves present just below the surface at this point, and even a minor blow can be quite painful. To actually leave imprints in the keratin, the pressure of her bite would need to be considerable, and a deliberate action. However, information like this allows us to conclude that Rainbow Dash's actions were her own, rather than the actions of said third party possessing, and manipulating her like she was a marionette," he explained in detail.

Celestia listened quietly as Ulquiorra explained the matter to her, pointing out what he'd observed, and the hypothesis that formed from said observations. For the most part she could see what he was saying, but he managed to lose her at the last point. How exactly could he conclude that Rainbow Dash was acting on her own, and not subject to some sort of mind control?

Her expression must've betrayed her, as Ulquiorra began explaining matters again without any verbal prompting on her part.

"These actions on Rainbow Dash's part were indeed deliberate, but they were not guided by malice. Note the placing of Nurse Goodwill while unconscious; propped up against a tree in a shady spot after being rendered unconscious. Considering her actions with Rarity, there is little doubt to believe that Rainbow Dash could kill if she believed it necessary, and she would do so willingly. The imprints in the keratin indicate significant biting force on her part; surely enough to tear out a throat if such a move was believed to be prudent. And if the hedge maze was utilized for disposal of the body, no one would be aware for some time; possibly not until buzzards began to circle above head. Instead, however, she simply knocked her out, and then hid her in an out of the way location where she wouldn't be immediately noticed, and placed her in what would most likely be considered a comfortable position, where she might be awoken by a smelling salts spell. These are not the actions of one that wouldn't think twice about murdering foals left and right, for no other purpose than to spread terror. The fact we didn't find Nurse Goodwill disemboweled, and strung up by her entrails, speaks volumes, and tells us much. But for all it tells us, there is much that it doesn't tell us; such as where Rainbow Dash might have gone to? Why did she decide to flee? What was the significance of her timing? And the list just goes on," Ulquiorra explained calmly, despite the seriousness of the whole situation.

Celestia remained silent, terrified by what Ulquiorra was telling her. She wasn't sure what scared her the most; the few details that they did know, or the vast unknown that was staring them down. Regardless of what it was, there was a lost and frightened pegasus out there somewhere, and desperately in need of being found.

However that mindset was quickly changed by the sound of crying, bringing her attention to the blubbering Nurse Goodwill that sat between them as she soon began to succumb to hiccups.

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry," she sobbed and hiccuped as she hung her head, looking down at the ground. "Y-you trusted me t-to look after R-R-Rainbow Dash, and I," she paused and hiccuped again, "I couldn't do it. I-I couldn't s-stop her from leaving b-because she... she..."

Celestia's heart ached right now. It ached for Nurse Goodwill, and her blaming herself for Rainbow Dash's disappearance. She could understand how she might believe she was to blame for what had happened. But that didn't mean she agreed with the assignment of blame in this case. It hadn't been her fault that Rainbow Dash had taken the course of action that she had.

"You aren't to blame in this matter. You were blindsided and randomly assaulted. You can hardly be held responsible for the actions of a mentally unstable patient, who you assumed was in need of simple comfort," Ulquiorra spoke up. Offering words of comfort and condolences wasn't his style of doing things, but even he could recognize that Nurse Goodwill's emotional stability was important at the moment. She likely had the most interaction with Rainbow Dash over the past few days compared to anyone else. Perhaps there were clues that could be gained from her.

And to get those clues, he would do what was necessary. Even if meant offering some measure of comfort to yet another crying female, of which there were too many in this world for his tastes.

It was plainly obvious to him that, once again, he was tasked with cleaning up Princess Celestia's mess. He had made the decision to stay behind in Ponyville, for the purpose of safeguarding the others, and carrying out the investigation. In doing so he had allowed himself to believe that Princess Celestia was capable of managing a single mentally disturbed pegasus without significant complications. And he had apparently believed wrong. The palace was no place for safeguarding a mental patient, when only one nurse was on hand to serve as an escape deterrent; especially in an open air environment.

There would be time for berating on that point later. Right now there was a crisis to address...

Celestia remained silent, partially out of surprise from Ulquiorra taking the initiative, and to see just where things went. She knew that Ulquiorra was up to something, but she didn't know just what it was yet. For now she'd have to wait and see, and let the Espada work whatever magic he had up his sleeves.

And as she maintained that silence, a thought entered her mind. Right now they had a lot in the way of theories, but not much in the way of definite facts. They knew how Rainbow Dash had fled, but not the why. Had she left of her own volition? Or had she been coerced? And to where exactly had she gone? Naturally she knew they had no answers to those questions. But those questions gave grounds to another question popping into her mind; what if Rainbow Dash was heading back to Ponyville? Could she have actually set out to finish what she'd started with Rarity? Did she even currently possess the mental clarity to make such a decision?

As disturbing of a thought as it was to give consideration to, it was one that they couldn't discount as being a possibility.

But then in giving consideration to that possibility, they had to question why Rainbow Dash chose to spare Goodwill at all. She had certainly had ample opportunity to kill her, but hadn't. Was it because the nurse unicorn who had been looking after her, hadn't been present for her implanted memories, and thus could be considered innocent of any wrongdoing?

There were far too many questions, and not enough answers to go around. And in addition to that fact, they were faced with there not being enough time to sort them out. The top priority right now had to be finding Rainbow Dash and securing her. They'd worry about everything else afterwards.

She considered dispatching Ulquiorra to Ponyville right then and there. But she immediately reconsidered that approach, upon realizing that Ulquiorra's mind could be of more use here than in the field. There was no way of even knowing if she'd be dispatching him to the right location. If she sent him off she wouldn't be able to consult him. Nor could she call him back. She couldn't go through with that approach; not yet anyway.

A scroll and quill were conjured before her. Sending Ulquiorra to Ponyville was one approach, but sending word to alert Twilight and the others was another, and far more practical. And as fast as the Espada was, nothing was faster than a scroll being delivered via royal channels.

Spike panted. Spike grunted. Spike made all kinds of noises as he was involved in the process of unceremoniously heaving Twilight up onto her bed. He really didn't want to be rude, but she was heavier than she looked, and having to move her with his -comparatively- diminutive size wasn't easy. Strength alone could be wonderful, but physics still worked against him; such as trying to manage all four of her legs while avoiding dragging her. To say the least, it wasn't easy.

Twilight's being unconscious hadn't helped matters any either, since she amounted to dead weight. Although it had kept her from protesting as he'd carried her back to the library.

Unfortunately that peace and quiet was broken when he'd successfully shoved her onto the bed, the jostling proving to be enough to snap her out of whatever degree of unconsciousness had been in place.

How that had done it, but him carrying her all the way back here hadn't, he didn't know.

"Spike? What're we doing back here?" Twilight asked curiously as she sat on the bed.

"You passed out from exhaustion, Twilight, and rather than leave you where you were, I thought it'd be better to bring you back to the library where you can rest," Spike explained, groaning as he arched his back until an audible pop was heard.

Finding Twilight passed out wasn't exactly new to him. Being her number one assistant, finding her asleep in front of a book was common. Sometimes he wondered if she'd even remember to go to bed without him helping to remind her from time to time. But falling asleep while reading, wasn't exactly the same thing as passing out from exhausting oneself, through extreme exertion to master a new and highly advanced offensive spell.

He really didn't understand all the details that were involved. All he knew for certain was that Twilight had been heavily applying herself to her spell practice the past few days, while Ulquiorra carried out his investigation of the others. Something about Twilight being too close to be objective or something, and how her skills could be better utilized elsewhere.

"It didn't seem right to just leave you laying out there in the clearing," he pointed out.

"That was really nice of you, Spike. But I'm alright, really. I'm good to keep going," Twilight replied and moved to get off the bed. However as she moved to get up, Spike surprised her by pushing her back down onto the bed. "Spike?" she asked, confused by his current course of action.

"I can't let you do that, Twilight, you're not going back out there," Spike stated firmly and folded his arms across his chest.

"Spike?" Twilight asked again, now more confused than before. What exactly did he think he was doing?

"Twilight, look at yourself! You look like... like... you look terrible! When was the last time you slept anyway? I mean really slept, and not just catnapping and sucking down coffee?" Spike asked her.

"Spike I-" Twilight tried to explain, but quickly found herself interrupted.

"You've been burning the candle at both ends, Twilight, I know it. I know it because I've been there watching you. I get that this is some pretty important stuff, but more important than your health? I get that it upset you, how you couldn't help Ulquiorra with his investigation, and that's why you applied yourself so hard to learning new magic. But you're not gonna be able to help anyone if you make yourself sick. And I'm not going to just stand by and let that happen," Spike stated firmly.

"Spike I-" Twilight tried to say again while in the process of sitting up again. However Spike interrupted her again, both by pushing her back onto the bed, and talking over her again.

"No. Just plain no. You're not getting up until you've gotten a few good hours worth of sleep. And then you're not doing anymore practicing until you get a good meal, and a hot bath. That's just gonna be how that is. Now we can do this one of two ways; you can either go along with it voluntarily, or with me pinning you down by sitting on you," Spike stated as he climbed up on the bed, and then over on top of her, straddling her hips as he pressed his full weight down on her, and pushing her forelegs down with his hands. Granted he knew that she could easily lift him if she wanted to. But this wasn't exactly a good position for leverage on her part.

"So what's it gonna be? Do we do this the easy way, or the hard way?" he asked her.

Twilight didn't know exactly what to think right now. When had Spike become so strong, not only in body, but also in mind? Where had this sudden assertiveness come from, that seemed to deem it appropriate for him to order her around, and make ultimatums for noncompliance? When exactly had her little assistant grown up so much?

And why exactly was she feeling the need to comply with him on this matter?

"Alright, Spike, you win. We'll do it the easy way," she finally agreed and nodded, seeing that any effort on her part to talk Spike out of this wasn't going to work. Truthfully she wouldn't even know how to start under these circumstances. He'd taken her by surprise, and hadn't left her with much opportunity to get her bearings straight.

"That's a good filly," Spike replied with a grin. Twilight frowned in response, to which Spike responded by taking hold of her cheeks in his hands, and kissing her forehead to the left of her horn. "Now you stay here. I'm gonna go make some nice relaxing tea so you can rest properly," he told her as he climbed down off the bed.

As she watched Spike leave the room and head down the stairs, Twilight really didn't know just what to make of this situation. It was all too weird for her. But as she laid on her bed, a nice pillow with just the right blend of fluffiness and firmness resting under her head, it was becoming harder and harder to deny that a rest sounded like a good idea right about now. She'd been so very busy the past few days, running around from one place to another, helping out one pony or another, she honestly couldn't answer Spike's question if she tried.

"I'll just lay here for a few minutes. Surely Ponyville won't experience any other calamities in that time," she muttered to herself as she closed her eyes. "The statistical probability of such occurring is..."

Spike hummed to himself as he went about preparing the tea, making sure to use the leaves that he'd gotten from Zecora, rather than the usual assortment. The zebra, much like himself, was aware of Twilight's unhealthy studying habits, and had made it a point to give him an assortment of leaves that, when used in a tea brew, would have a sedating effect on the drinker. And he knew from his own experience -personal experience, going by Ulquiorra's explanation of the term- that it worked wonders. All he had to do was give Twilight the tea, and she'd be out for hours.

Not that he was particularly fond of the idea of just drugging Twilight. But sometimes, desperate times called for desperate measures. And while this situation wasn't desperate desperate in magnitude, it could certainly reach that point if he didn't intervene on Twilight's behalf. And knowing how Twilight could get if left to her own devices for too long, he really didn't feel all that bad about slipping her some of Zecora's special brew every now and then.

"Twilight, you'll thank me for this later," Spike said to himself as he walked out of the kitchen, carrying the cup of tea in his hands.

He was careful as he ascended the stairs, not wanting to trip and send the tea flying -and spilling- because he missed a step, or wound up stubbing a toe because he misjudged a particular distance. All the commotion and clutter would just get Twilight all worked up again, and that was everything he didn't want happening right now.

Thankfully his potential for clumsiness didn't rear it ugly head this time around, and he managed to make his way up to the sleeping loft without any trouble, and without any tea spilled.

However his good fortune didn't seem to matter much right now. By the time he made it up the stairs, cup of steaming tea in hand, Twilight was already sound asleep, the covers kicked back except for the one sheet partially pulled over herself. So much for all his work making the tea.

"Oh well," Spike muttered to himself. He walked over to the bed, setting the tea down on the nightstand next to the lamp, before climbing up onto the bed to better pull the sheet up to Twilight's neck to more properly tuck her in. He couldn't deny that she looked so peaceful when she was genuinely sleeping.

However his observations were disturbed by a sudden rumbling in his gut. Quickly he turned away from her, just in time to belch up a scroll.

"Now what could this be about?" he asked himself rhetorically, before unrolling the parchment to read it.

Dear Twilight,

We recently discovered that Rainbow Dash is no longer in Canterlot palace. And though we're doing our best to determine where she currently is, so far we have no leads to follow up on. Ulquiorra is doing his best to assist in the search for her, but Equestria is a large area to cover with many, many cities. I'm writing not to alarm you, but to alert you on the remote chance she should return to Ponyville while we contemplate the more distant options. Be alert, be aware, and be ready to notify us if you should discover her.

Signed,
Celestia

Spike was silent as he read the note, and even long after he finished reading. This was partly out of courtesy to not wake up Twilight -especially now, since she couldn't handle this matter in her current condition- but also partly from the shock of the words contained on the sheet of parchment.

Rainbow Dash was... missing, and nopony knew where she was... and there was the minute possibility that she was making her way back to Ponyville? But why would she do that? Why would she come back here after what she believed the others had put her through? Why would she come back here, willingly returning to what she believed was the source of her suffering?

Unless... it was to finish what she'd started last week...

Rarity!

Immediately Spike leaped up to climb off the bed. If Celestia was right and Rainbow Dash might be returning, then he had to find Rarity and let her know about this. He had to let her know that she was possibly in danger from the deranged blue pegasus.

Unfortunately he never even made it to the floor in terms of his plan. As soon as he had gotten to his feet, two lavender forelegs quickly wrapped around him from behind, and pulled him back down onto the bed.

He had no idea of the why, but he certainly understood the what. The what in this case was Twilight cuddling him with a vice-like hold that he would daresay rivaled his own firm grip.

Under normal circumstances this wouldn't be all that bad, since it was a cozy position to be in. But now wasn't exactly normal circumstances; not when his heart was racing, and he felt the strong need to go and find Rarity.

"Teddy..." Twilight mumbled and tightened her grip around Spike's body, while at the same time nuzzling into him.

"This is so not good," Spike grumbled to himself as he tried to slip, twist, and wriggle out of Twilight's hold on him. Why did he have to climb up onto the bed to tuck her in? Why had Celestia picked that time to send them a scroll? How was he supposed to help Rarity like this? As deep of a sleeper as Twilight could be at times, there was no way of waking her up gently. And even if he could, doing so might just make a bad situation worse. If he woke Twilight up now and she found the note, she'd feel compelled to get involved, and organize a town-wide search party, and heap all of the responsibility on herself.

Why... why...

"Why me, damnit!?"

Rarity winced as she looked at herself in the mirror, repulsed by her own appearance. Despite having five days to heal -five days which had been augmented by healing magic, courtesy of the care provided by the hospital- she still looked like quite a sight, with her one eye still bruised and swollen, and her lower lip still not completely healed up just right. However was she supposed to properly kiss somepony with such a scab there?

Despite it all, however, she was still very thankful for what she had. Considering what had happened to her, she considered herself lucky to even be alive right now. Rainbow Dash had beaten her so, so savagely, and without any provocation on her part. If Spike hadn't been there... well she'd rather not think about that right now; especially not after everything that'd happened the past few days. All she wanted to do right now was flip the store sign to "closed" and slip into a nice, hot bubble bath. She didn't even feel like getting any refreshments from Berry Punch right now, as the day had simply been far too strenuous for her.

"Hello Rarity..."

Rarity jumped at the unexpected voice from behind her. How had somebody gotten in without her noticing? How could they have managed to sneak up behind her when she'd been consulting her mirror? She didn't even bother with the reflective thing, but instead opted to turn around and face the intruder herself.

That move caused her heart to nearly seize up in her chest at who she saw.

"R-Rainbow Dash?" she asked, not expecting to see the polychromatic pony back in Ponyville, or even in the boutique.

"Nice to know you still remember my real name, Rarity," Rainbow Dash replied as she slowly stepped forward, her voice dripping with venom at the mention of her name. "Or should I call you Mistress?" she asked as she slowly moved closer.

"... This isn't a social visit, is it?" Rarity finally asked, unable to think of anything else to say after hearing the question, and the tone used to emphasize the last word. Rainbow Dash wasn't better or well at all. She was still suffering from whatever had plagued her in the first place. And that fact, and the glint in her eye, caused her to slowly back up, until she found herself pressed against the far wall of the room.

"Nope, this is all business," Rainbow Dash confirmed as her folded wings bristled and twitched at her sides. "I came here for one reason, and one reason only. I'm gonna kill you for what you did to me. And nothing's gonna stop me this time..." she warned as she stepped closer, drawing the moment out to watch Rarity squirm uncomfortably.

She was going to kill Rarity. The exact method of which, she wasn't sure yet. But the end result was going to be the same regardless. The only question was how much she'd drag it out, before finally ending the white unicorn once and for all...

Chapter Fifty Five

Chapter Fifty Five

Rarity really didn't know how to deal with this situation. Rainbow Dash's approach was deliberately slow, meant to terrify her with a sense of overwhelming and inescapable dread. And it was working masterfully. That wicked, murderous glare as she slowly inched her way closer and closer, as her hooves scraped against the floor. Right now she felt like she was locking eyes with a timberwolf.

"Is... i-is there any way we can talk this out? Pony to pony?" she asked, hoping she could appeal to some logical part of Rainbow Dash. Some part that was still willing to listen. Whatever part had been willing to talk to Twilight down in the basement of the library. Surely there was still some reasonability left to her, even in this current state.

"Talk?" Rainbow Dash asked incredulously and arched an eyebrow, pausing in her stride. Surely she wasn't serious. "You want to talk? You think you can just talk away what you did to me?" she snapped as she once again worked her way closer and closer to where Rarity was currently frozen in terror.

And then she stopped in her tracks again, mere feet away from the unicorn, and looked at her in thought. But not thought of what she was going to do to her in order to inflict the most amount of pain possible before killing her. Rather she was thinking of something else entirely.

"On second thought, that's actually a good idea, let's talk. You can start by explaining just how you thought what you did to me was a good idea! I wanna hear you try and justify how locking me up, and RAPING me was supposed to be a good idea! Exactly what part of beating me with a whip, and CUTTING MY EAR OFF, struck you as being an appropriately good idea!?" Rainbow Dash demanded to know, shouting loudly in Rarity's face, and in the process exhausting the air in her lungs, forcing her to stop and catch her breath.

Rarity held her ground where she sat, unflinching in posture, listening to the accusations and emotional outburst of the cyan pegasus in front of her, merely blinking silently as she panted and heaved to try and catch her breath again, and remaining silent in response.

It was that silence that seemed loudest to Rainbow Dash.

"Well? What've you got to say for yourself?" Rainbow Dash asked/demanded.

"I'm sorry, darling, words seem to be failing me right now. Try as I might, I can't come up with so much as a single word of justification for what you went through," Rarity replied slowly, after a long and difficult pause. She understood that Rainbow Dash wanted answers for what she couldn't comprehend. But sadly there was nothing she could do to help her friend out in her time of need.

"You... y-you what?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief. Rarity didn't have anything to say to her? Nothing at all, to try and justify herself? No excuses to offer up to suggest she was at fault on the matter? Absolutely nothing?

"I said that I don't have the answers you're seeking, Rainbow Dash. There are no words to defend what you experienced, because what you experienced is absolutely indefensible. Nopony deserves to experience what you did," Rarity stated calmly.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, was positively animated in nature, as she sputtered in response to Rarity's simple statement. She'd expected the white unicorn to have far more to say for herself than just that.

"You... you... after all you put me through, you can't even tell me why!? You can't explain just what was going on in that twisted mind of yours!?" Rainbow Dash yelled angrily. Rarity just continued to remain silent, slowly looking down at the floor. "Fine. You know what? Fuck you. I don't need you to talk. I didn't come here to talk, I came here to kill you. I don't need you to talk to do that," she stated firmly.

"I see..." Rarity replied slowly, never looking up from the floor. "So there's nothing I can do to change your mind? Nothing that I might be able to say that would convince you to take a different course of action?" she asked, hopefully but all the while knowing that such was an impossibility.

"You can talk until your tongue falls off, I'm still gonna kill you. And then when I'm done with you, I'm going after the others next. All five of you are gonna be dead, the only thing I don't know yet, is which order I'm gonna do it in," Rainbow Dash stated as she started stepping closer again.

Now Rarity looked up in surprise and horror. It wasn't bad enough that Rainbow Dash fully intended to murder her in her own shop, but she was going to do the same to the rest of their friends? That thought terrified her more than any thoughts concerning her own fate. That was a possibility that she simply couldn't allow to come into fruition. She had to do something, anything, to try and prevent that, no matter how what that something was.

And whatever she was going to do, she needed to formulate it in the next few seconds, while she still had the ability. Once Rainbow Dash reached her, all logical thought was going to go right out the window.

"Then perhaps there's still something left that can be said," Rarity spoke up, her mind racing nearly as fast as her heart currently was. "Their lives in exchange for mine. You can do whatever you wish to me, I won't fight you. But please leave the others alone, they didn't do anything wrong," she pleaded, all the while trying to keep her breathing manaegable enough to speak.

"They're just as guilty as you!" Rainbow Dash yelled in response and stomped her hoof, not paying attention to what Rarity was saying.

"Perhaps that might be true. But they were merely participants in the endeavor. Surely you'd want the queen, rather than a few lowly pawns, correct? Go after the main dish, rather than a few appetizers, right?" Rarity asked. She had to keep Rainbow Dash distracted and focused on her. She couldn't allow her focus to shift to the others. That meant doing absolutely whatever it took in order to achieve that goal, no matter the cost. And no matter the consequences. "Or did I not beat you enough for you to understand that, my Pet?"

The details that she had been made privy to regarding Rainbow Dash's condition were... unpleasant to say the least. They were hardly anything she could imagine being done to anyone. And to hear that Rainbow Dash believed that she would willingly do them to another sickened her greatly, horrifying her. It was true that she had exotic tastes, but never would she considered something that exotic.

But perhaps... just perhaps... there was something in those gruesome details that could be used to control the situation. Something that could be used, in order to keep Rainbow Dash from turning on their friends. She had to chance it. She had to risk it for their sakes.

"Did you really think that they had any actual say in the matter? Did you foalishly believe that I'd willingly allow four uncontrolled variables into what I did to you? They were all as weak and powerless as you were, Pet, they didn't have any say in the matter. You think they raped you? I made them rape you! And if you hadn't escaped when you did, then-"

Rarity ducked just in time to avoid her head being slammed into the wall with a connected blow from a cyan hoof. Instead the wall bore the full brunt of the blow, as Rainbow Dash shattered the drywall in her flying tackle. Fortunately for herself, however, she'd been in full control of her mental capacities rather than consumed by anger, and had picked up on the telltale signs of a rush coming. That had allowed her to respond in time, and avoid getting anymore serious injuries, as she rolled out of the strike zone.

She could see that Rainbow Dash was a bristling ball of short-sighted rage at the moment. She was very sloppy, and easy to trick, and that gave Rarity the upper hoof in this matter. If she could keep Rainbow Dash distracted and focused on her, then she could keep the others safe. She just needed to keep pushing her buttons, and hope that she could keep dodging long enough to see this through.

Fortunately for her, Rainbow Dash's hoof appeared to be stuck in the wall at the moment. That gave her the perfect opportunity to reach out and ensnare her in her magic, effectively cutting off any hostile movement on her part.

"It appears you still need more motivation to behave," Rarity commented as she pulled the hoof loose from the hole in the wall. "So much disrespect. And not just for other ponies, but also their possessions. That simply won't do. Not at all."

"Fuck you! You're nothing but a monster!" Rainbow Dash retorted as she struggled and fought in an effort to get loose.

"I'm sorry about this, darling," Rarity thought to herself, before roughly flipping Rainbow Dash onto her back. "Language, Rainbow Dash," she said as she stepped forward, and pressed her hoof down on the struggling pegasi's chest. "You're right about one thing, however, I am a monster. An unrepentant, remorseless monster, who saw nothing wrong with inflicting pain and suffering on another, for no justifiable reason. But what I did to you was nothing compared to what I did to the others," she stated, using her hoof and magic to hold Rainbow Dash's head steady in order to maintain eye contact; to try and maintain dominance over her.

Her stomach was churning as she spoke, aching from the words that were being allowed to freely pour from her mouth. Nothing could be further from the truth. And yet it was what Rainbow Dash believed, and was allowing to guide her actions. She had been unwillingly assigned the role of the villain in this matter. And although it was a part she had no desire to play, it was a role she had to play, in order to keep the others safe.

"I can't change who or what I am, darling, anymore than you can. I failed to beat your stubborn nature out of you, despite my best efforts," she continued. Rainbow Dash started to struggle more now, forcing her to strength her hold on the upside down pegasus and readjust her head to reestablish eye contact. "But being a monster doesn't make me a coward. Nor does acknowledging the fact mean that I'm particularly proud of it. And while there's nothing I can really do to stop you from killing me, that doesn't mean I can simply stand by and let another wrong be committed. So I say again, their lives in exchange for mine. Kill me if you want, but spare the others the same fate. They simply don't deserve it. If you insist on slaying a monster, then all I ask is that you slay the correct one..."

Rarity had no more words to say in an effort to convince Rainbow Dash to not follow through with her intended approach. She knew that she couldn't keep the pegasus restrained forever, and the more she struggled, the more taxing it became to try and keep her still. But maybe, just maybe, a show of goodwill would do more than any words could. With that thought in mind, she cautiously withdrew her hoof and slowly released her magical hold keeping her pinned to the floor.

She knew that she was taking a very risky gamble in releasing Rainbow Dash from her hold. But she also knew that it wasn't a matter of her choice. The strain of Rainbow Dash struggling to get loose was taxing on both her magic and her concentration. Unlike Twilight, her magic was far more limited in scope. Keeping her restrained would exhaust her in a matter of minutes. And at the moment she was too wound up to think of just who to be going to with this problem. Trying to drag Rainbow Dash through town might only make things worse than they already were; especially if the cyan pegasus struggled hard enough to do herself harm.

There was always the possibility of binding her limbs to keep her restrained. But she knew immediately that doing something like that would just risk permanently cementing the false notions in her mind, and potentially causing further trauma to occur.

Those facts left her with little choice, except admitting defeat, and relinquishing control of the situation.

Rainbow Dash immediately scrambled to her hooves, experiencing an equal mixture of both anger and terror at the same time, and currently shaking over everything. She'd come here to kill Rarity, and instead the unicorn had gotten the drop on her and once again left her bound and helpless. And when she'd had her in the perfect position to strike... she'd let her go just like that. And on top of that, she was explaining why she should be the one to suffer rather than the others. She was heaping large amounts of confusion right on top of her, and doing so with incredible ease.

"And why should I believe a single word you're saying?" she asked as she tried to sort out everything.

"You've known Fluttershy the longest. Do you truly believe that she would ever do anything like that, unless somepony was making her? Surely such a noticeable detail couldn't escape your fine level of attention, right?" Rarity asked, figuring Rainbow Dash's friendship with the timid pegasus would prove the point. It was very difficult for two friends to more or less grow up together, and not have an intricate level of knowledge concerning each other.

It seemed that her question was having the desired effect of making Rainbow Dash stop and think, as she wasn't retorting with anything of great hostility. With that fact in mind she started speaking again.

"I do have one addendum, however. If I'm to die today, I don't want it to be here. Perhaps we can move it somewhere else, more remote in nature. Sweetie Belle will be coming over tonight, and I don't want her last memories of her sister, to be finding her bloodied corpse spread out on the floor. I might be a monster, but she doesn't deserve to see something like that; and especially not if Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are with her when she arrives. No filly should have to come across such a ghastly discovery..."

Rainbow Dash frowned, not wanting to concede that Rarity was right; both about Fluttershy, and about Scootaloo and the other fillies. It was infuriating how, after everything that had happened, she could still be right in her observations. She was worse than the Espada, being able to so easily pick things apart, and simultaneously filling her with such fury and rage.

"Fine. We'll do things your way then," she grumbled as she approached. Quick as could be, before Rarity could speak again, she delivered a sucker punch right to the head, catching her square in the horn. She watched with satisfaction as the response was instantaneous, with Rarity falling to the ground and yelping in pain as she cradled her horn. That would keep her from being able to perform any magic for at least an hour; plenty of time to get things done. "Now get up. We're leaving," she commanded.

Nopony was going to stop her from taking care of business. Absolutely nopony.

Spike grumbled as he strained, trying to untangle himself from the unwanted embrace he found himself in with Twilight at the moment. Her bookworm, plushy, lavender exterior betrayed just how much physical strength she seemed to unknowingly possess. It had to be from years of carrying around saddlebags loaded to the bursting point with heavy, hardback books. That was the only thing that made any real sense to him right now. He'd been struggling for what seemed like a good half hour now, and was no closer to being free than he was when he started. If anything he was actually worse off, as Twilight had just snuggled into him tighter, and his exhausted condition was making it all the harder to effectively struggle.

Why did he have to be so concerned about Twilight? If he wasn't worried about her wellbeing, he probably could've been free by now if he'd just tried to wake her up. But waking her up meant risking getting her involved in her tired state, and facing whatever her sleep deprived mind tried to create of the situation, and subsequently complicate matters beyond the point of being properly addressed. If it wasn't for that concern, he might be free by now. That concern was the only thing tempering his mad desire to get to Rarity as fast as he possibly could. He didn't think he could live with himself, if he'd managed to put Twilight at risk, by putting her in the possible position of having to face off against Rainbow Dash again. In her current tired state, she'd be too slow to respond against an attack.

"This is hopeless," Spike panted. If he ever got out of here, he swore to himself that he was never going to underestimate Twilight's strength again. No more soft unicorn jokes, ever.

But first he still had to actually get out of here, and find Rarity while there was still time. Even if Rainbow Dash wasn't actually confirmed as coming here, he'd still feel much better if he was there, or if she was here. Strength in numbers and all that. And to do that... he might just have to take some desperate measures with Twilight.

One such desperate measure involved trying to get himself worked up and draw on the naturally greedy nature of his species, and utilize it to force his body to grow and expand. No matter how strong Twilight might be, that would do nothing to keep his body from decompressing outward, to the point she could no longer keep her forelegs wrapped around him. Plus it would mean longer limbs, and greater leverage than he had now.

But while that might work, it brought its own set of complications with it. If he allowed himself to become greedy to that point again, he might not be able to control his mindset. His desire to find Rarity might be overridden by his unintended desire to start hording crap he didn't want or need. That was a distraction he simply couldn't afford to risk at present time. There had to be another way.

And then he smelt it. Whether it was due to a slight shift in the wind or something else, the aroma of cotton candy was coming through quite loud and clear right now. And where there was the aroma of cotton candy, there was usually Pinkie Pie.

But what good did that do him now? Sure, if he could get Pinkie's attention, then she might be able to help him out of this mess, by prying him free of Twilight's hold. But how exactly was he supposed to go about getting Pinkie's attention from way up here? The windows were open, but could his voice really travel that far, when there was no telling just where she might currently be? For all he knew she was all the way on the other side of Ponyville, far away from the maximum distance his voice could carry.

But right now he really didn't have much choice in the matter. He couldn't just assume that it was futile and not try. Not with everything that was at stake right now. So he took a deep breath in preparation, and let loose a bellow of "Pinkie Pie!" as loud as he could.

He listened quietly, hoping to hear something in response; anything that would indicate his plea for help had been received, and that he wasn't on his own in this case. Hoping that by some miracle, the most random pony in town had been able to hear him, and would come to his aid.

His draconian ears were greeted by the sound of the front door of the library opening, the hinges giving a telltale squeak from the neglect of not being oiled in some time. Right now though he was glad he hadn't gotten around to oiling that hinge, as he might've been left ignorant of the fact of somepony else actually being here. Sompony who could definitely hear him.

"Help!" he yelled loudly, hoping to alert whoever was downstairs.

"Spikey?"

He knew that voice. And he knew the bouncing sound that was working its way up the stairs. That knowledge made him both grin and relax, as help was finally here, and he was no longer struggling on his own.

"Pinkie!" he called excitedly, smiling at the first signs of that bouncing pink mane appearing up the stairs. "Oh am I glad to see you! Quick, help me get outta here!" he called and started squirming again.

Pinkie blinked, confused by what was going on. But nevertheless she walked over to the bed, and through a display of superior earth pony strength, pried Twilight's forelegs apart so Spike could squirm out. Immediately she was greeted by an enthusiastic hug from Spike as he leaped at her. A hug she was all too willing to return, even if she didn't understand what was happening, or even why it was happening.

"Spike, what's going on? Things are making less sense than usual around here, even by my own standards," she stated. And that was definitely saying something.

"No time to talk, Pinkie, I've gotta get to Carousel Boutique fast, like fifteen minutes ago!" Spike stated as he tried to untangle himself from the pink earth pony.

"Well then climb up and just hold on tight little guy, you can count on the Pinkie Pie Party Express," Pinkie stated as she released Spike and leaned down so he could climb up on her back. "Sorry, but there are no inflight snacks to be had."

Now it was Spike's turn to be confused by the events that followed, with things becoming really weird right after climbing up on Pinkie's back. He was sure the glass to the door that lead out to the balcony would've shattered from how hard it was opened as they exited. And he had no idea just how Pinkie had managed to fit all four of her hooves onto the balcony's rail, or how she'd done so as quick as she was moving. But he was certain when she performed her high jumped with him clinging to her for dear life, that down below on the ground level of Ponyville, the display looked so, so awesome to anyone looking up at the time as they soared above head, and over to where they landed on the roof of a building he was certain was too far out of their reach.

Twilight merely mumbled to herself, before rolling over onto her other side, and snuggling further under the sheet, the smile never leaving her face.

Spike clung onto Pinkie for utter dear life as she was carried along on a journey across various rooftops, large distances covered in a single perky bound, the impact of each and every single one of the landings being felt as it traveled up Pinkie's body and into his own. At several points he was utterly amazed that he hadn't been thrown off, and Pinkie didn't seem the least bit bothered by it. How could she take these brutal impacts with such ease and seeming grace?

However such thoughts were abandoned once the Carousel Boutique came into view. Just a few more seconds... just a few more seconds...

"We're here!" Pinkie announced upon landing in front of the building. Or at least she would have, if Spike hadn't jumped -or maybe he'd been thrown from the impact of the landing? It was so hard to tell, based on the angle and trajectory he'd taken before landing- off her back, and more or less dove head first through the diamond-shaped pet door in the front. She didn't have time to laugh at his hips getting stuck momentarily, before he got his legs moving, allowing him to get all the way inside, and disappear from her view.

By the time Pinkie made her own way into the boutique, Spike was already scrambling about the building as fast as his little legs could carry him, frantically yelling out "Rarity!" as he ran from room to room. This just left Pinkie all the more confused; usually she was the one who did random and unexplainable stuff.

"Rarity!" Spike called as he dashed down the hallway, only to find himself enveloped in Pinkie's forelegs as she swept him off his feet and held him off the ground to keep him from moving.

"Spike, what's going on? You're starting to make me nervous," she stated as she looked at him, wanting to know just what was bothering him, and how she might be able to help him.

Spike struggled and squirmed within her grasp to get loose, before eventually accepting the fact that he wasn't anymore likely to get free from Pinkie, than he was from Twilight.

"Celestia wrote and said that Rainbow Dash isn't in Canterlot anymore. She thinks she's on her way to Ponyville," he explained as calmly as he could.

"That's wonderful!" Pinkie stated excitedly and hugged Spike tighter. "This-" she started, only to have Spike pin her lips shut to keep her from talking any further.

"No Pinkie, this is terrible! Rainbow Dash wasn't discharged, she escaped! She's not better, she's not well. And if she escaped from Canterlot, there's the possibility that she came back here to finish what she started. And that means we need to find Rarity, and warn her before Rainbow Dash can get to her," he stated. The last thing he needed right now was Pinkie thinking that this was a matter that called for celebration, when it reality it call for anything but. This was a serious, serious issue, and he was going to need all the help he could get. And like it or not, Pinkie was apparently the only one that could help him right now.

"Now," Spike said as he let go of her mouth, "can you help me?" he asked, doing his best to be serious and mature in this matter.

It was a desperate, pleading expression that Pinkie saw on Spike's face as he looked at her. Despite his best efforts at sounding mature and in control, she recognized the fact, that he recognized the fact, that he was in over his head, and in desperate need of help from an outside participant; an outside participant that likely wasn't Twilight, seeing as how she was currently sleeping. And he was currently directing his plea right at her. How in Equestria could she possibly turn him down, even without that face?

"Sure thing, Spike, where do we start?" she asked as she set him back down on his feet.

Spike opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again almost immediately. For all the thought he'd given on how to get over here, he hadn't really given any thought to what he'd do once he actually got here. He'd been more or less planning on grabbing Rarity on sight and trying to drag her back to the library where she'd be safe. He'd never stopped to consider that he'd get here too late. That put him in a difficult position, as he tried to think of how to proceed.

"Help me find Rarity. She's gotta be here somewhere... I hope," he finally replied, hoping that the silence of the Carousel Boutique meant that it was empty, rather than the possibility of it housing a corpse somewhere. He didn't even want to being considering the possibility of happening upon that.

"You can count on me, Spike," Pinkie replied and saluted with her right foreleg, "I... hey wait a second. What's that over there on the wall?"

Spike wasn't sure what to think. Was Pinkie being a clown again? At a time like this!? He was just about to yell that they didn't have time for games, but his own youthful curiosity managed to get the best of him, and he looked in the direction she was gesturing. And instead of seeing something nonsensical, he saw something that could be quite important; a large jagged hole punched right through the drywall, and left unpatched as it displayed the insulation that was behind it.

"Nothing good," Spike mumbled as he stepped closer to examine it, hoping that its presence would hold some measure of evidence that would seemingly jump out at him. Maybe the circumference of the hole could tell him what had been used to make it in the first place.

And then something caught his eye. Something that was small, and almost imperceptible in nature. Something caught on a rough spot of the broken drywall, and jutting out in a manner that just didn't seem natural in this matter. Carefully he reached into the hole and plucked it out, bringing it into the light for a better look.

It was a small tuft of fur. Blue fur. Cyan blue fur to be precise.

"Does that mean what I think it means?" Pinkie asked as her head hovered over his tiny shoulder in an effort to get a better look at what he held, and not liking what it looked like.

"That Rainbow Dash got here first? Y-yeah..." Spike replied shakily. They were too late. What were they going to do now? What could they do now? "This is very, very bad..."

"Is it?" Pinkie asked him. When he turned around to face her, she raised her hoof to keep him from talking. "Look around, Spike, what do you see?"

Spike blinked, not getting what Pinkie was saying. He looked around the room, but didn't see anything out of place. What could she be seeing that he wasn't? Had she slipped back into random mode again or something?

"I don't see anything," he finally replied, stumped at what she was getting at.

"That's just it, Spike, there's nothing out of place, except for the hole. We both know Dashie's not organized, she wouldn't have cleaned up whatever mess she made before leaving. So where exactly are the signs of a struggle occurring here?" she asked.

She really didn't want to speak ill of one of her friends, and especially not when they weren't present to defend themselves. But it was a simple truth that Rainbow Dash had some serious slob tendencies to her, and if she'd been here and had gotten to Rarity first, then there's no way the boutique would be this clean and in order. It just wasn't a physical possibility; or at least not one that possessed any great likelihood of actually occurring.

It took Spike a minute to realize just what Pinkie was trying to say. But he was seeing what it was she was saying. The boutique was way too pristine for anything to have happened here. Maybe Rarity had managed to escape on her own? And if that was the case, then there was the chance that she was still alright!

But... at preset time it was just a theory. Just a random possibility. They had no hard evidence to prove the idea of Rarity still being alive and unharmed, nor did they have any evidence to show that Rarity was... was... Spike didn't want to finish that thought.

"So what now?" he finally asked, hoping that she had some idea of how they should proceed.

"Hmm..." Pinkie mumbled as she rubbed her chin in thought. That was a very good question. "Dashie's hard to not notice. Maybe she should ask some of the townsponies if they saw her and where she might've gone? Maybe ask if Rarity was with her?" she suggested, seeing it as the best option available to them.

Spike tried to think, trying his best to be logical, reasonable, and intelligent in the matter. He really did try, but at the moment all he could think about was trying to find Rarity before it was too late.

"The heart wants what it wants," he remembered Ulquiorra saying, regarding Roseluck's love for her changeling special somepony. And right now that was what he was facing. He knew that they should get Ulquiorra alerted and involved since he could help with the search. But he didn't want to do that if the Espada was going to come in and take over the operation like some obstructive bureaucrat, who let red tape get in the way of common sense. He didn't want to be benched on the sidelines, and left to do nothing but wait.

Fuck that!

"Sounds good to me," Spike replied, before climbing up onto Pinkie's back again. "Let's get going!"

Chapter Fifty Six

Chapter Fifty Six

Rarity's pace and gait were slow as she traveled. Her hoofsteps weren't very well paced, much like a bad little foal who was trying to postpone their punishment for as long as possible, trying to buy a few more seconds of what could pass for freedom.

Off to the side was Rainbow Dash, whose hoofsteps were resonating with a greater degree of force as she marched along. And therein laid the complication of everything; Rainbow Dash's presence. With her horn currently throbbing like it was, there was no way she could utilize her magic right now in order to aid her in an escape. And if she were to suddenly just break and make a run for it, the cyan pegasus would be on her like a diamond dog on a diamond, what with the difference in their speeds. Trying to run would likely just make Rainbow Dash all the angrier, and that would translate rather poorly for her.

Then again, she wasn't really trying to make any efforts of escaping. She could certainly make an effort, but that wasn't exactly what she had in mind right now.

And even if she did manage to get away, and by some chance managed to evade her pursuer, Rainbow Dash might go after the others in her place. And that simply wouldn't do. The fewer unaccounted for variables that were in play right now, they better off they all were. So long as she had Rainbow Dash here with her right now, she could exercise at least some miniscule amount of control over how the situation developed.

And speaking of control, she needed to begin exercising some of that right now.

"So..." Rarity spoke up, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had been had since leaving the boutique. "You've obviously been giving this matter a lot of thought, since you've come all the way from Canterlot to tend to this matter. So I can't help but wonder what you plan on doing once you've actually done it."

"Shut up and keep moving," Rainbow Dash grunted in response.

"Sorry, just trying to pass the time," Rarity commented as she continued to trudge along. She really had no idea where Rainbow Dash was leading her just now, and she couldn't help but be curious as to where the cyan pegasus intended to do the deed. All she knew for certain was that it wasn't going to be within the borders of Ponyville. She had suspected from the beginning that the Everfree Forest was a likely destination. But just how far in would they be traveling? "You do know that if you go through with this, there's bound to be severe consequences to be had, correct? Legal repercussions and all that..."

"I don't care. None of it can be worse than what you put me through already. Nothing could possibly be worse than that," Rainbow Dash growled.

Rarity winced at Rainbow Dash's answer, the hurt of the accusations still quite painful to experience, despite knowing full well that it was false.

"Perhaps not, but there are others besides yourself involved in this. What about Scootaloo, and what she'll be put through?" she asked as she slowed her pace to a stop, just behind Rainbow Dash as she too came to a stop. "How will she react if she finds out you're being tried for murder? And if you plan on fleeing, how would she react if she believed you'd abandoned her without notice? Surely that must be taken into consideration, right?" she asked, hoping the mention of Scootaloo would cause Rainbow Dash to stop and think about more than just simple revenge. Surely there was some part of the mare's mind that wasn't obsessed with violence, and could still see her hoof before her face. If she cared about anything, it had to be Scootaloo. If she could just get her to stop and think for just a few moments, then perhaps she could achieve that goal, and help her friend realize her errors.

"Don't you dare try and drag Scootaloo into this! You've got no business even mentioning her name. She's not your pawn to play with anytime you want," Rainbow Dash growled as she turned to face her, her lips curling back to expose her teeth as she snarled. "You mention her name again and I'm gonna knock your teeth down your throat..."

As unladylike as it would be, Rarity nearly snorted in response to the threat Rainbow Dash was making. If the cyan pegasus was full intending to kill her, did she believe administering what would be temporary injuries, would be enough to intimidate her into silence? The utter foalishness of it all. It was right up there with how in so many stories, the villain of the scene would demand that the protagonist stop running and come back of their own volition, as if they were scolding an unruly foal.

"Tell me something, darling. Considering just who she's friends with, what will you do should Sweetie Belle come to you, asking you to help in finding me?" she asked, showing that she was unfazed by the threat made against her. "You might be able to get away with what you're about to do, seeing as there are no witnesses. But the law is not the only thing you'll have to face. You really won't be able to stay in Ponyville, will you? Not with Applejack, Pinkie, and the rest of the girls here, going about living their lives as if nothing's wrong, being seen as pillars of the community. How will you ever be able to go about your days, when you have to interact with them on a regular basis? Will you ever be able to think of cupcakes again without thinking about Pinkie? And what about reading? Will you ever be able to look at the "Daring Do" series without thinking about all the things Twilight subjected you to? Do you really think that killing me will make everything alright?"

"S-s-s-shut up!" Rainbow Dash stuttered, not wanting to hear what Rarity had to say. If she paid the unicorn any mind she was going to start doubting herself and her conviction, and she couldn't allow that to happen.

"We both possess Elements of Harmony, Rainbow Dash, we're both of very great importance to Equestria. Do you really think that either one of us can just disappear like regular ponies, and not be found? Do you really think Celestia or Luna will allow either one of us to go missing, and not exhaust considerable resources in searching for us?" Rarity asked, pressing onward with her vocal assault. Rainbow Dash was starting to have serious doubts, and she could see that fact for herself being reflected in her demeanor. Her conviction to what she believed was being shaken. She needed to press onward. "And that's to say nothing of Ulquiorra himself. Do you honestly believe that, as devoted as he is to protecting Equestria from harm, that he would ever stop searching for us?"

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up! You're just trying to save your own flank! You don't care about anything, you're just trying to confuse me!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she tried to grasp her head and cover her ears with her hooves, trying to drown out what she was being told. She didn't need these thoughts in her head right now. She didn't need to be doubting the legitimacy of her quest; not after everything she'd been through up to this point.

Rarity observed Rainbow Dash's reaction. This certainly wasn't exactly what she'd been expecting to occur. She'd been trying to cast doubt, and it looked like the results had gone considerably further than what she'd intended. It looked like Rainbow Dash was starting to panic, what with her wings bristling and twitching, and how hard she was starting to breathe. Introducing doubt was fine, but initiating an anxiety attack wasn't. She hadn't foreseen this development occurring, and as a result she needed to respond accordingly. This was going to require a different approach to things, unorthodox as it might seem.

Without a word, Rarity moved to behind Rainbow Dash while she was distracted, and wrapped her forelegs around her exposed midsection in order to pull her into an embrace.

"Easy now, darling, easy, easy," she said in a gentle voice as she firmly held Rainbow Dash to her. "Slow, deep breaths now. You don't want to hyperventilate, you'll pass out if you do."

She knew the matter had to look weird. Rainbow Dash had come all the way to Ponyville for the express purpose of killing her, and what was she doing right now? Instead of taking advantage of the situation, and utilizing the opening presented by said pegasus, she was actively trying to keep her calm before she hurt herself. And considering how stiff Rainbow Dash's body was getting at the moment, that wasn't going to be easy.

"It's alright, Rainbow Dash, it's alright, just breathe and relax. Slow and deep, just like when you're preparing for one of your marvelous aerial displays," she instructed as she held her.

She understood that Rainbow Dash would have reason and motivation to resist her, to fight her, to refuse her advice as she tried futilely to struggle against her being in a blind spot that couldn't be reached. That was part of the reason she'd gone with a from behind embrace to begin with; a solid hit to her body wouldn't be likely in this position. But she also understood that the physical need for air, combined with soothing words, and a gentle voice on top of it, would eventually win out. Right now it was just a matter of waiting for it to actually happen.

A wait that, thankfully, was short in nature, once she felt and heard Rainbow Dash finally stop struggling, and begin breathing deeply.

"That's right, darling, just like that. Slow, deep breaths. Just close your eyes, and think about the Wonderbolts," Rarity said as she felt Rainbow Dash's body stop being quite so tense. She could feel her starting to sag against her instead of being stiff like a plank of wood.

"Why?" Rainbow Dash wheezed as her haunches rested against the grassy ground. "Why're you doing this? I-I came here to kill you," she pointed out, confused by this current course of action that was being taken. Her head had been spinning before all this started, but now it was threatening to come right off at the neck.

"Because I care, regardless," Rarity replied simply, as the embrace slowly morphed into something more akin to a hug. So far so good. Now it was time to proceed deeper. She needed to lay more doubt to what Rainbow Dash currently believed. "Do you remember the first time we met?" she asked.

"Shut up," Rainbow Dash stated, but without the previous firmness of her earlier statements.

"You came into my humble little shop, looking for the "sewing pony" on duty, and carrying everything you had to your name, in a set of threadbare saddlebags that looked like they could give out at any minute. A quart jar of liquid rainbow, a small bag of bits, a limited edition foil-back Wonderbolts poster, and an old ripped T-shirt, autographed by the former Wonderbolts captain Swifthoof. You asked me if I could fix that old shirt that had gotten damaged the day before during the move you made to Ponyville. I remember suggesting that it be thrown away, due to the condition it was in, but you wouldn't hear of it. I saw that look of utter desperation on your face; the look of a mare who was between a rock and a hard place with no easy way out. No matter how hard I try, I don't think I'll ever be able to forget that look on your face, when you were faced with the prospect of losing something that was so dear to you," Rarity continued, paying no mind to Rainbow Dash's objection.

"Stop it..."

"I never told anyone this before, darling, but I nearly cried when I learned that small bag of bits you offered up as payment was all you had left after buying your new home here, and would have to serve as the entirety of your food budget for the next two weeks, until you finally started getting your paychecks from the weather bureau. How could I possibly ask even one bit from you when I learned of such a predicament? What kind of soulless monster would prey on another in such a despicable manner, exploiting their emotional state just to make a profit?" Rarity asked rhetorically. When Rainbow Dash said nothing in response she continued. "Do you remember that, Rainbow Dash?"

"Stop... please stop..."

"But you didn't want to rely on what you perceived as charity. So what did you do? You met Applejack for the first time, and took a second job at Sweet Apple Acres to earn extra money, and proceeded to pay off the amount, a little every week, even after I made it clear that you didn't have to. You said you didn't want to welch out on what you owed others. Even back then, such devotion to what you believed was right. Such loyalty..." Rarity continued, ignoring the pleas being issued. "That was something I always admired about you, darling. Your strength of character, your devotion to what you believe is right, even if others don't agree with you on it."

By this point Rainbow Dash was no longer objecting as she spoke.

"How many times has your dedication to what's right, been instrumental in getting us out of trouble?" Rarity asked her.

"Stop. Just... just stop already. Why're you doing this?" Rainbow Dash asked in response, her voice trembling as she spoke.

"Because I want you to understand something very simple," Rarity replied as she leaned in closer, her lips almost brushing against the fur on Rainbow Dash's ear in the process. "I trust you..." she whispered softly.

Rainbow Dash tried to breathe. But she found her breath caught in her throat at Rarity's statement of trust.

"W... w... what did you say?" she wheezed out.

"I said that I trust you," Rarity repeated, the embrace morphing into what could more accurately be described as a hug. "I don't always understand the why of what you do, Rainbow Dash, but you always do the right thing regardless. And that's why I trust you, because I know that you'll do what's right. You wouldn't have set out to do this if you didn't believe it was the right thing to do," she explained as she slowly withdrew her forelegs, thus allowing Rainbow Dash to go and move about freely of her own volition.

Rainbow Dash remained silent as she slumped forward, coming to rest on all four of her hooves once again, as the words replayed in her mind. Rarity... trusted her? Even when knowing exactly why they'd come out all this way, she still said that she trusted her, and believed that whatever course of action was taken, she was alright with it because she believed she was making the right decision? She... she...

"I think I'm gonna be sick..."

As much as Rainbow Dash's statement filled Rarity with a desire to be anywhere else but here right now, she couldn't exactly excuse herself from the situation. But that was due to a number of factors more than any one single or specific thing. She watched with her body tense, as the cyan pegasus stumbled over to the closest piece of undergrowth in the area, her body trembling as she coughed and retched, before finally managing to vomit where she stood.

Rarity didn't want to be here at all. She detested the smell, and she absolutely abhorred the sound of it all. But despite her own apprehension, she couldn't bring herself to turn and run away when Rainbow Dash was so vulnerable. She was left with little option but to grit her teeth behind her lips, will her stomach to stay settled, and approach in order to rub Rainbow Dash's exposed back as her body shook and heaved.

It was little more than support work she was doing right now, filling the difficult role of being there to supply compassion and comfort to one in need, and offer gentle words advising Rainbow Dash to stay calm, even when her body was fighting against itself for air, and the ensuing struggle was choking her.

Finally though, Rainbow Dash's vomiting episode came to an end and she slumped back on her haunches, nearly falling over backwards in the process, her body racked by her efforts at breathing, with tear stains running down the fur on her cheeks from everything that'd just happened.

"It's alright now, darling, it's alright," Rarity reassured her and rubbed her back again, even if Rainbow Dash herself didn't believe it. And her being a mess didn't really help matters any. She attempted to flex her magic, and was surprised to see that she could muster basic levitation without too much pain from the blow she'd taken to her horn. She gathered up a clump of leaves, and used them as a makeshift rag to wipe Rainbow Dash's mouth off to the best of her currently limited abilities.

Rarity knew that she was partly to blame for this whole mess. Ever since encountering Rainbow Dash back at the carousel Boutique, she'd been switching from one argumentative position to another with the cyan pegasus, keeping her unbalanced and distracted in an effort to keep her focus away from an area where she could do some real harm. With all the contradictory statements she'd made in such a short amount of time, forcing Rainbow Dash from one emotional standard to another without warning, it was no wonder that she'd gotten sick.

"Come with me back to the boutique, darling. You could use some fresh tea, a warm bath, and a soft bed. You've been through so much already, there's no need to keep struggling. You don't want to do this, I know you don't," Rarity told her as she discarded the bunched up pile of soiled leaves.

"For once you're right," Rainbow Dash mumbled as she climbed back to her hooves again, slightly unsteady in the process before she finally regained her balance. "I don't want to do this, I really don't. But I have to do this. I don't have any other choice in the matter," she stated.

Rarity blinked, confused by the statement. "I'm sorry, dear, but could you clarify? I really don't understand."

"Yeah I'm not surprised by that. You wouldn't be able to understand it on your own," Rainbow Dash grumbled. "What you and the others did to me, that was unforgivable. Just absolutely unforgivable. I don't care what Celestia said on the matter, or that she's not taking it seriously, I know what happened, I know what I experienced in your basement last week, and nothing's going to be able to convince me otherwise," she growled as she leaned in closer, her face inching towards Rarity's as she stared her in the eyes. "What you did to me was unforgivable. But if it'd just been me, it would've been different. But you couldn't leave well enough alone, and you just had to cross the line by threatening Scootaloo. That was where you went too far. That's when I realized there was far more at stake than just my future. That's when I made the decision that, no matter the cost, I would do whatever it meant to protect Scootaloo... even if it meant killing you and the others..."

Rarity coughed, trying not to breathe in the stench that Rainbow Dash's breath carried with it. But what hurt was her inability to respond to the accusations right now. All she could do was allow Rainbow Dash to keep speaking in an undisturbed manner.

"Do you get it now? Do you get why I don't have any choice in the matter? On why this is so fucking hard for me? That little filly is important to me. She's the one thing in this world I would actually consider putting ahead of the Wonderbolts. And you just had to go and threaten her safety in order to control me. So do you finally get it!? Do you get why I have to kill you now!?" She asked, her voice growing in both level in ferocity as she spoke. "I'd rather be anywhere else, doing anything else right now other than this. I don't want to be a killer, but it's the only way I know of that'll keep Scootaloo safe! You die, and nopony will be cutting off her wings. It's that simple!" she shouted as new tears began to spill down her cheeks, running along the already established pathways from the last bout. "Why did you have to be one of my friends? Why did it have to be you that did this? Why couldn't you've been mind screwed by Discord again?"

The questions were entirely rhetoric in nature. She never expected anything resembling an actual answer being given to anything she asked. And with Rarity crying right now, she really didn't expect to get anything resembling an actual answer out of her. Never mind though, it wasn't important right now.

"Let's just get this over with. If I spend any more time thinking about it, I might not be able to do it," Rainbow Dash spoke up. "Turn around. One blow to the back of the skull, it'll be quick, and it'll be painless. For the both of us," she instructed, hoping Rarity wouldn't fight her on the matter any. This was hard for all of them.

The irony of this turn of events wasn't lost on Rainbow Dash, even in her current state. She was getting ready to use the same technique for execution that Ulquiorra had used to end Cupid's suffering in the aftermath of the manticore attack. But now wasn't the time for such observations. Now was the time for action, while she still had the nerve to go through with it.

"That's right, kill her..."

Rainbow Dash stopped where she stood. She hadn't thought that. She hadn't thought that. That wasn't the voice she was familiar with when she thought of stuff. When she was thinking of things, it was her own voice she heard. Or at least something resembling her own voice, maybe a little deeper in nature, but it was still hers.

But that which had crossed her mind just now. That didn't sound like any voice she was familiar with.

"What are you waiting for? Kill her..."

Definitely not any voice that she was familiar with.

"Kill her..."

"Shut up!" Rainbow Dash yelled in response as she looked up, trying to find the source of just where that voice was coming from. Who or what was speaking to her right now, and whispering in her ear?

"What are you doing? The longer you wait, the more time you give Rarity to work her unicorn magic on you..."

"Go away," Rainbow Dash grumbled and swatted at the air around her right ear, like she was being pestered by a mosquito that simply wouldn't go away.

Rarity, meanwhile, was utterly confused about what she was witnessing. Confused to the point that she was no longer crying, as other emotions were bubbling to the forefront of her mind right now. What was going on with Rainbow Dash? Why was she talking to herself, and acting like she was being physically pestered.

"Rainbow Dash?"

"Leave me alone!"

"What are you doing? Stop procrastinating. Do you actually want Scootaloo to be raped by this unicorn who claimed to be your friend? Your adult body could withstand the torment, but her little filly body will be ripped asunder fifteen minutes into it all! You know what you have to do, now do it!"

"Leave me alone!" Rainbow Dash yelled angrily and vigorously moved her head from side to side, trying to find the source of the noise. It was halfway between a voice being heard, and a voice being thought of and remembered. That was the best way she knew of how to describe it right about now.

"Come on, stop procrastinating. Kill Rarity already. Be a good little mare already. Kill her and then we'll have pizza, with margarita shooters..."

"Rainbow Dash?"

"Shut up!" Rainbow Dash yelled angrily, followed by countless repeating of the same statement as she started to rear up and slam her forehooves against the forest floor.

Rarity wanted to say something. Anything. She wanted to ask what was wrong. To apologize for whatever she did to upset Rainbow Dash. She wanted to grab her and hug her for dear life and try to calm her down. She just wanted to help the poor dear right now.

Without warning Rainbow Dash took off running, slamming head first into the nearest tree. The sound of the impact caused Rarity to flinch, and she couldn't help but wonder just how she remained standing afterward. How could her entire frame have not been shaken from such a blow?

Unfortunately she didn't have the chance to ask, as before she knew it, Rainbow Dash had pulled back and slammed her head into the tree again. What was going on here? And was it actually possible for this situation to get any worse?

"... And that's all I know, Sir, I swear. That's all I remember before you found me in the gardens. I honestly don't know anything else..." Goodwill answered nervously as she sat on the chair in the infirmary, her horn currently bandaged to help reduce the throbbing she'd been experiencing since regaining consciousness.

Since the moment she'd been brought to by Princess Celestia's smelling salts spell, everything had been uncomfortable to experience; especially the interrogation she'd been subjected to since being bandaged up by her fellow nurse.

Then again, she wasn't entirely sure this could be considered an interrogation. The Espada -she still couldn't understand how to properly pronounce his name- hadn't subjecting her to any harsh lights, uncomfortable conditions, or making threats of violence for failure to comply. Nor was he being rude or hostile towards her during her apprehension. In fact he hadn't really done anything except ask her questions about her interactions with Rainbow Dash. At times some of the questions didn't make sense to her, or even seem relevant.

The only thing he really did that made her nervous, besides turning his stare towards her at times and causing her to flinch away, was when he would walk around her and spend an uncomfortable amount of time standing behind her. That inability to see him made her tense up in fear of being smacked on the back of the head for some issue she wasn't even aware of committing. Now that it had happened, but it still gave her a strong sense of apprehension and unease.

She didn't know what was going on for sure. But she suspected that if something bad was going to happen to her, Princess Celestia would've objected to such, seeing as she was in the room as well.

All in all, it had been a very uncomfortable twenty minutes.

"I have little doubt towards that assessment of fact," Ulquiorra replied, unable to detect any reiatsu fluctuations that would be consistent with -or at least suggest- the unicorn lying. Why she might lie was another question entirely, and best reserved for another time when things weren't quite so dire. "I have no more questions at this time."

"You... you mean that I'm free to go? Just like this?" Goodwill asked, not entirely believing what he was saying.

"That is a call only Princess Celestia is authorized to make. However I see no reason as to why you wouldn't be allowed to leave," he replied. While it was true the unicorn nurse had been tasked with looking after Rainbow Dash, it would be very difficult to make for how she could've been held responsible for letting the cyan pegasus escape. She had been blindsided in the matter, and couldn't be held accountable anymore than someone who had been knocked unconscious with a rock from behind.

Assuming they lived through such an experience, that is.

Celestia nodded. "That will be all, my little pony. I'll send for you if you're needed further," she explained, allowing Goodwill to leave the infirmary. Once they were alone, she turned her attention to where Ulquiorra stood. "So did you manage to gather anything useful from that line of questioning?" she asked him.

"Very little," Ulquiorra replied. Despite his earlier observations and assessments of Rainbow Dash, she was proving to be far more intelligent that she was originally given credit for. The little information she had shared with Nurse Goodwill -what Nurse Goodwill could actually recollect during questioning- had contained scarce details; nothing that might suggest a predictable course of action, or location that she might have fled to.

His questioning hadn't even been able to provide a more in-depth view into Rainbow Dash's current mental state. The answers he'd gotten had been nothing more than the observations and interpretations of another. And the truth of the matter was that Nurse Goodwill simply wasn't trained in an adequate manner that would help him; she was a healthcare provider, but only when it came to basic physical health. Mental health was en entirely different matter, and would require evaluation in person.

"What of your letter to Ponyville?" he asked her.

Celestia blinked, both in surprise and confusion. She hadn't told him anything about writing a letter to Ponyville; he'd been preoccupied with other matters at hoof during that time. She opened her mouth to ask him exactly how he'd known about that. But before she even got a syllable out, she closed her mouth again. She could just imagine him scolding her regarding a matter of ignorance. She could just imagine the kind of response he might give her if she asked. "Instead of spending time to question how I am aware of your actions, it could be better utilized by supplying the requested information." Or something like that.

And realistically she knew that he would have a point. How he knew about her activities wasn't exactly important right now. She'd question him later.

"No response as of yet. Which, much like everything else that's happened up to this point, could literally mean anything," she replied. Sometimes the notion of no news being good news, was just so wrong it wasn't even funny.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response, seeing nothing else that really needed to be contributed to this particular discussion. Princess Celestia had already said everything that needed to be said.

That thought, however, was soon displaced by something making itself noticeable to him. The next thing he knew, a clump of loose feathers flashed into existence in front of Princess Celestia, her telekinetic hold being the only thing to keep them from falling to the floor and scattering.

"Are those... could those be Rainbow Dash's feathers?" she asked curiously.

On sight alone the answer was impossible to answer. Despite them being cyan in coloring, Rainbow Dash wasn't the only cyan-colored pegasus he had seen. And with them currently in her hold, it was equally impossible to get an accurate reading on the reiryoku they contained. With that fact in mind he plucked one out of her field to examine it, holding the quill portion between his thumb and forefinger, allowing him to rotate it.

"They are. Several of her secondary and tertiary feathers, based on their size. With a reiryoku concentration that suggests they were found only a short time ago; no more than an hour at the very most. They were likely yanked right out of the wing, which might suggest some sort of struggle occurred," he explained as he examined it. The freshness of the feathers, combined with the flash of green flames that had delivered them, amounted to circumstantial evidence that would support the belief that Rainbow Dash had indeed returned to Ponyville. But there was still much that they didn't yet know.

"This is enough to suggest that Rainbow Dash is back in Ponyville, as they were sent via Spike's flame. However it is not actual confirmation, as Spike's location could be anywhere in the surrounding territory. He could be far out of the range of my pesquisa in any direction," he pointed out as he allowed the feather to drop.

"I suppose that's a possibility. But fortunately there are ways around that," Celestia replied as she moved the assortment of loose feathers over to one of the tables. "When Spike was made Twilight's assistant, and his flame enchanted to work as a messenger system, a beacon spell was also placed on him so back and forth communication could be achieved. We merely have to hone in on that beacon, and we'll be able to arrive at his exact location instantly," she explained.

That was certainly a development Ulquiorra hadn't yet anticipated as a possibility. But if things could truly be done in such a manner, then who was he to complain about such not being brought up earlier on?

"More teleportation then?" he asked.

"It's the fastest way to travel," Celestia pointed out. "It doesn't make you sick, does it?" she asked, partially out of curiosity over the possibility of such a development occurring. Maybe they needed to pick up some Dramamine before heading out?

"A matter of no consequence. We should be focusing our concern and efforts on finding Rainbow Dash before she can either escape, or commit harm to someone else in her present state; not on whether or not teleportation between two points can induce motion sickness," he pointed out. The things these ponies chose to worry about...

Celestia said nothing in response. She knew that Ulquiorra had a good point. Time was of the essence in this matter if they were going to find Rainbow Dash. With a nod of understanding, her horn flared to life, and in an instant they were both gone.

Author's Note

Next week: Mysteries, answers, ass kicking, fighting, and more of Ulquiorra being an all-around badass.

Chapter Fifty Seven

Chapter Fifty Seven

Rarity's attention immediately snapped to a loud rustling coming from the undergrowth behind them, causing her to tense up once she remembered that they were currently in the Everfree Forest of all places. That meant whatever was coming from behind the underbrush could quite literally be anything. How many hundreds of dangerous animals did Ulquiorra say made the Everfree Forest their home? That meant the odds of a carnivore being the one they'd encounter were quite good right now.

She knew that it was believed to be a jinx to ask what, in any particular situation, could possibly go wrong. And it was for that reason that she hadn't voiced such a statement out loud. She had the savyness to know that if she did such, she would essentially be setting herself up to fail.

But despite that effort, the situation at hoof was indeed going very wrong. Rainbow Dash was reacting to something that she could neither see nor hear, leaving her unable to help her friend. They were likely to be confronted by a vicious, pony-eating wild beast that could devour the two of them with ease. And her magic was still too weak to mount an effective defense against whatever it might be.

She knew that it was believed to be a jinx to ask what, in any particular situation, could possibly go wrong. And it was for that reason that she hadn't voiced such a statement out loud. But she had absolutely no idea that simply thinking such a question could have such an effect!

"Shut up or you're gonna be the one to die," she heard Rainbow Dash growl, bringing her attention away from the ever-growing rustling. Her distraction was just going to make the situation worse.

"Darling, I fear that we might both die if we don't get our act together. Something's coming for us!" Rarity stated firmly as she poked the cyan pegasus in the ribs to get her attention, before gesturing over to the shrubbery. "We need to work together. Killing me won't amount to anything if you die as well, will it?" she asked, hoping to snap her friend back into the here and now, and get her focused on something far more important at the moment. There was no chance in Tartarus of her being able to deal with this all on her own. And even though Rainbow Dash might be reluctant to help her with anything, she had to at least try and appeal to whatever sense of logic she still had about her.

Rainbow Dash blinked and shook her head, looking between Rarity and at the rustling bushes. She then looked between them again, and then yet again, in an effort to determine where her focus should be. Who or what should she try and deal with first and foremost?

Finally, with much uncertainty, and a grumbled "fine" she finally settled on turning to face the shrubbery, arching her back to get into a battle stance, and flex her wings for action. She'd deal with Rarity later...

The two stood side by side, shoulder to shoulder, and wither to wither, ready to face whatever threat might be coming through those bushes in search of them.

Or at least they did... until what came stumbling and tripping through the bushes with a startled yelp wasn't some carnivorous monstrosity that shouldn't even exist, but rather were three familiar faces, belonging to Spike, Pinkie, and -surprisingly enough- Ditzy. And after that discovery the tension began melting, and giving way for the utter confusion to set in.

"My word," Rarity stated in disbelief, "what're you three doing out here?" she asked as she trotted over to them in order to begin plucking the leaves and twigs off of them that they'd managed to get tangled in. Spike himself wasn't so bad, as his scales didn't lend themselves to picking up random particles of filth. A cursory dusting off would work for him. But as for Ditzy and Pinkie, oh those two were going to need special attention to get them cleaned up.

Spike wheezed as he pushed himself up into a standing position, before leaning forward and throwing his arms around Rarity's neck, too relieved to form any intelligible words at this point. Rarity returned the embrace by wrapping a foreleg around Spike's tiny shoulders.

"Don't think that I'm not glad to see you, Spike, but what exactly are you three doing so far out here in the forest?" she asked, hoping to get some kind of answer.

"We came looking for you," Pinkie replied as she climbed back to her hooves, "when we didn't find you at Carousel Boutique we got worried and came looking for you," she explained.

Ditzy nodded in agreement with Pinkie's explanation. "They asked me to help since I can actually see above the treeline. So I was out flying around, and then I saw you and Rainbow Dash walking, and relayed the information back to them."

"Yeppers! Ditzy was the eye in the sky for me and Spike! We never would've been able to find you without her help. I mean, like, ever!" Pinkie stated and nodded excitedly.

"Aww," Ditzy replied and waved her hoof dismissively, unaccustomed to the high degree of praise that was being heaped upon her. "I didn't do anything all that special."

"Didn't do anything special?!" Pinkie asked in disbelief, practically appearing right in front of Ditzy in the blink of an eye. "You pointed out right where they were! You lead us right to them! You were terrific!" she stated and proceeded to hug the gray pegasus for all she was worth.

Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, was as confused as all Tartarus by what was happening. What was happening? Where had the others come from, and how did they find them all the way out here? She could've sworn they were deep in the Everfree Forest by now.

"Could I go home now? Dinky and Sparkler might start getting worried if I'm gone too long," Ditzy finally managed to wheeze out, causing Pinkie to stop the intense hugging process.

"Sure!" Pinkie replied and let her go, her forelegs flying open as if they were spring-loaded to let the pegasus go. "Come by Sugarcube Corner sometime, I'll see to it you get a ton of muffins!"

"Woohoo!" Ditzy cheered in excitement at the prospect of muffins. Or more specifically, Sugarcube Corner muffins. How awesome was that?

Rainbow Dash watched in silence as Ditzy took off into the air, her left eye twitching the entire time. This... she didn't know what it was. Her mind was having trouble processing what was going on.

However a sudden -and very excited- yell of "Dashie!" from the side brought her attention back to the present, just in time to catch sight of Pinkie headed toward her at top speed. Giving her just barely enough time to flap and propel herself off the ground, and avoid what would've been a bone-crushing embrace.

"Stay back! Don't touch me!" she yelled.

"Dashie?" Pinkie asked, confused by the sudden display.

"You heard me! You stay away from me, or things're gonna get real ugly, deal or no deal!" Rainbow Dash stated firmly, gesturing firmly with her foreleg as she maintained her distance from the others.

"Rainbow Dash!" Spike yelled to get her attention, once he managed to find his voice, and once he finally managed to untangle himself from Rarity's embrace. "Nobody wants to hurt you. We didn't come here to hunt you down, we just came to make sure Rarity's alright. Can't we just go back to Ponyville, sit down, and talk this out like rational ponies?" he asked, trying his best to reason with her.

"No we can't. You don't get it, little dude, you have no idea what happened," Rainbow Dash called back down.

"Bullshit!" Spike called back up to her. "I heard everything you told Celestia about what happened to you, about what the others did to you. You think I'm some ignorant little baby dragon?" he asked rhetorically as he looked up at where she hovered. "I get it. I really do. But that doesn't mean I can just stand by, and let you hurt Rarity, or anyone else for that matter..." he stated and paused to gulp nervously, trying to steady his nerves. "And... if I have to... I'm gonna stop you myself..."

Utter silence followed Spike's statement, nopony really knowing what to say in response to his declaration of intent.

At least until Rarity finally found her voice.

"Oh my," she stated slowly, his words sinking in, "Spike, as much as I appreciate your chivalry and dedication, I really don't think this is the right course of action," she warned.

"Yeah, Spike, fighting's not the answer," Pinkie added as she bounced over to where he stood. "We should be trying to help Dashie, not hurting her."

"I really don't think she's gonna be giving us much choice in the matter," Spike replied, mentally trying his hardest to summon the courage and strength that he would need to address this problem. He had to remember the two specific motivators driving him to this course of action; his friends, and more specifically Rarity. He was doing this for them... for all of them. That included Rainbow Dash as well. He didn't want to be the one tasked with hurting his friends. But if she didn't abandon this foolish quest of hers, then he would have no choice but to try and smack some sense into her.

"Don't do this, little dude, I don't wanna hurt you. You didn't do anything wrong, there's no reason for you to be getting involved in this. Just turn around and go back to Ponyville, and let the adults sort this out," Rainbow Dash told him. She really, really didn't want to hurt Spike. Why'd he have to go and get involved in all of this anyway?

"Not gonna happen," Spike replied without missing a beat, "if you want Rarity... then you're gonna have to go through me first," he stated and made his right hand into a fist, his voice carrying much more conviction now.

Rainbow Dash couldn't believe what she was hearing. Spike was actually... challenging her? Was he really that dedicated? Or just that foalish? Why did things actually have to be so hard? Couldn't anything go easy for her, just once?

"Fine," she spat and frowned. If Spike was going to ally himself with Rarity, rather than taking the opportunity to flee, then she could no longer count him as being innocent in the matter. He was just another obstacle in the road. Just another potential threat to address. "I'll pound you into purple dust if that's what it takes!"

The dive was so quick that Spike didn't have the time to physically react. Even though he could see Rainbow Dash's movements, that did little good if he didn't have the capabilities to react to them. The next thing he knew, he found himself in a choke hold, with her right foreleg wrapped around his neck, as he was dragged along for the ride, and effortlessly lifted up off the ground.

Spike struggled to get loose from the choke hold he was in, before Rainbow Dash stopped ascending, and hurled him at the trunk of a tree.

"Spike!" Rarity yelled in horror as she watched, helpless to do anything as Spike forcefully crashed into the tree with a sickening thud that could be heard all the way back where she and Pinkie were. And she was equally helpless as his body slid down the trunk of the tree, before coming to a stop at its base.

She tried to move, to go to Spike's aid, only to be stopped by Pinkie effortlessly lifting her up off the ground, leaving her suspended as she flailed about in a desperate and mad effort to get loose.

"No, Rarity, I know it hurts but we can't get involved. Spike made me Pinkie Promise that I wouldn't let you get hurt, and I'm not about to let him down!" Pinkie informed her. Even if it hurt her to keep her promise, which involved watching as Spike got hurt. She had little choice in the matter, other than keep Rarity restrained, and try to move her out of the area.

Spike groaned in pain. The impact against the tree had hurt considerably, and his entire body ached. He was half tempted to just stay down, and forget the whole thing. Maybe he really was in over his head, and should let the older ones take care of this. They were the ones with more experience, they were the ones that went out on the missions while he stayed at home. What good could he possibly do against her?

But the other half couldn't allow that to happen. If he stayed down, Rainbow Dash would turn on Rarity next. He had to stand back up, fighting his way through the pain, as he forced his body back upright again. The longer he could stay up on his feet, the longer he could keep Rainbow Dash focused on him.

And what better way to do that, than to challenge her?

"Is that all you got?" he asked her, hoping to rile her up enough to keep her focused on him and only him.

Rainbow Dash couldn't believe what she was seeing. How could Spike even stand after that blow? And he was challenging her? Just how hard did she have to beat him before he would see reason and stop this foalishness?

"I'll show you what I've got!" she started and flew directly at him.

And headed directly into an oncoming stream of green fire as Spike exhaled in her direction.

About a billion thoughts were racing through her mind in that instance. Had Spike planned that all out? Had he deliberately laid a trap for her? How had she forgotten that he could breathe fire? How could he breathe out so much fire? However all such thoughts had given way to blind instinct as she swerved to avoid being burnt. But not before her wing was singed by the fire as she tried to avoid the brunt of it.

Rainbow Dash pulled back to put some distance between herself and Spike. She was going to need to rethink her strategy. Looking over at her wing she noticed that several feathers were gone, and more had scorch marks on them. She could still fly, but if she lost much more, she was going to need to drastically overcompensate just to remain aloft.

"Are you ready to be reasonable yet? Or do I have to beat some sense into you!?" Spike yelled up to her.

Rainbow Dash frowned down at Spike. Was he really serious with that line of questioning? What could he possibly do from down there, when she was all the way up here?

"Come up here and say that to my face if you're so brave!" she yelled back down at him.

Spike frowned up at her. "Why should I even waste the effort on a coward? What's your problem anyway? You're not chicken are you?"

Spike knew full well that he was approaching a serious area by calling Rainbow Dash's concept of bravery into question. And he was going even further by calling her a chicken. But that was something that he had to do. He had to keep Rainbow Dash's focus on him rather than Rarity; he was far more durable and could withstand a much greater beating without getting seriously injured.

Fortunately it seemed his gamble had paid off, as Rainbow Dash took the bait, and swooped down upon him, ready to deliver what was bound to be a devastating blow to his face with her hoof.

However she never got the chance to do that, as he managed -either through sheer luck, or impeccable unconscious planning- to catch her foreleg between his hands, and use her momentum against her, as he wrenched her with all his might and slammed sideways into the same tree he'd been thrown against. The impact produced a very painful sounding crunch, but at the same time the force was enough to break the hold he had on her, and she was more or less sent flying from his grasp, before bouncing and hitting the ground, and proceeding to roll.

Spike was panting at this point. Fighting in real life was a whole lot more difficult than just studying the theories behind the actions, and practicing the movements in a controlled environment. He might've been strong, but Rainbow Dash was still a lot of weight to just toss around.

And unfortunately for him, Rainbow Dash was one seriously tough pegasus. Being slammed against the tree didn't seem to do all that much good, as she was already in the process of picking herself up off the ground and getting back to her hooves.

This was so not good...

"Stay down, Dash! Just stay down! I don't wanna have to do this!" he yelled at her. Didn't she realize that she was going to get hurt if this kept up?

"Too bad," Rainbow Dash panted, "you should've thought of that first."

Spike quickly found himself on the ground on his back, pinned down by Rainbow Dash, much as she'd done to Rarity. But unlike Rarity, he knew what to expect, and managed to pull his head to the side to avoid the hoof that'd been coming right at his face.

He managed to counter with a hard punch straight to the gut, knocking the wind out of her.

"Get off me!" he yelled, before headbutting her right in the face, striking her muzzle with his forehead.

Off where they sat, Pinkie and Rarity could do little more than watch in great discomfort as Spike and Rainbow Dash fought. They were both familiar with how ferocious Rainbow Dash could be when she really wanted to. But Spike was managing to hold his own against her to a remarkable degree, despite his smaller size and shorter limbs. And now that he had her down on the ground, Rainbow Dash's gift of flight no longer seemed to be of assistance to her.

Whatever had happened to the sweet little dragon they'd come to know and love? This wasn't the Spike who happily wore his pink "Kiss the Cook" apron while making pancakes. This was an entirely different Spike, with a streak of viciousness that scared them, as they watched him wrestle Rainbow Dash down onto her back, as he used his legs to wrap around her neck and get her in a headlock.

"Stay down, Dash," he ordered as he tightened his hold on her as she struggled fiercely, trying to kick him from whatever angle she could. He had to keep a firm hold on her, otherwise she'd break loose again. And if she did that, he didn't know if he would have the strength to wrestle her down yet again. "Stay down, or I swear... I swear I'll break your wings..."

It hadn't been a warning -or a threat- that he would make lightly. But this was a desperate situation he found himself in, and if he didn't do something to get a leg up on the situation, then they were all going to be in deep trouble.

"You... you wouldn't," Rainbow Dash gasped in surprise at his threat. He couldn't be serious, could he? Would he really break her wings? Just like that?

"I can. And if necessary, I will," Spike warned as he tightened his hold on her neck again. "Now listen up, because I'm only going to say this once. Please don't make me have to hurt you any more."

Rainbow Dash wheezed in the hold Spike had on her, his legs feeling like pure muscle, or steel coils. Hooves were doing little good at trying to get some leverage under the offending appendages that were serving to restrict her air flow right now. Being pinned down on her back also wasn't helping out any. Things had gone very wrong, very fast, and she hadn't even seen it happening. She might've been able to pull off some acrobatic move, arching her back upward in order to kick him right in the face with her back hooves. But she could barely breathe right now, and couldn't afford to engage in too much physical movement right now.

Her thoughts, limited as they were at the time, quickly became interrupted by the sensations running over her body. She could feel herself being lifted up off the ground by something warm and tingly, like magic, while Spike's legs were unwound from around her neck.

The first thing she became properly aware of was that both she and Spike were being levitated off the ground, a safe distance away from each other. The next was that they were no longer alone out here. Standing just a few paces away from them was Celestia and Ulquiorra. And neither of them looked particularly happy right now.

"Oh shit..."

Being a Hollow, there were a great number of physical maladies that Ulquiorra wasn't prone to, as he didn't have a true physical body that could be affected. Motion sickness was one such malady that he was blessedly immune to.

That said, however, being subjected to teleportation did manage to subject him to a temporary state of impairment that left him disoriented, as his senses adjusted to the immediate change in surrounding, and worked to reassert themselves.

The distance covered by the teleportation also seemed to play a part in affecting the duration of his disoriented state. That was likely the reason he was forced to spend several seconds waiting for his senses to reassert themselves upon their arrival.

Sensory deprivation, even for him, was very unpleasant to experience. During that brief window of time he could neither see, nor hear, nor could he even sense the others around him as he couldn't even use his pesquisa. It was like being back in that void where Discord had found him. The only reason it wasn't similar to the time Twilight Sparkle utilized her flash bang spell against him was due to the lack of a ringing in his ears.

In a way the effects of teleportation were worse than the flash bang. At least the ringing in his ears let him know that his ability to hear was still intact.

Fortunately the effects were short-lived in duration, meaning he could properly function almost immediately.

However once his senses properly reestablished themselves, he wasn't expecting what it was he encountered.

They weren't truly in Ponyville, but rather in the Everfree Forest. Even without his pesquisa giving him readings of the surrounding reishi texture, it would be hard to miss the fact that this was indeed the forest. Rainbow Dash and Spike were both present, and both being held in Princess Celestia's magic. The exact reasoning for such was currently beyond him.

Beyond them were both Rarity and Pinkie Pie, looking concerned and confused.

He decided that the best course of action for the time being, was to simply remain silent and pay attention to what happened. Perhaps he could pick up on the missing details

"At the moment I only have two questions," Celestia began in addressing them. "The first is if everyone is alright? And the second is if somepony can explain to me what's been going on here?" she asked.

"I'm afraid I can't be of any help on this matter. I'm as in the dark as everyone else," Rarity spoke up, before turning her attention back to Pinkie, who was still currently holding her up off the ground. "I think it's safe to put me down now, darling..."

"Okie dokie lokie," Pinkie replied and set Rarity back down on her hooves, before making an effort to dust her off as best she could.

Celestia closed her eyes and shook her head, before turning her attention towards Spike, as he attempted to regain his breath.

"Spike? Can you explain what happened?" she asked, hoping that he would be able to elaborate better, seeing as he was still Twilight's number one assistant.

"Maybe," he replied as he took a breath, trying to figure out how to best explain the situation to Celestia. How could he best condense everything that'd happened into something that wouldn't take a long time to cover. "Well... when I got your letter, Twilight was sound asleep, and after what she's been doing the past few days, I wasn't about to wake her up for anything less than the library burning down. So I got Pinkie to help, figuring that if Rainbow Dash was actually coming back to Ponyville, she'd be headed for Rarity to finish what she started. And I was right. But we got there too late to do any good because they were both gone. So then Pinkie and I got Der-- er... Ditzy recruited to help in the search. And... after a lot of running around, and stuff I'd rather not go into detail about right now, we wound up here."

It was a very abrupt, bare bones recounting of events that occurred today. He really didn't want to go into anymore detail than that, which would inevitably require him to explain how he'd made every attempt to beat the hell out of Rainbow Dash, and actually threatened to break her wings to force her compliance. In the heat of the battle it was one thing, but now as the adrenaline started wearing off, he didn't feel proud of what he'd done. He actually felt ashamed of what had been deemed necessary at the time.

Rainbow Dash might've been the one to start this whole mess out by beating the hell out of him while he was trying to protect Rarity. But he'd been only too willing to return the favor, despite knowing full well that she was still psychologically disturbed by what she'd experienced. To say his actions weren't one of his proudest moments would be an understatement.

In hindsight, he probably could've addressed the whole thing in a more professional manner, if he'd just given it a little more thought before acting. He could've tried harder at talking to Rainbow Dash and getting her to calm down and see things reasonably. He could've done anything, other than issuing an immediate throw down like he had.

Celestia listened as Spike spoke, listening to his words, and the tone his voice carried with it. And in that listening, she could tell that he wasn't particularly interested in talking about what had happened. She would have to respect that hesitancy. So rather than pressing him any further, she gently set him down on his feet, before turning her attention back to Rainbow Dash, as she struggled to try and break free from her hold. She couldn't help but sigh at that last part.

"I must say, Rainbow Dash, you've made things considerably more difficult than they needed to be," she explained as calmly as she could, while setting her back down on her hooves. At the moment she couldn't see any reason to continue the restraint she had in place on her; not with their presence anyway. "When I took you back to Canterlot, you said that you could trust us. But I'm failing to see any degree of trust here today. You hurt Nurse Goodwill, you threw many into a panic, and you fled with the intention of hurting Rarity."

Rainbow Dash frowned and looked away, disinterested in being lectured. Celestia tried not to sigh in response.

"Regardless of what you might think, Rainbow Dash, we've all been working very hard to try and help you. This is a very difficult matter to address, and it's not something we can simply rush into. We-"

"Don't give me that," Rainbow Dash spat, interrupting Celestia's statement, all the while refusing to look back at her. "You didn't believe me. You didn't think that what I went through was real. Nopony did, nobody did! You just tried to confuse me on the issue. I should've known from the beginning that I couldn't trust you either..."

Celestia recoiled at Rainbow Dash's words, and her accusations of distrust. This matter was more serious than they first believed.

"Allow me..."

Her thoughts were interrupted by the simple, blunt statement made by Ulquiorra as he stepped forward at a slow pace, approaching Rainbow Dash's position with his hands tucked into his pockets. She had a bad feeling about this, that things could go badly if left to proceed. But at the same time, she found herself very curious to see what the Espada had in mind.

"I don't wanna hear from you either. You're friends with the others, why should I believe anything you have to say?" Rainbow Dash asked as he stepped closer, before flapping her wings and flying backwards to put some distance between him and herself.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response, before exercising a burst of sonido to quickly close the distance to where the cyan pegasus currently hovered. He had no reason to vocally address her at this point in times. Words easily failed in tense situations like this. So he would take a firmer approach. Without a word he drew his left hand out of his pocket, and reached up to touch his face.

Rainbow Dash was unable to find her voice in order to speak, as she watched Ulquiorra reach up and effortlessly pluck out his left eye. The act alone was impossible enough to believe. But the casual manner in which he'd done it had just made everything seem even more surreal, if that was even possible. Surely that had to hurt, so why would he even do something like that voluntarily!?

"You don't wish to listen, then simply observe," he told her as he crushed the eyeball in his hand, and releasing a fine crystalline powder that surrounded her face, filling her with an intense desire to not even breathe.

"Right this way," one of the members of the medical staff, Nurse Tenderheart in this case, said as he, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike, were lead down the hallway of Ponyville General Hospital to a very specific room; the one that currently held Rarity as she recovered from the beating administered by Rainbow Dash yesterday.

They stood by and waited as the nurse opened the door to allow them entry. It would've been a much simpler matter for him to do such by himself, rather than waiting to be attended to by another. But such a course of action, as he'd come to learn, wasn't considered appropriate. Rules dictated this. Rules dictated that. Rules that had no basis in common sense dictated entire and extravagant procedures that could be done without. Had he known he would be subjected to such pointlessness, he would've come in through the window.

As to why Rarity had been put in a private room for observation overnight, he didn't truly understand. Perhaps it was her status as one of the holders of the Elements of Harmony that was responsible for such special treatment. It was the only thing that would make sense, and potentially explain how one could receive such care, with so many ponies injured and still dying, all needing to be seen and tended to from what transpired just three days ago.

"You have visitors, dear," Nurse Tenderheart called into the room as she opened the door, allowing them to see Rarity's condition. Laying in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV drip, as well as a heart monitor, with at least half of her face covered in bandages.

Perhaps the extent of the damage done by Rainbow Dash had been greater than they'd assumed. As far as ponies went, it was hard to deny that she was strong. He had felt for himself the amount of force she could generate in her blows; both on her own, and when she was utilizing her Sonic Rainboom technique. Comparatively speaking it was... significant.

And yet Spike had proven himself as being fully capable of overpowering her when it was necessary.

"... What happened to her? I didn't think the damage was that bad," he heard Twilight Sparkle whisper to Nurse Tenderheart. Likely an effort to not alert Rarity to her own concern, or for her possible condition.

"It wasn't. The damage was minimal in nature and looks far worse than it is. However the doctors are needed elsewhere for patients in far more serious condition, so the bandages were infused with healing magic to supply not only a steady application, but also a consistent application," Nurse Tenderheart explained in response, in an equally hushed tone.

He watched as Twilight Sparkle nodded in understanding, before stepping into the room, with Spike close behind her.

"H-hey Rarity. How're you feeling?" she asked hesitantly as she approached the bed, her voice still heavily distorted from the injuries she'd sustained yesterday.

Rarity groaned and whimpered as she moved her head to better look at her, her one exposed eye fluttering open in discontent. Overly dramatic as usual.

"Oh, darling, it's so good to see a friendly face again!" Rarity exclaimed as she sat herself up in the bed, the flimsy covers falling down and revealing the equally flimsy hospital gown underneath. "What happened yesterday? What could have set Rainbow Dash off like that?" she asked, utterly bewildered by it all.

"... I don't really know. It's a mystery," Twilight Sparkle replied as she stepped closer to the bed. He knew she was holding information back, but not the reason for which she was doing so. Tact? The presence of Nurse Tenderheart? An effort to not aggravate the injuries that Rarity had sustained by shocking her?

Once again, he would have to be the one to handle the situation in an appropriate manner.

"Leave us," he instructed as he turned his attention to Nurse Redheart. Her posture and demeanor suggested that she intended otherwise. However she was wise in not arguing with him, and instead simply nodded and exited the room, allowing the door to close behind her, leaving the four of them secluded.

"Ulquiorra?" Rarity asked as he turned back to face her.

"In part Twilight Sparkle's assessment is fact. Our knowledge pertaining to yesterday is limited. All we have to go on is what information was gathered from the interrogation of Rainbow Dash," he explained as he stepped closer to the bed. "During questioning, Rainbow Dash accused you and the other holders of the Elements of Harmony of enacting an elaborate plot to make her more humble in nature, through the use of rape and torture to achieve said goal."

The reaction to his bluntness was, unsurprisingly, one of considerable emotional shock. Rarity's was the most substantial, as she had just been made aware of the details. Twilight Sparkle was second in scope, due more to his utter bluntness than anything. Spike remained inconclusive in nature and hard to properly gauge. But that was of little consequence right now.

Once all voices in the room were silence, he began speaking again.

"The details Rainbow Dash shared were quite significant in nature. Quite graphic. With such facts in mind, it would seem no wonder that she attacked with the intention of killing you where you stood," he explained. However he soon found himself silenced, not by any vocal interruption from the others, but rather a magical band of purple coloring appearing over his mouth, and wrapping entirely around his head. He turned his attention back to Twilight Sparkle as her horn glowed.

"Not helping, Ulquiorra," she stated firmly, before turning to face Rarity herself. "Rarity, I don't even know where to begin with this. Yesterday was... chaotic. And today really isn't much better. We've been trying to get a grip on things, but they aren't exactly proceeding like I expected. Yesterday we were working on basic theory, and formulating a plan to carry out. But today it's field work and... it's a little more daunting in nature," she explained to the best of her abilities.

He knew that if he continued to allow Twilight Sparkle her own approach uninterrupted, they could quite likely be here for over an hour, and no closer to achieving the purpose of their visit. It was for that reason he chose to intervene, and withdrew his right hand from his pocket in order to squeeze the band, resulting in it shattering like cheap glass in his grasp.

The flinch that came from Twilight Sparkle as her magic was overpowered didn't go unnoticed. Was it due to surprise in how easily he'd done such? Or the fact that he'd done so with so little tact? Either way it didn't really matter, as she seemed unharmed.

"There is a time and place for everything, Twilight Sparkle, but at the moment we have no time for tact," he explained, before turning his attention back to the confused and visibly flustered Rarity. "At this moment all we have to go on is speculation. The current theory, unsubstantiated as it may be, is that whatever entity we're up against has engaged in a divide and conquer approach by targeting Rainbow Dash."

"Oh my word!" Rarity gasped, her gestures once again in an overly dramatic fashion. He paid them no mind before continuing.

"Technically speaking, Rainbow Dash's belief that she was raped is not far from the truth. Her recollection of graphic and explicit details pertaining to her treatment, is as unwanted by her, as the details themselves are fictitious in nature. These fake memories have not only been placed in her mind, but they have also apparently overruled her real memories. Her entire recollection of the past week has been completely skewed," he explained.

Once again he was interrupted. But this time it was an action that was devoid of theatrics or drama, and simply consisted of a shudder/shiver coming from Twilight Sparkle. A response that was, considerably speaking, entirely appropriate under these circumstances. Rainbow Dash's mind had been invaded, and her memory of events violated; to the point that even Princess Celestia herself could do little to help her. Her cursory attempt at pointing out the logical shortcomings in her story had done little to sway the pegasus from her erroneous beliefs, and only seemed to drive her to further embrace the fallacies as being real, due to what she claimed to have experienced.

However there were two primary issues at hand. Issues he wasn't entirely certain they were grasping the reality of.

The first and foremost issue was that those who held the Elements of Harmony were now segmented. With Rainbow Dash unable to trust the others, and believing that they committed numerous atrocities against her, the group would be unable to function in a unified manner. In simpler terms, the primary protectors of Equestria were no longer physically capable of performing their duties. The Elements of Harmony were no more than decorative paperweights currently.

The second issue, while not as physically pressing as the first, could potentially be more disastrous due to its sleeper aspect. The Elements of Harmony and their respective holders were divided, that was true. But what had caused that division had done so by directly affecting Rainbow Dash's memories, and her abilities to recall actual events she had personally experienced. This was far more disturbing in nature than the abilities of Kyōka Suigetsu, which allowed for the manipulation of a person's -or even an entire group's- five senses. Whereas Kyōka Suigetsu could make one hear, feel, smell, see, or even taste something that wasn't real, it could do absolutely nothing -that he knew of anyway- to affect preexisting memories that had already been finalized within the mind.

Fear wasn't something that he could ever recall truly experiencing himself. But these unanswered questions did give rise to an almost equal sensation; concern. Concern for what was known, and what wasn't.

The second issue was far more dangerous to face than Kyōka Suigetsu. If for no other reason, than the basic fact that they knew absolutely nothing about the nature of the attack. Was Rainbow Dash's mentality more vulnerable to attack than any other? Or was her being afflicted indicative that any of them could be targeted? Could Princess Celestia and Princess Luna be affected just as easily?

And if they could, then ultimately what of himself? Were his own memories and recollections vulnerable to tampering by an outside party? And if so, how would he know whether or not this had already taken place?

Concern was certainly what he experienced, both for the known, as well as the unknown. And despite his detached, logical mentality, some small part of the back of his mind couldn't help but wonder if he should be experiencing fear right now. He knew that fear wasn't conductive of anything. But that didn't stop him from pondering on whether or not it was as least partially appropriate under these circumstances.

"Oh that poor dear! How horrible!" Rarity stated. More theatrics on her part. However he said nothing in response. He instead opted to wait and see the extent of her reaction.

"Twilight, Spike, would one of you be a dear and go fetch one of the staff? Let's get out of here," she stated firmly.

"Rarity?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Darling, I'd like to think that I have at least some idea of what's going on here. While you and Spike would certainly come to see me regardless, Ulquiorra is all about business. I doubt he would've come all this way, just to share his theory, unless he had something constructive in mind," she explained, before turning back to him. "Am I right?"

"So far," he replied as he sensed Spike already leaving the room. He would need to start giving these ponies more credit. The fact Rarity had so easily recognized the fact concerning his visit was mildly impressive.

"Right then," Rarity replied and kicked the sheets off of her body. "Rainbow Dash is more than just one of our friends. She's also one of our teammates, and a vital player in keeping Equestria safe. If she's been targeted for attack, then it affects all of us equally. And if you're here telling me this, then it only stands to reason that you have something in mind for me to assist with, correct?" she asked.

"Again, so far," he replied.

"Then it also stands to reason that in order to be assistance, I can't stay here in this hospital bed, surrounded by these drab colors, and wearing this tacky gown. So again I reiterate; let's get out of here!" she exclaimed as she sat up and climbed out of the bed.

"Even after being beaten, you still wish to assist in the matter?" he asked. If this was going to work, then it would be necessary to determine her level of commitment to what would be done.

"Neither a lady, nor a friend, simply sits by and allows somepony in need to suffer alone. The fact Rainbow Dash chose to attack me simply fills me with an even greater need to assist the poor dear. I can't imagine what she must be going through right now, or how scared she must be," Rarity explained.

She had commitment to this cause, he could tell that. However they would have to wait and see if that commitment would be enough to see her through what part she would have to play. Once she realized what she would be getting herself into, she might wind up backing out of it.

"So Rainbow Dash is really in Canterlot?"

The process of removing Rarity from the hospital and relocating her to the Carousel Boutique was one filled with countless matters he truly couldn't bring himself to care about. Endless amounts of paperwork and emotional sentiment, all of it serving as a hindrance to their overall mission here today. He would admit, more to himself than anyone else, that he had willingly tuned out the majority of it all, as it served very little purpose for their overall mission.

"That's what I gathered. But what I don't know is whether the distance is for Rainbow Dash's sake, or our sakes," Twilight replied.

"There will be time for such discussions later on. For now, however, we have business to attend to," he spoke up as he turned his attention to Rarity. They could begin with the preliminary while Spike was still retrieving the equipment they would need shortly. "There is a series of questions you will be required to answer. The others will be questioned as well, and responses will be compared, and the results examined. Are you ready to begin?" he asked her.

"I believe I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Rarity replied.

"Very well then. We shall begin," he stated simply. "Did you orchestrate, or in any way participate in, the imprisonment, rape, and torture of the pegasus known as Rainbow Dash?" he asked.

"Most certainly not!" Rarity objected loudly. Her reaction was to be expected, as he hadn't allowed for anyone to familiarize her with what the questions would involve. That was one of the best ways to ensure accuracy and honesty, by allowing for their reactions to be read.

"Then you are denying the accusations that were made against you. You did not bind her limbs, while tying a noose around her neck, and forcing her to stand on a block of ice overnight, forcing her to choose between submission and death?" he asked.

"No!" Rarity answered. From what he could see, her entire demeanor was becoming one that was utterly horrified by what she was hearing.

"Did you repurpose the Mare do Well costumes for the purpose of creating the dominatrix persona known as Mistress Do Well?" he asked.

"No! Those costumes haven't even seen the light of day for a year!" Rarity protested.

"Did you ever use the pegasus filly known as Scootaloo in any manner that would exert control over Rainbow Dash, in order to force her to submit?" he asked.

"Good gracious! Rainbow Dash actually--- no nevermind that, of course I didn't! I would never do something like that, either to Scootaloo or any other foal!" Rarity protested firmly, visibly horrified by the accusations.

"Did you utilize the pegasus known as Fluttershy, for the purpose of forcing Rainbow Dash to beg for her own wings to be mutilated, in order to spare Fluttershy the same fate?" he asked.

"Absolutely not!" Rarity yelled furiously.

He observed Rarity's demeanor in the aftermath of the questioning. She was shaken and disturbed, the fluctuations in her reiatsu ranging from being infuriated to experiencing significant sadness. But what wasn't being conveyed was anything that could be considered dishonesty. The reiatsu fluctuations didn't match deceptive tendencies. It was reasonable, even by his standards, to conclude that she was being honest in her statements.

"Very good then," he replied, his statement causing Rarity to then look confused in response.

"Wait, what? I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't understand what you're saying," she protested.

"I'm a bit lost myself. What exactly did that line of questioning amount to?" Twilight Sparkle asked, slightly tilting her head to one side. It wasn't all that different a behavior from what Applejack's dog, Winona, had done upon first seeing him, before deciding to steer clear of him all together.

"The disturbances and fluctuations in your reiatsu were measured during the question and answer portion, and the results cataloged. Everything points to honesty on your part. When the others are questioned in turn, the results will most likely be the same. Once the investigation is completed, the results will be submitted, with the ultimate goal being to convince Rainbow Dash to recognize the faultiness of her current memories, so that she can assist in her own recovery," he explained.

The entire premise of gathering evidence had been Twilight Sparkle's idea. She had concocted the plan, although his own interpretation didn't exactly match with hers. But that was of no importance right now, so long as the results panned out.

"Um..." Rarity mumbled, "Ulquiorra? I really don't want to sound ignorant, but how do you plan on convincing Rainbow Dash of the... inaccuracies of her recollection of events? Didn't you say that even Celestia couldn't help her with that?" she asked.

It was certainly a fair question to ask.

"It's true, Princess Celestia couldn't help in this matter. However I have access to resources that she does not. Words can be ignored, but sight, sound, and sensation are much more difficult to tune out; even for one as stubborn as Rainbow Dash," he explained.

"How does..." Twilight Sparkle started to speak, but then closed her mouth again, the look on her face being one of thought and confusion. "On second thought, later. As much as I'd like to know how you can do that, I think we need to stay task oriented. Help Rainbow Dash first, ask questions later."

Well... that was a refreshing development. Perhaps there was some hope for these ponies after all. Twilight Sparkle's decision to forgo questioning him on fields she had no understanding about would serve them well for the time being, as it would allow them to begin the more in depth part of the investigation once Spike walked through the door with the equipment housed back at the library.

Which should be any second now, if the door chime was any indication.

"Got it!" Spike called as he walked into the room and set down the wooden chest he'd been carrying with him.

"Excellent," Twilight Sparkle stated as she undid the latches with her magic, allowing the chest to be swung open and reveal its contents.

"I'm afraid I'm still confused," Rarity stated as she looked inside the open chest. "That looks like a crystal lantern. How exactly is that supposed to help us help Rainbow Dash?" she asked as the item was levitated out of its protective casing.

"Looks can be deceiving, this is no ordinary crystal lantern," Twilight Sparkle began as she levitated it over for him to grasp by the bail. "Back in Ulquiorra's dimensions, humans have a device that emits long wave ultraviolet light when activated, used for detecting various chemicals that react with such a light spectrum, and either gives off a fluorescent reaction by glowing, or creates a darkened area by absorbing the light. So what I did was cast a spell to adjust the polarity of the solar crystals to emit only ultraviolet light when activated," she explained with a fair degree of excitement in her distorted voice.

"In simple everyday terms, a black light," he stated simply.

"That's... I'm sure that's quite fascinating and all. But how exactly does that help us? More importantly, how does it help Rainbow Dash?" Rarity asked,also adopting the head tilting motion utilized by Twilight Sparkle.

"Bodily fluids react to ultraviolet light. Once total darkness is achieved, the lantern will point out any traces of such. A lack of any such evidence will go towards debunking Rainbow Dash's mistaken beliefs. And even if any evidence of the alleged torture has been scoured away with industrial-strength cleaning chemicals, the latent traces of reiatsu will still be present, and easily detected by my pesquisa. In short, there will be no way to hide proof of the accusations," he explained, cutting Twilight Sparkle off before she could launch into any sort of time consuming, in-depth explanation of what was about to occur. "If you would."

"Right," Twilight Sparkle nodded and activated her magic, drawing all the blinds and curtains on the first floor of the boutique, shutting out all outside light, and draping the entire room in near-total darkness. It was more than sufficient for the modified lantern to do its job.

Adjusting the dial that worked the dimmer, he set the illumination output to its highest setting, before pushing the button to activate it, and bathe the entire room in a dark blue light; what some might refer to as "spooky" under the right circumstances.

All around the room, various pieces of fabric started to faintly glow in numerous differing colors. What glowed varied from entire outfits, to certain portions of completed projects, to as little as the thread that was used. It was unexpected, but not particularly surprising.

"Oh my..." Rarity exhaled as she looked around the room, obviously amazed by the lantern's effects on her works.

"Cool huh?" Spike asked, having already seen what could be expected.

"I must say it's quite... I don't really know how to phrase it. These designs looked so much... better... when they weren't glowing," she commented.

He ignored the banter and scanned the room, searching for any traces that might even remotely support Rainbow Dash's allegations of violence against her. In the process his line of sight crossed Twilight Sparkle. Her one eye appeared darker than the other in the ultraviolet light. And her muzzle was nearly black in coloration, indicating that despite her best efforts at washing, the blood hadn't yet come away from her straining while casting the lightning spell. There were even minor traces of black on Rarity's exposed face, indicating significant bleeding yesterday.

The floor of the boutique, despite being cleaned, and leaving nothing visible to the naked eye, left a number of black stains visible under the ultraviolet light; all of which the result of yesterday's events.

"Okay, so what happens now?" Spike asked.

He ignored Spike's question for the time being, instead turning to face Rarity directly.

"You still wish to help Rainbow Dash?" he asked. She nodded. "Then we conduct an extensive search of the Carousel Boutique, attic to basement, looking for anything that could be construed as evidence of her accounts. We leave nothing unexplored or unopened," he explained.

"Oh dear," Rarity replied, "that could take days. Do we have that much time?" she asked.

"Rainbow Dash is not going anywhere. We have the time," he replied.

"... So attic or basement first?"

The logical course of action was to start in the basement. That was where, according to Rainbow Dash, everything had happened. That was the most likely location of any forensic evidence, if it truly existed.

However the basement was cluttered with numerous boxes that housed old pieces of various wardrobes, and material that hadn't yet been used, or brought upstairs to the main work room. Sorting through them for evidence would be... taxing.

Lending credibility to Rainbow Dash's story was the presence of plumbing in the basement.

Removing credibility from Rainbow Dash's story was the fact that nothing resembling a shower existed.

There was certainly extensive copper piping running along the open ceiling, supplying water to what appeared to be a water softener, water heater, and the various crisscrossing pipes that ran to the facilities of the upstairs. But none of it showed any signs of of having been recently modified, either to install a shower, or to remove such. All of the soldering appeared old; likely as old as the building itself. The floor drain was easily understood, should the water heater ever develop a leak. But its location, as well as its construction, was entirely inconsistent with the story.

"Well?"

His attention was drawn to the stairway where the three stood, illuminated only by the lantern's ultraviolet light. As best he could tell, Rarity was looking anxious from her position, rubbing one of her knees uncomfortably; not entirely unlike how a person would rub their elbow.

"There's no forensic evidence present that would support Rainbow Dash's story. Nor are there any foreign traces of reiatsu to be found, that would be consistent with the other members of the group. Whatever did take place, it didn't occur here," he explained. He heard Rarity release a sigh of relief at the news. "But in the name of thoroughness, examination of the other floors will remain necessary, once we conclude the investigation down here," he stated as he brought his hand to the lantern's knob. "Lights."

The switch to the basement lighting was flipped, bringing a proper degree of illumination as the lantern was shut off. The more light sensitive members of the group grumbled and rubbed their eyes, trying to adjust to the sudden change in the light spectrum. He merely set the lantern on the nearby shelf for the time being.

His attention was then drawn behind him by a disturbance in his pesquisa. A disturbance in Rarity's detectable reiatsu levels, indicating she was preparing to make use of her magic.

"Stop," he commanded. Her response was an immediate cease and desist to what she was doing, and a startled sound being emitted by her. "If you utilize your magic for anything, you risk contamination of whatever evidence may exist," he explained.

"Oh dear. You mean you have to do the entire investigation yourself?" Rarity asked.

"Maybe not, Rarity, I have an idea," Twilight Sparkle spoke up. "Spike, you can assist with the investigation. Rainbow Dash didn't make any allegations against you, so you can't contaminate the results," she explained.

"... A workable proposal," Ulquiorra replied. Contamination of potential evidence through Spike's intervention would be highly unlikely at best. If there was truly any evidence to find. He was willing to be as thorough as necessary in the course of this investigation, but he possessed serious doubt about finding anything that would lend even remote credibility to Rainbow Dash's accusations against the others. Try as he might, even when taking everything into consideration that he'd seen, and personally experienced at their hooves, sexual sadism simply didn't strike him being as a viable possibility.

Considering the way these ponies had reacted when they heard even half of the details he'd been privy to, he couldn't help but wonder just what sort of sick mind could this world produce, that would readily manufacture such... unpleasantries.

Rainbow Dash watched, unable to look away, and unable to tune out the information that was being forcefully inserted directly into her brain. This mist, these tiny shards of eye that Ulquiorra had thrown in her face, were making her see things from his point of view. She was seeing exactly what he had seen.

But it was doing so much more than that. She wasn't simply seeing what he had seen, but was also experiencing what he'd thought, what he'd felt, what he'd detected, and to what extent he'd detected it. She could feel the fluctuations in mana just as he'd felt them. She was experiencing input and sensations that she never even dreamed as being possible.

One by one, she witnessed as pony after pony was addressed. Rarity, Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie. She saw and felt as Ulquiorra interrogated each one of them, subjecting them to questions that made them squirm, flinch, cringe and even break down crying. Questions that filled them with anger, outrage, and sadness. And she witnessed as Ulquiorra methodically examined any and all property that they had access to, as they allowed the invasion of their private -and in some cases intimate- property to go forward without opposition.

And she watched as, bit by bit, every single piece of assembled evidence completely eviscerated her recollection of events that had transpired. And now knowing what she'd been made privy to, as many hours worth of memories played out in her mind within an instant, she could only reach one possible conclusion.

She'd been wrong. She'd been wrong about everything...

"How... h-h-how?" she asked shakily in disbelief. How could this series of events have transpired in the way they did? How was it possible?

But before she could even begin getting any answers, the process quickly started all over again, as new images started coming into her mind's eye, and she could do nothing but watch as they played out.

"I've seen Twilight like this before. If we can get her distracted with something else, even something small, she should calm down enough to go back to normal," Spike explained.

"Yeah? Like what?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Whatever we do, we'd better do it fast. I think Twilight's getting ready to try and even out the icing on the cupcakes!" Pinkie stated, her tone suggesting far greater urgency than her statement commanded on its own.

"Oh not this again," Spike groaned.

"Don't worry, little dude, I've got a plan," Rainbow Dash stated in a confident manner, before turning to face him. "Are you game for this?"

He had been observing this interaction in relative silence, both curious and uncertain as to what exactly was going on, besides the apparent psychological break being experienced by Twilight Sparkle. And now he was being addressed directly. Was he being drafted for something?

"What do you have in mind?" he asked.

"You're super fast, right?" she asked him. It had to be a rhetorical question in nature. "You see those cupcakes Twilight's next to? I'll get her attention elsewhere, and you pop one in her mouth. That should get her distracted well enough," she explained.

A... cupcake? That was Rainbow Dash's plan? The... utter absence of details of such nearly begged to be questioned further for elaboration.

"And you believe that will actually work?" he asked, wondering if she was truly serious.

"If you ever had one of those yourself, you wouldn't need to ask. Now come on, I wanna get to Twilight before she starts gibbering to herself in the corner, and reciting complex calculus stuff to herself. Now are you gonna help or what?" she asked him.

That memory. The party. It was... it was on the twelfth of this month, just a few days back. She'd been there, and so had the others. And so had a decent portion of the town of Ponyville. She'd felt each of them there from the Espada's perspective.

But... but it couldn't be possible, it just couldn't be! She was still being tortured on the twelfth! There was no way she, to say nothing of the others, could've been there and present, happy, and having a good time at the party thrown in the Espada's honor. Even if the others had left her locked up down there in the basement, they still wouldn't have gone off to the party, right? And if they had, then how had she been there!? Had she been hypnotized by the others, and trotted out like a good little pet to show off to everypony? Like a trendy fashion accessory or something?

What exactly was going on here?

Some distance away from the two, Celestia cringed as she watched Ulquiorra perform his Solita Vista technique. She hated seeing when he did that. She couldn't imagine what Rainbow Dash must've been thinking as she watched him pluck out his eyeball with such ease. And she really had no idea how exactly he transferred so much information in just a few short moments. But the reaction she had to whatever information he had shown her, it was significant in nature. She'd gone from furious, to extremely shaken in just a matter of seconds.

In a way the sudden change in demeanor left her worried, and uncertain of how exactly to proceed from this point. Should she approach and try to console her? Or should she hang back, and allow Ulquiorra to continue to proceed in peace?

"Princess?"

The sudden mention of title brought her attention back to her immediate space, and the presence of Spike, Pinkie, and Rarity standing next to her, and looking up at her; and each of them as confused as she was.

"What exactly is going on here?" Rarity asked, feeling more confused than ever.

"I wish I could say for certain," Celestia replied as she held back a sigh, listening to Rainbow Dash's mumblings of disbelief, and being unable to do anything to help her.

"Is Dashie gonna be alright?" Pinkie asked her.

"I honestly don't know, Pinkie, we're currently dealing with forces we don't yet understand. As much as I'd like to believe that Rainbow Dash will be alright, it would be wrong for me to speculate at this point," Celestia explained as she and the others slowly turned their attention back to their original target of interest, her ears barely picking up what was being said between them.

"Uh... Princess? I know it's kind of off topic and all, but how did you find us out here?" Spike asked. He'd been curious about that ever since they'd shown up. And while now might not be the best time to be asking, the opening had presented itself. If he didn't take it now, there was no telling when the next opportunity would be.

"Locating you was easy enough, Spike. I simply traced the spell back to its origins, like when I send a letter. And that clump of Rainbow Dash's feathers we received was sufficient evidence to warrant an investigation," Celestia explained.

The feathers? The same feathers that had been burnt off when Rainbow Dash had tried to dive bomb him?

Well that certainly made sense to him, even if that hadn't been his original intention at the time. But he was certainly glad to know that not only had it worked, but he'd potentially been instrumental in helping them locate Rainbow Dash before she could do any serious harm.

"I... I-I can remember. I think. We were... we were all there together. Pinkie was telling one of her jokes, about the doctor getting his quill and his thermometer confused. Yeah. I was laughing, Spike was laughing, but Rarity found it crude and was all stuck up about it," Rainbow Dash paused, before looking up at Ulquiorra. "They didn't do it... did they?" she finally asked him.

"There's no evidence to suggest they even considered it," Ulquiorra replied.

"Then... if that didn't happen, what did?" Rainbow Dash asked as she plopped her haunches down onto the ground. "Why do I remember these things like it was just yesterday? Why do I still feel like I went through everything I experienced? Why is that leather smell stuck in my nose and won't come out? Why... why can't I look at the others, without wanting to hurt them? Without wanting to kill them?"

Most of the time when Ulquiorra was silent, it was either due to him utilizing the silence in order to observe how things unfolded around him, or because he had nothing to say at the time. But in this situation it was different. He wasn't silent because he had nothing to say, but because he truly didn't know what to say. At the moment he was at a loss for words. This was unfamiliar -and as a result, uncomfortable- territory to find himself in.

"I don't know," he finally replied, having nothing else that could be offered up as a response. He wouldn't even have said that, if not for something deep in the back of his mind that felt like a nagging compulsion to say something in response. It was a strange sensation indeed.

"I'm afraid."

Fear was something that every living creature experienced, regardless of form or type. It could be a primal, instinctual fear left over from the evolutionary process. Or it could be something more relevant, born from the realization of ones' own insignificance in the face of overwhelming opposition.

However, despite knowing that fear existed wherever there was life, this was the first time he could recall actually hearing the adrenaline junkie of a pegasus admit to experiencing such. Even when she had faced off against the dragon, or against him, she hadn't acknowledged the existence of fear.

"I don't know what's going on anymore. I can't tell what really did happen and what didn't. What... what if I'm going crazy? I could be losing my mind," Rainbow Dash stated.

Ulquiorra prepared to go into explanation as to why her concerns about her mental state, while wise, were unfounded in nature. Psychological activities, even those that resulted from head-related injuries, didn't simply manifest themselves immediately. The likelihood of her experiencing such a drastic shift in such a short period of time, however, were too unlikely to give actual consideration to.

"I'm hearing voices too now..."

However he stopped before getting a word out, at hearing her statement.

"Voices?" Ulquiorra asked. This was a development he hadn't predicted. It also potentially destroyed his explanation as to why she wasn't going crazy. "Whose? Tone? Gender? Anything identifiable as belonging to a particular individual?"

"I... I don't know, I didn't recognize it. It was like I could hear it, but also like I could not hear it. Like it was in my head or something," Rainbow Dash replied as she tried to give an explanation; one that she didn't fully understand, despite experiencing it herself.

"What was this voice saying?" he asked. If Rainbow Dash was unable to identify the voice itself, then perhaps the manner of speech could be useful. "And when did you first start hearing it?"

"Just... just before Spike and Pinkie found us. I think. It was saying stuff like..." she paused in thought as she tried to recall everything. "Like I had to kill Rarity, or Scootaloo would be tortured and killed by her next. Like it was the only way to keep the squirt from being torn apart by what she'd be put through."

Under most circumstances, he was perfectly capable of handling the matter on his own, regardless of what unexpectedly arose. But this was an exception to that standard. This was a situation he wasn't capable of handling on his own. This was a situation that would require outside assistance; if not outright deferment.

"Princess Celestia," he spoke up as he turned to look over his shoulder. "We have a situation..."

Author's Note

Please forgive the general lack of quality in this week's entry. I'm currently suffering a miserable cold, and didn't manage to properly flesh it out in the appropriate level of detail like I wanted in time for the update.

Chapter Fifty Eight

Chapter Fifty Eight

"What do you think they're saying?"

For Pinkie, Spike, and Rarity, the situation playing out before them was one of significant discomfort. From where they stood they couldn't make out what Ulquiorra and Rainbow Dash had been saying, as they were simply too far away. But at least they had Celestia to talk to, who would do her best to reassure them that they were doing everything they could to help out.

That situation had quickly changed, when they heard Ulquiorra call Celestia over to where he stood. And that left the three of them isolated by themselves, and unable to tell what was going on, or what they were being left out of. None of them were speaking loud enough for the conversation to travel over.

"I don't know. It could be anything," Spike replied. He shared Rarity's curiosity easily enough, but that didn't help him much. "Hey Pinkie, can you read lips? Can you make out what they're saying?" he asked. Considering how random Pinkie had been since their first meeting, it was worth asking.

"Sorry Spike, no can do," Pinkie replied and shook her head. "I can see Ulqy's mouth moving, but even if I could read lips, it wouldn't do any good. His mouth doesn't move like a pony's mouth, so I still wouldn't know what he's saying. He could be quoting a book passage right now for all I know," she explained.

Truth be told lip reading was a lot harder than they were assuming it was. It wasn't just a matter of seeing how somepony's lips moved as they spoke, but the surrounding muscle structure of the face as well. Words that started with the letter C looked so similar to words that started with the letter G or even B. To accurately read them was an exercise in observing the minute differences. And that was something she just couldn't do. And even if she could, she couldn't from this distance.

"This is just great," Spike sighed and sat himself down on the ground. Just sitting around in silence and waiting for something to happen. What a gigantic waste of time.

"Spike?"

Silence, up until he heard Rarity speak up. Naturally he turned his head to look at her.

"Back when you were trying to subdue Rainbow Dash, you said something. You told her that you would break her wings if she didn't stay down and stop fighting. Were... were you serious about that?" she asked hesitantly, almost afraid to know the answer for herself.

"I... I don't know," Spike replied, really wishing that Rarity hadn't asked that particular question. Why, out of everything she could've asked about what happened, did it have to be that one? Why did it have to be the one that he himself had been doubting and questioning? "I... I was desperate at the time. You saw what she was like, I just had to do something before she got loose and hurt somepony. I couldn't hold her down all night," he explained. Or rather he tried to explain. But it was a lot more difficult to actually do than he thought it would be.

However what was quickly approaching stammering territory was quickly headed off, when he felt Rarity place a hoof on his small shoulder in an effort to relax him.

"It's alright, Spike, I understand," she said as she stroked his ridges.

"I'm just glad I didn't have to follow through. If Celestia hadn't shown up when she did... I don't know how things would've gone," Spike replied as he sank in against Rarity. Truthfully he'd been downright terrified of what might've unfolded if another minute had been allowed to pass without interference. Would Rainbow Dash have fought him to get loose and get at Rarity? Could he have followed through with his threat? And if he had, would it have actually been enough?

What if... what if he had to go even further than that? Could he have? Would he have? He'd been so caught up in the moment, he honestly didn't know what could've happened.

And right now he'd rather not think about it. The idea of the unrealized possibility was making his stomach feel sour and hurt something fierce.

"Hey look, something's happening," Pinkie spoke up, bringing their attention back to what was ahead of them.

Despite Celestia and Ulquiorra's positioning serving to obscure most of their view of Rainbow Dash during the whole conversation, they could still see parts of her through all the white in the way. And now they were seeing a lot more, as an unconscious Rainbow Dash was levitated up in Celestia's aura, and set down on her back, nestled securely in between her fluffy wings, all four of her limbs hanging limply in a straddling style, and her head hung to the left side.

"What happened?" Spike asked, completely lost in the matter. Why was Rainbow Dash unconscious? And why was she being nestled in like she was some sort of care package, or stuffed toy that was the pride and joy of some foal?

"I don't know. But I have the sneaking suspicion that if we don't involve ourselves now, we're going to be left out in the cold," Rarity spoke as she stood up.

"I have the sneaking suspicion that you're right," Pinkie replied and moved to join Rarity.

Their small group of three made their way over to the other group, intent on finding out just what was going on. And as they did, bits and pieces of conversation became more audible.

"... fail to see why such an approach is necessary."

"... least that can be done for her."

The details they made out, while sparse in nature, provided enough for them to make an informed guess about what the latest conversation involved. But right now that wasn't important. Taking the time to stop and interpret the discussion of how Ulquiorra failed to grasp the act of gentleness wasn't worthwhile right now.

"Princess?" Spike spoke up first as they reached earshot distance, causing Celestia to turn her head and look in their direction. "What's going on? I-is Rainbow Dash gonna be alright?" he asked.

Celestia did her best to put on a proper face. A calm and serene face, often utilized for dealing with petitioners and the like during the last half hour of the day court. But despite that effort, she simply couldn't muster that particular mask for addressing the young dragon. He was unfortunately going to see her as tired and worn out as she currently felt.

"There's no need to worry, Spike, it's just a sleep spell to make her more manageable for the trip back to Canterlot," she explained as gently as she could. After everything that had happened today, rest sounded like a very good idea; an idea that she would likely be missing out on as the evening grew later. Luna would likely be waking up soon. She would need to be up and around to make sure things progressed smoothly before considering the idea of turning matters over to Luna on this coming night.

"But is she going to be alright? What were you and Ulquiorra talking about with her?" Spike asked in an effort to press the matter further, not wanting to be left out of the overall game plan, regardless of what it might be. After all they'd been through... well he really didn't want to think too highly of himself, but hadn't he at least earned getting to know what was going to be happening?

"I don't want to seem nosy, really, but I'm quite inclined to agree with Spike's curiosity, Princess. Rainbow Dash is our friend, and a vital part of Equestria's protection. I don't want to appear pushy... but I do believe that we have a right to know what's going on," Rarity replied, doing her very best to strike a balance between diplomacy and firmness... even if she possessed no authority whatsoever that she could exercise in this situation. Unless... "You asked us to be your friends, Celestia. As such, shouldn't friends be informed of what other friends are going through?" she asked.

Ulquiorra nearly quirked an eyebrow at hearing Rarity's questioning. That was her method of going about gaining information?

Then again it was similar to a tactic he had used in order to shut down pointless conversation only a few days before. Perhaps he had been more on the mark than he'd initially thought. He then turned his attention back to Princess Celestia in order to observe her reaction and response.

There was a short pause before she finally spoke again.

"You're right. I did ask you and the others to consider me a friend, rather than a ruler," she admitted and gave a weak nod, before taking a steadying breath. "The truth of the matter, everypony, is that I have no answers for you. We really don't know what's wrong with Rainbow Dash, as none of us have ever seen anything like this before. This is very unfamiliar territory to be in. We'll do everything we can to try and help Rainbow Dash, but we're more or less flying blind at the moment. We have to proceed with extreme caution, if she's ever to get any better," she explained, doing her best to remain calm throughout. This was one of those things for which there were no easy answers.

Ulquiorra remained silent, keeping his observations to himself. His opinion would do little good in this matter. However his observations were different from his ability to explain matters.

"Once we have returned to Canterlot, evaluation by an outside medical professional will be the next step. If magic and hypnosis aren't in play, a biological condition may be to blame," he stated.

"Biological... you mean like a disease? Like something contagious?" Spike asked. The very idea of something like that scared him. "What's that mean for us? We were all in pretty close contact with her. Could... could we be affected next?"

"Unlikely. Contagions with the ability to drastically alter the host's memories are not ranked high on the list of probabilities. Rather, the suspected culprit is a chemical imbalance in the brain; something that may be treatable with the proper medication," Ulquiorra explained. The way news traveled in this world, the suspicion of some disease being behind Rainbow Dash's condition could cause... unpleasant developments to occur. Mass pandemonium as it were.

"Treatable?" Pinkie asked, adopting the head tilt gesture herself. "Not curable? You mean that... that Dashie might not actually get well?"

"We don't know, Pinkie, we just don't know," Celestia replied and sighed. There were too many unknowns going on right now. What had started out as an already unsolvable mystery just days ago, had only grown in complication to a point that was almost unrecognizable in terms of difficulty. "The only thing I can say for certain, is that we'll do everything we can to help her. All of us," she said and discretely shifted her gaze to where Ulquiorra stood.

Spike and the others more or less understood what the last part of Celestia's statement meant; the Espada was being drafted into assisting back in Canterlot. That was fine to them, as they all wanted Rainbow Dash to get well. Even if they didn't understand how he might able to assist.

However that thought quickly gave way to another thought.

"Wait a minute. If Ulquiorra's gonna be back in Canterlot, what about us back here in Ponyville? Whatever's out there is still out there. Don't we need him here?" Spike asked.

Celestia stopped in thought. Spike did raise a very good point about Ulquiorra's presence. What if him being here was the only thing keeping Ponyville intact? Was it right to recall him like that?

"It's true that my presence could be construed as serving some deterrent here. However that assumption is circumstantial in nature at best," Ulquiorra replied. Leaving Ponyville unguarded didn't seem like a very logical decision to make. However this was one of those times when they found themselves between a rock and a hard place. "Be aware that Rainbow Dash managed to escape a palace full of royalty, highly trained guards, and a dedicated nurse equipped with an immobilization spell. And she did so completely undetected. My presence in Canterlot may be the only thing that will realistically prevent a reoccurrence of such," he explained.

From Celestia's perspective, Ulquiorra's comment came off as being a shot at her. A snarky bit of insubordination in letting her know that he didn't hold her, or her rule, in high regard when it came to their competence. But then again her perspective was currently being marred by the stress of the day. She'd let the matter go, as there were more important things to deal with. There was no point in scolding him for his views; especially when he had been correct in his observation.

"... Then if it comes down to being either us or Rainbow Dash... I cast my vote for her. She's the one who's truly in need at the moment," Rarity spoke up after a pause. "Having you around certainly provides a sense of security. But she's the one who's truly in need of whatever services you might have to offer."

Pinkie nodded in agreement. "Dashie's the one in need. Not us. We'll be fine."

Two votes for him to proceed with Princess Celestia back to Canterlot, for the purpose of maintaining watch over the cyan pegasus. Hardly a town-wide vote on the matter. But at least they understood. And while he did possess significant doubts about the wisdom of the move, he could also see the wisdom. Rainbow Dash was the weak link at the moment. And based on recent events, she would need to be given the most consideration. The majority of Ponyville was still able-boded and able-minded, as well as being alert to the fact that they were in danger. They had at least some chance of emerging intact whatever might occur during his absence.

Then again, perhaps his absence would actually improve their chances. Without him being around to act as a proverbial safety net, perhaps they would realize that they were on their own, and respond accordingly by striving to develop at an accelerated pace. Perhaps his absence would wind up being the best for them.

There was also the fact that his relocation wasn't permanent in nature. He was needed in Canterlot only for the purpose of making sure Rainbow Dash was still present. But that assigned duty didn't need to be carried out around the clock. There was nothing preventing him from making periodic returns to Ponyville, and examining the surroundings for any signs of danger. Three minutes of travel time each way was hardly a significant endeavor to undertake.

"Very well then," he replied, "inform Twilight Sparkle of these developments, and assist her accordingly."

Celestia watched as the three nodded in acknowledgement of Ulquiorra's statement. being around as long as she had been, she knew that something was up, but not necessarily what that something was. But she'd concern herself with that matter later. At the moment she wanted to get Rainbow Dash back to Canterlot where she would be safe.

Or at least... safer than she currently was here.

"Do you need to be escorted back to Ponyville? This is still the Everfree Forest that we're standing in," she pointed out. Her immediate concern was with Rainbow Dash, but that didn't mean she was fully prepared to just run off and leave her other subjects in a dangerous position. It had only been after significant discussion that she'd come to the conclusion that bringing Ulquiorra back to Ponyville was a correct decision to make.

"As much as a royal escort does have its appeal, I'm not entirely sure if it's truly necessary. We did manage to arrive out here without any difficulty, all things considered," Rarity replied slowly, not wanting to sound insulting about turning down the offer. "Rainbow Dash should be our primary concern right now. The sooner she gets back to Canterlot, the sooner we stand a chance of finding out what's wrong with her, and how we can help her," she explained.

In truth Ulquiorra really wasn't particularly surprised by the statement made by Rarity. Despite several contradictory aspects of her personality, she still bore the Element of Generosity, and its virtue managed to shine through her, through various interactions with others. Her decision to exercise concern for Rainbow Dash was consistent with earlier interactions he had witnessed.

"Yeah, I think we'll be pretty good on our own. Dashie's the one that needs help right now, not us," Pinkie added and nodded.

"If you're certain," Ulquiorra replied, even though he still needed to wait for Princess Celestia to arrive at the decision that it was time to leave. With that thought in mind, he turned to face her. "Shall we take our leave now?"

Luna wasn't exactly the early riser type among ponies. Not even factoring in her nocturnal nature, and allowing for the time difference, would she be considered such. She liked to rise at a certain time of the day, when the sun sat lower in the sky, and started to color the horizon.

Not that she had anything against the sun. She would admit that being out in the daytime was nice. More ponies were alert, more things were going on, the atmosphere was generally more vibrant and lively. It just... wasn't her thing. It was too bright for her tastes.

Regardless of that fact, however, she would willingly get up at the crack of noon when the sun was at its highest and brightest, if it meant helping out a friend that was in need. And it was for that specific reason that she'd arisen at this time of day; for the purpose of looking after Rainbow Dash during her time of need.

So it went without saying that she was quite perturbed, and quite -if she were to use what had unofficially come to be known as "Ciferisms" due to their introduction by Ulquiorra Cifer himself- pissed off, when she awoke early on this day to lend a hoof in any way that she could, only to find out that nopony was present. Neither her sister, nor Rainbow Dash, nor even the recently returned Ulquiorra Cifer, were to be found anywhere in Canterlot palace. It was as if they'd simply vanished without leaving a single trace.

What were those three doing? Engaging in a picnic?

If that were truly the case -unlikely as it would be- then her sister would be receiving an earful from her when her absence was ended, and they could have a private moment together, away from the prying ears of others. But not because she disagreed with such an outing. No. Rather 'Tia would be hearing from her, due to her not being invited on the excursion, sleep or no sleep!

Luna stopped her pacing in the throne room and took a deep breath. She needed that. Not so much the breath itself, but rather the opportunity to allow herself to drop her guard, and entertain an amusing thought in order to break the tension she was feeling. And currently there was very much tension going on within her; she was certain her pancreas was as hard as a rock right now if she were to poke at it.

She had known that something was wrong when she awoke and found Rainbow Dash present with her sister. But at the time she had no idea just how wrong things were, or how difficult they would prove to be in the following days. Whoever -or whatever- had decided to target Rainbow Dash for attack, had managed to do quite a number on the poor filly. The psychological trauma she'd been forced to bear had been significant in nature, even by her own standards. And that was saying something. Being an alicorn, and gifted with immortality, meant far greater resilience in these matters; that was how she had managed to survive her own dark times.

But Rainbow Dash was a pony of mortal nature. Her mental defenses weren't nearly as honed or defined in nature. Nor could they be expected to be so. And while she understood that their subjects could prove to be very, very resilient in their own right, everypony had a breaking point. And once that breaking point was crossed, even by something no more significant than a stray breeze, the results were... not pretty.

And if she ever found out the party responsible for making one of her friends suffer in such a way...

Her thoughts of revenge, however, were interrupted by the sensation creeping up her spine, a half second before seeing Celestia return in a flash of light, accompanied by Ulquiorra Cifer, and an unconscious Rainbow Dash hung limply across her back.

... Exactly what has transpired during their absence?

"Dear Sister, what has occurred?" she asked as she stepped forward. There were a great many questions running through her mind right now, begging to be asked and clarified. But none of them seemed to want to cooperate with her mouth and actually get asked right now.

"In simple terms, Luna, the matter has become drastically more complicated than we initially believed," Celestia replied as best she could. And truthfully it was an understatement. There was no way to fit everything into just a few seconds of explanation time. Nor did she expect her sister would have the patience to listen through everything before deciding to act. So for everyone's sake, she kept it very short.

"And why is Rainbow Dash upon your back?" Luna asked her as she stepped ever closer in order to examine the unconscious pegasus.

"For comfort's sake," Celestia replied, again keeping it simple. "I believe at this point in time, we're in need of a physician. Or perhaps two."

"Sister," Luna spoke, "know that I respect and love you. But under present circumstances, I request to be informed of just what is going on around here, before I act in any manner. I was awoken early on this day, due to an irresistible desire to care for Rainbow Dash. And much to my surprise you were absent, and I found myself left in the dark on what was occurring. Now I would like to be informed of just what transpired between now, and when I retired this morning," she stated firmly.

Celestia wanted to pinch the bridge of her nose right now. She knew that Luna could be stubborn at times. But did she truly have to pick now of all times? Couldn't she have waited just a little while before putting her hoof down?

"In basic terms, the events that transpired are as follows." Ulquiorra spoke up, bringing Luna's attention to him in the process. "During your period of rest, Rainbow Dash assaulted her assigned nurse, and fled back to Ponyville for the purpose of exacting revenge on Rarity. She was stopped by Spike, and the information pertaining to our investigation was delivered to her, causing her to experience significant doubt about the validity of her experiences. She then informed us that she was experiencing auditory hallucinations, which might suggest a psychological disorder such as schizophrenia. Following extensive discussion at the scene, it was determined best that I return to Canterlot to prevent any followup escapes that might be attempted."

It wasn't exactly the most conclusive thing that Celestia had ever heard Ulquiorra speak. But it certainly seemed informative enough to give Luna the basic idea of what she'd missed out on.

Now hopefully she'd comply, and send for the physicians, rather than continuing to fight.

But so far, it just seemed to render her silent in shock.

"Then... then there is nothing that we can do to help her? All of our efforts have been for naught?" Luna asked, as slowly as she did shakily.

"It's alright, Luna, just calm down," Celestia spoke softly, afraid that Luna was about to experience her own breakdown if she didn't head it off quickly.

Unfortunately her efforts at heading off Luna did little good. If anything it just seemed to get her all the more excited.

"Calm down? Sister, how can you expect me to "just calm down" after having just told us that our friend is suffering greatly, and nothing that we may try is going to help her!?" Luna asked/demanded, her voice climbing in both level and intensity, and her manner of speech slipping back into the old world dialect.

"... Because Rainbow Dash is our friend, Luna, and she needs us. Now more than ever. And we can't help her, if we allow ourselves to become hysterical," Celestia stated as calmly as she could, trying to help her sister see reason. Fortunately it seemed to take this time, as she could see Luna beginning to relax, if only slightly.

"... I apologize, dear sister. You are correct," Luna replied and nodded slowly. She couldn't let her own feelings dominate her; not when others were counting on her. Now she was feeling ashamed for getting so excited. She was supposed to be a ruler, and set an example for others, not fall into panic at the drop of a hat. "I shall send for Canterlot's finest medical experts. Tomorrow."

"Luna?" Celestia asked.

"Do you believe medical intervention tonight will reveal more than if we wait until morning? Let her rest for this evening. We shall start refreshed in the morning, when her mental facilities have had adequate sharpening time."

Celestia remained silent in thought. Luna did have a point. When she and Ulquiorra found Rainbow Dash, she was battered, dirty, stressed, fatigued, and deeply upset by everything she'd been experiencing. If they sent for doctors and had them evaluate her now, the diagnosis they might reach could be entirely inaccurate. And right now she'd rather avoid a lengthy and difficult fight over misdiagnosis, simply because she'd been impatient.

She could just imagine how bad the situation could be. And she would rather not entertain the extreme scenarios that could hypothetically occur.

"Very well, Luna, we'll exercise patience in this matter," she replied. However she again became confused, as she felt the weight of the unconscious Rainbow Dash being lifted off of her back, and watching as Luna deposited the cyan pegasus onto her own back. "Luna?"

"A bath for her is most certainly in order," Luna replied as she carefully nestled Rainbow Dash onto her back. And while she wasn't entirely sure just why Celestia had shown up, carrying her in such a manner, she herself couldn't see any reason to go against it. "I will see to this... although I would not recommend waiting to eat..."

With that last sentence, Luna trotted off, leaving Ulquiorra and Celestia behind, alone in the throne room.

Alone with a great deal of silence, as the sound of her hooves against the marble floors disappeared down the hallway.

"Ulquiorra?" Celestia spoke up, breaking the silence before it could get to be unbearable. "Are you able to experience fear?" she asked him.

Ulquiorra turned his attention to where Princess Celestia stood. It was a very unusual question for her to be asking him.

"If I am, then I don't believe it's an emotion I've yet experienced," he explained calmly. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I was entertaining the hope that I was overreacting, and the situation at hoof isn't nearly as bad as I'm making it out to be," Celestia replied in an honest manner. "And it would be a lot easier to maintain that belief if you were capable of experiencing fear, and simply not at the time," she explained.

Utter foolishness on her part. It was as simple as that. It had to be a symptom of the living condition.

"The situation is indeed dire. Equestria proper is currently vulnerable to attack, we have no idea what caused this development to occur, nor do we know what is coming down the pipe. We have more questions than answers, and we have no idea where to focus our attention," he stated, presenting for her consideration, a proper overview of just why she should indeed be scared right now. "That said, however, we have not yet exhausted our resources. Even in this situation, we possess one constant resource that is still in effect."

"And what might that resource be?" Celestia asked, feeling her curiosity piquing as he spoke. What did Ulquiorra know of that she didn't?

"In simple, basic terms, that resource which we possess is each other," he stated, causing her to nearly do a double take. Had he just said what she thought he said? Before she could even ask, he was already continuing in his explanation. "We find ourselves allied towards a common goal; that being the safety of Equestria. You assigned me that duty. And until that duty is officially rescinded, I will do everything that is within my abilities to fulfill it. And while friendship is a concept I still possess little understanding of, I don't believe the others will be willing to just stand around and do nothing; even if they were ordered to stand down and do just that."

Celestia listened as the Espada spoke, uncertain of just what to make of what he was saying. Was this his idea of a motivational speech, intended to rally her spirit, and fill her with a sense of hope? She really had no idea if that was what he'd intended it to be, or if he was simply reminding her that they were all in this.

But despite not knowing the sentiment that was behind it, she certainly appreciated his efforts.

"Thank you, Ulquiorra, I appreciate that," she replied. Even if there was no kindness behind his words, or his motivation for sharing them, she still appreciated the fact that he'd seen fit to state such. And whether or not he was aware of the fact that he'd just alluded to them all being friends, she still appreciated not only his words, but his presence here. His calm nature, despite being infuriating at times, paradoxically seemed to have a calming effect all its own.

Everything was foggy at first as Rainbow Dash slowly woke up. Her mind currently felt like it was in a really haze, and she found it difficult to focus on anything. It was just like when Ulquiorra had put her in a choke hold. Except this time she didn't feel anything hard pressing against her neck. In fact she really couldn't feel anything right now. Except for warmth.

And wetness.

Wait... wetness? Immediately her eyes flew open as she sat up. What'd happened? Did she wind up pissing herself when she was out?

"It is alright, Rainbow Dash, you are safe."

Rainbow Dash turned to try and find the source of the voice, only for her ears to be met with the sound of sloshing water in the process.

Water?

Looking down at herself, she realized that she wasn't in a bed, but rather a richly decorated in-floor tub, filled with warm water. And bubble bath solution that'd been vigorously worked in. And a rubber duck too, floating about on the waves that'd been generated by her rapid movements.

"What's going on here?" she asked out loud, hoping that actually hearing the question being asked would help give her some insight into the situation.

"A much needed bath, my young friend."

At hearing the voice again, Rainbow Dash swiveled herself around, and saw Luna sitting behind her. Missing were the royal adornments, and her mane hung limply against her back as it clung to her wet fur.

"Luna? What's going on? Why am I here? Why're you here?" she asked, now feeling more confused than ever.

"As stated, a much needed, and highly relaxing, bath is what is going on. It is also why we are both here. When you were brought back from Ponyville, you were covered in a fair bit of detritus materials. Materials that just seemed to get everywhere. And it seemed quite unacceptable to leave you, and by extension, myself, in such a filthy condition," Luna explained, pausing as a bowl of water was levitated upward, and dumped onto the pegasi's head and down back, forcing her to shut her eyes in response. "I do not claim to know how you came to possess so much tree bark in your back fur. But I assume it to be an interesting story."

The intended purpose behind her actions here was to help Rainbow Dash relax. The past few days had been highly stressful for everypony involved. Everybody if she counted Ulquiorra Cifer. And as bad as the stress was for her and her sister, she couldn't imagine how bad it was for a mortal like Rainbow Dash. She had made attempts to talk to the filly, to get her to open up about what she was experiencing, knowing full well that there were things she had on her chest that had yet to be revealed by the unconscious mind during her dreams. But despite her best efforts, the young pegasus was as tight lipped as ever, and simply wouldn't open up to her. She was keeping the hurt and turmoil internal, and she could tell that was hurting her significantly. So naturally she hoped that something as relaxing as a warm bath would assist her in some way, even if it was just minutely.

However the exact opposite seemed to be unfolding before her. The look on Rainbow Dash's face wasn't one of relaxation, but utter terror. She currently looked like she had just come face to face with the living embodiment of fear itself, and was just about to be the first one to blink. Even as she was looking at her, her entire body was beginning to shake, as she began muttering "oh no" to herself over and over again.

"Rainbow Dash, what is wrong?" Luna asked, perplexed at this development.

"I'm in so much trouble right now," Rainbow Dash mumbled as she shook, unable to look up at Luna, or even meet her eyes.

"Most curious," Luna mumbled as she quirked an eyebrow. "And why pray tell do you believe you are in trouble?" she asked, turning her full attention to the conversation rather than the shared bath.

She watched as Rainbow Dash tried to compose herself, listening as the cyan pegasus began to give a recollection of events that transpired throughout the course of the day. And all the while as she explained the details, her voice was as shaky as the rest of her, as she detailed not only her actions, but the actions of those she'd interacted with.

All in all, she could understand why Rainbow Dash might believe that she would be in trouble for her actions.

At least until it came to the part about hearing voices. How the cyan pegasus could believe that she would be facing consequences for such actions -especially if nothing was of her own volition- she truly didn't know. All that she knew for certain at this point in time, was that these developments truly displeased her.

"Look at me, Rainbow Dash," she spoke in a tone that was soft, yet at the same time commanded authority. Slowly she was complied with, as two watery, magenta colored eyes turned upwards towards hers. "I promise you, you are not in trouble. Nor will we allow you to be in trouble for this. You are not the one at fault, and you shall not be punished for the actions of another," she reassured her. "Furthermore, once we discover who, or what, is actually responsible for this travesty, I promise you this simple fact; their punishment will be of a truly legendary nature. Even in the deepest, darkest pits of all Tartarus, the condemned shall be horrified at what shall be administered."

Silence once again returned to the bath after Luna's statement. Not a sound was made, other than that of water sloshing against the movement of one of their bodies.

"... She... she said she trusted me..."

"Pardon?" Luna asked. Despite the close proximity they were in, the whisper had been so low and so mumbled, she had a hard time understanding just what was being said.

"Rarity. I was gonna kill her. And she... she... she said t-that she trusted me to, to do what I, what I thought was the right thing. Even if... if... even if what I... what I thought the, the right thing was... was... killing her!"

The admission Rainbow Dash was trying to make was even shakier than her explanation of events that had transpired away from the castle. It was one told through shuddering breaths and repeated words, as she tried to maintain her composure throughout it all, and having to forcefully race through the last few words before totally breaking down in tears.

However it was a development that didn't yet occur, as even in her current emotional state, she could see Rainbow Dash trying to choke her sobs back down, with eyes screwed shut to try and deny the tears that were already starting to leak out.

"Let it out, Rainbow Dash, you will feel better if you do," Luna told her as she extended one of her dripping wet wings to gently rub her back. "You do not have to keep the pain inside. Let it all out. There is no shame to be had in crying."

Luna had no way of knowing just what had amounted to the tipping point in all of this. Perhaps it was the gentle voice, or the words that had been used, or even the sensation of her feathers potentially serving as a physical reminder that she wasn't alone. But whatever it was that had caused it, it was apparently enough to completely break the dam, as the next thing she knew, Rainbow Dash was all out crying.

To watch a strong, independent mare like Rainbow Dash be reduced to tears, was just as disturbing to watch this time, as it had been the very first time she had witnessed it.

The first time she witnessed Rainbow Dash crying like this, it'd been because -from her perspective- the others had been disloyal to her. This time, it was because she realized that she had been disloyal to them.

Between the two standards, Luna couldn't tell which was the lesser of the two evils faced by the pony entrusted with the Element of Loyalty.

But whichever of the two standards possessed the potential to hurt the most, it was inconsequential right now. Right now the only thing that mattered to her was the bawling pegasus before her, that was drawn into her forelegs and hugged close, as she cried into her chest.

"Let it out, Rainbow Dash, let out all of the hurt," Luna repeated gently as she hugged her, feeling the pegasi's forelegs wrap tightly around her, and hold on for dear life.

And all the while, as she held the broken pegasus in her forelegs as if she were her own daughter, she silently plotted what punishment would be appropriate, once the source of blame was properly established...

The walk back to Ponyville was one marked by silence. That fact was notable to Spike, primarily because Pinkie was both present, and not causing any excessive levels of commotion like she usually did. She wasn't even bouncing along a he rode atop her back the entire way out of the Everfree Forest. She was just walking right along at Rarity's pace, the two walking side by side, and not a single word being shared between the three of them.

He didn't know whether he should be amazed, or utterly confused, by that fact.

At the moment, however, as the walk slowly brought them within sight of the library, he was leaning towards confused.

But if Spike was to be fully honest with himself, Pinkie's silence wasn't the truly confusing part of this entire day. Even Rainbow Dash's actions weren't as confusing as they might've seemed. He could, at least, partially understand the motives to her actions; she thought she was wronged, and attempted to make it right. Simply because her perspectives had been skewed by... something, didn't change that understanding.

No. If Spike was to be honest with himself, the truly confusing aspect to the day had been Pinkie. Or more accurately, he realized as they walked along in silence, his own feelings for the pink earth pony.

During the time he'd spent living in Ponyville, Pinkie had been many things other than the town's most renowned party planner and entertainment coordinator. Among them was a prankster that had earned both his admiration, and his ire; on a few rare occasions, she'd managed to earn both at the exact same time! She was also one of the ponies who had absolutely no trouble incorporating gemstones into confectionery delights. But more important than any of that, she'd been a good friend, not only to him, but to the rest of them as well. Despite her silly, nonsensical, utterly random nature, she could be incredibly deep when it was really needed.

That said, however, he was currently feeling very conflicted about the recent developments over the course of the day. During his time of need, she'd been there to help him. It wasn't even something done out of simple convenience, like tending to a problem and then disappearing because she had other pressing matters to do with. She'd stayed by his side and assisted him with not only finding Rarity, but also keeping her safe from Rainbow Dash. If that wasn't the sign of a true friend, then he honestly didn't know what was.

But... during the post-conflict cool down period they were currently experiencing, when chemicals like testosterone and adrenaline were working to reestablish their original levels, he couldn't help but entertain a certain thought. What if... what he was feeling right now was something other than friendship?

He wouldn't deny that he was young, and still inexperienced in the ways of the world. He would admit that there were things he still didn't have a full grasp of, despite what he'd been through with the others in all this time. Matters of the head were one thing, but what of matters of the heart?

And where exactly did Pinkie fit into everything right now? Was what he was currently feeling purely platonic in nature? Or was it more? Did he see Pinkie as just another friend? Maybe like he did Twilight? Maybe even... Rarity?

Whatever the answer was, he just didn't know right now. He was tired, he was sore, and all he wanted to do right now was rest. He didn't think he could think straight if he had to right now. Maybe things would be clearer when morning rolled around, and he had eight or nine hours to sleep on it.

"Hey... Rarity? Pinkie?" he asked as he spoke up in an effort to break the silence. Being left with just his thoughts to keep him company right now wasn't all that appealing at the moment.

"Is something wrong, Spike?" Rarity asked as she turned to look at him.

"No, nothing like that. It's just..." he paused, trying to think of what to say in this situation. "Do you two wanna stay at the library for a bit? Maybe stop for some coffee or something?" he asked them.

"Coffee, Spike? Isn't it just a little late in the day for such?" Rarity asked.

"Well, maybe a little..." Spike replied, trying to think of how to phrase what he wanted to say. "But if Twilight's awake, I could use some help in explaining everything that happened," he continued. They all knew how Twilight could get. Surely they wouldn't leave him stranded to face... that... right? "And... even if she isn't awake I'd... well I... don't wanna be alone right now..." he finished, mumbling the last part.

"Hmm..." Rarity mumbled to herself as she rubbed her chin in thought. Spike did raise a very good set of points. Leaving him to face Twilight all by himself after all that had happened, regardless of whether or not she was currently asleep, simply wouldn't do. It was utterly unkind to even consider, to say nothing of uncouth. Beyond that fact, there was also the simple fact that she didn't really want to go back to the boutique by herself. Not right now anyway. "Now that I think about it, coffee does sound like just the thing that will hit the spot," she agreed.

"Same here!" Pinkie seconded.

Spike smiled happily in response to the news. The only reason he didn't try and hug the two of them right then and there, was because of how awkward it would be from where he rode atop Pinkie's back.

"Thanks, you two, I'm really lucky to have such good friends like you," he told them.

"And we're quite lucky to have such a good friend like you," Rarity replied as she trotted over, and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "I honestly don't know what we'd ever do without you, Spike, you've been invaluable throughout this entire sordid mess. And that's to say nothing of how you've saved my life twice so far," she stated.

"Yeah, Spike, you're a hero!" Pinkie added enthusiastically.

Spike wanted to say something in response, absolutely anything as they walked through the front door of the darkened library. But try as he might, he simply couldn't think of anything that seemed appropriate. How exactly could he respond to having such praise heaped on him just like that? How did he get the scales on his cheeks to quit burning with so much embarrassment?

Never mind. He'd worry about stuff like that later on. For right now, he had other matters to occupy himself with in the library; like determining if Twilight was still asleep, or if she was off being hysterical with worry somewhere. And then, once he was certain Twilight was alright, he had to determine just how big of a pot of coffee needed to be made for their little group.

And as Pinkie and Rarity made their way to the kitchen, as he climbed down to ascend the stairs to the second story loft, they failed to notice, how in the silence of the library, the red gem set in the Element of Loyalty, slowly faded to black...

Chapter Fifty Nine

Chapter Fifty Nine

Being an alicorn of a seasoned and experienced nature, sleep was something that Celestia would admit, she didn't have an absolute need for. Certainly it was something she enjoyed, and had come to deeply enjoy when possible. Those few hours between the beginning of dusk, and just before the dawn, was time she looked forward to experiencing. No royal duties that need to be overseen. No petitioners that had to be heard. None of that. Once the sun had set, the day was done.

But regardless of such facts, if push came to shove, she could truly go without sleep for long periods of time. And while it wouldn't negatively affect her health, it certainly wasn't pleasant to experience. She knew that fact from experience; nearly a thousand years worth of experience to be precise. And even though Luna had been returned to her, and was once again able to guard the night, Celestia's experience was something that proved difficult to completely get over. There were still times during which sleep proved itself elusive to her, and to varying degrees of a frustrating nature. Some times were better than others. Some times she didn't mind being awake for long hours at a time; mostly because Luna was there with her, and that time could be occupied in a productive manner between sisters.

All that said, however, there were times when she truly yearned for sleep, but was denied its sweet embrace.

However this night was not one such time. Although sleeping the entire night through would've been sought after, she couldn't in good conscious do that under present circumstances. Not with the complications they were currently facing with Rainbow Dash and her condition. In light of everything that had happened over the course of the day, they needed to be alert. They had allowed themselves to fall into a false sense of security in assuming they had everything under control; everything well in hand as Ulquiorra might say. And that assumption had come back to bite them in their flanks when their backs had been turned.

On second thought, a stronger expression may be needed. That assumption had come back to bite them square in the ass.

In light of such developments, new precautions were being taken. In addition to Nurse Goodwill -much to Celestia's surprise, the unicorn still wished to continue in looking after Rainbow Dash's wellbeing- two guards would also be present, should anything arise this time around.

On top of such precautions, outside assistance would be getting involved as well. Because of everything Rainbow Dash was experiencing, it was painfully apparent that the problem they were facing was far beyond their own skill levels. The top physicians in Canterlot were going to be called in later today, in hopes of determining if there were any biological or environmental factors that could possibly explain everything that had happened up to this point. They themselves had been unable to find any signs that would indicate magic was in play here, and they had searched extensively. At this point it only made sense to defer to others, who would have a greater degree of skill and experience in fields they were unfamiliar with; they were rulers, not scientists.

Or at least... they hadn't been in so very, very long. Were their original fields of study even relevant in this day and age? The last time either of them had been involved primarily in the field of science was-

"Gah!"

Her thoughts were interrupted by something warm and wet against her face, startling her, and sending her falling backwards to the floor where she landed squarely on her flanks. Immediately she began looking around for what the source of the disturbance might be, but all she saw was Luna standing before her.

"And hello to you too, sister."

With several white hairs stuck around her muzzle...

"Luna, what did you do? Did you... did you lick me?" Celestia asked as she climbed back to her hooves.

"It would appear so," Luna answered, completely nonchalantly about the accusations that were being made.

"Why... why would you ever consider doing something like that? It's so... juvenile," Celestia replied, dumbfounded by her sister's actions.

"You were asleep where you stood, sister, I was worried that if I did not wake you up, you would topple over," Luna explained in defense of her actions. "And my other attempts at awakening you proved futile. So I... improvised."

Celestia stared blankly at her sister. There were a lot of things she could say right now. A lot of questions that could be asked as to why Luna figured licking her face like a dog was a good idea. And a lot of reasons to object to such a foalish approach of waking somepony up.

But at the moment her mind was elsewhere. She could've sworn she'd been fully conscious in the time preceding Luna's impromptu wake up call. And yet her sister had managed to approach from her from the front, and she hadn't seen or heard her. Maybe she really had been asleep. But then how had her mind felt so active at the time?

"Really now? And how long was I asleep for?" she asked.

"Not nearly long enough, I am afraid. I would have allowed you to rest longer, but it is not long before the dawn, and I assumed you would like a little time to freshen up before the start of the new day, after being awake for nearly the entire night," Luna explained.

Celestia couldn't help but smile at Luna's thoughtfulness on the matter. Even with everything currently on her plate, she still took the time to look out for family. She was about to say something, but Luna was already speaking again before she could.

"I appreciate your time awake, dear sister. But as I explained earlier, you did not have to stay up the entire night with me. I am more than capable of overseeing matters on my own," she explained.

"I never meant to suggest otherwise, Luna. But with all that's been occurring, I don't think I could've slept even if I tried. Nor would I have felt right in just expecting you to take care of everything, while I retreat to my chambers," Celestia replied. She couldn't, in good conscious, simply abandon her little sister and expect her to oversee the kingdom, and Rainbow Dash's care simultaneously.

Perhaps it was time for a change of subject, before one of them wound up saying that they would later regret.

"How is Rainbow Dash doing at the moment?" she asked.

"At the moment she is resting. Peacefully, and comfortably, I am glad to say. When I last checked on her, she was entertaining far more pleasant dreams than when I first arrived," Luna explained and gave a tired sigh. "To be honest, I am so very thankful to have her sleeping now. For a while after her bath, I did not believe that she would ever quit crying. She was hit hard by the gravity of everything last night, not the least of which being her actions against Rarity."

"I see," Celestia replied. Luna's words about Rainbow Dash's reaction was somewhat comforting. Knowing that the pegasus felt guilt over her actions suggested that there was still hope to be had in this situation.

She considered asking Luna for details at to what those more pleasant dreams were. But she decided against intruding into such a private matter for the time being. There would be time for such discussions at a later point in time. "And what of Ulquiorra? Where might he be at the moment?" she asked. He had been brought back to Canterlot to aid them in looking after Rainbow Dash. It wouldn't do if he had wandered off... unlikely as such a ridiculous thought was.

"The last I saw of him, he was in the royal library, surrounded by all the available books on pony anatomy. As best I can gather, he is attempting to memorize anything that bears even a passing resemblance to what Rainbow Dash is experiencing," Luna explained. It'd been some hours ago, but she had no reason to believe that Ulquiorra had moved from the spot he'd rooted himself to in the late hours of the evening.

"Now why would he be doing that?" Celestia asked curiously. Ulquiorra had been the one to first suggest involving medical professionals. So what could warrant a late-night cram session on various -and potentially obscure- medical conditions that were native to their dimension and reality?

"From what I understand, it is his intention to make sure any diagnoses are factually accurate in nature, and not subject to mortal bias," Luna replied. "I suspect he believes the doctors in Canterlot are incompetent in nature."

Celestia wasn't sure how to respond to Luna's statement. Ulquiorra was certainly entitled to his own opinions. But right now it was just a matter of suspicion. However he had been the first one to suggest involving outside doctors for evaluation purposes, in order to see if they were missing something when it came to Rainbow Dash's condition. Perhaps her less than stellar recounting of the lack of details concerning the manticore had caused him to take a biased stance?

Or perhaps it was something else entirely. It sounded utterly crazy to even consider, but could it actually be possible that Ulquiorra cared? And if so, then to what degree did that care extend? Was it simply a sense of duty? Or... did it actually go further than that?

Her thoughts on the matter, however, were interrupted by the familiar tingling sensation of a message being delivered to her, which occurred just seconds later, the rolled up scroll dropping into view before being grasped in her magic.

Under normal circumstances, receiving a letter was something she enjoyed. Something to look forward to, to break up to monotony of the day. Something that had its own special way of helping her see things just a little better. But all those times had occurred during the daylight hours, when Twilight and the others would have good reason to be awake. It was still technically before dawn. And while it wasn't out of the ordinary for Twilight to be up at odd hours of the night, she highly doubted that Spike would be up as well. Not unless the situation utterly demanded it.

With that thought in mind, she didn't waste a single syllable before unrolling the scroll to see just what it had to contain.

Princess,

We may be facing a situation in the library with the Elements of Harmony, but I don't know for certain. I don't even know if I can adequately describe just what the situation is, because I don't understand it myself. Can you please come immediately?

Twilight

Celestia stood silently as she read the letter, uncertain of just what to make of what little was actually there. She was accustomed to Twilight's tendency to ramble when she was upset. But this was something different, and straight to the point. She couldn't help but wonder if her student was too worried to ramble. Which begged the obvious question of just what the situation with the Elements of Harmony was.

"What does it say, sister?" Luna asked, uneasy with Celestia's long stretch of silence in the wake of the mysterious letter.

"I'm not certain, Luna, but I suspect it's not good," Celestia replied as she turned from the letter to her sister. "How long before dawn officially begins?" she asked.

"Less than thirty minutes," Luna replied. The matter must've been more upsetting than her sister was letting on, if she didn't even know how long it was before she was scheduled to raise the sun. "Why do you ask?"

"There's little time to properly explain things, Luna, we must depart for Ponyville at once. Both of us, as we may both be needed," Celestia replied, hoping that the short answer would serve the intended purpose.

"Very well then. But what about Ulquiorra Cifer? Should he accompany us as well?" Luna asked.

"No," Celestia replied and shook her head, "it would take too long to fetch him. We'll need to go without him. Leave him undisturbed in his studies, he may be onto something we don't yet see," she explained.

Luna simply nodded and said nothing else. With another nod both sisters were gone in a flash of light, headed for Ponyville.

The change in detectable reiatsu levels was impossible for Ulquiorra to not notice.

In his time spent in Canterlot, he had come to be familiar with the sheer amount of reiatsu that was normal from one day to another in the palace. Not only from Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna, but a majority of the guards and staff whose presence wasn't -quite surprisingly- overshadowed by that of the diarchy.

So it went without saying that he was quite aware of the moment that intense reiatsu lessened by a significant degree. For whatever reason, both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had left the palace at the same time.

He had no idea of why they had left the palace. Nor did he particularly care. He had more important matters to deal with at the moment, such as the books before him. And occasionally pausing in order to make use of the writing supplies he had acquired last week in Ponyville, by copying down something he found to be noteworthy, and stuffing the note back into his satchel for future reference.

"Don't panic, Twilight, don't panic. Just stay calm," Twilight thought to herself as she paced anxiously in the library, her path illuminated only by the flickering flame of a glass oil lamp currently perched on the table not far away from her position. But despite her best efforts at calming herself down, the results she was getting were less than stellar.

She had awoken stiff and sore after a long, long night's sleep. So long in fact it had started in the afternoon of yesterday, and concluded less than an hour ago. Being unwilling to simply lay back down and wait until the first signs of dawn, she'd gotten up, gotten a hot shower, and decided to make herself a nice cup of coffee to jump start the early morning... after disposing of the long cold tea that Spike had left on the nightstand for her.

Despite the early nature of the morning, everything was going as well as could be expected, all things considered.

Or at least, it had been, right up until she had paused in front of the case that held the Elements of Harmony, and discovered that something was amiss; the blackened gem that resided in the necklace of the Element of Loyalty.

Her immediate reaction had been to scream hysterically at being presented with this unforeseen development, scaring Spike in the process, and waking him up out of his own slumber.

The secondary response, after a few choice words being hurled between her and a very upset Spike, was to take a breath, send a letter to Celestia asking for help, and wait for her response before continuing on. And while that was good in theory, it didn't work out quite as well in actual practice. To a certain extent she could control her body, and force herself to stand still. But there was absolutely no way of making her mind stop running through infinite possibilities that chilled her to her very core.

"Just try and think about this logically. Remember what Ulquiorra said," she told herself, hoping that referencing the Espada, and his unique observations of their world, would help calm herself. His not dealing in emotions could prove beneficial here, if she could just properly channel him. "Examining this situation from a purely logical, clinically detached, scientific perspective, we really don't know anything about the Elements of Harmony. We have almost no understanding of how they work, or how precisely they're tied to us. Perhaps the Element of Loyalty has gone dormant due to Rainbow Dash grappling with feelings of betrayal?" she asked herself as she continued to pace.

It was a train of thought that made sense to her. If Rainbow Dash didn't know who to trust, who to be loyal to, then perhaps it was a logical extension that the Element of Loyalty wouldn't respond. Perhaps it was reflecting its bearer's current state.

"But if that's the case, why didn't the Element of Loyalty go dark when Rainbow Dash was upset at us over Mare Do Well?" she asked herself as she turned around. "What's different about these two incidents? I mean... other than the fact that Rainbow Dash currently believes we raped her for our own sick benefits? Could this be a symptom of whatever, or whoever, is affecting her? And if so, does this mean that the Elements of Harmony themselves can be affected by outside parties?"

She had to stop that train of thought immediately after starting it. She didn't want to start down that path of worry; not at this point in time. Shaking her head, she tried to think of something more benign in nature.

"Why am I just now noticing this anyway? If the Element of Loyalty went dark when Dash was attacked, wouldn't I have noticed it sooner?" she asked herself as she turned again. "Then again, I have been pretty occupied with other things over the last few days. The investigation with Ulquiorra, practicing my own skills with the lightning spell, attempting to teach spells to other willing unicorns, etc. Could it simply be that I've been far too busy to notice something like this occurring? Did I now notice it only because I was stopping to reminisce about Rainbow Dash, and was subconsciously drawn to look at her Element of Harmony specifically, because it helps me remember her, like some sort of a keepsake?"

It certainly made a fair bit of sense to her. The past few days she'd been faced with no specific reason to be looking at the Elements of Harmony themselves, simply because she knew that nothing could reach them through the forcefields that were currently in place. Not once did she ever consider that something like this might actually happen.

"Here. Drink this."

Her focus was suddenly broken by Spike's voice, and the next thing she knew, he was standing by her side, holding a cup of steaming hot coffee in front of her face, letting the aroma of the blend work their way up her nostrils, and teasing her to inhale the fragrance as deep as she could.

"The last thing you probably need right now is a lot of caffeine in your system. But you need something to serve as a distraction right now," he explained, figuring that coffee and the jitters was probably the lesser of the two evils he was facing right now.

"Thanks, Spike," Twilight replied and took hold of the cup, sipping away at its contents. He probably had a point that coffee wasn't entirely appropriate right now. But at the moment she really didn't care. Deep down she knew that he was right, that she needed something else to focus on, besides the uncertainties of what they were currently facing. She had to divert her mind to something else before she wound up driving herself insane.

"I don't know what I'd ever do without you," she commented in between sips of coffee.

"Probably rely on our friends a lot more, driving them crazy in the process. Maybe take out an advertisement seeking a personal assistant who can keep you from going batty with worry," Spike joked in response.

Twilight frowned in response, not particularly liking Spike's idea. But that frown soon turned into a smirk when she realized he had a point.

"The only problem with that idea, is that nopony would know what I meant until after I explained just what "personal" meant," Twilight added and chuckled, before taking another sip of her coffee. "And then there would be the little matter of disclosure, just so they knew what they were getting themselves into. But then I don't think I'd get any applicants if they knew just how much work was involved."

What was this? Self-depreciating humor, coming from Twilight? Spike didn't really know exactly what to think of it. But perhaps it was best to head her off at the pass before she went too far in putting herself down.

"Well what can I say? It's not like everypony's cut out for keeping up with Princess Celestia's own prized student," he pointed out, causing her to chuckle in response.

"A fair point," Twilight agreed, before polishing off the cup of coffee. "I needed that. I really did," she stated as she levitated the empty cup over to the table and set it down. The look of relief she wore on her face, however, disappeared seconds later. "But now I'm right back to wishing Celestia would just hurry up and get here. I'm going to go crazy, just standing around and waiting."

Spike opened his mouth to say something. He didn't know exactly what he was going to say, but he knew that it was going to be something.

However his efforts at speaking were interrupted by a bright flash of light in the middle of the room, bringing not only Celestia into the room, but also Luna as well.

"Talk about service," Spike mumbled.

"Good morning, friends," Luna greeted them pleasantly, despite the potential severity of the situation they were about to face. She was about to say something else, but immediately stopped in her verbal tracks and sniffed the air. "Is that coffee I smell?"

Coffee? That was the first question Luna decided to ask upon arrival here, after being informed by Celestia that there was a problem with the Elements of Harmony? Was Twilight to seriously believe her own ears?

But then she stopped at that thought, and remembered just what time it was, and how it was before dawn's early light. If both Celestia and Luna were here, it meant that one had arisen early -likely in response to the arrival of her letter- and the other was possibly due to turn in soon. Suddenly the idea of coffee seemed much more reasonable.

"Would you care for some?" she asked.

"That would be more appreciated," Luna replied and nodded.

"Alright then. Spike, two cups of coffee!" Twilight stated.

"I'll take two cups as well," Celestia stated. The response she earned was nothing but confused looks. She couldn't help but chuckle. "You'll have to forgive me. It sounded funnier when I thought of it, but I've been up for nearly twenty four hours straight."

Luna just shook her head in response. Sometimes her sister's sense of humor left a lot to be desired. But regardless of such, two steaming hot cups of coffee were soon presented to them. Two steaming cups that were soon drained of their contents in an almost simultaneous fashion, and set aside on the table next to their identical companion.

"Much better," Celestia said with a content sigh as she licked her lips, before turning to face Twilight directly. "Now then, Twilight, what's this situation with the Elements of Harmony?" she asked.

"I don't even know where to begin. The Element of Loyalty is... well... just... see for yourself," Twilight said and finally gestured with her foreleg in the direction of the glass case by the stairs.

Celestia's eyes followed the invisible trail between Twilight's hoof and the display case, bringing her view to the Element of Loyalty to see what had gotten her student disturbed to the point she couldn't even talk. It took a few seconds for her sleep-deprived brain to finally put everything together.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Twilight asked. When Celestia didn't say anything at first, she waited. But the longer the silence stretched -even if it was no more than just a few seconds- that wait seemed too nerve-wracking to put up with, and she couldn't help but say something in an effort to put an end to that silence.

Unfortunately her efforts at ending the silence yielded no results. Celestia didn't say anything in response to her, but rather just continued staring at the display case. Luna had joined her in her activities, thus doubling not only the silence that was encompassing the library, but also her worry and dread.

The fluctuations in the ambient mana were impossible to miss. She could feel the forcefields, the same ones that had been responsible for protecting the Elements of Harmony ever since their relocation to Ponyville in the wake of Discord's release, being undone with such utter ease, it was as if they were nothing more than foal's play in nature. The only thing standing between the Elements and the outside world was the glass case itself, and that was soon levitated up and set aside, leaving them totally exposed now.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Twilight repeated, hoping that this time she'd be answered.

Celestia didn't say anything in response, instead opting to levitate the Element of Laughter up off its cushioned resting spot, and carry it over to where Twilight stood.

"Hold this in your hooves, Twilight," she instructed.

Twilight blinked in confusion, but did as instructed. She sat down on her haunches and reared herself up, holding her forelegs out as the Element of Laughter was gently deposited in her hooves.

"Tell me what you feel, Twilight, what does the Element of Laughter say to you?" Celestia asked her.

"Well I..." Twilight started but paused, unsure of how to respond. She looked down at the Element, rolling it between her hooves as she thought. "It's warm. It almost feels like being in the sun when it cuts through the clouds. And it... it makes me feel kind of happy too. I feel like everything's alright."

Celestia nodded slightly, before levitating the Element of Laughter out of Twilight's hooves, and replacing it with the Element of Loyalty. "And what do you feel from this one?" she asked.

"It's... it's cold," Twilight stated in surprise. How could there be such a drastic difference between Laughter and Loyalty? Why was their nothing emanating from it? "There's nothing coming from it. Nothing at all," she said as she looked down. "It feels like it's dead."

"No. Not dead. Merely dormant, in a deep state of hibernation," Luna replied as she turned to face the now surprised Twilight.

"I-I don't understand. You mean like when we discovered them in the old castle? When they were just stone orbs?" Twilight asked.

"Similarly, but not quite," Celestia replied before gingerly lifting the Element of Loyalty up, and placing it back over to where it had previously rested. "I trust you remember how Nightmare Moon smashed the original vessels of the Elements of Harmony."

"Do I ever. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my entire life, as I was in that one moment," Twilight replied, unconsciously wrapping her tail around her hooves as she recalled that particular memory. "I'm sorry, but I'm not seeing it. How exactly is that relevant to this?" she asked. What was Celestia getting at?

"You'll soon understand," Celestia assured her, before she began to explain the matter. "Although they may be absent in certain situations, the aspects that contribute to harmony are something that can never truly be destroyed. When Nightmare Moon shattered the original vessels, she merely destroyed their physical representations, but the magic inside remained untouched."

Luna nodded, before continuing for her sister. "Untouched, but also inaccessible in their then-current form. You see, Twilight Sparkle, the artifacts we commonly refer to as the Elements of Harmony are not the true source of their respective aspects, but merely the conduits through which these aspects are utilized for good, and in a highly concentrated form. It is these conduits which Nightmare Moon destroyed, knowing that without these conduits, the true Elements of Harmony could not be utilized against her."

"But they were reformed!" Spike interrupted and gestured at the open display case just ahead of them. "See? All six of them are right here, right in front of us," he pointed out.

"That's true, Spike. When Twilight and her friends were present in the old castle, the individual attributes of friendship that they possessed within them, resonated with the magic inside the remnants of the original vessels, and allowed them to be reforged and reformed into the new vessels that you see before us now," Celestia explained calmly. "This is what allowed them to be used again. But I'm afraid this also made them drastically weaker than they were originally..."

WHAT!?"

It was a simultaneous yell from both Twilight and Spike, and it was enough of a surprise that made Celestia flinch in response. She needed to address this before panic was had.

"Originally the physical representation of the Elements of Harmony, the conduits through which their aspects were transmitted, were six individual gemstones. Back then any pony could make use of them, so long as they were one of pure intentions. In theory, Twilight could have utilized all six of them by herself, and defeated Nightmare Moon on her own. But now that's not the case anymore. Once the Elements of Harmony reformed as a result of resonating with the others, they became magically linked to one another, rendering them usable only by their respective bearers," Celestia explained.

Luna nodded in agreement. "They are bonded for life. It is for this reason, that the Elements of Harmony cannot be reassigned to any of our royal guards, or any other ponies who are more adequately equipped for dealing with dangerous situations. If it were tried, they would simply refuse to respond."

"The bond you girls share with the Elements of Harmony is exceptionally deep and strong. And it is, unfortunately, for this reason that the Elements of Harmony are exceptionally weak at this point in time. Due to the nature of the resonance shared, there's a symbiotic relationship to be had. The Elements of Harmony won't work if their respective bearer no longer possesses the attribute themselves. The end result is... as you see," Celestia added, gesturing to where the Element of Loyalty currently rested.

Twilight had been listening to the best of her abilities, trying to pay attention to what was being said, and understand what they were saying. But unfortunately, understanding just how bad the situation was, wasn't making her feel any better about what they were facing. If anything it just made her feel even worse.

"Then... that's it? There's nothing that we can do?" she asked, barely able to keep her composure at this point.

"I'm afraid not. Rainbow Dash has unfortunately had her sense of loyalty taken from her. So long as she remained affected in the manner she has been, the Elements of Harmony will remain unusable," Celestia explained and closed her eyes.

Silence once again engulfed the library, and everyone present inside of it, as the information sank in.

However that silence didn't extend to Twilight's mind. While she might've been quiet and still on the outside, the inside was filled with a chaos more appropriate for a war zone. There was incoherent screaming to be heard all around. Various profanities, both of an Equestrian and Espada nature -even a few hybridization attempts of the two- were being lobbed in every direction, drawing out imagery that was of an utterly obscene nature, and devoid of any redeeming qualities, was flashing before her, and serving to just remind her of how utterly fucked they were in this situation.

She could feel her lip starting to twitch right now. The obscenities she was keeping within, were desperately begging to be unleashed on all that were present. And she didn't know how long she could go before shouting things that could potentially make both Princesses blush.

"Uh oh..."

And then suddenly it stopped. That one little utterance on the part of Spike, had caused the chaos in her mind to suddenly be paused, as she turned to look at him.

"I just thought of something. And I really hope that I'm wrong. But... I don't think we should let Ulquiorra in on this conversation we just had," he suggested uneasily.

"Why's that, Spike?" Twilight asked him, curious as to what he was getting at.

"Well, after everything you said," Spike began as he looked over at Celestia and Luna, "about the Elements of Harmony needing a physical conduit to work. And how those conduits are tied to Twilight and the others for as long as they live..." he paused, uncomfortable with where this conversation was going.

"What is it, Spike? What concerns you, and how does Ulquiorra Cifer factor into this?" Luna asked him, curious as to what the thought process was, that was causing him so much displeasure.

"Well... as long as Rainbow Dash is incapacitated, the Elements of Harmony won't work, right? And the Element of Loyalty won't respond to anyone else as long as Rainbow Dash is still alive, right?" Spike asked.

"Wait, Spike, you can't be serious!" Twilight objected, and loudly at what he was suggesting. Or at least what it sounded like he was saying. She had to be sure. "Are you saying Ulquiorra might actually kill Rainbow Dash?"

"Would you actually put it past him?" Spike asked as he turned back to look at Twilight.

"Yes I would," Twilight stated, "Spike, how could you actually suggest something like that? Ulquiorra's our friend, remember? He's been looking out for us, and keeping us safe. And I can't believe you'd think that he would actually kill one of us just like that. Like we're nothing but disposable commodities to him, and fit to be discarded the moment we're incapacitated."

Celestia blinked, surprised at Twilight's statement pertaining to Ulquiorra's character. Where exactly had this sudden defense come from? And what exactly was serving to make her so... hostile about her position?

"I mean, seriously, Spike, how could you think something so terrible about somepony?" Twilight asked him, horrified that he'd actually be entertaining such disturbing thoughts and possibilities.

"That's just it, Twilight, Ulquiorra's not a pony. And you seeing him as a friend doesn't change that fact," Spike pointed out, getting to the heart of the entire manner. It was only sheer luck that old habits of dialogue had been guiding Twilight, and she'd used somepony, instead of the newer term somebody, that allowed him to get to the matter as quickly as he had. If it wasn't for that little slip up on her part, this would've taken a whole lot longer.

"He might be living here with us, he might even be speaking the same language as us. But none of that changes the fact that he's simply not a pony. He's not even an Equestrian. He's not even from this dimension. He doesn't think the way we think. He doesn't do things the way we do. And I just think it's dangerous to expect him to do so by default. It's not in his nature, and it's not how he operates. I honestly think that if he believed he could reestablish Equestria's security by nightfall, he'd do so without a second thought as to what it might take to do it."

Celestia listened as Spike presented his case to Twilight for consideration. As much as she hated to admit to it, Spike was presenting a very good argument to defend his position. No matter how much they all went through, the simple fact of the matter was that Ulquiorra simply wasn't one of them. He came from a world where killing was the norm, and where the inadequate were eliminated, and replaced by those who could get the job done properly.

She remembered how she'd instructed Ulquiorra not to cause any harm to her subjects. But considering everything that had happened up to this point, she could honestly see Ulquiorra interpreting those orders in a way that would almost require him to put the needs of Equestria as a whole, over the well being of a single traumatized pegasus. She could easily see him arguing that he would be lax in his duties if he allowed Rainbow Dash to live, as her broken state was causing the Elements of Harmony to remain useless, and putting them all at risk of some yet to be determined danger.

Ulquiorra wasn't a pony. That was an obvious fact. He didn't see things from the same perspective that they did. And as much as she wanted to believe that her efforts at making him learn about friendship had instilled at least some positive attributes into him, she highly doubted that anything he'd learned would be enough to overcome his logical and analytical nature. She had no doubt in her mind that he would view such a situation as being nothing more than a numbers game, weighing the costs of each scenario against one another, and believing he was justified in taking the route that saved as many lives as possible.

"I'm afraid I must agree with Spike on this one," she stated softly and shook her head, before looking back at Twilight. "I don't want to say Ulquiorra will take such a course of action, as that would be condemning him unfairly. But I could certainly see him believing that it would be the most logical choice to make, claiming that the needs of the few, must be balanced against the needs of the many," she explained.

Twilight was stunned. Mortified. Horrified. How exactly had everyone around her come to expect the worst from Ulquiorra? What had he done that convinced them of this twisted notion? What were they going off of, that she was oblivious to? She certainly couldn't think of anything that would support their worries. They... they just didn't understand him, that was all. It was no different than the average pony not actively taking an interest into the joy that could be had from proper organization and efficiency.

"Well then. I guess it's good to find out where everyone stands on this matter," she said softly.

"Do not misunderstand, Twilight Sparkle," Luna spoke up as she extended her wing to stroke her mane and back. "We are not saying that Ulquiorra Cifer cannot be trusted. We are merely speculating about the level of dedication he possesses with regard to his primary mission. It would be... inappropriate... for us to do otherwise," she explained.

"It's not that," Twilight replied and slouched under Luna's wing. "It's just that... if we're actually questioning whether or not Ulquiorra would do something like this, it means that none of us have been able to teach him anything about friendship. What if... what if he was never our friend to begin with? What if he was just telling us all what we wanted to hear?" she asked.

It was a thought that Twilight truly didn't want to consider. But now that it was out in the open she found it impossible to ignore. What if they were all right, and she'd simply been naive in her beliefs about the Espada? What if he hadn't learned anything about friendship? What if he couldn't learn about friendship? Had he been playing them all this time? Had he... been lying to her when he said he'd be her friend?

"I think I need to talk with him," she mumbled as she turned her head to look over at Spike. "Where's Ulquiorra now?"

"He's, um..." Spike paused as he tried to think of how to put things delicately. Twilight had been out for all of the excitement yesterday, leaving her oblivious to what had happened. How exactly did he lay such a revelation on her, without causing her to freak out?

"Ulquiorra's currently in Canterlot, ensuring Rainbow Dash doesn't make another escape attempt," Celestia stated calmly when she saw Spike was having trouble coming up with an answer.

"... What?" Twilight asked after a long pause, as she tried to comprehend just what was being said. She turned from Celestia and back to Spike, but then looked back at Celestia with uncertainty. Her head felt like it was beginning to swim. Quickly she turned back to Spike again. "Spike, what exactly is going on around here? What's everyone not telling me? What happened?"

Spike's unease was starting to grow, as Twilight singled him out specifically with her questions. And he really didn't see Celestia and Luna coming to his rescue right now. He was going to have to face her by himself.

"Yesterday Celestia sent us a letter, saying Rainbow Dash had escaped, and might be coming back to Ponyville. Turns out she did. But we managed to find her and stop her before she could hurt anyone, and she was taken back to Canterlot," he explained, glossing over the finer details of yesterday's events. "And before you even ask, I didn't let you know because you were asleep, and as tired as you were yesterday, I wasn't about to wake you up for anything short of the library burning down around us," he quickly added, seeing her opening her mouth to ask him what was bound to be the obvious question.

"... So... let's see if I'm understanding this right. Just so I know where we stand, because I'm starting to feel lost," Twilight said slowly after a long, silent, awkward pause. "Rainbow Dash, in a mentally impaired state due to unknown reasons, broke out of Canterlot, and came back to Ponyville to find Rarity, and I managed to sleep right through it. The Element of Loyalty is dormant because it can't properly resonate with Rainbow Dash in her current state, and there's absolutely nothing we can do about it, except wait and hope that she recovers. And now we're questioning the possibility of what Ulquiorra might be willing to do to us, if he were to come and view each of us as expendable in nature. Am I missing anything?" she asked them after listing off the main points she could immediately recall, her left ear flicking in the process.

"I am afraid not," Luna replied as she once again began stroking Twilight's back in an effort to keep her from getting too excited. "The situation does indeed appear dire. But we are not about to give up. We are going to do whatever we can to make things right. For Equestria, for the Elements of Harmony, for Rainbow Dash," Luna paused in her explanation, and wrapped her forelegs around Twilight to pull her into a hug. A hug that, she was thankful, was settled into without much resistance. "And for our friends. We will not leave others vulnerable to fend for themselves."

Celestia watched silently as her sister did her best to comfort Twilight during this stressful situation. Then her attention turned to where Spike stood, and just looked on in silence. In her tired state she couldn't help but wonder just how many hugs the young dragon had been excluded from. That thought just wouldn't do.

So out of courtesy and compassion -and if she were to be perfectly honest with herself, a little bit out of sibling rivalry- she extended a wing to sweep Spike up into an embrace of her own. There was no reason he just had to stand by and watch on in silence while being left out. Especially not after all that he'd been through. The fact that he was pondering matters as deep and disturbing as death, while still being as young as he was, was a disturbing fact in and of itself. What exactly had he been through, that she wasn't aware of, to give him such a bleak outlook?

But perhaps right now it was best not to linger on such thoughts. She might not like where the answers could potentially take her. For now she would simply focus on the matters that she could directly affect; such as their friends that needed them.

Even though the situation they were currently facing was more dire than any she could immediately recall, she still had confidence that they would still find a way to get through it. But that would only be a possibility if they did it together.

Chapter Sixty

Chapter Sixty

Five minutes was hardly an outstanding amount of time. Nothing more than a mere three hundred seconds in duration. Yet in those three hundred seconds, a great many things could easily transpire, and potentially shape future events.

It was an unassuming unit of time, the speed of passage of which dependent on the individual that was asked. To one who was distracted in a conversation, and unaware of how long it could actually take to construct a sentence, even when on the fly, the passing of five minutes could be perceived as being little more than thirty seconds. And in other cases, when subjected to less than desirable circumstances, that same five minute passage could be perceived as excruciatingly slow, and be grossly overestimated as being an hour.

In Ulquiorra's case, however, the perception of the passage was irrelevant. Of more interest was how many pages he had managed to cover in the five minutes since the departure of the diarchy for parts unknown to him. And while that number of pages covered wasn't overly impressive -by his standards anyway- he had been presented with information that could either potentially confirm, or debunk, several different diagnoses should they come up. That was far more useful than any amount of pages that could realistically be covered.

Although he could've gotten further along in his research if he didn't feel the need to periodically stop and jot down information for later reference. Or to reach out with his pesquisa, and double check to make sure that Rainbow Dash hadn't made a second attempt at escape.

Locating the cyan pegasus had been a simple matter, as her reiatsu was impossible to not notice. Nearby in the same vicinity were two other reiatsu pattens. And based on the similar textures, and stationary positioning, it was safe to assume that those two were members of Princess Luna's night guard; bat ponies if he remembered the impromptu term correctly. Although he had no idea what they truly were in nature.

It was safe to say that the lesson had been learned from yesterday. And although the numbers were few, Rainbow Dash was at least under guard, and would no longer be able to escape undetected. With that thought in mind, he turned his attention back to the book, and refocusing his attention on the next page, rather than his pesquisa.

But then he stopped. Just before cutting out his pesquisa, he detected something. Something that didn't feel right. The exact timing of the events, occurring in the breadth of a heartbeat just before he decided to stop focusing on what was beyond him, had to be a million to one shot of occurring, but they had occurred nonetheless. Gripped by curiosity, he once again activated his pesquisa to try and locate the anomaly that had caught his attention.

Where was it? He wouldn't describe his search as desperate, or even frantic. But his curiosity had been piqued by what had just barely registered with his senses, before vanishing by his ill-timed decision to stop focusing on the whole of his surroundings. Now he had to find it again. He had to confirm its existence, presence, and nature, before he could decide whether or not to let it go.

Scanning... scanning... where was it? What was it? What was the disturbance in detectable reiatsu that had acted like a ping on a radar map, only to vanish before any vital information could be determined?

Rainbow Dash's assigned quarters. That was the location of the reiatsu disturbance, he was certain of that fact now.

But it was strange. These were not the normal type of disturbances that he'd come to be familiar with in this world. These fluctuations were coming from Rainbow Dash's reiatsu. but these fluctuations were too unstable, and shaky, compared to what he had felt previously. They weren't the fluctuations that went with her usual, or even her current, emotional instability. There were no peaks, just continual valleys to note. They were fluctuations far more characteristic of...

All thoughts of what was going on, were immediately halted. The book he'd been reading was disregarded and allowed to fall to the ground in a haphazard manner, as he left the library in a burst of sonido.

For those that made up the night guard and served Princess Luna, the hour was growing late. It was nearly dawn, and it would soon be time for the customary changing of the guard that accompanied the setting of the moon, and the raising of the sun.

And for the two lunar guards that silently stood on either side of the door to the quarters of the guest they were currently tasked with guarding, that change couldn't come soon enough, as exhaustion was working its magic over them, with all the skill and precision of a seasoned wizard. Their service brethren tasked with performing hoof patrols around the castle as least had the distraction of continual physical movement, and changing scenery to help them stay alert. There was always the possibility of finding an intruder, or one of the late night staff trying to strike up a conversation with them, rare as that was.

But for them, there was no such distraction to keep them alert. There was nothing but monotony and standing around. There was no outside aid to help keep them alert of their surroundings, but rather it was something they had to do themselves.

They fully understood the importance of their assigned task. Behind the locked door was one of the ponies who held one of the Elements of Harmony. And it was their assigned duty to make sure no unauthorized entry occurred. They were also instructed to tend to the needs of the Element bearer should she need anything. Although just what that anything was, Princess Luna had been less than precise about.

Whether or not that influenced her judgement in assigning two mares as guards, they didn't really know. But it really wasn't their place to question such, even if their Princess had great tolerance for curiosity.

"I can't stand up anymore. I need to sit down," the lunar guard on the right of the door struggled to mumble through a yawn.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the lunar guard on the left of the door replied. Although truth be told, sitting down for even just a minute sounded very tempting right now.

"You worry too much," the other commented, before easing herself down onto her haunches. "What's the worst that could happen from resting our hooves for five minutes if we don't leave our post?" she asked.

The answer to that question came not in the form of a verbal response from her partner. But rather in the form of what sounded like an explosion going off right between them, causing them both to jump in surprise.

Momentary disorientation and confusion evaporated away, giving rise to concern, when they saw that the door they'd been tasked with guarding had been breached. It had been violently forced open from the outside, breaking the lock apart in the process, and swung against the wall so hard, that the screws holding the hinges in place had forcefully been ripped out of the wood from the impact. And it had all happened in the blink of an eye, and they never even got the chance to see anything that happened.

The next thing they became aware of was a deep, heavy breathing coming from inside the room. Deep, ragged gasps for air that sounded like somepony was being strangled. Immediately they leaped in, prepared to defend the Element bearer who had been left in their care. But as soon as they were inside the room, they weren't prepared for what they saw.

The cyan pegasus was laying on the ground, a section of cloth wrapped and tied around her midsection tight enough to keep her wings from deploying, no matter how hard she might've struggled to get them loose. One section of cloth was hanging loosely around her neck as she struggled and fought to suck down deep breaths of air, while another section of the same cloth hung from the ceiling. Standing next to the downed pegasus was the white biped they had seen Princess Luna conversing with on a number of occasions, in the process of slipping his sword back into its sheath at his side.

It took them all of three seconds to put two and two together, and figure out what happened. Their charge had attempted to commit suicide through hanging herself with the available bedding. And in an effort to prevent her body's primal desire for survival from interrupting her attempts at ending it all, she had tied her wings down so she couldn't flap and hover off the ground when the desire for air became too strong to consciously resist.

But the most disturbing aspect of it all, at least to them, was how this had happened while they were present! They hadn't heard any commotion coming from the other side of the heavy oak door that would indicate distress. They hadn't even heard something that might suggest she'd been conscious at the time. As far as they knew, nothing out of the ordinary had been going on.

Oh how, how wrong they'd been about that assumption.

Making matters all the worse was how they, even with their close proximity, and logically the ones who should've been able to respond first, hadn't been able to do such. They'd more of less just been standing around idly while twiddling their hooves, ignorant of the world around them. The only reason the Element bearer was still alive, was because the stranger had come out of nowhere, breaking down the bucking door in the process, and cut her down before she could complete the gruesome deed. How had he even known what was going on? Where had he even come from when he decided to be the hero, and come to the rescue of the damsel in distress?

"Leave."

Their attention was drawn away from their thoughts, and back to the here and now; more specifically, the biped that was glancing back at them over his shoulder. It had been his voice that they'd heard, issuing the one word command, and leaving them confused in the process.

"Sir?"

"You're incompetent. Leave," he spoke again in a flat, even tone utterly devoid of any trace of emotion. It was a tone usually expected from their stallion counterparts when they spoke. And it was a tone that managed to send chills down the both of their spines.

Officially, being members of the night guard, Princess Luna was the only one they answered to and took orders from. Princess Celestia rarely ever saw fit to exercise her authority over them, and instead left them to her sister's devices and discretion. They were under absolutely no obligation to listen to him, regardless of what he might say. He had no authority over them. By all rights they could order him to leave.

Those facts of the matter, however, did nothing to change the basic fact that he was utterly intimidating to face. His eyes and tone were just the tip of the iceberg, as he seemed to give off an air of utter coldness and mercilessness. And then there were the stories of his exploits. The tale regarding the dragon was quite widespread and confirmed as fact, although there were variations in the details of just what the fight had involved; at least one version had him effortlessly lifting the dragon right off the ground through pure brute strength.

And then there were the unconfirmed reports that were more or less gossip, but were utterly hard to just ignore. They had heard whispered rumors from their solar guard compatriots that the stranger had actually manages to intimidate Princess Celestia of all ponies, and done so just by looking at her.

However it was just talk. None of it did anything to change the fact that they served Princess Luna. They were loyal to her, and regardless of what she may order, they readily served her.

But they feared him.

It was only begrudgingly that they complied with his orders, and chose to leave the area.

They knew that if it came down to being a choice between Princess Luna and the white stranger, at least Princess Luna was more willing to show them mercy for their shortcomings. If they begged, she was far more likely to forgive them for their failings compared to him.

With the departure of the two bat-ponies, Ulquiorra turned his attention back to Rainbow Dash as she finally calmed down, having recovered enough to slow her breathing, and sit herself up on her haunches as she loosened the binding around her neck. Without the tension provided by her weight on the haphazardly tied knot, there was no more risk of strangulation.

He observed the surroundings and took in the details of the room, noting the positioning of everything, what was out of place, and determining what had most likely been the course of action taken, leading up to right now. The bound wings, lack of any close physical objects, incompetence of the assigned guards, and absence of fingers, would all have lead up to unavoidable death had he not been present. Or more specifically, if he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings through his pesquisa. Had one of the other Espada been brought to this world instead of him, they would likely be standing over a corpse at this point in time, as they were too ignorant of their surroundings.

All the more reason to believe that Discord had selected him specifically.

"Go away..."

It was a hoarse croaking from the cyan pegasus that brought his attention back to her where she sat, now rubbing at her throat. Whereas the sleeper hold he had used just days ago had done little to affect her voice -due primarily to being a combination blood and air choke hold, and applied with expert precision- her own crud attempts at ending her life had quite possibly bruised her trachea.

"Go away," she repeated as she coughed, before rubbing at her throat some more. "Just go away..."

No gratitudes being offered up for him preventing her death. Considering previous experiences with these ponies, that was an unusual development. Pleasantries were usually exchanged between ponies at the drop of a hat. For her to break this pattern of behavior was an anomaly. This would require further investigation.

"Under present circumstances, that would be unadvisable," he replied. "Out of everyone I have associated with in this world, I never believed that you would be one to consider suicide. It's... surprising actually."

Rainbow Dash said nothing in response as she looked away, not wanting to make eye contact with him as she continued to rub at her throat.

"Being stubborn will be of no use in this matter," he pointed out. Although she would be finding that out for herself soon enough.

"I don't care," Rainbow Dash mumbled in response, still not even looking at him. "I don't care about anything anymore. Just go away and let me die already..."

"If you were any other pony, that wouldn't be an unreasonable possibility. But I cannot allow for such in this case, as you bear one of the Elements of Harmony, making your survival-"

"I don't care about the Elements of Harmony!" Rainbow Dash yelled, interrupting his monotone explanation as she turned to face him angrily. It hurt to talk at such a volume, but she was beyond caring at this point. "I don't care about anything anymore! Not the Elements, or Equestria, or anything! I hate the Elements of Harmony, and the Princesses, and the others, and I especially hate you! So just! Leave! Me! Alone already!"

Voicing her displeasure with him wasn't out of the ordinary. However her voicing her displeasure with the diarchy was another matter. The mystery at hand was just deepening.

"Why?" he asked in response. It was a simple enough question, and likely the only one she could actually compute in her emotionally disturbed and hostile state.

"Why should I even bother telling you?" Rainbow Dash asked, not in the mood for either games, or any other nonsense that the Espada might be up to.

"Because I am the only one present, who is even willing to listen to what you might have to say," Ulquiorra pointed out. "Whether or not you choose to take advantage of that fact, is entirely up to you."

Rainbow Dash frowned as she looked at him. She wanted to scream in his face right now until he left. She wanted to punch him right in his ugly face, and not stop until one of them was bleeding. She wanted to wipe that cold, unfeeling expression right off its perch.

But she couldn't do any of that right now. Her wings were still bound against her body by the torn remnants of the sheets from the bed. Without untying them, she had no way of getting up to eye level with him, leaving her below chin level. And she didn't want to go through the trouble of untying them, just to retie them later on when she tried again at a more opportune time. So instead, she opted for taking him up on his offer of talking.

"You really wanna know? Fine. I'm going crazy! That's why!" she stated in response, trying to steel herself to give him the full explanation. "My so-called friends raped me. They tortured me. They mutilated me. They did all of that stuff and so much more, and I knew it. I knew all of it. It was fact! And then Celestia and you came along and made me realize that I didn't know anything! Thanks to the two of you I don't know what to believe anymore! What I know isn't what I know anymore! I'm remembering things that didn't happen, I'm not remembering things that did happen, I'm hearing voices telling me to do things I don't wanna do, I tried to murder Rarity for something she didn't even do, and I can't take it anymore! I don't know what's real anymore, and nopony even cares! Nopony, nopony knows what I'm going through!"

Ulquiorra listened silently as Rainbow Dash vented her anger. He wasn't entirely certain what he had expected the given answer to be when she'd decided to talk. Perhaps something relating to how she wasn't the Element of Loyalty, but rather an individual with dreams and ambitions of her own, and not some weapon or tool that could be used when necessary and simply put away until next time.

But this certainly wasn't what he had been expecting.

"Nopony gets it," she continued, her tone and hostility dropping substantially as she spoke. Apparently the anger coursing through her system had time to effectively burn off. "They don't know what it's like when you start doubting everything. They don't get what it's like. It's... it's scary, it's terrifying..."

"It's a concept I'm familiar with," Ulquiorra replied. However it seemed that his statement was the wrong thing to say, as she immediately returned to her angered state, as if he had deliberately gone out of his way to antagonize her.

"Don't you dare say that! You don't know anything! You don't know what it's like to have your mind violated! To be forced to remember the most horrible experience you could possibly imagine! To be wondering if everything you ever knew is even real or not! How could you possibly know what I'm going through!?"

Ulquiorra remained silent through Rainbow Dash's anger induced outburst, waiting for her to stop her yelling before once again proceeding.

"Aizen's zanpakutō, Kyōka Suigetsu, possessed a unique ability. When activated, his shikai could hypnotize anyone who saw his sword's release, allowing him to affect not only all five of their senses, but also their perception of time. And once one became hypnotized, he could utilize this fact at any time, leaving them unable to tell reality from illusion. You could be conversing with your best friend one minute, never realizing that they were nothing more than an illusion. It became impossible to rely on and trust any of your five senses. Even if one were to be aware that what they were experiencing was an illusion, it still proved to be impossible to resist, just as it was impossible to break," he explained calmly, noting as Rainbow Dash's demeanor began to change at his words. Once again the anger was starting to ebb away, as she began to comprehend what he was saying. That was good, as it showed she still possessed some degree of reason. With that thought in mind, he continued his explanation.

"You once asked how Aizen kept the Hollows under control. This is how it was achieved for many of them. He demonstrated the strength of his hypnosis by making an example out of a particularly rebellious Arrancar of Vasto Lorde level. In an instant, they were subjected to the illusion of being exposed to negative four hundred and sixty degrees Fahrenheit for a period of one hundred and sixty eight hours nonstop. Despite it being nothing more than an illusion with no basis in realty, it was so convincing in nature, that they died from the trauma their body experienced as a result. As you might expect, very few were willing to continue opposing his rule after witnessing such a display of his power. It was quite effective at quelling insurrection."

Rainbow Dash sat in silence as she looked at him, her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide, too stunned and horrified by what he was saying to formulate any sort of response.

"You..." she finally managed to get out, sounding like nothing more than a squeak. "You were... you were mind fucked too?" she asked him.

Ulquiorra remained silent for a moment, before continuing. "The aspect with the greatest potential for terror, is having no way to tell one way or the other. If I was, then how would I even know for certain?" he asked her. When she had nothing else to immediately offer up, he continued. "Not being able to rely on your five senses is bad enough. For an Arrancar, however, it went deeper than that, as even our pesquisa wasn't immune to Aizen's hypnotic abilities. And these were simply the effects we did know of. The full extent of Kyōka Suigetsu's abilities is not something we were informed of. For obvious reasons."

Depending on the point of view taken, it had all been the simple truth. He hadn't said that he understood her fear, but he could certainly understand why she could be afraid and upset. He was aware of the uncertainty that could be experienced from not being able to tell if the here and now, was truly the here and now. On more than one occasion since his arrival here, he had wondered to himself if this was actually real, or if he was actually standing in some corner of Las Noches, talking to himself as pastel-colored hallucinations played out before him, while the other Espada looked on.

But every time that thought played out in his mind, he remembered Pinkie Pie. He had doubts that Aizen would've been able to imagine the pink earth pony, and conjure her up to punish him for some failing on his part. To the best of his knowledge, Kyōka Suigetsu's abilities were limited by Aizen's own imagination. And who could've possibly imagined all that he had experienced firsthand since his arrival here?

"I'm sorry..."

It was a small statement on her part. But it was one he could tell carried as much genuine sentiment as she could muster in her current state. And if ever there was a set of circumstances that could be described as irony, this was more certainly it. The fact that she was offering her condolences to him for his experience, when she was the one who had tried to commit suicide just minutes ago, could almost be considered as a form of dark humor.

At the moment, however, he couldn't think of anything that seemed appropriate to say.

"So... does this mean you'll let me do this?" Rainbow Dash asked. If he understood what she was going through, then surely that meant he could sympathize with his plight, right?

"That is something I'm not able to do," Ulquiorra replied simply, without going into a detailed elaboration of just why he couldn't let her kill herself. In her current state, he doubted that she would pay much attention.

"What!?" she croaked out. Apparently all the strain from the earlier yelling had taken its toll on her throat and voice once again. "But you, you said you understood what I was going through," she protested. As if it would be able to sway his position somehow.

"Simply because I can understand what you're experiencing, doesn't mean I can allow you to go ahead with your suicide attempt. Your importance to Equestria is far too great at the moment. And that importance extends far beyond the fact that you bear one of the Elements of Harmony," he explained.

"... Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked, confused by what exactly he meant by that.

He now had her attention. If he also had her focus, that meant he would be able to go into a greater degree of depth in his explanation, without needing to consider the possibility of her interrupting him unexpectedly. He was going to take advantage of that fact.

"At preset time, we still don't know the exact nature of what happened to you. Despite mapping out the areas of Ponyville you frequented throughout last week, we are still been unable to determined just what would explain your current condition. We can't rule out magical intervention, nor can we eliminate the possibility of some type of biological contaminant. For all we know you may only be one of many that have been afflicted. You may still be in possession of clues that will lead us not only to what happened, but how we can treat others if they've been afflicted as well," he explained.

"Whoa," Rainbow Dash breathed in response. Was he really serious about this? This was... this was seriously deep. Even she could see that. "You mean that... that others might be going through the same thing I am right now?"

"It's a possibility. One that we must give as much consideration as any other. Medical professionals are being contacted later today for evaluation purposes, in hopes of them being able to detect something that we cannot, and perhaps devise a treatment plan," Ulquiorra stated.

Rainbow Dash didn't know what to say in response. Her head was starting to swim with all of this new information that'd been dumped right into her lap.

And now, as she became aware of it, the bindings around her wings were serving as an uncomfortable reminder of what she'd attempted to do, and had nearly succeeded at. Suddenly it was enough to send a chill up her spine and against her feathers, as she struggled to undo the torn sheets, and get them as far away from herself as possible.

Ulquiorra said nothing as he watched the cyan pegasus working to untie the bindings around her wings and neck. If there was something that was appropriate to say in this situation, it was lost to him. He dealt in fact, not irrelevancies like feelings and such. If Rainbow Dash was seeking emotional comfort, she would have to look elsewhere.

This entire... odd episode of events that had occurred. It had seemingly come out of nowhere as far as he could see. Even by this world's twisted sense of logic and reason, this turn of events just didn't strike him as right. He never considered Rainbow Dash, or any of the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony, as the type that would commit suicide. As he began running over everything that could potentially explain this happening, he couldn't help but wonder if exposing her to countless hours worth of his own memories, had served to further traumatize her, and drive her to this course of action.

If that were truly the case, then it was unfortunate. He had exercised concern the first time around, by not confronting her about the inaccuracies of her story's recollection. And then Princess Celestia had come in, and completely decimated everything with her line of questioning. Perhaps that had left Rainbow Dash unstable to begin with, and his course of action had simply been the straw that broke the camel's back. It was a possibility that couldn't be ruled out.

And then his pesquisa let him know of the return of the diarchy. And with them the sweltering nature of their combined reiatsu, once again settling upon his shoulders, much like the yoke Big Macintosh so often wore.

"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have returned. And they will need to be informed of this development," he stated simply as he slid his hands into his pockets.

"What? Seriously?" Rainbow Dash asked him in disbelief. A few minutes ago she wouldn't have cared one bit. But now it was completely different, and she found herself dreading such. The prospect of the Princesses finding out about what she'd just tried... it was actually terrifying to her right now. She'd gone from not caring about anything, to suddenly caring a great deal about a number of things. "Do you really have to? Can't you, like, not tell them about this? I swear I'll never do anything like this again. Please?" she asked. Or more accurately, begged. With her forehooves clasped and everything.

"That is something that I'm unable to do," Ulquiorra replied as he observed her. Did she truly think that such a change in demeanor, and a hastily issued promise, would be enough to sway his decision? Utterly pathetic. "The only circumstance that would allow me not to tell them of what happened here, would be if you tell them yourself."

"Say what? You mean you actually want me to go to them and tell them that I've been a bad little foal? Like my Dad made me do when I broke Mom's vase?" Rainbow Dash asked him in disbelief. Surely he couldn't be serious. The whole notion was absurd.

"What I may want has no bearing on the matter. What you do or don't do is entirely your choice. I'm merely informing you that the diarchy will be made aware of this, one way or the other," Ulquiorra explained.

With nothing left to say on the matter he left, walking out of the room, and leaving Rainbow Dash on the floor where she sat, blinking in confusion.

"That could have gone smoother," Luna commented before sighing and closing her eyes. "With but a mere ten minutes until the sunrise, I fear your time for refreshment has been wasted."

Celestia said nothing in response to Luna's lament about the time of day. She meant well, and that was enough.

"Sister. Do you believe Twilight Sparkle will be able to fulfill her assigned task, and not let news of the Element of Loyalty slip?"

That was certainly a good question. Twilight always meant well, but sometimes that well meaning nature got the best of her. Applejack might bear the Element of Honesty, but she knew that Twilight's skills at deception were lacking in some cases. And with something as big as this, even she was unsure of whether or not it would be possible; especially if she had to keep it a secret from her friends, to prevent one of them from experiencing a slip of the tongue. All she could really do right now, was hope that she could do as requested.

"I want to believe so, Luna, for all of our sakes," Celestia stated and pinched the bridge of her muzzle, trying not to allow her mind to wander from the issue regarding Twilight, to what else she had on her plate today.

"As do I, dear sister," Luna replied and nodded. The entire situation could have certainly been dealt with much better than it had, she was certain of that. But there was no going back in time and performing a do-over. "What concerns me at the moment, however, is the question presented by Spike. And I do not know what is more disturbing in nature; the subject matter itself, or the fact that it was presented by one that is still so young. Young ones should not be so preoccupied with matters of death, and questioning whether or not those they call friends will betray them," she pointed out.

It was a very fair point to make. Spike's worry about Ulquiorra taking the suspected course of action was disturbingly similar to her own suspicions about the Espada and his nature. It had taken so much for her to even just start trusting him a little. And now she was starting to face doubt that threatened to wipe out even that little bit of trust regarding his nature.

But what had Spike experienced that would fill him with such concern? What had Ulquiorra said or done that would cause him so much concern?

"Majesty!"

However her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden voice, and the unexpected presence of two of Luna's night guards quickly approaching them where they stood in the throne room.

"My guards? You were instructed to guard Rainbow Dash's quarters. Why are you not at your post?" Luna asked them, curious to find out what could've made them abandon their assignment,

"We were ordered to leave our post, Majesty," the guard on the right explained and bowed her head.

"Ordered?" Luna asked in disbelief at the words. "And whose authority presumes to trump my own?"

"The white biped, Majesty, he told us to leave," the guard on the left stated and bowed her head as well.

The guard on the right nodded. "Your forgiveness, Majesty, please do not believe that we do not respect you or your position. If ordered to, we would willingly follow you through the gates of Tartarus... But he scares the manure out of us!" she stated.

"Even if we refused," the guard on the left continued, "there would have been no way to stop him. Someone strong enough to kill a manticore in the way that he did, could never be obstructed by the likes of us. We're too weak."

Luna opened her mouth, and subsequently closed it again, several times in the wake of the explanation she was given. What had started out as anger, was slowly giving way to reason, and compassion in light of their words. She could understand their position. Ulquiorra Cifer was not one to be trifled with under ever the best of circumstances. And with tales of his exploits spreading across the land, even at a slow pace, it was understandable why they would choose to heed his words and leave their post. Loyalty was fine, but not if it were to cost them their lives for the sake of fulfilling orders.

"Rise, my little ponies, I hold no anger toward you. It takes great courage, and great wisdom, to recognize when orders must be disregarded," she told them, waiting for them to stand back up again. "But I must ask why Ulquiorra Cifer did see fit to order you to abandon your post. What was his reasoning?" she asked them.

"Incompetence on their part."

Celestia turned towards the sound of the voice, observing as Ulquiorra entered the throne room at what could best be described as a leisurely pace. And several paces behind him was an anxious looking Rainbow Dash, whose walk looked far more appropriate for somepony trying to walk over a path of broken glass without getting cut up.

Luna frowned. The way Ulquiorra popped up was a matter of either impeccable timing and coincidence, or he was in the habit of eavesdropping until he heard what was the more appropriate setup for him to simply approach unannounced. Whatever the answer was, however, she would save it for another time.

"You are certainly one with great confidence, Ulquiorra Cifer. Pray tell, exactly what reasoning made you see fit to order by guards to abandon their post and duty?" she asked him.

"As stated, incompetence on the part of your guards," Ulquiorra replied as he came to a stop, with Rainbow Dash slowly coming up next to him and just standing there. She had called for him to wait during his departure, and trotted along to catch up to him. He had taken it as a sign of her willingness to confess her actions to the diarchy, and perhaps apply whatever spin to the explanation she was inclined to add. But her silence was beginning to speak quite loudly, and cast doubt on that assumption. Perhaps he needed to step up in this matter.

"I..."

And then again, perhaps not. It was a tiny utterance from the cyan pegasus that stood next to him. But it was an utterance nonetheless as she slowly stepped forward.

"I... I tried to kill myself," she admitted quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. Whether or not it had been loud enough for the diarchy to hear, he didn't know. "I tried to hang myself. He... he cut me down just before I... I..."

She stopped and looked up at him. Possibly looking for some indication that she'd said enough, and could now be silent. He wouldn't force her to continue any further, as she had certainly given enough information to get the point across. But at the same time he was under no obligation to stop her if she felt compared to share more details. For that fact, he chose to remain silent, and wait to see what she would do next on her own. If she had the desire to continue talking, who was he to interfere?

But it didn't prove necessary for him to interrupt. Instead it was Princess Luna who interrupted.

"Rainbow Dash, why... would you do such? What would possibly drive you to suicide?" she asked in utter disbelief, horrified at what she'd heard.

No audible answer came. Ulquiorra glanced back down at her and saw her in a state that could only be described as discomfort, consisting of small but numerous physical gestures on her part. Physical gestures that made absolutely no sense to him, and were accompanied by weak grunts and other sounds of distress.

"Rainbow Dash, please step forward," Celestia said in a soft voice, seeing that they weren't getting anywhere.

"I don't wanna get hit..."

At hearing this statement, Ulquiorra actually turned his head to look at her. Now that was an unexpected development. Even he couldn't have predicted something like that. And from what he could see from his vantage point, neither had the diarchy, as they both appeared to be quite shocked by Rainbow Dash's words.

"Rainbow Dash?" Luna asked in disbelief as she cautiously stepped forward, but stopped in her tracks when she saw the pegasus beginning to back up. The course of action made her drop to her haunches. "What... what ever gave you the idea that we would actually strike you? Have we... have I done anything to give you such an idea? Have any of us?"

"N-no," Rainbow Dash whimpered in response.

"Then please tell us, Rainbow Dash, whatever gave you the idea that we would hit you?" Celestia asked as she stepped closer, eager to get to the bottom of this matter.

"I... I..." Rainbow Dash stuttered and sniffed, struggling to get the words out at this point. "I just couldn't take it anymore! I just couldn't!" she finally blurted out. Almost angrily. "I couldn't take not knowing what's real anymore! I don't know what to believe! I don't know what not to believe! And you two aren't helping! You don't know what it's like to be mind fucked and not even be sure who you are!"

What followed the vocal outburst was decidedly less coherent in nature, to the point even Ulquiorra was having trouble making out what the cyan pegasus was saying through the tears and bawling, as she was swept up into an embrace by Princess Celestia and allowed to cry against her.

Luna looked on, uncertain exactly how to respond to what was unfolding in front of her. Glancing over to where the guards stood, she could see that they were just as confused as her. Saying nothing, she extended a wing and waved them off, dismissing them without further discussion on the matter. Thankfully they took their leave after that point, leaving the four of them behind.

"It's alright, Rainbow Dash, it's alright," Celestia said as she tried to calm the crying pegasus down. This matter was only getting worse, not any better. The way things were looking, if they'd brought Ulquiorra with them to Ponyville, they might've returned to news that Rainbow Dash was dead. That in itself was terrifying enough, never mind what else they were currently facing.

"I still do not understand. Whatever gave her the idea that we would actually beat her?" Luna asked curiously while her sister continued to hug the cyan pegasus in her forelegs, making an effort to calm her down, but without much success.

"Even I find myself wondering that," Ulquiorra commented. That in itself was hard enough to believe. He could believe the diarchy would strike him for angering them on one matter or another. Truthfully he had even come to expect it at a few points, considering how they would flare their reiatsu when angry, and subject him to pain. But then again he was himself, and Rainbow Dash was... not. He could only assume that it had to do with the hallucinations she'd been experiencing; possibly filling her head with unfounded fears of the diarchy, and subjecting her to bouts of paranoia.

But then he was left with a very specific question. And it was one he truly didn't believe he would get an answer to anytime soon; why exactly did Rainbow Dash fear the other ponies around her, but she didn't fear him?

Was it because she had been made aware of his predatory nature from the beginning, and thus there was no element of surprise that had to be addressed? He had made no efforts to hide who and what he was from these ponies, other than allowing Twilight Sparkle to do the introductions with her "visiting dignitary" cover story. But he had been very forthcoming once the story had fallen apart, and all the details were shared.

Perhaps it was the open and honest nature of the interactions between them, that kept her from feeling the need to fear him in this matter? Stranger things had indeed happened, so who was he to doubt it all?

"Everything will be alright, Rainbow Dash, I promise you that," Celestia said as she stroked the back of the young pegasus. She was unspeakably thankful for the fact that she was indeed calming down, even if it was just a little. "Now please, please tell me, whatever made you believe that any of us would ever strike you," she pleaded.

"I... I-I don't wanna say," Rainbow Dash muttered in response.

"I know. But I'm afraid that you must say," Celestia informed her, gently but also firmly. "It's a matter of great importance that you do. And I really don't want to have to order you to tell me..."

Rainbow Dash whimpered, not wanting to talk about this issue. But what exactly could she do to the contrary, when Celestia had her in a grip she couldn't escape from? Even if she could, there were two others who could easily catch her in no time. She was between a rock and a hard place right now, and had no other choice in the matter as far as she could see, other than to come clean.

"Because... because I was being greedy. I didn't think you cared about me, only the Element of Loyalty. A-a-and I'm not the Element of Loyalty, I-I'm just a dumb, greedy pegasus, a-and I'm not sorry about it! I'm me, not my Element! And I'm tired of ponies thinking otherwise!"

Ulquiorra remained silent, observing Rainbow Dash's statement. It bore a striking similarity to the rooftop confession she'd made during their first night in Canterlot, right after the defeat of the dragon. The fluctuations in the intensity of her reiatsu were strikingly similar, leaving him to suspect that an emotional outpouring was to follow.

And once again, much to his surprise, he was experiencing that same uncomfortable feeling, that he had experienced in the library when Princess Luna had confessed to her past deeds. What exactly was the source of this sensation of discomfort? And why exactly was he experiencing it?

His attention was brought to Princess Luna leaving the throne room without explanation.

Failing to see any reason that would warrant him remaining behind, he ultimately decided to follow after her. He didn't need to be present for Rainbow Dash's emotional instability, or Princess Celestia's efforts at stabilizing that emotional state. There was very little he could actually do at the moment, seeing as someone competent was present, both for keeping track of the cyan pegasus, and preventing anymore attempts on her life.

"So let me see if I understand this correctly," Celestia said, oblivious to the fact that the other two were now gone from the room. "You actually believed that we would hit you, because you actually believe that you deserve to be treated like a pony, and not your Element of Harmony?" she asked.

Rainbow Dash didn't even look at her. Couldn't even look at her. She just kept her head hung low, trying desperately not to make eye contact with her.

"If that's truly the case, and you believed you would be punished for wanting to be recognized as yourself, then it would seem that I've been a terrible ruler, and an even worse friend," Celestia stated, her tone unable to hide the disappointment she'd felt with herself. Much as she hated to admit it, the cyan pegasus did have a point. Their primary concern the past few days had been trying to get Rainbow Dash right again, due to the bond she had with the Element of Loyalty. Much as she was loathe to admit to the fact, they hadn't really stopped and considered her on the individual level. "I'm truly sorry for that, Rainbow Dash, you deserve better consideration than that."

This was going to require a different approach to the situation.

Luna panted, feeling winded from her exertion. With her sister currently indisposed, and the day waiting for nopony, she had taken it upon herself to do as her sister had done for so many years, and adjust the positioning of the celestial bodies all by herself.

It wasn't until she'd actually gotten involved, however, that she realized just how difficult the process was, when one was unaccustomed to just how much effort was actually involved. It wasn't simply a matter of doubling the workload, but rather a matter of the sun being so much fatter than her own moon was.

There was some humor to that fact. She was sure of it, but couldn't immediately identify what it was. Oh well.

Her attention was soon drawn to Ulquiorra as he stood behind her at the doorway, watching with as much intent as his stone face could muster.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Princess Celestia won't take issue with your trespass into her territory of authority?" Ulquiorra asked as he calmly stepped closer.

"I would be surprised if she did. At the moment she has her hooves full with another important matter," Luna replied, shaking her head in response to the question. "And considering everything, I fear it is far more important. To think that Rainbow Dash was so close to... to... I would rather not think of what would have happened, had you not been present," she stated.

"Instituting a suicide watch over her would be a wise decision. She may try again, and I can't guarantee I'll be there to pick up the slack next time," Ulquiorra pointed out. Once he was certain the cyan pegasus had been secured, most likely by whatever medical experts were called in, he intended to go back to Ponyville, and continue his assigned duties there. Simply because Rainbow Dash was indisposed, didn't mean the others weren't equally at risk.

Luna frowned, but ultimately said nothing. Now wasn't the time to be splitting hairs. There would be plenty of time later on, to discuss the Espada's views of their guards and their competency.

"Do you truly believe that Rainbow Dash will make another attempt at taking her own life?" she asked him.

"What I may believe holds little bearing on the matter. But it would be foolish to assume she wouldn't make another attempt, given her current level of emotional instability," Ulquiorra stated.

Silence. For a -comparatively- long time, the only sound between them was the ruffling of Luna's wing, as she moved to shield her eyes from the glaring of the sun.

"There is... a spell. A very... powerful spell, that would prevent Rainbow Dash from attempting suicide once again if it were to be cast," Luna finally stated. Much to her surprise, the Espada had said nothing in response. He hadn't asked her why the spell hadn't been used. Instead he was just standing there and watching her, as if he was waiting for her to continue on her own, without any prompting from him. "It is... something best reserved for truly desperate situations due to the risk involved, as it essentially robs the target of all free will, rendering them little more than a puppet to the caster. It is... a considerable deal of power to wield. It is... easy to become tempted to abuse the power such a spell grants. I... I-I cannot bring myself to use it. I cannot deprive a subject of what makes them, them. It is nothing more than enslavement of the most cruel kind, as they are aware of their own helplessness. It is... it is perhaps one of the worst cruelties ever developed in the field of magic. And if I could destroy all trace of it, I would do such without hesitation," she stated.

Again Ulquiorra said nothing in response. Princess Luna was under no obligation to justify her reasoning to him, as he had no authority in the situation to pass judgement over her. But her decision to justify her actions -and the lack thereof- did provide a decent bit of insight into the matter. If she was experiencing this much discomfort even discussing the spell, then it stood to reason that she must have some experience with it, and knew full well just what would be at stake should it be utilized. He could only assume that the risks far outweighed any potential gain that might be had from using it; like disabling the safeguards on a computer in order to exert more performance. For all he knew about magic, should the spell be used, anyone with a sufficient degree of magic could hijack Rainbow Dash in her impaired state, and use her as they saw fit.

He could only speculate and theorize that she had experience with how such an approach could go wrong. And right now he would rather not speculate on how that might have gone.

"I have no words of comfort on the matter. Ultimately whatever course of action you pick is entirely your own discretion. If you believe the spell is too risky to use, in order to prevent another suicide attempt, then we will simply consider other alternatives," he replied. He really didn't need her going to pieces as well; not at present time anyway.

This was a matter that needed to be turned over to the local medical professionals, as it was far out of their established areas of expertise. The diarchy was skilled in the art of ruling the nation, whereas his skills were more focused on killing and such. He knew for certain that emotional health and mental stability was far removed from any field he had been required to engage in. And he highly doubted that Princess Celestia's more relevant knowledge had any actual relevancy here. With Princess Luna it was harder to tell, seeing as she'd been away for so long.

"Then we do what? Admit that we have been defeated, and defer to somepony else? Passing the bit as it were, in hoping that they can do something where we have failed?" Luna asked him, not liking the sound of the words as they were tossed out for consideration.

"At the moment it's the only thing we can do. Supportive care has failed in this matter. We must face facts, and admit that we're out of our leagues, as well at outclassed. Deferment is the only logical option available to us," Ulquiorra replied.

He had accepted that simple fact long ago. Why the others had been so slow in adopting it, he didn't know. Perhaps pride resulting from the office they held for so long? Or perhaps it was because he recognized his own limitations better, as he was in a better position to be aware of them.

"There are times I envy you your serenity, Ulquiorra Cifer. The ability to remain calm while under the pressure of a crisis is sadly something that I do not adequately possess," Luna commented. Both he and her sister. It was possible for her to be the same, but it was incredibly difficult to effectively pull off with everything seemingly collapsing around her. "If I may ask, does the inside match the outside?"

Ulquiorra almost blinked, confused by the phrasing. "Pardon?"

"All around us there is chaos unfolding that even Discord would object to. And in the midst of it all, you are like a pillar of strength, and utter calmness. You give no indications of panic when you interact with others. You radiate a sense of order in this disorderly world, acting like a beacon in a storm. But what of your mind, Ulquiorra Cifer? Tell me of your mind, and what you experience for yourself. Do you experience the same sense of calm that others do in your presence? Is there any inner turmoil that you must wrestle with? How do you face such overwhelming terrors of unknown origins, and never even perspire? Is there any sense of terror you hold within you, that must be wrestled into submission for you to approach the situation with such logic at all times?" Luna asked him. She understood that he was an entirely different species from them, but that wasn't good enough for an explanation to her. She had to know if there were any secrets to him, that she herself could refer to in her near-frenzied state.

Ulquiorra remained silent, equal parts uncertain of how to respond to the question, and also uncertain of what the proper response was to Princess Luna's evaluation of him. Was that how these ponies saw him? Did they view his presence as comforting since he didn't get flustered? Were they aware of his calm-by-default nature, and drew upon it for their own benefit?

Perhaps he had been unconsciously adopted as some sort of litmus test by the populace, and so long as he didn't become visibly disturbed, those around him knew that the situation hadn't yet gone straight to hell in a hand basket.

All of that aside, Princess Luna had presented a very good question. And it was a question that, up until now, he had little reason to think on. How exactly was he so calm, collected, calculating, and logical?

Hollows, by their very nature, were creatures driven purely by instinct; the instinct to feed, and the instinct to survive. Rational thought was something largely foreign to them. Whatever intelligence they possessed as humans was completely absent upon their transformation. And in most cases that intelligence was never recovered. Very few Hollows ever learned how to tame their primal urges and exert thoughtful control over their bodies.

And then there was him. He was an anomaly as far as he could tell, standing in direct contrast to basic Hollow nature. Whereas they were driven by predatory instinct, he was driven by basic logic. He didn't simply react, but rather thought. He reasoned, he calculated, he evaluated. In short he was everything that a Hollow wasn't, while simultaneously being a Hollow. It was perplexing to consider.

It was also... uncomfortable. The thought left him pondering how his personality and mind had managed to survive not only his original Hollowfication, but also persevere and exert total dominance during the Gillian phase of his evolution.

And yet, despite the fact that he had persevered, he had no idea why he couldn't remember anything prior to his Vasto Lorde status. His Gillian and Adjuchas stages of developments were unconscious blurs to him. Why couldn't he remember who and what he had been previously? Was it all because those previous stages had been absent of his current logical mindset, and thus weren't worth remembering?

But if that thought was true, where had his logic come from, if it had indeed absent previously?

There were far too many questions right now.

"Reason and logic is all that I know. Fear, anger, sadness, desperation, anxiety, happiness, etc. they are all foreign concepts that I haven't experienced for myself. Or, if I have experienced them, I am not aware of having done so. I don't know how to succumb to panic in the face of a crisis. And even if I did know how, I wouldn't be able to see the point of it all. Panic clouds the mind, makes one sloppy in their ability to think, and heightens the potential for mistakes. It's counterproductive to survival and success," he explained calmly.

Luna listened as Ulquiorra spoke. She had been expecting some piece of relevant advice that she could hopefully apply to herself. But that wasn't the answer she got from him. Instead of being informed of some secret to inner tranquility in the face of chaos, she was informed that he simply couldn't panic, because that part of him simply didn't exist.

"You have never known these things for yourself?" she asked. It was almost a reflexive action on her part, born from an inability to actually believe what she was hearing. It had to be a mistake. "You have never experienced what it is like to be scared? Or happy? Or loved? You have never known what it is like to have someone worry about your well being?"

"No," Ulquiorra replied simply, seeing no point in adding anything more to the discussion.

Luna didn't know what to say in response to this information. All she knew for certain right now was what she was feeling, and that feeling was her heart absolutely aching at this revelation. And if she hadn't been selfish in her desire to know how he remained calm, she never would've known about his own experiences, and the lack thereof. And right now, she didn't know who deserved her sorrow more.

On the one hoof there was Rainbow Dash. She had been the victim of the cruelest of cruel attacks. Her mind had been attacked and invaded, and her trust in her friends had been disrupted. Her recollection of events that had transpired had been tampered with, leaving her uncertain of what was even basic reality anymore. Her sense of loyalty in others had been shattered, affecting her connection to her Element of Harmony in the process, and filling her with a sense of despair that was so strong, she had attempted to end her own life in response. And this entire time she had been left feeling as if they had cared more about her Element of Loyalty rather than her, and not saying a word until she had been confronted about such. She was one who had known the joys of the magic of love and friendship, and had experienced the horror of having them ripped away from her, along with her sense of trust.

And on the other hoof there was Ulquiorra Cifer. Born into a cruel and uncaring world, a world where violence, murder, and death were all commonalities of everyday life. His very existence was the result of laziness -or just plain outright malice- on the part of those who were tasked with tending to the souls of the departed, leaving him forced to fight for his own survival, possibly killing those that could easily be his own brothers and sisters for all she knew.

It was true that Rainbow Dash's ordeals were tragic. But so were the ordeals of the Espada as far as she could see. By his own admission he was nothing more than what he appeared on the surface; an empty shell that knew nothing except logic. He had no knowledge of what it was like either to love, or to be loved. There were so many things he had never experienced for himself, and it was just so tragic to consider. And perhaps what hurt the most was the fact that he was oblivious to it all. He was like a neglected foal who had never known anything but hardships his entire life, and had grown up to be emotionally dead inside; existing but not living. He was utterly numb to his own misery, and had come to accept it as the only other thing that existed beyond his own grasp of logic.

Luna's heart was indeed aching with this revelation. But it was aching equally for the both of them. They were practically siblings in their suffering.

"Princess Luna... you're crushing me..."

Luna blinked in confusion as she looked up. It was only then that she became aware of the fact that, sometime during her inner observations regarding the Espada's history, she had pulled him into a tight bear hug, and was currently holding onto him for dear life, as if she could take away all of his pain by herself through the simple embrace.

And if his voice was any indication at all, he seemed to be in a considerable deal of discomfort right now. And it was all her fault. Immediately she released him from her grasp, letting him land on his feet as he panted for air.

"I apologize, Ulquiorra Cifer, I allowed myself to become absorbed in my own thoughts," she replied and blushed sheepishly. Lost to the point she was unaware of the fact that she'd been hugging the stuffing right out of him this entire time. "Did I harm you?"

"Nothing that won't heal," Ulquiorra replied. Although if she'd hugged him any harder, or for much longer, she would've broken his ribs, and likely perforated his lungs in the process. "What had you distracted?"

"It is a matter you would find to be most foalish in nature if I tell you," Luna stated.

"Perhaps so," Ulquiorra acknowledged. It was nearly a foregone conclusion that he would fail to see the logic in her course of action, as such had happened so many times before. "If you have no desire to share your thoughts, that is your decision," he stated before turning around to walk away. If there was nothing left to be said, then there were other matters that could be tended to.

"Wait," Luna spoke up as he was walking away, causing him to stop and turn back to look at her. "Merely because you would find it foalish, does not mean that you do not deserve to know," she explained, before stepping closer to him, and preparing to explain the matter openly. "Your explanation of your nature reminded me a great deal of the plight of some foals whose dreams I have witnessed. There are, unfortunately, a number of areas that are less... pleasant than Canterlot and the like. And those in these areas know little more than hardships. It is heartbreaking how ones so young and have barely started living, have to grow up in such cold conditions, and never know anything else. And I honestly do not know which predicament is the worse of the two; those who know nothing but pain, or those who did know of joy and love, only to have it ripped right from them."

Ulquiorra listened quietly as the matter was explained to him, uncertain of exactly what to make of what Princess Luna was saying. She regarded him like he was an orphaned foal? It was utterly preposterous in nature.

And yet... it provided an interesting degree of introspection into the mind of the lunar alicorn. She both regarded him as a pitiable individual, and a source of great comfort through the proximity of his calm nature. It was paradoxical in her part, seeing one of his strengths as a sad aspect of an existence she simply didn't understand. And her comparison of himself to the cyan pegasus, along with actually pondering which of them was the greater tragedy.

What was that phrase for situations like this? Crying for the devil?

"Your concern does not go entirely unappreciated," Ulquiorra spoke after a long stretch of silence, uncertain of what else to say in the matter. Even with all his logic, he didn't know just how to respond. He could certainly point out the lack of logic in her view. But right now that approach didn't seem entirely appropriate. It almost felt... vindictive in nature to consider. Petty even. Her efforts to try and compare him to something she was familiar with in her own world was nothing more than a natural reaction. She didn't have Princess Celestia's knowledge of his nature; her firsthand experience as it were.

She also didn't seem to understand that he simply didn't care about such trivialities. It simply wasn't a matter of importance to him. It wasn't as if he spent his time lamenting the nature of his own existence.

"But seeing as she's still alive, Rainbow Dash should be of top priority at the moment," he pointed out.

If Princess Luna were truly determined to see him as a pitiable individual, he understood that there was little he could do about it. But that would be a bridge that would have to be crossed once they came to it. Right now, however, there were more important matters to tend to. Concerns for personal well being was best reserved for the living.

And although he found himself intrigued to a certain degree by it all, it was ultimately a mystery that would have to be deciphered later on. Until then it was just more emotional irrelevancy, and the odd quirks of the living.

And in the meantime, he was left with another matter to address. That being the need to stop considering the Elements of Harmony, and their respective bearers, as two sides of the same coin. If what he found out today was of any accurate nature, they were instead more like complimentary goods. Or perhaps even binary compounds to an explosive mixture; neither one capable of doing any good without the other being present.

"Then perhaps it is time for us to go back in there and begin addressing this matter. Unfortunately there is still some time before we can send word for Canterlot's finest medical experts to report to the palace. And I fear it will be a long wait," Luna replied.

There was a certain point to Princess Luna's concern. With all of the similarities he had noted between pony and human society, it stood to reason that the concept of business hours were in play. Trying to locate the private residence of various medical experts may prove to be a waste of time and resources that could be better utilized elsewhere.

"Then we'll wait," he stated simply. It wasn't exactly like there was anything else they could do on the matter.

Luna didn't know how to respond. She understood the logic of what Ulquiorra was saying, but she still had no idea just what she should say in response. That was one of the most infuriating points about interacting with the Espada, as far as she was concerned. A simple conversation was never quite so simple with him, unless he expressly wanted it to be. And even then, the mental gymnastics that were needed in order to keep up with him, were always significant.

But regardless of that fact, she was still thankful that he was here. He was the calm of this entire storm of uncertainty. And from what she saw on the horizon, the storm had only just begun.

Author's Note

Yes. Once again I've come down with a nasty cold during the time I was writing this, so it's not the kind of quality that I was hoping for. Despite my best efforts it just doesn't feel right. But postponing the update for a week until I feel better is just unacceptable. I'm sure I'm probably missing something, but I'm just not seeing it right now.

Chapter Sixty One

Chapter Sixty One

Ditzy Doo hummed happily to herself as she went about working in the kitchen of her home. She absolutely loved Fridays, if for no other reason than the simple fact that it was her day off from the mail service. That simple fact meant getting to sleep in a little later. That simple fact meant not having to get up quite so early to make lunch for Dinky and Sparkler, before seeing them off to school.

Friday also meant simpler things that not everyone appreciated in a uniform manner. But in her case, that simple thing was the fact that Friday was muffin day; and today's batch was banana and macadamia nuts, how awesome was that!?

And even though she wished it had been under better circumstances, Dinky and Sparkler were also home for the day. What with everything that'd happened in Ponyville in recent time, the school was still closed until further notice. And with the season switching over to summer, that standard of "until further notice" was probably going to be a few months in duration.

She felt sorry for those that had been negatively affected by the attacks on Ponyville. There had been so many losses in such a short stretch of time. Foals had lost parents, parents had lost foals, families had lost their homes... she shuddered anytime she thought about any one of those situations. And every time she shuddered in thought of what was, and what could've been, it made her all the more grateful for what she still had, no matter how humble it might be in comparison to others.

Her little family had been so lucky to be at the party at the time of the attack. The extent of their losses, miraculously, had been a shattered front door during the manticore attack. But regardless of being lucky, it was still downright scary to think of what could've been. They'd been so close to what had been termed ground zero. And other than a few nightmares on Dinky's part, they'd managed to escape unscathed.

But enough about that! There was no time for depressing thoughts right now. She still had her foals, and they still had their home. There was nothing wrong with feeling sorry for the loss of others, but there was plenty wrong with long-term dwelling on their losses, when there was nothing that could be done about it.

Now then, she had a batch of muffins to make, and they sure weren't about to make themselves. And right now she was really looking forward to the results of this batch, as she hadn't been able to get her hooves on any fresh macadamia nuts for months now!

"Now where'd I leave that stick of butter?" she asked herself as she began to look around the cluttered kitchen table. If she didn't properly butter the muffin tin, the whole batch would be ruined by them sticking to the cups of the pan. And she'd rather not have that happening; not again.

"Mommy?"

Ditzy stopped her search for the absent butter at the sound of Dinky's voice behind her. It struck her as strange, as she'd seen both Dinky and Sparkler outside playing catch, before she started getting everything ready. She hadn't heard the door open from them coming in. She hadn't been in the zone yet with her baking, so how'd she miss her daughters coming in?

Oh well, that was neither here nor there. She'd been distracted before, it was really no big deal.

"What is it, swee-" Ditzy asked as she turned around to face her youngest. However she never managed to complete her question, as a loud scream erupted from her throat at the sight she saw, effectively cutting off the last syllable to the question. Standing in the doorway that lead from the living room to the kitchen was Dinky. But not in any manner that Ditzy ever wished to see her.

Dinky's right eye was completely gone, leaving nothing but a bloody, gaping socket behind in its place. Her left foreleg was missing just below the knee, leaving nothing behind but a jagged piece of exposed bone surrounded by torn flesh. Her right cheek had been torn open all the way back to her neck, exposing her teeth as a mix of blood and saliva dripped from her mouth, as she was unable to close it. The skin all along her back was absent, exposing the bare ridges along her entire backbone.

"I don't feel so good, Mommy..." Dinky spoke, slurring her words as her tongue proved incapable of staying inside her mouth, the jagged cut to the side of her face flapping with each word spoken. "Can you kiss it and make it better?"

Ditzy screamed again and fell backwards, tipping over the table in the process and scattering the gathered items and foodstuffs, as the mutilated form began to hobble forward on its three intact legs, the one good eye never straying away from her. But even as it moved closer, Ditzy found herself paralyzed on the spot where she laid, and totally incapable of moving away.

"What's wrong, Mommy? Don't you love your little Dinky anymore?" Dinky asked as her features took on a sadistic sneer.

Ditzy desperately wanted to flee, to shut her eyes, to tune out the horrific monstrosity standing before her. But her body refused to obey any commands her brain was currently trying to issue, leaving her rooted to the spot, helpless to do anything but watch as the mutilated thing slowly made its way towards her.

And all the while, she could do nothing but listen as the thing's voice shifted away from that of her precious little Dinky, and into something far more sinister in nature.

"Mommy!" the abomination yelled as its skin and fur began to darken and crack away, bits flecking away to expose the rotten tissue underneath, as an entire section of skin fell away and splatted on the floor, exposing the forward portion of the skull. "Where are you Mommy!?" it continued to howl as it collapsed onto its stomach, its back legs giving out under its own weight and hanging limp.

Regardless of this fact, the thing still struggled to move, and began dragging itself across the ground with its one good foreleg, leaving behind a trail of blood and other bodily substances smeared along the floor and against the underside of its body.

"I'm gonna find you, Mommy! I'm coming for you!" it yelled as its one good eye began to glow, as if it were being illuminated by a red light from behind it. Every little movement it engaged in caused greater decay to become visible, resulting in its tiny horn coming loose from its forehead, and hanging limply from a single, pulsing vein, swinging back and forth from its efforts at movement.

"I'm gonna catch you, Mommy! And when I do, I'll swallow your soul! I'll swallow your soul!"

Ditzy screamed in response. She screamed as loudly as she could, as the creature slowly made its way over to her, catching up with her prone form with frightening speed. She couldn't move even if she tried, as the thing made its way up her body, working its way closer and closer to her face. She could feel the hot bodily fluids staining the front of her coat, and the sickening feel of internal organs beginning to rub against her fur.

"Caught you, Mommy," it sneered, its wicked grin growing impossibly wide, and showing off its mouth full of broken teeth. It then opened it maw exceedingly wide, before biting down into her exposed neck.

At the sound of the scream, the kitchen door that lead to the back yard was roughly slammed opened, nearly tearing the hinges out of the wall in the process. And inside leaped a large, vicious beast.

It was a three-headed dog, much like Cerberus, but of a considerably smaller stature; more along the size of Princess Celestia than anything. It was also much sleeker than its larger counterpart, and black and tan in coloration. Each neck wore a black leather collar with shiny steel spikes going all the way around. Each head growled, each mouth dripping with drool, and breathing out a noxious green vapor as it snarled, its cerulean eyes narrowed in preparation of conflict.

"Leave!"

"Her!"

"Alone!"

The three heads scanned the room. Looking left, looking right, looking up, looking down, and looking at each other, in an effort to find some sign of the commotion that'd caused the scream. What had been responsible for the table being knocked over?

And then it looked behind the toppled table and found the cause, that being a terrified Ditzy trying futility to shield her head, while simultaneously trying to curl up into a little ball, and shaking hard.

Instantly the hound's body disintegrated, with strands of blue light shining through as the image was unwound, with tendrils of magic being unwound and being sucked back into the horn of Sparkler. The hound itself had been the result of an illusion spell she'd been practicing for some time now, intended to be used for protective situations; like discouraging bullies and the like. But right now her magical aptitude was neither here nor there, as the only thing that mattered at the moment was making sure her mother was alright.

"Mom, what's wrong? What happened?" Sparkler spoke as quickly moved around the table to tend to the downed pegasus. There were a lot of other things that she could focus on right now, but all of them were inconsequential at the moment. "Mom, look at me," she said and tried to shrug her when she didn't respond to the sound of her voice.

Slowly Ditzy was roused from her terror and looked up at Sparkler.

"Mom, what happened? Did somepony hurt you?" Sparkler asked. Ditzy tried to speak, but all she could do was just shake her head. "Mom, talk to me, please," Sparkler begged.

"Dinky," Ditzy mumbled in a whisper.

"Dinky?" Sparkler asked. What did her little sister have to do with anything?

"I saw her. She was hurt so bad and I... a-and I couldn't do anything to help her," Ditzy replied in a shaky tone.

Sparkler blinked in a confused manner at what she was hearing, unable to believe it.

"Mom," Sparkler replied slowly, "Dinks has been with me all morning. She's not hurt. Except for that black eye she got last week when a fly ball popped her."

"But I... but I..." Ditzy tried to respond. But regardless of how much she tried, she couldn't seem to get the words out to explain what she'd seen just moments ago. How could she put into words what she had experienced? How could she tell Sparkler that she'd felt her coat being smeared with copious amounts of curdled blood? Or the vile stench of pus and bile wafting through the air and into her face as she was breathed on?

"Mommy?"

Ditzy flinched in fright at hearing the unexpected voice of Dinky behind her, afraid of what she might see, but driven by a morbid curiosity to look. As she turned away from Sparkler, she saw her other daughter... only to see that she was perfectly alright, minus the aforementioned black eye that was still present.

What... what was going on around here?

Immediately she reached out and grabbed Dinky, and pulled her close, before looking at her from every angle, looking for any sign of serious injury, but finding absolutely nothing. She was as unmarred as could be expected with a filly her age. This was a source of both great relief, and great confusion.

Sparkler frowned. At the sound of their mother's scream, she had told her little sister to wait outside and go hide while she went in to investigate. She'd made every attempt to impress upon the filly that it was too dangerous for her to be involved, as there was no telling what was waiting for them on the other side of the door. That was why she'd gone in while disguised; just in case there was somepony there that needed to be scared off.

Unfortunately her little sister wasn't that easy to instruct. She had her own mind, and when she didn't want to follow instructions, she could be as obedient as a feral cat at times.

However as she saw her sister's eyes when she looked over in her direction, she couldn't be mad at her. She'd been upset about their mother as well. So for right now she'd cut her some slack on the matter.

"Sparky? What's going on? Is Mommy alright?" Dinky asked as she looked to her older sister for guidance on the matter, grunting as she was hugged close to her mother's chest with just a little too much force.

"I don't know, Dinks," Sparkler replied, unable to provide anything of actual significance to her little sister. All she could do was sit down beside her mother as her little sister was hugged for dear life. Whatever had happened, it must've been really bad. But finding out what that something was, was going to be difficult.

For the time being, however, she wasn't going anywhere until she made sure her mother was alright. For the time being, she was just going to sit here with her family, in the middle of their upturned kitchen.

Surrounded by scattered macadamia nuts.

Author's Note

Well I did it. I went and did it. I violated one of my own rules of story writing, and released a chapter that was under 3,000 words. And I sincerely hate that fact! I really, really tried to include more in this week's update, but I just couldn't find what I was looking for. Hopefully I'll be able to make up for it next week.

Chapter Sixty Two

Chapter Sixty Two

Applejack tried not to yawn. Yawning was a symptom of being tired, and there was way too much work left to do before the day was finally over with. And if she let one yawn out, there was bound to be more to follow. That was the simple nature of the beast, and unlike timberwolves, there was no way to chase them off with the clanging of pots and pans. Exhaustion simply feared and heeded nopony.

Oh well. It was time to get back to work, and Applejack simply wasn't one for making excuses. She was certainly no slacker!

A lot of ponies who didn't participate in the agricultural avenues might assume that managing Sweet Apple Acres consisted of nothing but bucking apple trees all throughout the year. But they couldn't have been further from the truth if they tried. It was true that the farm was most often associated with the practice, but that was just a tiny portion of it all! And it could only be done so frequently in between harvest periods. There was also a great deal of upkeep that had to be tended to throughout the year. Fences had to be mended, harnesses had to be kept oiled for longevity purposes, fields needed to be plowed, soil had to be properly supplemented with the right nutrients, repairs had to be made to the barns and other out buildings, animals had to be fed, etc. There was a whole infrastructure that had to be seen to!

And right now, for Applejack, that infrastructure included making a visual inspection of the southern orchards, examining the bark and leaves of each tree for signs of a possible blight infection. If they didn't keep such things in check, there was too great of a risk of it spreading. Already one tree had been contaminated, and in need of being removed to protect the others. But these things tended to spread quickly, and had to be checked regularly. If they were a day late, there was the remote possibility of it spreading like a wildfire. So constant vigilance was necessary.

It was a part of the job that was tiring, and tedious at points, but for the most part it was work that she still managed to love doing. To her these trees were far more than just being the backbone of the farm and her home. These trees were important to her in a way that outside ponies just wouldn't properly understand. They didn't see the delicate balance that existed between them. To her these trees were just as important as her friends. And in a few cases, some of these trees were her friends. So naturally she cared about them enough to look after them, and make sure they were doing alright.

But it was so much more than that. Tree inspection, as far as Applejack was concerned, wasn't just checking on various investments. It was also a time during which she could think about whatever it was that needed thinking on. In this case it was the friends she had outside of the farm; Rainbow Dash specifically.

She'd helped when Twilight, Spike, and Ulquiorra had been carrying out their investigation. She'd answered all questions truthfully -naturally- and been horrified at the accusations that had been laid against her and the others. She'd allowed for the Espada to carry out an investigation of all the buildings around the farm that could've possibly been used as a holding area. And she hadn't objected to when it came to inspecting the stuff in her room, even when it had uncovered certain items she would've preferred to stay hidden from view.

But other than that, there really hadn't been much that she could actually do. That fact left her feeling helpless, and that was a feeling that she absolutely hated experiencing. Helpless was just a few small steps away from being useless. And no Apple who was worth their salt, would ever tolerate being useless.

"Benny," Applejack mumbled as she pressed her forehead against the bark of the nearest tree. "Ah sure wish ah knew how ta help out RD. Tha' mare's in big trouble, an' ah can't do nothin' 'bout it. Jus' standin' around an' makin' wishes ta mahself an' such, ah jus' feel so danged useless right now. An' ya know how much ah hate feelin' like such..."

She felt helpless. She felt useless. She absolutely hated feelings like that. She was a farmer, and that meant being useful to other ponies. But here she was, talking to one of her trees, and bemoaning the fact that she couldn't do anything. This was pathetic! If she could bend her legs around properly, she'd kick her own butt for feeling so stupid right about now.

"Right then," she said to herself as she pulled her head away from Benny's trunk, and straightened her hat. Just because she couldn't help Twilight and the rest of them find out what had gotten to Rainbow Dash, didn't mean she could just sit around and mope about it. She had work that had to be done, and work that could be done.

"Applejack!"

Applejack froze in her tracks, caught by the sudden, booming voice. She looked around, trying to find who was talking to her, but found herself to be alone except for the trees. And she knew Benny and his lot sure didn't talk back. Or at least, not like that anyway.

"Applejack!" the voice boomed again, causing her to jump anxiously.

"W-who's out there?" she asked, again looking around, but seeing nopony around. "Discord? If tha's you then this ain't funny!" she stated firmly.

"Discord can't help you right now, Applejack," the voice stated. "Nopony can help you. But you can certainly help out somepony. Are you willing to face the trials to do that?"

Confusion on top of confusion, stacked upon piles of more confusion. Applejack didn't have the slightest clue what was going on around here. But at the mention of helping somepony out of whatever jam they were facing, it was hard to focus on anything else.

"Ah don' know who or wha' ya are. But ah ain' scared o' helping nopony!" she stated firmly.

"Marvelous!"

Without warning the ground below Applejack's feet started trembling. And then the trembling turned into all out shaking, sending Applejack down into a laying position for better stability.

The ground started shaking harder than before, and Applejack was scared to even look up at her surroundings, not wanting to see the decimation that was surely unfolding all around Sweet Apple Acres.

But regardless of whether or not she wanted to witness the decimation unfolding, she was given no choice in the matter, as it played out before her.

The ground was reduced to a hard, blackened soil, completely devoid of any signs of grass. She didn't even know how to describe the process that had unfolded all around her, as all life in the ground just disappeared like nothing.

The apple trees in her orchard were the next to suffer, with leaves and fruit gone in an instant, and the bark turning from a healthy shade of brown, to a dead and dark muddy gray, as they withered up, being twisted into a nightmarish fashion.

Even the sky itself wasn't left unaffected, as the cerulean blue was quickly washed out by a horrible blend of orange, yellow, and brown. It was like back in the crystal empire when Cadance's shield had finally given out, and Sombra's sky was now in full view. Except this was much, much worse to be experiencing firsthoof.

A sudden and violent roaring sounded around her, as the ground began to cave in and fall away. Before Applejack knew what to expect, she was at the edge of a cliff face, overlooking a steep drop into a sea of bubbling lava, subjecting her to both fur-singeing heat, and the rancid smell of sulfur and brimstone.

By now the quaking of the ground had finally stopped, allowing her to climb back up to her hooves, and quickly back away from the edge, both to distance herself from the noxious fumes, and to get away from the heat that made her face feel like it was on fire.

"Applejack!"

She looked up at hearing the strange voice again, unsure of where else she should look, as it sounded like it was all around her at the same time. And as she looked up, she saw six objects of equal size gradually descending out of the sky. But she saw nothing for them to be descending from, nor did she see anything that would explain the sound of old gears turning, and rusted chains rattling, that was accompanying them. It looked like they were simply descending right out of thin air, or even out of the dirty clouds that hung overhead.

The descent stopped, roughly at equal level with the top of the cliff she stood on, allowing her to properly see what they were. Six steel cages with vertical bars running all along the sides, and solid bottoms and tops, each attached to a thick looking chain. And in each one of the cages was one of her friends, each of them screaming incoherently and trying to break loose. Spike, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash.

No answers came. Instead, what she was presented with, was more ground shaking. She watched in confusion as six sections of the ground opened up before her, looking like the sections had simply dropped below the non-existent grass line, and were rolled open like the lid to a bread box. This allowed for six strange-looking apparatuses, each of them made from some dull gray metal, to jut out above the surface. Each of them looked like some sort of break lever, similar to what she'd seen on the railways whenever she attended a rodeo competition. And as she looked, each of them was perfectly lined up with one of the cages, and all of them more than one pony's length away from each other.

"Wha' in the wide world o' Equestria's goin' on here!?" Applejack demanded to know and stomped her hoof. If this wasn't Discord's work, then she sure wanted to know which ornery sidewinder was able to be pulling all of this off.

"This, Applejack, is your opportunity to help somepony out," the voice stated, casually, yet with enough menace in its tone to send shivers up and down her spine, despite the intense heat she could feel even from as far back from the edge as she was. "You wanted to be useful. So be useful, and help out your friends in their time of need. Pull a lever."

Six levers. Six cages. It didn't take a genius to figure out that each lever corresponded to a specific cage. And although Applejack had no idea of just what was going on around here, or what might happen if she tried working the levers, she knew that she had to do something. Her friends were counting on her.

She looked over each of the levers, and then back at the cages that held her friends. It seemed simple enough from her perspective; pull a lever, lower a cage. But which one to pull?

The answer to that question was deceptively simple. Get Twilight down first, then she can help figure everything out. With that thought in mind she walked over, wrapped her forelegs around the lever, and pulled back. But despite pulling back, it didn't budge on the first try. So she pulled much harder, resulting in the lever going all the way back with an audible "thunk" from locking into place.

The next thing Applejack knew, Twilight was screaming as the cage dropped at an accelerated rate, and landed right in the lava. Applejack screamed in response as she moved to the ledge, helpless to do anything but watch as the molten rock made fast work of her friend stuck inside and unable to get out. The heat was intense enough, that it made her immediately burst into flames, causing her to scream louder and harder than ever before as she was engulfed, until she could no longer scream anymore.

It was disturbingly quick how Twilight had gone from a healthy, lavender unicorn, to nothing more than a pile of burnt cinders, and bare bones, in the middle of the cage.

"Oh dear. Somepony didn't get the rules. And now look at what happened. Such a pity."

"Rules!?" Applejack yelled, furious at both this turn of developments, and the utter casualness of the taunting voice behind it. "Ya never said nothin' 'bout no rules!" she bellowed at the sky, too angry and upset to think of anything else to say.

"It's not my fault you were too impatient to hear everything. And now your impatience has caused one of your friends to suffer the consequences," the voice stated mockingly. "Now listen, and listen closely, as I won't be repeating myself. You're in the position to help your friends. But you can only save one of them. As you learned the hard way, each lever is connected to a cage, and once pulled that cage is dropped onto the lava below. You have to determine which four of your remaining five friends you'll sacrifice, in order to save the fifth. And then you must confirm your decision, by dropping the selected four onto the lava where they'll meet their demise."

Applejack didn't know what to think, or how to respond. At first all she could hear was the blood pounding in her ears, two beats faster than her own heart. But that sickening voice had managed to cut through the noise like a hot knife through butter, and hammer out the awful details of this entire ordeal she found herself trapped in. And that just made the anger in her burn even hotter.

"An' what if ah refuse ta play yer fuckin' game!?" she asked, referencing one of the few foreign words she'd learned from Twilight, to emphasize her disgust with everything she was facing.

"If you refuse to comply, then all five of them will pay the price. You're familiar with the concept of convection, right? If you don't decide which of your friends you'll sacrifice to save the other, then all five will die from the heat rising off the lava, heating up their cages in the process, and cooking them to death. Or they'll simply succumb to the poisonous fumes rising up from the molten rock below. Either way it's a long, miserable way to die. So you can either save one, or let them all die together. The choice on the matter is entirely yours to make."

Applejack didn't know what to say. She didn't even know what to think at the moment. There were way too many unspeakable horrors playing out before her at a mile a minute. Sweet Apple Acres had been turned into this... this... this reject from the deepest pits of Tartarus. Her friends were being held hostage by some unknown entity. Twilight was dead. And she was being told that she had to kill four of her remaining five friends before her, or else all five of them were going to die together. What should she do? What could she do? Somepony was going to die regardless of what she did, the only difference was just how many somponies died. And no matter what decision she made, she was going to have to live with the fact that she was the one who killed her friends. How could she live with herself in the aftermath of this?

Wait.

Wait just a minute. Maybe that was it.

Applejack grinned to herself. Whoever was messing with her head obviously never considered this turn of events taking place. With that thought in mind, her grin grew wider.

"Now listen up, ya ornery sidewinder, whoever ya are! If ya don' put mah friends down on the ground right now, ah'm gonna jump in that lava mahself. Then who're ya gonna be tormentin'?" she demanded to know. If this... whatever it was, wanted to play hardball, then she could play just as easily. She wouldn't be the source of amusement in such a sick and twisted manner; she absolutely refused such!

"... Plan B then..."

Well... that was really ominous sounding. Applejack really wasn't certain she wanted to know just what "Plan B" was, but she highly doubted she'd be getting a say in the matter, as her ears were already picking up the sound of two more cages being lowered out of the sky. Already her grin was dropping into her stomach, secure in the knowledge that she might've just made everything worse.

"If you try and cheat," the voice paused as the cages lowered, "then they will be made to pay the penalty in your place."

Applejack gasped in shock and horror at the sight of the two new ponies who had been brought into this mess; her brother and her sister.

"No! Not them! Please don't do this!" she pleaded, her confidence thoroughly shattered at this new revelation and turn of events. So much for having this situation in the cleft of her hoof.

"Then you have little choice but to follow the rules. Now... pick which one of your friends you're willing to sacrifice the others for," the voice commanded.

Applejack didn't want to do any of this. But she knew that she didn't have any choice in the matter. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place when it came to available decisions, and no matter what she did, there were going to be horrible consequences to be had all around. How could she choose between her friends and her family? How could she possibly choose which of her friends she cared about less than the others, to the point she was willing to kill them?

But if she didn't made the choice, it was going to be made for her.

"Girls, ah'm so, so sorry for this," she stated and gulped, before closing her eyes, reaching out in front of her, and grabbing at the closest lever.

Spike's scream assaulted her ears, followed by the sound of the cage dropping and crashing into the lava. Maybe he'd be alright, seeing as he'd been exposed to lava before with no ill effects during the whole dragon migration clusterbuck they'd all faced. But she didn't have time to think on that, as she hurried over to the next lever to pull on it.

One by one, choices were made, One by one, friends were sacrificed in the name of protecting family. By now the outside world was shrinking around her, her vision tunneling from one lever to another. She honestly couldn't tell who was the next to follow after Spike, or in what order they were dropped to their death in the lava below. And she honestly couldn't bear to keep track of who was dying, and the fact that she was the one who was killing them.

"Excellent..."

Applejack could practically feel the voice cutting through the haze of her mind, forcing her attention back into the world at large, and on the one remaining pony left out of the six she'd been forced to choose from. Just seeing their faces almost made her sick where she stood.

"This was a development I didn't see coming. I had money on somepony else being the last to live," the voice stated.

"Like ah care," Applejack replied, "ah'm done. Ah played yer damn game, ah'm done. Let the rest of 'em go!"

The voice merely laughed in response. It was a bellowing, riotous laugh of utter amusement. And that fact alone was enough to make Applejack's anger evaporate and be replaced with a sense of fear, afraid to even wonder what might be next.

"Played the game? My dear little earth pony, this was just the elimination round to determine the participants. Now the real fun begins!"

Applejack watched, unsure what to think or feel, as three of the switches retracted back into the ground just as they'd appeared, now nowhere to be seen. The two levers that were still in the rearward position slowly reset themselves with loud accompanying clicks, locking them forward again. And then it was the sound of more heavy gear machinery, as the two cages that held her brother and sister were moved closer to the one remaining cage, until they were all in line with an accompanying switch.

"The one you didn't sacrifice. You love her, right?" the voice asked her.

"Ah love all mah friends," Applejack replied.

"Cute answer, seeing as now she is all of your friends that're left. Now no more cuteness. You love her, don't you? That's why you didn't drop her into the lava, isn't that right? She means more to you than any of the others, doesn't she?"

Applejack couldn't bear to answer the question. She remained silent, hanging her head in response, unwilling to say a word.

"Answer me! Or I'll make one of the others pay the penalty for you!" the voice barked. "Do. You. Love. Her?"

"Yes!" Applejack finally yelled in response to the question, unable to keep her composure anymore, as more disturbing thoughts began to pour into her mind. What if it hadn't been random selection guiding her hoof? What if instead it had been an unconscious decision on her part to dump the others into the lava?

"That's a good little filly," the voice mocked her. "Now tell me who you love more. Your friend... or your family? Which would you willing sacrifice to save the other?"

"No! Please, please don' make me do this! Please!" Applejack pleaded. Surely she wouldn't be forced to go this far. Nopony could be so cruel as that... right?

"Well the politeness is appreciated. But I'm afraid I can't do that. Somepony important to you has to die now. The only question is who will it be? The choice is yours. And don't make me have to remind you, yet again, of what will happen if you don't comply. Because this time the consequences will be much more significant," the voice warned.

Applejack gulped. She didn't even want to think about what "much more significant" meant in circumstances like this.

"The clock is ticking, little Applejack, and let me tell you, it's not going to get any cooler around here by waiting! Your brother might be able to withstand the heat, but little Apple Bloom is soon about to feel the excruciating agony of having her entrails barbecued from the inside out! Now pick! Who are you going to kill in order to save the other!?"

Impossible choice after impossible choice. Applejack didn't know how much more of this she could take. She was already starting to feel like her sanity was slipping away from her, from the sheer degree of sadism she was being subjected to. How could anypony actually make such decisions?

Shutting her eyes, she reached out and grabbed the closest lever, before wrenching it all the way rearward.

She was met with the sound of the cage falling, chain rattling in the process, as the sacrificed pony fell to their death down below in the lava, screaming all the way down.

"Well, well, well. I'm certainly glad that I'm no friend of yours. To think that you'd kill each and every one of them, just to save your family. It's all rather depressing really..."

"Shut up! Jus' shut up!" Applejack yelled as she fought to hold back the tears.

"Oh I'm sorry, but we're not done just yet. There's one more round we have to play, before the game has ended."

"NO!" Applejack yelled in horror, realizing just what that last round was going to entail. "Please! Please don' make me kill mah brother er sister! Please, not that! Anythin' but that!" she begged.

"Make you? My dear little Applejack, I'm not making you do anything. It was entirely your decision to kill your friends in the name of protecting your family. Just like how it's entirely your decision of which one of your siblings gets to live to see another day," the voice stated mockingly, in a tone that was too sarcastically sincere to ignore. "So get to choosing. Before they both die, and you're left with nothing!" the voice finished in a far more menacing tone than previously.

Applejack wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to curse the voice, the world, and anything else around her, in an effort to vent the emotional turmoil that was within her. But none of that was going to do her any good right now, as she sat here, pondering the horrors before her. No matter what decision she made, it was going to be the wrong one. She was going to make the wrong one, and sompony was going to die because of it. How was she possibly supposed to choose between her big brother, and her little sister?

"Five seconds. You have five seconds to save one of them. Otherwise you lose both of them! Five! Four! Three!"

Applejack wanted to protest. But her mind seized up, and the words died in her throat. There was nothing she could do now, except for one thing.

Shutting her eyes as tightly as she could, she reached out and grabbed hold of the lever closest to her, and pulled it back with all of the might her earth pony heritage afforded her, until it locked into place with a resounding click.

This time she didn't even hear the scream, as it was drowned out by her own unrestrained crying.

One problem with maintaining a property as big as Sweet Apple Acres, was the difficulty that was encountered whenever it was necessary to locate a pony. Big Macintosh knew this fact quite well. And despite being well versed in the layout of each of the orchards, that didn't make finding Applejack any less difficult a task to accomplish.

Carrot Top was over for dinner on this fine evening. But that wasn't anything new really. Being a fellow farmer, as well as their closest neighbor, it wasn't unusual for the orange-maned mare to be over once or twice a week, to partake in the company and hospitality that the Apple family was so well regarded for, swapping crop talk, and helping in the preparation of a joint meal; usually some of the tastiest vegetable soup encountered.

Of course that hospitality meant a number of different things. And when company was involved, that meant actually coming in and sitting down to dinner, regardless of the state of the chores. It was simply the polite thing to do under such circumstances.

And in this case, that meant Big Macintosh going out to try and find his sister, and drag her back to the house, knowing that she had the habit of getting distracted when she got task oriented, and didn't always have the sense to come in out of the rain. That was a fact he knew for himself all too well.

"Applejack! Quit yer hidin' already! It's supper time!" he called out, hoping his voice would travel far enough to snap his sister out of whatever distraction had worked its magic over her.

The response he got, however, wasn't anything like what he was expecting. Instead of Applejack announcing her presence, and possibly calling him a lunkhead for interrupting her work, he was met by the immediate sound of crying, followed by what sounded like intense -and painful- vomiting going on. Now he was at least one step beyond simply being concerned, and was beginning to border on panic. In a flash he galloped over to where it sounded like the commotion was coming from.

She was a lot further away than he'd initially thought, suggesting all the commotion was actually much louder than what his ears had picked up. When he finally did find her, her face was streaked with tears, her front covered in puke, and she was in the process of choking and struggling before finally being able to breathe again. And once she did manage to breathe, the crying started again.

"Uh... Applejack?" Big Macintosh asked as he cautious approached where she sat. What could've gotten her so upset? Had she eaten something that didn't agree with her?

"B-Big Mac?" Applejack asked as she looked up at the sound of his voice, coughing in the process. As she looked at him just standing there, her eyes once again started tearing up and spilling over. "A-a-ah'm so sorry, Big Mac, ah'm so sorry!" she whimpered as she started crying all over again.

Confusion. That was the only thing that came to his mind right now. Big Macintosh didn't know just what was wrong, or even how to go about correcting it. All he knew for certain was that his sister was in a great deal of need right now, and -as much as he wished otherwise- elder sibling duty demanded that said need had to be seen to by him, vomit or no vomit. That meant crossing over to where she sat as she cried, and hugging her close to give her the physical comfort she needed right now.

And now that he thought about it, he might just skip the vegetable soup tonight.

Chapter Sixty Three

Chapter Sixty Three

"It's Saturday, right?"

Spike's question caused Twilight to look up from her research notes, not entirely certain if she'd heard him correctly. He was actually asking her if she knew what day it was? Usually it was the other way around, what with how task oriented she could become at times. More than once, Spike's duties included being a vocal calendar to keep her properly scheduled.

"I... I think so?" Twilight replied, not entirely certain in her conviction to the answer. Was it Saturday? Or was Spike making a subtle effort to point out that it was after midnight, and she should be turning in? Looking away from the stack of papers before her, she glanced over at the clock. Hopefully the current time was still in the PM phase of the day, and it hadn't lapsed into the AM phase. "Why?" she asked, deciding to not beat around the bush. If she'd managed to tune Spike out and stay up the whole night, then she really needed to know.

"Because the way things have been going lately, it seriously feels like a Monday to me," Spike replied and stretched with a yawn.

Twilight frowned a little. Individual days didn't have specific feelings and sensations to them, that would allow a pony -or a dragon- to differentiate from one to another. It wasn't like specific days came with specific temperatures or humidity levels. She was fully prepared to give Spike a lecture on that point, but stopped herself before opening her mouth.

"And why do you say that?" she asked him as she turned a little more away from her notes.

"Because we've been so busy today. Usually weekends are supposed to be restful," Spike pointed out, before stretching again until there was an audible pop in his back, which brought with it a contented look on his face, indicating that was what he was after. "I still can't believe it took so long at the hospital to get you looked at. We were there for hours."

"I know, Spike, but Ponyville General still has its hooves full with the more serious victims of the manticore attack. Some delay was to be expected. We knew that going in," Twilight pointed out. Surely he understood that a small town hospital, subjected to a large number of ponies who were still in critical condition, had to divert resources to those who were most in need. They weren't in Canterlot after all.

"I know, I know, but it still took like forever. And we could've taken care of everything at home, just like Nurse Redheart said!" Spike replied, feeling exasperated as the matter was discussed. "The swelling in your muzzle went down, just like they said. Your eye finally cleared up, just like they said. We could've just taken off the bandages here and saved all that time. We didn't have to stand around for hours, reading last year's magazines while we waited."

Oh. So that's what this was about. Now it made a little more sense to her.

"I know, Spike, I know," she said as she pushed herself up to a standing position to walk over to where he was. "I know we could've done it ourselves at home, and saved a lot of time in the process. But going in for a checkup was the only pretext I could think of, in hopes of garnering some information from the hospital staff. We still don't know for certain just how many ponies have survived their encounter with the manticore, and how many are going to recover," she explained.

Spike frowned. If Twilight was hoping that her explanation was going to help, then she was hoping wrong.

"Twilight you've got enough on your plate already," he stated firmly, and in a tone that left no room for debate on the matter. "You're still trying to learn your own advanced spells. You're trying to teach more combative spells to those that volunteered for the classes. There's that sidelined experiment of yours with the changeling goo leftover from the last invasion. The Cutie Mark Crusaders are asking me all kinds of questions about Ulquiorra, and I don't know what to tell them. And don't even get me started on the mess we've got with the Elements of Harmony. You seriously don't need to be adding another thing to worry about, on top of what you and I already trying to deal with," he explained flipping up a claw for each point raised as he stepped closer to her.

"But-" Twilight started, only to be interrupted by Spike as he continued talking.

"No. There are no "buts" here, Twilight, you're spreading yourself too thin. You're trying to take on way too many responsibilities, when there are other ponies, who're perfectly capable of picking up the slack, whether it's real or imaginary," he stated as her closed the distance between them, looking her dead in the eye. "I get how stressful this is, Twilight, everything going to Tartarus around us, and we don't know which end is up. But you're trying to take responsibility for things that you don't need to, and that's just not healthy. There's a big difference between helpful, and meddling in the affairs of other ponies. And we're seriously crossing that line."

Twilight didn't know what to say in response to Spike's statement. What had started off as him voicing his concern about her taking on too many responsibilities, had somehow spiraled into a rant about her meddling with other ponies, and she hadn't even seen it happen. How exactly had they gotten to here? And how exactly did Spike see her actions as meddling?

Unfortunately she didn't get the chance to ask any of these questions, as there was a knock at the library door serving as a distraction. She ultimately decided that she'd have a word with Spike later on, after she finished addressing whoever had come to patron the library during the time it was closed. And after she ran through a mental checklist of whether or not there were any books out that could be considered overdue.

"Yes?" she asked as she opened the library door, only to see Big Macintosh standing before her, and wearing a concerned look on his face.

"Howdy, Miss Twilight," he greeted politely.

"Howdy Big Macintosh," Twilight replied. Although now that she thought of it, the wording felt strange to use. Trying to talk like Applejack and her family wasn't the easiest thing she'd ever tried. Oh well. That really wasn't important right now. "What brings you by?" she asked, wondering how she could best be of assistance to the stoic stallion.

"It's not so much a what as a who," Big Macintosh started to explain, before glancing to his right and slowly stepping aside.

Twilight poked her head out the door to look at what Big Macintosh was getting to. When she did she saw Applejack standing there, looking both anxious and like a mess. She looked like she was fresh right out of the bath; fresh as in literally right out of the tub, and just barely dried off. Her mane and tail were unkempt, and her hat was heavily askew. And while Applejack was one who favored function over fashion, she always took a certain measure of pride in making herself relatively presentable to others. She was no Rarity, but she never would've come to town looking like she currently did unless it was an emergency.

And going by how anxious she looked, it probably was an emergency.

Twilight opened her mouth to speak and ask what was the matter. But she never even got the first word out, before Applejack more or less tackled her, and threw her forelegs around her to engage in one of the tightest embraces she could ever remember being on the receiving end of. Or at least outside of her encounters with Pinkie Pie.

She honestly had absolutely no objections to being hugged by her friends. Truth be told it was one of her favorite things about actually having friends. But this had come out of absolutely nowhere and left her caught off guard. She didn't know what else to do but tentatively return the hug, and be aware of the fact that Applejack was currently inhaling the scent of her mane.

"Um... alright I'm hopelessly confused here. What's going on?" Spike asked as he stepped closer to the door.

The next thing he knew, Applejack had abandoned Twilight, and was now in the process of trying her best to hug the stuffing out of him, as she picked him up off his feet in the process. And filling him with more confusion than ever before. What exactly was going on? What had Applejack so upset? Why was Big Macintosh here?

Twilight was left feeling clueless right now as she watched the strange hugging scene unfold before her. She turned to face Big Macintosh in hopes that he'd be able to provide some answers to the numerous questions that were forming in her mind.

"What's going on?" she asked, deciding to keep things simple for the moment. And then she caught a whiff of something that made her freshly-recovered muzzle wrinkle up in disgust. "Ugh. And what smells like vomit?"

"Mind if ah come in first? Doesn' really seem right ta be talkin' 'bout such things on the streets," he pointed out. Twilight stepped back to let him inside, and watched as he gave his hooves a cursory wiping off before entering the library. "Ta be honest, ah really don' know what happened. When ah found her she was covered in 'er own puke an' cryin' her heart out, babbling about things that didn' make much sense. Said she had ta come ta town an' make sure ya were alright, and wouldn't take no fer an answer. Ah barely even managed ta convince her ta wash up before comin' over," he explained.

Despite Big Macintosh's calm manner of address, Twilight could see that the stoic stallion wasn't quite so stoic. She recognized the signs of concern he was clearly wearing, yet unaware of them himself. Shining Armor had the same look at times. Elder sibling instinct to try and hide the sheer degree of terror they were experiencing, because they needed to at least pretend to be calm for the sake of the younger sibling. Applejack was lucky to have him as a big brother.

"Applejack," Twilight spoke softly as she approached and rested a foreleg on her withers. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"No," Applejack stated simply as she continued to hold onto Spike.

Twilight frowned in response to the bluntness. She'd been hoping for something more substantial than just that. This was going to require a little more effort on her part.

"Look at me, Applejack," she told her. At first there was no response from the earth pony. But slowly, Applejack loosened her hold on Spike -much to the young dragon's relief- and complied by turning to look back at her as she set him down. She nearly recoiled as the stench of her friend's breath reached her face, but she did her best to hold firm and not react. "That's better. Now what happened?"

"Ah... ah don' know jus' what happened. All ah know is it was horrible," Applejack replied, her gaze faltering as she looked down at the floor. But a lavender hoof touched her under her chin, and brought her back to eye level.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Twilight asked her, doing her best to temper her curiosity -and her annoyance- in favor of being supportive to a friend who was in need.

"A-ah don' wanna," Applejack mumbled and tried to look back down again, but found it to be quite difficult. She sighed in response and closed her eyes instead. "B-but... but ah will..."

With that statement, Applejack took a breath in effort to steady herself for sharing her experiences with her friends.

"Ah was out inspectin' the southern orchards at the time..."

Twilight, Spike, and Big Macintosh all sat in silence, as they listened to Applejack do her best to explain the tale of her experiences, horrified at the details she had to share with them.

For Twilight herself, it was particularly hard to sit through Applejack's story without making any significant noises, or otherwise breaking down in a fit of crying of her own. It took a great deal of willpower, and self restraint, to not simply walk over to her, and pull her into a hug that rivaled what she'd been subjected to not all that long ago.

Applejack's story bore an uncomfortable similarity to what she heard Rainbow Dash recount to Celestia about her own ordeals. There were far too many similarities to overlook. The only real notable difference was how each was affected; Rainbow Dash had been lead to believe that the others had turned against her, and she couldn't trust anyone. But Applejack had been lead to believe that she had been the one to not only turn against the others, but her own family. It was just so utterly heartbreaking to hear.

And that was to say nothing of the logical complications of it all! But she'd get to those later on, once she managed to calm herself down a bit more.

"... next thing ah know the orchards are back in their pristine condition, an' ah'm left cryin' an' pukin' all at the same time," Applejack concluded, doing her best to remain stable and collected throughout it all.

The next thing she knew, Twilight was on her and hugging her tight. And in what just had to be the perfect position to allow her to rest her head against her back. She was all too wiling to return the gesture. There was no way she was not going to hug in the state she was in.

"Wow..." Spike breathed in response, uncertain of what else to say. He never saw this one coming, nor would he have even wanted to. "That's... that's... I'm sorry, but there's just no other way to put it adequately. That's seriously fucked up!" he stated.

Twilight was in full agreement with Spike's assessment of the situation, profanity and all. A situation like this all but demanded profanity. But right now she didn't feel up to actually stating such. She was certain that if she started talking right now, her voice was going to start wavering, and that would in turn set Applejack off again. And while crying was supposed to be healthy, it also added greater difficulty in focusing on whatever task was at hoof.

"Do ya reckon whatever happened ta Applejack, is related ta wha' happened ta Rainbow Dash?" Big Macintosh asked them. At the moment it was the only thing he could think of, that didn't greatly infuriate him to the point of not even being able to see straight. And that battle to keep his temper in check was slowly but surely becoming a losing battle.

"I don't really know for certain, Big Macintosh, but I certainly believe there's a connection to be had," Twilight replied as she slowly disengaged the hug with Applejack, much to the earth pony's obvious chagrin with the idea of actually letting go. "There's no way in Tartarus that this is just a coincidence. With all of the similarities it's a statistical impossibility. And I think it's safe to say that we've just shot down one of Ulquiorra's theories on this whole matter."

Applejack blinked, uncertain of what to say in this situation. It almost sounded like Twilight was coming up with some sort of plan.

"Which one?" Spike asked. The number of theories that could be attributed to Ulquiorra could easily fill up several pages worth of notes, and it was hard to keep them all straight.

"The one about Rainbow Dash's predicament being the result of affliction by some sort of biological impairment, either of an internal or external nature. The sudden onset could have certainly made that theory plausible in nature, but this completely undermines that," Twilight explained.

"Ah'm... ah'm not followin'," Applejack finally spoke up, doing the best to not let her own shakiness enter her voice.

"Ah'm not either," Big Macintosh added. The stuff they were talking about was going right over his head. Although he had some small understanding of the terms that were being hurled about, he had no idea what the context was.

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again. Ever since she had heard of the theory that Rainbow Dash was sick was some sort of disease, she'd been trying to avoid getting into any conversations with anypony that might lead to her releasing such details. But that had been partly related to the fact that she'd learned of it around the same time of learning about the Element of Loyalty going dark. Out of fear of saying something she shouldn't, she'd opted to say very little around town. She knew herself well enough to know that if she went off on a tangent, there was no telling where she'd stop. That fact had only been reinforced by the whole wingboner episode with Spike.

She was going to need to be careful in what was said, and what wasn't said. And all while trying to balance it against the fact that she'd promised Applejack and the others she wouldn't lie to them on important matters anymore. She knew she needed to censor herself, but only so much.

"A few days ago, Ulquiorra had the theory that Rainbow Dash wasn't attacked in any traditional sense, but was actually suffering from some as of yet undetermined disease. But I couldn't mention that to anypony at the time, because we really didn't know just what kind of disease was suspected, and we didn't want to cause a panic. You know how word travels around here," she began. They nodded in understanding of the fact. "Right. Anyway I got word from Celestia that Rainbow Dash is being examined by the doctors in Canterlot, but I haven't heard anything back on the matter. So I couldn't tell you if they suspect it's something viral, bacterial, or even fungal in nature," she continued. She decided to leave out the whole mental illness issue, as it would simply serve as a distraction in the matter. She just hoped that Spike wouldn't spot the omission and speak up in her place.

Fortunately, he didn't seem to catch on, and instead remained silent. Thankful for that fact, she continued in her explanation.

"Naturally this theory is terrifying to even consider. But I honestly believe that we can safely discount that theory now," she stated.

"How?" Applejack asked, uncertain of what else to really say.

"In simple terms, Applejack, because of what you experienced in the orchards. I know that I'm no expert in the field of virology, but I'm having a really hard time believing that there's any sort of naturally occurring disease in the world, that could affect anyone in the way you and Rainbow Dash have been affected. Hallucinations, that's possible. Loss of time, also possible. Affected senses, still quite possible. But everything occurring all at the same time, and combined with a level of sadism that simply defies imagination, is simply NOT possible! I find it to be utterly impossible to believe that some disease could affect you and Rainbow Dash in the same manner, and subject the both of you to what you've been through!" Twilight stated, her voice and demeanor growing stronger as she continued. This was no longer simple a analytical explanation. And as such, she could afford to let some emotion loose in her words.

"Wait jus' a minute. Maybe ah'm not followin' er somethin', but are ya sayin' it's a good thing this happened ta me?" Applejack asked as she tilted her head. The way Twilight was getting herself excited, it was really hard to tell one way or the other what she was thinking right now.

"What? No!" Twilight replied, disturbed that Applejack would even think that she was suggesting such. She really needed to work on her pony skills or something. "Of course I'm not saying anything like that. Applejack, what you went through was horrible, and nopony should ever have to go through that. I honestly don't know what I would've done if I was in your place, and faced with the same impossible decisions," she explained as best she could.

Applejack didn't say anything, and simply nodded in response to the statement, indicating that she was paying attention.

"But the fact this happened to you, and that it happened in the way that it did, may actually bring us one step closer to being able to help Rainbow Dash," Twilight pointed out.

Applejack really didn't know what to say in response. She didn't really understand just where Twilight was going with this. And she really didn't know how her imagining that she'd murdered all her friends, and even her siblings, was going to be helpful in any way. But if it meant helping Rainbow Dash out of her predicament, she supposed she could take one for the team. Faust knew she loved that mare like she was her own sister. A thought that, in hindsight, struck her with a great sense of irony when she stopped to consider just what a ripened zap apple looked like. If she wasn't utterly confused -and emotionally shaken- right now, she might've started snorting with laughter at the similarity.

But right now, there was a pressing question that needed to be addressed.

"So how do ya figure that, Twi'?" she asked, hoping some clarification would help her. How exactly did her torment aid them in this matter?

Twilight paused momentarily, trying to think of how best to explain her position. If she said it right as it came to her mind, she knew it was going to sound insensitive. Even to her it sounded cold, and vaguely like she was treating Applejack like a lab rat. That imagery was just unacceptable.

"Well as I said, I find it impossible to believe that a disease could afflict a pony with what you and Rainbow Dash went through. But up until now only Rainbow Dash was affected, meaning we had precious little to actually go on. So little in fact, even Ulquiorra didn't know what to make of it. But now we have more information, and we can do a proper compare and contrast between the similarities, and differences of each instance. And I'm fairly certain that with this new information, and a little bit of time, we can positively eliminate biological impairments as being a possibility," she explained.

"So wha' yer sayin' is, if this hadn' happened ta me, we might still be spinnin' our wheels, chasin' common colds an' such?" Applejack asked, trying to properly compare what Twilight was saying, to something that made basic sense to her.

"Well... that's one way of putting it," Twilight replied, biting her tongue at the urge to correct Applejack's overly simplified interpretation of what she was saying. The issue at hoof was a whole lot more complicated than the common cold could ever hope to be. Assuming viruses could ever develop beyond basic survival instinct that is.

"Well... so long as somethin' goods come outta this mess. If it helps RD out, ah guess ah can take one fer the team," Applejack stated.

"What!?" Spike practically yelled in response to Applejack's casual attitude about everything. "Applejack, that's terrible!"

"Spike-" Twilight started, planning to scold him for his outburst. But a dragon on a mission was a tough thing to stop, as he was still talking and paying no attention to her.

"You didn't volunteer for this, and we sure didn't ask you to do it for us! You didn't take one for the team, you got taken advantage of, just like Rainbow Dash!"

Spike was suddenly finding it very hard to breathe, and his skin was starting to feel hot; even hotter than usual. And along with that heat was an uncomfortable tightness all over, like his skin had suddenly shrunken on him. It was like being in a panic, but without being afraid. Right now he was way too upset to be afraid. Instead he was feeling... he was feeling really hostile and aggressive. It was just like when he had to fight Rainbow Dash. But this time it felt a lot worse to experience.

"I... I don't feel so good," he mumbled in between intense breaths.

The next thing he knew, he found himself being pulled into an embrace by Twilight from behind, as she wrapped her forelegs around him, and sat on her haunches to hold him close.

"It's alright, Spike, it's alright," Twilight reassured him, doing her best to try and calm him down. She didn't need him going to pieces on her right now. And truth be told, he was starting to scare her with how he was acting. "We're all going to get through this, Spike, I promise. It'll all be alright," she said as she tried to keep Spike from hyperventilating.

While Twilight worked at getting Spike calmed down, Applejack and Big Macintosh watched in silence, not entirely sure of what had happened, or what had managed to get Spike so upset, and do it so quickly.

"Come on, Spike, deep breaths," Twilight said as she loosened her hold just enough to rub his back. "It's alright, it's alright."

"No," Spike wheezed in between his efforts at slowing his breathing down. "No it's not alright! What happened to Applejack isn't alright! It isn't!" he stated, his efforts at calming down now being wasted as he got himself worked up again.

"Is tha' what this is all about?" Applejack asked, not sure if raising an eyebrow right now was entirely appropriate. "Now lookie here, Spike, ah never said ah was a'right with wha' happened, 'cuz ah'm not. And if ah ever catch the ornery sidewinder tha' did this ta me, ah'm gonna stomp 'em 'til they're nothin' but a greasy stain on mah hooves," she pointed out, stomping her right hoof against the ground to emphasize the fact that she was upset. But then her features softened as she continued to address him. "But if it's like Twilight said, an' we can use this ta help RD some, then ah'm gonna be focusin' on that instead."

She had to stay focused on the potential for the positive in this situation. She couldn't stop and think about what she was actually feeling right now. Even just thinking about actually thinking about the stuff she'd experienced back in the orchards, was making her stomach feel upset all over again. She didn't want to spend so much as a single minute thinking about what she'd been forced to do, and the choices she'd been forced to make.

So instead she'd focus her attention on how what she'd experienced, could possibly be used by Twilight and the others, to help them figure out how they could help out Rainbow Dash. As long as she could do that, she would be alright. She had to be alright.

Fortunately it seemed the message was getting across to Spike, as he was calming down better now. Regardless of how Applejack felt right now, it helped in some small way to see that Spike had actually gotten himself all worked up because she wasn't worked up; at least not visually. It helped remind her that somepony else cared, and she wasn't facing this crisis alone. Being here helped remind her of what was actually real and tangible. The here and now wasn't some sadistic hallucination that fooled her into believing it was real, it just couldn't be.

"That's a very interesting way of looking at this whole situation, Applejack," Twilight said as she finally felt Spike relaxing against her. She held onto him a bit longer, making sure that it actually took this time, and that he was actually alright and properly settled down, before finally releasing him, and climbing back to her hooves. "But interesting or not, it doesn't change the fact that we're here for YOU as well, Applejack. We're going to do everything we can to help Rainbow Dash, but we're going to help you too. I don't know just how yet, but we will. And nothing is going to stop us from doing just that," she stated confidently, wanting her to understand the full gravity of the matter. She wasn't about to sacrifice one friend for the purpose of saving another.

"Right," Spike added and nodded in agreement.

"Thank ya kindly, both o' ya," Applejack stated, a genuine smile beginning to come across her face at their kindness. She was really lucky to have friends like this.

"And with that thought in mind, I think we should write Ulquiorra and bring him up to speed on this matter. He needs to know how the situation has changed," Twilight stated.

"Yeah, Mr. Cifer's got a good head on his shoulders. He'll know wha' ta do," Applejack replied and nodded. If anyone could figure this matter out, then it was most likely him.

Plus it wouldn't hurt to have another friend present. The way she was feeling right now, the more friends that were around, the better.

And with that thought in mind...

"Uh... ah hope ah'm not imposin' er nothin', but... would it... would it be a'right with ya if ah stayed over fer the night? Jus' fer some reassurance tha' things didn' happen the way ah thought they did?" she asked them. "Ah'd really rather not be alone tonight, if ya know what ah mean..."

Twilight knew full well what Applejack meant. However she didn't really have any idea how the farmpony was actually going to manage to sleep tonight. If this had happened to her instead, she would be hitting the coffee extra hard, terrified that every time she even so much as blinked, her tormented mind would force her to replay the events over and over again, leaving her unable to look away. She wasn't even sure if Luna's magic would've been strong enough to stop that from occurring.

But she was getting distracted right now. She understood what Applejack was saying about not wanting to be alone. Had it been her that went through that nightmare, she would've been calling an emergency sleepover with mandatory attendance. She couldn't even consider actually denying Applejack's request, and sending her away from the library. If she were to do something that heartless, and Applejack woke up in the middle of the night, all alone in her room, and unsure of whether or not things had happened like she thought they had, the potential for emotional and psychological trauma couldn't be overstated. Such an approach simply wouldn't do, and wouldn't be done under any circumstances.

"Like I would ever make you leave," Twilight replied as she approached and pulled Applejack into yet another hug. A hug that was quickly reciprocated. "You can stay as long as you need to. We'll even call the others over if you'd like," she offered.

Big Macintosh remained silent as he watched the bonding between Twilight and his sister. The unicorn's presence was doing her a lot of good right now; far more than his own had done, he was ashamed to say.

It wasn't that he was bitter, or even jealous for that matter. But it felt like he was falling down in his duties by not being able to help his little sister during her time of need. What exactly had he done anyway? Escorted her to Ponyville when she was on shaky legs, doing his best at keeping her steady when she was stumbling. It wasn't that he hadn't played an important part in it all. But that elder sibling status just made him wish that he could do more for her.

However his thoughts on the matter became interrupted, as he became aware of the fact that he was being hugged around his neck, and realizing that it was Applejack doing the hugging, as she stood up on her hind legs to wraps her forelegs around his neck. And suddenly all thoughts about his own inadequacies as an older sibling were subdued and chased away, as his sister went about her own way of assuring him that he wasn't being abandoned in favor of the company of others.

"Ah'll be back tomorrow, Big Mac, jus' gotta get everything sorted out first," she told him.

Twilight nodded as she stepped closer. "You don't have to worry, Big Macintosh, we'll take good care of Applejack," she assured him.

"Much appreciated, Miss Twilight," Big Macintosh replied as Applejack finally released him. But he became confused when Twilight stepped closer, and stood up to hug him around his neck much like his sister had done. It wasn't undesired, but it was certainly unexpected.

Spike just stood back and shook his head, before going over to the desk where Twilight kept some of her writing supplies, and retrieved a quill and piece of parchment. He would let the others have their moment, while he laid out the basic premise of what had taken place over this evening, and giving just enough information to get Celestia and the others here; he knew that even if he spent an entire hour articulating the letter, there would still be questions getting asked, and he'd rather not explain it all a second time, regardless of the change in presented medium.

"When it comes to helping out my friends, I'd do just about anything for them," Twilight stated as she slowly let go of Big Macintosh. "Whether it's providing a place to stay, or a wither to cry on... or even letting them take a proper shower so they can stop smelling like vomit."

Despite the inner turmoil she was feeling right now, Applejack just couldn't bite back the snort that came from Twilight's deadpan delivery of that last part of the statement. With the subject matter and the way it was delivered... it was just too much for her.

"Ah guess ah do stink a bit. Sorry 'bout that, ah was in a big hurry ta get over here an' make sure ya were a'right. Didn' bother wit' making mahself presentable er nothin'," she apologized/explained.

"You still showed a lot more restraint than I would've in the matter. If it'd been me, I probably would've teleported to find you without worrying about my hygiene. That would've made for an awkward and unpleasant hug," Twilight replied and grinned awkwardly.

Despite his attention primarily focused on the letter he was writing, Spike was still listening to what was being said around him. At that last part of the exchange, he decided to put down the suggestion of waiting twenty minutes before responding, in order to give Applejack the chance to get herself cleaned up. After all, it wasn't like the twenty minutes was going to make that much of a difference in the matter. Right?

Chapter Sixty Four

Chapter Sixty Four

The first order of business for Applejack had been to gargle liberally, until she finally felt her mouth was clean, and free of that vile taste she'd been forced to tolerate for the better part of the evening.

The second order of business had been to take up Twilight's offer of the shower, and vigorously scrub at her fur with the available peach-scented bubble bath solution, until she was certain that she was properly clean this time around.

The third order of business had been to repeatedly tell herself that she wasn't going to break down over what had happened, until she was positive that what she went through, was going to have some beneficial purpose in helping Rainbow Dash get better. No matter how hard it might be to the contrary.

If she felt even half as bad as Rainbow Dash did, that poor mare must've been going through the most indescribable anguish imaginable. Right now, as the hot water washed over her, and dripped down her saturated coat, all she wanted to do was hug herself, and cry over what she'd been forced to experience.

But she couldn't do that. She had to be strong in this case, because ponies were counting on her. She had to be strong, and dependable, and resilient for the time being. She had to stay focused on what was really important right now. That was all she had to do. If she could stay focused, and task-oriented long enough, the pain she was feeling would eventually lessen, as she grew more and more numb to it. She could persevere and overcome, if she just focused.

And that brought her to the fourth order of business; getting out of the shower, getting dried off, and meeting with Celestia and Ulquiorra. They had new information that needed to be discussed, and she wasn't about to be absent for that. With that fact in mind, she stood up, shut off the shower, and proceeded to vigorously shake herself like Winona, in order to get the majority of water off of her, letting the shower curtain contain the most of it.

"Whoo doggy!" Applejack announced as she trotted out of the bathroom, looking far better than when she'd first arrived at the library. Her coat was nice and clean this time around, and freshly dried off. Save for her mane needing a brush run through it a few times, and putting her hat back on, nopony could tell anything had even happened. "Ah tell ya, Twi', that shower helped a lot. Ah feel a whole lot better now that ah'm clean."

Twilight didn't know how to immediately respond as she watched Applejack retrieve her stetson, and set it back atop her head. It seemed like such a simple statement to respond to, but for the life of her, she was simply drawing a blank on the matter. Was she really that tired or something?

"So when can we be expectin' company?"

Fortunately for her, Applejack didn't seem to notice the silence. Or if she had, she'd decided to fill it on her own. Either way, Twilight felt a bit relieved right now. And it was a nice feeling, compared to how she'd been feeling for a good part of the evening, what with her worrying about Applejack's well being.

"Probably any time now," Spike spoke up. He'd made sure to suggest waiting twenty or so minutes before showing up, in order to give Applejack time to freshen up, figuring the time would do her some good. Plus it did their noses some good too.

Applejack didn't know how to immediately respond, having expected some sort of more involved explanation than just that. But she opted to leave the matter alone, and simply sit down on her haunches to wait. A little silence wasn't really a bad thing to experience.

But it wasn't long before she felt herself growing uncomfortable with the silence and waiting, and began scanning the room for something to distract herself with. And once again, it wasn't long before her eyes actually fell on something that stuck out, and caught her interest. Or rather something that wasn't there, and its absence is what stuck out to her, as she was so accustomed to seeing it.

"Hey, Twilight, where's the case wit' the Elements o' Harmony?" she asked. The case had been resting on its pedestal for so long, it had practically become an everyday fixture of the library. But now, with her mind calmer than previously in the evening, its absence was glaring like a beacon.

Twilight nearly froze in place at the question, her mind desperately trying to formulate an answer.

In the wake of the complication that occurred earlier in the week with the Elements of Harmony, Twilight -along with Spike, doing his best to help the frantic mare- had thought long and hard on how best to hide the fact that something was very, very wrong, without simultaneously raising a significant degree of suspicion around town. And after what had seemed like many hours of contemplation, planning, and drafting various approaches to the problem at hoof, Spike had presented the idea of simply moving the entire case down into the basement, since nopony could get down there on their own.

As much as Twilight hated to admit it, she was ashamed of the fact that she hadn't thought of that simple approach herself. And besides being simple in nature, it was brilliant, as it solved a number of problems that she had predicted as being possibilities.

There was just one problem that hadn't yet been addressed. And that was the fact that she hadn't told any of her friends about everything yet. She hadn't even told them that she was going to be relocating the Elements of Harmony to the basement for safe keeping, as she feared it would bring up the reason as to why she was doing it. And she just couldn't have that. She knew that, with conscience effort on her part, she could keep the information from leaking out into the public. But she couldn't say the same about the others. Applejack was far too honest to engage in active deception, and wouldn't be able to avoid a slip of the lip if the right question was asked. Fluttershy was unlikely to speak up on the matter, but it couldn't be ruled out as a possibility. Rarity was certainly trustworthy, but when it came to gossip, she sometimes got set on autopilot and didn't always think to censor her speech. And Pinkie Pie was... well, she really didn't need to even finish that thought.

Unfortunately, in her efforts to be secretive, she hadn't really conjured up a cover story, just in case this question arose. She'd focused too much on trying not to let the information get out in the first place, and now she was floundering for an answer, after being confronted about it.

"Well we... we moved them into the basement for safe keeping. You know, just in case something happens and the shields fail," she quickly tossed out, trying not to succumb to the nervous laughter she so desperately wanted to engage in right now. "I-it's like Rainbow Dash said, about Ulquiorra possibly breaking through if he really wanted to. The shields might be able to convert kinetic energy into fuel, but we never really tested them to see just how much kinetic energy could be absorbed at one time, or how quickly it could be absorbed. So, you know, better safe than sorry!"

From where Applejack stood, something about everything seemed... she didn't want to say that it was wrong, but something was definitely not right here. Something about Twilight's entire demeanor struck her as being off. But then again, she was making observations about her surroundings, while her perspective was possibly compromised from what she'd been through. Ultimately she decided to just let it go and not worry about it. Sometimes Twilight was just Twilight, just like how Pinkie was just Pinkie.

"Tha's a perdy good point ah guess. Ain' no reason ta be takin' chances we don' need ta," she replied and shrugged. Maybe it was just plain going over her head, what with the discussion involving unicorn magic and all.

And then it was back to silence and waiting.

However the wait was thankfully short, as a flash of light from inside the room signaled the arrival Celestia. Twilight wasted no time in hurrying over to where she stood in order to greet her. And that greeting, as Applejack observed, looked like it consisted of Twilight doing her best to hug the stuffing out of Celestia.

There were a lot of things that Applejack could interpret from that simple gesture. It could be regarded as a sign that the relationship between the two was indeed mending, and returning to some semblance of what it had been before the whole changeling incident occurred. Or it could be seen as a sign that Twilight was far more stressed than she was letting on, and was seeking comfort of her own right now, from the one pony who would easily understand.

Whatever the proper answer was, however, she'd think on it later. Right now there was other matters to tend to; like helping Rainbow Dash.

"I'm so glad you could make it, Princess," Twilight stated as she disengaged from the hug.

"I came as soon as I could," Celestia replied, wishing to herself that the circumstances of the meeting had been more pleasant. In the past few weeks she had spent more time in Ponyville, than she had in the last ten years. But the majority of that time had been spent addressing one crisis or another. If things didn't start going right soon, she might actually start to think about renting a cottage to cut down on the commute. "I still don't understand why the delay though," she pointed out, curious about the meaning behind such, as the details on everything had been rather sparse.

"It's a long story, I'll explain later," Twilight replied, not wanting to get into the matter right at the moment if it could be avoided. "Where's Ulquiorra? He's coming too, right?" she asked.

"To be honest, I really don't know where Ulquiorra is at the moment. The last I saw him was on Wednesday, when he said he was going to return to Ponyville, in order to keep an eye out for anything suspicious," Celestia replied. And it was a position she really couldn't disagree with. With Rainbow Dash being safely kept under observation in one of the best hospitals in Canterlot, the Espada's talents really weren't especially needed there. They both recognized that he would be of far more use back in Ponyville, where it seemed all of the recent strange activity was centered.

Twilight felt her left eye twitch at Celestia's words. Ulquiorra had been in Ponyville for the past four days, and hadn't even stopped in so much as once to have a discussion with her? Or to check up on whether or not she'd discovered anything? That was neither friendly, nor professional in nature.

"Just wait until I get my hooves on that mana-munching monochromatic. I'm going to have a few unkind words for him about his actions. And maybe a lecture or two while we're at it," she thought to herself. But then she stopped and reconsidered her position. Hers wasn't exactly a friendly one either. And right now there were more important matters to tend to, than having a conversation with the Espada about his lessons in friendship, and his corresponding neglecting of such.

"So how do we go about findin' him? Mr. Cifer sticks out like a sore hoof an' all, but that doesn' really make 'im all that easy ta find," Applejack pointed out. And if he was up in the sky right now, then good luck actually seeing him.

"I'm fairly certain that won't be a problem, Applejack, as Ulquiorra will most likely come and find us," Celestia replied. Considering the fact that he could detect her with such ease, even over considerable distances, it stood to reason that her presence in Ponyville would be like a homing beacon to him. He knew that her duties kept her primarily confined to Canterlot, and that she wouldn't be here unless the situation demanded it. So it was just a matter of waiting.

And then there was a knock at the door.

"Who's there?" Spike asked. Normally he would've just gone to the door to open it and see for himself. But in the wake of everything that'd happened recently, he'd been trying to exercise more caution.

"The fact that Princess Celestia is currently in Ponyville instead of Canterlot, would indicate that something of significance has occurred, and needs to be discussed as soon as possible. As such, there is no time for foolish games. Now open the door," the voice on the other side of the door stated.

"Right on cue," Celestia whispered softly, and extended her magic to open the door and let Ulquiorra enter. "You're unusually cordial tonight, Ulquiorra. I half-expected that you would break down the door to get inside," she commented out loud as she shut the door behind him.

"Such an approach is entirely unnecessary, as well as physically impractical, due to the presence of the hinges securing the door to the building's frame, and preventing the door from actually falling to the floor like a felled tree," Ulquiorra replied as he stood with his hands tucked into his pockets, unamused by Princess Celestia's attempt at witty banter. Even further than that, attempting to break down the door, would leave the library compromised to attack. "How has the situation at hand developed?" he asked, deciding to cut through to the bone of the issue behind her visit.

"Uh... that'd be me," Applejack replied slowly as she raised her hoof as if she were a foal asking a teacher a question. "RD ain' the only one bein' affected by whatever's goin' on. Ah'm havin' it too..."

Twilight nodded in agreement to Applejack's statement.

"I'm pretty sure that this development means we're not dealing with a contagion of some sort. So that's got to be good news," she stated.

"That remains to be proven," Ulquiorra replied and turned his attention to Applejack. "What was your experience?"

"Well as Applejack explained it to me-" Twilight began, only for Ulquiorra to cut her off.

"The question was presented to Applejack, as it was her experience. The explanation would be more beneficial if it were based on her own recollections, rather than your interpretation of what you can presently recall, and to whatever degree of accuracy you can recall it," he pointed out, before returning his attention to Applejack. If Twilight Sparkle wished to help in the matter, then the best way to go about it would be remaining silent, and not interrupting them.

Twilight frowned. She understood that Ulquiorra favored a straight to the point approach to doing things, and most of the time she could respect that. But this was just downright rude; like rudeness for the sake of being rude. Applejack shouldn't have to go all through it again on her own. And just where did he get off, insinuating that her recollection was going to be flawed?

"It's a'right, Twi', ah got this," Applejack stated when she saw her friend preparing to get out of sorts with Ulquiorra. She meant well. But sometimes a pony had to do, what a pony had to do. And acknowledging that fact, she stepped up, and prepared to give her recollection of events that had transpired. "This is how it all went down..."

Ulquiorra listened as Applejack recounted her tale of back in the orchards. As he stood there, allowing her to proceed without interruption, he couldn't help but note the level of detail that was being recounted.

The description of the lava itself was particularly noteworthy, based on observations he'd made back in his own dimensions. Humans possessed a strange fascination with the substance, and yet it was rarely portrayed or regarded correctly. The science of convection was often ignored, as were the poisonous fumes that came from the molten rock. They even failed to understand the "rock" portion when it came to molten rock, and displayed it as a semi-viscous liquid, rather than a substance of incredible density and firmness.

Such a lack of attention to detail was absent in this case, however, as Applejack described how the dropped cages didn't simply sink into the molten rock, but rather sat atop it while the ones inside succumbed to the heat, and died rather painfully.

But that level of detail, from the smell of the sulfur, to the sensation of her fur beginning to singe from the rising heat, left them with more questions than answers. Such as how she came about possessing such knowledge in the first place.

"... And tha's the whole story, Mr. Cifer," Applejack stated, bringing her recollection of everything to an end. And she was quite thankful that it was all over. Again.

"Fascinating," Ulquiorra replied, utterly unfazed by the details he'd heard.

"It sure wasn' fascinatin' ta me when ah thought ah was straight up murderin' mah friends an' family," Applejack replied and frowned at him.

Ulquiorra briefly considered explaining to Applejack how her actions didn't qualify as murder. But then he stopped such consideration outright, when he realized that the explanation would do little good. As emotionally upset as she was right now from recounting her story, the technical differential that existed between murder, and her own actions, would be nothing more than wasted effort on his part.

Furthermore, it wasn't his place to be offering her comfort. Rather it was to investigate this matter, and respond accordingly. He would leave the comforting to those who were far more skilled in the matter.

"Perhaps not. But the level of detail experienced is of interest in this matter," he replied as he began to evaluate the matter to determine what to ask first. "The voice you heard. Was it one you recognized? Was it masculine or feminine in nature? Were there any identifiable manners of speech, that might help identify the speaker?" he asked.

Applejack shook her head in response. "Nope, 'fraid not. Ah wouln' be able ta tell ya who er wha' was talkin' ta me at the time. Ah was too upset ta be payin' much attention ta what was goin' on. Ah was tryin' not ta pay attention 'cuz o' wha' was happenin'," she explained.

It wasn't an ideal situation, but at the very least, it was understandable. Having no idea that she would be afflicted next, it made sense that Applejack would try and not focus on what she was experiencing. He couldn't really fault her, considering what it was that she'd experienced. Even if he tried, he knew nothing positive or beneficial would come of it, and may actually wind up making the matter worse.

"And yet, despite your best attempts at blocking it out, you reported recalling significant details that others would consciously block out if they had truly experienced such," Ulquiorra replied. He still had no idea just how Applejack knew what lava smelt like, or that the fumes that came from it were toxic in nature. Or that its consistency was much like solid rock. He could only assume that such knowledge had in some way come from association with Twilight Sparkle. But at the moment that wasn't important.

"This means it's not a disease we're dealing with, right?" Twilight asked, speaking up for the first time since Applejack explained her tale yet again, to bring both Celestia and Ulquiorra up to speed on her experiences. "We can eliminate that as a possibility, and instead focus on other possible explanations, right?"

The possibility of disease being the culprit had always been low. Rather than a pathogen, the greater likelihood with regard to disease was that Rainbow Dash was suffering from a neurological disorder, as it was at least plausible. But Applejack's experience seemed to undermine that plausibility a good deal.

But at the moment it was all speculation. There was still a great deal about pony physiology he simply had no understanding about. And at the moment, with him running back and forth between Canterlot and Ponyville, his allotted time for study had been drastically shortened, as he worked to keep an eye on both locations.

That was the primary reason for why he simply didn't dismiss the idea of disease entirely; a lack of coherent information. It would be foolish to dismiss the idea entirely due to a lack of relevant information to go on. But at the same time it was dangerous to succumb to target fixation; especially when the target in question was the result of questioning an obviously emotionally disturbed pegasus, who had readily admitted to slamming her head against a tree, in a misguided effort to make the audible hallucinations stop.

"At the very least, it would appear as such. The odds of Rainbow Dash and Applejack both sharing the same undetermined neurological disorder are quite low. And a contagion having the ability to inflict such symptoms is even more remote," he stated.

"Then that means we can cross it off our list, right?" Twilight asked, wanting to be sure of what he was saying.

"Theoretically. But ultimately the medical staff in Canterlot are best suited for making such a final determination, rather than ourselves. We can speculate all we want, but ultimately it would be just that; speculation. Until we receive verification on the matter, it would be premature to discount the possibility entirely," Ulquiorra explained.

But even once the medical staff in Canterlot got back to them with the results, they still faced another problem. If all tests for diseases -both infectious and otherwise- came back negative, they would lose the one theory that they could actually explore. Despite their best efforts, they were quite short on leads. They might as well pull a dictionary from the shelves, pick a word at random, and go from there as if it were a genuine lead.

"Ya know, tha' reminds me. Just wha' has been goin' on wit' RD the past few days? How come we ain' heard a thing since she bolted?" Applejack asked, glad that this conversation point had come up. She'd been worried about Rainbow Dash since the beginning, and the lack of information coming and going had done nothing to quell her fears. If anything, the drought of updates had just made things worse for her and the others, as it had caused a great deal of uncertainty, and blind speculation to take root.

Worse than that, there were rumors beginning to circulate Ponyville about Rainbow Dash's absence. And they had no way of setting any of them straight.

"I'm afraid we don't know, Applejack," Celestia said softly, speaking up for the first time since this whole ordeal had begun. "The doctors have been tight lipped about the whole matter, even to me. But I suppose that's to be expected, if they're running tests to try and determine what we might be facing."

Considering the importance of everything, Celestia really wasn't too surprised with the lack of updates. Unhappy, but not entirely surprised. They were facing what could potentially be a national crisis, and if there was the possibility of a pandemic outbreak being close to happening, then it was a matter of the utmost importance to exercise proper crisis control. That meant extensive tests for anything that could be considered a contagion, and controlling the release of information; even if the restricted release of information affected her specifically.

"Hol' up," Applejack spoke up as she turned to face Celestia. "Ya mean ta say tha' sompony's stonewallin' ya? Can't ya, like, order 'em ta tell ya how RD's doin'?"

"I could indeed do such, Applejack, but if there's no information to be had yet, then there's simply no information to be had. And royal decree won't change that fact. The field of medical science is one of intricate complication. They can't simply perform a quick scan of Rainbow Dash, and immediately determine what's wrong with her," Celestia explained. She had certainly given much thought to just such an approach. But such thoughts were tempered by experience. They weren't going to get any information any faster simply because she got impatient. And if anything, her attempting to apply increased pressure to the medical examiners might just wind up making matters worse.

"So... what's that mean? We're left with nothing to do but play the waiting game?" Spike asked them.

"It sure sounds like that," Twilight replied, sighing as she hung her head. "I'm sorry, Applejack, I thought this development was actually going to get us somewhere."

This news hit her hard, making Applejack wince, although she tried hard not to let it be too noticeable to the others. This whole time she'd been trying to tell herself that everything was going to be alright. She'd been trying to tell herself that if what she went through could help out Rainbow Dash in any way, then it would be worth it. But now it seemed like that wasn't going to be the case. Instead of Ulquiorra agreeing that they had narrowed down the fields in this matter, he still wasn't certain that it wasn't some sort of illness they were up against. Essentially he was saying that everything she went through had been for nothing, and no good was going to come from what she'd suffered through.

She wanted to cry. All Applejack wanted to do right now, was let her composure drop, and just break down, and let herself have the cry that she was so desperately craving.

But she knew that was something she couldn't do right now. She couldn't allow herself to go completely to pieces. If she did that, then there really would be no hope for her being able to help Rainbow Dash, as she'd be admitting defeat to herself. But she was going to make no such admission, as she didn't regard it as the truth. She absolutely refused to accept defeat and hopelessness as being the truth.

She couldn't recall all of the foreign words that Twilight had picked up and made use of in situations like this. But if she could remember them, and knew what their context was, she would be cursing up a storm right about now, dictating how she wasn't going to be beaten by indecisiveness in this matter.

But she'd ask for clarification later. Instead of the scowl she wanted to wear, she needed to put on a supportive smile for Twilight's benefit. Her friend was trying her hardest to be supportive, and keep things under control. But that didn't mean she didn't need help herself when experiencing a setback.

And if nothing else, it would give her something else to focus on.

"It's a'right, Twi'. All this means is tha' we gotta be a bit patient an' wait before proceeding. Ain' tha' right, Mr. Cifer?" she asked as she turned her attention away from the downtrodden unicorn, and over to the Espada.

"Essentially that's correct," Ulquiorra replied. Snap decisions were uncalled for right now. But that didn't mean they wouldn't act, once they had more relevant information. The medical examiner that had been charged with Chrysalis' autopsy, had been able to find a significant amount of information regarding the changeling's health, despite it being a completely unrelated species. If such a feat was within the realm of possibilities, then there was no reason to believe that they would be incapable of achieving the same results when it came to a pegasus, whose species' anatomy was already extensively documented, and had been going back decades.

"I know, I know. I just... thought that we were finally getting somewhere in this whole mess," Twilight groaned in response. Then slowly she lifted her head to look at Celestia. "Does Applejack have to go to Canterlot too? I promised her she could spend the night with us."

"... I don't think that will be necessary. We won't be able to learn anything new," Celestia replied and shook her head. It wasn't like taking Applejack to Canterlot for examination would make the doctors hurry any faster. Nor would any tests carried out on Applejack be done any quicker. And she highly doubted her earth pony status would amount of a significant variance that needed to be analyzed. "The primary reason for taking Rainbow Dash back to Canterlot, was to try and aid her recovery, because she didn't believe she was safe around her friends in Ponyville. But from what I've heard, I don't believe that's the case with Applejack."

"No ma'am," Applejack replied and shook her head. "Right 'bout now, the only pony ah don' think ah can trust is mahself. Ah get tha' none o' it was real, and none o' it really happened. But it was still me makin' the decision ta be pullin' those levers..."

"Based on the reported circumstances of your attack, I don't believe you had any other choice in the matter," Ulquiorra pointed out as he spoke up, bringing their attention back to him and where he stood. "According to your recollection of events, you tried to stop it. You refused to comply, you even threatened to end your own life in an effort to make it stop. You played every foreseeable strategy. The only reason you complied in the first place, was due to the threat of total loss occurring. I fail to see any other outcome being a possibility," he explained evenly.

He could understand why Applejack was upset with herself. Even if his understanding of friendship was limited in scope, that didn't mean he was completely foreign to what was at issue here. Applejack was given a series of unpleasant, and undesirable choices to make, she was forced to make them under duress, and now she was experiencing much negativity over the decisions she was forced to make against her will. What she was going through really wasn't all that different from what Rainbow Dash experienced, in believing she was raped by the others.

There was also the question of whether or not she was even in control of her own actions to begin with. For all they knew, what she had experienced, was this entity's interpretation of what actions she would have taken if given the opportunity. It couldn't even be said for certain, if the words she had even spoken were her own.

"Maybe so. But that sure doesn' make it hurt any less..." Applejack replied and sighed.

"Perhaps not. But the fact that everything occurred in the way it did, may provide us with an important clue as to just what is going on around here," Ulquiorra replied. It went without saying that those assembled would want to know what he was talking about. So he decided to not wait for the obvious to happen, before he continued in his explanation, turning his focus on the entire group, rather than any one individual. "What happened to Applejack, as well as what happened to Rainbow Dash, bear a number of differences from one another, but also a number of similarities. And one of those similarities is the presence of malice; a willful, and deliberate, desire to inflict pain and suffering on another party, and for no justifiable reason. This fact tells us much, as malice is a side effect of a sapient mind, and doesn't exist in the animal kingdom."

"Ah'm sorry, but how exactly does this tell us anything about wha' happened?" Applejack asked, wondering why the Espada couldn't talk in simple terms.

"What it tells us, Applejack, is that we're dealing with someone instead of something," Twilight stated as she turned to face her friend. "What it tells us, is that somebody went out of their way to do this to you and Rainbow Dash. And if there's somebody involved, that means there's an ass that we can kick!" she continued and slammed her right hoof against the floor to emphasize the point.

Now Twilight was talking in terms that Applejack could not only understand, but also relate to. What she was saying was making a great deal of sense. If what they were dealing with was a who, then that meant they could deal with this. They could find out just who it was that was messing with them, and then they could stomp the manure out of the ornery sidewinder like he or she so richly deserved!

"Now isn't the time to get carried away. Simply because we've recognized evidence of a sapient mind being at work, doesn't mean we're any closer to identifying the responsible party or parties," Ulquiorra pointed out. He could certainly understand Twilight Sparkle's sentiment on the situation. The prospect of facing off against an opponent of a physical nature was far more appealing, as it meant much greater odds of achieving success

But sentiment could only go so far. Simply because they were facing an opponent who potentially had a physical nature, didn't mean they were any closer to actually achieving success.

Twilight sighed in response, feeling resentment for Ulquiorra's efforts at trying to deflate their excitement. She understood the need to stay grounded in reality. But was it asking too much to let them have a brief moment of enthusiasm?

"Note to self: further discussion with Ulquiorra pertaining to the intricacies of friendship is definitely warranted," she thought, trying to resist the urge to pinch her muzzle in frustration. "I'm aware of that fact, Ulquiorra, but I disagree. If there's malice involved, meaning a sapient mind is at work, that means we can actually eliminate a good number of possibilities. If we're dealing with something that's sapient, and thus self aware, then it stands to reason that it's not something naturally occurring. Thorough or not, we can at least conclude for ourselves that it wasn't a virus, or some other contagion that's responsible for what Rainbow Dash and Applejack went through, right?" she asked.

"Not at present," Ulquiorra responded, paying no attention as the lavender unicorn's frown deepening frown. "Simply because malice is present, that doesn't mean a contagion isn't in play. It may simply mean one was utilized, instead of being directly responsible."

"Ulquiorra," Celestia began softly as she spoke up, "I know that you're referring to something specific, but I'm having trouble following just what you're saying. Can you elaborate a little better?" she asked.

"In simpler terms, what I'm referring to would be considered biological warfare. Weaponizing illness for the purpose of inflicting harm on another party," Ulquiorra replied. It came as no surprise that they would have trouble following the concept. "When it was suggested that a biological agent was behind Rainbow Dash's affliction, it only partially dealt with the possibility of the biological agent being responsible. The other possibility was that whatever we're facing, may have found a way to engineer a virus in a manner that would allow for a subversive attack against those that hold the Elements of Harmony. An attack that, under normal circumstances, none of us would have reason to suspect."

"So yer thinkin' someone out there gave me an' RD somethin' like a cold ta make us see things that ain' real?" Applejack asked him.

"That... that..." Twilight began to say, but found it difficult to actually get the words out in response to Ulquiorra's theory. But undeterred, she pressed on to express what she was feeling right now. "That's the dumbest thing I've heard yet! Are you just pulling this stuff out of your ass or what!?"

Ulquiorra was... well he was momentarily caught off guard by Twilight Sparkle's sudden outburst. That wasn't the response he'd anticipated getting from her with regard to his theory. It went without saying that she disagreed with his position. But the question was why.

"Huh?" Spike asked, surprised by the sudden outburst.

"Do you have any idea just how impractical the use of a virus is? Do you!? It's not like Equestria is crawling with ten million different infectious diseases, just waiting to be picked through for sinister purposes. There are no filing cabinets filled with illnesses, you know! And ponies do have immune systems, you know? What good does a viral infection do over the long term? The pony body is constantly analyzing infection, and developing antibodies, and immunities to combat it, making it only a matter of time before the effectiveness is rendered moot. And once that's gone, the method of attack is destroyed too. That's even assuming they get sick to begin with. It's not like we're all just walking around, completely vulnerable to the germs floating about in the air. Just because we're exposed to something, that doesn't mean we're automatically going to get sick from it. I can't tell you the number of times I've been around other ponies that were sick, and I didn't catch what they had."

Ulquiorra listened, silent and unblinking, as Twilight Sparkle unleashed a verbal assault against him. The number of points being raised was significant. And the number of points being made that were correct was equally significant. Biological warfare was... tricky to engage in properly. And based upon what he'd seen of the medical technology this world had access to, engineering a run of the mill virus into a trojan horse seemed implausible at best. Even allowing for the catchall excuse of "magic" as a possibility to explain how something otherwise impossible could be made possible, it still seemed far fetched even to him.

"And then there's the intent of whoever is screwing with us to begin with! If whoever's responsible is simply intent on torturing us, rather than killing us, that idea becomes even dumber when you stop to take into consideration just how risky using a virus is! It would require a virus that doesn't have the ability to kill a pony from health complications, while at the same time being something we somehow don't have an immunity to. And if this enemy is going to go through all the trouble of orchestrating something like that, just to get to us, and mind fuck us for sick kicks, why not just go the obviously simpler route, and utilize a virus that's extremely fatal, and take us out right away? It doesn't make the least bit of sense! If whoever's behind this is going to go through all the trouble of something like what you're suggesting, why settle on toying with us like a cat with a mouse would? If this thing seriously has the ability to kill us without any of us noticing, then why doesn't it just do it already? To deliberately leave us alive is just seriously one of the stupidest strategies out there!"

Ulquiorra continued to maintain his silence as he listened. Observing the others in the room, both Spike and Applejack were looking on with their mouths hanging open in surprise. Although there had been disagreements in the past, they had possessed at least some measure of professionalism. But in this case, the response he was getting was far more brutal, and lacked decorum. It was almost like she'd interpreted his theory as a personal attack; almost like he'd gone out of his way to insult science itself.

Princess Celestia was the only other one who seemed unfazed by Twilight Sparkle laying out exactly why the presented theory was preposterous, and doing an excellent job of such in the process. Perhaps she had witnessed this before, and knew from experience that the only way to calm Twilight Sparkle down, was to allow her to exhaust herself through her own exertions.

The way she was carrying on, he'd fully expected to see her angrily jumping on all four of her hooves. She was just that livid in her expressiveness.

"And while we're on that topic, how come Applejack and Rainbow Dash don't have any symptoms that would be indicative of a viral infection? There's been no sign of fever, cough, sore throat, joint aches, vomiting, or anything else along those lines. How could it possibly be viral if there are no symptoms?" Twilight asked as she continued on her rant as to why Ulquiorra was wrong in his theory.

"Uh, Twilight? Ah was pukin' afterwards, remember?" Applejack pointed out.

"That's beside the point, Applejack," Twilight stated as she interrupted her position in order to turn her attention to her friend. "Your emetic episode was due to what you were put through. Anypony would've reacted in the same way, I'm sure of that. But that's not indicative of a virus. Not on its own anyway," she explained, before turning back to Ulquiorra, and preparing to tear into his theory once again.

"All excellent points, Twilight Sparkle."

Unfortunately she never got that opportunity, as he cut her off while she was in the process of taking a breath. That one single sentence had been enough to catch her off guard, and diffuse her entire explanation. That left her with little option but to blink in confusion.

"Say... what now?" she asked as she tilted her head to the side, unable to think of how else to respond.

"You raise a number of excellent points, as to why biological warfare would be an unlikely explanation to what has occurred. But unlikely doesn't mean impossible. And until we can actually verify that there's no evidence to support it, it continues to remain a possibility," Ulquiorra explained, making the mental note to take the time later on, and explain to Twilight Sparkle the concept of biological warfare from his dimension, in much greater depth of detail than he had time for now.

"Well if tha's the case then maybe ah shouldn' stay here tonight. Ah don' wanna be gettin' Twilight sick," Applejack stated.

"It doesn't work that way, Applejack," Spike spoke up and shook his head. "You going away wouldn't do any good. If it's something in the air, it's just a matter of time before all of Ponyville's been exposed. If it hasn't been already, and we're just finding out about it now."

"Spike's right," Twilight replied and nodded. She still found the idea of a virus to be ridiculous. But even if Ulquiorra was right, that was still no reason to just panic, and toss Applejack out on her flanks, as if the act could possibly prevent contamination and infection. Only an idiot would believe something like that. Not that Applejack was an idiot, that is. She was just confused, and scared, and in need of a little stability. "We already said you could stay over, we're not about to kick you out. Not tonight, and certainly not tomorrow," she stated as she approached, before pulling Applejack into yet another hug.

Celestia said nothing as she watched the interactions of the two. It was safe to say that with friends like Twilight and Spike around, Applejack was certainly in good hooves right now. But just as she thought that, another thought occurred to her. And hoping for clarification, she turned to Ulquiorra.

"Ulquiorra, there's something about this whole incident that just strikes me as... odd," she began, trying to figure out just how to phrase everything. "What Rainbow Dash and Applejack both went through something that was quite similar to one another. But I honestly can't help but notice some striking differences. And I don't know if it's significant or not."

"Such as?" Ulquiorra asked as he turned his attention to her and away from the others. This conversation had far greater potential for being interesting, than the physical contact shared by the others.

"Well for starters, Rainbow Dash insisted that she was physically restrained, and unable to do anything to resist what happened to her. But Applejack shared no such recollection of events. She wasn't physically bound in any manner. And even though it didn't pan out, she at least made every effort to try and resist what she was being put through. And then there's the matter of how they each responded to their encounters. Rainbow Dash's experiences left her broken, literally broken, unable to trust her friends, and unable to tell what's real, and what isn't. But with Applejack that's not the case. She wasn't as traumatized as Rainbow Dash was. Or at the very least she doesn't appear to be. Do you believe there's some significance to this inconsistency in their experiences?" Celestia asked, doing her best to lay out the mystery of it all.

Ulquiorra thought on the question for the moment, before deciding to speak up.

"It's impossible to say for certain why the two had different experiences, and different reactions to such. The rest of the night could be spent speculating a number of possibilities, including how this apparent inconsistency could've been deliberate, and indicative of not only malice, but also sadism," he explained.

If he had been feeling particularly talkative, he would've gone into detail on the matter, laying out the key differences between the two instances. Rainbow Dash had experienced the equivalent of three days, being bound and helpless to resist what the others had done to her. However Applejack hadn't been bound, and had been allowed to refuse compliance with the demands made of her, even refusing to end her own life in response. Even more interesting was how she only relented once her siblings had been introduced as a bargaining chip to force her compliance on the matter.

As to how they had each responded to their episodes, that could lead to even more speculation. He had no idea why Rainbow Dash had responded so much worse than Applejack. But then again he had seen Rainbow Dash earlier on compared to Applejack. For all he knew she had been hysterical as well, and had simply calmed down before his arrival. Or perhaps her mental strength was simply that much greater compared to Rainbow Dash.

"But I don't believe anything beneficial would be achieved through speculative theory right now. At this hour of night, mental clarity is diminished, especially in light of what's occurred. It would be far more productive to wait until morning to engage in such a discussion," he concluded.

He was aware that his decision to withhold elaboration could have unintended consequences, possibly depriving the others of sleep as their minds attempted to wrestle with the unknown. But he was equally aware that going into elaborate detail on speculation could have the same result. Either way there was no right answer under these circumstances.

Celestia was left with an unfulfilled sensation at Ulquiorra's words. After all her interactions with the Espada, she'd come to expect an extensive amount of speculative discussion, and thought provoking observations that could only be achieved from his unique perspective. And instead of that, he was basically telling her to wait until morning. Was he teasing her? Or did he actually have concern for the others? She couldn't tell one way or the other with him and his eternal poker face.

But he certainly had a good point in his position. Late night conversations about deep topics rarely panned out; especially if Luna was too busy to set up another dream meeting for all of them. Perhaps it really would be best to just wait until morning.

"I can see the logic in that," Twilight replied, before turning to Applejack. "Is that alright with you? If we wait?"

"Ah reckon ah'm gonna have enough nightmares tonight as is. Ah don't really need ta be turnin' in with anymore dark thoughts ta be contemplatin' right now," Applejack replied. As much as Ulquiorra had gotten her curiosity going, she knew that sometimes it was just better to wait. Not everything had to happen at once. And it was unlikely that Rainbow Dash would be getting anymore help tonight, than she was this afternoon, regardless of what they uncovered here.

"Then it would seem business is concluded for this evening," Ulquiorra replied.

"Not just yet," Twilight quickly spoke up. She didn't want him disappearing just like that. Not yet anyway. "Before you go... wherever it is you're going, Ulquiorra, I've still got a few questions I'd like to ask. Like how come we never saw you during the last few days when you were in Ponyville?"

"Performing my standard duties of ensuring no threats are present. A duty that can't be performed at the library at all times," Ulquiorra replied. As fascinating as the Golden Oaks Library had the potential to be, and as much information as the shelves contained, there were simply things that had to be done outside.

...

Why did that thought sound so much like an anti-obesity advertisement?

Never mind. It wasn't important right now.

"Based on your question, I can only assume you haven't had any recent contact with the others who bear the Elements of Harmony. Otherwise you would have been aware of my presence. Fluttershy could have told you two days ago that I was present," he explained.

"Fluttershy?" Spike asked.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied as he turned to him. "She lives closest to the Everfree Forest, second only to Applejack. She has claimed that she would instruct her animals to be on alert for anything out of the ordinary. Despite my initial doubts about the validity of her claim, I still stopped by to see if any information had been gathered. But so far there has been nothing useful to report."

Twilight frowned, realizing that this lack of information was her own fault. In all her efforts to maintain secrecy over the Elements of Harmony, she'd wound up stifling the inflow of relevant information right alongside the outflow. That certainly wasn't good, as she had no idea what else she'd wound up missing out on the past few days.

Instead of having that long conversation with Ulquiorra later, perhaps she should have a long conversation with herself instead. Maybe reference a few old friendship reports to help remind her about not losing sight of what was important. If she was letting her fears keep her from interacting with her friends -and subsequently missing out on what could potentially be vital information- then perhaps a refresher course really was necessary.

"If there's no new business to discuss this evening, I plan to investigate Sweet Apple Acres itself. This time we know the location of the incident, and any potential evidence there is to be found," Ulquiorra stated. He would be far more use out and about, rather than standing around here.

"I've still got that UV lantern in the basement if you'd like to take it along. It's starting to get dark out," Twilight pointed out.

"That won't be necessary. One of the benefits of being a Hollow, is having a greatly enhanced degree of night vision. Whether in brightest day, or blackest night, it makes little difference," Ulquiorra explained. The lantern had chiefly been for the purpose of debunking Rainbow Dash's claims, by easing the search for forensic evidence. But it would be of little use as he searched Sweet Apple Acres, as Applejack was making no accusations of wrongdoing about anyone but herself. There would be no traces of blood, no particulates of bodily tissue, and no signs of lava anywhere to be found.

But perhaps, just perhaps, he would be able to pick up traces of a foreign reiatsu, that had absolutely no business being there, and it would lead him to something substantial if he just followed the trail.

It was unlikely at best. But at the moment, it was all he had to go on.

"Before you go, Ulquiorra, there's just one more thing I'd like to bring up," Twilight spoke up. And once she saw that she had his attention, she continued. "I've been thinking about everything, and I've come to a conclusion. When we tried to get in touch with you, we had to send a letter to Celestia, and wait for her to bring you up to speed about what the note said. But if you're going to be in Ponyville, that won't exactly work out. We can't just have Celestia running off to us anytime something happens, there's just no time for it," she explained.

"So wha' ya got in mind fer that, Twilight?" Applejack asked. She knew what Twilight was saying about the rigamarole of having to track down Ulquiorra, but had no idea what she was proposing as a solution.

"Well originally the spell on Spike's fire was limited to Celestia herself. Then when we befriended Luna, we split the spell to deliver letters to her as well. And then we split it again when Shining Armor and Cadance took over guiding the Crystal Kingdom full time. By default everything goes to Celestia, unless Spike consciously redirects it to another recipient. So the idea I have, is that we split the spell again, and include Ulquiorra in the lineup," Twilight explained to Applejack, before turning back to face Ulquiorra where he stood. "The spell would only be one way, seeing as you don't have magic for sending any correspondence. But if we needed to get in touch with you immediately, we'd have the option available to us," she pointed out.

He could see the validity of Twilight Sparkle's point. The only reason he had known to show up tonight was due to the fact he'd detected Princess Celestia's immense reiatsu entering the area. And he knew that such a development wouldn't occur for a purely social visit. So he'd more or less hotfooted it over here to see what had been occurring. But if it wasn't for those above facts, he would still be involved in a lengthy discussion with the ponies Bon Bon and Lyra Heartstrings, whose ankle was still in the process of properly healing from being sprained.

"A wise thought," he replied. If something bad were to happen, something that his pesquisa couldn't immediately detect, advanced warning would be a necessity.

Spike tried not to groan in response. He could see what they were saying and all. But still, they weren't the ones who actually had to send and receive messages via the fire messenger system. They weren't the ones who had to put up with the indigestion that went along with a high volume of enchanted flames. And they weren't the ones that had to experience the pain that was involved the destination division process, that only Celestia could effectively carry out.

But he understood that there weren't any other alternatives. And it was their lives they were sort of talking about. So in the end a little indigestion and temporary pain were minor inconveniences if it meant contributing to the overall safety of Equestria.

Regardless of that fact, however, this was still going to suck.

Author's Note

And now it's time for a deleted scene. This was an issue that's been coming up for a while now, and I really wanted to address it in the story. But after a great deal of thought, it just seemed to distract too much from the overall flow of the story. But rather than discard it entirely, I've moved the explanation to here for bonus reading purposes.

Deleted/extended scene

"And while we're on that topic, how come Applejack and Rainbow Dash don't have any symptoms that would be indicative of a viral infection? There's been no sign of fever, cough, sore throat, joint aches, vomiting, or anything else along those lines. How could it possibly be viral if there are no symptoms?" Twilight asked as she continued on her rant as to why Ulquiorra was wrong in his theory.

"Uh, Twilight? Ah was pukin' afterwards, remember?" Applejack pointed out.

"That's beside the point, Applejack," Twilight stated as she interrupted her position in order to turn her attention to her friend. "Your emetic episode was due to what you were put through. Anypony would've reacted in the same way, I'm sure of that. But that's not indicative of a virus. Not on its own anyway," she explained, before turning back to Ulquiorra, and preparing to tear into his theory once again.

"All excellent points, Twilight Sparkle."

Unfortunately she never got that opportunity, as he cut her off while she was in the process of taking a breath. That one single sentence had been enough to catch her off guard, and diffuse her entire explanation. That left her with little option but to blink in confusion.

"Say... what now?" she asked as she tilted her head to the side, unable to think of how else to respond.

"You raise a number of excellent points, as to why biological warfare would be an unlikely explanation to what has occurred. But unlikely doesn't mean impossible. And until we can actually verify that there's no evidence to support it, it continues to remain a possibility," Ulquiorra explained, making the mental note to take the time later on, and explain to Twilight Sparkle the concept of biological warfare from his dimension, in much greater depth of detail than he had time for now.

"Well if tha's the case then maybe ah shouldn' stay here tonight. Ah don' wanna be gettin' Twilight sick," Applejack stated.

"It doesn't work that way, Applejack," Spike spoke up and shook his head. "You going away wouldn't do any good. If it's something in the air, it's just a matter of time before all of Ponyville's been exposed. If it hasn't been already, and we're just finding out about it now."

"Spike's right," Twilight replied and nodded. She still found the idea of a virus to be ridiculous. But even if Ulquiorra was right, that was still no reason to just panic, and toss Applejack out on her flanks, as if the act could possibly prevent contamination and infection. Only an idiot would believe something like that. Not that Applejack was an idiot, that is. She was just confused, and scared, and in need of a little stability. "We already said you could stay over, we're not about to kick you out. Not tonight, and certainly not tomorrow," she stated as she approached, before pulling Applejack into yet another hug.

"And now another mystery in need of being addressed," Ulquiorra spoke up from where he stood.

Spike groaned, and he groaned loud. Those were the exact words Ulquiorra had said over at the Carousel Boutique, when they were trying to deal with Rainbow Dash. And every single time Ulquiorra spoke up about there being another mystery, something was almost always going bad. He was almost terrified to find out just what this mystery was.

"And just what might that be?" Celestia asked from where she stood, wanting to know what had piqued the Espada's curiosity.

"Back in the dimension I came from, ponies, and other species of the equine genus, are incapable of vomiting. The build of their physical structure renders this act an almost impossibility. Yet the same doesn't seem to apply here in this dimension. And as many times as it's been encountered so far, I believe it's an inconsistency that warrants addressing," Ulquiorra explained.

The other four looked at each other, confused by Ulquiorra's words. That was the mystery he'd mentioned? The one that had gotten them all excited, and left them feeling a sense of anxiousness over what might've been said next? And this was what he'd gone with?

"That's it?" Twilight asked, not entirely believing it herself. "I'll admit, that's certainly a very interesting physical difference. But when you said something about a mystery, I thought it had to deal with this whole strange concept of viral warfare, not... emetic vulnerability," she admitted.

Spike said nothing. Having sat through this sort of performance once before, he was the least affected by the seeming randomness of it all. Granted he'd still been taken by surprise, but not as much as the others. After having witnessed for himself how Ulquiorra had distracted Rainbow Dash with the discussion of lanterns, it was a little hard to truly be surprised by this line of questioning.

"So you're saying that, back in the dimension where you come from, ponies can't... be sick?" Twilight asked him curiously.

"Under normal circumstances, no. The only exceptions are when a life-threatening condition has developed," Ulquiorra replied, simplifying the explanation. If he went into full detail, they'd never get anywhere. And truthfully, he didn't have all the details himself.

"Well as I said, that's certainly a very interesting physical difference," Twilight replied, growing more interested in the topic. "I remember when you talked about some of the differences between our two worlds, like there being no magic, and the ponies in the human world not possessing sapience. That in itself could fill days worth of discussion, if not months," she admitted.

The idea of there being a world with ponies that were neither the dominant species, nor even in possession of true sapience, was a disturbing -and simultaneously amazing- thought to give consideration to. It was everything that they weren't. She... she really wasn't sure how much thought she wanted to give to that idea. The thought of being one of those types of ponies, instead of what she was, was uncomfortable right now. She couldn't really imagine being herself, yet without her magic, and the ability to reason. Worse yet, not even being able to read. That in itself was horrifying.

"Back to the original question. Why... why the difference in the digestive system setup," she continued, deciding to opt for less graphic details for description. "I don't have any theories that would explain it, other than different evolutionary courses on which we were each sent, determined by environmental conditions of our respective worlds and dimensions. I mean, just because we look like the ponies in the human world, that doesn't necessarily mean we're genetically similar. After all, you once explained that the ponies in the human world don't have vibrant coat colors like our own. It only makes sense that there would be significant differences between us. But speaking purely from my own personal outlook, it sounds pretty terrible really. Granted, taken at face value, some ponies could see this as a bonus. But when you stop, and actually consider all of the little details that are involved with such, it's actually a horrible evolutionary trait to have," she stated.

"Now how do ya see tha', Twi'?" Applejack asked, confused by what she was saying.

"Well just think about it for a minute, Applejack. If somepony unknowingly eats something that's bad for them, say, a badly expired piece of produce, not being able to... get rid of it, could have serious health complications. I mean, being able to go on a roller coaster ride at the amusement parks in larger cities, and not throwing up on the other riders, that would be a benefit. But not if dying from consuming something caustic is the price paid for such," Twilight explained.

"A'right, ya make a perdy good point. Even though it might be perdy useful whenever tha' danged stomach flu is makin' its rounds," Applejack replied.

From where he stood, Spike frowned. This was, hands -and hooves- down, the grossest discussion he'd ever been present for.

Chapter Sixty Five

Chapter Sixty Five

"Ulquiorra? Do you have a moment before you leave?"

With the spell effectively split to include himself -a fact that had been proven by a test scroll being incinerated by Spike's flame breath, only to instantly rematerialize right in front of him- they had all concluded that the best course of action available was to call it a night, go their separate ways, and reunite in the morning for the discussion of various theories related to everything that had happened today.

After exiting the library he had prepared to travel to Sweet Apple Acres, and spend the better part of the night in the orchards, looking for whatever clues could be found. But he had been stopped upon Princess Celestia speaking up, and asking him for his time. Slowly, he turned to face her where she stood, waiting to see what she had to say to him.

"I can't help but be curious about cutting the discussion short tonight. Normally you have no problem going into detail about various matters, even if they're truly disturbing in nature. But this just seems... out of character, and it caught me off guard," she explained. "I don't mean to pry, as I'm sure you have good reason for such. But... was it really because Twilight and the others were getting tired, and wouldn't be able to properly understand what they would be told? Or... was it because the subject matter is more disturbing than usual?" she asked.

After giving a monetary pause, Ulquiorra responded.

"To an extent it's both. Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Spike, were all beginning to show the preliminary signs of fatigue, indicating the onset of exhaustion; both of the physical, and the mental variety. Regardless of how well I could explain the situation, it would do little good if they're fully unable to properly comprehend what they have to hear. And what they have to hear has the potential to be significant," he explained.

"If you don't mind the inquiry, I'd like to know what that matter might actually be," Celestia stated. She knew she could compel him to explain himself. But she wasn't entirely certain that was the best course of action to take; at least not at this point in time.

But Ulquiorra was so far saying nothing. He was just glancing from side to side, before looking up toward the sky. At first she didn't get what he meant, until she stopped and thought about it, and then it dawned her. With a nod of understanding, she extended her wings outward and gave a strong downward flap, lifting herself up off the ground as she ascended up into the air, until she was high above Ponyville.

Ulquiorra's ascension was far simpler than her own, making him look as if he'd simply taken an elevator, as he merely stood in place with his hands tucked into his pockets, as he came up to eye level with her.

"I trust this is far enough to avoid any prying ears?" she asked him.

"Far enough that even I wouldn't be able to hear the conversation from ground level," Ulquiorra replied. He knew that this exchange could've easily been done through the mind, just as it had been done once before. But it was a technique he didn't particularly care for. "When I reported that Fluttershy's animals had no useful information, it was accurate. But that didn't mean there was no information whatsoever to be shared. According to Fluttershy, her animal charges are reporting a greater deal of agitation than usual, even after factoring in, and allowing for, the warmer weather of the summer season. According to Fluttershy, they're aware that something isn't right, but they're unable to articulate just what that something is. On top of this, there is a growing sense of fear regarding the close proximity of the Everfree Forest. Her charges are reluctant to set foot anywhere near it, with some even expressing a desire to move closer to Ponyville, for a greater measure of distance being afforded to them."

To him it was a most unusual meeting that had been experienced. Despite lacking even a basic level of sapience, the animals in Fluttershy's care had managed to convey to her a sense of fear and agitation, and it had absolutely nothing to do with his presence. Perhaps the most striking aspect of it all, was how a number of her furry charges had failed to flee from his presence when he'd arrived. It was almost like they'd become aware of something significantly more terrifying than himself.

But that left him with a question he had no answer for. Just what was scaring the animals worse than even himself, that they were aware of, yet he himself couldn't detect? Who or what exactly was out there right now? And precisely where was it?

That was another reason he didn't want to have this conversation on the ground level; it was far too easy to be observed from down there, and potentially sensitive information being leaked to the wrong parties. But a mile above the ground was significantly harder to eavesdrop on.

"I'll admit, that does have a somewhat disturbing element about it. But was it truly disturbing enough, to the point that the information had to be kept from Twilight and her friends for the night?" Celestia asked as she gently beat her wings to maintain her current altitude.

"I can't say for certain, but I believed it best to err on the side of caution for the time being. If they were to engage in random, unguided speculation fueled by fear, fatigue, and caffeine, they could eventually reach the conclusion that there's something far worse in this world than myself. And if they arrive at that conclusion, there's no telling what the end results would be," Ulquiorra explained. He could've elaborated further on how there wasn't sufficient time to spend the night serving as a babysitter to two hysterical ponies, and one hysterical dragon, who had concluded that he was no longer the top predator in their world. But ultimately he decided against such, as, if it should become necessary to do just that, then he would do it.

But he would prefer not going down that particular path if it could be avoided. Not yet anyway.

"Point taken," Celestia acknowledged. The depths of Ulquiorra's true nature were terrifying for her to experience the first time around. And the idea of there being something even worse than him in this world to consider, was definitely not a thought she wanted to consider. She really didn't want to think about what could be worse than him, after seeing what she had about him. That was all too disturbing to even think about. "What about the sadism angle you mentioned earlier? What was that about?" she asked, hoping to change the subject to something slightly less disturbing.

"Little more than pure speculation regarding what Applejack went through, compared to what Rainbow Dash reported experiencing. But going by what they both experienced would certainly suggest a sadistic mindset is in play. It might even suggest that these attacks were deliberately planned out, to the point of being specifically tailored towards each of their personalities, in an effort to generate the most pain and suffering from each of them," Ulquiorra replied. He already knew that there were going to be questions as to what he meant in his explanation, so he chose to cut her off at the pass.

"Rainbow Dash sees herself as a strong, independent, capable mare who can handle her own problems without the help of others, while simultaneously being loyal to those she associates with, even if their own loyalty is questionable. Her attack consisted of being bound and rendered completely helpless, while those she considered her friends maintained total situational control, deliberately chose to victimize, and brutalize her, greatly compromising her sense of loyalty in the process, and leaving her unable to trust the others. In Applejack's case, she sees herself as a dependable pony that others can count on when in need, and who maintains a great deal of personal integrity about what she believes. She was -presumably- left free to move about, able to object to what she was put through, and only relenting once she was forced to do so under significant duress. She was lead to believe that the choices made were her own, rather than a symptom of her mind being manipulated like it was a marionette. And by her own admission, her own view of herself has now been compromised, leaving her uncertain if she's truly as dependable as she first thought."

He paused in his detailed explanation of everything in order to better observe Princess Celestia's reaction. At the moment she appeared to simply be paying attention, and contemplating what he'd been saying. There was no sense overloading her mind with endless amounts of details in a short amount of time, as he may end up needing her assistance in the near future.

"There are a number of possible theories and options available to us. But at the moment, I believe it's fairly safe to conclude that this wasn't the act of some random stranger, but rather someone with an intimate working knowledge of their personalities. Someone who possesses a familiarity with the character attributes that makes them who they are. Someone who could exploit this knowledge in an effort to inflict the most harm possible, by directly targeting their weaknesses," he continued.

"My word!" Celestia gasped and brought her hoof up to her mouth in shock. These were details she hadn't considered before. And a part of her was really wishing that it had stayed that way. She was really starting to wish that she'd just let him go onto Sweet Apple Acres, rather than stopping him for questioning. "Who... who could be responsible for such?" she asked, morbid curiosity reaching the point where she really didn't think she could stop even if she wanted to.

"At present time I don't know the answer. whoever it is, we know that it has to be someone of considerable strength and talent, to be able to attack them directly, while still eluding my detection. And we can safely conclude the one responsible is an enemy to Equestria; that much goes without saying. But that leaves us with the question of whom is the one responsible, as it would have to be someone that's cropped up as recently as three years ago, when they became the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. And the number of significant villains available to us to choose from is incredibly limited. Nightmare Moon, dead. Chrysalis, dead. Sombra, dead. Leaving us with-"

"Discord..." Celestia replied in a hushed tone, sounding as if she'd been out of breath when she spoke. "You... you believe that Discord is responsible for all of this?" she asked him.

Much to Ulquiorra's surprise, there was a very intense... desire... within him to answer the question in the affirmative. There was a part of him that wanted to say yes, that he suspected Discord of being responsible for everything that had happened up to this point. A strong and unexplainable desire to lay blame squarely at the mismatched feet of the draconequus. In all of his research, Discord was the only being that possessed the means, motive, opportunity, and capability to launch such an attack. It wouldn't even be a stretch to imagine such, seeing as he'd already altered their minds once before, when he forced their negative personality traits to the surface the first time around.

There was only one shortcoming with that theory. And that was his own presence here. If Discord was truly behind these attacks, then why had he brought him here in the first place? What was the endgame goal of it all? Had Discord brought him to this world, simply so he could go up against an intellectual to make things more interesting to him? Was he here so he could play the Sherlock Holmes to Discord's Moriarty? Did even Discord know what he himself was doing at this point?

And if it was Discord, what did he have to do with what Fluttershy's animals were sensing from the Everfree Forest? What was the connection between the two?

The uncertainty of these, and many other questions, was enough to give even him a headache. And it was beginning to throb underneath the remains of his Hollow mask.

"As I said, it is mere speculation. The evidence would certainly suggest his involvement, and give reason for his unexplained absence. But it's purely circumstantial in nature, and inconclusive. We have a theory, and we have facts. But unless we proceed with caution, we may wind up twisting what few facts we have, in order to suit our theory, rather than adjusting our theory to suit the facts that we have. If we allow ourselves to become impatient, we'll end up looking for a scapegoat to assign the blame, and allow ourselves to become distracted. At the moment all we can do is exercise situational awareness of our surroundings, and continue to handle matters as best we can, if we're to have any hope of helping the others," he explained. For the time being he wouldn't pursue the matter of Discord being the one responsible for everything that had happened up to this point.

Not unless he could actually find evidence that was more concrete, and more properly able to tie him to what had been going on.

"I should've just kept my questions to myself," Celestia mumbled as she pinched the bridge of her muzzle with her front hooves. She could understand just why Ulquiorra didn't elaborate on this matter inside the library. "So come tomorrow, just what exactly do we tell them?" she asked as she looked back up at him. Surely he wouldn't be unloading all of this on them... would he?

"What we tell them tomorrow, will be contingent upon what questions they choose to ask, and whatever I might find at Sweet Apple Acres tonight," Ulquiorra explained. He understood the need to safeguard certain sensitive information from general dissemination. But at the same time, he wasn't entirely willing to leave the others in the dark. The only reason he'd done so at the moment, was due to recognizing the potential for misinterpretation.

"And what is it you hope to uncover in your investigation?" Celestia asked.

"Maintaining the optimistic belief that things will work out in a positive manner, is not something that I engage in. I do not waste time hoping for the desired outcome to occur," Ulquiorra explained. And then a pause. "But if I were to engage in such a practice, then I would hope to uncover something that would point to a party other than Discord being involved. Some trace of foreign reiatsu amongst the apple trees, that could potentially help us identify who we're facing. Some shred of evidence that would help lead us to who is responsible, and where they can be found," he admitted. Simply because he chose not to actively engage in a useless exercise, didn't mean he couldn't theorize about what might happen if he ever were to engage in such, unlikely as it might be.

"Are there any other matters to cover? Or has this discussion concluded for the evening?" he asked pointedly. The longer they remained here, with her questioning him, and him making her squirm in response with disturbing answers and theories, the less chance they had of uncovering anything on this night. If there were any clues to be discovered, it was entirely possible that a trail also existed. Where that potential trail would take him, he didn't yet know. But he would find the answer to that question, when he found the evidence to support its existence.

"No, no. I think that I've heard more than enough for one evening. Had I known just where this conversation would lead, I never would've asked," Celestia shook her head and groaned. She really should've just let Ulquiorra proceed as he'd intended, rather than prying on this matter. "You've given me far more to think about than I ever wanted to; including the possibility that none of this would've occurred, if I'd just left Discord imprisoned in stone, rather than believing he could be reformed," she stated.

"I merely answered the questions that were presented to me, nothing more," Ulquiorra replied, unfazed by the possibility that he was being blamed for anything. If Princess Celestia didn't wish to know such details, then she shouldn't have asked for them in the first place. It was entirely her own fault in this case. "Regardless of who is to blame, it changes nothing. We all have our parts to play in this game, if that's what this is. And if this is truly a game of Discord's that's currently afoot, then he has erred grievously when he assigned you your playing pieces."

With nothing left to say, and no real urge to elaborate further on what was said, Ulquiorra took his leave in a flash of sonido, rather than waiting to be dismissed. He'd already wasted two minutes with pointless conversation. He really didn't feel like spending anymore time talking, when there were potentially clues to uncover at Sweet Apple Acres.

Celestia blinked in confusion at Ulquiorra's sudden abruptness of departure. She had... almost expected the Espada to berate her over the possibility that it was she who had set everything into motion, by extending some measure of trust to Discord in believing that he could be reformed from his wicked, utterly chaotic ways. But he hadn't done such. He had ignored the opportunity outright, and simply chosen to depart of his own volition.

There were a lot of uncertainties buzzing about her mind right now as well. This wasn't exactly the first time Ulquiorra had mentioned the concept of this being some sort of game. But she still didn't know what the full extent of it meant. If this really was a game of Discord's, then why had he gone and introduced Ulquiorra into the equation? It's true that the Espada left much to be desired in character traits. But his analytical skills were sharp like a scalpel. And since Discord brought Ulquiorra into everything, he would be putting himself at risk of exposure if he was truly behind this whole mess.

She didn't know what to think right now. This whole thing, in a way, absolutely reeked of Discord. And yet, at the exact same time, it didn't seem at all like him. Right now all she knew for certain was that she wanted to rip her mane out by its roots in frustration. She desperately wanted to find Discord, and demand that he start to answer up. But she knew that, even if Discord did heed her summoning spell voluntarily -and so far he hadn't, despite her best efforts- there was no way of ensuring that what he said would be the actual truth. This left her in the unfortunate position of being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

All she could do right now was wait. Wait and hope that some development was soon to occur, that would make sense of it all.

The library was, momentarily, silent after the departure of both Celestia and Ulquiorra. None of the three really knew just what to say after everything that had happened. There was a lot of information to try and process, and no real way for just how to go about actually doing that.

"Well, so much fer gettin' any sleep tonight," Applejack commented as she finally spoke up. As if she didn't have enough disturbing thoughts in her head already.

"Speak for yourself. I'm gonna go lay down," Spike grumbled as he slowly made his way to the stairs. Unlike the others, he had been the one who had to undergo the process of having his fire adjusted to include a new member of an ever-growing correspondence network. He'd been the one who had to have Ulquiorra's specific signature tied to him, so he could get word to the Espada in case of an emergency. He was the one that had to deal with the feeling of a bruised esophagus right now.

Sleep might elude the others. But it certainly wasn't going to elude him if he had anything to say about it. He was going to crash in his basket, and absolutely nopony was going to stand in his way for anything. They didn't have to deal with everything involved with being a combination mailbox and rolodex.

"Worst Saturday yet..."

Applejack watched in silence as Spike ascended the stairs, unsure of just what to say. But him deciding to turn in right now really wasn't sitting well with her. If both he and Twilight were around and active, it would be easier for her to be the same. But now that it was down to just her and Twilight, it was only a matter of time before said unicorn decided to turn in as well. She had to try and head that off before it could come to pass.

"So wha' do we do now, Twilight?" she asked, hoping that there would be something complicated in mind.

"Well for starters, I'm going downstairs to bring the guest bed up. You might not feel like sleeping right now, Applejack, but when you do, I don't think the couch or a sleeping bag will be all that appropriate," Twilight explained as she turned towards the part of the library that held the basement door, and turned her attention on the spell that kept it out of view.

"Ah'll help," Applejack announced, not even waiting for the question to be presented.

"It's alright, Applejack, I've got this," Twilight replied as she disabled the spell that kept the door hidden. "But I appreciate the offer regardless."

"A'right, ah guess," Applejack replied, disappointed at the turn down of the offer to make herself useful. "So wha' happens afterwards?"

"Well I really didn't have any plans for tonight. I was just reading some research notes before you showed up," Twilight replied as she paused before entering the basement. Something... something seemed off. She didn't have a clue just what it was, but the feeling was there all of the sudden; like a sudden but subtle change in air temperature. "Was there something you felt like doing?" she asked as she turned to face her.

"Well ah was jus' thinkin', maybe go fer a cup o' coffee, er maybe some stargazin' an' ya could point out the diff'rent constellations. Or wha' abou' some reading? Ya know RD was always goin' on abou' that "Darin' Do" series bein' so great, an' ah jus' thought now'd be a good time ta see fer mahself," Applejack suggested.

Twilight's mind was abuzz with thoughts right now. Coffee? Stargazing? Reading? This was all very unusual right now. All the more confirmation that something new was wrong. Maybe it was time to go with a direct confrontation.

"Applejack, tell me what's wrong," she said as she stepped closer. "And I don't mean in general, we already know that. What's wrong right now, specifically?"

"Er..." Applejack paused, "if ah tell ya, do ya promise ya won' be beratin' me er nothin'?" she asked uneasily.

"Berate you? Applejack, I'd never do that to you. Whatever gave you such an idea?" Twilight asked, caught off guard that she'd be presented with such a question.

"... Because it's what ah've been doin' ta mahself..." Applejack reluctantly admitted and hung her head. "Ah know that none o' wha' happened really happened. Ah know it was jus' a hallucination an' nopony was in any danger. But tha' don' change the fact that ah was the one experiencin' it, an' it was real ta me!"

Twilight remained silent as Applejack explained things, letting her speak uninterrupted. Trying to interject her opinion right now really wasn't called for, and even she recognized it as being such.

"Ah'm scared, Twi', really scared. Ah'm scared that if ah lay down an' close mah eyes, ah'm gonna have ta see it all over again. Ah'm scared 'cause ah know ah'm gonna dream about it, an' ah don' want that. If ah couldn' tell it wasn' real when ah was wide awake, there ain' no way o' knowin' when ah'm asleep," she admitted.

Twilight didn't know how to immediately respond to what Applejack had to say. She understood exactly what she was saying, and such a response was very common from one who had undergone a particularly traumatizing event; she'd read about that in the wake of Rainbow Dash's own experiences. But that didn't mean she knew what the proper response was.

But that didn't mean she couldn't improvise her response, and hope for the best.

"Like I said, Applejack, I'd never berate you. Especially not when it concerns something like this," she said as she approached and threw a foreleg round the back of her neck. The gesture was soon returned. "I guess we don't really have to turn in yet. We'll stay up for another hour or so. Then let me take care of going to bed, alright?" she asked.

"A'right, Twi', ah trust ya," Applejack agreed and nodded, rubbing her chin against Twilight's back in the process.

"Good. Now if you really do want to get started on the "Daring Do" series, I know just the place to start..."

Twilight had been mildly surprised. When Applejack had expressed a desire to get into more extensive reading, she had been certain it was an excuse to stay awake longer, in an effort to ward off the nightmares she feared would be coming once she turned in for the night.

But so far, for the last hour or so, it had been anything but.

They had settled down together, side by side on her favorite reading pillow, an old kerosene lantern serving as illumination while the main lights in the library were off, a mildly worn copy of "Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone" propped up in front of them as they read it together.

Or rather as Applejack read it, while Twilight just skimmed the pages while keeping the earth pony company. This was a book she'd read herself before, with the exploits of the pegasus archeologist still fresh enough in her memory, that she didn't feel the need for a refresh reading. Instead, her attention had been on Applejack as she read.

There were times Twilight found herself feeling like she was scientifically examining Applejack, as she watched her reading with actual intent. Occasionally she'd observe the twitch as Applejack would actually move her lips while she read along, as if she was trying to sound out a particular word. It was all kind of cute to watch.

"Hey Twi'?"

"Yes?" Twilight asked, broken out of her silent trance by Applejack's voice. Had she wound up forgetting to turn the page again?

"Archeology's supposed ta be the study o' lost civilizations an' whatnot, right?" Applejack asked.

"More or less," Twilight replied, even though that was a very simplistic explanation of what the field of archeology actually entailed. But she knew better than to launch into the true in-depth details at the moment.

"So if the civilizations are lost, how'd Darin' Do know abou' the sapphire statue in the first place?" Applejack asked.

Twilight paused in thought. It was certainly a fair question to ask.

"Well just because a civilization is lost or gone, doesn't mean the knowledge held by other civilizations meets the same fate. There's almost always some record to be found if one just knows where to look," she explained, doing her best to both keep it simple, and simultaneously informative.

And apparently it worked. Applejack didn't ask any further questions on the matter, and instead just gave a nod, and turned her attention back to the book to continue her reading. And with that resolved, Twilight returned her attention to where she'd left off, reading next to Applejack.

"Hey Twi'?"

At least until Applejack spoke up again.

"Yes?" she asked again.

"Archeologists are like scientists, right? They go on these digs an' stuff for the furtherin' o' science an' knowledge an' whatnot, right?" Applejack asked.

"Basically yes. It's a very involved field of science, and historical research, and it sheds a great deal of light on how ponies used to live," Twilight explained.

"Well wha' Darin' Do is doin', isn' it more like treasure huntin'? Or... even grave robbin'?" Applejack asked.

Once again, Twilight paused. But this time it was a pause due to discomfort rather than thought, not expecting Applejack to ask just such a question. But the very fact that she had asked such a question, had just gone to reinforce her belief that Applejack was far more intelligent than she let on.

It was quite true that, compared to the traditional field of archeology, the exploits of Daring Do were a highly romanticized interpretation of the concept, and dealt more with gathering treasure, escaping numerous death traps in creative ways, eluding villains, and riding off into the sunset with the riches in tow, rather than the extensive investigative work that went into researching a long forgotten tribe of ponies or some other species. From a scientific perspective, there was far more that could be discovered in a garbage dump, than in a deserted temple that housed numerous priceless artifacts.

"It... could be interpreted that way, I guess," she hesitantly replied.

"Oh..." Applejack replied and paused. It turned into a long, awkward pause. "If it's a'right with ya, Twilight, ah don' think ah wanna do anymore readin' 'bout where the hero is somepony goin' 'round, stealin' from the dead..."

"It's okay, Applejack," Twilight replied and closed the book, before gently levitating it back over to its resting place on the shelf. She certainly didn't want to make her friend anymore uncomfortable than she already was. "It's not a series meant for everyone."

Applejack simply nodded in response. Twilight tried not to frown, while trying to think of what she could say next. But try as she might, nothing was coming to mind. She considered suggesting something else that they could read, like the latest acquisition of a series of three novels written up by a well-respected philologist, who had been born close to Zecora's own homeland. She had spent many a sleepless night pouring over those works with much excitement.

But that idea was squashed when she paid better attention to Applejack's current posture. She could see that she was doing her best to not look tired, while at the same time failing miserably at doing just that. The farmer was currently engaged in a battle of wills with her own eyelids, as she struggled to keep them open, and failing miserably at it. Twilight just couldn't bring herself to suggest heavy reading at a time like this.

"Maybe we should turn in now," she suggested, while mentally bracing herself for whatever resistance Applejack might offer up.

"Do we have to?" Applejack asked, visibly not liking the idea.

Twilight was underwhelmed by the question. She'd been expecting a lot more opposition to the idea of going to sleep. But she only faltered for a moment, before readjusting her plans.

"No, I guess we don't really have to," she replied and shook her head. "If you don't want to go to bed, Applejack, that's alright. If you want, I'll stay up to help you stay awake. I'll put on a pot of Spike's special brew of coffee, recommend a regimen of cold showers, and walks around Ponyville to get the adrenaline flowing. But eventually you're going to need to sleep. And regardless of when that happens, there's always the potential for nightmares to come. I'm sorry, Applejack, but it's just one of those things that has to be done," she explained calmly.

"Really? Ya'd actually set up wit' me all night if ah asked ya to?" Applejack asked. She'd rather focus on that, more than the fact that she'd eventually have to turn in, and face whatever was coming for her.

"If that's what it takes," Twilight replied and nodded. "Is that what you want?" she asked.

Applejack thought about the offer for a minute, before simply shaking her head.

"Ah appreciate the offer more than ah can tell ya righ' now, Twi', but ah jus' can' accept. Ah can't ask ya ta stay up all night, jus' cuz ah'm scared ta sleep," Applejack replied. She really, really did want to accept Twilight's offer right now. But even she could realize that it was a losing battle to try and ward off sleep. Knowing herself as well as she did, in her current condition, she'd only be able to muster a few hours of consciousness, before eventually succumbing. And even though she desperately wanted those few extra hours consciousness, there was only so much that could actually be done.

She really didn't want to think about maybe falling asleep outside, in the dark as they walked along, and possibly leaving Twilight to drag her back to the relative safety of the library. Or even worse, the both of them dropping at the same time, and leaving them separated from Spike.

"Ah'm a might bit curious about wha' ya got in mind ta help me sleep though," she reluctantly admitted.

"Well then just follow me," was all Twilight said in response as she levitated the lantern off the floor, stood up from the pillow, and moved towards the stairs.

With the lantern perched on the nightstand, and Spike's uninterrupted snoring in the background, Applejack watched as Twilight was -literally- working her magic on her bed, and slowly but surely making it grow in width. Not only the bed, but also the covers themselves, being stretched wider and wider, until it was easily double its original size.

It was interesting to watch and all, but Applejack was still lost as to what Twilight was up to. How was this supposed to help her?

"There. That should do it," Twilight stated with a satisfied sigh, as she levitated another pillow over from the bedroom closet, and deposited it onto the bed right next to the other one.

"That should do wha'?" Applejack asked. What was she not getting about all of this? What was Twilight planning?

"Several months ago, I had a conversation with Fluttershy about the subject of proper pet care, and one of the points that came up dealt with care for canines. When somepony gets a puppy, especially a very young puppy, it's recommended that they put the puppy in a box with a blanket, and an alarm clock, to help them adjust. The blanket provides warmth, comfort and simulates the litter environment, while the tick of the alarm clock simulates the mother's heartbeat, and gives them a sense of security," Twilight explained, pausing to pull the covers on the bed back. "So I don't see why the same can't be done here."

"Uh... come again?" Applejack asked, more confused than before.

"Alright. Let me put it this way. With what you went through, Applejack, I don't think you should spend the night by yourself. Waking up alone in the middle of the night, doesn't strike me as being very conductive of making a proper recovery. So we're not going to do that tonight. Instead of that, tonight you're going to be sharing my bed, to see if the close proximity of another warm body, combined with the rhythmic beat of a heart, can ease whatever you're going through," Twilight elaborated as simply as she could.

"An' ya think that'll work?" Applejack asked. From what she was hearing, the idea sounded a lot like the number of times Apple Bloom had come to her in the middle of the night, haunted by a nightmare, and afraid to go back to sleep in her own bed. And if she was being honest with herself, it sounded a lot like what she'd done when she was around Apple Bloom's age, and snuck into Big Macintosh's room for the same purposes. But could something so simple really work with something like this?

"I'm optimistically hopeful that it will. And I really don't have any other ideas right now, so this is all I've got," Twilight replied and shrugged. She had absolutely no idea if this was going to do any good or not. But at this point she was willing to try just about anything."Do you want to do this?" she asked.

"Well... ya already went through the trouble o' makin' the bed bigger an' everythin'. It'd be rude not ta try," Applejack replied. She was pretty much willing to try anything right now.

Twilight nodded and climbed up into the bed first, nestling down comfortably on what was unofficially her half for the evening. Applejack climbed up next, and settled in and best she could.

It was just a matter of pure coincidence, that a matter of long established habit, developed muscle memory when getting ready for bed, and simply not giving anything so much as a second thought, had dictated where she'd been facing when she laid down. In this case, that direction was facing Twilight, who was looking back at her.

"This... this isn' gonna be awkward, is it?" she asked.

"I don't think so. No more awkward than dinner with Ulquiorra was," Twilight replied, although she wasn't entirely sure of her own assessment right now. Right now it was just a lot of playing things by ear, and hoping for the best. "Can you scoot a little closer?"

Applejack wasn't sure what it was about, but right now she really didn't feel like engaging in any debate. So without a word to the contrary, she inched her way closer to Twilight's position. She was slow in her movements, uncertain just how close Twilight wanted her, until they were practically touching noses.

"I-is this close enough?" she asked.

"I think it'll work," Twilight replied, before reaching out with her forelegs, and gently pulling Applejack and her pillow closer to her, until her face was practically resting against her chest.

At first Applejack really didn't know what to make of what Twilight was doing. Even by Canterlotian unicorn standards, it just struck her as being really odd behavior. Her face was so close, she could feel Twilight's chest fur rubbing against her nose and her own fur. She was close enough to easily detect the faded scent of lilacs that went with her friend's usual bathing products. And she was close enough that she could actually feel the rhythmic beat of Twilight's heart, accompanying each rise and fall of her chest with every breath she took, no matter how subtle it might've seemed otherwise.

Twilight's earlier words were starting to come back to Applejack now. Now it was all starting to make sense, and ease her mind. Twilight was using her own body to try and provide that sense of security she was talking about. And she really couldn't find it in herself to object right now. She had to admit that it was a rather comfortable position to be in at the moment. Twilight was a soft pony to be curled up with, she'd admit that. And she was warm, without it being uncomfortably so in the summer heat. And there was something that just seemed so primal, so natural, and so right, about that beating heart of hers being so close right now.

"Is this alright? Can you breathe?" Twilight asked as she rested her chin on top of Applejack's head.

"Ah can breathe jus' fine, Twilight. Gotta say though, this seemed a might bit strange at first. But now that ah'm here, it seems mighty cozy an' all," Applejack replied as she settled in and made herself comfortable. Maybe this really would work out.

"That's good. Just... just try not to snore, alright? I'm really ticklish," Twilight replied, causing Applejack to laugh. It was the first time she'd heard her laugh in a long while, which in turn made her smile. A laugh was a good sign right now.

"Ah'll try, although ah can' really guarantee anythin'," Applejack replied and closed her eyes. "Hey, Twilight? Do ya think we could leave the lantern lit? Jus' a little?" she asked.

Twilight wanted to point out that when it came to lanterns, it was either lit or it wasn't, and that there was no in between on the matter. But she decided not to do such, and simply nodded, her chin rubbing against Applejack's head in the process.

"Sure thing, Applejack, anything you want," she replied, magically adjusting the knob to lower the wick height to its lowest sustainable level, leaving the two with just enough illumination to see each other by. "Just try to sleep now, Applejack, I'll be here in case you need anything," she assured her.

"Ah appreciate that, Twilight, ah really do," Applejack replied, before finally succumbing to her own tiredness, and letting out a yawn that she'd been trying her best to suppress up until that point. But now that she was actually comfortable, suppression no longer seemed viable. Or even necessary for that matter.

With that matter now addressed, Twilight settled herself in to get comfortable for the night, reaching out with her magic to pull the sheets over them.

It went without saying that this situation was far from perfect. But then again so were most other situations that they found themselves in. As far as she could remember, things had been far from perfect ever since Ulquiorra laid out his theory about some mysterious force attacking, and trying to kill them. All they could really do right now was pull together, and try to make the best of it.

"G'night, Twilight," Applejack said around a yawn.

"Goodnight," Applejack," Twilight responded.

Author's Note

Last breather chapter for the moment folks. The next few weeks are going to start getting more wild, as a villain needs to be addressed.

Chapter Sixty Seven

Chapter Sixty Seven

Nurse Goodwill gave a soft sigh as she settled in for her duties for the day, and all that they would entail.

Under normal circumstances, the usual round of duties for the staff of the infirmary, would involve taking inventory of their current stock of medical supplies, and reordering whatever they were in need of.

In the medical field, the usual round of duties involved dispensing pain killers, and other assorted medicine as requested. Or tending to whatever wounds the guards had managed to accumulate during training accidents. Or the various burns that someone on the kitchen staff would manage to get on an almost daily basis; one of the hazards of working around so much fire, and even boiling water or cooking oils.

Then there were the sprains, and other general, non-serious injuries, that the cleaning staff would experience from time to time. And sometimes it was a lot of the time.

There was also the duty of tending to those that managed to come down with the seasonal cold or flu, and taking steps to minimize the risk of them infecting the entire palace.

And there was always the risk of somepony coming down with food poisoning. The less said about that one, the better...

But these were not normal circumstances that she found herself in right now. Right now those duties involved tending to a horribly mutilated pegasus that, not even one hour ago, had been stitched back together, and was now resting with an IV drip in her foreleg, as she laid unconscious on one of the available beds.

Unfortunately "tending to" in this case, meant little more than simply watching the cyan pegasus as she slept, and periodically checking her vital signs to ensure that all was well. Being an infirmary rather than a dedicated hospital, there was only so much that could actually be done. That more or less left her sitting at the desk, and tending to the necessary paperwork for the day. But that was a task that could be better tended to, if she wasn't currently having to deal with the growling of her stomach, serving as an intermittent reminder of the fact that she was currently hungry.

She considered making her way to the kitchen and picking herself up a croissant or something to help her focus better. She would only be away for a few short minutes, during which time the cyan pegasus would likely remain asleep. But it was a violation of basic practices and protocol, to leave a patient alone during a time like this. And that more or less left her stranded here, until somepony came along, and relieved her of her current duties.

Her thoughts on the matter, however, were interrupted by the sound of the infirmary door being opened, drawing her attention away from her own distractions. And when she did, she nearly fell out of her chair, and to the ground when she saw that it was Ulquiorra who came walking through the door, bringing with him an air of authority that just commanded... she didn't even know for certain. It wasn't exactly respect that he commanded from others around him, based on their previous -limited- interactions. But it was certainly something along those lines.

"Um... g-greeting sir..." she said, doing her best to be sociable in this case, despite the fact that his gaze still sent shivers up her spine. Even when he wasn't looking directly at her -directly through her is what it felt like- she could still feel the predatory nature that his eyes had to them. "H-how are you today?" she asked.

"Adequate," Ulquiorra replied simply and evenly as he approached, hands tucked into his pockets. "Your recovery appears to be coming along well," he observed.

It took a moment for Goodwill to understand what he was referring to, before it occurred to her that he meant the injury she'd sustained last week in caring for Rainbow Dash.

"Oh. Um... yes, I'm doing well. My horn's a lot better now, after I had time to rest. But that first day was difficult, not being able to use my magic for anything," she explained.

"Considering the force of the bite that was administered, I'm mildly surprised that only one day was needed to make a recovery," Ulquiorra commented. He hadn't been present to witness the healing process for himself, so he had no idea of just what it entailed. "I'm equally surprised that you would willingly look after Rainbow Dash once again, all the while knowing what she's capable of."

"Well it's only for a short amount of time, until the hospital can come and get her," Goodwill reasoned. It wasn't like she was being reassigned to look after Rainbow Dash for long term duration. A short stint would hardly be the end of her. "Plus we've learned since last time. The only reason I'm on my own right now, is because the others went to get breakfast, and it's against medical procedure to leave a patient unattended," she explained as best I could.

Ulquiorra understood what she was saying. But he said nothing in response, as he didn't see the point in a pointless exchange. Instead he turned his attention to where Rainbow Dash currently laid, and began observing her prone form.

Silence soon returned to the infirmary. But it was an uneasy silence that left Goodwill uncomfortable. It left her feeling like she was trapped in a cage with a carnivore that wasn't quite yet hungry, but soon very well might be.

Intellectually she knew that it was a matter of utter ridiculousness. Granted he had proven fully capable of beating up a dragon. And a manticore. And a battalion of changelings. And she had heard quite a few rumors about him, with each of them at different points on the sliding scale of absurdity. But she knew that the diarchy trusted him extensively. And they wouldn't trust him if he wasn't trustworthy... right?

It was silly to hold the belief that he was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce upon, and devour them both.

... It was silly... right?

Maybe he wasn't here for her. Maybe Princess Celestia had simply dispatched him in an effort to keep a better eye on Rainbow Dash. In light of last week, she certainly wouldn't doubt that being the case.

But if that was the case... did that mean Princess Celestia had lost confidence in her? Or was she simply being cautious, considering just how important the cyan pegasus was?

"Sir?" she spoke up, doing her best to keep her tone even. It was a challenge when he slowly turned his attention to her, and in such a subtle way as he merely shifted his gaze, rather than turning his head. It was almost chill inducing how he'd just done that. "I don't have any intention of letting her escape a second time. I won't let Princess Celestia be disappointed by my work again," she explained.

"Noted," Ulquiorra replied, before returning his attention back to Rainbow Dash. "But that's not why I'm here."

"Oh?" Goodwill asked and blinked, not expecting to get that answer. "So Princess Celestia hasn't lost faith in my abilities as a care provider?" she asked.

"That is a matter you'll have to take up with her. I cannot speak for Princess Celestia," Ulquiorra replied. "My reason for being here is to try and discern the latest round of mysteries we find ourselves facing."

"Well I'm certainly not in the habit of refusing help."

Goodwill practically jumped at the sound of the new voice joining the conversation, only to realize that it was Doctor Malar coming back into the room. She'd been so focused on the exchange she'd been having, she had failed to even hear the door opening. Or notice him stepping back into her field of vision.

Ulquiorra, however, had sensed the doctor's approach before he'd even gotten to the door. There had been no reason to react, other than shifting his attention away from Rainbow Dash, and acknowledge the presence of the male unicorn of approximate middle age, with a light brown coat, and a dark brown mane and tail that were beginning to gray.

In simple terms he looked a great deal like the earth pony Time Turner. The resemblance was uncanny enough that it almost looked as if his appearance had been traced, and a horn added before the final inking. The only outstanding visual difference, beyond the horn itself, was the cutie mark which adorned his flanks, and partially obscured by his white doctor's coat. Instead of an hourglass, it appeared to be the medical symbol for this world.

"But I believe an introduction is in order first," he concluded, "I'm Doctor Mandibular Malar. Chief physician to the diarchy."

"Ulquiorra Cifer," he replied. He could see the point in making an introduction, as it would simplify communication between the two of them. However there was no point in sharing his own credentials right now.

"Good to meet you then, sir," Malar replied, "I've heard a lot of talk going around. Both about you, and about your work. I must say, however, that I honestly don't know what to believe. Gossip spreads with greater ease than the common cold, and tends to be exaggerated with each new iteration by somepony else."

"A fact that I'm well aware of," Ulquiorra replied simply. If his conversation with Sweetie Belle was any indication of what was being said, then the misinformation about him was significant. "But at present there's little time for sorting truth from fiction. There are far more important matters at hand that must be dealt with first."

"Of course," Malar agreed and nodded, before turning his attention to where Goodwill sat. "Nurse, why don't you go ahead and get yourself some breakfast? I'm sure the two of us can tend to matters here."

Ulquiorra observed as she nodded in response to the suggestion and took her leave. Once she was gone, he returned his attention to the doctor.

"I must say I'm curious as to how you might be able to help," Malar admitted. He didn't see anything about this individual that would suggest... well... he really didn't see anything about this individual that would be of assistance to them. "If you don't mind my asking, what exactly are your skills. You don't exactly look like much of a physician."

"In truth I'm not. But I have the ability to detect and measure the mana levels of a pony, even in trace level amounts," Ulquiorra explained. That was an overly simplified explanation of his capabilities. But for the time being it would do.

"That's a... very interesting ability you possess. But how exactly does it help us any in this case? What do levels of mana tell us about what happened with the patient here?" Malar asked, more confused than anything.

"On two separate occasions, I've observed her Sonic Rainboom technique. I've witnessed how her mana shifts to condense in her body, and strengthens her physical structure to withstand the forces she's subjected to, in breaking the sound barrier. I've also observed the mana depletion rate experienced when she performs the technique," Ulquiorra explained.

"But there was no Rainboom reported," Malar was quick to point out. Something like that tended to be big news; especially if it happened over Canterlot.

"Which simply means that the sound barrier wasn't breached," Ulquiorra continued without missing a beat.

He had been aware that no Sonic Rainboom had been performed. Even as far away as Ponyville, he would've been aware if it had happened; the display was far too large, and far too flashy, to be easily missed. Even if he was blind and couldn't see it, he would have certainly felt it, and the disturbances it caused.

There were still many boundless mysteries held in this world. And one of those mysteries was just how the biologics of each pony race functioned in the way that they did. And while he'd been giving the matter a fair bit of study, it was a field that he'd just barely managed to begin scratching at the surface. he still had very little practical knowledge as to just how a pony's body utilized mana for particular tasks. The exact mechanics that explained how Rainbow Dash's mana condensed in her body, to allow her to withstand the stresses of supersonic travel, was something he didn't understand. He didn't even know if it was conscious effort, or something done entirely on instinct.

The facts of the current matter were complicating it to some degree. Had she consciously accessed her hierro-like abilities in order to survive crashing through the window? Or had she unknowingly triggered some sort of physical action that set everything into motion?

This in itself presented its own complications. He knew from experience how strong Rainbow Dash's hierro was. She could withstand supersonic travel. She could withstand colliding with a fully grown dragon at said supersonic travel. And more importantly, she could withstand colliding with him under the same circumstances. So how did something as trivial as broken glass -especially that from a stained glass window- cause so much damage, when so much worse did nothing? Did her hierro only work against blunt force trauma?

"So if her mana condenses, and works like you say it does, then how do you explain her injuries? How do you explain her getting cut up like she did?" Malar asked, having difficulty understanding the theory that was being presented to him.

"Quite coincidental," Ulquiorra thought, before speaking up. "I can't. I can only theorize on the matter. One theory is that the technique can only protect against blunt force trauma. Another is that she lacked sufficient mana levels to achieve the desired results, and the best she could do was simply toughen her skin to the point it became like leather, and provided significant cutting resistance," he explained. At the moment those were the two theories that made the most sense to him. He refused to believe that it was purely a matter of blind luck being on her side.

"That's..." Malar paused, not entirely certain how to respond. He was uncomfortable with his patient's skin being compared to leather; it was entirely far too predatory for his own comfort. "I don't fully understand it. But it does at least sound like it could make sense. In some fashion or other," he finally admitted. "But that doesn't explain why she crashed through the window, instead of coming in through the balcony," he pointed out.

"Ultimately we'll have to wait for Rainbow Dash to regain consciousness to determine the significance of that," Ulquiorra replied simply.

"More than likely," Malar agreed and nodded. "But that still leaves the mystery of her wings. They're coated in some type of magic. But it's far too degraded for me to identify."

His curiosity was mildly piqued by the unicorn's words. He had detected the foreign reiryoku on Rainbow Dash's wings, but had written it off as belonging to one of the medical staff. He knew the infirmary had more than two or three ponies on staff, so it was easy enough to assume such.

But now he had confirmation that it wasn't, and that warranted a closer look, and better examination of the details available to him.

"The particulars of the spell itself may have faded. But the signature, and specific texture of the mana that was used in its casting are still present, and of sufficient quality, as well as quantity, to identify the original caster," Ulquiorra explained calmly, never even moving from his spot. "But at the moment it does little good. We have nothing to compare it to. It does us no good in identifying the source."

Malar stood with his mouth hanging slightly open, blinking in a confused manner as he stared at Ulquiorra. Finally, he managed to find his voice and start talking again.

"You can actually recognize, and pick up on such details?" he asked in disbelief.

"Those and many more," Ulquiorra replied simply.

"... When this is all over, and things have had the chance to calm down some, is there any chance I could talk you into a physical examination? I'd love the chance to study the difference between our species' respective physiologies," Malar commented.

Ulquiorra saw the glint in the stallion's eyes. It was much like the glint Twilight Sparkle possessed upon their first meeting. And it was the same glint that Twilight Sparkle continued to possess at sporadic times during their various interactions. It was the look of a scientist who had found something unprecedented, and was eager to examine it in great detail.

It was the same look he had seen in the eyes of the Octava Espada far too many times for his own liking. And in the resulting silence in the infirmary, Ulquiorra had arrived at a certain and disturbing conclusion.

During his brief time in Equestria, he had managed to catch the attention of not only various mares, but now apparently stallions as well. Just wonderful...

"It was bad enough when it was only Twilight Sparkle who was interested in me," he thought to himself.

There was a loud sneeze. Followed by an even louder, pain-filled groan, where Twilight currently rested. The night had been anything but kind to her.

The idea had been to give Applejack a warm body to sleep against, rather than a cold bed to occupy alone, with an accompanying heartbeat that would be... well, beating... throughout the evening as she slumbered. And preliminary results looked like the endeavor had been successful. For three glorious hours, she and Applejack had slept peacefully without any disturbance whatsoever.

And that was when things had started to go wrong.

She had been awoken by a small but noticeable commotion not too far away from her head. A commotion that turned out to be Applejack whimpering, despite the fact that she was still asleep. she had responded with gentle words, and even gentler touches, in an effort to soothe whatever was troubling the unconscious earth pony. And at first it had seemed to work, with Applejack eventually calming back down, and snuggling into her chest again. And after a few minutes of quiet observation, she'd gone back to bed as well.

But then things went wrong again.

She'd found herself awoken with a start, as two hooves connected with her barrel, catching her square in the ribs, and shoving her out of the bed, and to the floor with a surprised -and pained- yell.

Needless to say, nopony slept well the rest of the night after that.

Twilight considered herself to be very, very lucky, to escape with nothing more than a set of bruised ribs -even if they did hurt every time she so much as breathed- and a matching bruised butt. She knew full well that she'd escaped major injury on that one -a fact later confirmed by Doctor Stable during a very early morning visit to Ponyville General Hospital to get her checked out, and her ribs wrapped- as Applejack had been kicking from an unsupported position, and thus was physically unable to generate the amount of force she was so well known for. The kind of force that could easily shake a whole crop of apples right off the tree they hung from in a single blow. The kind of force that could've easily shattered every bone in her ribcage, while simultaneously driving the newly created slivers right into her lungs, and perforating them beyond any hope of repair.

In hindsight, a few bruised ribs was really nothing to deal with. Even if they did hurt when she breathed. Or talked. Or moved. Or thought about doing something.

"Bless you," Spike stated.

Or sneezed for that matter.

Twilight knew that she was lucky to be alive. And she was infinitely thankful for the fact that she was. But that didn't change the simple fact, that she was in a great amount of pain right now.

"Somepony must be talking about you," Spike commented from where he sat.

Twilight just groaned in response as she rested her head against the pillow on her bed, laying on her back with her forelegs tentatively resting on her chest. About the only thing she could do right now, that didn't make her cringe in pain, was use her magic. Which in itself made for some interesting attempts at communication.

Using a pencil and a notepad -in her current condition, a quill, inkwell, and parchment was far too much effort- she quickly went out writing up her response, before levitating the pad around for Spike to see and read.

This is seriously going to complicate my learning of those advanced spell. I'm going to need to cancel class today.

Spike rolled his eyes from behind the notepad. Twilight and her work...

He was about to give a response that he felt was, at least to some extent, appropriate for the situation. But before he could get the first word out, he heard Applejack coming up the stairs to the loft.

"Ah got the wagon all ready ta go," she announced.

Twilight blinked -one of the other few things she could do without hurting her ribs- as she looked between Spike and Applejack for clarity. Getting none, she flipped the pad around for another round of writing.

Wagon?

"Didn' Spike tell ya?" Applejack asked. Twilight tentatively shook her head, wincing in the process. "Well considerin' how much trouble we had gettin' ya ta the hospital this mornin', ah got a totin' wagon set up so ya can jus' ride wherever ya wanna go. That way ya don' have ta walk, ah can jus' tote ya, an' ya can ride in comfort," she explained.

Twilight listened as Applejack explained the situation to her, and couldn't deny that she was touched by the thoughtfulness of it all.

More quick scribbling followed.

I really appreciate that, Applejack. But you don't need to be carting me all over town.

"Well ah know that ah don' have ta, Twi', but that doen' mean ah'm not gonna," Applejack replied. She didn't want to be rude, but sometimes Twilight still had a lot to learn about friendship, and all that was involved with it. "So where ya wanna go first?"

More scribbling on Twilight's part.

Right now I just want to lay here. Maybe get some rest, figure out which muscle groups I can move without experiencing too much pain, and wait for the pain medication to finally kick in.

"A'right, ah guess that'll work," Applejack replied and nodded, before sitting down next to the bed. "So. Anythin' ya need me ta be helping aoun' the library with?" she asked.

Twilight looked over at Applejack where she sat, studying her features carefully. It wasn't a look of optimism on her face. It wasn't a look that suggested contentment either. If she was reading it right, it looked more like desperation, thinly disguised by a weak smile. It was like she was looking for a reason to stay. Was she scared of something? Of something that involved being away from the library?

...

She was just guessing at that last one. But now that the thought had entered her mind, it seemed hard to push away. Last night Applejack had told Big Macintosh that she'd be home in the morning. Now she was acting like she didn't want to leave.

Turning back to her notepad, and flipping the page over, more scribbling followed.

A great deal of scribbling actually.

Finally, after a quick read through, she felt satisfied with what her message had to say, and turned it back around for Applejack to read.

Applejack, you have to go home now. You told Big Macintosh you'd be back today. He's probably worried right now, and thinking that something happened to you.

"But-" Applejack spoke up, wanting to protest Twilight's statement. But she was silenced as she found Twilight's pencil resting perpendicularly against her lips. It was soon removed, as Twilight went back to writing out another note for her to read. And from the sound of all the scratching, it was a long one.

Applejack. Listen to me.

Twilight made a point of using the eraser end of the pencil to twice tap at her name, and the following sentence, emphasizing the point that she wanted her to pay attention.

I don't blame you for what happened. What happened wasn't your fault, and you're not responsible. You don't have to stay around, and look after me like I'm an invalid.

But you do have to go back home to Sweet Apple Acres. Big Macintosh is going to be worried about you. You promised him that you'd be back home today. Do you really want him coming all the way here looking for you?

And what about Apple Bloom? You need to make sure she's alright too.

Applejack wanted to dispute Twilight's argument. She wanted to argue so many different things, but she really didn't know just where to begin. She was tripping over her own tongue just trying to open her mouth.

The fact that Twilight was referencing her family made it so much harder for her to argue as to why she should stay behind and remain present. The unicorn knew full well that every Apple in the orchard had a weakness for family, and she was using it. How was she supposed to argue otherwise with her on this matter?

"... A'right," she finally relented and stood up. Friends were deeply important to the Apples. But so was family. And as much as she hated being put in a position where she had to choose between the two of them, she was going to have to go with family. The only comfort was the knowledge that she wasn't dropping Twilight in a bubbling pit of magma this time around.

"But before ah go, ah need ta ask ya somethin' first," she stated. "Can ah... come back again tonight?"

Twilight looked at her for a moment, before turning back to her notepad to scribble out a response.

You're bunking with Spike tonight.

Applejack snorted at reading the response. Despite herself, she couldn't resist. The deadpan nature of Twilight's face, and the delivery of the statement, was just too good to resist.

She needed that laugh. And the resulting break in tension that it brought with it.

"Whatever ya say, Sugarcube," she said and moved to hug Twilight. But she stopped herself short when she realized that doing such might cause her more pain than she was already in. Instead she opted for just nuzzling her neck and cheek. A simple gesture that was, thankfully, returned.

She was so thankful that Twilight wasn't mad at her right now. She couldn't stand the thought of losing anymore friends, now or any other time.

She just hoped that Rainbow Dash was doing alright.

When it came to postponing court for the day, it brought a lot of new challenges with it. Celestia was aware of that fact, and chose to use the option sparingly. She tended to reserve the course of action for times when her attention was direly needed elsewhere, and the constant traipsing in and out of new faces through the castle could only complicate an already complicated situation.

That fact aside, however, there were occasional times when the day court had to be postponed in order for her to be available, should something arise, rather than because something had arisen. And it was those times during which it was the most stressful, as there was little to do but stand around and wait for something to happen. And unfortunately that was exactly the situation she found herself in, as she -and likely the rest of the palace- waited for Rainbow Dash to regain consciousness. There were questions that needed to be answered. And if she were stuck in the day court, she would be incapable of getting those answers.

She had tended to what matters she could in her current limited capacity. She'd addressed some paperwork, and fielded some questions from the guards, and other members of the palace staff. But other than that, there was precious little she could do besides wait.

Periodic checking in also yielded little in the way of results, as Rainbow Dash remained unconscious.

There were times when she truly resented the office that she held. What she wouldn't give to be a regular everyday pony on some days.

And once again, she found herself making her way to the infirmary. Much like an anxious mother concerned about the health of her foal, she was concerned about Rainbow Dash. She hadn't bothered to keep track of just how many times she'd ventured down here since early this morning. Truthfully it was something she didn't particularly care to know right now. All she cared about was the well being of Rainbow Dash.

Her thoughts on the matter, however, were interrupted by the faint but growing sound of hooves pounding against the marble flooring. She stopped in her tracks to try and better hear what was happening. Her ears cocked and swiveled, trying to locate the source of the commotion. But it turned out to be a pointless exercise, as the answer literally popped out in front of her, in the form of Nurse Goodwill skidding to try and make the turn around the corner into the main hall -nearly slamming into the far wall in the process- before breaking into an uncoordinated run over to where she stood, all the while gasping for air.

This couldn't be good. There was no way in Equestria that this could be good; not with the terror in her eyes right now.

"My little pony, what's wrong?" Celestia asked, concern obvious in her voice, as well as her actions.

Goodwill managed to skid to a halt before colliding with Celestia's legs -nearly falling over face first in the process- panting and gasping for air as she looked up with wide eyes. She tried to speak, but nothing was coming out coherently through her ragged attempts at breathing.

"Infirmary!" she finally managed to choke out, gesturing wildly in the direction with a foreleg.

Celestia didn't ask any questions, knowing that it would be fruitless to try and get any answers from the nurse in her current state. Instead, thinking quickly -but perhaps not entirely correctly- she reached out with her magic and levitated Goodwill up onto her back where she could perch, before setting off at a gallop towards the infirmary, her metal shoes pounding against the stone flooring with each step.

With her longer stride, and much greater stamina, the distance to the infirmary flew by quickly as her hooves practically pounded against the marble, now that she'd actually kicked it into gear. With much greater control, she didn't skid on the hard turns nearly as much as Goodwill had, so there was a greatly reduced risk of colliding with a random wall.

As she rounded the last corner there was before reaching the infirmary doors, she stopped in her tracks as Goodwill held on tightly. Standing several paces away from the door was Ulquiorra with his hands tucked into his pockets. She truly hadn't expected to see him loitering in the hallway like this.

And as she drew closer, she heard the unmistakable sound of shouting coming from within the room. This matter was growing more and more curious by the second.

"Ulquiorra, what's going on in there?" she asked as she stood right next to him, before sitting down to allow Goodwill to climb down from her perch, and standing back up again to her full height.

"In simplest terms, I would describe it as a territorial dispute," Ulquiorra replied without even turning around to acknowledge Princess Celestia's presence. "Doctor Malar is currently involved in a disagreement with another doctor, and two orderlies from Canterlot General Hospital."

"You'll have to be a little more specific. Which doctor are you referring to? Doctor who?" Celestia asked. Did Ulquiorra have any idea just how many doctors actually worked at the hospital?

"I can't answer that, he refused to give his name even when questioned. He asserted that none of us needed to know it," Ulquiorra explained.

It was all highly unusual how things had occurred a mere fifteen minutes ago. He had detected the arrival and approach of the three new ponies, but had paid them absolutely no mind, until they actually entered the infirmary. And as soon as they had entered, the dispute had taken off, as if the two physicians had previous baggage, and animosity towards one another, despite never having met before.

There had been no professional courtesy between the two physicians. That was as simple as he could put it in describing how they acted in the presence of one another.

"Doctor Malar has refused to release Rainbow Dash in an unconscious state, due to medical guidelines. The other physician has, in turn, asserted custodial authority in the case due to Rainbow Dash being a patient at the hospital where he works, and has threatened to have the royal guard arrest Doctor Malar on the grounds of custodial interference, medical negligence, and medical malpractice. Along with a threat to have the medical review board revoke his license to practice medicine, for failure to comply with a physician on record," Ulquiorra elaborated, giving a brief overview of the nonsense he had witnessed prior to Princess Celestia's arrival. It was part of the reason he had waited outside the infirmary. The drama inside the room was so thick it could be cut with a butter knife.

Celestia wanted to groan at this news. But instead she simply opted for using her hoof to pinch the bridge of her muzzle, trying to ward off the coming migraine. Why did things like this have to develop?

"What?" Goodwill asked in disbelief, before frowning in the direction of the infirmary door. "Nopony threatens Doctor Malar and gets away with it," she stated. She might've gotten scared out of the room, and sent running by how things had started. But now it was an entirely different matter, and she wasn't going to be scared away.

With that thought in mind she adjusted her nurse's hat, before storming off towards the infirmary door, prepared to give this arrogant bully of a physician the verbal thrashing he so richly deserved.

Unfortunately things didn't go as smoothly as they should. Just as she was about to slam the door open, it was violently opened in the direction she was approaching from, slamming right into her muzzle with a great deal of force, sending her to the floor with a cry of pain as she grasped her face in her forelegs.

Ulquiorra silently observed as the first to exit the infirmary was the mystery physician. Average height and build for a unicorn, glasses stereotypically associated with a doctor of some sort, his cutie mark and majority of his gray coat obstructed from view by a lab coat that looked like it was worn far more often as a piece of fashion than for any functional purpose. Overall, nothing physically outstanding or noteworthy, with the exception of the face. He couldn't put his finger on it exactly, but there was just a certain quality about it, that seemed akin to a badger. Or perhaps even... a ferret...

Next to emerge were the two orderlies. Two unicorn stallions who were of above average size and build for their species, their coloring drab and subdued in nature, and each of them looking as if they were hired for attributes other than intelligence. If it turned out they were named Beavis and Butt-head, he wouldn't be the least bit surprised by such a revelation being made.

Wherever the two names had originated from, he wasn't entirely certain. All that he knew was that, wherever they had originated from, their popularity had apparently been sufficient to bring them as far as Japan. In the few times he had actually visited the human world, he had heard their mention at several points, and always in reference to two individuals of questionable mental capacity.

The third to emerge from the infirmary was, surprisingly, Rainbow Dash. But unlike the others who had just stepped out, she was unconscious, and held in a sickly yellow aura field that matched the glow of the orderly on the left. Her body hung lump as she was suspended in the air, carried through with no care for her condition. It was almost like watching someone cart about a large slab of meat.

A cry from the right brought his focus to the downed Nurse Goodwill, leaving him uncertain of just who to focus on more at the moment. Based on the amount of blood that was seeping from her muzzle and staining her yellow coat, it was safe to conclude that a break had occurred from the impact of the door.

The last to emerge from the infirmary was Doctor Malar himself, and looking quite furious; to the point Ulquiorra wouldn't be surprised if he engaged in a physical altercation with the other physician.

"You're not going anywhere!" he bellowed as he stormed out of the room.

The lead unicorn of the trio ignored Malar's protests -he actually ignored everyone that was present- and merely approached where Celestia stood.

"Princess, I'm Doctor Thrush, of Canterlot General Hospital. I ask that "Doctor" Malar be placed under arrest immediately for custodial interference," he spoke, derisively at the use of Malar's title of position in this case. "The pegasus in question is my patient and thus in my legal custody. He had no authority under which to deny me access."

Malar growled and bristled at Thrush's comment, prepared to tear into what he believed to be a pathetic excuse for a medical practitioner. But before he could get a word out, Ulquiorra spoke first, effectively cutting him off.

"A charge of aggravated assault against yourself would be far more appropriate under these circumstances," the Espada commented, dryly and factually.

Thrush frowned at the statement and turned to face Ulquiorra, only to blink when he realized he had to actually tilt his head upward to see who was addressing him.

Another cry from Goodwill. This time drawing Malar's attention to her, as he moved to make sure she was alright, and evaluate what injuries she might have that needed tending to.

"You're certainly an insolent one, talking to me in such a disrespectful manner like that," Thrush stated as he frowned at Ulquiorra.

"Quiet!"

The scene before Celestia had quickly devolved into pandemonium, and was threatening to get far worse if she didn't intervene. She didn't need all of the arguing, or the grandstanding that was developing before her. So she had decided to nip the entire thing right in the bud, in the same manner Luna would; with a belt from the royal voice.

All at once, all arguments came to an end, as all participants looked at her.

"Everyone. Shut up. Do not speak unless I speak to you first," she ordered, her voice softer than before, but still carrying the edge of authority with it as she frowned at all of them. "Now. We're going back into the infirmary, and we're going to act like responsible adults; not like a bunch of two year old foals throwing a temper tantrum over not getting their favorite toy. Is that understood?"

The end may have been phrased like a question. But her tone of voice left it clear that it was no request to be disputed, but an order that was to be obeyed. This entire gaggle of ponies had managed to earn her ire. And they were going to understand that fact.

Ulquiorra observed the room around him, and the tense quietness that surrounded them.

Doctor Malar was currently working his magic -quite literally in this case- on Nurse Goodwill, as he tended to her -now confirmed as being- broken muzzle, setting it into place, and bandaging it so it could heal. However the bloodstains on her coat would likely remain for quite some time.

Rainbow Dash was currently resting in the bed once again, still unconscious, and once again hooked back up to the medical equipment that had been present in the room.

Doctor Thrush, and his two orderlies, sat in one corner of the room as instructed, unwilling to backtalk on the matter.

And Princess Celestia stood in the middle of the room where she could observe, and survey everything that was going on around her, a frown more or less carved into her face.

"Now then," she spoke slowly, and in an authoritative manner, "I'm going to be asking questions. There will be no yelling, no name calling, no shouting back and forth, and no attempts at talking over one another. If you have something to say, then you'll wait your turn," she instructed, making it abundantly clear that there was no room for negotiations on the matter.

Glancing around the room, it seemed unlikely at best that anyone would protest the order.

"Now then. Doctor Malar. Can you tell me just what happened here?" she asked as she turned her attention to him, once she was certain he was done tending to Goodwill's injuries.

"Well you see, Your Majesty, this is how things happened," Malar began as he turned to face her. He could see Thrush rolling his eyes at his words, but paid him no mind. Right now he had more important things to address. "Prior to everything going south, Ulquiorra and I were busy discussing the case, and comparing our respective notes, while Goodwill took Rainbow Dash's vital signs to ensure she was in good health. The next thing we know, "Doctor" Thrush and his two "orderlies" came barging into the room. No professional courtesy, no introductions, no inquiry into the well being of the patient. Just an order to immediately release her into his custody. And when I tried to raise any objections to such procedure, he starting issuing threats," he stated, getting more and more flustered and agitated as he went. "He wouldn't even listen when I tried to point out how it's against medical guidelines to discharge an unconscious patient, before a full examination can be completed to ensure the patient's well being. The next thing I know, that one," he said, gesturing to one of the orderlies, "is shoving me aside, while the other is ripping equipment off of her in a haphazard manner, and plucking her out of her bed with no consideration for her condition! He didn't even stop to consider that he might be tearing out her sutures in the process! It didn't even occur to him, that his actions might actually cause her to bleed to death before they ever left the palace!"

Ulquiorra listened as Doctor Malar recounted the series of events that had transpired. In truth it was a somewhat simplified, and streamlined version of what had actually happened, prior to when Princess Celestia had arrived. But despite the streamlined version, he had essentially addressed all the high points of the ordeal. If it was requested, he would vouch for that.

From the other side of the room, Doctor Thrush snorted in a contemptuous manner. The entire time Doctor Malar had been speaking, he'd been maintaining an air of arrogance about him.

"With all due respect, Princess, I'm far more qualified to be making such determinations. My qualifications speak for themselves in this case. Top of the line medical, top of my graduating class, etc. I'm not some country bumpkin peddling snake oil in a bottle, nor the type who can only find work at a free clinic. I'm the chief medical expert of Canterlot General Hospital, and still with an active practice. I know precisely what I'm doing in this case," Thrush stated confidently as he stepped forward. "Now then. The medical logs show that I was assigned this case, due to the complexities involved. I'm the only physician competent enough to address this matter, and "Doctor" Malar over there is interfering in my work, making it tantamount not only to malpractice, but also medical negligence. He doesn't have access to even half of the facilities that we do, back at a proper hospital. And his clinging to outdated myths from a bygone era, about what constitutes proper medical procedure, just goes to reinforce the fact that he's woefully inadequate for dealing with the problems he's facing. His refusal to step down, and defer to somepony better qualified is tantamount to nothing short of medical abuse."

Celestia listened as patiently as she could, during the time each doctor was making his case as to why he was the more qualified physician. As well as the poorly disguised character assassination that sailed back and forth amongst them. Good points were being raised, and leaving her in a precarious predicament. Malar was an old friend, and had been the physician for Canterlot palace since before Luna's return. If she were going purely on demeanor, Malar would be her pick.

But they had to consider far more than just that. Thrush had raised a good point about their facilities being lacking to some extent. Blood tests were about as far as they could go in terms of lab work, leaving them without a number of more advanced procedures. And Rainbow Dash had already proven that she could escape from here if she were motivated. That was a strike against them.

Then again, Rainbow Dash had escaped under Thrush's watch as well, through a means they hadn't yet discovered. That was a strike against him.

"The fact that Rainbow Dash managed to escape while under your watch, does not speak highly for your credentials."

Celestia turned to observe Ulquiorra as he made the statement. Apparently his evaluation of Thrush was similar to her own on the matter. But, as per usual, he had shown considerably less tact than she would have in the matter. And it was situations like this, that made her glad of that fact.

Thrush, however, obviously didn't appreciate Ulquiorra's evaluation, as he glared at him in response.

"Should one of my staff prove to be incompetent in carrying out their duties, I'm not liable for their lapses in judgement. We have clearly established procedural guidelines for dealing with dangerous patients," he stated.

"Dangerous?" Celestia asked and blinked. That didn't sound right. Even after experiencing everything she had over the past few days, it still didn't sound right. "How has she been dangerous?"

"The patient has displayed blatantly combative tendencies when we've tried to treat her. She's shouted obscenities, she's refused to cooperate with the treatment process, and she's assaulted various members of the staff throughout her time at the hospital. The amount of disruption she's caused, has required us to use a firmer approach than most patients require. The only safe way to deal with her during these times is to keep her restrained, to prevent her from hurting herself and others," Thrush explained with a huff.

"What part of shouting obscenities constitutes a danger to others?" Ulquiorra asked bluntly. He was aware of how Rainbow Dash could be dangerous, as he had seen such. But the explanation being given was just utterly ridiculous; ridiculous enough that this pony could easily be a human bureaucrat. But even if he was denied clarification on the matter, he was prepared with another question. "And what was the nature of the spell that was applied to her wings?"

"What nonsense are you talking about now? What spell?" Thrush asked, his brow furrowing at the question.

"The spell cast by your orderly who reportedly shoved Doctor Malar aside," Ulquiorra elaborated. Already he could spot the reactions coming from the physician. Reactions that he attempted to subdue, that indicated he had been caught at something. Perhaps something he shouldn't be doing. And perhaps it was time to more aggressively pursue the matter. "I can see things that ponies cannot. There's no point in making any denials. Even if the spell fades, the signature of the mana used remains for upwards of seven days. And your orderly possesses the same signature," he explained calmly.

He could see Doctor Thrush starting to squirm under his questioning. It was subtle and slight, easily missed by someone who wasn't familiar with interrogation. But he could see them as plain as day. And it was interesting how both humans, and ponies, reacted in such a similar manner to being interrogated.

"I-I don't know who or what you are, but you're no consulting physician, you're lucky I'm even talking to you at all! Any procedures utilized are covered under doctor-patient confidentiality. I'm not obligated to even be speaking to you whatsoever!" Thrush stated and frowned.

"Perhaps you might be right, Doctor," Celestia spoke up without raising her voice. "But you are obligated to speak to me. And I'm quite curious as to just what this spell is," she stated.

"Princess, surely you can't-" Thrush objected, only to be quickly interrupted.

"Can't I?" Celestia asked in direct challenge to his objection. When he didn't immediately speak up, she continued. "Doctor, I find your attitude highly abrasive. When I turned this case over to you, it was on the basis of Canterlot General Hospital being the facility better suited for the care of Rainbow Dash. But your inability to keep tabs on one little pegasus, has given me grounds to doubt that suitability. Were you even aware of her disappearance, before receiving word about her current location?" she asked.

"I, uh-" Thrush stammered, only to be interrupted by Celestia again.

"How many staff do you have working for you, Doctor?" Celestia asked him directly. But she didn't wait for him to answer, before continuing with the questioning assault. "You are aware that Rainbow Dash was put on a suicide watch, correct? That means continual observation, and checking in, to ensure that she's still alive. So how exactly did you not become aware of her absence, until you received outside notice? And if you were aware that there was a problem, before you received word about her current location, then precisely why did you not inform me about the development? I specifically left instructions with the hospital that I wished to be notified immediately, regarding any developments that occurred, that directly involved Rainbow Dash's well being and care. And yet it appears that I found out long before even you became aware, and you were right there when it happened!"

Ulquiorra watched in silence, observing as Princess Celestia berated Doctor Thrush over his management of the situation pertaining to Rainbow Dash. Her attitude easily matched, and even exceeded, the abrasiveness of the physician in question, as she questioned him on his effectiveness. If he didn't know any better, he would assume that she was actually enjoying herself as she went along.

"You might claim doctor-patient confidentiality. But that confidentiality doesn't extend to royal inquiries, "Doctor." When I take a vested interest in the well being of a patient, I expect cooperation on the matter, not obstruction like I've been getting over the last few days," Celestia stated as she glared at Thrush. "Is that understood?"

At this point in time, all Thrush could do was nod weakly in response. The only two in the room who could actually give him any backup, were far too inept to be of any actual use right now.

"Two hours, Doctor. It's been two hours since Rainbow Dash nearly died after crashing through a stained glass window in the throne room," Celestia spoke as she narrowed her eyes at the stallion. "Exactly how long did it take for you to become aware of the fact that she was missing?"

Thrush said nothing in response. He tried to, moving his mouth to form the words, but nothing managed to come out.

"I can understand there being some delay in being notified of these developments. But not two hours without so much as a peep, there's just no sense in that. Even if you were scouring the hospital to try and find Rainbow Dash after becoming aware of her missing, I still could've been notified. And when somepony finally does show up, what sort of response is there? There's no effort made to meet with me to offer apologies for losing track of a very important patient. Instead you come storming in here, without an escort by guard, as is required for all unannounced palace visitors, you assault my medical staff, and accuse them of incompetence, you demand that they be arrested for erroneous charges, and you attempt to foalnap the patient that your hospital lost track of, despite acknowledging that she's been classified as dangerous to others, and all while she's on a suicide watch!"

Ulquiorra had witnessed Princess Celestia's displays of temper and anger before. It was nothing new to see these levels of fury. But it was certainly new to be witnessing them from the sidelines, rather than facing them directly. The fact that her fury was directed elsewhere was... strange to experience.

What was even stranger, however, were the readings his pesquisa were picking up from Doctor Thrush. They weren't in the appropriate range for what should be experienced in this case. The stallion in question wasn't experiencing the appropriate level of terror as he faced down Princess Celestia. But just how that was, he didn't yet know. Why was the outer display of fear even being displayed in the first place?

"Do you have anything to say?" Princess Celestia asked after a pause.

"As a matter of fact I do," Doctor Thrush replied cooly. "With all due respect, Princess, I answer to the chief executive officer for Canterlot General Hospital. Not to you. We have very well established policies and guidelines that were put into place long ago, dictating just how we address difficult patients. And those guidelines don't involve interrupting a search for a missing patient, to report to some outside bureaucrat who has no idea just what's going on at the time, and what difficulties we have to put up with! If you were a medical practitioner you'd know about that. Until we received word from your messenger, we had no reason to assume that she'd left the hospital grounds," he explained and frowned. "That spell on her wings? It was a grounding spell to keep her from trying to fly about, and potentially hurt herself or others. Standard procedure for dealing with pegasi patients. How she managed to fly in such a state of incapacitation, I have no idea. It should've been an impossibility," he stated.

This was a development that Ulquiorra truly hadn't expected to witness. Doctor Thrush was actually yelling back at Princess Celestia, seemingly unperturbed by the tongue lashing he'd just been subjected to. If anything it looked like the stallion had actually gotten furious with Princess Celestia, and had no objection to letting her know that he didn't take kindly to her involvement in the matter.

He had no problem being blunt with Princess Celestia. But he knew how to approach with caution, and not go overboard when hammering out specific points. Doctor Thrush, however, was going far beyond what he would do in a similar situation.

And, perhaps the most disturbing aspect of it all, was that Princess Celestia actually appeared to be faltering in this matter, and losing her conviction.

"No, no. That's not true."

And then came the interruption of a new voice entering into the fray. Looking over in the direction of said voice, Ulquiorra could see that it was one of Doctor Thrush's orderlies -the one he'd seen fit to dub "Butt-head" for the simple sake of referencing them- stepping forward and shaking his head. An act that was immediately met with resistance from Doctor Thrush himself, as he turned around and frowned.

"That's not what-" the orderly started to say.

"You stay out of this and shut up!" Doctor Thrush barked back.

"No, Doc', you shut up!" the orderly barked back, and in a louder voice. "I'm not going to lie for you, not to Princess Celestia of all ponies! And especially not when that thing," the orderly paused and gestured in Ulquiorra's direction with his foreleg, "can see stuff like which pony cast what spell! You're on your own!"

"Why you..." Thrush growled at the mutinous behavior.

"That's quite enough out of you, Doctor," Celestia replied firmly, cutting him off before he could say anything else. Then she turned her attention to the orderly, with her features drastically softening. "Step forward, my little pony. What is your name, and what do you have to say?" she asked kindly.

"Um, Corners, Your Majesty," the orderly stated hesitantly as he stepped forward. Facing down Thrush was a whole lot easier than this. "What I... what I have to say is... is that everything Doctor Thrush said is nothing but a pile of manure! We haven't been searching the hospital. Hay, we didn't even know she was gone until we got your message about her being here at the palace. Thrush wasn't keeping an eye on her, nopony was. The whole suicide watch thing? Forget about that getting taken seriously. His idea of keeping an eye on her, was locking her in a room anytime she got difficult."

"If you say another word-" Thrush started, only to be interrupted.

"Doctor Thrush," Ulquiorra spoke up for the first time since this mess began. "This is now an official investigation concerning matters of national security. If you attempt to obstruct us once more, I'll paralyze your lower jaw in the closed position," he warned.

For him it was an easy threat to make. Pony anatomy had revealed a great deal of information that could one day prove useful; like a diagram of the unicorn nervous system, and the various nerve clusters that ran throughout the body. And when paired with the theory of acupressure, it provided a veritable road map of areas that were vulnerable to exploitation.

But his threat went far beyond simply having the knowledge of how to -theoretically- pull it off. This unicorn was interfering in their ability to determine just what harm might have come to Rainbow Dash, which it turn would threaten the long term safety of Equestria. By laws of default, Doctor Thrush was presenting himself to be a hazard to Equestria, and needed to be dealt with accordingly.

Thrush sputtered in response to what he'd just been told. Immediately he turned his attention to where Celestia stood.

"Princess, surely you're not going to let him speak to me like that!" he objected.

"That's the second time you've seen fit to tell me my business," Celestia commented as she narrowed her eyes. "I'm tempted to let him do it, just so I can see how he'd actually go about doing such. Now be silent unless you're addressed," she ordered, before turning her attention back to Corners. "Please. Continue."

Corners paused and considered what he wanted to say next, before speaking up once again.

"The first few days we did blood tests and biopsies, looking for any signs that would indicate some sort of illness. But when all the tests we had came back negative, and she kept going on about what she experienced, Thrush said she was just lying and crazy. He put her on a regimen of anti-psychotic drugs to try and make her stop having what he dismissed as crazy delusions. And when she didn't want to take her medicine, or she'd start mouthing off at him, he'd just have one of us orderlies cast a total paralysis spell on her, and lock her in a dark room for hours on end to make her cooperate, telling us to ignore her cries and screams. He even made us lock her in a dark closet all night long to try and take the fight out of her. That was the last we saw of her, until we came here. And when we did... well Doc' said he was gonna be teaching her a lesson in obedience that she'd never forget. That's why he had us storm in to do a snatch and grab; to try and get to her before she could spill the beans about what this quack has been doing to her!"

Throughout the explanation Ulquiorra observed as Corners' -a strange name in a world of strange names- reiatsu fluctuated. The further along he went the more emotional instability he displayed, and the more violent the fluctuations became. The disturbances had been quite low-level at the time of his arrival at the palace. And it was that, that had him curious on the matter. Curious enough to warrant him speaking up.

"Assuming all of this is true," Ulquiorra began, even though he had reason to suspect that it was, "how did Doctor Thrush gain your cooperation in this endeavor? And what motivated you to break your silence and reveal the truth?" he asked. They needed to know just how credible this unicorn was, before they proceeded.

"When he wants something, Thrush can be very... persuasive. Or... very coercive actually. And being a doctor with as much prestige and clout as him, opposition isn't exactly the best idea since he could easily ruin a career or two as easily as he could breathe. Threats are one of his go-to methods of getting "cooperation" out of ponies. Charley over there," Corners paused and gestured at his fellow orderly, "has got a little sister to look after. And me... well, as for me, Thrush made it clear that if I didn't go along with what he wanted on this case, he'd see to it that I was fired for inappropriate behavior with the patients in the foal's wing of the hospital. Supposedly he's known about my questionable interaction with sick foals for five years now, but didn't think it was important enough to report it to the proper authorities," he stated and frowned hard at Thrush.

"If such accusations were false, how was your cooperation successfully coerced?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Do you have any idea what happens to somepony suspected of being a foal fondler? It's not pretty. It doesn't even have to be true, just put out word that so-and-so is a foal-fondler, and you'll see one of the angriest mobs you've ever seen before in your life!" Corners stated, before frowning harder at Doctor Thrush than before.

"You have my apologies, and my sympathy, my little pony," Celestia stated as she spoke up, disgusted by this new development. "It was very brave of you to step forward like you've done here today, despite knowing what you could face. But I can't help but ask what finally motivated you to do just that."

"Fear, Your Majesty. I'm willing to tolerate a lot of abuse for the sake of keeping my job because I need it, but that doesn't include lying; specifically lying to somepony like you," Corners explained and bowed his head. Even those that were in it just for the money had scruples. "There's also fear of... just whatever he is," he continued and gestured in Ulquiorra's direction. "When he knew that I was the one who was forced to put the paralysis spell on Rainbow Dash, I knew I was going to be in deep trouble. And I'd much rather admit to being a part of something, than being made into the scapegoat as some negligent staff member."

"A very pragmatic decision on your part," Ulquiorra replied. Coming forward to Princess Celestia would ensure that retaliation for his honesty would be unlikely to occur.

"And a respectable one at that," Celestia added and nodded. And then she turned to Thrush. What sweetness she had mustered for Corners, was now dissolved by sourness and a scowl. "Do you have anything to say for yourself, "Doctor"?" she asked, the venom practically dripping from her lips at the mention of the word that he'd defiled.

"If you're expecting me to grovel and apologize, I have nothing to apologize for. I'll be vindicated by the facts of this case, making it clear that the actions I took in this case were not only necessary, but completely reasonable for dealing with the patient. We don't have time to deal with patients who are perfectly healthy, and insist on fabricating wild and unbelievable tales," Thrush stated, refusing to back down from his position. "She kept telling wild stories about how she was raped, despite there being no physical evidence to back up her accusations. Mare-on-mare rape is nothing more than a myth, purported by today's new-age think groups. Mares possess neither the mental capacity, nor the physical capacity to be the aggressor in such a case. One accusation would've been unbelievable enough. But no, she had to go with the story that she was raped by five different mares! I won't stand for such nonsense! I-"

"You're an idiot."

It was a simple, unassuming statement that was uttered that shut Thrush up during his rant. And, as Celestia noted, it could only be uttered by Ulquiorra with such straightforwardness and seamless deadpan delivery.

"What... what did you say to me?" Thrush asked, taken aback by the statement, and how easily it had been made.

"Did I stutter in my observation? I'll try again then," Ulquiorra replied. "You. Are. An. Idiot. A moron. A dullard. How you managed to arrive at the conclusions you've made, is beyond my ability to comprehend; just as it is beyond my ability to actually care. Regardless of such information, the fact remains that you're an idiot," he elaborated.

He'd had the dubious honor of meeting many arrogant individuals in his time. But this Doctor Thrush ranked highly as far as arrogance went. He was heavily opinionated in the belief that he was correct in his assumptions and observations. Trying to make him admit fault would be useless at this point. So he opted for another approach in addressing the stallion.

"Rainbow Dash was sent for the purpose of determining what illness or condition, if any, could potentially generate false memories, and auditory hallucinations in a pony. The reason she claimed she was raped, is because the false memories she possesses have lead her to believe she was raped. The purpose for the hospitalization was to provide a better level of care, than what would be possible at the palace. You have done no such thing. In fact, you may have only aggravated an already volatile situation, by traumatizing her even further, in your handling of the matter," he stated.

"There's nothing wrong with that mare!" Thrush roared in response. "We did tests on her, looking for anything that could explain her condition, and we found nothing! No viral, bacterial, fungal, or parasitic indicators have shown up, either in the blood samples, or in the tissue samples. There are no genetic markers that would indicate the onset of mental illness of any sort. There's no explanation except for her being nothing more than a lying nag!"

"One more word out of your mouth, Doc', and I'm gonna deck you one good!" Corners stated, unwilling to remain silent for what was being said. He'd already made his decision to not be a part of this mess. And it wasn't like he could get into anymore trouble than he already was.

"That's enough!"

It wasn't a bellowing yell that escaped Celestia's lips, but it was a very firm command. And, much to her relief, it was sufficient enough to quiet down the rabble that the small room was being subjected to. She didn't need all of this yelling right now. She needed calm, and quiet, in order to think.

And on top of that, she needed someone who wasn't prone to emotional outbursts to consult with.

"Ulquiorra, could I speak to you for a moment? Outside?"

The hallway was hardly the most secure of locations to have a conversation in. But that was simply par for the course as far as Ulquiorra was concerned. However he really doubted that the doors to the infirmary would be a sufficient noise buffer for whatever had to be said, even as far back as they stood.

"What do you have in mind?" he asked flatly, deciding to cut her off from whatever bush beating she might attempt, in an effort to work up the nerve to say whatever she had to say. "You wouldn't ask to speak with me, away from the others, unless you had something specific to say."

"Observant as always, and straight to the point," Celestia replied. She could respect that. "I want to bring Rainbow Dash back to the palace, so we can resume caring for her ourselves," she stated.

"And you need my permission before making such a call?" Ulquiorra asked.

"More like your advice. I want to make sure that I'm not rushing into something that I'm emotionally invested in," Celestia replied. "We made the decision to turn Rainbow Dash's care over to the hospital, both because they could provide greater care than we could, and to see if there was a determinable reason for what she was experiencing. And while they did see to the second in an acceptable manner, I believe it's safe to say that they've utterly failed at the first. You said it yourself, that so-called "doctor" in there might've wound up making matters worse in how he treated her. I don't even want to think of how much trauma he caused Rainbow Dash over the past few days. Confining a pegasus in a small room is bad enough, but to actually ground her, and to go so far as utilizing total paralysis..." she paused and gave a full body shiver, her wings twitching in the process. Being an alicorn didn't mean that she couldn't understand what it meant to be a pegasus; some things went deep when it came to having wings.

She looked over at the Espada, and saw him just standing silently. She took that as a silent invitation to continue.

"I'm not certain that it's best to leave Rainbow Dash in the continued custody of the hospital. If Corners' statements regarding Thrush's... "influence" are accurate, then an official inquiry needs to be launched to determine just how much corruption Canterlot General Hospital has become a hotbed of activity to. There's no telling what we might find, and I'd never forgive myself if we inadvertently placed her in a dangerous location in her current condition," she explained.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response. The irony of the statement regarding dangerous locations was impossible for him to ignore. Being one of the holders of the Elements of Harmony, Rainbow Dash was tasked with venturing into a number of dangerous situations, despite a glaring lack of specialized training for dealing with such encounters.

But then again, Rainbow Dash was never sent in alone. She always had backup in the form of five other mares, each equally absent of specialized training, but each with personal motivations to look out for the well being of one another. It was far different from this particular case, where such backup would be absent, and she might face future restraint for unspecified reasons.

"And how does my opinion assist you in this matter?" he asked.

"I need to know if what I plan on doing is a wise decision. We might not be equipped for patient care, but I know each member of the palace staff quite well, and trust them explicitly. None of them would do anything like what that stallion in there did to Rainbow Dash. None would even dream of it. And since we know that she's not host to some unrecognized disease, we don't have to keep her isolated. So doesn't it stand to reason, that it would be safe to bring her back here?" she asked him.

Ulquiorra considered how to respond. Simply because the medical tests available failed to identify any biological contaminants, didn't mean that nothing was present. All that it meant was there was nothing in the available repertoire of tests to identify. If something was presently unidentified, then there was little the tests would, or could, tell them about it.

That fact aside, there was the matter of Princess Celestia's desire to bring Rainbow Dash back into an environment they could directly control, and with far greater ease. Such an approach was possible, so long as security was increased to an appropriate level. There were numerous changes that would have to be made to the status quo, to ensure Rainbow Dash survived, and remained in place. Two escape attempts already, and each of them successful to a certain degree, did little to suggest these ponies knew anything about proper protocols.

"There are a significant number of changes that will have to be implemented," he began, mentally running through the checklist of things that would have to be done in order to keep Rainbow Dash safe. Competent guards being assigned, instituting an open door policy, restricting access to bedsheets and anything else that could be fashioned into a noose, etc. "Do you believe you possess the fortitude necessary to see this through?" he asked.

"I'm not certain we have much choice in the matter. If there's another viable option, then I'm not seeing it," Celestia replied. What else could they really do in this matter? As far as she could see, there was an obligation to step up and help Rainbow Dash. They had sent her to that hospital, to that insane stallion. They had nopony but themselves to blame. "You yourself said this was a matter that concerned the security of the nation. It's not a matter of whether or not we think we're up to what needs to be done. More accurately it's a matter of needing to be up to what needs to be done," she explained.

A fair point had been raised by Princess Celestia. Considering the importance of the matter, whether or not they were currently up to what had to be done was a matter of irrelevancy. They had no choice that he was aware of, except to proceed. As important as Rainbow Dash was to Equestria proper, leaving her in the care of anyone else would be utter foolishness.

"Can I count on you to assist us on this matter, Ulquiorra?" she asked him.

"Under normal circumstances I would say yes. But the situation in Ponyville has yet to be resolved. Whatever is responsible for Rainbow Dash's condition, is also responsible for Applejack's condition. And there's no telling what attack may occur next. If I'm to be of assistance here, I'll have to commute back and forth between the two locations. There's no telling how available I'll be, or what situation may come up that needs me to address it," he explained. Being indispensable, and yet simultaneously needed in more than one location was a difficult prospect. And the fact that he was without his descorrer, simply made it that much more difficult.

"Then perhaps I'd best not keep you any longer than necessary. Wait here a moment, and don't let Thrush try and sneak out. I'll return shortly with about four royal guards. I have a specific assignment for you," she replied.

"Which is?" Ulquiorra asked.

"I'd like you to escort Corners and the other orderly back to the hospital, and acquire Rainbow Dash's medical records. Take two of the guards along to ensure nopony tries to obstruct you. If we're going to be taking over her care, I want to know about absolutely everything that's transpired over the last five days," she explained.

"And the other two royal guards? What purpose will they serve?" Ulquiorra asked. He could see the wisdom of everything up to that point, with the exception of the numerical inconsistency. Clarification was needed.

"To place Thrush under arrest for assault, just as you said. With charges to be amended later, based on whatever the investigation may turn up. But for the time being, I believe aggravated assault on a member of the palace staff will be sufficient to hold him over, until an arraignment can be managed," she explained. She'd see about talking Malar out of possibly filing charges against Corners, considering how helpful he'd been to them so far. He might even prove useful to them in the future, depending on how things went.

"Understood," Ulquiorra replied, seeing no point in saying anything further. He couldn't really think of anything that might need to be said further. Anything he could have to offer up, would simply serve to prolong this bothersome side quest they were stuck facing. The less he said, the sooner Princess Celestia could depart to retrieve members of the royal guard. And the sooner she returned, the sooner he could carry out his duties, and return to Ponyville to carry out his duties there as well.

Author's Note

I tried, folks, I really tried. I spent a lot of time working on this chapter, but I just couldn't get it to feel quite right. It feels like something significant is missing, either in a key scene, or even a word to help better paint a particular instance, or just the general overall flow, but something just didn't feel right. But sadly I ran out of time and had to go with it.

I know that I'm probably going to catch hell for the villain not being any sort of big bad like you were hoping for when I promised you all a villain. But not all villains are created equal, and sometimes a small fry has to be addressed.

And now onto the fun stuff for bonus reading.

Deleted/extended scene/outtake

"You're an idiot."

It was a simple, unassuming statement that was uttered that shut Thrush up during his rant. And, as Celestia noted, it could only be uttered by Ulquiorra with such straightforwardness and seamless deadpan delivery.

"What... what did you say to me?" Thrush asked, taken aback by the statement, and how easily it had been made.

"Did I stutter in my observation? I'll try again then," Ulquiorra replied. "You. Are. An. Idiot. A moron. A dullard. A simpleton. A dumbass. A paint licker. A retard. Someone with an intelligence quotient below sixty points. A medical school dropout. Someone whose application to be a cadaver was rejected. A shithead. How you managed to arrive at the conclusions you've made is beyond my ability to comprehend; just as it is beyond my ability to actually care. Regardless of such information, the fact remains that you're an idiot," he elaborated.

Thrush was stammering at this point in utter disbelief of what terms were being so casually hurled in his direction. Quickly he turned to Celestia to look for guidance and clarification.

"Princess, are you going to just stand there, and let him assault me like that?" he asked.

"Let him? I'm actually thinking about joining in on the fun. The only reason I haven't, is because I haven't yet thought of any appropriate terms, that he hasn't already used," Celestia replied, cracking a wry grin of amusement at the obvious discomfort. And with that thought in mind, she turned to face Ulquiorra. "That reminds me, Ulquiorra, Luna is bound to want confirmation and clarification. What exactly is a "shithead" anyway?" she asked.

"In simple terms, an idiot whose cranial contents, proves itself to be indistinguishable from a pile of steaming excrement, when the two are compared side by side," Ulquiorra elaborated.

"Ah!" Celestia stated, nodding in agreement with the term of description, and how it seemed highly appropriate to describe Thrush. "That's a very fitting term. I'll have to remember to write that down for later reference."

"Princess!" Thrush stated in sheer disbelief. Things surely couldn't be unfolding like this... could they? He had to be dreaming, right?

"That's quite enough out of you "Doctor." I've had it up to here with you and your entire outlook on this situation," Celestia stated, raising her hoof above her head to visually illustrate her point on the matter. "I'll be dealing with you later. I need time to adequately calm down, so that I don't do something rash that I'll regret later; both morally, and because of all the paperwork that will be involved. Ulquiorra, would you be so good as to show the "Doctor" the door?" she asked.

"His current placement in the room, already provides him with an unobstructed view of both doors as is," Ulquiorra replied simply.

Celestia blinked, looking away from Thrush, over at Ulquiorra, and then over at where the doors were to the infirmary. And Ulquiorra had been right; where Thrush currently stood, there was nothing to obscure his view of the double doors in the room. She wanted to chuckle at it all, but she couldn't right now; maybe later.

"What I meant by that, Ulquiorra, was if you'd be so kind as to throw him out," she clarified.

Ulquiorra looked between Princess Celestia and Thrush, contemplating the request. It struck him as very odd, consideration everything that had occurred in the past, and what may occur in the future. Was she even aware of how badly that order could proceed?

But an order -even in the form of a request- was still an order. And she wanted the stallion in question to be bodily removed from the infirmary. What choice did he have in the matter?

"As you wish, Princess Celestia," he replied calmly, sliding his hands out of his pockets as he walked over to where Thrush stood, and -roughly- lifted him off the ground around his barrel from behind, to the point even his rear hooves were no longer touching.

Thrush squawked in surprise and indignation about this sudden turn of events, and the sheer amount of disrespect he was being shown. But all his attempts at adequately vocalizing his outrage were interrupted by the fact of quite literally being hurled right through the two swinging doors, and skidding to a stop against the marble flooring. That had hurt. It had hurt a great deal actually, and he wondered if a hip had been dislocated from the landing.

This was far from over, regardless of what they said to the contrary. He was a well-respected physician, this matter was far from being resolved. He had avenues open to him for dealing with this matter. Just wait until he got his lawyers involved, that would show them!

And then he felt the impact of his stethoscope slapping him in the back of his head, and saw it dangling limply from his horn. The utter indignation of it all...

Chapter Sixty Seven supplemental

Chapter Sixty Seven supplemental

Luna sat by Rainbow Dash's bed, watching the slow but steady rise and fall of the cyan pegasi's bandaged chest as she laid, unconscious and undreaming, her mind completely sealed off to the outside world.

And all the while, as she sat and watched, Luna couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so powerless, and utterly useless. Even when she'd lost her magic after being purified of Nightmare Moon's dark influence, she didn't feel this helpless.

She'd barely gotten any sleep at all on this day. Even upon learning that Rainbow Dash would live, it still hadn't helped. What little sleep she'd gotten had been through her sister's assistance, and all the while she was plagued with unease. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have risen for another three hours, but these circumstances were anything but normal. Normally an unconscious pony's mind would be an open book to her, and she could see so many wondrous -and even terrible- things. But regardless of how hard she tried, this was one pony's mind she couldn't gain access to. Whatever had happened to Rainbow Dash, it was preventing her from dreaming, and had been doing so for days now. She'd gone from nightly visits with a friend in need, to suddenly being cut off without even a single word as to why, or even how.

That being cut off without notice had filled her with great stress, and it compounded daily. While Rainbow Dash's nightmares were horrible to encounter, it was at least some connection that existed. But then that connection had been forcefully severed, leaving her incapable of helping. Worse than that, it had shaken her up mentally, and left her unable to properly focus on tending to the rest of her royal duties. And now with Applejack in a similar state to Rainbow Dash...

She wanted to scream right now. She wanted to bolt from the palace, fly as high as her wings would allow her, and just scream as loudly as she could, until her lungs burnt, and her throat was stripped raw. Something or someone was out there, right now, systematically targeting her friends for attack, inducing unimaginable suffering on each and every one of them that was touched, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it! Nothing except supportive work in extremely limited cases.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be! The royalty was supposed to serve the public's best interest, and look after them. They were supposed to protect their little ponies from harm, not stand by and watch them suffer needlessly, while twiddling their hooves in an utterly useless manner!

She had to calm down. That was a fact she was painfully aware of. But simply because she had to calm down, didn't mean that it was something easy enough to do. She'd been worked up the entire day, and even before then. She was of no use to anypony in her current condition. She had to take a breath, step back, and reconsider everything before her, as she tried to determine the best course for helping out not only her subjects, but also her friends.

Well, that, and silently vow that when she found the one responsible, she would administer ancient and arcane vengeance upon their worthless hide. But that was another line of thought, and best reserved for another point in time.

"Your Majesty? Are you alright?"

She was briefly aware of the voice next to her at this point. Turning to her side, she saw it was Nurse Goodwill standing next to her, with her muzzle bandaged, and her creamy yellow coat sporting pink stains that ran down her face. Just looking at her, gave sufficient reason and justification to continue remaining grouchy. Had that physician not been locked up prior to her arrival, she couldn't say that she would have shown restraint in her verbal tirade on him. But that was neither here nor there, as the nurse looked at her with great concern.

"In truth I have not been alright for the last month. But things as of recent have become much less fine than previous. I am nearing the point of ripping my mane out by the roots, as I sit here, unable to do anything more than watch a friend rest in a dreamless sleep," Luna admitted and slowly closed her eyes. "I am tired. I am upset. My friends are in danger, my ability to focus on my royal duties has been compromised, and I know not where to begin addressing everything."

"Hmm..." Goodwill mumbled to herself, although it was hard to tell with her nose in such a state. "I don't mean to be presumptuous, but... with your permission, Your Majesty, I might know of a place to start," she offered.

"Tell me, my little pony, I dearly wish to know," Luna replied.

The next thing she knew, she felt herself being pulled into a warm embrace. Opening her eyes in surprise, she found that Goodwill had stood up on her hind legs, in order to wrap her forelegs around her neck, and hold onto her firmly. It was a situation that was strikingly similar to the one she'd found her in at Ponyville General Hospital, in the aftermath of Ulquiorra Cifer's party. That time it had been Pinkie Pie's work.

But simply because the pink earth pony wasn't present, didn't mean that the hug didn't have the desired results. After a moment's pause, Luna closed her eyes, and returned the hug with a foreleg wrapped around Goodwill's back. It was comforting to have a warm, soft body close at hoof, when the whole world was going to pieces around her.

"Much appreciated, my little pony. I believe I was in desperate need of such," she stated.

"It's what I'm here for, Your Majesty. Being a trained healthcare provider isn't all about medicine, after all. Sometimes one has to be versed in the more subtle ways of caring for those in need," Goodwill explained as best she could.

"That is good to know," Luna replied. She briefly considered giving the nurse a little tease about making an appointment for more of this particular brand of healthcare being provided to her. But she ultimately decided against it. Her mood was lightened, but that didn't mean now was the appropriate time for jokes. So with a contented sigh, she removed her foreleg to disengage the hug, in order to allow Goodwill to set herself back down. Face to face conversations were far superior to over the wither; especially when one of the participants was injured, and had difficulty communicating.

"But this merely goes to reinforce my earlier point. I am useless here. I should be the one helping others, as is tradition for royalty. Instead everypony is helping me, as I sit around uselessly. It is a world gone mad!" Luna stated.

"... Even the helpers sometimes need help, Your Majesty," Goodwill pointed out as she sat back down. It was impossible for a single pony to do everything there was to do in this world, regardless of age, species, or otherwise. Even the diarchy couldn't be expected to tackle everything that arose.

Luna understood that the statement was perfectly accurate and truthful. But that didn't mean it was any easier for her to accept. Nor did it make it any easier to let go of her tension right now. She could accept needing the assistance of others, but not to this extent. She felt like a weak little filly right now, trapped in a situation she had no understanding of, and desperately in need of her parents to assure her that there was nothing in the shadows waiting to get her.

"That being said, I know how you feel. At the moment I can't do much of anything, thanks to my broken nose. I can barely even talk right," Goodwill continued. "I've been sidelined until further notice, and told to take it easy. Officially I'm not even on the case anymore until I recover," she explained and huffed. Something about how she might risk a more severe break, if Rainbow Dash got combative and struck her in the face this time around.

Luna wanted to comment, but she was interrupted by the sound of the door swinging open. Turning around, she saw one of her sisters' guards entering the room.

"Your Highness, the others have returned. They're currently waiting for you in the throne room," the guard explained as he stood by the door.

"That is excellent then," Luna replied as she stood up and turned around. "Wait here until I return. Keep Nurse Goodwill company, and alert me should Rainbow Dash regain consciousness," she instructed. She was met with a salute in response.

Perhaps now they could get to the bottom of this issue. Hopefully the records they'd procured would shed some light on what had transpired over the past few days.

When Luna finally made it to the throne room -a matter that would've been instantaneous if she could've just focused enough to teleport, rather than being forced to run- she found the others all assembled, just as she was told. Her sister stood next to Doctor Malar, while Ulquiorra stood next to somepony she didn't recognize, and all were peering through various books, charts, and other information she couldn't make out from her vantage point.

"What has been learned in my absence?" she asked as she approached their position.

"I'll let you know what we've learned, as soon as the two intellectual giants let me know what they've learned," Celestia replied as she turned to face Luna, before turning her attention back to Ulquiorra and Malar. Malar was currently reading over the medical records that had been procured from the hospital, while Ulquiorra was in the process of referencing a medical journal procured from the library. She'd been trying to follow along with what was being said, but the matters they were discussing were hard to follow; especially when they were the ones holding all the relevant material. How was she expected to keep track of everything in such a manner?

Luna said nothing in response, uncertain of how to respond to such a statement. So she simply decided to focus on what she could have a few words about; such as the unidentified unicorn in the room.

"And who is our new friend here?" she asked.

"This is Corners, an orderly from Canterlot General Hospital. And he's been quite invaluable to us so far," Celestia explained and smiled over at the aforementioned pony. Before beginning to give Luna an overview of what had transpired, and what developments had occurred during her absence.

Luna listened as Celestia explained what had happened, mentally promising herself that this Thrush character would indeed receive what was coming to him; as would anypony else that had been complicit in this. There would be no mercy whatsoever from her.

No mercy... except for Corners, who had recognized the error of his ways, and worked to correct them.

"You have our thanks. And our gratitude," she replied simply.

"I appreciate that, Your Highness," Corners replied and sighed. "But I fear my good deeds may have wound up costing me my job. And bad as it was, a paycheck is still a paycheck..."

Back at the hospital, it had been his decision to fully cooperate with Ulquiorra and the guards on the matter, and get them all the records that were sought, over what objections the other staff had tried to mount. He'd taken the brunt of the fallout that was bound to come from his actions, sparing Charley what would likely be the consequences for such. He knew the stallion had enough troubles as it was, without unemployment being added to them.

That said, it really hadn't been an easy sell to pull off. Charley was one of those that always meant well, he was just... a little bit slow in understanding at times; not stupid, he just didn't understand things quite as fast as everypony else did. And he'd been worried about the fallout that would be experienced with his workmate gone, seeing what they'd been through during their time at Canterlot General. It had been a really hard decision for him to make, knowing what was at stake and all. But he knew Charley well enough to know that he'd eventually be able to manage the change. He'd just need some time to adjust.

He just hoped that the pep talk he'd given before committing what was essentially treason to the hospital, would stick with the stallion, and see him through whatever coming difficulties he might face.

"I don't think you'll need to be worrying about that anytime soon," Celestia spoke up from where she stood. "Since Rainbow Dash is coming back to the palace so we can care for her ourselves, another set of hooves with medical experience could prove to be indispensable around here. That is, if you don't mind," she explained. It wouldn't be right to leave him vulnerable to retaliation, simply because he had some scruples in what he did daily.

"I'd have to be crazy to mind," Corners replied, excited about the prospect he was being offered. He was about to make his best effort of expressing his thanks for the kindness he was being presented. But he was interrupted before he could actually do such, by the sound of a heavy tome being firmly shut.

"We've completed our review of everything," Malar spoke up as he turned to face the diarchy.

"Wondrous! What have you learned? What is wrong with Rainbow Dash? Why does she no longer dream at night?" Luna asked, her voice shaky with both excitement and concern at the same time.

"The issue of just what is wrong with Rainbow Dash is extensive and complicated," Ulquiorra began. There was no one simple answer that could be given, that could explain absolutely everything. The matter would have to be explored one question at a time. "The matter pertaining to the lack of dreams, can be attributed to the drug regimen she was placed on during her stay at the hospital. Deprivation of REM-state sleep, is a side effect of nearly every anti-psychotic medication listed in her file."

Deprivation of REM-state sleep was only one of the known side effects listed. There were a significant number of others that didn't strike him as particularly indicative of promoting good health, and even seemed entirely contradictory to what the end goal was. But those side effects hadn't been inquired about, and as such, they were irrelevant to the discussion.

Next to him, Doctor Malar nodded in agreement.

"Based on the indicated dosages of each compound, when they were last administered, and on her metabolic rate, it could take days for everything to be fully out of her system," he added.

"Days!?" Luna yelled in disbelief at what she'd just heard. "Rainbow Dash will not be able to dream for days?"

"Among other things," Ulquiorra replied. And now that he thought about it, this could explain several more questions. REM-state deprivation could potentially explain why Rainbow Dash had crashed through the stained glass window, rather than swooping through the open balcony.

Of course it would do better to ask Rainbow Dash why she had done what she'd done. But if she was in a sleep-deprived state -one that was further exacerbated by the treatment she'd received while at the hospital- she might not even know why she had done what she'd done at the time. In light of being properly rested, her actions might appear insane even to herself. It would all have to be addressed later on.

"Well that's one mystery down. But what about the others at hoof? What did the hospital find out about her condition?" Celestia asked, hoping not only to move along with the discovery process, but also steer her sister away from a frenzy over the fact that one of their subjects had been deprived of their dreams; a very serious offense to a guardian of the dream world.

"Well that's where things start to get very interesting," Malar began as he flipped over the medical file again. "Thrush might be a disgrace to medicine, but the rest of the hospital staff was thorough in their examination. They conducted a number of blood tests, and tissue biopsies, running a full spectrum of tests to look for any biological contaminants that would explain what she was going through. And just as they stated, there's nothing there that could be found. No viruses, no bacteria, no fungi, and no parasites. As far as the hospital is concerned, she's quite healthy. There's nothing in her system that would suggest a contagion of any sort," he stated in a confident manner.

"And how exactly does that amount to interesting?" Celestia asked flatly. She didn't share Malar's enthusiasm right now, and wanted answers as to what was wrong with Rainbow Dash, not about what wasn't wrong with her.

"That in itself isn't. The interesting part isn't in what they didn't find, but what they did find. While one set of tests was being run to look for the presence of biological contaminants, another series of tests was run to look for other possible causes. And what those tests found was the presence of drugs in her system; specifically a combination of opioid and hallucinogenic substances," Malar stated.

Ulquiorra observed as silence overtook the room at this revelation. Even he himself was stunned. This wasn't the sort of revelation that he'd been expecting. This was actually the first time he had received confirmation that this world had any knowledge of such things; ponies engaging in recreational drug use simply had never occurred to him. It was just one of those things that was never given consideration, because it just seemed too nonsensical to even be worth considering.

It now appeared that he would have to reevaluate that particular outlook on the matter.

"Rainbow Dash is... on drugs?" Luna asked, unable to believe what she was hearing. Quickly she began vigorously shaking her head. "No! 'Tis a lie, 'tis bullshit!" she declared and stomped her hoof. There was no way this could be true.

"Luna-" Celestia started in an effort to calm her sister down.

"No, sister, I know of what I speak! If there were truth so such, I would hath seen it in her dreams. This cannot be right!" Luna stated furiously. They had to have made a mistake.

"I'm inclined to agree with Princess Luna on the matter. In the time I've spent around Rainbow Dash, I've observed nothing that would indicate either short or long-term recreational usage of narcotics, or other such substances. Nor am I aware of just how such usage could yield the results we have seen, and for the duration we've seen," Ulquiorra replied.

It was no secret to anyone that he had no particular care for Rainbow Dash or her well being, beyond her status as holder of the Element of Loyalty. He found her generally unpleasant in personality. If it weren't for her importance to Equestria, he wouldn't have associated with her at all. But even with that level of animosity, he still had serious doubts that she would ever engage in recreational drug use. He had found nothing in his investigation that would even begin to suggest such, and he had been meticulous in searching every location she had visited in the given week prior to the incident. It was... it was something he couldn't logically explain. As disturbing as the thought was, he just couldn't seem to articulate his position on this matter.

Celestia tried to suppress the sigh that she was feeling build up within her. Luna was taking this news far harder than she'd expected. She needed to do something while she still could.

"If this is the result of drugs, Doctor, then wouldn't that mean it's only a matter of time before she's better? She's been watched over for nearly two weeks straight, and given no opportunity during which she could administer another dose of whatever substance is in her system. Eventually the chemical compounds will have to break down and metabolize, just like everything else, right?" she asked. Medical magic might not have been one of her fields of study -at least not on an extensive level, unlike other subjects- but that didn't mean she was totally ignorant on the subject of biology.

"Under normal circumstance, I'd say yes. But that's where things go from interesting, to just plain weird, Your Highness. These tests were only done about five days ago, but they're devoid of any sign of her system containing the appropriate metabolites for these drug types. I don't know if it was too soon at the time, since not everything has a short half-life cycle, but it almost looks like her body isn't succeeding in breaking them down," Malar explained uncertainly. "I'll order another panel of blood tests to see if there's been any change between now and then. Hopefully they can be run faster than the first time around, since we know what we're looking for this time around."

"It would be wise to have Applejack examined by a physician as well, to determine if her experiences are due to the same cause," Ulquiorra suggested. Right now that was about the only thing he was capable of contributing on this matter.

And perhaps that much would be enough. If Applejack's tests showed the same result as Rainbow Dash's, then they would finally have an answer to go on. But it would be only one answer. They would then have to figure out where the drugs came from, how they were procured, who had supplied them, and why were they taken in the first place?

And then there was a flash of light in the room, as one of Princess Celestia's royal guards appeared.

"Your Highness!" the guard announced quickly as he saluted. "As per orders, I'm reporting that the pegasus Rainbow Dash has finally regained consciousness."

"Wonderful. Perhaps now we can get some answers," Celestia replied.

"You're very lucky," Goodwill stated softly, as best she could, as she wrapped fresh bandages around Rainbow Dash's chest. As she did so, her fellow nurse kept the pegasus aloft and off the bed for ease of access. "Your carotid artery was nearly severed by that crash you were involved in. We found a fragment of glass resting right against it."

Rainbow Dash, however, said nothing in response to the statement about how she was lucky. She simply continued staring at the ceiling, and hanging limp in the telekinetic field that enveloped her.

Goodwill sighed at the lack of response, and simply refocused on her task of changing the bandages. Despite their best work at stitching Rainbow Dash back together, the normal post-op oozing had still occurred with the larger wounds, and needed to be addressed to prevent infection.

She wasn't certain, but she wanted to blame a part of it on Thrush's rough treatment of her. All that jostling could've shaken something loose.

"... I'm sorry..."

Goodwill blinked and looked up at the statement, barely above the level of a whisper. Had she actually heard something said, or was her imagination playing tricks on her? As she looked up from her task, she saw that Rainbow Dash was looking at her out of the corner of her eye.

"About your horn. I'm sorry I bit you. You didn't deserve that..."

It was a hoarse croaking of a statement, likely due to an overly dry throat. But nonetheless, she could tell there was sincerity behind her words.

"Apology accepted," she replied, before continuing with another pass of fresh bandages around her chest. "That'll make it easier when looking after you in the future."

"... Say what?" Rainbow Dash asked, not even bothering to turn her head, as she already knew it wouldn't be possible.

Goodwill was about to explain what had developed during the time she was unconscious. But before she could, she was interrupted by the door opening, and the others coming back in again. First it was the Princesses in single file, then Doctor Malar, then the Espada, and finally Corners, who was sticking to the back, and mostly obscured by the others in front of him.

"I'm quite relieved that you're alright, Rainbow Dash," Celestia stated in her usual kind tone as she approached the bed. "You had all of us worried when you came crashing through the window into the throne room."

"I'll pay for it," Rainbow Dash replied hoarsely. "I mean I'll try anyway. I've got some bits stashed away and-"

Celestia raised her hoof, signalling for Rainbow Dash to stop talking.

"The window was never my concern, Rainbow Dash, only your well being. I could care less about a mass of decorative glass. My only concern is my subjects, and my friends," she explained, setting her hoof back down as she stepped closer, and looked Rainbow Dash in the eyes; coincidentally occurring when she was lowered back onto the bed, the re-bandaging now completed.

It was at this point that Luna stepped forward, far less visibly composed than her sister. One could tell just by looking at her that she was frantic.

"I... I..." she started, before turning back to look at Malar and the other assembled medical staff. "Please, I must know, can she be hugged yet?"

"... As long as it's nothing too vigorous. She hasn't had a chance to properly heal yet," Malar replied. He knew how... enthusiastic... Princess Luna could get when it came to caring for her friends. He just hoped her enthusiasm didn't cause the sutures to rupture. He knew that as the chief physician for the palace, he had some degree of leeway when it came to his own authority. But right now he wasn't really sure exercising it would yield the desired results. The best he could do right now was advise that they exercise a cautious approach in what they did, and tread lightly.

Hearing this, Luna turned back to Rainbow Dash, sat down on her haunches, and flexed her magic, gently lifting her up and out of the bed over to her, before reaching out and tentatively pulling her into a loose embrace. She was so scared of causing her any further discomfort, but at the same time she wanted to hold onto her so much tighter to ensure she didn't slip loose, and fall to the floor should her telekinesis somehow cut out on her.

There were a lot of things that she wanted to say right now, but she feared that if she opened up, she was going to let loose an emotional torrent that simply wouldn't stop. She'd been so worried since the start of the day, when she'd been present for the window shattering, and the aftermath revealing Rainbow Dash's bloodied and cut up form being the cause of it all. Being left alone in the throne room, her imagination had run wild, and convinced her that such a graphic image would quite possibly be the very last memory she would ever have, of seeing the cyan pegasus while she was still alive. She'd been so wound up by everything, more than once she'd nearly broken down and bawled like a foal. And now, secure in the knowledge that Rainbow Dash was going to continue living, she might just do that out of relief.

"What's he doing here?"

The venom in Rainbow Dash's voice as she emphasized that single word could practically be felt by everyone present. And as they looked, they saw the target of her discontent; that being Corners from where he stood at the back.

"You don't need to worry about Corners, Rainbow Dash, he's here to help you," Celestia reassured her.

"Bullshit!!" Rainbow Dash yelled and proceeded to try and struggle and squirm in Luna's embrace, despite the lack of room to actually maneuver her body in. "He's not taking me back there! I won't go, I won't! I'm not going back into the box again! Don't let him take me!"

From Ulquiorra's perspective, it was strange to observe Rainbow Dash's reaction to the sight of Corners. She was currently running a gamut of emotional instability, ranging from aggression, to outright terror. She was simultaneously angry, and scared, and both reactions were wrestling for domination. And this was also being displayed in her reiatsu fluctuations.

"Ulquiorra, help! Please don't let them take me! I don't wanna go back in the box again! Ulquiorra!"

That... gave Ulquiorra reason to pause. He hadn't been expecting this development to occur. Not at all.

In his time here in Equestria, he had met a number of ponies, with most of them having their own way of addressing him. Some were more casual than others, some were more formal than others. Some referenced his title, some his species. A good number of them used his name, with some of them able to pronounce it correctly.

And then there was Rainbow Dash. Not once in all of their interactions, had she ever used his name. She'd never even tried to use his name. She'd claimed that it was too hard for her to get right. In any of the times she'd tried to address him, it was always something like "dude" or "U.C" or she'd simply talked directly at him.

So when she went from her usual manner of address, to using his actual name -and the correct pronunciation on top of it- he knew that something wasn't right.

Actually that was a considerable understatement of facts. He already knew that something wasn't right, as nothing had been right since he'd gotten here. But this was a different case entirely, separate from everything else that wasn't right. If Rainbow Dash was actually referring to him by name, and pleading for his help, then it was safe to say that something new was very wrong, and the situation had gone from bad to worse. But the question was just what was that something? Just what had Rainbow Dash gone through, that warranted this almost Pavlovian response in her, that had her trying her best to escape by thrashing about? This was genuine, unadulterated fear he was experiencing right now, from the same pony who had faced him down, alone, and without even blinking.

"What the hell did that idiot do to her?" he asked himself, wondering just what trauma Thrush had subjected her to, in his obsessive desire to satiate his inflated ego.

"Rainbow Dash," Celestia spoke gently, but with enough volume to still be heard. "Do you remember back in Carousel Boutique, when I asked if you could trust us to look out for you? Well that's what I'm asking you to do right now. I'm asking you to trust us. I promise you, you won't be going back into any box. And I can assure you, Corners is not here to hurt you. He's actually the one that helped you, by informing us of just what Doctor Thrush had done to you. And because of him, right now, Thrush is sitting in a holding cell, cooling his hooves, as we work to decide just what to have him charged with. He can't hurt you, or anypony else anymore, and that includes Corners."

Ulquiorra observed how the last statement had managed to take the wind out of Rainbow Dash's sails. She stopped her squirming and thrashing almost immediately.

But he'd also observed how Princess Celestia was exercising her magic at the same time. Perhaps using her words as a distraction, while at the exact same time, weaving a calming spell in order to make her focus. That was the only thing that made sense right now, as words alone would've never been able to do that.

"... Say what now?" she asked, confused.

"From best I can understand, Thrush had made an indirect threat on Corners' life to secure his cooperation. And on more than one occasion as well. He is just as much a victim as you are. But no more. Now he will be working with Doctor Malar and his staff, and be treated with the respect he deserves," Luna stated.

"... You're asking an awful lot," Rainbow Dash muttered as she looked down at the floor, past Luna's foreleg. "You want me to trust you about him... like when I trusted you that I'd be alright at the hospital?"

Silence washed over the room at Rainbow Dash's question. Neither Celestia nor Luna knew how to respond to being called out in such a manner, as she was correct. They'd determined that the hospital would be their best bet in her care, and they'd been proven wrong in that determination. And now they were being called out on their mistake.

"Mistakes have happened up to this point," Ulquiorra spoke up, bringing their attention to him. "Mistakes will continue to happen after this point. Nothing is going to change that fact. When mistakes occur, they will be addressed to the best of our abilities, and corrected if possible."

If Rainbow Dash was expecting a perfect track record of success, then she was sorely out of luck. Not a single individual in this room could boast about never making a mistake that had unintentionally cost them something; even Ulquiorra himself couldn't make such a claim, and he was well aware of that fact.

But questionable track records or not, he was equally aware that this motley crew, composed of various ponies, and himself, was all that they had to rely on right now. They simply had to make the best of a bad situation

And perhaps now it was the appropriate time to emphasize that point. He then turned his attention to Rainbow Dash directly in order to address her.

"Truthfully you don't have to trust us. But such a course of action will make the road to recovery more difficult to traverse," he pointed out. "The decision is yours to make. We don't have that authority here."

He could have easily berated Rainbow Dash for her inconsistent stance on trusting the others, and how she didn't have much choice in the matter. But at the moment, that approach didn't seem quite... appropriate. He knew that trying to force the issue would do no good, as trust couldn't be forced. It was one of those things that had to be properly cultivated with patience, and simply performing some arbitrary task would do nothing to foster its growth.

But simply because he knew no good would come from trying to force the issue, didn't change the fact that he still found the idea to be inappropriate to consider as an option.

The fact that she had asked him - and by name no less- for help was a matter that he was still trying to properly wrap his head around.

And now he was aware of the others looking at him, some of them in a skeptical manner. But that was to be understood, considering he'd more or less just bypassed the diarchy with his statement.

"You mean... you're not going to tell me that I have to trust you? No pressure or anything?" Rainbow Dash asked, dumbfounded by what he'd just said. She'd been expecting a big explanation about the importance of trust, and she'd gotten nothing like that. It was... actually it was underwhelming.

"No," Ulquiorra replied flatly. There was no need for extensive elaboration on this matter. If Rainbow Dash wasn't prepared to trust them, then explaining just why she should trust them would yield no practical benefit. If she was hounded, she would simply shut them all out, and slip further into whatever mental instability plagued her mind.

If they were going to get anywhere, then she would need to come to them of her own volition. she would have to want her recovery, for it to mean anything; just like a drug addict wanting to get clean and sober.

In hindsight, perhaps that wasn't the best comparison to be making under these circumstances.

"Okay... I'll try..." Rainbow Dash replied weakly, all the while hanging limply in Luna's hold.

Celestia smiled. Rainbow Dash agreeing to trust them was a very good sign. Now Ulquiorra's actions were starting to make some sense to her. Or at the very least, it was taking some of the mutinous undertones out of the equation.

"Could I lay back down now? I'm kinda tired," Rainbow Dash muttered.

"Oh. Of course," Luna replied as she carefully let go of the cyan pegasus, and levitated her back over to the bed, and gently laid her back down.

Malar wanted to speak up. As a medical practitioner, he was certain that Rainbow Dash should be resting right now, aided by a low-level sedative spell to help her relax. In her current state, she was in no condition for extended periods of excitement; she was going to need at least several days of rest to properly heal from her injuries.

But at the same time, he was experiencing a burning, overwhelming sense of curiosity concerning Rainbow Dash's condition, and everything that had lead up to it. He wanted to find out the mystery concerning the drugs that were in her system. And, if applicable, who else might have access to them, and be using them right now. The more information they had to go on, the better off they'd be. If they were facing an epidemic in the making, then it was better to get a jump on it early.

He was genuinely torn on what was the best manner in order to proceed from here on out. He could feel the oath he took upon completing medical school coming back to bite him on the flank right now. Should he care primarily for his patient in the here and now, or the possible hundreds of patients that could come about in the immediate future?

"At present there are a number of questions that have yet to be answered. Questions pertaining to your own health and well being," Ulquiorra pointed out, serving as a reminder to the others that they still had business to tend to. Giving Rainbow Dash time to recover might be the desirable thing to do, but they lacked the time necessary to allow for an adequate recovery to take place.

And if the others didn't understand that fact, then he would have to make them understand. Time could be of the essence for all they knew at this point.

"Like what?" Rainbow Dash asked, tiredness starting to be overridden by what was turning into burning curiosity.

"The various tests performed at the hospital revealed no signs of biological contaminants; you're neither contagious, nor are you suffering from any form of mental illness, as far as Canterlot's medical experts are concerned," Ulquiorra explained. The reaction he received in response, however, wasn't quite what he was expecting. He'd expected some exaggerated display that would indicate a sense of relief washing over her. Instead he was simply stared at, as if she knew that there was more to be said, and she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

If that were truly the case, then she was more intelligent than she let on.

"However there's another matter. While there was no sign of biological contaminants, there were signs of certain chemical substances in your system; specifically opioid and hallucinogenic substances. We need to know where they were acquired, and who else may have access to them," he stated flatly. There was no point in tiptoeing around the issue of her possible drug use in the name of sensitivity.

"Ha... hallucinogenics?" Rainbow Dash asked after a long pause as she tried to process what he was saying. "You mean... you mean drugs?" she asked. However she didn't even wait for a response before she started shaking her head. "No. No, no, no. That can't be right, I don't do drugs! I don't! The tests have to be wrong, they have to be!" she stated quickly as she bolted up in the bed, refusing to believe what she was hearing. There was no way any of this could be true. It had to be some sort of crazy practical joke they were playing on her. It had to be a mistake. It had to be something, anything other than the truth. There was just simply no way that it could be the truth!

"Rainbow Dash, please calm down," Luna said as she raised a hoof to try and ease the distraught pegasus. But her efforts seemed fruitless as her hoof was ensnared by Rainbow Dash grabbing onto it as she continued to thrash about. And all the while she continued denying the use of any drugs. If she was asked, Luna would admit that she had no idea just what had set the cyan pegasus off in such a manner, and why she was trying so hard to convince them that she didn't do drugs, when no such accusation had even been made. What had set her off like that?

But before she could even get an answer to that question, she became aware of the bandages on Rainbow Dash's midsection quickly becoming stained red.

"Out! Everypony out! Now!" Malar ordered. He'd spotted the bleeding almost immediately, and knew that they were dealing with a ruptured suture at the least. They'd all wound up pushing the patient too far before she was adequately ready, and now they had a situation on their hooves. And now it was up to them to clean up the mess. "Nurse!"

In the following few seconds, it was a mass of unorganized chaos and shouting, as Celestia, Luna, Ulquiorra, and Corners, were all more or less shoved and ordered out of the infirmary. Not that they'd done much to try and resist the forceful ejection they'd just been subjected to. Some were too stunned, while others knew what was going on, and knew it was best not to object.

"What exactly happened?" Luna asked and blinked.

"Doctor Malar's evaluation of Rainbow Dash's condition proved to be quite accurate. We overtaxed a system that wasn't ready for the strain it was put under," Ulquiorra elaborated. All of them, even himself, had been far too quick to try and seek answers. Utter foolishness on all of their parts.

All they could do now, was wait and see how things developed from here on out.

And, for those that naively held such foolish notions, hope that she recovered.

There was very little activity in the hallway outside of the infirmary. For Ulquiorra himself, that was understandable, as he didn't currently possess any other pressing matters to address. But when it came to the others, it was decidedly less so. Corners, being the newest member of their motley crew, could reasonably argue that he hadn't yet been situated, and had nothing else to do but wait. However the diarchy had no such excuse available to them, so their presence was a matter of confusion.

Confusion or not, however, nothing changed the fact that they were all present, and all waiting to receive word on Rainbow Dash's condition. As if the presence of all participants would somehow affect the outcome, and yield a different result than if he'd just been here by himself.

Even if their presence served as a point of bother to him, however, there was nothing he could do about it. Two of the other three present drastically outranked him. The best he could do was simply submit a request that they leave, which they would likely refuse to comply with. In short there was nothing he could do but wait alongside them.

The only upside to everything, was the fact that presently there was no pointless conversation going on. And while there was some conversation that had been going on over the past hour, it wasn't exactly pointless in nature.

Regardless of that fact, however, silence would've been preferred to the hysterics, and the clopping of hooves against the marble flooring.

However the wait was eventually ended, as Malar exited the room, looking quite exhausted; to the point where he could quite possibly fall right over, judging by the manner in which he was dragging his hooves.

"The operation was a success. But what has been learned?" Ulquiorra asked as soon as he was out the door.

"How did you..." Malar started to ask. But then he decided that he'd rather not; not at this point in time anyway. He was too tired from everything that'd happened today, to add yet something else on top of it. The Espada had already explained how he could see things that no pony could. For all he knew, he could see through the walls, read lips, smell death, and do so much more. "Oh never mind. But in short, you're right, she's still alive. All of the physical exertion she did, tore out some of her sutures, and we had to go back in and redo them. Now she's unconscious again, as to be expected. And this time around, I'm not about to let anyone else question her, or get her excited, or even hug her, until she's had time to actually heal," he explained, adding the last part firmly to make his position clear. Rainbow Dash was in his care now, and this time around he was going to exercise that authority he had in this matter, royal objection or no royal objection. He'd keep her in a medically induced coma if that's what it took to get her healed up.

"Thank Faust," Luna breathed and closed her eyes as she hung her head, promptly dropping to her haunches, sitting down for the first time since they'd been pushed into the hallway. She could finally stop her nervous pacing. "I feared the worst."

"We all did, Luna," Celestia replied as she approached and ran a wing over her back.

"Unfortunately we're not any closer to getting the answers we were after," Corners pointed out. Yes, he was thankful that Rainbow Dash hadn't died, but he wanted to know just what the buck was going on. The Princesses had been kind enough to hire him into their services when they could've just as easily thrown him into the dungeons right alongside Thrush, so the very least he could do was get involved in this matter, and try and help out however he could. "We still don't know where she got the drugs from."

"No. No we don't," Celestia agreed. They hadn't managed to get any answers out of Rainbow Dash. Just flat out denial, when she hadn't even been accused of anything. Denial and a near-panic. "But that doesn't mean we're at a dead end. We still have another way in which to proceed."

"We do? Well what is it?" Corners asked, confused by what they were talking about. Confused, and a little frustrated at not being let in on what was going on around him.

"Applejack," Ulquiorra stated. He could see the look of recognition on the orderly's face at the obvious being pointed out to him. Most likely it was a simple lapse in memory, born from everything else that'd been going on so far.

Celestia nodded in agreement. Once they successfully determined Applejack's overall condition, they could then work backwards from her, and determine what similarities she had with Rainbow Dash, that could potentially lead them to some commonality to explore and investigate. Now that she stopped and thought about it more, that seemed like the better course of action anyway.

So far all of their attention had been focused on Rainbow Dash, primarily because she was the first to be attacked, and the one who had been more seriously affected. Applejack in comparison just seemed... more stable overall. She hadn't been a quivering mess of crying and uncertainty. Nor had she given off an air that left her deeply concerned for her well being.

That wasn't to say that they'd decided to simply write her off, and pay no attention to her. It just meant that they had to prioritize in terms of order of severity. And if Rainbow Dash was going to be incapacitated for the time being, then Applejack automatically became their best lead to go on. And perhaps her stability in this case could serve them well.

At the very least, following up on the leads from Applejack would allow Rainbow Dash the time she needed to better rest, and recuperate, by taking some of the stress off of her. It was made abundantly clear that the last thing she needed right now, was anymore stress weighing on her mind. She'd already tried to commit suicide once, they didn't need a repeat of that.

"I'll send word to Ponyville, and let them know just what the situation entails," she stated. The sooner she could get them involved, the sooner they could potentially get some genuine answers, and figure out just what they were doing.

She would also have to inform Twilight that, due to circumstances beyond their control, that meeting they'd scheduled for today was going to be cancelled, and would have to be done another time.

"That is all well and good. But what do we do in the meantime? How do we care for Rainbow Dash?" Luna asked. She understood that her duties and responsibilities applied to Equestria as a whole, but that didn't mean they should forget about individual cases that were in dire need. And right now, who could be in more dire need than Rainbow Dash herself?

"If I may," Corners spoke up. When all eyes were on him, he stepped forward and continued talking, doing his best to keep his cool, now that he was center stage and all. "I know that I'm new here and all, and mine isn't the best track record, but I think one thing we need to do, is reinstate the suicide watch that was theoretically in place, until we make sure she's no longer a danger to herself or others. And this time we do it properly, with ponies checking up on her and everything. No more throwing her in a dark room for hours at a time, and calling it good enough," he stated.

"I am in agreement," Luna stated quickly. This sounded like a very good plan to her ears. They would be giving Rainbow Dash the care she needed, and doing whatever it took to help her get back on her hooves. She would see to that herself if it was necessary. "What else might we do to help Rainbow Dash? How do we see to her best?"

"I would recommend a complement of twelve guards," Ulquiorra spoke up from where he stood, hands tucked into his pockets. "Six from the day guard, six from the night guard. Divided into groups of two, and each tasked with a four-hour shift of monitoring her condition. Any future attempts at either escape or suicide, will be far less likely to succeed when in the presence of a pair of professionals, trained in dealing with difficult subjects," he elaborated. Not that he particularly considered the royal guard to be professional at anything, but in their situation, beggars couldn't be choosers. In his absence they would have to do. And in order to look after Ponyville, and the sensitive targets still present there, his absences would likely be frequent. His presence here would have to be relegated to coordinating with the others whenever necessary, and providing his expertise when the situation demanded it.

Luna wanted to ask the Espada if such an approach was truly necessary. Their guards were among the best trained of ponies, but that training involved providing security to others, not necessarily nurse-type work. Assigning them to provide observation, and, if it proved to be necessary, physically restraining her, things could get quite ugly, and quite quickly.

But she refrained from asking such a question, as she suspected she already knew what the answer would entail. Within one week's time, Rainbow Dash had already launched two successful escape attempts, and somehow overcame a wing paralysis spell in the process of the second one. Who knew what they would be facing right now. For all she knew right now, a complement of guards might be the most reasonable thing they could do under these circumstances.

"I'll consider both recommendations. But I'd prefer that we first sit down, and discuss just what the proposals will involve. And more importantly, what they won't involve. I don't want to hastily jump on something, just because it sounds good at the moment," Celestia pointed out. She wanted to know not only how the watch would be carried out, but what the guards would be tasked with doing.

She also wanted to know if outside physicians would be brought in to assist on this matter, and if so, who they were, and what they specialized in that would be of help to them. They needed to be careful with how they'd proceed if they were going to avoid making anymore mistakes. If there were any psychiatrists that specialized in what they'd be encountering, she wanted their names and addresses. She'd ready an entire wing of the palace to house every physician in Canterlot for as long as necessary, if that was what they needed to do, to make things right again.

They had a plan of action for how to proceed from here on out. And this time around they had a consensus of voices, provided by numerous skilled individuals, who were all willing to cooperate towards a specific goal. Now it was just a matter of actually putting everything together and into motion. And if they could do that, then maybe, just maybe, they could finally get to the bottom of things, and finally get Rainbow Dash well again.

For the time being, Ulquiorra was content to maintain his silence. At the moment he had nothing more to contribute, as it would serve no point. Once Princess Celestia had determined who should be assembled, and when they should be assembled, he would have something more to say. Until then, it was just a matter of more waiting for the appropriate time.

Until that appropriate time arrived, however, he had other matters to focus on; such as the hallucinogenics currently flooding Rainbow Dash's system. Or more specifically, exactly what was it about their presence, that had provoked such an aggravated response from her? They hadn't even made any accusations about her use of them, before she reacted violently enough to tear open her sutures.

But perhaps, what was even more interesting than that, was the reiatsu readings he had been picking up at the time of her outburst; what she'd been saying had been a matter of truth. Or at the very least, she genuinely believed that it was the truth. And her skills at deception were fairly abysmal; lying to herself would be one thing, but lying to the rest was another matter.

There was also what Princess Luna had said, regarding how she would have known if Rainbow Dash was taking drugs, based on evidence that would be presented in her dreams. This suggested... he really wasn't sure of just what exactly that statement suggested, and how much access to information the lunar alicorn had. He could speculate, but at the moment he'd rather not. If he allowed his mind to wander over the possibilities, there was no telling where it might take him. Even now, as he attempted to stay focused, he couldn't help but wonder if the drugs were the fault of Doctor Thrush. Perhaps they were an insurance policy of his, in case word of his actions were to ever get out, and serve to discredit the source?

For the time being, however, he would limit his focus to what was already known; there were two that had reason to believe what Rainbow Dash was saying, based on what they'd experienced for themselves.

This inconsistency -or discrepancy actually- suggested another theory; that she wasn't doing drugs, but rather had been drugged by some outside source. That might easily explain everything. But even if it did manage to explain everything, and do so in a very orderly, and logical manner, it just added new complications that had to be addressed alongside others. And the logistics of what all that would involve, were going to be significant. Significant enough that he wasn't even going to voice them, until Princess Celestia had everyone assembled and ready.

Once everyone was properly assembled, and correctly oriented mentally, then he would bring up this new theory. Hopefully under such circumstances, they could begin addressing everything, not only in a clear manner, but also a coherent manner.

Chapter Sixty Eight

Chapter Sixty Eight

Tuesday, June 25, 0002 ANM

Today

Sweetie Belle sighed dejectedly as she looked down at the progress of her most recent journal entry. Or more accurately, the lack thereof. Try as she might, she just couldn't properly express what she was thinking, and how she was feeling.

She knew what she wanted to say, what she was trying to say. The words were all there in her mind, just waiting to be put down on paper. But try as she might, she just couldn't translate thought into physical form. When she tried, nothing would come out, and she'd experience an overwhelming sense of writer's block. And this fact was complicated by the fact that she was surrounded by numerous tempting distractions, that her mind was desperately wanting to focus on a lot more. And whenever she did succumb to such temptations -even unintentionally- any half-formed thoughts that had developed, were suddenly lost to her, and what she was going to say was gone, leaving her totally unable to recall them, and ever further dejected then before.

She really needed to learn to write down, what she was thinking about writing down. Or something like that anyway.

Maybe she could ask Twilight about enchanting her pencil, so that it would automatically write as she thought. Then things wouldn't get lost while she was in the process of getting her stationary out.

"Hello! Equestria to Sweetie Belle, are you there!?"

"Huh?" Sweetie Belle asked as she looked around. She then became aware of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo being present, looking confused, and annoyed.

"Ya were kinda zonin' out on us there," Apple Bloom explained.

"Oh. Sorry about that," Sweetie Belle replied and sighed again, before slowly closing her book. "I've been trying to write in my journal about what we've done. But I've got writer's block, and I can't get past it. No matter what I try, I just can't get the words down onto the paper," she explained and slid the book back into her saddlebags for the time being.

"But we haven't done anything today," Scootaloo pointed out, annoyed that she was apparently the only one who recognized the fact. She loved her friends, she really did. But, much as she hated to admit the fact, there were times when they could be such boneheads, and she often wanted to throw her hooves up in exasperation with them.

"Seriously, what's there to even write about? Us meeting up at Sugarcube Corner? Or the fact that we weren't able to think of any idea for getting our cutie marks today? Or the fact that Ponyville's still not put back together yet?" she asked them. She sure couldn't see anything about the morning that was particularly noteworthy. "Ooh, I know! We could write about the fact that nopony will tell us anything about what's going on around here!" she stated sarcastically.

"Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom spoke up, not happy with the way things were starting to shape up. She knew that if she didn't interrupt the pegasus during her tirade, then things could quite possibly get ugly. But simply yelling at her wouldn't do any good. So it was time to do a bit of digging. "Wha's got ya so upset anyway? Ya've been testy fer days now," she pointed out. And she really had been. This hadn't been the first time Scootaloo had gotten snippy with them about one thing or another. And while she was willing to make allowances to some degree, this was starting to get out of hoof.

Scootaloo, in response to the question, sighed and huffed, before turning her attention towards the ground, letting her body slouch.

"I'm sorry. It's just... I'm really upset about Rainbow Dash, okay? Nopony's seen her for days now, and nopony will tell me anything about it! I tried asking Twilight if she knew anything, and all she would tell me is she hasn't seen her either. Where could she be?" Scootaloo asked them, although she really doubted either one of them would have any answers to give.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle remained silent as they watched their friend experiencing a mini-meltdown, everything now starting to make a greater deal of sense to them. It was certainly no secret that their pegasus companion idolized Rainbow Dash, and looked up to her like she was her own big sister. The only real reason they hadn't given it much thought up until now, was the simple fact that most of the time, they didn't directly interact with the friends of their older sisters. Or at least not all at once. Sure they saw Rainbow Dash around town, but not all the time.

"I'm sure she's alright. Otherwise we would've heard something by now. Ponyville's a small town, you know how news travels," Sweetie Belle pointed out, doing her best to try and put a positive spin on it. "I mean, even if nopony is talking to us directly, we would've overheard something from somepony telling somepony else."

"I know, I know. It's just... it's just not knowing and all. What could've happened? Where could she be? How come Raindrops and Thunderlane were assigned morning fog duty last week, when it's always Flitter and Cloudchaser doing that?" Scootaloo asked them, even though they couldn't possibly give her any answers. But asking the questions, and actually getting them out in the open where they could be heard, still felt better than just rolling them over in her own mind again and again.

Silence. Nothing but silence in the aftermath of her questions. All Scootaloo could do was sigh in response.

"Actually..." Apple Bloom started slowly, causing the other two to look at her. "Ah know it don' help ya any, Scoots, but ah'm worried 'bout Applejack too. An' fer the same reasons. The other night when Carrot Top was over fer dinner, Applejack came in cryin', covered in barf, and hugged me fer dear life an' almost suffocated me. Then Big Mac took 'er ta see Twilight, an' we didn't see hide nor hair o' her 'til the next mornin'. Ah've tried askin' 'er 'bout what happened, an' she won't tell me anythin' 'bout it. She says she's alright, but ah don' really believe 'er," she explained.

"Alright you two, stop it, this is getting spooky," Sweetie Belle stated, drawing their attention to them. "I don't know what happened, or when it happened, but something did happen to Rarity over a week ago, and she won't tell me anything about it. Every time I try and ask her, she just tells me not to worry about it. That it's an adult matter I wouldn't understand. That a lady doesn't pester others when they make their positions known. Ugh!" Sweetie Belle groaned at the last part. Sometimes she wondered if Rarity's focus on social acceptability and manners, was interfering with everything else.

"Now tha's jus' flat out weird," Apple Bloom stated.

"But what's it all mean?" Scootaloo asked, now finding herself intrigued by what they were saying.

"I don' know," Apple Bloom replied. If there was any sense to be made out of this mystery, then she wasn't seeing it for herself. "But considerin' tha' whatever's goin' on involves our sisters, ah think it involves us too."

"And if it involves us," Sweetie Belle began, "then it's only right that we get ourselves more involved, and see what we can figure out."

"Yeah! Now you're talking!" Scootaloo announced excitedly and raised her right hoof in the air. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom followed her example, as they did a team high hoof. They had a plan for a course of action on how to proceed, and that's exactly what they were going to do!

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

And just like that, all of the excitement had been sucked right out of the surrounding area, and Scootaloo couldn't help but groan at hearing that voice. She hated that voice. She hated that voice, and the pony it belong to, and the pony that usually followed alongside...

Turning her attention to the southwest, her misery -and the misery of her two friends- was confirmed by the arrogant approach of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. This was gonna be so not good...

"Looks like the same old, same old, if you ask me," Silver Spoon commented as they came to a stop several paces away. "What's the matter? Still no bright ideas for earning your cutie marks?" she asked snidely.

"Well..." Apple Bloom began and huffed. She knew that getting out of this one without an exchange of words wasn't going to be possible. So they might as well just face the music and get it over with. "If ya mus' know, we're tryin' ta figure out wha's goin' on wit' our sisters. Somethin's wrong wit' Applejack an' Rarity, an' they won' tell us squat. An' nopony's seen Rainbow Dash at all in days, an' that jus' ain' like 'er," she explained.

Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement, deciding to be cordial, as it would get them -somewhat- further than abrasiveness, and -reasonably- quicker too.

"It's not just them, something's wrong with Miss Ditzy as well. The last few days, she's been considerably melancholy; you can tell it just by looking at her when she's delivering the mail," she explained.

"Wait, seriously? You can?" Scootaloo asked, surprised by that assessment. Sweetie Belle just nodded again, indicating that it was indeed possible. Maybe it was something that came about from having Rarity as her big sister; all that uppity society nonsense and stuff.

"And you think that you three are the ones to figure out just what's going on?" Diamond Tiara asked them skeptically.

"It sure beats sittin' aroun' doin' nothin'," Apple Bloom replied. "We jus'... don' know where ta start is all..." she admitted. That was one thing they hadn't yet figured out, as they'd been interrupted before they could actually get to that part.

Silver Spoon had a witty response to give them. But before she could even get her mouth open to give it, Sweetie Belle spoke up first.

"Well we could always find Ulquiorra and ask him for advice. He's practically a genius like Twilight, I'm sure he could give us an idea of where to start looking for answers."

"Well I guess you could do that. But do you really think that's such a good idea?" Diamond Tiara asked them critically.

"Well why wouldn't it be?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Yeah," Scootaloo chimed in, "why wouldn't it be a good idea to ask him?"

"Just think about it. Doesn't it all seem just a little strange to you?" Diamond Tiara asked them. But she already knew that she'd have to spell it out for them, otherwise they'd never get what she was trying to say. "A visiting dignitary, of a species we've never seen before, from some land we've never heard of before, is here to establish diplomatic relations with Equestria, when he apparently doesn't know anything about us? Traveling by himself, without any sort of escort, or security detail, like a regular dignitary would? And Princess Celestia thinks the best place to send him, so he can learn more about the land, is Ponyville? She doesn't insist on him being up in Canterlot, or some other important location that could give him a better idea of what he's getting into?"

"Mr. Cifer don' need a security detail fer 'imself," Apple Bloom pointed out.

Again, Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement.

"We saw what he can do. Up close. Saying he's strong and capable would be an understatement," she explained. They'd been present to witness his Cero, and she'd felt what it was like to be in its presence. If Ulquiorra needed a security detail to keep himself safe, then... actually, that was a thought she didn't want to consider. It was just too disturbing to even think about. The idea of Ulquiorra not being able to fend for himself was... it was just too crazy to give any real thought to.

Diamond Tiara wanted to point out that strength had nothing to do with having a security detail in place. But she was pretty sure the point would be lost on these three. However she could point out something else along those lines just as easily.

"Even if that is the case, doesn't it strike you as just a little weird, what he's been doing here? Why would a visiting dignitary to a foreign land, here for the sole purpose of establishing diplomatic relations, go along on a mission to clear out a slumbering dragon? Never mind going along voluntarily, why was he even allowed to be present in the first place? What if he'd gotten killed? What would that have done for the whole diplomatic relations thing he was trying to set up?" she asked them. And from the looks on their faces, they didn't have any answers to give.

"And while we're on that subject, don't you think it's all just a little suspicious?" Silver Spoon asked them. "A dragon just happens to show up the day after we meet him? And he just happens to be present, so it can be witnessed that he can supposedly hold his own against a fully grown dragon?"

"It's Ponyville. There's always a dragon er somethin' in the area," Apple Bloom pointed out.

"We are next to the Everfree Forest, after all," Sweetie Belle added and nodded.

"Alright, fair point, fair point," Diamond Tiara conceded. She hated that they had a valid counterpoint; especially one that was so easy to throw out in response. "But even allowing for that, doesn't everything that's happened recently, just strike you as even a little bit suspicious? First the dragon, then the changelings, that freaky eclipse over Canterlot, and then the manticore, all in about two weeks time? And all of it happening only after he first came to town? All of it only after he was in the area, and able to respond to it?" she asked them.

"Wait, what're you saying?" Scootaloo asked, confused by it all.

"They're saying that Ulquiorra might be the one responsible for everything that's been going wrong around here," Sweetie Belle elaborated.

"Right on the first try," Silver Spoon announced. Diamond Tiara nodded in agreement.

"That can't be the case! Princess Celestia trusts 'im!" Apple Bloom objected.

"Yeah, and Princess Luna does too! He can't be the one doing all this," Scootaloo added.

Diamond Tiara merely scoffed in response.

"That really doesn't mean anything. I mean, I have as much respect for the Princesses as anypony, but it's not like they're perfect. They're not clairvoyant, they can't see into the future," Silver Spoon replied.

"And how do you know that they can't?" Scootaloo shot back, not finding this line of talk very pleasant. What would an uppity filly like her know about anything relating to the Princesses?

"They were at the same party we were two weeks ago," Diamond Tiara pointed out. Confused blinks and stares were her response from the three. Sighing, she continued. "If Princess Celestia could predict the future, and had reason to know that the manticore would attack Ponyville, why would she be at the party, all the way at Sweet Apple Acres, where she couldn't do anything to save the others? Do you really think she'd do that, knowing for certain that others were going to get killed in her absence?" she asked them.

And slowly, she could see the dawn of realization coming over them. And at that, she smiled.

"Like I said, I respect the Princesses as much as anypony, but they're not perfect. Just because they trust Ulquiorra, doesn't necessarily mean that he's trustworthy," she pointed out.

No retorts. No rebuttals. No excited utterances. Diamond Tiara was actually surprised by this.

"Alright," Sweetie Belle began, breaking the uncomfortable silence in the process. "Let's assume all that's true. Let's assume that, somehow, Ulquiorra has the ability to manipulate the local predators in the surrounding territory, and provoke them to the point where he can direct them to attack as he see fit. For what purpose? Where's the motivation? What's the endgame to such a strategy, that would in any way benefit him? What's he stand to gain from starting a crisis, just to go and solve it himself right afterward?" she asked.

"Tha's a perdy good point right there," Apple Bloom agreed and nodded, before turning back to the two rich fillies. "Where is the motive in all o' this anyway?" she asked.

Diamond Tiara frowned. These three were proving to be more intelligent and aware than she'd originally thought they'd be. Normally that was a good thing. But right now... well right now she wasn't all that sure.

"Look. What you three do is up to you. I'm not saying that he can't be trusted, I'm just saying that something seems fishy about it all. Surely even you three can see that," she replied.

"Yeah, whatever," Scootaloo replied and waved her hoof dismissively at them, before turning back to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. "Come on, girls, let's try Sweet Apple Acres. That's as good a place to look for clues as anywhere."

Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara watched in silence as the three took their leave. That whole interaction... could've gone better.

"So... what was the game plan of that again?" Silver Spoon asked once they were out of sight.

"Just trying to get those three thinking logically," Diamond Tiara replied. She would admit -more to herself than anyone else- that the gumption to get up and do something was respectable. But their total lack of conscious, deliberate thought, left them looking ridiculous. And their blind trust in that pale stranger, treating him like the greatest thing since sliced bread, did nothing to help their image.

"I mean... surely we're not the only one who can see that something's not right," she continued as she and Silver Spoon started walking again. "We're not, are we?"

"I dunno, Diamond," Silver Spoon replied. Sometimes she really had reason to wonder. Granted they -much like everypony else- had been curious about the visiting foreign dignitary, and doing their best to give him the right impression of their little town.

For the first day anyway.

After that, and when the stories and rumors started to circulate, they had reason to be suspicious. Or rather, Diamond Tiara had reason to be suspicious, and had managed to convince her enough to be as well; she honestly didn't know just where her friend had gotten those books about what being a foreign diplomat actually involved, but it had served to prove the point well enough, and illustrate what didn't seem right.

Unfortunately they seemed to be in the minority on this matter. Wherever they looked, when talk of the Arrancar came up, it was like all the adults were under a spell that blinded them to the inconsistencies. They didn't question why a foreign dignitary would be going out and getting involved in violent conflicts with dangerous predators, they just took it at face value. And with her eyes opened to the inconsistencies, it was maddening to watch unfold around her.

"All this thinking is making my head hurt. What say we go and get a root beer float or something?" she suggested.

"When you're right, you're right," Diamond Tiara agreed. There was only so much that they could actually do in any given situation. They might be able to serve as motivation to make others strive for improvement, but that could only go so far. If others had no desire to learn, or to improve themselves, then there was nothing they could do about that. That was just the nature of it all. "Last one to Sugarcube Corner pays for both."

"Diamond Tiara!"

She'd been fully prepared to race Silver Spoon, but stopped in her tracks at the sound of the voice calling her name. It was a voice that she didn't recognize at all. And it was an unnaturally deep tone that left her feeling disturbed to hear, as it just seemed to echo freely.

"Who... who's there?" she asked, her voice shaky.

"Diamond Tiara!"

She nearly felt herself jumping out of her skin the second time around. It wasn't just simply disturbing to hear, it was utterly terrifying. And worse than that, it sounded like it was right behind her. She really, really didn't want to, but something left her feeling utterly compelled to look behind her, and see just what it was.

And when she did, she screamed at what she actually saw.

Just two paces behind her, mounted on a wooden stake that had been rammed into the ground, was the severed head of some random pony, its skin dried, dessicated, and severely discolored, with its mane -what was left of it- being limp and stringy. Its eyes were gouged out, leaving nothing but two vacant sockets behind to stare back at her. Its dried lips were drawn back, bearing its grungy, uneven teeth in a long-dead snarl aimed directly at her.

She immediately turned around to bolt as fast as her legs would carry her. But as she turned around she screamed again. All around her were dozens, no, hundreds, of severed heads, each of then impaled on wooden stakes . Stallions, mares, and foals. She was utterly surrounded by a sea of dead faces, their expressions ones of utter terror, and unbelievable agony, and in varying stages of decay. There were ponies she recognized, and ponies she didn't recognize. It was like the entire town was present.

And as she turned around again, unable to stop herself from looking upon their faces in terrified, morbid curiosity, were the severed heads of not only the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but also her best friend Silver Spoon.

"You're on!" Silver Spoon stated, preparing to pound the ground all the way to Sugarcube Corner for a free treat.

But she'd just barely started, when Diamond Tiara let out an ear-piercing scream from behind her, causing her to stop in her tracks. Now she knew that her friend wasn't above cheating to win, but never before did she just scream to do that. This was something else. Even with a free float on the line, she turned back around to look, and saw Diamond Tiara laying on the ground, rolled up in a ball, and shaking like a leaf.

"Hey, DT, what's wrong?" she asked as she approached and shrugged her friend, trying to get a response out of her.

Seconds seemed to tick by agonizingly slow as she stood over her fallen friend, trying to get some sort of response out of her. For all she knew, she could've been standing there for over an hour, before she finally broke out of whatever trance had power over her, and she looked up at her. The next thing she was actually aware of, Diamond Tiara had pounced on her, knocking her to the ground in the process, and was trying to pry her necklace off with her hoof.

"You're... you're okay..." Diamond Tiara wheezed shakily.

"Hey, DT, what gives?" Silver Spoon asked, confused by all of it.

"Spoons... where... where're the others?"

Silver Spoon didn't know what struck her as stranger at the moment; the choice of nickname used in addressing her, or the hoarse whispering that it was used in.

"What others?" she asked. What was Diamond Tiara talking about? What had caused her to scream? Was she actually going to get any straight answers here?

"The Crusaders. W-where are they?" Diamond Tiara asked her shakily.

Now Silver Spoon went from being confused, to being concerned. She wasn't getting any answers, and the sudden change in her friend's demeanor was doing nothing to help her out. And that lack of clarity was starting to aggravate her as well. She was getting to the point where she really, really wanted to press Diamond Tiara for answers, and not let up until she actually got them.

That's what she really wanted to do. But she highly doubted that such an approach would yield anything beneficial. At the moment there was only one thought coming to her mind that might actually be of any use.

"If I help you find them, do you promise you'll start answering my questions?" she asked. It was only fair as far as she was concerned. One hoof washes the other and all that. "You're seriously starting to scare me..."

"I promise," Diamond Tiara replied and nodded quickly.

"Good. Now get off me," Silver Spoon told her. She couldn't be of much use from her position down here on the ground. And truth be told, she was really tired of being down on the ground in the first place.

"You know what? I just thought of something," Scootaloo announced as they stepped foot onto Sweet Apple Acres. "Just what exactly are we supposed to be looking for? And how're we gonna know what to look for? We didn't really have any luck when we tried getting our detective cutie marks..." she pointed out, remembering that particular flop in their long line of failures.

Setting out with gusto was fine and all. But stopping to actually think over the practicalities of everything could really bring that gusto down to nothing in a hurry. And when it did, it tended to leave a lot of uncertainty in its wake.

"Ah dunno, Scoots. Big Macintosh said Mr. Cifer spent the whole night lookin' fer clues an' couldn' find any," Apple Bloom replied. Now that she stopped to think about it, she couldn't help but wonder just what could they do, that the Espada himself couldn't do? He was the most capable one, and yet he'd come up empty handed. That wasn't exactly a comforting thought to entertain right now. "Do ya think we might be in over our heads?"

"We could be. But at least we have the daytime to be searching in. That might be an advantage," Sweetie Belle replied. If Ulquiorra really had searched all night, that meant diminished light. And not knowing how good his eyesight was at night, there was no telling how things had gone. "Plus we've still got the magnifying glasses in our detective kits. And unlike him, we've had years to learn about the terrain, he's had less than a month to get familiar with it. Maybe we'll be able to notice something that he overlooked," she pointed out, doing her best to keep their little group optimistic about success. If they could find out something about what Applejack went through, maybe they could do the same for Rarity and Rainbow Dash.

She didn't want to admit to it, but she seriously doubted that they'd be getting their cutie marks for this. But family took precedent over cutie marks any day, so it really wasn't a big deal.

"Crusaders! Hey, Crusaders, where are you three?!"

The sudden yell from behind them gave reason for pause; especially once they recognized the voice. That was enough reason to be gripped by curiosity, and turn around to observe as both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were running up the road at a frantic pace; and with Diamond Tiara being out in front, despite easily being the fatter of the two.

There were no words available to explain just how weird this whole situation was to watch. They had no idea just what to say, as they observed the pink filly tripping and falling to the ground, before getting back up to her hooves, and continuing to run as if she didn't care in the least.

"Jus' wha's goin' on here?" Apple Bloom asked out loud as Diamond Tiara came to a stop in front of them, panting and gasping for breath, and barely able to stand up on her own four legs at this point.

"You're," Diamond Tiara panted, "you're alright. You're alright..."

"Yeah, Diamond, they're alright," Silver Spoon replied, but with much less enthusiasm about it. "Now what's this all about? Why'd we have to run all the way here? What was the big deal?" she asked. Diamond Tiara had promised her answers if she assisted in finding their quarry, and if it proved necessary, she fully intended to hold her to that promise.

Diamond Tiara looked around her at everyone assembled, trying to slow her breathing down to a more manageable degree. And once that was achieved, she nodded somewhat, and prepared to speak.

"Shortly after you three left, I heard somepony calling my name. But when I turned around, all I saw was somepony's cut off head on a stick. Then when I turned around again, it was like everypony in the whole town had their heads cut off, and put on sticks all around me. And I mean everypony, even you three. A-and it was just so real! All around me, all I could smell was blood and rot! I-it was terrifying!"

The Crusaders looked at each other in confusion, and then back at the other two, observing Diamond Tiara's currently hysterical state as she told her tale of what gruesome things she witnessed. And they also observed the disgusted reaction coming from Silver Spoon, suggesting that if this really was a prank, then it was one she wasn't in on. And that was a serious breech of the recognized and observed protocol witnessed between these two; they were always working together, never apart.

That fact served as sufficient evidence to them that something was very, very wrong here.

"What... what should we do?" Scootaloo asked as she looked at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, hoping that they'd have answers she didn't. She had no idea how they were supposed to respond to this. What exactly was the proper response when your nemesis sought you out to warn you that they had the vision of you having your head cut off?

And warning seemed like the only way of accurately explaining it. This wasn't mean-spirited bragging, as there were too many tears involved for that. It was... almost like she cared or something...

"Ah think we should take 'er ta see Twilight. If anypony knows wha's goin' on 'round 'ere, it'll be her," Apple Bloom pointed out. Right now it was the only thing coming to mind that actually made sense. Without waiting for a response, she turned her attention back to the shaking pink filly before them. "C'mon, Diamon', le's get ya back ta Ponyville an' see wha' we can figure out."

Sweetie Belle and -much to each of their surprises- Silver Spoon watched as Diamond Tiara climbed back to her hooves, muttering incomprehensible matters to herself, as she stood next to Apple Bloom as they all waked off back to Ponyville. And much to her surprise, Scootaloo had taken up her opposite side.

"This is just getting weirder and weirder," she stated as she turned to Silver Spoon. "Do you think that maybe this is all connected? We decided to look for clues about our sisters, and five minutes later, Diamond Tiara has... this going on?" she asked.

"I don't know. I wish I knew. Right now your guess is as good as mine," Silver Spoon replied, before walking after the others, with Sweetie Belle following alongside. "One second we were getting ready to race to Sugarcuge Corner, the next we're making our way out here, and she wouldn't tell me anything about why or what. It really freaked me out," she stated. But that wasn't to say that actually knowing what had gotten her friend so upset, had put her anymore at ease. If anything it'd only freaked her out more than before.

"Hey... Silver Spoon..." Sweetie Belle spoke up, "I was just thinking. Until we get this whole mess sorted out... maybe we should have a truce or something?" she asked.

"What? A truce? With you three?" Silver Spoon asked incredulously. Sweetie Belle simply nodded in reply. "Yeah. I guess I could see that being a good idea," she replied and sighed. With no way of telling just what was wrong with her friend, right now she could use some extra help.

Sweetie Belle smiled at the news, trying not to burst into excited squeals in the process. This was very good news for them.

And for her, it was already helping solve an earlier dilemma that had been driving her nuts.

Tuesday, June 25, 0002 ANM

Today we experienced what's quite possibly the weirdest thing we've ever experienced, since the time Ulquiorra informed us that he has the ability to fly even without wings.

Twilight winced as she stepped through the library, each little muscle movement that she made as she moved, caused her ribs to burn as they were pulled against. But the pain was greatly subdued, compared to when she'd gotten kicked. She could actually be ambulatory without wanting to scream at each little movement made. She could actually take a step without having to bite her lip, to avoid unleashing a string of curses. And for that fact, she was infinitely thankful.

Granted, getting down the stairs had been a tedious challenge all in itself. But the payoff of being back in the library, surrounded by her books and research notes, was well worth the pain and effort.

"Maybe now I can get something done," she said to herself as she looked around the room, trying to decide where to start. Being down as long as she had, had really left her uncertain of just what she wanted to start on, as there was just so much to do.

And then there was a knock at the door. With a silent sigh to herself, she turned around and approached, before opening to whoever had decided to visit.

Much to her surprise, it was Ditzy Doo.

"Hello, Ditzy, what brings you by today?" she asked curiously.

"Um... Twilight? Do you... do you know anything about canterian demons?" Ditzy asked, fidgeting as she spoke.

Twilight blinked in confusion at the question. She knew that Ditzy was... unique... when it came to her outlook on things. But this was weird even for her. Why was she asking about something from an old, mediocre-grade horror story, that written over thirty years ago?

"Not particularly. Why?" she asked. And as she did, she observed how Ditzy seemed to grow more fidgety in response.

"Uh... could I come in? It's kind of a long story," she replied.

"Of course," Twilight replied and moved aside to let the gray pegasus step inside. Whatever was going on, it obviously had her disturbed. And whatever the connection was to the fictional canterian demons, she was likely about to find out. "So what's this about?"

"Well..." Ditzy started as she tried to steel her nerves, "it all started about five days ago, when I was making breakfast..."

Chapter Sixty Nine

Chapter Sixty Nine

Celestia sighed to herself as she laid on her bed. It was late, and she really wanted to be asleep right now. But sadly, sleep wasn't for her this evening. Instead of blissful rest, the immediate future held lots of paperwork for her to look over. And it was no exaggeration to say the amount she still had to get through came up to her fetlocks; a daunting proposal if ever there was any.

In making the decision to take over care for Rainbow Dash, she had known that it would mean complications to the everyday routine. But she hadn't been aware of just how much would become complicated as a result. She had no idea just how many hours would have to be cut from the day court, in order to assist in providing the necessary care of this case. And although she could get away with announcing that she would only see the petitioners of greatest need, while everyone else was seen by her councils instead, that hadn't exactly done much to lessen her workload. There was still so much that she herself had to oversee throughout the day.

"Note to self: reintroduce for consideration, the notion of elections for all public officials at all levels of government," she told herself. It was an idea that had been introduced numerous times over the last few centuries. And each time it was rejected by the public who were content with her being in charge. In a way it was touching. In other ways, not so much. And right now it was feeling like one of those latter times.

And then there was a knock at the doors to her chambers. Along with other muffled commotion carrying on from behind them.

"What now?" Celestia sighed and muttered to herself, groaning as she stood up and climbed off the bed, before placing the paperwork atop her writing desk, and making her way to the doors to see just what was the latest interruption to her day. She really didn't need this right now.

With a flick of the horn, the door on the left was open, and in slipped the commotion from the outside. There was an argument going on in front of her chambers. What sort of insanity was this?

"What's going on out here?" she asked as she poked her head out of the room and looked around at everypony present. Much to her surprise there were two of Luna's night guards present, in addition to her own day guards.

And in the middle of all of them, was a very disturbed, and upset looking Rainbow Dash, who currently looked like a foal who had been sent to the principal's office for committing some educational transgression. It was a look she knew well enough from managing her school for gifted unicorns. And it was amazing how the look just seemed to transcend both species and circumstances.

"Our charge wished to speak with you, Your Highness," one of the lunar ponies replied in answer, his tone of voice velvety smooth as he spoke.

"However our solar counterparts have informed us that such won't be occurring," the other lunar pony replied and frowned towards one of her guards in response.

Celestia didn't need this. She really, really didn't need this right now. She tried not to sigh in response to the territorial dispute that was unfolding.

"It's quite alright, my ponies. I'll see her," she replied as as gentle a tone as possible, as she opened the door further to allow entry. She observed as Rainbow Dash stepped forward, with the guards following right on her tail. It was at that, that she put up her wing in a halting gesture.

"Would you mind waiting outside for a moment? I'll be sure to call you if needed," she stated, doing her best to not let her annoyance shine through right now. She was perfectly capable of tending to Rainbow Dash by herself in this situation. She really didn't need her bedchamber being invaded at this hour. Fortunately they didn't object, and allowed the cyan pegasus to enter on her own, before the door was closed behind her.

"Thanks," Rainbow Dash muttered uneasily as she moved away from the door.

"So what brings you by at this late hour, Rainbow Dash?" Celestia asked as she turned to face her.

"Princess? Could I... could I sleep with you tonight? Please?" Rainbow Dash asked shakily.

Celestia blinked in response. Had she really just heard what she'd thought she heard?

"Pardon?" she asked, seeking clarification.

"I don't wanna be in my room tonight. It's dark, and lonely, and the guards won't quit staring at me," Rainbow Dash stated, "please? I promise I'll be good. I'll stay in the corner on the floor, I just don't want to be by myself tonight. I don't wanna be alone in the dark..."

Ah. So that was it. Celestia would admit that, for just a moment, she had thought that Rainbow Dash had meant something else. Something that would've been entirely inappropriate for her to consider, even under the best of circumstances. She'd chalk it up to the amount of fatigue she was currently experiencing.

But still, there was the little matter of just how to respond. Rainbow Dash was in a fragile state right now, thanks to what that insane physician Thrush had done to her. Every one of their decisions that related to her, had to be approached with great caution, otherwise they risked exacerbating the whole problem to an unacceptable level.

And as she looked at the cyan pegasus who sat nervously on her haunches before her, all the while fidgeting with the small gold band around her foreleg just above her hoof, she had reason to believe they were already close to reaching that point. There were some things that were just instinctual, and couldn't be readily explained, but were still recognizable.

"That won't be necessary, Rainbow Dash. There's no need for you to sleep on the hard floor like you're some sort of stray dog," she stated, doing her best not to sigh in frustration. The fact that Rainbow Dash was willing to prostrate herself so low, was not good. Humility was fine and all, but this was neither humility, nor fine. This was somepony who was broken, and had no sense of self worth about them. And that was something that had to be remedied. "My bed should be more than adequate."

"Your... your bed?" Rainbow Dash asked, caught off guard by the offer that was being made.

"I still have much in the way of paperwork to catch up on, before I'll be able to turn in for the night myself. One of us might as well get some use out of it," Celestia explained, wanting to clarify what she was saying so there would be no misunderstandings between them.

"But... where're you gonna sleep?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Being an alicorn, sleep is something I don't really need. This certainly wouldn't be the first night I've had to go without rest. And I sincerely doubt that it'll be the last either. And considering what I need to get through," Celestia paused to gesture to the stack of papers to emphasize her point, "I'll likely be up all night. But I do appreciate the thought and concern."

Truth be told, Celestia was glad that Rainbow Dash was present. Usually when it came to late night paperwork, it was a lonely proposition, done in the absence of others. Occasionally Luna would drop by to see her, but she had her own duties to tend to, and could never stay for long. But this time around it was a different matter entirely. And although Rainbow Dash likely wouldn't spend much time talking to her, she would at least be present, and serve as a physical reminder that she wasn't alone.

She just wished the whole thing could've been under better circumstances. Yes she would enjoy having company on lonely nights, but not at such a cost. She would much rather the company be had out of friendship, rather than desperation brought on by whatever had happened.

She was glad that Rainbow Dash was present. But it was the sort of gladness that usually came from trying to make the best out of a bad situation, and finding some small way in which to achieve that goal; bittersweet really.

"Oh... alright then. I-if you say so," Rainbow Dash replied, not entirely convinced by her assessment. But there wasn't much she could do about it. So, with a shrug, she made her way over to the sizable bed, and climbed up on it. And it was wonderfully, wonderfully comfortable; nearly as much so as her own bed. Almost immediately she sank into it, and sighed contentedly. "I'll... I'll stay over by the edge, just in case you change your mind..."

Celestia pondered on what to say next. Or if she even should say something next. But right now nothing all that profound was coming to her mind. She knew that something probably should be said at this point in time, but there was nothing that felt appropriate.

"Try and sleep well, Rainbow Dash," she replied. Right now that was probably as good as anything else that could be said.

Once she was certain that Rainbow Dash actually was going to sleep, she'd be sure to dismiss the two lunar guards. She was more than capable of keeping an eye on her for the time being. And there was no sense in having them standing about, if there was nothing for them to actually do.

Thursday, June twenty seventh, second year of the new calendar: After Nightmare Moon

Observational notes pertaining to progress made in the operation dubbed "Rainbow Reparation"

Day One

Today Rainbow Dash's physical recovery has reached the point, where Doctor Malar has seen fit to discharge her from the infirmary. According to his medical expertise, the healing magic weaved into her bandages, has allowed the majority of her injuries to heal to the point they no longer present the risk of being torn open, should she grow physically agitated. According to him, those that yet to fully heal are not consequential enough, to warrant further bed rest in the infirmary.

Answers pertaining to the presence of the opioid and hallucinogenic substances in her system continue to elude us. Despite the lack of continued accusations to the contrary, Rainbow Dash continues to maintain a steadfast denial of engaging in the use of any such substances. Why this is, when we have accepted it as being the truth, I'm not certain. The possibility of their administration being from an outside source has yet to be either confirmed or denied.

Latest blood work has confirmed Doctor Malar's earlier observation on the matter; for whatever reason, the substances in Rainbow Dash's system are not being metabolized, and broken down as they should be. They continue to remain in the same concentration as they were when first discovered. Answers as to both how, and why this is the case, continue to elude us. Unfortunately the level of medical technology for this world remains hopelessly inadequate for determining what level of tampering may be in play.

Dialysis has been suggested as a possible course of treatment. In theory the suggestion is good. However the practical application is limited, again, due to the current stage of technological, and medical development of this world. Dialysis is still in the stage of infancy for much of Equestria, and the currently existing prototype machines are far too cumbersome to be readily accessible here in Canterlot, when they are currently located in larger cities such as Manehattan, and Las Pegasus.

There is currently contemplation of attempting to build an ad-hoc dialysis machine, here in Canterlot, by ourselves. But at the moment it is merely contemplation. None of us have the knowledge of how to go about such a project. For that reason, other alternatives are currently being explored. The technique of utilizing medical magic for the purpose of purifying the body of toxins, as mentioned by Twilight Sparkle on the twelfth of this month, is currently being studied and researched, to determine its viability under these conditions.

As of yesterday, details pertaining to the suicide watch have been finalized, and approved for implementation.

Twelve guards, six solar, and six lunar, have been selected to provide around the clock observation for Rainbow Dash, each group broken up into sets of two, and assigned a four-hour shift. They will also serve as reinforcements should she grow confrontational and refuse to comply with whatever medical procedures have been deemed necessary, with instructions to approach cautiously, and not rely on force to exert compliance as a primary response. Whether or not they can abide by these instructions remains to be seen.

An open-door policy is currently in place. Privacy will be restricted in order to prevent any further attempts at suicide being made on her part.

Strangely there was little objection on her part to this condition of her treatment. Whether this is due to recognizing the futility of objection, or another underlying matter, I can't say for certain as of yet.

The room designated to serve as Rainbow Dash's quarters for the duration have been prepared accordingly. The windows are shielded by a force field of similar structure, to those currently used to guard the Elements of Harmony. The original elaborate light fixture has been removed, and replaced with a new-styled recessed fixture set into the ceiling, with the bulbs placed behind a layer of impact-resistant, polycarbonate sheeting; something relatively new to this world. The door has been removed, as have any objects that could be used to inflict harm upon herself or others. The only exception is a bed made of cloud material; according to an explanation I still don't fully comprehend, referencing obscure mechanics I don't adequately understand, the material used will be inadequate for anything other than resting, no matter how hard she might try at using it for some other purpose.

A golden wire bangle has also been affixed to her foreleg, and fitted with two specific spells. The first is to prevent any form of tampering from taking place. The second is an instant sedation spell with a one-hour duration that will activate immediately, upon either an attempt being made at self harm, or being more than fifty feet away from another bearing a complimentary charm. Those currently holding these charms are Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Doctor Malar, Nurse Goodwill, and the twelve guards that were assigned this mission. After extensive discussion, it was determined that outfitting all palace staff with these charms would serve no beneficial purpose, and may actually complicate matters to an unacceptable degree.

Whether or not the orderly Corners should be provided such a charm has been discussed. However a definite answer has not yet been arrived at. As to be expected, regardless of what Princess Celestia has told her otherwise, Rainbow Dash still doesn't readily trust the orderly after what she went through. As of yesterday, she has forgiven him for what part he played. But forgiveness and trust are not necessarily the same thing.

There is also the matter of whether she has truly forgiven Corners, or if she is simply claiming to have done such.

I myself have turned down the offer of the charm, as it serves no beneficial purpose in my case.

A choker necklace was discussed prior to the implementation of the bangle. However it was determined that it may pose a choking hazard, should Rainbow Dash discover a random hooking implement to attach the necklace to, and use it to hang herself, thus triggering the sedation spell as a method of ending her life. Even though the chances of such a possibility are minute, they have been considered, regardless of their unlikelihood.

Security, for lack of a better term, is rather lax in comparison to what could be implemented. There are still a number of improvements to the suicide watch that could be made. But such recommendations were overruled in favor of an approach that would allow for some measure of dignity, not only to maintain physical health, but also encourage mental health development.

T-

Ulquiorra stopped his current writing, and looked up from the notepad as he sensed the approach of Princess Luna, coming down the hallway, and towards the library where he currently stood.

"What news is there to report?" he asked simply, not bothering to look up from what he was doing.

"A great deal," Luna replied with a huff as she approached, unfazed by how he had known of her approach. It'd been going on like that for so long, it'd become routine. And right now she was far too tired to be concerned about trying to sneak up on him. Right now she was far more preoccupied, with far more important matters. "The medications," she paused and yawned, "that were preventing Rainbow Dash from dreaming, have finally been purged from her system. And for what I am about to say next, I feel I will need to punish myself. But I almost wish she were back on the medications. Along with her ability to dream returning, so have the nightmares, picking up right where they left off. She was right back in the basement, caged like an animal, and subjected to countless, gruesome abuses."

Luna stopped talking and groaned at this point, using her hoof to pinch the bridge of her muzzle. She really did hate to make such statements, but with everything taken into consideration, leaving Rainbow Dash dreamless might actually be the kindest thing they could do for her right now. There was only so much that they could do for her right now. And despite her dreamwalking capabilities, she couldn't guarantee that the dream setting she had left the cyan pegasus in, wouldn't warp back into that retched basement once again; not without being there throughout the night. And there was only so much time that she could devote to one single pony, when there was an entire world that needed to be addressed, with so many other ponies in need.

Under these circumstances, she couldn't help but consider possible alternatives; even if some might seem drastic.

"What of Applejack?" Ulquiorra asked simply.

"Twilight Sparkle reports that her blood tests came back positive for the same substances found in Rainbow Dash's blood," Luna replied. If this was the Espada's way of moving along the discussion to other subjects, then he was quite good at it. "And much like Rainbow Dash, Applejack has denied the usage of any such substances. Whether this is of significance, or merely coincidence, I do not yet know," she explained.

"Their denial of such may be reasonable," Ulquiorra replied after a pause, stopping momentarily to write something down, before eventually continuing. So much for the theory that Doctor Thrush had drugged Rainbow Dash, in order to discredit whatever accusations she might make against him. "So far we've made no effort to determine the exact method in which the substances were administered. Their exposure may have even been unintentional. But that merely raises more questions than answers," he pointed out.

As he'd intended, the matter had been brought up during their first real meeting, as they discussed the various ins and outs of how they would be tending to both Rainbow Dash, and her needs. Some had reacted better than others to the notion of their patient being drugged against her will, by an unrecognized source. Others had reacted poorly, and wondered if the administration had occurred at the hospital itself, in an effort to break her stubborn nature. Unfortunately all they had was speculation to go on; not hard answers.

"No! Ulquiorra Cifer, as thou's listening audience we art begging thee; please do not introduce new theories for consideration!" Luna screeched. But as the words left her mouth, she immediately regretted them; both the outburst itself, and the slip back into the old world dialect. Clearing her throat, she continued speaking in a calmer tone. "I apologize. My outburst was uncalled for. But I am tired, Ulquiorra Cifer, I cannot properly keep up with the theories we are already facing. Please do not introduce more theories, unless you have something to serve as some form of proof," she pleaded.

There was too much going on right now as far as she was concerned. Countless theories, along with countless worries. Wasn't he aware of such facts? Or did he simply not care?

"... Fair enough," Ulquiorra replied. There was nothing saying that Princess Luna had to be read into every theory that arose, or every refinement of such. There were more ponies willing to help him if necessary. There was nothing to prevent him from running this theory by one of them more thoroughly, should the opportunity present itself.

It was true that, out of all the ponies he had to work with, Princess Luna was one of the most dedicated to assisting him, even when others weren't. She was, more or less, the closest thing he had to a confidant right at the moment. However that didn't mean she was the only one suitable for running these theories by; she was simply the one most convenient, for the majority of the time. But if she was in need of a break, he would simply find another intellectual who was closely associated with the case.

"Thank you," Luna replied as she closed her eyes and sighed. She really didn't need the added stress right now. "There is just so much going on right now, without bringing anything new to the discussion. I do not even know where to begin with attempting to cover it all."

On top of the worries that the Espada induced with his random speculation, there were also the worries that came about from her own experiences. Simply because they had discounted the possibility of disease, didn't make things any easier for her. She was the one tasked with the dreamscape, and who saw what went on in the heads of their subjects. She was the one tending to the nightmares of both the afflicted, and the general populace who had been terrorized by the manticore attack. And all of it while trying not to go to hysterics with Rainbow Dash's care.

And that was to say nothing of the issue pertaining to the recovery process Pipsqueak was undergoing, and the nightmares he was going through. Her heart so yearned to be with him right now.

Again, Ulquiorra said nothing. The order of the day had been less than orderly for the past few days, and he was sure that he hadn't been made aware of everything developing around them. He'd been distracted with his own research, only available when his attention had been called upon for one thing or another. It would be foalish to believe that things hadn't been developing without his knowledge or involvement.

"I cannot remember. Were you briefed about Rainbow Dash developing a fear of the dark, and small enclosed areas, due to what the physician Thrush did to her?" Luna asked.

"I was not," Ulquiorra replied, before turning his attention back to the notepad to scribble down this new information. That would certainly answer one or two questions that had arisen.

Slowly but surely, and one by one, the mountain of questions that they were facing, was being brought down to size.

The only downside was that the important questions were the ones that weren't getting answered. That meant having a very long way to go, and quite possibly not enough time to actually do it in.

Silence. However that was unsurprising. Ulquiorra assumed that once Princess Luna had filled him in on the relevant details, she would take her leave for the evening, and return to whatever duties she had to tend to. There was certainly no reason for her to remain present if there was nothing more to be said.

"Twilight Sparkle also reports that Rainbow Dash and Applejack are not the only ones being afflicted in such a manner. A number of other ponies have recently come forward, and admitted to being subjected, to what have come to be referred to as day terrors. Whatever it is that we are facing, it is impossible to deny that it is spreading outward. And as best as we can determine, there is no recognizable, nor predictable pattern being used. It is... purely random," she stated.

Ulquiorra stopped what he was doing, and turned to look over at Princess Luna. Information like that should've been presented immediately, rather than being brought up in the manner that it had been. He considered pointing out that fact to her. But doing so would serve little functional purpose, would do nothing to change the sequence of events that had occurred, and only detract from getting any actual answers out of her. He would simply write it off as a symptom as her reported lack of sleep.

"Even as we speak, Twilight Sparkle is trying her best to place a handle on the situation, in hopes of bringing it under control," Luna added, now that she knew she had his full attention.

"It may prove wise to dispatch reinforcements to Ponyville, to assist in bringing the matter under control; such as a number of counselors, and various psychological experts," Ulquiorra suggested.

"We have considered that. But so far we have not even been able to find an adequately skilled counselor for Rainbow Dash. General trauma is the best that we have come across. I am not certain if there is even a field of psychological study that pertains to what is going on right now," Luna stated, utterly disgusted with the fact. And if they couldn't find the proper psychological help for Rainbow Dash, how were they supposed to go about doing it for all of Ponyville?

"A fact that I'm aware of," Ulquiorra replied. He'd been through enough psychology books to have concluded -with reasonable certainty- that what they were currently facing, was not an extensively documented field; not yet anyway. "But while addressing Ponyville might not be a possibility, they would at least be able to address Twilight Sparkle herself."

"... I do not understand," Luna replied and blinked. What was Ulquiorra talking about.

"According to the others, Twilight Sparkle is the type of pony who believes that, because she's the personal student of Princess Celestia she must shoulder far more levels of responsibility, than anyone would ever ask of her, or even reasonably expect of her. By your own admission, she's trying to bring the situation in Ponyville under control; presumably by herself, due to that belief of responsibility. Under ideal circumstances, this would be unwise. And these are anything but ideal circumstances. She has already been forced to watch, helplessly, as two of our friends have been attacked by some unidentified force. What sort of psychological damage will occur, if the others fall in turn?" he asked. There was no immediate response given to his question. But that came as no surprise to him. If he had to speculate, the silence was due to the details being allowed to sink in, along with the potential gravity of the situation.

"I... I did not consider that possibility. But now that it has been brought up, I will speak with my sister on the matter in the morning. Right now it is far too late to do anything useful," Luna replied. Right now she was thankful of the fact that she wasn't on her own. There was far too much going on right now, for her to be able to keep track of it all on her own. If she had to try and keep everything balanced by herself, she might be falling to pieces right now.

Once again, silence settled over the library, broken up only by the sound of pencil against paper.

Princess Luna's continued presence, however, was serving as a bit of a mystery to Ulquiorra. He was certain that, once she had finished briefing him on everything, she would finally take her leave, rather than continue to remain present. He was about to press the matter, and ask if she had anything else to say. But before he could, she was already talking again.

"Might I speak to you about a different matter, Ulquiorra Cifer?" she asked. When he didn't object, or otherwise say anything, she took it as a sign to continue speaking. "How... how do you feel about the matter of adoption?"

Once again, silence settled over the library, engulfing the both of them. But this time around, it was due to Ulquiorra not knowing just what to say in response to the question, rather than having nothing relevant to say. Just where in the left field had that come out of? Was she actually propositioning him? And if she was, then ultimately for what purpose of said proposition?

"Pardon?" he finally asked in an effort to get the matter clarified.

"What was discussed on the balcony last week, is a matter that is still weighing heavily on my mind," Luna began. "As was said then, a great many of us draw a sense of strength and security from your presence. Your lack of fear, even in the face of overwhelming dangers, is a source of comfort for others. But after giving this matter some thought, I have arrived at a conclusion. I do not consider such to be an arrangement that is fair to you. We all draw upon your strengths in our own ways, relying upon you for much. But you, in turn, do not have anyone to do the same with; you are left with nowhere to turn, and no one to share your burden with, while all of us are free to count on you," she explained as calmly as she could.

Ulquiorra listened silently as the matter was explained to him. Or -more accurately- as Princess Luna attempted to explain the situation from her point of view. So far he wasn't seeing anything that would amount to even a remote correlation between the two points. The way things were proceeding, it was almost like she was reading from pre-scripted notes that had gotten scrambled, and didn't realize that everything was out of order.

Perhaps he should ask her to get to the point of whatever she was saying? Or maybe he should simply let her talk, and hope that she would eventually start to make some degree of sense?

"It is not fair by any stretch of the imagination, Ulquiorra Cifer. Yours is a past filled with just so much suffering and pain. It is a pain and suffering that no one should ever have to experience; not in a group, and most certainly not on their own. But regardless of that fact, it is a fate you find yourself saddled with, as not a single one of us ever stopped to ask you just how you are feeling. Or if you by chance might need something from us for a change," she explained, pausing to sigh. "Even more unfair is the fact that you are not alone in your isolation. It is sadly a fate that too many are forced to suffer, even in this world," Luna explained and sighed. She considered whether or not to sit on her haunches, before finally opting to remain standing, as she looked him in the eyes. And all the while, he didn't blink once. Undaunted by such a fact, she continued with what she had to say.

"I acknowledge that, by all standards, you are certainly an adult. Just as I acknowledge how there is nothing I can do to change what you experienced before coming here; attempting such would be equally impossible, and pointless. But that does not mean I cannot make an attempt to change what has yet to be experienced. And while it is unorthodox, I believe it may be the solution to such. If you have no objections, Ulquiorra Cifer, then I would like to propose adopting you as my son."

Ulquiorra would willingly admit that, in his time, he had encountered a number of things for which he had no explanation for making sense of them. Even before he was brought to Equestria by Discord's intervention, there had been developments for which he had no reasonable explanation. And upon coming here, he had seen things that, at more times than not, left him scratching his head, as he tried to make sense of it all. And he had more or less made peace with the fact that he would likely continue to encounter such things during the duration of his stay in this world.

All of that said, however, Princess Luna had managed to take him completely by surprise with her statement. He was left not only uncertain of what to say, but also of what to think. It felt like his mind had suddenly gone completely blank.

"What?" he finally asked. Nothing else really seemed appropriate right now; not without more information to go on first. This was all too... strange.

"I am offering to serve as your mother, Ulquiorra Cifer. To give you the love, and support, that you have been denied, and deprived of, for so very long," Luna stated as she stepped closer to where the Espada stood. And, much like she had done when she'd taken him to his newly assigned quarters, she brought herself to a standing position, in order to hug him around his neck. "I wish to end your isolation in this world; to give you what you have lacked all this time, and that which we have been too blind to realize on our own. All that you must do is say the word, Ulquiorra Cifer, and I will do my best to take care of the rest. You have my word, that you will have a family that cares for you."

Ulquiorra remained silent, uncertain of what to say in light of this unexpected statement that was being made. Nothing was really coming to mind, as a great deal of his focus was being spent on analyzing just what was being proposed. Along with the broader implications that would naturally go along with the offer.

And there were a great many implications, that had to be taken into account. There was absolutely nothing simple about any of this. Was Princess Luna even aware of the gravity of her statement, and what all it would entail? Did she truly understand just what she was saying? He doubted that she did, as even he was having trouble grasping everything in the here and now. there was just so much to try and get straight.

"I am currently being hugged, by a talking pony, who has expressed a desire to take on the role of my mother," he thought, trying to process the wordy explanation he'd been given. How exactly had it all come to this? Where exactly had everything gone so utterly insane?

"Discord... just what the fuck did you put me in the middle of?" he mentally asked himself.

"Nnnngh..."

It was a subdued commotion that caught Celestia's ear, causing it to twitch in response. But it was commotion enough to distract her from her work, and look over to the bed where Rainbow Dash currently rested; a term she used lightly, lacking any other term that would be more accurate to describe what she was currently going through.

Much as Rainbow Dash had said she would do, she was keeping to the edge of the large bed; like she was terrified of taking up too much space, and wearing out her welcome. And as she laid there, she twitched uneasily. A leg here, a wing there, her tail swishing every little bit. Telltale signs of experiencing a nightmare; something she suspected was going to be a common occurrence for the foreseeable future.

She looked back down at the stack of paperwork that still needed to be tended to, before looking at the stack that had been adequately addressed. And then she looked back over at the fidgeting Rainbow Dash, listening to her whimper like a puppy. And in her mind -and heart- it was no contest. With a tired sigh, she set the unfinished paperwork aside on her desk, and quietly made her way over to the bed, before carefully climbing atop the vacant portion.

"Shh... it's alright, Rainbow Dash," she whispered gently as she lowered herself down onto the mattress. She reached out with her left wing and ran the downy feathers along the messy and unkempt mane, and down her back, in a soothing manner.

There would undoubtedly be those that would claim her actions were inappropriate. That they were uncalled for. That they would complicate an already sensitive situation, and cause significant psychological scarring. But right now her only focus was on doing what she could to help a friend who was obviously in need. Rainbow Dash was in need of a comforting touch right now, to let her know that she wasn't alone. She didn't care if somepony would possibly consider her actions undignified, because right now their opinions simply didn't matter. They weren't here to contribute, and take care of the mess that was currently present, so they didn't have a say in the matter.

"It's alright," she repeated, leaning down to gently kiss her forehead.

Celestia was greeted in response by a mumble, as Rainbow Dash rolled over against her, pressing her back against her side for comfort.

"Sleep well, my friend," Celestia whispered, draping her large wing over the cyan pegasus like a blanket. "Sleep well," she repeated, flicking her horn to dim the lights in the room to a more appropriate level. She already knew that getting up again wasn't going to be much of a possibility. So she opted to just settle in, and make herself as comfortable as she could under these circumstances.

Was it inappropriate? She really didn't know one way or the other. All she knew for certain at the moment, was the fact that Rainbow Dash was no longer squirming in the grips of a nightmare. And for the moment, that would have to be enough. If she couldn't even comfort a friend during their time of need, then what good was she to anyone?

Chapter Seventy (Version A)

Chapter Seventy

Night had settled in over Ponyville. It was a very simple, but entirely undeniable fact. Just as it was a very simple, but entirely undeniable fact, that tonight was one of the hotter -and more humid- nights to be experienced this summer.

In very simple terms, it was an uncomfortable, unpleasant night, that didn't lend itself to desirable -or even adequate- sleeping conditions, for anyone who had to suffer through it.

And two such ponies who were stuck suffering through it, were Carrot and Cup Cake.

As wonderful a place as Sugarcube Corner was during the daylight hours, the wonder and magical nature of freshly baked sweets simply didn't extend into the late hours of the night. And especially not on a night such as this, when you were the one that felt like the cookies baking away in the oven. Or a stew left to simmer in the crock pot over the course of the day.

"We should've set up shop closer to gryphon territory," Carrot muttered as he laid stretched out on his back, idly glancing up at the ceiling in a futile effort to make his eyes go shut.

"What?" Cup asked, not understanding what her husband was talking about. Curious from his words, she weakly turned to look over at him. "Why do you say that?"

"Because then we could've opened a butcher shop instead of a bakery. That way we could justify a nice, big, walk-in freezer, that we could go and loiter in on nights like this," Carrot explained. Cup chuckled in response to her husband's words.

"I don't think I could picture you as being a butcher," she replied, before finally sighing. She couldn't see them running a meat shop, not by any stretch of the imagination. But the idea of them having access to a walk-in freezer for hot nights did sound quite appealing right now. But then again so did their dreams of setting up shop in Manehattan. It wasn't something they could've ever afforded to do, but it was still a dream of theirs. At least there in the big city, they would've had access to the mechanical wonder known simply as air conditioning.

But sadly that wasn't the case for them. Ponyville was where they were, and Ponyville was where they'd stay; for the foreseeable future anyway. They'd simply have to suffer through the sweltering temperatures for the time being as best they could.

"This is pointless," Carrot grumbled as he climbed down off the bed, groaning in the process. "Let's go and sleep in the basement, it's got to be cooler than this."

"That's not a bad idea," Cup replied. Granted the basement had gotten cluttered since the last time they cleaned it. And it probably needed a good dusting. But it was below ground, and finished in brick and mortar. It had to be cooler than the upstairs was right now, even if they had to make due on a couple of canvas camping cots. "Just let me check on the twins first, and then we'll get going."

They had a plan for how to proceed on this miserable night. That was more than could be said for some other ponies in their situation.

Unfortunately that plan immediately fell apart when a loud, shrill scream pierced the night, causing them to freeze in place.

"What was that? Was that... was that Pinkie?" Carrot asked, still feeling shaken by the unexpected noise.

"It certainly sounded like her. We'd better check, just to make sure," Cup replied, maternal instincts already kicking in, family relation or not.

The two elder ponies made their way down the hall to where their tenant resided, all the while hearing sounds that weren't readily recognizable to either one of them, coming from the door that stood wide open.

"Out! Out! Out! Get out of here!" they heard Pinkie yell frantically as they drew closer. Suddenly they were greeted by something akin to a roar, a loud rush of air, and a loud bang as something slammed against the far wall just a few feet ahead of them, exploding in a shower of confetti, streamers, and what sounded a lot like a party horn being strangled.

Now they really had reason to be concerned. In an instant, Cup had dashed forward into the room, flipping the lights on in the process, with Carrot not far behind her. As soon as they were in -and once their eyes could properly adjust to the sudden intrusion of bright light- they saw a very frantic Pinkie standing on her hind legs near her bed, her socks falling down and twisted, as she struggled to get something loaded into the back of some large multicolored tubular assembly, that was nearly as long as she was tall. It was compiled of a series of four long tubes, running into some sort of box construction at the front, which held what looked like four multicolored conical party hats. Carrot instantly recognized it as one of her latest party creations; something along the lines of a pony-portable emergency party supply discharger, with a four-shot capacity. Or something along those random, squiggly lines that Pinkie seemed to embody.

"Pinkie, sweetie, what's wrong?" Cup asked as she made her way over to the pink pony. However she was forced to stop in her tracks, as Pinkie turned to aim the launcher directly at her in a hostile manner, lining her up in the cross hairs of the side-mounted sight scope.

It was a tense situation, none of the three daring to move; not even daring to breathe, for fear of the situation going south in a hurry.

And then, just as it'd begun, it seemed to end with the same manner of ease, as realization crept over Pinkie's features.

"M... Mrs. Cake?" Pinkie asked as she lowered the launcher's muzzle towards the floor. "Is... is that really you?"

"Of course it's me, Pinkie," Cup replied. And immediately she was beset by the pink pony, hugging her around her neck, and holding on for dear life, the launcher discarded without a second thought as it clanged against the floor. And all the while she was spouting gibberish; gibberish even by Pinkie Pie standards that they'd learned to be comfortable with. Cup glanced over at Carrot, who glanced back, just as hopelessly lost as she was.

So much for a cool night being spent in the basement.

At the current time of night, and the current temperature, coffee was simply out of the question. So in lieu of such facts, chocolate milk was being used as an expedient substitute, as the three ponies sat around the table in the kitchen.

Much to Carrot and Cup's relief, the twins had managed to sleep through all of the commotion, and didn't seem the least bit disturbed by what had been going on in the building.

How they could do that, and yet be awoken and sent into a bawling frenzy by some random sneeze, neither one of them would ever know. But right now there were more urgent matters to tend to, such as Pinkie and her own disturbances.

"So, Pinkie," Carrot began as Pinkie was in the process of finishing off her glass of milk, "just what had you screaming earlier?"

For a while, Pinkie didn't say a word to either of them. She just looked down at the table, rolling the now empty glass between her front hooves. It was a stark contrast with what had been going on just a few minutes previously, where she couldn't have been shut up even if it'd been tried. It was downright spooky how she could alternate from one extreme to another, with so little warning about doing it.

"Nightmares," Pinkie finally answered in response, her voice weak like a whisper. "Horrible, horrible nightmares..." she added, never looking up from the table.

"Nightmares? What sort of nightmares?" Cup asked. Nightmares were certainly nothing new, and certainly not for Pinkie, but she'd never carried on quite like this before.

"I... I-I don't wanna talk about it. I-it's too terrible to even think about," Pinkie replied shakily, utterly devoid of her usual bounce and enthusiasm. "Even if I really did want to talk about it, I don't even know how to put it into words. It was just... just..." Pinkie groaned as she stopped talking, reaching down to rub her belly. Right now she really wished she hadn't had that chocolate milk to drink.

The Cakes looked at each other, not sure how to proceed from here. Pinkie was just so... unlike her usual self, that neither one of them knew what to do. All of the defining character traits that she possessed, just seemed to be sucked right out of her, leaving behind nothing but a scared, pink husk of sorts; sort of like a deflated balloon really.

"You're sure that you don't want to talk about it?" Cup asked as she stepped closer, before reaching around to rub at Pinkie's withers. "We're your friends. You know you can tell us anything, right?"

"No I can't. I can't tell you about this. I can't tell anypony about this," Pinkie objected. She couldn't bring herself to utter what she'd experienced firsthoof. Nopony deserved to experience what she'd experienced. "Please... please don't ask me to tell you what happened. I... I can't, I just can't!"

Again, the Cakes looked at each other. Usually with Pinkie, it was a matter of wanting to say something, but being unable to, due to invocation of the Pinkie Promise. But in this case it was a real and legitimate desire to not say something. The situation was getting both weirder, and scarier, with each passing minute. And they both needed to figure out what could be done about this whole matter.

"If you don't want to tell us about it, Pinkie, then you don't have to," Carrot stated. Trying to squeeze anything out of Pinkie, when she wasn't willing to give it up, was an endeavor that he really didn't want to engage in right now; the adrenaline rush had long since worn off, leaving behind nothing but the lingering discomfort of the hot, humid night air, coupled with that brought on by Pinkie's night terror.

Cup nodded in agreement. "We won't make you tell us, dearie," she said and hugged the pink mare.

It was a move that was quickly reciprocated, as Pinkie allowed herself to sink into the embrace, closing her eyes as she rested against Mrs. Cake. There was comfort and serenity to be found in the blue mare that served as a surrogate mother to her. And, much as she hated to admit to the fact, it was far more than she'd felt with her own mother. She loved her mother dearly, and would never trade her for anything or anyone... but Mrs. Cake just has a certain passion about her, that was lacking in the other mare.

She suddenly felt another warmth about her, and opened her eyes to see that Mr. Cake had joined them in the hug.

This was what Pinkie needed right now. The Cakes were real, they were here for her, in what she felt certain was her time of greatest need. This was what she needed, to chase away the bad dreams she'd experienced. As long as they were here, she would be alright.

And with that thought in mind...

"Mr. Cake, Mrs. Cake? Could I stay in your room tonight, please? I really don't wanna be alone tonight..." she stated. The thought of going back to her room, left to herself, with no one but Gummy to keep her company, really wasn't setting well with her right now.

"Well... the thing is, Pinkie," Mr. Cake began as he disentangled himself from the hug. "We were sort of planning to sleep in the basement tonight. It's just too hot up here for us," he explained.

"I don't mind sleeping in the basement," Pinkie replied quickly "please?"

"Pinkie, dearie," Cup began as she moved around to the front to look the pink mare in the eyes. She had to exercise tact in this matter, and she knew that fact quite well. "You know that we love you. And if you need us, you know that we'll be there for you. But as it is, we sort of need you right now," she stated. She could see that Pinkie's current fear was starting to lose its hold on her, as she waited to hear just how she could prove herself useful to them. That was one of the unique quirks about Pinkie; some unconscious desire to be needed, coupled with an unconscious desire to fulfill that need. "You know for yourself how hard it is to hear anything when down in the basement. If the twins were to wake up in the middle of the night, we'd never know it from down there, we'd never hear if they started crying. And as dusty as it is down there, I really don't feel comfortable with taking them with us; you know how bad Pumpkin's allergies can be."

"Wait," Pinkie replied in thought, trying to wrap her head around what was being said. "You're asking me to keep an eye on the twins? As in up here?" she asked.

"If you wouldn't mind, dear," Cup replied.

In truth, Pinkie really did mind. The Cakes had just gotten finished telling her, that they would be there for her during her time of need. And the next thing she knew, they were asking her to not come to them, when she really, really felt like she needed them.

But she stopped that train of thought, and started engaging in an entirely different train of thought - ticket be darned.

Technically speaking, she was a big filly, more than adequately competent at taking care of herself, as she'd demonstrated in the past. But the twins... not so much. They were small, and weak, and helpless should something unexpected develop. They couldn't take care of themselves yet. What if Pumpkin absentmindedly started chewing on one of her toys in the middle of the night, and started choking on the stuffing? What if Pound engaged in another bout of sleep flying, and crashed headfirst into the window?

And then she realized something very important. She might need Mr. and Mrs. Cake right now, but there were four Cakes that needed her right now. As in really, really needed her. That drastically changed the dynamic she was currently facing. And that was saying nothing about a new-found sense of confidence she was feeling at the moment, from knowing that she could actually do some good for somepony else. It was that swelling sense of both pride, and value, that was driving away her terrors right now. Slowly, she could feel her smile coming back to her, taking its rightful place across her face again.

"Sure thing! You can count on-" she started to say, but stopped and froze in place, every one of her joints locking up tightly. This was quickly replaced by her left ear and eye twitching out of sync with each other. And her tail swishing about madly, in a manner that forced Cup and Carrot to completely let her go, and move away from her as they watched. And her teeth chattering as if she'd just been exposed to overwhelming coldness. And her right foreleg suddenly flying straight out like she was attempting to throw a haymaker at somepony.

Anyone that lived in Ponyville for any extended period of time, and especially those that had continued interaction with Pinkie, was well aware of what the Pinkie Sense involved. They also had a fairly cataloged understanding of not only the signs involved with her random predictions, but also the order in which the signs came. But neither one of the Cakes had any idea of what all of that had meant.

"What... what exactly was that?" Carrot asked, curiosity overwhelming his uncertainty at the moment.

"S-something bad's getting ready to happen. Something really bad," Pinkie replied, becoming terrified all over again, as her ears began swiveling like mad, desperately seeking out any sort of sound that might give them some clue of the impending disaster. By this point she was shivering in fear, wrapping her forelegs around herself, as horrible scenarios were playing out in her mind, and in graphic detail. She was seeing things that she didn't want to see, and she was helpless to tune them out.

Even with Mrs. Cake hugging her again, it still didn't do any good. Nothing was serving to distract her from her fears right now. She knew with absolute, undeniable certainty, that somepony was going to die on this night, and that all of them were going to be absolutely helpless to stop it from happening. Whatever was going to happen, there was no way to prevent it from happening...

Sweetie Belle sighed as she rolled over in her bed, unable to stay asleep, or even actually get to sleep. It was far too hot to get comfortable. And even if it wasn't hot, her mind was proving to be far too active, to actually let her relax to any meaningful degree. Despite her best efforts, she just couldn't seem to make herself stop thinking about one thing or another. Every time she tried, her mind would invariably find something else to focus on, and walk her concentration right back to where it had been. It was like trying to throw away a boomerang; an exercise in futility.

She didn't want to admit to it, but the whole ordeal with Diamond Tiara had managed to shake her up, and far more than she was comfortable with admitting. Yes, their two groups had been enemies to one another for a majority of their time together. Yes, she and Silver Spoon were antagonists to them, and ridiculed them whenever they got the chance. But none of that really justified what had happened to her. She honestly couldn't think of any of Diamond Tiara's actions, that could possibly serve as adequate justification for what she'd been forced to bear witness to.

With another sigh, she rolled over in her bed again, trying to tune out the thoughts she was being subjected to; like she could turn her back on them, and somehow tune them out.

Unfortunately it didn't work, as her mind just started replaying the events that had occurred after they'd escorted Diamond Tiara to see Twilight, and explain the situation to her, in hopes that she would know what to do. And now, even days later, she still didn't know what was scarier to experience; hearing Diamond Tiara recount seeing the entire town decapitated, or Twilight's reaction to hearing the news. Both situations possessed their own terrifying aspects, but in entirely different categories. In a way it was like comparing apples and oranges; both were fruit, both were delicious, and both were vaguely the same shape -if you squinted hard enough when looking at them- but beyond that, they were totally different.

"Shut up," Sweetie Belle scolded. That was just one of the random thoughts going through her brain right now, that were keeping her from sleeping. She could filter what she said, but sadly there was no way of filtering what she thought. And because of that fact, she was having to pay the consequences for it.

Another sigh, and another rolling over in her bed. This was getting old fast. She knew that Diamond Tiara was in good hooves right now -in good hands, she heard Twilight saying is what Ulquiorra would say- with Twilight being on the matter. But knowing it did nothing to stop her from constantly thinking over the matter.

"I need juice," she grumbled to herself. Just laying around wasn't going to get her anywhere, and she was aware of that fact. So maybe getting up, and getting herself something to drink, would help on the matter; it sure couldn't hurt any.

As she climbed out of bed, and made her way down to the kitchen, Sweetie Belle ran through a mental checklist of what juices Rarity had in the refrigerator from the last time she looked around dinner time.

She absolutely loved grape, but Rarity didn't care for keeping it on hoof, due to how notorious the purple was for staining anything it touched; and if you were a snow-white unicorn, grape juice was your mortal enemy, apparently. And that sorry imitation that had the audacity to call itself "white grape juice" was right out. Not that there was anything wrong with the taste, or anything like that, but to her it simply wasn't real grape juice unless it was a nice, deep shade of purple, with just a tint of redness when the light hit it just right when looking through the glass.

Next up on the list was orange juice. But, as she made her way down the stairs, she concluded that was more of a breakfast item, rather than a late night drink for insomnia.

Apple juice was up for consideration next, as she padded her way into the kitchen. But then she remembered that Rarity hadn't gotten any apple juice for the last few days. And unless she was doing some late-night shopping, it was unlikely that it would've changed.

Opening the refrigerator door to take stock of the situation, and squinting her eyes defensively at the brightness of the illuminated bulb that had snapped to life, she discovered that she was left with only one available option; grapefruit juice. She hated grapefruit juice. She really didn't know what Rarity saw in the sickening concoction, as all she ever got from it was a burned throat whenever she tried to drink it.

With a disappointed sigh, and a return to the darkness that now seemed overwhelming to her eyes, Sweetie Belle closed to refrigerator door. So much for a late night drink helping her make her mind rest. Or even distract her from the sweltering heat. She knew that summers could be hot, but this seemed a bit excessive even for the season. Couldn't the pegasi keep the temperature decent?

"A cold shower."

It was a statement made without any thought whatsoever on her part. But it was a statement that carried utter brilliance with it as far as she was concerned. As hot as it was, a cold shower sounded like the perfect way of cooling down, and getting comfortable right about now. It'd be like running through the sprinkler, only upside down.

With that thought in mind, she made her way back upstairs to the bathroom, mentally kicking herself for not thinking of it earlier. It was so simple, that she was surprised she hadn't given it any consideration earlier in this unpleasant evening.

Making her way into the bathroom, and once again flinching at the harshness of the light against her eyes, she stepped over to the shower, and hopped inside the tub, before pulling the curtains shut, and turning the cold water knob on full force in between her front hooves.

She immediately let out a shriek of surprise as just how cold the water was, and nearly fell over backwards in surprise. And she also immediately decided that mildly lukewarm was more the ticket than anything. Something that was coolish, but not cold. Cold water was far more fun when the sun was actually beating down on your position, as well as your back, and provided a nice contrast between the two. Right now it was just uncomfortable to experience, and demanded adjustment.

This time it was a pleasant sigh that Sweetie Belle let out, as she felt her coat and mane being soaked through. The steady and rhythmic drumming of water on her head and against her back, felt relaxing to her right now. This was helping her with turning her mind off, if even just a little bit. As she focused on the pattern the water was creating, as it took all the bounce out of her mane, leaving it limp and clingy against her, all of the other concerns didn't seem as pressing right now.

And then there was the sound of the medicine cabinet's mirror breaking.

Sweetie Belle froze in both fear and surprise. Why had the mirror broken? How had it broken? She hadn't done anything to touch it, or even look at it for that matter. Was... was somepony actually in the room with her?

With that nervous thought in mind, she cautiously turned around, and looked out through the semi-clear plastic of the shower curtain, and saw a white and purple blob hunched over on the floor near the sink. Was Rarity in the room? If she was, then how had she gotten in without her hearing anything? Did she come in to clean up the broken pieces of the mirror? And how much of the mirror had fallen onto the ground, instead of the sink?

Before she could think of any other questions, she could hear a strange sound coming from outside of the shower. It sounded like... sawing of some sort, but not the kind of sawing that was done against wood.

"Rarity?" she asked as she poked her head out of the curtain, leaning against the tub wall for support on her forelegs. "What's going on?"

Rarity, in response to the question, slowly turned to face her. As she did, Sweetie Belle noticed the powder-blue aura around her horn, and around a broken shard of the mirror, which was now covered in blood. That in itself could easily be explained away as Rarity cutting herself while trying to clean up the mess. But before Sweetie Belle could even finish telling herself that fact, she saw Rarity's limp mane fall from the side, and reveal just what the source of the sawing noise had been; Rarity's left cheek had been jaggedly cut open from the corner of her mouth, almost all the way back to her ear, and was now bleeding freely as she opened her mutilated mouth to let out an inequine shriek!

Sweetie Belle screamed and slipped in the tub, hitting the back of her head against the porcelain wall in the process as the shower continued to pour down over her. Before she even had time to think of what to do next, Rarity was already at the edge of the tub, carried by jerky and uncoordinated motions, and using the bloody shard to rip her way through the curtain to get to her. It was at this time, that the gruesome details of what had happened to Rarity, were becoming fully apparent to her. The blood seeping from her mouth was serving as a gruesome contrast to the ashen-gray coloring her coat had taken on, dripping down her front and staining her limp mane at the same time. And those eyes! Those awful, demonic, sickly yellow irises, that felt like they were burning holes into her very soul right now.

It was all too much for Sweetie Belle to take, and she did the only thing she could possibly think of doing.

She screamed. She screamed louder, and longer, than she had ever screamed before in her entire life, as the broken shard came down at her in a stabbing motion into her chest.

Rarity bolted straight up in bed, jolted out of a -somewhat- peaceful sleep, by the sudden eruption of a sound not unlike a tea kettle signalling that the water had reached the boiling point.

She looked around frantically, trying to detect the source of the noise in the darkened room, before her tired mind finally came to the realization that she was in her bedroom. And there was no tea kettle present to be issuing that noise. There wasn't even any reason that she could think of, that would justify there being a tea kettle going off at this time of night, whatever it was. What on Equestria was going on here?

Another loud shriek sounded, shaking Rarity out of her confusion, and scaring her in the process. She quickly realized that it was no tea kettle screaming... but rather Sweetie Belle! Immediately she bolted out of bed, nearly stepping on Opal in the process, as she dashed down the hallway to her sister's bedroom.

"Sweetie Belle?" she asked frantically as she looked around, only to discover she was nowhere in sight. Maybe she was hiding under the bed, because of some nightmare she'd had?

But that thought was immediately broken as a third scream sounded, drawing her attention to the bathroom now. And just like before, she charged down the hallway to her destination, slamming full force into the door in the process, without an ounce of consideration for such, as she was desperate to find her sister right now. A task that was immediately achieved as she checked the shower, finding her curled up in the fetal position, shaking and babbling to herself as she cried.

"Sweetie Belle? What's wrong?" Rarity asked her. But no coherent response was given.

Immediately the water was shut off, the knob almost being wrenched right off the valve inside the wall in the process, before a large towel was brought out and wrapped around her, as she was levitated out of the tub.

"Sweetie Belle, please say something. Whatever happened?" Rarity asked, pleading with her little sister as she held her closely. She was starting to grow frantic in the ensuing silence, and clung to her sister all the tighter as a result. She needed to know what was the cause of all this, and she needed to know immediately, if she was going to be able to help her.

Sweetie Belle, ever so slowly, turned her gaze upwards towards Rarity. And slowly, her green eyes welled up with tears, as she started bawling uncontrollably, unable to speak.

Truth be told, Twilight really didn't mind sleeping on the library's communal sofa. It was clean, it was reasonably comfortable, and it wasn't in any significant state of disrepair either. That last one was an unfortunate side effect of patrons -what there were of them- not making steady use of it, but under these circumstances, she really wouldn't complain. She was all nestled down, nice and comfortable with her favorite pillow, and a lightweight cotton bed sheet shielding her fur from the upholstery material of the sofa. This made for acceptable bedding on a hot night like tonight, when sleep was so hard to get, and equally hard to keep.

Of course there was another good reason that she was sleeping down in the library, while Spike and Applejack made use of her bed up in the loft. And that good -but simple- reason, was that currently the two of them were snoring hard enough to inhale the fucking drapes if they should ever turn and face the window together!

Not that she was complaining! The fact that those two were snoring meant that they were sleeping. Or more specifically, Applejack was sleeping. And that was a fact she was very, very thankful for.

Twilight would admit there was a lot she didn't really understand about any of this. She really didn't have a clue how Applejack was holding up as well as she was. Rainbow Dash had gone to pieces in the wake of her attack, and had to be hospitalized as a result. Based on what scant details she could gather, this was due to a lot more than simply trying to find out the source of the problem. But this didn't seem to apply to Applejack and the others who had come forward to admit to being afflicted. Psychologically, they hadn't gone to pieces; at least not yet anyway. For whatever reason, they were -supposedly- proving better able to hold it together, minus the terror they were put through regarding their experiences. And the obvious existential crisis that went along with not being able to tell with one hundred percent certainty as to what was real, and what wasn't.

But so far, no one was apparently doubting their fellow pony, or accusing them of doing horrible things to one another. What they were experiencing was more manageable; at least for the moment anyway. Or at the very least... that was how it appeared to her. Truth be told she didn't really know. The number of ponies being affected, or at least the number who were willing to come to her with the details of what they were experiencing, was significant.

Whatever they were really experiencing, she didn't really comprehend it. But then again, she really didn't have an extensive understanding of hallucinogenics and opioids either. She could understand how the two compounds might cause others to experience hallucinations -what with it being spelled right out in the name- but that didn't really mean she could understand how so many ponies were afflicted. And not just the adults, but apparently foals as well, if Diamond Tiara was any indication of larger trends going on around them.

The mystery just continued to deepen from her perspective. Even though they had eliminated both mental and physical illnesses as being possibilities, they were still no closer to definitive answers. They'd simply switched from one theory to another when no answers had been found. If they were going to get anywhere, then they'd need to find the source of these foreign substances, and figure out a way to neutralize them. But the only ones who could possibly lead them to the source outright denied their usage. That had been a very difficult conversation to have with Applejack. There had been lots of yelling back and forth, lots of name calling, horrible declarations, hurtful accusations, and eventually a great deal of crying, as tempers finally managed to cool.

There had been much apologizing to do on that night. And even after all was said and done, they were still no closer to any answers. That was assuming their latest theory didn't turn out to be another dead end; a red herring as Ulquiorra had referred to it. But just what fish had to do with anything, was a story for another time.

Back to the original question, of where the hallucinogenics come from? And how were so many ponies being affected by them? Was it... was it possible that their food supplies had become contaminated? Had Applejack's apples been poisoned by whatever nefarious force was responsible for attacking them?

Whatever the answer was, it was putting Ponyville on edge. Word of what was happening to others was starting to spread as ponies talked and gossiped. And where that gossip spread, so did suspicion and fear. Everypony was starting to be afraid that they'd be the next to be targeted for attack. Some were even growing suspicious of those that had already been afflicted, and believing that they might actually be contagious somehow. Distrust and fear was starting to overtake the town, as they were gripped with uncertainty.

And that uncertainty was growing. Back when this all started with Rainbow Dash, it was easy to assume that they were once again being targeted due to their Element of Harmony status. But then there was Ditzy, and then Diamond Tiara, and then all the others as well. That was making their group start to doubt things, and wonder if they were even being targeted anymore. What if this was something new? What if this was a naturally developing, unguided pandemic that they were facing? And what if this undefined disease, was somehow producing hallucinogenic byproducts as it afflicted their bodies?

She really didn't want to, but she couldn't help but wonder if Ulquiorra had been right about this being a case of germ warfare. Simply because they had discounted the notion of some illness being responsible, didn't mean they had ruled it out for being utterly impossible. All the medical tests in the world would only show so much, and be useless for as of yet undiscovered illnesses. And she really, really didn't want to go down that dark alley right now. Even with her scientific mind, the possibilities -no matter how remote- were scaring her.

"Go to sleep, Twilight," she told herself as she rolled over on the couch, getting out of the unnatural position she'd been laying in, with her hind legs sticking straight out, and her forelegs tucked behind her head as she laid there. She honestly didn't get what Lyra saw with such a manner of laying down, as staying there too long made the hind legs cramp up, and the blood flow to the forelegs was reduced, making the hooves all tingly and numb from falling asleep. "You're no use to anyone right now. Just go to sleep, and get back on it tomorrow when you're fresh."

It was good advice as far as she could tell right now. So with that thought in mind, she shut her eyes in an effort to convince her body to simply let go, and just relax to the point of going to sleep.

And then there was a loud, frantic, pounding of a knock against the library door, startling her out of her concentration, and nearly off the sofa. It was the kind of pounding that was rattling the metal portions affixed to the door, and giving rise to the notion that it was about to be splintered and broken down from the continued force of impact.

Getting up off the couch, she made her way over to the door, and undid the latch to open it, in order to confront whoever or whatever was out there. Unfortunately she just barely got the door open a crack, before she was tackled by a pink blur, and unceremoniously knocked to the floor, where she was pinned down by a heavy weight sitting on her chest.

"Twilight!"

It took Twilight a moment to get her senses cleared, and figure out that the pink weight on top of her was actually a very frantic Pinkie. That was simultaneously, and paradoxically comforting, and concerning all at the same time.

"Pinkie, get off me! What gives?" Twilight asked as she struggled to get loose. Contrary to what some might think, being sat on was not fun. Fortunately for her, Pinkie seemed to comprehend what she was saying, and did as requested, before helping pull her back onto her hooves. "That's better. Now, what happened?" she asked.

"Oh, Twilight, it was terrible!" Pinkie stated, loudly and frantically. What followed next was a frantic, barely cohesive explanation of what had happened up to this point, and what events had lead her here in the dead of night.

To her credit, Twilight was doing her best to follow along -and make sense of- what Pinkie was saying. But it was a task that was far easier said than done. Despite all of her experience with the pink mare, she still hadn't yet learned how to hear -and subsequently comprehend- at the speed of light when her mouth went manic. She wasn't sure if she was picking up every third word, or every thirtieth word as she spoke.

From what she could pick out and make sense of, the jist of Pinkie's statement was that they needed to write Celestia, and inform her that somepony was going to be dying tonight. And while the news was distressing, it was absent a great number of details. There was no accounting for any of the five W's that went with formulating tangible evidence; the who, what, where, when, and why. And that was to say nothing of the how. All in all, Pinkie's statement was no different than saying somepony was going to be taking a breath in the next three seconds; it was entirely factual, but without basis. For all they knew, Pinkie was simply having a premonition about one of the senior citizen ponies in the retirement home, who was nearing the natural end of their life. And if that were the case, then there was literally nothing that could be done about it.

"Pinkie," Twilight finally spoke up in response as she looked at her excited friend. "I can understand why you're upset. I really can. But I can't write a letter to Celestia, warning her that somepony is going to die, when we can't elaborate with the relevant information," she stated.

"But-" Pinkie spoke up, only to be silenced as Twilight held up a hoof.

"Pinkie, I really do understand. But writing Celestia isn't going to help us any. What would I even say anyway? "Dear Celestia, Luna, or Ulquiorra, Pinkie had a premonition that somepony's going to die tonight, but we can't tell you anything else about it?" Think about it for just a minute," Twilight pointed out. Was it really that hard of a concept to understand?

It was as this point, that Twilight became aware of the padding and clopping noises that were coming from the stairs. Turning around, she saw both Applejack and Spike coming downstairs, both tired, yawning, and giving off various other physical signals to indicate that their rest had been unpleasantly interrupted. And it stood to reason that all of the commotion from Pinkie's manic state had been responsible for waking them up.

"Wha's all the commotion?" Applejack asked as she tried unsuccessfully to suppress a yawn.

"A premonition. And a bad one at that," Twilight replied, cutting Pinkie off before she could do a repeat performance. They really didn't need that right now.

Truthfully, however, Pinkie's bad premonition was the least of their problems right now. All of Ponyville was starting to, more or less, come unraveled at the seams. The peace, tranquility, and friendliness that she'd managed to fall in love with, was being replaced by fear, distrust, paranoia, and a slow but steady uptick in hostility from others. And unfortunately, she was responsible for a part of it. She was the one who was teaching unicorn volunteers about the more advanced offensive magical spells, should the time come that they need to help protect the town from another attack. And while she hadn't know about it going in, she should've at least expected that some of the hostility could potentially bleed over into everyday interactions.

As much as she didn't want to admit to it, she'd noticed that even she had been growing more hostile in everyday life. But unlike the others, her development had occurred not long after first meeting Ulquiorra, and everything had started to go to hell after that. Not that she blamed the Espada for such developments, however. It had all been a matter of timing and coincidence.

But it was all just a temporary state of things. Once the crisis at hoof was addressed, they would no longer need to maintain these emergency standards of readiness, and could return to their everyday lives. There would no longer be a need for constant, enhanced vigilance, and distrust, and the paranoid feeling that there were dangers lurking around the corners, and hiding in the shadows, just waiting to jump them.

... That was how things were going to go, right? The measures they were taking right now, wouldn't have to last forever... right?

Such thoughts, however, were interrupted by a strange groaning-type of sound coming from somewhere in the library. And not long after that, before any of them could even ask a single question, there was a low rumble, and an even louder sound, that sent them all crashing to the floor in surprise, and fear from the suddenness of it all.

The next thing any of them knew for sure, Owlowiscious was flying about the library in a frenzy, and smoking chunks of metal were raining down from the loft, crashing into the floor around them.

"What the hell was that!?" Spike finally asked, once all the commotion had settled down.

"I don't know, Spike, but whatever it was, it came from upstairs," Twilight replied. But whatever it was that had happened, she was certain that it wasn't good. "I'm going to check it out, and see what we're dealing with," she said as she climbed back to her hooves.

"Is tha' really a good idea? Wha' if there's somethin' up there waitin' fer us?" Applejack asked her.

"Then it would be better to confront it head on, rather than playing hide and seek with some potentially unknown creature," Twilight reasoned. If something really had gained entry to her library without her knowing, then she wanted to know what it was, and deal with it. And with nothing else to say on the matter, she cautiously made her way upstairs.

She honestly didn't know just what she should be expecting as her head poked up over the flooring. But what she saw when she did, she really hadn't been expecting. The entire upstairs looked like a bomb had gone off.

And she knew what that tended to look like, as not all of her experiments ended positively.

There was a large, gaping hole in the far wall that lead to the outside, the surrounding wood seriously darkened from whatever had made the hole to begin with, and was still in the process of smoking. In front of the hole was the shattered remains of an end table she'd used whenever she got the urge to try growing a plant on her own. The walls -and even the ceiling- were covered in pock marks from what just had to be embedded shrapnel. The window that lead out to her balcony had been shattered. And the mattress and bedding looked to have been torn to ribbons, with white stuffing sticking out in every direction.

It was all very disturbing to look at. And a lot of disturbing thoughts were going through her mind right now, that were leaving her feeling very unsettled. Just looking at the bed where Spike and Applejack had been sleeping only minutes ago, was enough to fill her with dread over what could've occurred.

But despite all of the fear she was experiencing, one particular observation was impossible to go unnoticed right now; the containment lantern was nowhere to be found.

And then suddenly, and almost with an audible click in the process, all of the pieces fell into place. The containment lantern had blown up! It was the only thing that made any sense to her right now. It was the only thing that could explain all the damage -to say nothing of the commotion- that had happened just a minute ago. But she didn't have a clue just how it'd actually happened. But whatever reason that caused it to happen, it had happened, and in doing so, it had unleashed Ulquiorra's Cero wherever the focusing lens had been positioned. And unfortunately that had included right through her wall in the process.

She couldn't say that this was entirely unexpected. Ulquiorra had speculated that something like this might've happened. And she'd also suspected that it might be a possibility, just as she had the first day it was attempted. But she'd anticipated a containment failure a lot sooner than it had occurred. For the first several days, she'd kept the lantern stored downstairs in the basement, and shielded by a force field, just in case this happened. But when nothing had come of it, she'd felt it was safe to move it upstairs where it would be more readily available, should it ever be needed.

Looking around the loft, however, she realized that such short-sighted thinking had been a mistake, and it could've wound up costing them their lives.

"Wha' the hay happened up here?" she heard Applejack ask from behind. And judging from the other sounds going on, Spike and Pinkie had followed her up the stairs; likely concerned when no other noises had been heard.

"The lantern holding one of Ulquiorra's Ceros, suffering a catastrophic breach in containment. And then this happened," Twilight explained, partially turning her head in order to look back at them as she did, just catching sight of Spike stepping closer to the wall.

"And it looks like it woke up the whole damn town in the process," Spike replied as she stuck his head out of the hole in the wall, and observed the number of windows currently in the process of lighting up. "I don't get it, Twilight," he said as he pulled his head back inside again, "how'd the lantern just fail like that? What went wrong?"

"I don't really know for sure, Spike. The only theory coming to mind right now is... maybe Ulquiorra's Cero is stronger than anything else in this world, that one might reasonably expect a containment lantern to hold for an extended period of time. And, after two weeks, the constant strain of attempting to keep it sealed, finally proved to be too much, and basic physics finally set in," Twilight explained. At the moment it was the only thing that really made sense.

Her mind was already starting to speculate on the possibilities as to why this happened. Maybe her lantern was older than she first thought, and over time the charms used to maintain the stasis field had weakened, as all spells will eventually do over time. But seeing as the lantern had been a gift from Celestia, she doubted that was the actual case. Or maybe the charms had been applied incorrectly; she really hadn't had that much use for the lantern, and dragon's fire didn't really have much in the way of mass and volume to contend with. Or maybe, as she said, Ulquiorra's Cero was simply too powerful to be contained by it.

"But looking around, I'm really glad we didn't try for his Cero Oscuras instead. That probably would've killed all of us, and completely razed the library to the ground in the process," she stated, even though it was something she really didn't want to think about. Now that she saw the scope of the damage, she really wasn't even certain that the force field that had been put in place would've been able to contain all that destructive potential.

Next to her, Pinkie gasped loudly, letting out an excited yell of "That's it!"

"That's what?" Spike asked from where he stood.

"My Pinkie Sense was telling me that somepony was going to die, but I didn't know any of the details, so I had to try and get Twilight's help to try and stop it. Then you and Spike came down because I was being so noisy, and then suddenly BOOM!" Pinkie stated, giving a quick overview from her perspective of what had taken place. "This must've been it, this must've been what I was sensing was gonna happen."

Silence, along with a disturbing sense of dread, settled in over the library in the aftermath of Pinkie's statement. The notion that they could've died just a few minutes ago, had Pinkie not come all the way over here, caused all that commotion, and woken them up in the process of it, wasn't setting well with either Applejack or Spike. The very thought of being just a few paces away from death, was too uncomfortable to give any consideration to. But for Twilight, however, it was just another reminder of how Pinkie's randomness did nothing to make her any less beneficial to their well being. Just like with the parasprites, she'd known what needed to be done, when they had been floundering in a lack of answers.

With such thoughts in mind, hugging the pink mare seemed to be the only reasonable course of action right now. And she did. Vigorously.

"Alright. So what do we do now?" Spike finally asked. Looking all around them, it was just shades of desolation. So many things had been hit by the lantern exploding; even his own basket hadn't escaped unscathed. "Without that Cero at our disposal, if something new comes along, we're pretty much screwed, aren't we?"

"I don't know, Spike," Twilight replied as she finally broke the hug with Pinkie. While it was certainly possible that he did have a point, she couldn't say one way or the other. The manticore had attacked them when Ulquiorra had been at Sweet Apple Acres, along with both Celestia and Luna. Truth be told, she wasn't sure how much of a discouraging effect the Espada's presence had on various dangers and threats. But him being around was sure nice when something actually did happen. The chief purpose for keeping a Cero around had been in case of an emergency. But with the emergency that they were currently facing, she doubted it would do them much good. "But I think that, right now, we've got sufficient reason for writing to Canterlot, and informing Ulquiorra and the others about what's happened," she concluded.

"Well, might as well. Ah doubt we're gonna get anymore sleep tonight after all this," Applejack commented. Being near ground zero for an explosion, and finding out just how close you came to dying, tended to have that sort of effect on a pony.

"So I guess I should start on breakfast then?" Spike asked. Granted it was still some hours before dawn got here, but he really didn't see sleep being an option before then. And if they weren't going to get in another three hours of sleep, having something to eat didn't sound all that bad right about now.

"Let's just wait and see how the letter goes first. We'll decide afterward," Twilight replied. As far as she could see, there was no sense getting breakfast ready right now, if they were soon to have more company. Especially not if they'd need to make more than just four helpings. And with that thought in mind, she turned back to face Pinkie. "Will you be staying over for a pre-dawn bite to eat?" she asked.

"As much as I'd like to, I'm really needed back over at Sugarcube Corner. The Cakes are really counting on me right now, and I don't want to disappoint them," Pinkie explained.

"Oh. Alright then, if you say so. I guess we'll see you later then, Pinkie," Twilight replied.

"Yeppers! Goodnight you three, pleasant dreams!" Pinkie replied, far more cheerful than when she'd arrived. With a few more pleasantries exchanged, she took her leave, heading back over to the others that needed her right now.

With the fourth member of their little gathering gone, Twilight turned back to face Spike, as she had something important to tell him.

"Spike-"

"Coffee, right? Already on it, Twilight," Spike stated, before making his way towards the stairs.

Applejack tried not to grimace. She had been, for lack of a better term, living here ever since she'd been attacked in her own orchards, afraid of spending her nights away from her friends, and terrified of waking up to find herself alone. And in that time of living here in the library with Twilight, she'd become accustomed to what she and Spike considered to be coffee. Stoutness didn't even begin to describe what it was. What it lacked in terms of flavor, it made up for in that "wake you right up" quality. But that didn't necessarily make it any good, just effective.

But she was the guest here. Twilight had let her stay over out of the goodness of her heart. It wasn't really her place to be complaining, just because she didn't particularly care for the coffee; even if it could quite possibly eat the rust right off a danged tractor.

"Actually I was going to say to take a letter," Twilight muttered. Coffee was fine and all, but these developments warranted correspondence. Plus she wanted to know if they'd need to make extra, depending on who came for the investigation.

"We'll get ta it," Applejack replied in a reassuring manner as she resting a foreleg on Twilight's withers. And then, once again, she took stock of the situation before them. "Real shame abou' the bed though..."

"Now I'm really glad I didn't bring up the guest bed from the basement," Twilight replied, not wanting to think of all the hassle that would be involved if she'd done such. She already knew from experience how difficult it was to replace a mattress. And that was the say nothing of the bedding; she'd just gotten those sheets broken in too! But it's not like she could really do anything about it right now. Maybe she could salvage them with a fabric mending spell or something. But that would have to come later, after they got everything sorted out.

"... Jus' so ya know, Twi', if ya an' Spike need a place ta stay, ya could always come an' stay wit' me at Sweet Apple Acres," Applejack offered. After everything they'd done for her, it was the very least that she could do in return for them. Truth be told, she was actually starting to miss her own room, and her own bed. She was missing the sounds, and even the smells that went along. In basic, simple terms, she was getting homesick for her actual home. And no matter how hospitable Twilight was being to her, it just wasn't the same. Her heart simply didn't reside in the library, even if her friends did.

But... the thought of spending even one night alone in her room... it just didn't sit right with her; not yet anyway. She wasn't sure if it was the scent of lilacs and lavender that was helping soothe her mind at night, and keep the nightmares at bay, but she really wasn't willing to take the chance right now. But if she could combine the two standards... then maybe it would work. Maybe she could actually address her homesickness, and still get a good night's rest.

And some decent coffee while she was at it.

"Thanks, Applejack, I appreciate that," Twilight replied. The next thing she knew, she was being pulled into a hug by said earth pony.

Naturally she returned the hug, not being one to ever turn down such. Having friends like this helped give her a sense of sanity right now, as everything was going to pieces around them.

"Curses..."

And in the darkness of the night, a low voice hissed angrily at how things had developed. So close... so close, and yet so very far away...

"I'll just have to stop being so nice to them from here on out..."

Chapter Seventy (Version B)

Author's Note

Same chapter, different possible sequence of events that occurred.

Chapter Seventy (Version B)

Chapter Seventy

Night had settled in over Ponyville. It was a very simple, but entirely undeniable fact. Just as it was a very simple, but entirely undeniable fact, that tonight was one of the hotter -and more humid- nights to be experienced this summer.

In very simple terms, it was an uncomfortable, unpleasant night, that didn't lend itself to desirable -or even adequate- sleeping conditions, for anyone who had to suffer through it.

And two such ponies who were stuck suffering through it, were Carrot and Cup Cake.

As wonderful a place as Sugarcube Corner was during the daylight hours, the wonder and magical nature of freshly baked sweets simply didn't extend into the late hours of the night. And especially not on a night such as this, when you were the one that felt like the cookies baking away in the oven. Or a stew left to simmer in the crock pot over the course of the day.

"We should've set up shop closer to gryphon territory," Carrot muttered as he laid stretched out on his back, idly glancing up at the ceiling in a futile effort to make his eyes go shut.

"What?" Cup asked, not understanding what her husband was talking about. Curious from his words, she weakly turned to look over at him. "Why do you say that?"

"Because then we could've opened a butcher shop instead of a bakery. That way we could justify a nice, big, walk-in freezer, that we could go and loiter in on nights like this," Carrot explained. Cup chuckled in response to her husband's words.

"I don't think I could picture you as being a butcher," she replied, before finally sighing. She couldn't see them running a meat shop, not by any stretch of the imagination. But the idea of them having access to a walk-in freezer for hot nights did sound quite appealing right now. But then again so did their dreams of setting up shop in Manehattan. It wasn't something they could've ever afforded to do, but it was still a dream of theirs. At least there in the big city, they would've had access to the mechanical wonder known simply as air conditioning.

But sadly that wasn't the case for them. Ponyville was where they were, and Ponyville was where they'd stay; for the foreseeable future anyway. They'd simply have to suffer through the sweltering temperatures for the time being as best they could.

"This is pointless," Carrot grumbled as he climbed down off the bed, groaning in the process. "Let's go and sleep in the basement, it's got to be cooler than this."

"That's not a bad idea," Cup replied. Granted the basement had gotten cluttered since the last time they cleaned it. And it probably needed a good dusting. But it was below ground, and finished in brick and mortar. It had to be cooler than the upstairs was right now, even if they had to make due on a couple of canvas camping cots. "Just let me check on the twins first, and then we'll get going."

They had a plan for how to proceed on this miserable night. That was more than could be said for some other ponies in their situation.

Unfortunately that plan immediately fell apart when a loud, shrill scream pierced the night, causing them to freeze in place.

"What was that? Was that... was that Pinkie?" Carrot asked, still feeling shaken by the unexpected noise.

"It certainly sounded like her. We'd better check, just to make sure," Cup replied, maternal instincts already kicking in, family relation or not.

The two elder ponies made their way down the hall to where their tenant resided, all the while hearing sounds that weren't readily recognizable to either one of them, coming from the door that stood wide open.

"Out! Out! Out! Get out of here!" they heard Pinkie yell frantically as they drew closer. Suddenly they were greeted by something akin to a roar, a loud rush of air, and a loud bang as something slammed against the far wall just a few feet ahead of them, exploding in a shower of confetti, streamers, and what sounded a lot like a party horn being strangled.

Now they really had reason to be concerned. In an instant, Cup had dashed forward into the room, flipping the lights on in the process, with Carrot not far behind her. As soon as they were in -and once their eyes could properly adjust to the sudden intrusion of bright light- they saw a very frantic Pinkie standing on her hind legs near her bed, her socks falling down and twisted, as she struggled to get something loaded into the back of some large multicolored tubular assembly, that was nearly as long as she was tall. It was compiled of a series of four long tubes, running into some sort of box construction at the front, which held what looked like four multicolored conical party hats. Carrot instantly recognized it as one of her latest party creations; something along the lines of a pony-portable emergency party supply discharger, with a four-shot capacity. Or something along those random, squiggly lines that Pinkie seemed to embody.

"Pinkie, sweetie, what's wrong?" Cup asked as she made her way over to the pink pony. However she was forced to stop in her tracks, as Pinkie turned to aim the launcher directly at her in a hostile manner, lining her up in the cross hairs of the side-mounted sight scope.

It was a tense situation, none of the three daring to move; not even daring to breathe, for fear of the situation going south in a hurry.

And then, just as it'd begun, it seemed to end with the same manner of ease, as realization crept over Pinkie's features.

"M... Mrs. Cake?" Pinkie asked as she lowered the launcher's muzzle towards the floor. "Is... is that really you?"

"Of course it's me, Pinkie," Cup replied. And immediately she was beset by the pink pony, hugging her around her neck, and holding on for dear life, the launcher discarded without a second thought as it clanged against the floor. And all the while she was spouting gibberish; gibberish even by Pinkie Pie standards that they'd learned to be comfortable with. Cup glanced over at Carrot, who glanced back, just as hopelessly lost as she was.

So much for a cool night being spent in the basement.

At the current time of night, and the current temperature, coffee was simply out of the question. So in lieu of such facts, chocolate milk was being used as an expedient substitute, as the three ponies sat around the table in the kitchen.

Much to Carrot and Cup's relief, the twins had managed to sleep through all of the commotion, and didn't seem the least bit disturbed by what had been going on in the building.

How they could do that, and yet be awoken and sent into a bawling frenzy by some random sneeze, neither one of them would ever know. But right now there were more urgent matters to tend to, such as Pinkie and her own disturbances.

"So, Pinkie," Carrot began as Pinkie was in the process of finishing off her glass of milk, "just what had you screaming earlier?"

For a while, Pinkie didn't say a word to either of them. She just looked down at the table, rolling the now empty glass between her front hooves. It was a stark contrast with what had been going on just a few minutes previously, where she couldn't have been shut up even if it'd been tried. It was downright spooky how she could alternate from one extreme to another, with so little warning about doing it.

"Nightmares," Pinkie finally answered in response, her voice weak like a whisper. "Horrible, horrible nightmares..." she added, never looking up from the table.

"Nightmares? What sort of nightmares?" Cup asked. Nightmares were certainly nothing new, and certainly not for Pinkie, but she'd never carried on quite like this before.

"I... I-I don't wanna talk about it. I-it's too terrible to even think about," Pinkie replied shakily, utterly devoid of her usual bounce and enthusiasm. "Even if I really did want to talk about it, I don't even know how to put it into words. It was just... just..." Pinkie groaned as she stopped talking, reaching down to rub her belly. Right now she really wished she hadn't had that chocolate milk to drink.

The Cakes looked at each other, not sure how to proceed from here. Pinkie was just so... unlike her usual self, that neither one of them knew what to do. All of the defining character traits that she possessed, just seemed to be sucked right out of her, leaving behind nothing but a scared, pink husk of sorts; sort of like a deflated balloon really.

"You're sure that you don't want to talk about it?" Cup asked as she stepped closer, before reaching around to rub at Pinkie's withers. "We're your friends. You know you can tell us anything, right?"

"No I can't. I can't tell you about this. I can't tell anypony about this," Pinkie objected. She couldn't bring herself to utter what she'd experienced firsthoof. Nopony deserved to experience what she'd experienced. "Please... please don't ask me to tell you what happened. I... I can't, I just can't!"

Again, the Cakes looked at each other. Usually with Pinkie, it was a matter of wanting to say something, but being unable to, due to invocation of the Pinkie Promise. But in this case it was a real and legitimate desire to not say something. The situation was getting both weirder, and scarier, with each passing minute. And they both needed to figure out what could be done about this whole matter.

"If you don't want to tell us about it, Pinkie, then you don't have to," Carrot stated. Trying to squeeze anything out of Pinkie, when she wasn't willing to give it up, was an endeavor that he really didn't want to engage in right now; the adrenaline rush had long since worn off, leaving behind nothing but the lingering discomfort of the hot, humid night air, coupled with that brought on by Pinkie's night terror.

Cup nodded in agreement. "We won't make you tell us, dearie," she said and hugged the pink mare.

It was a move that was quickly reciprocated, as Pinkie allowed herself to sink into the embrace, closing her eyes as she rested against Mrs. Cake. There was comfort and serenity to be found in the blue mare that served as a surrogate mother to her. And, much as she hated to admit to the fact, it was far more than she'd felt with her own mother. She loved her mother dearly, and would never trade her for anything or anyone... but Mrs. Cake just has a certain passion about her, that was lacking in the other mare.

She suddenly felt another warmth about her, and opened her eyes to see that Mr. Cake had joined them in the hug.

This was what Pinkie needed right now. The Cakes were real, they were here for her, in what she felt certain was her time of greatest need. This was what she needed, to chase away the bad dreams she'd experienced. As long as they were here, she would be alright.

And with that thought in mind...

"Mr. Cake, Mrs. Cake? Could I stay in your room tonight, please? I really don't wanna be alone tonight..." she stated. The thought of going back to her room, left to herself, with no one but Gummy to keep her company, really wasn't setting well with her right now.

"Well... the thing is, Pinkie," Mr. Cake began as he disentangled himself from the hug. "We were sort of planning to sleep in the basement tonight. It's just too hot up here for us," he explained.

"I don't mind sleeping in the basement," Pinkie replied quickly "please?"

"Pinkie, dearie," Cup began as she moved around to the front to look the pink mare in the eyes. She had to exercise tact in this matter, and she knew that fact quite well. "You know that we love you. And if you need us, you know that we'll be there for you. But as it is, we sort of need you right now," she stated. She could see that Pinkie's current fear was starting to lose its hold on her, as she waited to hear just how she could prove herself useful to them. That was one of the unique quirks about Pinkie; some unconscious desire to be needed, coupled with an unconscious desire to fulfill that need. "You know for yourself how hard it is to hear anything when down in the basement. If the twins were to wake up in the middle of the night, we'd never know it from down there, we'd never hear if they started crying. And as dusty as it is down there, I really don't feel comfortable with taking them with us; you know how bad Pumpkin's allergies can be."

"Wait," Pinkie replied in thought, trying to wrap her head around what was being said. "You're asking me to keep an eye on the twins? As in up here?" she asked.

"If you wouldn't mind, dear," Cup replied.

In truth, Pinkie really did mind. The Cakes had just gotten finished telling her, that they would be there for her during her time of need. And the next thing she knew, they were asking her to not come to them, when she really, really felt like she needed them.

But she stopped that train of thought, and started engaging in an entirely different train of thought - ticket be darned.

Technically speaking, she was a big filly, more than adequately competent at taking care of herself, as she'd demonstrated in the past. But the twins... not so much. They were small, and weak, and helpless should something unexpected develop. They couldn't take care of themselves yet. What if Pumpkin absentmindedly started chewing on one of her toys in the middle of the night, and started choking on the stuffing? What if Pound engaged in another bout of sleep flying, and crashed headfirst into the window?

And then she realized something very important. She might need Mr. and Mrs. Cake right now, but there were four Cakes that needed her right now. As in really, really needed her. That drastically changed the dynamic she was currently facing. And that was saying nothing about a new-found sense of confidence she was feeling at the moment, from knowing that she could actually do some good for somepony else. It was that swelling sense of both pride, and value, that was driving away her terrors right now. Slowly, she could feel her smile coming back to her, taking its rightful place across her face again.

"Sure thing! You can count on-" she started to say, but stopped and froze in place, every one of her joints locking up tightly. This was quickly replaced by her left ear and eye twitching out of sync with each other. And her tail swishing about madly, in a manner that forced Cup and Carrot to completely let her go, and move away from her as they watched. And her teeth chattering as if she'd just been exposed to overwhelming coldness. And her right foreleg suddenly flying straight out like she was attempting to throw a haymaker at somepony.

Anyone that lived in Ponyville for any extended period of time, and especially those that had continued interaction with Pinkie, was well aware of what the Pinkie Sense involved. They also had a fairly cataloged understanding of not only the signs involved with her random predictions, but also the order in which the signs came. But neither one of the Cakes had any idea of what all of that had meant.

"What... what exactly was that?" Carrot asked, curiosity overwhelming his uncertainty at the moment.

"S-something bad's getting ready to happen. Something really bad," Pinkie replied, becoming terrified all over again, as her ears began swiveling like mad, desperately seeking out any sort of sound that might give them some clue of the impending disaster. By this point she was shivering in fear, wrapping her forelegs around herself, as horrible scenarios were playing out in her mind, and in graphic detail. She was seeing things that she didn't want to see, and she was helpless to tune them out.

Even with Mrs. Cake hugging her again, it still didn't do any good. Nothing was serving to distract her from her fears right now. She knew with absolute, undeniable certainty, that somepony was going to die on this night, and that all of them were going to be absolutely helpless to stop it from happening. Whatever was going to happen, there was no way to prevent it from happening...

Truth be told, Twilight really didn't mind sleeping on the library's communal sofa. It was clean, it was reasonably comfortable, and it wasn't in any significant state of disrepair either. That last one was an unfortunate side effect of patrons -what there were of them- not making steady use of it, but under these circumstances, she really wouldn't complain. She was all nestled down, nice and comfortable with her favorite pillow, and a lightweight cotton bed sheet shielding her fur from the upholstery material of the sofa. This made for acceptable bedding on a hot night like tonight, when sleep was so hard to get, and equally hard to keep.

Of course there was another good reason that she was sleeping down in the library, while Spike and Applejack made use of her bed up in the loft. And that good -but simple- reason, was that currently the two of them were snoring hard enough to inhale the fucking drapes if they should ever turn and face the window together!

Not that she was complaining! The fact that those two were snoring meant that they were sleeping. Or more specifically, Applejack was sleeping. And that was a fact she was very, very thankful for.

Twilight would admit there was a lot she didn't really understand about any of this. She really didn't have a clue how Applejack was holding up as well as she was. Rainbow Dash had gone to pieces in the wake of her attack, and had to be hospitalized as a result. Based on what scant details she could gather, this was due to a lot more than simply trying to find out the source of the problem. But this didn't seem to apply to Applejack and the others who had come forward to admit to being afflicted. Psychologically, they hadn't gone to pieces; at least not yet anyway. For whatever reason, they were -supposedly- proving better able to hold it together, minus the terror they were put through regarding their experiences. And the obvious existential crisis that went along with not being able to tell with one hundred percent certainty as to what was real, and what wasn't.

But so far, no one was apparently doubting their fellow pony, or accusing them of doing horrible things to one another. What they were experiencing was more manageable; at least for the moment anyway. Or at the very least... that was how it appeared to her. Truth be told she didn't really know. The number of ponies being affected, or at least the number who were willing to come to her with the details of what they were experiencing, was significant.

Whatever they were really experiencing, she didn't really comprehend it. But then again, she really didn't have an extensive understanding of hallucinogenics and opioids either. She could understand how the two compounds might cause others to experience hallucinations -what with it being spelled right out in the name- but that didn't really mean she could understand how so many ponies were afflicted. And not just the adults, but apparently foals as well, if Diamond Tiara was any indication of larger trends going on around them.

The mystery just continued to deepen from her perspective. Even though they had eliminated both mental and physical illnesses as being possibilities, they were still no closer to definitive answers. They'd simply switched from one theory to another when no answers had been found. If they were going to get anywhere, then they'd need to find the source of these foreign substances, and figure out a way to neutralize them. But the only ones who could possibly lead them to the source outright denied their usage. That had been a very difficult conversation to have with Applejack. There had been lots of yelling back and forth, lots of name calling, horrible declarations, hurtful accusations, and eventually a great deal of crying, as tempers finally managed to cool.

There had been much apologizing to do on that night. And even after all was said and done, they were still no closer to any answers. That was assuming their latest theory didn't turn out to be another dead end; a red herring as Ulquiorra had referred to it. But just what fish had to do with anything, was a story for another time.

Back to the original question, of where the hallucinogenics come from? And how were so many ponies being affected by them? Was it... was it possible that their food supplies had become contaminated? Had Applejack's apples been poisoned by whatever nefarious force was responsible for attacking them?

Whatever the answer was, it was putting Ponyville on edge. Word of what was happening to others was starting to spread as ponies talked and gossiped. And where that gossip spread, so did suspicion and fear. Everypony was starting to be afraid that they'd be the next to be targeted for attack. Some were even growing suspicious of those that had already been afflicted, and believing that they might actually be contagious somehow. Distrust and fear was starting to overtake the town, as they were gripped with uncertainty.

And that uncertainty was growing. Back when this all started with Rainbow Dash, it was easy to assume that they were once again being targeted due to their Element of Harmony status. But then there was Ditzy, and then Diamond Tiara, and then all the others as well. That was making their group start to doubt things, and wonder if they were even being targeted anymore. What if this was something new? What if this was a naturally developing, unguided pandemic that they were facing? And what if this undefined disease, was somehow producing hallucinogenic byproducts as it afflicted their bodies?

She really didn't want to, but she couldn't help but wonder if Ulquiorra had been right about this being a case of germ warfare. Simply because they had discounted the notion of some illness being responsible, didn't mean they had ruled it out for being utterly impossible. All the medical tests in the world would only show so much, and be useless for as of yet undiscovered illnesses. And she really, really didn't want to go down that dark alley right now. Even with her scientific mind, the possibilities -no matter how remote- were scaring her.

"Go to sleep, Twilight," she told herself as she rolled over on the couch, getting out of the unnatural position she'd been laying in, with her hind legs sticking straight out, and her forelegs tucked behind her head as she laid there. She honestly didn't get what Lyra saw with such a manner of laying down, as staying there too long made the hind legs cramp up, and the blood flow to the forelegs was reduced, making the hooves all tingly and numb from falling asleep. "You're no use to anyone right now. Just go to sleep, and get back on it tomorrow when you're fresh."

It was good advice as far as she could tell right now. So with that thought in mind, she shut her eyes in an effort to convince her body to simply let go, and just relax to the point of going to sleep.

And then there was a loud, frantic, pounding of a knock against the library door, startling her out of her concentration, and nearly off the sofa. It was the kind of pounding that was rattling the metal portions affixed to the door, and giving rise to the notion that it was about to be splintered and broken down from the continued force of impact.

Getting up off the couch, she made her way over to the door, and undid the latch to open it, in order to confront whoever or whatever was out there. Unfortunately she just barely got the door open a crack, before she was tackled by a pink blur, and unceremoniously knocked to the floor, where she was pinned down by a heavy weight sitting on her chest.

"Twilight!"

It took Twilight a moment to get her senses cleared, and figure out that the pink weight on top of her was actually a very frantic Pinkie. That was simultaneously, and paradoxically comforting, and concerning all at the same time.

"Pinkie, get off me! What gives?" Twilight asked as she struggled to get loose. Contrary to what some might think, being sat on was not fun. Fortunately for her, Pinkie seemed to comprehend what she was saying, and did as requested, before helping pull her back onto her hooves. "That's better. Now, what happened?" she asked.

"Oh, Twilight, it was terrible!" Pinkie stated, loudly and frantically. What followed next was a frantic, barely cohesive explanation of what had happened up to this point, and what events had lead her here in the dead of night.

To her credit, Twilight was doing her best to follow along -and make sense of- what Pinkie was saying. But it was a task that was far easier said than done. Despite all of her experience with the pink mare, she still hadn't yet learned how to hear -and subsequently comprehend- at the speed of light when her mouth went manic. She wasn't sure if she was picking up every third word, or every thirtieth word as she spoke.

From what she could pick out and make sense of, the jist of Pinkie's statement was that they needed to write Celestia, and inform her that somepony was going to be dying tonight. And while the news was distressing, it was absent a great number of details. There was no accounting for any of the five W's that went with formulating tangible evidence; the who, what, where, when, and why. And that was to say nothing of the how. All in all, Pinkie's statement was no different than saying somepony was going to be taking a breath in the next three seconds; it was entirely factual, but without basis. For all they knew, Pinkie was simply having a premonition about one of the senior citizen ponies in the retirement home, who was nearing the natural end of their life. And if that were the case, then there was literally nothing that could be done about it.

"Pinkie," Twilight finally spoke up in response as she looked at her excited friend. "I can understand why you're upset. I really can. But I can't write a letter to Celestia, warning her that somepony is going to die, when we can't elaborate with the relevant information," she stated.

"But-" Pinkie spoke up, only to be silenced as Twilight held up a hoof.

"Pinkie, I really do understand. But writing Celestia isn't going to help us any. What would I even say anyway? "Dear Celestia, Luna, or Ulquiorra, Pinkie had a premonition that somepony's going to die tonight, but we can't tell you anything else about it?" Think about it for just a minute," Twilight pointed out. Was it really that hard of a concept to understand?

It was as this point, that Twilight became aware of the padding and clopping noises that were coming from the stairs. Turning around, she saw both Applejack and Spike coming downstairs, both tired, yawning, and giving off various other physical signals to indicate that their rest had been unpleasantly interrupted. And it stood to reason that all of the commotion from Pinkie's manic state had been responsible for waking them up.

"Wha's all the commotion?" Applejack asked as she tried unsuccessfully to suppress a yawn.

"A premonition. And a bad one at that," Twilight replied, cutting Pinkie off before she could do a repeat performance. They really didn't need that right now.

Truthfully, however, Pinkie's bad premonition was the least of their problems right now. All of Ponyville was starting to, more or less, come unraveled at the seams. The peace, tranquility, and friendliness that she'd managed to fall in love with, was being replaced by fear, distrust, paranoia, and a slow but steady uptick in hostility from others. And unfortunately, she was responsible for a part of it. She was the one who was teaching unicorn volunteers about the more advanced offensive magical spells, should the time come that they need to help protect the town from another attack. And while she hadn't know about it going in, she should've at least expected that some of the hostility could potentially bleed over into everyday interactions.

As much as she didn't want to admit to it, she'd noticed that even she had been growing more hostile in everyday life. But unlike the others, her development had occurred not long after first meeting Ulquiorra, and everything had started to go to hell after that. Not that she blamed the Espada for such developments, however. It had all been a matter of timing and coincidence.

But it was all just a temporary state of things. Once the crisis at hoof was addressed, they would no longer need to maintain these emergency standards of readiness, and could return to their everyday lives. There would no longer be a need for constant, enhanced vigilance, and distrust, and the paranoid feeling that there were dangers lurking around the corners, and hiding in the shadows, just waiting to jump them.

... That was how things were going to go, right? The measures they were taking right now, wouldn't have to last forever... right?

Such thoughts, however, were interrupted by a strange groaning-type of sound coming from somewhere in the library. And not long after that, before any of them could even ask a single question, there was a low rumble, and an even louder sound, that sent them all crashing to the floor in surprise, and fear from the suddenness of it all.

The next thing any of them knew for sure, Owlowiscious was flying about the library in a frenzy, and smoking chunks of metal were raining down from the loft, crashing into the floor around them.

"What the hell was that!?" Spike finally asked, once all the commotion had settled down.

"I don't know, Spike, but whatever it was, it came from upstairs," Twilight replied. But whatever it was that had happened, she was certain that it wasn't good. "I'm going to check it out, and see what we're dealing with," she said as she climbed back to her hooves.

"Is tha' really a good idea? Wha' if there's somethin' up there waitin' fer us?" Applejack asked her.

"Then it would be better to confront it head on, rather than playing hide and seek with some potentially unknown creature," Twilight reasoned. If something really had gained entry to her library without her knowing, then she wanted to know what it was, and deal with it. And with nothing else to say on the matter, she cautiously made her way upstairs.

She honestly didn't know just what she should be expecting as her head poked up over the flooring. But what she saw when she did, she really hadn't been expecting. The entire upstairs looked like a bomb had gone off.

And she knew what that tended to look like, as not all of her experiments ended positively.

There was a large, gaping hole in the far wall that lead to the outside, the surrounding wood seriously darkened from whatever had made the hole to begin with, and was still in the process of smoking. In front of the hole was the shattered remains of an end table she'd used whenever she got the urge to try growing a plant on her own. The walls -and even the ceiling- were covered in pock marks from what just had to be embedded shrapnel. The window that lead out to her balcony had been shattered. And the mattress and bedding looked to have been torn to ribbons, with white stuffing sticking out in every direction.

It was all very disturbing to look at. And a lot of disturbing thoughts were going through her mind right now, that were leaving her feeling very unsettled. Just looking at the bed where Spike and Applejack had been sleeping only minutes ago, was enough to fill her with dread over what could've occurred.

But despite all of the fear she was experiencing, one particular observation was impossible to go unnoticed right now; the containment lantern was nowhere to be found.

And then suddenly, and almost with an audible click in the process, all of the pieces fell into place. The containment lantern had blown up! It was the only thing that made any sense to her right now. It was the only thing that could explain all the damage -to say nothing of the commotion- that had happened just a minute ago. But she didn't have a clue just how it'd actually happened. But whatever reason that caused it to happen, it had happened, and in doing so, it had unleashed Ulquiorra's Cero wherever the focusing lens had been positioned. And unfortunately that had included right through her wall in the process.

She couldn't say that this was entirely unexpected. Ulquiorra had speculated that something like this might've happened. And she'd also suspected that it might be a possibility, just as she had the first day it was attempted. But she'd anticipated a containment failure a lot sooner than it had occurred. For the first several days, she'd kept the lantern stored downstairs in the basement, and shielded by a force field, just in case this happened. But when nothing had come of it, she'd felt it was safe to move it upstairs where it would be more readily available, should it ever be needed.

Looking around the loft, however, she realized that such short-sighted thinking had been a mistake, and it could've wound up costing them their lives.

"Wha' the hay happened up here?" she heard Applejack ask from behind. And judging from the other sounds going on, Spike and Pinkie had followed her up the stairs; likely concerned when no other noises had been heard.

"The lantern holding one of Ulquiorra's Ceros, suffering a catastrophic breach in containment. And then this happened," Twilight explained, partially turning her head in order to look back at them as she did, just catching sight of Spike stepping closer to the wall.

"And it looks like it woke up the whole damn town in the process," Spike replied as she stuck his head out of the hole in the wall, and observed the number of windows currently in the process of lighting up. "I don't get it, Twilight," he said as he pulled his head back inside again, "how'd the lantern just fail like that? What went wrong?"

"I don't really know for sure, Spike. The only theory coming to mind right now is... maybe Ulquiorra's Cero is stronger than anything else in this world, that one might reasonably expect a containment lantern to hold for an extended period of time. And, after two weeks, the constant strain of attempting to keep it sealed, finally proved to be too much, and basic physics finally set in," Twilight explained. At the moment it was the only thing that really made sense.

Her mind was already starting to speculate on the possibilities as to why this happened. Maybe her lantern was older than she first thought, and over time the charms used to maintain the stasis field had weakened, as all spells will eventually do over time. But seeing as the lantern had been a gift from Celestia, she doubted that was the actual case. Or maybe the charms had been applied incorrectly; she really hadn't had that much use for the lantern, and dragon's fire didn't really have much in the way of mass and volume to contend with. Or maybe, as she said, Ulquiorra's Cero was simply too powerful to be contained by it.

"But looking around, I'm really glad we didn't try for his Cero Oscuras instead. That probably would've killed all of us, and completely razed the library to the ground in the process," she stated, even though it was something she really didn't want to think about. Now that she saw the scope of the damage, she really wasn't even certain that the force field that had been put in place would've been able to contain all that destructive potential.

Next to her, Pinkie gasped loudly, letting out an excited yell of "That's it!"

"That's what?" Spike asked from where he stood.

"My Pinkie Sense was telling me that somepony was going to die, but I didn't know any of the details, so I had to try and get Twilight's help to try and stop it. Then you and Spike came down because I was being so noisy, and then suddenly BOOM!" Pinkie stated, giving a quick overview from her perspective of what had taken place. "This must've been it, this must've been what I was sensing was gonna happen."

Silence, along with a disturbing sense of dread, settled in over the library in the aftermath of Pinkie's statement. The notion that they could've died just a few minutes ago, had Pinkie not come all the way over here, caused all that commotion, and woken them up in the process of it, wasn't setting well with either Applejack or Spike. The very thought of being just a few paces away from death, was too uncomfortable to give any consideration to. But for Twilight, however, it was just another reminder of how Pinkie's randomness did nothing to make her any less beneficial to their well being. Just like with the parasprites, she'd known what needed to be done, when they had been floundering in a lack of answers.

With such thoughts in mind, hugging the pink mare seemed to be the only reasonable course of action right now. And she did. Vigorously.

"Alright. So what do we do now?" Spike finally asked. Looking all around them, it was just shades of desolation. So many things had been hit by the lantern exploding; even his own basket hadn't escaped unscathed. "Without that Cero at our disposal, if something new comes along, we're pretty much screwed, aren't we?"

"I don't know, Spike," Twilight replied as she finally broke the hug with Pinkie. While it was certainly possible that he did have a point, she couldn't say one way or the other. The manticore had attacked them when Ulquiorra had been at Sweet Apple Acres, along with both Celestia and Luna. Truth be told, she wasn't sure how much of a discouraging effect the Espada's presence had on various dangers and threats. But him being around was sure nice when something actually did happen. The chief purpose for keeping a Cero around had been in case of an emergency. But with the emergency that they were currently facing, she doubted it would do them much good. "But I think that, right now, we've got sufficient reason for writing to Canterlot, and informing Ulquiorra and the others about what's happened," she concluded.

"Well, might as well. Ah doubt we're gonna get anymore sleep tonight after all this," Applejack commented. Being near ground zero for an explosion, and finding out just how close you came to dying, tended to have that sort of effect on a pony.

"So I guess I should start on breakfast then?" Spike asked. Granted it was still some hours before dawn got here, but he really didn't see sleep being an option before then. And if they weren't going to get in another three hours of sleep, having something to eat didn't sound all that bad right about now.

"Let's just wait and see how the letter goes first. We'll decide afterward," Twilight replied. As far as she could see, there was no sense getting breakfast ready right now, if they were soon to have more company. Especially not if they'd need to make more than just four helpings. And with that thought in mind, she turned back to face Pinkie. "Will you be staying over for a pre-dawn bite to eat?" she asked.

"As much as I'd like to, I'm really needed back over at Sugarcube Corner. The Cakes are really counting on me right now, and I don't want to disappoint them," Pinkie explained.

"Oh. Alright then, if you say so. I guess we'll see you later then, Pinkie," Twilight replied.

"Yeppers! Goodnight you three, pleasant dreams!" Pinkie replied, far more cheerful than when she'd arrived. With a few more pleasantries exchanged, she took her leave, heading back over to the others that needed her right now.

With the fourth member of their little gathering gone, Twilight turned back to face Spike, as she had something important to tell him.

"Spike-"

"Coffee, right? Already on it, Twilight," Spike stated, before making his way towards the stairs.

Applejack tried not to grimace. She had been, for lack of a better term, living here ever since she'd been attacked in her own orchards, afraid of spending her nights away from her friends, and terrified of waking up to find herself alone. And in that time of living here in the library with Twilight, she'd become accustomed to what she and Spike considered to be coffee. Stoutness didn't even begin to describe what it was. What it lacked in terms of flavor, it made up for in that "wake you right up" quality. But that didn't necessarily make it any good, just effective.

But she was the guest here. Twilight had let her stay over out of the goodness of her heart. It wasn't really her place to be complaining, just because she didn't particularly care for the coffee; even if it could quite possibly eat the rust right off a danged tractor.

"Actually I was going to say to take a letter," Twilight muttered. Coffee was fine and all, but these developments warranted correspondence. Plus she wanted to know if they'd need to make extra, depending on who came for the investigation.

"We'll get ta it," Applejack replied in a reassuring manner as she resting a foreleg on Twilight's withers. And then, once again, she took stock of the situation before them. "Real shame abou' the bed though..."

"Now I'm really glad I didn't bring up the guest bed from the basement," Twilight replied, not wanting to think of all the hassle that would be involved if she'd done such. She already knew from experience how difficult it was to replace a mattress. And that was the say nothing of the bedding; she'd just gotten those sheets broken in too! But it's not like she could really do anything about it right now. Maybe she could salvage them with a fabric mending spell or something. But that would have to come later, after they got everything sorted out.

"... Jus' so ya know, Twi', if ya an' Spike need a place ta stay, ya could always come an' stay wit' me at Sweet Apple Acres," Applejack offered. After everything they'd done for her, it was the very least that she could do in return for them. Truth be told, she was actually starting to miss her own room, and her own bed. She was missing the sounds, and even the smells that went along. In basic, simple terms, she was getting homesick for her actual home. And no matter how hospitable Twilight was being to her, it just wasn't the same. Her heart simply didn't reside in the library, even if her friends did.

But... the thought of spending even one night alone in her room... it just didn't sit right with her; not yet anyway. She wasn't sure if it was the scent of lilacs and lavender that was helping soothe her mind at night, and keep the nightmares at bay, but she really wasn't willing to take the chance right now. But if she could combine the two standards... then maybe it would work. Maybe she could actually address her homesickness, and still get a good night's rest.

And some decent coffee while she was at it.

"Thanks, Applejack, I appreciate that," Twilight replied. The next thing she knew, she was being pulled into a hug by said earth pony.

Naturally she returned the hug, not being one to ever turn down such. Having friends like this helped give her a sense of sanity right now, as everything was going to pieces around them.

"Curses..."

And in the darkness of the night, a low voice hissed angrily at how things had developed. So close... so close, and yet so very far away...

"I'll just have to stop being so nice to them from here on out..."

Somepony would have to pay for this unforeseen development. Somepony would have to be made to suffer. Retaliation was warranted -no, it was demanded- under these circumstances. The only question was, which pony would be a suitable victim?

And then, just like that, an idea formed. A wicked, cruel, utterly despicable idea, that was so utterly perfect in nature, it would be a crime not to execute it. There were still cards left that could be played, even under these undesirable circumstances, that may yet sway whose benefit was recognized.

Sweetie Belle sighed as she rolled over in her bed, unable to stay asleep, or even actually get to sleep. It was far too hot to get comfortable. And even if it wasn't hot, her mind was proving to be far too active, to actually let her relax to any meaningful degree. Despite her best efforts, she just couldn't seem to make herself stop thinking about one thing or another. Every time she tried, her mind would invariably find something else to focus on, and walk her concentration right back to where it had been. It was like trying to throw away a boomerang; an exercise in futility.

She didn't want to admit to it, but the whole ordeal with Diamond Tiara had managed to shake her up, and far more than she was comfortable with admitting. Yes, their two groups had been enemies to one another for a majority of their time together. Yes, she and Silver Spoon were antagonists to them, and ridiculed them whenever they got the chance. But none of that really justified what had happened to her. She honestly couldn't think of any of Diamond Tiara's actions, that could possibly serve as adequate justification for what she'd been forced to bear witness to.

With another sigh, she rolled over in her bed again, trying to tune out the thoughts she was being subjected to; like she could turn her back on them, and somehow tune them out.

Unfortunately it didn't work, as her mind just started replaying the events that had occurred after they'd escorted Diamond Tiara to see Twilight, and explain the situation to her, in hopes that she would know what to do. And now, even days later, she still didn't know what was scarier to experience; hearing Diamond Tiara recount seeing the entire town decapitated, or Twilight's reaction to hearing the news. Both situations possessed their own terrifying aspects, but in entirely different categories. In a way it was like comparing apples and oranges; both were fruit, both were delicious, and both were vaguely the same shape -if you squinted hard enough when looking at them- but beyond that, they were totally different.

"Shut up," Sweetie Belle scolded. That was just one of the random thoughts going through her brain right now, that were keeping her from sleeping. She could filter what she said, but sadly there was no way of filtering what she thought. And because of that fact, she was having to pay the consequences for it.

Another sigh, and another rolling over in her bed. This was getting old fast. She knew that Diamond Tiara was in good hooves right now -in good hands, she heard Twilight saying is what Ulquiorra would say- with Twilight being on the matter. But knowing it did nothing to stop her from constantly thinking over the matter.

"I need juice," she grumbled to herself. Just laying around wasn't going to get her anywhere, and she was aware of that fact. So maybe getting up, and getting herself something to drink, would help on the matter; it sure couldn't hurt any.

As she climbed out of bed, and made her way down to the kitchen, Sweetie Belle ran through a mental checklist of what juices Rarity had in the refrigerator from the last time she looked around dinner time.

She absolutely loved grape, but Rarity didn't care for keeping it on hoof, due to how notorious the purple was for staining anything it touched; and if you were a snow-white unicorn, grape juice was your mortal enemy, apparently. And that sorry imitation that had the audacity to call itself "white grape juice" was right out. Not that there was anything wrong with the taste, or anything like that, but to her it simply wasn't real grape juice unless it was a nice, deep shade of purple, with just a tint of redness when the light hit it just right when looking through the glass.

Next up on the list was orange juice. But, as she made her way down the stairs, she concluded that was more of a breakfast item, rather than a late night drink for insomnia.

Apple juice was up for consideration next, as she padded her way into the kitchen. But then she remembered that Rarity hadn't gotten any apple juice for the last few days. And unless she was doing some late-night shopping, it was unlikely that it would've changed.

Opening the refrigerator door to take stock of the situation, and squinting her eyes defensively at the brightness of the illuminated bulb that had snapped to life, she discovered that she was left with only one available option; grapefruit juice. She hated grapefruit juice. She really didn't know what Rarity saw in the sickening concoction, as all she ever got from it was a burned throat whenever she tried to drink it.

With a disappointed sigh, and a return to the darkness that now seemed overwhelming to her eyes, Sweetie Belle closed to refrigerator door. So much for a late night drink helping her make her mind rest. Or even distract her from the sweltering heat. She knew that summers could be hot, but this seemed a bit excessive even for the season. Couldn't the pegasi keep the temperature decent?

"A cold shower."

It was a statement made without any thought whatsoever on her part. But it was a statement that carried utter brilliance with it as far as she was concerned. As hot as it was, a cold shower sounded like the perfect way of cooling down, and getting comfortable right about now. It'd be like running through the sprinkler, only upside down.

With that thought in mind, she made her way back upstairs to the bathroom, mentally kicking herself for not thinking of it earlier. It was so simple, that she was surprised she hadn't given it any consideration earlier in this unpleasant evening.

Making her way into the bathroom, and once again flinching at the harshness of the light against her eyes, she stepped over to the shower, and hopped inside the tub, before pulling the curtains shut, and turning the cold water knob on full force in between her front hooves.

She immediately let out a shriek of surprise as just how cold the water was, and nearly fell over backwards in surprise. And she also immediately decided that mildly lukewarm was more the ticket than anything. Something that was coolish, but not cold. Cold water was far more fun when the sun was actually beating down on your position, as well as your back, and provided a nice contrast between the two. Right now it was just uncomfortable to experience, and demanded adjustment.

This time it was a pleasant sigh that Sweetie Belle let out, as she felt her coat and mane being soaked through. The steady and rhythmic drumming of water on her head and against her back, felt relaxing to her right now. This was helping her with turning her mind off, if even just a little bit. As she focused on the pattern the water was creating, as it took all the bounce out of her mane, leaving it limp and clingy against her, all of the other concerns didn't seem as pressing right now.

And then there was the sound of the medicine cabinet's mirror breaking.

Sweetie Belle froze in both fear and surprise. Why had the mirror broken? How had it broken? She hadn't done anything to touch it, or even look at it for that matter. Was... was somepony actually in the room with her?

With that nervous thought in mind, she cautiously turned around, and looked out through the semi-clear plastic of the shower curtain, and saw a white and purple blob hunched over on the floor near the sink. Was Rarity in the room? If she was, then how had she gotten in without her hearing anything? Did she come in to clean up the broken pieces of the mirror? And how much of the mirror had fallen onto the ground, instead of the sink?

Before she could think of any other questions, she could hear a strange sound coming from outside of the shower. It sounded like... sawing of some sort, but not the kind of sawing that was done against wood.

"Rarity?" she asked as she poked her head out of the curtain, leaning against the tub wall for support on her forelegs. "What's going on?"

Rarity, in response to the question, slowly turned to face her. As she did, Sweetie Belle noticed the powder-blue aura around her horn, and around a broken shard of the mirror, which was now covered in blood. That in itself could easily be explained away as Rarity cutting herself while trying to clean up the mess. But before Sweetie Belle could even finish telling herself that fact, she saw Rarity's limp mane fall from the side, and reveal just what the source of the sawing noise had been; Rarity's left cheek had been jaggedly cut open from the corner of her mouth, almost all the way back to her ear, and was now bleeding freely as she opened her mutilated mouth to let out an inequine shriek!

Sweetie Belle screamed and slipped in the tub, hitting the back of her head against the porcelain wall in the process as the shower continued to pour down over her. Before she even had time to think of what to do next, Rarity was already at the edge of the tub, carried by jerky and uncoordinated motions, and using the bloody shard to rip her way through the curtain to get to her. It was at this time, that the gruesome details of what had happened to Rarity, were becoming fully apparent to her. The blood seeping from her mouth was serving as a gruesome contrast to the ashen-gray coloring her coat had taken on, dripping down her front and staining her limp mane at the same time. And those eyes! Those awful, demonic, sickly yellow irises, that felt like they were burning holes into her very soul right now.

It was all too much for Sweetie Belle to take, and she did the only thing she could possibly think of doing. She screamed. She screamed louder, and longer, than she had ever screamed before in her entire life.

"Sweetie Belle..."

It was a croaking, raspy groan that sounded, effortlessly cutting through the blood pounding in Sweetie Belle's ears right now, like a hot knife cutting through butter, and forcing her to be silent. She didn't know how it had been done, but it had been done regardless. Nor did she know how the voice had come from the... thing... -she couldn't bear to refer to it as Rarity- that stood before her, leaning over the tub with its forelegs perched on the rim, as it looked down before her, blood dripping from the gaping wound. She hadn't seen its lips moving, yet somehow it had still managed to speak.

And right now it was currently glaring down at her, with malice and anger in its sulfuric yellow eyes.

"Your sister and her friends have been quite a hindrance to me. And because of the fact that you're Rarity's little sister, you're going to be paying the price for their interference. Slowly. Painfully. And horribly...." it hissed.

Sweetie Belle squeaked in surprise at feeling herself magically ensnared, and roughly yanked up out of the tub, brought eyeball to eyeball with the thing.

"You can thank your sister for your involvement in this debacle, and her friends. If they would just mind their own business, I might've actually spared you and your friends. But now that's no longer an option. They've hurt me, and now I hurt you. Such is the natural order of things in this world," the thing hissed as she was held close enough that she could smell its rotten breath, nearly gagging in response.

"I love you, Sweetie Belle," the thing stated, now perfectly mimicking Rarity's voice as it spoke.

It then brought the broken shard of mirror to bear, and in one swift motion, Sweetie Belle could feel her throat cut open from ear to ear in a right to left manner.

Rarity bolted straight up in bed, jolted out of a -somewhat- peaceful sleep, by the sudden eruption of a sound not unlike a tea kettle signalling that the water had reached the boiling point.

She looked around frantically, trying to detect the source of the noise in the darkened room, before her tired mind finally came to the realization that she was in her bedroom. And there was no tea kettle present to be issuing that noise. There wasn't even any reason that she could think of, that would justify there being a tea kettle going off at this time of night, whatever it was. What on Equestria was going on here?

Another loud shriek sounded, shaking Rarity out of her confusion, and scaring her in the process. She quickly realized that it was no tea kettle screaming... but rather Sweetie Belle! Immediately she bolted out of bed, nearly stepping on Opal in the process, as she dashed down the hallway to her sister's bedroom.

"Sweetie Belle?" she asked frantically as she looked around, only to discover she was nowhere in sight. Maybe she was hiding under the bed, because of some nightmare she'd had?

But that thought was immediately broken as a third scream sounded, drawing her attention to the bathroom now. And just like before, she charged down the hallway to her destination, slamming full force into the door in the process, without an ounce of consideration for such, as she was desperate to find her sister right now. A task that was immediately achieved as she checked the shower, finding her curled up in the fetal position, shaking and babbling to herself as she cried.

"Sweetie Belle? What's wrong?" Rarity asked her. But no coherent response was given.

Immediately the water was shut off, the knob almost being wrenched right off the valve inside the wall in the process, before a large towel was brought out and wrapped around her, as she was levitated out of the tub.

"Sweetie Belle, please say something. Whatever happened?" Rarity asked, pleading with her little sister as she held her closely. She was starting to grow frantic in the ensuing silence, and clung to her sister all the tighter as a result. She needed to know what was the cause of all this, and she needed to know immediately, if she was going to be able to help her.

Sweetie Belle, ever so slowly, turned her gaze upwards towards Rarity. And slowly, her green eyes welled up with tears, as she started bawling uncontrollably, completely unable to speak.

And in the darkness of the night, a low voice cackled with amusement as to how things had turned out. Wonderful. Simply wonderful.

Even if it wouldn't teach these ponies to not meddle in things they had no comprehension of, there was at least a nice, satisfying cathartic effect to be had out of it all. Right now, at this point in time, that was all that really mattered. There was always later on for more relevant matters to be tended to. After all, what was the rush? Nopony was going anywhere anytime soon. Progress could be made at a nice, leisurely pace, with time being taken to savor each conquest and victory. The spoils of war, much like the finer things in life, were meant to be enjoyed slowly, rather than hurried through greedily like a snack food.

Despite a few hiccups along the way, all of the pieces were still falling into place quite nicely. The speed at which everything was proceeding could certainly have been better, but that was just a minor technicality at the moment. All things considered, a few more days would be all that was needed, before things could finally proceed.

Chapter Seventy One

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter Seventy Two

Chapter Seventy Two

"I hate this..."

In the time it had taken Ulquiorra to bring Rainbow Dash back to her assigned quarters, she had calmed down considerably. What had started as unrestrained bawling, and wailing as she clung to him -knowingly or unknowingly, he wasn't certain- had died down to sniffling, and sobbing as he stepped through the doorway, and -unceremoniously- dropped her on the bed made of cloud matter, a muffled thud sounding from her landing.

"I want to be normal again..."

As far as the Espada was concerned, the matter had been adequately addressed. He had extended as much consideration to the cyan pegasi's condition as he'd deemed necessary, by bringing her back here, rather than leaving her to cry on the cold, and uncarpeted flooring of the palace. And now that the task had been tended to, there was nothing further to justify his presence here. With business concluded, he tucked his hands into his pockets, and turned to take his leave.

"Would you just fucking say something already?"

It was the hiss in her manner of address that caused him to finally stop walking, and turn back around to face her. She was currently glaring up at him, with as much anger as she could muster in her current state. And if he had to guess, she was expecting an answer from him in regard to her question.

"What would you have me say?" he asked her in turn, just to see where she might take this with her foolish notions. "I'm not here to offer you any words of comfort. My purpose here is simply to prevent another one of your escapes from successfully taking place. And the necessity of tending to such a task, is actively interfering with investigative efforts into what's currently targeting Ponyville, and perhaps other locations throughout Equestria. And it's for this reason, that we've been unable to locate and identify the threat currently attacking the others," he stated.

He understood that keeping Rainbow Dash safe from harm was, to some extent, keeping Equestria safe. In her current state, she was of no use to anyone, making her the weakest link in the equation. But that weakness was starting to spread to the others as well. And the longer he spent here, dealing with her, the more harm could be done in his absence. If only she could be made to understand such facts.

"The... the others?" Rainbow Dash asked, anger turning to surprise at his statement. "Who? What? What're the details?" she asked, her attention now firmly being held by the Espada, as she sat up on her bed.

"Why should I bother with telling you anything on the matter? You've already concluded the others are no friends of yours. Why do you care what they're going through?" Ulquiorra asked in response. As far as he was concerned, informing her of everything that had been happening up to this point was just a waste of both time, and breath. She could do nothing in her current condition, that would warrant her involvement from here on out. Those who couldn't even stand on their own two -or four in this case- feet served no beneficial purpose. And he seriously doubted that he could make her comprehend the gravity of just what was going on, simply because she'd managed to stop crying.

"Just tell me already. I wanna know. Please," Rainbow Dash stated, doing her best to make the matter as clear as possible.

Ulquiorra said nothing. And he considered continuing his silence on the matter indefinitely. He could simply turn around, and walk away, as he was under no obligation to keep her up to date on the daily happenings of the world around her. In her impaired state, she was absolutely useless to them right now, even if she had managed to calm down to some minute degree. But he didn't follow through with such an approach. And he had good reason for that decision.

Ever since the beginning of this entire debacle, Rainbow Dash's focus -that which hadn't been devoted to revenge- had been on three specific things; herself, her pet tortoise by the name of Tank -how this world had any concept of what tanks were, he didn't understand- and the pegasus filly named Scootaloo. These three things had been the entirety of what held her concern above all else.

But now it was a different matter of sorts. There was an anomaly that needed to be accounted for. For the very first time in twenty two consecutive days, she was actually asking about the well being of someone else, outside of her little self-absorbed world. But whether it was a matter of morbid curiosity on her part at hearing how others were suffering, or a genuine display of her individual aspect of harmony beginning to return to her, he couldn't say for certain; not yet anyway.

"The day before you escaped from the hospital, Applejack was exposed to an experience similar to yours. In the time since then, we've learned of numerous other ponies with similar experiences. Ditzy Doo, Pinkie Pie, Rain Drops, Flitter, Twist, Thunderlane, Sweetie Belle, Berry Punch, Bonbon, Noteworthy, Cheerilee, Diamond Tiara... the list goes on. Some report being awoken in the dead of night by horrible nightmares. Others detail terrifying hallucinations during their waking hours. Some are simple jump scares without substance, while others are moments that reek of utter sadism and malice, much like your own, and are custom tailored to match the personality. Whatever has happened to you, is spreading across Ponyville like a disease, with absolutely no rhyme or reason as to either the how, or the why, behind these attacks," he finally explained.

He wasn't certain if his was the best decision to be making under present circumstances. But nobody had ever accused him of being perfect; not even Twilight Sparkle. He was just as prone to mistakes as anyone else. Intellect doesn't equal being infallible; it simply cut down on the number of circumstance under which a fuck up could reasonably occur. Whether or not this was on such circumstance, only time would tell.

At first there was nothing coming from Rainbow Dash; nothing in the way of an audible response. She simply sat on the bed of clouding, a look of surprise and uncertainty on her face. He didn't have to be a mind reader to know that this was information she hadn't considered before, and was now having a difficult time comprehending the fact that she was no longer unique in this matter.

"What... w-what about Scoots? I-is she alright?" Rainbow Dash finally asked, having to fight through the sudden dryness of her throat in the process of getting the words out.

"I don't know," Ulquiorra replied simply.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Rainbow Dash asked, her voice considerably louder than his at this point. How could he not know something as simple as whether or not Scootaloo was alright, when he knew about everypony else?

"I can only report on information that I've been made aware of. I only know what I've been told, and Scootaloo's name has not been on the list. Whether this is due to not yet being a victim, or simply not coming forward to report being made into a victim, I don't know," he explained and left it at that. It really wasn't anything complicated, nor was it hard to understand; He simply didn't know, what he didn't know.

"I wanna see her," Rainbow Dash stated firmly, before jumping off of the bed, and landing on her hooves. "I wanna go to Ponyville. I need to make sure Scoots is alright," she added as she looked up at him.

Was she addressing him in this particular manner, because she believed he actually had say over what she did and didn't do? She was incredibly foolish if that were truly the case. He had no say over who came or went at any given time.

"You'll need to speak with Princess Celestia about arranging travel beyond the palace. I have no authority over this matter," he explained, before turning around to leave. He could see no further reason to stay here and exchange banter with the cyan pegasus. This was actually beginning to get monotonous.

"I'm not asking you for your permission. I'm telling you that I'm outta here, right now," Rainbow Dash stated.

And once again, reason to stay and exchange banter manifested itself. Yet again, he turned to face her, as she made her bold declaration of intent. Why she thought it was a good idea to be alerting him of such, he really didn't know; nor did he particularly care. He was more preoccupied with trying to determine just what to say in response. Or if he should ever bother responding at all. The moment she got more than fifty feet away from the assigned guards, the sedation spell would be triggered, and render her unconscious on the spot. Even if she galloped towards the closest open window, in preparation of flying away as fast as she could, she would never make it alone.

Never make it alone. That almost sounded like one of the selling points that had been mentioned by the others, when they were trying to impress the importance of friendship on him. There was a certain irony to it all, that he would actually be considering something like that.

"That won't be a possibility. The palace staff has learned much since the last time you made an escape attempt. There will be no third time around," he explained calmly.

Even if Rainbow Dash could, somehow, elude each and every one of the guards currently on duty, she would still have to contend with both Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna. And if -by some quirk of fate that he couldn't comprehend- she could somehow manage to pull that off, she would still have to deal with him. There was simply no logical way in which she could escape, and return to Ponyville on her own accord. Even she would have to admit to that fact.

Rainbow Dash responded by rearing up on her hind legs, and decking Ulquiorra across the face with a left hook, a solid thud resounding from the impact.

"Yeowch!"

Followed by, not even two seconds later, falling to the ground, and cradling her aching hoof in the crook of her other leg, spouting incoherent gibberish about how bad it hurt, and how hard his face was.

Based on the felt impact, Ulquiorra knew that no permanent damage had occurred to the hoof, or the surrounding tissue. No breaks had occurred this time around, making her quite fortunate for a second time this night. Whether or not her good fortune would see her through a third attempt, he didn't yet know. Nor was he particularly interested in finding out.

"I don't care what you say, you stone-faced jerk! You can't stop me from leaving!" she stated through grit teeth, waiting for the throbbing in her hoof to go down to a more manageable level.

"You can't even enter a dark room without hyperventilating. How do you propose traveling to Ponyville at night, in your current condition, and when cloud cover from an incoming rainstorm is already obscuring what little light is being provided by the moon and stars?" he asked pointedly, deciding to cut straight to the issue. And judging by the full-body flinch he received from her in response, he felt it safe to reasonably conclude that he'd reached bone. She could argue matters like speed, and even agility all she wanted, trying to make the case for how she could avoid being captured again. But the consequences of Thrush's malfeasance were another matter entirely. They were something that she couldn't argue against, despite her best efforts. "You'd never even make it past the balcony, before collapsing in a cold sweat," he pointed out.

It hadn't been his intention to exercise cruelty when addressing her, and bringing up the above mentioned facts, as cruelty without sufficient justification served no legitimate purpose. Rather, it had been to make her realize that any short-sighted attempt at fleeing, regardless of what petty reasons were serving as motivation, would ultimately serve no benefit, and potentially only make things worse. She had neither the physical conditioning necessary to make the journey, nor the mental conditioning for what she would be going through, and he was well aware of that. She needed to be aware of such facts as well.

But regardless of what his intention had been at the time of pointing out the faults in her plan, the reception of his observations hadn't been received in the same light by the intended audience.

In much simpler terms, Rainbow Dash's anger had started giving way to sadness, despite her efforts at resisting the accompanying signs of such.

Why was it, that whenever there was a pony who was crying, it was an instance that invariably had to take place in his presence? That was something he simply couldn't figure out. Not that it was particularly important, but it was still something he'd like to find the answer to. Was it due to what Princess Luna had said to him, back when Rainbow Dash had attempted suicide; that many ponies possessed a sense of security when in his presence, because he radiated calmness?

"I can't stand this anymore..."

However all such thoughts on the matter, as to why distraught ponies seemed drawn to him, just like how moths were drawn to the flame, were being distracted by the current wailing fit currently taking place in front of him.

"I can't even help one little filly because I'm afraid of the dark!" Rainbow Dash bawled, her face buried in the crook of one foreleg, and serving to muffle her rant, as she again collapsed on the ground, and pounded her uninjured hoof against the floor. "I can't take this, I wanna be normal again! I want my life back!" she shrieked.

"Then stop feeling sorry for yourself, and take it back for yourself, rather than waiting for someone else to come along and give it back to you," Ulquiorra stated bluntly.

Ever since this entire situation had developed, he had been holding his tongue for a number of reasons; primarily because he didn't want to jeopardize whatever her recovery might entail. But as he was seeing right now, she hadn't been recovering at all. They had been fooling themselves into believing that she was actually showing signs of improvement, and this display perfectly exemplified that fact.

The Rainbow Dash he had begrudgingly come to know prior to this entire mess, had always displayed certain self-centered traits, but she was also the type who displayed aspects of being strong and independent. And currently this was not her. The Rainbow Dash he had met prior to this entire incident occurring, wasn't the type to waste time lamenting her own helplessness, and feeling sorry for herself. The Rainbow Dash that he was familiar with, would look at this situation, exercise profanity, and stubbornly declare that she wouldn't be beaten; even if she was incapable of fulfilling her defiant declarations, she would still make them regardless.

Ulquiorra stopped, and considered the line of thought he'd been engaged in just now. Taken in the wrong context, one might accuse him of actually caring about these ponies; even he recognized that fact. It was utterly preposterous, but the structure of his thoughts had been sloppy and disorganized, and had allowed for such an unstructured mess to come about.

But whether or not the thought process was preposterous, it didn't change the fact that this was -metaphorically speaking- not the same Rainbow Dash that had faced him down when she believed it necessary to save Twilight Sparkle. Nor the same that faced down the dragon when she believed it necessary to save him. This was nothing more than a broken shell, that was serving to keep Equestria in danger. And the current methods being utilized were of no use to them. For that reason, a different course of action was necessary. He had let the diarchy and the rest dictate the recovery process up to this point, and he was seeing the results for himself. Coddling, comforting, and waiting for her to heal at her own pace, had yielded nothing of benefit as of yet. As such, he concluded that it was time for a different approach to be taken.

What the diarchy -and even the medical staff- failed to realize -or simply refused to openly acknowledge- was the simple fact that they were at war against an enemy they had no knowledge of. And it was an enemy that could strike anywhere, and at any given moment. They simply didn't have the time necessary to rely on whatever therapists were determined to be competent, to go in and fix all of the psychological damage that had occurred in Rainbow Dash's mind, or debunk her false memories one at a time. That was a process that would take years of effort to achieve.

It was back during the immediate aftermath of the manticore attack, that the diarchy had conceded the fact that his skills were needed in this world, and had relinquished hold on the proverbial leash they had on him; essentially giving the green light to use whatever force was necessary, to aid in protecting Equestria. And at the moment, he could justify using those skills in this situation. The others had been given the opportunity to tend to this matter their way, and the results spoke for themselves. Now he was going to address this matter as he saw fit. And the first step in doing such, was determining whether or not she was too far gone to stop feeling sorry for herself, and her current predicament. If she couldn't do that, then she would be too far gone for any of them to help.

Slowly, she turned her attention up to him, suggesting that she had been paying attention to at least some of what he'd just said. Although the lack of a verbal response was making it difficult to tell for certain.

"Your despair in this situation is useless. You claim you want to help, but you show no indication of actually desiring such. You seem far more content to wallow in your own self-pity, than trying to make a difference in the matter on your own initiative," he pointed out. "It's almost as if you agree with what happened to you..."

"S-shut up! You don't know anything!" Rainbow Dash yelled back, her voice cracking in the process.

"I know far more than you would assume," he stated. She frowned up at him, but it wasn't the type of frown that indicated what was being sought. So he continued. "You believe that you've experienced the truest form of despair your mind can comprehend; being forced to believe that those you consider your closest friends, have turned against you. I am inclined to disagree with that assessment. For whatever reason, someone, or something, chose to single you out for attack, and outright crippling, because you were believed to be the weakest link of your group. All of your accomplishments have been considered nothing but trash by whoever, and whatever, is responsible for this entire mess. And from what I can see, it appears that you're inclined to agree with its presumption of yourself," he explained calmly.

"Say what!?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief, as she stumbled up to her hooves again. What was he getting at? What was he saying? Where did he get off spouting stuff like that!?

"You appear to have allowed yourself to succumb to its trickery, in believing that you are trash. You haven't resisted this notion that you are worthless. You haven't vowed to overcome what you've been subjected to, and seek out vengeance for being wronged. There has been no bold declaration from you, that you will show it how you aren't to be messed with; just as how you vowed to "wow" me at some point, and leave me amazed and awestruck," he continued as he stepped closer to her, looking her in the eyes as she now stood upright. "What has become of the Rainbow Dash, that attacked a fully grown dragon by herself? Where is the Rainbow Dash that decided, not just once, but twice, to take on the one believed to have killed Princess Celestia? Where exactly is the fire, to the one who possesses the exclusive ability to utilize the Sonic Rainboom at will, when others would disintegrate in the attempt, because they don't possess a reiatsu intensity on par with the Sexta Espada?" he asked her.

Delivering anything that bore even passing resemblance to a motivational speech, was something he didn't have any true experience in. When it came to speaking, there were only three things that he was really any good at. Those three included: being very informative when asked a question, exploiting specific character weaknesses in order to induce an angered response, and inducing feelings of despair to varying degrees.

Tearing down a person's -or pony's- psyche, was far easier than attempting to build them back up again. The best he could realistically do under these circumstances, was trip the right number of anger responses, in an effort to induce an adequate degree of resentment, that she would stubbornly declare how she wasn't trash. If possible, even goad her into adhering to what healing process was in place -inadequate as it might be- simply to spite his observations about her, as if he had made the determination himself.

But he needed to show restraint here, and try to identify the fine line between appropriate pushing, and inappropriate pushing. Too little, and she would come to resent him, but would feel no motivation to try and improve herself. Too much, and they risked another psychotic break, that could quite possibly put her in a catatonic state. This was the mental equivalent of fine surgery that he was doing right now, and his cuts had to be precise.

And then a thought came to him; Rainbow Dash's previously established interest in Scootaloo's well being. Apparently she was the one pony that Rainbow Dash still cared for to any meaningful degree. That relationship could be beneficial to them right now. Nothing that would be considered too drastic, but something that would make the point stick. Perhaps telling her, that he would be informing Scootaloo about her idol's debilitating fear of the dark, and how it left her quaking in terror whenever she so much as thought about venturing out after sundown.

But that thought never got beyond the point of initial consideration, as his interest was caught by something occurring just outside of the room.

His pesquisa had detected the far off approach of another lunar guard, but he'd paid it no mind. At least not until his ears had caught a mumbling between the approaching guard, and one of those who was already present. That fact, combined with the one guard leaving their post, to be replaced by the one who had just arrived, was enough to convince him that something was both up, and worth investigating further. With that in mind, he turned to take his leave.

"Hold up! Just where the fuck are you going!?" Rainbow Dash yelled as he walked away, treating everything like it was absolutely nothing. What kind of jerk move was that anyway?

"Elsewhere," Ulquiorra replied simply, and left it at that. Right now he didn't have any definite answers to give as to just where that was, or what it might entail.

"You... you jerk!" Rainbow Dash roared angrily, unable to properly articulate how she was feeling right now, at this sudden turn in developments. The nerve that he had in just walking off like that was... was... "I'm gonna kick your flank if I see your ugly face again!"

"It's a date then," Ulquiorra replied, not even bothering to look over his shoulder while saying it, or even breaking his stride.

The threat was completely ludicrous to consider, as if she would ever be able to inflict physical harm upon him. But the fact was that she had even issued the threat in the first place, believing that she could actually follow through with it.

So far, so good.

The hangar bay of Canterlot palace, primary storage facility for the numerous chariots employed by the diarchy, as well as the accompanying maintenance bay where the spare parts, and various necessary tools were housed, was currently the source of a great deal of activity and commotion. Various ponies were running back and forth from one point to another, with some carrying boxes of undisclosed items, and loading them up on various chariots and supply wagons. Everyone present was talking at the same time, making the entire area a sea of commotion that was hard to properly understand and decipher.

This was the scene that greeted Ulquiorra as he entered the large room, and looked around him. Much as he didn't care to admit to the fact, he didn't have a clue what was going on. All he knew for certain, was that whatever had taken place, it had to be in response to a significant incident. He hadn't seen this much activity at the palace, outside of the changeling incident.

In the middle of everything, he could see both Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna were present. It looked like they were trying to coordinate all of the insanity around them, with some measure of order. Seeing that they appeared to have everything under control -to at least some degree anyway- perhaps they could provide some clarity on the matter. With that thought in mind, he stepped forward so it wouldn't be necessary to yell halfway across the hangar, being sure to avoid any incoming ponies that were rushing about.

"What exactly has taken place?" he asked, once he was certain he was within earshot of the two. If something significant was happening, then he needed to be aware of it, so he would know how to respond accordingly; being tasked with security for Equestria meant being made aware of whatever could constitute a threat, and he fully intended to take the position seriously. Even if it did mean interrupting their efforts at coordinating everything at the moment.

Celestia was caught off guard by Ulquiorra's approach, far too preoccupied with everything else going on around her, to notice him entering the room, and walking past everypony else. But he hadn't minced any needless words, and she was thankful for that. He recognized something was amiss, and had dispatched everything that could be deemed unnecessary. That was good, as it cut down on useless chatter that she would've otherwise had to deal with.

"I'm afraid we're currently facing another crisis, on top of the one we've already got our hooves full of," Celestia stated, before stopping to direct two stallions to load a crate onto one wagon instead of another. With that addressed, she turned back to Ulquiorra. "About ten minutes ago, we witnessed a disturbance in the northeast quadrant of Equestria proper. And while we're not absolutely certain just yet, we have reason to believe that it's an occurrence that's colloquially come to be referred to as S.U.D, otherwise known as Spontaneous Unicorn Disintegration. Although some derisively call it Exploding Unicorn Syndrome," she explained as best she could, all the while trying to keep her cool.

Ulquiorra had heard the explanation just as it had been given. But at the moment, as he looked around the hangar, he was having trouble believing it. There were ponies loading up crates of equipment into numerous wagons, while the present guards -he counted sixty of them, from both branches- were in the process of swapping out their metal duty armor, for what looked like a combination of high level, fully-encapsulated hazardous material, and fire proximity suits, that included hardened boots -likely thick and hardened rubber, coating steel plates in the toe area- and rigid headgear with reflective blast shield visors, connected to self-contained breathing apparatuses strapped to their backs.

A single unicorn, experiencing death via explosion, warranted a reaction that was the size of this operation? And it was an event that even deserved its own name?

Only one thought entered his mind after hearing this particular bit of news.

"I have got to see this for myself."

There had to be far more going on than meets the eye, if this was being carried out. And while he knew that he could ask for basic clarification on the matter, he truly doubted that making demands that they take the time to read him in on everything, would be all that well appreciated by the diarchy. He could sense the urgency in Princess Celestia's voice, indicating that time was of the essence in this matter, and any unnecessary delays would be viewed poorly. They were already stressed enough without him complicating things on his own.

"If a crisis is unfolding, my services may be required as well," he pointed out calmly. Having no idea just what this situation involved -other than some disturbing mental images- it only seemed wise to travel well prepared for what might be eventualities.

"The services in which you specialize, Ulquiorra Cifer, will be of no use to us on this night, I am afraid. It is sad to say that what is at hoof, will not be that simple to address," Luna replied.

Celestia nodded in agreement. What they were facing wasn't something that could adequately be addressed with deadly force. This was something that could only be addressed with wisdom, and specialized training, like that possessed by the assembled guards. There was no room for amateurs on this mission, no matter how well intentioned they might be.

"Then I will merely be present as an observer," Ulquiorra replied without missing a beat. And before either of them could object to him being present, he continued. "A unicorn being reduced to small chunks of flesh and bone, regardless of the method in which it occurred, would neither be classified as a crisis, nor warrant a response of this size and magnitude. Evidently the name for the event itself is a misnomer, and describes something far more significant. As such, I intend to discover just what this is for myself," he explained.

There was technically nothing that either one of them could do to stop him from coming along with them, and he was aware of that fact. They were likely aware of that fact as well. They could attempt to order him to remain present for whatever reason, but that would simply raise more questions than answers, and lead to a lengthy discussion that would just slow them down. Even if he didn't travel with the convoy itself, there was nothing to prevent him from following after them on his own accord; they were likely aware of this fact as well.

Where they stood, Celestia and Luna looked at each other in silent consideration of the facts, and trying to decipher a way to keep Ulquiorra present, rather than tagging along with them. And from the look on each others faces, neither of them were coming up with anything that might work. They both knew from their own experiences that the Espada was very... committed, and dedicated, to a cause that he believed in, and believed was important. Short of one of them staying behind, there was no way to prevent him from following along at his own accord. Nor were they entirely certain that they should actually attempt such; he wasn't a foal after all, and it wasn't like he would be running around, and touching everything he saw, without having any comprehension of what he was doing.

If he couldn't take care of himself, then they were all pretty much in trouble.

"Then make yourself ready, Ulquiorra Cifer, for we leave as soon as the wagons have been loaded," Luna stated. For better or worse, they had a traveling companion with them now.

The fact that the journey at hand had to be made via teleportation, wasn't something that came as a surprise to Ulquiorra . Nor did the total sensory deprivation that beset him the instant the journey had been completed, leaving him dazed and disoriented until his senses reasserted themselves. He wasn't even surprised by the fact that Princess Celestia possessed sufficient reiryoku for actually teleporting everyone and everything that had been a part of their party; he had seen what she was capable of before, and he had also seen what reiatsu she possessed. If she could raise and lower the sun, several tons of equipment and ponies was trivial in comparison.

What did amount to surprise for him -minor as it might've been- was that once his senses cleared, Princess Celestia was standing to look him in the face, from a close distance, and wearing a look that could only be described as one of concern. And she was doing all of this, while Princess Luna was leading the rest of the convoy onward, leaving them behind.

"What has happened?" he asked simply, seeing it as the best way of getting straight to an answer.

"That's what we're about to find out," Celestia replied with equal simplicity, "it's getting worse, isn't it?"

"Is what getting worse?" Ulquiorra asked, wondering just what she was talking about.

"Don't try to be coy with me, Ulquiorra, you have no talent in it," Celestia replied, frowning slightly as she said it. "You suffer from teleportation sickness. An immediate, but temporary, deprivation of all sensory input, resulting from traveling in such a manner. You've been experiencing this since the beginning, haven't you?" she asked him. Although by the tone used, it was easy to tell that the question was entirely rhetorical.

"Since our return to Canterlot, from dealing with the threat posed by the dragon's presence," Ulquiorra replied simply, seeing no use in denying the accusations. The fact that Princess Celestia had discovered the truth of the matter so easily didn't come as a surprise to him. The fact that she knew of the symptoms he experienced, indicated that this was a widespread malady that was also experienced by a number of others. Perhaps he'd been out of it for longer than he'd first assumed, and she'd caught him just standing there, completely unresponsive to the world around him. And if it was a genuine malady, then perhaps it could be adequately addressed. "This is the fourth time that it's lasted for any length of time greater than one second. It seems to correspond with greater distances being traveled."

"I've noticed," Celestia replied and nodded, having witnessed for itself. The first time, after the dragon, she'd been suspicious when he hadn't immediately responded to being addressed. It wasn't until they'd gone looking for Rainbow Dash in the Everfree Forest, and the same thing happened again, that her suspicions had actually been confirmed as fact. For better of worse, Ulquiorra was vulnerable to teleportation sickness. "I'm actually surprised that this is the case. I don't know why, but it just never occurred to me that your Hollow physiology might be vulnerable to such."

"Is it a condition that can be treated?" Ulquiorra asked. The how of him being affected was of no interest to him at this point in time. All he cared about was whether or not it could be stopped. And if it was one of those conditions that couldn't be stopped, then he needed to learn just how long it lasted, so they could be mindful in the future, and respond appropriately.

"... I don't know. I'll have to do some research on the matter before I can give you an accurate answer," she explained. Simply because she knew about the condition, and its existence, didn't mean that she knew everything about it. "And I promise, I'll do just that, once we return to Canterlot. But for right now, we need to stay focused on the current crisis at hoof, and not allow ourselves to get distracted," she added.

"Agreed," Ulquiorra replied. So long as they weren't teleporting into a battle-ridden hotspot, his own condition was of no consequence to them right now.

With nothing left for either of them to say on the matter -nothing that was worth wasting anymore time on anyway- they both turned, and began walking after the convoy to avoid being left too far behind. And with nothing left to say, the walk was one filled with silence, with the exception of the expected background noises; wagons groaning and creaking as they were pulled along the ground, and hooves more or less pounding against the ground, and protective suits ruffling and crinkling with each movement.

And with that thought, something new was making its presence known in Ulquiorra's mind. Back in the hangar he'd noted how the guards had been donning protective suits, but the diarchy had not. This could be attributed to one of two things. The first was that there were no protective suits in their size, but this was utterly illogical. The way everything had been going with a certain smoothness, being caught off guard didn't seem likely.

The second possibility was that the diarchy possessed sufficient resistance against whatever might be encountered, and protective gear would be entirely superfluous to them. But this simply raised more questions than answers. Questions that needed to be addressed.

"It would appear safe to assume that we're not on our way to simply scrape up, and dispose of, the bloody remains of some deceased unicorn. So I must ask just what this entire operation is about," he stated simply.

Celestia remained silent momentarily, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye without moving her head. She considered the inquiry, and the distance needed to be traveled, before deciding she could spare the time in answering. With that thought in mind, her horn began to glow in preparation of the magic she would need.

"It's a difficult matter to explain to one who has no knowledge of magic. But I'll try," she explained.

Ulquiorra observed as a green rectangular field was cast in front of them, much like a projector in a movie theater would do. However unlike a movie theater projection, the "screen" in front of them was partially transparent, allowing them to see what was ahead of them.

"Unlike pegasus and earth ponies, all unicorns possess a -nonphysical- magical core within their bodies. Unlike earth ponies, whose magic is flowing throughout their bodies at any given time, and pegasus ponies, whose magic is primarily flowing through their wings and hooves, a unicorn's magic is located in this central area when not in use."

As Celestia spoke, a white outline of a generic unicorn appeared on the screen. And in the central area of the body, a glowing, pulsating, flickering semi-translucent blue sphere appeared.

"When a spell is cast, the magic held within the core is drawn out from the core, and up to the horn, which serves as a focal point, switching the magic from passive to active," she continued.

Blue lines moving from the sphere to the tip of the horn, and then expanding out beyond the horn in a flash of light, signifying a spell being cast.

"As a unicorn grows stronger, and more skilled, in their magical aptitude, their core also grows stronger, as it becomes capable of holding significantly more mana than previously."

The sphere fluctuated, and began expanding in size, until it nearly filled the chest of the unicorn outline.

"But sometimes there are... complications involved..."

The sphere fluctuated again, growing significantly larger in size, eclipsing the unicorn outline in an instant as it expanded outward, blanketing the entire area of the screen.

"For reasons we still don't understand, a unicorn loses control of their core, and simply... succumbs. Theories abound as to why this is, and are as numerous as the stars in the sky, or the grains of sand on a single beach. One of the most common is that the victim was trying too hard to advance their skills in magic too fast, and the strain is too much. Another is that it's a virus that forces the victim to absorb more mana than their core can adequately house, while cutting access to the horn, leaving nowhere to go but outward," Celestia explained, before cutting off the flow of mana used to maintain the display, letting it fizzle out of existence. "As you might understand, answers are difficult to come by, due to the lack of physical evidence to examine after the fact. And the disintegration aspect occurs so quickly, there's almost never any time to actually respond when a case does present itself. There's only been a minute number of cases in the last thousand years, where a spontaneous disintegration has not only been caught, but successfully prevented by the timely intervention of someone skilled enough to actually do such."

Throughout the explanation, Ulquiorra remained silent as he continued walking along, mentally examining and evaluating the information he'd been presented with. And in light of this information, the entire operation made a greater degree of sense than previously. But there was still room for speculation about the scale, and the exact nature of the operation. Perhaps there wasn't a unicorn corpse to scrape up off the ground, but a number of other corpses that had been near the blast radius; perhaps there was a certain mindfulness of the possibility of bloodborne illnesses that needed to be taken into consideration. Or worse, the possibility of those illnesses actually being aerosolized by the resulting explosion that had taken place, and quite possibly converting the location they were approaching, into one giant biohazardous area, that needed to be sanitized, and sterilized.

But that still didn't answer the question as to why the diarchy was entering unshielded, unlike the guards.

"And what type of role are we expected to fill under these circumstances?" he asked simply.

"Safeguarding the immediate area. In the wake of the explosion, the ambient mana in the area has been significantly destabilized, and can be dangerous to anyone that might happen across the area. We have to set up a perimeter around the affected area, both to inform others to avoid entering, and to allow the ambient mana to restabilize itself, and be absorbed back into the surrounding area," Celestia explained. When Ulquiorra said nothing in response, she continued with the explanation. "That's also why we couldn't teleport right to the affected area. When mana becomes destabilized, it can prove to be very... tricky, to properly deal with. It's not even wise to practice magic when in close proximity to such an area."

More silence on Ulquiorra's part as he listened to the explanation given. And there was a great deal of information being given, even if Princess Celestia wasn't actively trying to say a great deal right now. And right now, based on what he was hearing, it sounded like unicorns were the living equivalent of atomic bombs. That was a very disturbing thought to consider. But for the time being he'd keep his thoughts to himself, and simply continue observing everything in silence, in an effort to gain a better understanding of everything that was going on.

Looking down from where he stood, even without relying on the presence of the numerous lamps that had been brought along for illumination, Ulquiorra could more easily survey the damage done to the area by the blast. A good mile worth of ground had been scorched, and charred black. All forms of plant life -those that were still standing enough to count as being present- were in a similar state of destruction. It looked like the immediate aftermath of a forest fire being successfully contained, and extinguished, but the damage still being done regardless.

But seeing didn't necessarily mean the same as believing. Even though he could see the aftermath of what had taken place, he was still having trouble grasping the idea that a single unicorn had been responsible for all of this. Even with Princess Celestia's explanation, complete with visual references, it was still difficult to believe that physical beings could spontaneously combust like purpose-built explosive devices, and achieve similar results.

Down below he observed as the numerous ponies present were placing stones around the perimeter. Each of them was similar in size to a twelve pound bowling ball, and featured numerous unrecognizable runes carved into their sides. According to the explanation given, they were specially designed, purpose-built lodestones crafted for such circumstances; something about the mechanics of the design siphoning from the unstable mana to fuel a protective force field, while simultaneously feeding it back into the surrounding environment at a gradual pace that would allow for safe reabsorption.

There were also details regarding the natural ley lines of the world, and how they came into play.

He wouldn't lie, he didn't understand the mechanics of how they worked. Even though he'd paid attention when the explanation was given, there were aspects to magic that simply went over his head. Perhaps it was something that only a unicorn could truly understand, in the way it was intended to be understood.

"The operation appears to be proceeding smoothly," he commented upon detecting Celestia's approach from his left side. Even if he couldn't detect her reiatsu, the sound of her large wings flapping would still be difficult to miss in the current stillness of his surroundings. And then there was the matter of actually seeing her.

"As to be expected, considering the training and drills they've undergone. Each one of those guards down there, has undergone specialized training for addressing S.U.D situations whenever they arise," Celestia explained as she broke into a hover not far from his position. Out of the one hundred guards that she and her sister each had at their service, each branch had thirty members who had been specifically picked for training and drilling in this particular -and undesirable- field. One day each month, there was a training drill carried out to measure their readiness should they ever be called upon. Meetings were had whenever new developments in the scientific field were made, that could aid in their efforts. And if it was ever deemed necessary, rudimentary training was made available.

"And the circumstances that found one of them serving on Rainbow Dash's detail, and needing to be relieved in the middle of their shift?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Specialized training doesn't mean they're excused from their regular duties; they're still palace guards after all," Celestia replied simply, and left it at that. It wasn't as if those trained for S.U.D duty just lazed around in the barracks, doing nothing until they were eventually needed; that was just a ridiculous thought. That's assuming it was ever a thought of Ulquiorra's to even begin with.

Before anymore conversation could be had, their attention was drawn to Luna's arrival not far away from their current location. And much like her sister had done, she too was entering a hover, stopping in front of them to face Celestia directly.

"I wish otherwise... but I cannot properly focus on what to report," she stated simply, before letting out a sigh, and letting her withers slouch. She'd been on an adrenaline high ever since she saw the explosion in the distance, and now that it was wearing off, she was feeling weak, run down, and having a hard time properly focusing. All of this, on top of what had happened with Rainbow Dash less than an hour ago, was starting to weigh heavily on her mind right now. There were just too many things going on right now, that were going wrong. She understood that real life tended to do that, but was it really asking too much for a break from all of this insanity?

It was at that point, that something unfamiliar struck Luna's nostrils, causing her to start sniffing at the air, and stopping nearly as fast as she'd started, having caught the scent of something that she quickly found to be most foul. Immediately she scrunched up her muzzle in disgust.

"Ugh! What smells of burning rubbish?" she asked and looked around, trying to find what was making her nose burn right now, all the while trying to shield her muzzle with her fetlock. And as she looked around, she discovered the source of the obnoxious odor, and she didn't believe it. It was emanating from Ulquiorra himself, as wisps of smoke were starting to rise off of his body.

"Ulquiorra Cifer, why are you smoking?" she asked, not believing it for herself.

Celestia blinked, confused at what Luna was talking about. But as soon as she turned her head, she saw that the Espada was indeed beginning to smoke. It looked like steam rising from something moist that had been put near a fire to dry out. It also looked like the time he'd put himself at risk during the changeling invasion, and she'd nearly killed him by mistake. Now she was starting to feel alarm rather than confusion, as she tried to figure out what was going on here.

"That would explain the sensation of extreme discomfort that was being experienced," Ulquiorra commented as he withdrew his right hand from his pocket to better examine his arm, and confirm for himself what was being said. If he had to guess, he would assume that his proximity to the destabilized mana was having an adverse affect on his body; it was the only thing that made any sense to him right at the moment. Whatever -assumed- resistance the diarchy possessed to the environmental disturbances down below, obviously wasn't translating over to his own body.

And then his index and middle finger switched from smoking, to outright burning, as the tips literally burst into flames as he was looking at them. It was like watching a pair of matches spontaneously ignite.

"Goodness!" Luna gasped in surprise and covered her mouth, shocked at what she'd just seen.

"Strange. Usually I'm more resistant to fire than this," Ulquiorra commented casually, before blowing out the flames on his two fingers.

"That's it. It's far too dangerous to continue remaining in this area. Move further back, behind the perimeter," Celestia stated, having seen enough of this nonsense to know when enough was enough. Evidently the mana in the area was far more destabilized than they'd originally thought, if it was having this type of effect on Ulquiorra. The only thing she didn't know right now, was if being in the vicinity of the destabilized mana was burning him -in the same way being in the vicinity of her had burned him sometime back- or if it was from him actually trying to absorb it into his body, and dispose of it in his own way. Not being able to properly detect a mana drain in the immediate -and chaotic- area made it very difficult to tell just what the root cause was. She didn't even know for certain if he was trying to absorb it or not. But she certainly wouldn't put the option past him.

Ulquiorra gave no argument to the order of a tactical retreat from the immediate region. He'd already gathered enough firsthand knowledge regarding destabilized mana for the time being to draw his conclusions on the matter. He knew that unicorns could spontaneously explode for unknown reasons, he knew that the resulting destabilization could have an adverse affect on his physical structure, as well as the health of non-alicorns, making it necessary for the area to be contained until the danger had passed. He really didn't know what else needed to be learned about it all.

As far as he was concerned, his part of the investigation was over. He couldn't think of anything else that needed actual addressing at the moment. Anything else could wait until things were less chaotic.

Or at least, that's what he thought at first. But as they moved behind the establishing perimeter, two specific -and potentially very important- thoughts came to his mind. And he couldn't see any reason to wait in seeking clarification.

"Is this type of incident commonplace in this world?" he asked as they finally crossed over to the -supposed- safety being provided by the presence of the lodestones. "And what, if anything, is actually being done to prevent it?"

"No, thankfully. That's the one bright spot involved with S.U. D incidents; the number that occurs remain small. There's never been more than three or four such incidents recorded in any given year. Nopony knows just why this is, but most would prefer not to question the fact, for fear they might somehow jinx it," Celestia explained and sighed. "The death toll might be considered inconsequential back in your world, but the same doesn't apply here. This is the second such incident of this year, and already it's a tragic loss of life," she added.

Ulquiorra said nothing. He could detect the bitterness in the statement, even if it wasn't directed at him. Knowing what he did of these ponies, the death toll could possibly be from the unicorns themselves dying, or it could be from the unsuspecting bystanders that unintentionally got caught in the blast. It was hard to tell when those being dealt with had so much regard for life.

Over to the side, he could see Princess Luna frowning at Princess Celestia, even if it went unnoticed by the elder of the two.

"As for what's being done to prevent these incidents from occurring, I'm afraid there's very little we actually can do preemptively. As you understand, in the majority of the cases, there are no bodies to be examined, to try and determine the exact cause that lead up to their death. And the few that have been caught in time, successfully stopped, and could be examined, have shown absolutely no abnormalities that could possibly explain the why of a core breach occurring. It's one of those things that, sadly, remains a mystery to our world, even with all of the advancements we've made in the last millennium," Celestia explained

The more this continued, the more Ulquiorra found himself growing evermore curious. It was impossible for him to not note the similarities between Spontaneous Unicorn Disintegration, and the unconfirmed phenomenon of Spontaneous Human Combustion, from back in his own dimension. Both had individuals who believed in its existence, but there was no evidence to explain how such events occurred. The only real difference that he was aware of, was that the S.U.D had far more outward destructive potential to it.

"What you're essentially saying, is that every unicorn in Equestria is the living, breathing equivalent of an atomic bomb, could quite literally explode at any given minute, and you would have no way of preventing that from happening," he elaborated, cutting through the fluff of it all, in order to reveal what many would consider to be a very grim picture of the facts.

"Atomic bomb?" Luna asked as she looked over in Ulquiorra's direction. She had heard numerous foreign terms being used by the Espada since their first meeting, and some of them she was more readily familiar with than others. But this was certainly not one of them. To the best of her knowledge, this was the first time she'd ever heard the term.

Ulquiorra contemplated the situation in silence. He'd only remembered after he'd opened his mouth to exercise his characteristic bluntness, that he was addressing matters this world was completely unfamiliar with. And in the process of doing such, he'd opened up a can of worms.

"It's not a subject that I'm expertly versed in, or able to explain in intricate details. But the simple explanation, is an explosive device that incorporates radioactive material into its construction; materials involved in the process of deriving energy from the splitting of atoms. This allows for a much greater explosion than simple gunpowder. There's also the secondary effect of contaminating the area with the release of highly unstable, and extremely toxic energies, from the molecular degradation of the radioactive material itself, spread to wherever the wind will carry the particulates," he explained simply.

Silence followed his explanation. Whether it was due to the diarchy being horrified -by exactly what detail, he neither knew, nor even cared- or simply choosing to respect his claim about having limited information, he had no way of telling for certain. Nor was it of any particular importance to him. So long as they understood what he was saying, that was all that mattered.

"I suppose that's one way of putting it," Celestia replied slowly, being the first to speak up. She'd been horrified by the details she'd seen in Ulquiorra's memories. But the details she got from having conversations with him could be even more horrible at times. "To be perfectly blunt, yes. Every living unicorn could quite possibly experience a S.U.D event at some point in time, and we'd have no way of knowing until after the fact. The simple fact that only a miniscule few ever do, is truly a miraculous blessing that we're thankful for."

"What there is to be truly thankful for, is that out of all those that do succumb, the vast majority of them experience a quick burn, rather than a slow burn," Luna added, before turning to directly face Ulquiorra, having every reason to believe that he wouldn't understand what she was talking about, unless she elaborated. And when Celestia gave no objection, she began speaking in explanation. "When a unicorn spontaneously disintegrates, the majority of the incidents involved a sudden breach of core integrity, and an explosive decompression of the mana housed within their bodies. But because it happens so suddenly, damage tends to be limited, as the majority of the force is used up in disintegrating the physical body, and rarely extends beyond a few feet from where they are standing. This is what is called a quick burn. But in a few cases, and we truly do not understand why, the core will actually absorb far more mana than it could ever realistically contain, building up until it reaches a critical mass, before finally detonating from the strain it is put under. This is a slow burn, and it is vastly more destructive, as you can see for yourself," she concluded, glancing back at the scorched ground.

Ulquiorra remained silent, contemplating the explanation given. Strange as it might sound, it actually made a great deal of sense to him. Although in light of all this new information, he would speculate that there were a lot more than just three or four unicorns spontaneously disintegrating throughout any given year. If most of them were truly quick burns, and damage was minimal, the annual death toll could be significantly higher, and explained by the incident taking place in a remote location, far away from where others were keeping tabs on them, and where sudden absences could be explained as one simply leaving town; some of them might even have met their ends while moving from one town to another.

Simply because only three or four incidents were recorded in a given year, didn't mean that was the total number that had occurred; it was simply the amount they were aware of.

Those facts aside, however, there were other matters he could think of right now, that would need to be addressed while they were still present. And one of those matters was a particular question, that was proving to be far too tempting to just pass up asking.

"Assuming one of these slow burn disintegrations were to occur in the city of Canterlot, where a large number of unicorns live, would the entire mountain be vaporized by a chain event of all the cores being detonated simultaneously?"

Celestia shook her head in response. "No, nothing like that. As fragile as they may sound to you right now, Ulquiorra, a unicorn's core is actually quite stable. They can't be ignited from an outside source, so there's no risk of a chain reaction occurring. It's... something we've had experience with in the past, unfortunately. As to the matter of Canterlot itself, a significant amount of preemptive planning went into its construction over a thousand years ago. Each building within the city has been constructed with layer upon layer of shielding spells, and reinforced with lodestones integrated into the structures. Even if a slow burn were to occur in Canterlot, the ensuing damage would be isolated to a single building," she explained. Even if the outcome was still undesirable, as it could still yield a high loss of life, it was still far better than the alternative of the entire city being potentially wiped out.

Ulquiorra considered the explanation given. It sounded like a reasonably thought out solution to the problem at hand, although there were a number of specific circumstantial events that he could question, in order to gain a better insight and understanding on the matter.

Being out here in the middle of the wilderness, it wasn't like they had any other pressing matters they could tend to at the moment.

He considered asking about Twilight Sparkle's moment of unfiltered rage during the changeling incident, and the amount of damage she'd been able to cause as a result. Where exactly were those shielding spells, when she was busy reducing solid marble to molten slag, in her efforts at killing him?

Then again, that had been a focused and deliberate assault, directed on a single point, rather than spread out over an extremely wide area. Perhaps the spells simply hadn't been intended for such an approach, and couldn't be faulted for failing.

There were a great many things he could speculate on at the moment, relating to questions for which there were no immediately available answers.

But right now, it simply wasn't the time for them. If he got too involved in the matter, they would be here for far longer than was necessary. Judging by how fast the guards down below were proceeding, they wouldn't be remaining here for much longer. Getting too involved right now would simply be too much of a distraction.

He'd wait until a more appropriate time, before questioning them further; like sometime after they had all returned to the palace. Then he could begin a more thorough questioning on the unexplored aspects of this entire mess.

The amount of dissatisfaction to this evening was continuing to pile up to an undesirable degree. There had been no enemy to slay, and put an end to them chasing their tails. There had been no secrets in the library to be revealed after hours of research. All that had come of this -he'd dare call it disappointing- evening, was learning that unicorns were potentially quite dangerous, and that two of the ponies he would -at least academically- consider to be friends, could potentially reduce themselves to ashes; provided they didn't raze Ponyville to the ground in the process.

Perhaps he should've simply remained back at the palace, instead of coming all the way out here.

Rainbow Dash's wings bristled under the steady stream of warm water that was pouring down from the shower head above, twitching every few seconds.

She was aware of how the near-constant twitching was somewhat off-putting to the night nurse who had drawn bathing duty -one of those bat ponies closely associated with Luna, her name was Ebony if she remembered right- as she tried to shampoo the offending appendages. But simply because she was aware of the fact, that didn't really mean that she was feeling motivated to change it right now. She was still deeply upset, and much as she hated to admit it, inflicting a little bit of discomfort on another at the moment was mildly soothing to her.

Her conversations with both Luna, and Ulquiorra, were weighing heavily on her mind right now, but she didn't know which one of the two was making her angrier. Both of them had caused her a significant amount of pain in their own ways, further confusing her on, like, everything that was going on. Right now she didn't even want to go into detail with herself on just how they'd hurt her, but suffice to say, they had done just that.

Luna saying that she'd be better if she wanted to be better. The Espada telling her to stop feeling sorry, and take her life back for herself. Did they honestly believe that it was actually as simple as all that? Like she could just flip a switch, and somehow turn everything around? Just like that? Even she knew it didn't work like that!

"This sucks..." she mentally groaned and leaned forward, letting the water beat on the back of her head and neck, as she pressed her forehead against the warming tile of the shower wall. This sucked on so many levels, she couldn't even properly think of them all right now.

"They don't have a clue what they're talking about. They don't know what it's like to go through all of this. And worse yet, to be going through it all alone. No friends to rely on. No daddy, no mommy, nopony to change your diaper, and give you a bottle. Nopony loves you anymore, and you're all on your own. You poor little pegasus..."

Rainbow Dash's head snapped up in surprise. She hadn't thought any of that. And yet, somehow, those thoughts had entered her head. Who did that!?

"Look around you, little pegasus. There's nopony here except for your nurse, two guards stationed at the doorway around the corner, and you. And if none of them thought it in your head, then it must've been you that thought it..."

That voice... or at least what she thought was a voice. Maybe it was closer to the memory of what a voice sounded like and... she was getting distracted! The point was that this was the same voice from before, after she tried to kill Rarity the second time! This was the same one that tried to convince her to kill her, when she was overcome with self doubt. She was sure of that now.

"Who're you? Get out of my head!" she thought.

"That's going to be a little difficult, seeing as it's not your head, but our head. What you don't get yet, is the simple fact that I'm you..."

"That's nothing but manure! You're not me!" Rainbow Dash mentally yelled back.

"Oh but it's true. I am you, you just don't realize it yet. But like it or not, you and I are one, I'm just the one associated with what you don't care to remember. I'm the part of you that has to deal with all the painful facts of your life. Like how you're constantly worrying that, if you don't get into the Wonderbolts, nopony will pay anymore attention to you..."

"Shut up!" Rainbow Dash yelled in response.

"Or how your friends will probably abandon you, if you can't fly anymore, and have no other noteworthy talents about you."

"Shut up!" Rainbow Dash yelled again.

"And let's not forget how, when you're laying in your bed at night, you often cry yourself to sleep, because of how much it hurts for us to be so "awesome" for everypony at all hours of the day, because you're not good at anything else..."

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut the FUCK up!" Rainbow Dash roared angrily at what the voice was telling her, and mocking her with. She wasn't weak like that! By now she was seething with anger through clenched teeth, over what she was being teased about.

"Why should I? You're the one who's so bad at what she does, she couldn't even commit suicide right. How's it feel to know that's one more thing you're not good at?"

That last one made her angry enough that her wings immediately flared out in a display of hostility.

But the sensation of impact, followed by a wet smack, and a startled yelp of pain, immediately snapped her out of her fury, by reminding her of the fact that she wasn't alone in the room. Turning her head, she saw the night nurse -she was pretty sure her name was Ebony, if she was remembering right- was rubbing her muzzle; apparently she was the one who'd just gotten smacked right in the face.

"Nice aim you've got there, manure for brains..."

Rainbow Dash wanted to retort to that. But any coherent thoughts of response were interrupted by the sound of hooves against tile, as the two lunar guards came into view.

"Is something wrong?" the guard on the left asked them, the voice sending an unconscious chill up Rainbow Dash's spine, proving to be utterly creepy how it didn't seem at all like what she was expecting it to be.

"Our charge apparently has a ticklish spot that I unknowingly tripped," the nurse stated as she stopped rubbing her muzzle, and set her hoof back down on the floor.

Rainbow Dash was sure the guards were eying them in disbelief of what the nurse had said in response. She knew that story wasn't true, it hadn't been any ticklish spot that'd been tripped. It had all been her, deliberately flaring her wings, without concern for who might've been standing directly behind her.

The guards, however, didn't seem to think anything of it, and left after a moment to return to their posts without another word.

As she sat there, under the pouring water, Rainbow Dash didn't know what to think. She'd struck the nurse without reason, and instead of letting the guards know she'd been assaulted, she'd opted to cover her flank instead. She hadn't even needed to do that, and she still did it. She'd done it even after all the difficulty she'd been giving her. How could somepony be so calm and understanding like that?

And without so much as a word one way or another, she went right back to tending to her wings, as if it was all nothing. How she could be so kind, she honestly didn't know. It wasn't right.

"Ebony?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Miss Dash?" the nurse asked in response as she carefully worked the shampoo in between her feathers. Yep. She'd remembered it correctly.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that, you didn't deserve it," she said, remorseful for her actions. She was mad at herself, and she'd lashed out at another. That just wasn't called for.

"You're not the first patient I've tended to, that's felt like getting a little combative with me. And I have a feeling you won't be the last either. Try not to beat yourself up over it," Ebony replied simply, never looking up from her work. She paused briefly to examine the amount of saturation of the shampoo solution, before moving the wing under the water to rinse it out.

Rainbow Dash... she felt like she'd been left hanging. She'd tried to make a proper apology for herself and her actions, and she'd just been politely dismissed, and told that her actions were more or less inconsequential. It left her feeling unfulfilled, and even empty.

"Do you think she'll tuck you into bed too? Maybe give you a bottle, and tell you a bedtime story too?"

"Shut up," Rainbow Dash mentally growled, confusion and emptiness switching over to outright annoyance. "I don't care what you say, you aren't me. I've had it with you!"

"As if I-"

"I'm not done yet, you shut up!" Rainbow Dash interrupted, her frown deepening as she stared at the wall. But at least the voice in her head was being quiet for the moment, as if waiting for her to continue. "I've had it with you, and everything you have to say. Now I really am gonna get better, just so I can get rid of you! This is my head, and you're not welcome here anymore! Get the fuck out!"

"Bold talk coming from a broken little pegasus. There's nothing you can do to make me leave."

At this, Rainbow Dash had no immediate response to fire back.

"That's what I thought. All you've got is talk. But when you get down to it, you know you can't do anything about anything. You can't even tell whether or nor those you call friends actually raped you. All you can do is cry your little eyes out, and feel sorry for yourself. Poor little broken pegasus..."

Rainbow Dash didn't say -or think- a word in response. She was getting too riled up by this constant back and forth argument between herself, and whatever the source of the voice was. And if she didn't manage to calm herself down, her wings were going to wind up snapping open again.

But that was easier said than done, when she really didn't know what happened. Oh sure, she had a general idea, but she couldn't consciously -and immediately- tell what was the truth, what could've been the truth, and what absolutely wasn't the truth. She'd been mindfucked four times already by everything that'd happened, and that made it hard to sort everything out.

First it'd been what happened back in Ponyville, and how it had turned her against the others.

The second time had, again, been in Ponyville, when she'd started hearing that voice, that'd been urging her to kill Rarity in the forest.

Third had been when the Espada had brainjacked her, and subjected her to dozens of hours of his own memories and experiences with that eyeball trick of his. That one had been particularly bad and brutal, as it tore through everything she thought she knew, and showed her that she really didn't know anything at all. Plus trying to make sense of everything she'd been shown, and on her own no less, had been enough to make her consider desperate measures for relief.

And then there'd been what she'd been put through during her stay at the hospital. That one had quite possibly been the worst of them all. Just the thought of it all sent shivers up and down her entire spine. She still didn't feel all that safe around Corners, even if he'd been a victim of Thrush's in his own right; it was just way too soon for that degree of trust right now. Right now she was barely comfortable with trusting the palace health staff.

So yeah, four instances of having her mind scrambled like eggs. Was it any wonder she had trouble telling whether or not her friends were really even her friends? She sure didn't think that it was.

But regardless of such facts, she did realize something. Whether or not she was having difficulty telling truth from fiction, none of that changed the simple -and undeniable- fact that none of this was right. Nor should it be something that she should be tolerating. These were thoughts that had slowly -ever so slowly- been making their way into her mind over the course of days. And slowly -very, very slowly- they were starting to take root. Always at the back of her subconscious, nagging away at her in the same manner as remembering how she'd forgotten something, and was desperately trying to remember it.

She realized that none of this was right. But therein laid the difficulty, in trying to determine how to go about actually making them right. There was no grand epiphany to be had, where all of the pieces fell into place, and everything suddenly clicked to make sense. She was lost here, not knowing what to do. How exactly was she supposed to think of the others, and not feel the jumble of negative emotions attached to each of them? How was she supposed to think of her five friends, without those thoughts turning to how she was going to get even with them? How was she supposed to stop hyperventilating whenever she thought about walking into a darkened room?

If there were any answers to be had to these questions, she didn't know where to begin looking for them.

But maybe... just maybe, they were questions without any readily defined answers, and she needed to make them for herself. Maybe Ulquiorra had been right, and this was something that she needed to do on her own.

Her thoughts were broken by the sensation of hooves against her other wing, indicating that the nurse was still carrying out her duties.

"Hey... Ebony?"

"Yes, Miss Dash?" the nurse asked, not looking up from the wing as she slowly lathered the shampoo solution into the feathers.

"Could you... could you do me a favor?"

Celestia tried to stifle a yawn, tired from everything that'd happened last night. Being out late hadn't exactly been the problem, as everything had gone about as smoothly as could be expected under the circumstances, although it did take longer than expected to get all of the lodestones in place. But simply because they'd managed to return before the crack of dawn, didn't necessarily mean that turning in for the evening was a viable option. For some that tended to the daylight shift, last night had served to get them too emotionally wound up and restless. And she just happened to be one of them. So needless to say, it'd been a long night to experience.

But as she picked at her breakfast, she couldn't help but wonder if that had been for the best. She honestly didn't know what horrifying dreams she might've experienced if she'd actually managed to turn in last night.

Across from her, Luna seemed far less disturbed, and in far more of a mood to eat her morning meal. Watching her sister wolf down her waffles with such eagerness, she couldn't help but wonder just what her experiences had been last night after they'd returned.

Or maybe it was something as simple as the fact that she had waffles. Looking down at her own stack of pancakes, Celestia just couldn't find the appetite for them right now. Oh there was certainly nothing wrong with them by any measure, except for the fact that there was no satisfying crispiness to biting into them. They were soft, and fluffy, but it just wasn't the same. Sometimes one simply wanted something crispy.

Perhaps Luna could be talked into sharing her rich bounty this morning. The more she thought about it, the more waffles appealed to her over pancakes. And with that thought in mind, and a flicking of magic, she levitated her fork over, tentatively reaching for one of the golden brown goods that was just feet away from her.

Unfortunately things didn't go as smoothly as all that. Luna, apparently aware of her intention, made it quite clear that there was to be no sharing this morning, as she responded by biting down on her fork, and snapping it in half in the process. All Celestia could do was pull back what remained of her fork, and stare at where it had been bitten off, as Luna spat out the missing portion in front of her, letting it clatter to the table.

"Know that I love you dearly, my sister. Nothing will ever change that fact," Luna told her and smiled gently in her direction. But then the smile turned into a frown. "But if you attempt to pilfer my waffles again, love will not apply in the ensuing aftermath," she warned cryptically.

"... Understood," Celestia replied, uncertain of what else she could say under such circumstances. "I apologize. I was being inconsiderate to you, Luna," she said as she dropped the remains of her fork on the table, before conjuring a fresh one to take its place.

"Indeed you were, dear sister," Luna replied and turned back to her breakfast, sinking her fork into a fresh waffle... and then levitating it over to Celestia's plate, dropping it on top of her stack of pancakes. "Next time, merely ask."

Celestia blinked in disbelief. Could it really have been as simple as all that? If that was the case, then she'd have to be sure to remember that fact for future reference. But for right now, she'd rather focus more on this golden, crispy delicacy in front of her.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

Unfortunately she wasn't getting to enjoy her meal with any degree of peace. Whereas her pancakes were left neglected due to a lack of appetite for them, her newly acquired waffle was going ignored due to the untimely interruption, of one of her day guards shouting excitedly, as he galloped into the dining hall, and just managed to stop short of slamming into the table, as he panted to catch his breath.

Her initial instinct was to ask the guard just what was so important, that it couldn't wait for her to finish eating. But she thought better of that, when she stopped and thought about just how snappy that would sound if she voiced it. A different route was needed.

"What is it, my little pony? Has something happened?" she asked as she stood up from the table.

The guard nodded in agreement as he struggled to suck down enough air to catch his breath, before finally attempting to voice the matter.

"The prisoner was found dead this morning, Your Majesty," he stated as best he could.

Celestia said nothing at first, trying to process the information she'd just been given. It was a process that had taken about three seconds, before she fully understood everything.

The only pony that was serving as a prisoner right now, was the physician known as Thrush. This was due not only to his assaulting members of the palace staff, but also to allow for the investigation into Canterlot General Hospital to be carried out without obstruction, and possible destruction of important records. And now she was being informed that he was dead.

"You're quite certain?" she asked, still not entirely getting all the minute details that were in play. Maybe there was some confusion going on.

"We're quite certain, Your Majesty. We checked on him at the beginning of our shift this morning in order to serve him his breakfast. He was found murdered inside his cell, with the door still locked," the guard stated firmly.

Not a word was uttered by either of the diarchy in light of this news, as neither of them was entirely certain just what should be said after having a bombshell like this dropped on them. Just what was the appropriate response under these conditions?

Author's Note

Deleted/extended scene

"Why should I? You're the one who's so bad at what she does, she couldn't even commit suicide right. How's it feel to know that's one more thing you're not good at?"

That last one made her angry enough that her wings immediately flared out in a display of hostility.

But the sensation of impact, followed by a wet smack, and a startled yelp of pain, immediately snapped her out of her fury, by reminding her of the fact that she wasn't alone in the room. Turning her head, she saw the night nurse -she was pretty sure her name was Ebony, if she was remembering right- was rubbing her muzzle; apparently she was the one who'd just gotten smacked right in the face.

"Nice aim you've got there, manure for brains..."

Rainbow Dash wanted to retort to that. But any coherent thoughts of response were interrupted by the sound of hooves against tile, as the two lunar guards came into view.

"Is something wrong?" the guard on the left asked them, the voice sending an unconscious chill up Rainbow Dash's spine, proving to be utterly creepy how it didn't seem at all like what she was expecting it to be.

"Our charge apparently has a ticklish spot that I unknowingly tripped," the nurse stated as she stopped rubbing her muzzle, and set her hoof back down on the floor.

Rainbow Dash was sure the guards were eying them in disbelief of what the nurse had said in response. She knew that story wasn't true, it hadn't been any ticklish spot that'd been tripped. It had all been her, deliberately flaring her wings, without concern for who might've been standing directly behind her.

The guards, however, didn't seem to think anything of it, and left after a moment to return to their posts without another word.

As she sat there, under the pouring water, Rainbow Dash didn't know what to think. She'd struck the nurse without reason, and instead of letting the guards know she'd been assaulted, she'd opted to cover her flank instead. She hadn't even needed to do that, and she still did it. She'd done it even after all the difficulty she'd been giving her. How could somepony be so calm and understanding like that?

"Either orders or money. Nopony could be so caring on their own. It's just not equinely possible."

"Shut up," Rainbow Dash mentally growled back, tired of it all.

"Why should I? Or better yet, why don't you explain to me just what you plan on doing, if I don't shut up?"

At this, Rainbow Dash paused, unable to think of anything in response. She really was at a disadvantage in this case. Unlike she could do with Ulquiorra, she couldn't beat up on the speaker here, just because she didn't like what was being said. This voice was stuck in her head, and there was no physical way of making it leave.

Unless...

"... You know that suicide attempt that didn't work out?"

"You really are a stupid pegasus if you're asking that. I was the one who reminded you about it in the first place."

"Yeah. That was more about killing you, though, not me," Rainbow Dash replied.

"... What?"

Rainbow Dash grinned to herself at this. That momentary pause in retort, spoke vast volumes to her.

"You know how a lack of oxygen can cause brain damage?" she asked. When there was no immediate reply, she continued in her explanation. "You said this is our head? Well guess what. If you don't get outta here, our head is gonna have a shattered skull!"

"You're... you're insane! You wouldn't do something like that to yourself!"

"You wanna bet on that?" Rainbow Dash asked, grinning at the stammering she was picking up in the voice. "It's not like I've got anything else to lose, you've already taken everything I have away from me!" she stated. "Maybe if I try and crack my skull against the tile, that'll get to you. What do you think?"

"You'll never fly again if you do something like that! The Wonderbolts will never take a grounded, broken pegasus, surely you know that!"

"It'll be worth it to be rid of you!" Rainbow Dash shot back and frowned. "Now listen up. If you're not out of here by the time I count to three, I'm putting my head through the wall, and you right along with it! And if that doesn't do any good, I'm gonna ditch these guards, and fly as fast as I can into a far wall of the palace. What do you think will break first; our skull, or the marble?" she asked.

"You're-"

"One!"

"You wouldn't do something like that! I've seen the dark secrets in your mind, you don't have it in you. You can talk a big game, but when push comes to shove, you'd never actually follow through with it! You're weak, you're broken, you're a gutless little pegasus who would never cut off her snout to spite her face. You're-"

"Two!" Rainbow Dash interrupted and slowly pulled her head back, shutting her eyes as the water began to beat down directly on her face. She was going to need the distance to really maximize the force of the impact, and ensure maximum damage.

"Alright, alright! I'm going, for now. But don't you think for even one second, that you've won anything with this little temper tantrum of yours. You and I are still one and the same..."

Silence. Actual silence this time. Rainbow Dash slowly lowered her head out of the shower spray, and opened her eyes to observe her surroundings. The voice was gone again. At least for the time being anyway. But all things considered, she would take that. She had gotten into a stare down, and her opponent had been the first to blink. She didn't care what was said, that was a victory in her eyes.

Chapter Seventy Three

Chapter Seventy Three

"Murdered? You are... you are most certain of this fact?" Luna finally managed to ask. The idea of such an act occurring within the palace, was just too unexpected to be immediately comprehended. It was just so... wrong, and in so many ways; on so many levels, as some would say.

"Absolutely certain, Your Majesty," the guard replied. There was simply no way of mistaking what they'd discovered when performing their morning duty rounds; not with the evidence that was at the scene. Matters like this were one of the things they were trained to deal with, and to recognize, should such a situation ever arise.

"Sister..." Luna spoke slowly as she turned to face Celestia, slowly pushing herself up from the table. "How... how exactly do we proceed in this? I do not know what we are to do," she pointed out. Being banished for a thousand years would leave anypony woefully out of date on what proper procedure was for being alerted to a murder taking place within the palace. And especially herself, as it was one area in which she hadn't yet thought to refamiliarize herself with; at least not yet anyway.

She'd been far more focused on everything else that was far more commonplace. And now, as Ulquiorra Cifer might say, her shortsightedness was coming back to bite her square in the ass.

"The first order of business is alerting all of the guards of this development, and implementing lock down procedures for the entire palace," Celestia stated. If the murderer was still present on palace grounds, she didn't want them having the chance at escaping. The gates that lead to the outside of the palace walls would be immediately shut. Anyone found outside in the courtyard would be brought back inside the palace immediately. All doors and windows were to be sealed, with force fields put into place in front of, and behind them, and the anti-teleportation charms weaved throughout and into the construction of the palace would be activated. No individuals would be allowed inside or outside, until this matter had been resolved. That was the procedure that had been put into place long ago, just in case such a situation were ever to occur.

There was an old saying that those who extensively prepared for an eventuality occurring, would never have to face that eventuality. So either the saying was wrong, or they simply hadn't prepared extensively enough.

"Have the crime scene secured, don't let anyone disturb it. Meanwhile I'll send out word for the coroner to come to the palace immediately. We'll need to corroborate not only the method of death, but also the time of death, so we can begin determining who might be responsible for this act, and eliminating them from the list of possible suspects, in order to better focus on the others," she continued.

"What of Ulquiorra Cifer? Would he be of any benefit in this matter?" Luna asked.

Celestia paused momentarily, thinking over the question, and wondering if there were any talents Ulquiorra possessed, that might somehow make him useful in this matter. The answer to that question came not long after she started thinking over it, and remembering what she'd experienced.

"Yes, I believe he would be," she replied, before turning back to face the guard, still standing in his original position as he awaited further instruction. "Make sure the guards understand that their orders to secure the palace, don't include barring the coroner from entry. And once he's here, have Ulquiorra found, brief him, and have him report to the dungeons for further instructions. I want them both present before we proceed too far on this matter, and potentially miss something vital," she explained.

"At once, Your Majesty," the guard saluted, before turning around, and quickly taking his leave from the dining hall, leaving the two standing in silence.

"Sister? May I... may I be absent from this investigation?" Luna asked hesitantly.

There were a lot of things that had Celestia's mind going right now, and all of them needing to be balanced against others, when it came to ranking their importance. But right now she was struck with a great deal of curiosity by Luna's question. Usually she was seeking inclusion into matters that amounted to royal duties. So why now was she seeking exclusion? This was hardly the first dead body they'd ever had to deal with in their time, so surely that couldn't be it.

Before she could ask about what reasons Luna might have for asking to be excused, her sister was already talking again.

"There is something not right about all this. The timing is... it feels wrong. I wish to ensure Rainbow Dash's safety, until we have a better grasp of understanding on what the situation entails," she explained.

Celestia would admit, she hadn't considered that as being a possibility. But now that the information had been put out there, she had no way of thinking otherwise.

"A wise idea," she replied. If Thrush's death was truly a murder, and had occurred while he was in custody -their custody no less- then it was a distinct -but remote- possibility that their guards would be inadequate at opposing whatever had been responsible.

But then again that would hardly be surprising to her, given the facts of the matter. What most ponies failed to realize, was the fact that their guards weren't necessarily meant to provide them with security, but rather to everypony else within the palace; and even then, only against mortal-type threats. Their purpose was to safeguard what amounted to the upkeep involved in managing the daily goings on in the palace, and maintain the infrastructure. They were there for petitioners, and visiting dignitaries from foreign lands, who might realistically be targets for either assassination, or foalnapping.

And if this was something that could bypass them, then stronger countermeasures would to be involved to address such facts.

"Very well then. You tend to Rainbow Dash, I'll tend to the rest," she stated. She then watched as Luna nodded, before levitating her plate of waffles -and a good portion of the rest of her present breakfast- up from the tables, and hastily took her leave. Why the breakfast, she didn't understand. But she'd ask for clarification later on, when they weren't facing a potential crisis.

As extensive as the palace library proved itself to be, there was an undeniable fact that Ulquiorra had to face; there were no books that detailed -or for that matter, even referenced- the phenomenon known as Spontaneous Unicorn Disintegration. Or at the very least, there were none mentioned in the library's index.

He had been meticulous in picking through each and every one of the index cards that were present, reading over each of them to try and find anything that might lead him to the new wave of answers he was looking for. But for his investment of time and effort, he'd been met with no return at all.

This turn of events lead him to two possibilities for explanation of this development. The first -and the simplest- theory was that Spontaneous Unicorn Disintegration was a relatively new term, and the assembled records hadn't been updated to take such facts into account. It was entirely possible that the information he was looking for was indeed present, but simply under a name -or even categorization- that he wasn't readily familiar with.

The second theory was that the term under which it was categorized was irrelevant, and the information was truly here, but it was all held in the restricted section that he had no access to; not even the table of contents as to what was held there. This theory was equally possible, and made about as much sense, if not even more so to him. He could realistically see this information being withheld from the general public, considering the potential panic and fallout that might be had if it were disseminated amongst the general populace. Approximately one third of the population was of unicorn heritage, give or take. Considering the fact that each of them had the potential of experiencing a Chernobyl-type incident at any given time, it would make sense to restrict that information. If it ever got out, unicorns would most likely be ostracized for fear of decimating any towns they tried to move to. It could quite possibly even lead to a civil war between the three tribes; just as had been experienced prior to the formation of Equestria. And that would -supposedly- just open a much bigger can of worms, if their history was to actually be believed.

These ponies were easily frightened. There was no way of getting around that fact. Fear was a primary -if not the primary- response they had to the unfamiliar. And the amount of fear that would be experienced if they were to learn about these facts would be significant, regardless of how unlikely a disintegration was to occur.

Those thoughts were all focused on the perspective of the outside ponies, however. He didn't even know where to begin his speculation when it came to the unicorns themselves, who were -most likely- blissfully ignorant of such facts, and possessing no knowledge of the fact that they could die at any moment through incontinence of their own cores.

Between the two theories, he suspected it was the second one that was currently in play here. That would make far more sense to him, than the notion of the term simply changing without notice, or documentation, and all without it being contained in the royal archives. He knew that bureaucracy didn't always run smoothly, and that paperwork had a habit of getting lost at the most inopportune times. But he just couldn't see that feasibly occurring under these circumstances; not with everything that could be at stake.

There was also a third theory as to why there was a lack of records. It was entirely possible that, if a number of specific circumstances were met, that S.U.D-type events weren't widely known about, and regarded as more a matter of junk science than anything else. It would certainly require a lot of specific circumstances to be met, and in a specific order, but it wasn't out of the realm of possibilities for this world, if a high-level cover up of the facts was being orchestrated by the diarchy.

Princess Celestia had spoken about how speculation and theories regarding the phenomenon were numerous. Taken at face value, that would suggest knowledge of the phenomenon was fairly widespread. But she had never specifically stated just who was speculating and theorizing on the matter, leaving it open for interpretation. Perhaps the speculation was on the part of various doctors, scientists, and other high-ranking officials who were aware of what was being faced, and trying to come up with working solutions. However that would be more closely related to the second theory than the third.

Back to the third possible theory. As he had considered last night, remote location might be a determining factor as to how the phenomenon might not be widely known about. Far out of the sight of others, in a world filled with other -and more well known- dangers, any pony that went missing could be explained away as victim of a manticore, cockatrice, or any number of other wild animals. It was an explanation that was quick, simple, and certainly wouldn't be questioned if there was a lack of physical remains that could be readily identified. And those that succumbed to slow burn disintegration could be written off as victims of a forest fire, or any number of other natural disasters, considering what damage was known to occur to the area.

Perhaps his investigation into the matter would yield better results, if he expanded his search query to include industrial accidents, forest fires, lightning strikes, meteorite impacts, and various other natural events that might theoretically explain the damage that could occur in a populated area.

But whatever the reason behind it all was, he was still out the hours of time he'd invested into looking for answers, and was no closer to having them. He was beginning to suspect that if he wanted to know anything of significance, and not engage in countless hours of unguided speculation of his own, he would have to ask Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna, to brief him on everything they knew about the phenomenon. Whether or not they actually saw fit to tell him the whole truth on the matter would be another story. But it was another story that would be best reserved for another time, when they weren't facing an ongoing crisis of their own. The subject of Spontaneous Unicorn Disintegration was better suited for when they weren't facing the threat of an unidentified entity trying to conquer -or otherwise outright destroy- all of Equestria.

"What is it?"

The guard that had entered the library, and had been in the process of approaching him, had audibly faltered at suddenly being addressed, despite the fact he hadn't been seen. These ponies never seemed to learn that he didn't need to see -or even hear- them, to be aware of their presence, as well as their location to his general vicinity.

"Um... Her Majesty requires your presence in the dungeon, sir, she says it's urgent," the guard replied.

"What exactly does this matter pertain to?" Ulquiorra asked as he turned to face the guard. Saying that something was urgent, did nothing to clarify any of the relevant details that would be needed for making a proper determination of facts.

The guard paused, uncertain of just how to respond. His instructions had been to bring Ulquiorra to the dungeons; not to brief him on what had been unfolding. But right now he really doubted that simply reinforcing how the matter was urgent, would do anything to hurry him along. This was likely one of those infamous "need to know" type of situations.

"... Thrush was found dead in his cell this morning, sir, he was murdered," he explained, doing his best to keep from growing anxious by the delays that were being experienced.

Well now... that was an interesting turn of events, Ulquiorra noted. He certainly hadn't seen this development occurring.

"She said it's urgent that you be there," the guard stressed.

"And how is my presence beneficial in this case?" Ulquiorra asked, curious as to how exactly he was expected to help in this endeavor.

"Oh, would you just come on already!?" the guard yelled, finally losing what little patience he had left after everything that had happened up to this point. It'd already been a hard enough morning as it was, without playing twenty questions. He was the one who'd discovered the murder, he was the one who had to go and alert the other guards to initiate emergency lock down procedures, he was the one who had to hunt down the Espada himself -because nopony had thought to tell him just where the biped was- and he was the one who would be dealing with the largest share of paperwork at the end of the day. And on top of all that, it wasn't even close to the noon hour yet! He didn't need the pale biped quizzing him right now. "Her Majesty said to bring you to the dungeons, now move your flank!" he barked.

Ulquiorra was... caught off guard by that outburst. He really hadn't been expecting one of these ponies to actually have the backbone to stand up to him like that. But unexpected or not, it had indeed happened. He'd attribute it to being a sign that the matter was being treated with the seriousness that it actually deserved.

"Very well then..."

Blood. Urine. Excrement.

These were the three scents that were still hanging heavily in the air, by the time Ulquiorra had made his way to the dungeon cells. And although it wasn't as readily detectable as the others, he was still aware of a somewhat minty smell being in the background, as he entered the hallway that lead to Thrush's cell. If he were to hazard a guess, he would speculate that it was whatever the coroner on duty -based on the reiatsu pattern he was detecting, it was the same coroner who had been tasked with the autopsy of Chrysalis- would use to shield his nostrils from the odors related to death.

And as he approached the others that were assembled at the end of the hallway, and talking amongst themselves outside of the open cell, he would speculate that Princess Celestia, and the two present guards, had all partaken of the same odor guard to shield themselves from the foul air, as the dungeons positively reeked! He wasn't exactly vulnerable to bad smells -he'd strolled right through a dragon's sulfur breath without even batting an eye- but that didn't mean he was incapable of smelling.

Smell or no smell, however, there were more important things to address right now; like how exactly his presence was supposed to be beneficial here, seeing as the coroner was already present.

"Your Majesty!" the guard behind him announced as they approached, bringing Princess Celestia's attention -and the attention of the others- to their current position. "As you ordered, I've found him," he stated and saluted.

"Thank you, guard, that will be all," Celestia replied and nodded, before shifting her focus to Ulquiorra.

"What happened?"

However he still managed to get the first word in. Oh well, there were more important matters to deal with right now.

"That's exactly what we're attempting to piece together right now," she stated. Although truthfully, they hadn't even gotten started on the determining part just yet, as they'd been waiting for Ulquiorra to arrive. But now that he was here, maybe they could actually get somewhere. "You remember Doctor Challons, correct? I'd like you to work with him on this case," she explained and gestured to the unicorn at her side with her wing.

"With all due respect to you, and your rule, Your Highness," Challons paused and looked at Ulquiorra for a moment, remembering the last time they'd met. He had a tendency to be very accurate, but very blunt in his manner of speaking. He could be quite off-putting to experience, when it came to the art of telling an informative story. But he wouldn't hold it against him... assuming it was a him to even begin with. "I'm not certain how... this individual... could be beneficial to the investigation."

Ulquiorra considered what -if any- response would be appropriate to give. If he were petty and vindictive, he could point out how he'd experienced far more death than the coroner would've ever dared to dream of. Or he could even explain how he could still detect the traces of reiatsu from whichever pegasus pony he'd been with last night; especially since it was a reiatsu texture he remembered encountering at least once before. But he'd rather not exercise crudeness under these circumstances, even if it would get the point across. Something simpler would be far more appropriate.

"Your skills will tell us the how, and the when, of Doctor Thrush's death. My skills will tell us the who. Putting them together will tell us what we need to know," he stated simply. With the magic-negating nature of the dungeon cells being a constant in the equation, ranged attacks would be an impossibility. And considering the positioning of the body in relation to the bars, the murder most likely had to occur within the cell itself, which meant a key -or a lockpick- had to be involved; meaning a breech in security had occurred somewhere, and would need to be addressed. This also meant that whoever the murderer was, would have left reiatsu traces all over the body. Which in turn meant that the murderer would still possess traces of Doctor Thrush's reiatsu on their own body, and that would be impossible to hide.

And then there was a previous thought that bore mentioning.

"There's also the fact that the medical skills you possess, that are contingent upon your magical aptitude, will be moot once you enter the cell. You'll need assistance in handling your instruments," he pointed out.

"... That's a fair point," Challons admitted, having not factored in that possibility. He'd question the whole "my skills will tell us the who" later on. Right now there were other matters worth addressing. "To work then, I guess."

Telekinesis, despite what many thought, was more of an art, than anything resembling a hard science. Simply because one levitated an object didn't mean it remained perfectly static in place where it was lifted. Rather, its position tended to fluctuate, and sometimes needed to be corrected, and maintained actively; meaning it wasn't something to engage in absentmindedly. So walking down the hallway towards Rainbow Dash's quarters, without clattering from all the dishes in tow, wasn't the easiest thing to do. But she managed regardless, with some conscious effort, and stopped at the doorway.

Last night's conversation had hurt. And even after everything that'd happened since last night, it still hurt to think of just how poor of a friend she was. Rainbow Dash had every reason to be angry with her, and she had no presentable defense to turn to. The only hope she had right now, was that she could somehow apologize enough for what was said, that it would ease what her friend was experiencing because of her poorly chosen words.

Stopping at the doorway, and returning the salute given to her by the guards of her sister's division, she listened and heard the sound of continuous grunting coming from inside the room. Stepping over quietly, she peered in, and saw that Rainbow Dash was currently awake, and doing her best to engage in a series of wingtip push ups. but while she was certainly doing her best at them, Luna could tell that she was struggling to not collapse under her own weight. She could only assume it was a side effect of not having flown in some time, what with the numerous restrictions in place during the watch.

And then she did collapse against the floor, her wings slipping out from underneath her, before she could get her forelegs out and catch herself.

"Fuck..."

To Luna, now seemed like the opportune time to make her presence known, seeing as Rainbow Dash couldn't slip and fall a second time while she was still on the ground.

"Good morning, Rainbow Dash," she announced as she stepped into the room, the dishes trailing behind her as she worked to avoid letting them collide with the doorway.

Rainbow Dash turned her head to look at her, as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. And as she did, she frowned in discontent.

"What do you want?" she asked simply.

"I have come to apologize for last night," Luna explained. Rainbow Dash said nothing, and simply continued to frown at her. "And... to bring you breakfast," she continued as she started bringing the dishes forward.

"One more. I swear, if I see so much as one more bowl of oatmeal, I'm gonna-"

Rainbow Dash's statement, however, was interrupted as Luna levitated the plate into her view, revealing a stack of golden brown waffles. Immediately all protest died down, as the steam and aroma rose up to be inhaled. The scene before her was soon enhanced by the inclusion of bowls holding assorted fruits, such as blueberries and strawberries, a small pitcher of syrup, a plate of butter, and even a bowl containing... Rainbow Dash had to stop and rub her eyes in disbelief. Sitting right there in the last bowl was actually whipped cream. There was even a complete set of cutlery wrapped daintily in a cloth napkin, all laid out before her.

Actual metal cutlery. She hadn't seen anything besides a dull wooden spoon in so long when it came to food. This was really hard to believe.

"I am not foalish enough to believe that this absolves me of my wrongdoings last night. That, I am afraid, will require far more effort on my part. That is, if you will allow me the opportunity to try," Luna explained as best she could, hoping the gesture wouldn't be rejected outright due to anger. She knew well about Rainbow Dash's reluctance to eat certain meals that were served, and the toll it was taking on her in the process. She could hear when her stomach growled in protest at remaining empty. Hopefully the promise of something different -even if it was less nutritious than what she needed right now- would do the trick.

"... I'm listening," Rainbow Dash eventually stated, in the process of trying to be subtle as she gripped her abdomen, also in the process of trying to subdue the growling that was coming from her stomach, and its position on the matter.

"That is all that I ask. I just wish what I had to say, would sound more eloquent than it likely will," Luna replied, before sitting down on her haunches before her. Had she been in a better state of mind, she would've had time to rehearse this in her head a few times, and refine it greatly. Instead she was going to have to wing it, and hope for best results. "The truth of the matter, however, is that words utterly fail me at the moment. I simply do not know just what is appropriate to say on the matter," she stated.

Across the small distance, on the other side of the room, Rainbow Dash eyed her skeptically, one eyebrow partially cocked, and not saying a word. And it was that silence, that Luna found to be most unnerving. She'd been fully prepared for a response of some sort, even if it was nothing but angered yelling over the lack of an answer. But this... this was much worse than any hurtful statement that could be made to her.

"Rainbow Dash, please... say something, anything," she pleaded, her voice starting to take on a desperate tone. "I cannot take the silence. I feel like I am staring into the eyes of a sphinx right now. Yell at me if you wish, just... just please say something already!"

Despite the plea, Rainbow Dash continued to maintain her silence on the matter, not speaking up one way or the other on all of it. And for Luna, that was just making it all the worse.

"So you can't tell me why you said that? Why you made it sound like it's my fault I'm like this?" Rainbow Dash finally asked her, her tone of voice not entirely neutral as she spoke up.

"I cannot," Luna admitted and shook her head, before turning her gaze forward again. "But it was certainly not what was meant. It was... it was a miscommunication on my part. And while I can make no guarantees about future behavior, I will certainly make every attempt to not do the same in the future."

"... Okay," Rainbow Dash eventually replied and shrugged. "That's good enough for me."

Luna blinked in response, caught off guard by the sudden acceptance. She'd been anticipating something much more involved than just that. She'd been figuring on the need to grovel at Rainbow Dash's hooves. So it went without saying that she was left confused about this development.

"Just... just like that?" she asked, wondering if it might've been a trick of some sort. Maybe this was Discord in disguise?

"Just like that," Rainbow Dash repeated. "Being mad at you and everypony else isn't gonna get me any better, any quicker. All it's doing is turning me into a... a..." she paused, trying to think of what the appropriate word was to describe just what she saw herself being.

"An asshole?" Luna offered up. However she was met with a blink, and a blank stare in response.

"What's an asshole?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"If I remember the explanation correctly, it's a term from Ulquiorra Cifer's world used to describe a highly unpleasant, or otherwise annoying, individual," Luna explained as best she could. She'd forgotten that not everypony was as well-versed in the Espada's native terminology as she and Twilight Sparkle were. But then again, not everypony was a linguist either.

That reminded her, she needed to get back on that list she was compiling.

"It is... also used to refer to a specific part of the anatomy located just below the tail..." she continued. Although she hoped the honesty wouldn't come back and bite her when the two were put together.

"Oh..." Rainbow Dash eventually replied, before giving a nod of understanding. "Yeah, that sounds about right for me."

Silence soon overtook the room, neither one of them certain of what to say at this point. And it didn't take long for the silence to soon grow uncomfortable between them, as they each began to find something about the floor that was positively intriguing.

"I'm sorry..."

That was, until Rainbow Dash finally decided to go ahead, and break the silence herself. Luna looked up from the floor, and saw the gesture was slowly being returned.

"About last night. I never should've snapped at you like that, you were just trying to help me out. And what did I do? I was terrible for no good reason. That needs to stop; that and a whole lot more. Big time," Rainbow Dash stated. She knew that things had to change, she just didn't know how to go about doing that yet.

"... May I inquire as to what brought this about?" Luna asked, tilting her head to one side in the process, trying to figure out what had caused this sudden change in demeanor to occur.

"Let's just say that last night, I got some advice from someone, and after mulling it over for a long while -and cursing out their very existence- it started to make some sense. Things need to change if I'm ever gonna get back to my old self," Rainbow Dash explained, keeping the details of it all simple. She really didn't want to go into what happened with Ulquiorra last night, and for so many reasons. But chiefly it was because she didn't know just what to say about it all. She was confused and conflicted right now. "I just... don't know how to do that..." she admitted.

"That is why you have friends helping you on this matter, Rainbow Dash. If the task is too difficult to face on your own, then they will step in to help you however necessary," Luna replied. Although at the moment, she really wasn't sure how much good she could be in this situation. Simply because she was Rainbow Dash's friend, didn't mean that she would be of any use here. All she could do right now was try her best, for better or worse.

"Yeah. About that..." Rainbow Dash started slowly, before turning her gaze back to Luna to look her in the face. "I know that I've probably got no business doing it, especially not right now, but could I ask you a favor? Sort of a big one?"

"That may depend? How big are we talking?" Luna asked, curious at the turn this had taken. From where she was sitting, Rainbow Dash was looking nervous, and that left her seriously confused. What was it about this question, that was having such a drastic effect on the pegasus?

"I... I wanna go back to Ponyville. To see the others. I... I need to know if I can do it, if I can look at them, and think about them, without getting so angry that I just wanna kill them. I-" Rainbow Dash stopped talking, trying to not let herself lose control. She could already feel herself getting riled up, just by entertaining the thought about returning to Ponyville. And if she kept talking about it, she didn't know what the results were going to be. So instead she had to stay focused on a specific goal, and not get distracted by other matters.

"You indeed ask a favor of significant size," Luna replied slowly, utterly surprised by what Rainbow Dash wanted to do. She had seen the poor mare's nightmares for so many nights, and knew them with a loathed intimacy. She knew how she felt about the others, as she still wrestled with the fake memories that demanded they be recognized as real. And she still wanted to go back to Ponyville, and see them once again?

She didn't know whether this was a good thing, or a bad thing. There were just so many ways that this could be interpreted, and she didn't have all of the relevant facts right now. For all she knew, it was a very bad idea, and she simply hadn't caught onto it yet. "I am afraid that I cannot fulfill this favor. Not on my own at least."

"Oh..." Rainbow Dash slowly replied and hung her head. She'd known even before she asked that it would be a long shot for such a crazy notion to be accepted, and given the go ahead. But regardless of the odds against her, she still had to at least try.

"I will, however, speak with my sister about the matter later on. Perhaps it is possible that something can be arranged," Luna explained. Simply because she couldn't grant a pass under these circumstances, didn't mean the request itself was unreasonable. It certainly couldn't hurt to ask Celestia about it; once everything else going on was properly addressed. She hadn't forgotten about the murder that had taken place, or the investigation that was currently going on elsewhere. She was simply addressing another -and equally important- matter as she kept an eye on Rainbow Dash. But simply because she was merely keeping an eye on her, didn't mean she couldn't attempt to address matters that were in need of her attention.

"But that will come later. The first order of the day is breakfast! If you are to be making any journey's beyond the palace, then you will need the proper fortification!" she stated, hoping that her displayed enthusiasm would whip Rainbow Dash's spirits into a more desirable shape.

From outside the dungeon cell, Celestia watched as Ulquiorra and Challons examined Thrush's body. She understood that what they were doing, was all based on what their world knew about determining time of death. But that didn't mean she had a proper understanding of just what everything involved. She didn't know how checking bruises would be beneficial, or what could be learned from sticking a thermometer up the corpse's butt; that just seemed... perverse.

She'd heard terms like livor mortis, rigor mortis, and algor mortis, being tossed about between them as they performed specific tasks, but that didn't do her any good when she had no context to apply to them; they might as well have been speaking neighponese right now. This reminded her a lot of when Ulquiorra and Malar were reviewing the hospital notes concerning Rainbow Dash; she didn't understand what they were saying then, either, until they clarified it for her.

But regardless of her own lack of understanding, they both appeared to know full well what they were doing. It wasn't her place to second guess them; even if it did seem strange that Ulquiorra seemed so knowledgeable about what he was doing. Where exactly did he get all of his knowledge anyway? There was only so much that could be learned from reading about something in a book -a point she'd made to Twilight many, many times in the past- before one actually had to actually get physically involved.

Or perhaps she was simply thinking far too much on the matter, in an unconscious effort to try and distract herself from the unpleasantries that went with everything currently going on.

Finally, however, the matter seemed to be sufficiently addressed, as the two were now packing up the equipment, and making their way out of the cell.

"We've-" Challons started to say, only to stop and shudder as if someone had just tickled the base of his ear.

Celestia tried not to grin in amusement. Challons' reaction upon exiting the cell, was one that spoke of utter relief; like he'd been putting up with a thorn in the underside of his hoof for an unbearable amount of time, and had finally gotten it removed, and was no longer in pain. That tended to be the default response of any unicorn that spent a significant amount of time in one of the cells for the first time, as they felt their magical connection coming back upon exiting. But she said nothing, as he soon recovered, and went right back to business.

"As I was saying," he said after clearing his throat, "we've concluded the preliminary investigation. This is officially a homicide, just as the guards believed it to be. Based on what we've gathered from studying the lividity, current status of rigor, and core temperature, I'm going to place the time of death between ten and twelve hours ago," he explained.

Ten to twelve hours ago, Celestia noted to herself. That meant that whatever had happened, had taken place at, ironically, between ten and midnight of last night. That gave them a window of time to begin their investigation when it came to questioning everyone that was still present; both to determine where they were at the time, and if they might've seen anything that could be considered unusual.

"And what about cause of death? What have you learned about how Thrush was killed?" she asked.

"Brutally. During our investigation, we found numerous deep contusions, as well as bone fractures, that are consistent with somepony being stomped while they're on the ground; all seemingly delivered pre-mortem, going by the amount of tissue swelling and inflammation present. And all delivered with shod hooves; likely to maximize damage and suffering. Whoever murdered Thrush, I'd hazard a guess and say they wanted him to suffer greatly, before finally finishing him off. They even went through the trouble of cracking his horn, also pre-mortem, which would've resulted in unimaginable agony," Challons stated. Being a coroner, he'd seen his fair share of death in his line of work. But rarely did it ever approach what he'd seen inside that cell. Death was one thing, but excessive brutality was something else.

"Cause of death appears to be shock from rapid blood loss," Ulquiorra stated simply as he wiped his hands down. He'd let Doctor Challons fill her in on the details so far, before finally deciding to cut through the wordiness of it all. "The killing blow was a single, deep puncture wound delivered straight to the right kidney, causing internal bleeding to occur, with the majority of the blood flooding into the abdominal cavity, and the rest seeping out of the wound, and following the flow of gravity down to the left side of the body, and onto the floor, before finally reaching the cell's central drain area. Factoring in both the average heart rate, and the amount of blood for a pony, death would've occurred in less than two minutes from this type of injury," he explained, before pausing to note how the cleaning wipe he'd been provided, was in the process of disintegrating on its own. It was an interesting concept to observe in practice, and one he could certainly see the benefit of. However there were bound to be shortcomings of such as well, but he'd ponder on them later.

"And... what about the one who committed the murder? Was there enough evidence for you to determine just who in responsible for this act?" Celestia asked as she turned her attention to Ulquiorra. She remembered how he'd said that he could detect the mana of whoever was responsible. But to the best of her knowledge, that was dependent upon how much mana was present. That was why she wanted the two to work together, in case they had to compile information for a more positive verdict.

"Indeed. Even now, there's still an ample amount of reiatsu left to examine, due to the degree of brutality involved. There was even a cross-contamination that took place; while Thrush's body is covered in traces of reiatsu from whoever committed the murder, the murderer likewise became covered in the reiatsu of Thrush. There will even be minute traces of blood on the guilty party, considering the extensive damage that was done," Ulquiorra explained. Whoever had been responsible for this act, had left a substantial amount of evidence behind; evidence that would lead them to the guilty party in short order.

If it proved to be necessary, he'd even send word to Ponyville, to inform Twilight Sparkle that they had need of her UV lantern, just so they could pick up on those microscopic traces of blood. Not that it truly would be necessary for the investigation; it would simply be soul crushing to the guilty party, when confronted with the details of just how they'd screwed up in their efforts to conceal the facts of their actions.

He was half-tempted to send word to Ponyville, simply for that specific reason.

"Is there enough present, that you'd be able to track down the guilty party?" Celestia asked him. If they didn't need to question everyone present in the palace, and corroborate alibis, then that would certainly streamline everything they had to deal with right now.

"More than enough," Ulquiorra replied. If the guilty party was still present within the palace, for whatever reason, locating them would be a trivial matter, now that he had two specific reiatsu signatures to home in on, and both in the same location. They might as well have the responsible party's name, face, and cutie mark all on file, as that was how exact of a match they would be making.

"Then let us waste no more time with pointless talking. Let's find the one responsible for this act, so we can proceed accordingly," Celestia stated firmly.

It was certainly no secret that she had no love for Thrush, after what all he'd done; not just to Rainbow Dash, but also to countless other ponies. But regardless of what actions he'd taken, he was still one of her subjects. And regardless of whatever actions one of her subjects might have taken -no matter how much she might detest what they did- she would never condone them being murdered. She would not tolerate this occurring, no matter who the recipient of such actions had been, or what they had done.

"Move out!"

Chapter Seventy Four

Chapter Seventy Four

Rainbow Dash leaned back, letting out a groan as she propped herself up against the cloud bedding in the room, eyes almost completely shut at the moment. Her stomach ached right now. But it was the sort of ache that went with being satisfactorily stuffed for the first time in days. For so long, breakfast had consisted of oatmeal. No matter how many times she refused to eat it, they kept bringing it to her, as if the next time would be different, and she'd actually eat it. Even chucking the bowl across the room, right back at them, had done nothing to sway them from their stubborn refusal to accept the fact that she wasn't going to eat that slop! There were just was too many bad memories attached to it right now, for that to even be an option.

She wouldn't lie. This stubbornness had left her miserable, and at times feeling like she was starving. But even just looking at a bowl of oatmeal was enough to leave her feeling nauseated. But in the absence of... it... she was left with an uncomfortable, hollow, gnawing feeling in her gut. If it hadn't been for the fact that lunch and dinner consisted of other meals, she might've been reduced to skin and bones by now.

But thankfully, that wasn't the case this morning. There was no aching, burning emptiness in the pit of her stomach, that she needed to try and tune out. Instead it was nothing but satisfaction, and being utterly stuffed for the first time in a good, long while.

Across the room, Luna sat and smiled as the cyan pegasus leaned back, traces of syrup and whipped cream still around her muzzle; signs of how enthusiastic she'd been about breakfast on this morning. The way she'd besieged the stack of waffles and fresh fruit, it was amazing there was even a trace of food left present on the plates. Watching how voracious Rainbow Dash had been in devouring what she'd been presented with, Luna was surprised she hadn't gone so far as to lick the plate clean. She could only assume this was the result of actually getting full, and not wanting to stuff herself to the point of being miserable, simply for the sake of finishing her meal.

But if that was the case, that was perfectly alright as far as she was concerned. There was no sense in making oneself sick, just for the sake of cleaning a plate.

"Now that was some good eating," Rainbow Dash groaned and rubbed her stomach, feeling rather content right now.

"I am glad you enjoyed it," Luna replied, mentally noting that the dishes would have to wait until the current crisis was resolved, before they could be cleaned. For the time being, they would simply have to be set aside along the wall, where they would be out of the way. And really, that was all she could do right now with the palace being on lock down. She couldn't teleport them away to the kitchen, meaning the only option available was to physically transport them there. But doing that either meant leaving her post, and leaving Rainbow Dash alone with the guards -who likely couldn't stop whatever had lead to Thrush's murder- or having the guards cart them away, and leaving her alone with Rainbow Dash; which would only be a problem if she potentially needed assistance in some manner. Although the likelihood of that possibility seemed rather minute, all things considered.

"I tell you, I've had waffles before, but those were something else," Rainbow Dash added as she closed her eyes and smiled to herself. "I think I ate way too much though, I'm stuffed. Between all the waffles, and the feathers that Spike burnt off, I don't think I could fly right now if I tried."

Luna opened her mouth to speak, but paused in thought, and closed it again. She couldn't think of anything that seemed appropriate to Rainbow Dash's statement. Commenting on how there was currently no need to fly, might seem insensitive by pegasus standards. And mentioning how any extended traveling they did, wouldn't be carried out by wings, might just get her hopes up unnecessarily, before she could confirm with her sister whether or not the request to visit Ponyville could actually be fulfilled. But that would have to wait until the appropriate time.

"Luna!"

She jumped at hearing her voice so unexpectedly. Looking around the room, she realized nopony else was speaking. That fact, and a few seconds to think it over, made her realize that it had to be Celestia trying to get in touch with her, via the telepathic link. Maybe there was good news to be had.

"Yes, sister?" she asked. With Rainbow Dash looking like she was bordering on a food coma right now, she could devote her attention to the long range communication. "What news do you have to report?"

"You're still with Rainbow Dash, right? Have you seen Ulquiorra anywhere?"

"Not since our return to the palace, from tending to the matters of last night," Luna replied, curious as to what was going on. "Why do you ask? Was he not available for the investigation into Thrush's death?"

"No, he was available, he even found what he believes to be the mana pattern of the one who murdered Thrush. But when we went to try and locate the guilty party, he took off like a bat out of Tartarus, and we haven't been able to find him yet. I was hoping he might've come your way."

"So far I have neither seen, nor heard, any trace of him. Should he come our way, I will alert you at once," Luna replied. "Under different circumstances, I would assist you in your search, dear sister, but my hooves are tied right now. I cannot yet leave Rainbow Dash if the murderer is still on the loose; especially if Ulquiorra Cifer might be close at hoof as we speak. And being unable to teleport from here, I am at a disadvantage when it comes to aiding in the investigation," she explained.

"Alright then. If you see him, be sure to let me know. If we find something before that, I'll keep you posted."

"Very well, dear sister. I shall keep an eye out for the Espada, should he happen to wander in our direction," Luna replied, before giving a mock mental salute. Now she was glad she hadn't sent the guards away with the dirty dishes, as she may truly be needing them now. With Ulquiorra having disappeared in the search for the killer, that added a whole new level of difficulty for her to deal with. The only upside that she was aware of, as she came out of her focus on the mental conversation with Celestia, was that being full seemed to be lulling Rainbow Dash into a state of contented rest.

Maybe this time her dreams would go unmolested. That was all she could hope for right now, as tending to them would require her to drop her guard in the outside world. Either way, whatever may happen, she had to recognize -and accept- the fact that she couldn't do both options at the same time. If push came to shove, she had a hard decision ahead of her that had to be made.

Celestia didn't like to admit to the fact that she was weak, but she understood that when it came to physical matters, there was substantial room for improvement. Tending to the bureaucratic requirements of overseeing Equestria -especially during Luna's long absence- tended to leave very little time for exercising, and other essential physical conditioning. And while alicorn physiology certainly had its perks, they were in no way any substitute for proper fitness, and endurance training. She was far more accustomed for running sprints, than she was galloping about in a desperate effort to find where Ulquiorra had gotten to. And as huge as Canterlot palace was, it was a whole lot of running that left her winded, and in need of a break.

Flight was an option she'd considered. But flying aimlessly throughout the palace halls wasn't the most efficient method of searching. There was no way for her to fly slow, and try to scan for Ulquiorra's presence; she just covered too much ground whenever she unfurled her wings. But as much as her legs were proving to burn and ache right now, it was very tempting to just breeze through the long stretches of hallway; even if she might have to backtrack due to missing something.

She was really wishing that Luna could've aided in the search right about now. For whatever reason, Luna always seemed much better at the more physically involved activities than she was. Her sister could've been galloping down these halls all day long without getting worn out. Or at least that was how she saw it. Somehow, somewhere, Luna found the time for a proper exercise regimen.

Celestia shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the irrelevant thoughts currently running through it. She had to stay focused on the task at hoof, and locate where Ulquiorra had disappeared to. Or perhaps more importantly, just where the murderer had managed to escape to, and what else had occurred up to this point. And if she found out that anymore of her subjects had been killed, then Tartarus would be sending out notices of debt in response. And she would be the one collecting the fees from the responsible party's hide.

With that thought in mind, and a renewed sense of vigor, she straightened herself up, and set off in search of both Ulquiorra and the murderer.

"Your Highness!"

Only to nearly trip over her own hooves at the sudden excited yell from down the left hallway. Turning her head to look, she saw one of the day guards galloping towards her. And going by how hard he was panting as he galloped along, it looked like he'd run all the way here, from wherever he'd been in the first place. And by the time he'd come to a stop, just a few paces away from her, he'd dropped to the floor, gasping for air in deep, ragged breaths, as the plates of his armor rattled against him.

Having witnessed the whole display, Celestia knew that the matter was serious if it warranted such an approach. But she didn't have any idea just how serious it was; and she really didn't want to randomly speculate right now. But until the guard succeeded in adequately catching his breath, random speculation was all that she really could do at the moment. And those speculative notions filling her mind right now were... not pretty.

"We," the guard began in between pants as he moved to raise his head and look at her. "The Espada, Your Highness, we found him," he managed to get out, before going back to trying to catch his breath.

"Excellent news," Celestia replied, "where is he? Does he know the location of the responsible party?" she asked. She really did want to give the guard the time he needed to recover from his gallop. But right now that just wasn't an option. Not knowing what they were up against, every second that passed was potentially crucial. Ulquiorra could quite easily be in over his head if he was confronting the killer on his own.

"Third floor," the guard panted, "in the east wing's maintenance closet. He and a dozen guards are there right now," he explained and grunted, trying to push himself back up onto his hooves, so that he might show her the way to the location.

"No, no, it's alright," Celestia spoke up as she extended her left wing, and gently draped it over the guard's back. "I can find it myself. Take a break and rest, you deserve it after having run all the way here," she told him, not seeing the purpose in him trying to follow -or lead- her all the way to the east wing of the third floor. Considering he'd even been able to find her, she was left wondering just how much running he'd been doing up to the moment he ran across her; finding her right off the bat would've been far too coincidental.

Fortunately the guard seemed perfectly willing to take her advice, and simply plopped back down on the ground, too tired to try and stand, or move elsewhere. But that was fine by her, as she didn't need somepony that was exhausted, potentially putting themselves in harm's way. Dulled senses, and delayed reactions, were of no use to her right now; besides putting others at risk, it would lead to sloppy work, and potentially disastrous consequences. She simply didn't need any of that.

Once she was confident that the guard wasn't going to attempt any other physical exertion, she took her leave, and made her way towards the third floor. Knowing the location of where to go, was far better than simply wandering aimlessly.

Oh either side of where Ulquiorra currently stood were a half dozen of Princess Celestia's guards, each of them holding a spear in the crook of their right foreleg, and each of them trained on the door ahead of them; and each one of them appeared quite ready to strike at the drop of a hat.

Depending on what was currently hiding behind the door, the response was one of either excessiveness, or inadequacy.

Tracking down the perpetrator had been an effort on his part, requiring him to zero in on two specific and distinct patterns of reiatsu in the same exact location; and all while his pesquisa was being hampered by Princess Celestia's own overwhelming reiatsu being in the immediate vicinity. Trying to detect anything under such circumstances had proven to be a considerable effort on his part, considering how she could easily overshadow nearly everyone else in the palace. And that was to say nothing of the added difficulty presented by Princess Luna, even if she wasn't in the immediate vicinity. Those two being in the palace together, it had proven to be an almost impossible task for him to locate anything.

Almost, but not quite impossible. It had required a great deal of concentration and focus on his part than he was accustomed to, trying to tune out everything he had been sensing, that didn't directly correspond to those two particular and specific patterns of reiatsu, but it had been done.

The moment he'd had the location detected, he'd taken off like a shot, not even bothering to wait for the others to get their act together, and follow after him. Waiting would've taken far too much time, and potentially allowed the target to escape detection; which would in turn require significantly more time being devoted to detection once again. He would have nothing of the sort occurring on his watch. The others could catch up with him, after he'd established the approximate location of the target, and ensured that escape would be an impossibility; a task that proved all the easier, once he'd learned about the palace lock down procedures having already been initiated, and how they involved anti-teleportation countermeasures. It was also the only reason he hadn't ripped the door off of its hinges yet, and casually discarded it in the pursuit of his quarry.

One of the only reasons he was showing as much restraint as he was, and not subjecting the one behind the door to an enhanced method of interrogation right now, was due to the fact that he knew -and understood- how much Princess Celestia wanted to be present and involved. She wanted answers not only to who had murdered Thrush, but also why it had been done in the first place.

The other reason was that he knew full well, that if the door came off, there was the possibility of the guards -unintentionally or otherwise- killing the perpetrator before questioning could actually be carried out. Remote -or unlikely- as it was, it was still a possibility that couldn't be readily discounted. And if that was what occurred, he wasn't entirely certain that he'd care to be around to actually observe the aftermath for himself, when Princess Celestia discovered what happened. At present time he didn't know the true depths that her fury ran, and he wasn't particularly curious in finding that out either; not when her emotional stability was so closely tied to the intensity of her reiatsu. That would essentially be the equivalent of walking into the middle of a raging bonfire, simply to try and determine the exact temperature at the very center of it; hazardous, and utterly stupid.

Fortunately for the lot of them, the guards didn't seem to be particularly motivated to press the issue, and demand that they be allowed entry. Nor were they attempting to force the door open on their own. But whether that was because they were aware of what Princess Celestia would do to them should they go through with it, or because they feared what he would potentially do to them if they should make such a move, was another matter entirely, and not relevant to what was at hand.

And right now, those matters that were more relevant, were growing closer at hand, as Princess Celestia was quickly making her way down the hallway towards their location; the guard who had taken off some time ago, had most likely found her, and informed her of the developments that had occurred. Now it would just be a matter of minutes before this entire mess could be adequately resolved. Then they could get back to the more pressing duties that they were facing, before something new managed to go wrong.

Finally, he could hear the sound of heavy, shod footsteps against the marble flooring approaching their location. As well as the sound of heavy, labored breathing, that someone was trying to make sound less labored than it was.

"I should put a belled collar on you for running off like that," he heard Princess Celestia huff from behind as she approached, doing her best to keep as much of her composure as she could. "We could've been searching for hours, if you'd gone to one of the towers, or the furthest reaches of the palace walls," she pointed out grouchily.

He could've commented about how her statement bordered on ridiculous with the notion of collaring him. Or that he would've had no reason to go to such locations, unless the search had demanded such, because his pesquisa had detected the target in just such a location. However he chose to ignore such petty goading, and instead cut straight to the issue as he turned around to face her.

"Your inability to exercise calmness under present circumstances, is what necessitated my immediate departure in the first place. The intensity, as well as the sheer volume, of reiatsu you've been exerting on the general area since the beginning of the escapade, has presented significant interference. We were quite fortunate that I was able to detect anything at all. The guilty party might have even eluded us entirely, had we not experienced a sharp drop at the right point in time," he explained, making it abundantly clear that she had no one to be dissatisfied with except for herself. Had she not been so emotionally volatile, he could've done his job more easily.

No retort on her part. Nor even on the part of the assembled guards. With that fact in mind, he continued with his verbal tearing down.

"Furthermore, I wasn't informed, until just recently, of just what palace lock down procedures involved, or even that they were in place to begin with. I had no reason to believe that teleportation would not be an option currently in place, and thus had no time to wait for others to keep pace, when the target could be utilizing the time to escape," he explained bluntly. If she had complaints about his methods of carrying out the assignments that she gave him, then that was her fault rather than his own.

If she wanted a specific task tended to, he could do that. If she wanted that specific task done within a vague measuring of time, then he could reasonably do that as well. But he would make no such guarantee of results, if he were tasked with actually relying on the physical inabilities of others.

He noted, however, that she didn't seem particularly interested in arguing with him at that point; likely because she knew that any argument offered up to the contrary, would be quickly -and correctly- refuted on his part.

Celestia groaned where she stood, pinching the bridge of her muzzle. She really didn't want to be having this discussion right now. She'd save it for another time when there was less stuff to worry about.

"Guards, lower your spears. I want the perpetrator taken alive for questioning," she instructed, before observing as they did so obediently. With that addressed, she stepped closer to the door, and where Ulquiorra stood. "Open it," she ordered.

Ulquiorra gave no response, as he saw no point in wasting the time. Instead he simply turned around, slipped his right hand out of his pocket, gripped the doorknob, and pulled it open to gain entry to who was on the other side.

Immediately, like a punch straight to the face, a wave of pungent odor greeted all of them in the hallway, the moment the door had been opened. Some winced and coughed, some gagged, others tried to remain stoic in the face of such an overwhelming assault on their senses. Ulquiorra remained as unfazed by the assault as he had been the first time he'd experienced it, and immediately knew what the source was; biological waste. Just like back in the dungeon. Except this time it was more concentrated, as it had been sealed inside a small, enclosed room where it could fester, and there was no drain system in the floor.

From his point of view, this turn of events was certainly not looking good for them, and their quest for getting answers.

"Oh Faust, that's rancid!" Celestia stated as she coughed. Her eyes were stinging, and her nostrils were burning at this point. "What's going on here?" she asked as she looked forward into the closet. But when she saw what was at the back of the closet, she let out a gasp of surprise as she covered her mouth with her hoof. "Oh no..."

At the back of the closet, in a crumpled heap, was the body of one of her royal guards, still wearing his armor, and his neck twisted around in a very unnatural -and physically impossible- way. She didn't even have to ask the obvious question, to know that he was already dead; peace or no peace, there were some things that one still experienced in over a thousand years of time passing, that could never be forgotten.

"We're too late..." she muttered to herself, seeing the body for herself. Making matters all the worse was how she was very familiar with this guard, and recognized him from the graying mane that was still readily visible, identifying him as the unicorn Ready Stance. Out of all the members of the royal guard, Ready Stance was one of the few that she trusted the most, based on his long tenure of service to her.

He must've caught onto something being wrong, moved to intervene, and paid with his life. And all because they'd spent too much time trying to find Ulquiorra's location after he'd run off like he had.

And then, with that thought in mind, she turned her attention to where Ulquiorra stood, and frowned at him. "You said the one we were looking for was inside that closet."

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied, not bothering with turning around to face her.

"There's no one in there except for one of my guards. And he, too, has been murdered," she hissed. What in the name of Tartarus was he going on about, by claiming the killer was in the closet? "Were you talking in past-tense when you told the guard that the guilty party was in there or something? Are you incompetent?"

Ulquiorra slowly turned around to face Celestia where she stood. Did she really expect him to be intimidated, or otherwise disturbed, by her finding dissatisfaction with how he went about conducted business? Surely even she couldn't be that stupid; not after everything that had happened.

"Your lack of satisfaction with the results, does nothing to invalidate the findings. Everything that has been said, has been completely accurate. The one responsible for murdering Thrush has been located, and is present right now," he stated. Was she truly so blind, that she couldn't see the obviousness of the situation, even when it was staring her right in the face? Did he really have to spell it out for her?

If that was the case, then so be it.

"Your guard was the one who murdered Thrush in his cell last night," he stated. And there was no way to make it any simpler than that.

Silence overtook the hallway after his announcement. But that was to be expected to some degree, as the notion had to be adequately comprehended by them. The notion of one of their own being responsible for such an act, couldn't have been the easiest of pills to swallow. It was significant enough that each and every one of them was losing their visible composure, as they started coming to grips with the facts of the situation. It was something that likely forced them to question long-held notions that they'd once been certain of. But that was their problem right now, rather than his. Right now there were far more important matters that had to be tended to, and right away.

"We..." Celestia started, "w-we should probably find Doctor Challons, and tell him that his skills are needed again," she stated, her voice lacking any sense of her sentence constituting an order. It was more of an exercise in thinking out loud of what they needed to do from this point. "I-"

"You need to leave," Ulquiorra stated, interrupting her mumbled attempts at speaking. "Now," he added bluntly.

"What?" Celestia asked, caught off guard by the interruption, and uncertain of what Ulquiorra was saying.

"You need to leave the palace grounds immediately. Princess Luna as well. Your inability to exercise proper emotional stability and control, is drastically interfering with my ability to investigate, and analyze potential clues. With the amount of fluctuating reiatsu you're exerting on the entire area in your current state, trying to sense anything at all, will be like trying to follow the numerous conversations in a crowded room, while suffering from a head cold," he explained. There was still much work that had to be done here, and Princess Celestia was nothing but a hindrance to him right now. That was a fact that he needed to get across to her, and shake her out of whatever stupor she was currently trapped in. She could wrestle with the fact that one of her palace staff was a murderer later on; and away from here.

"And just what clues do you think you're going to find in this case?" one of the guards spoke up, his tone gruff in response to what he'd been witnessing throughout the back and forth exchange.

Ulquiorra ignored the guard, other than momentarily turning his attention towards the stallion, before turning back to face Princess Celestia herself.

"Our investigation has turned up the party that was responsible for the murder of Thrush. That was what we set out to do. But in doing so, we've now uncovered a new mystery that needs to be addressed. We now need to determine not only why the guard was murdered after Thrush, but who was responsible in this case. And to reach such determinations, I need my senses to be clear, and unhampered," he stated. The longer the diarchy remained present, the more difficult his work would prove to be. Was it really that hard to understand?

Over where she stood, Celestia remained silent as she weighed everything Ulquiorra had said, and the points that he'd made. The delivery had been harsh, but very effective nonetheless. He'd been quite right in determining that she wasn't calm; on the outside she certainly might appear that way, as it was something she had much experience in crafting. But beneath that outer veneer of serenity, and professionalism, she was a raging ball of nerves that was just barely keeping it together. To find out that one of her own guards -and one of her most trusted of guards no less- had murdered Thrush inside his cell, had been bad enough. But now they were confronting the fact that Ready Stance himself had also been murdered afterward.

She didn't need to note to herself how nothing about this situation was right, or how none of it made any sense. Sadly, it all made perfect sense to her in a sadistic, and twisted manner. Someone was murdering her subjects right under her nose, and within the confines of the palace; supposedly the safest location there was in all of Equestria. To say that this was unacceptable would be a gross understatement.

"You're certain that you'll be able to find what we're looking for if we leave?" she asked him simply.

"Quite certain," Ulquiorra replied. Surely he didn't need to give a remedial explanation on this matter, about how he could detect even minute traces of reiatsu left on the surrounding area; she should remember that from the early stages of investigating what had happened to Rainbow Dash in Ponyville. And she should be able to remember it on her own.

"Very well then," Celestia replied and gave a single nod, before turning around to face the assembled guards. "Guards, my sister and I are soon to depart from the palace. Inform the staff that, during our absence, Ulquiorra is in charge of this investigation, and they're to assist him in whatever manner he deems necessary," she instructed.

If Ulquiorra could find the one that was murdering her subjects, then there was no sense in slowing him down in any way. What they were facing was far bigger than all of them right now, and it was a time to come together in cooperation; not remain divided over differences.

The guards saluted in response to her instructions -which was an awkward display as they still had to contend with their own spears- before heading off to carry out their assigned orders. With that done, she turned back around to face Ulquiorra.

"Don't let us down, Ulquiorra, we're counting on you," she stated.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response. It went without saying that they were counting on him, to do the tasks that they themselves were incapable of doing on their own. But he chose to maintain his silence, rather than engage in any berating right now. The sooner the diarchy was absent, the sooner he could actually get something done.

Chapter Seventy Five

Chapter Seventy Five

Ulquiorra stood silently as he waited. Until Princess Celestia and Princess Luna finally took their leave, his pesquisa would pick up little else in the immediate area. The results were certainly better than they had been when he'd been standing just a few feet away from Princess Celestia in her emotionally disturbed state, but it still wasn't enough to pick up possible minute traces of reiatsu in the general area.

What had been detected back in the dungeon, had been another matter entirely. What had been there -even on the coroner Challons from last night's rendezvous- had been in significantly greater quantities, and far easier for him to pick up on.

That wasn't the case right now, however. Whoever had murdered the guard at the back of the closet, had managed to do so, without leaving a significant amount of reiatsu present on the body. That meant looking for potentially microscopic traces, and warranting a much greater degree of concentration, and focus, than he could manage under present circumstances.

His ears, however, were working just fine, and he could easily pick up on the approach of three ponies; two with shod hooves, and one without. Two of the guards from previously, and Challons in tow, based on what he could sense right now.

"I must say, I'm getting quite the workout today," Challons commented as he approached, medical equipment in tow in his magical hold, signified by an alabaster glow emitting from his horn. "It's not all that often, that I'm called on to investigate quite so many mysterious deaths, and within such a short amount of time. And even less often, when they occur in the same area," he stated.

Ulquiorra said nothing, finding neither interest, nor relevance, in what the unicorn had to say about his work. There were times when saying nothing at all was the preferable course of action to take, than yammering about pointlessness. He could care less about the coroner's background experience at this point in time.

"Well then, let's get on with this, shall we?" Challons asked rhetorically as he set his equipment case down on the floor.

"Not just yet," Ulquiorra replied, causing the coroner to pause in obvious confusion. "Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna, have yet to take their leave from the palace. And I would prefer to examine the body myself, before it's tampered with in any way," he explained.

"And just what are you hoping to find, that requires the diarchy to be away from the palace?" Challons asked, not really getting what the whole deal was about. Really, it all struck him as being rather strange.

"Evidence as to who murdered the guard, after he murdered Thrush, and why," Ulquiorra elaborated.

"Oh," Challons replied and paused. "Just out of curiosity, what has you convinced that this was an act of murder?" he asked, wondering what he wasn't seeing on first glance.

"The neck is bent in a way that's physically impossible to achieve, with the structure of the vertebrae. And the equine leg structure wouldn't allow for a neck snap to be performed on oneself. If this was indeed a suicide, it would've required the guard to slam headfirst into the far wall, at the correct angle, with enough force to break his own neck, in a manner that would successfully lead to death, rather than quadriplegia. To do all of that, would require significant momentum to be built up beforehand; something that the short overall length of the room wouldn't have allowed for. The only way it could be achieved, would be if he galloped down the hallway, before slamming into the closet wall," he explained, laying out the details of why this couldn't be a simple case of suicide.

From what he saw, he was holding Challons' attention as he absorbed the information that he was being given. Perhaps it was time to test the coroner's critical thinking abilities.

"This leaves us with many questions that need to be answered. But one of these sticks out more than the others. Do you know what it is?" he asked.

"If this was a suicide, then who closed the door behind him?" Challons asked.

"Precisely," Ulquiorra replied. Challons had quickly picked up on the primary inconsistency of the notion of this entire thing being a suicide. Perhaps he could prove himself useful to this investigation after all.

Now it was just a matter of waiting for the diarchy to take their leave.

As Celestia looked down at the sight before her, she was left uncertain of how she should feel about what she was seeing, and about how she should react.

Luna had said that she would be looking after Rainbow Dash, until it could be determined just what sort of threat they were facing, and how they could best to deal with it. And to Celestia, that sounded like the wisest course of action to engage in; because if even an alicorn was insufficient in terms of protection that could be provided, then they were all pretty much screwed no matter what.

However, when she came to gather Luna so that they could depart, she was left wondering just what part of looking after Rainbow Dash, involved being fast asleep on her back, stretched out on the room's cloud bed. She understood that Luna was feeling exhausted like anypony else under these circumstances, but this was hardly the time to literally be laying down on the job, and snoring away like she didn't have a care in the world.

All the more perplexing -even if it was technically adorable- was how Rainbow Dash was currently asleep on Luna's barrel, curled up into a tight little ball, rising and falling with the steady rhythm of Luna's own breathing and snoring away in much the same manner, her head resting right near her neck.

Celestia was a bit torn right now, trying to decide just what she should do. It was one of those predicaments where she had to balance being a big sister, with being a ruler. And in all the times these situations arose, it was never easy. The very fact that she found them in their current positioning, suggested that last night's debacle had been adequately resolved. But regardless of that fact, they still needed to ensure that Ulquiorra could do his duty, to the best of his abilities; abilities that they were apparently inhibiting through the unconscious exerting of their respective influences on the palace area, due to their inability to be as emotionless as he was.

Still, it wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do, when both Rainbow Dash and Luna snored simultaneously. She really wished she had a camera available right now....

Regardless, however, duty was duty.

"Luna, you need to wake up," she said as she reached out and shrugged her sister with her hoof.

She was immediately met with a grunt, and Luna's right wing unfurling, and clocking her upside the head in response to the disturbance. After that, Luna grumbled, and wrapped both her forelegs, and her wings, around Rainbow Dash in a defensive manner.

Rainbow Dash herself merely shifted slightly at the new contact, before settling back down again, as if nothing had happened.

Rubbing her chin with her fetlock, Celestia pondered how to go about approaching this situation. Despite being asleep, Luna was still taking her duties quite seriously. Just the way she held onto Rainbow Dash as she shielded her, suggested that there would be much pain involved for anyone that tried to come in here, and harm the cyan pegasus in any manner.

Regardless, however, there were other important matters that needed to be tended to. Much as she hated to, Luna was going to have to go without a good day's rest for a while longer.

"Luna," Celestia said a she reached out and shrugged her sister again. "Come now, you need to wake up. This is important."

"We doth not wish to go to the academy of this most foul day, Mother," Luna mumbled as she rolled over onto her side, facing away from Celestia, and rotating Rainbow Dash further away from her in the process. "We doth not feel well..."

Celestia sighed. This was going to be neither easy, nor pleasant. But it had to be done. So, steeling her resolve, she began weaving her magic in several different directions at once, knowing that she would have to multitask to avoid a truly terrible outcome to what was about to happen.

Along with that multitasking, would be the need to exert a significant amount of her magic, in order to deal with the conditions of the lock down, and still leave them in place. Summoning items from a distance for what was needed, would prove to be a difficult feat, due to the technical similarities it shared with teleportation. But with sufficient levels -and quantities- of magic, and concentration, it would prove possible.

A large metal pail materialized in the room in front of Celestia. Next to occur was it being filled with a stream of water, summoned from the kitchen's sink. The third was to summon a large quantity of of ice cubes from the palace's freezer, and carefully deposit them into the pail alongside the water. When all was said and done, she had a five gallon wake-up call at her disposal.

"Forgive me, Luna, but you leave me no other choice," Celestia stated softly. Before upending the pail's entire contents right on Luna's head.

The response was immediate, with Luna bolting up and off the bed, with all the speed of a bolt being shot from a crossbow, and unleashing an ear-piercing, window-shattering shriek as she landed on her back hooves, from the cold water drenching her down to the skin.

Or at least the shriek would've been such, had Celestia not prepared for such developments beforehoof, and erected a soundproofing field over Luna's mouth just before dumping the water on her. The last thing anypony needed right now was to go deaf.

Celestia watched as Luna looked around in a frantic motion, head and eyes moving back and forth across the room with amazing speed, her mane clinging to her back from the unannounced drenching taking place. And yet, despite her excited state, as she sat up on her hind legs, Luna still maintained the same careful hold on Rainbow Dash, who remained unconscious -and dry, thanks to having wisely erected force field around her head and face beforehoof- throughout all the excitement.

It was only a matter of seconds before Celestia finally caught Luna's eye, serving to help her sister calm down. But as she did calm down, her wide eyes became narrowed with anger, and she began yelling at her; all muffled by the same soundproofing field from earlier. But even though she couldn't hear what was being said, that didn't mean she didn't understand what Luna was saying to her; and if she was reading her little sister's lips right, some of what was being said was really quite vulgar. Some of what was being said might even be illegal in certain countries; she'd have to check later.

"Apologies, dear sister," Celestia replied once Luna had stopped cursing her out, due to the need to take a breath. With a flick, the soundproofing field was cancelled out so they could actually have a conversation again. "I'm afraid the matter has become quite serious, and demanded such an approach for the sake of time."

"... How serious do you speak of?" Luna asked, curious at what her sister would have to say, if she was trying to justify the drenching she'd been given.

"In addition to Thrush being dead, Ready Stance has been murdered, and the assailant is still on the loose," Celestia stated bluntly. The look on Luna's face was enough to tell her all she needed to know, about how much of her sister's attention she was currently holding, and how much she understood. That meant she could continue undaunted. "Ulquiorra's trying to discern the killer's identity as we speak. But he needs us to be away from the palace in order to do so; he claims our presence is hindering his abilities, by making it impossible for him to sense anything besides us," she explained.

"Such claims do not surprise me," Luna replied. In the late nights she'd spent talking with the Espada, she'd learned much about both him, and his abilities. It all made some degree of sense to her, so long as nopony asked her to explain it out loud. She moved to stand up, only to realize the predicament she was currently in when she looked down. "However that may prove to be more easily said than done. What are we to do with Rainbow Dash? It is not that I doubt our guards, but we cannot simply leave her behind, it is not yet safe here," she pointed out.

Celestia frowned at this, and looked around the room in an effort to figure something out. But the sight of bare walls, dirty dishes from breakfast, and the two guards that were still present, was doing nothing to give her any ideas for how to respond. As best she could tell, there was only one option available to them right now.

"Then we'll simply have to take her with us," she replied. If they couldn't leave her behind in the palace, then that was the only other thing they could really do under these circumstances.

"But where will we go? To what distance do we depart, in order to allow Ulquiorra Cifer the freedom he needs, to locate the guilty party?" Luna asked. Wherever it was, it would have to be some location that took Rainbow Dash's presence into consideration. Some places where they could safely traverse, would be less than optimal for their pegasus companion being with them.

"That's a very, very good question," Celestia admitted, rubbing her chin in thought as she looked for an answer.

The sensation of the diarchy taking their leave from the palace, and the accompanying departure of their sweltering reiatsu from the range of his pesquisa, was not unlike being allowed to drop an exceedingly heavy unit of weight that had come to rest on his shoulders -and across his back- for far too long. It was almost enough to make him let his shoulders slouch, or even let out a breath of relief, from his senses actually feeling lighter.

Almost, but not quite.

The amount of time it had taken for Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna, to finally depart from the palace, had been inordinate as far as he was concerned. At one point he actually wondered if they planned to leave, or simply move to one of the furthest points of the palace, and wait from there; as if such a tactic would work. But finally they had taken their leave, and left him unencumbered in the process.

"They're away now," he stated simply.

"Then we can proceed with our work," Challons replied, not liking how he'd been required to simply stand and wait, rather than do his job; simply leaving a body unattended didn't set right with him.

Nor should it really set well with anypony. But that was another issue, and it was best reserved for another time.

"Not just yet. I need a moment before my pesquisa can adequately adjust to their absence," Ulquiorra explained. Presently it was a lot like stepping into a dark room after being in the bright light for a long period of time; there was a necessary adjustment period of the eyes to adapt to the lack of light that was encountered. It was no different for his pesquisa in this case, considering what readings he'd been detecting earlier on.

Fortunately the wait was short in duration, and it only took a few more moments before he could start tuning in to, and picking up on the reiatsu signatures that surrounded him. All of the signatures, of which there were many.

Off to the side of the opened closet, Challons stood quietly, trying to figure out exactly what was going on before him. He, much like many other ponies in Canterlot, had heard a fair number of tales about this individual, and what he could supposedly do. But it was really hard to believe most of the rumors that were currently making their rounds like the seasonal cold and flu. And he'd heard a lot of them. He'd even heard the jokes about how he would be getting a lot more clients in need of his services now.

"Strange," he heard Ulquiorra state. But with nothing else added, it was hard to figure out what the context was behind it.

"Is there any particular part that's sticking out as strange to you? Or are you talking in general, nonspecific terms?" he asked in response, hoping for clarification.

"In this case it's something specific. An anomaly that doesn't have any reason to be there," Ulquiorra replied, before turning around to face the assembled ponies. "You," he said as he directed his attention to one of the present guards, "stay and assist as necessary. As for you," he said as he directed his attention to the other guard, "come with me. We have work to do elsewhere," he instructed.

Challons was left stammering at this sudden turn of events. What exactly had he missed here?

"Do you mind at least telling me why you're convinced this guard was the original murderer?" he called after Ulquiorra as he started walking away from the area with one of the guards in tow.

"In specifics you'd readily understand, his horn is covered in dried blood. An examination will reveal it to be the same blood type as Thrush, as well as matching the wound channel that destroyed his kidney," Ulquiorra replied, not even breaking his stride as he explained the matter.

A goring. Challons winced at the very thought of it all. That was just... ugh...

"Well then..." he paused, before turning to look at his newly acquired assistant. "Let's see what we can find out, shall we?" he asked rhetorically. He still had a job that needed to be done. And until the lock down was lifted, the bodies couldn't be released into his custody. So he might as well tend to what he could in the time being.

The Castle of the Two Sisters. Of all the places that Celestia could suggest for them to come during their temporary exile from Canterlot palace, Luna had to ask herself just why did it have to be this location specifically? Surely her sister knew and understood just how many painful memories were attached to this location, right?

Furthermore, out of all the places they could've occupied, why did it have to be the throne room, where so much horribleness had unfolded, so long ago? There were still so many scars present on the walls, and even the ceiling, that made her uncomfortable; and coupled with how her mane was still damp, it was an uncomfortableness that was doubled.

She understood that the location had a strategic value to it. It was remote in location, a good portion of it was still structurally sound enough for their intended uses, and it could be defended with little difficulty from most threats. As a safe location far away from the palace, where they could keep Rainbow Dash, it would serve its purpose adequately.

But she still didn't like it one bit. Just being here was making her heart beat faster than it should've been. There were too, too many bad memories of the old castle for her to be comfortable here. Even telling herself that it was for Rainbow Dash's sake, was doing little to quell her agitation.

The only thing serving as some measure of comfort for her right now, was the fact that she wasn't alone right now. Her sister was here to provide her with the support that she needed, in order to keep the memories from becoming too vivid for her.

There was also the fact that before coming here, Celestia had stopped by Doughnut Joe's business, and cleaned the baker out of what Luna guessed was his entire stock of chocolate cake doughnuts, to serve as their belated breakfast for the morning. There was also a picnic blanket laid out in the floor of the old throne room, but she had no idea where Celestia had actually procured it from. But she would gladly trade it all for a change of scenery.

Part of it all, she supposed she could attribute to Celestia being shaken up by the murder of Ready Stance in the course of his duties. But that still didn't make it all that easy. Perhaps she should speak up, and ask if there was anything she could do to help.

But before she could actually bring the issue up for consideration, she heard a groan coming from where Rainbow Dash currently rested, atop a large plush pillow to shield her from the hard flooring. Again, not a clue on Luna's part where Celestia had procured it from. But that wasn't relevant right now. What was relevant at the moment, was the fact that Rainbow Dash was in the process of slowly waking up. That would give them something else to focus on, besides what their current surroundings were, and what they had to deal with back at the palace.

"What time is it?" Rainbow Dash asked, before pausing to yawn and extend her wings fully outward in a post-nap stretch. After that was tended to they were folded back up, and she absently scratched at her ribs as she looked around her. This... didn't look like Canterlot to her. What happened? "And where are we?"

"A little after ten in the morning. Perhaps half past," Celestia replied, before levitating over one of the available cake doughnuts for consideration. Seeing the dishes in the room, she had some idea of how much breakfast Rainbow Dash had gotten. But simply because she'd had a sizable breakfast, didn't mean that she couldn't still be hungry for a little snack. "As to where we are, it's the old palace, far away from Canterlot."

Rainbow Dash had been reaching for the offered doughnut as Celestia spoke, but stopped at the mention of their location. Curiosity was starting to outweigh her mild hunger.

"Okay... and why?" she asked as she withdrew her extended hoof and set it back down on the pillow, slightly tilting her head to the side as she did. But as Celestia opened her mouth again, her hoof went back up and out. "And please, don't lie to me. I might not be the smartest, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be here, if what's going on didn't involve me somehow," she stated, before setting her hoof back down again.

Celestia paused and closed her mouth in thought. Rainbow Dash didn't give herself enough credit about her own intelligence. She looked over to Luna for guidance, to see what her sister thought on the matter. The look she was getting, however, was hard to properly decipher, and indicated that she was conflicted about how to proceed. Apparently it fell on her to be the decider.

Just another day at the office, apparently.

"There was an incident at the palace earlier today. Ulquiorra needed us to be away for a while, in order to investigate it properly," she replied, keeping the matter simple for the time being. More details would be provided as deemed necessary, but not all at once. Until such details actually were deemed necessary, there was no reason to be talking in an unprompted manner.

"What sort of incident? What am I not being told about all of this?" Rainbow Dash asked as she stood up, and stepped off of the pillow. "You and Luna having to be so far away from the palace, I guess that I could understand that. I've heard him talk about stuff. But if you had to bring me out here with you, then that's gotta mean something big is brewing back in Canterlot, right? So I wanna know. What the hay is going on around here?"

Celestia wasn't certain whether Rainbow Dash was making a good point on her own, or if her point simply sounded better because she was currently tired and stressed, but right now the argument sounded convincing enough to her. Looking to Luna again, she yet again received nothing that she would count as help. So she was on her own, as she tried to determine just how far into the whole mess that she briefed Rainbow Dash.

She also had to stop, and consider the fact that if she didn't manage the briefing, Ulquiorra likely would if pressed for details. And while there was nothing specifically wrong with that, she'd rather address the matter herself, and control what the flow of information involved.

"The matter involves Doctor Thrush," she started, and noted how Rainbow Dash's wings bristled at the mere mention of the stallion's name. "Sometime last night, he was murdered inside the cell we've been holding him in. And now we're trying to figure out just who's responsible," she explained as she set the doughnut back down in the box.

"I didn't do it!"

It was a sudden statement made by Rainbow Dash, as her agitation with Thrush quickly melted into surprise at hearing he was dead. Even after all that he'd done to her, Celestia doubted that she could be able to maintain that hostility after hearing about the unexpected loss of life that was encountered. And as she was witnessing now, she hadn't been able to. To her, that spoke a great deal about the nature of Rainbow Dash's character, and her current mindset.

However that surprise was also quickly melting away, and being replaced with panic, as she went about denying responsibility for the act, even though neither of them had made an accusation about responsibility. It was a lot like how she'd reacted when it was pointed out how there were drugs in her system.

"I didn't, I swear I didn't! On my career as a future Wonderbolt, I don't know a thing about what happened!" Rainbow Dash stated as she held her right foreleg up.

"Rainbow Dash-" Luna spoke up, trying to get her attention. But her efforts yielded no results, as she just kept talking over them, not letting them get a single word in edgewise.

"It couldn't have been me! I was with Ebony last night! I spent over an hour trying to convince her to get me some writing supplies, you can ask the guards that were there! They'll tell you!"

"Calm yourself, Rainbow Dash," Celestia stated firmly, but softly, her horn glowing anew as she began working a calming spell to ease the excited pegasus; just as she had done in the infirmary, when they'd feared that she would be tearing out her stitches. "You're not a suspect in the investigation. We know that you had no part in what happened," she explained.

"I'm... I'm not?" Rainbow Dash asked. Celestia simply shook her head, confirming that they didn't believe she'd done anything wrong. "Then... how come I'm all the way out here with you two? What aren't you two telling me?"

"Rainbow Dash, please try and understand," Celestia began, mentally weighing just how to properly elaborate here. "The circumstances behind the murder are highly unusual. We don't yet know who, or what, is responsible for Thrush's death. And not wanting to leave it to chance, we believed it would be best to keep you close at hoof with us. And needing to be away from the palace, so Ulquiorra can do his job, there was really only one way we could think of, that would allow us to keep you safe in the process," she explained, giving a simple overview of everything. There were considerably more details than just that, but she really didn't think it would be appropriate to lay them all out right now.

"Oh..." Rainbow Dash replied slowly. The more she thought on the answer she was given, the more sense it made to her. She really couldn't think of anywhere in Equestria that was safer, than right next to both Princesses at the same time.

"Tell me, Rainbow Dash, why were you trying to get Nurse Ebony to procure you some writing supplies?" Luna asked, deciding to change the topic of discussion to something else. And right now this seemed like an appropriate subject change, as she couldn't help but wonder about the details involved.

A part of the suicide watch that was currently in place, had been keeping anything that constituted as a weapon, or could be converted into a weapon, out of her reach, should she try and harm herself, or somepony else. Among the items prohibited were quills, and even pencils, as they could be used for stabbing implements; something Ulquiorra Cifer had mentioned being commonplace in correctional facilities. That also necessitated they keep a regular eye on her wings, and preen as necessary, should she attempt to weaponize her own feathers out of desperation. Or even worse, used them to try and suffocate herself. And knowing all of this, her curiosity was piqued, as to just what she hoped could be accomplished with the plea.

She would also have to address Nurse Ebony later. The way Rainbow Dash was explaining things, it sounded like her requests had been refused, despite the level of insistence she'd been met with. That dedication was commendable.

"Because I..." Rainbow Dash started to explain, but paused and closed her mouth as she sighed. Trying to explain this in terms that would make sense to the others wasn't going to be easy. She knew that she wasn't going to be making her best of sense right now, regardless of how much she tried to articulate herself.

But they were waiting for an answer, so she had to say something, even if it wasn't exactly what she wanted to say.

"Because I wanna write to the others, and know about what's going on. Ulquiorra said the situation in Ponyville is bad, but he wouldn't tell me squat about just how bad, and I can't take not knowing. And if what happened to me, is actually happening to them, then I wanna know," she explained.

No. That didn't feel right. That didn't feel adequate to her. She wanted a lot more than to simply be kept in the loop of what was going on around her. And if she was going to stand any chance of actually getting what she wanted, then she was going to have to make her case as to why she should get it. She needed to hoof down, and stallion up.

"No. No, screw that. I don't wanna just know about what's going on, I wanna go back to Ponyville. I wanna be there with the others, and see if there's anything that I can do to help them out. We're a team, that's what we do for each other," she stated firmly, thumping her right forehoof against the stone floor to emphasize the point she was trying to make.

Whoever was screwing with them had gone and made a serious error as far as she saw it. If it was just screwing with her, that would've been one thing. But it'd gone and screwed with the others as well, putting them all in the same boat that she was in, and that changed everything. The whole dynamic thing had shifted. And knowing that the others were facing what she was facing, that was making it hard for her to bemoan her own experiences.

"I'm not gonna beg, or grovel, or try to bargain, even plead for this. I'm just gonna state it outright. I want to go back to Ponyville, even if it means having walk all the way there on my own through the Everfree Forest. I wanna go back home again. I wanna see the others, I... I wanna see my friends again!"

Now that felt far more accurate to her. Regardless of what beliefs she found herself wrestling with right now, there were still some things that no outside interference could take away from her. Whoever had decided to declare war against them might be able to cast doubt on certain sequences of events that had taken place, but some things went far too deep to ever be modified. There were some memories, and experiences, that were so deeply ingrained over the years, that they simply couldn't be tampered with.

But beyond that, it was a very simple fact. She was fucking tired of being manipulated, like she was somepony's marionette. She was tired of it, and she refused to let it go on any further. There were no strings on her, and no voice in her head was going to be controlling her! She was going to put an end to this nonsense one way or another, even if she had to force it to happen. She was done being somepony's fool, and she was going to get her life back -no, fuck that, she was taking her life back- one way or another.

From where she sat in front of Rainbow Dash, Celestia maintained the same neutral expression, that she often had to utilize during the more stressful parts of the day court. This was an unforeseen development, but it certainly wasn't an undesired development. Rainbow Dash actually expressing a strong desire to return to Ponyville, was something she hadn't realistically expected to occur for quite some time, and only after long periods of therapy to help her get through everything. But instead of weeks -or months- of working towards that goal, they were presented with what was more or less an overnight change.

But it was the suddenness of it all, that was giving her reason to be concerned. While speedy recoveries weren't unheard of, it seemed far too sudden to be believable. Back when she'd banished Nightmare Moon -and consequently Luna as well- to the moon for a thousand years, it had taken her a very, very long time to get to where she considered herself functional again. Rainbow Dash, however, was displaying a complete one-eighty in position, in just the course of a single night. That was enough to leave her a little bit suspicious about the degree of sincerity that was behind her words.

Looking past Rainbow Dash to where Luna currently sat -and currently fidgeted uneasily- Celestia could see that her sister was experiencing a degree of conflict similar to her own. They each had reason to want to believe Rainbow Dash's words, and rejoice at her being better. There was the urge to leap about and yell excitedly -and risk bringing down the old palace in the process if they weren't careful- at hearing this wondrous news. But to give into such urges could prove to be dangerous, as they had no way of verifying either her words, or her commitment to her own statements. For all they knew, this was just a trick to let her go back to Ponyville, so she could be used to wreak havoc.

Not that they would actually suspect her of wanting to wreak havoc on her own. But if whatever was behind everything currently going on, was using her as a tool, then it was certainly possible that they had to give consideration to.

How Ulquiorra managed to keep so many different things balanced all at the same time, she honestly had no idea. True she and Luna each managed the kingdom, and dealt with the various ins and outs that were involved with such. But that still didn't mean they were prepared for weighing countless hypotheticals throughout the day, for long-term periods. When just about anything and everything could be a possibility, it was enough to drive one crazy at times.

"This is certainly an interesting turn of events since yesterday," she commented as she made an effort to feel everything out. Jumping to any snap decisions right now would certainly do them no favors. "What brought about this sudden change in perspective?" she asked.

"I did," Rainbow Dash replied simply, not wanting to go into extensive detail about what happened last night. She didn't even want to acknowledge last night, for fear that if she did, it would lend that voice credibility, complicate everything, and give it license to come back and torment her; an unacceptable possibility. "Look. I don't know all the psychological terms and stuff. Can't we just say that I'm better, and get going?" she asked.

"I'm afraid not, Rainbow Dash, not yet anyway. We're still waiting to find out what Ulquiorra's learned in his investigation. It would be a shame to go all the way to Ponyville, just to have to go back to Canterlot immediately after we get there," Celestia explained. In truth the matter was far more complicated than just that. But she didn't think the cyan pegasus would appreciate sitting through a lengthy explanation, of why letting her back in Ponyville might be a bad idea.

"Oh..." Rainbow Dash replied slowly, having not considered that possibility before. She guessed that she could see the logic in that. But then a thought occurred to her. It was one of those thoughts that tended to come out of nowhere, but made sense regardless of how left field it might seem. "So how're we gonna know what he finds out? Is he gonna come here, or write us, or what?"

Celestia was about to say something, but then she stopped and thought on it. That was certainly a good question, and one they hadn't given much consideration to. How exactly were they going to know what Ulquiorra had found? And how would they know when it was safe to return to the palace, and not complicate the investigation in the process.

"I don't know exactly," she finally admitted.

"It is a valid question," Luna agreed from where she sat. "Ulquiorra Cifer does not know where we departed to. And even though he may be on Spike's flame network, and able to receive correspondence from us, he has no way of sending correspondence on his own. However there are solutions available to us under these circumstances," she stated.

"There are?" Celestia asked as Rainbow Dash turned around to face Luna.

"Indeed. In my study, there are a number of blank scrolls available. I will simply summon them here, enchant them with an appropriate spell for correspondence purposes, and send them directly to the Espada, with a note explaining how as to return them with his findings," Luna explained as she smiled. To her it seemed like the simplest available option. And it was also the most practical option, seeing as it didn't involve a lot of tracking back and forth for any of them.

"Wow. You can actually do that?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"It can most certainly be done. And it will take but a few minutes," Luna replied, before standing up. "But first I must tend to other matters that are becoming most pressing right now," she said as she turned around and trotted out of the room.

"Hold it! What pressing matters?" Rainbow Dash asked, confused by what was going on. What had she missed while she was unconscious?

"There are certain matters a mare does not discuss in the company of others; it is quite impolite!" Luna called back without bothering to even turn around.

Rainbow Dash blinked in confusion, wondering what Luna was going on about. She turned back around and sat down as she looked at Celestia for clarification.

"Potty break, most likely," Celestia elaborated. Considering how they had to depart from the palace so quickly, it wasn't all that hard to figure out from how antsy she'd been earlier.

"Ah," Rainbow Dash replied and nodded. That made sense.

The majority of ponies that made up the palace staff were all utterly useless to him. That was Ulquiorra's opinion, based on the results of his investigative efforts so far. Or more accurately, his lack of results. Out of all of them that he'd questioned so far, none of them had been able to present any beneficial information. Whether it was due to the late hours at the time of incident, the location of their assigned duty during that time period, or simply their own obliviousness to their surroundings at the time, none of them had been helpful to him.

Making matters all the worse was the fact that they were being honest with him. He hadn't been able to detect any signs of them being deceitful in their answers, meaning he had no way of pressing them for further details. Unlike when he had questioned Thrush, the palace staff had nothing to hide about their actions. He was surrounded by honest ponies who either hadn't seen anything, or simply didn't believe that what they might've seen, was suspicious enough to warrant committing to memory.

That was perhaps the most difficult part of his investigative efforts. Despite working in the most sensitive location in all of Canterlot, the palace staff simply didn't think enough to be suspicious of its fellow members.

The second most difficult part of his investigative efforts, was the simple fact that he didn't have any way to adequately articulate just what he was looking for, in a way that these ponies would understand. They knew nothing about reiatsu textures and the like. Even if he could think of how to accurately describe what he was trying to find, it would only be in terms that he was readily familiar with; like trying to quantify gut instinct to a computer. It was yet another reminder that, even though he now spoke the same language as these ponies, there was still an insurmountable language barrier between them.

Making matters worse was how there were still so many staff members that needed to be questioned. Challons had gotten him his best estimate of an accurate time frame for the guard's death, giving him confirmation of what hours to be inquiring about with each staff member interviewed. But there was only so much that he could actually do on his own.

The guards had been doing their best to assist him in whatever manner they could, but that still left much to be desired. However they had been informative as to why there was no around the clock guard detail for the dungeons to prevent something like this from possibly occurring. According to their explanation, long-term holding of prisoners at the palace wasn't the norm, and the dungeons themselves were only used for unicorns who could otherwise escape the holding cells through magical means. And without any hard and fast rules on how to proceed, there was much to be desired.

As best he could gather, prisoners and other detainees in this dimension, received about the same degree of consideration as they did in his own dimension. In some comparisons, they received even more.

But regardless of such facts, the procedures in place had been wholly inadequate to prevent this homicide. There would likely be changes made in the future to reflect these developments. But that wasn't any of his concern right now. Right now the only concern he had was actually getting his job done.

"That will be all," he said simply, dismissing the pegasus maid that he'd been questioning up to this point. She, much like the others he had questioned so far, had no useful information about suspicious, or otherwise out of the ordinary behavior. This was like playing the shell game, despite knowing full well that the ball was no longer on the table.

As the maid took her leave from the room, something new came to his attention. Something in the form of a flash as a scroll appeared before him, before being snatched out of the air before it could fall to the floor. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that it wasn't simply one scroll, but rather multiple scrolls rolled together into one. Rather curious. He peeled the outer scroll away from the others, and tucked the rest under his left arm, in order to properly unroll it, and read whatever had been sent to him.

Dear Ulquiorra Cifer,

It has been brought to our attention that we have no effective way of back and forth communication with you from where we are. Because our presence risks complicating, or otherwise compromising the investigation that is underway, we are unable to actually return to the palace as of yet. Because of these facts, a solution has been worked out. The included scrolls have been enchanted with an older flame network spell, similar to that placed upon Spike, although it is not quite as effective. Simply cast the intended scroll into an open flame, and it will be delivered to us with whatever findings you have made.

Signed,
Princess Luna

Ulquiorra silently considered the information he'd just received. He could certainly see the beneficial aspects that such a development would occur. One-way communication via the flame network left much to be desired, as any time he needed to send a response, he invariably had to either seek out Spike, or seek out the sender himself, and physically travel to their location. Now he was being presented with the option of effectively cutting out the middle man.

Now all he needed to do was procure a lighter, and he was all set for back and forth communication.

That is... assuming this world actually had lighters. That was something that had never occurred to him before now. He knew for certain that this world had matches, but lighters were another story. Another story, best saved for another time. For the time being, however, he had other matters to tend to. Correspondence could wait until later.

Peering into the box, Celestia could see that the majority of their doughnut stock had been depleted. She supposed that she could've taken another for herself, but ultimately thought better of it. The idea behind the doughnuts had been so that she and Luna would both have something to run on, and hogging them all for herself was uncalled for, even if cake doughnuts were her favorite.

Turning away from the box, she observed Rainbow Dash's paces away from her, pacing back and forth along the floor of what used to serve as the castle's throne room. Multiple times she'd observed Luna pacing in such a manner; even she had paced in that manner before. It was the type of pacing that was ultimately born from anxiousness and restlessness, done to occupy oneself when they were facing an undetermined amount of time, and didn't know what to do with themselves, because they didn't want to get too involved with something in case they had to drop what they were doing. Or when they were too anxious to think of anything better to do.

"This is ridiculous, we've been waiting, what, twenty minutes? How long can one pony spend on takin' a piss anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked as she turned around to begin another round of pacing from east to west.

Celestia wasn't quite sure how to respond to what she'd just heard, feeling torn between snorting in amusement from just how unexpected the question was, or just making Rainbow Dash sit down, and exercise a bit of patience. The way she was acting right now, was not unlike a foal anxiously waiting on their parents to get ready to go to the toy store. It wasn't like Luna's return would be hastening their arrival in Ponyville -which hadn't even been discussed yet- so her anxiousness was ultimately going to lead to nothing. But trying to explain that fact would likely yield nothing beneficial in her current state; she'd just as sooner be able to talk some sense into one of the castle's walls.

But that didn't necessarily mean she shouldn't do something.

"Rainbow Dash," she spoke up, trying to distract the cyan pegasus from her anxiousness. "I understand that you've got a lot on your mind. But Luna coming back isn't going to make things proceed any faster. We still have a lot of things to discuss, before we can even consider going to Ponyville," she explained.

"I know, I know," Rainbow Dash replied and huffed as she sat down on her haunches. But not two seconds after sitting down, she was standing back up again, too restless to stay in one place for any length of time. Right now her legs were starting to feel really uncomfortable; like the muscles under the skin weren't right. The feeling was far too itchy, far too tight, and only pacing seemed to offer even mild relief to the unpleasant sensations going on just below the surface.

"But we are gonna go to Ponyville, right?" she asked. But she never gave Celestia the chance of talking, before she continued on her own. "I need to do this. I need to see the others, even... even Rarity. It's just one of those things that I've gotta do," she explained. Or at least she tried to explain. This was making a lot more sense in her head, than it was when she was actually vocalizing it. It felt like she was losing something in the transition from one medium to another.

She stopped to take a breath, and try to regather her thoughts. She already said that she wasn't going to be begging or pleading for this, but that didn't mean she could just expect it automatically. She needed to figure out how to put this into eloquent words... or whatever that fancy word was, that she couldn't recall right now.

"Darling!"

However all thoughts on expressing herself came to a sudden stop at hearing the voice behind them. She recognized that voice. In fact she didn't think that she could ever forget that voice if she tried.

Slowly she turned around to look at the throne room's doorway arch, to see what Celestia was currently seeing from her own vantage point, and confirm for herself, what her suspicions were already telling her.

Rarity had shown up.

Chapter Seventy Six

Chapter Seventy Six

Rainbow Dash stood stock still, uncertain of whether or not to believe what she was seeing. She was equally uncertain of whether or not she was actually seeing, what she thought she was seeing. Everything about her, was currently telling her that it was Rarity standing in the doorway, and addressing them. Or more accurately -more likely- addressing her specifically.

"R... Rarity?" she asked. She had to be imagining this. Or maybe she was dreaming it. Maybe this whole thing was just a dream, like it was on the night of the changeling invasion? Was Luna bringing them together for a meeting, since they couldn't all be together physically?

Right now that theory had some credibility to it from what she could tell. She wanted to believe that this was all real right now, but it being real just raised so many questions. How did Rarity get here in the first place? How had she known to come here? Had she come by herself, or were the others with her? Was Luna behind this, and the bathroom break was just a convenient excuse? And why was her snow-white coat still so pristine, when she would've had to cross through the Everfree Forest -certainly not a location known for being the cleanest in Equestria- to get here?

And those were just the questions that she could immediately think of at the moment. She was sure there were hundreds more that she wasn't even consciously aware of.

"Oh, darling, it's so good to see you right now!" Rarity exclaimed as started stepping through the doorway. "Everyone back in Ponyville has been so worried about you!"

That tore it, Rainbow Dash thought to herself. There was no way in Tartarus that she could bestow that much melodrama on any hallucination she was having, it was just an impossibility. That left them with only one available option, and that was the fact that she really was staring at Rarity, and not some figment of imagination brought about by her broken mind.

"Stop!" she stated and held out her right hoof as Rarity was halfway across the room now, causing her to pause in her tracks.

"Darling?" Rarity asked as she tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Whatever is the matter?"

"Let... let me come to you," Rainbow Dash stated as she set her hoof back down on the floor, before slowly making her way over to where Rarity stood. But as she did so, she was learning that this was actually harder than she first thought. Already her heart was beating faster, and her wings were twitching with every step taken. She was starting to feel agitated like she did when explaining things to Luna earlier in the morning, but it felt a lot more intense right now. She was... her fight or flight response was kicking in hard right now, and it was a lot harder to resist it, than she first thought it might be.

But regardless of that fact, she pressed on, closing the gap between them, with each step taken being jerky, as she had to force herself to see this though. Her efforts finally culminated, with being just a foreleg's distance from where Rarity currently stood, and looked at her with not only confusion, but also concern. With great hesitancy, she reached out with her foreleg, and trailed her hoof along the unicorn's cheek.

"I promise you, I'm not going to bite," Rarity remarked as she tried to break the tension that was almost palpable in the air at this point.

Rainbow Dash nodded slightly, and moved a bit closer, before throwing both forelegs around her, and pulled her into a tight hug. Rarity closed her eyes and smiled, before reciprocating the gesture, and doing so with far less aggressiveness on her part.

"Is... is that offer of yours still good?" Rainbow Dash asked hesitantly as she held onto Rarity, idly noting the firmness of the unicorn's muscle structure, and the feeling of a heartbeat; further confirming that this was actually happening. Even if she could do melodrama, there was no way her mind could trick her into imagining the warmth and everything else that was being detected.

"But of course, dear," Rarity replied as she brushed her hoof against Rainbow Dash's unkempt mane.

Again, Rainbow Dash nodded, rubbing her chin against Rarity's wither in the process.

+++

“You’ve been a naughty mare, Rainbow Dash..."

+++

Rainbow Dash froze, eyes flying open at the memory popping into her head unexpectedly. That raspy voice, and a tingling sensation creeping over her limbs, along with the phantom sensations of a cramp in her right foreleg from being prone for too long. And along with it, her heart was starting to beat faster.

+++

“First rule, you are not allowed to speak."

+++

She couldn't breathe. Or rather she was feeling like she couldn't breathe right now, with her throat feeling like it was trying to seize up on her. The aching feeling of her jaw being restrained was coming back to her, and not helping the case either.

+++

"The first order of business is to test out my new toy..."

+++

The burning ache from being viciously whipped was reemerging against her hindquarters. It was hurting like she'd been set on fire. Her heart was beating so hard right now, it felt like it was going to bust out of her chest. She couldn't breathe now, despite how hard she was trying to suck down air.

Stop remembering! Stop remembering! She was repeatedly yelling that in her mind, trying to make herself stop recalling the flashes of details playing out just behind her eyeballs. They weren't real! None of them were real, they didn't happen! She'd never been tied up, or whipped, or stood up on a block of ice, or anything else like that, she knew that for a fact!

So why... why in Equestria couldn't she get that fact through her own skull, and stop remembering these horrors like they'd just happened yesterday? Why couldn't she shake the sensation of being drenched in a cold shower?

+++

“So, Rainbow Dash, let the real fun begin...”

+++

"Rainbow Dash, what's wrong?" Rarity asked, surprised and frightened by what had developed in the span of just a few moments passing. What had driven her from uneasiness, to outright panicking in just the space of a single hug?

"Lemme go. Lemme go! Please, please let me go!" Rainbow Dash screamed as she squirmed and wriggled about in an effort to break loose from the now unwanted embrace she found herself trapped in.

Rarity didn't have a clue what was going on. All she knew was that, somehow, she was responsible for her friend's plight. Without a word of protest, she withdrew and set back down on her forelegs, and watched as Rainbow Dash immediately backtracked away from her, the panic plainly -and quite painfully- evident.

"Darling, whatever's the matter?" she asked, but daring not to step any closer just yet. She knew that her presence was playing some part in all of this, but she didn't know just how much of it all she was responsible for.

"They won't stop... they won't stop..." Rainbow Dash grunted as she squeezed her eyes shut, and feeling the desire to slam her head against the floor in response. "I know it didn't happen, I know it. But... b-b-but I can't stop thinking that they happened! I-I can't stop hurting!" she yelled as she sat down on her haunches in order to grip the sides of her head. Her brain felt like it was going to explode from all the strain it was being put under right now.

Rarity reached out to Rainbow Dash with a hoof, but the realization that this was beyond her meager degree of skill, set on her like Big Macintosh's heavy yoke, and brought her hoof back down to the ground. There was nothing in her repertoire that was going to do any good here. She was going to need something new, something different something random like Pinkie Pie. This was going to call for a certain... je ne sais quoi...

"Rainbow Dash, please listen to me," Rarity spoke up as she looked the disturbed pegasus right in the eye. "I need you to pay attention to what I have to say, it's most important. I want you to hit me," she stated.

W... what?" Rainbow Dash said in between gasps for air, before setting her hooves back on the ground, certain that she would've tipped over if she didn't do so.

"You're obviously hurting from something that you subconsciously believe that I did, something you're convinced happened, even if it didn't. So it's only fair that you hurt me in response. It's the only thing that I can do for you, darling, so please do it. I want you to hit me, in the face, as hard as you can," Rarity explained, bracing herself for the coming impact that was going to be landed against her.

"... No..."

"What?" Rarity asked and blinked, confused by what she'd just heard. Looking at Rainbow Dash, she could see that the disturbed pegasus was seething right now, sucking in air through grit teeth, as she glared furiously at the floor in front of her, her body heaving with each forceful breath being taken. It was like watching a cross between the aftermath of a most strenuous workout, and being overcome with a most unbelievable rage, but having no way of expressing it.

"I'm not gonna do it," Rainbow Dash panted, her chest heaving as she spoke, and even after. "I'm not... going to... hit you! You don't deserve it!" she stated more forcefully in between pants, as she squeezed her eyes shut. With her lips tightly pursed, she started breathing in through her nose, pulling deep breaths as she did, before finally exhaling through grit teeth.

The flashes in her head weren't real. They were nothing more than a load of utter horseshit! She had seen things that contradicted what she was remembering and flashing back to. She had felt things she'd never felt before, that told her the memories weren't real. She even remembered things that contradicted the memories that were giving her so much grief. Every intellectual fiber of her being was telling her that none of it had ever happened, and she knew that for a fact!

But regardless of how much she knew that none of it had happened, she couldn't shake the feeling of it actually happening. She could tell herself that she was being foalish, and stupid, and unreasonable. But no matter how hard she tried to tell herself off, none of it was having the desired effect. Something about her was convinced, beyond all reasonable doubt, that her friends had not only betrayed her, but also brutalized her.

Whatever that part of her was, however, she was determined to not let it win out in the end. She couldn't let it win out. And it was for that reason, that she had to force herself to calm down.

It was a very slow, tedious, and involved process to engage in. But finally, after much effort at slowing down her breathing, it was finally done. She was once again calm, no longer feeling the primal urge to upchuck her waffles, and she didn't feel like she was about to suffer a heart attack if she couldn't escape from the area. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and looked back up at where Rarity was now sitting, and looking back at her.

"That's better. I'm... I'm alright now, I think. Just... just keep your distance for a while, just in case, okay?" she asked in between shallow breaths. She might've been able to get herself calmed down enough to deal with this situation, but that didn't mean she was fully rested. She was still incredibly uncomfortable with the circumstances of her surroundings, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle at the moment. Or at least she didn't think it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. If she could keep herself calm, she could triumph over whatever was fucking with her mind.

"If you insist, darling. But whatever happened just now? What was that?" Rarity asked. Seeing a friend almost go completely to pieces, and all from being on the receiving end of a hug, was something that just didn't make sense to her. There had to be something more to it, and she wanted to know what it was, as not knowing was starting to make her feel frantic.

"Exactly the same thing that's been happening to Sweetie Belle, and Applejack, and all the others," Rainbow Dash replied as she sat up straighter than before. "But I've got it under control now. I think," she said as she stood back up again, before letting out a relieved sigh. That had been a lot harder than she thought it would be, but she'd done it.

Unfortunately the matter was far from being resolved, and she knew that for a fact. Simply because she'd managed to avoid beating Rarity to a bloody pulp, or descend into a crying mess on the floor, didn't mean they were done here; not yet anyway.

"What about the others? Are they here too?" she asked.

"I'm afraid not, darling," Rarity replied and shook her head slowly. "I was the only one who could make the journey on such short notice."

"Oh..." Rainbow Dash slowly replied. "That's alright. That might be for the best anyway."

"Pardon?" Rarity asked.

"When I first saw you, I almost pounded you into the ground, because I was remembering you doing things that didn't happen. That was after just one hug with you. What do you think might happen if it was Pinkie Pie instead?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"... Oh..." Rarity replied slowly, the realization dawning on her. She could certainly see how that might be an ugly situation to be in, considering how aggressive Pinkie could be in physical displays of affection. She really didn't want to imagine what sort of reaction Rainbow Dash would have, if she were to suddenly be besieged by the pink party pony. "So you don't want to come back to Ponyville, then?"

"It's not that," Rainbow Dash quickly stated and shook her head, "I really do. I just..." she paused as she tried to find a way to explain things. "I know that I can be calm if I really try, but I don't know if I can stay calm. And I really don't wanna wind up hurting anypony if I can't. It's... it's gonna take time," she explained as best the could.

Trying to calm herself down had been hard. Really, really hard. Hard like trying to perform the Sonic Rainboom the second time around. It was physically taxing to try and choke down all that anger, and not simply let it all out. And the worst part of it all, was the fact that it hadn't gone away, but rather she was just doing her best to ignore it. The urge to pound Rarity was still there, even if she wasn't consciously acknowledging it, and it was a struggle to not let it get out of hoof, or look for any excuse to unload on her.

But considering everything she'd gone through before this whole mess started, it wasn't exactly a new concept to wrestle with. She knew that she could do it, but it was going to take time to ensure that she not only had herself under control, but also that she wouldn't be posing a threat to the others. She needed to figure out a way to not simply suppress what she was currently feeling, but stop feeling it entirely. Rarity and the others were supposed to be her friends, and no friend should feel like this towards another.

She saw Rarity opening her mouth to say something. But whatever she was about to say, was halted by the flash of a flame appearing in front of her face. That startled the both of them, as a scroll materialized out of thin air, before falling to the ground at Rarity's hooves.

The sudden appearance of the fire and scroll wasn't as much surprising to Rainbow Dash, as it was simply unexpected. She'd seen the same happen before when Twilight got correspondence from others. Or rather she saw the flames come from Spike when the correspondence came. What truly was surprising to her, however, was that for one brief moment after the flash of fire, she saw Rarity's appearance fade away, and be replaced by that of Luna as she stood back up, before immediately switching back to Rarity again.

"Luna?" she asked in surprise. And while she was no expert at reading expressions, she was pretty sure that the look she was getting right now, was the same guilty expression ponies tended to give when they were caught doing something that they didn't want found out.

"Rarity" didn't say anything in response, instead opting to sigh, close her eyes, and hang her head in shame/defeat. Rainbow Dash watched in confusion as her entire body shifted from white and indigo, to completely blacked out like a silhouette, before growing and expanding in size, and the black fading away to reveal Luna standing in place.

"What in Tartarus is going on here?" Rainbow Dash asked/demanded as she glared at the lunar princess standing before her. But she didn't wait for an answer, before whirling around to face Celestia next. "Did you know about this? Is that why you didn't speak up when I thought it was Rarity coming through the door?"

"I did," Celestia spoke firmly from where she sat. "And if you'd cool your hooves, rather than getting excited, I'll explain why," she stated.

Rainbow Dash was surprised by the sudden authoritarian shift she heard in Celestia's voice as she spoke. She didn't know what was up, but it must've been pretty important if she was doing that. Without a word, she sat down on her haunches to listen to what she might have to say.

"As I said, it's true that I knew about what Luna was planning. She contacted me during her absence to brief me on what she had in mind, so I wouldn't be alerted when she walked through the door. As incessant as you were about returning to Ponyville to see the others, we knew we had to do something. But we also needed to properly control the situation in case something happened. This seemed like the safest option that was available to us under the present circumstances," Celestia explained, deciding that the best course of action they had right now, was to give Rainbow Dash the full truth. Otherwise she might wind up assuming something wrong, and setting back whatever progress had been made.

From behind, Luna nodded in agreement, even if Rainbow Dash couldn't see the gesture for herself.

"You said it yourself, that you wished to know if you could be around the others, without experiencing the desire to kill them over what you remember them doing," she spoke up as she approached, and stepped around to the front to face her again. "As we have learned, this is not yet the case. However you were able to resist acting upon your impulses, and you even managed to make yourself came down. It is quite a commendable feat on your part," she explained.

Tricking Rainbow Dash had not been pleasant on her part, even if it had been for a good cause. Utilizing her illusion magic to make herself look -and sound- like Rarity had left a poor taste in her mouth, especially after her illusion had been broken by the sudden -and unexpected- arrival of the scroll. It certainly hadn't been how she would've wanted the truth to come out, but there was nothing to be done about it. Now it was just a matter of damage control on their parts.

Rainbow Dash remained silent, not sure of what to say. She could've commented on how it was a dirty trick that they'd pulled, but that really didn't feel right. She could see how it made sense, since none of them knew how she was going to react when she saw the others. And if she hadn't been able to get a hold of herself, and actually punched Luna in the face when she thought she was Rarity, she doubted she'd be able to forgive herself.

She really, really wanted to say something about all of this right now. But try as she might, she just couldn't think of anything that felt right to her. Nothing really struck her as being appropriate. It was annoying actually.

All that aside, however, Luna had raised a good point. They had managed to accomplish what she'd wanted to set out and do this morning, even if they hadn't gone about it exactly as she'd intended. So like it or not, they still had a lot of work that needed to be done, and even she was aware of that fact.

"So what's Ulquiorra have to say anyway? Did he catch the murderer yet?" she asked, deciding to change the subject entirely. Moping about her own shortcomings wasn't going to do any good, so she might as well inquire about something new.

The only bright spot to all of this, was that she could feel her agitated state melting away. Maybe it was something triggered by sight and sound, meaning it stopped when Luna changed back to herself.

"Let us see," Luna muttered as she levitated the scroll off the ground, and unrolled it to read whatever updates had been sent to them.

The investigation has been concluded. It is safe to return to Canterlot palace in order to be briefed on the details that have been uncovered.

It would also be wise for Rainbow Dash to return as well.

Luna frowned as she turned away from the scroll. She understood that Ulquiorra was quite good at what he did, and he wasn't shy about letting others know about such. But the fact that he took the time to inform them that he was aware about Rainbow Dash's absence, just seemed to reek of arrogance to her. It was quite annoying really.

"So what's he say?" Rainbow Dash asked again.

"Not a great deal, other than telling us to return to the palace. I assume that is his way of informing us that his findings are either too numerous, or too complicated, to properly share via the mail," Luna replied as she rolled the scroll back up again.

That, or the Espada was simply flexing his jerkitude muscles. She wasn't positively sure as to which was the case.

Whatever the case was, they would likely not be getting any answers, until they actually returned.

"Then let's not delay on this matter. Ulquiorra has answers, and I want them," Celestia stated as she stood up from where she'd been sitting. Whoever had murdered Ready Stance, she wanted them not only found and identified, but also restrained. As agitated as she felt right now, she couldn't say with absolute certainty that she would object to whatever treatment Ulquiorra might have seen fit to administer in the course of those duties.

She certainly hadn't objected to how rough he'd gotten with Thrush when the stallion had refused to comply with the guards when he was placed under arrest. But when it came to this case... this case had managed to cut so much closer to home for her, and there was no telling how things might proceed. The way she felt right now, she might even let Ulquiorra do whatever he saw fit on this case, so long as the guilty party was still able to talk when it came time for questioning. As agitated as she was right now, she doubted that she would be able to object if their quarry had four broken legs, just so long as she could get the answers she was after.

The return trip to Canterlot had been weird as far as Rainbow Dash was concerned. Sure she'd been teleported before, so that was nothing unusual. But never had the teleportation been done, while she was riding on the back of one of the Princesses. She really didn't get the whole reasoning behind why Luna insisted that she settle in on top of her in such a way for the journey, but she'd insisted it regardless.

Maybe it was for safety's sake, since Celestia had been so agitated at the time, and the fewer free-floating bodies to focus on, the better? Or maybe it was an effort at further making up for everything that had gone crazy since last night? She certainly wouldn't put that past them at this stage in the game. But whatever the reasoning, she really wasn't going to waste too much time in over-thinking everything; simply because the position was just plain cozy to ride in! Luna certainly wasn't anything like cloud material, but the combination of furry and downy in this particular case was hard to beat. Maybe she was a little hasty in rejecting the offer of access to those fancy shampoos, if this was the type of results they got.

Unfortunately the comfort of the ride was ended far too soon, and before she knew it, they were in the gardens of Canterlot palace. With a sigh and a grumble about just getting comfortable, Rainbow Dash climbed down off of Luna's back, stepping down onto the grass.

All things considered, however, the grass of the outside wasn't bad either. It'd been so long since her hooves had touched anything natural, it was a welcomed change from the marble and carpet that she'd been stepping on for days on end. She knew that officially she was allowed to visit the gardens, so long as the guards escorted her, but it felt really odd having them follow her everywhere. And it was that odd feeling that more often than not motivated her to stay inside most of the time.

"So how come we set down in the gardens, and not inside the palace?" she asked as the three of them began walked towards the doors that lead inside.

"At present the palace is still on lock down. The safeguards in place ensure that nopony can get in or out without authorization," Celestia explained, before coming to a halt in front of the large glass pane doors that lead to the inside.

Rainbow Dash stopped when they stopped, and watched as Celestia's horn flickered to life from concentration. Immediately before them, she saw the shimmering appearance of a force field becoming more readily visible in front of the glass doors, before just sort of... flickering out of existence like it was nothing. Thinking back, she really couldn't recall actually witnessing that many force fields being deactivated. Sure, she'd seen some defeated through brute force, but she'd never paid attention to them getting shut down by the willingness of the user.

But her thoughts on the matter of the force field came to a halt as the doors were pulled open from the outside, and revealed Ulquiorra standing there as if he'd been waiting for them the whole time.

"How'd you know where we were coming from?" she asked without even thinking. Considering how many doors, windows, and balconies that the palace had to it, him being able to find them so easily left her curious.

"Through the process of elimination. With teleportation throughout the palace being inhibited, the garden was the most likely point of arrival to focus on," Ulquiorra explained.

What detail he didn't go into with the explanation, however, was that the gardens were the most logical location for them to arrive at, primarily due to her presence. Regardless of everything that had happened, Rainbow Dash was still subject to a suicide watch, and security bangle. Should she have attempted to make a break for it at some point, no matter how unlikely it was, she would've been rendered unconscious during her attempt at escape, and gone into free fall, putting her at risk of killing herself. With the space afforded by the gardens, that would be much less likely, than if the arrival point had been the balcony outside of the throne room. He had been aware of that fact, and they had likely been aware as well.

He certainly wasn't opposed to explaining how it was her unpredictable nature that warranted such an assumption of what actions would be taken. But that could always wait for another time.

"I'm sure it's all very interesting," Celestia replied curtly as she stepped forward, "but at the moment I'm more interested in your findings. I want to see the guilty party immediately," she stated.

"That will have to wait until later. For the time being, your presence is needed in the throne room. And I would recommend all three of you being present together," Ulquiorra replied.

"... What?" Celestia asked. Had he actually given her the brushoff in that statement? Had he just dismissed her out of hoof, like she was some sort of foal?

"Your presence is needed in the throne room," Ulquiorra repeated. "Princess Luna and Rainbow Dash will need to be present as well for this."

And just like that, Ulquiorra was gone from view in a burst of sonido, leaving Celestia blinking, and incapable of asking for clarification as to what he meant. If she had to guess, she'd say that was his way of telling her to shut up, and stop asking him anymore questions.

Turning back around to look at Luna and Rainbow Dash, she could see that they were easily as confused as she was.

"Well then. It looks like the throne room is our next stop," she replied, not knowing what else to say on the matter. Nor was she certain that it would be wise to continue wasting time talking.

"Then let us be off," Luna replied and stepped forward. The sooner they could get answers, the better off they would all be.

The walk back to the throne room took far longer to achieve than it should have. That was Celestia's take on the whole matter. She knew that they could've reached their destination in a matter of just a few minutes when traveling on hoof from the gardens. But under present circumstances they were metaphorically shackled, as they had to maintain a pace that Rainbow Dash could keep up with.

In hindsight it was a really unkind way of looking at the situation; downright mean, and even cruel, if she thought about it. Even in her own mind, Celestia really didn't want to make it seem like she resented any one of her little ponies, because she simply didn't. She knew that it wasn't Rainbow Dash's fault that they had to keep her physical limitations in mind.

While it was true that she had fully recovered from the injuries she'd sustained in her escape from the hospital, she still had a long way to go in her recovery. Her weight was significantly below the ideal range for a pegasus of her age. And being deprived of her usual exercise regimen for so long had certainly done her muscles no favors. Celestia sometimes found herself wondering, if the only thing that kept Rainbow Dash up and moving, was the sheer amount of stubbornness that she seemed to possess.

It was for reasons like that, that she didn't want Rainbow Dash to ever believe that she was frustrated, or displeased with her. All she was, was frustrated by this turn of developments, slowing down their progress in getting the answers she so desperately craved right now. Why Ulquiorra had insisted that they go to the throne room before answering any questions, she couldn't fathom. And why the insistence that Rainbow Dash accompany them, was even more mind boggling to consider.

But whatever the case for Ulquiorra's unusual behavior right now, there was little they could do about it, other than play along.

"I swear, if this is his idea of some kinda joke, I'm gonna flying kick him right in the face."

Revise that. Play along, and try not to let on that she was amused by Rainbow Dash's statement of displeasure with how things were shaping up. She just hoped that, on the off chance that she was being serious, she'd exercise less force than the last time; she really didn't want to think that Rainbow Dash would actually go and break her leg a second time, and in the exact same manner.

"Something tells me that such will not be the case, Rainbow Dash," Luna replied as they continued walking along. "I cannot quantify it in round terms, but I suspect Ulquiorra Cifer has good reason for wanting us in the throne room," she explained.

Rainbow Dash's only response was a noncommittal grunt. However it was a sentiment that Celestia fully agreed with. She believed that Luna was right on the matter, that Ulquiorra had a good reason for what he was doing, but she still didn't like it. She was as anxious as a foal on Hearth's Warming Day right now, and was doing her best not to simply gallop ahead of the others. And she just grew more anxious as the distance between them and the throne room grew shorter with each step taken.

By the time the final fifty feet was crossed, the wait was bordering on excruciating; like a phantom toothache being exposed to ice-water. And she could feel it starting to affect her in the same manner. She was just about to start barking out orders for Ulquiorra to start explaining himself and his actions as she crossed through the large doorway. But then she stopped, and looked, and realized that the four of them weren't alone. In fact there was a significant number of ponies present in the room, and looking at her as she stepped inside.

Some of those that were present and assembled, she recognized immediately; such as Challons, Malar, and Corners. Others, not so much. It was hard to look at a sea of faces, and readily pick everyone out just right off the bat; a fact that was especially true when it came to her guards, and how most identifying features they possessed were hidden by their armoring. She knew each and every one of those present, but couldn't immediately recall their names if questioned.

Complicating the identification matter was how a good portion of those present were from Luna's division of the palace staff. And from what she was seeing, the majority of them looked quite exhausted. Looking over them as they tried to remain awake and alert, she couldn't help but wonder if Ulquiorra had actually dragged them out of their beds in the course of the investigation, in order to question them about what their involvement was.

"What exactly is the meaning of this?" she heard Luna ask as she walked up beside her, voicing the question she'd intended to ask, but had hesitated before she could actually get it out.

"The results of an exhaustive investigation," Ulquiorra replied simply as he stood and faced the diarchy, his hands tucked away in his pockets as he did so. "Challons has approximated the time of death for the guard, as being within the same time window as that for Thrush. These ponies that are present, are the ones that have no corroborating alibi for the time frame of the incident, or who were otherwise witnessed to be within the vicinity by other staff members," he explained.

Celestia stopped before saying anything else, and looked over the present ponies again, scanning their expressions, and -this time around- noting how uneasy they all were. But then again that was easy enough to understand, considering what was currently being discussed. Them all being assembled together, all being informed that their circumstances made them prime suspects in the death of one of her most trusted of guards... it had to be nerve wracking for them to consider.

But then again, it wasn't all that easy for her either, to consider the possibility that one of these ponies was responsible. She knew these ponies. She trusted these ponies. The mere thought that one of them -or even worse, a number of them- could be responsible for what took place, left her feeling quite sick to even consider.

"I see..." she began slowly, mulling over how to proceed. Suddenly the idea of getting her answers, was seeming less appealing. "And, in your professional opinion, which among them, is responsible for the death of Ready Stance?" she asked, noting how they tensed up at her words, and the implied meaning that was behind them. There was also the fact that, from their perspective, she was asking someone they might perceive as being of dubious loyalty, for what he thought regarding their credibility, and integrity. She could certainly understand the uneasiness that the circumstances might cause them.

"My opinion has no bearing on the case, only my findings. And having scoured the entire palace thoroughly, I can conclusively state that the one who perpetrated your guard's murder is nowhere to be found, and has been absent for at least ten hours now," Ulquiorra explained.

Celestia blinked, uncertain of what facial expression to be using right now with this revelation, and the revelation that it brought with it; without actually saying it outright, Ulquiorra was saying that this entire morning had been nothing but a gigantic waste of their time.

"Now just one butt rutting MINUTE here!"

Off to the side, Rainbow Dash nearly erupted with laughter at the sudden, and highly unexpected, outburst that'd come from Corners of all ponies. Regardless of how serious the situation was meant to be, there was just something about not only what he'd said, but the manner in which he'd said it, that had managed to tickle her funny bone, after leaving her utterly stunned, and get her snorting, as she tried hard to bite back a roaring laugh that was just begging to be let out.

"I've been standing here for the last half hour, just about pissing myself in terror that I'm going to get banished to the moon, accused of a crime that I didn't commit, and you're telling us just now, you knew all along that none of us was the guilty party!?" Corners continued in his outburst, terror quickly being washed away by the fury brought on by this revelation.

From the others in the throne room, a chorus of disgruntled agreement sounded in response to the question that'd just been presented by the unicorn orderly, his sentiments being echoed with a significant and vocal force. And that force increased as the lunar guards, greatly displeased at realizing their sleep had been interrupted for no reason, began adding angered obscenities to the mix.

It was at that point, that Rainbow Dash's efforts of keeping her laughter suppressed utterly failed her, and she was sent to the floor at hearing some of the things being hurled about so freely.

It was also at this point, that Celestia had finally had enough, and decided to intervene.

"Everypony just shut up already!" she barked at them. And all at once, the chorus of angered voices went silent, as all eyes turned to her, with a number of them shrinking in response to being yelled at. She noted how even Rainbow Dash had grown quite in the aftermath. Now that there was silence again, she took a calming breath to help steady her nerves, and re-don the mask of serenity she was forced to wear so often. "My little ponies, I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you might have experienced today. Those of you that have business beyond the palace walls, I assure you, the lock down procedures will be disengaged momentarily. For the time being, you're all dismissed, and free to leave," she stated softly.

Stepping aside to let the others pass by them in whatever direction they were headed, Celestia -as well as Luna and Rainbow Dash by extension- watched as the room slowly emptied, until only Ulquiorra remained behind. With this fact firmly in mind, she stepped forward to address him.

"I trust you believed you had good reason for hauling them all in here, and proceeding in the manner that you did?" she asked him, deciding to cut straight to the matter, rather than asking him what the big idea of it all was.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied simply.

"Is it a lengthy explanation as to the motivation behind your actions?" Celestia asked.

"Moderately," Ulquiorra replied in the same simplistic manner.

"I figured as much," Celestia replied and closed her eyes momentarily, before opening them again to look back at the Espada. "Perhaps you can dispense with explanation as to why, and devote the time to the explanation of the what?" she suggested, having little tolerance for otherwise right now.

"Very well then," Ulquiorra replied. If Princess Celestia preferred a straight to the point briefing of what he'd found, rather than how he'd gone about finding it, that was alright with him. "When I carried out an examination of the guard's body, I discovered an anomaly being present. In basic terms I would categorize it as being nothing more than static; simple background noise as it were, whose sole purpose for existence, is filling in what would otherwise be dead air silence. This could easily be explained as the result of traipsing through any unexpected area where countless others have been, and the lingering reiatsu patterns are far too degraded and weak, to be identifiable. However this particular pattern of static has absolutely no reason for even being present in Canterlot, as the only time I ever sensed it before, was during the times I was present in Ponyville," he explained.

"Wait, say what!?" Rainbow Dash immediately asked, not even waiting for any elaboration as to what he was talking about. All she got out of his explanation, was that something belonging in Ponyville -other than herself- had been found to be in Canterlot, and was connected to somepony's death.

"I am inclined to agree with that question. What you are saying, Ulquiorra Cifer, is difficult to properly comprehend," Luna replied.

Ulquiorra, in response, said nothing that would clarify what he was saying. A more direct approach was going to be necessary. With that fact in mind, he withdrew his left hand from his pocket, and reached up for his left eye.

Having bore witness to the Solita Vista technique before, Celestia, Luna, and Rainbow Dash each knew what was about to happen. But even that didn't properly prepare them for actually witnessing as Ulquiorra plucked his own eye right out of his head, and crushed it. Nor did it give them time to respond before the cloud of crystallized particles overtook them all.

What immediately followed was them being besieged by what they could only assume, was what Ulquiorra had sensed, seen, and felt, during the course of his investigation. Mana patterns and textures were flashing before their eyes, and in their minds, as they were presented with comprehensions they never would've been able to make on their own, detailing his findings with every single pony that had been present in the palace at the time. For a moment, they came to understand how Ulquiorra could identify various ponies without having to actually see them; the uniqueness of each texture that they were presented with, was a lot like the uniqueness that they would use in determining who a pony was based on appearance and memory of previous meetings with them.

Then came the "static" as Ulquiorra had referred to it. As best they could tell, it was certainly a reiatsu texture that was being dealt with in this case, but it wasn't one that struck any of them as being familiar from Ulquiorra's perspective. Whatever it was, and wherever it had come from, there were certainly traces all over Ready Stance's body; not to the same degree of Ready Stance's reiatsu being on Thrush's body, but it was still a significant level that was present.

And then came the answer to the unasked question that had developed in their minds, of just how Ulquiorra couldn't locate something if he could still seemingly identify it. The next revelation brought to the forefronts of their minds, as an overhead view of not just Ponyville, but also the surrounding territories, came into their mind's eye. And along with that overhead view, that showed how the entire area was positively saturated in the identified reiatsu; it was quite literally everywhere, and in varying concentrations. It was found on buildings, on trees, benches, on the ground, in the dirt, in the air... it was almost like they were looking at a wholly integral portion of Ponyville itself.

The revelation was downright terrifying to even consider. Whoever -or whatever- was responsible for the death of Ready Stance -and quite possibly the death of Thrush as well- had apparently been lurking around Ponyville with such frequency, that it had managed to just about blanket the entire area in its taint. Even worse than that, it had been lurking about freely for well over a month; likely long before Ulquiorra had ever arrived in their world, going by the varying concentrations that were all over the place, and Ulquiorra's included understanding on the natural degradation rate of such things.

With such facts in mind, it was no longer a mystery to any of them why Ulquiorra had never detected anything out of place in his time here in Equestria. Things had been out of place since before he'd first arrived, and he didn't know any difference. How could they expect him to be finding the source of this mess, when it was actively camouflaging itself, by making all of Ponyville one big suspect?

And just like that, as fast as it had come, they found themselves free of Ulquiorra's... well, they found themselves free of just whatever that had been a moment ago, informative as it was.

"That doesn't get any easier," Rainbow Dash mumbled and shuddered, feeling creepy all over from the whole experience. But at the moment her mind was focused on more than just her own discomfort. "What... what was that anyway?" she asked, trying to vocalize all the questions that were coming to her mind, but finding it utterly impossible.

"My findings," Ulquiorra stated simply as he tucked his hand back into his pocket, before opening his newly grown left eye, and turning his attention back to them. "What it means, I haven't yet been able to determine. All that I know for certain, is that we face significantly more questions than we did previously."

"Oh come ON already!" Rainbow Dash yelled angrily at hearing Ulquiorra's statement. All eyes might've been on her right now, but she didn't particularly care. She was beyond frustrated with the idea of them not having any answers available, and she was going to make that fact known. "This is horseshit!" she continued as she reared up on her hind legs in order to throw her fronts hooves up in exasperation. "How can we not know anything? How? After all that, how do we still not know which end is up?" she asked as she set back down on her front hooves.

"I most heartily agree," Luna agreed, but with far greater restraint on the matter. Not that she didn't want to hurl about obscenities to emphasize how upset she was right now, but since Rainbow Dash had beaten her to the punch, it was up to her to exercise a sense of decorum now. "How is it, Ulquiorra Cifer, with all the information you have been able to gather, that we are still unable to garner any answers as to what is going on around here?" she asked him pointedly.

"Because these are circumstances unlike anything I've ever encountered before," Ulquiorra replied with equal pointedness. There wasn't a situation like this, that he could readily recall ever being experienced in the past; not in his own world, and certainly not in this one. And that was a fact he didn't like, as he had no idea on how to proceed with the investigation. "At this point in time, all I have is speculation."

"Then speculate," Celestia spoke up, not mincing words on the matter. "I don't care how random the notions may strike you, Ulquiorra, tell us what theories you have. At this point I'm desperate to hear anything," she stated.

Ulquiorra paused in thought. They... actually wanted him to go about random speculation, based on what little information they had available to them? They -in essence- wanted him to just guess as to what was going on?

Every theory that he had been presented so far, had been carefully thought on, examined, and based upon what he believed amounted to sufficient evidence to warrant putting them forward. From the theory that they were facing an enemy who had sent the dragon after them, to the theory that the enemy was aware of their suspicions, and had switched its standard pattern to mix things up. Everything had been based on what he believed was tangible evidence. But this... what they were asking for, was wild mass guessing, fueled by hysteria, and paranoia. He was... he wasn't comfortable with taking such a route of doing things. And yet, that was exactly what they were asking of him.

He felt the slight -but still noticeable- urge to groan in response to this undesired turn of events. Oh this was going to be fun indeed...

"Circumstantial evidence would suggest that what happened here last night, is connected to what's been occurring in Ponyville over the last twenty three days, if not even longer than that. The presence of this unidentified reiatsu would certainly suggest that as being the case here. But whatever the connection is, I can't see it. I'm as without answers as anyone else present, as to how Thrush factors into everything. To the best of my knowledge, the forensic accountant isn't anywhere close to finishing the audit of the hospital records, to determine just what crimes Thrush could've been charged with. Although now that point is entirely moot, unless we're attempting to identify co-conspirators, such as whatever psychiatrist was responsible for prescribing the anti-psychotics Rainbow Dash was put on in the first place," Ulquiorra explained. That was something else that they may wish to look into. Or perhaps it wasn't. Either way he'd put that fact out there, for them to worry about on their own.

For the time being, there were other points that needed to be raised. And it was quite fortunate that they hadn't interrupted him during the momentary pause he'd given.

"Back to the main point, however, the question of how Thrush is connected to what has been going on. Could he have discovered something during the time Rainbow Dash was at the hospital? If so, why was he murdered last night instead of sooner? The number of possible questions raised is significant, and possibly endless," he further pointed out.

"Tell us something we don't know," Rainbow Dash mumbled in response, not really liking all the discussion that involved Thrush. And she really didn't care for the suggestion that he might've somehow stumbled across an answer that they were lacking. To her it just suggested that he might've had some actual credibility in how he'd been handling her case.

"Very well then," Ulquiorra replied. If Rainbow Dash wished to hear something else, then she was about to do just that, as his mind was already formulating that something else. "For all of the questions that have been raised, there is one possible theory as to what exactly is going on; that this unknown entity we find ourselves facing, is not only aware of our endeavors, but is actively -and deliberately- screwing with us, and our efforts. When everything that has happened so far, is examined from a logical perspective, such a possibility seems to be the most likely explanation. Thrush being murdered inside his holding cell, and his body being left out in the open to be discovered. The guard responsible for the murder, being murdered in turn, and his body left to be discovered in an area that the palace staff would have reason to frequent. Usually a murderer would take steps to try and conceal the evidence of their crime, unless they were deliberately boasting about their ability to kill, while simultaneously being able to avoid the authorities. This turn of events would suggest arrogance on their part, and hint at a superiority complex," he explained, before pausing to give them time to properly digest everything he'd just given them.

It wasn't exactly the freshest of theories that had been presented for consideration. It was more or less a rehash of one of the theories he'd presented on the twelfth of June, after the manticore attack. That had been based on the utter randomness of how things had unfolded. But this was based on a number of varying factors that were too coincidental for them to ignore. This time around, the theory bore a more careful examination, as there was more circumstantial evidence that would support it being a possibility. There was more that grounded it as a very real possibility.

"Furthermore, while the reiatsu on the guard's body could be regarded as a sign of carelessness on the entity's part, it may prove more prudent to regard it as a deliberate decision on this entity's part. If it's been able to successfully avoid detection for this long, it seems unlikely at best, that it would've actually screwed up, and made such an otherwise rookie mistake just now," he continued.

Celestia remained silent as she thought. She heard Luna and Rainbow Dash speaking up, and saying something, but she wasn't paying enough attention to actually decipher what was going on around her. At the moment she was too busy thinking about the possibilities of what Ulquiorra had said. And the possibilities were indeed, very grim to give actual consideration to. The notion that they were being toyed with was disturbing even under the best of circumstances, but it was just so much worse when ponies were actually dying as a result. And if that wasn't bad enough, the victims were being killed right under their noses, and there was nothing they could do to prevent it from happening.

But she also realized that there were far more disturbing aspects as to what was going on, than the simple fact that ponies were being killed around them. If Ulquiorra's theory was correct, and this entity was indeed toying with them, as well as exercising awareness of what they were doing, then there was the distinct possibility that it was potentially trying to manipulate them into doing certain things that would benefit it. What if it was trying to herd them into a trap through its efforts, and they were too blind to actually see it?

And if the mystery entity was really making an attempt to herd them into a trap, then ultimately what was that trap?

"There's also the question of why Thrush was murdered, but Rainbow Dash was not."

"What!?"

That short exchange, however, had managed to cut through Celestia's own dark thoughts, and bring her right back to the here and now. No longer was she focused on the notion of them being played into a corner, as the excitement in the room was taking center stage.

"Just what's that supposed to mean anyway?!" Rainbow Dash yelled at Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra, in turn, never broke his characteristic stoicism. And instead of facing Rainbow Dash, he faced her instead; much as he had done when questioned by the guards previously in the day.

"The deceased guard's name was Ready Stance. What was his previous assignment?" he asked simply, seemingly ignoring Rainbow Dash and Luna entirely.

"Providing a security detail for-" Celestia started in answering, only to pause as the words stuck in her throat. The realization suddenly fell on her like a ton of bricks at just what Ulquiorra had been talking about a moment ago. "For... Rainbow Dash..." she finished as everything started fitting together.

"Great Faust," Luna breathed, unconsciously unfurling, and extending her right wing to cover her mouth in an effort to muffle the gasp.

"What? What's going on?" Rainbow Dash asked, completely lost about what they were saying. What did one of the guards she'd been stuck with, have to do with Ulquiorra wondering why she wasn't being murdered? What weren't they telling her? And more importantly, why weren't they telling her?

"Rainbow Dash," Celestia began slowly as she turned to face the upset pegasus, and explain things to her in a way that she would understand. "Ready Stance was one of my most loyal of guards. When it came to assembling your protective detail, he was at the very top of my list of picks, due to his integrity, and his long record of distinguished service. I knew that he would take his duty seriously, when it came to keeping you safe from harm," she explained. She paused to evaluate, and it looked like her explanation was being understood, but she couldn't say for certain. Undaunted, she continued.

"The fact that this mystery entity... possessed... Ready Stance?" she asked, pausing as she turned her attention to Ulquiorra to see if that was the proper word in this case. His response was a simple nod, indicating that it was. "This proves that it could've gotten to you at any time it so pleased, and there would've been nothing we could've done to stop it from happening. If Ready Stance was possessed, then any member of the palace staff could've been possessed in his place; including any one of the guards assigned to you, regardless of what shift they pulled. You could've been killed right under our noses, and we would've never known about it, until it was too late," she explained.

"Whoa..." Rainbow Dash replied breathlessly, suddenly finding it very necessary to sit down after hearing this. This was some seriously, seriously heavy shit they were now facing. Right now she was starting to wish she hadn't asked any questions.

"What... whatever does this mean?" Luna asked as she turned to Ulquiorra, hoping that he would have answers. She wouldn't even waste time as to hoping what those answers might involve, just so long as there were answers to be given.

"A significant amount of complication on our parts. In addition to the various questions this naturally raises, and furthering the theory that we're actively being screwed with by an enemy we can't identify, we now have to address the fact, that this leaves the entirety of the palace staff significantly compromised. Of the several hundred ponies currently employed to work at Canterlot palace, only the three of us would appear to be immune to the entity's influential abilities," Ulquiorra explained. And even before any of them could open their mouths, to question him as to how he had arrived at such a conclusion, he was already explaining the reasoning behind it.

"According to Challons' medical expertise, time of death occurred between the hours of ten and twelve PM last night, both for Thrush, and Ready Stance. And they both occurred while we were far away from the palace, investigating another, more serious matter at the time. This would -theoretically at least- suggest that we either possess a resistance that can't be readily overcome, or that we might have detected the presence at arrival, and been able to respond in turn, thus thwarting whatever its plans were. And I don't believe that the timing of it all was a matter that could be explained away by pure coincidence," he elaborated.

"Wait, are you actually saying that what happened last night was..." Luna paused, thinking over what was Ulquiorra saying. Was he actually saying what she thought he was saying? That was... that was... "What kind of degenerate would deliberately utilize one murder, in order to facilitate yet another?" she asked, equally baffled, and horrified, at the very idea that was being put out for consideration. What sort of depraved monster had they managed to piss off this time!?

"Most likely the kind with enough intelligence to realize it needed us away from the palace, in order to carry out the plan -whatever it may have been- and escape being detected in the process," Ulquiorra replied simply, unfazed by the idea of it. Diversion was a very valid approach to battle when it came to divide and conquer tactics. And it had worked quite well, to the point where even he couldn't deny it. The diarchy, himself, and nearly a third of the ponies who made up the royal guard, had all been absent from the palace over the course of several hours, in the course of tending to the S.U.D situation last night.

The timing of it all was far too suspicious, to be written off as coincidence. Something like this had to be orchestrated in advance. And if they were dealing with someone that could possess others, and take control of their physical actions, it stood to reason that anything was possible. That was the only thing that made sense to him right now.

"Hold it, hold it!" Rainbow Dash spoke up, wanting clarification about what they were saying. "There were three murders last night? Who was the third one?"

"We don't yet know. The circumstances surrounding the death, which is what made it noticeable to us in the first place, have rendered identification an impossibility. Only the aftermath remained by the time we arrived," Ulquiorra explained, giving as much information about last night's events, that didn't appear to be classified. If Rainbow Dash wanted to know more details, then she would need to ask the diarchy herself.

There was also the fact that nothing beneficial could come from devoting the time that would be necessary, in briefing Rainbow Dash about Spontaneous Unicorn Disintegration.

"Ulquiorra," Celestia spoke up slowly. There were a lot of things going terribly wrong around them, and if they didn't tread carefully, it might only get worse from here on out. Before they went any further, or start coming up with effective strategies, they needed to gather more information. "That mystery reiatsu you detected on Ready Stance's body. Have you been able to detect it anywhere else, either in, or around, the palace?" she asked him.

"Unlikely at best. I scoured the palace quite thoroughly after discovering its presence. I found no other traces, either on the physical structure of the palace, or on any member of the staff. If it is present anywhere else, it's in traces so minute that even I can't manage to detect it; and considering both my level of skill, and the timing of everything, this is all but an impossibility," Ulquiorra replied. Had he been able to detect any faint traces, he never would've sent word for them to return, until he had tracked down every available lead. The fact that he'd told them to come back, should've been enough to tell them that he had gained nothing. "None of the other staff members were affected. But that doesn't mean that they won't be targeted, at some point in the future."

Celestia had been afraid of that being the case, but had still hoped that it wouldn't be such. This presented them with just so, so many complications that would need to be addressed, and quickly as well. Already her mind was going over what this meant for them, and how it changed everything; that being primarily how it affected their ability to care for Rainbow Dash. Up to this point, they'd been counting on the cooperation of the palace staff to provide that care to her. But in light of these developments, that no longer looked like it was going to be a viable option. Several hundred of the most trusted ponies, specifically selected for working in one of the highest positions in Equestria, could apparently no longer be trusted.

No. That wasn't the case, she reminded herself. It wasn't as simple as the staff no longer being trustworthy; not through their own devices anyway. What was at issue, was apparently that at any given time, any one of them could apparently be exploited by whatever this entity was, and used in whatever manner it deemed fit. And there was nothing they could do to stop it. They could no more keep one of the guards from beating Rainbow Dash to death, than they could stop one of the cooks from poisoning her.

And with that thought came another revelation that had Celestia inwardly groaning. What with the possibility of the kitchen staff being suspect, any and all cooking duty that related to Rainbow Dash was going to befall to them. And neither she, nor her sister, were particularly well known for their culinary skills. And she highly doubted that Ulquiorra had any past experience working in a kitchen.

This entity that had attacked them might not even get the chance to do anything further. They might wind up poisoning Rainbow Dash on their own.

There were just so many complications that they had to take into consideration now, in light of these developments. Not the least of which, was how this would be affecting not only the suicide watch itself, but also Rainbow Dash's overall recovery. How was she going to be getting better, if none of the ponies present could be trusted? What good were all of the psychiatrists, counselors, and therapists to them now, if any one of them could be exploited at any given moment?

"But with you being present, this entity will not be able to pull a fast one on us again, correct?" Luna asked as she faced Ulquiorra. If he'd been able to detect the presence on the body of Ready Stance, then surely he could do the same with a living pony. Right?

"In theory. But in practice it would be easier said than done. The only reason I was able to detect anything, was because you and Princess Celestia were absent. With you being present, and the amount of reiatsu that was present at the time, detection will be next to impossible, even when I am here, intermittent as it might be. With this development, my presence in Ponyville may be even more necessary than before," Ulquiorra explained.

"How?" Rainbow Dash asked bluntly, not bothering to flesh out the question any further.

"The attack that occurred here, suggests two equally valid -but unprovable- possibilities of how things will be proceeding in the near future," Ulquiorra began as he directed his attention to where she currently stood. "The first possibility is that this attack was intended to distract us from what's occurring in Ponyville, by making us think that Canterlot will become the next target, and focus our attention accordingly. The second is that Canterlot really is the main goal for this entity, and it's trying to confuse us on the matter, by making us think that it's merely a diversion to keep us away from Ponyville," he explained, summing up why his attention would be required in both locations.

"I should've just kept my big mouth shut," Rainbow Dash mumbled to herself at hearing that. She really wished she hadn't thought to ask the question, as she really didn't care for the answer that'd been given. "Sometimes I'm afraid of how your mind works," she admitted.

It was a statement that both Celestia and Luna could agree with wholeheartedly. With all of the other horrors going on in their minds right now, they really didn't need yet another one to contend with. But whether or not they needed it, it was now out there for their consideration. And having to consider actually being put in the position, where they might be forced to choose between which location to focus their attention on, in the name of protecting the subjects located there, was simply horrible.

Horrible, but not entirely unexpected, considering everything that'd happened up until now.

"Wondrous," Luna grumbled to herself, before returning her attention to Ulquiorra. "What is the recommended course of action under these circumstances, Ulquiorra Cifer?" she asked. If there was a plan of attack to engage in, she wanted in on it.

"Under these circumstances, there's little that we can do, with our numbers being reduced to just the three of us. Looking after Rainbow Dash falls squarely on our shoulders from here on out. There's also the need to keep constant vigilance on both Ponyville, and Canterlot simultaneously, to try and determine what can be learned about the next incoming attack," he explained. They'd been successfully divided, and conquering might not be far off at this rate.

Things were so much easier back in Hueco Mundo. See threat, kill threat. He missed that simplicity. Most Hollows didn't care for all this cloak and dagger shit, and didn't bother exercising it with any degree of regularity.

"Hold it! Don't I get to have any say in all this?" Rainbow Dash asked as she stepped forward past the diarchy, not liking how she was being addressed in an indirect manner, almost like she was an object instead of a pony.

In hindsight, however, maybe she should've just kept her mouth shut. Now that the words were actually out of her mouth, she didn't know what she could've added to the conversation.

"And what might you have to say about the current matter?" Ulquiorra asked as he turned his gaze to her.

"Well..." Rainbow Dash paused as she tried to think up something that she could add to the conversation. Something other than the confused stammering that she was doing. "Well for starters, I want this thing off of me," she stated as she turned around, and raised her right foreleg to display the bangle she'd been wearing for so long. "Because the way you're talking, having that sleeping charm in place is probably a bad idea if I can't trust the guards," she pointed out.

"You... you actually knew about that?" Celestia asked and blinked in surprise. At the time of affixing the wire-thin charm around her pastern, she'd been told that its purpose was simply to alert them of her presence if she'd ever gotten lost, either in the palace, or elsewhere. That had been the cover story to justify its presence, without making her believe that she simply couldn't be trusted with her own well being. And now it seemed their ruse had been for naught. The only questions now was how she'd found out the truth, and when.

"I've heard other ponies talk," Rainbow Dash replied and shrugged, before setting her hoof back down. "Look. I get that this really isn't the best time to be bringing this up. But I don't think the circumstances are gonna get any better. If somepony gets brainjacked and tries to come after me, I'm gonna have ta book it outta there quick, and I can't do that with this thing on me, making me fall asleep if I have to bolt," she stated.

Celestia opened her mouth to respond, but before she could even get the first word out, Rainbow Dash was already speaking again.

"Look," she said again, "I get that I'm still on suicide watch and all. But I don't think we have much choice here. I'm a sitting duck like this," she pointed out again, trying to make it clear just how much of a risk this supposed safeguard was presenting right now. "I get that you don't have reason to believe me. But I'm not gonna try and kill myself. For the first time in weeks, I finally feel like I've got some control over things again; like I can actually take my life back, and not just in stupid theory either, but for real. And that's what I want, more than anything."

Celestia remained silent in the wake of Rainbow Dash's statement; both to see if she was going to say anything else, and to mull over everything that had to be taken into consideration. She'd sat through this performance once before, so she had some idea of what was being said, and what might be said.

Rainbow Dash had certainly been right when she said that there was no reason to trust her. If they were to take the bangle off, there would be nothing to stop her from finding some way of killing herself five minutes later. She really didn't want to believe that such was a possibility, but it still had to be taken into consideration; as did many other things. The bangle's purpose was to keep Rainbow Dash from hurting herself, and sedate her if she attempted it. But that was put into place when the guards -and the rest of the staff- were readily trusted, and they didn't suspect anything. What if she were attacked, and the spell misinterpreted her defensive efforts as an effort at hurting herself?

There was also the fact that, if the spell remained in place, she would need to be in their presence at all times. And while they could certainly do that, it limited what duties they could attend to; she certainly couldn't tend to the day court with Rainbow Dash sitting on her lap... even if, under different circumstances, it would be amusing. And leaving Rainbow Dash in Luna's care during the day while she slept, simply wouldn't work.

They really did have very few options at their disposal now. And the look she shared with Luna and Ulquiorra, pretty much confirmed that fact for her. There were no easy answers to be had here today, no matter what decision was made. And, once again, it was a decision that was going to be left up to her to make.

"Very well, Rainbow Dash," Celestia spoke as her horn began to glow. "In light of what's occurred today, I see fit to trust you on this. You're released on your own recognizance as it were."

The bangle fell to the marbled floor with barely a clatter at the charm being released. But it was loud enough for Rainbow Dash to notice. With the band now gone, she proceeded to rub her fetlock against the crook of her other leg, grateful for the irritation of its constant presence to finally be gone. Having to wear that thing was like having a constant itch that just couldn't be properly scratched, what with it rubbing up against her for so long. But now it was finally, finally over, and she could actually relax for a change; it was like holding her muscles tense for so long, and then finally being able to just unclench.

"However," Celestia spoke up, interrupting her thoughts, and making her look up to pay attention. "That trust is something that has to be maintained. It can't just be recklessly abandoned," she pointed out. And she'd done it in such a way, in such a particular manner of speaking, that Rainbow Dash knew she could be wearing the bangle again if she did something that would disappoint Celestia. How she went about cramming so much meaning into just a few words, that was a mystery right now.

"Right," Rainbow Dash replied, figuring that at least something had to be said, to acknowledge that she understood.

At the moment, after all of the excitement they'd had, all Celestia felt like doing was sitting down for a while to catch her breath. With everything that had been going on since last night, it was easy enough to feel like she'd earned the respite, no matter how brief it might be.

But she knew that wasn't to be the case. With an inward sigh, she steadied herself in preparation of the coming workload. First was lifting the lock down, and allowing for ponies to come and go as needed. She also needed to see that the bodies of Ready Stance and Thrush were delivered to the coroner's office, that the janitorial staff was alerted to the areas that needed to be cleaned, and the dishes retrieved from Rainbow Dash's quarters. All of that would tend to the light duty that they were facing.

Then they seriously needed to sit down, and discuss what security measures could be implemented in light of today's developments. And if Ulquiorra was going to continue traveling between Canterlot and Ponyville, they needed to determine what they could do on their own during his absence. On top of all that, they needed to devise some way in which to tell if anypony else became possessed, and how to adequately address them, should they be present in the palace.

Maybe once the lock down was lifted, they should take a page from Twilight's usual playbook, and devote some time to making a checklist of the many things they had to keep track of. With everything going on around them, they were going to need all the help they could get. Even factoring in Ulquiorra, and his impressive -and numerous- skills, there was only so much that he could do to help out.

Night had once again fallen over Equestria. And with the night, there were many complications that needed to be faced.

Celestia sighed to herself as she laid on her bed. It was late, and she really wanted to be asleep right now. But sadly, sleep wasn't for her this evening. Instead of blissful rest, the immediate future held lots of paperwork for her to look over. And it was no exaggeration to say the amount she still had to get through came up to her fetlocks; a daunting proposal if ever there was any.

In addition to the many, many, many details that had been covered in the course of the day -and still in need of being adequately executed- there was still all of the paperwork that she needed to get through, that had accumulated today while they were busy with other matters. Not even a crisis could stop the bureaucracy from moving; nor did it motivate the powers that be, to exercise common sense, and just quit bugging her with little details of insignificance.

Her left wing twitched, providing a momentary distraction from the paperwork she faced. Nestled under the appendage like a downy blanket was Rainbow Dash, snoring away as she pressed up against her side. In light of everything that had happened in the past twenty seven hours, there were few safeguards left open to them, that could successfully ensure Rainbow Dash's safety. At the top of that very small list, was constantly being in their presence. The shortcomings of such an approach were numerous. But for the short term, it was the best they had, and they would have to make use of it.

Now if she could just do something about this mountain of paperwork she was facing.

"Tia, Tia, Tia..."

Celestia froze, quill hovering just inches away from the piece of parchment she'd been staring at through bloodshot eyes, as the etched ink started to move and change. She watched as words blurred, and blurs merged into the sketching of a face. A face that was smiling cheekily up at her.

"Your mind is always on your work. Such is very unhealthy," the face stated.

"Discord," Celestia groaned, pausing to pinch the bridge of her muzzle. "I'm in no mood for your games right now..."

The face frowned in response.

"You would refer to your own sister as Discord?" it asked, one eyebrow cocked incredulously. "Really, dear sister, I am offended. Where would such a notion come from?"

"... Luna?" Celestia asked and blinked. What was going on here?

Rather than a spoken response being given, the sheet of parchment flew from the stack and hovered off to the side, before proceeding to fold itself up in many different twists and turns, until it was just a small crumpled up ball. A crumpled up ball which proceeded to unfold itself at an accelerated rate of speed, and in a flash of subdued light, transformed itself into Luna.

Celestia watched everything, her mouth slightly open in disbelief, before closing as a frown formed at her sister's antics.

"Luna, unless this is important, I have no time for fun and games. I have important work to tend to," she stated firmly.

"Oh yes, of course. I apologize for my untimely interruption, dear sister, please forgive me," Luna replied quickly, but without so much as an ounce of sincerity to her words. "I didn't realize how a proposal to declare the chocolate cake doughnut, as Equestria's national pastry, to be important work."

Celestia blinked, her stern look quickly fading away in confusion at Luna's words. Which in turn just seemed to cause Luna an intense amount of amusement. What was going on here!?

"I would say that you are dreaming, dear sister, but such does not seem like an adequate term for what you are currently experiencing," Luna chuckled, before calming down, and laying down on the floor to better face her. "Your mind is obsessively on paperwork. 'Tis not healthy to focus on work at all times," she commented.

"No, I suppose it isn't," Celestia replied as she set the quill back down in the ink well that had rested next to the bed, only to watch as it evaporated from view, and was joined shortly by the stack of parchment. "But how do I know you're telling the truth, and this isn't some big prank you're planning on playing on your sleep-deprived sister?" she asked curiously.

"Because you had enough wisdom to determine that Rainbow Dash sleeping in your bed nightly would not be a good idea. The real Rainbow Dash is currently dreaming away on the cloud bed that was moved into your room for the night, and embracing Tank, who is also dreaming away," Luna explained.

Celestia thought on Luna's statement for a moment. She remembered that decision now. So that would mean the Rainbow Dash currently tucked under her wing was nothing more than a dream construct, like everything else around her.

"And what do turtles dream of?" she asked, deciding to change the subject.

"Tortoise," Luna corrected, "as to their dreams, most being able to go ten miles an hour. Except for Tank, who is a most daring reptile; he dares to dream of land speeds clocking in at twelve miles an hour."

Celestia couldn't help but laugh at the comment. Whether or nor Luna was being truthful, the manner in which she delivered it had been hilarious regardless of her intention.

"Luna, you're terrible," Celestia stated as her laughter died down. "But I'm so lucky to have you."

"Indeed you are," Luna replied smugly. However the smugness quickly died down, as Luna allowed herself to relax. "I wish we could spend more time being silly, dear sister, but there is unfortunately business that must be tended to," she explained.

"Has something happened since I turned in?" Celestia asked curiously, wondering if she needed to wake up.

"No. At least nothing of significance anyway," Luna replied, trying to put her sister's mind at ease. "I merely wish to clarify a few matters with you, before finalizing anything. And it seemed wise to do so now, rather than waiting until the dawn," she explained. She waited to see if Celestia had anything to say in response, but nothing came. She decided to take that as a cue to continue. "As we speak, Ulquiorra Cifer has once again immersed himself in the royal library, looking for any records pertaining to long-range possession of the mind and body. He believes that if he can come across such records, and determine what degree of magical aptitude would be necessary for such, or a list of recorded practitioners, we can begin compiling a list of potential suspects to narrow down."

"A novel approach to the current problem. Certainly more constructive than what we're doing now, which is basically nothing," Celestia replied. Novel, but she had doubts as to how effective it might prove to be. There were no compiled lists of which unicorn knew what spells. Nor were their lists that details the various levels of magical aptitude experienced by said unicorns; such standards were constantly in a state of flux, and would require daily monitoring and list compiling. Records could more or less prove out of date by the time the ink had fully dried. Ultimately it would be a waste of resources to even try such a database.

But she would leave Ulquiorra to his own devices for the time being. Perhaps he was aware of something that they weren't.

"I have also come to submit a request on the Espada's behalf; access to the restricted portions of the royal library," Luna stated. But before Celestia could even get her mouth open to say otherwise, she was already talking again in explanation as to why. "You have already entrusted Twilight Sparkle with some measure of access to the information contained within such sections. She has even been allowed to check out a book from within. Ulquiorra Cifer, on the other hoof, possesses no magical aptitude, and could benefit not at all from access to the spells housed with the restricted sections. And if there really is information housed within that could benefit from his keen insight, I fail to see why he should be denied access to it. He has proven his trustworthiness several times over, has he not?" she asked.

Celestia wanted to offer a rebuttal to Luna's statement. But try as she might, she found it to be impossible to get the words out. That left her wondering if Luna had deliberately muzzled her during the time she was speaking, in order to insure that she could state her case without interruption.

As much as she hated to admit it, Luna had raised a few good points. As best as they could determine, Ulquiorra really couldn't perform magic, so him finding the spell books housed in the restricted section would do him little good; assuming he could even make sense of them to begin with. As to the other sensitive information housed within... well he was hardly the gossiping type, and didn't go around talking about anything unless it was actually necessary; making it unlikely he'd go around revealing Equestria's secrets, even if he were placed under extreme duress. And as for trust... well she really couldn't comment much on the issue; not after everything that had been going on around them. It would be rather hard to point to anything that would adequately suggest Ulquiorra couldn't be trusted. Nor was she certain she even wanted to try at this point. After all they'd been through, searching for reasons to not trust him just felt counterproductive to her.

It also struck her as being a disservice to him. Not that she had doubts that he'd ever say such if asked; he'd likely just make some snarky comments about the inconsistency of her ability to trust him.

"And this is something that needs to be done tonight, I assume?" she finally asked.

"It would be preferable, as Ulquiorra Cifer intends to return to Ponyville tomorrow. He believes that what was uncovered today, will yield better results in his attempts at determining where this entity may be hiding, now that he knows what to look for," she explained.

"If you believe that it would be in everyone's best interest. Proceed as you see fit, Luna," Celestia replied simply. There was very little she could do to argue otherwise right now, even if she were in a position to do such. Besides all that, she knew that Luna wasn't stupid. Granted her sister had a tendency to charge headlong into certain situations without thinking them over, and without consulting her first. But that didn't appear to be the case here.

"In that case, what I have to say next, may now be easier to say," Luna replied as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. "When Ulquiorra Cifer departs for Ponyville, I intend to accompany him on his journey. While his intention is to look for whoever is behind everything, my intention is to see what is holding up the medical record of the victims of the manticore attack. The amount of time that has passed between then and now has been more than sufficient for us to be briefed on what the final tally is. There is something undeniably wrong about this entire situation. It is... leaving me pondering if certain events are connected..."

Celestia knew that when it came to dreams, Luna was the one in charge. Despite that fact, however, she could still tell that something was weighing heavily on her sister's mind as she spoke. But Luna could be a bit peculiar at times, and would actually refrain from speaking the problems that disturbed her, unless someone attempted to approach the subject, giving her a reason to actually speak her mind.

Why this was, and why it was so intermittent at times, she couldn't even begin to understand. But regardless of such facts, she was the elder sister, and knew what her duty was.

"And what type of connections is it, that you're drawing?" she asked. Granted it was a simple question, but sometimes they worked best.

"Do you remember something Twilight Sparkle said in the aftermath of the manticore attack? About how the randomness of the attack appeared orchestrated to terrify others?" Luna asked. Celestia nodded in response, so she continued. "Everything that has happened in Ponyville since them, seems to be following that same pattern. Nightmare and day terrors, no clear pattern as to who is being targeted, or even why, leaving us with no clear way to predict where this will go, or how to respond. And then today, something that Ulquiorra Cifer said. I have not been able to stop thinking about it since then, and how it might be related," Luna replied. When she saw that she still had Celestia's full attention, she continued speaking. "The first documented incident of Spontaneous Unicorn Disintegration occurred well over one thousand years ago. Well before the time of my banishment. And in all that time we have never found anything to even suggest an origin of the phenomenon. Even with the advancement of science, and discovering the existence of various illnesses, we still know nothing."

"I'm aware of such facts, Luna," Celestia replied. This was very common knowledge, so it left her curious as to why Luna would waste time rehashing such details. Was there some relevance to be had here?

"And I am aware, dear sister. But now I am wondering if all of our efforts at finding answers have been misguided. What if it is not a naturally occurring phenomenon at all, but something else entirely? What if it is the result of some outside party who is deliberately causing such results to suit their own twisted purposes?" Luna asked. She wanted to go on to speak of what possibilities she'd envisioned as being responsible for so many violent deaths over the decades and centurties. But simply considering those options made it sound more like she was engaging in an exercise of speculative fiction, rather than serious hypothesizing as to what could possibly cause a unicorn to suddenly explode.

"That thought isn't exactly exclusive to you alone, Luna. I've been considering it as well, ever since Ulquiorra presented his findings and theories. And to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure which of the two possibilities is more disturbing to me," Celestia replied and closed her eyes.

For so long, they as rulers had been doing constant battle with unicorns being violently disintegrated -sometimes with devastating results- by their own cores; it was like some sick and twisted magical version of an autoimmune disease. And in their time they had faced so many possible theories to explain the phenomenon, devoted fortunes to researching in hopes of finding not only a cause, but also an effective -and reliable- cure to stamp it out of existence. So much had been done to try and combat this menace, always lagging three steps behind it since it was first documented.

And now... now they were faced with circumstantial evidence -and even speculative notions- that gave rise to the possibility that they'd been looking at this case from the wrong perspective. Unexplained phenomenon, unidentified virus or other possible illness, recklessness on the part of the unfortunate victim in trying to advance their own skills through risky efforts, infusion of dark magic... those and so many others had been considered through history. But now it was the possibility that perhaps there was another party involved, and potentially blowing her ponies up for reasons they couldn't even begin to understand. And that just opened a new series of questions they couldn't even begin to answer.

"There's just one problem with that theory. The first recorded incident of disintegration dates back well over one thousand years ago. Who exactly, outside of a number of dragons, would be sufficiently long-lived, to still be carrying out these... incidents... in this day and age?" Celestia asked. That was the one spanner that was in the works right now, preventing them from categorizing everything as being the fault of one particular individual, even if they did have a suspect in mind. Try as she might, she couldn't think of any notable figures that were currently around, that had been way back in the past. That wasn't to say someone hadn't arisen over the passage of time, but she just couldn't think of anyone.

"... Perhaps it is a consortium then? Perhaps some shadow organization, whose membership is continually refreshed with each successive generation?" Luna suggested. The idea struck her as viable an option as anything that had been proposed up to this point, even if the notion was a touch preposterous in terms of responsible parties. "I am not in the habit of invasively looking through the thoughts of various ponies when they are unconscious. I know only of what they dream. It is not entirely outside of the realm of possibilities," she pointed out.

Celestia said nothing, as she tried to come up with an adequate response to Luna's theory; a response that she could give, without betraying her efforts to hide just how badly the notion disturbed her. Had it really, really come to the point, where their fear drove them to distrusting their own little ponies, and suspecting them of committing unspeakable acts against one another?

If that were truly the case, then it was a sad state of affairs for Equestria to find itself in, and harmony in general.

"Then the Equestria we've known, and worked so hard to protect, may seriously be in danger of ceasing to exist," she responded grimly and closed her eyes.

Luna could tell that what she'd mentioned had upset Celestia. And that fact left her upset as well, as that had never been her intention. It just sort of... happened.

She opened her mouth to speak, to apologize for what she'd said, and the harm that it had caused. But before she could even get a word out, she was interrupted by a deep, thrumming-type sensation running up and down her spine; the warning of when a nightmare had been detected in another, and required intervention. And that would unfortunately mean having to depart from here, before she could adequately resolve what torment she'd unintentionally stirred up in Celestia with her theory. That wasn't how a guardian of the dream world was supposed to conduct themselves. And yet here it was, playing out right before her, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. With each passing second, the thrumming was getting stronger, warning her that the nightmare was progressing. If only she had more time...

"I apologize, sister, but duty calls me away," she explained, before flashing out of existence.

Evil organizations, and countless other theories to contend with. Just wonderful. Celestia sighed as she opened her eyes again. Was it really asking too much that she be allowed just one good night's sleep, in an effort to get her mind straight, and properly ready for whatever the coming day might bring? She really should've not even bothered with asking Luna about what was bothering her.

Eventually her attention was drawn back to her surroundings; more specifically, the snoring of the fake Rainbow Dash that rested on her bed. She weighed her options briefly, before turning around, picking the figment up, and hugging it to herself. She knew that in realistic terms it made little difference, but as far as the dream itself was concerned, this was the real Rainbow Dash that she was hugging. In the dream, the figment felt real to her. And for the time being, until this dream finally came to an end, it would have to do. Come tomorrow morning, there was no telling what might be happening...

Author's Note

I really, really hate to do this. But once again I have to put the story on hiatus as I work to craft new chapters. Sorry folks, there's no other choice in the matter. Too many things are going on, preventing me from being able to guarantee steady updates on a weekly basis.

Chapter Seventy Seven

Chapter Seventy Seven

Rainbow Dash was in the middle of panicking right now, despite her best efforts to not be doing just that.

Her chest felt tight and hurt. Her heart was pounding so hard, it felt like it was actually going to punch through her ribcage at any moment. Her throat felt like it was constricting, and cutting off her airway. She was hot, sweating, her eyes were watering, her breathing was labored and struggling, her wings bristling... in simple terms, she wasn't enjoying herself one bit. And why should she be? She was trapped in an enclosed, restrictively small, completely dark closet, without even a trace of light creeping in through the cracks in the doorway. She really didn't even know where the door was right now.

"I can't take it anymore! Lemme out of here! Please!" she yelled frantically, desperate to get out of her.

Her pleas, thankfully, hadn't fallen on deaf ears, as the small room was flooded by bright light as the door swung open. She bolted immediately, not wanting to be in there even one second more.

On the side of the doorway opposite of the hinges, Corners watched as Rainbow Dash collapsed on the floor, gasping for air as if she'd just run the most physically exhaustive marathon of her entire life. Considering what she was attempting to do, she likely felt that way too.

And what could he do about it? What assistance could he possibly lend her as she struggled? Little more than offer up a fresh bottle of water for her to drink, once she got her breathing back under control. Although some might say his assistance did a lot of good, considering how eagerly the bottle was accepted as she finally sat up.

"How long did I last?" Rainbow Dash asked, before guzzling almost half of the bottle's worth down.

"... Thirty three seconds," Corners replied, waiting until after she was finished with her drink before telling her.

"Damnit," Rainbow Dash grumbled, before sighing, and taking another -smaller- drink of water. "That's not gonna cut it."

"I still don't see why we're doing this," Corners replied. Actually there was a lot about this that he didn't fully understand, like why Rainbow Dash had actually approached him of all ponies, to help her with... whatever it was she was trying to do. Or how she even got the diarchy to green light this idea of hers. Or any number of other things going on. The few answers she'd offered up had been scant on details, with most of them basically boiling down to her telling him to shut up, and let her worry about all that.

"I can't go through life being afraid of the dark," Rainbow Dash explained, before pausing to take another drink of what water was still available. "I'm not going to either. And since that quack is dead, and I can't kick his worthless flank, I'm gonna have to settle for kicking what he put me through," she continued.

"But shouldn't Malar be the one helping with this? I'm just an orderly, if you go into cardiac arrest doing this, there's not much that I can do about it," Corners pointed out. That wasn't even an exaggeration just to get the point across either. With the stress she was putting herself under, it was entirely possible that a cardiac event might occur. "Isn't there an easier way you could do this? Like all those therapists that were called in to help you?" he asked.

"No good," Rainbow Dash replied and shook her head, before taking another sip of water. "All they wanna do is talk, and ask me how I feel. It's gonna take months to get over this if I go with that. I need to do it in days, if not sooner. As to why you, you don't need to know that. Just help me get past this, and I'll let you off the hook, alright?"

Corners knew that he wasn't the brightest of available bulbs. But he highly doubted that Rainbow Dash was going to be able to force herself back to normal after everything she'd gone through. There was a lot of trauma involved with what Thrush had put her through, and he knew it full well. She could tell herself whatever she wanted to, but he still didn't see it as working; one didn't get over significant trauma like that, simply by trying to force it to happen.

But there was little that he could do to stop it from happening. If he didn't stand by to help out however he could, he suspected that she'd be doing it on her own, and putting herself at greater risk. That was something he'd rather avoid, so he had little option but to stay and play along as best he could.

"Alright," Rainbow Dash stated, before finishing off the last of the water in the bottle. "I'm gonna hit the bathroom so I don't wind up peeing in there. Then we're gonna try again."

Corners didn't say anything in response, as he really didn't think there was anything he could say, that would motivate her to change her mind about this. He was positive that what had happened, had set the trauma too deep for her to recover on her own. She'd been bound in her own body, and left unable to move anything except for the muscle groups that were required for breathing, before unceremoniously being tossed into that dark closet, with the staff being told to ignore her no matter how much she might scream, cry, beg, or plead to be let out. Just thinking about it all made him wish Thrush was still alive, so that he could kill him himself.

But trying to explain the futility of it all, would likely do more harm than good here. She was determined to get over her trauma through sheer stubbornness, and she was going to go about trying just that, either with or without him.

"Rainbow Dash," he spoke up as she walked past him, causing her to pause. "I'm no expert on pegasi. But maybe you'd have better results if you tried flapping your wings while in there? You know, since you're not paralyzed and such?" he suggested. If he couldn't talk her out of this insanity, then the least he could do was try and suggest something other than just sitting in the dark, and waiting to see how long she could keep her composure before freaking out.

"Yeah... maybe that'd work," Rainbow Dash replied, before she started walking again. Maybe it'd work at that...

July 6th, 0002 ANM

Today

The sound of the front doorknob being jiggled broke what little concentration Spike had managed to get going this morning. How was he ever supposed to keep his journal -definitely not a diary- up to date with everything that was going on, if he had to stop every time he tried to get started? Quickly he snapped the book shut and slid it under the sofa, along with the pencil he'd been using, before hopping up just in time to see Twilight stepping through the front door.

"Hey, Twilight," he greeted, before actually taking note of her displayed posture. The way she moved as the door shut behind her wasn't exactly indicative of a successful morning, but he couldn't tell if she was disappointed with today's results, depressed about something else entirely, or merely just tired. Having not gone along to White Tail Woods to observe how class progressed today, he had no way of automatically knowing what was up. And as he watched her posture, he started to wonder if the decision to stay home and tend to his own -possibly juvenile- endeavors had been the wrong approach, to spending this Saturday morning.

Then again, he had to remember that his attendance at the teaching sessions wasn't strictly necessary. There was very little that he could do to be useful on his own. And Twilight would often leave him behind to tend to the library, just as she'd done today. But watching the slouch in her walk, he was left wondering if he should've tried insisting harder on coming along, if for no other reason than for basic moral support.

Then again, he had been getting some water boiling so she could have a nice cup of coffee when she got back home, so it wasn't like he'd been totally goofing off all morning. Although it would probably be more appreciated if they weren't reduced to instant coffee, as they waited for a fresh shipment of beans to be made available.

"Did..." he started to ask, pausing as he watched her levitate her saddlebags off of her back, and carefully set them down on the table. "Did something go wrong today? Is... is everypony okay?"

"I'm tired, Spike," Twilight replied as she turned away from the table and sat down on her haunches. "That's all."

Spike listened as Twilight spoke, but he really didn't believe what she was saying. He had seen her tired before, and knew what it looked like. This wasn't it. He really didn't know just what this was, going by what he'd experienced while in her company before.

He was going to need to start digging to get to the bottom of it all. So he'd best make like it was a gem hunt with Rarity.

"So how did class go today? Did everypony show up for your teaching?" he asked, figuring it would be as good of a place to start as anything, what with her love of all things academia.

"Most of them did," Twilight replied simply and left it at that. However simply leaving it at that was a short-lived exercise in futility, as she felt compelled to go into greater detail. And after a brief struggle that she had no hope of winning, compulsion won out, and she began explaining the results of today's session.

Lyra, despite her peculiar character quirks, was proving to be at the top of the class in terms of magical aptitude, and managing her assigned spell. Compared to when they first started these lessons weeks ago, and she would be almost exhausted from simply trying to even cast the spell, the changes in both her aptitude, and her degree of stamina were amazing.

Vinyl was a close second in terms of overall skill. While an untrained and casual observer might immediately classify her as being the superior student compared to Lyra, a closer inspection of the facts would debunk such a notion. Vinyl's magical aptitude had done little to grow since the first class, and what growth there was, was much slower. This could likely be explained as a matter of her simply having more aptitude to begin with, and didn't need to grow as much for properly managing the magic she was learning. She had picked up on her own with greater ease compared to Lyra, but Lyra had earned her own level of advancement through hard work on her part.

Despite her younger age, Sparkler was managing to hold her own when compared to her older peers. She wasn't necessarily learning more advanced spells like the others were, but she was certainly working to build the endurance and concentration, that would be necessary for doing such when she was ready.

All things considered, the unicorns who were attending these classes were showing a great deal of promise when it came to what they were learning. That gave her a sense of confidence that, should Ponyville come under attack again, the aftermath would be more in their favor than they had been last time.

And then came the matter of Dinky's attendance... Twilight really didn't want to be mean when talking about any of those that had become her students, but there was just nothing positive she could say about the foal. She possessed no magical aptitude whatsoever, and couldn't even work basic levitation yet. Since the start of her impromptu classes, twice she'd sent Dinky back home, only for the little filly to return the very next time, determined to learn anything that she could. Despite her age, Twilight couldn't help but notice the mile wide stubborn streak Dinky had about her, as she went about trying to learn with the rest of them. Something had hurt her mother, and she didn't want to let that happen again.

It was a degree of commitment that Twilight could respect, but commitment without skill meant nothing. In all truth she was just slowing down the others by being there, and refusing to listen to facts about her own shortcomings; even Sparkler couldn't get her to go back home. In the end Twilight had simply relented and let her remain, as it was more expedient than trying to talk any sense into her. So long as she just stayed out of the way, she stood little chance of getting hurt in some accident.

And being totally honest with Spike, she'd admit that part of the reason of not wanting Dinky present had to do with just how pitiful it was to watch her futilely struggling, and concentrating as hard as she could, trying with all of her might to even get her magic to activate on command. For all of her efforts, she could barely even get a single spark to materialize at the tip of her horn. It was all very disheartening to watch.

"I feel like I'm a failure, Spike," Twilight sighed and closed her eyes as she hung her head. "I'm a teacher to these ponies. I should be helping Dinky learn, not sending her home because she can't learn. But the others need me too, I have to pay attention to what they're doing. I need to focus on what they're learning, and trying to learn, because this is important. Not that Dinky isn't important, but... it's the expediency of it all. Even if she could muster enough magical aptitude for levitation by tomorrow, she couldn't possibly undertake any of the spells we're going over; no filly could possibly learn how to use pyrokinesis, it takes too much concentration and mana."

Now Spike was understanding what was bugging Twilight so much. She was taking the role of educator far too seriously for these circumstances, and confusing what she'd set out to do, with what she wanted to do. He'd agree that helping Dinky develop her skills was a worthwhile endeavor; but not right now. Right now they had to focus on keeping Ponyville safe, and unless Dinky was some sort of savant with enormous untapped potential, it just wasn't worth the time and effort that Twilight was trying to devote to her right now. Even if that was true, and that potential could be brought to the forefront right now, it would still take years for her to learn how to control it.

He was understanding this, but he was still left wondering if Twilight understood it. Maybe he should try and explain that to her, just in case she hadn't yet comprehended it on her own.

"Today it got really bad. She was straining so hard to try and force her magic to work, she wound up bursting blood vessels in both eyes," Twilight stated.

Spike flinched, both from how painful that sounded, and the sympathetic pain in his own eyes from hearing that, and knowing what it was going to look like. Just thinking about it made him want to squeeze his eyes shut as they watered; just as he'd done when Twilight had suffered the same fate only a few weeks ago. The only positive to hearing that was how he didn't believe Dinky would be experiencing much pain, based on how Twilight had responded to her own incident.

And if Scootaloo's reaction was any indicator, Dinky might be the talk of the school for a while.

But on topic though, he needed to get Twilight to stop beating herself up about her skewed priorities. And he needed to go about doing it in a way that wouldn't make her defensively resist his point.

"So... what about Rarity? Did she ever come back for more lessons?" he asked, deciding that would be the best place to start.

"No," Twilight replied and shook her head. "Rarity stopped showing up after she figured out how to get the long ranged summoning spell under control. And considering the condition Sweetie Belle was in when she brought her by, I'd say we're lucky to even be seeing her at all."

"Oh. Right," Spike replied as he scratched the back of his head, embarrassed that he'd forgotten about that detail. When Rarity had brought Sweetie Belle to them, the day after the containment lantern had self-destructed, the poor filly had been nearly catatonic from whatever she'd experienced in the night. And from what he'd been hearing about town, she really wasn't getting much better. But in his own defense, Sweetie Belle was Rarity's sister, and she did live with her parents just outside of Ponyville; it wasn't as if Rarity was the sole caretaker in this case.

Still, not exactly the best move for distracting Twilight from her perceived shortcomings as an educator. Better try something else.

"And... what about your efforts with your own learning attempts? Are you getting any further with that lightning spell?" he asked.

"No I'm not," Twilight replied and shook her head again, before moving to sit down. No wait, she forgot that she was already sitting down. She really was out of it. "I've been practicing, and practicing, and practicing, and I'm not getting any better at what I'm trying to do. No matter how much effort I put into it, I can't shorten the prep time from one whole minute, and still hit what I want to aim at. And if we actually have to fight, a full minute might be a luxury we don't have," she explained and grumbled to herself. "I'm gonna let everypony down, I just know it..."

"... What did you mean when you said hit what you want to aim at?" Spike asked, figuring it was better than watch Twilight swirl down the drain into depression right now.

"It's difficult to explain," Twilight began as she finally straightened herself up and opened her eyes. "The spell is incredibly complex, there are so many variables that have to be taken into consideration. One of them is the need to actually aim for a specific target, considering how much destructive potential is involved with summoning bolts of lightning. That's part of why it takes so long to actually cast the spell, because it takes so much time to actually center it on the intended target," she explained as she stood back up again.

"Oh..." Spike replied. That made sense to him. "And if you didn't aim it?"

"If I didn't bother with aiming it, I could cast the spell in as little as five seconds. But there would be no way of guiding it safely. There would be no way of ensuring that I didn't wind up severely electrocuting, or even possibly killing myself in the process. If I was going to be doing a quick cast, I'd need to mark the target beforehoof, with something that would actually attract the lightning through virtue of its mere presence. And that's a lot of complicated steps to get involved in," Twilight explained. She briefly wondered if she should go into further detail by explaining how a specific marker would be needed, as it would need to conduct the lightning to the target, but without allowing the target to be bypassed due to the natural electrical current that would be involved with it all.

But before she could give the idea any further consideration, her thought process was interrupted by a terrible commotion coming from behind them, as the front door was violently forced open; she was actually surprised the door hadn't been shattered from all the noise of it slamming into the wall.

"Twi', we got another one!" Applejack yelled as she bolted into the main room. She was quickly followed by a very distraught looking Rarity, and -much to Twilight's surprise- Ulquiorra bringing up the rear.

The surprising part about Ulquiorra coming in wasn't simply his presence, but the fact he was actually carrying Fluttershy on his back, as she held onto him with her forelegs wrapped around his neck.

To say that this situation couldn't be good, would be such an exercise in pointless redundancy, Twilight felt she'd have to punch herself in the face if she even bothered to consider the statement, even if it was to herself.

"What happened?" she asked as she watched Ulquiorra turn of use his foot to shut the library's door, the motion giving her a clear view that he was using his hands to support Fluttershy's legs, rather then just letting her dangle limply.

"I don't have the slightest clue," Rarity began and shook her head. "One moment we were all simply talking in the market, and the next thing we know, poor Fluttershy is screaming and on the ground, shaking like a leaf."

Twilight was certain that there was more to the story than just that. Granted, that wasn't completely out of the norm for Fluttershy when she was scared of something. But she doubted she would've been brought here -and in such a manner- if this was the usual run of the mill "scared by something mundane" sort of episode the pegasus was known for experiencing. And she seriously doubted that Ulquiorra would be carrying her -on his back no less- if this was just Fluttershy being her usual self.

Her questions on the matter, however, never found the chance to be voiced, as she watched Ulquiorra relinquish his hold on Fluttershy, allowing -or perhaps expediting- her to slide down to the floor, and stand on her own hooves. But it was short lived, as she collapsed onto the library floor almost immediately, and started trembling again, mumbling incoherently in a high-pitched squeaky tone.

"What happened?" Twilight asked again, this time directing her attention straight to Ulquiorra. If anyone would know what had happened, it would be him. "Did you see it? Were you there?"

"I was," Ulquiorra replied simply.

"Then show me," Twilight stated. She still remembered Ulquiorra's brief explanation of his Solita Vista technique, and how it could convey findings that mere words couldn't cover. If he'd witnessed what happened, then perhaps he could show her what had gone down.

Unfortunately what Ulquiorra hadn't explained to her at the time, was how the technique involved him ripping his eye right out of his own head, and crushing it like it was a piece of cheap glass. She didn't even have time to scream in surprise at watching it all unfold, before suddenly being subjected to the part that came next.

As was predicted, the levels of reiatsu that saturated the entire area of Ponyville were in a state of flux, and inconsistent with what conclusions he'd drawn earlier. Some areas had far greater concentrations than others; concentrations that didn't match up with those he'd been aware of as little as three days ago. Some areas were more heavily saturated with the specific reiatsu texture, while others were either static, or reduced in saturation terms.

These findings weren't surprising. Nor were they entirely unexpected. Individuals who commanded vast amounts of reiryoku possessed highly inconsistent reiatsu, especially when they lacked the adequate skills to control such. Ichigo Kurosaki was one such individual, especially in the beginning of his career as a Shinigami, and would often try and substitute quality for overwhelming quantity; and often with mixed results.

Not entirely unexpected, but rather unusual. Even if a single individual had vast amounts of reiryoku -vast enough to fill an ocean- that still wouldn't be enough to hide their location; not from him anyway. Perhaps from someone whose detection skills were far below his own, but that was a different matter.

The unusual part of it all was the degree of saturation that was present. This wasn't consistent with an area being well-frequented; no amount of traffic from any individual could yield the degree of saturation he was seeing. It was like the reiatsu belonged to the entire area; almost as if Ponyville itself was alive, and unconsciously exerting reiatsu all on its own. But such a notion was utterly ludicrous to even consider. Towns and cities were simply physical locations, and -local flora and fauna notwithstanding- didn't have the ability to qualify as either alive, or even sapient. There was no way this reiatsu could belong to Ponyville itself.

Or at least... he didn't think so. Perhaps it was premature to be ruling that possibility out. Now that he thought about it, he was recalling memories that dealt with hearing about some town in that far away continent of North America, that supposedly possessed the ability to bring a person's worst fears to life, and use them as a source of torment for its own sadistic amusement.

The exact mechanics of how that all worked was something he didn't know; for what knowledge he possessed, it could've merely been a legend, designed to lure in idiot tourists.

There was also the fact that Princess Celestia had allowed Applejack's ancestors to settle this land decades ago. It seemed unlikely that she would've allowed such, if there was something in the general area that could've actually been orchestrating these acts on its own; something like that eluding detection by one half of the diarchy for centuries seemed highly unlikely at best.

And speaking of Applejack, even at his current altitude high over Ponyville -and even when she was surrounded by countless other ponies in the marketplace- he could still easily detect her reiatsu signature. Along with the nearby signature of Rarity, indicating the two were in extremely close proximity to one another.

The preliminary information gathered from such long-range reconnaissance techniques was yielding nothing that could be used. Perhaps it was time to take a closer look, and gather firsthand information through direct interaction with those who were closer to the center of everything.

A quick burst of sondio, and he was down in the marketplace, standing in the midst of a number of ponies going about their day-to-day business. But they -and their accompanying conditions- were of no interest to him at the moment; only Rarity and Applejack possessed any relevance at the moment.

"Oh, Ulquiorra! Oh I'm so glad to see you right now!"

Somehow, somewhere in between his decision to conduct an on-the-ground investigation around the marketplace, and his actual arrival on the ground, Rarity had managed to become aware of his presence. Perhaps it had been the characteristic sound of his sonido. Or perhaps he had appeared within her peripheral vision. Whatever the cause of her being alerted to him so immediately, it was neither of relevance, or of interest to him right now.

"What happened?" he asked simply. Generally anytime some pony was glad to see him, it tended to mean that something bad had happened.

"I'm afraid I don't know all the details about what happened. Last week, late at night, I was awoken by Sweetie Belle screaming. When I found her she was in the shower, soaking wet, shaking, and crying almost nonstop. And since then she hasn't gotten any better; whatever happened to her has left her traumatized, she's almost catatonic. She won't speak to me, she won't speak to anyone. Even Mother and Father can't get a word out of her," Rarity explained, before pausing to catch her breath, as well as recompose herself. "Ulquiorra... I know that it's a long shot, but you seem to have bonded with Sweetie Belle and her friends. Do you think that possibly you could talk to her? See if you can get her to tell you what happened to her on that night?" she asked.

Bonded? That was an unexpected interpretation to be presented with. Thinking over each of his interactions with the Sweetie Belle, and her two fellow members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, he couldn't readily recall anything that would amount to actual bonding. Answering questions, explaining a number of details, and putting a stop to several crises was what came to mind, but no bonding.

Then again that estimate was based on his own perspective. Perhaps he needed to look at it from their simplified perspective instead, in order to understand their concept of things. Despite knowing full well that he could kill everyone in the town if he felt so inclined, these ponies still considered him to be a friend. It was bizarre.

Even more bizarre was how, despite having so little interaction with him, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had taken it upon themselves to venture into the Everfree Forest, putting their own lives at risk in the process, to personally acquire him the cure to poison joke affliction. They hadn't even asked for anything in return.

"Foal psychology isn't an area I'm well-versed in. But in the off chance that my presence will somehow be beneficial in this case, I'll try," he replied. Perhaps this had to do with Princess Luna's assessment about ponies viewing him as a source of strength. "Once my efforts here have concluded," he added, making it clear that he wasn't about to drop everything he was doing, just to try and tend to one pony who -by all accounts- was currently safe with family.

"If ya don' mind mah asking, Mr. Cifer, jus' wha' are ya doing here anyway?" Applejack asked as she looked in his direction.

"Following up on some leads that were discovered yesterday. New evidence has come to light, and needs to be properly investigated," he explained, doubting that they would adequately understand the intricate details he had to contend with on the matter.

"Yeah? Ya mean ya might be gettin' closer ta figurin' out wha' happened ta me, an' RD, an' all the rest of us?" Applejack asked, a look of suppressed excitement coming across her face in the process.

"Possibly, but not definitely. There are still a great many variables to take into consideration," he explained. Already he knew that it would be necessary for him to explain how what he was looking for couldn't be quantified in terms they would be readily familiar with, and how they wouldn't be able to assist in the investigation.

But before he could do that, he would likely need to address whatever questions Fluttershy had to ask regarding their gathering, as he could sense her approaching their location. The Apple family's marketplace stall, was quickly becoming the Equestrian equivalent of Shinjuku Station.

"What is it, Fluttershy?" he asked, deciding to neither mince words, nor wait for her -or one of the others- to begin striking up a conversation. The sooner the formalities were out of the way, the better.

Behind their current location, they could each hear the characteristic squeak Fluttershy had a tendency to utter whenever she was caught by surprise. As was expected. Not bothering to concern himself with the amount of displeasure being displayed by the others over his manner of approach, he turned around to face the yellow pegasus, and discern whatever needed to be addressed, before he could proceed.

However that would prove simpler said than done, as she -unsurprisingly- flinched as his gaze landed on her.

"What is it?" he asked again, recognizing that it would be necessary to shake her out of her current stupor, and move things along in a more orderly fashion.

"Oh. Um, nothing really. I only came around to see about buying the usual groceries," Fluttershy eventually responded, voice as soft as ever, indicating that she likely expected something to be wrong about the manner of approach he'd used.

The way some of these ponies acted around him, it was like they expected him to start yelling if they said something wrong. The foolishness of it all.

"But then I heard you talking about possibly finding something. Does that mean it's good news?" she asked, her timidness still strong, but slowly abating.

"Potentially. But a great deal more work will need to be done on my part, before anything can be confirmed," he explained. Briefly he considered illustrating the fact that he would have to work alone, with the comparison of how them getting involved would be like Applejack trying to learn magic from Rarity. If that parallel didn't help to convince them of what they would be up against, he truly doubted that anything would make them understand.

But all thoughts on his own cleverness suddenly came to a halt, as his pesquisa started picking up on something; the reiatsu in the immediate area was starting to increase. But this wasn't the type of increase that could be attributed to an increase in the number of ponies being present, as it wasn't simply a multitude of varying patterns that needed to be sorted through; rather it was one single pattern increasing in detectable volume. And it was the pattern that he'd detected back in Canterlot, and had been tracking since his arrival in Ponyville. The entity was here with them!

He grasped Murciélago with ready and instinctual familiarity, eyes rapidly darting back and forth in an effort to try and locate where the enemy currently was, which would in turn allow him to determine where an attack might come from.

There was a certain degree of ingeniousness in this meeting, and it wasn't lost on him. The marketplace was crowded with numerous bystander ponies, any one of which could amount to collateral damage, or a potential target of attack, and he would have to account for each and every one of them. Forcing them to leave would present significant complications in the form of causing panic, and potentially obscuring his line of sight when he needed it to be open.

What was it, that was currently in the marketplace with them? Where was it right now? And why couldn't it be seen; not just by him, but by anyone? Was it disguised as one of these random ponies ambling about like they didn't have a care in the world? His zanpakutō was useless to him right now, if he couldn't locate what he needed to use it against. He couldn't just swing about wildly, in the blind hopes of possibly hitting something. Nor could he discharge his Cero in Ponyville. such a reckless tactic on his part would ultimately lead to countless deaths that he'd rather avoid; both because of Princess Celestia's fury, and because he had no true desire to actually kill these ponies.

Regardless of what his desires might be, however, his hand may soon be forced. If only he could locate some trace of what he was sensing. Even a transparent outline would give some clue of where he should be focusing his attention.

Without any warning as to what might've happened, the next thing he became aware of was the shrill scream of Fluttershy, as she immediately fell to the ground, trembling as she grasped the sides of her head with her forelegs. Whatever had happened, he hadn't even seen it occur, despite it being in his very presence.

The next thing he became immediately aware of, was the reiatsu in the area was starting to decrease. And as it decreased, like a tide receding, he found himself faced with a choice that had to be made; focus his pesquisa, and attempt to pursue the source of the mystery reiatsu in hopes of finding the source, or stay and tend to Fluttershy, and attempt to gather whatever information could be had.

Ultimately the best course of action to take would be the former, rather than the latter. There were no guarantees that engaging in a hot pursuit would yield any beneficial information, or bring him face to face with the one responsible for all of this. Even if he did attempt such, it could simply be a diversion like two nights ago, leading him away from the marketplace in order to allow for a followup attack of much greater magnitude when he was elsewhere, and unable to respond. There would be no way for him to prevent it from doubling back, since there was nothing physical for him to try and track down. Departing now would just leave Fluttershy -and the others- at risk. Not that it made much difference at this point, considering his inability to do anything about this sequence of events.

By this point the others had come over, with Rarity tending to Fluttershy in the usual melodramatic manner, doing her best to assure the yellow pegasus that everything would be alright.

"Ah reckon we should get 'er over ta Twilight's an' let 'er know 'bout this," Applejack suggested.

"Agreed," he replied. Twilight Sparkle would need to be brought up to speed on what had happened here.

Twilight blinked and shook her head, trying to clear her mind as the whole... for lack of a better term, process, came to an end, and she found her attention back in the library. Now she understood why Ulquiorra had been so certain in his abilities, and how they would've been able to help Rainbow Dash understand what the truth was. She hadn't simply seen what he had seen, she'd also felt everything that he'd experienced at the time; physically as well as mentally.

But she needed to stop. She could feel herself getting distracted by this new discovery, and all that it entailed. She had to focus on Fluttershy rather than what Ulquiorra could do with his eyes... or the process in which his eye was actually regrowing itself from some dark, viscous liquid. That was equal parts amazing, and disgusting.

And she definitely didn't need to get distracted with his account of that... stuff... that was all over Ponyville; not now anyway. She'd ask later.

"So that's what happened?" she asked as she looked at Ulquiorra for clarification.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied, before turning his attention back to where Fluttershy currently laid.

"... Spike..." Twilight spoke up slowly as she turned to face her assistant, who was currently standing stock still, and looking very uncertain of just what he should be doing at the moment. "Would you mind staying with Rarity, and helping her try and calm Fluttershy down?" she asked him.

This matter was going to require some serious discussion before they proceeded any further. Even with all of the input Ulquiorra had given her -and in the span of just a few seconds from what she could tell- there was still a lot that needed to be hashed out, before they could actually draw any conclusions.

The loft, while a cozy setting, didn't particularly strike Applejack as being the most secure of locations to be having a briefing about important matters. Maybe Twilight knew what she was doing when she insisting that they come up here to talk. Or maybe she forgot that there wasn't really a sound buffer between here and the first floor. Considering how flustered the mare could get at times, it could easily be either one of those options.

What left her scratching her head in confusion, however, was why she herself was up here. Twilight and Ulquiorra, that made perfect sense. But what good was she supposed to be up here?

"Alright," she heard Twilight say as she turned her attention away from the loft's edge, and back on the two of them. "The sound dampening spell is in place. We can talk without being disturbed," she explained, the tip of her horn flickering with a glow, before fading out entirely as she spoke.

She should've trusted the unicorn to have something in mind. But considering the track record that was being taken into account... well she really couldn't blame herself for skepticism.

"A wise approach," she heard Ulquiorra speak up. Maybe it would be best to let him do the talking, while she just waited in the background until she was needed for something. Maybe just take a couple of steps back, and let the two intellectual giants duke it out; she could do her speaking when she actually had something worth saying.

"Okay. First up, that technique is utterly horrifying to witness, but absolutely amazing at how much information it can convey, in such a short amount of time," Twilight stated. It didn't feel right to not comment on the sheer depth of information that he could so easily share with someone. Sights, sounds, smells, and the sensations... it was like actually being there, but while simultaneously having access to input she never would've thought possible. She had felt...

"Focus!" she mentally shouted at herself, commonsense cutting through the haze of new discoveries. "Crisis now, science later," she scolded herself.

"Never mind," she muttered, getting her head back into the game. "Alright, so that happened. But just what was that anyway? What happened to Fluttershy?" she asked. Maybe if it was explained to her in words, she might be able to understand it better.

"With the current information it's difficult to be certain. Although there's a significant possibility that Fluttershy was the latest victim of attack," Ulquiorra replied. The only thing keeping him from being certain about that possibility, was the lack of an account of what Fluttershy had experienced at the time. An account of what she'd been subjected to would be needed, once she was able to speak coherently again.

Applejack had resigned herself to speaking up only when she had something worth saying. But also that was being put to the test by Ulquiorra's outlook on things. She had been present for Fluttershy's episode, and she'd seen what had happened. She remembered how things had been when she'd been attacked herself, and she knew how similar it was to what Fluttershy had experienced. The only difference is that Fluttershy had come out of it all without needing to be cleaned up, and without smelling like barf afterwards.

"That's not good. The fact that it happened when you were present, that would suggest that whoever -or whatever- is responsible, is growing more daring in its approach," Twilight stated. For so long now, they'd been operating on the theory that whoever was behind all this, was intimidated by Ulquiorra's presence. But now that theory had been shot straight to Tartarus, or Hell, or wherever was most appropriate right now.

Going by what Ulquiorra had sensed, the enemy had pretty much presented itself to him, making its presence known, before going ahead and targeting Fluttershy directly. It was making the bold and boastful statement that Ulquiorra couldn't stop it from doing whatever it had set out to do. And there was nothing that they could do about it either; nothing that she was realizing yet anyway.

"That's certainly one possible explanation for what's occurred today. But there are other explanations, and they're as equally viable. While today could be chalked up to arrogance, it could equally be explained as a matter of desperation," Ulquiorra pointed out to offer a dissenting view.

"Desperation?" Applejack asked, now finding reason to speak up. "Ya mind runnin' that by us again? Because Ah seem ta remember suggestin' that we mighta spooked whatever was doin' this sorta stuff, an' ya said it wasn't likely," she pointed out, wondering not only what had changed, but when it had changed.

"Unlikely isn't the same as impossible," Ulquiorra replied, not bothering to point out that Applejack was correct in her recollection of details. "Recent discoveries and developments, would suggest the likelihood is much greater than originally suspected. The method of attack has slowly been shifting away from cloak and dagger, and towards shock and awe. While today's incident could be considered a flaunting of arrogance, it could equally be considered an act of desperation."

Twilight nodded in agreement with what Ulquiorra said. "That actually makes sense right now, if you look at everything in the proper context. It let you become aware of its presence, and actually waited for confirmation of being known, before turning its attention on Fluttershy. It actually lingered like it wanted to be caught, rather than performing a hit and run type of approach, to try and escape your detection."

"So we did manage ta spook whatever it is?" Applejack asked. Through all of the fancy words and speculating, that's at least what it sounded like they were getting at.

"In light of everything that's happened, it's a distinct possibility. But at present time we have no way of determining the intricacies of how this development occurred, or even who is responsible for it occurring in the first place," Ulquiorra explained. Which brought him back to questions raised yesterday; was Thrush murdered because of something he'd stumbled upon? Was he murdered because he was planning on talking about what he'd discovered, in hopes of obtaining a reduced sentence? Or had he ultimately been nothing more than a pawn for this entity to conveniently demonstrate its superiority over them?

And if they really had managed to "spook" this entity -as Applejack was so fond of referring to it- to the point it felt the need to try and spook them -or him- right back, why had it chosen to go after Fluttershy of all ponies? The logistics behind it were... lacking.

"If Fluttershy is calm enough to talk, maybe we should ask her what she was forced to see? I mean, if we really did manage to startle this enemy, and force them to lash out defensively, wouldn't there be some underlying element in what she saw, that might support this theory?" Twilight asked. If they were going to theorize that the enemy had suffered an unexpected setback, she wanted at least some evidence that would corroborate that.

"Ah'd be surprised if we can get more than two words out of 'er. Ah don' recall ever seein' Fluttershy quite this bad before; not even when she had ta face that first dragon," Applejack pointed out.

"I know, but unless we actually ask something, we're not going to learn anything just standing around here," Twilight replied. She knew that trying to get answers from Fluttershy might be like trying to get water from a stone -granite rather than aquifer- but they still had to try and see.

She just hoped that Ulquiorra didn't get... enthusiastic... when it came to the questioning. She knew that the Espada had his own brand of delicacy, and he exercised it when he deemed it necessary. But that did nothing to change what else she knew about him. And if Fluttershy wasn't already traumatized, she had the uneasy feeling that the meek pegasus soon would be...

Spike made a mental note that he really needed to thank Zecora -again- for that blend of tea she'd given him. The sedating effects that proved so useful when he needed to get Twilight to go to bed, looked to be doing wonders for soothing Fluttershy's beyond frazzled nerves. And he was really thankful for that, since neither he nor Rarity were trained professionals in this field. When Twilight had suggested he stay and help, he was pretty certain that they'd been given an impossible task.

But through a combination of their efforts, it looked like they were doing some good. Now that she was on the couch, and wrapped in a blanket -even though it was summer- and had gotten some of Zecora's tea in her, she looked visibly calmer than before, She wasn't trembling like a leaf, or whimpering in terror anymore.

He just hoped that the results inside matched the outside, as he really didn't know what to do otherwise.

Right now he was watching as Rarity went about massaging Fluttershy's right wing that stuck out from beneath the blanket, putting her front hooves to work on the feathery surface. He really didn't see how it could be all that comfortable, but he wasn't seeing any reaction from Fluttershy that would indicate it was painful. So at least there was that.

"Are you feeling any better, Fluttershy?" he asked as he reached out to take the now empty cup she'd been sipping from. The only response he got was a weak nod. Or at least he thought that it was a nod; now that he stopped and thought on it, he really couldn't say for certain.

As he watched, able to do little else at this point to help out, he couldn't help but wonder just what he should be doing right now. Maybe he should join in, and try to massage Fluttershy's left wing? Or maybe rub her stomach? Or maybe just sit on her lap and hug her?

All of his experience in dealing with Twilight and her meltdowns, and he couldn't come up with a single useful idea for how to tend to Fluttershy. That was a real kick in the butt right now; all of his years in doing stuff like this, and he didn't have a clue how to address the matter that they were facing.

Then again he had to remember that Twilight's meltdowns weren't exactly the same as what Fluttershy was going through right now. Fluttershy had been attacked, her mind subjected to whatever dark influence was roaming about right now.

But he wasn't sure how much longer the matter was going to stay relevant, as he could hear the others coming back downstairs. And that most likely meant that they had something in mind for dealing with this situation themselves. Considering what he was up against, he wouldn't complain if he was getting removed from the case. Right now he'd be far more comfortable following than leading.

"Has she said anything?" he heard Applejack ask as they descended the stairs and came back into the main room.

"Not so much as a single word, I'm afraid, the poor dear," Rarity spoke up as she continued to stroke Fluttershy's wing.

"Then we'll need to motivate her to talk, and tell us what she witnessed," Ulquiorra stated as he approached with the others.

Spike, having been present for when Rainbow Dash had flipped out at the boutique, knew that this motivation Ulquiorra spoke of wouldn't be involving torture. So he could at least relax about that part.

Then again, this was Fluttershy they were talking about. What might not amount to torture for one pony, might not apply the same to her. Whether or not Ulquiorra was taking that into account remained to be seen.

"This isn't going to hurt her, is it?" Rarity asked. She would certainly like to know what happened, but not if the cost was too high.

"I can't make any guarantees, either one way or the other on this," Ulquiorra replied as he stepped forward. These ponies and their fixation of whether or not something might cause them discomfort... understandable, certainly, but it was getting tiring. There were more important things to focus on than the temporary concept of pain.

"Before we begin. There is certain information that must be kept confidential. Not a word of what you're about to witness, or even hear, is to be uttered to anyone," he stated, making it clear how things were about to proceed. One by one, he observed as each of them nodded reluctantly, agreeing to the terms they were put under.

And then he stopped as he reached the couch where Fluttershy sat, and slowly turned around.

"You are not authorized to witness what's about to proceed," he stated bluntly, not leaving the matter up for debate.

"... It was terrible. I-it was so terrible..."

Despite being present to witness everything that had happened, none of them could really bring themselves to actually believe what they'd just seen. And if they hadn't been present, and were instead being informed about the recounts of someone that had been, they wouldn't have found it at all possible to believe what they'd just heard; not without a great deal of skepticism and dismissal on their parts.

But regardless of how unbelievable it all was, it had apparently happened regardless of such. Even more unbelievable was the fact that Ulquiorra's actions had actually led to Fluttershy talking, and he'd done it all without there being screams, or blood, or the sound of breaking bones.

It was a weak, quiet whisper of communication -even moreso than what was usual for her- but it was still a manner of communication that was audible to them.

The explanation had been delivered through broken sentences, lots of pauses, and a very unsteady speaking voice, as Fluttershy detailed what she'd witnessed during her episode. It had also taken a significant amount of time for her to fully cover what she'd been put through. But despite the delivery leaving a lot to be desired, it had been more than adequate to paint a picture. And that picture was a truly desolate one.

According to Fluttershy's -disturbingly vivid- recollection of everything, Ponyville and a good portion of the rest of Equestria had been reduced to a burnt out, smouldering wasteland, with the sky perfectly matching the landscape in harshness, and absolutely no signs of life anywhere; not in the form of other ponies, or even wild animals. And therein laid what Twilight regarded as the most traumatizing aspect of everything.

Being ponies meant that they were a very social species, with a strong sense of community, and an almost inborn need for companionship with others. Granted there were some individuals who preferred isolation over interaction, so it wasn't exactly a hard and fast rule. But even they still experienced the need to associate with others at least some of the time. Even if they tried to exercise total isolation for extended periods of time, it would never work out, and they would fail miserably -and painfully- at their attempts. It would... it would almost be like trying to give up on breathing, comparatively speaking.

And then came Fluttershy's recollection of weeks worth of memories of being totally alone, in a burnt out ghost town, without so much as even a stray animal for companionship. And all the while, surrounded by nothing but skeletons in a grim and macabre reminder of what life was like. It was utterly amazing -or even miraculous- that she hadn't been psychologically destroyed by her experiences, and reduced to an incoherent, trembling mass of butter jelly. Although she had possibly come close.

By the time Fluttershy managed to finish with her recollection of events that transpired, she was crying uncontrollably, unable to get anymore words out, as she just utterly collapsed on the couch.

"It's alright, darling, it's alright," Rarity said as gently and soothing as she could, as she stroked Fluttershy's shaking back, it being the only thing she could really do under the present circumstances.

Throughout it all, Twilight listened patiently, and silently, taking in everything that she'd heard, doing her best to process all of the information that she'd been presented with.

Slowly, she turned around to face Ulquiorra, Applejack, and Spike as he now stood by them instead of by Fluttershy.

"I think that theory of ours, about desperation, has just been confirmed by all of this," she stated slowly.

"Wha' makes ya think so?" Applejack asked, wanting to know what about Fluttershy's story had lead her to that conclusion.

"In simple terms, ponies and loneliness don't go well together; not as a general rule anyway. It's been theorized, and even scientifically proven, that long-term isolation can lead to a severe deterioration of mental -and even physical- health. And according to Fluttershy's account of things that happened, she was exposed to weeks of being by herself. I seriously think we got lucky on this one, the results could've been much worse than they were," Twilight explained. Catatonia, insanity, coma, or even death... all of them were possible outcomes that could've occurred. Either they were extremely lucky that it hadn't happened, or Fluttershy had a far stronger psyche than any of them had ever given her credit for.

"Every other attack that we've come to learn about has been bad in its own right. But out of all that have been reported, this has by far been the worst. No other pony has been subjected to something of this magnitude before, either in terms of content, or perceived duration. That in itself could be interpreted as a sign of desperation on the part of what or whoever is responsible; things aren't going according to plan, so it has to step up whatever timetable it's working on," she continued.

"But what is that plan anyway?" Spike asked, unsure of whether he should feel scared, or confused, or just plain angry. What was this thing hoping to achieve from inducing a bunch of terrors all over Ponyville?

"I don't know, Spike, I just don't know. There's no rhyme or reason to anything. If it was just the six of us, it would make sense. But it's not just the six of us, it's practically everypony," Twilight replied, huffing in both exhaustion and anger. There was just so much going on right now, she couldn't even begin to get a bead on where to focus her attention first. She was seriously feeling very overwhelmed right now.

"Girls," Rarity spoke up after clearing her throat, bringing everyone's attention to where she currently stood. "I understand that the situation is quite bad. But could we please not be having this discussion at the moment? Fluttershy has been through so much already, I really don't think it's wise to be burdening her with anymore stress right now," she pointed out.

Rarity understood that what they were discussing was important, she really did. They'd uncovered new information that -as best she could tell- suggested that they were drawing closer to whatever was ultimately going to happen, suggesting the end to these atrocities was actually in sight.

But absolutely none of that meant that Fluttershy had to be hearing this right now. She didn't have any idea how much the poor dear was actually comprehending, but that didn't mean she needed to be subjected to it.

"You four are free to talk freely amongst yourselves about whatever. But as for myself, I'm taking Fluttershy back to the boutique with me, and give her the opportunity to calm down. I can't, for the life of me, see any constructive purpose in us remaining present any longer," she explained, before fully turning her attention back to Fluttershy, and gently lifting the sobbing pegasus off the couch with her magic.

Twilight watched in silence as Rarity ended the conversation there, levitating Fluttershy over to the door as she walked along, before finally exiting the library. Now it was just her, Spike, Applejack, and Ulquiorra.

"... Okay. So that happened," Spike stated slowly, breaking the silence that seemed to overtake the library. "Now what? Where do we go from here?" he asked, confused by it all. Sure it was good news that they might actually be getting somewhere. But where was that somewhere leading them, and how were they supposed to respond?

"Ah wish Ah knew, Spike, but this is outta mah field," Applejack replied and gave a shrug. "We're not facin' an animal tha's jus' gonna react. Obviously it's thinkin' an' respondin' ta what it encounters; it's like we're facin' off against another pony er somethin'."

Twilight tried not to frown too hard in response to Applejack's statement, even though it did nothing to advance them any; it was just a simple restatement of facts that were already in evidence, and went without saying. She had known ever since Applejack's attack that they were dealing with an intelligent -if insane- mind that could not only think, but also reason, just like any of them. And therein laid one of the primary problems they were facing; how were they supposed to deal with someone like that, when they had no idea who it was, where they were, or how they thought?

The afternoon was hardly a prime time to be awake. That was Luna's take on the matter as she walked down the hallway at a tired pace, noting how it was far too early for her tastes. But with everything that had been happening, sleep was simply not on the menu for the time being. Between yesterday's ordeal, and going over the reports from Ponyville General Hospital, it would be a miracle if she could even relax her mind enough to take a nap.

However her thoughts on rest were soon discarded, when she heard the unmistakable sounds of vomiting coming from around the corner. That was a sound that would jolt anypony out of a tired state. And it was enough to make her decide to reverse course, and take a different route to where she was heading.

"This is hardly a productive use of our time."

"Oh shut up."

However that decision was put off when she realized that she recognized those voices. Curiosity eventually won out as she made her way around the corner, and witnessed as Rainbow Dash was in the process of gargling, and rinsing her mouth out in a pail held in Corners' magic.

Curious, and more curious. This required investigation.

"Might I inquire into what is going on here?" she asked as she fully rounded the corner, keeping her voice soft, and her approach slow so as to not startle Corners. The poor stallion was, unfortunately, still rather uneasy when it came to being around either her or her sister, due to a number of reasons that were all perfectly understandable, but entirely unnecessary as far as she was concerned right now.

It was during times like this, that Celestia's favored incognito spell proved to be so convenient. Its use probably spared the poor stallion an untimely heart attack.

"You'd have to ask her, Your Highness. She's the brains of this operation, I'm just here to provide support," Corners stated as he turned to face her, before turning back to grip the water bottle sitting in front of Rainbow Dash in addition to the pail, muttering to himself about how this was still preferable to being stuck on bedpan duty as he walked by her to tend to clean up, leaving the two of them alone in the hallway.

"... Are you ill, Rainbow Dash?" Luna asked. Although in light of everything, it was now striking her as being a stupid question to ask. She'd chalk it up to her own tiredness.

"Probably just something I ate," Rainbow Dash replied as she used her foreleg to wipe the back of her mouth. "I think Corners has been giving me expired water to drink, or something."

For a moment, Luna found herself actually wondering just when during her absence, water of all things had become a perishable item that could actually go bad. But then she remembered Celestia's advice upon her return, about not taking everything so literally, since figures of speech were rarely intended as they sounded.

Perhaps it was time to do a little digging for more information.

"Yes, I could see that being a possibility. Pre-bottled water is a concept that I still have much trouble wrapping my head around," she replied and nodded. "Might I ask what your morning has consisted of?"

"Getting over being afraid of the dark," Rainbow Dash replied, "well, sort of anyway. It's a lot tougher to actually do than it sounds."

Luna tried so very hard not to shake her head at hearing Rainbow Dash's explanation. While it was brief, it had been enough to build on what had happened earlier, to give her an idea of what had been happening. Rainbow Dash has likely been shutting herself in the utility closet -evidenced by it hanging open- to try and cure herself fast, and the stress she was putting herself under, had made her physically ill.

There was just so much that was wrong with how she was going about it. So much that was painfully obvious, and yet the cyan pegasus was oblivious to it all. Just looking at her, Luna could tell the poor mare didn't realize what she was missing. She didn't understand that the darkness wasn't the true source of her fear, but rather a subconscious trigger that reminded her of the abuse she'd suffered under Thrush's watch.

Or at least that's how she was interpreting the matter, based on what she'd read in those psychology books, in an effort to better familiarize herself with anything that would be useful to Rainbow Dash's care and well being.

If that actually turned out to be the case here, however, getting better wasn't something that Rainbow Dash would be able to force herself to do. All of her stubbornness and bravado wouldn't be enough to see her through this, and achieve the desired results.

Granted she could be wrong about that evaluation, what with having only recently started reading up on psychology, but she just didn't see Rainbow Dash's actions having the desired results. She couldn't simply expose herself to the same psychological trigger repeatedly, and expect to get over it like it was the common cold, or something she could build up a resistance to. No amount of stubborn determination was going to be enough to see her through this, and achieve the results that she wanted.

But Luna also knew that suggesting Rainbow Dash abandon her endeavors in order to seek help from the psychologists, psychiatrists, and various counselors that had been retained for the case, could potentially make things worse, despite her commitment yesterday to actually seeing them, and getting the help she needed.

It was so strange how the paradigm had shifted. Two night ago she was being chewed out when Rainbow Dash had interpreted her statement, as suggesting she wasn't getting better, simply because she didn't want to get better. And now here they were, with her finding out that Rainbow Dash was attempting to force her recovery in her own way.

"And how goes your... immersion efforts?" she asked. If she wanted to be of any help, and avoid a repeat of her earlier failure, then she would have to approach delicately.

"Not good," Rainbow Dash admitted as she hung her head. "I've only managed to stay in there for about forty seven seconds, before needing to get out again."

Forty seven seconds. The way Rainbow Dash was talking about it, she didn't consider her results to be anything stellar. And knowing so little on psychology, Luna really couldn't say one way or the other. To her it at least sounded good, considering what she'd seen in the first few days away from the hospital.

"Do you plan on attempting again?" she asked.

"Totally," Rainbow Dash replied without missing a beat. "I've gotta to better than that."

"Then might I join you in the closet?" Luna asked.

"... Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked up and blinked in confusion. Where had that come from?

"Having a friend present may yield better results than attempting to go it alone. And, when confronting a fear of the dark, what better friend to have at your side than the Princess of the Night herself?" Luna asked. It was a gamble on her part, as there was little that she could actually do in this case. She wasn't a therapist who could help Rainbow Dash through her ordeal. She couldn't help her come to terms with what she'd experienced, and move beyond them. But she could offer moral support, so this endeavor -poorly thought out as it was- didn't have to be done alone.

And if she approached properly, she might even be able to guide Rainbow Dash in the proper direction needed for recovery.

"You think so?" Rainbow Dash asked as she tilted her head to the side. However she didn't give too long of a time in which for Luna to offer up an answer. "Sounds good to me," she added and gave a shrug. Maybe she was onto something there, strength in numbers and all that.

Ulquiorra had advised her to take her life back, rather than waiting around for somepony to come along, and give it back to her. As far as she'd been concerned, that had been good advice and all, except for the simple fact that he'd neglected to advise her on just how to go about actually doing that. She was more or less flying blind right now, as she tried to sort everything out, and figure out what would work best. So there was really nothing saying that she had to go about doing this all alone.

"It might be a tight squeeze though. There's barely enough room for me to flap my wings in there without rubbing the walls," she explained. And if it was snug for her, she didn't want to think about tight of a fit it would be for Luna, and her considerably bigger frame.

"That can be easily remedied. Once Corners returns, we shall proceed to find a larger closet in which we can both fit," Luna declared, not seeing how it could be anymore difficult than that.

Sometimes ponies simply made things far more complex than they truly needed to be.

It wasn't really that late in the day when the library was empty, save for Spike and herself. But by the time Ulquiorra had departed to continue his investigative efforts, and Applejack returned to the market stall, Twilight couldn't help but feel utterly exhausted. So much had gone on today, so much that she'd -willingly or otherwise- been at the center of. Endless discussions and theorizing, drawing up and laying out maps, and entertaining countless worst-case scenarios that may or may not come about.

There was even mention by Ulquiorra about having scientists come into Ponyville tomorrow to start taking air, water, soil, and other various samples, in an effort to see just what could be found, if anything.

By the time they were gone, she was just about at the point where one had to drag their frame along for any locomotion. Even if she was physically alright, she was mentally exhausted.

A nap was definitely in order right now. All she wanted to do was just collapse face first on her bed, and not be woken up for a few hours. That was her game plan for today, and nothing was going to get in the way of it.

"Ow!"

Or, before that, maybe she could investigate just what was under her bed, that she'd managed to stub her hoof on. Whatever it was that was being obscured by the comforter touching the ground, it was hard, and it had hurt.

Crouching down to examine, her horn glowed as the covers were lifted up, allowing her to peak under. But what she saw wasn't what she'd expected to see. And confronted with the unfamiliarity, she gripped it in her magic, and dragged it out into the light to better examine it.

It was a length of thick walled, galvanized piping, long enough to come up to her snout if she were to stand it on end. One end was left bare, exposing the threading. On the other end was ninety degree elbow made from the same galvanized metal, and tightly screwed down to the point she doubted ever being able to undo it on her own without the assistance of some tool. At the other end of the elbow was a plug with a square end to it, and as secured as the elbow itself.

All of that, she could quite possibly comprehend its presence there. But what she couldn't make any sense out of, was what was attached to the pipe, and how it was attached. It looked like somepony had dismantled a set of dressmaker's sheers, with the points pointed away from the plug, and secured the two halves of the sheers onto either side of the elbow with duct tape of all things!

What was this thing? Why was it even here in her room? Why was it hidden under her bed? Who had even put it there in the first place!?

Stupid question. Even she knew that one.

"Spike!" she called out, wanting to get to the bottom of this mystery immediately. Whatever he'd been up to -or even thought about being up to- she wanted to know about it. She was just about to call for him again, before she heard the sound of his approaching footsteps coming up the stairs.

"What is it, Twilight," Spike asked as he came to a stop at the head of the stairs. However his demeanor took a drastic change upon seeing what Twilight was holding aloft in her magic. "Oh shit..." he muttered and turned his gaze to the floor, not wanting to look her in the eye. "Look, just... please don't yell, okay?"

"Yell? Spike, I'm not going to yell. I just want an explanation about... this," Twilight stated and gestured to the pipe with her right foreleg. "Where did you get this thing? For that matter, why did you even get it?" she asked. Yelling right now would serve no purpose, other than being counterproductive to them.

"From Barnyard Bargains. Well... the stuff to build it with anyway, I still had to do that part myself. But you can find just about anything there, if you just know where to look," Spike explained.

"Alright then," Twilight replied. That at least took care of where the parts had come from. "Why?"

"Uh... why?" Spike asked.

"I asked first. Why did you build this... thing?" Twilight asked.

"Oh..." Spike paused in thought, tensing up at how things were going. "Well... remember when I went with Applejack to get the wood to patch the hole in the wall?" he asked and glanced over to the side, noting the discoloration from where the supplied wood had been transmuted into a new portion of the wall. When she nodded, he continued. "Well I asked Applejack if I could borrow the corn knife she had in the barn, but she said no. And Filthy Rich wouldn't sell me an axe or anything like that; I should know, I tried to buy one. I don't know how to make something like a sword on my own, and I sure don't have enough allowance to get the blacksmith to make me one. So I... had to make due with what I actually could get..."

"That's not what I meant, Spike," Twilight replied and frowned, not appreciating the lack of honesty he was exercising as he avoided the question. "Whatever possessed you to actually build this... this... thing?" he asked him as she against gestured to the pipe.

At first, Spike didn't say anything, as he tried to think of not only what to say, but how to go about saying it. Despite Twilight insisting that she wasn't going to yell, he could still tell that she wasn't all that happy. And he also knew that how something was said, could be even more important than what was said; meaning he had to approach cautiously if he wanted to avoid this situation blowing up in his face. But considering how their luck had been lately, that might already be a foregone conclusion.

"Because I wanna be ready when something happens. I wanna be able to do something when -not if- push comes to shove. And I need that "thing" to do it with. You've got your magical aptitude. Applejack has the strongest hooves in all of Ponyville. Ulquiorra... is himself. But what do I have? A stocky build, and fire that doesn't always work when I get excited. I can't fight and protect anyone like that. Face it, Twilight, I need to improvise if I'm going to be of any use to you or the others," Spike stated.

Twilight didn't know how to immediately respond to this news. She was horrified at the notion of Spike believing that he, like the rest of them, might have to step up and face a hostile threat that was intent on causing them great harm, to the point that he was being proactive about it all. But at the same time she couldn't help but feel touched by the idea that Spike had believed he needed to be the one doing the protecting, rather than the other way around. His heart was certainly in the right place during it all.

"Oh, Spike," Twilight replied, features softening as she set the pipe down on the ground, and stepped over to where he stood to pull him into a hug. "I'm glad that you want to help out. But you really don't need to be doing this. We-"

"Don't," Spike stated, interrupting what Twilight had to say. He didn't want to hear it right now. He didn't want to hear it, and he wanted her to look him in the eyes. He wanted to be talked to rather than at. "Don't give me that, Twilight, any of it. Just because I'm a baby dragon, doesn't mean I'm a baby that needs to be protected. I don't know if you're aware or not, but I'm older than any of the Cutie Mark Crusaders are. I've been helping you for years, and I'm big enough to be helping out here with this."

"Spike..." Twilight spoke up, trying to get a word in edgewise. But Spike was on a roll right now, becoming evermore animated as he spoke, to the point she could no longer maintain a hold on him. By now he was gesturing with his arms to emphasize the points he was trying to make.

"Ulquiorra's Cero is gone, remember? What if another manticore comes to town to finish what the first one started, and nopony's around to stop it? What if it's timberwolves next time? What if it's something even worse that comes creeping out of the Everfree Forest, and into the middle of Ponyville? What then? I at least wanna know that I can at least try and do something other than hide with everypony else! And... a-and there's nothing you can do to stop me either, short of sending me back to Canterlot! And I know you won't do that, because you need me here to be sending and receiving messages to keep Celestia up on what's going on!"

By now Twilight was starting to feel a bit scared at how Spike was acting. He was becoming increasingly frenzied in speech, physical movement, and emotional disturbance. He was starting to act less like her assistant, and more like a rabid animal. She could tell that his heart was beating a whole lot faster right now, and he was starting to look like he was either going to suffer a full-blown panic attack, or start crying hysterically if he was allowed to continue without interruption.

She was going to need to do something -and do it fast- before he wound up doing something that might hurt himself.

"You're right, Spike," she stated. Or rather she lied. She honestly didn't believe that Spike was correct on his outlook about the situation. The last thing she wanted to think about right now, was the idea of Spike trying to face down a manticore -or some other threat- while wielding his highly improvised -and downright hazardous- implement like it would actually do some good.

She really didn't want to consider what might happen if he actually tried using it in actual combat. Those scissors were never going to stick, no matter how much duct tape he used. Whether or not that was the intended point of the setup, she really didn't want to know right now.

But what she was comfortable with right now, came second to the need to get Spike to calm down. And even though she hated lying to him, it really was for his own good. If she tried to argue with him, no matter how tactfully she approached, he'd just resist her, reasoning that she was dismissing his concerns out of hoof -dismissing him by extension- and become more combative. She'd seen it before, and she really didn't want to see it again.

The first step right now was getting him calm. She'd go about debunking his position later on, when he wasn't on the verge of hyperventilating. After that she could tend to damage control if necessary, should he find out that she was lying to him.

"You're absolutely right, Spike," she repeated again, "I didn't think about that. I never considered the idea that you might be left alone with the task of trying to protect Ponyville all by yourself. I never really wanted to consider that being a possibility. I'm used to us being the ones having to do all the dangerous work ourselves, due to us possessing the Elements of Harmony. I... I guess I need to start thinking more outside of the box," she explained, doing her best to get Spike to calm down, and actually consider what she was saying. She wanted him to understand that she was talking to him as another individual, rather than talking at him like he was a piece of furniture.

And from what she could see, it looked like it was working, as Spike was starting to calm down a little.

"You... you mean it?" Spike asked.

No. Of course she didn't mean it. She didn't want to put Spike in such a dangerous position. But right now she needed him to believe that she meant it. Calm him now, address the details later.

"I do. And I'll see what I can do to help you," she replied, doing her best to appear supportive, rather than in pain. And right now she was in a great deal of pain from having to lie so much to him. "Starting tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? But why not today?" Spike asked.

"There's still a lot of work that has to be done before we can actually try something like this, Spike," she pointed out. In truth, however, it was just a stalling tactic on her part, in the hope that if she could just delay him long enough, his youthful state would take over, and make him lose interest in the whole notion. But just in case it didn't, she was prepared with an explanation as to why the delay was warranted. "What texts are available on the art of physical combat were devised with ponies in mind, not dragons or other bipeds; I don't think they'd translate well for you. I'll have to make a check and see if any minotaur literature is available, and what, if anything, it says about combat. If push comes to shove, Ulquiorra may need to be brought in as an adviser, or even an instructor. Which means having to wait until he concludes his latest investigation," she explained, running through the list of whatever conceivable explanation just happened to come to mind on the subject.

It really wasn't all that bad, considering that she was doing this all on the fly, listing the various reasons for why Spike would realistically have to wait, before being allowed to actually start any form of combat training.

"And then there's this..." she paused as she reached out and levitated the pipe off the ground again to reference it. "No. Just plain no. If we're actually going to be doing this, Spike, then you're going to need something that's actually proper for the job; not this... this... ad-hoc collection of junk. No offense, Spike, I'm sure you did your best and all, but this just won't work. I'm sure it might stand up to a few hard blows, but the threaded ends are structurally unsound for what you'd be asking of it. I mean, one particularly hard blow at the wrong angle, and the entire portion being used as the head will be snapped right off," she explained.

There really wasn't anything wrong with improvising when the circumstances demanded it; some of the greatest discoveries and inventions in history were the result of improvisation, and trying highly unconventional approaches to standard -and even nonstandard- problems. And if worse came to worse, Spike's concept of a weapon might serve its intended purpose of stopping an attack. But none of that meant this approach was the correct one to be engaging in right now.

"Seriously, Spike, where'd you even get an idea like this? From a comic book?" she asked as she again looked at it.

"Something like that..." Spike mumbled uncomfortably as he slowly turned his gaze away from her and towards the floor, twiddling his fingers as he did.

"Well no matter. We'll get some research done, and figure out what will work best in this situation," she stated and set the pipe aside, making a mental note to see about returning the individual components -or what she could of them- to Barnyard Bargains later on. The shoddiness of it all, and it being here in her home, left her feeling uncomfortable.

"Thanks, Twilight, I appreciate that," Spike said as he turned his attention back up to her.

"In the meantime, Spike, could you head back out to Barnyard Bargains, and see about picking up a quart of kerosene?" she asked, deciding that now would be an appropriate time for changing the subject to something less serious.

"Kerosene?" Spike asked curiously. "What for?"

"I just want to make sure we have enough on hoof in case we need it. We have been using the lantern a lot more frequently as of late," she explained.

Ever since Applejack had started spending her nights at the Golden Oaks, for whatever reason, she didn't -or simply couldn't- rest easily unless they had a lantern going on the nightstand next to the bed. Whether it was due to some unmentioned fear of the dark, or whatever trauma she experienced in the orchards weeks ago, Twilight couldn't figure it out. All she really knew was that the dimmed, flickering light of a kerosene lantern helped Applejack relax and sleep.

Consequently, the jug of fuel that was kept in the cellar was being drained much faster than it would've been, when she was just running her oil lamp for illumination when doing some late-night reading down in the library. And although they weren't yet out, she really didn't want to wait for that to happen first.

"Oh. Okay. Yeah that makes sense, sure," Spike replied, "is there anything else? Maybe something from Sugarcube Corner since I'm heading out anyway?" he asked, considerably more perked up than he had been just a short while ago.

"... Not that I can think of. But if you want to stop in and pick up something for yourself, that would be alright," she replied. She considered telling him no after everything that had happened today. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it in light of how badly she'd lied to him in the past few minutes; it was going to hurt him bad enough as it was, if he ever found out the truth. The least she could do was cushion the blow a little, should it ever come.

As she watched Spike's excited reaction to the news, followed by his enthusiastic descent down the stairs, she couldn't help but feel bad about herself. It wasn't like this was the first time she'd ever been dishonest with Spike, but this was an entirely different magnitude for her to be engaging in. She'd stood there, lying right to his face about doing something she really didn't want to do, for the sake of soothing his nerves. And he'd bought her story, because he trusted her.

At best she'd managed to buy herself a little time. She would actually need to locate any combat-oriented literature before they could proceed, so that helped her out a bit. And she certainly wouldn't refrain from trying to locate it. But if it couldn't be found -at least not readily- then all the better as far as she was concerned. She couldn't very well go about teaching Spike about something for which they had no information on.

Still. None of that did anything to assuage her guilt right now. Truth be told, just thinking about her actions was making her feel a little ill.

"Urp."

Change that. Make that a lot ill!

Like a shot she was off for the bathroom.

Big Macintosh knew that he should be asleep right now. It had been a hard day of work on the farm, and tomorrow would be equally hard. He was exhausted, and his body was begging for rest.

But his mind wouldn't allow that to happen. For whatever reason, the mind was at odds with the flesh, and wouldn't let him rest peacefully. That left him restless, and continually tossing or turning when he got uncomfortable from laying in one spot for too long.

Not that this was the first night he hadn't been able to get a good night's rest; this had been going on ever since he'd found Applejack in the orchards, crying and babbling about what she believed she'd done. And ever since then, things really hadn't been getting much better. Ever since then, his sister had been spending every night at the library with Twilight for one reason or another. Granted she came back in the mornings to do her share of the farm work, but for whatever reason, she didn't seem to want to be on Sweet Apple Acres when the sun started setting. He couldn't recall ever seeing his sister so... spooked before.

There were so many things to be contemplating right now. He'd heard what Applejack had said she'd been put through, and he'd been horrified by it as well. His sister had been put through an unacceptable level of suffering, and he couldn't imagine how bad it was for her. Nor did he really want to consider such horrors. He had enough to deal with when it came to facing what he already was; namely how there was nothing he could do to help her out. Applejack wasn't a little filly who he could hold in his forelegs, and assure her that everything was going to be alright. He could do that with Apple Bloom, some of the time, but definitely not Applejack.

Well, technically he could, but she really wouldn't believe him. And the way she'd been lately, she might see him as trying to patronize her.

Of course Applejack wasn't the only pony keeping his mind running currently. Just down the hall were two others, in the form of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo currently having a sleepover. He'd been a bit wary of that ever since this morning when Apple Bloom had asked about it. But there really wasn't much he could do about it. The Crusaders had been experiencing enough of their own difficulties as of late, without him adding to them by being a hard flanked son of a nag about it.

Sleep. He reminded himself that he needed to get some sleep. Being a farmer, morning always came way too early; especially if you were up at all hours of the night. He'd have all day tomorrow to worry about all these things going on in his head, when he was plowing the fields. He just needed to close his eyes, and go to sleep.

Unfortunately that didn't pan out, as a loud scream suddenly sounded from somewhere within the house. Like a shot he was out of his bed and already through the door, adrenaline coursing through his system, and making him forget all about being tired, as he searched for the source of the commotion.

It didn't take him long to discover the location of the screaming, as it was still going on as he got out into the hallway. It was coming from Apple Bloom's room. He crossed the distance in the blink of an eye, slamming the door open with enough force that it nearly broke in the process. If something was hurting his little sister, then Faust have mercy on their miserable hide, because he sure wouldn't. He stormed into the room, prepared to fight what might be a predator from the Everfree Forest that had managed to sneak into the house.

What he didn't expect to find, however, was Apple Bloom in the process of flicking on her crystal lantern, looking both confused and scared at the fact that it was Scootaloo screaming next to her in bed, and there being nothing in the room to warrant such an outburst.

Had this whole episode been from nothing but a nightmare?

"Wha's goin' on in here?" he asked, still feeling his heart pounding.

"Ah don' know! One minute Ah'm asleep, an' the next Scoots is screamin' like she's been set on fire er somethin'," Apple Bloom stated as she turned around to face her distraught pegasus friend, who had moved beyond screaming, and was now whimpering and shaking.

And then she felt something against her fur that she hadn't expected to feel. Something that was both warm and wet...

"Eww!" she shrieked and backed up quickly, disgusted.

Big Macintosh didn't need to ask what had happened, as he could smell what was wrong. Already his elder sibling instincts were switching over from protect, to more relevant matters of providing care.

"Ah'll tend ta the bed, Apple Bloom, ya see about getting Scootaloo an' yerself cleaned up," he instructed. It had been a good many years since the last time he'd had to do something like this, but some experiences could never truly be forgotten.

Big Macintosh had tended to the bed, making sure it could be slept in again, and dealing with the issue of the linens.

Apple Bloom had tended to the issue of the bath for herself and Scootaloo, seeing to it that they were both properly bathed, dried, and refreshed.

By the time their respective tasks had been seen to, both of the Apple siblings were wound up from all the physical activity, and seriously doubting that sleep was going to come to them anytime soon.

Then again, under the present circumstances, that might actually be considered a good thing. Right now there was still the issue of Scootaloo to deal with, who was -much like themselves right now- sitting at the kitchen table. But unlike them, she looked about halfway between hysterical and catatonic. It was a look that was made all the more disturbing, by the flickering light provided by the currently lit kerosene lamp currently resting in the middle of the table, and it left Apple Bloom very uncomfortable. The entire time she'd been getting the two of them cleaned up, Scootaloo hadn't said so much as one word. She'd barely even looked up at her the entire time. And knowing what she did about her friend, she knew that it wasn't the least bit right; it was downright eerie.

"Apple Bloom..."

Her attention on her friend was broken at the sound of Big Macintosh's voice behind her, and the feeling of his hoof resting gently on her back, just above her tiny withers. Curiosity won out, and she turned around to see that he was smiling. It was the kind of smile she usually saw him use, when he wanted to assure her that everything would be alright, because he was there to do what he could.

"How 'bout ya try an' get some rest. Ah'll look after Scootaloo an' make sure she's alright," he stated softly.

Apple Bloom thought on the matter. On the one hoof, she really wasn't feeling anywhere near tired right now, and she didn't feel like leaving Scootaloo. She wanted to do something to at least try and help her friend out. But on the other hoof, Big Macintosh was a lot older than she was, and a lot more knowledgeable about stuff than she was. Maybe he knew about something she didn't, that would be able to help Scootaloo out. Plus is wasn't like he'd ever lead her wrong before.

"... If ya say so," she replied as she slowly got up from where she sat. Maybe she'd go lay down on the parlor's couch for a while.

Big Macintosh watched as Apple Bloom left the room, before slowly making his way around the table to where Scootaloo sat, and slowly stroked her back, much like he had Apple Bloom's just moments before.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked. He got a response in the form of her shaking her head, indicating that she was at least hearing what was going on, and able to respond in turn. But she was apparently unwilling to communicate. This was going to be more difficult than he thought.

"If ya don' wanna talk, Ah won't make ya," he said as he continued to gently stroke his hoof along her back. He briefly considered an older routine that he had used in the past when Apple Bloom wasn't in a talking mood and something was bothering her; that usually involved trying to bribe her with a bit if she would talk. And if that failed, he would tell her that he'd show her where Applejack had bitten him. which usually got her laughing at least. But after some consideration, he doubted that the humor would be appreciated right now.

"Ya don't have ta talk. Ah jus' thought ya might like ta unload. Keepin' things all bottled up is harder than most ponies think it is. They don' know how much it actually hurts 'em. Or they think they're sparin' others somethin' right terrible, 'cause they don' wanna burden 'em. Believe me, Ah know," he explained as he continued stroking her back.

His efforts at making Scootaloo feel more at ease were rewarded with a squeak. Or rather a cross between a squeak, and a shuddering breath being drawn.

"If ya don't wanna talk, that's fine. Ya don't have ta talk, Ah won't make ya. But will ya talk?" he asked. This time the response came in the form of a weak nod.

Big Macintosh listened silently as Scootaloo tried to talk, her efforts hampered by shuddering and stuttering the whole way. All he could do was continue stroking her back, and wait to see if she could compose herself enough to get out whatever she was trying to say.

"She hurt me..." she finally managed to get out. Big Macintosh wanted to ask about the who, and the what, but at the same time he didn't want to cause Scootaloo to feel like she was being pressured. He opted to maintain his silence, and to just continue stroking her back in a comforting manner, figuring that if she wanted to elaborate, she would.

"Rainbow Dash..."

This time it was a whisper. At first Big Macintosh didn't know what exactly he was hearing, and left him wondering if he'd misheard something. Curiously he leaned in closer to better hear what she was saying.

"Rainbow Dash..." Scootaloo repeated.

"What about Rainbow Dash?" Big Macintosh asked, curiosity winning out in the end.

"I don't wanna say," Scootaloo whimpered as she trembled. "Please don't make me say..." she pleaded.

"What'd Rainbow Dash do ta ya, Scootaloo?" he asked. She'd come this far in opening up, so she might as well continue with saying whatever she had to say. He wasn't going to force her to talk, but he wasn't just going to drop the whole thing either. He was just going to give her a friendly little nudge, and hope that she would do the rest.

More stuttering and shuddering breaths followed as she tried to talk further, trying to get the words out.

"Rainbow Dash, she, s-s-she..." Scootaloo whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut tight as she gulped. "She cut my wings off!" she shrieked, before proceeding to break down crying.

The next thing Big Macintosh knew, Scootaloo had flung herself at him, and buried her face against his barrel, clinging to him desperately. That prompted him to stop rubbing her back, and instead wrap a foreleg around her. He'd managed to get her to open up about what had frightened her so bad, and now there wasn't much to do except let her ride it out, as she wailed against him.

"I begged her to stop, but she just kept cutting! It hurt so much!" she screamed, her cries muffled by how firmly she had her face pressed against Big Macintosh's chest.

So that was it then. Big Macintosh knew he didn't need to have a fancy education to understand what had gotten Scootaloo so upset; especially if the nightmare hadn't been of her own construct, but rather the same thing that had hurt Applejack and the others.

He had no idea how long he sat there in the kitchen, whether it was minutes, or even hours. All he knew for certain was that it was as long as it took for Scootaloo to finally calm down enough for her crying to amount to sniffling. He knew that he was going to need a bath after all of that, but right now he had more important things on his mind.

"Nopony's gonna be hurtin' ya now, Scoots. Ah won't be lettin' 'em do it," he said gently as he held onto her. Leaning over the table, he blew out the kerosene lamp, before turning to leave the kitchen, walking as best he could on three legs, while still holding onto the distraught filly.

Ascending the stairs wasn't easy, but he still managed to do it regardless. But once he was at the top of the stairs, he had a bit of a quandary on his hooves; return Scootaloo to Apple Bloom's bedroom, and put her down for the evening, or take her back to his room, and let her rest there.

It might've been a quandary. But that didn't mean it was a particularly hard decision to make. Without a second thought, he set off towards his room.

"Ya can stay with me in mah room tonight. Ah'll make sure nothin' gets ya," he said, doing his best to assure her that everything would be alright.

He'd certainly wanted to make himself useful. But not like this; not if that desire had somehow set this whole thing into motion. If that had been the case, then he really doubted that he'd ever be able to forgive himself. But he'd worry about kicking himself later on.

"Here we go," he said as he made his way back into his room and eased Scootaloo onto the bed. Pulling away was a bit difficult as she clung to him, but eventually he managed to step away, and look at her again. "Ya think ya can go back ta sleep?" he asked her. It was a weak nod that she gave in response, but it was a nod nonetheless. He smiled and gently tussled her mane, before going over to the closet, and fetching a second pillow for her to use.

He would keep an eye on Scootaloo tonight so Apple Bloom could rest. Then in the morning he'd take her to see Twilight, so she could be brought up to speed about what had happened, and hopefully make some degree of sense out of all this. With that thought in mind he made his way back over to the bed and shuffled the pillows, before gently guiding her down.

"Don't go," Scootaloo whimpered as she reached out and took hold of his hoof with both of her own, holding onto him desperately, yet weakly.

"Ah won't. Ah promise Ah'll be right here," Big Macintosh replied. That earned him a small but noticeable smile, allowing him to fully withdraw his hoof from her grasp, and move around to the other side of the bed, before climbing up on it, and laying down beside her.

What he didn't expect to happen as he did, however, was Scootaloo rolling over, and pressing herself up against his barrel as he laid down. That caught him a little off guard. But when he looked, he saw that she was already fast asleep, so it was best not to disturb her. He knew he wouldn't be rolling over and squishing her in the night; he'd had plenty of experience in avoiding that, after years of fulfilling certain eldest sibling responsibilities.

"Try an' sleep well, Scoots," he whispered as he laid there, just observing her as she slumbered.

And as he observed her slumber, he made a silent resolution to himself. If he ever found the one that had been responsible for all of this, then may Faust have mercy on them, because he sure wouldn't...

Author's Note

I hate to say it, but this chapter doesn't mean we're back in regular production, it just means I'm not dead. Although I'm pretty close to being such, because this chapter was excruciating to write. Excruciating because this was possibly the hardest chapter I've ever had to write. I've lost track of how many revisions to the structure I made, before finally settling on the finished product. I'm still not at all happy with most of it, as it was supposed to be so much more than it currently is. This took the longest time to actually write out of all my chapters so far, and more than once it nearly made me lose interest in the project entirely. I very nearly gave up.

But now it's done, even if I don't like it. And I couldn't in good conscience just leave it sitting here. I had to upload this thing, and get it out of here, before moving onto the next chapters. Hopefully I can start approaching some semblance of regularity with updates in the near future. But don't hold me to it.

And now it's time for some deleted scenes!

The first one is an idea that I've considered doing for a while now, and I tried really hard to fit it into the chapter, but it was a lot harder than I thought, and was taking too long. So I decided to just cut it out, and put it here instead.

Deleted Scene One

Staying with Fluttershy was, perhaps, not the wisest of decisions he could have made. Despite her status as bearer of the Element of Kindness, and thus her resulting intrinsic importance to Equestria overall, there was still the fact that she was a single pony out of millions that needed to be considered.

Ulquiorra knew he could argue the case that his interpretation of orders from Princess Celestia allowed for significant flexibility in protecting Equestria from harm. He could make the case for how he could have left Fluttershy in the care of Rarity and Applejack, to try and track down the source of the reiatsu that had drastically increased in his presence, and then departing quickly after making itself known.

He could have indeed make such an argument. It would be a very sound argument, and it would be grounded purely in logic, to the point no one could fault him for departing.

That wasn't how things had played out, however. Rather than making an effort at tracking down their first viable lead, he had chosen to remain behind with the others. He had opted to secure the scene of the crime, rather than chasing after the one who had metaphorically poked them in the face with a coup stick. Whether or not it had been the correct decision on his part, he didn't know yet.

Twilight Sparkle had her own assessment of the facts on the matter. According to her interpretation of the matter, he had made the correct decision in staying with the others, asserting that if Fluttershy had gone into cardiac arrest in response to her ordeal -which according to her, was a very real possibility, due to the amount of mental stress that was experienced- he would have been able to get her to the hospital the quickest. In her mind, he had made the correct decision in how to proceed. She had thanked him for staying with Fluttershy. She had hugged him for staying with Fluttershy.

Regardless of whether or not he'd made the correct choice, he was now having to address the fallout of the decision; such as the lack of a detectable trail that would show him where the entity had departed to. And with all of the hoof traffic in the area, both previously and currently, it would be difficult even for him to discern it all. Whether or not it could be blamed on a matter of timing, was an entirely different question.

His thoughts on the matter, however, were interrupted as he felt something bump into his right leg from the side.

"Ow!"

And a sudden yelp of discomfort.

"Watch where you're going, bubblehead!"

At hearing that, he turned to see who or what had bumped into him, and saw that it was a pink, blank flanked, earth pony filly with blond mane, wearing a pair of sunglasses, and in the process of rubbing her snout with her foreleg. That would account for the congested distortion that was heard.

"I have been standing here for several consecutive minutes. You were the one not looking at where you were going," he replied.

"Is that supposed to be a joke or something?" the filly asked, not bothering to look up at him as she set her foreleg back down again.

Strange. Few ponies actually possessed the nerve to talk back to him, particularly when he was looking at them. The fact that it was a foal who was doing it was even stranger. According to those that willingly addressed the issue, and actually talked to him about it, they were uncomfortable with how he looked at them; like a predator staring at a potential meal. Factually speaking, it wasn't all that far away from the truth, even if he wasn't looking to hurt them, intentionally or otherwise.

She wasn't even looking up at him. It was more like she was looking past him, or even through him, like he wasn't even there. It was like...

"I've never seen a blind pony before," he commented.

"What a coincidence, neither have I," the filly quipped.

Ulquiorra had to admit to himself at least, he had walked right into that one. He hadn't expected one so young, to be so quick when it came to the issue of wit.

"I don't get how I missed you just standing there. Usually when somepony is close by I can hear them or smell them," the filly commented.

"Not being a pony, it stands to reason that you wouldn't be familiar with the signals my body gives off, and thus less likely to pick up on them" he replied.

"Not a pony? Well if you're not a pony then what are..." the filly asked, before pausing in thought. "You're that thing that killed the manticore that came into town, aren't you?"

How that conclusion had been arrived at so quickly was something Ulquiorra couldn't really figure out. Nothing he had said would readily confirm that he wasn't native to this dimension. And the one who was questioning him about it, had no idea what he looked like. Had it all been a matter of a random guess, based on his statement that he wasn't a pony?

"Correct," he replied.

"You don't sound nearly as big, or as strong as I thought you would," the filly commented.

"Not everything is as it seems," Ulquiorra replied as he refocused his attention elsewhere. As she was blind, there was little point in focusing on her for however long the conversation lasted.

For a brief moment he'd actually considered remarking that appearances could be deceiving, but that struck him as a matter of petty bickering. It would also be something else the filly could deliver a quip to, and how it didn't apply to her because of her blindness.

"That's fair I guess," the filly replied and shrugged her withers. "So what're you doing here, just standing around like that?"

"In simple terms, searching for clues pertaining to the recent attacks on Ponyville. Anything that might be out of place, with there being no reason for it to be as such," Ulquiorra explained, simply for the sake of expediency.

"Oh," the filly replied and nodded once in understanding. "Well if I see anything like that, I'll be sure to let you know."

Ulquiorra nearly asked the filly how she expected to see anything when she was blind. But he stopped himself short of actually asking. He'd been caught off guard, simply because he was so accustomed to ponies being straight with him. This one, however, wasn't.

"Your sense of sarcasm is more developed than that of most adults I've dealt with in my time here," he stated.

"Wow you catch on quick. I'm gonna have fun with you!" the filly stated enthusiastically and grinned.

"Good fortune continues to shine down upon me," Ulquiorra replied in a dull tone, unamused by how things were developing.

"Wow, you can give as good as you get. I think I like you," the filly replied and continued to grin. "My name's Shady."

"Ulquiorra Cifer," he stated, completing the impromptu greeting.

"What the hay kinda name is that?" Shady asked.

"Mine," Ulquiorra replied simply. "Has this battle of wits concluded? Or do you still have a few barbs left that you'd like to trade?" he asked.

"Eh, I guess we should stop now," Shady replied and shrugged. "I promised a friend I'd stop by his house later, so he can give me a play-by-play description of the exciting spectator sport, that is watching paint dry."

That... that was actually a good one, as far as Ulquiorra was concerned.

"I assume there will be popcorn?" he asked.

"It'd be sacrilege if there wasn't," Shady replied.

That one nearly broke his focus, as he felt compelled to ask how one so young -especially in this reality- had any concept about what sacrilege meant. But then he stopped himself from asking, as he simply didn't want to know; it would be just his luck that she was misusing a term she didn't understand, and would inquire about what the proper context was. He'd rather not get into that one right now.

"Hey... I've got a question. Can I trust you?" Shady asked after a pause.

"Is that the question? Or are you merely seeking clarification before actually asking the intended question?" Ulquiorra asked back.

"Uh... the second I guess," Shady replied, her voice faltering for the first time since her arrival. "What I mean is, if I ask you a question, you'll be honest in answering, right? No nonsense or nothing like that?"

"Your question is quite foolish. You ask someone you have just met if they can be trusted, as if they are duty bound to answer honestly, and you have no method of verifying whatever answer they give you," Ulquiorra pointed out.

"... You're the first one to ever actually point that out. Everypony else is like "Oh sure, Shady, you can trust me, I'll be honest" because I'm blind," she stated, surprised by the answer that she'd gotten.

"What is the question?" Ulquiorra asked, deciding to cut through the nonsense before she had the chance to start blubbering about how his honesty was a change from the usual pace.

"What's it like to actually be able to see?"

That was a question that actually got Ulquiorra to turn his head, and regard Shady directly, rather than just passively. She was currently making an effort to look at him, even though it was a pointless effort on her part. If he was being set up for another round of snark, then it was being done in a way that he was missing. As best he could tell, she was genuinely serious in her inquiry.

"Simultaneously very informative, and potentially distracting. There's far more information to take in, that must be accounted for, and processed, in order to arrive at a decision. It's very easy for someone who can see, to not take in their surroundings, and miss what is blatantly obvious, and should have been to them," he replied, doing his best to be informative, and to the point about the topic of sight.

"Oh..." Shady replied, "so am I missing out on much by not being able to see?"

"Yes," Ulquiorra replied bluntly. There was no use in denying the fact that she was devoid of twenty percent of her full senses, and thus was experiencing a significant shortness of the full spectrum that could be experienced.

After a brief pause, he continued in his explanation. "But not everything that's missed out on, is of actual importance. A great deal of the world is filled with nothing but utter nonsense."

"Yeah? Like what? Gimme a for instance," Shady insisted.

"The general antics of the earth pony known as Pinkie Pie," Ulquiorra stated bluntly. She was as much utter nonsense as anything he could reference right now.

"Hey now bud, watch what you say. I happen to like Pinkie Pie," Shady replied and frowned. But her efforts at maintaining the frown proved to be futile, as she soon started snickering. "She's so easy at times."

This filly had a highly developed mean streak about her. That was the only observation Ulquiorra could make at the moment. He could see her setting Pinkie Pie up with one example of snark bait after another, and the pink earth pony hopelessly falling for the trap time after time.

He couldn't deny the fact that he was finding this foal rather interesting. Her personality stood in such stark contrast with the rest of the ponies he'd had dealings with, that a part of him wondered just how easily she could deploy sarcasm at a moment's notice, and just what that sarcasm consisted of.

But for the time being, there was work that needed to be done. He would further evaluate her later on.

The next scene is one that I really wanted to include in the story, but I just couldn't find a way to make it work. Modifying the flow of the story to include it would've been incredibly awkward, and would've slowed down everything. But I didn't want to discard it completely, as it provides a great deal of character insight into some of the previous chapters, and would've made more sense if it had been included. So here we go for a nice bonus. Canonically this was set between Rainbow Dash's outburst in the infirmary, and her meltdown in the hallway with Ulquiorra. You might see why.

Happy reading!

Deleted Scene Two

Rainbow Dash cringed, feeling as small as a bug right now, as Luna glared down at her angrily. This was so, so much worse than any of the times in the past that she'd managed to make her parents mad. Even as angry as they could've been -or at least as angry as she'd perceived them at such a young age- was absolutely nothing compared to the fury that the Lunar Princess commanded, and was on the verge of unleashing upon her frail body.

"Princess, please, I'm sorry," she whimpered and cowered, finding no place to run and hide. She was alone in this long, poorly lit stretch of hallway, with no manner of escape open to her, as she was backed against the side of a pillar. Even if she did try and bolt, Luna would be on her in a second with her longer stride.

"As thou should be, thou impudent little foal," Luna growled as she glared down at her furiously, her stare of such intensity that it would boil water. "And thou will be, as it has apparently fallen upon us to teach thee thine place in this world..."

Rainbow Dash cringed as she watched Luna rear up on her hind legs, knowing what was going to come next. She clenched her eyes tightly shut, and brought her forelegs up to shield her head, in the hope that she wouldn't be totally crushed by Luna's powerful hooves connecting with her.

But nothing happened. She didn't feel bones being shattered by the impact of shod hooves crashing against her body. In fact she didn't feel anything. Out of morbid curiosity, she cracked an eye open to see just what was going on.

And what was going on, she couldn't really believe it.

Standing just off to the side was Ulquiorra, intercepting her hoof with his right hand, and holding it -as well as her- at bay with apparent ease.

Once again, he'd come in to save her miserable flank.

Luna, caught off guard by this development, went from looking shocked, to looking angered, as she turned her attention to Ulquiorra.

"Remove thy hand from us at once," she ordered in a very firm, very low tone. It was a tone that managed to send shivers up and down Rainbow Dash's spine.

"No," Ulquiorra replied simply, unfazed by the tone of Luna's voice.

"Thou impudent cur," Luna growled and narrowed her eyes at him. "We didst give thee an order. It is thou's duty to obey what we say! And thou dost dare to tell us no!?"

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied as Luna attempted to press her assault and overpower him. "Princess Celestia instructed me to protect these ponies from harm, however it may be determined necessary. And if I deem it necessary, I will interpret her orders to include protecting them from the likes of not only her, but you as well," he explained calmly as he pushed back against her, his outer stoicness concealing the amount of force he was actually applying to hold her at bay.

"Very well then. If thou doth wish to commit treason against thy Princess," Luna practically hissed, "then thee shall be punished accordingly!" she bellowed, wings flaring outward, and eyes glowing bright white.

Rainbow Dash felt herself hit by a shock wave of alicorn magic, the intensity of it nearly flooring her in the process. She'd seen Luna plenty mad before, but it was never anything like this. This was making her feel like her fur was about to catch fire any second. This was making her feel like her chest was made out of lead.

And then things went from bad to worse, as a second shock wave rocked her. But this time around it was from Ulquiorra, rather than from Luna. This felt just like it had during the changeling invasion, but much worse due to the proximity of it all. She honestly felt like her body was going to be blown apart like dust in the wind any second now. And making it all the worse was the fact that she couldn't move; all she could do was watch, as their respective powers started to become visible to the naked eye as they arced off each other; teal green for Ulquiorra, and midnight blue for Luna.

Suddenly Ulquiorra pulled his left hand from his pocket, and brought it forward to grab Luna by her throat, before swinging her around to slam her into the wall, and pin her there. Once she was pinned, he let go of her foreleg with his right hand, balling it up into a fist as he pulled it back, and then slammed it forward into the side of her head. The impact of his fist against her skull -and by extension the impact of her skull against the wall immediately behind her- caused a massive plume of dust to explode outward from the point of impact, completely obscuring the area.

Rainbow Dash coughed, flapping her wings to try and clear the air to some degree so she could breathe again. This was getting really scary, really fast, and she didn't know how to deal with it.

As the air cleared, and the dust began to settle on the ground, she could see that the punch Ulquiorra had delivered, had been enough to completely obliterate the wall behind Luna, creating a huge opening to the outside. And as best she could tell, that was where they were duking it out right now; that was the only thing she could think of to explain the flashes of light she was witnessing in the distance.

And then Luna came flying back through the hole in the wall, crashing against the floor in a manner that suggested she'd been forcibly thrown through the opening, rather than entering of her own volition. She landed with such force that not only did the marble flooring crack from the impact, but she also bounced, and went rolling as she landed the second time.

The only conclusion Rainbow Dash could come up with, was that Ulquiorra was kicking the crap out of Luna... who was currently groaning in pain as she picked herself up off the ground.

"Thou shalt pay for that," she stated.

"That remains to be proven..."

Rainbow Dash had been so absorbed in trying to understand everything, she hadn't even heard Ulquiorra return, which caused her to jump at the sound of his voice. And then she jumped again when she saw that he had returned in his released state, just as when he'd faced Celestia.

Without so much as a word, he pulled his massive wings in as he stepped in through the hole in the wall, ready to continue the fight.

"The amount of trouble thou art in, is no laughing matter, Ulquiorra Cifer. The consequences for thee's actions will be truly significant," Luna warned as she got back up onto her hooves and cracked her neck.

"Explain to me, precisely why I should bother exerting the effort that would be needed to actually care," Ulquiorra replied as he stepped closer.

Luna stared in disbelief at just how casually Ulquiorra had shrugged off her warning about the consequences of his actions, and so had Rainbow Dash. She knew that the Espada could be disinterested as all get out at times, but even she hadn't seen this one coming.

"Oh thou shalt be made to care, when we art stripping thy flesh from thine's ghostly bones!" Luna bellowed, shaking the walls of the palace in the process.

Ulquiorra remained unimpressed as he stepped forward, his pace never slowing as he made his way to where Luna stood, each step an exercise in authority, even if they weren't being slammed against the flooring.

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and covered her ears, desperately trying to shut out everything that was going on before her. She didn't want to see anymore, or hear the sounds that were bound to be happening. She didn't want to be present for those two beating each other to a bloody pulp; and certainly not when it was over her. She wanted out of here!

And then there was silence. Nothing but total silence. Curiosity eventually won out over terror, and motivated her to open her eyes, and see what was going on.

Everything was frozen in place, completely unmoving. Ulquiorra and Luna were just feet away from each other, each of them ready to trade what just had to be devastating blows with one another. It wasn't even like they were pausing, but more like she was looking at a highly detailed picture.

"Greetings, Rainbow Dash..."

Rainbow Dash had been so focused on trying to figure out what was going on, she'd nearly jumped at the sound of her name being spoken. Quickly she whirled around to see who was addressing her... and came face to face with Luna! Oh this was so not good! Immediately she wanted to scream and back away as far as possible.

But before she could even start to do just that, she couldn't help but notice that there was something... different... about this Luna. This wasn't the same Luna that Ulquiorra had been beating up on just seconds ago. This Luna's features weren't hard set, looking like they'd been chiseled out of hard marble; instead they were much softer, and comforting, and conveyed a sense of concern, rather than fury. Nor was she towering over her to such a degree. Nor was she wearing any of her fancy regalia.

"P... Princess Luna?" she asked hesitantly/fearfully.

"Just plain "Luna" will be sufficient, Rainbow Dash," Luna replied as she sat herself down on the floor. "This is technically a dream that you find yourself in. Just so you know," she explained.

"A dream?" Rainbow Dash asked. That... well that certainly made a little more sense than what she thought was going on here. But there were still a lot of questions that she couldn't even begin thinking about getting an answer to.

But then another thought occurred to her, and it sent a shiver up her spine. Luna was here, in her dream, with everything in full and blatant view; like the fact that her dream counterpart was getting the shit kicked out of her by Ulquiorra!

"I can explain-" she quickly stated, only to be silenced as Luna gently pushed a hoof against her mouth.

"No, Rainbow Dash, allow me to speak first. What I have to say is of much greater importance than anything you might have to say," Luna stated, her voice quite firm, but at the same time quite caring. "And that, is that I am very sorry for earlier."

"You're..." Rainbow Dash paused as Luna withdrew her hoof to let her speak again. "You're sorry? But... But I..."

"Did nothing wrong, Rainbow Dash. I am the only one at fault here, not you. I should not have snapped at you as I did earlier in the day; it was absolutely uncalled for! Truly I did not mean to yell at you as I did. Even if my actions might be seen an understandable, that does not make them reasonable," Luna stated, before letting out a huff of exasperation and shutting her eyes.

Right now she hated herself. Rainbow Dash had only been trying to talk to her during a time of need. And what had she done in response? She'd viciously snapped, and proceeded to yell at the poor pegasus, all because she'd been tired from all of the strain she'd been under. Rainbow Dash didn't even know what had hit her, before running off in tears, and leaving her behind with the realization that she'd been absolutely horrible to a friend in need.

And glancing around at the dream, she felt all the worse. She had managed to make Rainbow Dash afraid of her, and view her like a violent monster bent on hurting her for some pointless transgression. It was bad enough when some pony unfamiliar with her took such a view, but when one of her own friends viewed her as such, that was a deep cut that simply wouldn't heal anytime soon.

"I deserved it though," Rainbow Dash muttered as she looked down at the ground. "You were busy, I could've waited until you weren't..."

"No, Rainbow Dash," Luna stated as she reached out with her right foreleg, and gently lifted her head back up again. "You and your well being are among our top priorities. Right now you take precedent over other matters. Even if that were not the case you are still one of my best friends. And one friend should never have to see another as... this..." she finished, sweeping her right wing out to gesture to the dream before them. Again, she sighed and hung her head. "I have failed. Not only as a friend, but also a Princess to our subjects. It would appear that I do not possess the same motherly characteristics that my sister does."

The next thing she knew, Rainbow Dash had not only approached and sat down right in front of her, but had leaned in, working her wither underneath her chin, as she wrapped her forelegs around her in a hug.

"Rainbow Dash?" she asked, finding herself curious at this turn of developments. Just seconds ago, the consoling efforts had been the other way around.

"We've both screwed up. Can we just call this even?" Rainbow Dash suggested. "You regret yelling at me, and I'm really regretting having this dream right now..."

"You have nothing to regret, Rainbow Dash," Luna replied as she gently returned the hug. The fact that she was on the receiving end of the embrace had been a surprise, as she had doubted that Rainbow Dash would've been up to exercising such a gesture on her own accord. The mare was certainly full of surprises. "I scared you, it is only natural that your dreams may reflect such facts."

Looking around the dream again, Luna wanted to obliterate her counterpart then and there. It hurt to look at, and hurt to consider that she had put that out there with her actions.

However her counterpart was only one aspect of the dream that had managed to catch her attention. Beyond that, and the presence of Ulquiorra Cifer, there was the overall sensation of this having been a lucid dream to at least some extent. To some degree it was easy enough to figure out what had happened; she had scared Rainbow Dash to the point her dreams had been affected, and Rainbow Dash had unconsciously responded by materializing the Espada to shield her from perceived harm. But then that lucidity had apparently failed, and she'd lost control of how things were proceeding. That was... quite unusual to experience. Intermittent lucid dreaming was not something she had seen too often.

Then again, Rainbow Dash using the Espada's name back in the infirmary -for the first time ever from what she'd heard- had been equally unusual. She figured the two were linked, but the exact details remained a mystery at the moment.

"Fair enough I guess," Rainbow Dash eventually replied and shrugged. "Now can we just call this even, say we both screwed up, and stop feeling bad about what we did?" she asked.

"If that is what you wish, my friend," Luna replied, finally relenting on the matter. If Rainbow Dash wished to drop the issue, then who was she to keep hammering away at it?

"It is," Rainbow Dash replied, nodding as her chin rubbed against her. She had enough to feel bad about right now, without adding to the list with making Luna feel bad about herself.

For a while the two just sat there, neither one of them feeling particularly motivated to break the hug that they were sharing. After all of the stress and anxiety the day had brought, the small measure of comfort that they were experiencing was all that they could bring themselves to care about right now.

"Luna?" Rainbow Dash spoke up, breaking the silence they'd been sitting in for who knew how long. "What were you saying about being a mother?"

"Motherly characteristics," Luna corrected, "they are something Celestia seems gifted with. Despite my best efforts in following her lead, they seem to be something that I am lacking. I cannot seem to properly emulate the same warmth in my own interactions with our subjects," she explained.

"Oh," Rainbow Dash replied. That kind of made sense. Or at least she guessed it made sense. "Maybe you're cut out for the big sister role instead," she suggested.

"Big sister?" Luna asked and blinked. That was a notion that she hadn't really considered before. She'd been so busy trying to put ponies at ease around her, that she hadn't even considered the idea of not having to keep up with Celestia in the public perception department. Perhaps there was some validity to the idea. "I will take the matter under consideration. Perhaps it is an approach that is worthwhile," she replied as she pulled back to look Rainbow Dash in the eyes.

And as she did, something of a wicked thought came to mind. Not terrible that should cause her shame for thinking it, just... wicked in its own little way that made her grin to herself.

"Tell me something, Rainbow Dash, are you making a proposition to become our little sister?" she asked, barely able to keep from pulling her lips back as she did. And Rainbow Dash's reaction made it all the harder to resist doing so, as the poor pegasus began stammering in surprise. Immediately Luna burst out laughing, unable to hold back her own mirth any longer.

And as she did, Rainbow Dash slowly began to laugh as well, finding herself caught up in the good feelings that were radiating off of Luna in her current good mood.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash," Luna breathed, using her wing to wipe her eyes. "That was a good laugh to be had. I thank you greatly."

"Heh. Anytime," Rainbow Dash replied and shrugged, uncertain of what else to really do right now.

"As to this dream of yours..." Luna paused, her voice taking on a strong tone. Rainbow Dash tensed up, certain that things were going to suddenly go very bad. "It is still many hours before waking up would be appropriate. I believe a change of scenery would be appropriate. Along with a change of participants. If we are to watch Ulquiorra Cifer engage in a no-holds barred battle, he will need an appropriate opponent to face down. The only question is; who should that be?"

Rainbow Dash didn't even hesitate before answering the question. "Slender Mane."

"Hmm..." Luna muttered and rubbed her chin in thought. "Yes. I believe that will work well indeed. Slender Mane it is then."

With that, Luna tapped the floor with her hoof, and sent ripples spreading outward from their position, warping the castle hall into a more appropriate location for the match up; that being the Everfree Forest. Along with that change came the addition of snacks appropriate for a spectator sport such as this. Even if they weren't real, that didn't mean they couldn't have fun as they watched.

As her dream counterpart was replaced with the appropriate villain to be faced, Luna got up and hugged Rainbow Dash from behind, holding her against her barrel. The cyan pegasus barely even flinched before settling in against her, making herself comfortable as she reached for the popcorn in anticipation of the coming fight.

"Have pleasant dreams from here on out, my dear friend," Luna thought as she leaned down to kiss Rainbow Dash's forehead. Being present every single night simply wasn't a possibility for her, as there were countless ponies in need of her services. But perhaps she wouldn't need to be in this case.

She couldn't bestow lucid dreaming capabilities to her subjects, as that would be very... complicated... for so many reasons. The ability to control dreams was something that couldn't be tossed about with disregard. But if one already possessed such talents, even if they were of a diluted nature, there was nothing to stop her from nurturing their growth in development. Given enough time, and the right support, as well as guidance, perhaps one day Rainbow Dash could take back control on her own. Perhaps one day she could finally stop her own nightmares, and truly rest peacefully.

Filler - How "Tanks for the Memories" should've gone

"Come on, Tank! Let's get outta here!"

And just like that, both Rainbow Dash and Tank departed in a huff, leaving five very confused ponies behind, looking at one another for answers.

"Does anypony wanna speculate on wha' jus' happened?" Applejack asked, being the first to break the resulting silence.

"I must say, I know Rainbow Dash can be a bit... abrasive at times, but I can't ever recall seeing her as this much of a ruffian before," Rarity replied, still disturbed by the amount of fury she'd witnessed their friend display. It was downright chilling to be on the receiving end of; even more so than the coming winter breeze that was blowing against her back.

"I know," Twilight agreed and nodded her head. Quickly she turned to face Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, you're Rainbow Dash's oldest friend. Do you have any idea what's got her so upset about Tank hibernating for the winter?"

"Yeah. Because unless Ah'm rememberin' wrong, RD got 'im before last year's winter. She wasn' flippin' out then, so wha' set 'er off this time around?" Applejack asked as she reached up to scratch her head. Something about this was seriously wrong.

"Um... well to be honest... I don't really know. When I told her that tortoises hibernate in winter, she didn't believe me; not even when I pointed it out in my animal care book. She said that the section on tortoises was a joke, and that the book was wrong. She was... really hostile even then, too..." Fluttershy explained, mumbling the last part, as she really didn't want to be badmouthing her friend.

"Hmm...." Twilight mumbled as she reached up to rub her chin with her hoof.

"Hmm, what? What's on your mind, Twilight? Do you know what's got Rainbow Dash so upset?" Pinkie asked, hoping she could make sense of everything, and explain what had gotten Rainbow Dash angry and scary at the same time.

"Not yet, Pinkie, I think we need more information to go on, before coming to any conclusions," Twilight explained as she set her hoof back down on the ground. "And to do that, we need to find Rainbow Dash."

"But what about helpin' get ready fer winter? There ain' exactly that much time left before the first snow starts fallin'," Applejack pointed out. Not that she wasn't worried about Rainbow Dash, but she really didn't want to be derelict in her duties to Ponyville.

"I think right now, darling, our friendship with Rainbow Dash is more important than tending to the last minute details of the seasonal shift. Something is obviously upsetting her very deeply, and we would be positively remiss if we didn't try and help her out," Rarity pointed out.

"I think Rarity's right on this one, Applejack. Winter's important to Ponyville, but Rainbow Dash is important to us," Twilight pointed out as she turned around to face the others better.

"Ah never said otherwise," Applejack replied defensively. "Ah'm just sayin' we can't always drop what we're doin' an' go runnin', friend er no friend," she explained. And after a brief pause, she continued. "That said, if we get a couple o' ponies ta trade shifts with us, Ah'll be on RD's tail like parasprites on food."

Twilight didn't exactly know what to say. But she'd worry about that later on. For the time being she'd simply nod, and go along with it, in the name of expediting things.

"Pinkie, do you think that you could-"

"Volunteers on the way!" Pinkie quickly yelled and disappeared in a flash and a puff of smoke, never giving Twilight the chance to finish her sentence.

"Earth pony sense of responsibility, darling?" Rarity asked as she looked at Applejack.

"Eyup," Applejack replied and nodded.

"Commendable, darling. Poorly timed, but commendable nonetheless," Rarity replied.

Finding a few ponies willing to take over their shift of getting ready for winter was easy. But as it turned out, tracking down Rainbow Dash was an entirely different endeavor.

The most logical place she could've gone was her cloud house high above. But with only Twilight and Fluttershy being able to reach her, short of Pinkie going through all the trouble of inflating her hot air balloon for all of them, there was really no way for them all to go and see her, and learn more about what was going on.

Such facts necessitated waiting for Rainbow Dash to make herself public once again, and observing her from a distance to gather more information.

It was a matter that was far easier said than done, as they quickly learned.

The next thing to be quickly learned, was that none of them -not even Pinkie- had enough stamina to keep up with the frantic pegasus as she flew about, carrying out what looked like a single-pony attempt to halt the progression of the seasons. And all the while dragging Tank along with her.

Busting snow clouds, hiding snow clouds, diverting birds, trying to put leaves back on trees... whatever was going on, and the motivation behind it, it was definitely a mystery in need of investigating.

"Mah legs are killin' me," Applejack mumbled, doing her best to massage one of her hind legs as she sat on the ground. They'd been chasing after Rainbow Dash all over Ponyville, watching her engage in evermore increasing featherbrained ideas, listening whenever she'd mumble to herself, or address Tank directly, working to gather intelligence, and form a theory about what was going on. And now that they had a quiet moment to actually sit down, and catch their breath, she was feeling the burn of the exertion.

"Please tell me we've got enough information ta be goin' on," she said as she looked at the others, who didn't appear to be any better off than she did. It'd been some time since they'd all gone on an adventure that involved this much running around; maybe that lack of activity was to blame for them being in their current condition.

"I think so," Twilight replied from where she sat. She paused to stretch until a satisfying pop sounded from her back, earning a sigh of contentment, before she turned back to the notebook held aloft in her magic, going over the notes they'd taken. "The only problem is... what information we have doesn't really make that much sense," she explained as she shook her head. This couldn't be right, could it?

Pinkie groaned in response. "You mean we went running around watching Rainbow Dash for nothing!?" she asked.

"No, nothing like that, Pinkie, it's just that... well this would only make sense if Rainbow Dash got Tank this year, and this was the first winter she had with him," Twilight explained. Or at least she tried to explain, as she was having trouble making proper sense of it all. "Tank has already gone through hibernation once with Rainbow Dash. She should know all about it by now. But... she's acting like this has never happened before..."

"Seriously?" Applejack asked, surprised by that. She'd known that Rainbow Dash wasn't the brightest of ponies. But to forget something like that was just too much to be believable. "Ya think all that flyin' an' crashin' head first mighta given er amnesia er somethin'?"

"It doesn't work that way, Applejack," Twilight replied and shook her head. It was a common misconception that a bump on the head could cause retrograde amnesia, concocted purely for convenient storylines. And even if it wasn't, it wouldn't have erased Rainbow Dash's knowledge of only Tank hibernating; it just didn't work like that. "If Rainbow Dash had amnesia, she would've forgotten large swaths of information. But we haven't seen anything to indicate that. It has to be something else..."

"Um..." Fluttershy spoke up slowly, bringing everypony's attention to her so quickly that she nearly shrunk back in surprise. "I didn't think too much of it before at first, but... Rainbow Dash did come to me last year when Tank was getting ready to hibernate, just as confused then as she was this time around. At first I thought she just forgot, because..." she paused, again, not wanting to bad mouth her friend. "But this time around, she acted like she didn't want to believe it was true. It was like she's... she's..." she stopped, uncertain of how to continue. What she wanted to say, it felt like it was on the very tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't think of what it was.

"Aha!" Twilight exclaimed as she sat up, causing Fluttershy to squeak in surprise.

"What is it, darling?" Rarity asked from where she sat. Usually Twilight only made an exclamation like that when she'd figured something out.

"Well at the moment it's just a theory, but it's a theory that makes a lot of sense," Twilight explained as she faced them and flipped her notebook around for them to see. "We've all heard Rainbow Dash, going on about not being alone, not having to say goodbye, right?" she asked. Each of them nodded, so she continued. "Remember last year how we didn't see much of Rainbow Dash during the winter?" she asked.

"That's not really surprising, darling, considering just how bad the winter was last year," Rarity pointed out.

"Yeah! It was, like, the coldest winter we've had in years," Pinkie added, remembering what a dampener it had been on all the winter fun they tended to have; nopony wanted to get out and throw snowballs, or build snowponies, or even go sledding when the wind could cut through their coats like a hot knife through butter.

"If Ah remember right, she spent most of the winter tucked away in 'er cloud house," Applejack stated.

"Right. And who did she spend it with?" Twilight asked them.

"Uh... come again?" Applejack asked, confused by the question.

"I don't believe she spent it with..." Rarity started, but paused before she finished her sentence, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. "Oh dear..."

"What? What'm I missing?" Pinkie asked.

"Rainbow Dash spent winter alone, darling," Rarity pointed out, making it simple enough for anypony to understand. "With Tank hibernating, and her only coming out a few times when the sun was up, she was left alone for those three months!"

"Oh my," Fluttershy mumbled at the revelation.

Twilight nodded. "I know it's just a theory, and I have no way of proving it, but what if her experience was so bad, she unconsciously suppressed all recollection of being stranded by herself, and forced herself to forget that Tank was hibernating?" she asked them.

"... Ah guess that'd make sense," Applejack replied slowly as she let it sink in. Psychology wasn't her field, but the way Twilight explained it, it did strike her as being possible.

"But wait a minute. Rainbow Dash has gone winters without having Tank before. What made last winter different?" Pinkie asked.

"What makes it different, was that it was the first winter she spent after knowing what it was like to have a pet. She had the chance to become accustomed to constant companionship, and suddenly had to do without it for one quarter of the year. It was probably a traumatic shock to the system," Twilight explained. It was the only thing that really made sense, based on what they knew so far.

"That poor dear..." Rarity sighed and shook her head. It made far too much sense for it to not be a possibility, even though it pained her to consider such.

"We never stopped to think about how she might be affected," Fluttershy pointed out, even though it was quite apparent; but still, she had to say something, as being silent just felt so uncomfortable.

"We've all got pets who don't have to hibernate. We never thought about how Rainbow Dash might take to Tank having to sleep for three months. I just... thought she'd take it like she does everything else; in stride," Twilight admitted.

There was no denying the fact that Rainbow Dash portrayed the image of a strong, independent mare who didn't let things bog her down. Somewhere along that line, for one reason or another, they had simply come to assume that loneliness had been one of those things she didn't worry herself about. And at one point or another, that might've been the case. But not now. Now they had to confront the idea that Rainbow Dash was just as prone to loneliness as they were, but too unwilling to admit it to any of them, for whatever reason. And they'd been too ignorant to pick up on whatever subtle hints she might've dropped to suggest otherwise.

"Looks like we thought wrong," Applejack stated, "now the question is, what're we gonna do about it?"

None of them spoke up, not having any answers to offer up. Once again, all they could do was look at each other in confusion, as they wrestled with the unspoken thought that they'd all managed to be terrible friends.

"Um... well..."

Out of all of them, it had been Fluttershy to speak up, and break the uncomfortable silence, bringing everyone's attention to her.

"I... might have an idea, that is, if everypony doesn't mind..." she said slowly.

"What do you have in mind, darling?" Rarity asked. At this point she'd readily try anything.

Winter had come ahead of schedule. And winter had come hard.

Being caught in the wintery blast had been painful for each of them. But apparently not as painful as it had been for Rainbow Dash, whose pain wasn't limited to strictly physical. Her pain was emotional from the realization that her efforts at keeping winter away for Tank's sake had been futile; a failure on her part. And considering her outlook on failing, her emotional pain was easily twofold; she hadn't simply lost, but she'd lost the battle for her pet and friend.

That was the situation they found themselves facing, as they approached a highly despondent Rainbow Dash in her cloud house, lounging defeated on her bed with Tank.

As uncomfortable as it was to see their friend in such a position, it was even worse when she'd broken down crying at Fluttershy's statement about how her winter was going to be spent petless. None of them could recall ever seeing Rainbow Dash crying before; not even a little. So when that dam finally broke, and she was all-out wailing in despair, it was enough to make some of them want to turn and flee.

Fleeing, however, wasn't what they'd come all this way to do. They'd come to help their friend through a difficulty she didn't even want to admit to facing. And the fact that she was bawling so freely, as painful as it was for them to witness, was enough to motivate them to stay present for her. She needed them, perhaps more than ever.

The rest of them just hoped that this idea of Fluttershy's would pan out. Otherwise... well they'd cross that bridge when they came to it.

"You do realize that hibernation doesn't mean he's dying, right?" Twilight asked. Unfortunately her question didn't seem to register over all the crying. Trying to point out how she'd already gone through this once before wasn't going to work either in her state. This was obviously going to take a while. And really, maybe it was a conversation that should be reserved for later on.

Eventually, however, Rainbow Dash finally managed to calm herself down, and realize that they were all there for her, even if Tank wouldn't be for a while.

"Jus' so ya know, sugarcube, jus' because yer winter's gonna be spent petless, that doesn' mean it's gonna be spent friendless," Applejack pointed out as she approached, resting her hoof on the cyan pegasi's wither in a gesture of comfort as she said goodbye to Tank. Right now that was a point that needed to be clarified. "We're all here for ya."

"I-I know..." Rainbow Dash mumbled as she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her robe.

"Nor does it have to be spent up here all alone, darling," Rarity added.

Rainbow Dash sniffled as she lifted her head up, and turned to look over at Rarity in confusion at what she was talking about.

Twilight was about to speak, and elaborate on what had been discussed prior to their arrival here, and what Fluttershy had proposed. But before she could get the first word out, Rarity was already speaking again.

"I want you to come and spend the winter at the Carousel Boutique with me, Rainbow Dash," she stated firmly.

"W... what now?" Rainbow Dash asked, confused by it all.

"We've been talking, Rainbow Dash, all of us, and we've reached a unanimous conclusion," Twilight stated as she stepped forward again, a confident grin on her face as she spoke. Now that Rarity had broken the ice, the rest of them could proceed. "While Tank is hibernating the winter away, we'd each like to offer you a place to stay, so you don't have to be alone. Nopony should ever have to be alone," she explained. After a brief -and thankfully uninterrupted- pause, she continued. "And while we're on the subject, you're welcome at the palace as well. It's way too big for just me."

"Sweet Apple Acres is always open to a pony in need. An' not the barn either," Applejack added.

"I've got tons of stuff for sleepovers at Sugarcube Corner!" Pinkie stated enthusiastically as she bounced.

"You know you're always welcome at my cottage. With so many of the critters hibernating as well, I'd actually appreciate the company..." Fluttershy added.

"You," Rainbow Dash paused to wipe her eyes again, "you guys are serious about wanting me to stay with you?" she asked.

"But of course, darling. Ma maison est votre maison!" Rarity stated proudly. Although said pride faltered when she received nothing but blank, confused stares. "Er... I mean, my home is your home. And you're quite welcome, should you accept the invitation," she clarified.

"You don't even have to choose between us. You can stay with each of us if you'd like to; just alternating between homes at you please," Twilight explained, wanting to make it clear that they weren't trying to put her in the difficult -and unfair- position of having to choose one of them over the other; that wasn't friendship, and it just wouldn't do to put her though all that.

For Rainbow Dash there were no words to offer in response. She'd been torn up about Tank not being with her anymore for what would feel like so long, and without the slightest hint as to what was up, she'd been besieged by five invitations from her friends, offering her a place to stay with them for the winter, so she wouldn't have to be alone. If she had any tears left to offer up, she would've been crying right now in response to how things developed. But she was painfully dry at this point, and all she could do was grab Applejack who was closest, and hug her for dear life.

Applejack simply returned the hug, holding Rainbow Dash close to her, to give her friend a sense of stability right now. Although she quickly found herself set upon by four other ponies, each intent of hugging the stuffing out of Rainbow Dash, either in turn, or all together.

Just because winter could be a lonely time of year, didn't mean that it had to be a lonely time of year. Nor did it mean that it was going to be lonely. Rainbow Dash was slowly realizing that fact quite well, as she found herself in the middle of a firm group hug. She was going to miss Tank like nopony's business, but at least she wouldn't have to wither the burden all by herself now.

Author's Note

So that's what I think was missing from today's episode. It would've certainly added a great deal to it.

I probably could've polished this a little more, and turned it into its own story, ending it with a scene of Rainbow Dash spending the night with one of her friends. I probably should've taken a different course of action from what I did by including it in HiE when it's not even related. But I've been typing all day long getting chapter seventy eight ready for publishing, and I'm too frickin' tired to go through all the hassle of creating a brand new story.

Chapter Seventy Eight

Chapter Seventy Eight

It was over. It was finally, finally over. Another day court had been completed, and she was finally free from her regal responsibilities.

The moment the throne room was empty of petitioners, Celestia had heaved the most undignified groan she could muster, letting herself droop against her throne, her crown nearly falling to the ground in the process as she slumped weakly, too tired to be bothered with anything related to proper decorum.

The mental stress she experienced was not to be underestimated. Between her subjects needing her, and her friends needing her, it was getting to the point where it was ever-more difficult to properly focus, and divide her attention properly. She was getting testier and testier with each passing day, and she could feel it. Often she was wishing that if something was going to go horribly wrong, it was just hurry up and do it already, and get it all over with. Was it asking too much for a monumental disaster to quit making them wait, and slowly drive them insane in the process?

By now her entire body felt unbearably heavy from the mental exhaustion she was under; to the point her wings were drooping, and her legs were just about dragging. Maintaining her regal appearance for her subjects was just so consuming to put up with. If it weren't for the fact that it would case more problems than it would solve, every damned dignitary that darkened her hallways with their mortal affairs, would see her in her most unkempt state imaginable. And all the while she'd be peppering them with snarky comments in rapid succession; moreso than she already did at times, but with far less subtle disguise and delivery.

But now it was over. Everypony that couldn't be put off had been seen to, and the kingdom's business had been seen to for another day. Now all that was left to do was drop her regalia in her room, and then slip into a nice relaxing bubble bath, and try to let some of the stress she was under just melt away.

"Sister? Do you have a moment?"

Celestia looked up and over at the doorway to her chambers, seeing Luna standing in the entryway, looking at her as she was in the process of dropping her heavy shoes with satisfying -yet muffled- thuds.

"Always for you, Luna," she replied as she dropped the last shoe, doing her best to sound approachable should her sister need her. "What's up?"

"Rainbow Dash has been taking advice from Ulquiorra Cifer," Luna began as she stepped into the room. Celestia, who had turned away for a moment, had turned back to look at her after hearing this. "And I am not sure the quality of the advice was particularly good either, as it consisted of telling her to take her life back. I am assuming that "by force" was implied at the end."

"I'll admit, it's not exactly what I would've said if I'd been asked," Celestia replied as she turned her focus back onto stripping her regalia from her frame. "Is there some concern about it?"

"Indeed there is. Rainbow Dash appears to have taken his advice to heart. She has spent the better part of the day trying to cure herself of her fear of the dark, by locking herself inside a closet," Luna explained. It didn't sound anymore right this time around, than the last time she'd heard it. And knowing so little about modern psychology, she still couldn't tell if the approach was valid or not. And the thought of leaving the matter unattended, while she tried to study up on it, wasn't setting well with her.

"While it's certainly an unorthodox way of approaching the subject, I'm not really seeing it as a major concern. Is she doing anything to hurt herself?" Celestia asked while levitating her mane brush from the vanity, knowing that her bath would go so much smoother if she tended to this beforehoof.

"... Not in a manner that I believe would warrant placing the bangle back on her again. But the mental stress she is putting herself under has made her physically ill at least once already," Luna explained.

"That sounds more like a matter for the janitorial staff," Celestia replied as she ran the brush through her mane, grunting as it wound up snagging a tangle.

"This is important, Sister," Luna stated and frowned. She briefly considered grabbing Celestia in her magic, and turning her around to face her. But ultimately she decided against such... for now. "I acknowledge that I am no psychiatrist. But I have seen enough nightmares to recognize what is wrong here. Rainbow Dash does not fear the darkness, it is merely a trigger that reminds her of the trauma, and the helplessness, that Thrush dared to subject her to, when we left her in the care of that monster! And I will not stand idly by, and watch as she tortures herself for something that is ultimately our fault!"

Celestia paused in brushing out her mane. Somewhere Luna had switched from expressing concern for Rainbow Dash, to blaming the both of them for her current predicament. She wouldn't deny that they both bore some responsibility on the matter, as they had made the decision to turn Rainbow Dash over to medical experts when things had gotten out of control for them. It was a decision that she still regretted making, as it instilled a sense of having failed as a ruler. And if Thrush hadn't been murdered, he would indeed be standing trial for his various crimes.

That was another matter that had to be considered. With Thrush dead, the task she'd assigned to the forensic accountant seemed to be a moot point. No matter what was found, it wouldn't serve any point now. The only reason she hadn't called off the investigation at this point, was due to the possibility that Thrush was just the tip of a particularly corrupt iceberg floating about Canterlot General Hospital.

"I'm quite aware of that fact, Luna," she replied and slowly began brushing out her mane again. "But there's only so much that we can do. That's why I've been deferring to the experts we've put on retainer, as they know what they're doing, and not getting involved myself. I'd rather not chance making her condition worse," she explained, wanting to make it clear that simply because she wasn't directly involved in Rainbow Dash's care, that didn't change the fact that she still cared, or that she was doing her best to help out a friend who was in need.

"What about yourself? What have you been doing?" she asked. Although as she said it, she couldn't help but think that she might've asked with more bite than she'd originally intended.

"Providing her with emotional support as she subjects herself to misery," Luna replied. That was the best way she could think of framing it. "Left to her own devices, she cannot even last one minute in the darkness, before succumbing to the trauma that she was subjected to. But with somepony being present to provide her a distraction -one she does not even realize that is present- it does not seem to bother her," she explained. That fact itself raised a number of different questions for her right now, but she didn't know how to go about answering them; not yet anyway.

Perhaps the most sadistic part of this whole mess, was that she had the capabilities to help out, but couldn't. She knew the spell that her sister used when they attended Ulquiorra Cifer's party, and how she went about keeping Ponyville calm in the aftermath of the changeling incident. If she were to use it on Rainbow Dash, it could indeed suppress her fearful reaction. But it would only be a false sense of accomplishment, as there would be no way of actually exposing her to the true source, and letting her work through it.

"At least there's that," Celestia replied. If Luna's recount of details was accurate, that at least suggested that Rainbow Dash's fears hadn't become set in stone yet. Which in turn could suggest that her recovery might take less time than they'd feared. "Is there anything else to report?"

"Yes. Ulquiorra Cifer has returned from his latest investigative efforts in Ponyville. He recommends dispatching a team of scientists to begin taking various samples of the surrounding territory, to determine if the hallucinogenic compounds can be located," Luna explained. And after a pause, she continued. "He... also reports that Fluttershy has been attacked as well. While in his presence..."

A pin could be heard dropping in the resulting silence. She knew even before she saw the look Celestia was giving her, that there was going to be fallout to be had.

"And... you chose not to lead with that information, because..."

"Because it would make no difference. We cannot be of assistance to Fluttershy, nor can we do anything about the one that attacked her, as even Ulquiorra Cifer himself was unable to locate it. All he could do, was note a sharp uptick in that particular mana type in the area at the time. You and I may know what it feels like from his perspective, but that does not mean we can actually detect it on our own," Luna pointed out.

There was indeed fallout to be had. But it had been a calculated approach to engage in. Out of all of them, only Ulquiorra was qualified in carrying out this part of the investigation; they would only get in the way if they tried to assist. And as much as she cared for Fluttershy, she understood that she was beyond them right now. Right now she was in the presence of friends, some of them having gone through similar experiences to her own. They could support one another. She was fairly confident that right now, she was in as good of care as could be expected anywhere in Equestria.

"Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, we know that we can assist," she added.

"Fair enough," Celestia replied, conceding the argument. She had been given all the relevant information, there was little point in arguing over how it was delivered. "Tomorrow I'll see about locating, and hiring, any scientists in Canterlot who are skilled in sample gathering. And if necessary I'll look elsewhere. Hopefully they'll be able to find something that can give us a clue about what's going on."

"Indeed," Luna replied as Celestia returned to brushing out her mane. She paused for a moment, before deciding to continue. "There is... one more matter. And... I am in need of your assistance in addressing it..."

Celestia paused, and gently placed the brush back down on the vanity, doubting that this matter was going to be resolved in a timely fashion. She could already feel her relaxing bath getting further, and further away from her. But she loved Luna very much, and when it came to the matter of family, certain sacrifices were made.

"What might that be?" she asked as she turned around to face her.

"This," Luna began as a stack of papers flashed into existence in front of her, held aloft in her magic. "They are copies of the medical records concerning the manticore attack in Ponyville. I have been attempting to study them in hopes of discovering something, but so far the results have been... lackluster. Despite the assistance I was provided by the hospital staff, there is still much that I do not understand. I was hoping that, perhaps, you could help me make sense of it," she explained.

"Wouldn't Ulquiorra be better at helping you? He's more competent at identifying patterns than we are," Celestia pointed out. He was also less tired than she currently felt, so he might be more readily able to spot something she wouldn't.

"That may indeed be the case, dear sister, but you have a manner of explaining things that I am unfamiliar with, without making me feel that I am stupid for not understanding it on my own," Luna pointed out. Every time she approached the Espada for assistance, it was a gamble as to whether or not she would be getting lectured for her own lack of familiarity with the modern world.

In a way it was embarrassing that he, a stranger to their dimension, who had been present for less than two months, was more readily familiar with many aspects of it than she was. Even if he didn't go out of his way to ridicule her, it was still difficult to ignore the fact that she was outclassed in that field.

"Ah," Celestia replied. That certainly made a lot of sense. "I'll see what I can do. But medicine isn't my strongest area of expertise," she explained as she stepped closer. "Just so I have some idea, what exactly are we looking for in these charts?"

"I believe the saying goes, once we know what we are looking for, we will have found it..." Luna stated as she turned her attention back to the stack of pages.

If she were pressed for details, Luna wouldn't be able to give any. There was somsething buried somewhere in this stack of papers that was relevant; at least in her mind there was. It was something that didn't immediately stick out like a sore hoof, but that didn't mean it wasn't there. Ultimately she was hoping that a fresher set of eyes, and a different perspective of outlook would pick up on something she'd either missed on her own, or hadn't immediately recognized for what it was.

The library was empty at this time of night. But that was to be expected. And for Ulquiorra there was nothing wrong with that, as he was without the need to be fielding unnecessary distractions at the moment.

His search of Ponyville for the source of the mysterious reiatsu had ultimately been fruitless; the only thing he had to show for his efforts, were a few random meetings, and numerous unsubstantiated theories that lead nowhere.

Granted, the theory pertaining to whether or not Fluttershy would be simultaneously experiencing monophobia and agoraphobia in the aftermath of her experiences, was something that interested even himself, as it would be an interesting study of psychology. But it was something that would have to wait for another time. For now there was research that needed to be done.

The only problem was that he didn't precisely known what to be researching. There was a great deal of material to cover -more than ever with the restricted sections opened up- but its relevancy was something that had yet to be evaluated. And so far he wasn't finding anything that even began to address what he'd witnessed today.

Even his attempts at researching Spontaneous Unicorn Disintegration had been fruitless. What information was housed in the restricted section, was very limited, and the books on the subject appeared to be just a different author attempting to rehash already established points. Lots of theory, lots of speculation, but no hard facts.

In a way it was maddening even to him; being stranded in a sea of hypothetical thought, without even a life jacket of basic facts to go on, or provide a reference point from where to begin. If he were mortal, he might consider calling it a night, and turning in. But he wasn't mortal, nor did he believe in simply throwing in the towel because the going got rough. He had a task that needed to be done, and he would make every attempt to do such, until such time that he was needed elsewhere.

But first, there was another matter that needed to be tended to.

"I'm aware of your presence, Rainbow Dash," he called out. A startled squawk immediately followed him breaking the relative silence of the library.

Just as Princess Luna was incapable of sneaking up on him, so was the case with any other pony. He had been aware of Rainbow Dash's location even before she had arrived at the library, but he had assumed that she was merely in the area, until he could sense her crossing the threshold into the room. The absence of an escort was hardly a surprise to him, considering what had been determined yesterday. At the very least, the diarchy recognized that requiring a guard detail on her presented the opportunity for an ambush to take place.

It might also go to suggest that they had more reason to trust her than they did last week. But that was just baseless speculation.

"How'd you know I was there? How'd you even know that it was me?" she asked as she came walking out into view.

"I can sense the presence of others. Sight and sound make no difference in that regard," Ulquiorra replied, knowing that an in-depth explanation of the facts behind his pesquisa would be lost on her.

"You totally smelt me coming, right? You figured out what shampoo I've been using since I got here," Rainbow Dash asked as she approached his position. As crafty as he was, she sure wouldn't put that past him.

While it was true that the sense of smell could prove invaluable in locating either a predator or prey, it was hardly the case here. Not that the theory didn't hold some validity of approach, but it simply didn't apply here right now. It was mildly baffling how she could be exposed to his Solita Vista technique not once, but twice, and still remain ignorant of how he operated.

"The prospect of smelling you is not something I find particularly appealing," he replied as he flipped the page of the book he was on to continue reading.

Rainbow Dash frowned in response, unable to tell what Ulquiorra meant by the comment. But whatever it was, she doubted it was all that nice.

"Jerk," she responded.

"Did you come for a specific reason? Or merely to engage in the trading of verbal barbs, and pointless banter?" he asked, deciding to cut through the fat and get right to the meat and bone of the issue. He'd already had his fill of such banter with the filly Shady earlier in the day. And he was already familiar with Rainbow Dash's repertoire.

Rainbow Dash simply shrugged in response. "Could I stay here with you? I was supposed to sleep in Celestia's room tonight, but that might be a while. Something's going on."

"Such as?" Ulquiorra asked.

"I don't know. Celestia's all hopped up on more coffee than Twilight would ever drink, and she and Luna won't tell me anything. They won't even let me in the room," Rainbow Dash replied. It was downright weird how there was so much secrecy all of the sudden. "So can I stay? You're about the only one we know for sure isn't going to try and kill me when my back is turned."

There had been no point in her raising the last part of her statement, as he was well aware of that fact. That was the primary reason for the new arrangements being made in the first place. It was a highly unnecessary complication for the trustworthiness of the entire palace staff to be called into question, due to the events of two days ago. Now when he had to travel beyond the palace walls, it had to coincide with when one of the diarchy was available.

Making matters all the worse was the newfound uncertainty they had to address; were they supposed to focus on Canterlot, as it would be the next target of attack? Or were they supposed to think that, because Ponyville was about to be hit with something far more significant in terms of scope?

The matter was starting to reach the point where, if he had a soul to offer for sale to the equivalent of this world's devil, he might actually consider doing just that, just for the prospect of actually getting some answers.

The ultimate irony was that, he had more than enough souls in his structure that he would never miss one if he were to ever part with it. But there was apparently no one interested in actually buying one from him. That, or his asking prices were simply deemed too high.

"I have no objections," he replied. The library was a publicly accessible area -at least as far as the palace was- open to whoever was present. It made no difference to him if she opted to remain in his presence, until such time that the diarchy straightened out whatever they were going over. So long as she didn't pose a significant distraction to his efforts.

Rainbow Dash nodded silently, and looked around the room for somewhere to sit down. Unfortunately for her, this section of the library was without the benches and tables that other areas were abundant with. With nowhere else available, she simply sat down on her haunches on the floor.

The library fell silent, other than the sound of pages flipping, and books being shuffled against shelving, neither party speaking. As far as Ulquiorra was considered, that was just fine. But he couldn't help but wonder just how long Rainbow Dash could maintain her own stretch of silence, before her boisterous nature forced her to say something.

"... Ulquiorra?"

Three hundred and nineteen seconds from when he started counting. Decent enough results, all things considered.

"Mind if I ask a question?"

"If I said no, would it really stop you from asking?" Ulquiorra asked her.

"Uh..." Rainbow Dash paused, caught off guard by the answer.

"What is it?" Ulquiorra asked, deciding to cut through the nonsense, and get at whatever she was trying for.

"... Back in the boutique, I kinda think I heard you saying something, but I don't know really. I was kinda out of it. What does "hollowfication" mean?" she asked him.

Ulquiorra considered the question for a moment. It had been an unusual question for her to be asking, considering the context of everything; not the least of which was the fact that she should've been unconscious at the time the conversation had been had.

Regardless, it was a question that he could give an answer to.

"In the context of the discussion, it's a process native to my reality. In basic terms -in the context as it was being discussed- Hollowifcation involves bonding the soul of a Hollow, to the soul of a physical recipient, with the ultimate purpose being to create a hybrid capable of transcending the natural boundaries and limitation of the two races," he explained.

"Yeah?" Rainbow Dash asked as she folded her forelegs together. "So what brought that up?"

"A suggestion made by Spike, that I might be able to determine if what was behind the dragon and changeling encounters, was also behind your actions at the boutique. As I explained, I was unaware of any difference in your reiatsu that might suggest outside influence. It was then explained how only Hollowfication was known to alter an individual's basic reiatsu pattern. And that is not currently a possibility," Ulquiorra explained.

"What makes you so sure about that?"

It was a fair question, he would admit that. She didn't possess any in-depth knowledge pertaining to the intricacies of his world, and how things worked outside her scope of experience.

"As I've said, what you and the others possess is not true reiatsu. There are certainly similarities exhibited by the two standards, but they aren't the same. If there were any other Hollows in this world, I would be aware of them. To put in simple terms you would understand, their presence wouldn't "feel" right in this world. It would be like a splinter just under the skin," he explained.

"Oh..." Rainbow Dash replied and shifted her position slightly. "So this isn't a case of Aizen getting his hooks into me then..."

"No," Ulquiorra replied simply and turned back to his book. "Becoming a Vizard is not in your future."

"A what now?" Rainbow Dash asked and tilted her head to the side.

It was only after he made the statement, did he realize that it was something that wouldn't be understood. And now he was going to need to explain what it was. That, or simply tolerate her annoying him anew with questions about the subject.

"In simple terms, a Vizard is someone who has managed to subjugate the Hollow they've been possessed by, and learned how to call upon its powers and strength at will," he explained.

Rainbow Dash nodded, despite not being looked at, the explanation making sense to her. Sort of. But then she flinched as she saw Ulquiorra's hand moving to his face, and knowing exactly what he was doing.

"Doesn't it hurt when you do that?" she asked reflexively as she heard the telltale sound of an eyeball being shattered.

"Every time," Ulquiorra replied.

Rainbow Dash was about to ask why he would do something like that if it hurt him to do it, because it didn't make much sense to her. But before she could, she was already witnessing the cloud of crystal particles forming in front of her, rather than around her. And she watched as a series of still images became displayed in the cloud. They were... what was that term he used? People? Humans? Whatever they were, they were a varied bunch of individuals, in all different shapes, sizes, skin tones, and even basic clothing.

The only thing she couldn't tell was if they were males or females. Or if they were even divided into such.

"Who're they?" she asked.

"They are members of the Vizard. Shinigami who Aizen experimented on. They were the first successful specimens, showing that true Shinigami/Hollow hybrids were indeed a possibility. Aizen kept detailed records of their progress and development," Ulquiorra explained.

Rainbow Dash watched as the display switched from still to moving images, showing the Vizards in action. Ulquiorra hadn't been joking when he talked about detailed records, as she highly doubted what she was seeing was just the Espada's imagination; that is if he even had one to begin with. Some of the stuff she was seeing right now was pretty extensive.

She understood that she was never going to be the brightest pony out of any group she was in, but she was still smart enough that she manged to get an idea of why these guys were called Vizards. From what she saw, they had the ability to don -and subsequently remove- what she guessed to be a Hollow mask, which brought with it a massive increase in strength, speed, and probably other physical abilities.

And then there was the Ceros. All assorted colors, and locations from which they could be fired. Apparently Ulquiorra's teal green coloring, and firing from his fingertips, was unique only to him, rather than the default for all Hollows.

Now that she was watching it, however, she was starting to feel disappointed that another Hollow wasn't involved right now. She could certainly stand to have some of those upgrades at her disposal; the ability to discharge a Cero or two at will would certainly be convenient.

And then her thoughts slowly started to change, as did the display. Now it was starting to look more like a point of view shot, as she was seeing Ulquiorra's arm as he engaged in a sword fight with some unidentified foe in black robes with bright orange hair.

"Who's the weird looking guy there?" she asked as she gestured at the display with her right hoof.

"The substitute Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki. Like the others, he too is a Vizard, although through a process I wasn't informed about," Ulquiorra explained. Or at least he tried to explain it, but was interrupted shortly after mentioning the name.

"That scrawny geek is Ichigo!? He's the one that killed you back in your dimension!? How in the shit pits of Tartarus did that happen?" she asked as she jumped to her hooves, finding it difficult to believe. No, scrap that. It was impossible to believe!

"I underestimated what he was capable of," Ulquiorra elaborated simply. Seeing such a colorful and vocal outburst over the fact that he had been defeated was... unusual to say the least. "Or rather... what his Hollow side was capable of."

Rainbow Dash watched as the display changed again, moving from Ichigo, to what she assumed was his Vizard form, and then to something else entirely. Something with severely torn robes, pale skin, a massive hole blown through its chest, and a horned mask.

"What happened to him?" Rainbow Dash asked as she inched closer, feeling mesmerized by what she was seeing. Now she was really feeling like she should've spent more time with Twilight, picking her brain about everything.

"I killed him. Or at least I thought I had. I blew out his heart, and the surrounding tissue in his chest cavity. I thought he had died, but I was wrong. His Hollow half took control of his body, and used it for its own purposes, all the while healing the sustained damage, and regenerating the destroyed tissue. It proved to be greater than I had anticipated, than I had evaluated," Ulquiorra explained, giving her all the relevant details surrounding his defeat in Las Noches.

"So basically he cheated," Rainbow Dash stated simply, seeing it as a fair interpretation of what he was saying.

"Something like that," Ulquiorra replied as the display came to an end, and the cloud dissipated. She had gotten her answer on what the Vizards were, there was no further need to show her anything more.

"... Look. Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but... I'm kinda glad you did lose..." Rainbow Dash spoke up, breaking the silence that had settled in over the library in the aftermath. "If you hadn't, and Discord couldn't have brought you here, we'd all likely be dead now, and Equestria would be in ruins. You're pretty much the only reason we're still here right now. You're... you're a hero, you know?"

As best as Ulquiorra could tell, this was a conversation that was going to be had, one way or another. Perhaps it would be best to do such and get it over with, as an increasing amount of his concentration was being diverted from his study efforts. As it was, he was just barely able to conclude that the book in hand didn't likely have the information he was seeking.

"You're not the first to express such sentiment," he replied as he closed the book, and slid it back to its designated spot on the shelf. "As I've explained previously, I'm no hero. Back in my dimension, I was a villain. I killed as ordered, and without hesitation. And when I did, I did so without hesitation, or even regret for my actions. The simple fact that my skills are proving useful here in this world, does not change what I am. I-"

"Do you even know what a hero is?" Rainbow Dash asked him, interrupting the explanation he'd been in the middle of. "Most of the time a hero is just some average pony -or whatever else- that's put in a position they don't want to be in, and simply does what needs to be done. Not because they're qualified, or even because they want to, they just do it," she explained, before sitting back down on the floor again. "I mean, look at me. Look at any one of us. Do you really think we were the best candidates to be facing down the return of Nightmare Moon? We didn't march into the old Castle of the Two Sisters, planning on facing down an angry alicorn in battle. The only reason we were there, was because we were worried about Twilight getting hurt. The fact that none of us died is more luck than anything."

"Your point being what exactly?" Ulquiorra asked as he turned his focus away from the newest book, and towards her. Truthfully this wasn't the first that he'd heard such rhetoric being presented. He understood that what amount to a hero was often subject to individual interpretation. But if she was trying to make a point, she should at least get to it, instead of rambling on.

"My point is, stop being so hard on yourself, you big jerk," Rainbow Dash replied as she stood up again. "What you were then, isn't what you are now. And don't try and claim that you're only following orders, or that you're just saving your own skin. Because, come on, which of us hasn't done just that at one time or another?"

He truly didn't understand what it was that possessed Rainbow Dash to be engaging in this argumentative position. But whatever it was, she seemed committed to making him believe in something other than his own outlook on the situation.

Refutation was on his mind, laying out precisely why she was so idiotic in her outlook on the matter. But she was as stubborn as the Sexta Espada -and sometimes even as dense as the Diez Espada- and right now he simply didn't care to engage in a lengthy debate about why he wasn't a hero. In the end he simply opted to leave her unaddressed, and let her believe that she'd convinced him, just so the matter could be over, and so he could return to his investigative efforts.

Based on the resulting silence, he would theorize that his efforts had the desired results.

"Hey..."

"Too soon..." Ulquiorra thought to himself, and once again turned his attention to the cyan pegasus, to see what the latest interruption was about. "What is it?"

"Uh..." she paused momentarily. "Well... do you... have any advice for getting over a fear of the dark? I've been trying it myself, but so far it's not working out like I thought it would," she explained.

"The library has numerous books detailing how to deal with various phobias. I'm certain nyctophobia, the scientific term for fear of the dark, is also covered," he pointed out. Why she was asking him, rather than doing the effort herself, he didn't know. He was a killer, not an index. "But none of them would be of any use to you."

"Hold up. Say what now?" Rainbow Dash asked, confused by the way that whole exchange had gone. "What're you saying? That I'm too stupid to be helped?"

For a second, Ulquiorra actually considered answering in the affirmative to her question. But he didn't. That would be petty. Beyond that simple fact, it would be factually wrong.

"Darkness isn't the source of your fear. It is merely the psychological trigger you've come to associate with your fear. What you really fear is what you experienced while in the dark; both in the hallucinations concerning Rarity's basement, and while under Thrush's care. The fear that was experienced from being paralyzed, rendered vulnerable, and completely helpless," he stated.

The response was as immediate as it was hostile. He could feel it with the flaring of her reiatsu. He took it as a sign of having hit the nail right on the head.

"I'm not helpless!" Rainbow Dash barked in response.

"And yet you were," Ulquiorra shot back, cutting off her protest. "Regardless of whether or not you agree with the fact, you were rendered helpless by someone placed in a position of power over you, your ability to resist being stolen from you in a single fell swoop. Based on how violent your reaction has been since your return from the hospital, I can only assume that it was one of the first times you were forced to confront the fact that there was nothing you could do to resist, and were left at the mercy of those around you. I would even go so far as to say that what you were put through there, just deepened the trauma caused by your hallucinations..."

He observed as Rainbow Dash reared up on her hind legs, pulling her left foreleg back in a manner consistent with preparing to deliver a physical blow against him, just as she'd done two days ago.

Except there was no follow through. Instead of actually delivering the blow, she stopped, and released a breath -as well as the tension she'd been holding in her body- as she set back down on all four of her hooves.

"Alright," she sighed, "let's say, for the sake of argument, that you are right about this. What do I do to get over it?" she asked him.

"I can't say. My skills lay in exploiting weaknesses, not overcoming them," Ulquiorra replied. Tearing down an opponent was far easier -and more productive- than attempting to build up an ally. Beyond that fact, he wasn't a psychiatrist. If she wanted help, she should ask one of them instead. They weren't being kept around simply because Princess Celestia was collecting them.

"Just great," Rainbow Dash sighed and turned away. Maybe coming here was a bad idea after all. "I wish I'd been born a dragon instead of a pegasus. Dragons don't have to put up with this kind of shit..."

Ulquiorra knew from his own personal experiences, that there were a fair number of factual inconsistencies that he could tolerate, and not expend vast measurements of time in completely tearing down such nonsense, simply because of the amount of time that would be wasted in attempting to do such. If the cost benefit analysis indicated that correcting the misinformation would require a significant amount of time, then sometimes it was simply not worth the effort that would be required. It was no skin off of his nose, if others were walking around with the wrong information.

But the amount of logical fallacies that were present in Rainbow Dash's statement were so extensive, he found it impossible to consider biting his tongue. Her ignorance of basic facts required -if not outright demanded- refutation.

However that plan was put on hold as a scroll materialized in front of his face in a flash of light.

"You're on Spike's flame network too?" Rainbow Dash asked upon witnessing the arrival, and the subsequent catching of said scroll before it could fall to the ground.

"Indeed," Ulquiorra replied, pausing to place the book back in the shelf in order to free up his other hand for getting the scroll open in order to read it.

"Cool. What's it say?" Rainbow Dash asked, curious about the contents of the message. But no answer immediately came. "What's it say?" she asked again, several seconds after. The longer the silence went on, the more curiosity started to give way to annoyance.

"You may need to reevaluate your outlook on dragons," Ulquiorra stated, signalling that she now had his attention again. "Twilight Sparkle reports that Spike is requesting combat training, in order to better respond to potential happenings around Ponyville."

"Are you serious?" Rainbow Dash asked. Instead of being given a verbal response, she blinked as the note was turned around so she could read it for herself. And as she did, she could tell that Ulquiorra's overview was an understatement. "Things are getting worse, aren't they?" she asked as she looked away from the note, and back up at him.

"It would certainly appear that way," Ulquiorra replied. He considered informing her about Fluttershy being the latest of victims to be attacked. But he immediately abandoned that idea.

Not even a full forty eight hours ago, the cyan pegasus had experienced a violent reaction to not knowing if the filly Scootaloo had been a victim of attack. The reaction she would have, from learning that her apparent best friend was yet another confirmed victim, would likely be far more significant, and require more effort to address. The fact that she was no longer bound by even the meager safeguards that had been put into place days earlier, merely added to that fact.

"Meanwhile I'm stuck here where I can't do anything to help," Rainbow Dash grumbled and looked at the floor. "This blows."

It was an evaluation of facts that Ulquiorra couldn't entirely disagree with. Divided as they were, this group was weak, and unable to respond accordingly. And yet the circumstances they found themselves in, demanded that they be kept divided. Until they could determine what was influencing Rainbow Dash -or until she could learn to successfully bring it under control- having her anywhere near the others presented a security risk.

The only notable improvement, was that Rainbow Dash didn't seem determined to launch anymore escape attempts, now that she more readily recognized what was going on around her.

"So what happens now?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked back up at him for answers. "Are you gonna be teaching Spike how to fight like Twilight asked?"

"I don't know yet. Spike will need to be evaluated beforehand, in order to learn what his physical limitations are. His short stature is going to be present special challenges, regardless of what course of action is taken. And I have significant doubts that Equestria has any martial arts styles drafted with midgets in mind," Ulquiorra replied, already running through the numerous challenges they were likely going to be facing with this latest wrinkle.

Rainbow Dash blinked at hearing his explanation. "What's a midget?"

"A term from my dimension, used to describe a person whose physical stature is significantly below the accepted average for a specific age range," Ulquiorra explained, briefly forgetting that it was a term that those present in this world wouldn't be readily familiar with.

"You mean like you?" Rainbow Dash asked him. "You said you were the shortest of all the Espada. Does that mean you're a midget?"

Now that was a question he hadn't expected to be asked. Then again he hadn't expected her of all ponies to remember a piece of dialogue first brought up on their second meeting, while on the way to face down a dragon. He couldn't help but wonder if he was seriously underestimating these ponies.

"Perhaps in certain circles," he replied. There was no point in denying that fact. "That matter aside, however, we still find ourselves facing the question, of whether or not there are any texts in the library with any relevance to Spike learning about combat."

"And if there aren't any texts like that?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Then we may have to improvise on the matter," Ulquiorra replied, not seeing what else could be done under these circumstances.

Much to Rainbow Dash's annoyance, that was where their conversation ended unexpectedly, as the Espada had proceeded to walk away immediately afterward. She could've followed after him, and pressed for details on the matter, but she seriously doubted that she'd be getting the answers she was looking for; she really didn't even know what answers she was looking for right now.

She considered her options regarding how to proceed from here. She could go back to Celestia's chambers, and wait for her and Luna to finish up whatever was going on in there, but that could take a while, and leave he with nothing to do but wait next to the guards; and they weren't that good for having conversations with.

She could go back to what had been her assigned quarters and wait, but the furnishings left a great deal to be desired, what with the room being completely empty at the moment.

Tank was currently in the gardens, so checking on him was always an option.

There were a lot of choices available to her right now. But ultimately the one that struck her as being the best, was simply staying put for the time being. The library was a boring place to be -and doubly so when the only other occupant was the Espada- but ultimately it was the safest location of the castle. Should somepony come after her, she knew that Ulquiorra would be on them like Pinkie on candy.

That might be the best way to go about doing things right now. If Celestia or Luna wanted her, they could come looking for her, or have the guards do it. Finding her wouldn't be terribly difficult, she was pretty sure of that.

Tomorrow was going to be a busy day for everyone involved. She was pretty sure of that as well.

Author's Note

So next chapter up, but still no closer to regular updates. Sorry folks.

This chapter was actually supposed to be much, much longer, going into what would be happening during the next morning in Ponyville. There was supposed to be a lot more stuff happening, than sewing seeds for future chapters. But writer's block is a very fickle thing, and decided to flare up on the night-to-day transition point, leaving me very stumped, and unable to proceed as originally intended.

Sorry again folks.

But fear not. Deleted scenes are here for your reading pleasure.

And remember. Just because it's a deleted scene, doesn't necessarily mean it didn't take place in story canon.

Deleted Scene

Category: Combat.

Subcategory: Physical combat.

Type: Manual of arms for the minotaur nation.

Perhaps that was the ticket that Ulquiorra was in need of right now, if he was going to be educating Spike in the art of combat tomorrow. Proper education would require him being able to run through the motions as well, to give a physical demonstration of what motions and actions would be necessary. He knew that handing Spike some random book, and expecting him to just follow the instructions without elaboration, wouldn't yield constructive results. That was a part that complicated this whole matter, since they were of a different physiological structure than the others.

Now that he had an idea of where to focus his search, thanks to the index system, he could find the manual, read it, evaluate it, and -if it proved its worth for training purposes- copy the necessary information down in his notepad. That way he could add his own notes for improvements and corrections in the necessary areas.

"Ulquiorra?"

But first... he would have to tend to whatever Rainbow Dash had to discuss with him...

"What is it?" he asked.

"Uh..." Rainbow Dash caused, certain that she'd heard some measure of snap in his voice. But regardless, she pressed onward in addressing him. "Well I was just wondering something. Why does that puny dweeb Itchy-boy have two swords, but he only used one at any given time? And where'd he keep the other one anyway?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Ulquiorra asked as he turned away from the index cabinet, and around to face her.

"Well when you were giving me a crash course in what Vizards were, he was using a sword that looked like a... I think a big cleaver? And then he was using a black katana. What's the story behind that?" she asked as she sat down on the floor.

Ah. So that was it. He should've expected as much when he showed her memories of his experiences from back in his world.

"Do you remember Twilight Sparkle explaining how Arrancar and Shinigami each use zanpakutōs, but that the two types are vastly different from one another?" he asked her.

"Uh..." Rainbow Dash paused, "maybe?"

Start from the beginning. Just wonderful. This could take him the better part of the night to explain to the point where she actually comprehended what he was saying.

"An Arrancar's zanpakutō is the vessel in which they seal the majority of their power when they attain humanoid form. When an Arrancar undoes that seal, and undergoes the process of resurrección, they bond with their zanpakutō, and return to their true form, and the true measure of their power. To us it's nothing more than a basic instrument. For a Shinigami, however, such is not the case. Their zanpakutō is a portion of their soul that has been given physical form, and in possession of its own unique personality; in essence it's another individual, engaged in a symbiotic relationship with its wielder," he explained.

"So their swords can talk and stuff?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"There's some form of communication, but I don't know the finer details of it," Ulquiorra admitted, before continuing with his explanation. "Being separate entities, a Shinigami's zanpakutō must be subjugated and dominated, its name learned, for it to be released from its sealed state, which largely resembles a katana. In its released state, a Shinigami's zanpakutō takes different forms, and possesses different abilities, dependent upon the wielder. However, outside of the sealed state, it only possesses two forms; one for shikai, and one for bankai."

"And what's that mean?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Shikai is the initial stage release, while bankai is the second and final stage release. Each stage has a unique physical form, and corresponding abilities," he explained.

"Oh," Rainbow Dash replied. That made sense. "So is bankai stronger than shikai?"

"By several magnitudes, although it generally depends on the strength, and level of experience of the Shinigami in question. When Ichigco Kurosaki achieved bankai, both his speed and strength were increased by several fold. But a lack of practical experience hindered him," Ulquiorra explained.

Rainbow Dash didn't even blink. "Itchy-boy's body almost came apart under the strain of his own bankai, didn't it?"

Ulquiorra, on the other hand, did blink. Primarily because of how accurate she had been, based on Aizen's preliminary evaluations. "And how did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"Look. Don't let Twilight know that I said this or anything," Rainbow Dash began and paused momentarily, "but I do know stuff. Like how you can't just increase the output performance of something or someone, without a corresponding increase in the ability to actually tolerate the strain of that output. Short term, sure, it's possible. But if you're trying for anything more than a few seconds, or a few minutes at best, you're going to be doing serious structural damage in the process," she explained.

"Personal experience on your part?" Ulquiorra asked. Knowledge like that generally didn't come out of nowhere.

"Something like that," Rainbow Dash replied and nodded, "the first time I performed a Sonic Rainboom as a filly, I almost died afterward. I was in the hospital for a long time, hearing all kinds of things about how I'd be lucky if I wasn't paralyzed forever if I lived to see another day. It took me a long time to get better, and even longer to learn about the mechanics of what went wrong. You said it yourself; my body would probably disintegrate if it didn't work to shield itself against the strain of breaking the sound barrier. I worked damn hard to get to the point of being able to tolerate the strain; I earned the Sonic Rainboom being mine," she stated.

"No claim was made otherwise," Ulquiorra pointed out. He could hypothesize that this discussion had managed to dredge up some unpleasant past memories on her part. But right now that was none of his concern.

"Oh..." Rainbow Dash replied slowly. Now she felt like an idiot. But that was nothing unusual for her.

She needed to figure out a way to change the subject, lest she be stuck talking on this, and going into uncomfortable territory.

"I can actually go a lot faster than I normally do. At least for a little while. I can achieve pre-Rainboom speeds for short bursts, but it's really tough on the body," she admitted. As fast as she flew at times, that was simply the fastest she could travel safely for long durations. That was something else that she'd learned the hard way. "Do you think that you could maybe help me figure out how to do the shielding thing at will?" she asked.

First it was Twilight Sparkle wishing to learn how his sonido worked, for the purpose of implementing it in herself. And now Rainbow Dash wanting to know how his hierro worked, so that she might be able to implement it with herself. What would be next; Fluttershy wanting to learn how his Cero worked, for the purpose of implementing it on her own?

No. No. Ulquiorra quickly concluded that he would rather not consider such a possibility.

Some degree of this was understandable. Ponies were curious about him, as they knew so little about him, and had questions about not only the differences between their two groups, but what similarities might be present. But the constant inquiries into learning how to do what he could do... they had no idea what they were proposing, or what they would be getting themselves into.

"I have doubts as to whether or not you would be able to achieve such a goal. The mechanics behind the Sonic Rainboom are still a mystery. Does your body shield it in response to the increase of speed, or in preparation of the speed? Will the shielding work if you have to engage in complicated aerial maneuvers, or do you have to travel along a straight line? These are just some of the questions that would need to be addressed, before such a proposal could even be attempted," he pointed out.

"Look. If you don't wanna help, you could just say no. You don't have to pick it apart like I'm stupid," Rainbow Dash replied as she sat up, and crossed her forelegs in annoyance.

"As things currently stand, If you were to make any future escape attempts, I am the only one present who is qualified enough to seek you out, and bring you back. Helping you learn how to throttle yourself harder, to achieve afterburner capabilities, would hardly be the smartest of endeavors to take part in," Ulquiorra explained, before turning away from her, and back to the index filing system.

Rainbow Dash was about to ask just what those terms meant, but stopped short of doing so. Instead there was another matter that she felt needed to be addressed.

"I'm not looking for how to escape. I'm looking for how to fight," she stated as she stood back up again. "When we catch whoever's responsible for all of this, I wanna pound 'em good. And I wanna do it without risking breaking my leg again, like when I kicked you in the head."

Ulquiorra paused his search through the index, hands hovering just above the cards. That wasn't exactly what he'd expected to hear from her. But unexpected or not, it did sound like an endeavor that had the potential to be worthwhile. In fact it almost sounded like it could prove to be interesting to try.

"We'll see," he replied, before going back to sorting through the index. "But it will have to wait until you're more physically equipped for potentially grueling exercise. Until you start eating all of your meals, nothing will be done," he explained.

"I hate oatmeal," Rainbow Dash grumbled as she frowned in response, not liking the way this discussion had turned.

"Personal preferences for food aside, the point still stands. You aren't in any shape for a workout," Ulquiorra pointed out, not even bothering to turn around in the process. "And if you continue to stubbornly refuse, I have every intention of cramming it down your throat, regardless of what you may believe Twilight Sparkle did to you," he stated firmly.

Rainbow Dash just frowned more in response. "You're gonna look pretty funny wearing that oatmeal!"

"Do you actually believe you can threaten me with harm?" Ulquiorra asked as he slowly shifted his upper body to look at her. Surely she couldn't be serious.

"Oh it's not a threat, it's a promise. If you try and feed me that slop, you're gonna be fair game!" Rainbow Dash started forcefully.

The threat was ludicrous. But it was a statement made with determination; a determination that he could observe for himself. Rainbow Dash's confidence in herself, was slowly beginning to return. She wasn't talking trash in an attempt to bluff him like it was a game of poker; she actually believed that she stood a chance against him.

So far, so good.

The Golden Oaks Library was nearly silent, all of its inhabitants turned in for the night. Apart from the occasional snoring from one -or all three- of the ones present for the evening, there wasn't a sound to be heard.

And in the silent darkness of the library's locked basement, the blackened gem of the Element of Loyalty slowly began flickering with a red light...

Chapter Seventy Nine

Chapter Seventy Nine

"Gah, my back..."

Waking up in pain was something that Rainbow Dash had an on again/off again relationship with. Being an athlete -and Wonderbolts hopeful- it was something she'd accepted long ago as being just another fact of life. Some days that fact was more prevalent, and some days it was just plain more painful.

She grunted as she slowly sat up, stretching as she yawned, until she felt a satisfying pop in her vertebrae, which earned a satisfied sigh. That was better, but she was going to need to stretch her muscles to get any genuine relief going on.

"What the hay did I sleep on last night?" she asked herself as she absentmindedly scratched at her ribs with her hoof. Looking down, she discovered that it was one of the benches the royal library had scattered about. It was funny really, she sure didn't remember deciding to sleep on one of them. But then again she didn't remember going to sleep at all either, so who was she to doubt what might've happened?

Looking around the room, she quickly realized that she wasn't alone. Besides Ulquiorra standing with his back to her -likely reading a book if his posture was any indication- Luna was currently sitting at one of the tables, looking quite haggard, and nursing what smelt like a cup of coffee.

"Wow, you look terrible," Rainbow Dash stated, not even thinking about her own words as she swung her legs over the side of the bench to climb off from her impromptu perch.

"If we are being completely honest with one another, you do not look all that fine yourself," Luna shot back without even hesitating, before sipping at her drink. "No offense intended. It has been a rough night for all of us, I am certain."

"Definitely," Rainbow Dash replied, before extending her wings to the furthest possible length in order to stretch them, before tucking them back in at her sides again. "Wait a minute. What're you doing here? Is this a dream?" she asked, before turning to look in Ulquiorra's direction. He hadn't moved an inch since she'd woken up. "Hey, Ulquiorra, say something funny."

"Something funny," Ulquiorra replied in his usual dull tone, never turning around to face her. "I can assure you, this is no dream that you're experiencing," he continued.

"How do I know that for sure though? How do I know that you're not a part of the dream, and you're just telling me that it isn't a dream?" Rainbow Dash asked him. She could certainly see him doing something like that, even if it was her dream.

"Because if I were ever given the choice on where to be, I wouldn't be caught dead in one of your dreams," Ulquiorra stated bluntly.

"... But aren't you already dead?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"... A fair point," Ulquiorra eventually replied.

Off to the side, Luna laughed at the exchange going on. It was the first real laugh she'd been able to have in a while, and oh how it felt good.

"It is no dream, Rainbow Dash, I assure you of such," she stated, before levitating a second cup of coffee over to her, hoping the aroma would alleviate any remaining doubt that she was currently awake. "I must apologize for last night. It was not our intention to force you to spend the night in the library."

"Eh," Rainbow Dash replied and shrugged, before taking the offered cup of coffee to sip at. The Princesses always did have the best coffee. "It wasn't all that bad. But I do have to ask, what was going on last night?"

"I am afraid that I cannot reveal such details. Not yet anyway. There is still so much to try and understand, and I do not wish to put out any false interpretations, of what little that we do currently understand," Luna explained as calmly as she could. She certainly didn't want Rainbow Dash to think she was being evasive with her answers, but at the same time she knew how important this was, and what was at stake. The way the country currently was, information had to be carefully guarded, even among friends.

"You can't even tell me about it?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked at her, hoping to get at least some idea of what was going on around here.

"I could," Luna replied slowly. Although she highly doubted that Rainbow Dash would be able to understand the complexities of it all, when even she barely understood it all. Even with Celestia's help, there was still so much she didn't fully grasp just yet. But how did she go about saying something like that, without unintentionally making Rainbow Dash believed she was saying that she was stupid? "But it would be mostly speculation. And Celestia has advised me to not be putting out any unverified information just yet. I cannot even share with Ulquiorra Cifer, what we are trying to piece together, until such time that we can better confirm facts," she explained.

"Oh..." Rainbow Dash replied slowly. She guessed that made sense. At least enough sense that she couldn't argue otherwise. Instead she simply returned to her coffee, as it gave her something else to focus on. After a moment of thought, she continued. "Does it have anything to do with why you were in Ponyville yesterday?"

Luna tensed up at the question, inexplicably feeling like she was a foal caught with her hoof in the cookie jar just after being told that she couldn't have one. How had Rainbow Dash known about that?

She very nearly asked that question, before stopping short of doing just that. She could only assume that Ulquiorra Cifer had said something to her during the night. That theory would certainly make a great deal of sense. Although it left her wondering just what sort of conversation had been had during the evening between the two of them.

"In a way. But so far our efforts have yielded us nothing but frustration. If I had a fist, I would be sorely tempted to be putting it through the wall right now," she replied and sighed. "On top of our failures in the evening, we must now face the frustrations that the day will surely bring with it. The number of ponies seeking our counsel will be significant. And I, in all good conscience, cannot leave my sister to face them alone in her state. We will need to work in shifts today," she finished, before finishing off the remnants of her coffee, and making a mental note to get another helping before the start of today's court.

"Can't you just... I dunno... close the castle for the day?" Rainbow Dash asked. She fully admitted that she wasn't the brightest pony around, but surely it wouldn't hurt if ponies had to go one day without stepping before the diarchy, and seeking their help with their problems. Equestria wasn't in such bad condition, that one day would hurt... right?

"Much as we would love to do just that, Rainbow Dash, it is simply not an option for us. There are a great many intricacies that are in play regarding the role we serve in government. And while some responsibilities can be delayed, and others can be -and have been- delegated to councils acting in our stead, there are some matters that we are simply obligated not only to address, but do so in a timely fashion," Luna explained, thinking to herself that if things had turned out differently with Chrysalis, they might've used her as an impersonator during the more involved court sessions. "Sadly I must be making myself ready for my first shift. I simply wished to make sure you were alright, before facing the public."

"Luna, wait," Rainbow Dash spoke up as the lunar princess was pushing herself up from her seat. "Maybe now's a bad time to be asking... but could I get those writing supplies? I'd like to get at least something written to the others, before Ulquiorra has to go back to Ponyville," she explained. But then she thought better of it, and turned to look at Ulquiorra... who still hadn't turned around to face either of them. "Er... that is if you don't mind taking it with you..." she added, realizing that she hadn't asked him if he would.

"I do not," Ulquiorra replied, before tucking the book under his left arm, and reaching around to open his satchel.

Rainbow Dash watched as Ulquiorra rooted around in the bag, before pulling out a notepad and pencil, and more or less casually tossed them onto the table she was sitting at.

"I'll be leaving for Ponyville in one hour. Use the time wisely," he stated simply.

Luna blinked at what had just transpired, having not expected this development to occur. She hadn't even considered asking Ulquiorra to volunteer his own supplies for this, and yet he had without any hesitation. She'd been fully prepared to summon some from her own study, but he'd beaten her to the punch. And she didn't have a clue as to what his motives were, whether it was out of expediency, or simply because he was there and could respond first, or something else entirely.

Whatever it was, she'd be sure to thank him later.

Applejack yawned, totally exhausted from not sleeping for the better part of the night, and too tired to grimace at the stoutness of the cup of coffee she was nursing at the table in what served as the library's lounge area. She couldn't tell if the brew was stouter when it was fresh -as it was not, from Spike picking up a fresh batch of coffee beans yesterday in the market- or when it had time to set and age.

To her left was Twilight, barely able to keep her eyes open as she drank her coffee, and showing absolutely no hint of aversion to the brew.

In the kitchen, accompanied by a clatter of productivity and busywork, they could hear Spike moving about with no hint of exhaustion, or even a slight bit fatigue. And right now they resented him for that fact. Why did he get to be well-rested when they didn't?

It wasn't nightmares that had kept them up for the better part of the evening; they were pretty well past that, despite what had happened to Fluttershy only yesterday. Instead it had been Spike and his barely contained -if not completely unrestrained- excitement, believing that Ulquiorra was going to be teaching him how to fight today. They doubted that he'd slept at all -chiefly because of how little sleep they'd actually gotten- and yet he wasn't showing the slightest hint of slowing down. He was running about like he had to much energy, and was desperately trying to burn it off before he exploded... or something along those lines.

Right now he was busy whipping up breakfast for all of them.

"If we see her again, remind me not ta be makin' fun o' RD an' her sleepin' habits no more," Applejack muttered, losing the battle against letting out another yawn. "It's only mornin', an' already Ah'm thinkin' about needin' a nap. Ah," she paused to yawn again, "don' know if Ah'm even gonna make it over ta Sweet Apple Acres today."

"We'll see her again," Twilight mumbled in response. Thinking anything else was way too negative. And it was way too early in the day to be negative. "Stay. I'll go work on the farm today in your place," she offered.

Applejack couldn't help but chuckle at the idea of Twilight trying to work on the farm, making her best attempt at doing a full day's work on par with her. It was funny, and it was adorable, and it was just another indicator of how Twilight was a good friend. But at the same time it was a little bit frightening to think of what might happen if she actually agreed; the poor mare might go nuts trying to organize Sweet Apple Acres in whatever way she thought it needed. She'd rather not see that happen.

"Much as Ah appreciate the offer, sugarcube, Ah don' think that'd work out too well. Farm work requires a strong body ta get done right, not a strong brain," Applejack replied.

"Are you calling me weak?" Twilight asked as she tried to keep her eyes open. "Or are you saying you're stupid?"

"Wha' say we just say we each have our own unique skills, an' they don' exactly translate over fer each other?" Applejack suggested, really not wanting to get into that discussion right now.

"If you say so," Twilight replied, before slouching over and leaning against Applejack for support. "Mmm... you know, you're pretty comfortable..."

Applejack wanted to laugh. But before she could actually do that, Spike came out of the kitchen carrying a tray loaded down with a lot of pancakes, what looked like bowls of assorted diced fruits, and the assorted condiments and stuff that were going to be needed.

"Breakfast is up!" he announced as he set the tray down on the table.

"Breakfast is about the only thing that's up," Applejack chuckled as she looked between the stack of breakfast, and Twilight attempting to sleep against her. "C'mon, Twi', time ta wake up," she said and shrugged her friend.

Reluctantly, Twilight sighed as she opened her eyes. Although it proved to be a little easier to open them when she saw just how much breakfast Spike had prepared. It looked like he'd used up all the pancake mix in the process.

"Ya think ya got enough food there, Spike?" Applejack asked as she quirked an eyebrow. She was no stranger to big eating, nor was anypony in her family, but it was still a little unexpected coming from Spike.

"If not I can always make more," Spike replied as he lifted the plate of pancakes off the tray and set it down on the table, before taking two more plates off from where the other had sat, and began dividing up the food tower for the three of them.

"Spike... I think Applejack was asking if that might be too much food," Twilight pointed out. Subtlety was really weird at times when it came to Spike. Sometimes he got it just fine, and other times it went completely over his head. And this definitely looked like the latter to her.

"Oh," Spike replied, taking another look at just how much food was present. He didn't consciously remember making so many pancakes, but apparently he had done just that. "Well today's gonna be a big day, so we're gonna need a big breakfast. I don't wanna let hunger get in the way of my training," he replied.

"About that..." Twilight replied slowly, causing Spike to look up at her. How did she phrase this delicately? More important than that, how did she go about explaining the situation, without having Spike think that she was dismissing his concerns? "The thing is, Spike, I only sent word to Ulquiorra yesterday. You know how extensive Canterlot's libraries are. Even if he doesn't sleep, it might take him more than one day to find something that can be useful," she pointed out, hoping that it would be sufficient to calm Spike down, and not leave him wound up all day long, watching the door in anticipation.

She didn't like the idea of Spike being involved in anything violent. But getting his hopes up about something that might never come, would be equally bad. She had to temper his enthusiasm, somehow.

"Yeah, I know. But Ulquiorra can be surprising at times, and I don't plan to be caught off guard if he shows up today," Spike replied as he went back to dividing up the pancakes, before moving to the fruits and other assorted toppings.

Twilight wanted to speak up, but was stopped at a soft jab to the side by Applejack's hood, hidden just under the table out of Spike's view. A glance over to her friend showed her a subtle shaking of the head, indicating that she believed now wasn't the appropriate time to be getting involved in such a discussion. As much as she'd like to disagree with that, another soft jab served as sufficient discouragement from the idea.

With a silent sigh, she relented, and turned back around to the prospect of breakfast.

"Ah'm not often one ta be sayin' this, but Ah'm too stuffed ta eat anymore," Applejack commented as she pushed her plate away.

"I have to agree," Twilight groaned and closed her eyes. Although anymore it was a lot easier for her to get her fill with pancakes than it had been, after what happened the last time she'd eaten a hearty breakfast with them. Ever since then, she'd been eating lighter.

Consequently there was still a great deal of pancakes left; not just on her plate, but also Applejack's plate. Out of the three of them, Spike was the only one who wasn't slowing down any when it came to eating. But that made sense, seeing as he had a rather healthy metabolic rate.

However she still needed to talk to him about manic cooking at some point down the line.

"Well Ah really hate ta eat an' run like this, but Ah gotta get ta the farm an' tend ta chores," Applejack stated as she pushed herself up from her seat.

"Okay," Spike replied, before cutting into another pancake to devour. "See you again tonight?"

"If it's not too much trouble for ya," Applejack replied a bit sheepishly. She was immeasurably thankful for all of the hospitality that Twilight and Spike had shown her ever since the incident. But that didn't change the fact that every once in a while, she wondered if she was taking advantage of that hospitality.

"Well the extra dishes we have to do are a bit of a pain to deal with," Twilight replied as she opened her eyes to look at Applejack, before sharing a smirk with the farmpony, which earned a chuckle from each of them. "It's no trouble, Applejack, it's the least we can do right now."

"Yeah. Besides, we've all gotta stick together when everything around us is going straight to hell in a picnic basket," Spike added in between oversized bites of his pancake.

All Twilight could do was snort in amusement at Spike's words. The way he had said it all so nonchalantly had been too perfect in terms of delivery.

Applejack just scratched her head under her hat in response. "Ya know, Ah keep hearin' that word, but Ah still don' know what it means. Somepony mind fillin' me in on jus' what's so funny?" she asked.

"Well the humor is more subjective than anything. But basically, according to Ulquiorra, hell is his world's equivalent of Tartarus, although with more of an emphasis on fire and brimstone for some reason. Although according to his explanation on human dialect, it's more often used as an expression of frustration, or to emphasize just how bad a situation is, rather than referring to the actual location. So I guess grammatically, capitalization depends entirely on the context in which it's used," Twilight explained.

Applejack just chuckled. Somehow the grammar lesson didn't strike her as being the least bit out of place, considering it was Twilight giving the elaboration.

"Ya know, Ah'm not often one fer mixin' dialects, but that's one Ah can actually see being useful. Ya got less syllables ta be wrestlin' with," she replied. She'd always felt it was kind of odd that Twilight would be so freely exercising bits of Ulquiorra's dialect like it was no big deal, even if she was trying to give him something familiar as he settled into their world. It wasn't something she herself had done more than a time or two before. But that didn't mean she was unwilling to consider the notion. "He got anymore words worth learnin'?"

"I'm sure there are. But so far he's only explained the meaning and context behind a few of them; possibly because I kept interrupting him with so many questions. But if he shows up today, you could always ask him directly," Twilight pointed out.

"Yeah, Ah might jus' do that," Applejack replied and nodded. "Anyway, Ah gotta get back ta the farm. Ah don' need Big Macintosh sulkin' over me not bein' there."

Twilight couldn't help herself, as the mental image that comment conjured up had her giggling. Big Macintosh, the stoic stallion, sulking over his sister not being there? That was just too funny.

And then there was a knocking at the front door of library, firm enough that it broke the period of amusement.

"Huh. He's early today," Twilight mumbled, before reaching out and magically undoing the bolt. "The door's open, Ulquiorra!" she called.

Spike nearly choked on the pancake he was eating at hearing Ulquiorra's name being mentioned. He'd been expecting the Espada to show up, but sometime later in the day, rather than right now.

"And how did you know it was me?" Ulquiorra asked as he stepped into the library's main room. Usually he was the one knowing who was around without relying on sight.

Twilight tapped her horn in response as she looked at him. "I felt a huge mana drain for the area. And you're the only one who can do that, that would have reason to be visiting the library at this time of day," she explained.

"Logical," Ulquiorra replied as he used his left foot to nudge the door shut behind him.

"So what did last night's research turn up? Anything that might be relevant to what's going on? Or better yet, what we might be able to do to stop it?" Twilight asked. In truth she was only guessing that Ulquiorra's nights involved researching back at Canterlot's libraries and archives. She knew from discussions with him in the past, that unless he was needed elsewhere, that's what night generally consisted of for him. And to some degree she was envious of how much reading he could get done.

All that aside, however, it was still just a guess on her part.

"Nothing conclusive as of yet," Ulquiorra replied as he approached where they sat. "Several incidents bearing similarities to what we're currently experiencing, have been recorded through history. But what was experienced then, has no bearing on what we're experiencing now."

"How so?" Spike asked, now that he was no longer choking on his breakfast, and found an opportunity to actually talk.

"To begin with, there's no active magic in use. If we were dealing with a mind control spell on a scale large enough to cover all of Ponyville, then we would be facing a unicorn of considerable strength, who would be very easy to locate. Even allowing for some areas experiencing less coverage than others, it still wouldn't be sufficient to hide either who or what we're looking for, or make it anymore likely for a unicorn of even above average strength to be perpetrating this attacking. The power requirements would still demand that the guilty party be somewhere in Ponyville, rather than far away, as an extended distance would only add to those already significant requirement levels," Ulquiorra explained.

"What about the usage of magical artifacts? Either to act as camouflage to hide their presence within Ponyville, or to be attacking from a distance, outside of your range of detection?" Twilight asked.

"It's plausible, but ultimately improbable. Magical artifacts produce their own frequencies when they're in use, even if their purpose is to act as camouflage, and would be detectable. If they were currently in play, they would have been found before now, and removed from the equation," Ulquiorra explained.

Magical artifacts had been another theory garnered from last night's studies, but quickly discredited as he researched the topic to greater depth. Those that cloaked operated by disturbing the ambient mana in the area to make detection difficult. And those that worked directly to either transmit, or enhance applied magic, even from a distance, would produce a central point that could be detected. Depending on what magic was used, it could even be used for tracing it back to its point of origin.

"A'right," Applejack spoke up, "so it ain't unicorn magic. And it ain't magical artifacts behind this. Is there any idea on just what it is?" she asked. She understood that the process of elimination could do a great deal, but this was really getting annoying.

"Whatever drug of choice Ponyville seems to be on," Spike muttered, before finally returning to his breakfast. The way things were going, he had a feeling that he wouldn't be getting any training anytime soon.

Twilight frowned at Spike's statement, briefly wondering if one could actually glare hard enough to set something on fire. She knew how sensitive Applejack -and countless others- was about the notion of being regarded as nothing more than a drug addict. This was not the kind of subject to be joking about, and she'd have to make sure to point that out to him later on.

"Which is, surprisingly, not as uncommon as I originally believed," Ulquiorra admitted, bringing everyone's attention to him. "The usage of various chemical compounds for controlling others has indeed happened in the past. But nothing of this magnitude has ever been recorded, or otherwise documented. Until now everything has been small scale, generally associated with the formation of cults through the usage of substances that make the recipient more susceptible to suggestion. Meaning-"

"Meaning it's completely unconnected," Twilight interrupted. Granted it was an interesting discovery to make, but ultimately it wasn't worth their time.

But as irritated as she was feeling right now, Twilight found that she simply couldn't maintain her irritation, and her soft demeanor started to shine through not long after.

"I'm sorry, Ulquiorra, I know you tried your best in trying to figure out what we're up against. I just... it's so frustrating, not knowing anything. I've never felt so helpless before in my life. I feel like I'm chasing my tail, there's no answers to be found, everypony's being attacked all around me, I don't have a clue how Rainbow Dash is doing... I... I feel like I'm starting to lose my mind. This is even worse than when we faced down Discord. I just wish we knew something conclusive, anything!" she yelled, too frustrated for proper composure at this point.

She was vaguely aware of a nagging desire in the back of her mind, to simply hit something, and hit it hard. Preferably something that was hard, and firm, but would still yield under adequate strain, to produce the desired result of temporary satisfaction of stress relief. Maybe she'd got to Sweet Apple Acres after all.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response, as he reached around to dig inside his satchel, and produced several folded pieces of paper, before setting them down on the table.

Twilight blinked in response, frustration being replaced with confusion. "What's that?"

"Correspondence," Ulquiorra replied as he closed the satchel's flap, and slipped his hands back into his pockets.

Twilight's mind started swimming with questions, as this wasn't the sort of correspondence she was accustomed to. She almost asked for details, but she stopped herself when she realized that she could've gotten far more answers from just reading what might be on the pages, rather than just asking about what they might've contained. With that fact in mind she levitated the papers off the table, and unfolded them to read what was written.

But as she read, her eyes went wide, and her jaw went slack in disbelief.

"This... this is from Rainbow Dash!" she stated, partially out of excitement, and partially out of complete disbelief.

"Seriously?" Applejack asked as she stepped closer, hoping to get a glimpse of the note to see for herself. Instead she found the entire thing thrust into her face during Twilight's excitement, forcing her to step back so she could actually read what it said.

Dear everypony,

The good news is that I'm still alive, and I get to come back to Ponyville whenever I'm ready.

The bad news is that I'm not coming back to Ponyville anytime soon. Not yet anyway.

Don't get me wrong, I really want to be back there and see everyone again. But right now I just can't. I miss you girls really bad and all, but I learned the hard way that I'm not well enough to trust myself yet. And I don't wanna risk hurting somepony because I wind up losing control of myself. So until then I've gotta be staying here to keep the rest of you safe.

I really wanted to write each one of you individually, as I've got so many things to tell you. But even if I had plenty of paper, I couldn't put it all into words, because, you know, eloquence and all that whatnot. So I'm just gonna have to save it until I can come back and see all of you.

Still, I've got a few things to tell everypony.

Twilight, I like to think I know you pretty well. So if you're feeling bad about not having everything under control, stop it already, okay? Just plain stop! Nopony knows what's going on, so at least you're in good company. If you wanna get things under control, stop trying to figure out what happened, and start trying to figure out a cure for whatever drugs everypony's on. Figure that one out, and maybe I can come back home, and we can start kicking villain flank again. You're the smartest out of all of us, egghead, if anyone can do it, it's definitely you.

Applejack, I heard about what you went through, and I can't even begin to say just how messed up that is. Whoever is screwing with us is seriously sick in the head. I'd say I'm sorry, which I am, don't get me wrong, but being sorry just isn't good enough right now, and not having anything else to offer is just making me want to scream!

Okay. I just screamed. That's better.

It's probably a good thing letters don't transmit sound. Luna's blushing at what she just heard.

Spike, I'm so sorry that I tried beating the crud out of you the last time we met. And considering what happened, I'm just glad you're not a pony. I don't think my conscience could stand the guilt of almost killing two of my friends.

Rarity, I don't even know where to begin. How exactly am I supposed to apologize for trying to kill you; not just once, but twice? I don't know how to do that. The only thing I know to say, is that I know you never did anything to hurt me. Or at least I know that now. I don't care what I'm remembering, I know that it didn't happen. And if I could quit having these flashbacks, I could come home.

I heard about Sweetie Belle being affected. As much as I'd like to tell you how much I'm outraged at the thought of a foal going through something like I did, I just can't. I don't have anything but obscenities, and I don't even know how to spell most of them.

Pinkie, Fluttershy, I don't know what to say to the two of you. Sorry about that. But not being told any specifics, maybe it's best if I don't say anything, because I don't want to say the wrong thing.

That was all there was to the first page. Which was weird as it wasn't signed, and there was still a fair amount of room left before the bottom was reached. Curious about it all, Twilight moved onto the next page as she moved around to read everything right alongside Applejack.

Dear Scootaloo,

Hey squirt. How you holding up?

I know you probably have a lot of questions about what's going on. I wish I had answers that I could give you right now, and tell you that everything is going to be alright. But right now I just can't do that. Even I don't know what's going on. If anypony is telling you that you're too young to understand what's going on, well they're right. I know this because even I'm too young to really know what's going on.

I wish I could be there for you right now. I tried to be, but it just didn't work out. When Celestia tells you that you have to go, you don't get much say in the matter.

But if I find out that anyone hurt you while I was gone, there won't be anywhere in all of Equestria they can hide that they'll be safe from me.

Take care of yourself, and keep the others out of trouble. I'll be back when I can. Promise.

Signed,
Your honorary big sister, Rainbow Dash

Along with the letters was a single cyan-colored feather that now rested on the table; a primary if Twilight's guess was correct. She'd speculate that was included for Scootaloo rather than anypony else. That... that was surprisingly deep as far as she could tell.

"Ah... Ah don' know what ta say," Applejack stated slowly.

"Well I sure know what to say," Twilight replied as she set the letters down on the table. "I'm an idiot! Rainbow Dash is right! Among other things I'm a scientist. We already know what the problem is, I should be looking for how to make an antidote, not feeling sorry for not knowing where this whole mess came from," she stated.

Ulquiorra said nothing as he observed. Just minutes ago, Twilight Sparkle had been on the precipice of despair over her inability to contribute anything constructive to their efforts at unraveling this mass of mysteries they were facing. And then, within the space of a single letter sent by Rainbow Dash, she had been yanked back from that precipice, with renewed determination to overcome the adversity they currently found themselves in. Was she truly that weak-willed on her own?

Or alternatively... was the perceived value of the letter truly that great? Did her finding out about Rainbow Dash's current condition, truly serve as enough to reinvigorate her?

He doubted that it was something he'd truly understand, even if he tried.

Regardless, at least she was more productively oriented like this.

"How're we ever gonna figure out where the drugs came from anyway?" he heard Applejack ask. But he'd been too focused on his own thoughts to hear what had lead up to the question.

Regardless of that fact, it was a good question. And this time around, they had a definite answer.

"The diarchy has called up numerous scientists, for the purpose of sending them to Ponyville, to do just that. They will be taking samples of water, soil, food, air, and anything else that may be serving as a method of transmission for the hallucinogenics we find ourselves up against. According to the estimation given, they should be arriving within the hour," he explained.

"Really?" Twilight asked. Well at least there was that bit of good news; it was about time they got some reinforcement here. Or at least reinforcements who weren't counselors that just wanted to talk. She understood that they provided a necessary service, but they also presented a hindrance to getting things done. She felt a lot more comfortable talking with her friends about what was bugging her anyway.

"Oh great," Spike groaned as he climbed down from the table, the current discussion serving to ruin what remained of his appetite. "They're gonna wind up turning this town upside down, looking through everypony's business, and even if they find something, we won't know about it for days. They sure won't be including us in the loop. You know how those uptight jerks are; they won't talk to anypony if they aren't accredited."

He had a pretty good idea of how much of a bureaucratic nightmare this was going to be; mainly because of how much bureaucracy he'd seen back in Canterlot. Ponyville was likely going to get turned into a turf war for the lot of them, and they were all going to get treated like dirt.

"Don't worry, Spike," Twilight replied as she walked over to him and rubbed his back with her hoof. "We'll figure out something, one way or another. We may just need to employ a little bit of friendly persuasion."

"You intend to lean on them," Ulquiorra elaborated, it being the only thing that really made sense. Being the protege of Princess Celestia, and here on what was regarded as official business, it only made sense that Twilight Sparkle carried a fair deal of weight. He remembered it being the same way she'd gone about procuring a chess set during their first meeting.

"Like a tree downed in a bad storm," Twilight replied, unable to suppress the smirk she felt creeping across her face at how easily Ulquiorra had figured it all out.

Being under Celestia's tutelage, she had been educated about many things; such as the necessity of being humble, and how it was important that ponies not abuse whatever authority some position might afford them. It, among others, was a lesson that she had taken to heart, and tried to live by.

However Celestia had also taught her that, sometimes, flexing that authority was justified.

Granted she didn't particularly like having to do that, and rely on her standing to get things done rather than relying on her own merits, but the way things had been going the past few weeks, she was far too beyond having any fucks left to give if somepony tried obstructing her on the grounds of red tape, when it was her friends at risk.

Applejack smirked, amused at the idea of Twilight trying to be assertive with a bunch of scientists. She would certainly like to see that. But sadly, that just wasn't an option, and she was aware of it.

"A'right, Ah seriously need ta be gettin' home an' tendin' ta chores. Otherwise Big Macintosh is gonna come lookin' fer me," she stated. It was a lot of fun to talk with everyone, but the fun had to end sooner or later.

"Another ten seconds, and you could both leave together," Ulquiorra spoke up, bringing their attention back to him. "Big Macintosh is already approaching the library. He entered Ponyville not long after my arrival," he explained.

And then there was a knock at the door, perfectly illustrating his statement.

"Ah'm gonna catch such crud fer this," Applejack groaned to herself. "The door's open, Big Macintosh," she called out. Might as well face the music.

"Now how did ya-" Big Macintosh asked as he opened the door and poked his head in, but stopped when he saw Ulquiorra standing there. That answered his question as well as anything.

"Ah know, Ah know, Ah'm late," Applejack stated, cutting off whatever her brother might have to say to her.

"Actually, sis', Ah'm not here fer ya right now. Ah'm here fer another filly that's got trouble of 'er own," Big Macintosh replied as he fully opened the door and stepped inside, revealing that Scootaloo was currently resting atop his back, huddled into a little ball.

"Oh no," Spike groaned, already knowing where this was going. This was seriously getting out of hoof. "Nightmare or day terror?" he asked. He'd written up so many of these reports, he might as well get what had come to be the default form ready for submission, and save himself some time.

"Nightmare," Scootaloo whispered from where she sat, causing Big Macintosh to turn his head around and look at her. And he smiled. That smile... she couldn't explain it, but seeing it made her feel a little better. It was... warm, friendly, and even encouraging; suggestive that things were somehow not as bad as she thought they might be, and would be alright somehow.

Off to where she stood, Twilight sighed and shook her head. This was happening with far too great of a regularity, and morphing into a morbid routine that they were helpless to escape.

She watched with Applejack as, with a practiced familiarity, Spike went and retrieved the necessary writing supplies to fill out a report, and come back to take down the information that Scootaloo had to offer. And much as he had done in so many other cases before, Spike took down the offered details, before rolling up the scroll, and sending it on its way to Celestia, with so many from before.

But this time around it was different. Out of every incident Twilight had been briefed on, never had their been an account of one of them being the one to cause the supposed harm, with the sole exception being Rainbow Dash's own account of events. It was an irregularity that she couldn't readily account for. She'd have to do some more research on it... on top of everything else she had to do today.

Maybe on that list of things to do, she should add stopping in to see the counselor from Canterlot; he'd been seeing everypony else so far, trying to help them cope with what they were going through. Who was to say that sitting down for a few minutes to vent her current frustrations wouldn't do her some good? It's not like she would be the only one doing it. Even if she was, it wasn't something she should feel embarrassed about. Asking for help was just one of those things; they certainly asked Ulquiorra for help lots of times, so how would seeing the counselor be any different?

Of course she already knew that answer even before asking; Ulquiorra had a tendency to get right to the heart of the matter, as directly as possible, and then go right for disembowelment. In a way it was all quite beautiful. Frightening at times, but still beautiful. He operated not only with practiced precision, but also confidence, and a firmness of approach that...

She was getting way too carried away, lost in her thought on the matter. And she really had to try and refrain from doing that, when it came to this subject.

"Ah'm awful sorry ya went through that, Scootaloo," Applejack said as she approached where she currently perched. "But Ah know RD, Ah know she'd never do anythin' like that."

Ulquiorra himself remained silent as Applejack talked with Scootaloo. He didn't share the same evaluation of Rainbow Dash that the farmpony did, based on what he'd seen. He was reasonably certain that Rainbow Dash would indeed engage in serious bodily harm to another; primarily if she felt the recipient was deserving of such actions. He'd seen it himself when Rarity was attacked in the Carousel Boutique, and he'd experienced it himself just days ago. And based on her own words regarding Scootaloo's perceived importance, he had little reason to doubt that she would have no problem hurting anyone that chose to hurt the filly.

It was for that specific reason, he would need to explain to the others present that if they wrote Rainbow Dash back, to make absolutely no mention of what had developed over the past two days. It would present a risk that simply wasn't worth taking. The last thing they needed was another successful escape attempt on her part.

The matter pertaining to Scootaloo had unfolded about as well as Ulquiorra could expect it to.

Information was taken, discussed, cataloged, and sent onto Canterlot for further study. Words of comfort and support were exchanged. Rainbow Dash's letter to Scootaloo, and the included feather, had been given to the intended recipient, who experienced an emotional turnaround after reading it, and concluding that her fears had been unfounded.

Advisements had been issued pertaining to the release of certain information that could be deemed sensitive. And finally the Apple siblings had departed; to return Scootaloo to her family, and to eventually return to Sweet Apple Acres to get to the day-to-day matters in need of being addressed.

All in all, these ponies were starting to become more efficient in their dealings. The level of improvement they displayed was... almost respectable.

Once the Apple Siblings had departed with their young charge, that only left himself, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike behind to occupy the library.

"Okay. So... that happened," Spike stated, more for the purpose of actually saying something, rather than to direct address anyone present. "Now what?"

"I don't know just yet, Spike," Twilight replied as she mentally tried to sort through everything. When Ulquiorra had shown up earlier, she'd had an idea of how things might proceed. But now, with the report from Scootaloo, and the letters from Rainbow Dash, her sense of order had been disturbed, leaving her uncertain of how to get it sorted out again.

"Oh," Spike replied, "well until we get it sorted out, what about my training?"

Twilight tried not to wince at Spike's question. She had hoped that she could stall him, and lead him into losing interest with the notion of learning how to engage in combat. But apparently he had other ideas in mind, and wouldn't be content with just waiting for things to happen. Now she had to come up with something new, and quickly.

"Any training that may take place, will have to wait until after evaluation," Ulquiorra stated.

"Evaluation?" Spike asked as he turned to face the Espada. "Evaluation for what?"

"Did you really think that you could simply jump right into combat with both feet?" Ulquiorra asked rhetorically. But before Spike even had the chance to respond, he was already talking again. "It doesn't work that way. Before anything can be done, we have to determine just what you can do, what areas need to be addressed, where improvement can be had, and what is simply not a physical possibility. Considering your short stature, the manuals that were found in the archives, may ultimately prove useless for our purposes," he explained.

Twilight blinked, not sure of what to say. From where she stood, it sounded like Ulquiorra was actually doing her job for her. But that just left her with more questions than answers, as she didn't know what to make of it. Ultimately she just had to stand back, and watch as things unfolded, if she wanted to try and make sense of anything.

"Wait, are you saying that I might not be able to learn?" Spike asked. He didn't like the thought of that one bit.

"Learning how to do something, and being able to employ that knowledge, are two entirely different standards. Memorizing a nation's manual of arms will do little good, if you don't possess the physical capabilities to actually perform the movements yourself," Ulquiorra elaborated. He knew Spike well enough to know that he wasn't stupid; naive at times, but not stupid. But an intellect that rivaled Twilight Sparkle's would be useless, if physical execution wasn't an option.

"So what's this evaluation going to involve?" Twilight asked as she took a step forward. This was actually starting to sound like something she herself would be doing.

"A series of physical tests to measure range of motion, reaction time, response time, and identify any underlying physical conditions that might hamper his ability to move with adequate flexibility," Ulquiorra explained, giving a brief but adequate breakdown of just what the structure of this endeavor was going to consist of.

"Oh," Twilight replied and nodded. That certainly made a lot of sense. "Well, unless I'm needed for that, I'll leave Spike in your capable hands for the duration."

"Twilight?" Spike asked, confused by what she'd just said. Was she actually saying that she wasn't going to come along and get involved with what amounted to research? Was she feeling alright?

"As much as I'd like to come along and take notes, it would make far more sense for me to stay here, and see about coordinating with the scientists when they arrive. Somepony has to be present to brief them, and make sure they understand what's going on; mission-wise, and otherwise. And if Ulquiorra is going to be busy training you, that makes me the best qualified for the administrative duties that have to be tended to," Twilight explained.

Spike had to agree, that made a lot of sense to him. No fuzzy math, no in depth evaluation of why it made sense, it just did.

Truth be told, he'd almost rather Twilight wasn't there when things finally got going. Having no idea how things were going to proceed, he'd rather she not possibly get caught in the middle of something bad taking place at the most inopportune time.

"If you say so, Twilight," he replied and shrugged. As much as what Ulquiorra had in store for him didn't sound appealing, administrative duties were worse. Compared to getting stuck with that, how bad could this evaluation process really be?

"Note to self: never ask "how bad could it be" ever a-fucking-gain!" Spike mentally yelled at himself.

That bad, apparently.

When they had arrived at Sweet Apple Acres to begin the evaluation, he didn't have any clue just what he would be facing. He thought it would be some basic exercises, going by what Ulquiorra had described, maybe using a piece of wood as a stand in for a real weapon as the Espada tried to determine just how best to approach educating him about combat.

And it had been that. For about the first five or ten minutes. Everything after that, however, had been radically different. Now that Ulquiorra knew exactly what he could realistically do, he was putting that knowledge to good use; and in a way that had him running away for dear life in a desperate effort to escape before he could get hit.

And then a tennis ball hit him in the head with enough force to send him toppling to the ground as he tripped over his own feet. He landed face-first on the ground, in the dirt, a muffled curse escaping his lips as he slowly pushed himself up off the ground.

"Damnit, Ulquiorra, that hurt!" Spike yelled as he climbed back up onto his feet. "Do you really have to throw those things so hard!?"

Coming out to Sweet Apple Acres to practice had made the most sense. It provided a reasonably wide open area in which to work, with enough variance in terrain to make things both interesting and informative. But on the way out there, Ulquiorra had stated that they would be stopping at Barnyard Bargains first, where he proceeded to buy a number of tennis balls. At first Spike hadn't had a clue what their purpose was; all he'd been told was that they'd serve as training aids. He hadn't thought to question any further than that, as it would've simply slowed down his progress.

Of course what Ulquiorra had omitted during his explanation, was the part about how "training aids" in this case meant "I'm going to throw them at you, and you're to avoid getting hit by them" just as he'd left out the part about how the impact was going to hurt!

Whatever training and evaluation this was, he really didn't understand it one bit. All he knew was that he was getting tired of getting knocked down, and it was pissing him off.

"Yes," Ulquiorra replied bluntly as he reached into the shopping bag that sat at his feet, and removed another tennis ball, gripping it in his right hand. "Without pain as a consequence, there is no incentive to learn from past mistakes."

Spike's body tensed as he jerked his head to the side, successfully avoiding the incoming tennis ball that would've surely smacked him right in the face. But his momentary feeling of pride at his success, was quickly quashed by another tennis ball smacking him in the forehead, sending him falling backwards in surprise.

"Damnit!" Spike yelled as he gripped his head, kicking his legs furiously in the air. "What's this even gotta do with combat anyway!?"

"Everything," Ulquiorra replied as he picked up another tennis ball. He waited for Spike to pick himself up before continuing, casually tossing the ball up into the air, and catching it as it came back down. "Your physical build is inadequate for a stand up, face-fo-face encounter with a hostile opponent, both in terms of reach and stride. As such, you must learn to use what you actually have, rather than wishing for what you don't. There is far more to combat than trading physical blows with an enemy combatant, attempting to determine who can take more abuse before collapsing. Analyzing the weak points of an opponent's technique, forcing them to expend their resources at an accelerated rate, provoking an emotional response that clouds their ability to concentrate... they are all aspects that must be considered, when facing down an opponent," he explained as he allowed Spike the time needed to get back up onto his feet.

"And how does throwing tennis balls at me do any of that?" Spike asked, still not getting it.

"Your tendency to run in a straight line makes you an easy target. Knowing when to zig, and when to zag, are important concepts that must be learned. Otherwise you can be picked off without challenge. The fact that you've been struck so many times, simply goes to reinforce the fact that you have not yet pieced the realization together on your own, and needed it pointed out to you. Just like an ignorant child would," Ulquiorra explained, before catching the tennis ball as it came down, and hurled it at where Spike stood.

This time the throw was much faster than the others Spike had encountered, barely giving him a chance to respond. He jerked his head to the side, the tennis ball glancing off the side of his skull, rather than hitting it dead on. But while he didn't get knocked over this time, that did nothing to stop it from hurting like hell; he was pretty sure he had something like rug burn right now.

However the pain did little to distract him from the fact that he was seriously pissed off from Ulquiorra's words. Right now he really wanted to pound the Espada's face for what he'd said to him. But as much as he wanted to do that, he knew deep down that it wouldn't do any good; all he'd be doing was bruising up his knuckles, and confirming Ulquiorra's words as being valid. And he really, really didn't want to be dismissed as being nothing but a child. He was going to have to bite his tongue, and simply calm down.

And then a tennis ball hit him right in the gut, causing him to double over from the impact.

Alright. Fuck it! Now it was time for some petty revenge!

Spike stood himself up straight, taking his hands off of his stomach, and inhaled deeply, sucking in as much air as he could possibly hold, before expelling a massive wave of green fire in Ulquiorra's direction. He was going to show that he shouldn't be underestimated, and dismissed out of hoof like he was nothing more than a foal.

It was only once he actually ran out of flames to breath, that he felt the sharpened edge of a cold steel -or whatever a zanpakutō was made from- resting just under his chin from behind.

"Crude and slow," Ulquiorra stated from behind as he looked down at Spike. "I could've easily stuffed a tennis ball in your mouth during the inhalation process, and suffocated you. Just as I could've easily slit your throat during the exhalation," he pointed out. He considered emphasizing that last point, by administering a shallow cut just under the chin, to serve as a teaching aid, reasoning that the combination of pain, the sight of his own blood, and the realization of what could've happened, would serve to motivate Spike to try harder in the future. On top of which it would be no more serious than a poorly placed paper cut.

He considered each of those things, and a number of others.

And it was because of that consideration, that he ultimately chose to withdraw, and remove his zanpakutō from Spike's neck, rather than following through. He was a monster, as he'd told Sweetie Belle openly, but he wasn't the type of monster that enjoyed inflicting meaningless suffering on others. Giving Spike good reason to fear him -or at least more than he might already- wouldn't be very constructive.

There was also the simple fact that he didn't need Twilight Sparkle upset at him. That was an entirely different can of worms, that he didn't particularly want to see opened.

"Aw, what's the use?" Spike asked and groaned as he slouched, now that there was no sword at his neck. "I thought I was gonna get to learn to use a weapon and how to fight, not find out that I'm totally inadequate. How can I be a hero and help anyone, if all I can do is just run away from trouble?"

"That would depend entirely on how you define what a hero is. As best I can tell, the concept is open to individual interpretation, as concepts such as the heart, and friendship," Ulquiorra pointed out. He had yet to find any two matching definition of either of the two concepts, and he was having doubts that he ever would. If that was the case, then it was quite likely that the same applied to other complicated subjects.

"Say what now?" Spike asked. This just had to be one of those questions that only Ulquiorra could ask, intended to make you think hard about the answer, while simultaneously making you feel dumb for not being able to answer it.

"What is it that you ultimately hope to accomplish?" Ulquiorra asked bluntly, deciding to cut to the heart of the matter. "Do you intend to stand and face an opponent in battle, trading blows in an effort to determine which one of you can take the most physical abuse before one of you can no longer continue? Do you desire saving the lives of others that may be at risk? Do you want fame and recognition for your efforts and exploits? What is it that you want out of being a hero?"

"To not be useless," Spike stated without even hesitating. Boiled down as best he could get it, that was what he wanted out of all of this. Twilight and the others were always rushing off, saving Equestria from danger, while he stayed behind, and stayed out of the way. At first that was alright, seeing as they had the Elements of Harmony. But now the Element of Harmony were no longer a viable option to rely on, so he had no excuse to tell himself, for why he shouldn't be getting involved. Now everypony had to be pulling their own weight, and he was no exception. "I wanna be able to actually do something. I don't wanna be dead weight that has to rely on others, when everything's going wrong."

Ulquiorra listened as Spike talked. If there was a degree of difference between intentions that could be deemed noble, and desires based on greed, then it was incredibly thin, and very subjective. Which category Spike's desired could be placed in, he really couldn't tell right now. But then again that wasn't any of his concern. He hadn't been called to evaluate Spike's motives and morality; only to determine if Spike could be taught anything regarding combat.

"Then let's begin again. This time we'll discuss the value of diversionary tactics, compared to face-to-face confrontation, and how the results can be far more beneficial overall," he explained.

"Alright," Spike replied slowly, "but could I get cleaned up first? I think I wound up pissing myself when you had your sword at my throat..."

"This is, by far, the dumbest thing I've ever been involved in!" Corners protested as the prospect of what today was going to involve. Yesterday had been bad enough when Rainbow Dash had presented the original idea to him. But this... this just went way beyond that. Even just being an orderly, he knew that this whole endeavor was medically unsound; he'd had a lot of experience with that, so he knew how to recognize it.

"What exactly is the point of all this anyway?" he asked, hoping that the cyan pegasus would be able to shed at least some light on what her deficient brain was cooking up.

Rainbow Dash for her part, tried to ignore Corners' outburst, and keep her temper in check as she stood by the same closet door as yesterday. Although it wasn't easy, as she really wanted to pop him right now for yelling at her.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking since last night-" she started.

"I highly doubt that," Corners scoffed.

Rainbow Dash frowned at him, before deciding to simply continue talking.

"And I've come to some conclusions. If I'm going to get better, I need to get to the root of the problem. Turns out I'm not afraid of the dark, it's what happened in the dark that's got me going. I was bound and helpless in the dark during the hallucinations. I was bound and helpless in the dark at the hospital. If I'm ever gonna get better, then I need to get over what happened to me," she explained. It all made perfect sense to her, as far as she was concerned. She just needed a little help from a pony who would cooperate with what she had in mind; and that befell Corners. Even if he didn't yet realize it.

"By putting yourself in the exact same predicament? Do you even have any idea what you're saying? Do you know what you're doing? The number of things that could go wrong-"

"Blah, blah, blah," Rainbow Dash interrupted and waved her hoof dismissively. "I know what I'm doing."

"Oh do you now?" Corners asked, feeling his left eye starting to twitch in annoyance. "Let's just go over this again, so I have some idea of what you're saying, because right now I seriously think you're insane. You actually want me to shut you up inside this closet, again, while you're under the effects of a binding spell, and trapped in the submissive position, just like you were back at the hospital?" he asked, hoping that he'd misheard something she'd said, and the rehash would bring the matter to the light of day, so she could correct him.

"Pretty much," Rainbow Dash replied and nodded once.

So much for the hope that he'd heard wrong. The problem was that he'd heard right, and Rainbow Dash really was insane! And making matters all the worse was how he had likely played a part in making her insane! Fuck Thrush! Fuck his worthless, stinking corpse!

He didn't even know what that word meant, but considering how Rainbow Dash had been tossing it about, it was probably appropriate for the sentiment he had for the dead doctor.

"Do you have any idea what risk you're putting yourself in with this idea?" Corners asked, hoping to Faust that he could talk some sense into this crazy pegasus. "You're already under so much stress just by being in the dark. But adding the binding spell to it all? You could wind up vomiting in your lungs if you go through this," he pointed out.

"Then I'll just have to try and not puke then," Rainbow Dash replied, unmoved by the visual he'd just given her. This had to work, it just had to. And if she had to grab Corners, and force him to do it, then so be it!

But then she stopped. She didn't want to do that, she didn't want to become hostile towards him, simply because he was concerned about her. That just wouldn't do. Sighing, she closed her eyes, and mentally composed herself, before moving to address him again.

"Look. If this doesn't work out like I want it to, I'll do it your way. I'll see those shrinks, and talk about whatever, until they beg me to leave, or until I sprain my jaw, whichever comes first. But I need to try it my way first. I need to know if this is something that I can do, now that I have an idea of what's wrong. All I'm asking for is the opportunity to try," she stated, doing her best to sound reasonable.

Corners sighed, although he wanted to do so much more than that. This mare was utterly, hopelessly impossible to work with. Her approaches defied all medical logic, to say nothing of common sense. He would be well within what authority he had -to say nothing of basic common sense- to flat out deny her proposal then and there.

But he knew that he couldn't do that. Rainbow Dash had already impressed upon him, that if he didn't help her out, then she would find somepony else that would. And that meant finding somepony who had potentially fewer scruples than he did. In the end, he was left with little choice, as he couldn't take his case to the diarchy right at the moment. And by the time he could, it might be too late.

"Just be aware that I'm doing this, both under protest, and against medical advice," he stated. She nodded in agreement, indicating that she understood. "Before we start, though, there's something we need to take care of first," he said as his horn began to glow, before zapping her where she stood.

"What the hay!?" Rainbow Dash yelled in surprise.

"It's an anti-emetic spell. Just in case," Corners explained. At least then he'd only have to concern himself with her bones, and possibly her heart. "Alright. If we're going to do this, let's just do it and get it over with."

"Right," Rainbow Dash nodded, before opening the door to the closet, stepping inside, and turning around to face him. "Another thing. Don't tamper with the spell, alright?" she asked.

"I won't," Corners replied, it being the only thing he could really say right now. Whatever she was up to, he really didn't understand it.

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, doing her best to steady her breath, and calm herself in preparation for what was coming. Slowly, she tucked her wings in tightly against her side, and lowered her upper body until it was laying on the ground, her forelegs pinned under her, her chin resting on the floor.

"I'm ready..." she stated.

"If you say so," Corners replied, his horn glowing as he prepared the intended spell, and then discharged it, binding her in place.

With that part done, he slowly closed the door, shutting her inside the darkness. Whatever happened now, would depend on her.

Bad idea! Bad idea! BAD FUCKING IDEA! What had she been thinking!? She knew what her limits were in the dark when she could freely move about; whatever possessed her to be put right back in this position again!? Already she was panicking, her heart beating so hard it felt like it was going to break her ribcage.

So much for trying to stay positive, and thinking about the good things that occurred in the dark.

She struggled, trying to fight against the spell she'd been placed under, trying to break free. But it was quickly proving utterly futile. As hard as she fought, she wasn't getting anywhere. It was just like back at the hospital when Thrush had decided to punish her; utterly hopeless. It actually went much worse than that, since she could move a tiny little bit, but not nearly enough for it to make any difference. She tried screaming, yelling, crying out and begging for help, anything. But none of it was working. In addition to her body being frozen in place, her voice was too. She was left at Corners' mercy now, and had to count on him to do the right thing.

She was screwed right now! She was gonna die in here!

"Get a hold of yourself, Dash!" she mentally yelled at herself, trying to talk some reason back into herself. She'd managed to calm herself down when Luna had been disguised as Rarity, the same had to apply here.

"You know what's in the closet, there's no surprises for you in the dark! And Corners is outside right now, so it's not like anypony is going to get you. So just start calming the fuck down, and focus!"

She knew that was the case. She knew that. She just needed to get a hold of herself, and stop letting herself get so excited. She'd been in this closet countless times -she'd forgotten the exact number from yesterday- and had even surveyed it with the lights on, and the door open. There was nothing lurking in the shadows, just waiting to creep out and get her at her most vulnerable; she'd even pounded on the walls just to double check that fact.

She knew all of that. But at the same time she knew that her friends hadn't abused her, but that didn't stop the memories from surfacing, and making her react.

"Focus you stupid feather brain! Focus! None of it's real! And even if it was real, you're bigger than all of this! You got yourself under control once, you surely you can do it again!" she yelled at herself. She needed to fight down her instincts that told her to panic. She needed to try and maintain some level of composure. She needed to remember why she was doing this.

"You're doing this for Scoots. You gotta get back to Ponyville for the little squirt, and look out for her. Focus on her, Dash, focus on the kid, she needs you!"

Right. That was right. She wasn't doing this because it was what she wanted, she was doing it because she needed to, because Scootaloo needed her there. Surely she could hoof down, and put up with this, all for her number one fan.

Slowly, very slowly, she could feel it starting to work. Running through the mantra of how she was safe, how nothing was going to get her here, and how she was doing this for the sake of others that were counting on her, she could feel her heart rate slowing down. She could feel her body stop being so rigid, as panic slowly started to ebb to calm reason. She could actually feel herself starting to slouch just a little.

"That's right, I got this. I got this," she told herself. One more emotional marathon down, and under her control. She had this situation well in hoof, even if she felt worn out from the adrenaline crash.

And then, in the darkness of the closet, as her eyes slowly adjusted to her surroundings, she started to chuckle to herself.

"Looks like you lose again, Thrush," she stated out loud, her words mumbled by her chin resting against the floor.

"That's what you think, you stupid little titmouse!"

Rainbow Dash froze in place. That hadn't been her voice. Nor had it been the voice in her head. But that didn't matter, since she recognized the voice all too well. That was Thrush's voice! Frantically her eyes started darting about the room, trying to find the source of it.

So much for being calm...

Straight ahead, in front of the door, Rainbow Dash watched as the translucent image Thrush slowly faded into view, being easily visible despite the darkness of the closet. And he looked every bit as sour as the last time she'd seen his ugly face.

This was all just so, so wrong!

"Well, well, well. Looks like you're back in the same position I last saw you in," Thrush stated as he smirked down at her.

Rainbow Dash growled, her struggles being renewed against the spell that was holding her in place.

"You're," she grunted as she managed to turn her head to the side, just enough to leave her mouth unobstructed. "You're supposed to be dead!"

"And you're still hung up by what you experienced. Makes one wonder which of us is the bigger loser now, doesn't it?" Thrush asked.

"Well at least I'm still alive!" Rainbow Dash shot back, her lower jaw scraping against the floor as she spoke.

"And in a pitiful state I see," Thrush replied and scoffed. "You really are pitiful and worthless, just like you were when we first me. You're nothing but a lying nag, with no sense of respect for those that have earned it. You and your bad attitude, mocking my countless years of experience with your ludicrous claims. If anything I was being nice to you. I could've done so much more to you for your insolence, and nopony would've batted an eyelash. If you hadn't fled custody when you did, you would've learned to respect my authority. And now you'll be learning how to do just that. When I'm done with you, you're-"

"Don't you ever stop talking!?" Rainbow Dash asked, loudly interrupting Thrush's tirade. She'd heard enough from him to last her a lifetime, and right now she was seriously pissed off.

Thrush watched in silence as Rainbow Dash grunted and struggled against her bindings, straining to move her hind legs even just a little, using what bit of wiggle room she had available to her, to maneuver herself to fall backwards, landing squarely on her flanks, as her back rested against the far wall of the closet.

"You're not in charge anymore. You're not making anymore decisions for anypony. I'm here, I'm alive, I'm in charge now!" she stated in between grunts of effort as she fought to move her body. "I'm nopony's nag!"

Thrush couldn't believe what he was seeing right now. Some degree of movement while under the effects of a paralysis spell was to be expected; otherwise the patient would suffocate from their chest cavity failing to expand and contract properly. But this went well beyond the acceptable range of movement a patient would experience; nopony who was paralyzed would actually be able to move their hind legs to such a degree, that they could actually push themselves into a standing position.

Regardless of such facts, however, Rainbow Dash had done just that, using the back wall for support as she pushed herself up onto her hind legs. Had Corners deliberately used a weak spell when he'd locked her in here? Or was she actually breaking the spell through sheer physical strength, and stubborn determination?

It was unlikely at best, as the amount of physical exertion to do such, should've been enough to tear apart tendons, and break bones. But she wasn't showing any such signs, as she slowly -and awkwardly- started stepping forward away from the wall.

"The thing in my head couldn't break me, and you didn't either! You didn't, and you're not going to either! I'm the decider here, ME! I'm taking my life back, and that's all there is to it!" Rainbow Dash loudly proclaimed as she now began struggling to move her upper body.

"Bold words, but you have little else. You'll break your bones before you break that spell," Thrush replied. She hadn't won yet, nor would she. If she wanted to learn that lesson the hard way, then so be it.

But she wasn't exactly learning like he thought she would. In fact what he was seeing, was about as far away from what he'd expected, as it could possibly be.

The spell that was holding her in place was starting to turn visible from the amount of strain it was being subjected to, taking on the form of a yellow crystalline chain wrapped tightly around her upper body. And some of the links were starting to shimmer a brighter shade of yellow than others as she struggled, as they pressed against various points of her body.

She was growling, snarling, baring her teeth, and trying to flex every muscle in her upper body. As far as he could tell, she looked like she was about to rupture something, and cause herself a severe physical injury.

And then he watched as she, with a mighty yell, and a physical display that violated every measure of common sense -to say nothing of basic logic- violently shattered the bindings that held her, and threw her forelegs up into the air, and deployed her wings, flaring them out as wide as they'd go, sending little bits of yellow magic in every direction.

How had that happened!?

Corners let out a yell of surprise, as a sudden burst of painful feedback radiated in his horn, and ran all the way down his spine, and through to his tail, nearly making him fall over from the jolt of pain he'd just been subjected to. What was that just now!?

"What in Tartarus are you doing in there!?" he yelled through the closet door, not knowing what else to do.

Rainbow Dash panted, sore and exhausted from the physical exertion, but overall feeling very satisfied with the results; satisfied enough that she grinned cockily at the disbelieving apparition of Thrush, whose mouth was hanging open.

"There's no way that should've been possible!" he finally managed to state. "Only a powerful unicorn could do something like that; magic and spells can't be overcome through physical strength alone, it's an impossibility!"

"Yeah?" Rainbow Dashed rhetorically as she looked at Thrush's apparition. Seeing him at a loss for answers was just making her feel all the better. "Well it looks like it just became a possibility. Now, do you wanna see what my next trick is gonna be? Or are you just gonna go ahead and blow your ghostly butt on outta here?"

Thrush frowned at this turn of developments, but ultimately kept his mouth shut, and faded out of existence, leaving her behind in the darkness of the closet, alone, but not the least bit scared. If anything she felt pretty awesome right now, overflowing with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, to the point she felt like she was about to burst at the seams. At this point, there was only one thing that she could possibly do in response to such a sensation.

She threw her head skyward and howled her lungs out, while pounding on her chest with her hooves.

For Malar, it was shaping up to be a rather interesting day.

Generally when somepony was in need of his services, they tended to come to the infirmary, or were brought there by someone else. It was only under circumstances where the recipient couldn't be safely moved, that he actually left to administer his services. Sometimes this was due to the possible nature of injuries sustained, or those present not wishing to move the injured party and risk making things worse.

But this was the first time that Malar could recall being brought to the scene, because those in need of his services were too heavy to be lifted. That was about the only way he could actually phrase this particular set of circumstances right now.

It was no secret that the diarchy employed a recess chamber when taking short breaks from their daily court sessions. It was a -relatively- small, modestly decorated out of the way room, perfectly suited for its intended task. And it was also here that he'd been called to, at the behest -if not outright worry- of several palace guards, and Princess Celestia's own secretary. For inside the small room, on the plush sofa near the back wall, both members of the diarchy were unconscious, and showing no signs of coming out of it anytime soon.

"How long have they been like this?" he asked as he entered the room, the lights being adjusted as he did so in order to provide a better look at the details.

"I don't know," the secretary replied, feeling ready to tear out her mane out of the amount of panic she was currently feeling. "All I know is that when neither showed up for the day court to resume, we came here and found them like this. We haven't been able to wake them."

"Hmm..." Malar mumbled as he stepped closer to better examine them. Currently Princess Celestia was all curled up on the sofa, while Princess Luna laid on her back, all spread out in a haphazard mess, resting her head on her sister's back, one of her legs occasionally twitching as she snored. "Very interesting..."

"What? What's interesting?" the secretary asked quickly, ready to jump at a moment's notice.

"That I was called all the way here from the infirmary, because the diarchy is asleep," Malar replied as he turned around to face the secretary and the guards. "There's nothing wrong with them, other than being totally exhausted from the hours they've been forced to keep as of recently. If you'd like, I can write a prescription for several hours of uninterrupted rest," he stated cheekily.

"But the docket for today," the secretary protested, levitating the clipboard to emphasize the point. "There are so many scheduled petitioners left to be seen! What do we tell them? What do we tell Prince Blueblood when he demands to be seen today!?"

Prince Blueblood... ugh. Malar's experiences with the aforementioned stallion was something he didn't remember with any degree of fondness. The young prince was prone to hypochondria, and in his office more times than he cared to count. On top of constantly worrying about some imagined illness or another, he was quite rude. He understood that Blueblood was of noble blood and all... but he didn't respect him. But that really wasn't all that uncommon amongst the palace staff as best he could tell.

He considered telling the secretary that he didn't really care what she told the petitioners. But he thought better of it, and reasoned that he couldn't force the upset mare to face all of them by herself. He'd have to do something to assist.

"Well then... let's see what we can think up, shall we?"

Spike grunted as he rolled over in bed, the ache from today's combat lessons already setting in way ahead of schedule, rather than having the decency to wait until he got up in the morning.

Ulquiorra, despite his fairness to his allies, was really a difficult task master to put up with. And his body was letting him know just how much it resented what it was put through, as he tried to get some sleep.

"This is pointless," Spike grumbled as he kicked the covers off and slowly sat up in his bed. If he wasn't going to get any sleep, then he might as well get a drink. Maybe some asprin too.

He continued grumbling as he climbed off of bed, noticing how Twilight's bed was empty. That was understandable, as they didn't go to bed nearly as early as he did. They were likely downstairs, still reading away at whatever.

And then his stomach grumbled loudly, letting him know that not only was it displeases as well, but it was also empty. Maybe he'd grab a snack to go along with his water. Or maybe he'd get some water to go along with his snack.

As he climbed down the stairs, mentally cursing each accursed step he had to contend with on his way to the kitchen, he made a mental note to ask Twilight about having a fire pole put in for quicker descent purposes. And if she could enchant it to allow for ascension as well, then all the better.

As he stepped onto the ground floor, however, his thoughts became distracted by something that felt really out of place on a summer night like this. There was a certain chill just hanging in the air, almost like it was a fog, and it was enough that it actually made him shiver. It was like stepping into a walk-in freezer, but... different. There was just something about it that didn't feel right, something that was almost... ominous.

"Twilight?" Spike called out as he rubbed his arms to try and generate some friction heat for himself. The combination of the cold, the silence of the library, and the ominousness that just seemed to be hanging in the air, was all weaving a very disturbing setting to find himself in. It made the entire library feel very unwelcoming to be in, almost like he was intruding on a place that he really shouldn't be; like he knew full well that being here was wrong, and that he should leave.

"Twilight?" he called again, wondering why she wasn't answering him. Had she and Applejack fallen asleep down here? Had they stepped outside for something? What was it?

Suddenly something caught his ears; the sound of magic being flexed, and coming from the kitchen.

"Maybe they're getting a late-night snack too," he theorized. That made about as much sense as anything right now. Maybe they could figure everything out over some chilled gemstones. "Hey Twi', did you hear me calling..." he asked as he stepped into the kitchen, but stopped talking at what he saw.

Twilight was definitely in the kitchen, but she wasn't alone. And that definitely wasn't Applejack she was standing next to. It was a stallion, easily as tall as Big Mactinosh, but far more dark and foreboding to be facing.

Standing before Twilight was none other than Sombra himself, a wretched sneer on his face, with his horn glowing brightly, as trails of his dark magic flickered unstably into Twilight's horn, as she just stood there dumbly, a blank look across her face.

How Sombra had survived being blown apart at the Crystal Empire was what immediately came to Spike's mind. How he'd managed to track them down to Ponyville was immediately after that. But those and countless other questions all took a back seat to the simple fact that Sombra was currently present, and hurting Twilight. The mare who served as his best friend, his sister, and even his mother, was currently in danger. Without even thinking about what he should do, he did the only thing that came to his mind.

"Leave her ALONE!"

The next thing he consciously remembered was his right fist connecting with Sombra's jaw, with enough force to send him flying across the kitchen, and crashing into the far wall.

Spike became more aware of his surroundings, and the fact that he was now a lot taller -at least as tall as Ulquiorra was- and a lot more muscular than he had been just a few seconds ago. He didn't have a clue how he'd grown, only that he had, in response to Twilight being in danger.

Twilight! He'd nearly forgotten about her in the midst of everything that had developed. Instantly he knelt down next to where she laid on the kitchen floor in a crumpled heap, unmoving.

"Twilight! Hey, Twilight, come on, wake up!" he yelled as he shrugged her vigorously, trying to get any sort of reaction out of her. But regardless of how much he tried, she refused to wake up from whatever she was in. He didn't know anything about dark magic, but he knew this had to be very bad; as if anything else could possibly come from dark magic.

His ears twitched at the sound of a deep groaning could be heard. Looking up from Twilight, he saw that Sombra was picking himself up off the floor. Immediately he grabbed the cast iron frying pan from the stove and hurled it at Sombra's head, but wound up missing him entirely. Oh well, right now there were bigger fish to fry; so to speak.

"What'd you do to Twilight?!" Spike roared angrily as he crouched over Twilight's prone form. If Sombra wanted her, then he'd have to go through him first, and he wasn't going to make it easy either.

Unfortunately for him, Sombra seemed to have the very same idea, and no objections to doing just that, as his horn started glowing again.

"Oh shit," Spike groaned. This was going to suck.

A blast of unstable dark magic, a swirling mix of green and purple, about the size of a hoofball, and crackling with lightning, was hurled in his direction faster than he could think of reacting to it. On instinct he reared up and reached out with both hands to try and grab the incoming blast to avoid excessive damage. His palms burnt horribly from the impact of the unnatural energy against his skin, his thick hide serving as no protection against the searing pain.

Even worse than the pain was the fact that he was being overpowered by the dark magic blast, and it was actually pushing him back across the floor, forcing him out of the kitchen, and into the library, and he couldn't do anything about it.

Resist! He had to try and resist the force of Sombra's magic, Twilight was counting on him, even if she didn't realize it herself. Immediately he dug his claws into the floor and slammed his tail against the ground, putting up as much opposition as he could, until he finally managed to grind himself to a halt, and overcome the push behind the blast.

"Is," Spike grunted as he tried to straighten himself up, "is that all you got!?" he asked as Sombra stood in the doorway.

Sombra just glared back and flashed a toothy, maniacal grin in response as he watched Spike struggling to control something he had no hope of ever controlling.

Spike didn't know how it had happened -whether it was due to the intensity of the blast decreasing, or his own strength increasing- but the next thing he knew, he'd managed to grip the blast in his hands, pull it back over his head, and hurled it right back at Sombra, causing it to violently explode right in his ugly face!

"Grin that one off, fucker," Spike panted, "I dare you..."

But as the smoke from the explosion cleared, Spike began to reconsider his words, as Sombra didn't look particularly hurt; if anything he looked more pissed than anything.

"What'd you do to Twilight!?" Spike roared again, demanding to know. "Tell me right now, or I'll kill you!"

"You're too weak..." Sombra growled from behind his sickening sneer of a grin, oozing confidence like it was sweat.

Again, Spike grew in size. That was the only thing that made sense of the fact that he'd managed to not only grab Sombra, but also pull him into a one-armed bear hug, before using his other hand to grab him under his chin, and violently twist his head around to snap his neck with a sickening crunch of bone.

"Tell me!" Spike roared angrily in Sombra's face as he held him aloft in one claw, his useless hooves dangling far off the ground.

And yet all through it, that grin on his face never left. It was the kind of grin somepony wore when they had everything going for them, and nothing was going to change that fact. That look, that sheer level of arrogance, infuriated Spike in ways that he couldn't even hope to express through words, only actions.

If he wasn't going to talk, then he was going to die.

Reaching down, Spike rammed his fist through the floor, and tore out a jagged chunk of floor board, and proceeded to ram it right through Sombra's chest, shattering his ribcage, and piercing his heart in the process as he pinned him to the wall.

Spike grinned at seeing the arrogance practically melting off of Sombra's face at this turn of developments. That had been so satisfying.

But then the satisfaction quickly faded, as all sorts of blackness was literally spilling off of Sombra's body, and falling to the floor to reveal what was underneath; or rather who was underneath. Sombra's visage was gone, and the only left behind was the limp body of Twilight impaled through to the wall.

"No..." Spike breathed is disbelief as he collapsed to his knees. How had this happened? He thought he killed Sombra, not Twilight. How had this happened!?

And then he looked around the rest of the room, and discovered the same fate had befallen all of the others as well. Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack, the Crusaders... they were all pinned to the walls of the library. All of them in the same brutal manner as Twilight. All by his hands!

"NO!"

Applejack and Twilight both jumped out of bed and fell to the floor, startled wide awake by the sudden screaming that had torn through what started out as such a promising restful night for each of them. Twilight landed on her stomach with a thud, while Applejack had managed to hit the nightstand with enough force to tip the lantern over, and promptly extinguish the flame that served as their only source of light.

"Wha' in hell is goin' on!?" Applejack asked as she frantically tried to feel around and find the lantern in order to get it lit again.

"I don't know!" Twilight answered back as she pushed herself up, casting an illumination spell to bathe the entire room in a lavender light emanating from her horn.

What was going on, they quickly determined, was Spike screaming at the top of his lungs as he sat straight up in his basket, his complexion unhealthily pale, and his eyes painfully wide with terror.

"Spike!" Twilight called as she quickly crossed the small distance between them, and threw her forelegs around him, holding onto him for dear life. Whatever had scared him, it was enough to cause his whole body to go stiff like a board.

Applejack didn't need Twilight to tell her how bad this situation was; not with what she'd seen earlier in the day. Whatever it was that had enough brass to its cojones, to attack Fluttershy not only in broad daylight, but also in the very occupied marketplace -and right in the presence of Ulquiorra- had most likely just been here in the library with them! And if that was truly the case, then there was nowhere in all of Ponyville that was going to be safe for them to hide. This thing could find them wherever they might hide, and could get them without anypony ever noticing that it was there.

It wasn't a phrase she was all that fond of tossing about, but right now, under these circumstances, she felt it was pretty safe -and fitting- to say that they were fucked.

"Here. Drink this," Twilight said as she stepped out of the kitchen, and levitated a glass over to Spike as he sat on the library's sofa next to Applejack.

Getting Spike to calm down had been difficult. All of her experience in dealing with his nightmares in the past had really been put to the test this time around, and even though her grade had been passing, it was still pretty dismal as far as she was concerned. But right now her main concern wasn't how well she scored on some intangible test. Rather her concern was Spike and his well being.

Getting him to calm down had been difficult, but doable. It had taken a lot of effort -and help from Applejack, for which she was infinitely grateful- but they had eventually gotten him to where he could talk in coherent sentences; or at least more coherent than what Fluttershy had managed to deliver yesterday. That small fact left Twilight hopeful that maybe, just maybe, the situation wasn't quite as bad as it could've been.

"... What's this?" Spike asked as he looked at the glass, and the red liquid inside of it. He didn't recognize this from the fridge, but there was a smell to it that was certainly familiar.

"Remember the last time Rarity asked about spells to refine rough gems? Well when I was looking through the various geological-based spells the library has to offer, I came across one that allows for liquefaction of stone. Or at least... partial liquefaction. I'm afraid that I haven't learned how properly to apply the process to corundum yet," Twilight replied as Spike tried to swirl the contents of the glass.

"Wait, so you made me a glass of ruby juice?" Spike asked, caught by surprise by the very idea, with curiosity quickly taking over.

"Well technically I'd say it's more of a ruby syrup, considering how viscous it currently is. But it was the best I could do until I get some actual practice in," Twilight explained.

Technical explanation aside, Spike still appreciated the gesture on Twilight's part, even if he preferred sapphires for frazzled nerves.

Taking a sip of the concoction, he noted that it was definitely thick like the syrup they used for breakfast but without being as sticky, so it didn't cling to the sides of the glass. As far as taste went, it was kind of weak compared to when he'd bite into a solid ruby, but that was probably to be expected since it was so much thinner than a solid ruby. But weak or not, it did taste pretty good right now.

"Thanks, Twilight," Spike replied, before downing the rest of the glass in one gulp.

"Ya feelin' better now, Spike?" Applejack asked as she rested a hoof on his shoulder for comfort.

"Well... better than when I first woke up..." Spike replied as he moved to take another drink, only to realize he'd already emptied the glass.

"So can you tell us what happened?" Twilight asked, before levitating the now empty glass out of Spike's hands, and sending it back into the kitchen.

"A nightmare. A really bad nightmare," Spike replied, shuddering as he remembered the details. "The thing is, I don't know if it was mine... or if it's like what everypony else has been experiencing. How do you... how do you know the difference?" he asked.

"I don't know," Twilight replied and shook her head. That was one of the problems they'd been facing since the beginning of discovering just how wide this epidemic was. Hallucinations were one thing, but nightmares were an entirely different area that none of them were qualified to address. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"Do I have to? You... you might not like what you hear," Spike replied nervously. The notion of explaining to Twilight and Applejack that he'd dreamed about them being killed wasn't sounding very promising to him right now; especially considering the fact that he'd been the one who had killed them without even realizing it. "I don't want you to be mad and yelling at me..."

"What?!" Twilight squawked, caught off guard, and simultaneously taken by surprise, by Spike's statement. "Spike, what... what would make you think that I'd ever yell at you for something like a nightmare? Especially under these circumstances?" she asked. The last thing she needed Spike thinking right now, was that he couldn't turn to her during a time of need. And if this thing, whatever it was, was trying to break them apart, then she was going to put an end to it right here, right now.

"Because we don't know if this was a regular nightmare or not. And if it's my own, and not the same as what's been going on around town, that means everything that happened was... was all me..." Spike explained as he slouched back against the couch, horrified by that very idea. If it was his nightmare, and not another -seemingly- random attack, what did that say about him?

Twilight's heart ached at Spike's words, and the notion that he was afraid of her because of what his dream had involved. And it just made her wonder all the more as to what he'd seen, that could possibly make him think such a thing.

But before she could say a word about how there was no way she would yell at him, regardless of what he might've dreamed, Applejack had moved first by sitting upright, and wrapping her arms around Spike to pull him into a hug on her lap.

"Now listen here, Spike," she stated firmly, but without hostility, "There ain't gonna be no yellin' goin' on here. If there is, Ah'll be kickin' whoever does it. So if ya got somethin' ta say, don' be afraid ta say it."

That certainly wasn't what Twilight had in mind for putting Spike's concerns to rest. But regardless of that fact, or just how unusual Applejack's approach was, it looked like Spike was calming down, and relaxing as he sat comfortably on her lap. All she could do was theorize that it had something to do with taking care of Apple Bloom.

"Alright," Spike mumbled and breathed, trying to steady his nerves, and weigh not just what he wanted to say, but what needed to be said. "Sombra was here. He was actually in the library with us. He... he was doing... something... to Twilight. I tried to stop him, I really tried, but... but I couldn't do anything. I think I... might've actually made it worse. I tried to kill him, but I..."

Spike stopped talking, unable to say out loud that he had been the one that killed Twilight and the others. That was something he didn't want to admit to at all.

Twilight remained silent as she tried to think of what to say to Spike about his nightmare. But so far she was coming up blank when it came to words of comfort. All she really knew for certain, was that trying to assure Spike that Sombra was already dead, and not coming back for them, wasn't going to do the trick; not as upset as he was about it.

Hugging him, and holding him close, also weren't exactly possibilities, considering the current position with Applejack. But she wasn't about to try and take him back. She really didn't know what to do.

And then there was a loud, frantic pounding at the library's front door that startled each of them.

"Oh what now!?" Twilight asked, not believing the way things were unfolding. This was all getting to be too much for her. "Applejack, stay with Spike, I'll be right back," she stated, her tone doing plenty to convey just how agitated she currently felt.

"But what if it's Sombra at the door?" Spike asked, terrified by the very idea. "What if he found a way to come back from the dead, and he wants revenge for what we did to him at the Crystal Empire?"

"Then he'll be wearing my hoof prints on his butt," Twilight replied as she made her way to the front door, undid the bolt, gripped the knob in her magic, and flung the door wide open.

But as she did, she had to confront the fact that she wasn't prepared for what she actually saw behind the door.

There were a number of different things she had expected to encounter. But a very frazzled looking Zecora, with her mohawk heavily mussed, and her bamboo staff hastily strapped across her back with a length of rope, had definite not been among them.

"Z... Zecora?" Twilight asked, uncertain of just what this development meant. She couldn't remember ever seeing Zecora scared before; that idea just struck her at utterly ridiculous, considering how she lived in the Everfree Forest without the slightest bit of worry. What could possibly scare her?

The next thing Twilight knew, without so much as a single word of warning with regard to intent, Zecora pounced on her, throwing both of her forelegs around her neck, and hugging her for dear life as she was pinned helplessly to the floor.

Applejack had craned her neck around to see what had been going on, and could only blink at seeing Zecora's less than composed entrance, simply because the mare had always been so composed whenever they'd met.

"Spike..." Applejack said slowly as she turned back around to face him, who was currently doing his best to observe the scene with Twilight and Zecora. "Ya wanna write the Princess about this while Ah go an' get the guest bed outta the basement? Ah've got the feelin' tha' we might be needin' it at this rate."

"Yeah. That might be a good idea," Spike agreed as he climbed off of Applejack's lap. He'd much rather be addressing this matter -or any matter actually- than the matter of his own nightmare, and what they could possibly mean.

Once off the couch, he scurried over to the writing desk where Twilight did most of her note work, and quickly scratched out a brief message to give Luna an idea of what was going on.

Dear Princess Luna,

Normally this would be going to Celestia, but considering the late hour, you're the better candidate.

We don't know yet, but whatever is happening to Ponyville, it looks like it's spreading outward into the Everfree Forest. Just a minute ago, Zecora nearly broke down our front door, and now won't quit hugging Twilight.

Please come quickly!

Signed,
Spike

Short, simple, and very straight to the point. With that tended to, he quickly rolled up the scroll, and ignited it to send it along its journey.

Other than helping Applejack get the bed ready, or possibly seeing to Twilight, that was the extent of his usefulness to them right now.

"Uh... Spike? Ya mind lendin' a hoof? Ah can't find the basement door..."

Spike slapped his own forehead in realization of that fact. Because of all the magic in place, the basement door would change its appearance when closed, to be indistinguishable from the wall it was surrounded by, serving as a security measure to prevent access to the more sensitive artifacts housed within the library. It only made sense that Applejack would have trouble finding it.

"Sure, one second. Just let me get the key first so I can unlock it. Otherwise finding it won't do a bit of good," he replied, thankful that Twilight had possessed the foresight to render him a way of gaining access should she ever be indisposed. This would only be the second, or maybe the third time, that he'd ever needed to even think about using his key to get in, since they'd arrived in Ponyville.

Now... where had he put that thing again?

Author's Note

Still not back in regular production yet. Sorry. But I wanted something special for the two year anniversary.

Holy hell this was a long chapter to write. I didn't even intend for it to be this long, but stuff just kept coming up that I felt needed to be addressed in it. And if that's not bad enough, this chapter was going to be even longer, before I decided to cut out some of the unnecessary stuff; like more of Malar's part near the end. Originally it was going to go into much greater detail about why he didn't care for Blueblood, his thoughts on what he'd like to do to the prince if he could, and how he was going to prey upon his hypochondria to scare him out of the palace. But while that would've been fun, it just wouldn't have been true to his character.

Rainbow Dash's scene was also going to be a much bigger fair, done with a more dramatic flare, and set to Coming Undone by Korn. I thought long and hard about it, I liked the music, I thought it felt right. But then I decided to go with Grimmjow's theme instead, as it just seemed to fit better, and it did so with a lot more ease. In comparison it had a lighter, more confident feel to it, it serves to reinforce Ulquiorra's prior evaluations of Rainbow Dash, and it's been used to signal determination to persevere against overwhelming odds.

As for other parts, I think they're best reserved for deleted scenes. So enjoy.

Deleted Scene One

"Then let's begin again. This time we'll discuss the value of diversionary tactics, compared to face-to-face confrontation, and how the results can be far more beneficial overall," he explained.

"How does being a diversion help when there's some threat stomping through Ponyville, killing everypony it comes across?" Spike asked, really not getting it. He understood that Ulquiorra knew stuff, but he really wasn't getting it.

"Being a diversion, rather than a dedicated fighter, allows for greater speed and mobility, reducing the risk of becoming injured. It also serves as a method of unbalancing the attacker, and putting them in a position more easily controlled, than confronting them on their set terms. A distraction of sufficient annoyance, much like a buzzing mosquito, serves to infuriate a target, driving them to focus on their own petty desire for emotional satisfaction as they try and crush it, rather than focusing on what is more important. They become more prone to wasting resources, as their mental facilities revert to primal desires, rather than complex missions in need of being carried out. Exhaustion can set in. They can be lead away from sensitive areas where casualties may be high, and into a more controllable location," Ulquiorra explained, laying out the reasons that came to mind, to explain why diversionary tactics were considered a valid approach to combat; especially when there were significant physical differences that couldn't be overcome.

"But eventually you've gotta stop running, and stand and fight, right? What happens then, if I don't know how to fight?" Spike asked.

"Then you die," Ulquiorra thought. That was the long and short of it. But even he knew how such a conversation would go, and it wouldn't be pretty. A different route was called for. "Then we'll simply have to work within the parameters of what can be done. Such as your throwing skills."

"Throwing? I don't think tennis balls or rocks are going to do much good," Spike pointed out.

"Never underestimate the value of a rock. Or a brick," Ulquiorra replied. The efforts of Twilight Sparkle and the others when they faced down the dragon immediately came to mind. But right now he had something else in mind for this situation. "I was thinking something native to my own dimension; throwing knives for example."

"Throwing knives? Ulquiorra, I get that you're the one with all the experience in this stuff. But isn't basically throwing away a perfectly good knife, a really bad idea for a fight?" Spike asked.

"Under normal circumstances, yes," Ulquiorra replied, mildly impressed that Spike had actually thought of that concept on his own. "Throwing knives, however, are different, and intended to be used as projectiles. The hira-style shuriken of my dimension possesses four sharpened points, radiating outward from the center, providing significant odds of any one of them hitting, and actually sticking," he explained.

"Well that's cool and all, but how's that supposed to help me? I'm pretty sure we don't have anything like that in Equestria. And you said it yourself, you can't go back to your own world," Spike pointed out.

Was Spike actually being serious with this line of questioning? That was what Ulquiorra was trying to figure out. Could he really be so dense, that he wasn't seeing the answer right in front of him?

"Construction and design for a shuriken is simple and straightforward, each one made from only a single piece of steel plate. With a few basic supplies, a dozen can easily be constructed before the afternoon is over. From there it would simply be a matter of practicing how to throw them effectively," Ulquiorra explained. And, depending on how things developed, perhaps asking Twilight Sparkle to apply whatever magical know-how she possessed on the matter. Perhaps a homing spell to ensure accuracy... or even a spell that would make them explode on contact, assuming Spike could accurately hit the intended target.

"That'd sure beat what I had in mind," Spike replied. But then again just about anything would beat what he'd had in mind...

Deleted Scene Two

"Before I wind up forgetting, Ulquiorra," Twilight spoke up, "Applejack said she might be interested in learning some more about your dialect, whenever you have the time."

"It's true," Applejack admitted and nodded.

"Wonderful," Ulquiorra replied evenly. He doubted that any good could possibly come from this. "While there are certain endeavors that I can see as being worthwhile, hosting an informal school session so that ponies can learn about the proper usage of foreign profanities, is not one of them. I am here to carry out specific duties to maintain the well being of Equestria, that the diarchy itself is not capable of doing. And while teaching a dragon how to engage in melee combat may have some practical applications, the same does not apply to being asked to exercise foal psychology, which I don't even understand. Nor is engaging in snark-to-snark combat with a blind foal, whose sarcastic streak manages to be a mile wider than that of most adults," he stated, trying to make it clear that their view of him didn't coincide with what the reality of the situation was.

Yes, he could be helpful when needed. But he wasn't the jack of all trades that they were making him out to be. And it was getting to be quite annoying.

"Shady get ya riled up, Mr. Cifer?" Big Macintosh asked.

Now that, that was a question Ulquiorra hadn't been expecting. A number of others, yes, but not that particular one.

"Is it a common occurrence?" he asked. Big Macintosh's question certainly suggested that it was something that occurred with some degree of regularity.

"Ya could say that," Applejack replied and shrugged.

"She doesn't have anything against you specifically, she tends to be sarcastic with everyone she encounters," Twilight added. "I think a part of it is the fact she was raised in Manehattan for most of her life."

"I like Shady," Scootaloo stated softly from where she rested on Big Macintosh's back. "She knows how to get Diamond Tiara angry," she said and chuckled weakly at the memory of the first time she'd witnessed the fact.

Spike just sighed and shook his head, keeping his opinions to himself on this particular matter.

"I have nothing against Shady. In truth I find her to be rather interesting," Ulquiorra replied. She was certainly more interesting than some of the adults that he had dealings with around Ponyville. Yesterday's exchange had gone on for a fair while, the blind filly managing to hold her own well enough in their impromptu meeting of wit. "None of that changes the fact, however, that I'm here for carrying out specific duties, rather than general matters with no relevancy," he explained.

"Oh..." Twilight replied slowly. She really should've done a better presentation job. She certainly hadn't intended to give Ulquiorra the idea, that he was being asked to give a language lesson now, she'd just wanted to mention it before she wound up forgetting about it. Maybe it would be best if she clarified that fact, so he didn't wind up forming the wrong idea.

"Those facts aside, however, I find myself with a particular question, and a strong interest in the answer," Ulquiorra spoke up. "How exactly does a blind pony like Shady, manage to navigate her way around Ponyville without regularly crashing into whatever is in her path?" he asked.

Now it was Twilight's turn to be surprised by the question that was asked. Ulquiorra was actually asking about a matter he'd already stated had no relevance to his purpose here? That was... interesting.

"Now that ya mention it, Ah've been sorta wonderin' the same thing," Applejack added as she turned to face Twilight. "Any ideas how that is?"

"Well..." Twilight paused in thought. "I'm afraid I don't know. Or at least I don't know the hard science behind it, because currently there isn't any; just a hypothesis that, when an earth pony doesn't have the ability to see, their magic will eventually reorient itself in a way that lets them sense their surroundings through the ground. If the theory is correct, it's sort of like a primitive form of echolocation. Each step they take is, supposedly, providing them a general sense of where something is," she explained.

Ulquiorra silently observed how the tables had suddenly turned, and now it was Twilight Sparkle being besieged with questions by the others in light of this new information. None of it had really done him any good in getting to this minor inquiry, as it was all just unsubstantiated theory. But it was a theory that made some degree of sense, and was similar to how a person losing one of their senses, would experience the rest of their senses becoming heightened as a result of the brain restructuring itself in response to these developments.

For the time being, it would serve as a sufficient answer.

Deleted Scene Three

Spike panted as he pushed himself up from the ground. When Ulquiorra had talked about diversionary combat, he had no idea just how hard it was going to be on him. He was seriously starting to feel the ache and burn from everything he'd been tasked with doing this afternoon. Meanwhile Ulquiorra didn't even appear to be the least bit fatigued. It was so totally unfair!

"I-" Spike paused as he panted, "I can't keep going. If I fall down one more time, I'm gonna be too tired to get back up again."

Ulquiorra said nothing in response to Spike's statement. He knew that saying anything at all would do no good. If Spike was unable to continue, then berating him for his physical deficiencies would serve no purpose; a car could not run when there was no gas in the tank, regardless of how much the driver cursed it.

"Then we'll call it a day, and attempt again tomorrow," he replied. That was really all they could do at this point in time anyway. The sun would begin setting within the next two hours, they needed to return to Ponyville, and he had yet to evaluate Spike's eyesight for advanced concepts like fighting in the dark. On top of that was the fact that he still had his duties in Canterlot to tend to, regarding overall palace security, and looking after Rainbow Dash. There were only so many hours in the day, that he could devote to any one area. And with so many of them having been devoted to Spike, there wasn't much left to be done here. Rather than struggle in a futile manner to try and make up for time lost, even he recognized that there was wisdom in knocking off early.

"Sounds good to me," Spike replied and grunted as he tried to turn around. All he wanted to do right now was go back home, and soak in a nice hot bath for a few hours.

Unfortunately there was the fact that the walk back to Ponyville would be one likely to be spent in silence. Ulquiorra wouldn't talk unless it was about something important, and Spike was well aware of that fact. That meant that if he wanted to travel in anything other than an uncomfortable silence, he'd have to be the one to initiate it.

"Hey... Ulquiorra. You know how gossip can spread, right?" he asked.

"Like wildfire, or the common cold," Ulquiorra replied as he continued his pace.

"Right. So... I've been hearing talk going around town, rumors and such. And..." Spike paused, his pace slowing as he turned to look at Ulquiorra. "Is it true you've been going over to Lyra and Bon Bon's in the evening and staying?"

"Partially," Ulquiorra replied, his pace not faltering in the face of the unexpected question. "When time has permitted, my investigation has taken me to wherever it is deemed necessary; often this includes those who have been afflicted, to submit followup questions to determine if any new information can be garnered. On a few occasions, Bon Bon and Lyra Heartstrings were the ones selected for the follow up," he explained.

"Oh," Spike replied. That certainly made sense. "So it's not like social calls, or going over for dinner and stuff?" he asked.

"An investigation happening to coincide with when the dinner hour is for certain ponies, does not constitute the matter being a social visit. Nor does being asked to sample a vegetable stew, to determine if more oregano is needed," Ulquiorra explained.

"Oh," Spike replied again. But then another question came to mind. "Did it?"

"Since I was not joining them for dinner to begin with, the stew was fine as it was," Ulquiorra explained. Although if he had been stopping over for dinner, more oregano would certainly have helped.

Silence soon settled back in on the walk back to Ponyville, Spike being uncertain of what else to say; or if there even was anything else to say right now. He'd already debunked a couple of rumors, and could go about dispelling them around town later on.

But as he thought about that... maybe Ulquiorra could help him with a few more rumors.

"So... is it true what they say about those two?" he asked.

"Who exactly are "they" and what is being said about whom?" Ulquiorra asked, not bothering to look at Spike, or slow his pace down. "I can't answer vaguely structured questions accurately without further information."

"Well... there's talk around town that Lyra and Bon Bon are in a relationship. Is that true?" Spike asked to clarify the question.

That one was actually enough to make Ulquiorra stop walking, and turn to look at him. The fact that this had happened, made Spike suddenly feel antsy, as if he'd wound up saying the wrong thing.

"What they may or may not do, is none of my business. They had no reason to share such details with me, and I had no reason to ask," Ulquiorra stated, before turning and proceeding to walk again. "The mere fact that Bon Bon, and her little sister Twist, live with Lyra Heartstrings for economic reasons, is not indicative of anything. If you wish to know, ask them for yourself," he stated.

Spike fell silent at Ulquiorra's words, uncertain what to think, or feel, about what had just transpired. Had he wound up happening across a subject that was too sore for even the Espada to address?

His thought on the matter were interrupted, however, as he wound up walking face first into a tree he hadn't noticed in his distraction.

Now he was the sore subject.

Deleted Scene Four

"Your tendency to run in a straight line makes you an easy target. Knowing when to zig, and when to zag, are important concepts that must be learned. Otherwise you can be picked off without challenge. The fact that you've been struck so many times, simply goes to reinforce the fact that you have not yet pieced the realization together on your own, and needed it pointed out to you. Just like an ignorant child would," Ulquiorra explained, before catching the tennis ball as it came down, and hurled it at where Spike stood.

This time the throw was much faster than the others Spike had encountered, barely giving him a chance to respond. He jerked his head to the side, the tennis ball glancing off the side of his skull, rather than hitting it dead on. But while he didn't get knocked over this time, that did nothing to stop it from hurting like hell; he was pretty sure he had something like rug burn right now.

However the pain did little to distract him from the fact that he was seriously pissed off from Ulquiorra's words. Right now he really wanted to pound the Espada's face for what he'd said to him. But as much as he wanted to do that, he knew deep down that it wouldn't do any good; all he'd be doing was bruising up his knuckles, and confirming Ulquiorra's words as being valid. And he really, really didn't want to be dismissed as being nothing but a child. He was going to have to bite his tongue, and simply calm down.

And then a tennis ball hit him right in the gut, causing him to double over from the impact as he gripped his abdomen. This one had been thrown even harder than the others, and he was feeling it right now.

"You express a desire to learn how to fight, and to protect other from harm. And yet you display nothing to support this reported desire. Are you trying to convince the others that you're attempting to be more than useless dead weight? Or are you attempting to convince yourself that you could be anything more than a simple hindrance to anyone?" Ulquiorra asked as he picked up another tennis ball, before hurling it downrange, and catching Spike right in the head.

Spike yelped in pain as he gripped his forehead. Ulquiorra was seriously driving his points home with those tennis balls, each of them starting to hurt worse than the last. And right now he was pinned down in pain, and unable to do anything but weather the force of the impacts.

"I'm going easy on you for the sake of training. I could easily do far worse," Ulquiorra stated from where he stood, before emphasizing the point with a firmly tossed tennis ball to give Spike a sampling of what he could potentially do. "If you can't even keep up with this low level of assault, how do you hope to ever contend with something that's intent on actually killing you, and the rest of your friends?" he asked as he picked up another tennis ball. "You will die. Your friends will die. A great portion of this town will die, if we are forced to rely on you as a defensive line."

Spike tried not to verbalize just how much the impact of the next tennis ball hurt, but that was easier said than done. But this was quite serious now, because Ulquiorra was right. If he couldn't stand up to tennis balls of all things, then how was he supposed to be of any use to anyone?

Another tennis ball slammed into his face, staggering him, and nearly making him fall back down again, but he refused to go down. He was fucking pissed at Ulquiorra's words right now, and wanted to prove that he wasn't a complete waste of time and effort. He wanted to prove -not only to Ulquiorra, but also himself- that he could help the others. They might be counting on him at some point for all he knew. This was no longer about his pride, or in proving that he was worth his salt, this was about his friends! The ponies that meant more to him than anything else in the world. The ones he could turn to when he had a problem. The ones that turned to him when they had a problem and needed him. His friends. His family.

They.

Were.

HIS!

Ulquiorra paused his assault as he observed Spike's efforts at standing. His entire demeanor indicated a great deal of pain; potentially far more than he'd intended to inflict for the sake of a learning aid. But the readings he was getting from his pesquisa weren't consistent with extreme physical pain; far from it actually. They were far more appropriate for someone whose body was...

Was trying to properly address what would prove to be massive outward explosion of reiatsu, as their reiryoku flooded the area.

As unlikely as it might seem, that was what his pesquisa was telling him was about to happen. The last time he'd seen these readings, it had been when Twilight Sparkle had believed he'd killed Princess Celestia. And those results had been-

His thoughts on the matter were interrupted as he saw Spike's eyes fly open, before being completely whited out and illuminated, as he threw his head back and roared towards the sky.

Ulquiorra had been prepared for the increase of reiatsu in the area, and the wild fluctuations that he was currently seeing. He had seen such a display on a smaller scale already when Spike had fought Rainbow Dash at the Carousel Boutique, in the name of saving Rarity. However those levels hadn't been quite this high that time around, and he was mildly curious to see just how high Spike could drive them.

What Ulquiorra hadn't been prepared for, however, was how Spike's body looked to be responding to the increasing reiatsu levels, and the greater instability in his reiryoku. At first it was easy enough to write off as nothing more than an optical illusion being caused by the unstable reiatsu interacting with the surrounding atmosphere. But soon enough that proved to be false, as he saw Spike's muscles shifting underneath his scales as his roaring howl continued. There was no way of denying it; they were increasing in bulk. Already there had been a five percent increase in muscle mass, with his skin pulling and growing tight as a direct result.

He had read about how dragons could grow larger in size, in response to how much greed they experienced, and how their increase in size caused them to experience even greater degrees of greediness than before; it was a vicious cycle if ever there was one. But simply because he had read about it after his arrival, didn't mean he believed it. The notion of an emotion like greed, serving as sufficient fuel for the rapid, simultaneous, and continuous division of every single cell within the body, had simply been too far-fetched for him to believe. And yet it looked like he was witnessing such right now. That was the only thing that could explain how Spike's muscle mass could increase by ten percent, in such a short amount of time.

By now Spike's skin could no longer contain the increasing muscle mass as it was, and Ulquiorra could actually see it starting to burst, as new skin and scales quickly formed over the splits, and sealed them back up again.

Spike's howls stopped momentarily as he looked at Ulquiorra, his eyes still completely whited out, his face contorted in both pain and panic, his expression one that was practically pleading Ulquiorra to make it all stop. But quickly the look of pleading stopped, as he looked like he was about to be sick.

But it wasn't sickness that emerged for the Espada to see, it was far worse than that.

Ulquiorra watched as Spike's body tensed up as he collapsed onto his knees, before throwing his head back to unleash a roar unlike anything he'd ever heard before in this world. He honestly had no idea that Spike's body could generate such a deep, bellowing roar, as his chest cavity was far too small to support the output that would be needed. Even as his whole frame was starting to grow outward, bones included going by his increasing height, it still wouldn't account for the increase in volume.

The roar, however, was hardly the only thing there was to be concerned about. Much as he had witnessed with Twilight Sparkle back in Canterlot, Spike's reiatsu was becoming plainly visible to the naked eye, a mix of red and purple as best as Ulquiorra could tell. The ground was beginning to tremble beneath his feet as Spike's scales were beginning to darken, the sickly lavender becoming much like the indigo coloring of Rarity's mane, with no sign that they were going to stop there. It was all serving as a gruesome contrast with the blood-red cracks from where his skin stretched, only to grow shut once again.

Ulquiorra felt the momentary urge to flinch, as a shock wave of Spike's reiatsu shot outward and connected against his body. Whatever the young dragon was going through, it didn't look like it was about to stop anytime soon. At his current rate of growth, he would easily be the taller of the two in approximately one minute. And that would be in addition to his strength being comparable to his own as he was currently.

And then poof happened.

That was the only way Ulquiorra could really think to describe what he'd just seen happen. In a flash -practically a puff of smoke- Spike's reiatsu and reiryoku levels had dropped to practically nothing, with his body quickly reverting back to its original state as he laid on his back, screaming in agony, and begging for the pain to stop.

It was easy enough to conclude what had happened. Spike, in his attempts at growing larger, had burnt through his reiryoku, and could no longer sustain the demand needed to fuel said growth, resulting in the rapid compression back to his original state. And now his body was angrily letting him know about the strain he had put on it.

And then he sensed the quick approach of the Apple siblings, all but certainly alerted to something being wrong by Spike's roaring.

"Wha' happened?" Applejack asked as she skidded to a halt, Big Macintosh not being far behind her; and that was only due to having gotten a head start on him.

"An unforeseen complication of the training process," Ulquiorra replied. It would take far too long for him to explain just what the complication had been.

"Ya alright, Spike?" Big Macintosh asked as he stepped closer.

"No!" Spike screamed as he tried to grip his sides in a futile effort of soothing all the pain he was in. "Every muscle in my body is starting to cramp up! Even my pancreas is cramping up!"

Applejack blinked in response to hearing this, before looking up at Ulquiorra. "Ah had no idea a pancreas could even cramp."

Ulquiorra had doubts as to the legitimacy of Spike's statement. But then again, explaining the why of it all, would simply take too long to be worth it. For the time being he would simply let it go. Right now he had other things to occupy himself with; like figuring out how they were going to get Spike back to Ponyville. Leaving him laying out here wouldn't do anyone any good.

Filler/Prequel - When Shady came to Ponyville

"This stinks..." Apple Bloom sighed.

Failure was a part of life. That was a simple, undeniable fact. If one wasn't failing at something, it meant that they simply weren't trying anything. To fail was to grow in experience, to learn from mistakes, and to ultimately better oneself.

"This bites..." Scootaloo grumbled.

But as far as the Cutie Mark Crusaders were concerned, they'd had enough experience for one day. Their latest attempt at earning a cutie mark had -unsurprisingly- been another big failure for each of them. All that they'd managed to earn were new bumps, bruises, and a number of scrapes that currently burned. The only upside this time around, was the complete lack of any tree sap being involved.

"This sucks..." Sweetie Belle added without so much as a second thought, despite knowing how Rarity would react if she ever heard her saying something deemed as crude. "Sweetie Belle! A lady simply does not use that sort of language!" she could remember hearing her big sister say on more than one occasion.

Rarity had done her best to instill within her, an understanding of what constituted proper social etiquette. And for the most part it had worked. But sometimes... sometimes it just wasn't feasible. This was one of those times.

In their quest to gain their cutie marks, through whatever means necessary, they had come up with the idea of trying for a skateboarding cutie mark. But they hadn't settled for simple skateboarding, oh no. They had gone well beyond simple skateboarding, and attempted one in extreme skateboarding. They'd seen plenty of other ponies doing it, even Pinkie Pie, so how hard could it be?

Turns out the answer to that question was extremely hard.

They had summarily gotten their flanks hooved to them, in a brutally painful fashion. They might as well have tried live manticore taming for all the good that came from their efforts today. They would still be without their cutie marks, but they'd be a lot less injured, what with the unlikeliness of a manticore ever coming into town.

Right now they were sitting around near the center of town, each of them nursing a cold drink, in addition to their earned injuries. Sweetie Belle noticed the looks her friends were giving her at her choice of language, as she'd gone further than either of them in her evaluation of the facts. However their looks were short lived, and they soon returned to what they'd been doing previously.

"Who knew skateboardin' could be so danged hard?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Tell me about it," Scootaloo replied, before she took a sip of her drink. "Pinkie made it look so easy when she does it."

Scootaloo's statement didn't do the facts justice as far as Sweetie Belle could see them. What Pinkie did with such ease, they had done with great disaster; like walking right into an ambush. Despite what Scootaloo could do on her scooter, she couldn't translate those skills over to a skateboard that was absent a steering column to hang onto. And despite their best efforts, they hadn't fared any better; in fact they'd even managed to find a way to do even worse than Scootaloo, which was saying something.

"Looks like we can cross extreme skateboarding off the list," Sweetie Belle sighed as she looked down at her drink. She'd ordered it, but she was having a hard time getting interested in it right now.

All things considered, she thought they were pretty lucky this time around, as they'd managed to escape any serious injuries. She'd attribute that to actually wearing their helmets.

"Well, well, well..."

There was a shared groan from the Cutie Mark Crusaders, knowing full well who that voice belonged to, and what sort of experience they were likely in for. Couldn't they catch a break even once today?

"What do we have here?" Silver Spoon asked as she and Diamond Tiara approached their position.

"Oh come on you two, do we seriously have to be doing this today? We've already been through enough," Scootaloo stated, in absolutely no mood for the teasing that was just bound to be unleashed on them.

"Aww what's the matter, Crusaders? You have a hard day not getting your cutie marks?" Diamond Tiara asked as they stepped closer.

"Yeah," Apple Bloom stated bluntly, hoping the tone of voice would serve to make them think twice before talking any further. "Ah'm already gonna be in enough trouble explainin' ta Applejack that ah need a new helmet," she added and shoved her blue helmet forward.

Diamond Tiara, who had been smirking so far, felt her eyes grow wide at inspecting the helmet, and seeing the huge dent in the side of it. That was enough to wipe to smirk right off her face.

"How in the-" she started to ask, only to be interrupted.

"Don't ask," Apple Bloom replied, in no mood to go into detail about what had happened.

"You three are gonna get yourself killed if you keep this up!" Silver Spoon stated. "Seriously, you three should be trying for something more mundane; like stamp collecting, or bug identifying, or something."

"Totally," Diamond Tiara replied and nodded. "What good is a cutie mark gonna do you, if you wind up in the hospital, paralyzed, and in full-body casts?" she asked.

"Aw what would you two know?" Scootaloo asked as she stood up, wincing as she did so. "You two are-"

"Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle spoke up in interruption, "don't. Just ignore them."

"But-" Scootaloo protested, only to be silenced by a hoof raised.

Among the Cutie Mark Crusaders, each of them filled a semi-specific role to fill. Of the three, it was Sweetie Belle who tended to be the peacemaker of the group. She was fairly certain that if she'd been born a colt, she would still fulfill that duty. She was the one with the socialite sister, who had worked to instill within her many of the hard learned lessons of what proper etiquette was. She was the one who tried to smooth things over, and see that they ran right. She was the polite one, reserved one of the three.

But she was also the one who tended to be meekest, and would rather shrink away from conflict, than try to stand up to it. That was where Scootaloo and Apple Bloom came in. They had more crudeness to them, and they were more boisterous than she would ever be, but they were also more willing to confront a problem head on. She tended to hide behind them when things got rough, as they provided her with a sense of security and protection against that which she couldn't tend to when she was on her own.

That said, however, as tried and grumpy as she was right now from their most recent failure, she was in a mood that her big sister would find appalling. And she was actually willing to act upon it.

"Do you know what Rarity once told me about social interactions?" she asked. No immediate answer, but that was to be expected. "She told me that annoying ponies are like a bad case of gas. They'll both go away on their own, you just have to grin and bear it until they do."

Scootaloo blinked at hearing this, before she burst into a fit of giggles as Diamond Tiara sputtered furiously. Apple Bloom tired furiously to drown her snickers in sucking down her drink.

"You've got a lot of nerve comparing us to a burp," Silver Spoon stated as she scowled at them.

Apple Bloom's response came in the form of a particularly obnoxious -and coincidentally timed- belch from her drink.

"Well that's one down," she stated. Scootaloo got to laughing even harder at that.

Sweetie Belle just rolled her eyes at her friend's antics as she sat up, and folded her forelegs across her chest. "Oh I never said anything about that gas being due to a burp," she stated as she shook her head.

"Well then what kind of gas are you-" Diamond Tiara asked, only to stop as the conclusion hit her like a ton of bricks. Immediately her eyes bugged out, and she started sputtering again.

Scootaloo, at getting what Sweetie Belle was saying, couldn't take it anymore, and collapsed into a fit of full blown laughter, rolling over onto her back in the process with her legs kicking about in the air.

"Why you three worthless, idiotic, waste of space blank flanks!" Silver Spoon roared, her voice cracking in the process. "You just wait! I'm gonna-"

"HEY!"

The yell had been enough to make all five of them stop what they were doing, and take notice of the approaching pony; a pony that in this case was an earth pony filly, with a pink coat, yellow mane and tail, and wearing a pair of black sunglasses.

"What's going on over here?" the filly asked as she came closer to the two groups, not looking the least bit happy.

"What's it to you?" Diamond Tiara asked, still furious at the insult she and Silver Spoon had just been subjected to.

"What's it to me, is that you're hurting my ears over here! You're yellin' loud enough I can just about hear ya across town," the filly stated as she stomped her right front hoof. "Now what's goin' on?" she asked again.

"We're just having a dispute with these three losers," Diamond Tiara replied. After a slight pause, she continued talking. "And who're you anyway? Are you new in town or something?"

"Pretty much. My name's Shady," the filly replied.

"Alright, Shady, a word of friendly advice. Stay away from these three. They're real losers, and their lameness will rub off on you if you hang around with them" Diamond Tiara stated.

"Hey!" Scootaloo yelled indignantly.

"You don't say. I'll be sure to remember that," Shady replied and nodded. "So do you have much experience with them or something?"

"Ugh, years worth," Diamond Tiara said with a sigh.

"Oh. So you're speaking from experience about having lameness rubbed off on you then," Shady replied.

Diamond Tiara opened her mouth to reply, but the words died in her throat as what Shady said registered in her brain; she was calling her lame!

Making matters all the worse, was how Silver Spoon had started snickering right next to her, taking pleasure in the quip. Now she was doubly mad at this new filly.

"Your friend over there knows a good joke when she hears it. She must be the brains of your little organization. That gives me a very good idea about what sort of organization you've got," Shady stated.

Now it was Silver Spoon's turn to stop laughing, take offense at what had just been said about her. That got Diamond Tiara smirking in response to the turn of events; suddenly it wasn't so much fun when you were the one being made fun of.

"Are you making fun of us?" Silver Spoon asked her.

"Your parents beat me to the punch on that one," Shady replied as she smirked, making Silver Spoon all the more furious.

"What would you know anyway?" Diamond Tiara asked, not amused by how things were shaping up. "You're nothing but a blank flanked loser, just like those three are!"

"Now listen here," Shady stated as she turned her head in Diamond Tiara's direction. "I'll have you know that I'm not a blank flank. I've got a cutie mark," she said as she turned to bring her flank into full view.

Diamond Tiara looked at the presented flank, squinting to try and focus, thinking that perhaps the cutie mark wasn't well defined against the pink coat. But despite her best efforts, there was nothing there; just a big blank spot.

"I don't see anything!" she stated.

"What a coincidence. Because neither do I," Shady replied as she reached up and lifted her sunglasses off her face.

Diamond Tiara let out a screech of surprise and fell onto her flanks at seeing Shady's eyes come into view, being unprepared for confronting the milky, pale, lifeless orbs, with just the faintest hint of blue irises, hidden behind those dark sunglasses. She'd never seen anything like that before, and she'd just as soon never see it again!

"You're, y-y-you're blind!" Silver Spoon shouted, unsure of what else could be said about the situation.

"Really? Darn. And here I thought I'd just had my eyes shut this entire time since the day I was born," Shady quipped as she lowered her sunglasses back onto her face. "Nothing escapes you, does it? You must be a detective or something."

Off to the side, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo stood in stunned silence, not knowing what to make of what was happening in front of them. This was a turn of events that they hadn't expected to see developing, and that left them with more questions than answers. But they really didn't want to just turn tail and leave right now.

"Any other pieces of brilliant insight you'd like to share with us, Captain Obvious?" Shady asked as she shifted her frame to face them in a more comfortable fashion, not that she no longer needed to leave her flank in their line of sight.

"Now look here you!" Diamond Tiara stated as she climbed back up onto her hooves.

"I'm looking, but I'm not really seeing anything," Shady quipped and gave a smirk.

"You must think you're really funny, huh?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"Only when ponies laugh at what I have to say," Shady replied and shrugged.

"Do you have any idea just who you're talking to?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"Nope. Sorry. I've never been good with faces," Shady replied as she continued to smirk, which served to just make Diamond Tiara all the angrier.

It was at that point, that Silver Spoon stepped closer to Diamond Tiara, and put a hoof on her wither in an effort to calm her down. "Diamond, just let it go, it's not worth it," she stated, knowing very well how ugly things could get when her friend got angry.

"You'd better listen to your friend, she knows what she's talking about, and is a lot smarter than you," Shady pointed out. After a slight pause, she continued. "But then again a houseplant is smarter than you, so..."

Off where the Cutie Mark Crusaders stood, they could do little but watch as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon got angrier, and angrier as Shady went on, making it look all so easy. And all through their shouting at her, she didn't lose her cool even once; it was like she didn't even care about what they had to say to her. It was... actually pretty awesome, watching her keep pace with the both of them like that.

"Do you know just who my Daddy is?" Diamond Tiara asked after a particular zinger had been delivered, and infuriated her to no end.

"You'd have to take that up with your mother, not me," Shady replied and shrugged dismissively. "That is, assuming you know who your mother is," she added.

That had been it. Diamond Tiara had taken a lot of insults from this blind filly, but that had been the breaking point for her. That had been the one to get her screaming incoherently, and storming off in a huff, with Silver Spoon following not far behind.

At hearing their departure, Shady let out a tired sigh and slumped. "Oh wow those two were annoying," she stated. "As for you three, I know you're still there. I didn't hear you leave. Say something already."

"Uh..." Apple Bloom paused, not expecting them being called on just like that. As she searched for what to say, only one thing immediately came to mind. "... Somethin'."

Shady turned to look at them, even if it did her no good. "That's not the first time I've heard that joke," she pointed out. But she shrugged regardless. "Those two that just left... are they always like that?"

"Pretty much," Sweetie Belle replied. "So... you're really blind?" she asked. Now that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were both gone, and the tension with them, they were free to focus on other matters; like the aforementioned one regarding a lack of sight.

"That's what the doctors tell me," Shady replied and lifted her sunglasses again for them to see. She could practically feel the flinch of the three as they saw her eyes, so she lowered them once again. "Been that way my whole life."

"So what brings you to Ponyville?" Scootaloo asked.

"My parents mainly. We used to live in Manehattan, but I nearly got killed by a runaway carriage. After that they figured the big city was just too dangerous for a blind filly, so we moved out here," Shady explained.

"Manehattan? Hey mah cousin lives there!" Apple Bloom stated. "Her name's Babs Seed. Do ya know her?"

"Babs Seed?" Shady asked as she rubbed her chin in thought. "I dunno. But then Manehattan's a pretty big place for a foal to be. What's your cousin look like?"

Apple Bloom almost gave an answer as to what Babs looked like. But she stopped before she actually said anything when she realized what Shady was asking.

Scootaloo, however, didn't.

"Well she's about..." she started, only to be interrupted when Apple Bloom kneed her in the ribs. "What?" she asked. Apple Bloom just pointed over to Shady, who was smirking widely. Finally she put everything together, which made her frown. "That's not very funny."

"It was to me," Shady replied and shrugged dismissively. "Don't take it too hard, I snark everypony equally. Even the ones that I don't find rude or annoying."

"Wha's that word mean anyway?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Generally it means the use of sarcasm," Sweetie Belle explained.

"Give that filly a lollipop for being right," Shady replied.

Scootaloo just shook her head. But she decided to let the matter go, and instead change the subject. "So how'd you find us when you did? It seems kinda convenient and all..."

"Like I said, they were yelling pretty loud. Makes it easy to zero in on a specific location," Shady explained. "I just happened to be in the area at the time. I'm still trying to learn my way around Ponyville, but it's not as easy as it might sound. This place is no Manehattan, but there's still a lot to deal with."

"Maybe we could help," Sweetie Belle suggested.

"Yeah. We know the area about as well as anypony. We can show ya the sights an' such," Apple Bloom added.

"Can we take pictures too?" Shady asked them sarcastically.

"Sorry, Ah forgot," Apple Bloom apologized. That one had stung unexpectedly.

"Don't worry about it," Shady replied and waved her hoof dismissively. "But I'll take you up on that offer. It'll give me a chance to get to know the various sounds and smells associated with the territory."

"Cool then," Scootaloo replied. She nearly told Shady to follow them, but thought better of it. That was another setup just waiting to happen. "So how long have you been here in Ponyville anyway?"

"Just a few weeks so far. Not long enough to get properly acquainted with everything," Shady explained.

"So does that means you can't enter school until the fall semester? Or did your parents make special arrangements with Miss Cheerilee when they moved here?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"School really doesn't do you much good when you can't learn how to read or write," Shady pointed out. "I mean, I could attend and all, but what would the point be? Math is no good when you can't see what you're supposed to be counting," she explained.

"Good point," Sweetie Belle replied. She really couldn't deny the reason behind that. She had no idea what she'd be doing if she'd lost her eyesight. That fact was actually scary to consider.

But then again it really wasn't an accurate comparison. If she ever lost her sight, she'd still have memories of what things looked like. Shady, however, wouldn't even have memories to draw on. Between the two standards, she really didn't know which was the worse one.

"You'd be surprised how many things aren't important when you're blind. Math, books, appearance, jewelry, cutie marks, etc. If you can't see them, they're not really all that important to you. Makes life simpler actually," Shady explained.

Apple Bloom could do little more than nod in response. She'd been considering asking Shady about joining the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but that idea was shot down before it had even been voiced, based on her outlook of the situation. It was really hard to argue otherwise, as she couldn't think of how a cutie mark would have any value, if a special talent required eyesight. That... that was a lot to think about.

"Anyway. Where does this tour of the town start?" Shady asked.

"There's really only one place to properly start a tour of Ponyville. And that would be Sugarcube Corner!" Scootaloo stated.

"Fine by me. Lead the way," Shady replied.

Author's Note

Originally this chapter was going to be vastly different. Shady's interaction with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon was going to be a lot more brutal, with Shady insulting them based on their weight, and quickly tearing them apart with her words as she explained why they sucked so bad, before ending with the two running away in tears. I very nearly wrote it like that, before realizing that such a portrayal would make Shady a bully just like them, and portray her as sadistic, rather than a stepford snarker who lambastes friend and foe alike, and who's intended to be likeable.

Chapter Eighty

Chapter Eighty

Thursday, July Ninth, second year of the new calendar: After Nightmare Moon

Observational notes pertaining to progress made in the operation dubbed "Rainbow Reparation"

Day Twelve

After three days of effort, we are no closer to unraveling the mystery behind Rainbow Dash's speedy -and supposed- recovery from the trauma that has been constantly plaguing her for the past twenty seven days. Despite continuous questioning as to how exactly this turnaround has occurred, she continues to assert that she simply got over it.

Understandably, we remain skeptical of her claims. As much as the diarchy, and Rainbow Dash herself, wishes to believe the claims are true, it would be foolish to do such. Mental trauma of this degree and magnitude is not simply overcome through sheer strength of will. It is a matter of impossibility, that she willed herself to forget what she has been led to believe occurred. As much as there is a desire to believe her claims, I have done enough studying on pony psychology to conclude that there is no rational basis for her claims. To simply stop being bothered by what she claimed to experience, without first undergoing years of extensive psychological care, would require a Hollow-like mindset; something that she simply does not have.

The inconsistencies of Rainbow Dash's supposed mental recovery aside, she continues to display signs of progress that at least lend some measure of credibility to her claims. However this only goes to deepen the mysteries. Since her attempts at self-therapy, insane as they were, she has displayed a near-complete turnaround with the fear brought on by dark places; a fact that she has bragged about with pride. Whether or not this is a result of forcefully suppressing her memories of the trauma, and fooling herself into believing that she's recovered, has yet to be determined.

Her measurable reiatsu output continues to remain elevated to early June levels, prior to the point when everything went wrong following the manticore attack. Some minor degree of fluctuation can easily be explainable, and attributed to the living condition. But for this extreme of a difference, I have no way of explaining either how, or why, this particular development has occurred.

Ulquiorra paused his writing, momentarily taking stock of his current surroundings, and the positions of everyone within the area. He then returned to his work, starting a new paragraph.

On other matters, is Rainbow Dash having spent three consecutive nights sleeping in the library. This behavior was easily understandable the first night, when she was locked out of Princess Celestia's quarters, and opted to remain in the library where the greatest measure of security under the circumstances could be found. But there is no sense in her choosing to do the same during subsequent nights; there has been nothing preventing her from staying with the diarchy during the night, as she has been doing previously.

For whatever reason, Rainbow Dash has apparently chosen to forgo creature comforts. At the moment I can only speculate as to the motives behind these actions, and-

There was a knock at the door, interrupting Ulquiorra's writing.

"Come in, Rainbow Dash," he stated, pencil hovering above the paper, ready to continue once the interruption was addressed.

At hearing this, Rainbow Dash pushed the door to the room open, and poked her head inside to look around, before finally spotting Ulquiorra.

"It never gets old how you can do that," she stated, before stepping into the room all the way. Now that the door was no longer blocking her path, she could look around better, and take note of the furnishings in the room. "How come you're not in the library?"

"The janitorial staff has been complaining about my constant presence when they're supposed to be working. Supposedly my presence is unnerving to them," Ulquiorra explained, before turning around to face her. "What are you doing here?"

"Finding out where you disappeared to," Rainbow Dash replied, "I had no idea you had your own quarters in the palace. That's pretty awesome."

What wasn't said, however, was what she thought at seeing how the room was decorated and furnished. This was almost as bad as the room she'd been staying in during the early days of her suicide watch. But then that was compared to what these rooms usually looked like, based on the few other times she'd been a guest at the palace.

"Now that you've found me, what is it that you want?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Oh, you know, nothing major. Just fame. Fortune. Respect. My own theme song. Maybe a line of action figures of me," Rainbow Dash replied. Ulquiorra didn't even blink at her attempt at being humorously upbeat. That in itself was enough to deflate her mood somewhat, bringing about a sigh in response. Time to be serious again. "Could I stay here tonight?" she asked.

"It makes no difference to me where you stay," Ulquiorra stated simply. "The only question I have, is why you would select here of all places?"

At this, Rainbow Dash simply shrugged in response. "Celestia tends to snore, making it really hard to sleep at times. I mean, seriously, have you ever heard her? It's like sleeping next to a dragon when she really gets going."

"That still fails to answer the question of why here," Ulquiorra pointed out.

"Well, believe it or not, Luna's got court duties to tend to, so I can't exactly snooze in the throne room. And you're the only other one that I tru- er, that I can trust, to not become possessed by some wacko demon thing, and murder me in my sleep," Rainbow Dash explained.

That was an explanation that certainly made sense to him. It was hard to argue with the logic being presented.

"Fair enough," Ulquiorra replied, and left it at that. He really didn't see anything else that needed to be said.

"Thanks," Rainbow Dash replied, before shutting the door behind her. But then a bit of a conundrum came to mind, as just where she should actually lay down. "Uh... I don't wanna put you out or anything. You got any preference for sleeping?" she asked.

"Seeing as I don't sleep, it makes no difference to me whether you take the bed, or the sofa. So long as you don't interfere with my work," Ulquiorra explained.

"Oh," Rainbow Dash replied. However that still didn't help her out much. She looked between the sofa, and the bed, before finally opting to climb up and lay down on the green sofa off to the side. She quickly learned that it was a lot more comfortable than it initially looked.

Now that she was here, however, silence was quickly in the process of settling in, with the only distracting noise being that of Ulquiorra's pencil going to work once again. She considered asking him why he wasn't making use of the desk that was just across the room, and what possible benefit he had in standing up the whole time. But she figured he'd probably point out how the books currently resting on the desk would make it difficult.

That thought had her turning to look at the bookshelf, and the number of books from the library currently stacked there. The guards she'd heard grumbling about being tasked with taking books between the library and his quarters really hadn't exaggerated about the workload they were under; there were a lot of them present, and all of them about various topics. Some she recognized, others she didn't have a clue what they were about. Geography, magical theory, mechanics, and a number of others.

All of it kinda made sense if he had been chased out of the library. But then again it seemed hard to imagine him actually caring enough about the complaints of others, to actually go along with what they were saying. That was just plain odd.

"Hey, Ulquiorra-"

"If you ask for a glass of water, or a bedtime story, I'm going to kick you," Ulquiorra warned without even looking up from what he was writing.

"Funny," Rainbow Dash replied, despite the frown she currently wore on her face as she said it. Out of everything he could've said, she hadn't expected that to be one of them. "Uh, no, nothing like that. I was wondering whatever became of the whole dialysis idea that you, and Malar, and the others were cooking up. Wasn't that supposed to clean me out, clean me up, and get me back to Ponyville?" she asked as she crossed her forelegs in front of her.

"That was the idea," Ulquiorra replied as he paused his writing once again. "But dialysis is a medical procedure still in its infancy in this dimension. And it is a subject on which I had no knowledge of back in my own dimension. While it would filter the impurities out of your blood, it would do nothing to remove the hallucinogenics still in your tissues. For dialysis to work, we would need some special binding compound capable of bonding with the intended target, and moving it into an area we can target," he explained. That was a development that they hadn't considered, and now they were paying for it. All of that effort was wasted, and they were back at square one. "All of that, in addition to the need of identifying a binding compound that is capable of working as intended. That complication, is further complicated by the fact that the hallucinogenics are not being metabolized as they should be. This may mean they've been shielded by enchantments, rendering them impervious to their surroundings-"

"Meaning that whoever's behind this is somepony with a knowledge of high-level magic, and a correspondingly high degree of magical aptitude, which would be necessary to use a type of shielding enchantment actually capable of allowing something to be protected from its surroundings, while simultaneously allowing for attacking its surroundings," Rainbow Dash interrupted. "Meaning that whichever asshole is responsible, it's gotta be a unicorn even more powerful, and more knowledgeable than even Twilight. That in itself should be an already short list. And its one that should be even shorter, since whoever's doing it would have to know how to avoid being detected by you, meaning they'd have to have knowledge of how you work."

Ulquiorra turned to look at Rainbow Dash as he listened to what she had just said. It was certainly an impressive degree of insight into the matter; more than he'd given her credit for. If she kept this up, he'd have to engage in a significant reevaluation of her character. He hadn't even intended to go into such details. And now he didn't have to.

"And since so few ponies would actually know anything about you, that means we're back at square one all over again," Rainbow Dash grumbled as she rolled over onto her back, her head hanging off the edge of the sofa, allowing her mane to tumble. "Unless... the unicorn pulling off this spell is in cahoots with who or whatever knows about you. That'd be a little more plausible, but a lot more complicated to work with since we'd have to expand the suspect pool and all..."

"Is there a particular reason you choose to obfuscate stupidity, and portray yourself as being a moron?" Ulquiorra asked her bluntly.

Rainbow Dash shrugged in response, folding her forelegs across her barrel, as she rested her hind legs against the backrest of the couch. "Twlight's the egghead in the group, not me. I'm not comfortable being the one asked to actually think things through, and come up with complicated plans about how to proceed. Besides, it's not exactly a fair comparison, she's on a whole 'nother level of smart than I am. If my smarts could fill a fish bowl, hers would fill an ocean."

Ulquiorra hadn't made any comparisons between her and Twilight Sparkle. None recently that he was aware of. He merely inquired about why she didn't display her intelligence more often. But whatever the motivation was for her decision, that was a matter for another time; perhaps when he had nothing else to do, if such a circumstance was ever to occur.

Rainbow Dash, oblivious to whatever the Espada was thinking, yawned and stretched as she rolled back over on the sofa, laying her head against the leg rest.

"Anyway, I'm gettin' kinda tired, I'm gonna try and get some sleep," she stated as she rolled over to face the back of the couch. "I don't know what it is, but I seem to sleep better when you're around. No horrible nightmares for the last three nights..." she said as she yawned again.

Ulquiorra merely remained silent, before returning to his notes.

-through the processes of elimination, and experimentation, conclude that Princess Luna was correct in her earlier evaluation.

+++

"I can't accept your offer," Ulquiorra stated simply.

"W... what?" Luna asked, taken by surprise by his words. That wasn't what she'd expected to hear. That wasn't how this was supposed to go. Curiously she pulled back, using her hooves on the Espada's shoulder for balance to look him in the eyes. "But... but why?"

"The social, and political complications that would arise from such an arrangement actually taking place, are quite significant. It is doubtful that something of this magnitude could ever be concealed from the general public. And then what? A foreigner, from a faraway land no one has ever heard of, and can't find on any of this world's maps, becoming a member of the royal family, is sure to cause a number of scandals to develop, and the fallout will ripple outward through the nation. You've said yourself how you're still trying to reconnect with your modern subjects, and overcome the legends of Nightmare Moon. What sort of repercussions do you believe would arise, should word of this were to ever get out?" Ulquiorra asked.

Despite being tired, Luna listened -or at least tried to listen- to what Ulquiorra had to say about her proposal. Some points of what he had to say, she had anticipated. Others, not quite so much. What she didn't understand, however, was how he had managed to consider these points in such a short amount of time, and then put them into words. Was she simply more tired than she thought, and her perception of the passage of time was off? If so then maybe he wasn't thinking things quite so fast, she was simply recognizing them slowly.

"I assume you're considering going through official channels for this. The same that were used in the adoption of the one who became Princess Mi Amore Cadenza?" he asked. She nodded. "Then that would mean induction into royalty. Which in turn means induction into this world's unique bureaucracy, and being tasked with official duties of government. Official duties that would only serve to hinder our investigative efforts; something that is already being experienced as we speak."

"I... I did not consider such," Luna replied slowly as she withdrew and set her hooves back down on the ground. The more Ulquiorra spoke, the more she felt like an idiot for not considering all of these complications that would need to be addressed. But now that he had mentioned them, she couldn't deny seeing as how those would certainly be possibilities they would have to contend with.

"There's more," Ulquiorra stated.

"I am quite certain that there is, Ulquiorra Cifer. But presently I can tolerate only so much, in being informed of how idiotic I was in my efforts. Perhaps it would be best to simply take my leave for this evening, and try to put this behind myself," Luna replied and stepped away. She couldn't take anymore ridicule right now. And she really didn't want to say something that she might end up regretting later on, for the wrong reasons.

"I never said such," Ulquiorra stated, causing her to stop her departure, and look directly at him. "I merely clarified that the net benefit of accepting the offer, would be outweighed by the corresponding cost involved with such a decision. That said, however, I'm already in possession of that net benefit," he pointed out.

"Pardon?" Luna asked. She felt like she knew what he was talking about, but... something just felt off; like something being lost in translation.

"The underlying system of support you spoke of is already in existence; it has been since three days after my arrival in this dimension, when you brought Twilight Sparkle to the palace, going against Princess Celestia's wishes of managing my integration into this world. The inclusion of arbitrary titles of familiarity would do nothing to change that fact," Ulquiorra explained.

Luna remained silent, uncertain of what to say in response to the explanation she'd just been given. To her it sounded positive, but she knew that when it came to Ulquiorra, it was difficult to truly tell. But for right now, she would interpret it as being positive; she would dare say even complimentary.

"This is in addition to another fact that must be addressed," he stated. All Luna could do was look at him, and wait for his explanation of what other unintended wrinkle he had spotted in her plan. Finally it came. "There's a good chance that Twilight Sparkle's ability to coherently focus on matters in Ponyville, would be significantly compromised if she were to learn that she had a new cousin added to the overall family..."

All Luna felt like she could do at the moment was blink in confusion at Ulquiorra's words, and wonder just how their conversation had lead down this particular path. What sort of twisted logic was currently unleashed in his head, that had led him down this particular path? Had he been spending too much time around Pinkie Pie, and now as prone to randomness as she was?

But then it hit her, much like a slap across the face, as all of the pieces fell into place, and she could see the sequence of points that had lead up to that statement. She did the only thing she could possibly do in light of the realization being brought to her attention; she laughed. She laughed genuinely, and heartily, her whole frame quaking with amusement. And the fact that it had been Ulquiorra himself to deliver it, in such a deadpan manner, had made the presentation all the more humorous.

+++

Luna snorted in surprise as she jumped and her wings violently sprung open at her sides, wide awake, and unaware of her surroundings, frantically looking around. She soon became aware of the fact that she was in the throne room of Canterlot palace, with two of her guards looking at her in concern, and her sister standing in the doorway.

A hypnagogic jerk. That was the only thing that made sense right now. She absolutely hated to experience one of those, only to be jolted out of a state of near-unconsciousness, and into a state of fright. Sighing, she waved her right wing dismissively, signalling that everything was alright, and for the guards to return to their duties at the base of the throne.

"Was I asleep?" Luna asked Celestia as she approached the throne.

"If you can call it that," Celestia replied as she made her way to the base of the stairs that led up to the throne, before coming to a stop. "Are you alright, Luna?"

"Merely tired," Luna replied as she stretched her wings out as far as they would go, before tucking them back in again. "There are certain petitioners who have a way of talking, that can sap the very life essence out of anyone within earshot of them, leaving nothing behind but a withered husk," she explained, before pausing to scratch at an itch under her chin. "They present large charts and graphs to disguise their evil magic. I am most certain of it."

Celestia couldn't help but smirk at Luna's comment. She had been in that position far too many times for her own liking. She didn't want to admit to it, because it sounded so immature, but a small part of her was thankful that Luna was getting a taste of what those particular petitioners were like; usually she was stuck with them as they came in the daytime.

How the guards managed to stay awake throughout it all, she didn't have a clue.

"What is the current time anyway? Did I oversleep?" Luna asked.

Celestia shook her head in response. "It's still a few minutes before dawn starts. Plenty of time to do our duties and begin the start of a new day."

"That is good then," Luna replied as she climbed down from the throne and descended the stairs. "What of Rainbow Dash?"

"I believe she's in the library with Ulquiorra once again," Celestia replied. As much time as was spent there, she was giving serious consideration to having it renovated to include a small lounge area; if nothing else, it would save from sleeping on the provided reading tables.

Once again Luna's thoughts were brought back to the past. Her observations about the similarities of the experiences of Ulquiorra and Rainbow Dash always seemed to hold more relevancy when they were found together. And Rainbow Dash's dreams didn't seem quite so terrible when the Espada was around; that left her wondering as to why.

Her thoughts on the matter, however, were interrupted as a loud, deep, thromming-type noise suddenly erupted through the open balcony, as a bright lavender beam shot up into the sky over the palace, and spread out like water being poured onto the floor. The unanticipated display had actually caused her to jump, as she turned and quickly made her way out onto the balcony to observe it. And then as suddenly as it had started, it had come to an end.

"Goodness! What was that?" she asked as she turned to look at Celestia.

"A beacon spell," Celestia replied. A beacon spell that carried Twilight's magical signature with it; which made sense since she was the only one who could project it all the way to Canterlot from Ponyville, from where the beam originated. Something was obviously up if such was warranted. But why hadn't she simply sent a letter? Had something happened to Spike? This was going to require a response. "Luna, I need you to find Ulquiorra, quickly, and have him come here immediately, while you take over watching Rainbow Dash."

"As you wish, dear sister," Luna replied, doing her best to keep her nerves under control. Anytime Ulquiorra was needed immediately, it was never a good thing. With that fact in mind she quickly teleported away, heading for the library.

Twilight slumped as the spell cut out. It had taken a lot of magic to get the beacon all the way to Canterlot, and now she was starting to feel the effects of the expenditure. And the worst part of it all, was the day hadn't even officially begun yet; it was way too early for this!

Three days. Three days ago, they had sent urgent word to Canterlot, informing them about the latest development that had nearly broken down their door in the middle of the night, and requesting an audience for further discussion. And for three days, not a word had been sent back to them; not through Spike, and not through Ulquiorra conducting another investigation. Twilight couldn't come up with any possible reason as to why this was. What could possibly be going on up in Canterlot, that would take precedence over what they themselves were going through?

She knew that it was ridiculous to believe such. But until such time that they actually received a response, Twilight couldn't help but feel like she was alone right now. Granted she still had her friends by her side, but so few of them could still be turned to right now. Rarity was trying her best to tend to Fluttershy, none of them had seen Pinkie outside of Sugarcube Corner since her late-night visit, leaving her to have to rely on Spike and Applejack for support, as they tried to tend to Zecora, who was just short of being a basket case.

That had been the reason for the beacon. If official channels of communication weren't going to work for them, then it was well past time for an attention grabbing "get the fuck over here!" type of bellow that nopony could ignore. Whatever was going on, that was so important it demanded they be ignored, she wanted an answer as to just what it was. And she wanted that answer yesterday.

Standing back up again, Twilight turned around and walked off the top balcony, and made her way back down to the ground floor to check on the others.

Three days. For three days now, their little group had been looking after Zecora since her late night arrival. Whatever it was that had managed to scare the zebra out of her home in the Everfree Forest, it had apparently scared her to the point she couldn't even speak to them. It was only now that she was using actual words once again, rather than various grunts or other noises. But those words were few, far between, and -most disturbingly- carried no sense of rhyme about them.

The only bright spot of this whole mess, was that she seemed vaguely aware of her surroundings, aware of her own needs and -for the most part- didn't have to be led around by the hoof everywhere. Although she was still quite clingy, to the point she was terrified of being left alone. That was a mistake that Twilight wasn't going to be making again anytime soon...

Applejack tried hard to present a positive appearance as she combed Zecora's mane out, doing her best to help the distressed zebra feel at ease. It was the classic elder-sibling tactic employed to keep the younger sibling calm during a troubled period. Except this time around it was a tactic that was being used with a significantly older mare, which left her wondering about its validity; it was easier to convince a little filly that everything would be alright, than it was a full grown mare who had seen untold terrors. And being fully aware of that fact, it was hard to keep up the act that everything would be alright.

"There ya go Zecora."

That was one of the primary reasons she was fussing over the zebra's mane like she was; it gave her something to focus her attention on other than pretending to be in control of the situation.

Unfortunately, whatever natural care products that went into maintaining the zebra's mohawk, she had neglected to bring them along with her. And after the first hot bath she'd taken since getting her, gravity had taken over, leaving her looking not too dissimilar from her first Nightmare Night. Minus the plastic spiders of course.

"Thank you..."

It was a short sentence. But at least it was a complete sentence this time around. Applejack could at least smile about that, and regard it as being a sign that whatever had happened to Zecora, she was slowly coming out of it.

"It'll have ta do fer the time bein', until we can get Rarity ta see us. That, er get those danged spa ponies ta open up their business again," Applejack replied as she set the comb aside on the library's table. Unfortunately now she had nothing to distract herself with, putting the weight of her charade entirely on her own withers.

"Okay..."

Fortunately for her, Twilight had come back downstairs at that time.

"I've sent the beacon to Canterlot. Hopefully that should get the point across that we're in need of help," Twilight explained as she stopped at the bottom of the stairs, before bracing for Zecora coming over to hug her. It wasn't that she minded this or anything; truly she didn't. But Zecora was a lot stronger than she looked, and seemed to be under the impression that her hugs needed to be firm. All she could really do was grin and bear it until she was let go, while stroking Zecora's back with her free hoof in an effort to help calm her.

"So all we can do now is wait?" Applejack asked as she watched the exchange take place, being unable to do anything else right now.

"Well... I suppose I could've tried to teleport us all to the palace instead. But it's a risky prospect that I don't want to try at this point in time," Twilight explained as she slowly worked herself free. There were just way too many things that could go wrong with such an attempt. She shuddered to think of what the outcome could be.

It was at this time that Spike came into the main room from the kitchen, carrying a tray of four steaming cups of coffee with him.

"We really need to start buying more coffee beans if this keeps up," he stated as he set the tray down on the table. If this kept up they'd need to switch from being a library, to being a bed and breakfast.

"I know, Spike," Twilight replied, before levitating her selected cup with barely restrained enthusiasm to sip at it. She couldn't help but sigh in response, feeling it hit the spot after such a rough start to the morning. Her attention then turned to Zecora for consideration. "I know you're not crazy about coffee, Zecora, but I'm afraid we don't have any tea. But I did have Spike put some sugar in yours to try and make it more palatable." she explained.

"Uh, actually... I couldn't," Spike replied slowly.

"Whadda ya mean ya couldn't?" Applejack asked.

"Well I put the sugar in and stirred it up real good, but..."

"But what, Spike?" Twilight asked. What was so hard about adding sugar to coffee?

"But... the coffee sort of dissolved the spoon. I didn't think it'd be a good idea to give that to Zecora, so I threw it out..." Spike explained.

Silence overtook the library, none of them saying a single word in response to this revelation. And slowly, all eyes turned to Twilight, who was still holding her coffee cup, as a sick feeling started to overcome her.

And then Spike started snorting, before bursting into all out laughing.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist," Spike stated in the middle of his laughing. "We needed a tension breaker with all this shit going on."

Twilight scowled at Spike, despite the fact he was oblivious to the fact with his eyes being closed. Making jokes about her coffee was definitely uncalled for. And her displeasure was only added to by the fact that Applejack had found it amusing as well. But then she saw the amused smile on Zecora's face, and that took the wind out of her sails. That was the first time she'd seen Zecora smile since her arrival here. For her sake, she supposed taking one on the chin wasn't so bad if it meant putting some mirth on her muzzle.

She'd find a way to get him back for it later. In a totally passive, purely humorous manner of course.

"So how long do ya think it'll take fer 'em ta respond ta yer beacon anyway?" Applejack asked, deciding to change the topic.

"I don't really know. It depends on whose currently on duty, who saw it, and how it gets reported. But I'm being optimistic, and hoping we only have to wait a few minutes for a response," Twilight replied. At least that was what she was telling herself; that she was being optimistic. If she admitted how she was really feeling right now, she might lose her composure entirely. She needed to hold it together, for just a little longer, and then she could turn the reins over to somepony else while she took a private moment to vent the building freakout attack.

"So what do we do in the meantime while we wait?" Spike asked. Starting breakfast was always a possibility, but he'd really hate to get started on cooking for the four of them, only to find out halfway through preparation that they'd be joined by numerous others. It was already difficult enough with Zecora being on the list; primarily because he never knew just what to make for her. Even if she ate it without complaint, that still didn't make it any easier on him to know what to cook.

"I think waiting is all that we really can do right now, Spike," Twilight replied, before taking another sip of her coffee.

And so that was what they did; they simply waited to see what sort of response they would get. Standing around -or otherwise sitting- was really the only thing that could be done at this point in time, what with their limited resources.

"Hey Zecora?"

The wait was stretching on. Another couple of minutes and the sun would be peeking out over the horizon, signalling the official start of the new day. Being the farmpony that she was, Applejack was well aware of that fact. She wanted to consider herself as being a patient mare, but waiting in silence for sompony to respond to their urgent message was simply intolerable. She needed to speak up, to hold a conversation.

And right now, that conversation had to do with something that had recently come to mind. Most might not consider it important, but then again she wasn't most ponies. Just because it was relatively recent, didn't make it any less important.

When the zebra turned her head in acknowledgement, she continued. "Ah've been doin' some thinking, an' Ah was wonderin' if ya'd like ta come back ta Sweet Apple Acres fer a while. Ah reckon Apple Bloom'd be as pleased as a pig in mud ta see ya, an' have ya around fer a few days. She's been mighty lonely since Scootaloo an' Sweetie Belle can' be seein' 'er."

Applejack didn't want to admit to it too quickly, for fear that even acknowledging it to herself might jinx her luck. But slowly, ever so slowly, she'd been entertaining the notion of returning to Sweet Apple Acres again, back to her home, and her own bed. She'd pondered the idea of spending the night in her own bed, surrounded by the familiar scents of the farm, rather than the lilacs and lavender that she associated with Twilight, and the odd mix of sulfur and cinnamonesque spiciness that she attributed to Spike.

She didn't want to admit to it, but ever since her episode in the orchards, the prospect of spending even a single night on the farm scared her. As long as the sun was up and shining brightly, she could work there all the live long day without nary a worry. But as soon as the sun started to dip behind the horizon, she didn't want to be anywhere else but inside the library. There was just something about being here, with both Twilight And Spike, that left her feeling secure.

What she would admit to, however, was not liking how she felt afraid of the prospect of spending a night in her own home. That was just plain, positively unacceptable! She wasn't some scared little foal, she was a grown mare! And so, bit by bit, day by day, she'd been weighing the prospect of marching herself back home, and forcing herself to spend the night there, to convince herself that there was nothing to be afraid of.

She just... hadn't gotten around to doing that yet...

That fact aside, she recognized that she couldn't stay here forever, even if Twilight would let her. Sooner or later, she had to return to not just her home, but also to her life. And if she had to return to Sweet Apple Acres... well why not invite Zecora along? Twilight was certainly a wonderful host, but the mare was wound exceedingly tight; she had seen the kind of meltdowns that could come from having too much on the plate to address. And right now she was starting to feel like she was either on that plate, or was soon to be added like a side order.

Truth be told, she was a little afraid of what might come about developing. Despite their best efforts at getting along, the three of them were starting to get annoyed by each others habits. She had seen how such things developed in the past in other situations, and she really didn't want to be present for that. She'd much rather leave on her own accord, than be asked to leave.

And if she was leaving to give Twilight more breathing room, she was going to see about bringing Zecora along. That would be two less obstacles in Twilight's way, and two less ponies interfering with her efforts in finding a cure.

But Zecora never got to answer the question. And Twilight and Spike never got the chance to give their input on what was being proposed. All of them were cut off from any further discussion, as a bright flash of light filled the entire room, before fading away to reveal Celestia and Ulquiorra standing in the middle of it.

For Applejack this was a sign of relief. Going days without word back from Canterlot, and seeing neither hide nor hair of Ulquiorra, had left her wondering just what could've been going on outside of Ponyville. For a while she was afraid that something terrible had happened, and they were truly left on their own. But now those concerns could stop, and she could take a well-needed breath, before expressing how relieved she was to see them.

"Where the fuck have you been!?"

Or maybe choke on her breath at Twilight's sudden obscene outburst at seeing the pair. She'd expected... well she didn't know exactly what to expect, other than Twilight being Twilight. And based on the expression Celestia was currently wearing, she hadn't been either.

Considering everything, maybe they both needed to update their list of behaviors they commonly associated with Twilight.

It was a rant that was filled with both fury, and obscenity, as they all watched Twilight venting for the group, their worries about the total lack of communication during the last three days, despite word of it being urgent. Anger, hurt, betrayal, fear, it was all pouring out freely, all at the same time. All of that composure she had maintained prior to Celestia's arrival, had quickly melted away, giving way to an obviously distraught unicorn, whose overactive mind had conjured up worst case scenarios, like Canterlot having fallen to enemy invasion, and everyone being killed off.

"Yep. Definitely wound up way too tight," Applejack thought to herself as Twilight's tirade soon gave way to tears. Although it was a whole lot less tears than what had been shed in the aftermath of the changeling incident. And much like back then, Celestia was there to offer Twilight comfort and support when she broke down. She would chalk it up to another step in the healing process of what had transpired between them.

And then she noticed Zecora, who apparently still had enough grasp of her surroundings to have assumed a kneeling position on the floor out of respect for meeting the country's ruler. She didn't know whether to leave their friend there like that, or interrupt the current prostration, since it looked like Celestia was going to be spending a fair bit of time tending to Twilight, in a bid to get the excitable unicorn calm again.

Over where Ulquiorra stood, his senses had finally cleared just in time to come into the middle of Twilight Sparkle's outburst, primarily aimed at Princess Celestia. Or more accurately, close to the end as sadness set in not long after, and she proved to be in need of consoling.

Without so much as a word, he walked over to where Applejack and Zecora stood, getting himself out of the way of the emotional drivel, as Twilight Sparkle was advised to take deep breaths, and that everything was alright.

"Better?" Celestia asked as she looked down. Twilight nodded silently as she sniffed, and used her foreleg to wipe her eyes. Celestia responded by pulling back, and allowing her stand on her own four hooves again. "Now then, once more. With clarity, and without the doomsday scenario. What is it that happened?"

"Yeah, I've got this," Spike spoke up as he stepped over to where the others stood. "Three days ago, Zecora came pounding on our door in the middle of the night, scared bad enough that she couldn't even talk," he stated, gesturing to the zebra who was still in her bowing position. "Anyway, we sent word to Luna three nights ago asking her to come, but we didn't get any reply back. The next day, we wrote you asking the same thing. We even wrote Ulquiorra. Never a word back. So, yeah, it's been kinda hectic around here." he explained.

Twilight nodded enthusiastically at Spike's explanation of the events of the last three days; even if he did leave out a lot of details that she wanted to add. But right now there were other important matters to tend to.

"What happened? How come we never heard anything back?" she asked, trying not to lose her composure all over again.

"Twilight... none of us have received any communication. Had we, you know we would've been here immediately," Celestia explained, before quickly -and gently- placing her right hoof against her student's lips as she was getting ready to start talking again. "Whatever is behind this lack of communication, we'll get to it. But not right now. For the time being, it would be wise to address the matter that originally brought us here, correct?" she asked. Twilight slowly nodded in understanding as she withdrew her hoof, and set it back down on the floor.

With that matter addressed, she slowly approached Zecora.

"Arise, please," she spoke softly, bringing the zebra back to a standing position. "It's nice to finally meet you face-to-face, Zecora. Twilight has told me a great deal about you," she stated, trying her best to help the mare feel at ease. But by that look she currently wore, it really wasn't doing much good. Perhaps it was time for a different approach.

This wasn't the first time she'd ever met with a zebra before in the past. But it had been the first in several years, so her familiarity with the native language wasn't the most practiced. She could only hope that what she remembered, she remembered accurately. "Siku njema."

"Siku... siku njema," Zecora responded in turn slowly.

Apparently, yes, she correctly remembered that the phrase meant "good day." It was a start.

"I would continue in your native language, but it's been quite some time since I last had reason to practice, and I might wind up saying the wrong thing," Celestia explained as she sat down on her haunches. She briefly wondered if sharing a rather humorous story from the past would serve to help ease the tension. But humor was always so subjective, and it might not go over well. Best to play it safe for the time being. "Now then. Can you tell me what happened the other night?"

Over where he stood, Ulquiorra observed as Zecora stammered and stuttered as she tried to get the words out, pausing before she could get more than a word out. At this rate they would never get anywhere. He was fully prepared to take over the interrogation, conducting it much as he had done with Rainbow Dash previously. But before he could move, he detected magic being at work. Or more specifically, Princess Celestia's magic. It felt like the same spell he had witnessed during Rainbow Dash's stay in the palace's infirmary when she'd been frantic.

Being aware of that, he opted to just hang back, and continue observing how things played out. At least for a little while longer.

"Zecora," Celestia spoke softly, "it's true that I'm here in an official capacity. But it's equally true that I'm here in a friendship capacity. Whatever is going on, it's affecting not only my subjects, but also my friends. I find that to be completely unacceptable. And if you know anything about what's going on... absolutely anything... I would be most appreciative if you would share it with me," she stated, the kindness in her voice never wavering, even though she was speaking in a firmer tone now. "The Everfree Forest is still a part of Equestria proper, and as such is subject to my rule. And as you choose to live there, that makes you one of my subjects, subject to the same protections, and considerations, as any pony that was born within these borders. But I need to know how to help, before I actually can help. I need you to meet me halfway, and tell me what's happened to you," she explained.

Zecora listened silently, finding a measure of comfort in the words Celestia was offering up to her. She couldn't explain it, but she could feel them helping put her at ease during this trying time. It was a level of comfort that she hadn't experienced for herself in quite some time, and it was very much welcomed. It was all quite relaxing to hear and experience.

"Now then," Celestia spoke up as she lowered her head, bringing herself more to eye level with Zecora. "Tell me what happened. Please. Otherwise I won't be able to help you."

"I... I... Y-Your Highness, might I, um... t-that is to say... could I... c-could I..." Zecora stammered slowly, constantly tripping over her own words as she tried to speak. And every time she tried to speak, Celestia couldn't help but notice that there was a distinct flushing of red showing through the portions of white fur on her cheeks.

And then a thought came to Celestia. Without a word to intent, she sat herself up again, she swept her right foreleg off of the ground, holding it outward to the side. She then flexed her hoof. She could see the confusion in Zecora's eyes as she blinked, leaving her to wonder if she needed to be more vocal. But that wonder stopped when Zecora finally took the hint, and hurried over to where she sat, not even hesitating before sinking into the waiting embrace.

This -surprisingly- wasn't the first time one of her subjects had actually asked her for a hug. It was just that those who did tended to be much younger, and still overflowing with youthful innocence. There had been exceptions to that standard, but that had been a very long time ago, back when the political landscape had been different.

Oh how she missed some ancient traditions.

"Better?" Celestia asked as she looked down at her. Zecora simply nodded.

Off to where Twilight and the rest of them currently stood, watching silently at how things played out, there was a certain measure of disbelief to be had. What they saw ran contrary to the mental image that they'd long held regarding Princess Celestia.

But then again that mental image had been taking a serious beating over the past few weeks. There was the near-constant need to reassess long held notions about their ruler in light of everything that had been seen. What had been the image of a perfect white alicorn who was above mortal issues, sought out for divine wisdom on various matters, was slowly but surely being replaced by the image of just another pony, as prone to errors as everyone else around her, while possessing a very strong motherly instinct; one that suggested anyone who was stupid enough to get between her and her ponies was going to regret that decision.

Ulquiorra, meanwhile, waited as patiently as he could for the insanity to end, and the answers to begin.

"Ukungu wa jinamizi..."

Maybe it was magic, or maybe it was mundane. Whatever the true answer was to the question, it still remained unbelievable just how quickly Zecora had calmed down in Celestia's embrace, to the point she could actually start piecing words together on her own again.

Unfortunately those words seemed to be in her own native tongue, making it difficult for Twilight and the others to make sense of what she was saying.

"Ah know Ah'm not the straightes' talkin' o' ponies 'round these parts. But Ah didn' understand one danged word outta all that," Applejack stated, more lost than whenever Rarity got to talking fancy when she was upset.

Twilight nodded in agreement. She knew that she had a language dictionary around here somewhere that would assist in the translation... but she didn't have a clue how to go about spelling the words Zecora was using. Wordlessly she looked to Celestia, hoping for answers since she seemed to have the most knowledge on the subject, based on their initial communication.

"It's been quite a while since my last interaction, so my command of the language is a bit rusty. But if I'm remembering correctly, I think it translates to... mist of nightmares?" Celestia asked as she looked down at Zecora, who looked back up at her and nodded silently.

"Mist of nightmares?" Twilight asked and blinked. But she didn't even wait for confirmation, before looking up towards Ulquiorra to see if the term had any relevance to him and his studies. The response she got left her with no doubt that he didn't have the slightest clue about the term; he looked back at her, and without even taking his hands out of his pockets, he shrugged his shoulders. Instantly she turned back to Celestia. "I've never heard of it before."

"It's a very archaic term from a long time ago. It's actually been a long time since I last heard of it myself," Celestia replied as she looked down at Zecora and gently stroked her back. Right now she could only assume that the term still had relevancy in the zebra's homeland. "If I remember correctly, the more contemporary term for the phenomenon is terror fog," she explained.

"Terror fog!?" Twilight asked.

"Wha' in the hay is terror fog?" Applejack asked, stumped by what they were saying. At least when it came to not understanding Zecora, she had a good excuse. But they were all speaking the same language right now, and she was still lost.

Twilight was about to explain, but so was Celestia. She recognized that it might be best if Celestia covered this one herself, and shut her mouth accordingly. But her efforts at letting Celestia take the lead were rebuffed by a simple nod of the head from the alicorn, signalling that she was clear to take the lead on this explanation. With that fact in mind, she readied herself, trying to remember everything that she'd read on this subject so long ago.

"Terror fog is a phenomenon that's not well understood. The scientific community classifies its existence as unverified, because there's no hard evidence to serve as confirmation. There's nothing indicative of where in the world it's native to, or how common it is. The only evidence to suggest it even exists is anecdotal, based on the testimony of ponies who were unfortunate enough to stumble across it. They reported being confronted by vivid, and even graphic, hallucinations in the fog, that supposedly manifested as their worst fears," Twilight explained, trying to remember if there was anything else to cover. "As you can understand, nopony knows what the exact makeup of the fog is. But based on what's known, it's theorized that it must include some type of strong chemical-based hallucinogenic compounds, because those that were exposed were still suffering from hallucinations for hours, even after they managed to find their way out of the fog," she continued. "This... this actually makes a great deal of sense now that I think about it. That would explain almost everything, if that's what this really is. There was a lot of fog the morning Rainbow Dash suffered her delusions. She said she needed to clear it, before the clouds could be cleared away since the forecast for that day was sunny. That must've been when she was first exposed..."

"Now wait jus' an apple pickin' minute," Applejack spoke up as she looked directly at Twilight, brow furrowing in the process. "Ya mean ta say ya knew about this terror fog stuff all along, an' yer jus' now bringin' it up fer us? Why didn' ya mention it when RD firs' went nuts weeks ago!? Why've we been runnin' all over Ponyville in a frenzy this whole time!?" she asked, growing more and more aggravated as she continued. The idea of it all was just way too much to tolerate.

Applejack knew full well that she couldn't fault Twilight as far as this whole incident went concerning Rainbow Dash. With just one pony to go by, and no detectable pattern. She couldn't even fault Twilight after she'd gotten affected. But as more and more of them started piling up, some sort of pattern should've emerged for that big unicorn brain to pick up on.

And yet... she was just now learning that her friend knew about what was going on around here. So it went without saying that she had some explaining to do.

Twilight, to her credit, barely flinched at Applejack's fury, and simply continued to stand her ground, waiting for a break in the tirade before speaking up.

"For starters, Applejack, it's like I said, there's no scientific evidence that confirms or even supports the existence of terror fog. There's nothing that I could readily, and consistently cite from a book to suggest that it might be the culprit. And even if there was, anecdotal reports of terror fog are so sparse, there would be no reason to believe that it was applicable in this case; Ponyville gets fog all the time in the mornings. How would we have ever known that something might be different this time around? Why would we have reason to be suspicious in the first place? It would be like suddenly being suspicious of your apples." she pointed out. But she was just getting started on making the matter perfectly clear. There was still plenty to detail. And right now she was seriously tempted to crack her neck to get loosened up.

"There's also the fact that I'm not always awake early enough in the day to watch the weather ponies clearing away morning fog. Why would I have reason to find it as being suspicious, when apparently even the weather service wasn't?" she asked. But she didn't even give more than a second's pause before proceeding onto the next point. "In addition, out of every account we've taken so far, none of the afflicted ponies who came forward reported anything that properly matched the accounts given by those who were afflicted by terror fog. For them the hallucinations started just minutes after exposure; not hours or days later. Nor did the hallucinations continue haunting them days and weeks after the fact. Yours certainly didn't stop after the first night, did they?" she asked.

Applejack flinched at that particular question, uncomfortable under the new scrutiny. This certainly wasn't where she'd thought the discussion would go, otherwise she never would've asked. These were the exact thoughts she'd been trying so desperately to suppress, and not think about. The ones she'd been trying to drown out, and pay no attention to them, after hearing about how badly Rainbow Dash had nearly gone to pieces. They were the reasons she didn't sleep well at night, and would wake up terrified.

"No. They didn't," she replied and shook her head slowly, now wishing she hadn't asked Twilight the question.

"That's why it wasn't considered a possibility until just now, it didn't match what was known about it. But now with Zecora that changes everything. Now we do have some idea of what's going on around here," Twilight explained.

"So what do we do now?" Spike asked.

Twilight stopped before she got started talking again. Her scientific side was screaming itself hoarse with utter excitement about the implications of this discovery, and what it could possibly mean for the academic community.

But the scientific side of her, the one that had been cultivated back in Canterlot, wasn't in control of her right now. And as much as it was making itself known to her once again, another aspect of her was drowning it out. That was the part of her that had learned how the value of friendship trumped the value of pure science. This wretched fog had caused unspeakable harm to both her friends, and so many others, that she didn't want to have anything to do with it; not even a scientific paper with her name on it, that would find its way into well respected medical journals for decades to come.

But right now, neither one of her two sides knew precisely how to proceed. That was a question she couldn't immediately give a definite answer to.

"I don't know, Spike," she replied as she slowly shook her head. "Scientific significance aside, I don't know how to proceed. We know that it's like terror fog, but the discrepancies still leave me really uncertain on just what we're facing, and what we should do," she explained. So many questions... it was all making her head hurt horribly. Out of hope, and desperation, she turned to Celestia for the prospect of answers. "Princess, do... do you know what we do from here?"

"At present, I really don't. I'm sorry, Twilight," Celestia replied and shook her head. "This certainly provides us with a number of answers and solutions. But only to a point. I could easily use my magic to evaporate it, and prevent anymore ponies from being afflicted by its horrible effects. But doing that will do nothing to help those who are already suffering. Destroying the fog will only amount to prevention, rather than a cure. To the best of my present knowledge, that's something I'm afraid just doesn't exist in this world," she explained solemnly.

"So that means we don' do anythin'?" Applejack asked. That was certainly how it sounded to her.

"No, certainly not. I'd never suggest such a course of inaction under these circumstances. All I'm saying is that there would be no miracles for us," Celestia clarified.

"There's another issue that must be raised for consideration purposes, before we can proceed with any course of action," Ulquiorra spoke up, bringing their attention back to him. And now that he had their attention, he was going to use it. "Evaporation of the fog may end up causing us far more harm than good. Transformed into a full vaporous state, it will rise in the atmosphere, and condense into the clouds; quite possibly taking whatever hallucinogenic substances are present with it, and thus contaminating the clouds. Not knowing what concentration of hallucinogenic compounds are necessary to trigger the attacks we've witnessed, we could wind up triggering a widespread epidemic, as the compounds will be dispersed not only over a wider area, but in a form that will invariably leech into the groundwater, and contaminate everything it touches. Water supplies, food supplies, plants... the list goes on," he explained.

It wasn't necessarily a bad idea on their part, but it was still something that needed to be addressed before they did anything. These were the kind of things that needed to be taken into consideration, when determining what course of action they would have to take.

Of course that was all assuming the worst case scenario hadn't already happened, considering what the nature of fog was. For all they knew, this had already come to pass, and had been doing so for ages. But if that were the case, perhaps the chemicals had simply become far too diluted to present any type of risk. Unless there was the cumulative effect in play, and they simply built up into the system, until a tipping point was reached.

"Oh that's just wonderful," Spike groaned as buried his face in his palms while standing next to Twilight. "So we know what's causing this whole mess, we just don't have any way of stopping it, because we might make it like a thousand times worse in doing so! Is there any other good news for today? Like, I don't know, the whole town is contaminated by the fog so it's quite literally everywhere we go, and any one of us could succumb next? Or maybe a giant meteorite is gonna come crashing down on top of us?" he asked as he looked back up and them, gesturing excitedly with his hands in the process.

While Spike's second hypothetical was -statistically speaking- nonsense, the first was definitely a possibility. The research team had conducted a widespread search of Ponyville and the surrounding territory in search of whatever narcotic substances were in play, and according to them, they were still compiling the results of their findings. If the fog that had been continually draping Ponyville was responsible for everything, then it was certainly a possibility that anything it had touched had become exposed, which would then transfer to anything that had touched it.

In the wake of discovering the mystery reiatsu that had saturated just about every inch of the surrounding territory, the evacuation of Ponyville was a possibility that had been given consideration. But that notion had been discounted not only by the deaths of Ready Stance and Dr. Thrush, but also the marketplace incident with Fluttershy. Whatever was responsible was openly mocking them, letting it be known that it could get in and out without any of them noticing, and do so at its leisure. Attempting to evacuate the entire village would prove futile under those facts alone. But in light of this new information, they might as well be trying to swim up a waterfall.

He was about to point out how Spike's hypothetical could certainly be the case. But Applejack had started talking first.

"Ah know Ah'm jus' a non-magical earthpony, bu' what if we jus' freeze it solid? Big ol' chunks o' ice would be more manageable ta dispose of, wouldn' they?" she asked.

No one spoke as they looked at one another after hearing the question. Could something like that actually work? Granted it wasn't the simplest of approaches that they could go with, but it certainly wasn't a hyper-complicated, multi-step process where any number of things could go wrong.

"Could... could that actually work?" Twilight eventually asked as she looked over to Celestia.

"It could work. There would need to be a significant bit of coordination before it could be attempted, but I'm not coming up with any reason for why it wouldn't be a possibility," Celestia replied as she slowly nodded. Yes, that was certainly a viable option, if they could go about carrying it out properly. "It might take one or two days to get everything lined up before we could actually proceed with such a plan, but I do believe it would work."

"I trust there's a method of condensing the fog into a specific area, so that it can be frozen in large masses, rather than being turned into frost or snow?" Ulquiorra asked. He received a nod in response. "Then at present I don't foresee any noteworthy complications to take into account," he replied. As far as magical solutions went, it seemed fairly solid. Contamination was far less likely with ice than with water vapor that couldn't be accounted for.

As far as he could tell, the only real downside was that it couldn't be attempted today; both out of need for organizing the endeavor, and because it had already been cleared by the weather service ponies.

"Better watch your back, Twi', looks like Applejack's coming for your genius crown," Spike snickered as he elbowed her.

"She deserves it with an idea like that," Twilight replied, unable to stop smiling. Or at least she couldn't, until a particular thought came back to the forefront of her mind with a vengeance. "But that still doesn't change the fact that there's no cure. This still won't help the ones already suffering."

Once again the room returned to silent, the good mood they'd had going from the suggestion of freezing the fog solid, was tempered by the knowledge that it still did nothing to help those who were already afflicted. And based on what correspondence she had been getting from Canterlot prior to this, time itself was no answer to their problems; not with how the chemicals weren't breaking down in the body like they should.

"There is a cure..."

It was such a soft, quiet murmur that came from Zecora, it would've been very easy for them to miss it.

It would've been. But they hadn't. They'd heard her statement as she looked outward to face them, and immediately all eyes were on her for clarification.

"There is? What is it? Where is it? What do we have to do to get it?" Twilight asked quickly, the only thing keeping her from being nose-to-nose with Zecora being Spike holding her back.

"I'll admit, this is information that I'd like to hear," Celestia stated gently as she looked down at Zecora, doing her best to temper her own excitement to avoid unnecessarily scaring her. "What is this cure, Zecora? How do you know about it?"

"It is... it is a concoction of my native land. Ukungu wa jinamizi has been much more common there than here in the past," Zecora explained as best she could, trying to speak coherently. "The... the ingredients are common enough, for the most part. But... but for it to work, it will need fresh cherubic root from the start..."

The first rhyme she'd heard in three days had nearly brought a smile to Twilight's face. But hearing what Zecora had just said was enough to suppress that desire to smile.

"Wait. You mean you know how to safely manage that?" she asked, curiosity asserting itself with a vengeance right now.

"What's cherubic root?" Spike asked, curious as to what had gotten Twilight so curious.

"Part of a plant that's mostly indigenous, but not limited, to certain areas of the Everfree Forest," Celestia explained, her horn aglow as an image was summoned to give them a visual representation of a flower that looked like a black and orange lily. "They're more commonly known as death blossoms, because of how toxic they are to ponies if they're ingested. I'd heard that they had certain medicinal properties about them in other parts of the world, but I've never seen it for myself."

Ulquiorra remained silent. Using certain poisonous substances in a medicinal role was far from unheard of. But then again no one had asked him for his opinion.

"Does this mean that things are finally looking up for us?" Spike asked. To him it certainly sounded like they were, because now they had an idea of not only what the problem was, but how to go about addressing it.

"I'd certainly say they are, Spike," Twilight spoke up, a smile forming over her face. "There are still a lot of questions that this doesn't answer, I can't deny that fact. But right now we at least have an idea of what we're currently facing, and how to go about properly dealing with it. That means we can stop it, we can bring Rainbow Dash back home, and we can get back to being a united front. And then, when we finally get everypony back together, and find whatever asshole is responsible for this, we can deliver the epic level beat down that's so richly deserved!" she stated.

If Bulk Biceps was close by, she was positive her statement would've been met with a resounding "Yeah!" in response.

All around the room, high spirits and optimism were being experienced. There was nothing particularly wrong with that as far as Ulquiorra was concerned. But optimism had to be grounded in reality. And among these ponies, he was reality incarnate. He was the black cloud that hung over their prospects of throwing a parade.

"The only things missing are an evil laugh, and a flash of well-timed lightning," he thought to himself. "This would certainly qualify as good news. But there's still one important issue that's not currently being addressed. Specifically, why was a beacon set off above Canterlot?"

Silence returned to the room after his statement. That made it easier to concentrate on the problem at hand. He had heard the statement of sent messages not being responded to, but that had taken a back seat to all of the discussion pertaining to the terror fog. Now that they had an idea of how to address what was being faced on that front, it would be wise to turn their focus to other pressing matters before they were forgotten.

"Oh. Right," Twilight replied and nodded. "Well as Spike said, we've been sending letters ever since Zecora appeared, but we never got a response from anyone. And after three days, we started to get worried that something bad might've happened. To be honest I don't know what would've happened if we hadn't gotten a response from the emergency beacon. I suppose we could've taken the train up to Canterlot, but it's not like we could do much good as fractured as we are," she admitted.

Celestia nodded to signify that she had heard Twilight's words, and had been paying attention to what her student had to say. All the time she wore the same face she wore when overseeing the day court, and being forced to listen to petitioners that she would rather see just shut up.

It was back to the court being held while naked, the minute she got back to Canterlot.

"I remember. But as I said, Twilight, we haven't received any correspondence at all. As far as reports go, all has been silent," she explained.

"But how is that even possible? We've been..." Twilight started to object, but then stopped, her brow furrowing in concentration. "Spike!" she called, instantly summoning a rolled up scroll, before levitating it over to him. "Send this to Princess Celestia right away."

"But she's right here," Spike pointed out, not seeing the point in what seemed like an exercise in redundancy to him.

"I'm well aware of that, Spike, but humor me and just send it anyway," She instructed. "Please," she added, far softer than her previous tone.

Spike just shrugged, before deciding to focus on the task at hand. He grasped the presented scroll, focused on the signature that was Celestia, and exhaled a stream of green fire, reducing the scroll to nothing but ash and smoke with ease.

All eyes in the room turned to Celestia, watching and waiting, to see the scroll materialize. And waiting. And waiting.

The seconds ticked by with an excruciating slowness, the whole room filled with a tense silence; like the slightest noise would undo everything.

Finally an entire minute passed by, with no sign of the scroll making any attempt of rematerializing.

"Spike, are you sure you sent it to Celestia? Are you positive it didn't go to Cadance and Shining Armor by mistake?" Twilight finally asked.

Spike frowned in response. "I'm sure, Twilight, trust me on this. I've sent hundreds of letters and reports to her over the years. Her signature is the well-worn path of magical fire communication. I could be woken up in the dead of night, and have no idea who I even am, and I could still send it right to her," he stated.

"Well then how come it didn't..." Twilight paused, her mind at harder work than her mouth at this point. "Wait. Could it be something as simple as the spell on your fire needing to be recalibrated again?" she asked.

"I... I don't know. I went up to Canterlot for that purpose not all that long ago. But I guess it's possible," Spike replied. Magic was definitely a complicated and tricky subject. He didn't understand the exact mechanics of how it worked, so he couldn't rule it out as being the reason for the lack of communications.

"Ugh," Twilight groaned and hung her head, "I feel like a moron for not thinking of that first. We could've saved ourselves two days of worry if I had..."

Celestia rubbed her chin in thought, stroking it with her left wing. The flame network spell could certainly be out of calibration, even if Spike had been looked over just a few short months ago. Much like a dentist appointment, twice a year he had to be examined up in Canterlot to make sure everything was properly, well, calibrated. And although everything had been good so far, that didn't mean that something hadn't gone wrong at some point down the line, and simply hadn't been caught yet.

"That certainly could be the case. As much as the spell has been stretched and modified in recent times, I'd honestly be surprised if everything is still working the way it should," she replied and nodded as she tucked her wing back in. "But without an examination, we can't determine anything."

Spike groaned at hearing that, not liking where this conversation was going. "You mean we've gotta go all the way back to Canterlot?"

"Hopefully that can be avoided this time around," Celestia replied as she slowly stood up, drawing herself away from Zecora in the process. "We'll need a quiet place to work, though."

"Will the library's basement work?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, I believe it should for what's being required of it," Celestia agreed and nodded. "Ulquiorra. While I'm examining Spike, if Zecora is up to it, I'd like you to go about helping in the acquisition of however much cherubic root she believes will be necessary to cure everyone in Ponyville. It's a dangerous task to go looking for such, and I'd feel much better if you were participating," she stated.

"Such was intended even before it was asked," Ulquiorra replied. The sooner they could gather the necessary ingredients to begin facilitating the creation of a cure, the sooner this entire crisis could be stopped. And seeing as he was the only one not vulnerable to whatever poison was contained by these flowers, it made the most sense for him to go about acquiring them. "Simply get me a map of where to go, and an idea of how much of what to bring back."

"On it," Twilight spoke up. "Zecora, I know you've been through a lot, but I need your help for this. Do you think you can do that?"

Zecora looked away from where Celestia stood, before turning to look at Twilight, and slowly nodded in answer to the question.

"Alright then! Everypony's got an assignment to do, so let's get to doing them!" Twilight stated enthusiastically. This day might not have started out all that good for them. But that did nothing to stop it from shaping up to be good as it went along. They finally had an idea of what they were facing, and they had an idea of how to address it. Rainbow Dash was coming back home one way or another, and once she did, they were going to be doing some serious ass kicking!

Author's Note

Sorry everyone. This chapter was supposed to cover a lot more material. I really tried, but I just couldn't get my head focused on the transition to what was going to happen next. So to avoid anymore undue delay, I decided to just move the rest onto another chapter to continue. Hopefully that one won't be too long in the making.

Am I happy with it? Not at all. But there's really not much I could do about it, as I've been trying.

Deleted/Alternate Scene

"Hey, Ulquiorra-"

"If you ask me for a bedtime story or to tuck you in, I'm going to kick you," Ulquiorra warned without even looking up from what he was writing.

Rainbow Dash, in response to such an unexpected statement, stuck out her tongue at him and blew a raspberry.

"Very funny," she stated, before turning serious again. "Anyway, what I was wondering is, when do you think I can go back home to Ponyville?"

"That's not for me to determine. When you're fit to return will depend on what Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna, determine about your recovery," Ulquiorra pointed out. He had very little say in the matter, and was generally called upon only for advice, rather than issuing any sort of final determination.

"But I'm better now. You saw for yourself!" Rainbow Dash protested. "I'm not afraid of the dark anymore! I can totally go for hours without freaking out!"

"You were never afraid of the dark," Ulquiorra pointed out. How she kept forgetting that basic fact, he didn't know. Nor was he certain that he actually wanted to know. "The fact that being in dark places no longer triggers a traumatic response has been noted. But that doesn't mean you're over the trauma you experienced. Nor does it mean that there aren't other triggers that must be addressed."

Rainbow Dash just sighed in response, followed by groaning. She really didn't want to be hearing this right now. "What do I have to do to get outta here?"

"That's not for me to determine," Ulquiorra reminded her. "Perhaps the best place to start in showing that you've truly recovered, would be eating a bowl of oatmeal without complaint."

"I hate oatmeal!" Rainbow Dash protested furiously, barely even waiting for Ulquiorra to finish talking.

"I've seen you wolf down oatburgers without any hesitation," Ulquiorra pointed out. There couldn't be that much of a difference between them. "They're in the same food group, made from the same food stuffs."

"That's different! Oatburgers are mashed into patties and fried in butter. They're crispy on the outside, and topped with melted cheese and ketchup. They're delicious. Oatmeal is everything they're not. It's soggy, and lumpy, and it's something that can be poured down a funnel that's scraping the inside of your mouth at the time!" Rainbow Dash stated.

Ulquiorra said nothing, as there was nothing that needed to be said at this point. Rainbow Dash could potentially fool others about her recovery, but there was no fooling of herself. One psychological trigger had been disengaged, but there were still many more to deal with. She was in need of extensive help, but she was too stubborn to get it for herself.

Perhaps it was time to take a different route.

"Then perhaps a trade," he suggested.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked at him. "What kind of trade?"

"One that should appeal to your own basic crass nature. Eat your oatmeal. In exchange, I will teach you the same obscenities that I taught Twilight Sparkle, along with their meanings," Ulquiorra explained. After a slight pause, he continued, deciding to sweeten the deal. "I will even teach you the more heinous ones, that I didn't believe she was capable of handling."

Rainbow Dash blinked in response, not sure what to think. "Hold up. You think that you can bribe me with the prospect of learning a few dirty words, to eat something that I absolutely hate?" she asked.

"Are you saying that I can't?" Ulquiorra asked in response.

"I never said that," Rainbow Dash clarified, "but I want proof up front that you're serious. That you're not just gonna trick me and run. Where's my guarantee?" she asked.

"What sort of guarantee do you want? One of those ridiculous Pinkie Promises?" Ulquiorra asked, causing her to laugh in response.

"As ridiculous as it would be to see you doing one of those, no. I want payment up front. You teach me what you've got, and I'll start scarfing down that slop," Rainbow Dash stated.

"And what guarantee do I have, that you'll actually do as you say?" Ulquiorra asked her, deciding to turn the previous question back at her, and see what sort of response she had.

Rainbow Dash didn't even blink. "You'd have an easier time getting compliance out of me, than I would out of you. I don't doubt that you'd make good on your threat of force-feeding me if you had to," she pointed out.

"... Fair enough..."

Deleted scene two

"Siku... siku njema," Zecora responded in turn slowly.

Apparently, yes, she correctly remembered that the phrase meant "good day." It was a start.

"I would continue in your native language, but it's been quite some time since I last had reason to practice, and I might wind up saying the wrong thing," Celestia explained as she sat down on her haunches. "This wouldn't be the first time it's happened. The last time someone from your nation held an audience in the day court, I wound up misspeaking when I thought I was giving a basic greeting to him, and his office. Instead of that, I wound up saying how flattered I would be if he would accept me as a concubine..."

Zecora blinked at hearing Celestia's words, finding them surprising just to hear, and even more so with how they were spoken so freely. The shocking aspect was too much to ignore, and demanded that some sort of response be had. That response came in the form of her snorting loudly, as she tried not to laugh out loud right in her face.

"You can imagine my embarrassment when he pointed out my mistake," Celestia added, driving Zecora into further hysterics. She couldn't help but grin at the mirth. "It was even worse when he informed me that the position was already filled..."

Chapter Eighty One

Chapter Eighty One

Celestia didn't want to admit it, but she was indeed surprised.

"Well now. That's very interesting," she stated slowly, the impromptu examination being called to a close as she stepped back.

"What? What's very interesting?" Spike asked from where he sat on the makeshift work bench down in the library's basement.

"According to the results of the examination, everything is operating as it should. Mechanically speaking, there's nothing wrong with the flame network spell. It should be working just as intended," Celestia explained. It was a complex spell that produced the desired results, but nothing was out of alignment as far as she could tell.

Strictly speaking, she didn't have a clue why it wasn't working.

"But that just can't be. Something must be out of whack!" Spike stated as he jumped up to his feet, unable to believe that nothing was wrong. If nothing was wrong, then how come there was no communication going on? That was the part he didn't get at all.

"I'm well aware of that fact, Spike, but whatever it is, I'm simply not seeing it. All of the scans indicate that everything is fine. Obviously something is wrong, but the question is just what that something is," Celestia pointed out. She really didn't need someone explaining to her that something wasn't right, as it was blatantly obvious even to her.

But by the same token, she didn't need to be hostile when confronted by frustration over something not being right. She just needed to take a moment, and compose herself properly. And come up with an idea.

Fortunately one presented itself in short order.

"Perhaps we're looking at this from the wrong perspective," she stated, before summoning a scroll, much as Twilight had done earlier. "Send this over to Luna," she said as she levitated it into Spike's claws.

"But if the others didn't make it-"

"Trust me on this one, Spike, I need to verify something," Celestia instructed as her horn began to glow.

Spike really didn't know what Celestia was getting at. But he just shrugged, and exhaled a stream of green fire to incinerate the scroll, in hopes of sending it along its way to the intended target.

"Well now. That's very interesting," Celestia spoke up, "I didn't notice anything, because the spell wasn't actually being used until now. But now that is has been used..."

"What? What is it?" Spike asked, not liking the tone that Celestia was taking.

Celestia didn't immediately give an answer to Spike's question. Instead she summoned another scroll, before causing it to vanish in a flash of magic. Two seconds later, however, it reappeared right in front of her, and fell to the floor. She frowned in response.

"What?" Spike asked again, mentally concluding that if he wasn't informed of what was going on this time, he was going to start shouting in response.

"The spell is indeed in perfect working order, Spike, but the problem lays in its deployment. For whatever reason, the spell isn't being utilized. I certainly know that you're trying your best to use it, but for whatever reason there is, it's simply not responding like it should. No communications can be sent out, nor can they be received," Celestia explained.

"Seriously? How does something like that even happen? It's never failed before!" Spike pointed out. Sure he had to go to Canterlot to make sure his spell was still working, but he just figured that was a formality since he was working with Twilight. But now... now he was hearing that the spell could simply stop working even when there was nothing wrong with it? He didn't know what to think about that.

"Well there are several possibilities that would explain it. The spell utilizes the magic in your own body to work, so it could be something as simple as a nutritional imbalance being the case. If that's the case, it could be resolved with an according change of diet, and perhaps a few days worth of supplements," Celestia stated.

"What else could it be?" Spike asked, opting to forgo the question of how his current dietary intake would suddenly be inadequate for the task of sending and receiving letters via the flame network. Sure, he'd admit that he hadn't been eating as well as he could've been the past few days. But surely it couldn't have been that simple, could it?

"Stress," Celestia stated simply.

"Stress?" Spike asked, finding the very idea hard to believe. Even he couldn't resist looking Celestia in the eye incredulously. "Being Twilight's number one assistant, I'd like to think I'm pretty well versed in what stress can do. If stress was the culprit, wouldn't the spell have stopped working, like, years ago?"

Despite it being a jab at her student, Celestia couldn't help but smirk at Spike's question. It was certainly a good point to be raising, considering how Twilight could get at times.

"I know that it sounds strange, Spike, but it's a valid theory. As we go through life, we become adapted to certain stressors we're subjected to over time. But that doesn't mean we become insulated against stress entirely. It could be something new; some innocuous little development that occurred recently, that was otherwise not given much thought, due to everything else that's been happening around us," she explained.

"Yeah? Like what though?" Spike asked.

"That's not something I can answer, Spike. You're the only one who knows what you went through," Celestia pointed out.

Spike sat back down, rubbing his chin in thought, trying to think of what happened between the night Zecora showed up, and the last time he submitted a written report. It was a very narrow window of time to keep track of, but that didn't mean a lot of things hadn't happened, that would need to be run through for consideration.

"Well... Fluttershy got attacked in the market a few days ago. But that's not really out of the ordinary; stuff like that has been going on for weeks all over town," Spike pointed out. About the only ones who hadn't been affected were Rarity and Twilight. He wanted to count himself, but he didn't know for certain anymore. "Then there was Ulquiorra trying to teach me about combat the day after that."

"Combat?" Celestia asked and blinked at the mention of the word. She... really didn't like the sound of that. "What sort of combat?"

"Well... so far none. All he did was buy a big bucket of tennis balls, and spent the better part of the day hurling them at me while I ran. I didn't get to learn anything. Except for how bad it hurts to get hit by tennis balls," Spike explained, rubbing his head as he did, remembering the pain of being hit by so many.

Celestia didn't want to laugh, or show any kind of amusement. But Spike's recollection of events had been so unlike what she'd thought she might hear, it was hard not to let the relief shine through. She didn't want to admit it, but at hearing Spike mentioning combat, she had feared just what Ulquiorra might've attempted. So it was a welcome relief to find out just what had been going on.

She knew that with danger being all around them, they would have to make hard decisions. But Spike was still just a baby, and shouldn't be getting involved with such issues. She was going to need to speak to Ulquiorra later, about what was and wasn't proper around here; otherwise he might wind up trying to militarize the foals of Ponyville next.

"Has there been anything else that happened since then?" Celestia asked, deciding to get back on topic, and away from the obvious unpleasantries of such thoughts.

"Let's see..." Spike mumbled in thought, mentally running through whatever came to mind in his search for what might've caused him to stress out so hard, that he could actually break the spell. "Not really. It's all been pretty routine here, just another house guest to be looking out for," he replied and shrugged. Zecora coming to stay with them had certainly been shocking, but he wasn't seeing how that might be what got him so shaken up.

Maybe it was a lack of sleep finally catching up to him. Sleep had been hard enough to come by ever since Rainbow Dash has her freakout attack, and the nightmare from several nights back had done nothing to help him with that. But then again in between helping look after Zecora and everyone else, it was hardly-

"A nightmare?"

Spike quickly covered his mouth at hearing Celestia's question. Had he... had he seriously said that out loud, rather than just thinking it to himself?

It was either that, or Celestia was reading his mind in search of the answers she needed. And he highly doubted that she'd been poking around up there without his permission.

He quickly considered denying everything even mildly connected to his nightmare, having absolutely no desire to talk about it. But one look at Celestia's face made it clear to him that he couldn't lie to her. She didn't even have to give him a specific look to convey the fact that he couldn't lie to her. He just knew that it wouldn't work; not under these circumstances.

Resigning himself to defeat on the matter, Spike proceeded to tell Celestia about the nightmare that he'd experienced. Sombra, his actions, the consequences of his actions... he didn't spare her any of the details that he could remember. Once he got started talking about it, he couldn't make himself stop talking. Everything he'd been holding in for the past few days, keeping it away from Twilight and the others, had desperately wanted to be let out, and it was going to achieve just that.

By the time Spike was finished talking, he was aware of the fact that he was no longer sitting on the work bench. Instead he was being held closely in Celestia's forelegs. He was also aware that his cheeks were damp. Had he actually been crying during his tale? And if he had been, why hadn't he noticed it?

"It's alright, Spike, it's alright," Celestia told him gently, her words soothing in tone as she gently kissed him on his forehead.

"I'm sorry," he sniffed as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Spike, you didn't do anything wrong," Celestia reassured him. "You're far too young to be getting involved in matters like combat. Ulquiorra had no business deciding that it was right to try and train you to fight."

"Wait, what?" Spike asked as he looked up again. "No, it wasn't like that. I asked Ulquiorra to train me," he objected.

"You did?" Celestia asked. Spike nodded. "But why?"

Once again, Spike proceeded to tell his tale, this time of the conversation he'd had with Twilight the day before Zecora showed up, and the motivations behind his actions. Although he'd been a bit more blunt with Celestia than he had Twilight, as he knew she was more psychologically durable. She wouldn't bruise and break as easily as Twilight would if she heard what he had to say.

By the time he was finally finished, he was being hugged again. Not that he was complaining, however.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all of this, Spike. Your heart is certainly in the right place. But sometimes the heart simply isn't enough to overcome everything else," she stated as she once again pulled back to look at him.

She now had a very, very good idea of what sort of stress was causing the spell to not respond. What Spike was going through right now, it was utterly horrible for one so young. To feel so worried about the well being of those around him, that he would feel motivated to learn how to fight with lethal force, and then be confronted with a nightmare where he wound up using that force against those he sought so desperately to protect... As old as she was, and as much as she had seen in her time, things like this still managed to make her heart ache when she was confronted by it.

Now the question was what could they do, that could help Spike cope with what he'd experienced, that would also enable him to resume his role as a link between Canterlot and Ponyville?

All of them served their roles that made them important, but out of all of them, Spike was the only one who could both send and receive messages. He was their only real means of sending word about occurring developments, and warn of impending danger. As important as Twilight and the others were to the safety of Equestria, the simple fact was that Spike held a greater measure of importance about him; just for a different reason. If they couldn't adequately address what had caused him such trauma, and help him get beyond it, then it might not matter whether or not Rainbow Dash ever recovered.

Ulquiorra hadn't been the only one sent out on an errand to gather the necessary supplies. His had simply been the most noteworthy due to the risk that would be involved. But the others who had been upstairs on the main floor, had each gone on their own individual missions to acquire what Zecora said would be needed in developing the cure.

Twilight was the first to arrive back at the library with Zecora, their excursion to the marketplace yielding a considerable haul of ingredients, laid out on the main table for examination. It wasn't so much that there were a lot of ingredients that had to be gathered up, but there were a lot of each of the ingredients that would be needed, as they had to take into account the sheer number of those who were afflicted.

She tried to talk, to say something to Zecora. But nothing appropriate seemed to come to mind. Amazement that these everyday ingredients could be combined in a way to cure what had been terrorizing everypony for so long? Expressing gratitude for Zecora's presence and knowledge? Asking if this would really work? None of it really seemed right. And the lack of knowing what to say left her with a gnawing, empty sensation to wrestle with. She wanted to talk, but had no idea of just what to talk about.

In the end she decided on something that was far simpler, opting to go over and hug her instead. Actions spoke louder than words, supposedly. Hopefully her actions spoke with clarity rather than just volume.

The hug was quickly returned, with just as much firmness as had been given out. She would take that as meaning Zecora understood what she was trying to convey.

It was around that time, that the door to the library swung open, and Applejack walked in, hauling a cart behind her that just barely cleared the doorway, and only because she had been careful in her approach.

"Ah'm back," she announced as she slid out from the rig. "Ah managed ta get everythin' on mah list. Wha' abou' y'all?" she asked, before moving around to shut the library door.

"Not quite," Twilight replied as the hug was broken. "We couldn't get the sunflower oil, that had to be ordered in. If all goes well then we should have it no later than Monday," she explained.

"Let's hope so," Applejack replied. Although simply hoping that nothing went wrong, and leaving it up to chance, rarely yielded desirable results. Maybe it would work better if she headed out to try and retrieve it from wherever it was being ordered in. At least that way it would be relatively safe. But considering their luck it was a specialty item that wasn't available directly to the general public.

The sound of shod hoof steps coming up the basement stairs could be heard, bringing their attention to the doorway as Celestia made her way back to the first floor, Spike riding on her back as she did so.

Twilight was over by them so quickly, it could've easily been mistaken for teleportation. "So what's the prognosis? Is the spell out of alignment? Is the integral stability thaumatic matrix degrading?" she asked quickly.

Celestia shook her head, her calmness serving as a counter to Twilight's near-frantic state. "There's nothing wrong with the spell. Rather the problem at hoof, runs far deeper than mechanics of magic can address," she stated.

"Uh... wha' now?" Applejack asked.

Celestia paused momentarily, giving consideration to how she was going to go about delicately wording her explanation.

"As best I can tell, the problem comes down to a simple matter of stress. Much like everyone else who's been afflicted in some way by this crisis, Spike has been going through an unimaginably stressful time, and doing his best to cope. But considering the managerial duties he's been sharing with Twilight, as they try and keep everything from going to pieces in an ensuing panic, has put far more strain on him, than anyone could ever reasonably ask him to manage. The degree of responsibility being demonstrated is truly commendable, but the expectations attached are entirely unrealistic, and even dangerous. Not just for him, but for anyone. To be honest, I'm surprised that something hasn't happened sooner; this entire town has slowly been turning into a pressure cooker," she explained.

Despite having heard this the first time around, it still wasn't any easier for Spike to hear being repeated to Twilight. To him the mention of stress being the culprit made him feel like he was weak, and simply not trying hard enough. He didn't care if Celestia was stating that anyone would succumb in his place, as it did nothing to change his opinion on the matter.

Making matters all the worse was how he had no way of fighting stress. It wasn't like changelings or a manticore; there was nothing to grab hold of and punch black and blue. It was one of those dumb, internal battles that required a heck of a lot more effort to win, and seeing the psychiatrists. And he seriously doubted that they had the time to actually go about doing all that. He'd much rather be facing the manticore than this.

He didn't even want to think of how Twilight might react to this news. That was going to be even worse than facing the psychiatrists, he was absolutely certain of that.

What he didn't expect, however, was for Twilight to pull him into a hug the moment he climbed down off of Celestia's back. Not that he was complaining, however. He'd take the calm before the storm.

"So if it's stress, then wha' do we do about it?" Applejack asked as she pulled her attention away from the surprise hugging that just unfolded.

Celestia looked over at Applejack briefly, before turning her attention to Twilight and speaking up. "Tell me, Twilight, do you know why I enchanted Spike's fire for communication purposes?" she asked.

"So we could be in direct contact with one another. You said it was so I wouldn't have to interrupt petitioners if I had a problem to bring to your attention," Twilight responded as she looked up.

"Well, that's true, but it's not the sole reason," Celestia explained as she sat down on her haunches. "The reason I enchanted Spike's fire, rather than giving you the enchantment to use directly, was to help teach you about the importance of working together with others, and that nopony can do everything by themselves, no matter how competent they might be. Looking around, it's safe to conclude that you've learned how to work with others quite well. I believe it would be safe to modify things a bit, to streamline the process for the time being."

"Say what now?" Spike asked.

"In simple terms, Spike, I intend to lighten your official workload, to give you the opportunity to recover. For the time being, Twilight will be the one responsible for sending and receiving communications back and forth. For her the process will be more automatic, as the workings of the spell won't be bound to her physical body," Celestia explained.

Spike didn't know how to feel about this just yet. The idea conjured mental images of Twilight being the one to experience the indigestion that went with burping up flaming scrolls. And while it was funny to think about, he doubted she'd be receiving them the same way he did. But more to the point, he was... uncomfortable with being replaced so easily. It wasn't that he thought Twilight would send him away, now that she didn't need him for correspondence purposes. But there was still the point that his effectiveness was being diminished now. His own measure of importance was being reduced. And if he wasn't important, what was his point of being here?

He knew that he could still help Twilight with organizational duties, as he was the only one skilled enough to keep up with her. But still, the thought of being replaced, even temporarily, didn't set well with him. The only real comfort he could take in all of this, was the fact that Ulquiorra wasn't likely to kill him, just because he was of diminished capabilities. He was a bit past that point, if Twilight was to be believed. That took some of the potential stress away.

Twilight and Celestia were talking in the background, but he really wasn't hearing what they were saying. His focus was elsewhere at the moment.

And then the front door opened with a shove, and Ulquiorra stepped back into the library, carrying two large burlap bags, one of them slung over his left shoulder while the other was held in front. Without so much as a word, he used his leg to swing the door shut, and sat both of the bags down on the floor.

"Ah take it tha' there is Zecora's list o' stuff, an' not evidence tha' yer movin' inta the library with us?" Applejack asked.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied simply. He'd been dispatched to acquire the roots of death blossom flowers, and he had done just that. Beyond following the crude map he had been given, the most tedious aspect was finding a sufficient quantity of the flowers to remove the roots from. Actually pulling them out of the ground, without destroying the roots in the process, was another issue. But that wasn't worth discussing right now.

It was at this point that Zecora stepped forward to examine the presented bags.

"Were you able to... I mean, did you... did you... were you able to get everything that was on the list? Even that from my hut?" she asked.

"Everything," Ulquiorra repeated, "those found in your hut are in the smaller of the two bags."

Twilight watched as the sudden change in Zecora's demeanor occurred. She'd gone from timid almost like Fluttershy, to a mare who had eagerly moved to dive into the aforementioned bag with both front hooves, fumbling around inside, running over the various -and obvious sounding- containers of unknown contents, before apparently finding whatever had sparked such interest. Whatever it was, it must've been something exceedingly important.

The fact that it turned out to be a stuffed animal that was eagerly pulled out of the bag, was enough to leave Twilight very confused. It was an old looking doll, about the same size as her own Smarty Pants, and in the form of some animal that she couldn't even begin to recognize.

But to see the look of excitement and relief on Zecora's face, as she sat down to vigorously hug the doll as it gave a soft squeak, it just struck her as heartwarming. And the fact that Ulquiorra had actually brought it right along with what were likely vital ingredients for the cure, when he had absolutely no reason to do so of his own accord...

Yeah. He could claim that he didn't have a heart all he wanted. Actions still spoke louder than words.

"Has it been determined why the flame network is currently down?" Ulquiorra asked, opting to change the subject to something that was far more relevant, as well as more important.

"Based on my findings, I would hypothesize it being the result of undue levels of stress from everything that's been going on. Although it's possible that I may be wrong," Celestia replied.

Stress. That was one that Ulquiorra could believe easily enough. He'd recognized the potential for stress leading to complications in Twilight Sparkle as she tried to handle everything on her own. It only made sense that Spike would be just as vulnerable to its affects, seeing as he assisted Twilight Sparkle; a difficult task if ever there was one. He had simply assumed that they would be facing mental consequences, rather than physical complications.

"Assuming your hypothesis is correct, what is being done to address it?" he asked.

"I'm afraid there's not much that we can do about it. Stress, much like the side effects of the terror fog, isn't something that can just be undone. Worse is the fact that there's no cure for stress," Celestia explained as calmly as she could. "For the time being, I intend to reassign the spell to Twilight so that we can maintain communications between Ponyville and Canterlot. That's about the extent of what we can do, while giving Spike whatever time he needs to recover."

Ulquiorra looked at Twilight Sparkle, before lowering his gaze to Spike as she continued clutching him. The look that he got back was one that he'd witnessed many times before. It was the look of someone who had been informed that they, and the position they held within an organization, had been rendered obsolete, and that they no longer had any importance that justified either their continued service, or even existence. It was the look that the Privaron Espada would often get when they realized that Aizen could easily replace them with artificially created Espada that were superior to them.

Whether the look was due to some feeble hope Spike had that he could argue the case otherwise, a pleading effort to suggest that he could still be useful, or the fear that his theory from earlier regarding the Elements of Harmony would play out with him, there was no way of saying for certain. But then again he wasn't here to keep them calm and happy. His role was to keep them safe through whatever means.

"If ya don' mind mah askin', is there a reason yer walkin' with a limp?" Applejack asked, bringing his attention to where she currently stood in the room. "Ah noticed it when ya walked inta the room jus' a bit ago," she explained.

And then all eyes were on him again, out of either curiosity, or misplaced concern. Whichever it was, he wasn't sure. But the change in subject was welcomed right now.

"There was a slight incident in the procurement of the death blossom roots. On the way back, a cockatrice was encountered. Recognizing the fact that it was in the presence of a superior predator, it attempted to do what it does best in such a situation. It was dispatched before it could complete the process. However the petrification that took place up to that point in time has not yet worn off," he explained, making it simple so they could understand the events that had transpired.

"Wait, wait. Are you saying that the cockatrice turned part of your body to stone?" Spike asked. That hardly seemed like a slight incident to him. Something like that was a serious, life-threatening situation for a pony to encounter.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied, before lifting up his left pant leg, showing them the point of his shin where stone and flesh met, his ankle completely unable to move as a result, hence the limp Applejack had witnessed.

"This is quite bad," Zecora spoke up, toy forgotten as she examined Ulquiorra's leg more closely. "I... I do not possess any sort of remedy for what has been had. Only the cockatrice responsible could undo what has been done here. But if it has escaped, the situation will be quite hopeless, I fear..."

Twilight was torn in several different direction all at the same time. The fact that Zecora was actually starting to rhyme again, she considered that a good sign. But the matter was drastically overshadowed by Ulquiorra's current condition.

"Um... when you said the cockatrice was dispatched, you mean it was..."

"It was killed by being smashed flat with the shovel I was using to uproot the death blossoms," Ulquiorra elaborated. What did they think he did; shoo it away? Where was the point in that? If he had done such, someone else could've been put at risk of total petrification. "Incidentally, I owe you a new shovel."

To Twilight the idea that Ulquiorra was strong enough to break the shovel while killing the cockatrice wasn't all that hard to believe; not after what they'd all seen him do in the past. Although the idea of him actually using the shovel for such a purpose just struck her as such an odd concept. She had little doubt that he'd done as said, and made a cockatrice pancake in the process.

"That leg will have to come off," she commented, unsure of what else to say on the matter.

"I'm well aware of that fact," Ulquiorra replied. Did she foolishly believe that he intended to keep a useless stump? "Were it not for ensuring the required ingredients were delivered in an expedient fashion, I would have severed it prior to my arrival here. Now that they have been delivered, there's no further obstacle in doing such."

"Hold up! You're gonna be doing that now? Right here?" Spike asked.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied, "if anyone has a weak stomach, they may wish to leave now, while they still have the opportunity. Things are bound to get quite messy," he stated.

"Stop this! Stop this at once, I must protest! Amputation of a limb is a serious matter; it should not be discussed in jest!" Zecora protested, both shocked and appalled at how things were going. This was a serious, life-changing experience that was being made the subject of almost casual banter. What was wrong with all of these ponies? Had they all been affected to such a degree, that they thought it was appropriate to be making light of such issues? "He must be taken to the hospital, post-haste. Attempting such a delicate procedure here would lead to such a waste."

"Your concern for my well being, while certainly not unappreciated, is entirely misplaced, and unnecessary," Ulquiorra stated simply, before walking over to the round table of the library, his left foot falling a little more heavily with each step than it was before. While not the most optimal of the available options, it would certainly work for what needed to be done.

"I... I do not understand," Zecora admitted as she shook her head, more confused than before.

"Ya see, Zecora, Mr. Cifer's sorta like a salamander, an' can regrow his limbs if he needs ta. Granted, Ah ain' seen it fer myself, but he says he can do it," Applejack explained, hoping to make sense of the whole thing for the zebra.

Zecora looked from Applejack over to Twilight for clarification on what was being said, and received a nod in response. Knowing that Ulquiorra could actually heal himself in such a way made their banter a little less objectionable to experience. Perhaps she should have simply kept her mouth shut until she had all the facts in.

"That does it, I'm outta here! I don't care how much I get paid for my duties, I draw the line at disposing of severed body parts!" Spike stated. His title of "number one assistant" didn't specify any such grisly tasks. He was gonna wait upstairs until this whole thing was all over, as even just the thought of Ulquiorra cutting off his own leg was starting to make him feel queasy.

"Actually, Spike, you might not have to..." Celestia replied.

+++

"If you can communicate with your Queen at this distance, then relay this message to her. I am coming for you, Chrysalis, and it is my intention to kill you for what you have done here today."

That had been the entirety of the message before a sickening noise of flesh being pierced by steel silenced the changeling's outburst. It was that particular sound that made Celestia flinch hard, nearly driving her to vomit again from the mental image it conjured.

Ulquiorra stepped back out of the cell, sliding his blade back into the sheath as he turned to look at her.

"Let us begin then. The first step will be verifying if the information on hive placement is correct," he stated simply.

"If it is, that would mean Chrysalis was quick to extract herself from the bad lands," Celestia mentioned, more to herself than to Ulquiorra. It really went without saying, but she preferred noting it to herself.

She suspected that a lot more drones were going to become collateral damage before this issue was resolved, but there was little she could do about that. Her primary concern, as far as the changelings went, was that Chrysalis be taken alive in all of this. Beyond that... she really didn't know.

As Ulquiorra walked past her, she walked in the opposite direction to return to the throne room. Unfortunately that meant passing my the holding cell. That also meant -out of a morbid sense of curiosity- taking in the consequences of her actions and efforts.

The kill had at least been clean. She'd feared there would be changeling bits all over the cell walls, floor, and even ceiling, despite knowing how unlikely it would be. If not for the absent right eye, she could assume that it was still simply passed out from the sheer degree of fear Ulquiorra had thought to inflict upon it.

Janitorial would have to be alerted to this, sooner rather than later. She truly pitied them this part of their duty.

But before she could consider the matter any further, something highly unexpected happened. The blood she attributed to Ulquiorra's interrogation techniques, as well as the severed limb, had all burst into teal flames. And just as quickly as the whole display had started, it had come to an end. It was almost like watching a match be taken to a small pile of the gunpowder used in fireworks; just a sudden flash it was completely gone.

What exactly had she just witnessed happen!?

+++

"Ya actually did that!?" Applejack asked in disbelief. She knew that Ulquiorra could be extreme in how he did things. But the idea of him severing one of his own limbs, just to make a point, seemed extreme even for him.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied as he used the edge of the table to sit on, so he could pull his leg up to rest on his right knee, to expedite getting his footwear off. "It had the intended purpose of convincing the changeling that I meant business. Needless to say, he was all too willing to come clean about the location of the hive," he explained, before finally tugging his foot loose.

"I could certainly see the validity of such an approach to the problem at hoof at the time," Twilight stated and nodded. Although she really would rather not observe the process being carried out. Even reading about torturous interrogations in various books didn't sit well with her all the time. "What I'm curious about right now, is the process in how your limb just disintegrated like it did. How does something like that actually occur, when there's no ignition system involved?"

"Everything requires sustenance to survive. Some simply gain sustenance in a different form," Ulquiorra explained as he began rolling his pant leg up. "All Hollows require the consumption of reishi to maintain their atomic stability and cohesion. Some obtain it through absorbing what is latent in the area, while others prefer to go for large quantities through the consumption of souls," he continued, stopping once the pant leg had been rolled up to his knee. That was far enough. He spared the others a glance, noting the discomfort at his words. But that was none of his concern. Sometimes a reminder of what he was, and what his nature was, could prove to be a good thing. It would keep them from becoming too friendly around him, and with him.

"When a Hollow can no longer obtain sufficient quantities of reishi for an extended period of time, either because there is none available to absorb, or because what is available proves to be too meager for the needs their actions demand, their body will begin cannibalizing itself for fuel, in a desperate effort to maintain its continued existence for as long as possible," he continued in explanation as he withdrew his zanpakutō, and stuck his leg outward. "When that no longer works, because there's no more reishi to be had, the cohesion of their atomic stability ceases, and they disintegrate. That is what was witnessed on the day in question."

"Alright. All of that does make sense," Twilight replied and nodded. The way Ulquiorra described everything, his body worked a lot like a pony's body. Or at least enough like one that there were similarities. "But how does that explain the teal flames Celestia witnessed? What was the source of ignition, that resulted in the display?"

"That... I will admit, I have no explanation for," Ulquiorra replied. And in one clean swipe, with a sound not unlike a ripe watermelon being cut into, sliced off the petrified portion of his leg, letting it fall to the ground with a loud thud.

Spike had been quick enough to look away as Ulquiorra lifted his sword in preparation of the cut, not wanting to see what he knew was coming. Just knowing what was coming was already making his stomach do flip flops, and he knew that if he'd watched it, he was gonna lose it.

Twilight gagged in response to what she'd seen, nearly vomiting on the floor right then and there, completely unprepared for the sheer goriness of it all. The fact that he'd kept his leg extended outward meant that she got a nice cross sectional view of the musculature and bone that made up his leg, before the blood started flowing freely from the wound.

She really should've put a tarp down before letting him go ahead with doing this. But curse her curiosity on the issue for now allowing her to think critically on the matter. Watching him pluck out his own eyeball had done absolutely nothing to prepare her for this.

"Does... doesn' it hurt when ya do somethin' like that?" Applejack asked as she tried to think of anything else but what she'd just seen happen.

"It's excruciating to experience," Ulquiorra admitted freely, seeing no reason to deny what was basic fact.

Applejack was about to ask why Ulquiorra would do something so casually if, by his own admission, it hurt that badly. But before she could get the words out, they died in her throat as a black, viscous substance erupted from the stump. The next thing she knew, she was observing the leg rebuilding itself from the bone upward, until it looked like nothing had ever happened.

"Now that was amazing," she stated, not knowing what else to say.

Twilight merely groaned from where she stood. It had all happened so fast. She'd intended to use the mage's sight spell to try and get an understanding of the magical mechanics behind Ulquiorra's high-speed regeneration, but she'd been too slow to achieve that goal. Her disgust had slowed her down just enough for her to miss her window of opportunity. And as she watched Ulquiorra flexing his newly formed foot, she knew it was far too late to gather any relevant information on the subject.

Unless...

"There's something I don't understand about all of this," she spoke up as she looked to Ulquiorra. "If you're more or less a ghost, how do you-"

"Don't try and comprehend the workings of the biological mechanics to a Hollow's physiology, Twilight Sparkle," Ulquiorra interrupted as he pulled his footwear back on. "Your mind would likely explode if you attempted such."

Author's Note

I apologize for the lack of quality in this update. Originally this chapter was going to contain a lot more material. But despite my best efforts, it just wasn't working out like I wanted. So I figured that after so long, half a chapter was better than nothing, so here it is for your reading pleasure.

Before I get any questions about the amputation scene. Yes I felt it was necessary. Ever since chapter 27 I've wanted to address the issue of Ulquiorra's severed arm, and what ultimately became of it, because that's how my detail oriented mind works. But I never found a way to either work it into the story, or as a deleted scene on another chapter. Finally I just got sick and tired of putting it off, and simply decided to reference it here.

So again, sorry for the lack of real quality. I'm hoping the next half is a lot better.

Chapter Eighty Two

Chapter Eighty Two

Much as Celestia had explained would happen, the severed limb, and even the blood that had been spilled as a result of Ulquiorra's ad hoc sort of surgery, had all succumbed to a spontaneous combustion type of reaction not long after the procedure had been completed.

By the time it was all said and done, the only trace of what had occurred, were slight scorch marks on the wood where everything had fallen. No detectable strange odors, no piles of ashes, none of the usual debris that one would expect to be present as something being burnt.

It was a process that Twilight would desperately like to gain a greater understanding of. She was positive that there were certain scientific applications available that could benefit greatly from such studies, and possible discoveries being made. But as it was already, she had more than enough on her plate as it was. With the prospect of a cure to the terror fog being so close at hoof, and an end to this long-running nightmare, she was more than willing to postpone Hollow-related scientific endeavors until later on, when the crisis was over.

Until they actually got there, however, there was something else that needed to be addressed. Quickly she turned to Applejack to do just that.

"So how come you weren't sick at seeing what happened?" she asked.

Applejack just shrugged her withers as she redirected her attention to where Twilight stood. "When ya help wit' birthin' as many calves as Ah have, blood an' such don' affect ya as much anymore Ah guess," she replied.

... That was a fair point. Twilight knew that the birthing process could be a messy endeavor, even if she had never witnessed it herself. But regardless of that fact, the biology books she had read, had done nothing to spare her the details that were involved with the process.

Turning to Zecora, she considered asking her the same. The zebra had seemed more shocked than disgusted by what she'd witnessed happen, going by how tightly she was clutching her doll in the crook of her left foreleg. But that shock could've just been from the suddenness of it all.

"Then it is true, what he said to me. He truly is a roho mlaji..."

The question pertaining to Zecora's constitution died before it even had a chance to be asked after hearing the statement that had just been made. She didn't speak the same language Zecora did, but she still recognized the term from when Ulquiorra interacted with her on their first meeting. He'd returned from his reconnaissance mission, disguised as helping Zecora with transporting her supplies back to her hut, mentioning something about how the roho mlaji sounded an awful lot like Hollows. He then went on to question if perhaps other Hollows had found their way to Equestria in the past. That idea terrified her in many ways. But considering how many things had happened so rapidly, she hadn't had the time to dwell on those particular fears. Far more pressing matters had arisen shortly afterward, and demanded her full attention.

Now, however, that fear had returned to front and center, and was demanding to be paid attention to.

"Yes. Yes he is," Celestia stated softly as she stepped past the others, and closer to Zecora. She really couldn't see any reason in denying what was the truth. However at the same time, there was no point in leaving Zecora scared. "However you have no need to fear Ulquiorra. Despite what he is, he's certainly nothing like a wild animal. While he indeed uses violence, it's only when the situation warrants such, that he actually does so. Nor does he go around, sucking the souls out of those he meets," she explained.

"To clarify," Ulquiorra spoke up as he stood up from where he sat on the able, and resheathed his zanpakutō. "It has been done before. But not for a number of decades," he stated.

"Wait, decades?" Spike asked, curiosity overruling his disgust enough to motivate him to look back forward. "Just how old are you supposed to be anyway?"

"That's... actually a good question," Twilight spoke up as she looked at Spike, and then back at Ulquiorra for answers. Going by appearance alone was difficult in determining age; especially with Ulquiorra. Both because his features were so radically different from those of a pony, and because of the little fact that he technically wasn't alive by the same standards as they were.

"Suffice to say, old enough that I can no longer remember the true extent of my own age. For all I know, I'm even older than Princess Celestia herself," Ulquiorra replied. When the only way of measuring the passage of time was how many steps you had taken, it was very easy to lose track of the time.

"Wow," Spike stated simply, unable to think of anything better to say after hearing that. He was having serious trouble imagining that anyone could actually be so old, they had lost count.

And then he started to wonder if, one day, that might happen to him as well, considering how long a dragon's lifespan was supposed to be. He'd really rather not think about that right now...

"Best not be tellin' Pinkie 'bout that. Ah'd imagine the resultin' cake she'd insist on bakin' would be a fire hazard," Applejack pointed out.

"Matters of such irrelevancy aside, the fact remains that no one present, is in any danger from myself," Ulquiorra replied, having no interest in the discussion of obscenely large birthday cakes. Or any cake for that matter. He had already had his fill of shenanigans for the day, and that was even before the whole issue with the cockatrice. With that fact in mind, he turned his attention to Zecora. "You have everything that was requested. How long before the cure can be ready?"

"At least three days," Twilight spoke up, "we couldn't get everything we needed here in Ponyville. We need sunflower oil, but that has to be ordered in due to the quantity needed. If all goes well, it'll be here in three days. Then we can get to work," she explained.

"Just wonderful," Ulquiorra thought to himself. Yet another thing that could potentially go wrong, and significantly set back whatever measure of progress they had managed to achieve.

He considered the option of going to acquire it himself, seeing as he would have much quicker results than waiting for these ponies to get their act together on their own. He could simply find out where he needed to go, and be on his way.

There was only one problem with such a course of action. Depending on just how far away the supplier of this sunflower oil was, his absence could be for an extended time. And there was no telling what might happen during that time. This could easily be the setup of yet another trap. During times like this, a healthy does of suspicion and paranoia was required. And if this was a trap, he was not going to take the bait.

"Hypothetically, let's assume that the sunflower oil is acquired, both on time, and in sufficient quantities. How long after this, will it take to concoct the cure we need?" he asked. He didn't particularly care if the answer came from Zecora, or Twilight, or anyone else. For all he cared right now, the Octava Espada could come springing out of the basement for the sole purpose of filling them in on the mystery.

"For a brew of this size, rushing ahead to the end would be quite unwise. Great caution is needed for us to proceed, as cherubic root is no mere garden sort of weed. The toxins within must be filtered out of the mix, a process which would take three days... or, depending on its concentration, perhaps even six," Zecora explained.

Six days of preparation time, on top of the three days it would take to acquire the last necessary ingredient. A grand total of nine days waiting time before the cure was in their hands. Unless the detoxification process could be started now, which would cut down to the wait time to just under a week. That was an extensive wait time they were going to be faced with. But Ulquiorra understood that there was nothing that could be done, to hurry things along. If the death blossoms were really as deadly as he'd been led to believe, it was perfectly understandable why it would take so long. Some things simply couldn't be rushed.

"Six days," Princess Celestia said to herself in a quiet tone. But not quiet enough to escape his ears. "That should be enough time to organize everything, before proceeding any further."

"You intend to wait until the cure is developed, before removing the fog from the area?" Ulquiorra asked as he turned his attention towards her. If that was what she was saying, then it was one of the dumbest things he'd heard yet. It made utterly no sense, to let a known hazard such as this, have free and continued reign over the area, and continually put others at risk through continued exposure. Did she even comprehend the full extent of what she was suggesting as a course of action?

"I would prefer to remove it from the equation right now. But that's simply not an option we have," Celestia replied as she returned his attention, her soft features hardening as she spoke. "I have no interest in proceeding with this plan, until I've managed to procure a sufficient number of water-tight, air-tight containers for properly holding the terror fog, and preventing its release. And not knowing just how much fog we'll need to deal with, I'd rather be safe than sorry in my approach," she stated.

Contrary to what Ulquiorra might choose to believe about her, she wasn't an idiot. She had no intention of waiting the entire six day period before addressing the terror fog. Should the containers arrive early, she would proceed accordingly, even if it meant having to go out, and fetch them herself; it certainly wouldn't be the first time she'd had to go with such an approach.

But even as royalty, there were still rules by which she was bound. She couldn't simply conjure something out of thin air that they didn't have. Nor could she simply pilfer the containers, as whoever currently had what they needed, could already have them all spoken for. This was all going to require a by the book approach to doing things.

At least for the moment, until she could determine that nopony else would be harmed with whatever might be the necessary course of action.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response. He could easily understand the points being raised, and saw the validity to them. Proceeding recklessly would only cause them trouble that they didn't need. It would make sense to wait until they had a secure containment method available to them, as there were too many variables in play right now, to say for certain just what might happen.

Even he was getting frustrated, and impatient. That was the only thing that really made sense of some of his more recent thoughts. Whether it was from these ponies being a more corrupting influence than he'd first assumed, or something else entirely, he wasn't yet certain.

"For now, though, it will simply have to wait. As important as this is, there are other important matters that have to be addressed, and can only be done while I'm present. When I switch the spell over to Twilight, she'll need to be familiar with the various details involved with sending communication back and forth; possibly between multiple recipients. And unfortunately I'm the only one with sufficient knowledge to help her learn what she needs to learn, and learn it quickly," Celestia explained further.

Again, Ulquiorra said nothing in response, despite the ever-growing urge to voice a number of points that needed to be voiced. Twilight Sparkle was already under a significant degree of mental strain from trying to keep things balanced, and controlled. Whether finding out that much of what was going on could be attributed to the terror fog, would serve to alleviate some measure of that strain, remained to be seen. But the idea of her trying to learn and memorize what might very well be the reiryoku equivalent of mailing addresses, didn't sound like a good idea to him.

But in truth, what other options did they really have? With Spike out of commission, Twilight Sparkle was the only viable option left for keeping up communication. It wasn't like Applejack or Zecora possessed any magical skill that would allow them to act as a communication hub. And bringing another unicorn into the equation would just add greater complication than they were already facing.

Even he could tell that the situation was far from being prime, and they simply had to make due with what they had available to them. The only question he had was which would be breaking first; the crisis, or the players?

"So this is really the best way to go about doing things?" Spike asked uncertainly from where he currently stood.

"I don't think we have much choice at this point, Spike," Twilight replied. She'd been playing over the available options in her mind, and was coming up blank on alternatives. But right now she had her mind on other matters than simply doing something that was necessary. She was doing this because Spike needed her help right now. If she couldn't wither responsibilities for him, then she was hardly what some could consider a friend. "You don't need to worry. I can do this. You just focus on not being stressed out. Everything's going to be alright," she assured him.

"That's easy for you to say. I'd be a lot more able to stop being stressed, if I knew I wasn't being useless to everypony," Spike commented unhappily. Granted, the fact that he wasn't going to be experiencing the indigestion of receiving messages was going to be a delightful bonus. But that still did nothing to change the fact that he suddenly had to come to grips with the fact that there was one more thing he couldn't do, because somepony else could now do it ever better than he could. "I can't do correspondence anymore, I can't fight, I can't even find a weapon that I can use should everything go to hell around me. How am I supposed to get better if I've gotta wrestle with all this shit?" he asked them.

The others looked at Spike, and then at one another in response to the points he'd raised. Much as they hated to admit it, none of them had really considered what he was saying until now. It was a lot easier to consider the aspect of Spike being overworked as the cause of his stress, rather than feelings of inadequacy. This was a development that left them feeling really unprepared.

Spike just sighed as he looked at the ground. "The one thing I could do to make myself really useful, that nopony else could do, and it's completely gone now. What am I supposed to do now? Cooking and cleaning? Writing down nightmare reports so somepony else can send them?" he asked them. "I can't even fight. I don't wanna be the useless one around here..."

Being hugged without notice wasn't all that surprising to Spike, considering what had been happening recently. What surprised him, however, was that it was Applejack who did the hugging this time around. And she could hug pretty firmly too.

"If Ah'd known it was that important, Ah would've let ya borrow the corn knife when ya asked," she told him.

"It probably wouldn't have done me much good, even if you had," Spike replied glumly, remembering just how badly things had gone during the evaluation process Ulquiorra had given him. As stocky as he was, he probably would've had to drag the knife along the ground, or carry it slung on his shoulder the whole time since it was about as long as he was tall. "I get that I'll never be a front line fighter like the rest of you are. But there's gotta be something I can do... right?"

Ulquiorra listened as spike spoke. For him, it was impossible to emphasize with the dragon's plight, despite knowing what it was like to find oneself rendered useless. But despite lacking the ability to emphasize, he could certainly understand what Spike was going through. His primary usefulness had been limited to begin with, and had since been drastically reduced even further in the course of just a few days.

But there was very little that could be done about it. While his recommendation of shurikens had validity, they could ultimately prove useless if Spike was encountered in too close a proximity to adequately throw one. And anything approaching a adequately sized melee weapon, to allow for an effective swing to be delivered, would simply prove too large for him to maneuver.

If they were back in his dimension, and had experienced a change in territory, there would be options available. North America supposedly had hundreds of millions of available options for such a situation.

But they weren't back in his dimension, they weren't in North America, and he highly doubted that a gun store existed anywhere in this world. And with Discord's involvement still being questionable... it simply wasn't an option.

Crossbows existed in this world. They could prove to be an option. But the issue of draw strength to the bowstring would prove to render one incredibly slow to utilize in any effective manner. And once again, there was the issue of proximity. What Spike needed was something reasonably small and compact enough for him to wield with one hand if need be, yet would be sufficient in allowing him to strike harder than his fist could accomplish. Something like a combat knife, or a dagger. Or perhaps a wood cutting hatchet, or even....

"What about a hammer?" he suggested. And then all eyes were upon him, seeking clarification.

"A hammer?" Spike asked, being the first to speak up. "You mean like what a carpenter uses?"

"While that would certainly work better than an empty hand, I was thinking of something more stout. When I was being given the tour of Barnyard Bargains by Filthy Rich, I noticed the variety of tools in the hardware department. Among them were sledgehammers of varying sizes, ranging from twenty pounds, down all the way to two pound, short handled models. While not as dramatic as a sword, blunt force trauma is still substantial," Ulquiorra explained.

"Huh," Applejack muttered as she scratched her head in thought. Before readjusting her hat afterward. "Ah reckon that'd smart somethin' fierce. But he'd have ta get mighty close ta somethin' ta do that. Wouldn' that be kinda dangerous for 'im?" she asked.

"No more dangerous than facing a threat while unarmed," Ulquiorra pointed out. "Depending on what magic can be utilized, getting within melee range might not even prove necessary."

"Alright. I know you've got something in mind, Ulquiorra," Twilight spoke up. She had been around the Espada enough to know when he was getting at something. "What is it?"

"Back in my dimension, one region's mythology spoke of a thunder god who wielded a short hammer as his primary weapon. The hammer was said to be magical, could smash a mountain to pieces, and would always return to his hand when it was thrown, among other folklore claims. While I doubt that such a feat could be accomplished, even with significant magical intervention, it stands to reason that at least some of these abilities could be replicated in this world, correct?" he asked.

Twilight looked at Celestia, who looked back at her, each of them contemplating Ulquiorra's words.

"Could... could something like that actually be done?" Spike asked as he spoke up, intrigued by the idea that was being presented.

"It might be possible," Twilight replied, deep in thought as she considered everything that would need to be taken into account. And that was quite an extensive list. Extensive enough that she looked over to Celestia once again for clarification. "Could it be done?"

"That would depend on just what Ulquiorra is suggesting we do. Applying certain magical properties to everyday items is contingent upon a lot of variables," Celestia replied, before turning her attention to where Ulquiorra stood. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Target seeking capabilities would be a good place to start. A weapon is useless if it can't hit its desired mark. Perhaps a return function, should reacquiring it manually prove to be a treacherous endeavor to engage in," Ulquiorra stated. Such modifications would certainly be needed for any throwing weapon, whether they be shuriken, or a hammer, or anything else.

"Hmm..." Celestia hummed to herself in thought as she considered Ulquiorra's recommendations, and everything that would need to be done to implement them. What he was proposing was certain possible. But the probability of accurately executing such magical enhancements remained questionable. "We might be able to do something like that, with enough time and effort. But before we can do something like that, we would need a hammer to examine, to determine the feasibility. Different configurations may require different approaches," she explained.

"Really?" Spike asked, a twinge of excitement working it way into his voice.

Celestia simply nodded, rather than going into detail about what could be done, and the various intricate details of such. Even if everyone present could fully understand them, the few minutes it would take to properly explain everything, would be minutes that could be used for either research on the application, or helping Twilight learn the intricacies of the new spell she'd be tasked with knowing.

"Come on, Ulquiorra! Let's go pick out a hammer!" Spike stated with gusto.

Ulquiorra wasn't exactly sure how he had gotten dragged into this predicament, although he did possess a few theories.

Regardless of the how, or the why, however, it was probably for the best if he went along with Spike during the selection process. If left to his own devices, he could easily see Spike foolishly selecting the largest hammer available, making the incorrect assumption that simply because he could swing it about a few times without issue, that he could effectively wield it for long periods of time. And things simply didn't work that way. Any decision that was made would have to take physics into account for the best results.

Besides which, he still needed to replace the shovel he broke when he'd killed the cockatrice.

"Very well then," he replied.

The next thing Ulquiorra knew, a small bag was being levitated in front of him by Twilight Sparkle.

"And what is this?" he asked curiously.

"Fifty bits for expenses," Twilight explained. "You shouldn't have to be doing all of the spending for supplies, Ulquiorra. You bought your own writing supplies, you bought the supplies for fixing Zecora's cart, you bought the supplies for splinting Rainbow Dash's leg... I don't care that the emerald Rarity gave you did have a three hundred bit equivalency to it, that's no excuse. So just use that to help Spike pick out the right hammer; it should be more than enough for that," she continued.

This was a development that Ulquiorra hadn't seen coming. He had very little need for money for himself, so it made little difference to him with who paid for what. Matters of funding were merely a means to an end.

He could speculate on the issue of trust he was being shown right now. But he would rather not.

"If you insist," he replied as he took the bag, and pocketed it in his satchel. The less time he spent hashing things out, the sooner they could accomplish everything, and be done with it. "To Barnyard Bargains then."

Celestia watched as Ulquiorra left with Spike following close behind, the young dragon nearly bouncing with excitement with each step he took. All she could do was shake her head, a small smile playing over her lips in the process. She then turned back to face Twilight.

"While they're gone, I believe now would be a good time to begin educating you on the communication spell. Until they get back, we can't really do anything about Spike's hammer," she explained.

"Actually, Princess..." Twilight spoke up slowly, "I know that we have a lot of important things to do. And I know that we don't really have that much time to do them in. But..." she paused hesitantly, mulling over her words, before deciding to continue. "You managed to calm Zecora, in the space of just a few minutes, far more than all three of us have been able to do in the whole three days prior. Is there any way you could swing by Fluttershy's, and do the same for her? Rarity's been staying with her, doing her best to help her recover since her attack in the marketplace, but she's in way over her head. The rest of us haven't exactly been faring any better either..."

Celestia wasn't certain how to respond to what Twilight was saying. The amount of work that they had to do was quite substantial, even before factoring in all of the complications that would be presented with magically forging Spike a weapon of his own. And Twilight was suggesting that they take time away from those pressing issues -issues that needed to be done as soon as possible- to address the suffering of one of her friends, who was already being tended to by somepony else?

Celestia wanted to smile, a sense of pride swelling in her chest at realizing just how much prioritization Twilight was giving her friends right now.

"I think we can arrange that just fine," she replied and nodded.

She just hoped that Luna wasn't getting in over her head right now back in Canterlot. The way things were going, it would be noon before she ever got back.

Being as seasoned as they were, the two guards at the base of the stairs that lead up to the throne currently occupied by Princess Luna, knew what was coming as the alicorn suffered the torture best known as pre-sneeze purgatory.

Knowing what was coming, they both ducked down to the floor just in time as the sneeze came forth, and with all the fury that the infamous Royal Canterlot Voice carried with it.

The petitioner that had been talking at the moment, had not been so lucky, and was nearly blown right off his hooves from the resulting force, his presentation slides being scattered.

"My apologies, dear subject, it would appear my allergies are acting up on this day," Luna explained as she sniffed, and straightened her crown as it had come dislodged from the force of her sneeze.

She had received word from Celestia not long after she'd departed for Ponyville to investigate the matter of Twilight Sparkle's beacon spell. Apparently the matter was the result of Spike's flame network being down, and the young unicorn panicking from the lack of communication in the time leading up to the discovery of the problem. That meant the problem was more technical than urgent, so there was no need to worry.

Worry or not, however, even Celestia had recognized that there was no way she could make it back in time for the day court, and had implored her to cover until she got back, and could resume her duties. And while she was always willing to assist her sister on important matters, that did nothing to change the fact that she was still tired. She hadn't intended to fall asleep while watching after Rainbow Dash, it had just happened without warning. She'd been awoken when she received the message about what was going on not long after, but the damage had been done.

The petitioners droning on about details she could care less about, did little to help the matter either.

Truth be told, she hadn't been sorry for her inability to contain her sneeze. It had served to shake things up just enough to make them interesting. Perhaps now the petitioner would express some more life in his speech.

She didn't want to admit to it, but she was beginning to understand what had possessed her sister to indulge in the idea of holding court while naked.

"Hurry back, dear sister, I cannot take much more of this," she mentally moaned to herself as she rubbed her temples.

Spike looked down at the hammer in front of him, noting the differences it now possessed, that separated it from what it had been when they first acquired it at Barnyard Bargains. It was still the same new-model, single piece steel construction type of sledge hammer, with a supposedly shock absorbing molded blue rubber handle. The only real difference he could note about it, was the runes that now covered its surface. Many, many intricate runes, all expertly carved into the outer surface, each of them only about as deep as a sheet of paper, and colored in a shade of metallic blue that he couldn't ever remember seeing before.

"So... this is it?" he asked with a fair measure of skepticism in his voice. He had been expecting something... different.

"The results are far more impressive than its appearance would suggest, Spike," Celestia replied from where she stood. The process for modifying the hammer hadn't been a particularly difficult task, but it had certainly required a fair bit of concentration and focus to get the runes right. And now it was time to test the results, and see if they would actually suffice. Hence the move to the outside while the others worked on what they could. "It wasn't possible to replicate everything Ulquiorra mentioned. But I believe the charms in place will suffice," she explained.

Spike didn't know what to say in response, so he simply shrugged, and picked the hammer up off the ground. As soon as he did, however, he felt a slight tingling running up and down his arm, and the runes started to give off a weak glow. "What's going on?"

"A side effect of the process. Simply placing enchantments on the hammer would be a temporary solution, with no way of guaranteeing how long it would last before they wore off. With the runes engraved into the hammer's surface, it's more of a permanent modification. The magic in your own body is what fuels their effects whenever you pick it up," Celestia explained.

"Really? That's pretty cool," Spike stated as he looked at the glowing runes, now feeling a sense of pride in knowing that it was glowing because of his own magic, rather than an outside an independent source. "So what's it do?"

"It might be better to show, rather than explain its capabilities," Celestia replied as she activated her magic, and levitated a cinder block into view about a dozen or so paces away from where they currently stood. "You'll still have to figure out distance and trajectory through trial and error. But now when thrown, the hammer should fly a fair bit further, than it would've if it was relying on your physical strength alone," she explained. "Give it a try."

Spike looked at Celestia, then the cinder block, then back at the hammer in his hand. With a nod he pulled back, and threw the hammer forward as hard as he could, doing his best to aim for the target.

Celestia watched as the hammer tumbled end over end, and quickly concluded that it was going to be off its mark. She responded by moving the cinder block into the path of the hammer, letting it be smashed to pieces upon impact.

Right after the block was hit, and subsequently smashed, the hammer quite literally bounced back from the point of impact, traveling back along the same path of trajectory, before landing at Spike's feet.

"You'll also need to work on catching it, as returning right to your hand on its own wouldn't be possible. But it's a far better option than it just laying wherever it might land," she explained.

In a way the whole matter struck her with a sense of ironic humor. The spell that made Spike's hammer return to him, was basically a modified version of the force rebounding spell that Ulquiorra had fallen victim to, in the wake of the changeling invasion. It had sent him across the hall when he'd tried to kick down the door it had been applied to. And now here they were, utilizing the spell again at Ulquiorra's own -but apparently unknowing- suggestion.

"No argument there," Spike stated as he picked up the hammer and twirled it in his hand. He could definitely see this proving quite useful.

"There's also one more ability that the hammer possesses. Perhaps the most important of the three. And one that must be seen, in order to be believed," Celestia stated as she levitated a new cinder block into view.

Spike was about to pull back for another throw, but stopped when he noticed something. Celestia's eyes immediately turned green, as a flare of dark purple magic appeared form the corner of her eyes like unrestrained flames. The next thing he knew, a black stream of energy was fired into the block as it hovered in place. He'd only seen something like this once before, but he doubted that he could ever forget that one incident.

"Isn't that-"

"It is," Celestia interrupted, "and it was necessary for this demonstration to be done properly. Proceed, and you'll understand why," she instructed.

Spike didn't have a clue what was going on. But rather than question it, he did as was told, and pulled back, before flinging the hammer forward as hard as he could.

Under the impact of the hammer, the first cinder block had broken apart, and crumbled to pieces.

The second one, however, had literally exploded on impact with a bright flash, sparks flying, and a loud boom at the point of impact, making him jump in surprise.

"HO-LY shit!" he yelled as the hammer landed back at his feet. "What the hell was that!?"

"A protective charm, designed to prevent a dark magic user from attempting to use the hammer against anyone else. As you can see..." she paused as she looked back at the smoking remains of the shattered block, "it's quite effective in doing its job."

"I'd say that's an understatement," Spike commented as he picked the hammer up again, and gave it a disbelieving look. He didn't know which should be more impressive to him; what the hammer could do, or that it was the magic he had in him that made it all possible. "So... what would happen if I encountered a dark magic user, and had to use it against them? What would happen then?" he asked.

"Without getting graphic about what the results might be, it would effectively ruin their day," Celestia replied. Before Spike could respond, however, she was already continuing with what she had to say. "But there's something quite important that you need to understand about this, Spike," she said as she set her right hoof on the hammer, and gently eased it onto the ground. She needed him to pay attention to what she had to say, and she was thankful when he didn't try and resist her efforts to separate him from it. That would make this easier.

"What this hammer can do is quite lethal - deadly in fact. It's not something that should ever be treated lightly, or as a first response whenever a difficult situation should arise. The ability to take a life with such ease, is something that should, and must, be reserved for use in dire times, only when there are no other options available," she stated. In her mind, she couldn't possibly stress this fact enough. From the very beginning, she'd been opposed to what her subjects, and her friends, had been forced to consider doing in response to the threats they faced. A very un-Equestrian sense was settling in over the land in the face of this new threat, and there was little she could do but watch as everything shifted into a very uncomfortable new territory.

Did she blame Ulquiorra for this? She certainly could, but ultimately she didn't. She understood that he wasn't the cause of what had been happening. He was merely the one who pointed out the existence of such. He had provided them with advanced warning for what was coming, giving them the opportunity needed to prepare for it. She was grateful to him, even if she didn't like it.

"You know.... it's kind of funny," Spike replied slowly as he looked up at Celestia. "Ulquiorra actually said something a lot like that to Twilight, the day after the manticore attack."

"He did?" Celestia asked.

Spike nodded. "I only know what I was told about everything. But Ulquiorra told Twilight that killing was something that should only be done if she believed it was warranted by the situation; not out of anger, or fear, or anything like that."

Celestia didn't know what to say in response to this. When it came to the act of killing another living being, Ulquiorra was an undisputed master of such. She'd expected that any words of advise he had to offer on the subject, would be limited to matters of efficiency and such, but not restraint.

Once again, she'd made unfounded assumptions about Ulquiorra. She would need to speak with him later, thanking him for the words of advice he'd offered up to Twilight. And perhaps apologize about her incorrect, preconceived notions regarding him. At the very least, he deserved that.

"Hey... Celestia?"

"Yes, Spike?"

"Well you said this hammer is charmed to react negatively to dark magic. That's something pretty specific to just say or do, right? It's not one of those things you just put out there... unless you suspect that somepony with dark magic is behind everything... right?" he asked.

He'd caught on to what she was saying much quicker than she'd anticipated. He was a lot smarter than he gave himself credit for.

"To be perfectly honest, Spike, I don't know what to suspect at this point anymore. So many things have been happening recently, so many terrible things, I can barely keep everything straight anymore. A thousand years of instinct are telling me that there's something very wrong at play, that goes far beyond what it appears to be on the surface. But I simply don't know just what that something is at this point. And right now, I'd much rather assume the worst and be wrong, rather than assuming that this is a minor issue and be wrong," Celestia stated as she closed her eyes and hung her head, feeling the mental exhaustion weighing heavily on her. It was bad enough that returning to the day court was starting to look like a welcomed relief.

"I know that something is out of place here, I just don't know what it is yet. If it's indeed dark magic behind the fog, it's at levels that are far too minute for me to detect. Ulquiorra managed to detect some strange pattern of reiatsu all over Ponyville, but I can't even begin to describe what it felt like, or what it was," she continued.

Being exposed to the Espada's senses, seeing what he had seen, and feeling what he had felt, had been such a foreign experience to be subjected to. Even after all this time, she still couldn't fully make sense of it. She knew what Ulquiorra felt when he referred to reiatsu, but she couldn't codify it in any manner that a pony could understand.

"Hey," Spike spoke up, snapping her out of her thoughts, and bringing her attention back to him. And now she was aware that he was resting his right hand on her hoof. "It'll be alright. Whatever it is, we'll deal with it, just like we always do," he reassured her.

Celestia listened, and then nodded. She had her doubts about the accuracy of Spike's words, but the sentiment behind them was still appreciated. She had done her best to soothe his nerves, and now he was doing his best to return the favor in turn. She couldn't help but smile, weak as it might be.

"I certainly hope so, Spike..."

"So... explain it to me. How exactly is this thing supposed to work?" Twilight asked as she gave the amalgamation of assorted parts on the table a critical look, not seeing how they were supposed to work together.

While she had been upstairs with Celestia, learning about the various intricacies of the communication spell she'd be using for sending word back and forth to Canterlot -and becoming pretty much mentally exhausted from all of the little details she'd need to keep straight in the process- Zecora and Applejack had been downstairs in the basement, with all kinds of construction noises going on during the time.

Now that the learning process was completed, and Celestia had departed, she was free to examine what those two had been doing this entire time.

Unfortunately a visual examination hadn't yielded any clarity for her. All she saw was a amalgamated mishmash of various parts and household appliances, perched over her bunsen burner... which had been procured by them without her permission.

"Well it's like this, Sugarcube, this here thing is supposed ta detoxify the death blossom roots, so it can be used in Zecora's cure," Applejack spoke up, and began gesturing at the assembly. "The pressure cooker's got a mash made out o' the roots Mr. Cifer harvested. The burner boils the mash an' causes it ta evaporate, goin' up inta this here funnelin' area, inta the copper pipe that angles downward ta the copper coils that're partially submerged in the pan o' water that acts as a heat sink, which allows the vapor to condense, and drip down inta these here mason jars fer storage until we're ready fer it. Meanwhile the toxic stuff stays in the pot where it don' do any harm, an' can be disposed of easy enough," she explained.

"... Applejack?"

"Wha's up, Twilight?"

"You know that I respect you, right? I've always seen you as a well educated pony with a good head on your shoulders. But..."

"But what?" Applejack asked, curious about what Twilight was getting at with this whole line of questioning.

"Well it just occurred to me that this whole apparatus is a distillery, typically used in the brewing of moonshine liquor in more rural areas. And you and Zecora didn't seem to have any trouble building it on your own while Celestia was showing me the communication spell, so I can't help but wonder..."

"Say no more," Applejack replied, catching what Twilight was saying. "Let's jus' say that some extended members o' the Apple family ain' as honorable as others, an' leave it at that, a'right?"

"... I think we can do that," Twilight replied and nodded, not wanting to cause anymore friction than what was already present between all of them. It had been a very tense few days, and they didn't need anymore of that. "So... are you still planning on going back to Sweet Apple Acres tonight?"

"That's what Ah'm plannin' on," Applejack replied and shrugged. "Ya've been a wonderful host an' all, Twi', but Ah don' wanna be overstayin' mah welcome. 'sides that, Sweet Apple Acres is mah home, an' Ah ain' gonna let somethin' like fog keep me scared o' mah own home," she stated.

"Oh..." Twilight replied slowly. "This isn't about how I critiqued your singing in the shower several days ago, is it?"

Applejack honestly didn't mean to, but regardless of her intentions, she still snorted at Twilight's concern. She remembered the day in question that she was referring to; a day that had happened before Zecora came around, and increased the complications they faced. That was one of the primary signs that things were slowly starting to break down between them.

They'd traded a fair number of petty insults with each other that day as the stress got to them, even going so far as to drag poor Spike into the middle of it all, and he hadn't even done anything to deserve it. And although they'd eventually made peace with one another, the damage had been done. And it was only a matter of time before the damage became insurmountable to them.

"Naw, that ain't it," she replied as she shook her head. "This has been a long time comin', Twi', honest. Ah've been mighty grateful to ya, lettin' me stay here an' all when Ah needed ya the most. Ah really don' think Ah could've made it without ya an' Spike bein' here fer me; ya've almost been like family. An' as much as Ah've enjoyed bein' able ta stay here with ya, we both knew from the start that this wasn' gonna be a permanent arrangement. Ah gotta go home eventually, so Ah might as well try sooner than later," she explained.

Those first few days after the whole event had been rough on her, leaving her in doubt of whether or not she'd actually be able to recover. Despite her determination to remain strong, there had been a lot of periods where she wasn't sure it was possible of not. She didn't like admitting to it, but despite her best efforts to remain strong, and task oriented, she'd spent more time crying than she cared for, over what she'd experienced. There were times her own inner strength and resolve had waned, and she'd needed Spike and Twilight to lean on, just to get through the day.

She'd be lying if she said that she was better now; she knew there was still a long way go to before she was back to her old self again. But she was certainly a great deal more improved than she had been compared to those first few days.

"Oh," Twilight replied evenly, unsure of what to think. She knew that it was the truth Applejack was speaking, but that still didn't make it easier to actually hear. "So... this is it then? There's nothing I can say to convince you to stay? Nothing I can do?"

"Ah don' reckon so, Sugarcube. Ain' right fer me ta keep stayin' here with ya, an' gettin' in the way o' yer work," Applejack replied and shook her head again. "But don' ya fret none, ya hear? Ah'll be back in a few days fer the slumber party, Ah promise."

"What makes you think there's going to be a slumber party in a few days?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Because Ah know you, Sugarcube. In a few days, Zecora's brew is gonna be ready, we're all gonna be cured, the terror fog's gonna be gone, an' Rainbow Dash is gonna be back home. There ain' no way in Tartarus yer not gonna have a slumber party," Applejack pointed out. It would defy all logic for Twilight to not have a slumber party when all of those facts added up. "Like Ah said, Sugarcube, Ah know ya. Ah've seen the ways yer face lights up whenever there's even talk of a slumber party. It's cute," she added.

Twilight blushed at Applejack telling her that she was cute, not knowing what to say in response. That wasn't the sort of compliment that was just casually hoofed out without reason.

Zecora, who had been staying largely silent during the discussion, took this opportunity to spoke up, as she turned to face Applejack.

"I regret that I cannot accept your invitation at this time, Applejack. Properly preparing this brew does require skill and knowledge, that Twilight does unfortunately lack," she explained, before turning back to the distillery. "When you see Apple Bloom, please give your sister my regards. Much as I would like to experience your family's hospitality, it is simply not in the cards."

Applejack frowned at that. Despite all of Celestia's work in helping Zecora along the road to recovery, they all knew full well that the zebra was in need of a fair bit of work before she was capable of looking after herself again. The plan had been to get her out of Twilight's hair, so the unicorn could figure out how to fix what was going on. But now they faced the problem of the solution being locked up in Zecora's head where it was most vulnerable. That also meant that she had to stay put, since the cure apparently involved more than just following instructions; much like baking a great apple pie, you had to have experience to know what you were doing.

"Ya know, now that Ah think about it, maybe Ah should stick around fer a few more days. Y'all might need help maintainin' the distillery, an' seein' as Ah built it, Ah'd be the one ta know wha' might need ta be done," she stated.

It was as good an excuse as any under these circumstances. She doubted Twilight would know what she needed to know in order to prevent a catastrophic failure from too much pressure building up. Plus she'd be having her hooves full trying to tend to Zecora's needs, even with Spike helping, and she'd be submitting reports now that she knew how to and... yeah. It would be in everypony's best interest if she stayed just a little while longer. Surely she could stick it out until the cure was finally delivered.

"I'll be back home to stay soon, Apple Bloom, I promise. It's just going to take a little longer than I thought it might," she thought to herself.

"That might be for the best. I don't know the first thing about these things, other than the fact that they can potentially turn into a bomb without warning," Twilight admitted.

Applejack just chuckled. True, stills were known to experience catastrophic failures if they weren't maintained properly, but it was hardly the rule of hoof for them. But she really didn't need to explain that right now, Twilight had enough on her mind as is.

"Might I ask a question?" Zecora asked as she slowly turned her attention back to the others.

"What's on your mind, Zecora?" Twilight asked as she turned to look at her.

"A most curious word that I do not understand, and have never heard before. This word, this... "fuck" was it? What does it mean?" Zecora asked.

"Uh..." Twilight paused, remembering how she'd so freely hurled that at Celestia when she'd appeared. She should've known that Zecora could be unfamiliar with it. But she certainly never expected this to come about. "Applejack? Would you-"

"Aw hell no!" Applejack stated with a laugh, not even letting Twilight finish her question before answering. She was willing to do a lot of things for her friends, but this wasn't one of them. "Yer the one that started it, Sugarcube, yer the one who's gonna finish it!"

"Great," Twilight mumbled and sighed. Now not only was she faced with the prospect of explaining foreign profanity to the zebra, she was also going to need to cover whatever fallout there was to be had, when it was made clear that she had cursed out Celestia without a second thought. This wasn't going to end well at all. "Well, you see, Zecora..."

Despite Celestia's return to Canterlot occurring in the early afternoon, it was still well into evening by the time she and Luna were able to talk with one another again. Her substitute stint in the day court, combining both late hours, and ponies who proved themselves capable of boring a fallen log into a coma with how they droned on, had been enough to put her under for a long nap. Celestia couldn't find it as being anything but somewhat adorable how Luna had remained on her hooves only long enough to greet her, before promptly falling asleep where she stood, too tired to even lay down, knowing that she had been relieved of her duty.

When Luna had awoken, and been made aware of Celestia's findings in Ponyville, she had been absolutely livid; livid to the point that Celestia had once again needed to soundproof her mouth, for fear of the palace suffering structural damage from the fury her yelling was bound to carry with it.

There was also the small issue of Luna's knowledge of various profanities, and her willingness to use them at the drop of a hat, were both growing. And as much as she preferred it when Luna expressed how she felt, rather than keeping it bottled up, there was a time and place for making expressions that dealt with the motherless children, those born out of wedlock, and needing a review on codes of conduct pertaining to the proper care of a corpse.

Finally when Luna was panting and slumping, Celestia spoke up.

"Have you gotten all the vulgarness out of your system? Is it safe to let you speak again?" she asked. Luna sighed behind the barrier, and simply nodded in agreement. "I understand that you're upset, Luna, but using language that would make a dragon blush, is hardly a conductive endeavor. Viscerally appealing, perhaps, but little else," she pointed out as she cancelled the soundproofing spell.

"I am as aware of such as you are, sister, but that does nothing to change my mood," Luna grumbled as she scraped her hoof against the floor in her sister's chamber. "To think that the cause of this whole mess was terror fog of all things! Who in this world even knows what terror fog is anymore, to say nothing of where to find it? What sort of bastard are we dealing with!?"

"Yet one more mystery in life, I'm afraid," Celestia replied, before turning around, and picking up her hairbrush off the vanity. "No matter. In six days, we'll be able to put an end to this crisis once and for all," she explained. That had to be worth something. "And just so you know, this bastard could just as easily turn out to be a bitch instead."

"Oh I am well aware of that fact, dear sister," Luna stated as her frown grew, "I have not let such a possibility slip past me."

Celestia said nothing as she regarded Luna's reflection in the mirror. There was something in her words, and the tone in her voice, that led her to believe that her sister was going to be running a nocturnal reconnaissance mission later in the evening. It was as invasive a breach of privacy, as it was an absolute necessity at times. She knew that Luna possessed the ability to see the memories of sleeping ponies if she so wished. But it was a practice she held absolutely no love for. If she were truly planning on doing such -or perhaps, had been doing such for some time now- then it merely went to reinforce the severity of the situation they were faced with.

She was going to need to change the subject to something else. Something that was hopefully less stressful.

"Tell me, Luna, how is our little sister currently doing?" she asked as she ran the brush through her mane, enjoying the sensation of the bristles running against her itchy scalp.

Luna lightly blushed at Celestia's words, her foul mood over the discoveries made in Ponyville proving to be no match for the feelings brought up by the question. She had confided in her sister early on about how she had made peace with Rainbow Dash after that unfortunate incident had transpired, and the resulting admission of how she was seen as the big sister type. She had, regrettably, even told Celestia about her little jest to Rainbow Dash during a moment of exuberance.

Celestia had -thankfully- never chosen to tease her about the matter, even though she could. But instead of giving into trollery, she showed restraint, knowing it was something of a sensitive subject.

"Rainbow Dash is doing as well as can be expected. She has apparently even found a new place to spend her nights, as I found her asleep in Ulquiorra Cifer's quarters this morning," she explained.

That made Celestia pause her mane brushing, and once again regard her sister in the mirror. "Was she now? How did she even know where to find them?" she asked.

"Inquiring to the night staff as to where she could find him," Luna replied. She paused a moment, before continuing. "I also believe that Ulquiorra Cifer may be up to something that he does not necessarily wish us to know about."

"I get that feeling quite a bit myself," Celestia stated. She had no idea just what secrets the Espada was hiding in that head of his. And based on what she'd seen on their initial meeting, she wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to know either. There were too many horrors that he bore witness to, for her to consider going back in as a viable option.

Something about Luna's words, however, gave her reason to pause in thought. That pause must've been picked up on, because Luna had started talking again.

"I cannot conclusively prove it. But I suspect that Ulquiorra Cifer has put a plan into motion that allows him to look out for Rainbow Dash's well being, without it being overly obvious to anyone. He is being quite covert in how he applies care..."

"Now this I have to hear," Celestia said as she turned to face Luna. There was no way this sort of conversation could be had through the mirror. "What brings you to this interesting theory of yours, Luna?"

"A number of things that simply do not make sense if each are treated as unconnected, isolated incidents. First and foremost is the fact that Ulquiorra Cifer was found in his quarters along with Rainbow Dash. He was presented with his quarters a month ago, and that was the first time he has ever been found there, rather than in the library. Second, is how Rainbow Dash has taken to sleeping in the library at night, opting for benches and tables rather than a proper bed. Third, how Ulquiorra Cifer has enlisted the night staff for the purpose of trafficking books back and forth between his quarters and the library, rather than doing it himself, thus ensuring that the location of his quarters is known by more than just the few of us," Luna explained, covering the points that had come to her attention. "Adding all of these together, would suggest that Ulquiorra Cifer has concocted a method of not only looking after Rainbow Dash herself, but also ensuring that she can rest comfortably when she sleeps. And all with nopony being the wiser to the fact that he is doing more than has been asked of him, of his own volition."

Celestia nodded as she listened in silence to Luna laying out the basis for her theory. She would admit, that when looked at a certain way, her findings would certainly suggest that Ulquiorra had taken an unexpected course of action when it came to looking after not only Rainbow Dash's safety, but also her comfort during her recovery.

There was just one little glaring error to account for, that left Luna's theory a little less than credible; that being the fact that she still vividly remembered what she had seen just behind those teal green eyes for herself. A great many qualities came to mind when describing Ulquiorra, but going above and beyond the call of what was necessary to complete an assignment, simply didn't rank among them.

That wasn't to say she felt he was beyond the ability to learn about such concepts; quite the contrary, she'd tasked him with doing just that. It was just that... it seemed a bit sudden to her, what with everything else that had been going on.

"Well then. It seems he's indeed full of surprises," was all she could say at the moment, not knowing what else to say. "Just don't let on that we know. If he's indeed being covert in his efforts, whatever they may be, we might spook him if he found out that we know what he's up to."

"Agreed," Luna replied and nodded. She could certainly see that being a possibility.

For a while, there was nothing but silence in the room as Celestia went back to brushing her mane out.

"There is... another issue. But I do not know the significance behind it," Luna spoke up slowly, "it pertains to Rainbow Dash's nightmares. Or rather... the recent lack of nightmares. They have been a nightly occurrence ever since the drugs were purged from her system. And then just a few days ago they... suddenly stopped. It does not make sense. Something of this magnitude -this maliciousness- does not simply go away just like that," she explained.

"Perhaps the hallucinogenics in her system have finally broken down, and been metabolized?" Celestia suggested.

Luna simply shook her head in response. "Doctor Mandibular Malar does physicals on her every other day. He reports that the latest blood work shows the presence of the hallucinogenics being no different from when we first discovered them. They continue to defy basic biological dictation, and it cannot be figured out as to why. But that is another matter, for another day. Right now it is the lack of nightmares that has confounded me! There is no explanation as to why. Unless... unless the one responsible for implementing them, is trying to trip us up with a change in pattern so that we-"

Luna was silenced by Celestia placing her hoof over her mouth as she looked at her directly.

"You aren't the only one considering such a possibility, Luna, I assure you. But even if that is the case, there's nothing that we can do about it now, except deal with it as it develops. There's no need to go borrowing trouble, and worry about what might be happening," Celestia explained as she set her hoof back down on the floor again, hoping the timely interruption would keep her sister calm. "Try and take some measure of comfort in the fact that, for the time being at least, Rainbow Dash is able to sleep peacefully. That has to be worth something."

"Oh indeed it is worth something, sister, I do not deny that. But do not forget that I know about trauma. We are veritable veterans on the subject. If she is led to believe that she is finally better, only to have that trauma start all over when she least expects it, we will be the ones tasked with picking up all the pieces of her psyche, and trying to put her back together once again. And I do not know if she will last through one more such incident," Luna stated quickly, feeling her skin starting to get hot under her fur, and her heart starting to beat much faster at the very thought of such a predicament. "If we must face such a development where I am forced to watch one of my friends suffer, and know that I am helpless to stop it, then I will... I-I will..."

"You will what, Luna?" Celestia asked as she slowly stepped forward, observing her sister's increasingly agitated demeanor. She knew that whatever was coming, it wasn't going to be good.

"I will pull out all stops in finding the guilty party. There will not be a corner of Equestria left unscoured as I search for them. There will not be a mind that I will not look into for answers! They will be found, no matter what the cost may prove to be! And when they are found, I will not even wait for the Espada to do what he does best! I WILL MURDER THEM IN COLD BLOOD MYSELF!" Luna shrieked.

Celestia said nothing during Luna's outburst, or even after. She simply stepped closer, not saying a word as she maintained eye contact with her sister as she panted for air.

The mix of emotions that played out across Luna's face were a veritable maelstrom for Celestia to watch unfold. The unrestrained fury in Luna's eyes as she made her bold declaration, followed by the immediate aftermath. She watched as the rage that threatened to consume her little sister weakened under a tsunami of horror, brought on by the weight of her own words, and so much more. That horror was quickly washed away as regret, and then despair all set in. No longer was Luna seething with a desire to end the life of another. Instead she was quaking with regret as tears started running down her face freely.

"Sister I am... I-I am..." she tried to apologize, but was cut off by choking sobs, unable to get the words out that she so desperately wanted to say.

Celestia continued to remain silent, opting instead to wrap her right foreleg around her little sister's back, as she threw herself forward, and proceeded to bawl into her chest.

"I am sorry! I am so sorry!" Luna bawled, her withers shaking uncontrollably. "I swear that I did not mean it!"

Celestia simply continued remaining silent, holding Luna close and letting her cry uninterrupted. Sometimes that was simply the best thing in the world for one to do during a time of great stress. And with all of the stress they had been under lately, Luna likely needed it very much.

She just wished that the reason behind all of the hugs she delivered today, didn't have to be because somepony was suffering.

"Oh you gotta be joking!" Rainbow Dash protested loudly, throwing herself back against the couch in disbelief as she did so. "I got my butt kicked by fog of all things!?" she asked, finding the whole concept too hard to believe, and too embarrassing to consider. She was captain of the weather team, and it was a simple weather phenomenon that had brought her down, leaving her reduced to tears, and contemplating suicide? Had things really sunken that low?

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied from where he stood in the room, busy writing away in his notebook. "You, and the better part of Ponyville, going by the reports that have been received by Princess Celestia.

Rainbow Dash merely groaned in annoyance, flopping back on the couch again. "This is more embarrassing than the time I... on second thought, forget it, that's a story I'm not sharing with anypony," she stated, thinking better of what she had just about said. Some things simply weren't meant to be shared.

Much to her relief, Ulquiorra hadn't asked about what she had been going to say,

Unfortunately, Ulquiorra hadn't said anything in response, and was simply ignoring her. she almost hated that even worse than him prying. His professionalism was both respectable, and annoying at the same time, depending on what was happening. It left her wanting to prod at him to get a rise out of him, just so she'd have something to respond to. But at the same time, she knew what might go wrong with doing that, and didn't really want to experience that.

"So... six more days until we can get back to normal, huh?" she asked, deciding to change the subject to something else.

"Supposedly," Ulquiorra replied simply, never even looking up from his book. "Assuming anything that happened in this world, ever qualified as being normal," he added.

"Yeah... I'm actually starting to wonder about that myself..." Rainbow Dash added slowly in thought as she settled down on the couch, letting her head hang off the cushions, her mane tumbling down in the process.

That one actually made Ulquiorra focus on something other than his own work.

"How do you mean?"

"I don't know for sure. All I really know, is that I've got a bad feeling about something," Rainbow Dash replied uneasily, before shrugging. "I dunno. Maybe I'm just getting paranoid after finally getting so much good news for a change."

"Perhaps," Ulquiorra replied.

Rainbow Dash looked over at Ulquiorra, unable to tell if he was regarding her, or whatever he was writing down. Nor was she certain she really wanted to know. With a sigh, she pulled herself back upright, and looked over the letter he had brought back from Ponyville with him. She'd read it several times over already by now, and knew everything it had to say. But regardless, it was the first contact she'd actually had with the others in such a long time, she was willing to read it over a hundred times.

Dear Rainbow Dash,

So I'm guessing you didn't get any of our letters, because it turns out Spike's flame network is currently down for maintenance. We really don't know for certain just how long it's been like that. I'm really sorry about that. There was so much everypony wanted to say to you. I considered having everypony rewrite their messages so Ulquiorra could give them to you himself. But after a lot of thought, I just couldn't see the point in that.

That's not to say we didn't think you were worth it, because we certainly did. But we figured that we'd just wait and tell you what we had to say when you get back.

We're so, so close to being able to see each other again, Rainbow Dash, I swear. Zecora estimates that we can have the cure ready in six days at the most, meaning you could be back home in at little as one week's time.

One week. That's a promise that's going to be kept no matter what. I promise that it's a promise that's going to be kept.

Signed,
Twilight Sparkle

Rainbow Dash sighed as the note once again came to a close, folding up the piece of parchment, and hugging it to her chest as she rolled over to face the back of the couch.

"I miss you girls so much..."

Author's Note

So another update, and I'm not happy with it. I don't know what it is, I'm just not. Something about it just doesn't feel right. It feels rushed, lacking quality, etc. But since season 5 is starting again, I didn't feel like waiting another month to try and perfect it to my standards.

Hope it's alright.

Deleted Scene One

"That might be for the best. I don't know the first thing about these things, other than the fact that they can potentially turn into a bomb without warning," Twilight admitted. After a slight pause, she continued. "I'd... also prefer if when we parted company, it was on better terms. I... I don't want you to feel like you have to leave us; especially not if I might've done something to give you that idea," she stated hesitantly.

Applejack looked at Twilight uncertainly at that statement. It stirred something within her, something that required a response; something that was a bit more visceral than the usual words of reassurance. With that fact in mind, she stepped closer to Twilight, their noses practically touching.

"Look at me, Sugarcube," she said, speaking in a commanding but compassionate manner. "Ah don' ever want ya ta think that Ah'd abandon ship because o' ya. It jus' don' work like that. Ya ain' gettin' rid o' me that easily. If Ah leave, it's because Ah think it's the right decision ta make. Ya understand?" she asked.

Twilight, unaccustomed to being spoken to in such a manner, meekly nodded in response, having no words to offer up in response.

"Good," Applejack replied. "An' jus' ta make sure the lesson takes, Ah got one more fer ya."

The next thing Twilight knew, Applejack had leaned in far closer than before, and kissed her on the cheek. All she could do was squeak in response, her face going quite hot at the gentle touch to her face.

And now that Applejack had Twilight's full attention, she pulled back to face her again.

"Even when a friend is bein' a huge pain in the butt, they're still a friend. An' ya still love 'em regardless," she told her.

The blush on Twilight's cheeks felt even hotter than before, practically threatening to burn right through her cheek fur in response to hearing these words. She didn't know what it was, whether it was the kind words, or the kiss on the cheek, or the fact that Applejack wasn't holding her as the reason for wanting to leave for home, or even the fact that she now wasn't leaving. But whatever it was, it had proven sufficient to make her cheeks feel wet as tears started to flow freely.

Without a single word, she threw her forelegs around Applejack, and pulled her into the biggest hug she'd ever given anyone before, burying her face in the crook of her neck.

Deleted Scene Two

"So... six more days until we can get back to normal, huh?" she asked, deciding to change the subject to something else.

"Supposedly," Ulquiorra replied simply, never even looking up from his book. "Assuming anything that happened in this world, ever qualified as being normal," he added.

"Yeah... I'm actually starting to wonder about that myself..." Rainbow Dash added slowly in thought as she settled down on the couch, letting her head hang off the cushions, her mane tumbling down in the process.

That one actually made Ulquiorra focus on something other than his own work.

"How do you mean?"

"I don't know for sure. All I really know, is that I've got a bad feeling about something. It's sort of like it's familiar, but not really. It's like having something right on the tip of your tongue, but no matter how much you try and reach for it, it's always out of your grasp. Always slipping through your hooves. You know what I mean?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked over at Ulquiorra.

"Not having hooves of my own, it is very difficult to know for certain what you mean," Ulquiorra replied, before going back to his own notations.

"Smartass," Rainbow Dash mumbled as she rolled over onto her stomach. "It's... nevermind, you'll just think it's stupid..."

"That's assuming I didn't find something stupid already," Ulquiorra pointed out. "That said, even stupidity proves to have a factual basis at times."

Rainbow Dash wasn't sure how to respond to that particular statement. She just waited to see if he had anything else to add. And when it looked like he didn't, she continued.

"It's like this one "Daring Do" book I read a while back. It was written like the whole thing was going to wrap up early, all the pieces were coming to a close, all the loose ends were being tied up... and then suddenly something unexpected happens, and Daring has another hundred and fifty pages to go through before the journey's over," she explained. She really hated a setup like that. "It's starting to feel like that. What if this is the type of story where it's just the start of things going bad?" she asked.

"Then we will persevere for however many additional pages lay in front of us," Ulquiorra replied dismissively. "And if this does turn out to be such a story, then the author behind it is without any doubt, a very sick fuck of an individual, who deserves to be summarily executed for the degree of suffering they have put everyone through," he added.

Deleted Scene Three

Rarity sighed as contentedly as she could, all things considered. She had just succeeded in getting Fluttershy down for a much needed afternoon nap. And while that was good for Fluttershy, as she needed her rest, it was equally good for herself, as it gave her a short respite from the timid pegasi's clingy nature. Whatever it was that had happened to her in the marketplace, was still affecting her even now. Even with temporarily moving into Fluttershy's cottage to look after her, there was only so much she could really do that amounted to help.

Oh sure, she could assist in the workload Fluttershy had in taking care of all her animals, but that only went so far. Only Fluttershy knew for certain what so many of them liked, meaning only she could tend to such difficult parts. And helping out with chores wasn't the same as helping Fluttershy herself.

At the very least, she had managed to get Angel to agree to stop harassing poor Fluttershy while she was recovering. That was enough to make her feel quite proud of herself right now. Despite not possessing Fluttershy's gift for communicating with animals, she had managed to work out an understanding with the rabbit. If he did anything, absolutely anything that would hurt Fluttershy in any manner, no matter how small, she was going to drop kick him like he was a hoofball.

The fact that she had Opal along with her helped somewhat. As uncouth as the rabbit could be, he certainly knew better than to mess with the sassy feline.

Those facts aside, Rarity was truly feeling the strain of being a caretaker weighing on her. She simply didn't have the training for this sort of thing. Fluttershy simply couldn't stay calm if she were out of her sight for more than a few minutes at the most. That made it quite hard to get anything done.

With a groan, Rarity flopped down on the sofa. She just needed to rest her hooves for a few minutes while her friend was asleep, that was all. After all it wasn't like she was being sleep deprived from having to stay up late, holding the timid pegasus as she wept helplessly, and could only be relaxed by close physical proximity, and a gentle song being sung.

Alright. Maybe she was a little bit sleep deprived. Who wouldn't be under such circumstances?

And then came a knock at the cottage door, interrupting her thought process.

"Who's there?" Rarity asked as she looked up.

"Just a friend looking to help another friend or two. They wouldn't happen to be home, would they?"

Rarity was off the sofa and across the room in a second, unbolting the door, and throwing it open. She instantly recognized the voice as belonging to Celestia herself. And if she was here, then obviously something big was going on.

"Princess! Oh I'm so glad to see you right now! Please tell me that you've brought good news?" Rarity asked.

"Potentially. But at the moment I'm here to lend a hoof. I heard from Twilight about the predicament, and she recommended that I stop by, and see what I might be able to do to help out Fluttershy," Celestia explained as she stood just outside the doorway. After a moment of studying Rarity's features, she continued. "Perhaps I can be of some help to you as well. Twilight tells me that you've been looking after her?"

"If you can call it that," Rarity replied, far too tired to project any airs of collected confidence. "I've been doing my best, but I'm far in over my head. I don't know the first thing about caring for a pony in need," she explained as she stepped aside, letting Celestia enter.

"Then your efforts are all the more commendable, Rarity," Celestia replied as she stepped inside, dusting off her hooves as she did so. "It takes a strong mare to know she's in over her head, yet continues to do her best regardless."

"I appreciate your kind words, Celestia, I really do," Rarity replied and paused with a sigh. "But at the moment I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. I... I simply need help that is more accustomed to this type of situation," she admitted.

Celestia simply nodded in understanding. "Perhaps I really can help you as well; the same way I helped Zecora when she was in need, and Twilight and Applejack couldn't help her."

"Zecora's in town? That... that isn't a good sign, is it?" Rarity asked.

Celestia simply shook her head. "Not in this context. But there will be time for that later. Right now I'm here to lend my help however I can. And I believe that starting with you would be the best course of action," she explained, before sitting down on the cottage floor. "Approach."

Rarity blinked, a little uncertain of what this was all about. But regardless of not knowing, she still did as was requested of her, and stepped closer to where Celestia sat. As soon as she did, she felt a foreleg wrap around her back. It took her a moment to realize that she was actually being hugged.

"Princess?"

"You've been quite strong for Fluttershy over the past few days. But even the strong need a break. Take some time to relax and calm your mind. Then I'll tend to Fluttershy," Celestia explained. She knew that, overall, a hug was small compensation for what she had probably gone through. But at the same time, it was the best she could offer for the time being.

Rarity really didn't need to be told twice. This was the first time in days that she had someone looking out for her specifically, and she wasn't going to waste such a precious gift. Without a word of complaint, she sank into the warm embrace, closed her eyes, and simply sighed in contentment at the feel of Celestia's fur.

Rarity stood back and watched as Celestia worked her magic on the now conscious Fluttershy; literal magic in this case. Whatever the spell was that she was using, it was having a remarkable effect. The poor pegasus had been frantic upon waking up and finding herself alone. And now, as she was snuggled in Celestia's embrace of forelegs and wings, she was anything but. She honestly couldn't remember the last time in the past few days, that she'd seen Fluttershy this calm and relaxed.

Whether it was the magic that was having the desired results, or the fact that Celestia was easily bigger than any of them, and conjured a maternal sense as a result, Rarity didn't know. Nor did she particularly care at this point in time. All she knew was that it was helping.

"Better?" Celestia asked as she looked down at Fluttershy. The only response she was given was a nod. "I regret that it isn't a permanent cure to the problem. The best I can do right now is provide a sense of calm. It'll have to do, until the permanent solution is ready," she explained, hoping that Zecora's estimate was a worst case scenario.

And then she heard a mumble come from Fluttershy. But it was far too muffled for her to make out.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't understand what you said. Could you please repeat that?" Celestia asked as she looked down at her.

"Um... Princess? Would it be alright if I... if I pretended that it was my mother that was hugging me right now? Just for a little bit?" Fluttershy asked meekly, unable to keep eye contact as she spoke, despite no longer having her face buried against Celestia's chest.

Celestia just smiled, gently shaking her head. "I don't see any problem with that, Fluttershy," she said as she rubbed the pegasi's back gently. If that was what it took to help her feel at ease, then so be it.

Chapter Eighty Three

Chapter Eighty Three

On some nights the palace's hangar bay would be abuzz with activity as the maintenance staff went about their regular duties.

Tonight, however, the only activity taking place was the counting of many, large barrels that had been stacked there, as it was the most out of the way location that provided sufficient storage.

It was also a night where Celestia was finding it necessary to dip into her secret stock of midnight oil to keep running; a fact illustrated by the need to let a yawn escape as she stood in the hangar bay, far too tired to fight the fatigue she was feeling on this night. Today, much like every other day, had been harrowing to experience. There were simply too many things that needed her attention, to properly keep track of throughout the days. Nobles who couldn't resolve their own problems, Rainbow Dash, the fog, her sister, etc. It was all culminating into a royal pain in her ass, and made her want to scream and pull her mane out.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and return to the task at hoof, focusing on the clipboard with her notes. She would scream later, right now she had inventory to complete.

The moment she had returned to Canterlot from Ponyville, she had sent word to anyone and everyone all across Equestria that she even suspected of having water-tight, air-tight storage containers in stock, and requisitioned each and every last one of them that wasn't otherwise tied up with prior commitments to other customers. The amount of funding she had provided for expedited delivery had been substantial no matter how it was measured, but it was well worth it if it meant bringing an end to this crisis; hopefully once and for all.

One hundred and forty nine barrels, each of them capable of holding fifty five gallons of liquid, stacked quite literally everywhere that the hangar bay had to offer. They were stacked on top of each other and alongside each other, until they came as close to the ceiling as space would allow. That was all that they had to work with in this case. Perhaps it was a gross overreaction, and they wouldn't need anywhere near such a number of containers for housing the terror fog. But she would much rather have far too many, than far too few. Too few meant that there would be traces of fog potentially unaccounted for, and allowed to contaminate the groundwater in Ponyville, and perhaps well beyond. That was a risk she simply wasn't wiling to take.

"It'll have to do," Celestia said to herself. She sincerely hoped that it was more than they would need. Otherwise their troubles were even bigger than any of them suspected.

"So this is where you have disappeared to, dear sister."

Celestia turned to see Luna walking through the doors, looking rather annoyed as she did so.

"Usually you are in bed at this time of night. Whatever are you still doing up?" she asked as she stepped over to her.

"Being unable to sleep, I'm afraid," Celestia replied and closed her eyes as she sighed. "My nerves are far too wound up to let me relax properly. We're putting the plan into action tomorrow to remove the terror fog from the area, and I'm suffering a sense of anxiousness that only a foal on Hearth's Warming Eve night would experience about opening their presents in the morning. Even if I laid down, I doubt I'd get any rest. I just... it's so hard to wait for the proper time for the fog to gather, and be ripe for the picking..."

"Do not assume that I am unfamiliar with what you are referring to, dear sister, for I am. I am intimately familiar with the feeling of anxiousness that you refer to," Luna explained as she stepped closer to Celestia, stopping barely a foot away from where she stood. "But sadly there is precious little that we can do about it. The laws of nature are not something we can freely violate simply because we wish to. We cannot make the fog coalesce and take form; certainly not this fog that we are dealing with. All we can do is wait for it to take form on its own."

Celestia sighed, idly setting the clipboard down on one of the random barrels. She knew full well what Luna was saying, despite her wish for it to be anything but the truth. They were unfortunately stuck in a waiting game, and there were many hours left during which they needed to play, unwillingly or otherwise.

"If you can tend to the matters at hoof from here on out, I believe I'm going for a flight to try and clear my head," she stated as she moved to step past Luna, only for her sister to deploy a wing and interrupt her departure.

"I would advise against such. Simply because we have identified terror fog as the cause of all this drama we are besieged by, does not mean we have identified the one behind the fog itself. There is no telling who may be operating behind the scenes, or what they may do. Separating at this point maybe be unwise, 'Tia. I... I ask you to please stay in for the night," Luna implored her. "We are but a few scant hours away from being through with this particular nightmare for good. Please do not put yourself in jeopardy simply because you cannot rest peacefully."

Again, Celestia could understand what Luna was saying. She knew her sister's concerns were valid. As close as they were to victory in this matter, there was no telling what could go wrong. By going out tonight, she could quite easily be ambushed by some unseen force that she couldn't overcome on her own -unlikely as that may be- and put their entire operation at risk of disaster.

However none of that changed the fact that, in her stressed state, she was getting very sick and tired of looking at the same architecture of the palace constantly. She wanted a change, even if just for a little while.

"Well then, maybe I should go out after all, and draw the guilty party out. We could always have Ulquiorra follow behind from a distance, watching and waiting for the time to intervene and stop whatever might come for me," she suggested cheekily.

Luna's response was halfway between an annoyed frown, and an amused smirk at Celestia's suggestion of serving as bait.

"At present time Ulquiorra Cifer is watching over Rainbow Dash as she sleeps in his chambers; much as an elder brother would under such circumstances," Luna explained, doubting that disturbing either of them would have a beneficial result. He was already tending to the most vulnerable of their little party, keeping her safe from whatever threats might be lurking just around the corner. Interrupting that for an extended period, on the hope that Celestia acting as bait in luring this threat out, simply wouldn't be worthwhile. "I do believe that if we were to pull him away, on the basis that you cannot peacefully sleep, he would have words most unkind to share on the subject."

Celestia didn't say anything, but she could certainly see that being a possibility. Ulquiorra wasn't the type of mince words, and if he felt the need to call somepony out on being foalish, he wouldn't hesitate to do so; he certainly hadn't hesitated with any of them so far. She could already hear him berating her in his monotone voice, explaining how she was interrupting important work with her selfish desire to amuse herself, all the while taking on unreasonable risk while assuming that he could come to her rescue simply because she called upon him, when the smart decision would be to simply not put herself at risk to begin with, since the decision was an optional one to make, rather than a necessary one. Or at least something like that.

"When did my sweet little sister get to be so wise on such matters?" she asked rhetorically.

"Well one of us must be," Luna replied and smirked, "now be off with you. I will tend to the last of the details that need attention. In the meantime I want you to get at least a few hours of sleep before we must depart for Ponyville in the morning. And do not let me catch you out of bed before then, or else," she stated as she moved to usher Celestia out of the hangar bay, and in the direction of her chambers.

"Or else?" Celestia asked, intrigued by how her sister had ended her sentence. She couldn't resist the urge to grin mischievously in response. "Tell me, Luna, what exactly does that "or else" entail if I don't quite feel like being cooperative?" she asked as she craned her neck to look back at her.

Luna was torn between being annoyed, and being amused by Celestia's attitude on the matter. "If you insist on being difficult, then I fully intend to bend you over, and spank you like a bad little filly; in front of my guards, your guards, and whatever palace staff members happens to be in the area at the time," she stated firmly.

Celestia looked at Luna's face carefully, inspecting for any signs of amusement in the expression she wore, that might indicate she was joking. But she found no such indicators present; just a stern face that looked like it could've been carved from solid marble. Luna wasn't bluffing this time around as best she could tell.

"You wouldn't," she replied.

"Do you wish to test your hypothesis?" Luna asked.

For a brief moment, she considered challenging Luna to see if she were truly serious about her threat, tempted by the prospect of spending a few minutes being entertained by something other than the constant threat they were under.

However this urge was tempered in the knowledge that, despite being younger than her, Luna was undeniably strong. And if she were truly serious in her threat, then there would be no amusement to be had. She had little doubt that, if she were serious, Luna could wrestle her into some restraining hold or another. And then it would be nothing but pain for her. The prospect of being sent to bed with cherry red flanks that burnt like fire didn't appeal to her all that well; especially if the burn didn't subside by the time it came to resume the day court. She did not want to find herself sitting on her throne, listening to the whining and crying of uppity nobles who wanted more money for their pet projects, all while she tried to sit there and look regal as Tartarus.

"What is that phrase so common these days? Double or nothing?" Luna asked.

"Alright, alright. You win," Celestia stated, having no desire to really test her luck tonight.

"Very good then," Luna replied, her voice instantly returning to its normal, soft state. "Shall I tuck you in again? Or can you be a big filly for tonight?"

"Oh, shut up," Celestia replied, managing to be both amused and annoyed at the same time.

"Well at least your wit is still as potent as ever," Luna commented, "for a while I was worried about you."

Tuesday, July Thirteenth, second year of the new calendar: After Nightmare Moon

Observational notes pertaining to progress made in the operation dubbed "Rainbow Reparation"

Day Twelve

...

Tuesday, July Thirteenth, second year of the new calendar: After Nightmare Moon

Observational notes pertaining to progress made in the operation dubbed "Rainbow Reparation"

Day Twelve
Observational notes pertaining to the mysterious concept known as "friendship" and other curiosities in the world of Equestria

Entry Five

I have two roommates. That is the simplest way of explaining the current situation. For the past five nights, the pegasus Rainbow Dash has opted to sleep in my quarters, rather than rooming with Princess Celestia. This is on top of the previous three nights of sleeping in the library. For the past two nights, she has opted to bring her pet tortoise by the name of Tank with her.

I have come to accept that these ponies have their own way of doing things, even if it makes no sense to me. But based on comments made by Rainbow Dash, and observation garnered on my own, it is reasonable to conclude that there is some measure of logic in her actions as of late. First and foremost, the belief that I am incapable of being manipulated by the same force responsible for the deaths of the physician Thrush, and the guard Ready Stance. Pending further information that would suggest the contrary, this appears to be an accurate assessment of facts.

Secondly is the reported absence of nightmares. For whatever reason, based on all available accounts from both Rainbow Dash, and Princess Luna, it appears that they've simply ceased, and of their own accord. How exactly this has come to pass, we have no way of explaining. At present we have nothing but theories, four of which seem to hold the greatest likelihood of accuracy.

The first theory, based on the incidents in the Ponyville marketplace when Fluttershy was attacked, would suggest some measure of close proximity is needed to trigger the fear experience, and I am able to detect the presence of the increased reiatsu in the area. Attempting to induce a nightmare while Rainbow Dash is within my presence, would give away whatever element of surprise is in play with the others.

The second theory is that the reiatsu my bodily releases on its own -possibly in addition to the reiatsu exhibited by the diarchy- is substantial enough to make the detection and location of Rainbow Dash all but impossible by whatever entity is currently at play, effectively camouflaging her, and allowing her to hide in plain sight.

The third theory is that, rather than my reiatsu proving to be a sufficient masking agent, my body's natural absorption of the surrounding reishi is serving to make targeting of Rainbow Dash impossible, due to an effect not unlike that of a black hole. This would, in theory, suggest that any attempts that could possibly bypass my pesquisa due to weakness of signal, is insufficient to overcome my consumption rate, and any attempts at strengthening the signal to cut through would result in detection, going back to the first theory.

The fourth theory, is that the degree of trust I apparently hold to her, is sufficient enough that it translates over to the dream world, and puts her unconscious mind at ease when she rests, and thus denies the nightmares whatever sort of environment they may need to take root. Although this would suggest that she holds less trust in Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna.

Ulquiorra paused in his writing, not so much looking up and away from the paper, as simply not looking directly at it, as he pondered the words that had just been written.

+++

"What's it like being dead?"

Having Rainbow Dash sleep in his quarters, Ulquiorra had become accustomed to how a number of varying topics were brought up and discussed with seemingly little rhyme or reasons as to why. Her having chosen to bring her tortoise along at night was certainly new, but it was hardly the most unexpected thing she'd ever done as of yet.

That question, however, was enough to make him stop his writing as he stood by the side of his desk, and regard her instead. She wasn't even looking at him as she asked it. She was just laying on the sofa, stretched out with her forelegs tucked behind her head for support. Was it idle musing on her part, or a serious inquiry?

"Is there a reason for asking that particular question? Or are you simply trying to strike up idle conversation to pass the time?" he asked her.

"It's a serious question," Rainbow Dash replied, before rolling over on the sofa, and propping herself up to get a better look at him. "What's it like?"

"That isn't a question I can give a definitive answer to. There are no hard set standards that apply universally across the board," Ulquiorra pointed out. It was doubtful that what he experienced in Hueco Mundo would be comparable to the experiences of anyone else. "In the case of myself, as best I can determine, much like being alive; constant struggle for survival and advancement in placement on the pecking order, with some succeeding, and others failing," he explained.

"Oh," Rainbow Dash replied, her tone flat. "So nothing changes then?"

"Nothing of any significance. The difference between life and death, in my experience, can be summed up as little more than meaningless window dressing," Ulquiorra replied. "Why do you ask?"

For a while Rainbow Dash didn't answer, opting to not meet his gaze, her eyes focused in no particular direction.

"Ever since I... I haven't been able to stop thinking about it; about how close I came to actually dying. We've had a lot of brushes with death before, but I think that's the closest I've ever come. I just keep going over it in my head," she admitted, opting to look towards the floor finally.

"Is this a conversation you've had with the psychological experts the diarchy has put on retainer?" Ulquiorra asked. They would be of far more assistance to Rainbow Dash right now than he would be. He had stated before that he was no psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor, or anything else along those lines. The simple fact that he was studying pony psychology did nothing to change that simple fact.

Rainbow Dash shook her head in response. "I don't like talking to them. They never give a concrete answer. It's always just "And how does that make you feel?" or "And what did you do then?" or even "What do you see in these ink blots?" or some other dumb question. They don't have any answers to give me. They don't tell me what I should be doing about all of this. They're beyond useless. I'd much rather talk with you; you don't have a degree in bullshit like they do," she stated. "Which is kinda funny really, since you introduced bullshit to this world in the first place and all. Granted we had the concept around for a long time, but you're the one who gave it a really good name and-"

"Rainbow Dash," Ulquiorra spoke up, interrupting her nonsensical ramble. Finally she met his gaze. "You're rambling," he pointed out.

Rainbow Dash sighed and nodded in response. "I'm scared. Scared of what could've happened; of what almost did happen. It's... it's terrifying to think about. And I can't not think about it either; I've been trying. I came so close to losing absolutely everything because of how weak I was; my friends, my family, everything. And you come in like a badass and drag me back to the living world, and force me to face up to facts I didn't want to admit. You forced me to confront the fact that I was weak, and I was being played. You made me start fighting back with everything I had, until I could stand on my own four hooves again, and then you made me fight even harder than that. You made me go from running away and hiding, to looking to stand and fight, and take my life back. If it weren't for you... well I really don't wanna think about that right now..." she stated.

"Other than stopping your suicide attempt, I did very little in the matter," Ulquiorra replied, seeing no further point in this discussion, and turning back to his notes. "You picked yourself up. I merely ridiculed and insulted your ego, until your fury proved stronger than your despair. Everything after that point was your own doing," he pointed out, before writing down more. She was the one who had found the power to strive and grow, he'd merely cleared away the metaphorical weeds that were inhibiting that growth.

"Yeah? Well... thanks anyway," Rainbow Dash mumbled in response. "Trust me on this, you did way more than just make me wanna kick your ass," she stated.

"And how did you arrive at this conclusion?" Ulquiorra asked idly as he continued his writing.

"By making the prospect of death even scarier than life," Rainbow Dash stated as she sat up straighter. "Seriously, Tartarus is bad, but your world's Hell is even worse, which is a pretty horrifying thought in itself. When you told me about that, it got me thinking about some pretty unpleasant things; more unpleasant than the current norm. I started wondering if what we know about Tartarus is all wrong? What if I killed myself, and wound up there for some reason? What if the Tartarus I wound up in, was me constantly reliving what I tried to escape for the rest of eternity?" she asked, stopping only to shudder at the thought. "That scared me more than anything, and made me stop wanting to die, and instead want to go on living."

"You would be surprised at how many people never stop to consider such possibilities before proceeding," Ulquiorra commented.

In truth the tales of his world, more specifically his world's afterlife, weren't meant to serve any discouraging purpose; he hadn't been preaching of fire and brimstone, and the fate of the eternally damned. He had merely been answering presented questions as best he could at the time. The fact that she had latched onto a small portion of conversation, and been terrified by the realization it carried, was a noteworthy fact. It showed that she was capable of contemplating things that went beyond the surface, and reinforced the fact that she was smarter than she let on.

For a while, there was nothing but a blissful silence, allowing him to continue writing undisturbed.

"Why is it parents tell their foals that dying is like going to sleep for a really long time?"

For a few minutes anyway.

"Seriously, it's a pretty stupid fucking thing to tell foals. Gives 'em all the wrong ideas, making them scared to go to bed and stuff like that," she continued.

"I assume you're speaking from personal experiences on the matter, relating to some traumatic childhood experience?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Oh yeah," Rainbow Dash replied and nodded, "bad enough that I actually tried to stop winter from coming one year."

That made Ulquiorra stop writing right in the middle of the word he was on, and slowly turn his head to look in her direction. The premise of this story was so utterly absurd, he actually had to hear it for himself.

Rainbow Dash seemed to pick up on the fact that she now had his attention, and proceeded to tell her story.

"It was during the first or... maybe second year of Twilight living in Ponyville. Everypony had a pet but me, I was feeling left out since they were having fun without me, stuff happened, and I got Tank over there," she said as she gestured over to the tortoise sleeping in the corner of the room over by the door; the most recent member of their little group. "I didn't know that tortoises actually hibernate in winter, so when Tank started getting slower as the weather started getting colder, I took him to Fluttershy to see what was wrong, and when I found out he was going to sleep for a really long time I sort of... lost it; to the point I actually sabotaged the weather factory to try and keep winter from actually happening. But that just made things worse..." she admitted.

"And what became of this?" Ulquiorra asked. The premise of this story was so ludicrous to even consider, it all but begged to be heard all the way to its conclusion.

"I got busted. I was looking at some serious prison time for stuff like industrial sabotage and a mess of other charges," she stated bluntly, before looking away again.

"I take it that didn't happen," Ulquiorra replied.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Turns out the investigator assigned to the case found a buttload of workplace safety requirements that the factory manager wasn't complying with, and had been bribing the safety inspector to let them slide. You wouldn't believe the stuff that was uncovered; no safety grates over the air intake fans, keeping bottled lightning stored in a closet where anypony could knock it over, etc. Turned out the only reason that I was able to cause so much damage, was because the factory was in such bad condition to begin with," she explained as she slowly looked back up again. "I don't remember exactly how everything happened; I was too scared to be paying that much attention. All I know is that when the facts came out, the manager and inspector were the ones facing prison, and I got off easy with community service for something minor. I think Celestia had a hoof in things..."

That hardly seemed surprising as far as he was concerned. Considering the bond Rainbow Dash and the others had with the Elements of Harmony, he highly doubted that Princess Celestia would allow for them to face serious repercussions for their actions, unless a truly serious action was committed on their part. And seeing as the bond was for the duration of the bearer's life, and couldn't be reassigned without the bearer dying, the offense would indeed have to be truly heinous.

Whether or not they themselves were aware of such a possibility he neither knew, nor really cared.

+++

The more he thought about it, the more lesson number two in friendship appeared to be an actual, viable concept. Or at least more than it had originally.

Based on all the information he had been able to gather, it was reasonably safe to conclude that Rainbow Dash made chosen to make him the primary recipient of her trust. Exactly how and why this was the case, he really didn't know. All he knew was what he could see for himself.

Glancing over to the corner of the room where the tortoise currently slumbered, it was easy to assume the trend extended from owner to pet. Out of all of the pets he had encountered so far, Tank seemed to fear him the least. Whether this was due to recognizing that he had no method of escape if the worst case scenario were to come to pass, or something else entirely that might suggest a greater level of understanding than the others, he really didn't know. Nor did he particularly care right now.

Before he could continue writing his report, there was a knock at the door, accompanied by the reiatsu pattern of one of the bat-ponies -thestrals, he'd recently learned they were called- that made up the night guard.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Her Majesty requests your presence in the throne room," the guard stated, voice muffled by having to speak through the closed door.

Ulquiorra paused to consider this. Princess Luna understood, perhaps better than anyone, how important it was that he kept an eye on Rainbow Dash. She -most likely anyway- wouldn't call him away unless the matter was important, and thus actually warranted the interruption.

The abrupt snort from Rainbow Dash, followed by incoherent mumblings as she shifted onto her side, brought his attention back to her. All the times she'd woken up for one reason or another, she had found him present if he was needed. What would the outcome be if the setup changed, and he was gone this time around? Would her perceived emotional stability be sufficient to see her through an unexpected change of routine?

Even if it wasn't, he couldn't simply stay put the whole night. He knew what he had to do.

"I'll be right there," he finally replied.

Rainbow Dash awoke to the pounding of an excruciating headache. It was the kind of headache where one tended to swear that their head was an anvil, and it was being pounded on by an inexperienced blacksmith who didn't yet realize they needed to delivered controlled blows, rather than beating against it as hard as they possibly could.

"Crud," she grumbled. It hurt to even open her eyes. It was like being smacked with a frying pan when she wasn't looking and...

Wait, a frying pan?

Immediately her eyes flew open, the pain forgotten about as she moved to stand up, and survey her surroundings. As she did she noticed something peculiar. Her wings were restrained, forced into an upward position. That was pretty standard. But her legs weren't hogtied with rope, nor was there a rubber gag -or any other type of binding- in her mouth. Instead each of her legs was bound by a hinged shackle made of thick iron bands, and secured by a strong padlock. Each shackle was attached to strong chains, each of them bolted securely to the concrete floor she was currently laying on. There was even a similar setup around her neck, now that she was more aware of her surroundings.

Grunting, she pushed herself into a standing position. That was new as well, being able to actually stand up, rather than being restrained on the ground. Each chain rattled at every little movement she made, as she discovered how little slack she had available. Something really weird was going on around here.

Looking around the room, she could barely make out anything beyond the limited area of light around her. But she didn't really need to survey her surroundings, as she'd been here more times than she ever cared to remember; this was Rarity's basement. She was back in her nightmare, again.

"So. You're awake now..."

Hearing that familiar voice made Rainbow Dash's blood run cold, as the hooded figure slowly came into view. Much like her surroundings, she knew that voice as well; Rarity. Or more accurately, that of Mistress Do Well.

"Oh not you again. Go away, shoo," Rainbow Dash barked.

"Still without manners I see," Mistress Do Well commented as she stopped approaching, far enough out of reach that Rainbow Dash couldn't reach her. "No matter. I'll be tending to that soon enough..." she warned.

Rainbow Dash frowned as she flicked her tail, unimpressed by it all. "So why all the chains? This isn't the usual setup," she pointed out.

"You're becoming a nuisance to me. The fact that you're actually developing your lucid dreaming skills is a complication I don't need. So I need to change my plans up somewhat. I need to break you again, and that's exactly what I intend to do. By the time I'm done with you, you'll-"

"Shut up," Rainbow Dash grumbled, interrupting Mistress Do Well's explanation. She was in no mood to be hearing this nonsense.

"You're an insolent little foal," Mistress Do Well stated, frowning from behind her mask. "How dare you speak to me like that!?"

"Oh I dare a lot more than that. I'm not putting up with this bullshit for one more night. I'm out of here, and there's nothing you can do to stop me. But before I do that, I'm gonna kill you," Rainbow Dash stated firmly, sneering at her captor.

Mistress Do Well simply huffed indignantly, flicking her head to the side, causing the slack in the chains to be removed, violently pulling Rainbow Dash back to the ground with a thud in the process, stretching her limbs out and away from her body, leaving her prone on the floor.

"You'll learn your place soon enough," she stated as she glared down at her triumphantly.

"Ah learn this!" Rainbow Dash yelled back and pulled at her bindings.

Mistress Do Well watched smugly as Rainbow Dash struggled futilely against the chains that bound her. She watched, listening with satisfaction at hearing her grunting and straining against the thick steel that held her down, knowing that there was no way for the pegasus to free herself. She could struggle for eternity, and she'd never get loose; all she would do was wear herself out faster, making her all the more open for proper conditioning.

"You'll break your bones long before you break your bindings," she chuckled.

But her chuckling soon stopped as the ground started to tremble.

Her predictions were failing, as the cyan pegasus wasn't breaking, but rather her surroundings were. The ground began to shake violently as she pulled against her chains, actually stretching them back out to the point where she could stand on all four legs again. That alone should've been completely impossible, and yet it had happened regardless.

"This can't be," she stated breathlessly. But it only got worse from there.

She watched, unable to respond as the ground, in addition to shaking, was starting to crack around the steel plates that were keeping the chains in place. And with a mighty yell from Rainbow Dash to coincide with the extra physical effort, she violently ripped two large hunks of concrete right from the ground with her forelegs tugging the chains sideways. The same process was quickly repeated with her hind legs.

"This can't be possible," Mistress Do Well stated, dumbfounded as she watched Rainbow Dash give a single, powerful flap of her wings, utterly breaking the restraints that had been placed on them.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Rainbow Dash stated as she wrapped her right foreleg around the chain on her neck, and jerked it free from the ground. "You just wait and see what's next!"

Mistress Do Well didn't know whether to regard Rainbow Dash's statement as plain arrogance, or if there was truly more to the pegasi's tirade. But that matter was soon addressed, as she watched on in paralyzing horror, as the ground shook with even more force than before, as the cyan pegasus began to change. Her whole outer appearance changed, like millions of little pieces in a double-sided puzzle flipping over to reveal what was hidden just underneath. Leg joints were reoriented, fur and feather was replaced by scale and membrane, with two curved back black horns appearing on either side of her head, as a long row of spines ran down her cyan blue back and newly reptilian tail, from the base of her rainbow mane, all the way to her matching tail tuft of fur. Hooves were swapped out with claws, with individual articulated digits, each with a sharp black talon on the end. Articulated digits that allowed her to effortlessly rip apart the shackles that dangled uselessly from her limbs.

Now she was terrified at the sight of the new quadruped form standing before her, the quaking of the ground seeming to reach a fevered pitch that coincided with the bellowing roar that the now dragonized Rainbow Dash unleashed towards the sky. Whatever was going to happen, it was likely going to be sooner than-

Mistress Do Well was caught off guard by the speed displayed as Rainbow Dash flew forward, and roughly grabbed her by the neck in mid-flight, before continuing on and slamming her against the cinder block wall at the edge of the basement with a sickening thud, held high enough off the ground that her hind legs dangled helplessly just out of reach.

Rainbow Dash grinned as she pulled her newly formed right fist back, and slammed it forward as hard as she could into her quarry's head. She gave a sick, sadistically satisfied grin at the feeling of bone and concrete fracturing beneath her scaled knuckles, before releasing her grip in order to pound away with both fists, in the most brutal, and most unrestrained manner she could muster.

The wall was the first to give way, crumbling to pieces as a particularly brutal punch right to the sternum sent Mistress Do Well flying through the cinder block construction, and crashing against the floor on the opposite side. Rainbow Dash didn't even hesitate before muscling her way through the hole, and observed as her quarry was now trying to crawl away. Oh how the tables had turned.

"Just where do you think you're going, bitch?" Rainbow Dash asked as she reached out and grabbed Mistress Do Well by one of her hind legs. "After all, we're just getting started!" she stated and swung the downed pony around, slamming her not just against the wall, but right through the wall like a wrecking ball, before letting go of her so she could go flying in the process.

"You have no idea how long I've been looking forward to paying you back what you've put me through," Rainbow Dash stated as she stepped -or more accurately stomped- her way through the hole in the wall, and over to where her quarry laid. She reached down and grabbed one of the broken restraints off the ground as she approached, gripping the chain in her claws as she stood over the downed Mistress Do Well, and proceeded to swing the concrete portion around like a flail, before violently swinging it downward, raining a series of brutal blows all over her prone body.

"You know the old saying, Misty, what goes around comes around," Rainbow Dash said as she stopped the beating, before reaching out with one claw to lift her head up off the ground. "Just like this chain goes around your neck," she finished as she did just that, wrapping the chain around her neck, and pulling it tight behind her to choke her. "I'm gonna make you suffer; not for what you did to me, but how much you hurt my friends through all this!"

Choking, it turned out, was a lot less satisfying than Rainbow Dash initially thought it would be. The lack of struggling just left her feeling unfulfilled. Grunting in annoyance, she released the chain, and stood up on her hind legs, using her tail to keep her balanced, before pulling her right leg back and swinging it forward, kicking Mistress Do Well with enough force to send her crashing into the opposing wall, hard enough she actually bounced off, and fell to the ground helplessly.

"And now we're gonna do something that I've wanted to do for a long fuckin' time," Rainbow Dash growled as flame began to seep from the corners of her mouth. Sucking in as deep of a breath as she could manage, she violently exhaled, sending a massive stream of orange fire hurtling across the room, and completely enveloping Mistress Do Well's prone form, before continuing on, and slamming against the wall, spreading out in every direction in the process.

That had felt unbelievably good. She'd been dealing with so much frustration for so long, and having the chance to vent it had made her feel like a huge weight had been lifted off her withers. Now she could actually sit back, and just let out a sigh of relaxation, knowing that it was all over. This was shaping up to be the best dream she'd had in a long, long while.

"That's better. No more Mistress Do Well, no more nightmares, no more bad memories. I've got this!" she stated triumphantly and turned to leave. There was no point in staying here anymore, now that she'd won.

"Oh I wouldn't go so far as to say that..."

Rainbow Dash whirled around hard, caught by surprise by the sound of the voice. It just couldn't be possible!

Chains immediately shot out of the inky blackness around her, and starting wrapping tightly around her limbs, binding her in place. She pulled and struggled against them, pulling with all the force her dragon form had to it, harder than she'd pulled the last time, but nothing was happening. This time around her bindings were much too strong to break free, and she quickly found herself forced to her knees, her thrashing about failing to do anything to benefit her. In what seemed like just seconds, her legs, tail, wings, and neck were all bound tightly, restricting her movement in any direction.

She could do little but watch in horror as the charred remains of Mistress Do Well effortlessly climbed back to its hooves, and proceeded to vigorously shake its body, removing the burnt material and soot that had coated the exterior, and revealed the immaculate snow-white coat of Rarity just beneath the surface, without so much as a single hair out of place.

"You have such a vicious temper, darling," Rarity stated casually as she approached. "To say nothing of your atrocious manners."

"Ah atrocious this!" Rainbow Dash yelled defiantly and sucked down a lungful of air.

Unfortunately before she could actually unleash another stream of fire, another chain had come out of nowhere and wrapped around her elongated snout, pinning her mouth shut, and giving the flames nowhere to shoot but out the sides, never coming anywhere close to where Rarity stood, smirking smugly.

"A lady simply does not spit, darling. Nor do pets. I'll see to it that you learn that fact soon enough," Rarity stated, the chain around Rainbow Dash's snout jerking downward, pulling her head with it in punishment, before the bindings were loosened just enough to she would be allowed to talk.

"How the FUCK are you still alive!?" Rainbow Dash roared and violently pulled at her bindings again, too furious to care about the fact that it hadn't done any good before.

"Language, darling," Rarity replied simply, another chain arising behind Rainbow Dash to whip her across the back, resulting in a yell and a full body flinch against the bindings. "I admit. Your little temper tantrum caught me by surprise. I never quite imagined that you'd have so much fight left in you," she said as she stepped closer, running a hoof along Rainbow Dash's scaled chest, despite her futile attempts at struggling to get loose. This was hardly the first time she had witnessed the display of her lucid dreaming capabilities. But so far this was the most consistent of displays. "But regardless of how much fight you have, or how hard you might try and hit me, or how much, there's one simple fact that you're completely ignorant of. You'll never be able to hurt me, so long as you keep striking out of fear."

"Fuck you! I'm not afraid of you! I'm not afraid of anything!" Rainbow Dash roared angrily and struggled with renewed vigor, trying to break her hands free so she could choke the fake Rarity that was so close she could practically smell her.

"Oh but you are," Rarity replied, before delivering another lashing across Rainbow Dash's back, and tightening the chain around her mouth so she couldn't protest any further. "You're very, very much afraid, even if you won't admit the fact to yourself. You forget, darling, I know everything there is to know about you. This whole dragon facade of yours, just reinforces that fact. You're just a scared little pegasus, whose lied to herself so many times, she doesn't even recognize the truth anymore. So allow me to show you the truth that I see..."

Rainbow Dash responded by struggling harder, pulling on each and every chain that held her, in an attempt to find a weak link somewhere that she could exploit. She snorted, growled, and issued muttered curses and threats around the bindings of her snout, trying to focus enough on generating another stream of fire, in an effort to heat up the chains enough that they might be made pliable enough to snap. If she could heat the links up around her mouth to the melting point, she could rip them apart, and in turn bite through the ones that held her limbs in place.

She did know some things about metallurgy, after all. She wasn't exactly stupid. Nopony could hang around Twilight so much and still be stupid.

Much to her annoyance, Mistress Do Well -she absolutely refused to dignify this being with the name of her friend- stepped back, and conjured a large mirror that perfectly reflected her dragonoid features.

"You choose to see a strong, self-confident, independent pegasus, destined for greatness that will be recognized, and adored, across the nation of Equestria. I see otherwise. And you will too," she stated as the mirror's surface began to distort, and show something far different than the blue dragon from just a moment ago.

"What I see is a mare who's utterly consumed by fear, absolutely every single moment of the day," Mistress Do Well began, the reflection in the mirror being that of a frightened pegasus Rainbow Dash. "A mare who is constantly putting on the facade of being calm, cool, collected, and awesome to the point she's practically worshiped. A mare who utterly needs others around her to see her as daring, and willing to do utterly anything if it's deemed necessary, and will do so without a thought about her own safety, because she can't possibly stand the thought of the alternative. I see a mare that's so utterly paralyzed by her fears of failure, and rejection, that she can't even be honest with those she considers her best friends, and let them know about how she has to cry herself to sleep at night. I see a mare that can't let them know about how much pain she's in every single second off the day, because she can't keep up her facade anymore. I see a mare that would rather kill herself performing some stupid stunt, rather than face what she is, because she can't possibly stand the thought of being alone..."

Rainbow Dash wanted to yell. To roar. To scream herself hoarse. To ram her fist into that mare's mouth, and rip her tongue right out to make her shut up. To break off her horn so she'd stop displaying those horrible, horrible pictures that perfectly illustrated every single word that left her mouth. She wanted to do so many things, but none of them could be done. She was too helpless to do anything but watch, as she couldn't even look away.

"They don't know what I know. They haven't seen what I've seen," Rarity continued, undaunted by Rainbow Dash's futile efforts to resist. She just pressed the matter harder. "They don't know how you're constantly wearing masks to hide what you really are. They don't know how you cry yourself to sleep at night, high up above in your lonely cloud house where no others may tread, hugging a stupid plush toy as if for dear life, because it's the only thing you can tell your troubles to! I've seen how much you've longed to have your parents around again! I've seen how much you miss having your mommy and daddy there for you! I know what kind of pain you feel every minute of the day, carrying around the burden you felt that day when you learned that they didn't love you! That they actually left you all alone without so much as a single thought about how that would affect you later in life! And I see how that burden affects every single facet of your adult life!"

Rainbow Dash roared as angrily, and as loudly as she could through the bindings on her mouth, trying to drown out the voice, desperate for any sense of relief from the onslaught she was being subjected to. She didn't even need to scare Mistress Do Well into being silent, she just had to make enough noise that her own ears wouldn't register anything else.

"It was right after Cloudsdale lost the bid to host the Equestria Games that it happened, when your parents left you and never came back. How many nights did you spend, wondering what you did that was so wrong? How long did your little foal mind take to conclude that the reason they went away, was because they were so utterly disappointed in you? How long before you concluded that you weren't awesome enough to warrant their love anymore? How many broken bones did you suffer in trying to be awesome, thinking that it might bring them back? How many nights have you gone without sleep, because you're convinced that, should you fall even the slightest bit, your friends will leave you just as quickly, and discard you like yesterday's trash?" Rarity asked rhetorically, watching as bit by tiny bit, every last measure of fight she had in her, slowly bled away. "What right did they have to leave a tiny little foal all alone in the world, without so much as a second thought?"

Rainbow Dash slumped against her bindings, unable to keep fighting. She felt exhausted from fighting so long, and so hard against the chains, and getting nowhere. How much impotent rage had she managed to burn through? Enough that despair was setting in now, that much was for certain. She couldn't keep taking this mental beat down.

"You never could bring yourself to hate them for leaving you, darling. You just kept hating yourself. Even today, you still hate yourself for making them leave you," Rarity crooned as she watched Rainbow Dash slump, supported only by the chains around her now. All she needed to do was just push a little bit more. "Tell me darling, which one of your friends being the first to leave you, do you think will cause you the most amount of pain?" she asked, loosening the chain around her mouth in the process.

"Shut up. Just shut up already, please..." Rainbow Dash whimpered, not wanting to hear anymore.

"Fluttershy perhaps?" Rarity asked, utterly ignoring Rainbow Dash's pleas. She was going to make sure the last push hurt the very most. "The one who's been your friend the longest of all of them. And what about her parents? They were so caring to you when your own weren't. Why you and she are practically sisters. Do you think her abandoning you first would hurt the most?"

"Shut up!" Rainbow Dash yelled, her voice starting to crack as she did.

"Maybe Twilight. You've known her the least, but that sneaky unicorn has a way of worming her way into a pony's heart without even trying. If she leaves she'll probably rip your heart out in the process, considering how buried she is in it," Rarity continued.

"Shut up!" Rainbow Dash yelled again.

"What about Pinkie? Why I remember that night so many years ago when she Pinkie Promised that she'd never, ever abandon you, when you were so vulnerable and afraid, and held you so lovingly as you bawled your eyes out against her. How much do you think it'll hurt when she breaks her promise, because the very sight of you sickens her?" Rarity asked.

Rainbow Dash whimpered, being all she could do right now.

"Oh and what about Tank? Do you think it'll hurt if your own pet decides to just leave you? Do you? Will you start bawling when even your tortoise no longer loves you? How much lower can you possibly get than that?"

That had been it. The notion of Tank, who had struggled so hard to finally earn her respect, being the first to abandon her -disregarding all of his own hard work in the process- had broken her last measure of defense. She couldn't tell which memories were real, or which were fake, or even which end was up right now. Before she could even consider stopping herself, she had effortlessly been reduced to tears, bawling openly as she hung limp in her bindings.

"That's a good little filly," Rarity purred as she watched intently, the mirror vanishing from existence. "Show me those beautiful tears of a mare who's been utterly broken; of a mare whose will to live had been totally shattered, and her only purpose for existence is to please her mistress. Let me revel in them!" she stated, excitement unable to be contained at her victory. She could've watched this sight forever.

Unfortunately for her, all good things had to come to an end eventually, and that was true even now. She couldn't stay and watch Rainbow Dash cry all night, as she had other things to tend to.

"You just stay here, darling, I'll be right back, once I get a few things ready for the next part. You'll be learning your place soon enough. And this time around, I promise you it'll stick for good," she purred, before slowly turning around, and walking off.

It was so hard to believe. After so many nights of effort, victory was finally within her grasp. Rainbow Dash had finally been broken, and was now waiting to be built back up accordingly. She was so giddy with excitement, she was practically prancing.

"Hey..."

And then she felt a tapping on her wither. Out of curiosity, she turned around. This shouldn't be-

"FUCK!"

Something heavy slammed down on top of her head, faltering her.

"YOU!"

A second blow to the side of the head, staggering her.

"BITCH!"

A third blow, landed to the bottom of her jaw and traveling upward, knocking her back and almost off her hooves in the process.

When her senses finally restored themselves, she saw that it was Rainbow Dash standing there on her hind legs, glaring at her, back in her pegasus form and... and gripping a dragon's mask in her front hooves. So that was what she'd been hit with. But she'd worry about the symbolism later, once she dealt with the more pressing matters.

"I could've sworn that I broke you just a moment ago," she commented.

"I got better," Rainbow Dash replied and shrugged as she flicked her tail.

Rarity simply let out an indignant huff in response. The intermittent fluctuations of those lucid dreaming abilities was proving to be a notable inconvenience to her; that was the only thing that made sense for such a speedy recovery, and escaping her bindings with such ease.

"You were right about one thing, though," Rainbow Dash explained and dropped the dragon mask to the ground, a heavy metallic thud sounding as it slammed against the concrete. "I was afraid back there. But I'm not anymore," she stated as she set back down on all four of her hooves.

Another indignant huff from Rarity. "I believe I've heard these bold declarations before."

"Except this time around it's true. I'm not hiding behind anymore masks when I face you. No Raindragon, no Ironhorse, just little old me; Rainbow Dash!"

A third huff from Rarity. Rainbow Dash was proving to be a lot more stubborn than she'd expected. She was just going to have to try harder to break her.

"And take that disguise off already, you've been wearing it way too long! You're not the real Rarity, so stop looking like her!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"I could be the real Rarity, darling, you don't know that for sure. You're lucky to even know your own name right now," Rarity shot back. "Do you even know where you are? Is this a dream? Is this real? Is it-"

"I said take it off!" Rainbow Dash yelled and shot forward, decking her across the face, and sending her toppling back in the process.

Rarity groaned in pain from the blow she'd just been delivered. That one had actually hurt a fair bit; more so than the fear-fueld beat down she'd received earlier. Perhaps she was actually serious time time around?

"You don't get it, Misty, you just plain don't! Yeah you might've had me fooled for a while, but it's not gonna work now; not anymore. I know you're not anything like the real Rarity. And no matter how hard you try to convince me otherwise, I'm still gonna know you're not! You're not the one who held me while I was puking my guts out back in the forest, when she could've just turned and run away, and saved herself. You're not the one who told me she trusted me to do the right thing, even when I thought that meant killing her. You didn't stand by me when she thought we were gonna get eaten by wild animals. And you're certainly not the one that held me, and walked me through a panic attack! You're just a pitiful fucking excuse, and I'm not gonna put up with it anymore!"

Mistress Do Well frowned, before dropping the appearance of Rarity, and returning to her costumed appearance. Apparently the snow-white unicorn was no longer going to be of any use to her now. She was going to have to try something else.

"Bold words from-"

"Did I give you permission to talk, bitch!?" Rainbow Dash snapped, making her shut back up again. She wasn't done talking yet; not by a long shot. "You've beaten and tortured me, tried to turn me against my own friends, and left me uncertain of which way was even up. Well that's all over now, because you made me realize something very important about them! Every one of my friends has seen me when I've been at my lowest; when I've been as far away from awesome as I ever thought I could be. And even then, when I was so beaten down that I could've just given up, they still stuck around because they cared about me, not about my being awesome! They're not friends with me because I'm awesome, it's the other way around. The reason that I'm so awesome, is because I have an awesome bunch of friends who'll stick by me no matter what! And you," she paused to emphasize the word by jabbing her right foreleg as Mistress Do Well, "can't take that away from me!"

Mistress Do Well huffed from behind her mask, annoyed by all of the talking that Rainbow Dash felt entitled to engage in. This was just yet another bad habit that she was going to need to address. She needed to impress upon this mare just how hopeless her situation was. Simply because she had dropped her fear -supposedly anyway- that didn't change the fact that she was outclassed here. Her lucid dreaming abilities were far too immature to be anything other than a mere nuisance to address. She would make it clear, even if she had to grind this mare's soul into dust to do it.

"You'll have plenty of time to work on your speeches, once I put you back in your proper place," she stated as she summoned dozens of new chains from the blackness of their surroundings. "This time I'll lock you away in the deepest, darkest regions in Equestria. You'll never see the light of day again," she explained, before commanding the chains to bind her back up again.

Except it didn't go nearly as easy as it should have. Unlike the last time, Rainbow Dash was actually resisting her efforts. She watched as the cyan pegasus leaped into the air as the chains raced towards her position, and then began countering as they adjusted their aim. She ducked, dodged, swerved, and spun to avoid each and every attempt made at securing her, pulling off aerial maneuvers at breakneck speeds to escape capture.

Undaunted, she pressed on, summoning dozens of additional chains to press the assault harder, to force Rainbow Dash to submit to the fact of how things were going to go. And this time it was working, as dodging was no longer an option, and she now had to defend, making every effort to kick away and deflect certain chains, while continuing to avoid others.

"I've got you now!" Mistress Do Well stated as she commanded the chains all around her, surrounding Rainbow Dash in a net that she couldn't possibly slip loose from. And then, at the key moment, she struck with all chains at once, swooping in and tightly binding the cyan pegasus from head to hoof, until not a single trace of blue could be seen through them.

"Your arrogance betrays you," she purred, content in her victory as the chains pulled their captive back down to the ground, roughly.

And then that victory wound up exploding right in her face, with a bright flash of light from within the chains, followed by them exploding outward in the form of shrapnel, sending broken links in every direction. And right in the middle of it was Rainbow Dash, utterly unharmed, and spinning about on her right hind leg, in a pose that looked as if she was engaged in ballet of all things!

"You just don't get it," Rainbow Dash stated as she set back down on all four hooves. "You can't hurt me anymore, just like you can't break my friendships. I'm not going to play with you anymore. Just go away already."

Mistress Do Well sputtered in response to this declaration, unable to comprehend what she was actually hearing. "You have the nerve to dare even think that you have any say over how things are going to proceed?!" she shrieked indignantly, stunned by the utter audacity she was seeing unfold before her.

Rainbow Dash watched as Mistress Do Well convulsed angrily, the seams of her costume splitting apart as an inky shadow material poured out of her, completely enveloping the entire area that she was in. Obviously she'd found her berserk button, and not just pressed it, but rather pounded it with authority.

"Just because Luna gifted you lucid dreaming abilities doesn't mean you get to have a say in things! So maybe I can't hurt you like I have, I don't need to! I'm still going to destroy your curdled brain, one way or another! I'll deny you rest, and fill your mind with the most horrible of images I can imagine during every waking hour, flooding your senses until you can't tune them out! I'll reduce you to a gibbering, babbling, incoherent, institutionalized idiot who'll never hold another sane thought for as long as she lives!" Mistress Do Well howled angrily, the shadowy material serving to perfectly reflect her mood.

Rainbow Dash barely even blinked, too unimpressed to even react to her threats of retaliation. This was getting monotonous, now that she knew she didn't have to tolerate it all. Even watching as the area around Mistress Do Well was flooded with an ever-growing mass of shadow material, growing more volatile by the second, she couldn't find it within herself to give a single fuck.

"Luna's not the only friend supporting me. I've got plenty of others, each one of them giving me more strength than I'd ever have on my own. Strength that'll see me through this," she replied casually, observing as the distance between them expanded greatly, so Mistress Do Well could build up a good galloping speed. "Loyalty, support, happiness, laughter, kindness, honesty, generosity, companionship," she idly listed as the distance between them was being closed quickly, the shadows looking like an approaching tsunami at this point. "And a little something that a new friend of mine calls Hollowfication!"

Rainbow Dash raised her head and swung it back down, quickly bringing into view a new mask, much like a helmet's visor slamming shut from the centrifugal force of such a move. Unlike everything else she'd used before, out of fear and desperation, this one was different. This time around it was a mask she wore simply because she wanted to, not because she believed that she needed to. It wasn't convoluted or fancy, it was just a blank, expressionless, bone-white mask that perfectly fit over her face, ears, and lower jaw, with her cutie mark proudly emblazoned in the forehead between her eyes.

Mistress Do Well was practically bearing down on her now, the wall of shadows behind her so big that they completely obstructed everything else that was behind her.

The mask rainbow Dash wore quickly split apart at the jaw line as she opened her mouth, a red sphere of pure energy forming in her gaping maw, drawing in numerous swirling trails of colorful mana from her surroundings -each one of them a color associated with one or more of her friends- everything culminating in a brightly glowing, multicolored ball just aching for release.

The Cero that Rainbow Dash let loose was unimaginably large, the recoil of the shot actually sliding her across the ground as it was discharged, huge billowing clouds of up-until-then unseen dirt and debris being kicked up in every single direction, as it rocketed downrange, and collided with Mistress Do Well head on, resulting in the most massive, ground-shaking explosion she had ever seen before in her entire life, sending shadow material scattering like useless bits of dust in the wind, as a massive shock wave spread out from the point of impact, a gigantic mushroom cloud forming above the point of impact, and billowing high up into the sky.

Now that was FUCKING awesome!

Rainbow Dash sighed and slouched, letting the Hollow mask dissipate off her face, vanishing back to whence it'd come. For the first time in so long, she finally felt at peace. There was no impending sense of doom or fear weighing her down, nothing that was making her afraid of turning around, it was all just... peaceful. More peaceful than it had been the first time around. There was no tension in the air that left her feeling like she was forgetting something important, or anything else like that. It was, at least with regard to this dream, finally over.

It was finally over!

"Yeah!" she howled in unrestrained excitement, flaring her wings for support as she reared up on her hind legs, and proceeded to beat on her chest with her front hooves.

As much as she tried to portray herself otherwise, Luna was just as anxious and disturbed as Celestia had been. The only difference between the two of them right now, was that she didn't have the added burden of fatigue to wrestle with, due to their differing sleep schedules. Not that it made things any better for her, however; if anything it just made it all the worse. That was her opinion on the matter anyway. Being fully awake meant that her mind was able to comprehend a great many more things than she could have if she were mentally exhausted. That meant having more worries to contend with, and a runaway imagination that could conjure more than there really were.

The palace felt so lonely right now. Lonely and very foreboding. Despite the presence of ample staff to confide in, that did nothing to ease the anxiety that she currently felt, now that Celestia was asleep in her chambers. And as much as she would like to speak with someone right now, the night cleaning crew weren't exactly appropriate for this sort of matter. Even if she were the appropriate one to talk to, Nurse Goodwill was likely asleep at this hour. Right now there was little she could do beyond simply pacing the throne room, doing her best to be patient.

She felt a sense of relief overcome her as she saw Ulquiorra calmly walking through the large double doors in the company of the guard she'd dispatched to retrieve him. She knew that when all else failed, at least she could implore the Espada's council, and he would tell her what needed to be said. If there was reason to be worried, then he would inform her of such. And if there wasn't... well maybe he had some words of wisdom to put her mind at ease. He could tell her succinctly that she was worrying over nothing.

The fact that his jacket was absent, and he was now wearing the shirt that Rarity had made for him, could be addressed later. Right now there were more important things to discuss.

"I am glad you could make it," she said and breathed a sigh of relief, letting herself slouch now. It had taken him so long to actually arrive, she'd wondered if he had turned down the request entirely. Thankfully that wasn't the case. She'd chalk up his slowness in showing up to not wanting to leave the dispatched guard behind.

"Then the situation has gotten progressively worse," Ulquiorra elaborated as he approached. Very few were ever glad to see him, unless things had gone from bad to worse. "What happened?"

"That is what I am uncertain of. Are you able to detect anything that would seem... out of place?" Luna asked as she approached him.

"Not at present time," Ulquiorra replied, his pesquisa unable to detect anything that was out of the ordinary. As it was currently, everything he felt was rather routine. "Why do you ask?"

"At present time I am feeling quite anxious, and unable to quell my nerves. We are but a few scant hours away from the conditions in Ponyville being right for the formation of fog, and thus but a few hours away from my sister and I being able to put this plan into action, and finally resolve this crisis. And yet I cannot help but feel that it is all too easy," Luna stated as she looked at him. "There is a growing sense that we are about to proceed into a trap, and I cannot shake it. If something is to go wrong, I cannot help but feel that it would be sometime between now, and just before the dawn."

"It would be foolish to assume that an attempt would not be made to interfere with the plan at some point," Ulquiorra replied. Too many things had happened in recent time to be chalked up to mere coincidence; for everything to have proceeded as it had over the past few weeks, the responsible party would have to have some way of keeping tabs on them. Some method that he was incapable of noticing. It was reasonably safe to assume that their plan was already knowledge held by whatever enemy they were facing off against. Whether or not that knowledge could actually be exploited in a counterattack was another subject of discussion.

Luna nodded in response. "That is what I fear. And yet I have no way of responding to unfounded apprehension. I cannot send out patrols to coordinates that I cannot specify. Nor can I order a top to bottom sweep of Canterlot palace, based on nothing more than the tingling sensation running along my spine," she stated.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response. What was there to really say at this point? Was Princess Luna expecting him to confirm her worries, and state that she wasn't being paranoid to believe imminent danger was a possibility? Or was she hoping that he could logically dismiss her concerns, and explain why there was no point in worrying about what might not even come to pass?

The living made very little sense. That was all there was to it.

"Tell me, how is Rainbow Dash currently?" she asked.

"She was unconscious when I left, sleeping as soundly as can be expected under the present circumstances," he explained. Although it remained to be seen if that was still the case, now that he was absent.

"That is fortunate then," Luna replied, "I have a plan in mind for how we might proceed through this night, to minimize our chances of something possibly going wrong," she stated.

"Do you intend to tell me of your own volition? Or is my inquiry necessary before you can proceed?" Ulquiorra asked her pointedly.

Luna couldn't help but catch the irony of the Espada's question, and how it reminded her of her own short temper with his particular manner of speech during the time Rainbow Dash had escaped from the hospital. Things were certainly coming full circle... or something like that.

"My sister is currently sleeping in her quarters, awaiting the time in which we can proceed with the plan. I would propose the three of us relocate there, securing ourselves within, and waiting out the remaining six hours there, where we would have a greater control of whatever developments might occur. It would be infinitely more difficult for us to be taken off guard if the four of us are all present," she explained.

"Five."

"Pardon?" Luna asked, puzzled by the short statement she'd just received.

"The five of us. Rainbow Dash would not willingly leave her tortoise behind to fend for himself," Ulquiorra elaborated. "That fact aside, the proposal is far more logically sound, than everyone being spread out at various points in the palace."

"Excellent," Luna stated, "then we shall meet back at her quarters. You go and retrieve Rainbow Dash and Tank, I will fetch us the necessary provisions for the duration. Food, beverages, reading material, perhaps a chess set as well."

That last statement caught Ulquiorra off guard, making him pause to consider her words.

"You've been associating with Twilight Sparkle to the point her fixation with slumber parties is beginning to rub off on you," he stated.

Luna wasn't sure how to respond to that comment. Was it an attempt at humor on his part? Was he being critical of her plan? Or did he have a valid point, that she was beginning to pick up on some of the idiosyncratic behavior of some of their friends?

Before she could press him for an explanation, the silence of the palace was shattered by a loud, piercing scream. Immediately the guard present jumped in surprise, looking about wildly for the source of the commotion, eyes darting back and forth like mad.

"Motherfucker!" Luna yelped as she jumped, just as surprised as the guard had been. But the passage of time did nothing to calm her nerves, as the realization of what was behind the sudden noise caught up to her, making her eyes go even wider. "By Faust! That is Tia's scream!"

"Do it," Ulquiorra said as he gripped onto her wither.

Luna nodded in understanding of what was being said, before flaring her horn and teleporting away, the two of them instantly appearing in front of the doors to Celestia's chambers. As they arrived at their destination, she was greeted by the sight of the assigned guards trying valiantly -and desperately- to open the doors themselves; one going with magic, the other going with physical strength, and neither of them succeeding at their task. The doors remained firmly locked, despite their best efforts.

And all the while, Celestia was still screaming on the other side of them.

"Stand aside."

It was Ulquiorra's voice that cut through her worries. She blinked as he approached, barely even waiting for the guards to heed his instructions, and proceeded to firmly plant the bottom of his right foot against the two doors right where they locked. Where the others had failed miserably in overcoming whatever securing manner was in place, he had succeeded in forcing the doors open with but a single kick, both of them swinging open hard enough to slam into the wall in the process.

The air in the room carried an acrid smell about it that stung her nostrils, and made her eyes water as it rushed out to greet them in the hall, but she ignored it as the lights in the room were raised, and she all but flew over to Celestia's bed, where he sister currently laid screaming and kicking as if she were fighting for her very life.

"Sister! Sister! Wake up!" she yelled as she gripped her sister tightly, her mind barely even registering the fact that the covers of the bed were soaked through.

Celestia's eyes flew open as Luna's touch, followed by her bolting up in bed, no longer screaming, but gasping for air as she looked around in a panicked fashion.

"It is alright, Tia, it is alright. You are safe," Luna assured her as she hugged her close, paying no mind to the wet bed covers. They could be tended to easily enough, right now it was her sister that needed her concern more than anything.

Celestia stopped her frantic looking about the room, focusing exclusively on Luna, looking into her eyes. And as she did, tears started to run down her cheeks as she sniffed weakly.

"Luna," she croaked out weakly, her voice hoarse from screaming. But she was unable to get anymore words out, as she broke down into unrestrained sobbing in her sister's forelegs.

From outside the room, in the company of the two guards, Ulquiorra observed the entire situation transpire. The situation they now found themselves in had just gone from bad to worse. Whatever had happened to Princess Celestia prior to their arrival, had just established the fact their theoretical premise was incorrect; alicorns were in fact not immune to whatever was transpiring around them. As many trips as had been made to Ponyville since Rainbow Dash was first afflicted, must have been a sufficient enough degree of exposure to the hallucinogenic contaminates of the terror fog to afflict her. And if Princess Celestia was as vulnerable as everyone else, that meant Princess Luna was as well.

And if the diarchy was vulnerable... what if he was as well? It had already been demonstrated that he had no resistance against the poison joke, despite his otherworldly status. That meant that at any moment, any single one of them could be attacked next, subjected to who knew what kind of psychological assault.

Making matters all the worse -because they apparently hadn't been bad enough to begin with- was the fact that they still had hours before they could actually proceed with the plan of stopping the fog. And with Princess Celestia down, and the rest of them at risk of following suit, it was questionable if they would be able to persevere through all this.

"Shit."

Author's Note

That wasn't where I planned on ending the chapter. I didn't plan on ending with a cliffhanger this time around. It just happened because it was taking way too long to write the closing the way I wanted it. So now that's going to be part of the next chapter.

Sorry folks. Hope the wait wasn't too disappointing.

Deleted/Alternate Scene

From outside the room, in the company of the two guards, Ulquiorra observed the entire situation transpire. The situation they now found themselves in had just gone from bad to worse. Whatever had happened to Princess Celestia prior to their arrival, had just established the fact their theoretical premise was incorrect; alicorns were in fact not immune to whatever was transpiring around them. As many trips as had been made to Ponyville since Rainbow Dash was first afflicted, must have been a sufficient enough degree of exposure to the hallucinogenic contaminates of the terror fog to afflict her. And if Princess Celestia was as vulnerable as everyone else, that meant Princess Luna was as well.

And if the diarchy was vulnerable... what if he was as well? It had already been demonstrated that he had no resistance against the poison joke, despite his otherworldly status. That meant that at any moment, any single one of them could be attacked next, subjected to who knew what kind of psychological assault.

If ever there was a set of developments that could be considered absolutely terrifying, this would most certainly be near the top of the list, exceeded only by the thought of not being able to differentiate between fantasy and reality.

And yet... there was something about the prospect of his possibly not being impervious to the effects of the terror fog that almost felt... appealing perhaps?

As far back as he could remember, he couldn't recall actually experiencing the sensation of terror. He didn't know what it was like to be terrified to his very core, his grasp of reality shaken by being besieged by images that couldn't be physically possible, and yet were impossible to deny due to the circumstances of it all. He fully understood why one would feel terror at such a prospect, but that was as far as it went.

The more he thought of it, the more interesting he found the notion. What might be brought to the table if he should be the next one targeted with attack? And more importantly, would it actually be successful in making him experience terror for himself? Or would it be a lackluster endeavor, that simply confirmed that the guilty party didn't comprehend what it was up against?

Who knew. If the guilty part responsible for all of this actually brought their A-game, perhaps this inevitable encounter would amount to what could be considered fun.

Chapter Eighty Four

Chapter Eighty Four

Rainbow Dash mumbled to herself as she rested comfortably, in that state on the edge between being awake and asleep, where one was simply too comfortable to commit to anything, and simply wanted to burrow deeper under the covers draped over them, without a care in the world.

There was just one small detail that kept her from being able to do just that. That being the fact that she distinctly remembered not covering up at all as she laid down for the night. That was enough to make her open her eyes, sit up, and take stock of her surroundings.

Like she was when she went to sleep, she was in Ulquiorra's quarters, on his sofa, with Tank slumbering away in the corner of the room. That much was the same.

What differed from what she remembered, was being covered up, and the Espada being nowhere to be found. In simple terms, he'd abandoned ship on her while she slept.

"Where'd he go?" she asked herself as she kicked the covers off.

As she did, she realized that it wasn't a sheet she'd been covered in while she slept, but a jacket. More specifically it was Ulquiorra's jacket. What exactly was going on around here?

This was getting really weird, really fast. Ulquiorra abandoning his post without explanation, using his own jacket as a blanket for her? What else was happening?

She sat up straighter as she looked around the room again, and then noticed something else out of place. A piece of paper sitting on the desk, folded in a manner that made it really conspicuous, and hard to not notice being out of place. She climbed off the couch, and went over to read what it had to say.

Called away on potentially urgent business. Will return as soon as possible.

Rainbow Dash read the note, and chuckled to herself as she did, shaking her head. So much for his claim that he was a heartless monster. Unapologetic jerk perhaps, but not a heartless monster.

Of course, now she was faced with another mystery to deal with. That being what to do now? She really wasn't feeling all that tired right now, so going back to sleep didn't hold much appeal.

She could step outside and see if she could figure out just what sort of potentially urgent business he was referring to. But she really doubted Luna would be all that forthcoming with information, out of fear of her trying to tag along on some damn fool mission. And she'd probably be right too.

There were an awful lot of books from the library still present, either on the shelf or on the desk. Maybe she could browse through one of them until she dozed off from utter boredom, as she knew he wasn't reading any adventure novels.

And then she noticed something else out of place in the room. That being Ulquiorra's satchel, hung over the back of the chair at the desk. Probably to let him get out of his jacket. He'd been wearing that damned thing everywhere he went, ever since he got it from Rarity on his third visit to Ponyville. It'd been as constant a companion to him as his sword. And he'd just left it hanging there, totally unsecured...

The Espada was almost always writing down something in that notebook he carried with him. And whatever he wrote, he tended to write fast; fast enough that his pencil made more noise than Twilight's own quill when she was in a writing hurry. But what was it that he spent so much time writing about? What could be so fascinating for him?

She knew that what she was considering doing could be a massive invasion of privacy. But if whatever Ulquiorra had to write was so important, he would've done a better job at securing it against accidental discovery; he was way too careful to just leave stuff like that to chance.

Her eyes glanced left, and then right, and then left again, before she lifted the satchel's flap, and saw the main compartment was left unzipped. Glancing left at the door again, she reached inside with her hoof, and pulled out a random piece of folded up paper, before unfolding it, and reading what it had to say.

Wednesday, June twelfth, second year of the new calendar: After Nightmare Moon

Observational notes pertaining to the mysterious concept known as "friendship" and other curiosities in the world of Equestria

Entry Two

The unforeseen developments pertaining to yesterday, have led to complications to the overall objectives of the mission at hand.

Originally the goal was simple and straightforward; use whatever methods that were needed to lead these ponies to believe that I took a genuine interest in the concept of friendship, in order to make them drop their nonsensical approach to a non-issue, and refocus their efforts on looking for any clues that may lead us to identifying when and where the next attack on Equestria may be coming from. The more warning signs that can be identified, the better our chances of emerging unscathed.

What wasn't anticipated with such an approach, however, was these ponies actually taking an unpredicted course of action that would leave me far more fascinated, and interested in them than I was previously. And their decision to exploit my impaired condition from poison joke exposure has done just that. Because of such developments occurring, nothing remains so straightforward any longer.

Despite this being a ruse to exert compliance from them, there is no denying that their actions have inspired a great deal of curiosity on the whole concept of friendship, and how they can reconcile their beliefs with their actions, when the two would logically seem to run contrary to one another.

Rainbow Dash stopped reading around that point of the report, unprepared for what she'd just found. Ulquiorra had been using them? All that talk about coming to have a greater understanding of what friendship was, was just bullshit to get them to do what he wanted?

But if that was the case, then what about everything that had happened since then? What about all the care he'd been providing? The tough love approach of telling her to pull herself together and stop whining? Was that all because he needed her to get back into fighting shape, and not for any other reason?

She turned back to the report and read it over again, scanning the page for anything that would indicate that wasn't the case; anything that would suggest he held friendship in some regard of importance. But there was nothing to find within. Nothing but a cold, analytical approach to how the concept of friendship -while fascinating enough to warrant further study- was a low priority on his list of things to do. Something that was meant to be studied, but not necessarily practiced?

But if that was the case, what about the jacket? What about the note? Those stuck out to her as unusual for someone who was merely using them for his own goals.

Looking back at the report again, she saw that the date was the day after the manticore attack. And it was only the second report he'd made? Maybe something really had changed since that time, and was documented in a different report. If that was the case, then it was just a matter of finding it.

Now that she thought of it, the date was the same as her episode. Meaning it was probably written at some time during the night when the rest of them had been asleep. That might explain a lot of it actually.

Before she could search through the satchel for anymore reports on the mysteries of friendship, and see what revisions of thought he might have committed to writing, a loud scream sounded, causing her to jump in surprise and drop the piece of paper, looking about frantically as if she'd just been caught doing something she shouldn't have; which was technically true.

Realizing that she was still alone in the room did nothing to slow her heart down though. Whoever was screaming was still at it, indicating that whatever had been going on was still happening, and...

"Oh no..."

She recognized the voice that was behind that scream. It was Celestia's! And this time around she seriously doubted the scream was from her being startled by being poked in the back while being deeply engrossed in reading something. This couldn't be good.

Running over to the door, she grabbed the knob and pulled, only for it to refuse to open. She quickly realized that it had been locked from the inside; likely by Ulquiorra as he left to tend to whatever problem had arisen, so whatever tried to get at her would have a harder time doing just that.

Undoing the lock, she flung the door open, and took off galloping down the hallway towards Celestia's quarters. But as fast as she was, she realized that galloping was way too slow to reach her destination in an adequate amount of time. So she did what any self-respecting pegasus would do, unfurling her wings and giving a mighty flap to propel herself off the floor.

Her daily exercises had kept her wing muscles from atrophying from disuse, but that did nothing to keep them from hurting at their first real use in so long. This wasn't some sprint meant to satiate primal species instinct that demanded flight, but rather a serious use as she soared down the hallways at top speed towards her destination. Under different circumstances, she'd be thrilled at the familiar sensations that were rushing over her. But right now she was far too focused on getting to Celestia's quarters in hopes of finding the distraught alicorn, and figuring out what was going on.

"Make a hole! Make a hole!" she yelled at anyone who entered her field of vision, anxious to avoid plowing into them as she hurried along. After so long without the option of flying like she usually did, the finer points of control were rustier than she cared to admit, meaning she'd need time to work back into performing tight maneuvers. And any crash, clipping, or other form of collision was just going to slow her down to an unacceptable degree.

Flying up through the stairwell to get to the appropriate floor presented its own sort of challenges that had to be overcome. But she did just that, through a combination of tenacity, and sheer dumb luck, as she made her way to the floor Celestia's quarters were positioned on.

By the time she reached her destination, her wings felt about ready to completely fall off. But regardless of that fact, she'd made it to Celestia's quarters. And much to her surprise, she didn't even have to contend with the doors, as they were already open. And she was late to the party, as she was apparently the last one to arrive, with Luna and Ulquiorra beating her there.

All at once the smell in the room hit her like a kick to the face, giving her an idea what had happened here, but it was only a piece of the puzzle; there was still the matter of what had made Celestia wet the bed in the first place.

"What happened here?" she asked Ulquiorra, seeing as he was the only one present who was currently unoccupied. She discounted the notion of the guards being able to give her a sensible answer, based on previous experience in similar circumstances in the past.

"We don't yet know," Ulquiorra replied as he turned to address her. "But it's reasonable to conclude that Princess Celestia has fallen victim to the terror fog as well," he added.

"Oh no," Rainbow Dash groaned, knowing that it went without saying just how bad this whole situation had become. "We need her for stopping that fog. Whadda we do now with her down?"

"Proceed as originally planned, while substituting Princess Luna for Princess Celestia. She's just as capable of condensing the terror fog into a condensed block of ice, and ending the threat it poses. From there we simply wait for Twilight Sparkle and the others to finish the cure, dispense it to everyone that's been afflicted, and close this chapter," Ulquiorra stated, seeing no reason to believe otherwise.

That was all assuming Princess Celestia's degree of affliction was substantial enough that she couldn't get her head together in the next few hours. And until he saw something that would convince him otherwise, Princess Luna was merely a backup, serving as a contingency plan to be called on in a worst case scenario.

"I fear that will not be a possibility, however," Luna spoke up as she held Celestia firmly while she bawled. "I cannot leave Celestia while she is in this state. Especially when we do not know for certain just what her state is," she pointed out, idly noting how Celestia seemed to cling to her even tighter at the mention of being left. Even if she was willing to leave her sister, she truly doubted that said willingness would be reciprocated.

"Alright that's it! We're going to Ponyville, right now!" Rainbow Dash stated forcefully, slamming one hoof against another and producing a loud clopping noise in the process.

"Ultimately for what purpose?" Ulquiorra asked, completely unimpressed with the sudden display of bravado. What good could possibly come from such an endeavor?

"For the purpose of kicking this fog's ass, that's what. Forget sealing it away in a block of ice, we're gonna destroy it! We're gonna go to Ponyville, get everyone together, get the Elements of Harmony, and we're gonna waste this fog like we have every other villain we've used them against!" Rainbow Dash stated. She'd had enough of this nonsense about recovery, and cures, and airtight containers, and all the rest of this technical sciencey bullshit. They were going to deal with this mess the old fashioned way, and they were going to emerge triumphantly once again!

"... I am afraid that will not be a possibility, Rainbow Dash," Luna said slowly as she cradled Celestia.

"What? Why not?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked over at her.

"When you were afflicted by the fog, your sense of loyalty was severely compromised, leaving the Element of Loyalty nothing to resonate with. It currently lays dormant like a useless piece of granite, rendering the others unusable," Ulquiorra explained.

Luna nearly gasped at hearing Ulquiorra's statement. The only ones that knew about the state of the Elements of Loyalty were herself, Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike. They had all agreed to say nothing of this development to Ulquiorra, out of concern over how he might choose to address the matter. She knew that neither she, nor Celestia, would have said anything to him about something so sensitive. That left only two possibilities, and a lingering question of just how much he knew.

"Wait, seriously?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief. "Can't we... I don't know, give it to somepony else so it'll work again?"

"That, too, is equally impossible. In their current state, once an Element of Harmony has bonded to an individual, they remain linked for life. The only way the Element of Loyalty could be reassigned to someone else, would be if you were to die," Ulquiorra explained.

Luna bit back the response she had, afraid of what might happen if she were to actually say what she was thinking right now. She couldn't lose her composure right now; not with Celestia being in the state she was in, and certainly not with everyone so close to panicking. The fact that Ulquiorra was in possession of this information confirmed that there was a leak somewhere. But beyond that was something with the potential to be even more startling; that Ulquiorra knew all of this, and yet had refrained with engaging in such an approach.

They had kept this information from the Espada, out of the concern that he might kill Rainbow Dash, reasoning that it was more logical than providing care for her, with no prospect of it even working, while Equestria was in danger all the while. Now here she was confronting the fact that he hadn't done anything of the sort, despite being in the perfect position to do just that. Once again, he had surprised all of them.

"... How dead would I have to be for that to happen?" Rainbow Dash finally asked.

And that broke Luna out of her thoughts.

"I... I do not understand what you are saying," she stated.

"Even I'm lost," Ulquiorra added.

"You said that as long as I'm alive, the Element of Loyalty won't work for anypony else. What if I wasn't?" she asked. But before anyone could offer up a response, she was already talking again. "Hear me out on this, I know what I'm talking about. Twilight once told me that the pony brain can go without oxygen for four minutes before brain damage set in. We go back to Ponyville, you stop my heart just long enough for the Element of Loyalty to read me as being dead, and break off contact with me. Then you restart my heart to bring me back, and then we can find somepony else to wield it while I'm down. Maybe somepony like Derpy; she's not the brightest around, but she's pretty loyal to her friends."

"What? No. No!" Luna objected forcefully, horrified by just how casually such an idea was being tossed about. Just thinking about it made her feel ill.

"What other choice do we have?" Rainbow Dash asked, her voice rising in volume as she spoke. "If Celestia can be vulnerable, then nopony's safe from this fog. You, Ulquiorra, everyone's at risk. What're we supposed to do, sit around and twiddle our hooves, waiting for things to get better? Waiting for Celestia to get better? We need to try whatever might work," she stated firmly.

"Rainbow Dash, we are not stooping to such a strategy! Never! It is too dangerous, there is no guarantee that we would be able to revive you. Beyond that there is no guarantee that the idea would even work. You could be putting yourself in jeopardy for absolutely nothing!" Luna stated.

"And how's that different from any other time when Equestria's been in danger, and we had to rise to the occasion? We don't get to have a say in when we defend Equestria from danger, we just go and do it!" Rainbow Dash stated, feeling herself growing more and more agitated with every word. They could've been halfway to Ponyville by now if they weren't spending all of their time talking. "And when we do, we know that we might not all be coming back home, that's just how it is. So what makes this any different from any other time?"

"Because this is a suicide mission you are volunteering for!" Luna practically shrieked, unconsciously holding Celestia tighter than before. "Rainbow Dash, I cannot, I-I will not, put somepony at risk for what may be nothing more than a pipe dream. Please do not put me in the position of having to choose between my sister, and my friend; it is a decision that I refuse to make!" she stated, barely able to hold onto what little composure she had right now. She couldn't take all of the screaming, the prospect of a suicide mission, and her sister being in a near-catatonic state right now. It was all far too much to take all at once.

"Please. Leave us for the time being. And please, do not make me have to make it an order," she said as calmly as she could manage.

Rainbow Dash wanted to protest, and loudly. She wanted to argue that now wasn't the time for such an approach to doing things. But a single look back at Ulquiorra told her that he wasn't going to be supporting her position; that if she was going to argue the merits of proceeding, she'd be arguing such alone.

She looked back at Luna, then back at Ulquiorra, not seeing support from either one of them right now. All she could do was sigh in defeat, and slowly hover her way out of Celestia's room.

Ulquiorra followed Rainbow Dash's lead, stepping out of the room without another word, leaving Luna behind with Celestia to do as she saw fit. If she was unwilling to rise to the situation, there was very little he could do about that.

In their absence, Luna did her best to calm herself, her mind racing with thoughts she'd much rather not entertain at all. The fact that Rainbow Dash had actually suggested such a desperate measure was just too horrifying to consider. It was far too much to think about right now.

And then the smell stuck in her nose came back to her.

"Guards. Prepare a bath immediately, and then contact the janitorial staff," she instructed. She would tend to things as best she could. That was all she could do right now.

"You know that I'm right," Rainbow Dash stated as they made their way through the hallway.

"And precisely what is it, that I know you're right about?" Ulquiorra asked as he shifted his attention to her. She'd been saying a lot of things lately, so without clarification, he didn't have a clue whether she was right or not.

"That we need the Elements of Harmony to resolve this crisis. With Celestia down, we can't afford to wait anymore; I don't even know how we waited this long," Rainbow Dash elaborated.

"So far you're correct," Ulquiorra replied as he stopped walking in order to better face her as she spoke. He could certainly see the logic in her statement. Without the Elements of Harmony they were vulnerable to attack from any number of unknown threats. The simple fact that they hadn't been yet, was either due to coincidence, or being toyed with by the responsible party.

"Meaning that we've gotta do whatever needs to be done, to avert a crisis, regardless of what the price might be," Rainbow Dash stated.

"What you are saying is understood. But it must still be asked if you are truly willing to put yourself at risk of dying for others," Ulquiorra pointed out.

"Yes!" Rainbow Dash stated quickly. Too quickly, she realized. She didn't need the disbelieving look Ulquiorra was giving her right now, as even she didn't believe her own words at this point. "Alright. Maybe not so much. Sure, the idea of dying sucks a lot. But what am I supposed to do; ask Scootaloo to go in my place? Tell Twilight and the others that I'm too scared of being killed to help those in need? It doesn't work that way. Like I said, we know the risks whenever we're called to action, and we go out anyway. There's too many ponies counting on us, for us to be selfish," she stated firmly, before sighing and slouching. "Luna just doesn't get that fact."

"That assessment is highly unlikely," Ulquiorra replied. Being royalty, that fact was likely very understood by Princess Luna. "Your delivery, however, left much to be desired."

"What? How?" Rainbow Dash asked as she stopped in place to look at him.

"Let's start with your proposed solution to the problem at hand; stopping your heart to reassign the Element of Loyalty to a worthy pony, so that the Elements of Harmony can be used."

"What's wrong with that? Isn't that what you would do?" Rainbow Dash asked quickly.

"Perhaps if I was prone to acting without thinking. However that is something I'm not prone to. It's true, if I believed the solution to protecting Equestria from harm was as simple as killing you, I would do so readily. But knowing what I know, I don't believe it to be the proper solution to the problem. It would cause far more harm than good," Ulquiorra explained.

"Yeah?" Rainbow Dash asked. She considered asking just what he meant by that, or what he knew that led him to his conclusion. But she didn't want to get distracted; she'd save it for another time. "But we're not talking about permanent death here."

"And that fact, combined with the fact that we know next to nothing about how the Elements of Harmony work, is another reason to approach with caution, rather than rushing off without a second thought. You said it yourself, the pony brain can only survive four minutes without oxygen, before permanent brain damage occurs. What if it takes longer than four minutes for the Element of Loyalty to no longer read you as alive, and disconnect from you?" Ulquiorra asked.

Rainbow Dash paused, uncertain of what to say in response. She didn't want to admit it, but she hadn't considered that as being a possibility. And now that he'd actually put that out there, she couldn't help but think about it. What if it did go like that? Would they be waiting to see who would have to blink first? Seeing how long they could hold off before reviving her because the Element of Loyalty was being too stubborn to cooperate?

Worse than that, what if the resuscitation efforts weren't instantaneous? What if they took time to kick in, and get her heart beating again; time that they didn't have?

She couldn't help but swallow the nervous lump that was forming in her throat.

"Even if the separation occurred in a matter of seconds, and you could be immediately revived, there's nothing to say that the Element of Loyalty won't read you as alive again, and immediately reassert its connection with you, meaning it would've been for nothing," Ulquiorra pointed out.

"Then we'd just have to hold off until we got it to resonate with someone else. If we gathered every possible pony together, we might be able to do it before you've gotta restart my heart again," Rainbow Dash suggested.

"Possible. But there's the distinct possibility that this wouldn't work due to incompatibility. Knowing so little, there's no way of knowing if a certain degree of loyalty is needed for proper resonance to occur. Your own measure of loyalty to others may be a barely passing mark, or it may be exceptional. And not knowing which is more accurate, it would be best to assume that you're the minimum standard of passing. Anyone else who we may approach as a candidate, may simply not be able to measure up against you," Ulquiorra explained.

"I... I-I didn't think about that," Rainbow Dash stated. The more she heard, the more this seemed like a bad idea she had been ready to engage in. That must've been why he'd been so silent the whole time she and Luna were verbally jousting over how to proceed; while she was trying to sell the idea, he was busy picking apart all of the ways it could've gone horribly wrong.

Once again, he'd just saved her blue butt.

"So... if we can't get the Elements of Harmony working again to stop the fog, what're we gonna do now?" she asked, hoping he had something in mind.

"Twilight Sparkle has a reputation for being a night owl. I intend to expedite completion of the antidote if at all possible, to facilitate Princess Celestia's recovery, and get the operation back on track," Ulquiorra explained as he started walking away.

"Awesome. What about me?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"You remain behind and apologize," Ulquiorra replied.

"Cool. I can do that," Rainbow Dash replied and nodded. "Wait, what? Apologize to who? For what?" she asked, confused now that she stopped to think about it.

Ulquiorra nearly sighed. As intelligent as Rainbow Dash could be at times, she continued to remain as dense as a block of solid marble, and oblivious to important matters going on around her. He nearly walked off and left her unanswered, intent on letting her figure it out on her own. But that was a crap shoot, and he risked her following him all the way to Ponyville if he went with that course of action.

"Out of everyone that has been providing you with support during your recovery, Princess Luna has been the most devoted of them all; even more so than Princess Celestia. At times, she has acted as if you were her own, rather than some unrelated stranger who fits the definition of a friend. And you suggested, to her face no less, that she should more or less just kill you, as if it were nothing," he explained bluntly, cutting right to the heart of the matter.

"Oh..." Rainbow Dash replied slowly, feeling the weight of Ulquiorra's statement setting hard on her withers. "Sh-it! I really fucked up, didn't I?" she asked.

"Indeed. That's why you're remaining behind, and following the standard pattern by which these instances tend to play out; transgressions are realized, apologies are issued, forgiveness is had. It's something you ponies seem to do best," Ulquiorra replied, before continuing his walk. There were more important things that needed to be tended to right now.

"Hey, Ulquiorra, hold up!" Rainbow Dash called from behind, before deploying her wings to hurry and catch up to him, maneuvering around front to face him. "I just wanna say thanks. You saved me from making a couple of really big, dumb mistakes; even stopping me from possibly killing myself for no reason..."

"Try not to overthink my actions. I was merely saving myself the resulting paperwork that would be involved in the event of your death," Ulquiorra explained.

Rainbow Dash blinked in response to Ulquiorra's statement. She had been expecting a number of possible responses that he could've given, but that certainly wasn't one of them. It was just so weird to hear, that she couldn't stop herself from snorting with laughter.

"Whatever ya say," she replied with a chuckle, before thrusting her right hoof forward towards him.

She was grateful when Ulquiorra finally slipped his right hand out of his pocket, and bumped his knuckles against her hoof. That made the whole situation a lot less awkward to her.

Beyond making the whole thing less awkward, with not having to explain the concept of the hoof bump, it helped at least suggest that the earlier report wasn't his current default position.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

That was essentially the entirety of Celestia's coherent speech abilities. Over and over again, little more than mumbled, shaky apologies being issued for some unspecified transgression. This didn't change even as she soaked in the bath, and was being expertly washed down by Luna, ensuring that she didn't possibly slip and drown in the tub; as bad as her sister was right now, that couldn't be ruled out as a possibility.

"Yes, dear sister, I know. I know that you are sorry," she said as she went to work at scrubbing Celestia's back with a brush. "I only wish that I knew of what transgression you are apologizing for, so that I could tell whether or not you are forgiven."

When the responsible party for this attack was found, they had guaranteed that the severity of their punishment would be doubled. Or potentially squared, all things considered. Attacking Rainbow Dash, and crippling her had been bad enough. But Celestia was a different story. Much as Luna hated to admit it, she was more furious over her sister being crippled as she was; that was a far more personal level of hurt than anything else she'd experienced as of yet.

"I'm sorry..."

Luna simply shook her head, and focused on scrubbing Celestia. She'd get her cleaned up, and then she'd see about getting her stable once again. If her sister couldn't deal with the fog, then that duty would befall her. But in order to do that, she'd need to get Celestia able to do without her for however long it would take; not the easiest of prospects under present circumstances.

Despite the sound of water being most prevalent, her ears still twitched at the approaching sound of hooves against the marble flooring.

"I am not in need of assistance at this time, guard," she stated without even bothering to turn and face the doors.

"Okay, I'll let 'em know if they ask."

That definitely wasn't the voice of any guard. She turned her head and saw that it was Rainbow Dash who was strolling into the room, rather than any member of the palace staff that would have reason to assist in this endeavor.

"We need to talk," she stated as she approached the edge of the in-floor tub.

"I am not in the mood for talking with you just yet, Rainbow Dash," Luna stated curtly and returned her attention to Celestia.

Rainbow Dash groaned in response. "Sis' I'm sorry!"

It wasn't a term that Rainbow Dash ever used lightly during their interactions, and Luna knew that quite well. That was enough to motivate her to turn back around and face the cyan pegasus once again.

"I didn't mean to hurt you like I did. I didn't think about what I was saying until it was too late. I just... I just panicked when I heard that Celestia was down. You two have been walking through this unscathed, and then suddenly this happens? Yeah, I wasn't thinking at the time," Rainbow Dash admitted as she sat down on her haunches for addressing Luna. "That's no excuse though. I shouldn't have told you to kill me. But even thought I shouldn't have, I did, and I'm sorry for that."

There was a pause in the room, silent except for the sound of water sloshing in the tub, and the incomprehensible mumbling of Celestia.

"You've been way more supportive and caring than I've deserved. I've been nothing but horrible to you, but you never stopped caring. Even after all the yelling, the cursing, you were always there when I was suffering from nightmares, or when I really needed a hug, or when I was so torn up inside I just needed to bawl my eyes out. You've done so much for me, I couldn't ever begin thanking you enough for it all. I-"

"You are forgiven, Rainbow Dash," Luna stated. But there was little else she could think to say at the moment, as her focus had to turn back to Celestia as she started whimpering. "I know that you did not mean what you said; or at least not in the way it was presented."

She appreciated the fact that Rainbow Dash had thought to seek her out to offer up an apology. But she would tell her that fact later, after she was calmer, and Celestia was properly tended to.

For a while the room was silent, nopony saying anything, and only the sound of the water being heard as Luna went about washing Celestia. She knew Rainbow Dash hadn't left, as she hadn't heard her leave, but at the same time she hadn't spared a glace over to see what her friend was currently up to.

"Hey..."

The next thing she became aware of was Rainbow Dash climbing into the tub with them, and making her way over to where they currently sat.

"I know you said you didn't need any help. But then again I'm not a guard, so... yeah. I'm here."

Luna didn't say anything at first, internally debating what would be the best response. She really doubted that telling Rainbow Dash to go back to sleep would prove to be a useful exercise. And she was already as wet as the rest of them.

"Start with her wings," she eventually replied and levitated a cleaning brush over to her.

Rainbow Dash nodded, accepting the brush as it was slipped onto her right hoof, before moving over to Celestia's side to get access to her large wings. She hesitated as she unfurled the wing, knowing that this was going to be more difficult than cleaning her own. But she'd offered to help, and she wasn't about to turn back now.

"I never noticed before, but these feathers are huge," she stated, partly to make conversation, and partly because this was the first really up close look she'd gotten at said feather before. "You could use these for writing quills."

"It has certainly been done in the past," Luna replied as he worked. "Although it is often reserved for high-level dignitaries that have reason to engage in frequent correspondence with Equestria."

Rainbow Dash nodded. She could certainly understand that.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry," Celestia mumbled, not once having looked up.

Luna just sighed and shook her head in response.

"I don't get it. What's she sorry about?" Rainbow Dash asked, pausing her scrubbing as she did to look at Luna for clarification.

"I do not know. For all of her willingness to apologize, she will not elaborate on what she has supposedly done wrong, or even to whom," Luna replied. Nothing but constant, muttered apologies were all that she'd been given.

"Oh," Rainbow Dash replied, before returning to her work on Celestia's wing. "Well hopefully when Ulquiorra gets back from Ponyville, we'll be able to get some definite answers."

"Ulquiorra Cifer has departed for Ponyville?" Luna asked, now being the one to pause her work as she looked at Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah. He said he was gonna see about lighting a fire under Twilight's butt to get the antidote ready faster, so we can get Celestia back on her hooves," Rainbow Dash stated.

Luna's eyes went wide at hearing this. "He intends to subject her to immolation?"

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but snort at hearing that. She'd asked with such genuine seriousness, it was all too much to resist.

"I doubt he'd take it that far. That's extreme even for him," she replied as she tried to keep from laughing. "Anyway it's just an expression. He's just going to explain how serious the situation has become, and motivate her to work at it harder, so we can get Celestia straightened out in short order. Or something like that."

Luna just listened and nodded in response. She knew that the Espada had good reason for his actions, although she was uncertain of just what those reasons were. She could speculate and hypothesize for hours on end, but ultimately it wouldn't get her any closer to a definite answer. Even if she asked him directly upon his return, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't try and play it off as being duty-related, even if by some chance it weren't the case.

"I hope he gets back soon. I've got a bad feeling about all this," Rainbow Dash commented.

"How do you mean?" Luna asked.

"Celestia hasn't been in Ponyville for like three days now. If the terror fog was going to get her next, wouldn't it have been then, and not now?" she asked. She let Luna think on that for a moment before continuing. "Granted I don't know anything about terror fog, so I don't know for sure. It just strikes me as really odd. Really coincidental, you know? Almost like this was something deliberate. The timing is all wrong, it's..."

"It is what, Rainbow Dash? What is on your mind?" Luna asked.

Rainbow Dash mulled over what to say, uncertain of how to respond to the question. It was a sensitive, tricky subject to approach, but it needed to be approached.

"I think Celestia was just a distraction; making us focus on the right hoof so we don't know what the left hoof is doing," she eventually stated.

"A distraction?" Luna asked.

"It's the only thing that makes sense in all this; at least to me anyway. We already know that whoever's responsible can come to the palace without being detected, and is possibly spying on us. They'd know how important Celestia is to the whole operation, and how she'd be a top priority for us. Now we're distracted, and our strength is divided," Rainbow Dash elaborated. "It's like what Ulquiorra was saying when that guard got murdered; we're wanted to think that Canterlot is the next target when it's really Ponyville, or we're wanted to think that, so we'll focus on Ponyville, only to be outsmarted with Canterlot being the real target. It's... I... ugh! I don't even know what to think anymore!" she yelled, frustrated by it all. She hated not having answers that made sense.

Ulquiorra had a way of explaining things that made sense to her. But despite them making sense when he explained them, she couldn't think like he did. She wasn't an idiot, but she still knew that he outclassed her when it came to thinking up these possibilities.

But even though she couldn't explain it, it all still felt so wrong to her! It felt like something was at the back of her mind, nagging to be let out and remembered because it was important. But so help her, she just didn't know what it was.

"Then if that is a possibility, we will proceed as was originally intended," Luna spoke calmly. "Once we are done here, assuming the janitorial has completed their duties, we will reconvene and secure ourselves within our sister's room until such time that Ulquiorra Cifer returns. If something or someone intends to come for us while he is away, then the guilty party shall find itself facing an uphill battle the entire way."

"Now you're talkin'," Rainbow Dash stated, liking that idea a lot. If they found themselves put between a rock and a hard place, then they were going to kick some major ass.

All the while, Celestia remained distant and silent, looking downward at the water.

Ulquiorra didn't need his eyes to know that the fog was present in Ponyville. Despite it being invisible to the naked eye, it was in full view of his pesquisa right now. Or rather the mystery reiatsu that they had attributed to the responsible party was in full view to him right now. Right now its presence was almost palpable; almost like the odor of stagnant pond water. There had certainly been intense pockets all over Ponyville and the surrounding area for some time now, but that which was present in the middle of Ponyville was more concentrated than previously.

Whether that was from a simple culminating effect of multiple exposures, or possibly from the responsible party being in the vicinity, he simply didn't know. Nor did he have the time that would be necessary to investigate the matter; he'd already wasted enough time waiting for a response to knocking on the library's door.

The amount of light that was plainly visible through the closed and blinded windows was indicative of those present being awake. But the several minutes that had passed since his knocking firmly on the door was indicative of everyone being asleep or absent. And since he could detect four specific and familiar reiatsu patterns within the library, he knew that wasn't a possibility.

The urgency of their circumstances was enough to make him consider forcing his way into the library, reasoning that Twilight Sparkle could easily repair the damage afterward. The simple latch currently in place would never prove sufficient to stop him. His actions would certainly be understood, as now wasn't the time for pleasantries and social restraints.

Before he could actually proceed with forcing his way inside, he could hear the sound of the door being unlocked from inside, and swung open to reveal Applejack standing there.

"Mr. Cifer? What're ya doin' here at this time o' night?" she asked.

"Trying to prevent a bad situation from getting worse," Ulquiorra explained as he stepped inside, not even waiting for Applejack to move aside before doing so. "Princess Celestia is the latest victim of the terror fog, and her stability is currently critical. We need the antidote now if we're to have any chance of remaining on schedule with the operation," he stated as he shut the door behind him.

The frown that crossed Applejack's face in light of this news was enough to tell him that there was more at issue than they'd first assumed. He'd seen it before when bad news was presented in an already bad situation.

"Ah reckon ya'd best follow me," was all she said as she walked off.

The situation at hand became more and more curious. Seeking answers, Ulquiorra followed after Applejack to see where she led him, and what she had to show him.

This was the first time Ulquiorra found himself in the library's basement. But first time or not, he knew for certain that the level of disarray he was seeing, wasn't commonplace for the setting. Overturned, broken and unrecognizable equipment littered the damp flooring, while a foul, pungent odor lingered in the air.

Spike occupied one side of the room with a very distraught looking Twilight Sparkle, who appeared to be in the process of rocking herself, while Spike simply did what he could for her; he assumed it was an effort to calm her down. On the other side of the room was Zecora, who looked a great deal like she had just taken the same beating Rarity had received weeks ago, only having fared better. A cut lip, black eye, and various other signs of surface injury were in full view, as she nursed herself with a cold compress.

"What happened here?" he asked.

"As your eyes can plainly see," Zecora winced as she spoke up first, "Twilight went and beat the shit out of me."

"An' destroyed all of our hard work in the process," Applejack added, the annoyance in her voice as hard as any knife's edge.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," Twilight whimpered as he continued rocking herself. "I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it."

Ulquiorra regarded the whole scene in silence, before walking over to where Twilight was currently perched, crouching down to look her in the eyes. He waited until he saw evidence of her actually regarding his presence before doing anything else.

"What did you see?" he asked, making no effort to beat around the bush, or ask about her condition. It stood to reason that she was too had fallen victim to the terror fog if she had done all of this.

"I... I-I..." she stuttered as she tried to get the words out, but couldn't. After several more efforts, she finally became fed up, her frustration clearly evident on her face, and her horn started to glow brightly, before discharging.

The lavender flash of light that materialized in the room drew everyone's attention to it, Ulquiorra's included, where they saw what looked like a patch of fog forming in front of them. The immediate indicator that it wasn't a normal form of fog, or even the terror fog, was that it had a lavender hue to it that closely matched Twilight's coat.

And then they started to see something take form within the fog.

The smell that permeated the library's basement was unpleasant to experience, but it was an unfortunate side effect of the work they were doing. Beyond that simple discomfort, it was evidence of everything slowly coming together.

The distillation process of the cherubic root had been long, and quite labor intensive, but it was finally over. And with it completed, the arguably most difficult part of preparing the antidote was over with. Now it was just a matter of mixing the ingredients in the right proportions, sized up to a level sufficient for treating the entire town, and then letting them simmer over a low heat under the right conditions.

Zecora had insisted that a cast iron cauldron was the proper vessel in which to season the concoction. But she hadn't though to include such on the list of supplies that Ulquiorra needed to retrieve from her hut, and with him gone there was no way of actually retrieving it in a timely manner. So they had to make due with a fifty gallon steel washtub obtained from Barnyard Bargains; hardly the same thing, but it was the best they could do if there was to be any hope of actually staying on schedule.

"So we jus' gotta let this stew simmer 'til dawn?" Applejack asked as she examined the tub's contents, while at the same time not getting too close to the mix.

"That's more or less what Zecora said," Twilight replied, more willing to be in closer proximity to the antidote than Applejack and even Spike had been. "Technically though it's not right to call it a stew. Stews are much thicker than this. If anything the antidote would qualify more as a broth," she added.

Applejack just chuckled and shook her head in response. She should've expected that one.

"So're ya comin' up ta bed? It's getting perdy late," she pointed out.

Twilight shook her head in response. "Not just yet. There's a few things I want to confer with Zecora when she comes back down. I just want to make sure that we're doing everything properly before we turn in; so we don't wake up tomorrow and find our broth has spoiled."

"A'right," Applejack replied and nodded. "But don' be stayin' up too late. Or Ah'm gonna come back down here, toss ya up on mah back, an' cart ya off ta bed whether ya like it er not," she warned.

Twilight laughed at hearing Applejack's threat, before simply nodding and waving her off. "I'll be up, I promise."

"Ah'm gonna hold ya to that, Twi'," Applejack stated, before yawning and stretching, tired from the day. "G'night, Sugarcube, Ah'll see ya upstairs."

With Applejack now departed to rest, Twilight returned her attention to her notes as she waited for Zecora to return. Despite everything there were still some subjects that she felt needed to be further explored, before she could actually rest for the night. Otherwise she'd just lie awake, her mind racing a million miles a minute with doubts and uncertainty. They might've been minor, and not worth the focus they were being given, but it was best to address them while they still were minor, rather than waiting under the assumption that everything was alright.

The sound of the stairs creaking from use made her smile, as it was obvious that Zecora was coming back down after getting ready for bed, to make one last check on the potion. That saved her the trouble of going up to find her.

"Twilight..."

Her blood suddenly ran cold, and her heart nearly stopped beating when she heard her name spoken. That wasn't Zecora's voice.

Slowly she turned around to confront the one that was addressing her. And as she did she nearly screamed in response. Stepping off the stairwell, was none other than Queen Chrysalis herself!

But this wasn't the same Chrysalis who she remembered invading Canterlot with an overwhelming level of arrogance and overconfidence about her. This Chrysalis was walking with a limp from an injured right leg that put her at risk of falling over. This Chrysalis looked like somepony had beaten Tartarus itself out of her hide, with a huge crack easily visible on the front of her horn. This Chrysalis had eyes that looked so dull and listless, like all the life and hope she had, had been driven right out of her.

Most telling of all, however, was that the Chrysalis that stood before her, had a huge, gaping hole in her barrel that went straight out her back; Ulquiorra's handiwork from what she'd been told about the incident surrounding the changeling's death.

"How? H-how can you still be alive? Ulquiorra killed you himself! The coroner cut you apart for an autopsy! How the fuck are you still around!?" Twilight yelled frantically.

"Twilight..." Chrysalis wheezed as she began limping her way over to where the distraught unicorn currently stood. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you..."

Twilight's eyes darted back and forth as she backed away, trying to put distance between herself and Chrysalis. Unfortunately in doing so, she'd backed herself into a corner, and had no way of escaping.

"We invaded Canterlot because we needed to, but Shining Armor was different," Chrysalis continued as she limped her way closer. "I loved your brother. And I loved you, too. I was so looking forward to having you as a sister-in-law; we would've been so happy together."

"Go away! I don't want to hear this!" Twilight shouted, some of the effect lost as her voice cracked.

"Our two kingdoms could've had peace. Total, lasting peace," Chrysalis continued, unfazed by Twilight's outburst. "You would've been royalty, just like your brother. And you would've been aunt to hundreds, thousands of nieces and nephews, all of whom would've loved you so dearly."

Twilight didn't say anything in response, opting to hang her head instead, looking at the floor. She couldn't offer a rebuttal to Chrysalis.

"I'm so sorry it came to this, Twilight, it never should have progressed to this point..." Chrysalis continued as she stood before her, barely able to stand under her own power at this point.

"... I'm sorry," Twilight spoke softly, "but I can't accept your apology. You're not the real Chrysalis," she stated as she looked up, a deep scowl on her face as she did.

Chrysalis looked taken aback by this. "But... but Twilight-"

"Shut up. You're not allowed to speak," Twilight barked forcefully. "The real Chrysalis is dead and buried, killed by Ulquiorra himself! He would never leave such a job half done. You're nothing but rank imitation; an illusion brought about by exposure to the terror fog that's permeated Ponyville, drawing on my own subconscious guilt in an effort to break me!"

She was seething right now, furious.

"And another thing, I'm deeply offended that you'd even think to take on Chrysalis' form to do that, in an effort to play on my guilt with all this talk about love and family! Am I sorry for the plight of her and her hive? Yes I am. I'm sorry that they suffered needlessly for so long, but that's Chrysalis' fault, not ours. It's not our fault that she was so prideful in her position as a ruler, that she couldn't put aside her ego and actually ask us for the help they so desperately needed. It's not our fault that she let things get so bad, that the changelings had turned to cannibalism to survive. But you're not her, and I'm not going to feel guilty over something that's not my fault, just because you're playing on the thoughts that I've had since the revelation!" she yelled as she stood firmly. She was no longer backing away in an effort to avoid confrontation.

"You're nothing but a cheap illusion. A chemical-based hallucination, that any disciplined mind can shake off by clinging to what's known as the truth. And the truth is that you have no place here!" she shouted as she angrily gestured with her foreleg at Chrysalis' form. "In a few hours you'll be nothing more than an unpleasant memory for me. Now begone from my mind, and never darken my subconscious again you foul pile of fuck!" she roared.

She felt proud of herself right now. She had recognized the situation for what it was, and failed to succumb to it. Rather than running from what she had seen, she charged it head on to cut off whatever mind screw had been intended for her.

Chrysalis' expression darkened in response. "You think you possess a disciplined mind that can protect you from a chemical reaction? You know nothing, and you have seen nothing, you arrogant little foal! Applejack thought she could resist, and you saw how well she fared!"

"You're not real!" Twilight yelled back furiously. "There's nothing that you can do to actually hurt me! All I have to do is ride this out until morning, and keep reminding myself that none of it is real!"

Chrysalis chuckled evilly in response to this. "That's easier said than done, little pony. It's not so much what is or isn't real, but rather what we perceive as being real. There's a lot of hours left before morning, and the perception of the mind itself is very hard to argue against, when everything is broken down into nothing but one chemical reaction after another..."

"Perceive this!" Twilight yelled and charged forward.

The two clashed in the middle of the room, rearing up on their hind legs to grapple with one another. As far as illusions went, Twilight would admit that this was a very convincing one. The fake Chrysalis' chitin exoskeleton felt rough against her fur, and she smelt as foul as any changeling she'd ever been close enough to smell. There was firmness to the barrel as she wrapped her forelegs around the illusion's midsection. There was even pain when she felt herself kicked in the cannon; a gesture which she returned readily and willingly. The fake Chrysalis even had substantial weight and mass that felt believable when she lifted it right off the ground, and flung it across the room, where it crashed into the far wall and fell to the ground.

"Tell me something. Do fake illusions feel real pain when their intended victims harm them?" Twilight asked.

Instead of getting an answer, she was met with a grunt as the fake Chrysalis started climbing back onto her hooves.

"Oh no you don't!" Twilight stated and charged forward, slamming into the illusion and knocking it to the ground, before sitting atop its barrel to hold it down. "You're not real!" she stated as she started to beat on its face with both front hooves, each landed blow being punctuated and emphasized with her repeating "You're not real!" despite the force of the impact clearly registering against her hooves. "Say it! Say you're not real! Say it, damn you!"

The next thing Twilight knew, she felt herself roughly grabbed from behind, and sent flying, followed by crashing to the ground. Before she even had time to react, a heavy weight pinned her to the ground, followed by an eruption of white-hot pain washing out her vision, as she was slapped across the face with a hoof.

"Wha' in Tartarus do ya think yer doin'!?"

That yell. When Twilight's vision cleared, she saw a very confused, and very angry Applejack pinning her to the ground, and staring down at her.

"Applejack?"

"Ah come down here 'cause Ah hear a commotion upstairs, an' wha' do Ah see? Ya beatin' on Zecora! What's gotten inta ya!?" Applejack yelled at her.

Twilight blinked at hearing this, and looked past Applejack, only to recoil in horror at the sight of Zecora laying on the ground where Chrysalis had been, looking like she'd gotten the hell beaten out of her.

Beyond that fact, she was now aware of the fact that the portion of the basement that served as a makeshift laboratory was wrecked. Everything that had been stacked on the table was now smashed on the floor, and the washtub that had contained the concoction had been turned over, spilling its contents all over the floor.

Ulquiorra wasn't certain of what he'd just seen. It almost looked like Twilight had come up with a method of mimicking the less invasive level of his Solita Vista, and used it to give a point of view display of what she had perceived occurring around her. The exact mechanics behind it were a complete mystery, but it was a mystery that could wait and be solved another time.

As the display stopped, Applejack moved quickly to Twilight's side and proceeded to hug her tightly. Now that she had seen what her friend had been put through in her own experiences, she was regretting having been so rough on her this whole time, even if it was for Zecora's sake. Chrysalis has been a sore subject ever since they discovered the truth behind that whole episode, and the fact that she'd been used in such a way was just downright despicable.

"I thought I could resist," Twilight whimpered, barely registering Applejack's firm embrace. "I thought that I could actually overcome the hallucinations by simply focusing on what I knew was real. That it was just mind over matter..."

There were a great many things Ulquiorra could focus on right now, ranging from how Twilight Sparkle's hallucinations referenced Applejack's suffering, to the idiocy in her belief that she could overcome chemical reactions within her own mind in the same fashion she might be able to a physical situation. But while he could certainly do all of that, none of it would change the fact that it was far too late for any of it to do any good. Analyzing the situation wouldn't bring them any closer to doing what he'd set out to accomplish tonight.

"Then this whole trip has been for nothing," he stated as he weighed his options. "It appears that I'll simply have to return to Canterlot, and literally slap some measure of sense back into Princess Celestia instead."

Twilight looked up at hearing that. "C... Celestia? What happened?"

"Seems that Celestia's down wit' the sickness as well," Applejack explained, "looks like there ain't nopony whose immune ta terror fog."

"Oh no..." Twilight stated in response. This went so far beyond being bad news, it was difficult to calculate and codify in proper terms.

"Oh just wonderful," Spike grumbled and threw his hands up in the air in response. "Celestia's down, Twilight's down, the antidote's been ruined... just what exactly are we supposed to do now?" he asked.

It was a legitimate question to be asking as far as Ulquiorra was concerned. All of them, even himself, had pinned so much on things going according to plan, only for this to happen. As far as he could see, there was nothing left to salvage this operation, not without resorting to measures that would be considered more drastic than most would be willing to engage in.

"Actually... I think I have an idea," Twilight spoke up slowly, bringing everyone's attention back to her. "Spike, I need you to run upstairs and fetch me a spell book, quick. I need to look up what I'm about to try. If I'm right, all hope for the cure isn't lost just yet..."

Even if Celestia was inclined to speak, it was quite impossible to get a word in edgewise right now, as she was in the middle of having a towel vigorously worked over her horn by Rainbow Dash, who stood on her hind legs to make up the height difference; which was still significant even with the alicorn sitting down at the time.

The bath had been concluded, having fulfilled its intended purpose of getting Celestia clean. Getting thoroughly dried off was another matter that was being addressed right now, with Luna observing the entire demonstration in confusion.

"Where exactly did you learn your horn buffing skills?" she asked curiously,

"From Rarity," Rainbow Dash replied, pausing to pull the towel off to vigorously huff on Celestia's horn, before wrapping it back around and continue her previous actions. "Also from watching a bartender clean glasses," she added.

Luna just shook her head in response. That was hardly the proper way to go about buffing a horn; hooves perhaps, but not horns. But she opted to stay silent, and focus on finishing with drying herself. There would be time to teach Rainbow Dash about proper care later on. And with Celestia showing no signs of physical discomfort from the rough treatment, there was no pressing need right now.

"So what're we gonna do once we get back to Celestia's room? Bar the door? Lock the windows? Procure a few spears and such from the armory in the event of someone or something trying to force entry?" Rainbow Dash asked in an effort to make conversation.

"I doubt the last one will be a necessary step for whatever amount of time we have to wait for Ulquiorra Cifer to return from Ponyville," Luna replied as she stopped to examine one of her wings, making sure the dark blue feathers were all in proper placement. "We will secure ourselves, but there is no need to go overboard."

"Oh," Rainbow Dash replied, a touch of disappointment in her voice as she did so.

A wry smirk played out on Luna's face in response to Rainbow Dash's apparent disappointment at not getting to raid the armory that housed the weapons of the guards. It shouldn't amuse her, but it did regardless.

"So am I gonna have time to go back and get Tank? I don't wanna leave him alone if we have to be there all night," Rainbow Dash stated as she finally ceased her impromptu horn buffing, and set back down on all four hooves.

"I do not see why you would not," Luna replied as she examined Celestia's horn. Improper technique or not, it did appear to have some measure of luster about it.

"I'm sorry..."

Those were the first words Celestia had spoken since they'd gotten out of the bath. And despite their best efforts at helping her relax, there was no change. Luna sighed in frustration and disappointment at this lack of development. Rainbow Dash growled in annoyance.

"Alright. That does it," she stated, before reading up on her hind legs again, ignoring the burn in the muscles as she tried to look Celestia in the eyes better. "Celestia, look at me," she said as she placed her hooves on either side of her head. "Look at me," she repeated.

Slowly, very slowly, Celestia responded to Rainbow Dash's instructions, focusing her eyes to look at her directly.

"Do you know who I am? Can you say my name?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Celestia didn't say anything in response to the questions she'd been asked. Despite a few utterances as she opened and closed her mouth, not a single word was had. It was enough to make both Luna and Rainbow Dash frown in response.

"C'mon Celestia, you're my friend. Just say my name. Please?" Rainbow Dash asked, switching to more of a pleading tone now.

"R... R... Rainbow Dash..."

It was little more than a rough whisper that escaped Celestia's lips, but it was still audible. It was enough to make Rainbow Dash smile and hug her around her neck.

"Yeah, that's it, awesome!" she stated as she pulled back to look her in the eyes again. "We're friends, right, you and me? You'd help me if I needed it, right?"

Celestia managed a weak nod in response. "Right... friends. We're... we're friends..."

"Good, because I need your help in a big way right now, I can't do this on my own," Rainbow Dash stated as her tone grew more serious. "I need you to tell me what you saw. Tell me what happened."

Celestia had a blank look on her face at hearing this. But that soon ended as she started whimpering and squirming to try and get away. But try as she might, Rainbow Dash wasn't one to be defeated so easily, and hung tight to her.

"Come on, Celestia, you don't get away that easily," she stated as she tried to keep the alicorn from pulling out of her grasp. "You need to tell us what happened! I know it hurts, it hurt for me too when I had to say it. But keeping it all inside just makes it hurt a lot worse; it's like trying not to fart. You've gotta get it out so the healing can start!"

Luna could do little more than watch the two struggling with one another, which soon turned into Celestia tumbling and falling on her back, with Rainbow Dash sitting on her chest as a result of being pulled from refusing to let go.

"Come on, Celestia, just talk to me already! What you went through can't possibly hurt as bad as thinking your friends raped and tortured you for three days! Now talk!" Rainbow Dash yelled furiously. She'd been trying to do this nicely, but he was quickly getting fed up with the lack of answers.

Celestia could do little more than whimper in response as she was pinned down by Rainbow Dash, who was currently staring at her intently.

"If you don't tell me, then you can tell it to Ulquiorra when he comes back and asks you himself, and he's a lot less pleasant to be interrogated by. Now Talk!" she ordered.

Luna frowned. Rainbow Dash's rapid escalation of hostility towards Celestia was entirely uncalled for, regardless of whether or not she was frustrated by how things were developing. She was certain that this was just going to make the situation worse than it already was. She needed to intervene for her sister's sake.

"I murdered my niece!"

However she stopped in her tracks at hearing what Celestia had to say, shocked by the revelation. The look on Rainbow Dash's face suggested that she was just as shocked. They were both wide-eyed and slack-jawed in response, neither one of them certain of just how to respond.

"I murdered my niece! I murdered my niece!" Celestia wailed as she bawled openly, unable to maintain her composure.

Rainbow Dash tried to apologize, and make at least some effort of consoling Celestia. But she barely even got a syllable out before she was grabbed and held onto like she was a stuffed animal, caught in Celestia's tight grip.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I swear I didn't mean it!"

"Oh, dear sister," Luna sighed sadly as she approached and nuzzled the side of Celestia's neck.

She didn't care who or what was responsible for this entire mess. Whoever the guilty party was, the severity of their punishment had just been doubled...

"Are you sure this is gonna work, Twilight?" Spike asked as she studied the passage of the requested spell book currently held aloft by her magic, her mind obviously hard at work trying to properly piece everything together.

"No I'm not, Spike, but we don't really have much choice in the matter," Twilight explained, before closing the book and setting it aside on the table off to the side. She'd analyzed and memorized everything as best as her frantic mind would allow her. Now it was time to put the information into effect, and see if it would actually work. "Here it goes."

Ulquiorra watched at Twilight's horn started to glow, uncertain of what sort of magic she was attempting to work. The glimpse he'd caught of the spell book had been less than useful, with the runes included going well over his head; like everything required a third -or even fourth- dimensional approach to thinking.

It was during the interim of being unable to understand the spell in question, that he observed Zecora's condition. Knowing so little about zebra anatomy, it was difficult to tell anything. But based on what he could see, it would be safe to assume that the physiology of her species was similar to that of earth ponies, as most of the damage she'd incurred from Twilight's assault seemed to be superficial. A cold compress would never be sufficient if she'd suffered any serious injuries. Despite the savagery of having her face pounded with hooves, it appeared that the majority of Twilight's fury was show rather than substance.

Or maybe she simply lacked the physical strength necessary to overcome Zecora's natural durability. Whatever the reason, they were quite fortunate to not have yet another one down with serious injuries.

"Look..."

Applejack's statement brought his attention back to what Twilight was currently attempting to do. It looked like her magical aura was actually bubbling up out of the wood flooring of the basement.

"Get a container," Twilight instructed, "this is harder than I thought it would be."

Spike nodded and hurried over to one of the few locations that still held undamaged equipment, and grabbed a quart mason jar off the shelf, before making his way back over to where Twilight stood. As he did, more of Twilight's aura was bleeding through the flooring, and slowly rising up off the ground.

It didn't take long for the aura to assume the appearance of a sphere as it hovered in the air. As Spike brought the open jar over and held it directly underneath, the aura cut out, causing what looked like water to fall inside of it. And as it cut out, Twilight's posture sagged in response.

"A lot harder than I thought it would be," she panted, repeating her earlier statement.

"So wha' were ya tryin' ta do?" Applejack asked in an effort to get to the bottom of the mystery.

"Draw the cure back out of the wood of the floor," Twilight explained, before frowning at seeing what amounted to the fruits of her labor. All of that effort in concentration had yielded what amounted to barely a full cup worth of concoction. "Unfortunately it looks like I got the idea too late for it to do any good. There's no way that'll be enough for everyone that needs it."

"Will it be enough to cure Princess Celestia?" Ulquiorra asked. Right now that was all that was really important. Once she had recovered, and could dispatch the fog, it would be a simple matter to procure more ingredients for another batch of the cure. There were still plenty of death blossoms in the Everfree Forest that could be harvested.

At the question being asked, Zecora quickly found all eyes in the room were on her in search of an answer.

"The answers that you seek, I fear I have not. What you see in the jar, it is all that we've got," she explained as she held the cold compress to her bruised eye.

"Wonderful," Ulquiorra commented, not the least bit pleased by this news. "Assuming the amount is sufficient, how long will it take to see signs of it working?" he asked.

Zecora mulled over the question for a bit, chewing her bottom lip as she attempted to come up with an answer, based on what she knew. "Assuming the brew is serviceable in its unsimmered state, fifteen minutes may be all that is needed to save Princess Celestia from her current fate."

A fifteen minute wait time to conclusively find out not only if they possessed sufficient quantities of cure for Princess Celestia, but also if it was properly prepared, and able to do what they needed it to do. The level of dissatisfaction this night was taking on just continued to grow as far as Ulquiorra was concerned.

"This don' really strike me as bein' a good idea. Is it even gonna be safe ta drink since it came outta the floor?" Applejack asked uneasily.

The resulting look on Twilight's face was enough to tell the others that she hadn't even considered such a possibility before now.

"That... that's a very good point. We never stopped to consider sanitizing the floor in case of something like this happening," she admitted. Now she was mentally kicking herself over that fact. But then again, even if they had sanitized the floor, it would've only covered the surface. Below all that where the potion had accumulated, it still would've been in whatever dirty condition it was. "But... b-but I don't think we have much choice right now. Trying to sterilize it by boiling risks hurting the chemical composition, and we don't have enough time to make another batch. If she's going to get better, Celestia is going to have to... drink what we have, no matter how disgusting it might be," she explained.

"That will be of no issue," Ulquiorra stated. They could deal with any potential issue relating to food poisoning that arose later on, after the current crisis had been adequately dealt with.

Before he could actually take the jar from Spike, he stopped as he sensed something; something out of place.

"We're about to have company," he stated, "Time Turner is approaching the library quickly."

"Time Turner? But what would he-" Twilight started to ask, but then stopped before finishing her question, and teleported away in a flash.

"Now wha' was that all about?" Applejack asked, hopelessly confused by everything that was going on.

"A question best reserved for Time Turner himself, as he would know better than any of us," Ulquiorra stated. There was no point in random speculation, when they could get the answer right from the horse's mouth in this case.

...

That was a bad joke if ever he'd heard one.

Author's Note

Yeah. Sorry folks, this was supposed to be a lot longer and cover a whole lot more. But then I started realizing just how much it's going to take, and it was going to take a whole lot longer to get uploaded, so I decided to split it in half so there'd be something for the readers in the meantime.

Chapter Eighty Five

Chapter Eighty Five

With the cure properly secured for transport back to Canterlot, the four of them made their way up from the basement to find out the answer to the question of what had brought Time Turner to the library at such a late hour of the night. All of them, Ulquiorra included, knew that it wasn't anything resembling a normal occurrence.

By the time they actually made their way up the stairs, Time Turner had already been allowed into the library, and was currently trying to catch his breath, while Twilight looked quite disturbed for reasons they hadn't yet determined.

"Wha's goin' on here?" Applejack asked, being the first one to speak up as they entered the main area of the library.

"Dinky's gone missing," Twilight stated as she turned away from Time Turner to face the others.

"Dinky? Ya mean Derpy's li'l filly?" Applejack asked.

Time Turner managed to nod before Twilight could respond. "I've been checking on Miss Ditzy periodically ever since the incident last month, especially in the evenings; just to ensure she's alright. When I popped over this night I found her quite frantic, and learned that when she went to tuck Dinky in she was nowhere to be found in the house. It's as if she simply up and disappeared!"

"And you're sure she's nowhere in the house? She didn't simply fall asleep somewhere out of the way?" Twilight asked. As a filly she'd been known to do that more than once, so it wasn't an impossibility.

"Quite certain. The three of us have looked quite literally everywhere, doing everything short of turning the house upside down in an effort to find her. Right now Sparkler is trying to keep her mother calm while I look elsewhere," Time Turner explained as best he could, trying not to become frantic. But his friends' concern was weighing heavily on his mind, making it hard to stay focused. "Hence why I came here. I saw the library's lights were still on, and hoped against hope that perhaps she found her way here for whatever reason."

Twilight shook her head in response as she faced Time Turner again. "I'm sorry, but I haven't seen Dinky all day. I don't have a clue where she might be," she stated. But then she stopped and thought, as an idea came to her. "Ulquiorra. Can you find out where Dinky might've gotten to?"

"At present time I have more pressing issues to tend to than the matter of a missing foal," Ulquiorra stated bluntly. He had come to procure the antidote for Princess Celestia, so they could get their operation back on track. That was the most pressing of matters right now, with everything else coming secondary.

"Ulquiorra," Twilight spoke in an annoyed tone, her eyes narrowed as she faced the Espada. "It'll take you, what, two minutes of effort to zero in on Dinky's location, and help put a frightened mother's fears to rest? Just do it, you bastard!" she practically yelled.

Ulquiorra knew that he could point out how it wasn't his duty to get involved with the daily goings on of various ponies, and how it was none of his concern what they got into on their own. But he also knew that taking the time to explain why he lacked any obligation to care, would take far more time than simply addressing the requested task. It would be more cost effective to simply go along with what they wanted, and be done with it.

"Very well then," he replied and activated his pesquisa. He knew what Dinky Hoove's reiatsu pattern felt like, meaning he could find her, and be done with this entirely pointless detour.

Or at least it should have been as simple as that. What he was detecting right now suggested otherwise. The annoyance brought about by this distraction from more important matters, was quickly being forced to take a back seat to curiosity.

"What? What is it?" Twilight asked. She had seen the change in his expression, slight as it might be, and instantly recognized that something was up.

"Dinky Hooves is nowhere to be found in Ponyville," he stated. "None of the foals are."

"None of them?" Spike asked in disbelief. Were they actually hearing this right? "Are you sure?"

"Positive. There's no sign of any foals being present in Ponyville at this time. Dinky Hooves, Rumble, Diamond Tiara, Featherweight, Twist, the Cake Twins, Scootaloo, Shady, Noi, Pipsqueak, Silver Spoon... every single one of them is absent," Ulquiorra stated. How long they'd been missing, he couldn't tell from here; not without an in depth investigation into each of their last known locations.

"Oh dear," Time Turner stated, shocked but uncertain of what else to say in light of this news.

Twilight's brow furrowed at hearing this news. The timing of everything was far too coincidental to be a matter of mere coincidence. It stood to reason that whatever the cause of Dinky's disappearance, it was also responsible for the disappearance of every other foal in town as well.

"Can you tell where they might've gone?" she asked.

"Not from here. Not without a full investigation of their last known locations to pick up on their trails. That would take time we don't currently have," he explained. If they all departed in one specific location, all of their reiatsu trails would follow the same path, making it stick out like a sore thumb in town. But if they departed along individual paths, they could easily find themselves running all over town trying to pick up on it.

"Alright. I'll ask the obvious question here. What do we do now?" Spike asked.

"Open the door, before Pinkie Pie comes barreling through it to get inside," Ulquiorra replied.

"Uh, say wha' now?" Applejack asked, not expecting him to say something like that.

Just as Ulquiorra had said, the door was slammed into by a pink blur, sending it flying open from the force of the impact, and startling the majority of them as it plowed into Twilight, knocking her over in the process before finally coming to a stop as it more or less sat on her chest.

"Twilight! You've gotta help, this is terrible! Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake are missing and we can't find them anywhere!" Pinkie stated, frantically talking at a rate of a mile a minute.

Twilight wheezed in response. "Can't breathe..."

"Pinkie, get off," Applejack barked, finally regaining her senses from the untimely disturbance. "We already know. Mr. Cifer alerted us jus' before ya got 'ere. It ain' jus' the twins missin' either," she stated.

"Every foal in Ponyville is missing," Spike clarified.

"What!?" Pinkie practically shrieked as she leaped off of Twilight and landed back on the floor with a deceptively light sounding thud. "What're we just standing around for then? This is an emergency!"

Just as quick as she'd appeared, Pinkie moved to rush right back off the door, taking off for who knew where. And she might have succeeded in doing so, had Twilight not been quick enough to levitate her off the floor to keep her in place.

"Pinkie. Calm down," Twilight instructed as she got back up onto her hooves in order to address her frantic friend. "We're not going to get anywhere by panicking, except in a worse off state than we were previously. We don't know where the foals are yet, so there's no sense running around without a clue as to what we're doing, or where we should look. We're going to find them, but we need to approach this situation calmly and logically," she explained, before setting the pink pony back down on her hooves again.

"Alright, alright, I'm calm," Pinkie stated, before taking a deep breath in through her nose to emphasize the fact that she wasn't panicking. "Now then... what're we gonna do!?" she asked, her voice once again returning to its frantic pitch in the process, completely undoing the notion of being calm, cool, and collected.

Before any of them could respond, however, Ulquiorra was gone in a flash, a booming echo of static left behind in his wake.

All Time Turner could do in response to all of this taking place, was just stand there and blink, dumbfounded by... well all of it. "I can't help but feel that I'm missing a great deal of vital, need to know information."

"You're not the only one," Pinkie said as she addressed him, before turning back to the others. "What was Ulqy doing here anyway? Where'd he go without even saying goodbye? And how come he wasn't wearing his jacket?" she asked.

"Ah dunno. But Ah reckon he's gone ta deal wit' bigger problems than we got here," Applejack replied. Truly if Celestia was down, she was amazed that he'd stayed for as long as he had to discuss the matter.

"Alright," Twilight stated to bring the attention in the room back to her. "We need to take stock of our current situation before we can proceed. We know the foals are missing, and we know they're far enough away that Ulquiorra can't detect them. We also know that since it's night, we're operating at a severe tactical disadvantage here. Without the sun's light, we have diminished visibility, and without the sun's warmth, the conditions are more optimal for the fog to roll in, and blanket the area, risking greater exposure to everypony that might get involved with a search and rescue mission. Add to that fact, we don't know where to even start looking for them. If we went out now, we'd just be running around, practically blind, and potentially getting lost ourselves."

"So just what can we do?" Pinkie asked. Right now she was frantic, and she needed to know what they were going to do to make everything right again. As Ponyville's party pony, she felt obligated to do something in this situation, to ensure that everyone would be alright, safe and sound, and back in a situation where they could be happy.

"Well..." Twilight paused, uncertain of how to answer. She needed time to think in order to formulate a plan. "Well... Time Turner? You go back to Ditzy, and see if you can get her calmed down. Don't tell her that Dinky's not in Ponyville, that'll just make thing worse; just tell her that we're on the case, and we'll do what we can."

"I'll do my best," Time Turner replied and nodded.

"Alright. Pinkie, what about the Cakes? Are they awake?" Twilight asked as she turned to address her friend.

Pinkie shook her head in response. "No, thankfully. They're both asleep so they don't know what's going on."

"Good. We may need your help," Twilight replied. The first order of business was to determine which parents were up, and aware of the fact that their foals were missing, in order to head off a potential town-wide panic from occurring. "Now then. Zecora, please don't take this the wrong way, but do you have any skills at tracking? Identifying signs of hoof traffic in a given area?"

Zecora nodded in response. "Tracking is indeed something that I can do, and given enough time, it is a skill I could teach it to you. Living within the forest of Everfree, knowing the signs of danger has proven invaluable to me."

"Excellent. Maybe we can pick up on their tracks where Ulquiorra couldn't," Twilight replied. Things were slowly but surely coming together, helping put her mind at slightly more ease than it had been just minutes ago.

"Wait, you're talking about going out to find them?" Spike asked. "But this could be another trap, and we could be walking right into it," he pointed out.

"What choice do we really have in the matter, Spike? Just leave every foal in Ponyville wherever they might be, regardless of how much danger they might be in?" Twilight asked him, before shaking her head in response. "I'll admit, this is highly suspicious in terms of timing, but we don't really have much choice in the matter. Even if it's a trap, we need to do something other than just standing around," she explained.

"Er, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go look after Miss Ditzy at this point," Time Turner stated and quickly excused himself. What they were talking about right now went far beyond his comfort zone.

"A'right. Ah gotta head on home now," Applejack stated and made her way to the door.

"Applejack?" Twilight asked, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events. Was... was she actually abandoning them during their hour of need?

"Sugarcube, Ah gotta make sure Apple Bloom's safe an' sound. She's family, an' family always comes first wit' us Apples," Applejack explained.

"Oh. Right, right," Twilight replied and nodded, knowing that she couldn't get between her friend and her family. The four of them would simply have to make do on their own, and hope for the best.

"That said, once Ah know fer certain, one way or another, Ah'll be makin' mah way back. If we're gonna be doin' the whole search party thing, we're gonna need some light ta see by, an' we've got some lanterns in the barn," Applejack stated. "Ya didn' really think Ah was gonna leave ya hangin', did ya?"

Twilight wasn't sure how to respond. She didn't want to insult Applejack by saying that she did indeed think that was going to happen. She knew how important family was to Applejack, and she really wouldn't blame her if she wanted to sit this out after securing the safety of Apple Bloom, since there was no way of telling if she was missing or not. But after all they'd been through the past few weeks, she didn't know just where her loyalties would lay. In the end she just opted for giving a noncommittal shake of the head.

"Hold up, I'll go with you," Spike spoke up. "We can get back a lot faster if I get the lanterns while you check on Apple Bloom," he pointed out. He just needed to grab his hammer first; because if they were walking into a trap by splitting up, whatever they ran into was going to be made to regret it.

"That's good thinking," Twilight agreed and nodded, before turning to Pinkie again. "Meanwhile I'm going to need your help in finding out which ponies are awake, and who's aware of their foals having gone missing. The last thing we need is a town-wide panic when we don't have all the details in yet," she explained.

"So first we get the details, and then we panic?" Pinkie asked.

"No! We're trying to avoid panicking at all!" Twilight stated. Panic was what they wanted to avoid; was it really so hard for Pinkie to understand that?

"Considering the circumstances surrounding our situation, I believe it best if I remain here for the duration. The sight of an unkempt zebra this late at night, may cause those afflicted an even greater and unnecessary fright," Zecora stated.

"Zecora, that's..." Twilight started to object. But she realized that explaining to Zecora just why she was wrong about her belief would take time that could be better utilized elsewhere. "Look. I don't believe that to be the case, but right now I don't have time to argue otherwise. But rest assured we're doing to be discussing this later on."

They had taken stock of the situation before them, and they knew which parts they were to play. Now it was just a matter of doing that.

"So much for it having to hurt to heal..." Luna muttered.

Getting Celestia calmed down enough to move back to her quarters after had been a chore in and of itself. She'd been more or less inconsolable after her admission of guilt to perpetrating a rather heinous crime. That was all more or less to be expected, considering just what she had been forced to experience. It had taken both her and Rainbow Dash to actually accomplish the goal of returning to Celestia's quarters with her in tow, more or less guiding/dragging the larger alicorn as if she were intoxicated to the point of being unable to walk under her own power.

But it had been done, and they'd managed to get her onto the bed, nestled down on the fresh bedding. At which point, they had gone on to secure the room against unauthorized entry at the windows and doors. Or at least as much as they could, seeing as the door's lock had been broken when Ulquiorra had forced it open with a single kick.

It had been a very expensive lock too...

However that wasn't the issue they needed to concern themselves with right now. Rather it was the change in Celestia's demeanor that had been experienced since their return to her quarters. She'd become more aggressive, irritable, and even hostile when she was approached by one of them. Her efforts at trying to bite Rainbow Dash when she'd approached in an effort to comfort her, had been the breaking point that left them on opposite sides of the room, separated by the bed as if it were a border. So long as she wasn't approached, Celestia was content to simply pace her half of the room and grunt.

"She is no closer to healing now than when she was bawling her eyes out," Luna pointed out, her irritation clearly evident, but far more restrained than that of her sister.

"Trust me, the anger goes along with it," Rainbow Dash replied as she watched Celestia's angered pacing. As she did, she was thankful that she hadn't had the opportunity to go and retrieve Tank yet. She didn't need him getting stomped on by an irritable Princess who wasn't thinking clearly at the time. "But in my case, the anger came first."

"Wonderful," Luna commented dryly, wishing dearly that Ulquiorra would get back with whatever news he had to bring with him. As it stood, there was little they could do but sit and watch. They couldn't even try to keep Celestia from hurting herself, as their efforts would just ensure that they got hurt in the process. "Dear Sister, I wish that you would-"

Luna had to cease her plea to Celestia to sit down and take a breath, as it became necessary to duck and avoid being brained with a vase that had been hurled at her, and shattering against the back wall behind her. She took it as a cue that her sister was not in the mood to listen to her.

Looking behind her at the wreckage, she saw that the remains were those of an older piece that Celestia had been quite fond of for several centuries; one of the many things they had talked about after her return to Equestria proper. Apparently her sister cared more about her shutting up, than about the vase itself.

"Alright. That does it," Rainbow Dash spoke up, the tone of her voice being evidence that she was fed up with how things had proceeded. She didn't care that Celestia was currently seething through her grit teeth, that was irrelevant to her right now. "This is getting ridiculous. I'm gonna hold her down until she calms down," she stated firmly.

"I would pay you five thousand bits on the spot if you were able to do such, and walk away unscathed," Luna commented, amused at the idea of Rainbow Dash actually undertaking such an endeavor. But she knew that if she actually attempted such, much pain would follow. "How would you intend to actually approach her and attempt doing such?" she asked.

Rainbow Dash hesitated only a moment, before giving a response. "Pick me up and throw me at her."

Luna snorted, again -improperly- amused at what Rainbow Dash had to say on the matter. Much as she was sure the tactic would have an impact, she doubted that it would be the kind of impact that they were in need of right now. There was no telling what Celestia might do to Rainbow Dash once she became airborne and headed in her direction. Although she doubted that it would be anything good.

"As much as I admire your spunk, Rainbow Dash, I am not fastballing you. Such a maneuver would be... most unwise," she explained.

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. You know what the fastball special is?" Rainbow Dash asked in surprise, her focus on the issue of Celestia suddenly being put on the back burner in light of this new development.

Luna nodded. "You and Spike are not the only ones experienced in comic books, my friend. As many dreams as I have overseen, it is impossible to not know about some degree of popular culture."

Rainbow Dash chuckled at hearing that. That was certainly a creative way of getting around the cost of subscriptions.

Before she could actually comment on the ingeniousness of it all, she was interrupted by a loud, firm pounding on the other side of the doors.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"The only reason I'm refraining from actually kicking open this door for the second time, is that I know you're right next to it. Now move out of the way."

No doubt about it. That was definitely Ulquiorra on the other side of the doors. Luna didn't even hesitated before moving aside, and opening the door to allow him entry.

"Did you manage to procure the antidote?" she asked without even waiting for him to actually step into the room.

"What there was to be procured," Ulquiorra replied as he stepped inside.

Luna stared in disbelief at the jar Ulquiorra was holding in his hands. "That is it? You could not have brought more?" she asked.

"We were fortunate to even be able to get this," Ulquiorra stated. "The situation has become significantly less favorable than we anticipated. Twilight Sparkle is the latest to be afflicted by the terror fog, and in the ensuing chaos of her hallucinations, everything was lost. The only reason we have this, is because she managed to literally suck it back out of the ground. Zecora doesn't even know for certain if this will be enough, or if it's even ready for being administered. The simple fact is that it's all we have."

"Oh just great," Rainbow Dash replied. She'd been counting on the antidote being available so she could finally lay her terrors to rest. But even she knew that Celestia needed it more than she did, as her well being came first, since it would mean the well being of Equestria would be following with it. "Well let's go ahead and get it in her," she stated as she unfurled her wings and flew over to where Celestia currently stood.

As she approached, however, she had underestimated just how antisocial Celestia remained, the fact forgotten by the good news that they finally had the antidote in their possession. The next thing she knew, before she'd even gotten to land, she was enveloped in Celestia's magic, and hurled across the room like she was the vase.

Had it not been for Luna immediately plucking her out of the air, and carefully setting her back down on the floor, she had little doubt that he would've wound up breaking into a lot of little pieces, just like the vase had earlier.

"You stay away from me!" Celestia angrily shrieked at them.

"Looks like she wants to play hardball," Rainbow Dash commented.

"Then we shall play accordingly. She will have no say in this matter," Luna stated as she turned to face Ulquiorra. "I will pry open her mouth, and you pour the antidote straight down her awaiting gullet!"

"That won't be necessary," Ulquiorra commented, "the matter can be resolved without resorting to such, although it will be involved. I'll need your go ahead to proceed as necessary."

Luna found herself at a loss for words at hearing Ulquiorra basically asking for her permission before proceeding with something. In most circumstances, if he believed his actions were justified, he would proceed regardless, and rationalize it later. Or he would point out that there was little that could be done to stop him from proceeding as he saw fit if he was denied the opportunity. But this... it was so unexpected, she could do little more than silently nod, and wait to see how he responded.

And as she nodded, giving Ulquiorra her consent to proceed as he deemed necessary, he carefully set the jar down on the floor, before turning to face Celestia, and slowly began walking forward.

As Ulquiorra approached, Celestia glared at him, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "You stay away from me, or so help me, I'll-"

Celestia quickly found herself cut off as Ulquiorra practically teleported in front of her, and slapped her right across the face. Her eyes went wide as the stinging burn of the hit began working its way through her face. It has all happened so suddenly, leaving her utterly stunned. Slowly, she turned her head back around to look him in the eyes again.

"You will do nothing, other than what you're told," he informed her, before roughly grabbing her by her throat, just below the jaw line.

"I have no intention of repeating myself, so listen to what I'm about to say very carefully," Ulquiorra stated firmly as he forced her to meet his gaze, ensuring he had her full attention. "Unlike Rainbow Dash, there's no time to coddle you; as a ruler, you're devoid of that luxury. You have an obligation to do whatever it takes to get well, for the sake of your kingdom, and the subjects within it. You can either drink the antidote of your own volition, or you can experience first hand what it's like to have a feeding tube shoved through your nasal cavity, and your esophagus scraped as it travels down to your stomach for the administration process. And rest assured, if the antidote winds up spilled on the floor for any reason, at any time, you will find yourself licking it up afterward."

Luna was horrified by Ulquiorra's sudden change of demeanor. Despite speaking in the same calm, monotone manner he was well known for, his voice now carried a viciousness and harshness that she'd never heard before, and truly never cared to hear again. Perhaps her sister had been right about what she'd seen from the Espada during her interrogation of him. Making it all the worse was that she had just given him permission to do as needed to Celestia in her current state.

She knew that Celestia was being unreasonable, but she never actually expected him to go so far as assaulting her. Granted, she would have become physically involved herself if it had proven necessary, but not to this extent. Or at least she didn't think so.

She moved to stop him, but she found herself intercepted by Rainbow Dash, who was standing in her way and currently shaking her head to indicate she disagreed with that course of action being carried out. And just like that, Ulquiorra released his grip, letting Celestia drop back down onto her front hooves. The entire demonstration had lasted just a few seconds, but it had been quite enough to shake her up, and force her to consider a number of unpleasant possibilities in the aftermath.

"Am I understood?" Ulquiorra asked. Celestia nervously nodded, signalling that he indeed was. Without a word he turned and approached Luna and Rainbow Dash's position to retrieve the antidote.

"Was it... was it truly necessary to slap her as you did?" Luna asked.

"Perhaps not," Ulquiorra admitted as he retrieved the jar and removed the lid. "But it happened regardless."

Luna was actually surprised to hear Ulquiorra admit that the assault against her sister might have been unwarranted. She'd expected him to attempt to justify it as being a necessity warranted by the situation, and instead she'd gotten the exact opposite.

The Espada continued to prove himself full of surprises every time she thought she had him figured out.

"Open," Ulquiorra stated -or perhaps more accurately ordered- as he approached Celestia again. She'd barely even gotten her mouth open, before he gripped her by her nose, and forced her head back as he shoved the jar against her lips.

The taste of the concoction inside the jar was gag-inducing to Celestia's taste buds as it was poured into her mouth, but she dare not follow through, for fear of Ulquiorra actually making good on his threat; she wouldn't put it past him. And with her nose being held shut so she couldn't breath, she had little option but to swallow the vile concoction, wincing as it burnt and bit like a hard alcohol, but without any of the pleasantness that went along with a good -or even a mediocre- liquor.

With the jar now emptied it was quickly discarded over his shoulder -just barely avoiding joining the fate of the vase as Rainbow Dash caught it- Ulquiorra now used his free hand to pin Celestia's mouth shut in addition to her nose, and rub firmly along her throat. Only once he heard and actually felt her swallow, did her let her go so she could breathe again as she coughed.

"Wow," Rainbow Dash commented as she set the jar down where she felt it wouldn't easily get broken. "So you were serious about doing the whole forced feeding thing."

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied. He'd only mentioned the concept to her once during one of their late-night meetings, so the fact that she still clearly remembered was... perhaps a little impressive.

Luna said nothing as she approached, moving past Ulquiorra in order to rub her sister's back with a wing as she slouched, nearly laying on the ground at this point. She was not pleased with his actions in the least, but she would at least forgive him if it proved to make Celestia better.

When Zecora saw Applejack and Spike returning, not just with a wagon full of kerosene lanterns, but also Big Macintosh in their company, she could reasonably conclude that Apple Bloom had vanished along with the other foals in town. She could see no other reason that would explain the large stallion being present -and looking just as agitated as his companions- at this time of night, considering the workload that he undertook during the day.

She wanted to speak up as they neared the library's front door; wanted to offer the Apple siblings some words of comfort to ease their worry over the absence of their youngest, but she knew that there was nothing that she could either say or do that would truly serve any use right now. The only thing that would make them feel better, was having Apple Bloom back in their loving embrace again.

It was an observation she was uncomfortably familiar with, considering the number of times she'd seen it just tonight.

To say the situation had escalated beyond the point of Twilight and Pinkie managing it would be an understatement. As it turned out, a great many family members had apparently been awake, and had become aware of their foals having gone missing in the night. And if it wasn't family members, it was residents who had been made awake from all of the commotion that had been going on, as everything around them descended into its own brand of chaos.

Despite that chaos, they had managed to restore some sense of order to the amassed mob of disturbed ponies; at least enough to get them to listen to better judgement, rather than running around like chickens with their heads cut off in a blind panic. They were still quite agitated, but at least it was more manageable.

"What happened here?" Spike asked as he, Applejack, and Big Macintosh finally got within earshot of Twilight and Pinkie again.

"A lot more ponies were aware of the situation than we thought," Twilight sighed as she turned to look at them. She wanted to ask about Apple Bloom, but she opted against it for the time being. "We've got a lot of ponies who want to participate in the search party; more than I'd expected. Do you have enough lanterns for everyone?" she asked, not even inspecting the contents of the cart beforehoof.

Applejack shook her head. "Not even," she replied. They had eight lanterns in the barn in the event of needing them, and they'd brought each and every one with them on their way back from Sweet Apple Acres. At this hour of night, she'd been expecting maybe a hoofful of ponies being awake and willing to assist in forming a search party to locate the missing foals; not like thirty or more.

"I was afraid of that," Twilight mumbled as she turned back forward to address the crowd. "Everyone. Everyone, if I could please have your attention. We don't have enough lanterns for everyone who's willing to help; I'm sorry about that. If you have a lantern or a flashlight at home, I'd suggest you go and retrieve it," she stated as she addressed those that had gathered.

"Actually that might not be necessary."

Applejack looked up at hearing the voice. She recognized that voice quite well, but she hadn't expected to be encountering it here and now.

It was Filthy Rich as he made his way toward the front of the crowd, still wearing his business attire from earlier in the day, although looking more disheveled than he usually allowed himself to be.

"It just so happens that Barnyard Bargains is having a sale on all pony-portable lighting equipment right now; one hundred percent off during times of emergency," he stated rather loudly, ensuring that everyone present could hear him. "If you'll all just follow me, we can get this search party properly equipped in short order."

Both Twilight and Applejack smiled. Filthy might be the type of pony who was very heavily motivated by economics, but that did nothing to stop him from knowing when it was time to dispense with matters of profit, and instead think about his fellow equine in times of need; such as right now.

"Ooh! Do you think that includes birthday candles?" Pinkie asked Twilight.

Twilight wanted to sigh and shake her head in response to Pinkie's question. While she supposed it could be argued that birthday candles technically counted as lighting equipment, right now just didn't strike her as the appropriate time to be getting into such details, and whether or not they applied in this context.

"Are you ready?" she asked as she turned to address Zecora in an effort to focus on something else.

Zecora nodded in response. "As ready as anyone can expect to be, Twilight. I only hope that we find the missing foals first, before the things that come out at night."

A chill ran up Twilight' spine at hearing Zecora's statement. She didn't want to admit to it, for fear of causing another panic to occur, but there really was the possibility that they might be finding bodies in their search, rather than living foals in need of rescue.

"Let's hope so," she agreed, not wanting to consider that possibility, even if they needed to. "We're going to need a miracle, though."

"You'll have to settle for an additional pair of eyes instead."

Twilight's attention returned to the present at hearing that voice, and immediately knowing who was talking to her. Turning around she -and pretty much everyone else present- observed as Ulquiorra was approaching from the air in a slow descent, before finally touching down on the ground just a few paces away from where they'd all gathered.

"Ulquiorra?" she asked in disbelief at seeing the Espada again; and especially so soon after he'd last departed. "What're you doing back here? I thought you were back in Canterlot, looking after Celestia."

"The mission parameters have now changed," Ulquiorra replied.

+++

"How long must we wait, before we know if it works?" she asked as she turned to address him.

"According to Zecora, provided the concoction was close to be finished, and provided the quantity was sufficient, we'll know within fifteen minutes," Ulquiorra replied.

"Fifteen minutes? Just wonderful," Rainbow Dash grumbled. "So that means all we can do is sit around, wait, and hope that it works?" she asked.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied.

All Luna could do was sigh, and shake her head in response to hearing this news. This was just one more case of them being helpless, in a long and tiring string of constant helplessness, where their best simply wasn't good enough for anything at all. It had been bad enough when it was only Rainbow Dash that they couldn't help. But being unable to do anything for her own sister but sit around and wait, just hurt so much worse.

"It's for that reason, that my return to Ponyville is currently warranted," Ulquiorra continued.

"It is?" Luna asked curiously. What business could he have in Ponyville? More specifically, what was it about the wait that he believed warranted his return so soon after leaving it?

"It's gonna be fifteen minutes no matter where you go. Park your butt and wait with the rest of us," Rainbow Dash replied.

It was a statement that was factually accurate, but nonetheless, still completely stupid. Ulquiorra considered pointing that out to her, but decided against mincing words on an irrelevant matter; it would take more time than it was simply worth.

"The matter at issue is significantly more pressing than the boredom that would come from waiting for something to happen. There's a potential hostage crisis in Ponyville that needs to be tended to," he stated. Without even waiting for a response, he made his way to the doors to take his leave again.

"Hold up! What did you say?" Luna asked as she looked up, her attention now drawn away from her sister. "What do you mean a hostage crisis? What has happened?"

"All of the foals in Ponyville have gone missing, and we know nothing as to the how, the why, or the where," Ulquiorra replied as he stopped and regarded Luna over his right shoulder as he spoke.

"Wait, seriously? Even Scootaloo?" Rainbow Dash asked as she jumped to her hooves at the news, feeling her heart starting to speed up.

"All of them," Ulquiorra stated, having no time to mention who was missing individually. "Princess Celestia has been given the antidote, all we can do for her now is wait. As such, I'm now needed elsewhere, on far more pressing matters."

"And you are just telling us this now!?" Luna shouted in response, trying hard to keep calm in light of all of this, but finding it incredibly difficult. "Why was this not brought to our attention sooner!?"

"Because getting Princess Celestia the antidote so she could recover was our top priority," Ulquiorra replied, his demeanor a stark contrast to that of Luna as he spoke. "And now it isn't. Now that such has been done, other matters are free to be focused on accordingly."

Luna could feel her mouth hanging open as her mind tried to process the information. She understood that Ulquiorra was logical in how he went about conducting himself, but the thought of him prioritizing lives like that was just... just... she couldn't even get the words to coherently form in her mind. Yes, she was thankful that he had given her sister so much consideration, but the fact that he was prioritizing her over those who were so much more vulnerable was more than she could take. Suddenly everything had been horribly flipped upside down.

"So what're you just standing around and talking for? Get moving and find them already!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"Not just yet, Rainbow Dash, we must proceed accordingly," Luna replied, slightly more restrained than her friend was currently. Although that really wasn't saying much. Out of all of them, only Ulquiorra had any semblance of calmness about his right now, but that was to be expected. "The foals going missing is not a matter of simple coincidence, is it?" she asked as she looked towards him.

"The probability of this all boiling down to nothing more than coincidence is unlikely at best. If it were a few foals that were absent, it could believably be written off as such. But with all of them missing at the same time, and with the timing of everything else being what it is, we need to conclude otherwise, and assume that they're being used as a part of some contingency plan to put us at a disadvantage," Ulquiorra explained.

Luna had a few choice words to say about this development, but she chose to keep them -and herself- restrained, as she doubted shouting any further would actually do them any good. If Ulquiorra was right, and the missing foals had actually been abducted -potentially by whatever party was responsible for everything else going on- it went without saying that they couldn't launch a counterattack until their safety had been adequately ensured. Even if they wouldn't be in the line of fire, they would still have to find them, before they could actually do anything.

"I will have a squad of royal guards dispatched immediately. The night vision of my thestrals is second to none, and you will need all the help you can get in order to find them in a timely manner," she stated.

"It would take too long for them to be assembled and instructed, never mind actually arriving," Ulquiorra pointed out. He could be to Ponyville in but a fraction of the time it would take them to do the same. "Beyond that, their presence will simply add more ponies to be exposed and afflicted by the terror fog that's already out, hampering our efforts further. My working alone is for the best in this situation," he explained, knowing that the last thing they needed was a dozen or more ponies experiencing the hallucinations of terror fog for the first time, potentially hurting themselves and others in the process.

Luna wanted to retort, but she knew full well that none would be adequate or appropriate. For better or worse, Ulquiorra was the only one present who had -so far- proven to be immune to the effects of the terror fog. Even she couldn't really claim such.

"Then I will not detain you any further. Go and find the missing foals, and ensure their safety. The last thing we need is to be giving whatever party is responsible, the opportunity to keep us over a barrel," she stated.

+++

By the time Ulquiorra had finished with his explanation of events that had transpired, the present crowd had grown considerably smaller. Those who hadn't been listening to the details of his story with rapt attention, had gone with Filthy Rich to acquire lanterns, flashlights, kerosene, and whatever else they were going to need for finding the missing foals. Despite their amazement at his arrival from the sky, there were more important matters that had to be tended to, and they were quite aware of that fact.

Those that had remained present as he explained that he'd arrived to help them out -and who weren't otherwise preoccupied with hushed whispers about his descent from the sky- had their own take on the situation; perhaps best exemplified when the initiative had been taken by none other than Ditzy, as she pounced on him, and proceeded to hug him with all of the ferocity that only a distraught mother could manage.

"Please! Please, you've got to help find my little Dinky, you've just got to!" she pleaded as she clung to him.

In contrast, Ulquiorra's response was far more calm, methodical, and deliberate as he pried himself free from Ditzy's frantic hold. It had all been done with the same ease as someone simply shrugging off a jacket they'd been wearing at the time, but the gesture had lacked any semblance of either hostility or intolerance; it was all very clinical in how he conducted himself with her, being neither supportive, nor dismissive.

"Your daughter will be found. As will all the others that are currently missing," he stated simply.

"C'mon, Ditzy, it'll be a'right," Applejack said as she came to Ulquiorra's aid and gently pulled the distraught pegasus back. "Mr. Cifer's on the case now, we'll find 'em faster than a pig can find slop," she assured her.

Twilight nodded in agreement as she faced them. "With his talents being added to our available pool, the search party can proceed much more efficiently, once the others get back with the lighting supplies we'll be needing," she added.

"Respectable. But your involvement would ultimately cause more harm than good in this matter. Where I need to go, the rest of you won't be able to follow. You coming along would only slow the progression, and simply lead to more getting lost than already are," Ulquiorra explained.

"... You already know where they are, don't you?" Twilight asked. The way he'd phrased it had been so odd, that was the only thing that really made sense to her. But that left a lot of unanswered questions, like why he was currently here and talking to them, when he could be utilizing the time needed for such in a more practical manner.

Ulquiorra gave a single nod of confirmation before speaking again. "It was discovered as soon as I returned to Ponyville to assist. Despite each of the foals taking a different route, they all eventually converge at a single point just outside of town, leading to their ultimate destination; that being three miles inside the territory of the Everfree Forest," he explained.

"The Everfree Forest!?"

It was a collective response, shared by the majority of those who were still present. And it had also been just the tip of the iceberg, as all manner of talk erupted in the immediate aftermath of the revelation, quickly reaching the point where even he couldn't focus on what everyone was saying; other than the fact that it was quickly descending into madness as panic started overtaking everyone, and shaking their resolve. The determination that they had possessed just moments ago was starting to falter.

Or at least it was among those that didn't have family involved. Those that were recognized as being parents or other caretakers remained largely unshaken, with some of them actually looking at him with disdain for being there. They likely realized the gravity of the situation, and couldn't comprehend why he wasn't acting to resolve the situation.

"A few miles of forest isn't gonna stop us!" Bonbon yelled angrily as she stomped her left hoof against the ground to emphasize her statement.

"Yeah! It's gonna take more than what lives in there to keep us away!" Thunderlane added, earning a few more voices of agreement.

"We'll go ourselves if we have to!" Ditzy added as those in agreement only grew more vocal.

"We're not afraid!"

"Family's more important!"

"For the future!"

It was a turnaround, the likes of which Ulquiorra hadn't expected to witness among these ponies. They were afraid, as was to be expected, but they were making an effort to push past that fear. They were demonstrating genuine courage right now.

It was all... impressive. Stupid, but still impressive.

"Looks like we got ourselves an army," Applejack commented, finding it necessary to speak up to be heard over the crowd as it worked itself up.

"More like an angry mob," Spike stated as he tried to figure out how they were going to calm all of these ponies down.

"I don't think I can deal with this," Pinkie added. Trying to get all of these grumpy ponies calmed down, and put a smile back on their faces, was something she wasn't confident could be done on such short notice.

"Neither of which being something that we need at this point," Ulquiorra commented, not caring who might've heard him or not. They needed a way to calm this rabble down before chaos erupted, and everyone went tearing off without a plan.

The loud boom that came from slamming both of his palms together achieved that goal just adequately. Immediately everyone shut up again, and all eyes were once again on him as they paid attention.

"Your dedication to the cause is noted. But there are other dangers present beyond the predators that make their home in the forest. The area the foals are in, is right in the middle of a dense pocket of terror fog that's miles wide in diameter," he explained to them. He'd sensed it almost as soon as he'd arrived, and regarded it as evidence of a responsible party being actively at work. Anyone who tried approaching would be putting themselves at risk of not only the Everfree Forest itself, but also whatever hallucinations the fog induced, leaving them helpless to escape. It made sense now why Princess Celestia had been attacked and disabled; just as it made sense why Twilight Sparkle had been subjected to her own hallucinations, and tricked into destroying the antidote. Whatever, and whoever, was behind all of this, didn't want the foals found, and was apparently doing whatever could be done to ensure that didn't happen.

All of this meant that he was the only one could safely approach. Once again everything came down to him being the one to actually save the day.

"If you were to approach now, you would all fall victim to the forest, leaving more lost than there are now. This matter has to be left to myself, and only myself, as I'm the only one immune to the effects of the fog. The rest of you need to remain behind where it's safe," he stated. Although it was doubtful if anywhere was truly safe at this point in time. But they didn't need to preoccupy themselves with that fact.

"Then what're you doing here, just standing around and talking? Why aren't you out there actually doing something!?" Thunderlane demanded. And before anyone could blink, the others were joining in on pressing him for answers about his presence, and his lack of action.

"For the simple reason that I sensed this gathering taking place. Lacking any other logical conclusions as to why so many would be awake, and gathered together at this time of night, the most logical conclusion was that Twilight Sparkle was forming a search party to find the missing foals. And knowing the full details, it became necessary to intervene, and prevent the situation from getting worse," he explained. He gave them a moment to let the statement sink in, so that they could understand it was their own fault that he was here, before he continued. "Stay here, leave the matter to me."

"Before ya go headin' off, ya might need this," Applejack stated as she offered up one of their procured lanterns from the barn.

"That won't be necessary. My eye sight is-" Ulquiorra started to explain, only for Applejack to cut him off.

"Yeah, yeah, Ah remember from the last time ya bragged 'bout yer night vision. Brightest day, blackest night, nothin' escapes yer sight, yadda, yadda," Applejack stated, summarizing how she remembered the conversation going the last time an offered lantern had been turned down. "Ah don' mean ta be rude, Ah'm jus' sayin. Anyway it ain't fer you, though, it's fer the foals fer when ya find 'em. Ya might be able ta see in the dark jus' fine, but they won't be; not in the Everfree Forest, an' certainly not with the fog rollin' in an' thickenin' up. If yer gonna bring 'em back, they're gonna need ta see where they're goin'," she explained.

Ulquiorra would admit that he hadn't considered that. It was so easy to forget that these ponies had a great number of physical inferiorities compared to himself. Even if they could see fairly competently out here at night, with limited illumination from the moon and stars, the same couldn't be said for inside the Everfree Forest, where thick canopies were capable of obscuring even direct sunlight. For him it was a trivial matter, but for them, it would be far more than that.

"Noted," he replied in acknowledgement. "Although I have doubts that the flame will remain lit at the speed I'll be traveling," he pointed out. He could see it being extinguished very easily once he used his sonido to reach his destination, as the air current would be moving very rapidly, and forcing its way through all the little holes that served ventilation purposes. Even a forest fire could be blown out like a candle, provided enough air current was involved.

"Then take a long a few extra matches, an' light it when ya get there," Applejack pointed out. "Ya do know how ta run one o' these, right?"

While Applejack and Ulquiorra went over the mechanics of how one of the lanterns operated, Twilight felt a tap on her wither. Turning around she saw that it was Flitter hovering behind her. Or maybe it was her sister Cloudchaser. She honestly couldn't tell the two of them apart, based on how limited her interactions were with them. The only thing she really knew about them was that they were friends with Thunderlane, and seemed to adore Rumble.

"I get that there's a lot going on here that we don't understand. But was he actually flying just a little while ago? And all without wings?" she asked.

"Um... something like that," Twilight replied hesitantly.

"Regrowth of lost limbs, and now flight without wings. That roho mlaji you are friends with, is capable of a great many things," Zecora stated.

"Wait, what now?" the pegasus twin asked at hearing Zecora's statement. "What's going on here?"

The next thing Twilight knew, she -and by extension, the others in their group- were all being besieged by a number of questions, and all pertaining to Ulquiorra.

"Well... you see... it's like this," she started, knowing that what followed next was going to be a very complicated, very awkward explanation.

The location of the missing foals might've been determined in short order, but it was more alone the lines of narrowing down their general vicinity, rather than pinpointing their exact location. Ulquiorra had tried for the latter rather than the former, but the terror fog that had blanketed the area in the Everfree Forest was serving as more than adequate interference to prevent that from happening. The amount of reiatsu that was laced in it was serving as camouflage, and effectively drowning out all the other signatures that were within it.

It was something he didn't adequately understand. Nor did he care for devoting the time that would be necessary to doing such, as there were more important tasks at hand to tend to; such as spoiling whatever plans were in store.

Despite the denseness of the fog blanketing the area, it did little to actually obstruct his vision. He could easily make out his surroundings just fine. But for all of the trees -of which there were a great many- rocks, shrubs, and other forest staples that he could see, what he couldn't see was signs of any pony; not even their hoof prints. Wherever they were, this obviously wasn't it. He was going to need to track them down the old fashioned way.

And speaking of the old fashioned way...

A cursory examination of the lantern indicated no signs of it being any worse for wear after being subjected to his sonido; not even the old green paint that was pock marked with signs of rust looked like it had been knocked loose. Following the steps Applejack had demonstrated, of raising the globe and wick, he fished one of the matches out of his pocket to light it. As long as they were, spanning the whole length from his wrist to the tips of his fingers, it was easy to understand how the ponies made use of them when they lacked fingers, and had to utilize their mouths.

With a quick swipe against the remnants of his Hollow mask, the match burst into flames, before allowing him to do the same to the exposed wick, and more or less flooding the entire area with light.

It was entirely irrelevant for him, but as Applejack had pointed out, it would give the foals something to see in this mess. Now all he had to do was actually physically track them down; a prospect easier said than done, seeing as how he was as blind as a human right now.

"Where to begin?" he asked himself as he considered which direction to go. But before he went anywhere, he glanced downward at the ground, and used the heel of his left foot to scratch an X into the soft soil to use as a marker. Should something happen, and he actually found himself getting disoriented in his mess, he would at least know where he'd started from.

Before he went even three steps past the starting point, he stopped in thought. Blind as a human, he noted. Humans often tended to overlook what was right in plain sight because they weren't actively looking for it, or were simply looking elsewhere. He couldn't sense any ponies present, but that didn't mean they weren't present. Statistically the odds of appearing within a close vicinity to them weren't in his favor, but improbable didn't mean impossible. Maybe finding them would actually be simpler than he was assuming, and all he had to do was speak up.

"Can anyone hear me?" he asked. If they were within earshot, perhaps they would hear him, and respond in turn.

And then again, perhaps not, as all he heard was silence. Not even the sounds of wildlife could be heard in this fog. That in itself suggested there was far more going on than what was immediately apparent. The sooner they were found, the better off they would all be.

"Best to not waste time on useless endeavors," he told himself. He would head east first, as it led the furthest away from Ponyville, and work his way back if nothing was found.

The sound of a twig snapping from behind him, made him halt that plan. He wasn't alone here.

As he turned around to confront who else was present with him, he immediately stopped and stared.

"This can't be possible," he stated, not believing what his eyes were seeing. And yet there was no way to actually deny just what he was seeing.

Standing there, and slowly lumbering its way forward, accompanied by a low, guttural hissing growl, was none other than the fully Hollowfied form of Ichigo Kurosaki himself.

Author's Note

So the long awaited next chapter is here. And I don't like it. Something feels like it's missing, it feels rushed, but I don't know what the issue is. I've spent a lot of time trying to find what it is, but I simply ran out of time.

Below is a scene I intended to include in the main story, but it was just dragging at that point and something needed to be cut from it.

Deleted Scene

"Ulquiorra Cifer," Luna spoke up as he was already leaving the room. "Before you depart, I must ask one more question of you," she explained.

"Make it fast," Ulquiorra stated as he, once again, stopped and turned to face her. "The more time I spend here addressing you, the longer this hostage situation is allowed to continue."

Luna nodded in recognition of the fact before continuing. "Answer me truthfully. If, during your search for the foals, you come across the party that is responsible for all of this... do you intend to kill them?" she asked.

"I do," Ulquiorra replied, seeing no reason to hide the truth. These ponies knew what he was, and how he operated, so there was no point in denying his very nature. If he were to come across the one who had orchestrated this entire mess, then he would ensure that they presented no more threat to Equestria.

He would certainly try and extract whatever information they might possess, but ultimately he was going to terminate them if there was too much risk in leaving them alive for questioning.

"Very well then," Luna replied and gave a solemn nod. "If you have already arrived at the conclusion of such being necessary, stopping you would likely be an exercise in futility. So I will say this," she said as she paused, mulling over her words, before finally speaking up again. "If you find the one responsible for all of the harm that we have suffered, be sure to make them suffer in turn, before you kill them. Force them to understand what it means to hurt; it would be nothing short of what they ultimately deserve..."

Ulquiorra would admit, he hadn't seen that one coming. Out of every pony he'd had dealings with, Princess Luna wasn't one he would expect to condone such a message.

But nonetheless, an order for how he should conduct himself, was still an order, and he was obligated to comply with it.

"As you wish."

Chapter Eighty Six

Chapter Eighty Six

Ulquiorra could do little more than simply stare at what he was seeing. The fully Hollowfied form of Ichigo Kurosaki was standing before him, and slowly making its way towards him, lumbering along as if victory had already been ensured, and it was simply going through the motions of reaching its predetermined destination; just like the last time they had met.

As if that weren't bad enough in and of itself, its zanpakutō, Tensa Zangetsu, was clutched firmly in its right hand. A desire for conflict with him was quite evident in its approach. Not that the Zanpakutō was actually necessary, considering how things had gone the last time around.

All of that, added directly on top of the fact that he couldn't sense a damn thing in this fog, apart from the reiatsu that permeated the entire area; just as it had done all across Ponyville. He wasn't getting a single detectable reading from it. But then again it was entirely possible he wouldn't even if his pesquisa was working in this mess; if the reiryoku level of the target was greater than the scope of comprehension to the one trying to feel it, they would ultimately read nothing at all, and it would come off as the target not being there. Considering how he had been taken to task the last time around, he couldn't rule it out as being a possibility.

In light of all of these facts culminating together, he did the only thing he could think of in this situation. He set the lantern down on the ground, and clapped his hands together, slowly, three times.

"To whoever is listening, and responsible for all of this, I must commend you," he stated to no one in particular. "How you went about gathering your information, I don't know, nor do I particularly care, as it's none of my concern. But conjuring the image of the one that killed me the first time around, that's a fairly creative strategy to engage in. All things said, it was a reasonable assumption to conclude that the one responsible for my death would be adequate for inducing sufficient terror in me, and motivate me to abandon my mission here, in locating the missing foals."

As he spoke, he noticed that the form of Ichigo Kurosaki's Hollowfied state ceased its advancement on him; almost as if it were waiting for something to happen. Whether that something was him making the next move, or instructions to be delivered, he didn't know. Nor did he really care.

"That fact aside, your information is considerably lacking. Unlike the ponies you've been dealing with up to this point, I have no fear that can actually be triggered, regardless of what illusions you might attempt to conjure, and put into my path. Nor do I have time to be dealing with an intangible illusion that ultimately poses no threat to me."

With nothing left to say on the matter, he retrieved the lantern by the bale handle, and turned to leave.

"The effect would've been more convincing, had the shihakushō not been shredded to the exact same extent it was when we last crossed paths," he added offhandedly.

The firm grip on his right shoulder, however, made him stop in his tracks, and slowly turn his head to regard who or what had just grabbed him from behind. And it was the bony white hand that was firmly squeezing his shoulder, that told him the illusion was not of the intangible variety.

The lantern fell from his grip, landing upright on the ground with a clatter, as he found himself roughly flung backwards, his body leaving the ground as he traveled through the air, before finally coming to a stop as he crashed against a tree, and falling against the ground.

It was more a matter of stunned disbelief, rather than actual pain that had him laying face down on the forest floor during the immediate aftermath of what just happened. He hadn't anticipated anything like this happening, and it took his mind a few seconds to actually process everything that was taking place, before he climbed back to his feet again.

He was dealing with a physical construct, rather than an intangible illusion. A physical construct with sufficient strength to go about tossing him around with apparent ease. It stood to reason that its purpose here was to impede his process, and prevent him from finding -and thereby rescuing- the missing foals, for whatever reason.

"Unimpressive," he replied as he faced the construct again. "Am I truly supposed to be intimidated, simply because you're tangible, and have a modicum of physical strength about you?"

He didn't even bother waiting for a response. If the best the construct could do was throw him around like it had, then it was more of a nuisance than anything he truly had to concern himself with. The real Ichigo Kurosaki had put up a better fight than this, even without his Hollow mask coming into play. This was nothing but a pale imitation of the real thing.

In a flash of sonido he appeared directly in front of the Kurosaki construct -the Kurostruct perhaps?- standing toe to toe with it, his left arm drawn back, before driving it forward at an upward angle, slamming his fist right into the Hollow mask it wore as he fully extended his arm.

Just as had occurred in his case, the construct left the ground as it was sent flying backwards.

Unlike what had occurred in his case, however, the tree it crashed against shattered on impact as it was plowed through, sending wood fragments flying as the canopy toppled over and fell to the ground with a loud crash.

"I have no time to waste on the likes of you. There are more important matters to be tending to right now."

The lantern was picked up once again as Ulquiorra departed the area, there being no further reason to remain present. The fog presented no credible threat to him that would warrant his attention. At the best it was nothing more than a hindrance that would slow him down; nothing more.

But enough about that. Finding some physical trace of the foals in this mess was going to be the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. And neither a magnet, nor fire were viable options for achieving that goal in this case. He needed a way to go about removing the fog from the equation in order to clear his senses. With his pesquisa being unable to pierce the veil of the fog, it was like not having it at all. It was... disorienting to experience one of his senses suddenly unavailable to him, and there being nothing that he could do about it. Not being able to reach out and feel his surroundings for miles as he was accustomed to was... claustrophobic perhaps? It was something that he hadn't experienced since his time in the void. And truth be told, he didn't care for it either.

He suddenly felt himself grabbed from behind by his neck, and lifted right off the ground with little effort, before suddenly being slammed face first against the forest floor. He then found himself being lifted back up by his neck, at least as far as his upper body was concerned, before being slammed against the ground again, and again, and again.

Before he could be slammed against the ground a fifth time, he reached around behind him with his free hand, and latched onto what currently had a hold of him, before proceeding to forcefully wrench it loose, and then fling it forward, whatever it was.

As he was free to get back to his feet again, whatever it was turned out to be the Kurostruct, currently laying face down from being thrown, but in the process of climbing back to its feet as well.

He had to reevaluate the facts surrounding the matter. The physical construct that he faced not only had physical strength for throwing him about, it also possessed notable durability, as it apparently survived the same degree of force that had successfully brought down the dragon he'd encountered on his second outing from Canterlot.

This whole situation was actually managing to become more and more interesting with each passing minute. But interesting or not, he didn't have time to be fucking around like this.

"You're nothing more than an annoyance that I don't need right now; no different than a nail jutting its way through a shoe."

In response to his evaluation, the Kurostruct growled, before breaking into a full-fledged roar, a wild and uncontrolled aura of blood red flaring out from its body in the process.

Ulquiorra's response was far more to the point; that being him sonidoing right in front of it, and punching it straight in the exposed throat. That immediately broke its bolstering posture as it choked. He then followed up by sweeping its legs out from under it with his left leg, bringing it crashing against the ground on its back, before raising his outstretched leg, and then bringing it back down as he stomped on its face.

The force behind the stomp was enough to disturb the ground beneath them, causing cracks to form in the tough soil that split apart the sod. He stomped down again, furthering the cracks as the Kurostruct's head was being forced through the ground like an oversized tent stake. He stomped down a third time, this time with enough force for its head to be completely buried, with only its angular horns remaining visible above ground.

"The resemblance really is amazing," Ulquiorra commented idly, before delivering a fourth stomp to the head, driving even the horns completely underground now, before stepping out of the hole he'd made in the process. Whatever was the driving force behind all of this had certainly captured the most notorious aspects of Ichigo Kurosaki in its recreation of his Hollowfied form. All brute force, no intelligent thought whatsoever, and a tendency to yell without coherent thought.

Even the stubborn refusal to relinquish its hold of its zanpakutō was present. That simply wouldn't do.

He stepped down on the Kurostruct's forearm, applying all of his weight as he grasped it by the wrist, and pulled upward. If his enemy refused to give up of their own volition, then it wouldn't have any choice about being disarmed... one way or another.

Before he could successfully break whatever was serving as bones in the construct's body, and potentially tear the arm off entirely, he felt his right ankle being firmly grasped. Apparently there was still a great deal of fight that had to be taken out of this one. He'd just have to tend to that. He quickly relinquished his hold on the right arm, and grabbed the left arm by the wrist to pry it loose from his ankle, preventing any counterattack that might involve throwing him about yet again.

"How much of a beating can you take, before whatever form of cohesion that's keeping your frame together becomes insufficient for doing such?" he asked rhetorically, before thrusting his right hand down into the hole to grab the kurostruct by its neck, and lift it up off the ground, and off its feet as well. "I'm rather curious. If I break your spine in half, will you die? If I tear your head off your neck, will your body dissolve away? If I shatter your skull, will I see a brain?"

Some of it was merely rhetorical, some was genuine interest in the physical limits of this construct. How exactly had this thing come to exist? How had it found him so soon after his arrival? Was this the work of the terror fog, or perhaps something else entirely? And if that was the case, how was the information gained?

"Perhaps I'll just bisect you instead, and find out the answers to my questions while I'm scooping out your innards. Let's find out, shall we?"

The immediate response on the part of the Kurostruct was to spring to new life and new vigor, gripping his arm tightly, and bringing its zanpakutō around to try and decapitate him.

Ulquiorra quickly responded by blocking with his forearm, a sharp thud sounding from where the edge met his skin and musculature.

Much to his surprise, he actually felt the edge of the blade successfully pierce his skin. However that was all it had succeeded in doing, as the underlying tissue remained undisturbed.

"Was that actually supposed to harm me?" he asked. But he didn't bother waiting for a response, as he knew that none would actually come. Instead he simply tightened his hold on the throat, before shrugging the blade away, and proceeded to steadily deliver blow after blow to the Kurostruct's face, the force of each successive impact causing its limbs to spasm helplessly as it relinquished its hold on him. And unlike last time, there was no ground to be pounded into, leaving nowhere to go to escape the full force of the beating.

"I don't expect surrender this time, as I know none will be given," Ulquiorra calmly stated, all the while never missing a punch. "Instead I'm simply going to grind your body into dust, and continue with my duties unopposed."

With the degree of durability he had witnessed so far, it was safe to conclude that said goal was going to take quite some time to complete. Wearing the construct down to the point its form could no longer maintain its cohesion was going to require both time and effort to accomplish.

This was one of the few areas in which the Quinto Espada might actually have a slight advantage over him. With the ability to sprout multiple arms in his released state, Nnoitra Gilga could easily restrain the Kurostruct with one hand, and pound away with five fists. Or restrain with two hands, and pound with four.

If the Quinto Espada were particularly inclined to engage in multi-tasking, he could choke with two hands, pound away with two fists, and play poker with his two remaining hands. He could see that being a possible course of action that might be engaged in.

All thoughts pertaining to how to best utilize additional body parts became immediately irrelevant when the next blow failed to meet its mark, and was instead stopped mere inches away from the point of contact when his wrist was tightly gripped by the Kurostruct's left hand. And much to his disbelief, it was actually demonstrating that it could pull his arm to the side, and prevent him from pulling it loose.

The next thing he knew, the Kurostruct swung its body up, and planted its foot right against his face in order to shove him away; a feat it accomplished with apparent ease, as he was sent skidding along the forest floor, before swinging his legs upward and flipping himself back upright, and grinding himself to a halt as he dug his feet in.

Where had that sudden increase in strength come from? Had it been that strong from the very beginning, and had simply been toying with him? Or had it somehow grown stronger in response to his own strength becoming known?

It was a question that he didn't have time to formulate an answer to, as the assault was now being pushed against him. Along with incredible strength, the Kurostruct apparently had incredible speed, and was on him in an instant, bringing its zanpakutō to bear in an effort to cut him in half right down the middle.

As fast as it was, however, he was simply much faster, and easily sidestepped the attack, leaving it to strike nothing but air. It made a second attempt from a different angle, to which he replied in much the same manner.

Whatever the controlling force behind the Kurostruct was, it was one that lacked any true physical combat experience, makings its effectiveness utterly pitiful. Wide, sweeping arcs that completely overshot the target, yet still continued in a nearly one hundred and eighty degree swing, before finally being righted and tried again in an effort of succeeding where the last had failed, were utterly useless. As well as being easy enough to avoid by ducking, dodging, sidestepping, leaning back, or even just pulling your leg out of the way of the swing.

He observed the movements, looking for an exploitable opening to take advantage of; a moment of being overextended that made preventing a counterattack unlikely, or a portion of the body that had more visible tension present than another that made it a prime candidate for targeting. Something that was apparent, without being obvious to the point that it had to be a trap meant to lure him in.

What he didn't expect to encounter, however, was an excess of openings in not only the stance, but also the attack. There was no finesse, present, no skill, no conscious thought; it was nothing but pure dumb brute force. Even the real Ichigo Kurosaki was more skilled than this. If he were in a sporting mood, he would point out that its zanpakutō could be used for stabbing thrusts, which would be infinitely more likely to be accurate, and require far less exertion, and far less leaving oneself exposed to a counterattack.

But he wasn't in a sporting mood, and simply opted for grasping the Kurostruct's wrist in his right hand on the next swing, effectively trapping the zanpakutō between them, and leaving it no way of moving.

"Are you trying to kill me? Or are you merely swatting at mosquitoes?" he asked.

His response came in the form of the Kurostruct snarling, and punching him right in the face with its left fist, momentarily blurring his vision, and nearly staggering him, but not enough to actually make him relinquish his grip. He responded in turn, in much the same fashion, only his punch proved to be much harder, and delivered a great deal more force at the point of impact.

This proved to be merely the start, as each of them began trading blows to each other's faces with their free arms, each of them trying to overcome the other. It was little more than a test of whose/what's constitution was superior to that of the other, and who could take the most abuse before having to give up. All the while, all around them, the sounds of their struggles echoed on with a concussive force all its own, to the point it would prove painful to listen to.

It was a clash of two wills of exceptional stubbornness, with bodies perfectly capable of standing up to whatever was dished out against them. On one side was the Espada, intent on carrying out his duties, and finding the missing foals before they could be utilized against them in any way. On the other side, was the one that had been dispatched to oppose him in any way necessary. One of them wielded considerable experience in the art of combat, their knowledge honed from countless years of struggling to survive in an environment far harsher than most could possibly imagine. The other wielded an uncanny ability to tolerate insane levels of abuse, and a determination at amounting to an insurmountable object that inhibited all advancement.

The struggle could've continued on for quite some time, with no clear answer as to who would win or not. If not for the interruption of one of Ulquiorra's punches being intercepted, as the Kurostruct actually bit down on his hand, and now kept it held firmly in its teeth, preventing him from pulling back for another blow.

"This isn't satire," he muttered, before relinquishing his hold on the Kurostruct's wrist, and quickly moving behind it to wrap his right arm around its head. "Say ahhh."

The Kurostruct growled as it quickly found its mouth being forcefully pried open, its lower jaw being pulled dangerously far as Ulquiorra freed his hand. But rather than withdrawing, he gripped the jaw and pulled harder. The sound of flesh, bone, and tendons being strained could easily be heard, suggesting that the breaking point was quickly being approached, and it was only a matter of time before the lower jaw was forcefully ripped off the face.

Ulquiorra, however, had a different idea in mind, and took a two-handed grip on the Kurostruct's head, one in the front and the other in the back, before forcefully wrenching the head around a full one hundred and eighty degrees, a muffled snapping sound accompanying the gesture as he came face to face with it once again.

As was to be expected, the Kurostruct's body went limp, and fell to the ground with a thud upon being relinquished.

With that obstacle cleared out of his way, Ulquiorra took the opportunity to catch his breath. He didn't care to admit to it, but having not had to test his physical capabilities in such a long time here in Equestria had done little to actually preserve his skills. The fight never should've lasted that long, and yet it had regardless. But as unacceptable as it was, there really wasn't much that he could do about it; it was all over now, and he was free to proceed.

Before he did proceed with his mission, something caught his attention; something that was wet and running on his face. Running the back of his left hand under his nose, he discovered what was wet was his own blood. As best he could figure, when they'd been trading blows with one another, one of those he'd taken to the nose had apparently been enough to do some actual damage.

"This night is just full of surprises," he idly commented. But it was unimportant right now, as he still had a mission to accomplish. Those foals weren't going to find themselves, and he wasn't accomplishing anything just standing around here.

Looking around, he eventually spotted where the lantern currently rested, laying extinguished but unbroken. The same couldn't really be said for the few remaining matches he had in his pocket. But so long as even a few inches of shaft remained attached to the head, it would be sufficient. The more troubling aspect was going to be the lack of physical signs that would indicate where to look; the ground out here was so hard, it was hardly conductive of good hoof prints from ones so small. He had been able to pick up on a physical trail up to the edge of the Everfree Forest, but after that it had become more inconsistent, until finally tapering off to nothing as the ground firmed up. After that he'd more or less been following reiatsu trails, until his pesquisa could no longer differentiate between them and the fog. Now it was more or less just guesswork on his part.

The number of questions being faced just seemed to increase as time went on. Why had this particular spot of the forest been selected? How had every foal in Ponyville disappeared without anyone noticing anything? How had they made it this far out without being attacked by the predators that made the Everfree Forest their home? What was the ultimate purpose of their abduction? What was the significance of the timing of all the events that had happened on this night. Where the fuck had the Kurostruct's crumpled body gone in the brief moment his back had been turned to it?

The answer to the last question was presented to him as he turned around to observe and survey his surroundings, just in time to observe the Kurostruct standing behind him, and thrusting its zanpakutō towards him with incredible speed. He didn't even have time to react before the tip of the sword managed to successfully gouge out his right eye before grinding to a halt against the bone of his eye socket, much to his utter shock.

Instincts and reflexes kicked in as he leaped back out of striking range and landed on his feet, putting several paces of distance between them. All the while wondering just how that had happened. His field of vision was restored as his eye regenerated -as did the damaged tissue in his nose- but it did nothing to help him understand the bigger issue at hand. He had heard the Kurostruct's neck snap, felt it snap in his hold. So how was it up and walking around, with its head facing forward again, like nothing had happened?

He knew that he didn't have to do this. He didn't have to stay here and fight the Kurostruct to defeat. He was under no obligation to kill it. He could simply sonido away, and continue on with his original intention that brought him here. But doing so was a hazardous course of action to engage in. He had no idea just what capabilities the Kurostruct had just yet, meaning it was a gamble to simply leave it alone. For all he knew, it had the same cero capabilities of its counterpart, and they might be used if he disappeared. The entire forest could potentially be leveled by such, putting everyone at risk.

All things considered, he honestly couldn't see any way out of this. He was going to need to stay until there was no longer a threat presented.

"Have it your way then," he said as he set the lantern back down on the ground in preparation of what would come next. "I'm sufficiently warmed up at this point. Let's get this over with, and see what you're really capable of."

Rainbow Dash huffed as she paced about the room impatiently, her wings twitching with each step she took. Despite all of the recent activity serving to help loosen up the muscles in her wings and back, it was still no substitute for a proper workout; something she hadn't had the luxury of doing since this whole ordeal had started. A few minutes of stretching per day wasn't anywhere near enough to keep her as limber as she liked.

But it wasn't her forced inactivity that had her upset right now. Rather it was Celestia's current condition.

"It's been way over twenty minutes, it should've worked by now. Why isn't it working?" she asked frantically, her pace quickening as she did. She was practically bristling with unease right now, and desperately fighting the urge to go flying off in search of some way of venting her frustrations.

"I do not know, Rainbow Dash," Luna replied as she sat on the bed and tried to maintain her composure, all the while hugging her sister, as much for Celestia's benefit as it was her own. Much like her young friend, she had pinned a great deal of hope on the antidote working as it was supposed to, and Celestia becoming right again afterward. But with every passing minute, and no signs of improvement, that hope was growing fainter and fainter. "Until just recently, I did not even know there was an antidote for terror fog. I have no experience with what should and should not occur."

"Fuck," Rainbow Dash groaned as she paused her pacing for about a second, before starting right up again.

"I'm sorry," Celestia mumbled, her gaze all but permanently affixed to the floor.

Rainbow Dash growled in response. She understood what Celestia was going through, she really did. But her empathy tank was running on empty right about now, leaving her very testy in response to to the alicorn's whimpering and apologies for an act that simply couldn't have been committed. She wanted to snap at her, and simply tell her to shut up already. But she didn't do that. Instead she held her tongue, and flew over to where the two sisters currently perched, before landing in front of them.

"Celestia, listen to me," she implored as she gently cradled the alicorn's face, bringing her line of sight up so she could look her in the eyes. "I get what you're going through, I really do. But I've been there, and you have to listen to me. It didn't happen, alright? I know that you thought it did, I know you believe it, but that's not the case. You've gotta try and remember that. Cadance is alive and well. I was with you when you got a message from her two days ago, remember? She was asking for help with a crossword puzzle; seven down, third letter was an F. Remember?" she asked.

Celestia shook her head in response, breaking Rainbow Dash's contact with her. "Not Cadance. Dawn."

"Dawn?" Rainbow Dash asked, blinking in confusion. She looked to Luna for clarification, but saw her looking equally perplexed. "Who's Dawn?"

"I do not know," Luna replied, before turning to Celestia for further inquiry. "I know that I have been away for a long time, sister, but I have dutifully researched the genealogy scrolls since my return. I do not remember any relatives who have ever gone by that name."

"She was your daughter, Luna. How can you not even remember your own daughter?" Celestia asked her in disbelief of what she was hearing.

Rainbow Dash's eyes went wide at hearing this. "Daughter? Wait, you're a mother?"

Luna quickly shook her head. "That would be an impossibility, I have never been pregnant. That is not to say that I have not entertained the thought of such before, but I have not even been approached by any potential suitors as of yet," she explained.

"Then what's all this "Dawn" business?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I must admit, I do not know. A long time ago, I did think to myself that if I were to ever have a daughter, I would name her Dawn, but I never told anypony of that; not even Celestia. There is no way that she would know of... such..."

Luna grew silent, not even finishing her sentence before stopping. Rainbow Dash looked for clues as to what might be going through her mind, as whatever gears were in place worked to turn. The look on the younger alicorn's face was one of confusion. But confusion soon gave way to surprise, and surprise soon gave way to absolute fury, and it scared her.

Luna howled, her voice deep and eyes glowing bright white in the process. Rainbow Dash nearly fell off the bed, shielding her ears in the process, sure that she was about to break out yelling in the Royal Canterlot Voice. And being in such close proximity, she feared for her ability to hear.

"There is only one being in all of Equestria that could know of such an intimate detail of mine. Not only know about it, but have the gall to actually weaponize it in such a disgusting manner!" she stated angrily, although nowhere near as loud as she could have if she truly wished to.

"Who?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked up for clarification.

"One who has no business even being alive. One whose existence should have ended long ago, but apparently has not. A blight of existence that even Tartarus would curse!" Luna stated furiously.

"You mean Sombra?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Luna shook her head, the small gesture doing much to convey that she was filled with a rage she was just barely managing to restrain.

"For all of Sombra's evil, he was but a minor hiccup in the history of Equestria. The one who I am referring to, is none other than Nightmare Moon..." Luna growled.

Rainbow Dash's eyes had been wide before, but found a way to go even wider now at hearing Luna's statement.

Before she could even get a word out edgewise in question, Luna had already summoned a stack of paperwork before them as she hopped off the bed, and began pacing herself, she documents following in front of her as they were gripped in her magic.

"It all makes sense now; everything fits. Oh I am such an ignorant foal for not seeing any of this before! It should have been obvious to me!" she yelled and angrily stomped her hoof against the ground, a spiderweb crack forming from the impact.

All Rainbow Dash could do was scratch her head in response as she watched Luna pace for a change. "Maybe it makes sense to you, but I'm hopelessly lost. How could it possibly be Nightmare Moon? Didn't we take her out with the Elements of Harmony? I mean you? Er, I mean, weren't you her? Didn't we purify you and turn you back to normal? I mean... fuckit I don't know what I mean! What the fuck's going on around here!?"

Luna shook her head before finally turning her attention back to Rainbow Dash.

"It is true, the Elements of Harmony did vanquish Nightmare Moon years ago. But the matter is not as simple as all that, Rainbow Dash. Nightmare Moon was not an aspect of my individuality; it is true that she was made possible by my jealousy for my sister so many centuries ago, but she was not me. What you knew as Nightmare Moon was a demonic entity that possessed by body, and used it as her puppet to do as she pleased," Luna explained. "I had hoped that on that faithful day when our exile ended, the Elements of Harmony succeeded in ending the rein of terror she was intent on ushering forth. But now it appears that was not the case. It now appears that she has returned once more, and is up to her old tricks again."

"But... but how!? How could the Elements of Harmony not stop her for good? They turned Discord to stone, twice! They could stop pure chaos, how could they not do anything to her?" Rainbow Dash asked, trying desperately to find something to grasp onto that would suggest Luna was wrong in her evaluation. She had to be wrong about this... right? It couldn't be Nightmare Moon, that had to be an impossibility.

"I do not know, Rainbow Dash, I simply do not know. We know so very little about the Elements of Harmony, they remain as mysterious now as they were more than one thousand years ago," Luna explained and huffed wearily. "The only theory I can come to, is that they are simply incapable of ending a life, no matter how wicked that life may be; that would certainly explain why Discord remains alive and well. I can only guess that, as Nightmare Moon was her own entity, the Elements of Harmony simply separated us from one another, freeing me from her subjugation."

"Alright, I guess I could buy that as being it," Rainbow Dash replied and absently nodded. It would make sense that harmony couldn't kill. "But if that's the case, where's she been this whole time? Why would she just be emerging now?"

"Again, I simply do not know. Perhaps... perhaps the Elements of Harmony weakened her when she was forced out of my body? The process was certainly taxing to me; I can only speculate as to what it might have done to her when she lacked a physical form of her own. Perhaps she has been too weak to do anything until now. That would certainly explain a number of occurrences that have happened recently," Luna stated.

"Like the terror fog?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"The terror fog is only one aspect of it all. As a demon, Nightmare Moon possesses the ability to possess and manipulate the bodies of others as she saw fit. That would explain the dragon being present in the caves but possessing no horde of treasure. That would also explain why Chrysalis reemerged recently after extracting herself from the badlands, but could not tell of her motivations for another attack. The manticore, Ready Stance... they all must have been puppets of hers to try and further her goals. Goals that would have succeeded, were it not for Ulquiorra Cifer being present, and able to intervene on our behalf," Luna stated.

"Whoa," Rainbow Dash replied almost breathlessly. "So all that stuff he was talking about when we beat Chrysalis, he was right? Discord saved us by bringing him to our world?" she asked.

"It is quite possible that is the case," Luna said as she nodded, loathe to think that they actually owed the spirit of chaos a debt of gratitude, and perhaps so much more than that. If they truly owed their current existence to him, they'd never hear the end of it...

"Ugh. I really didn't need another reason to puke," Rainbow Dash stated. "So why's she emerging just recently? What's she been doing all this time anyway?"

"I can only assume that she has been working to gather her strength in preparation of launching another assault, in her bid to enact eternal night once again. With neither my body, nor access to my alicorn magic, she would be at a severe disadvantage," Luna stated

So much of it seemed to make sense, now that she was looking at it from this particular perspective. The sudden onset of nightmares in the aftermath of the changeling incident, which had been attributed to the Espada demonstrating what he was capable of, could easily have been the work of Nightmare Moon instead if she'd regained enough of her strength to once again pierce the world of dreams, and go about defiling as she saw fit.

Or...more disturbingly, perhaps it was a matter of the law of unintended consequences being at play, and the fear Ulquiorra Cifer had generated during his demonstration of power to everypony, had been more than sufficient for Nightmare Moon to regain the strength needed to carry out her plans. Just as changelings fed on love, and windigoes fed on strife, the demon known as Nightmare Moon fed on fear. And with so many thousands of ponies witnessing the eclipse, and having no way of understanding what it was, she had most likely gorged herself. Perhaps not having access to her alicorn magic no longer presented a tactical disadvantage. She shivered at the implications present regarding just such a possibility.

Made even worse was how Ulquiorra Cifer had, in his own way, simply been going along with Celestia's plan when he did what he had. That would ultimately mean that they were responsible for this mess they were currently in.

"Is that what the terror fog was about? To soften us up so we couldn't fight back?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"It is quite possible. Just as it is possible that she has been employing the terror fog to produce a bigger yield of fear for her to use as fuel for her own strength," Luna explained.

"So she's only strong if we're afraid of her? If we stop being scared she gets weak again?" Rainbow Dash asked, her wheels in her mind already turning with possibilities over this.

Luna shook her head in response. "It could certainly keep her from getting stronger than she may be already. But it would do nothing to take away what she has already claimed for herself."

"Just great," Rainbow Dash mumbled. But then another thought crossed her mind, and now that it had it struck her as incredibly obvious. "Hey, maybe I'm missing something here, but isn't this a lot of speculation when the only real evidence is the fact that Celestia knew the name you were gonna give your daughter if you had one?" she asked.

"Indeed it is. Or at least it would be, if not for these," Luna stated as she flipped the documents around to let Rainbow Dash see what she'd been looking at. "At first I did not recognize it. But in light of this new information, a specific pattern emerged, and now I am unable to not see it," she explained.

Rainbow Dash scanned the documents, eyes twitching back and forth rapidly as she attempted to speed read through all the mumbo jumbo to try and see what Luna was referring to. But whatever it was, she simply wasn't seeing it.

"These are the medical records for all the victims of the manticore attack. I don't get it, what's the pattern you're seeing?" she asked.

"The patterns lays with those who did not survive; a total of thirty four innocent ponies who needlessly lost their lives. Of them, eighteen were foals. But of those eighteen, only one of them lived long enough to make it to the hospital before ultimately dying," Luna explained.

"Cupid."

Luna nodded. "Seventeen foals were dead before Ulquiorra Cifer ever made it to Ponyville. Six of them were earth ponies, six of them unicorns, and the other five were pegasi."

"Yeah? And this means... what exactly?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked up for clarification.

"Those... are the same number of foals that were killed by Nightmare Moon the first time she appeared," Luna admitted.

"WHAT!?" Rainbow Dash yelled in disbelief. "But... but... they were foals! They didn't pose any danger to her, why would she kill them?"

"For their souls, I am afraid. Nightmare Moon may draw her strength from fear, but it was souls that allowed her to sustain her existence, and maintain her dominance over my body. She forced me to watch as she killed each of them, even the ones that were quite near and dear to me," she explained, doing her best to maintain her composure as she talked. "From the very beginning, she has been mocking us. She was letting us know that she had returned, and all of us were too blind to see it. The numbers were suspicious to me, but I did not think to put it in the proper context. Had I, perhaps things would have been different. Perhaps we could have avoided this entire mess..."

"So she killed them, just to send a message that she's back?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Luna shook her head in response. "It is doubtful that even Nightmare Moon would truly go quite that far. If for no other reason, than the simple fact that such would be a waste of resources that would otherwise benefit her. More likely she devoured their souls as she killed them while using the manticore as a vessel, until such time its primitive instincts became too much for her to control upon encountering Ulquiorra Cifer; a superior predator if ever there were one."

Rainbow Dash nodded, able to see that as being the case. As far as their food chain went, Ulquiorra was at the very top of the heap, having beaten up a dragon and killed a manticore. If there was something tougher than him around in Equestria, then she really didn't want to know about it.

"So what's she need all the other foals for if she's already got what she needs? Dessert?" she asked.

"At this point it would just be speculation. I know of what she needed to do, not necessarily how it worked. If she does not yet have a physical body to call her own, perhaps it is a matter of needing far more souls to compensate for such. Or maybe they really are just hostages. I simply do not know," Luna stated. There was just so, so much that she didn't know, and couldn't give an answer to. It was a fact that was starting to drive her nuts.

"But how can you not know? You and she were joined for a thousand years, how could you not get some idea of how she operates in that time?"

Luna winced at the question. But regardless of the fact that it was a sore spot to her, it was still a fair question in need of an answer.

"In truth I remember very little of the details pertaining to our exile to the moon for a millennium. Trapped in suspended animation, the awareness of the passage of time becomes an abstract concept. What would seem like hours could actually be centuries going by, just as a thousand years could seem like a few days. It was... it was like being trapped in a restless dream that conveyed only discomfort and unpleasantness. Nightmare Moon was present, but our minds did not interact with one another. Whatever secrets she possessed, I was never made aware of them," she explained.

"Oh," Rainbow Dash replied. And then her eyes widened immediately afterward. "Oh shit!"

"What? What is it?" Luna asked.

"I just realized something. If Nightmare Moon is back, and she's really behind all of this, that means Ulquiorra might've walked right into a trap! She might've gone foalnapping, knowing that he'd be the only one who could actually go after them!"

"Great Faust!" Luna replied in surprise. If that was truly the case, then Celestia had been attacked not because of the threat she posed, but because of how important she was to their plans progressing, all the while knowing that her being down would warrant an immediate response. A response that would lead to their absence being noticed, and warrant a rescue effort being undertaken, by the only one who was immune to the terror fog, and thus actually able to respond.

A rescue mission that had actually been a trap all along...

"If that is the case, and Nightmare Moon truly has regained her physical form, then Ulquiorra Cifer..." she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"Well then what're we waiting for!? Let's move!" Rainbow Dash yelled and made for the doorway, only for Luna to stand in her way.

"Rainbow Dash, I understand that you are upset, but rushing off in such a manner will do no one any favors," Luna pointed out. "We must figure a plan of action before we proceed; not charge head on like this."

"We don't have time to be sitting around and thinking about this, we've gotta do something!" Rainbow Dash stated in response.

"Of that I am well aware. But I cannot sanction what you are attempting to do, Rainbow Dash, it is far too risky," Luna said as she stood firm, unwilling to move from the spot. And if Rainbow Dash didn't listen, she would have little choice but to make her listen.

"I'm only gonna say this once, Sis'," Rainbow Dash stated in an aggressive tone, her right hoof scratching at the ground as her wings flared outward. "Get out of my way!"

Right cross. Left cross. Right jab. Left jab. Right hook. Left hook. Liver shot. Uppercut. And finally a haymaker that sent the Kurostruct flying backwards, before it slammed against the ground on its right shoulder and began tumbling as it rolled, before it slammed sideways into a tree with its back, producing a sickening crack in the process as bits of bark were knocked loose by the impact.

Boxing wasn't a field that Ulquiorra was particularly skilled in. It was never something he ever had any need for, as he had never encountered an opponent who could withstand the assault he was capable of delivering from just strength alone. Or at least not until he had gone up against Ichigo Kurosaki.

And now this pale imitation of him as well.

But regardless of those facts, the moves themselves were known to him on at least some rudimentary level. And so far they were serving their purpose of delivering as effective a beat down as could be expected.

Or at least they were, until he heard the Kurostruct groaning, as it began to stand back up again.

Pounding away at this opponent was like trying to tenderize beef jerky; an exercise in futility. Whatever laid just beneath the surface of its structure, simply refused to fall to the mercy of his fists, and even his feet.

Making matters worse was that it was apparently just as capable as he was when it came to fighting. Despite its awkward movements, inconsistent gait, and total lack of critical thinking skills, it had proven itself quite competent as an opponent, and had managed to get in more than its fair share of blows against him in return. It was almost like it was learning as they went on, as its repertoire of attacks and responses seemed to be growing the more they continued. Perhaps most telling was the fact that it had come to demonstrate a firm understanding of the concept of blocking, which it had been doing with greater regularity.

As it currently stood, beyond his durability, his greatest advantage laid in his speed. As fast as the Kurostruct was, his sonido still remained superior. Being able to block was one thing, but one couldn't block what they couldn't see coming because it was moving too fast to actually be seen. Were it not for that fact, he probably would've been on the losing end of this fight, rather than simply holding his own against an opponent that could apparently match him. But even that had its limits; there were only so many sucker punches that could actually be delivered successfully.

The tree the Kurostruct had been leaning against as it climbed back to its feet, soon became the recipient of one of its punches that served to shatter its trunk, adding it to the list of collateral damage that had been caused by their struggles. For everything they'd done, neither of them were showing any signs of being worse for wear. The forest around them, however, was another matter entirely. Countless trees had been utterly destroyed in the course of their clashes, either from being crashed into at high speeds, or one of countless other methods that had been utilized. There was also a great deal of ground that had been torn up.

For all of the damage and destruction that had been done, however, there wasn't a lot of ground that had been covered. At best only several hundred feet had really been traversed in any particular direction.

He was starting to wonder if it had been a bad idea on his part to taunt the Kurostruct by asking to see what it could really do, as it had readily been demonstrating such. He was fairly certain that by morning -provided this battle was over by then- he was going to be experiencing a great deal of physical soreness. He was also certain that Rarity wouldn't be able to salvage his shirt after the amount of damage that had been inflicted upon it in the course of said battle.

Perhaps it was time to stop treading so lightly, and go right for the kill, by twisting its head around until he succeeded in ripping its head right off of its neck. Perhaps the time had come for external decapitation to be considered, rather than internal decapitation. This was by far the densest head he'd ever encountered, and his efforts in compromising the integrity of the skull simply weren't paying off for him. Neither overwhelming force, nor searching for structural weak points to target and exploit had done any good as of yet.

Dodging the initial strike that would've come from its zanpakutō, he maneuvered behind it, grabbing it by the head as he took a firm two-handed grip in preparation of doing such.

Before he could apply the necessary lateral force, he found himself grabbed, and flung forward before being slammed on his back against the ground. The next thing he knew, he had a foot stomping down on his face, and leaving him pinned against the forest floor. Adding insult to... lack of injury, it started grinding its heel against his face.

Time to reevaluate the present course of action, and come up with a new strategy.

He moved to reciprocate the spirit of the gesture by grabbing the foot to twist it at the ankle, but stopped when he managed to catch sight of the zanpakutō being stabbed downward towards his skull, and opted to strike it with his palm so it impaled the ground instead. Before following up by flipping his body upward, and slamming the heel of his right foot into its abdomen to try and kick it away from him. Unfortunately the move did little good to actually budge it, as his face remained stepped on.

Perhaps the time had finally come for him to go all out, and actually utilize his resurrección. Up until now he had refused to believe that such would actually be necessary for dealing with such trash, but now he had to reevaluate such a stance. Everything he'd thrown against it had done no good, and continuing to pummel away as he was would produce no benefits.

He grasped Murciélago's hilt, but his arm was quickly pinned against his body as the Kurostruct took its foot from his face, and stomped down on his wrist, hindering his movements. Now it stood over him glaring down as it changed its position to actually look him in the face, staring into his eyes; like a predator that had its prey right where it wanted it, and was moving in for the kill.

And then he sensed it.

Since he first arrived in this fog to locate the missing foals, he hadn't been able to detect anything with his pesquisa, other than the all-encompassing reiatsu pattern that the area had been saturated with. It was the spiritual equivalent of being surrounded by static from a radio that wasn't tuned to an actual station, and had effectively left him all but blind to everything that either wasn't in front of him, or was out of earshot. It was disturbing, it was claustrophobic, it was a major hindrance, and a serious pain in the ass to put up with.

And now that all-encompassing veil had suddenly and violently been pierced, as something new was making itself known to him. It was subtle at first, to the point it would have been quite easy to miss in all this haze. But that was rapidly changing as it grew in intensity, to the point it could be neither missed nor ignored.

However it was something that, by all rights, simply shouldn't have been a possibility under these circumstances. There was simply no way that his pesquisa should be detecting what it currently was. It must have been an error; perhaps he really wasn't immune to the terror fog, and it was starting to affect the rest of his senses. Perhaps he was well on his way to not knowing what end was up, and talking to walls that he thought were ponies because his mind had become completely compromised during his extended time here.

But the speed behind the approach... that couldn't be ignored. In just the few seconds that had passed since he'd first been able to sense it, the intensity had exploded in magnitude as it drew closer to his current position. It was coming in fast, and it was coming in hard-

"HEY ASSHOLE!"

-and it was coming in very loud. He recognized that voice, and the arrogance it carried, all too well.

Much to his disbelief, the Kurostruct reacted as if it were being addressed directly by name, and looked up in the direction of the incoming call.

"FUCK OFF!"

The yell happened approximately one second before a shod hoof connected directly with the Kurostruct's face, the haymaker delivering enough force to actually send it flying backwards, before gravity finally reasserted itself and it crashed against the ground, before proceeding to roll and tumble its way to a complete stop.

"I gotcha."

Despite it being entirely unnecessary, he found himself being pulled back up onto his feet by the now-present Rainbow Dash.

But this wasn't Rainbow Dash as he remembered leaving her back in Canterlot to look after Princess Celestia. This Rainbow Dash that hovered before him just off the ground, was decked out in a suit of armor that looked like it had been stolen from one of Princess Luna's night guards. All except for the helmet which was presently absent, leaving the golden shimmer of her irises completely unobstructed.

"You alright, dude?" she asked.

"Adequate," Ulquiorra replied, seeing no point to delve deeper into an answer under present circumstances. Right now there were far too many questions. "What're you doing here?"

"Saving your ass. And not a minute too soon from the looks of it. What's Scratchy doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Ulquiorra didn't even need to question who she was referring to. Almost from the moment she'd come to be aware of him, Rainbow Dash had referred to Ichigo Kurosaki in the rather derisive manner of nicknaming him Itchy. It only stood to reason that she was referring to the Kurostruct presently.

"If it were the real Ichigo Kurosaki present, we'd both be dead right now. What you witnessed just now was nothing but an inferior imitation; most likely dispatched by the party responsible for taking all the foals hostage, and bringing them out here where they wouldn't be found," Ulquiorra replied.

"Yeah, that'd be Nightmare Moon," Rainbow Dash stated. "Luna finally managed to piece it all together and figure it out. Something about the pattern of dead foals and Celestia knowing the name of a daughter she never had. Or something like that," she replied and shrugged, the sound of her armor shifting following the gesture made.

"... And you concluded the best course of action was to steal a set of royal guard armor, and like an idiot, charge into a situation you knew nothing about," he stated, summarizing things as he saw them.

He could ask a great deal of questions right now pertaining to the notion of Nightmare Moon having returned, or speculate about how this was possible, and how it was just recently realized. He could even comment on how the track record of the Elements of Harmony was shaping up to be less and less impressive as time went on. But rather than do any of that, he simply chose to run with the information he had been presented. If it was accurate, then they would deal with it as necessary. If it wasn't accurate, then they would deal with it as necessary.

"Please, like I'd ever do something stupid like that," Rainbow Dash replied dismissively. "When she realized she couldn't stop me from leaving, Luna gave me the armor; said it'd help keep me safe in case I ran into trouble. Granted, it's not as awesome as Ironhorse's MagiTech armor, but it's still pretty sweet gear."

Ulquiorra decided to refrain from commenting. It simply wasn't worth his time. The fact that Rainbow Dash was stupid enough to come out here as she had, just wasn't all that surprising to him. The fact that Princess Luna had simply stepped aside and let her do so, that was another matter. A matter that wasn't worth getting into right now.

"And the matter pertaining to your eyes?"

"Thestral vision, also from Luna. I can see like it's daytime out here. How awesome is that?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"It's certainly practical," Ulquiorra commented, it being the best of the available responses he had at the moment. "How did you know where to find me?"

"Well truth be told I didn't. But the fog was pretty hard to miss since it was sticking out through the treetops. So I just headed for the densest part of it and hoped for the best. Looks like I got lucky," she stated proudly.

"All that you were "lucky" enough to get was exposed to the terror fog once again, making you a liability. I can't fight the Kurostruct, and look after you at the same time," Ulquiorra retorted, his mind already taking into consideration the number of complications that Rainbow Dash's untimely arrival was going to cause.

"The what?" she asked, before shaking her head. "Never mind. Look, I'm not expecting you to thank me, but don't tell me I'm gonna be useless. I've got a better idea of what's going on around here than before, I can take care of myself!" she stated.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response, seeing no point in getting involved in petty bickering over whether or not her high assessment of herself was accurate. There were more important matters to tend to, such as the Kurostruct once again being up, and making its way back over to them, walking in a slow manner. Every footstep taken was very deliberate in how it was carried out.

"See? I hit the fucker so hard, he can't even walk right!" Rainbow Dash stated as she gestured to it, pointing out its awkward -and even wobbly- approach.

"It's been walking that way since it first appeared," Ulquiorra replied. "If Nightmare Moon is truly behind this, then it's a matter of the puppeteer not yet knowing how to operate the marionette."

Rainbow Dash was about to ask just what he meant by that, but she was cut off as Scratchy suddenly went on the offensive, and charged at them with a sudden burst of speed she hadn't expected from something that had been moving so awkwardly just a few seconds ago. She didn't even have time to respond before it was right on top of them, only for Ulquiorra to deliver a hard right cross to its jaw that sent it flying backwards yet again, and slamming into -and through- a tree.

"Whoa! Dude, even I felt that one!" she stated in disbelief. She'd been what must've been four feet away from the point of impact, but she still felt it radiating outward. And if she'd felt it like she had from here, she couldn't imagine what it was like to be on the receiving end of it. "You've been hitting him like that this whole time, and he's still alive? Tell me how he's still alive!?"

"Assuming it was alive to begin with. It's demonstrated a number of strange properties since the very beginning. The harder I hit it, the stronger it seems to become; almost as if giving it credence through a beating serves to empower it, and increase its tangibility," Ulquiorra explained. He agreed with Rainbow Dash's assessment, as the amount of force he was using should've been more than enough to kill the Kurostruct. And yet that wasn't happening.

"Wonderful," Rainbow Dash groaned, not liking that news at all. "Maybe if we double team him?"

"You'll just prove to be a liability," Ulquiorra stated, "if you wish to help, locate the missing foals. So long as they remain an unaccounted for variable, I have to refrain from using my full strength, in order to keep them from becoming collateral damage," he explained.

Rainbow Dash nodded in response. "Makes sense. That'd explain why we didn't see any ceros being fired off. Alright, I'll find them, and get them to safety. You just keep Scratchy off my back."

Before Rainbow Dash could actually go ahead with the search and rescue effort, a loud cracking pop sounded as it tore through the air, startling her. Followed by a burning ache erupting in her left hind leg where the armor didn't protect her.

"Yeowch!" she yelped, her voice rising several octaves as she shrieked and cradled her leg, unable to keep tears from forming in the corners of her eyes in response to the amount of pain she'd just experienced. Making it all the worse was that she couldn't even touch her leg without making it worse. "Who da fuck did dat!?"

Even Ulquiorra was curious as to the question. There was a long, red welt showing through her blue fur, as it began to bleed and stain the surrounding fur. It almost looked like... had she just been whipped? Was the noise they just heard the sonic boom that went along with a whip being successfully cracked?

The Kurostruct temporarily ignored, they both looked behind them to identify the source of what had just happened.

What they saw made Rainbow Dash feel physically ill. Stepping out of the fog with all the poise and arrogance of a high society pony, was the visage that had come to be known as Mistress Do Well, a bullwhip in her magical tow.

"You've been a very bad little pet..." it stated in a perfect imitation of Rarity's voice, its face in a frown just behind its mask. "That simply won't do at all. You'll be made to learn your place, no matter how hard I have to break you..."

Rainbow Dash growled, bristling with anger inside her armor. She wanted to slam this thing into the ground, and start pounding away at it until nothing was left but a bloody paste garnished with bone bits and eyeballs. She knew that she could do it; she was in the perfect position to do just that. She'd kicked the crap out of it once before in her nightmare, and she could do it again in the real world, even if she couldn't Hollowfy.

She could, and she would. If not for the fact that Scratchy was also present, and making himself known again. Now they had two to focus on. So not good.

"Change of plans," she said as she turned to face Ulquiorra, an idea forming in her mind. "You take her. I'll take him..."

Before Ulquiorra even had the chance to state just how bad of an idea that was, he'd found Rainbow Dash had already taken off, flying head long at the Kurostruct, and slamming into it full force, her forelegs wrapped tightly around it, pinning its lower arms against its body in the process, and preventing it from fighting back.

The force of the blow skidded the Kurostruct across the forest floor, its heels scraping against the soil and grass as two channels were cut, before it somehow managed to grind itself to a halt, and demonstrating that it could overcome Rainbow Dash's forward momentum, and thus leaving her to push against what had quickly become an immovable object. And all the while it worked to fight its way loose from her hold. It all should've been physically impossible. But considering the number of physically impossible things that he'd witnessed occurring tonight, he wasn't about to spend too much time pondering it.

In response to the opposition, Rainbow Dash fought harder, and started flapping her wings even harder before.

"Come on you bastard, we're going flying whether you like it or not!" she yelled as she put everything she had into it. If it wasn't for all the armor, she probably would've been able to take off by now, but that was neither here nor there. She wasn't about to let this thing, fake or otherwise, beat her.

She was soon rewarded for all her efforts, as she finally managed to overcome Scratchy's opposition, and continue shoving him forward, before finally pulling him clean off the ground and high into the air, what could only be interpreted as a panicked roar following in their wake.

That left Ulquiorra behind to deal with the Mistress Do Well illusion, which had also been looking up at Rainbow Dash's departure in what could only be assumed as stunned bewilderment; as if this development hadn't been scripted, and it had no response for such an unexpected development occurring. It was certainly something he could understand. But whether he understood it or not, there was still work that needed to be done.

"So then," he said as he addressed it directly, ready to get down to whatever business lay ahead of him. "Heads or tails?"

Chapter Eighty Six supplemental

Chapter Eighty Six supplemental

A rescue mission that had actually been a trap all along...

"If that is the case, and Nightmare Moon truly has regained her physical form, then Ulquiorra Cifer..." she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"Well then what're we waiting for!? Let's move!" Rainbow Dash yelled and made for the doorway, only for Luna to stand in her way.

"Rainbow Dash, I understand that you are upset, but rushing off in such a manner will do no one any favors," Luna pointed out. "We must figure a plan of action before we proceed; not charge head on like this."

"We don't have time to be sitting around and thinking about this, we've gotta do something!" Rainbow Dash stated in response.

"Of that I am well aware. But I cannot sanction what you are attempting to do, Rainbow Dash, it is far too risky," Luna said as she stood firm, unwilling to move from the spot. And if Rainbow Dash didn't listen, she would have little choice but to make her listen.

"I'm only gonna say this once, Sis'," Rainbow Dash stated in an aggressive tone, her right hoof scratching at the ground as her wings flared outward. "Get out of my way!"

"And if I should refuse to heed your demands? What will you do then?" Luna asked as she remained unmoved, all the while quirking an eyebrow.

"Then I.... then I'm just gonna have to go through you, I'm not just gonna sit around while Ulquiorra gets killed!" she stated. Although the tone in her voice as she spoke indicated that she really wasn't wanting to follow through with the threat of trying to fight Luna to get past her. But desperation made ponies do strange things, and if push came to shove, that might just be how things went.

"I have no intention of leaving Ulquiorra Cifer to the mercy of Nightmare Moon, Rainbow Dash," Luna assured her. "But at the same time, I will not stand idly by, and simply watch the mare I have come to regard as a little sister, needlessly throw herself into danger, in such a reckless manner," she added.

"But-" Rainbow Dash protested, only to be silenced.

"Rainbow Dash," Luna began, "what did you intend to do if I had not stopped you just now?"

Rainbow Dash didn't even paused before responding. "Go to the Everfree Forest, what else?"

"And how many miles do you think you could have traversed? I am not being cruel when I say that you are not in physical condition for such an extended flight, or such an involved fight. You are still underweight from not eating, and you have not had an extended flight time since you escaped from the hospital. You would be spent before you even made it halfway to where Ulquiorra may be. That is assuming you even knew where to go right now," Luna explained.

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to retort, but closed it again when she realized Luna had a good point. Much as she hated to admit it, those were the facts of the matter. She couldn't kick ass if she was having to drag her ass from exhaustion. That left her with little option but to stand down, and tuck her wings back in at her sides.

"Departure from Ponyville would be a much wiser course of action," Luna stated.

At hearing this unexpected statement, Rainbow Dash looked up again for clarification. "Wait, what?"

Ponyville. Ever since this whole ugly mess had started, all she'd wanted was to simply go home; to be well again, and not constantly afraid of her friends, worried that they were going to turn on her. And now from what she was hearing, it sounded like that was going to be happening very soon.

"Do not assume that I am intent on sitting around, and doing absolutely nothing, Rainbow Dash. This is yet one more in a long string of outright declarations of war by Nightmare Moon, and it will not be tolerated in the least. She has attacked my friends, my family, and so many innocents that did not deserve it. She will be made to pay for her crimes, but we must go about doing so intelligently. She will want us to rush in without thinking, and leave ourselves vulnerable. We will deny her that," Luna explained as she walked over to the bed and began nudging Celestia with her hoof.

"Cool, I'm down with that," Rainbow Dash replied and nodded, liking the sound of what Luna was talking about. "Just one question. How do we actually do that?"

"The first course of action we must take is going to Ponyville to reunite with the others. We will undoubtedly be in need the Elements of Harmony, now more than ever," Luna stated.

Rainbow Dash quirked an eyebrow in response as she looked at Luna. "But... Nightmare Moon's managed to survive two consecutive blasts from the Elements of Harmony already. Is a third one really gonna do any good?"

"In truth I do not know. But at the moment Nightmare Moon is not my concern, but rather Celestia. If the antidote will not work as needed, then we will need to heal her another way; a more drastic way. We will undoubtedly need her before this whole matter is resolved," Luna explained as she continued nudging and prodding Celestia in an effort to get a rise out of her. "We can only hope that you have recovered sufficiently, to allow the Element of Loyalty to achieve resonance with you once again."

"I'll prench kiss Rarity, and ask her to marry me if it'll get them up and running again," Rainbow Dash stated, reasoning that it was a better course of action than killing herself for another Element bearer to come around. Truly, as excited as she was feeling about the prospect of going home again, she might do that anyway to celebrate.

Luna cleared her throat in an effort to distract herself from the burning sensation in her cheeks, in the wake of the statement. That was entirely more information than she would've dared to inquire about.

"Your dedication to the cause is quite respectable," she muttered, before deciding to change the subject. "Come, sister, you are needed. Get to your hooves," she stated as she tried to rouse Celestia from the stupor that she was in.

Celestia arose from the bed and stepped down onto the floor with all the grace and speed of a pony that was well past their physical prime, her movements purely mechanical, and being carried out more because she was being instructed to do something, more than any actual motivation on her part. That was Rainbow Dash's evaluation of what she was witnessing. She couldn't help but think of former pegasus athletes who had been forced to retire due to injuries suffered in their fields, but tried to continue on despite the flesh being unable to keep up with what the mind wanted.

"Is she really gonna be up for this? I don't think she's gonna be able to fly all the way to Ponyville..."

"We will not be flying to Ponyville, Rainbow Dash, that would take far too long. Instead we are teleporting directly there. But as to whether or not Celestia is up to the journey, leave that to me," Luna assured her. She knew her sister well enough to have an idea of what would work. "Look at me, sister," she said as she unfurled her right wing, placing the rip underneath Celestia's chin to bring her view up from the floor, and look her in the eyes.

Celestia slowly looked up from the floor, making eye contact with Luna, and flinched as a result. She wanted to look away, but the placement of her sister's wing prevented that from occurring.

"Do you trust me, dear sister?" Luna asked.

Celestia opened her mouth to say something in response, but nothing came out but a series of noncommittal noises and half utterances. Finally she managed to get out a small, quiet "yes" of an answer.

"Do you trust me, enough to accept as a matter of fact when I tell you that I was never pregnant, and have no claim to any daughter, dead or otherwise?" she asked.

For a long time, Celestia said nothing in response; couldn't say anything in response. What she had just heard contradicted with what she had known as being the truth. But... why would Luna lie to her about something that was this important?

After what seemed like an eternity, Celestia finally managed a nod in response. "Yes, I... I trust you..."

"Most excellent. Now then, there is one more thing that I need you to understand, dear sister, for it is very important," Luna stated as she cradled Celestia's face in her front hooves and retracted her wing. "Know that I love you very much, and I always will. But right now our friends and subjects are counting on you. Regardless of what you believe you have gone through, what you need to do right now is stallion up, and pull yourself together! For if you do not do such, I swear that I will BEAT YOUR ASS! Am I understood!?" she yelled furiously.

Rainbow Dash was caught completely off guard by the sudden ferocity of Luna's statement. She might have laughed, if not for the simple fact that it had scared her quite a bit.

Celestia stared wide-eyed at Luna in response to the sudden degree of hostility she was being subjected to. She knew Luna was fully capable of such, but it still did nothing to lessen the surprise of being confronted by the amount of fury that her sister could demonstrate when she truly wanted to.

She nodded in understanding, too terrified to do much else. "Y-yes..."

"Yes what? What is it you presume to say "yes" to so easily?" Luna pressed as she maintained her firm hold.

Celestia swallowed nervously before responding. "Yes, I... I understand you. I will... I will pull myself together, for the sake of our kingdom," she answered.

"Very good," Luna replied, before disengaging and setting down on her hooves again. "Gather your regalia, dear sister, your current state is no way to conduct yourself. We depart for Ponyville immediately!" she barked.

Rainbow Dash had no idea where Luna's sudden mood change had come from, or how she had so easily switched it on like it was nothing. But right now she was really glad that it hadn't been her that had incurred the wrath of Drill Sergeant Luna; that was a fate she wouldn't wish on anypony.

As Celestia set about, slowly and mechanically retrieving her golden regalia, Luna took the opportunity to release a long-held breath and slouch. It took a great deal of effort to be so commanding and domineering, more so than most would realize.

"Hey," Rainbow Dash spoke up as she approached, "you okay?"

Luna nodded in response. "I am fine. I have to be right now. There is no time for mental breakdowns at this point; they are a luxury to be enjoyed by the victors," she explained.

Rainbow Dash, in response, stepped closer and reared up on her hind legs to wrap her forelegs around Luna's neck.

"You're not alone in this," she stated.

Luna nodded and rested a foreleg on Rainbow Dash's withers. "Thank you, my friend."

The sound of shod hoofsteps in the room, timid as they were, alerted Luna to the fact that Celestia had finished dawning her regalia.

"I... I'm ready," she stated softly as she approached, her trepidation quite apparent as she did.

"Good. We do not have any time to waste," Luna replied as she disengaged the hug with Rainbow Dash in preparation of travel. She would have to take the lead on this teleport, knowing that it wasn't going to be an easy one. She usually rode along with Celestia, rather than leading the way on things like this. "Let us depart, before anything else can possibly go wrong."

"Right. Let's get the hell outta here," Rainbow Dash agreed. There were way too many ponies -and others- at immediate risk. And every second they took getting into action, was another second Nightmare Moon had them all to herself.

Shady didn't remember falling asleep, but she must have at some point, otherwise waking up would've been a really hard trick to pull off. But wake up she had, to a pounding, throbbing headache that felt like her brain was trying to come out of her skull, one way or another.

The worst part about that kind of headache was the pressure it put on her eyes. They were already useless to her, did they really have to ache as well?

As she came around, she became aware of a number of scents and smells in the area. A great many scents actually. Whatever was going on, at least she wasn't alone.

"What in the hay is going on around here?" she asked.

"Ya a'right, Shady?" Apple Bloom asked her.

"Never better," Shady replied sarcastically. "Gears, Gumdrop, somepony wanna tell me what's happening?" she asked as she sat up, once her head actually allowed her to do such.

"We don't know," Scootaloo spoke up, her voice heavy with uncertainty. "It looks like we're in the Everfree Forest. But it's so dark, and there's so much fog, it's hard to see anything."

"Yeah, I can understand that," Shady replied, "did anypony actually see anything on the way out here? Anypony at all?"

"No, not a thing," Rumble spoke up, his voice squeaking as he spoke. "All I remember is being home asleep, and then... here."

Voices of agreement sounded from all around her. Along with a few babbles from those she could only assume were too young to speak; that would certainly explain the smell of manure she was picking up in the area.

Time to take stock of the situation. She and a lot of other foals -maybe every foal in Ponyville- were in the Everfree Forest, with no idea how they got out here. Along with no adults in the area as far as she could tell, going by the scents and voices she was picking up on. Not a very good situation to be in, all things considered.

And then loud noises could suddenly be heard, echoing from all around them. Shady's ears tilted and flicked about as she tried to get an idea of what was happening, and where it was happening.

"What is that? Can anypony see anything?" she asked.

"It's too dark, I can't see anything," Silver Spoon complained.

"I'm gonna let that one slide," Shady quipped, more concerned with figuring out what was going on, rather than engaging in a battle of snarks at the moment. Whatever was going on around them, she wanted to know. It sounded like short, sharp crashes of thunder with very short duration echoes; like a storm was right overhead. But it wasn't coming from overhead, so that just added to the confusion.

Even more confusing was how the ground was trembling with each loud sound. She could feel it in her hooves, so she knew that it was happening, even if she didn't know why.

"Well I'm not waiting around to find out," Diamond Tiara stated before she broke into a full gallop as she took off running.

And then there was a dull thud, following by a pain-filled yelp.

"Ya run into a tree or something?" Shady asked, mildly amused by the premise of such a thought.

"There wasn' a tree there ta run inta. It was like she jus' ran smack into a wall er somethin'," Apple Bloom stated.

"It's a force field," Sweetie Belle spoke up. "I felt it as soon as Diamond Tiara ran into it. And it feels like it goes all the way around us, so we're trapped on the inside."

"Well this can't be good," Rumble commented.

"It usually isn't," Scootaloo grumbled in response. "So what're we supposed to do now? Just sit here and wait?"

"I don't see any other way out of it," Noi commented.

"What? You mean all we can do is sit here, and wait for... well... whatever to happen? Like getting eaten by timberwolves?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"Way to keep morale up, Snap," Shady commented and fowned, "Crackle your friend is an idiot."

"You shut up!" Silver Spoon yelled back.

"Don't you tell her to shut up!" Truffle Shuffle yelled back in return, before wheezing afterward.

"QUIET!"

The sudden yell was more than Shady could reasonably tolerate, causing her to fold her ears against her head in an effort to shield them from the source of the high-pitched screech. And going by the lack of commotion, the others present had experienced a similar reaction.

"With all of us being awake, that means we're not dreaming. That means Princess Luna is bound to notice something being amiss. And if she does notice, that means she might be able to find us," Pipsqueak stated.

The next wave of talk that Shady heard was muffled agreements with Pipsqueak's idea. According to a lot of them, Princess Luna would likely be coming by to rescue them. She really didn't know how that would work, but asking those sorts of questions just might get everypony panicking if they thought on it too hard.

"Then I guess we just need to get comfortable and wait it out," she replied. And then came the sound of crying. Or more specifically, the sound of a foal crying. "Oh just great..."

"Um..." Firelock paused, "what about them? We don't have any formula or diapers for the babies. And I don't know if they can wait as long as we can," she stated.

"She's got a point," Archer stated.

That brought about a period of silence, other than the sound of foals crying -and the continual claps of short thunder from somewhere outside- that Shady could only assume was filled with awkward looks exchanged between one another.

"A'right," Apple Bloom spoke up, "anypony tha's got experience wit' babies, see if ya can calm 'em down any. Ah'm gonna see 'bout breakin' this here force field, an' gettin' us outta here."

"And just how're you gonna do that, blank flank? You honestly thing that you can break a force field like it's nothing?" Silver Spoon asked.

"Well the changelings did it at the royal weddin', an' that was Shinin' Armor's force field; Captain o' the Guard at the time if y'all remember. If they can do it, then it's gotta be possible," Apple Bloom replied.

The same thud that was heard when Diamond Tiara tested her face against the force field was heard again, only it was a lot louder this time; understandable if she was putting both of her back hooves into it. There was a pause, followed by another thud sounding. And then another, and yet another.

"Beats just waiting around," Scootaloo stated. And then there were two thuds being heard as they each worked at it.

"You're just wasting your time," Diamond Tiara sneered. "This is pointless. You're not going to get anywhere."

Despite her evaluation of the situation, neither Apple Bloom nor Scootaloo opted the stop what they were doing.

Diamond Tiara scoffed and turned to walk away. But that course of action caused her to bump her muzzle right into Shady's muzzle, giving her an up close and intimate smell of a filly who didn't smell at all like any filly should. It also gave Diamond Tiara an up close look at her eyes, since she didn't have her sunglasses with her.

"Do you know anything about taking care of babies?" Shady asked her.

"... No," Diamond Tiara admitted uneasily.

"Then shut up and help us buck our way outta here, fatso," Shady quipped, before pulling back and making her way over to where it sounded like Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were hard at work. "Somepony wanna help guide me into position so I can do this? I can't really see what I'm doing when I'm backing up."

She couldn't explain just what it was, but she had a really bad feeling about all of this; about those concussive crashes and bangs happening beyond whatever the perimeter of the force field was.

"... And that's... pretty much it," Twilight said as she concluded her explanation.

In the time since Ulquiorra's departure, she'd found herself blessed with the incredible honor, of having to explain to a town full of easily spooked ponies, about the Espada's origins, his nature, and a great many other things. All while being mindful of glossing over certain details that could be classified as too disturbing for public ears. And all while trying not to cause a panic to develop from the more frightening revelations being made.

It was an incredibly difficult, very taxing prospect she'd been forced to undertake. And she was going to get Ulquiorra back for saddling her with that duty, one way or another.

As she concluded, in the illumination of a number of lanterns that were alight, she noticed how most everypony present was dead silent, looking on with wide eyes, and slack jaws at her lecture. She couldn't help but wonder if she'd concealed the wrong details about him, and if the reveal had been too much for them to take. She was afraid that she might've actually broken the entire town yet again, but without the benefit of Celestia being there to put it back together like she had before.

"Are... are there... any questions?" she asked.

Silence. Silence that made her nervous of what might happen. All the while silently begging that they not start screaming and running in every direction.

"So..."

It was Bonbon who was the first to speak up in the ensuing silence.

"What you're saying... is that visiting foreign dignitary, is actually a legion-type ghost from a different dimension? And he was brought here by Discord?" she asked.

"Well... more or less," Twilight admitted. "You can see why Celestia wanted to keep the details quiet as much as possible."

Several nods from the crowd followed, as hushed whispers began to break out. Twilight was able to pick up on some bits of what was saying, but not nearly enough to get an accurate picture of what the ensuing consequences would be for this deception, either for the short term or the long term. This might jeopardize some of the friendships she'd formed since coming to live in Ponyville. And there was no telling what it would do for Equestria as a whole if they lost trust in Celestia.

"I must say, can we really trust him under these circumstances?" Time Turner asked, all the while being unable to ignore the disturbed feeling he was experiencing. To think that everypony had been in such close proximity to something like that, all the while not knowing about what they were facing.

Although the revelation would certainly explain the strange feeling a lot of them had been experiencing when around him. None of them could consciously explain just why they felt like they were in the presence of a predator, but now it made sense.

"Yeah, what he said," Blossomforth spoke up.

"Well maybe it's jus' me, but Ah reckon tha' Mr. Cifer deserves the benefit o' the doubt. He's saved all of us like three times already," Applejack pointed out, cutting off whatever sort of panicking Ponyville was getting itself primed and ready for. "Besides, he jus' don' strike me as the kind o' fella that'd go outta his way ta hurt anypony. He's been hangin' around us all fer a good long time. If there was reason ta not trust 'im, Ah reckon we would've known about it before now," she pointed out.

"I... I see then," Time Turner replied before growing quiet afterward.

With the crowd's unofficial spokespony silenced, a great deal of potential commotion quieted down as a result. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief at how the situation had been so effortlessly defused. If she had attempted it on her own, she doubted she could've done it as easily and quickly as Applejack had demonstrated herself as capable of doing.

"Note to self: work on my public speaking skills," she thought to herself. She'd have to thank Applejack for taking charge like she had.

But before she could actually think of how to go about doing that, she felt a tingling sensation run up her horn, followed by a scroll materializing in front of her.

"A message? Does this mean the antidote worked?" Spike asked curiously.

Twilight didn't say anything as she levitated the scroll in front of her, before unrolling it to read it, her eyes scanning the contents. But as she did, her eyes went wide in surprise, before teleporting away without a word of explanation, the scroll falling to the ground and forgotten.

"Wha' was that all about?" Applejack asked.

"Let's find out," Spike replied as he picked up the scroll to read himself. "Huh?"

"What?" Applejack asked, only to have the scroll turned around so she could read it.

Heads up, Egghead.

She, Spike, Pinkie, and even Zecora shared a confused look at the message, as well as the lack thereof. But then that confusion faded as the realization struck them as the pieces fell into place. They minced no words before tearing off in the direction of the library, everyone running at full gallop, except for Spike who managed to latch onto Pinkie's tail, and pull himself up onto her back for a ride.

Applejack was the first to reach the library, slamming full force into the door and knocking it open, rather than stopping to take the time to open it normally. It flew open and smacked into the wall as she was crowded by the others joining her immediately after, nearly knocking the lot of them to the floor. But none of that really mattered any right now, as they were more concerned with what was happening in front of them.

The exact source of the Kurostruct's origins remained as much a mystery as anything.

But what wasn't a mystery, was the fact that it was one certainly one of the most difficult opponents Ulquiorra remembered facing in recent history. In terms of strength it was on par with him, but in terms of durability, it just seemed to be in excess of him. Regardless of how hard he hit it, or how many times he hit it, it truly showed no signs of being any worse for wear. It was a lot like pounding away at a tire with a hammer, and not getting anywhere; a fact perhaps best exemplified by him slamming his elbow down on the top of its skull, and the impact doing little to falter it.

However it did present an opening that allowed him to deliver a forceful kick to the posterior that sent it tumbling to the ground.

"You're nothing but an annoyance," he stated as he reached down and grabbed the kurostruct by its long hair, only to drag it back up to its feet, before putting it in a headlock.

The first rabbit punch was to take some of the fight out of it, and make it more cooperative.

The second was simply a contingency in the event the first one had failed to work as intended; it was in no way indicative of him being aggravated with how things had proceeded, and engaging in pettiness.

He then proceeded to drag the Kurostruct over to one of the larger trees in the area, before lifting himself several feet up off the ground, and slamming its head against the trunk.

The horns on the Kurostruct's head were curved upward at approximately a forty-five degree angle, much like they were for the real Ichigo Kurosaki. So now they were pointing downward at an approximate sixty degree angle when they were lodged into the trunk of the tree, leaving the rest of its body to hang at a very awkward -and uncomfortable- angle, with no way of getting its footing from this height.

"Stay," he instructed. Perhaps now he could get back to finding the missing foals, and getting them out of the forest alive.

Rarity stumbled as she ran, fueled primarily by adrenaline in her currently sleep-deprived state, her brain trying desperately to make sense of everything. All the while she tried to avoid tripping and falling to the ground as she ran through the darkened streets of Ponyville, as Fluttershy tried to keep up. All of this in addition to trying to avoid being stampeded by an aggravated apple farmer who was currently hot on their hooves.

"C'mon ya two, this is mighty important, get ta movin'!" Applejack barked.

"Applejack, darling, you could've at least told us what was so important that it couldn't possibly wait until morning," Rarity panted as they continued running along, being guided to the library as best she could guess.

Lately sleep had been a valuable commodity to her, ever since Fluttershy had come to reside at the Carousel Boutique after Celestia's last visit. It had been an arrangement that was easier for her to manage, than staying at the cottage to look after her friend in her time of need. Perhaps it was the more familiar surroundings, or perhaps it was the magic Celestia had used several days ago.

But whatever it ultimately was, that ease she experienced was marginal at best. Fluttershy was simply in a fragile state, and needed a lot of care to keep her together; she was so much like a foal right now. So long as she was in the company of another, she was mostly alright, and could manage with a little help; such as assisting in the trek back to the cottage daily to feed all of the animals in her care.

But if she were left alone for too long, she would devolve into a trembling, crying mess that needed to hugged until she finally calmed down again. It was a situation that led to some rather interesting bathing and sleeping arrangements the past few days.

"There ain' no time ta be explainin' it to ya, Twi'll fill ya in on the details when ya get there, now move!" Applejack bellowed as she herded them along.

Sensing that no further information was going to be garnered from her inquiries, Rarity simply continued running along. She knew that Applejack wouldn't have come pounding on the boutique's door, and rousing them both from their sleep at this time of night, unless the reason for such was an extraordinarily good one. She just wished that she had some clue of what they were walking into... and why so many other ponies were currently up and outside.

"Inside!" Applejack ordered as she ran ahead of them and more or less slammed into the door to open it. The few seconds spent between then, and them actually hurrying inside as they'd been instructed, were spent with her anxiously jogging in place, as she waited for when she could finally shut the door behind them.

"Alright, Applejack, we're here," Rarity panted, "now can someone please tell us just what's going on?"

"YOU!"

Rarity's winded status was immediately forgotten at hearing that yell, and feeling her blood running cold in the immediate aftermath. She recognized that voice all too well, and flinched as a result. She didn't even have time to scream, as she was tackled by a prismatic blur that knocked her to the floor and...

... and was currently nuzzling against her?

Nervously she cracked an eye open, and confirmed that it was indeed Rainbow Dash who currently had her down on the ground. But she wasn't being beaten to a bloody pulp; far from it actually. The cyan pegasus was treating her like she'd just given her a free ticket to an air show by the Wonderbolts. Not that she was complaining, but she was utterly confused.

"Rainbow Dash?" she asked.

"The one and only," Rainbow Dash replied as she sat up and climbed off of Rarity to let her get back up. "Look, I'm really sorry about what happened last time, I wasn't really myself. Are you okay now? How ya doin' Rares?"

"... Hopelessly confused, I'm afraid," Rarity replied as she climbed back to her hooves, trying to ignore the pain in her back from her rough landing against the floor. And as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was also suspicious about the exact nature of Rainbow Dash's presence, and what might be in store for them, considering what happened last time.

Before any answers could actually be head, she jumped at the sound of a loud squeal from beside her, followed by Rainbow Dash being tackled by a sobbing, blubbering Fluttershy, who locked onto her around her neck with great ferocity.

As this was going on -and as Rainbow Dash tried to assure Fluttershy that everything was alright- Rarity took the opportunity to properly observe her surroundings, hoping that they'd have an answer as to what was going on. As she did, she saw that more or less everyone was present and accounted for; all six of them, along with Spike and Zecora, and even Celestia and Luna! Whatever was going on, it must've been very big to warrant this turnout; and bigger than just Rainbow Dash being recovered.

"Not that I'm not absolutely thrilled to see Rainbow Dash again," she started, "but could somepony please tell me just what is going on around here?"

"Ah wouldn' mind gettin' some answers 'round here mahself," Applejack said as she turned to look at Twilight, who currently stood over by Luna and Celestia. She really didn't care who spoke up first, just so long as they got to figuring out what was going on. Most of them had been standing around this entire time, being given the put off until the whole gang was present and accounted for so the explanation only had to be given once.

Luna nodded as she looked to her sister and Twilight -the latter doing her best to calm the former- before facing everyone assembled, and cleared her throat to ensure everyone present was listening; the reunion between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, while touching, would simply have to wait.

"Much as I would love to allow you all to have a joyous reunion with one another, I am sad to report that such will have to wait for the time being. We currently find ourselves in a crisis, and we have very little time in which to respond," she explained. It hurt to tell them that their rejoicing about being back together had to be put on hold, especially with knowing all that they had been through during this time. But what else could she really do right now? "Please listen carefully, as this is most important. As unlikely as it may seem for you to believe, we have discovered information suggesting that Nightmare Moon has returned, and has been behind everything taking place in recent time."

Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement before speaking up. "The dragon, the changelings, the terror fog, all of it. We don't know how, but as best we can figure, the Elements of Harmony separated her from Luna rather than killing her, and left her as a disembodied spirit. Apparently she's been very busy since then."

Luna nodded in turn, confirming Rainbow Dash's assessment of the situation, and what they knew. "I know that you likely have many questions about all of this, my friends, and I promise you all that I will do my best to answer them; but not at this point in time. Right now I am imploring myself to you, I need you to be focused on the task at hoof."

The others looked at one another in the aftermath of Luna's plea, and wordlessly nodded to one another in agreement.

"A'right, ya can count on us, Princess," Applejack said as she turned to face Luna again. "Whadda ya need us ta do?"

"Help my sister," Luna stated as she unfurled her left wing to gesture in Celestia's direction. "The antidote has done nothing to undo what she has been subjected to. It did no more good than giving her plain water would have," she explained.

It was at this point that Rarity and Fluttershy took a good, hard look at Celestia for the first time since their arrival. In simple terms she looked like a mess; like she was struggling to keep herself together, and just barely able to hang in there. Rarity had seen that look before in so many others since the start of this whole debacle. It made her want to march herself over to the alicorn, and simply hug the stuffing out of her; although it looked like Twilight had beaten her to the punch on that one.

Zecora simply sighed and closed her eyes. She had doubted that the potion in its unfinished state would do any good, but she'd hoped that she would be wrong. Unfortunately she hadn't been. All of their hard work had been for nothing. And if what Luna was saying was true, it stood to reason that Nightmare Moon had become aware of their efforts, and retaliated to stop them from completing what could put a crimp in her plans, whatever they may be.

"Oh dear. How do we go about doing that? None of us have any training in this field," Rarity pointed out.

"Perhaps not. But you do have experience in using the Elements of Harmony. It is my hope that they can be used to undo the damage that has been done by the terror fog. Not only in Celestia, but perhaps for the entire area. Perhaps we can accomplish two goals in one fell swoop, and deal a critical blow to Nightmare Moon in the process," Luna explained.

Applejack, and even Zecora immediately noticed Twilight's reaction to the suggestion of using the Elements of Harmony in this situation. They'd been living here long enough to know what was going on with them; they had ever since Zecora's late night appearance, when she and Spike had gone into the basement to retrieve the guest bed, and noticed the weak strobing pulse of the red gem in the Element of Loyalty. And considering the work that had been done in the basement the last few days, Zecora had become aware of it as well. And the both of them being aware of it had put Twilight in a bind, and driven her to confess everything. The truth had come pouring out of her like water from a broken dam, along with a great deal of guilt over her actions, even though she believed they were ultimately justified under the circumstances they found themselves in.

She didn't appreciate the dishonesty, but she certainly understood it. If the rest of their friends found out that the Elements of Harmony had ceased working because of what happened to Rainbow Dash, there was no telling how panicked they'd become, or what they'd do in the aftermath. That left poor Twilight trying to wither the burden all by herself, both physically and emotionally.

"RD's back in the game, they might be too," she pointed out in an effort to cut off whatever worry Twilight might be experiencing, about the others finding out the truth.

"Oh. Right. Right," Twilight replied and quickly nodded. "I'll be... I'll be right back," she said as she made her way for the basement.

Turning to look at the others, she saw Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie all looking back at her.

"Darling, what was that all about?" Rarity asked.

Applejack waited until Twilight was on her way down the basement stairs before finally responding. "When the terror fog got ta Rainbow Dash, the Element o' Loyalty went dormant, and the rest o' the Elements wouldn' work with it bein' such. Twi' didn' wanna worry us over somethin' we couldn' change, so she's been keeping it to 'erself for our sakes. But now that RD's doin' better, her Element might be active again," she explained, doing her best to cushion whatever blow was going to be delivered by bringing them up to speed.

"Oh, the poor dear," Rarity replied, her mind already churning out various thoughts as to how much Twilight must've been suffering with nopony to unburden herself to.

"The amount of burden she hoisted upon herself must have been tremendous. To carry on without anypony to talk to, she must have felt friendless," Zecora muttered.

Spike frowned, wanting to point out that Twilight had him to talk to about the problem, and had indeed done such. But before he could actually remind them that he was here, she was already coming back into the main room with the case in tow, a look of concern across her face.

"I... I just don't know," she said simply as she approached, before setting the case down in the middle of the room. "Why is the Element of Loyalty pulsing like it is?" she asked.

Luna -and even Celestia- observed the case that held the artifacts, and observed as the gem held in the Element of Loyalty was indeed pulsing and flashing with a red light that contrasted with the darkness of the gem itself.

"When did this start?" Luna asked as she looked back at Twilight.

"When it started, we don't know. But we noticed it the night when Zecora came to town; Spike and Applejack saw it flashing when they went down into the basement to retrieve the guest bed. But it was really weak flashing compared to now; it started flaring like this less than an hour ago," Twilight replied. "Do you know what it means?"

Luna offered up a weak smile in response. "What it means, is that the Element of Loyalty is sensing the return of Rainbow Dash's loyal nature, and is attempting to resonate with her once again, but is not yet fully able to do so," she explained.

"Well then let's see what we can do to hurry it along," Rainbow Dash stated as she squirmed in Fluttershy's hold, preparing to do what she felt was necessary. She just hoped Rarity didn't deck her in response. "Flutters, I need you to let me go, I've gotta do something."

"It won't work..."

All activity in the room ceased at the sound of Celestia speaking up for the first real time since their arrival in the library. Those that had been present prior to Celestia and the others arriving had heard her utter bits and pieces, but this was the first real statement she'd made.

"The Elements of Harmony aren't something that can simply be forced to perform, I'm afraid," Celestia explained as she straightened up and stood taller than previously. "Ponies are able to persevere and... and overcome a great many hardships, as we have witnessed in recent time. But the Elements of Harmony are a different matter. They are bound to each of you, but they won't work simply because you want them to, even if the situation is dire..."

"Then there's nothing we can do to help Dashie with her resonance thing?" Pinkie asked.

Celestia could do little more than shake her head in response. "I'm sorry, I really am. But if Rainbow Dash can't resonate with the Element of Loyalty on her own yet, nothing we do will make any difference. It's something that she has to do on her own," she explained as she hung her head and closed her eyes. "Wielding multiple Elements of Harmony simultaneously grants... a certain degree of insight into their manner of functioning..."

The news dealt a major blow to Rainbow Dash's mood, it more or less undoing her entire game plan for this evening on how to get back into action. She was sure that if she just tried hard enough, she could push through the latent issues that were still weighing in the back of her mind -like the subdued whispers of Nightmare Moon still trying to urge her that Rarity couldn't be trusted- and just power on ahead to victory. Now she was being told that no matter how hard she tried, it still wouldn't work. Her bravado dropped sharply in response to this, to the point she really wasn't even paying attention to what the others were saying around her. She needed a new game plan on what she was going to do.

What that game plan was, came to her shortly after. With Fluttershy's hold on her loosened sufficiently, she worked her way free, before going over to where Rarity currently stood, and proceeded to pull her into the biggest, firmest, warmest hug she could manage.

Rarity was surprised at first, but quickly succumbed to the warmth of the embrace, and returned it with gusto.

"Take care of yourself, Rares," she said as she relinquished her hold, before making her way to the library's door.

"Darling, where're you going?" Rarity asked, confused by it all.

"To the Everfree Forest to find Ulquiorra," Rainbow Dash said as she stopped at the door. "All I can do here is wait for the Element of Loyalty to get its act together. At least out there I can do some good, either by finding the foals, or helping him in kicking the crap out of Nightmare Moon, whichever comes first."

"What!? No, no!" Twilight objected and forcefully latched the door shut with her magic, while simultaneously mentally kicking herself for only having the one lock installed during this whole crisis. "You can't!"

"Yeah, Dashie, that's super dangerous!" Pinkie stated, horrified by the very idea. Rainbow Dash had just come back to them, and now she was leaving again? Like this? It was unacceptable!

"I quite agree. Rainbow Dash, going out there all by yourself is admirable, but to face Nightmare Moon like you're suggesting? Darling it's a suicide mission! You'll be killed!" Rarity practically shrieked.

"I don't think so," Rainbow Dash replied and shook her head, being far calmer than her friends. "The only thing keeping Nightmare Moon from being harmonied into the ground for a third time is the fact that I'm still alive. If I die, the Element of Loyalty goes to whichever pony it best matches, and it's all over for her again. She can't afford to kill me, so that gives me the advantage in this. She wouldn't dare kill me, that'd be as good as cutting her own throat," she explained.

Applejack opened her mouth to express her own opinion on Rainbow Dash's evaluation of facts, but she quickly found her mouth shut for her as Twilight was the first to speak up, and explain how the idea was just plain stupid, and assumed too much about what Nightmare Moon did and didn't know about the situation. To which Rainbow Dash retorted that the whore had been in her head since this whole ugly event had started, and knew what she knew.

Rarity, in turn, stated that if Nightmare Moon knew what Rainbow Dash knew, that would make her actions even more of a liability since she would know she was coming; a fact that Pinkie eagerly agreed with as being a concern. To which Rainbow Dash replied that simply knowing something was coming didn't mean you could necessarily do anything about it.

Fluttershy was the next to speak up, and offer her own reason for why Rainbow Dash shouldn't go charging off into danger. While based less on matters of logic and tactics than the others, was directly from the heart, and a simple plea that she not put herself in harm's way simply because she was frustrated about having to wait for the Element of Loyalty to resonate with her. To which Rainbow Dash explained that Nightmare Moon was responsible for hundreds of changelings, one manticore, and who knew how many other innocent animals getting killed, and how she should find that unacceptable.

Finally, both to head off what was bound to be a shouting match, and because she was getting a crick in her neck from moving her head back and forth so much, Applejack decided to speak up. And she did so loudly in order to not be drowned out by the others.

"The next one o' ya that says somethin' an' interrupts me, Ah'm gonna hogtie ya!" she stated. That brought everyone's attention back to her, and gave her the opportunity to speak freely. "Not ta be speakin' outta turn, Princess, Ah know wha' ya said 'bout asking' questions, but seeing as the Elements o' Harmony still ain' workin' an' all..."

"What is on your mind, Applejack?" Luna asked. With their plan no longer being an option, she saw no point in refraining from answering whatever questions might be had.

"Ah know Ah've been here the whole time so Ah'm missin' somethin', but are ya sure that it's Nightmare Moon? Ah mean, is it possible ya made a mistake?" Applejack asked.

Luna slowly shook her head. "Much as I wish that was the case, it is not. Nightmare Moon took delight in forcing me to experience certain actions she took while in control of my body, ensuring that I would never forget them for as long as I live. And I am now noticing such happenings occurring around me once again. So in answer to your question, Applejack, yes, I am quite certain it is Nightmare Moon behind all of this. No other enemy we have ever faced, had displayed this extreme level of sadism before."

"Beggin' yer pardon an' all, Princess, but somethin' here jus' doesn' seem ta add up," Applejack stated as she spoke up, her uneasiness apparent in her voice as she did.

"You have no need to beg the pardon of a friend, Applejack," Luna said as she regarded the concerned earth pony. "Speak up, what is the mathematical inconsistency to which you refer?"

Applejack paused for a moment, confused by what she was saying, before getting her thoughts back together. "Well... it's jus' that this whole thing seems really complex fer the likes o' Nightmare Moon. Ah mean, when she returned from her banishment, she spent the whole night tryin' everythin' ta make us turn back, an' not seek out the Elements o' Harmony. But she knew where they were the whole time, right? Why didn' she focus on gettin' rid of 'em before we ever got there, rather than tryin' ta scare us off?"

"Ooh! Ooh, good point! Good point!" Pinkie added as she bounced up and down excitedly.

"Even I would have to agree," Rarity spoke up and nodded. "Nightmare Moon was a rather arrogant, egotistical pony to deal with. She never struck me as having a tactical mind. She threw traps and frights at us, but even when none of that worked, she didn't change her game plan at all. It was like she couldn't see beyond her own muzzle, and was obsessed with proving her superiority to us in the most prideful manner possible."

Twilight listened as the others talked. And as she did, she couldn't help but notice that they were right in their observations. She had been focused on other things at the time, and had never stopped to consider that the entire approach had been... lacking in terms of being well thought out. If Nightmare Moon had been serious about stopping them from acquiring the Elements of Harmony, why hadn't she destroyed their vessels, and scattered them to the far reaches of the world where they could never be found? She'd had a thousand years to plot for her return, so why hadn't she done something more creative?

So where had all this strategy come from?

"Er... I mean, no offense," Rarity quickly added when she realized Luna had turned her attention to her.

"It is not something that I choose to take offense over, Rarity. We may have unwillingly shared the same body, but she and I were not two sides of the same coin; she was no more an aspect of my identity than a parasitic infection would be," Luna explained and shook her head. Nightmare Moon might have exploited her insecurities back then, and led her down the path towards corruption, but that still didn't make them one in the same; it didn't even come close.

"So what about this tactical inconsistency? How did Nightmare Moon go from being too arrogant to think, to being able to lay out this whole cluster of ideas and strategies to weaken our defenses, and leave us open to attack while we were trying to figure out the responsible party?" Twilight asked.

"It is quiet easy to be arrogant in your abilities when you have twenty times the magical strength of a seasoned unicorn at your command. But when the Elements of Harmony separated us from one another, that was no longer the case. Without my strength to fall back on, she would be forced to adopt a different approach to doing things, if she wishes to make a reappearance," Luna stated. When one was devoid of desirable resources, they made do with what they had, and learned how to maximize what little was at their disposal. "It is the only explanation that I can think of."

"So she learned how to get smarter, in order to make herself stronger. That's a very bad combination," Rainbow Dash stated. It had been hard enough to defeat Nightmare Moon the first time around when she was arrogant about her own strength. But now that she was demonstrating that she could be all stealthy and thoughtful and shit, it was only going to be worse from here on out.

Was it really asking too much for Nightmare Moon to be nothing but a dumb, wild animal when it didn't have Luna to piggyback off of?

"So... assuming we can get the Elements of Harmony working again, what happens then?" Spike asked since he finally had the opportunity to speak up. "I mean, will they work this time when they didn't work before?"

"Do you have some other suggestion of how to proceed?" Luna asked, not intending to be rude, but genuinely curious as to what the young dragon might have in mind as an alternative course of action.

Spike hesitated at the tone of Luna's voice, but nonetheless continued on. "Well... Ulquiorra's already out there, and we know what he can do. Maybe we should just... let him do this on his own? If she's a disembodied spirit right now... couldn't he just devour her and that'd be the end of all this?" he asked.

When nopony said anything in response, and were simply looking at one another in confusion, he couldn't help but wonder if maybe he'd said the wrong thing. Maybe he should've just kept his opinion to himself?

"Could... could we actually do that? Would that actually work?" Pinkie asked, being the first to break the silence in the room.

"I do not know. I-I suppose that it could work," Luna replied, practically floored by the idea of something like that actually happening. She couldn't deny that there was an extreme irony present in the very idea of Nightmare Moon meeting her end in such a manner.

Now that the question had been asked, however, she couldn't help but think of something else. Was this why Discord had brought Ulquiorra to their dimension? Had the spirit of chaos somehow known that Nightmare Moon had survived, and would be returning once again?

But if that were truly the case, why hadn't Discord alerted them to this development? Why had he gone through all of the trouble of crossing the dimensional boundaries to retrieve Ulquiorra after he had died? Having experienced the Elements of Harmony twice on his own, was he aware of whatever limitations they had, and knew that they would be of no use to them in this case? But if that were the case, then why would Nightmare Moon bother targeting Rainbow Dash to such an extreme degree, if the Elements of Harmony couldn't hurt her?

More disturbingly, she had to ask herself if events would have transpired just as they had, if they had been informed about Nightmare Moon returning. Had Ulquiorra been right in his hypothesizing, that an outside intervention had been needed to prevent widespread disaster from occurring? Was Discord responsible for all of those deaths that had occurred, or were they inevitable, and beyond their ability to stop?

Once again, her sister's migraine was catching up with her. She really didn't need that added frustration right now.

"The amount of strength Ulquiorra commands is truly monstrous," Celestia muttered, remembering when she had clashed against him over Canterlot. To this day she still had no clue just how much of his strength he'd been using against her. Despite it being mainly for show to trick Chrysalis, a lot of it had also been genuine. He had been very tight lipped about the truth, and whenever he did talk about it, he would only comment on how he was merely ensuring that it looked convincing enough to fulfill her orders.

It was true, their magic was greater than anything Ulquiorra had to offer in comparison. But he had a strength all his own that they couldn't possibly compete with, and she knew it. It was... more concentrated in a manner, like the difference between a log and a rock. Despite their ability to juggle the sun and the moon as they saw fit, it still paled in comparison to him in certain respects. He could command a dragon to cease an all-out assault with but a single punch, easily piercing the armoring of its thick hide and causing it to bleed; a feat that very few could legitimately claim to do. Even she couldn't honestly say she could do the same.

"If Ulquiorra has met with Nightmare Moon, it may already be over," she suggested.

"Just like that?" Rarity asked, finding the idea hard to believe. Granted she didn't doubt that Ulquiorra could indeed do something like that, but... the idea of how he might've gone about doing it just disturbed her to think about.

"So all this ends with a midnight snack? That's certainly one for the books," Rainbow Dash commented as she stepped away from the door to stand by the others, not sure what to think of the idea of them just being able to kick back for a change.

"Um..." Fluttershy mumbled, barely above a whisper, "what if... what if it doesn't work out like that?"

"Whadda ya mean, Fluttershy?" Applejack asked as she turned to look at the meek pegasus.

"Yes, dear, whatever is the matter?" Rarity asked.

Slowly all eyes were turning to Fluttershy, making her the center of attention. It was one of her worst fear, quickly becoming a reality. But compared to what she had experienced, its place on the list had dropped by several spaces. That alone gave her a greater ability to speak up.

"Well... we're all sort of assuming that if Ulquiorra meets Nightmare Moon he's going to.... um... win. But... b-but what if he doesn't? I mean... what if Nightmare Moon... what if she manages to possess him instead? I mean, she did with Princess Luna, what's to say she couldn't do the same to Ulquiorra?" she asked.

The silence spawned by Spike's question had brought about a number of confused looks and uncertainty at the prospect. But this silence, this one was oppressive and conveyed absolute terror; almost the palpable sort in terms of scope.

Immediately Twilight's head whipped around as she looked at Luna. "Princess, you know more about Nightmare Moon than any of us. I-is that possible? Could Ulquiorra become a host to her?" she asked, almost afraid of actually getting an answer, but still needing to know regardless.

"Knowing so little about Ulquiorra Cifer, I cannot even begin to fathom a guess. I-I suppose that it could happen, but I do not know what would become of such an attempt. She could become victim to his otherworldly nature and die in the process, o-or... she could stand to become even more powerful than ever before. There is simply no way of knowing," Luna stated. Both options were equally horrifying, but each for differing reasons.

Without a word, Rainbow Dash was off like a shot, and over by the door. Twilight didn't even have a chance to secure the latch before it was disengaged, and the door pulled open. The only thing that kept her from actually bolting outside, was the unexpected tackle from behind by Pinkie, slamming the door shut in the process, as she proceeded to sit on Rainbow Dash's back as she pinned her to the ground.

"Pinkie get off of me!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she struggled to get free, squirming every which way while also attempting to swat at the pink earth pony with whatever appendage was able to move.

"No, Dashie, no! You're gonna get hurt if you go out there!" Pinkie stated as she squirmed in an effort to resist the squirming of her friend, and keep her down on the floor. "I'm not letting you go until you calm down!"

"Pinkie's absolutely right, darling," Rarity chimed in as she trotted over to assist. "It's far too dangerous to simply go rushing off in such a reckless manner. You don't even know where Ulquiorra is, and flying around at this time of night, with no way of seeing where you're going, there's no telling what could happen."

"I don't care!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she continued struggling to get out from under Pinkie. "Ulquiorra needs help, those foals need help, I'm gonna help! You're gonna have to break my wings and my legs to keep me here, so just get off of me!"

"We need some rope er somethin'," Applejack commented as she watched Pinkie struggling to keep Rainbow Dash pinned. She knew as well as anypony just how strong the cyan pegasus could be when she pushed herself, and she was pushing herself mighty fierce right now. She was wriggling and squirming and trying to bite in an effort to get free.

But if she got loose, she was just going to run off and get herself hurt, or even worse. As her friends, it was their obligation to keep her confined until she saw reason, and stopped trying to do something so stupid. They were only looking out for her best interests, after all.

"Release her."

It was Celestia who spoke up, both firm enough and loud enough to be heard by all over the sounds of struggle that were taking place in the library.

"Sister?" Luna asked as she regarded her sister with curiosity, wondering where the sudden commanding presence had come from.

"Rainbow Dash knows about what dangers she'll face if she goes out. She'd made her decision on what she wants to do. As her friends, we should respect that decision, even if we don't agree with it," she explained as she began to step forward, her legs trembling as she moved, but not really looking as if they'd give out under her. "Whether she's here, or a hundred miles from here, it doesn't really matter. The Element of Loyalty will resonate with her again regardless of where she is, once it's ready to do so. At least out an about, she can be of some use," she explained as she glanced back at the pulsing gem.

Luna looked horrified at what she was hearing. "Sister, how can you say something like that? Rainbow Dash is our friend! What good could come from letting her go out on her own into such a dangerous situation?" she asked, practically demanding to know the reasoning behind her position.

"Reconnaissance, Luna, which we could use right about now," Celestia stated as her horn was flared to life, and Pinkie was levitated off of Rainbow Dash's back, allowing her to stand up again. "Her speed could be quite beneficial to us right now."

"Wait, I think I understand!" Twilight stated, the excitement evident in her voice. Before anyone could ask her to explain what was going on, she was already in the process of talking again. "We let Rainbow Dash go ahead of us, allowing her to look for Ulquiorra, Nightmare Moon, or the missing foals. But not before equipping her with a homing spell, so we can immediately find her position once she does so. Once she reaches the target in question, we can teleport to her location and, depending on what the situation entails, assist with the rescue operation as the circumstances allow!"

"Quite correct," Celestia stated, a genuine smile on her face for the first time since waking up on this night.

Luna had to admit, that wasn't what she thought they were talking about. But regardless, she didn't like the idea of using Rainbow Dash as a scout in such a dangerous situation, as there was no telling what would happen before their arrival. But at the same time, she knew that they couldn't just sit around and wait, as there was no telling what would happen even then. There was just so much at stake regardless of what decision they made.

"Very well then. Go," she relented, knowing that there was the potential for this to be a no-win situation. "Let us proceed with this course of action."

"Awesome!" Rainbow Dash stated, happy to hear that they were finally going to be doing something other than just standing around and talking. "Spell me up and let's get this show on the road!"

"Not just yet," Luna was quick to add, once again resuming the authoritative position. "Before you go rushing off into danger on some damn fool errand, there are a few things that I believe will be of aid to you."

Rainbow Dash was about to ask what Luna had in mind, but the glow of her horn signaled that she was already going to work. This was followed by a bright flash of light, and feeling an unfamiliar weight and sensation resting not only on her back, but almost everywhere else on her body.

"Wowie dowie!" Pinkie stated.

"Uh... what just happened?" she asked as the flash blindness faded, only to notice that her peripheral vision was blocked by something on both sides of her head.

"You.... you got armored up," Spike stated, not knowing how else to describe it.

"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked as she tried to look at herself, but not getting a good overall look. "Somepony get me a mirror?"

Where the mirror came from, she didn't know for sure, all she knew was that magic was involved in bringing it about. What she was really interested in at the moment was how she looked. And from what she could see, she looked completely badass!

The armor looked a lot like what she'd seen Luna's guards wearing, but at the same time it was different somehow. She couldn't put her hoof on it, but there were distinct differences in every piece. But aesthetics aside, she was amazed at how well the armor fit her; almost like it'd been made for her. Even the shoes were comfortable on her hooves, and she hated shoes. And it was so light, it almost felt like she was wearing nothing compared to what she thought it would weigh; more like cardboard and tinfoil than steel plates. She could easily extend and flap her wings without any hindrance and... even her wings were armored! They were encased on what looked like metal bat wings, but the plates moved and flexed with her joints so naturally, she was pretty sure she could fly even with them like this.

The whole thing was awesome... except for the helmet. She couldn't see a thing properly in it, and it just plain had to go.

"So why the armor?" she asked as she pulled the helmet off, before shaking her head to get her mane straightened out again. "And where'd you get this? I don't remember seeing it before."

"That is because it is not yet available for general duty purposes. It is still tied up in the research and development section as a prototype," Luna explained.

Ever since her return to Equestria, much had changed, that went without saying. But among other unexpected changes, was just how much new staff she would have to manage. And that included a research and development division looking to introduce her to modern concepts; such as how the historical armor for the night guard was looking dated, and had grown long in the tooth. They believed that royal guard armor should be more lightweight and flexible to better match the natural movements of the guard wearing it to provide for quicker responses, rather than conveying the ability to take tons of abuse in a single engagement. She didn't know if she agreed with that line of thinking when she'd been presented with the idea of fielding a new generation of armor for her guards to make use of, as she believed the funding could be used for more relevant purposes.

But they had been insistent, and it was the squeaky wheel that eventually got greased. And upon seeing a physical representation of what was being proposed, with how the redesigned plates still had respectable tensile strength, and how the entire platform was built with lightening enchantments to reduce the overall weight on the wearer, she had to admit that she was pleased with the sleek packaging that her guards would eventually don in her service.

"As to the why, it is bound to be quite dangerous out there, and it would be foalish to head out unprepared. I do not know what you will encounter once you leave the library, but perhaps it will afford you some measure of protection," she continued. And if the armor did indeed keep Rainbow Dash from suffering serious injury, then she would push for it to be finalized for implementation immediately.

Rainbow Dash nodded in understanding, a wicked grin on her face. "Cool. Thanks. So what's the other thing?"

"An enhancement spell necessitated by the number of non-thestral members of my night staff. In laypony terms, it is often referred to as "thestral vision" as it grants them superior night vision. As dark as it can be in the Everfree Forest, you will most likely need it," Luna explained as her horn started glowing again.

Rainbow Dash blinked, not really feeling anything that would suggest what was going on. Although the fact that her reflection suddenly had a gold shimmer to its irises, not unlike the yellowish eyes of thestrals, suggested that it was already complete. Now she was starting to feel anxious to get out, and see what it was like.

"It is done," Luna said as the glow of her horn ceased. "I have done as much for you as I can, short of following you to your destination myself. And while I would do so in a heartbeat, I do not yet know what difficulties will be faced here. I am sorry to say that there is nothing more I can do for you, my friend."

"Hey, it's alright, don't sweat it," Rainbow Dash replied and waved her hoof dismissively, not seeing any reason to be worried about something that couldn't be controlled. She was honestly surprised she'd even gotten this much support. Now the only thing left was to actually head out.

But before that, there was something that she had to do. Something that was way too important to put off, because there might not be a later. Without a word, she turned to face the others.

"Look, everypony, we don't have time for long goodbyes and whatnot, but I need to say something," she stated slowly, trying to find the right words to express what she was feeling right now. "Whatever happens tonight... I've been lucky to have friends like you. Nightmare Moon tried to break us apart, she got close, but she failed, plain and simple. And... if Ulquiorra hasn't made himself a meal yet... well we're gonna kick so much ass tonight it's gonna be legendary! So... so just be ready to head out, alright?" she asked, trying to keep things on a positive note. If anypony started crying, she didn't know if she'd be able to hold it all together.

"Rainbow Dash," Twilight spoke up as she stepped forward, "Ulquiorra said the foals were about three miles inside the Everfree Forest. That would probably be as good a place as any to start looking," she explained.

"Right, three miles, got it," Rainbow Dash replied and nodded. She wanted to say more, but she knew that time was of the essence right now. With one last look at her friends, she pulled open the library door and took off for her destination, leaving her friends behind to their own devices.

The moment she was out of sight, Fluttershy's composure immediately crumbled as she succumbed to tears. Rarity was by her side in short order, holding her close, and assuring her that everything would be alright.

"Was it really a good idea ta let 'er go off like that?" Applejack asked as she looked at Celestia.

"I can't say for certain, Applejack," Celestia replied as she glanced back at the case holding the Elements of Harmony. "But I believe that it was."

Despite what it looked like, and what it sounded like, the armor was proving to be a lot easier to fly in than Rainbow Dash had first anticipated. Granted the commotion it caused when she moved was annoying, and not feeling the air movement across her entire body as she cut through the sky was really disorienting to experience; it almost didn't feel real. But her movements weren't restricted, her wings had loosened up considerably since Canterlot, and she wasn't having any trouble seeing. All in all, things were acceptable for her.

That didn't necessarily make the flight easy, however, as three miles was still three miles, and the armor still amounted to extra weight that she had to factor in. Luna really had been right about her not being in top shape at the time. But she was committed to this course of action, and she was going to see it through to the end, come Tartarus or high water!

As she drew closer to her intended destination, she couldn't help but notice something very odd; a large pocket of fog in the area, sticking out above the tree lines. And all of it about three miles inside the borders of the Everfree Forest, give or take. That had to be the terror fog Ulquiorra had mentioned back in Canterlot. If they were anywhere in this mess, it had to be in there somewhere.

Much like it was a pond on a hot day, she dove right in without so much as a second thought, cutting through the thick fog, her eyes scanning for anything that looked like the targets she was trying desperately to find.

She'd been expecting a lot of hunting to get through all of this fog and find some trace of what she was looking for, but apparently she'd expected wrong. As she traveled deeper into the fog she could see Ulquiorra and... wait, was that actually Ichigo? What was that Shinigami doing here?

Never mind, she didn't need the answer to that question right now. All she needed to know was the fact that Ulquiorra was pinned on the ground with Itchy boy standing on top of him. That was completely unacceptable, and she totally needed to do something about it.

"HEY ASSHOLE!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping desperately to distract Scratchy before he could do anything fatal to Ulquiorra.

It looked up at her. It actually looked up at her. This couldn't have worked out any better if she'd planned it out! As she approached it at top speed, she drew her right hoof back in preparation of slugging the bastard with all of her might.

"FUCK OFF!"

Author's Note

Deleted Scene

"The first course of action we must take is going to Ponyville to reunite with the others. We will need the Elements of Harmony is we are to stand any chance of actually defeating Nightmare Moon. We can only hope that your recovery has been sufficient to allow them to work again," Luna stated. Rainbow Dash had recovered so much compared to when she had first been brought to Canterlot, surely that must count for something.

"I'll prench kiss Rarity, and ask her to marry me if it'll get them up and running again," Rainbow Dash stated, reasoning that it was a better course of action than killing herself for another Element bearer to come around. Truly, as excited as she was feeling about the prospect of going home again, she might do that anyway to celebrate.

Luna cleared her throat in an effort to distract herself from the burning sensation in her cheeks, in the wake of the statement. That was entirely more information than she would've dared to inquire about.

"Your dedication to the cause is quite respectable," she muttered, before deciding to change the subject. "We are quite fortunate that Twilight Sparkle and the others are currently awake. It saves us a great deal of time and effort in reading everyone in on what is happening."

Rainbow Dash agreed with the assessment. Waking ponies up in the middle of the night to tell them that the world was at threat of ending, was hardly the easiest thing to do.

Chapter Eighty Seven

Chapter Eighty Seven

The sounds of small hooves pounding desperately away at the walls of the force field echoed through the clearing they currently occupied, intermixed with the varying sounds of discomfort and discontent coming from the youngest in their group. Any foal that wasn't otherwise occupied with trying to care for the babies, was assisting in the group's escape efforts to the best of their abilities.

The majority of the group was bucking at the force field in an effort to weaken its walls, but were so far seeing no return for either their efforts, or the soreness in their hooves.

A number of others not assisting with going through the wall, had come up with the brilliant idea of going under the wall, and were working together in an effort to dig a hole near the edge of the force field that would allow them all to crawl out underneath. But with all the roots from the nearby trees, and the number of rocks to be found underground, their efforts weren't paying off much better.

Diamond Tiara was the exception of either of these two approaches. While the others were pounding away with their hooves, or otherwise trying to move dirt, she had come up with the idea of using an excavated section of granite to pound at the force field, slamming the most pointed end against its surface. She was utilizing the approach of working smarter rather than harder in an attempt to solve the problem, using something with greater density than her own hooves, to deliver a more concentrated measure of force against a smaller area in hopes of achieving a greater deal of good.

"I'm," Pipsqueak panted as he proved to be the first shield bucker to slow to a stop, "I'm too tired. I need to rest."

"Same here," Shady added as she delivered one last buck, before sitting down on her haunches to rest. "Twangy, ya had a good idea and all. But I don't think it's going to do any good. We've been at it for a long while now, and we're no closer than when we started," she said in between breaths, mentally kicking herself for making no effort at staying in shape.

Apple Bloom wanted to protest the growing voices is discouragement, urging them to continue because there was no way of telling at what point the force field would grow too weak to hold them any longer. But try as she might, she just couldn't muster the optimism to actually do such. She had known from the beginning that her plan was a long shot at best, done primarily as a distraction from just sitting around, and having no options but simply waiting for whatever was going to happen, to actually happen. Much like everyone else, she too ceased her efforts at breaking through the shield.

"We didn't even put a dent in it," Sweetie Belle lamented. Despite her magic being underdeveloped, she'd been able to feel... well something as they bucked away at it. But for all their effort, she really couldn't feel any difference from when they started.

Diamond Tiara unceremoniously dropped her rock to the ground with a thud, feeling both exhausted and smug at the same time. She wanted to rub in the fact that she'd been right all along, but right now she just didn't have the energy for it. She ultimately decided to cut Apple Bloom and the others some slack, simply because they'd put some thought into what they'd been trying.

"I guess hooves don't beat exoskeletons," Shady idly commented. "Hey, excavators! How you doin' over there on your end?"

"Horrible," Truffle Shuffle wheezed as he wiped his brow. "Even using the stones we had to dig out, we're still not getting anywhere."

Archer nodded in agreement. "We're having to spend more time trying to break out all the tree roots than we are actually digging. For being a clearing, the ground sure isn't clear."

"At the rate we're going, even Featherweight wouldn't be able to squeeze through whatever hole we get dug," Truffle Shuffle added.

"Not with that big of a head he wouldn't," Noi mumbled.

"Hey, I object to that!" Featherweight shouted back. "My head is not big!"

"Have you looked in the mirror lately? You're built like a lollipop," Noi stated.

"Do we have to separate you two?" Silver Spoon asked, being in absolutely no mood for pointless squabbling right now. She was at the point that if Diamond Tiara offered up a single smartflanked remark, she'd tell even her to shut her mouth right now.

"So what now?" Dinky asked as defeat slowly sank in. First she'd failed at learning magic from Twilight, and now she'd failed in helping break out of this prison. As far as she was concerned, this wasn't turning out good at all.

"Wake up Peachy Petal. If we've gotta be awake, she should be too," Shady stated.

Nopony knew for certain how they had arrived at the clearing, or even when they'd all arrived, or who was the first to become aware of their surroundings. But everypony had more or less woken up within a short amount of time of each other, with some taking longer than others. But Peachy Petal had been the exception to all that. Out of everyone, that filly had been asleep the longest, through all of the commotion they'd been raising in their escape attempts. Her sleep had been so sound, she hadn't even realized she'd had an accident, and was currently laying in it; much to the disgust and disbelief of everyone present.

"Don't go and do that, she's just gonna whine," Scootaloo complained. They were better off with Peachy being asleep and quiet, even if she wasn't contributing anything to their efforts.

Apple Bloom simply facehooved, unable to think of any other response that felt appropriate right now. This group was starting to pick itself apart. "Any other ideas then?" she asked.

"I don't know," Sweetie Belle replied. Except she spoke too soon, as an idea did come to her. "Hey Shady, what're your ears telling you on all that commotion we heard earlier?"

Shady paused what she was doing, before lifting her head up, her ears twitching and swiveling all about as she tried to get a bead on the outside, while separating the background noise that festered on the inside.

"Whatever it was, I can't hear it now. Either it's gone, or it simply stopped," she eventually replied, all the while hoping it was a good thing. It wasn't just the commotion, it was how the ground just seemed to tremble under her hooves in conjunction with it all. That did something that very few things managed to successfully do; left her feeling truly disturbed.

She really couldn't bring herself to care why it had stopped. All she really cared about was that it had stopped.

Rainbow Dash grunted as she moved to grind to a halt, flaring out her wings, and digging her armored hoofwear on all four legs in against the tough soil and grass of the forest floor, sending dust flying as she finally skidded herself to a complete stop.

There were no two ways about it, Scratchy was tough! Not that she'd actually thought Ulquiorra was weak, because that'd be just plain wrong; she'd felt the force behind his punch simply by being next to it, so she had some idea of just what he could do. But still, knowing that fact didn't prepare her for just how tough her selected fight was going to be. She'd been off to a good start, but Scratchy had quickly been able to close the lead she'd had on him up until now. It wasn't that she thought she could've outdone the Arrancar, but she'd hoped that she could've gotten some response for the effort she'd put in so far.

Unfortunately that just wasn't the case. No matter what kind of hits she delivered, Scratchy seemed able to just shrug them off as if they were nothing. With how things were going, she might as well be throwing water balloons at him. It was a fact that was seriously pissing her off! Plus he could hit back hard on his own, some of the blows actually to the point that she could actually feel them through her armor, and leaving her dreading what it might be like if Luna hadn't given it to her before she headed out.

She needed to catch her breath, and gather her thoughts for how to respond next. Not being able to punch him right in the chest was a severe disadvantage, thanks to that gaping hole he had where most of his rib cage was supposed to be. Seriously, if Ulquiorra had executed the guy this was based on, why couldn't he have just blown his head off instead? Why'd he have to go all center of mass like he did? Why-

Her thoughts were interrupted when she had to leap back to avoid Scratchy slicing her in half. Despite not being able to fly -or at least simply not demonstrating such yet- he was unbelievably quick on his feet when he wasn't stumbling about drunkenly, and could run like Applejack when she was mad and determined; not a good combination for her to be facing down.

But as fast as Scratchy was on his feet, she was a lot faster in the air; a fact perfectly demonstrated as she easily avoided a lunging thrust by simply turning herself to the side, and then swinging back around to kick him in the back of the skull as he overshot his mark, and went tumbling.

That was another thing that pissed her off. Nothing she threw at Scratchy seemed to have any effect on him. She'd come to accept that killing wasn't going to be an option, what with Ulquiorra had done to him before she got here, but was it really asking too much for at least one of the blows she'd delivered to his skull to be enough to at least knock him unconscious for a little while? Why'd he have to have a head like a block of marble anyway?

How Ulquiorra was faring against Misty, she didn't really know, as she'd been distracted with what was in front of her, rather than what was around her. As much effort as she'd put into just staying alive, it was too much effort to check on him. Maybe it was a bad idea to take on each others' opponents like this.

And there went Scratchy, climbing back up onto his feet yet again. Honestly, how much abuse could he take? Did she have to hit him with her Sonic Rainboom to put him down for good? The only reason she hadn't resorted to that yet, was because she didn't know where the foals were, and putting them at risk wasn't an option. She was just going to have to keep doing what she was doing, for as long as she could manage.

"Alright, Scratchy, let's see what you've got," she taunted him a she set down on her hooves and prepared to engage in another round.

This was no nightmare where she was powerless, not anymore. This was the waking world where she had full control of her options and actions, where she could respond accordingly, and things responded to her actions in turn. That gave her the advantage in this fight. Nightmare Moon couldn't negate her efforts by simply sweeping the landscape clear, and using Misty as she saw fit in an effort to mentally break her. If nothing else then she should at least be able to out-think this big dummy. This time around she had the home field advantage.

Scratchy growled ferociously and moved to attack, but she intercepted him and cut off his avenue of attack, blocking his sword with the use of her left armored wing, a loud metallic clang sounding as she did so, before leaping up to buck him in the chest on both sides of his gaping hole, and send him stumbling back from the force of the impact. That presented her with just the opening she needed to push her assault by flying forward, and engaging him at close range, using all six of her limbs for various swipes, blows, and kicks, actually putting him on the defensive for a change as he tried to intercept and block them in an effort to manage a counterattack. Really she was just trying to keep him on his toes and unable to reestablish himself, she didn't care how she went about doing it.

"If that's what you've got, then you really are fucked!" she stated, before delivering a brutal flash kick that caught him right under the chin with all of her might.

The force behind the kick, while being enough to make her do a back flip before she could come to a complete stop, was simultaneously enough to propel Scratchy right off the floor, and send him flying almost straight up. Seeing the opportunity she was presented with, she flew in close and repeated the same tactic with another flash kick, propelling Scratchy even higher up. Now he really was in her domain, where she had the most control of their surroundings. And she was going to take full advantage of that fact.

In a flash she was behind him, wrapping her forelegs around his midsection, and pinning his arms at his sides, right below the elbows to greatly reduce his ability to move. "Gotcha!" she shouted triumphantly.

Much as would be expected, Scratchy wasn't the least bit happy about being restrained, and was fighting to get loose, growling the entire time.

"Careful now," she taunted him as she held firm, "half of all falls that result in death occur at less than twenty feet up. And we're way higher than twenty feet right now," she said as she proceeded to shake him and swing him side to side in a jarring fashion to try and take some of the fight out of him. "You and I are just gonna wait up here where you can't get into any trouble. Ulquiorra's gonna turn Misty into paste down below, and then we're both gonna rip you apart. And there's not a thing you can do about it."

She was confident in her position now, realizing that she didn't have to fight harder than Scratchy, she just had to fight smarter than him. With Scratchy's arms restrained at his sides, there was very little he could actually do against her. Now it was just a matter of being patient, and waiting for Ulquiorra to get done with what he was doing, so he could supply the muscle. And considering how Scratchy weighed less than another pony, she could do that with relative ease, even with the armor being a factor.

Or at least that's how it should've gone anyway. Scratchy, however, had other ideas in all of this, and started working at getting loose again. But rather than struggling or trying to kick his way free, he was working at breaking her hold on him by overpowering her grip. And much to surprise and disbelief, it was working too! How was that even possible?

"No way!" she stated in disbelief as her forelegs were being forced apart. She was sure that she'd stripped him of whatever leverage he had, leaving him helpless to do anything of significance, but now she was seeing how that wasn't really the case.

She struggled to keep him contained, but soon found that to be an impossibility. Despite working from a totally dead stop, Scratchy eventually managed to completely break free from her hold. But rather than falling to the ground like she'd expected to happen, he managed to grab a firm hold on her hind leg with his left hand, with a very stout grip.

"Hey, you, no holding hooves on the first date!" she yelled as she now tried to shake him off, kicking at his hand in an effort to break his hold and get herself loose. But try as she might, his hands proved to be just as durable and resilient as the rest of him, and breaking his grip was turning out to be anything but easy.

Her efforts at getting loose came to an immediate halt as Scratchy went on the offensive, and started swiping at her with his sword. In such tight quarters there was no getting away, and no using her wings as shields since she needed them to stay aloft. That unfortunately left her with little option but blocking with her hoofwear to avoid having something important get cut off.

"Let me go!" she yelled as she took every opportunity she had to shake Scratchy loose from her leg, in between stopping him from using his sword against her, but he held on for dear life regardless. Her leg was getting tired, feeling like all the extra weight was going to pull it right out of her hip joint each time she tried to make him let her go. She knew that if that happened, things were going to go very bad for her.

With determination and desperation beginning to merge together, she swung her left upward as hard as she could, swinging Scratchy up in the process, before slamming both of her shod hooves down on the back of his head as hard as she could. There was a cracking noise that followed the impact, but what it was she didn't know, nor did she care; all she cared about was that it was apparently enough to make him disengage his death grip on her leg, and he was now in free fall for the ground.

For a normal pony, a fall from this height would easily prove fatal. But Scratchy was nothing even close to a pony, so she wasn't sure what was going to happen. Nor was she sure if she should intervene or not. There was no need to save him, but at the same time if she didn't, he was just going to interfere with whatever Ulquiorra was doing, and put her back at a disadvantage since he'd be on solid ground again.

"Forget it," she grumbled, before breaking into a dive after Scratchy, before bringing herself around, rising her right hind leg, and dropping it in a wicked axe kick right on his spine to accelerate his descent to the ground, causing him to slam into the forest flooring with more force than if she'd done nothing at all.

Judging by the sound of the impact, it had likely hurt a lot.

Rainbow Dash panted, physically winded from all of that. When Ulquiorra had described this thing as nothing but a marionette that Nightmare Moon hadn't learned how to properly control, she'd mistakenly believed that it wouldn't be this difficult of a fight. But she'd thought so, so very wrong. This was an endurance marathon, designed to push her to her breaking point, and leave her a crumpled mess on the floor.

Or maybe it was designed to push Ulquiorra to whatever his breaking point was. If that was the case, she didn't know how she was stacking up comparatively. All she knew for certain was how she couldn't keep this up all night.

"I wonder how much blood a pony has to lose before it starts affecting them," she muttered to herself in between breaths. The cut on her leg from Misty's whip had shown no signs of healing; understandable considering how much she'd been moving about as of late, but still disturbing nonetheless with how much of her blue fur was being stained a dark red. She had no idea if it was worse than it looked, or if it looked worse than it was. All she knew was that it was still more blood than she was comfortable with seeing. "I'm sure not getting a pint of Q-positive out here..."

She needed to touch down and land. Staying up here certainly wasn't doing anyone any good. All she was doing was tiring herself out further.

"I'm gonna be sore tomorrow," she said to herself as she descended and set down on all four of her hooves, her armor creaking as she folded her wings in at her sides.

Unfortunately as she did, she realized that Scratchy was nowhere to be found. Nor were there any signs of where he'd landed either. Not that the fog was really helping any, but she should've been able to see something. She looked left, she looked right, she even turned completely around, but he wasn't anywhere to be found in this mess.

"Where'd he go? I was sure he landed here," she said to herself. Surely she hadn't been that far off in her aim.

Her answer came as she felt her hind leg grabbed from behind, and practically wrenched out from under her as she was dragged off the ground, and swung about in a circle like she was being used for a hammer toss. Somehow Scratchy had gotten behind her, despite her having just looked there and seen absolutely nothing! By the time she found herself stuck in the third rotation she was screaming helplessly, before she was hurled and set flying like she was nothing but a stupid frisbee!

Her unexpected flight was cut short, however, as both her rear hooves came to rest against the trunk of a tree, her legs bending to help absorb the shock of the impact.

"Booyah!" she yelled as she kicked off from the tree, propelling herself at Scratchy and slamming into his midsection, tackling him to the ground with enough force to bounce right back off, before slamming his back into the nearest tree.

"You're seriously pissing me off!" she stated as she pulled back and began slamming her hooves into his front, raining down all manner of blows to his face and chest, intent on knocking him right through the tree he was pinned against. She didn't care if it was a possibility in her condition on not, that wasn't going to stop her from trying her hardest to achieve that goal.

"You fucked up when you attacked my friends!" she yelled as she belted Scratchy right across the face with her right hoof. "You should've just focused on me!" as she slugged with her left hoof. "But you just had to go and fuck with all of us!" she continued as she slammed both hooves down on Scratchy's head at the same time. "Now look at what you've got!" she declared as she kicked him right in the face with her back hoof, slamming the metal of her shoe right into his exposed teeth.

Punch, kick, punch, kick, it didn't matter to her what blow she delivered, just so long as it made contact with the intended target, and gave a satisfying sense of impact. Each blow made her feel just a little bit better, about herself, about the overall situation, and about life in general. She was taking charge of her life again, she was awake, and she was the final determinator of her fate. Nopony else would decide what she felt, thought, or believed; absolutely nopony!

"Here's a little something, from me to you, with all the love you deserve to get," she said as she placed both front hooves on Sandy's shoulders, "FUCK YOU!" she yelled as she pulled her right hind leg back as far as she could, and swung it forward, kicking him right between his spindly legs with all of her might. She then did the same maneuver a second time. And then a third time, just to make sure the point had successfully gotten across, and that nothing was left to doubt.

She was exhausted by this point. Her wings were starting to feel like they were made of lead, and it was harder to catch her breath than it had been. Luna hadn't been exaggerating when she said she wasn't in any shape for an extended fight in her condition. She felt like she was running on pure fumes at this point. Plus the armor wasn't helping out either; it didn't matter if she was only perceiving a few pounds thanks to the lightening enhancements, it was still extra weight added to a regimen that hadn't factored in such things. She couldn't keep this up, and she knew it. All she could do was hope that she'd gotten her point across with that last kick, and that Scratchy would be down for a bit as a result.

No such luck with that. Before she could react, Scratchy had grabbed her right foreleg and held it firmly, cutting off her avenue of escape, before attempting to cut her in half. Whether through conscious thought, instinct, or pure dumb luck, she trapped the sword blade before her foreleg and her armor, pinning it at her side so he couldn't get it loose and do anymore harm to her.

In light of this development, only one conclusion seemed logical to Rainbow Dash at this point; Scratchy was a gelding. He didn't have any junk to his name! That meant her kicks had been useless, and had just likely pissed him off all the worse. And now she was trapped in uncomfortably close proximity to him, and all those sharp teeth...

"Let me go!" she yelled and proceeded to do the only thing that came to her mind; she pulled her head back and slammed it forward as hard as she could, headbutting him with all of her might.

The pain that followed in the aftermath was excruciating. And the use of language in the aftermath reflected that fact, both in substance and volume.

The landing Rainbow Dash experienced as she entered the clearing was one of her less graceful ones, finally culminating with a rolling stop against a tree trunk to her side. But that was to be expected, considering the fact that she'd just been grabbed and thrown like she had.

The pain of the landing was lessening, but she was still tempted to just lay still, and maybe pass out in the process. Right now that sounded like a reasonably acceptable idea.

"Problems?"

The sound of the voice interrupted her plans on how to proceed, and motivated her to roll over and look at who was addressing her. The who turned out to be Ulquiorra. But what he was doing wasn't anything like she was expecting. It was so unexpected, it was totally pissing her off, and making her forget about her own pain.

Not only was Ulquiorra not covered in blood, but Misty was still alive and kicking! And in this case it was a literal evaluation of the situation, with her currently pinned to the ground, muttering and flailing about helplessly as Ulquiorra sat atop her, keeping her in the prone position.

"Why you..." she grumbled as she climbed back to her hooves, pushing the discomfort off to the side to make room for her fury. "I've been slugging it out with Scratchy all over this forest, and you've just been sitting on your ass this whole time!?" she shouted.

"Technically it's your ass, not mine," Ulquiorra replied from his improvised perch.

Rainbow Dash scowled in response. "Oh hardy, har, har."

"As I'm sure you're aware by now, whatever these things are, they're incredibly resilient to being killed," he pointed out, before emphasizing the point by slamming his right fist against the side of Misty's head in an effort to quiet her down some. "The best course of action available seems to be keeping them occupied to hinder their interference. And in answer to your question, I've been doing far more than simply sitting here."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Rainbow Dash asked, skeptical of his claim that he was doing anything beyond being a paperweight.

"Tracking your movements in the fog as you did battle with the Kurostruct, in an effort to map out the area it treads, while trying to prevent you from traveling further," Ulquiorra explained. Rainbow Dash's reiatsu was really the only thing he could sense in this entire area that stood out in the fog, making her easy to track with his pesquisa. "There's definite evidence of a conscious effort to prevent you from traveling further northward, suggesting the foals are being held somewhere in that general direction. South, east, west, this entire time you've been traveling in every single direction except north. The process of elimination suggests we'll find the hostages there."

"Really? Awesome!" Rainbow Dash stated, before finally taking note of something wet running down her face. She reached up and wiped with her foreleg, before pulling back in horror at seeing the dark red stain her fur had practically soaked up. "Great, headbutting that butthead probably wasn't my best decision."

She knew from experience that head wounds tended to bleed worse than others, even if the damage wasn't all that serious. She should've known that doing something like that was going to screw her over, but she hadn't been thinking at the time and simply acted. Now she was going to be paying for it.

"Get down."

Before she could even ask what Ulquiorra was talking about, he was already on his feet, Misty's cape firmly held in his hand as he swung her around and hurled her right at her. She dropped out of pure instinct as the costumed unicorn went sailing over her head, before a loud commotion erupted behind her. Looking behind her, she saw that Scratchy had made his way to the clearing, and had just met Misty in a head on collision that knocked him right off his feet.

"Dude, that was cool," Rainbow Dash said as she got back onto her hooves, watching as Scratchy and Misty were both trying to recover from what had just happened. It definitely wasn't a pretty sight, with how awkward and ungainly Scratchy was; evidence of what Ulquiorra has said earlier about Nightmare Moon not knowing how to properly use the body. It would be hilarious if it wasn't so terrifying.

"Your glowing evaluation aside, this is a serious matter we find ourselves in. So long as the foals remain unaccounted for, I can't risk using my Cero against either one of them. And they'll remain a liability for as long as we have to contend with these two," Ulquiorra stated.

"Well then get going, I'll keep them busy," Rainbow Dash replied as she wiped her face again in preparation of more battle. "I can take care of myself. You can find them a lot faster than I can."

Ulquiorra didn't even have the chance to rebuke Rainbow Dash for her stupidity in believing that she could successfully take on the Kurostruct by herself, in addition to the presence of the Mare Do Well illusion, before she took off towards them to re-initiate her engagement. She didn't even wait for the Kurostruct to finish getting back to its feet before swooping around behind it, and pulling it into a headlock with her forelegs, before using her armored wings to batter its head.

Commendable. She was stupid, but she was commendable. Despite being obviously fatigued in stature, with her vision compromised with her head wound, she was refusing to back down against a superior opponent. A superior opponent, who at the moment seemed unable to reach all the way back behind it, and actually pull her loose. Perhaps she wasn't as hopelessly outclassed as he initially thought.

Of course that didn't change the fact that the Mare Do Well construct was free to engage however it saw fit; a fact that was about to become painfully apparent as it drew its whip back in preparation of striking Rainbow Dash from behind. That simply wouldn't do.

"Our business isn't yet concluded," he stated as he appeared behind the lot of them in a flash of sonido, and grabbed it from behind by its neck, lifting it right up off the ground, and flinging it backwards into the nearest tree. Not through the tree, but that made little difference; if it were a normal pony, its spine would've been snapped from the impact. But this wasn't a normal pony by any measure.

"Outstanding durability aside, it doesn't change the fact that you're nothing but trash," he said as he walked over to where it laid, gripped it by its throat as he lifted it up off the forest floor, and proceeded to repeatedly slam his right fist into its barrel. Each blow delivered caused its limbs to spasm, as it emitted inequine shrieks. But whether or not this was due to experiencing actual pain, he couldn't tell. Nor could he really bring himself to actually care one way or the other.

"Oogiora!"

The strangulated, garbled scream from behind definitely caught his attention. He stopped his assault momentarily to turn and look, only to find that Rainbow Dash had lost control of her own situation. He didn't know how it had happened, but somehow the Kurostruct had managed to get her around to the front, and was currently maintaining a tight grip on her neck, unmoved by her efforts at prying herself loose with her hooves. But the source of the garbled yell came from the fact that its zanpakutō was dangerously close to her face, the only thing serving to keep it from cutting her apart being the fact that she was currently holding the edge firmly between her front teeth, biting down on it to inhibit its movement.

Despite her best efforts to the contrary, she was proving to be nothing but a hindrance.

A quick drop kick to the Mare Do Well served to free him up, by sending it flying straight upward at great speed, allowing him to firmly ensnare the Kurostruct's right arm.

"Let go," he instructed. No sooner had she relinquished her hold with her teeth, he pulled one way to restrain the sword arm, while she proceeded to try and break loose, either by trying to fly backwards, or simply kick her way free at any available piece of flesh.

"Get your hand off of me! Lemme go!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she viciously kicked Sandy wherever she could, be it in his ribs, or even his face, in a desperate bid to break loose while she could still breathe. But no matter how much force she put into it, he didn't show any signs of letting up. "Ulquiorra, get him off me! Please!"

"That's easier said than done at this point," Ulquiorra replied. The Kurostruct had enough strength to toss him about as it saw fit, and had demonstrated such facts. Already he was needing to hold onto its arm with both hands just to keep it restrained. If he let go now, even temporarily, the amount of trouble they were going to be in was likely going to be much worse than it was currently.

Desperation was started to set in for Rainbow Dash. Ulquiorra knew more of what he was doing when it came to choking somepony out, but Scratchy's grip was certainly getting there, making it more difficult to breathe. She set about beating him about his head with one of her armored wings as she kicked at his ribs, but nothing was proving sufficient. Finally, as the panic of asphyxiation began to reach a fevered pitch, she did the only thing she could think of; she unfurled her left wing all the way, and rammed the tip of the primary point of the armor right into his left eye socket with all of her might.

Whereas everything else they'd been throwing against Scratchy had proven ineffective, that had generated different results. The loud growling and rumbling he'd been emitting since their engagement had suddenly taken a far different pitch at the ocular invasion, and motivated him to try even harder to rip his arm free from Ulquiorra's hold than before; something that was proving to be quite impossible to accomplish, as Ulquiorra was maintaining a death grip that wasn't about to be broken.

In response to these facts, Rainbow Dash found herself being flung away by Scratchy, tearing the point out of his eye in the process. She managed to break her departure by flaring her wings outward and catching herself, before setting back down on her hooves. At least she was free, so that was a small improvement over just a minute ago. But they still had a long way to go before they were out of the woods. They couldn't really do anything with their opponents, and that was keeping them from finding Scootaloo and the others.

Before she could figure out how to go about reengaging in the fight, she saw Ulquiorra change up his tactics, placing his left hand under Scratchy's chin. A second later there was a flash of red light, a loud bang, a flash of explosion, and a now-headless Scratchy toppling over to the ground like a felled tree.

"That wasn't a Cero, was it?" she asked as she approached.

"It wasn't," Ulquiorra confirmed.

"So why didn't you do that earlier? It would've made things a lot easier," she pointed out.

"If I had, the proximity to the blast could've killed you in your current condition," Ulquiorra explained.

"Oh. Right, right," Rainbow Dash agreed and nodded. At least he'd taken her into consideration before simply acting. "So is that it then? Is he dead finally?"

"That would require it to have been alive in the first place," Ulquiorra pointed out. "Such details aside, waiting around to find out wouldn't be in our best interest. We need to find the foals before anything else can happen."

"Right," Rainbow Dash said with a nod. She wanted to find them and get them out of this forest before anything else could happen to them.

She turned to look around, wondering which direction they should head, before hearing a commotion behind her. Quickly spinning around she saw a blur of Ulquiorra's image, now holding an old kerosene lantern which he was in the process of lighting. She didn't feel the need to ask, as she could put two and two together herself. Why Ulquiorra felt the need for a lantern, she wasn't sure, but she'd ask him about that later on when the situation was under more control.

"So why didn't you do that earlier? I mean back in your world? Why didn't you go for his head instead of his chest?" she asked as they began making their way north in search of the foals.

"I admit, I didn't consider it at the time. I didn't foresee his Hollow side taking control of his body as it did," Ulquiorra admitted. If he had, then perhaps the situation would've turned out differently. And by the time it was apparent that he should've tried such, it was already too late.

It was only after, that he noticed Rainbow Dash was no longer following him. He stopped and turned to observe her as she looked back at the Kurostruct's remains.

"He's probably not gonna be needing his zanpakutō anytime soon," she pointed out. "Can I have it?"

The first thought that popped into Ulquiorra's mind at hearing the question, was the number of physical impracticalities that would be involved with her trying to actually wield the Kurostruct's zanpakutō if she were allowed to procure it for herself; lacking the telekinetic abilities of Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and every other unicorn in Equestria, she would possess a significant tactical disadvantage in trying to use it. The only way he could see it being possible, would be if she used her mouth in a prehensile manner.

The second thought that came to his mind, was the fact that it was foolish to leave an opponent armed; especially when said opponent had already demonstrated the uncanny ability of unbreaking its neck, and proceeding to walk about as if it had simply been slapped. Explosive decapitation might've done the job just fine, but why take chances with such?

"With the death grip it was utilizing earlier, severing the arm may prove necessary for such a course of action," he pointed out.

At hearing this, Rainbow Dash couldn't suppress the smirk that was quickly growing across her face, nor could she suppress the snickering that followed. "So what you're saying is, he can lend us a hand with looking for the foals?"

The look Ulquiorra gave Rainbow Dash in response was one best described as capable of curdling turpentine; a rather impressive feat considering just how little his facial expression changed.

"You're a moron," he flatly stated in response, "go and claim your souvenir, before I find myself tempted to do something physical that I might actually regret later."

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but chuckle a little in response. But she opted to not press her luck, and turned back to where Scratchy's body laid. The sooner she got his sword pried loose from his cold, dead hand, the better she'd feel about what might come later.

"What the? Hey, where's the body? Didn't we leave it behind us?" she asked.

Curious, Ulquiorra turned to look and see what she was referring to. Much like last time when he broke its neck, the Kurostruct was nowhere to be found. What the hell was going on around here? Where was this thing going whenever they turned their back on it?

"How's that even possible? You blew his head clean off! W-w-what... what the fuck is going on around here?" Rainbow Dash asked, a sense of dread washing over her in light of this discovery.

"I don't know. But I'm not in any mood to stand around and find out," Ulquiorra replied.

"You don't have to tell me twice, let's fly on outta here!" Rainbow Dash stated as she spread her wings and prepared to take off.

Unfortunately that course of action never got beyond the planning stage. Before either of them could successfully take to the air, Rainbow Dash was treated to the sight of a black sword blade exploding from his midsection, covered in his blood as it ripped its way through both him and his shirt. The look of genuine shock crossing his face just made it all the worse to actually witness, as she could see him trying to comprehend just what had happened.

She screamed at the sight of Ulquiorra being impaled, and then lifted up off the ground as the lantern dropped, his feet dangling in the air as he grasped the blade with both hands. And then she screamed again as it became apparent that it was Scratchy who'd just done it with a two-handed grip on his zanpakutō. All the while she felt utterly powerless as she watched Ulquiorra lifted up overhead, before Scratchy swung his sword to the side hard enough to throw him completely off like he was nothing. And now there was nothing standing between him and her. Without conscious thought she started backing up, as Scratchy slowly lumbered his way towards her.

What was she gonna do? What was she gonna do? She couldn't possibly stand up against that thing, not after what it had just demonstrated it could do to Ulquiorra like it was no challenge at all. Scratchy had just proven that he could skewer someone capable of beating -and even killing- a dragon like it was a common activity for him, how was she seriously supposed to challenge that? What was she supposed to do against something that could recover from having its brains blown out, and its entire head disintegrated?

Fight or die, dumbass, fight or die, her mind yelled at her. Every survival instinct she had to her was screaming and blaring sirens for her to do something to interrupt the course of events that were unfolding in front of her, knowing that if they were allowed to proceed without intervention, there'd be no stopping them. But what could she hope to do against this monster, this demon? Ulquiorra hadn't even had a chance, and he was the strongest of all of them. What was she supposed to do when he couldn't do anything? What if he was dying from his injury?

Ulquiorra, she'd almost forgotten about him and what had happened. She'd... she'd almost forgotten about her friend. Her... her friend. The same friend who had saved her from her own suicide attempt, and gotten her back on the course to healing in the first place. The one who had challenged her to stand up on her own four hooves, and then challenged her further, stoking her ego and infuriating her to the point of wanting to get better just so she could slug him. The one who had been looking after her every night, ensuring that she was safe as she slept. The one who had played a part in rescuing her from Thrush's clutches...

The next thing she was consciously aware of was the pain in her foreleg as her right hoof connected with Scratchy's jaw, delivering enough force to make his feet leave the forest floor.

Coherent thought was gone by this point as rage completely overtook her. This bastard had just killed her friend for all she knew, pushing her well beyond the point of being able to actually feel fear. Now all she felt was a burning desire for revenge. She didn't care how she went about doing it, so long as he was made to suffer for what he'd done.

"C'mere you!"

She flew up after him, latching onto him in a flying tackle as she soared upward, dragging Scratchy with her as she accelerated, climbing higher and higher as fast as her wings would take them.

"If you've got any lungs, you're gonna find out what it's like when the air in them freezes solid!" she stated as she continued climbing, intent on taking him high enough up that there'd be no way to survive a drop at such a height. "You die first, and then Nightmare Moon!"

She quickly breached the top of the fog as she rocketed upward, climbing ever higher and higher. High enough for the air to start feeling chilly against her fur. High enough to... what the?

All thoughts on what she was going to do were interrupted at witnessing something completely unexpected; Scratchy's body was actually disintegrating in her grip. She barely had time to process this new information as she watched him fading away in a mess of... fog?

Fog. These things were made up entirely of fog. Or more precisely they were made up of terror fog. No wonder they couldn't be killed; how could you kill something you were surrounded by? Even if they did succeed in breaking their bodies, there was plenty more to replace them with.

"Oh, you cheating bitch!" she shouted before breaking into a nosedive, heading back into the fog bank. She had no idea what she was going to do once she got there, as she was making it all up as she went along. She'd figure out a course of action later on.

She breached the fog for a third time, the dim light of the lantern serving as a beacon for her to find her way back to her original location. As she came in for a landed she proceeded to look around, looking for any sign of where Scratchy might be hiding, or where Ulquiorra might currently be. But despite seeing where he'd been thrown, she wasn't seeing any sign of him. First Scratchy, and now him, what was going on around here? How did bodies just disappear when you weren't looking?

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," she taunted as her eyes moved back and forth across the field of fog, the thestral vision spell allowing for nothing to hide from her in the shadows. Although that didn't stop her from having to actually look for it. "Maybe you shouldn't have sucked down all that fear. I think it made you afraid yourself. I think you're too terrified to come out and actually face me, because you know I'll kick your ass! You're too damn weak to fight even one little pegasus!"

In hindsight, attempting to bully the disembodied spirit of a demonic and vengeful alicorn probably wasn't a good idea. There was no telling how powerful Nightmare Moon was, or what the limits on her powers were yet. But right now she wasn't operating on hindsight, nor did she really care about things like that. All she cared about right now was delivering the thrashing of a lifetime, and nopony had better get in her way!

"I know you're here. You're what Ulquiorra's been sensing all over Ponyville, just like what he's been sensing here, so I know you're hiding. Either come out and face me... or I'm gonna take your fog away from you," she warned and gave a flap of her wings to emphasize her point. She was a weather pony, no miserable fog held power over the likes of her.

Her ears flicked at the sound of some commotion behind her, motivating her to while around and see who or what was trying to sneak up behind her. What it was proved to be none other than Scratchy. Again. Several paces behind her, and stumbling its way forward.

"Ugh, not you again," she groaned as she gave another flap of her wings and propelled herself upward off the ground. "Seriously, is this all you've got? Is this all you've fucking got!?" she yelled, addressing her surroundings rather than her selected opponent.

Scratchy, in response, growled in what she could only assume was fury at being dissed in such a manner.

Rainbow Dash responded in turn by blowing a raspberry at him. "Not so tough when you can't actually reach me, huh?"

Another growl came from Scratchy as he looked directly at her, followed by a red glow emanating from between his horns. It looked a lot like red static electricity crackling from between the two as it ran up the entire length, before finally gathering at the tips and coalescing together in the form of a glowing ball of red energy.

Rainbow Dash's eyes went wide with surprise as she saw this, her mind instantly recalling what she'd witnessed when Ulquiorra had shown her his memories of his fight against Scratchy back in his own world. Instantly she knew just what this was, and how bad it was going to be for her.

"Oh shi-"

"So Rainbow's back in town," Vinyl noted.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh replied.

"And she's sporting some wicked lookin' lunar armor ta boot," Vinyl continued.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh replied.

"And she took off inta the forest to help a ghost look for Ponyville's youngest," Vinyl added.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh stated.

Vinyl nodded in response. "See, this is why I like talkin' with ya, Mac, ya got a firm grasp of the situation."

Despite Ulquiorra -and now apparently Rainbow Dash- being on the case of finding the foals, the assembled ponies who'd been prepared to march into the Everfree Forest to find them hadn't been able to rest easy. The disappearance of Twilight and the others had only served to increase their unease with everything, leaving them to do little more than wait. Some tried to occupy themselves with distractions to varying degrees of success, while others could do little more than pace with anxiousness about not being able to do anything to help.

If it weren't for the crisis at hoof, the gathering would've been a pleasant one they found themselves in. Small talk was being made, it was a nice night out, they had plenty of illumination... it was enough to make some of the musicians contemplate bringing in some instruments to try and relax the mood, and soothe some frazzled nerves.

Of course such a plan left Vinyl out. Her music wasn't suited for soothing as much as it was energizing, and this crowd was energized enough with worry. That left her trying to pass the time with conversation.

Unfortunately the conversation was interrupted by a loud noise in the distance, followed by a beam of bright red light shooting straight up into the air, easily visible all the way in Ponyville! Many of those assembled scattered in fear, not having a clue what they'd just witnessed, and not having any desire to find out.

"Sweet Faust, what was that?" Vinyl asked, uncertain of what to make of it.

"Ah don' know. But Ah reckon we should let the others know," Big Macintosh suggested.

"Right on," Vinyl replied and quickly nodded, before taking off at a gallop for the library.

Rainbow Dash didn't know what to think. At the Cero being discharged she'd instinctively shut her eyes and crossed her forelegs in front of her in some effort to shield herself, even if it was going to be futile to try. But futile or not, she hadn't actually felt anything. The pressure on her bladder had certainly relaxed when she thought she was going to die, but other than that she felt alright. Curiosity finally won out and she peaked out to see just what had happened.

What happened had been Ulquiorra coming out of nowhere from behind, grabbing Scratchy by his horns, and forcefully pulling his head back so his Cero traveled straight up into the air where it couldn't do any harm, rather than hitting her.

As the Cero finally ceased, she concluded that once again, he'd just saved her ass.

"As usual, you seem incapable of staying out of trouble when left on your own," he stated, before proceeding to hurl Scratchy away like it was a hammer toss.

Rainbow Dash swooped in, and proceeded to do her best to hug the stuffing out of Ulquiorra where he stood.

"Dude, you're alright!" she cheered with both excitement and relief. "But... but how? I saw you get impaled. I-"

"I've had worse," Ulquiorra replied evenly, unfazed by the fact that he was being clung to currently.

While his high-speed regeneration was second to none among the Espada, and allowed him to instantly regrow lost limbs, the same couldn't be said for his vital organs. If they were lost in battle, there was no coming back from that; as had been demonstrated in his fight against Ichigo Kurosaki.

That said, however, that didn't mean that he couldn't regenerate organs that had merely been damaged, even severely. So long as a sufficient portion remained present, any tissue that had been lost could be completely replaced with little difficulty.

"Oh," Rainbow Dash replied before finally relinquishing her hold on him. She'd ask later on, once this whole mess was over. "I figured out why we aren't having any luck killing these things, they're made out of fog. I took Scratchy out of it, and he completely dissolved in my hooves. I think as long as they stay in the field, there's not much we can do to them that'll actually stick."

"That would certainly explain a few things," Ulquiorra noted, such as how he hadn't been able to sense anything distinctive in the fog. The fact that what they'd been fighting had been fog constructs really wasn't all that surprising to him. In his time here in Equestria, he'd seen enough things that defied his understanding of how the world -and even basic reality- worked around him. The number of things that he understood, were outnumbered by the things he didn't -or couldn't- understand. What difference did one more oddity, such as the solidity of fog, really make overall?

Although in light of his development, he felt he could -possibly- better understand Rainbow Dash's indignation over discovering that she had become a victim of terror fog. To think that something as simple as water vapor could easily hand both of them their asses, was not a pleasant thought to engage.

It only became less pleasant as the Kurostruct made its way back to them, while using its zanpakutō to demonstrate how it could easily cut through an entire tree in a single swing, causing it to crash to the ground with a loud commotion.

Rainbow Dash was, understandably, disturbed by witnessing this. Just the fact that fog could actually do something like that...

"He's not gonna be making it easy on us," she muttered, already knowing she'd have to be extra careful now. At least she still had her speed advantage over him.

"If you think that's your only concern, you're so very wrong!"

Rainbow Dash stiffened up at hearing that familiar voice, and turned to see Misty slowly approaching from the rear, walking in that totally arrogant walk of somepony who believed they had the situation fully under their control, and had nothing to worry about. She totally hated that walk.

"Do me a favor," she said as she turned to face Ulquiorra. "Stomp her skull into the ground while I take Scratchy skydiving."

"At this point that course of action would be unwise. If the Kurostruct can hurt me, it can certainly kill you. It would be best to refrain from swapping adversaries any further," Ulquiorra explained. She'd needed rescuing once already from such a course of action, a second time really wasn't necessary; she'd do better facing her own opponent, if for no other reason than the simple fact that it lacked hands for grabbing her. "However, if you're too afraid..."

"What, me, afraid? I'm not afraid of anything! I faced down Scratchy when I thought he killed you! I..." she loudly protested at the very notion, only stopping when she saw the look he was giving her as she did. She didn't just scowl at him in response, she outright glared at him. "You're totally fucking with me, aren't you?"

"Without the courtesy of even buying you dinner first," Ulquiorra replied.

"What?" Rainbow Dash asked, before quickly shaking her head. "Never mind, I'll ask later. I'll show you who's scared."

With that said she took off, plowing into Misty at full speed as she traveled along, and dragged her along for the ride.

With Rainbow Dash preoccupied with her own adversary, and -comparatively- safely out of the way, Ulquiorra turned his attention to the Kurostruct in preparation of his own engagement.

"Just so it's quite clear, and there are no misunderstandings to be had, this shirt you ruined was a gift," he stated.

A lot of thoughts were flying through Rainbow Dash's mind as she plowed into Misty at full force, actually shoving her along with her hooves skidding against the ground before she was slammed back first into the nearest tree. Thoughts like just how much rage she currently had in her, and how it felt like she was trying to contain a forest fire in her body as she proceeded to pin Misty against the tree with one hoof, and pound on her with the other hoof. There was so much adrenaline pumping through her system right now, and she felt so hot, she honestly wondered if she was going to burst into flames of fury.

She didn't care that this was nothing more than a fog construct she was pounding on right now. All she really cared about was how much pain she was currently carrying around, and wanting to make somepony -anypony really- understand what it was like. She so desperately wanted to hurt somepony else, just to make herself feel a little bit better. And if somepony had to be hurt, who better than the one that had hurt her to begin with?

"You're gonna wish Ulquiorra had stuck with you, rather than passing you off to me," Rainbow Dash stated in between blows being delivered to Misty's skull. "With him it's just business. But me, it's all personal. I've got an invested interest in making you hurt, and watching you bleed!" she yelled as she continued pounding away at Misty.

As she unloaded, she was trying desperately to tell herself that she wasn't actually enjoying the feel of Misty's skull being slammed against her shod hoof and against the trunk of the tree. Or the feel of the ribs in her barrel as she kicked her as hard as she could. There was a visceral, primal satisfaction to inflicting this sort of pain, on this sort of pony. It reminded her too much of the incident back at the Carousel Boutique. And worst of all, it reminded her of the fact that she had enjoyed it at the time, and had no intention of stopping at the time. If Spike hadn't been there to stop her, she would've followed through and killed Rarity on the spot, no hesitation whatsoever.

Now here she was, trying to drown out those thoughts and memories, as she wailed on Misty against the tree, slamming her back into the bark to the point it was flying off from the impact. Making it all the worse was that the more she unloaded on Misty, the angrier she felt as more and more rage just came pouring out of her. The dam had finally broken as an outlet had been found, and there was no stopping it. Everything she'd been dealing with, or bottling up so she wouldn't have to deal with it, was escaping as she pounded away on Misty, unconcerned about anything else.

Both the spirit and the fire were strong, but the flesh was weak. Despite all of the anger she had within her, she simply couldn't keep pounding away indefinitely. Fatigue eventually caught up with her, slowing down her movements, before eventually leaving her exhausted and panting as she learned against Misty for support, keeping her pinned against the tree.

"Oh my, what a violent little pony you are," Misty cooed mockingly, her voice carrying absolutely no signs of being any worse for wear, despite the beating she'd weathered at Rainbow Dash's hooves.

"Fuck you," Rainbow Dash spat as she kept Misty pinned to the tree.

"Are you offering?" Misty asked.

It took Rainbow Dash a moment to realize just what she was saying. When the realization finally set in she pulled her hoof back uncertainly, before slamming both forward and slammed Misty back up against the tree.

"You think trying to be cute is gonna save you? Don't bet on it!" she stated as she drew her right hoof back and slammed it right into Misty's muzzle. "After all the pain and suffering you've caused me, all you did to rip me and my friends apart, you're not getting out of this one. And after I'm done with you, I'm coming after your boss!"

Misty seemed unfazed by the assault. "You think that I did any of this to you?" she asked and shook her head in response. "You did all this to yourself. You're selfish and egotistical, overconfident in your own abilities and standings, you don't care at all about your friends unless they further your own ambitions. You're the one that hurt yourself, I didn't have any part in any of it. If you were a better friend you would-"

The following blow to Misty's barrel shut her up completely, causing her whole body to shake from the impact as she was slammed against the tree again.

"Don't you ever, EVER talk about my friends again! You don't know anything!" Rainbow Dash yelled, her exhaustion being forgotten as she found herself in a whole new degree of pissed off. Without even thinking about it, she relinquished her hold and raised both hooves over her head, before bringing both of them down on Misty's head as hard as she could, staggering her with the blow.

Misty just looked back up at Rainbow Dash again, unmoved by the emotional and physical outburst. "No matter how much you hit me, it's not going to change the truth of the matter. There's no denying it, you really don't care about them more than yourself. You'd let each of them fall if helping them meant getting in the way of your own desires. You're more interested in yourself than anypony else."

Rainbow Dash glared at Misty and prepared to slug her again, but stopped short of actually following through. "And why exactly should I listen to anything you try and tell me? You're not even real. What would you know about them, or me for that matter?" she asked.

"I know everything there is to know, about both them and you. And for good reason, too..." Misty stated, a practical purr in her voice as she spoke.

Rainbow Dash watched in surprise as the purple and dark blue trappings of Misty's costume practically melted away, revealing the pony they hid underneath. She'd been expecting the visage of Rarity, but that wasn't the case here. Instead she was greeted with the appearance of herself! There was another Rainbow Dash underneath the costume, now staring back at her. But this Rainbow Dash was different, all of her colors dingy and dark like she hadn't seen a bath in weeks, if not months, and the sclera of her eyes were completely black.

"What... what are you?" Rainbow Dash asked, finding the entire thing to be utterly disturbing.

"You mean to tell me that you don't even recognize me? You really are a dummy, you know that? I'm you. Or more accurately, I'm your darkness. I'm what you try so desperately to keep the others from seeing. I'm every negative impulse and dark thought you've ever had in your life. I know every nasty little secret you've got about yourself. I know everything there is to know about you, because I am you!" the other stated with glee and a sneer.

"So... that'd make you, what, "Darkbow" or something?" Rainbow Dash asked, more confused than anything. Or maybe she was Shadow Dash? Ugh, she really wished Spike was here right now, he was good with nicknames.

The other Rainbow Dash chuckled in response. "It doesn't matter what you call me, because it doesn't change anything. You and I are the same. Well, as far as being the same pony anyway. I'm just better than you, because I'm honest about myself. I don't pretend to be something I'm not to get what I want from others. I'm the more real version of you that you're afraid of admitting to."

"Every dark thought, huh? So... that'd mean it was your idea to kill yourself, right? You were the one too scared to face not knowing which way was up, not me, right?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Darkbow hadn't expected that sort of response, not from an idiot like this. She frowned in response to more or less being had, and proceeded to pull up her hind legs and kick Rainbow Dash in her barrel, pushing her back and letting her get loose. It didn't matter if the armor she wore was protecting her, that was a small issue that could easily be dealt with.

"You can be cute and funny all you want, it's not going to change anything, or help you out of this," she stated as she set down on all four of her hooves again. "You're in so much trouble right now, it's not even funny."

Rainbow Dash shrugged, unimpressed with the warning. "Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself. I'm pretty sure I can kick your ass just fine," she replied as she rolled her withers in preparation of the coming fight.

"Ugh, you're so stupid, manure for brains, do you know that? I'm you, remember!? If we fight you wouldn't be kicking my ass, you'd be kicking your own ass!" Darkbow yelled.

"So what you're saying... is that I own your ass?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Darkbow stared blankly at Rainbow Dash, before facehoofing and muttering various equestrian obscenities under her breath. It wasn't just the stupidity of the questions getting to her, it was the fact that she had a cocky, cheeky grin on her face that proved she knew exactly what she was going. Rainbow Dash was quickly stealing her shtick, and beating her over the head with it, right after rebuking her for using the same routine. "Oh you are so going to get it. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Are we gonna fight, or are we just gonna talk all night?" Rainbow Dash asked. She was getting seriously impatient with the lack of action that her foggy counterpart was instituting. If she was going to keep this up then she was going to go back and help Ulquiorra; Scratchy wasn't much for conversation, but at least he was entertaining in his own right. "You really weren't kidding when you said you were my darkness, were you? You're really boring," she stated.

"You want a fight? You'll get a fight!" Darkbow yelled back. She'd had enough playing around, she was doing to show this arrogant mare who the real boss was.

"Well then bring it!" Rainbow Dash stated back as she flared her wings.

Rarity hummed to herself as she went about her business, more to occupy her mind with something than to try and bring any sort of music to the current situation; it was quite tense right now, and she didn't dare do anything to set somepony off, even unintentionally. Their nerves were quite frazzled enough, what with there being nothing to do but wait, and all the while worrying about Rainbow Dash's well being.

They'd all been reunited a mere few minutes after so long of being separated, only for her to once again head off on her own for parts unknown. For all any of them knew, that was the last time they would ever see each other, regardless of Rainbow Dash's theory that Nightmare Moon wouldn't do anything to actually harm her. There were simply no guarantees to make them feel any better.

Hence why she was preoccupying herself with the one thing she actually could manage right now.

"One more stroke, and... oh yes, that's much better," she said as she ran one last pass of a comb through Zecora's mane. Much as she liked the look of the zebra's mane being down, it simply wasn't her. And with nothing else to do, she'd taken the opportunity to procure a comb and some styling mousse to bring it back more to its natural mohawk styling.

"Thank you, my friend," Zecora replied, grateful that Rarity had taken the time to assist her in such a manner, despite it paling in comparison to the more serious problems they were currently facing. Somehow it just felt... better to have her mohawk back again, even if it had been restored with chemicals she didn't associate with.

"Think nothing of it. In truth I should be thanking you. If I had to stand around much longer with nothing to do, I'm certain the stress would drive me mad," Rarity replied. The others might've been content to wait around the library's round table, but she wasn't.

"Yes, about that," Zecora started as she glanced over at the library's table, and everyone currently standing around it, and looking intently at the surface. "If I may inquire, just what events are they allowing to transpire?" she asked as she looked over at everyone else gathered around the table.

"I'm afraid I wasn't paying much attention at the time. If I remember correctly, Luna is doing something with her magic and the surface of the moon, to provide a bird's eye view of the Everfree Forest on the table's surface, while overlaying a representation of Rainbow Dash's location so they can see where the foals currently are. Supposedly it's to help them know where to go once she arrives at her destination," Rarity explained as best she could, now wishing her mind hadn't glossed over the explanation she'd gotten from Twilight as to what the process entailed. But the mare was so technical in her explanations, it was often hard to follow her.

For a while the library was silent. At least as silent as it could be with eight ponies of varying species and one dragon all anxiously awaiting updates on their friend, with most of them crowding around a magic map while waiting for updates.

"Might I ask, why do they not simply raise the sun? Would not such serve to make Nightmare Moon come undone?" Zecora asked.

Rarity paused, uncertain of how to answer that question. "I don't know. But I say we find out."

She approached the table, Zecora following close behind. The table was certainly crowded, but not to the point where getting Luna's attention would mean doing something impolite. There was -thankfully- enough room for her to gently prod the night princess' wither. She could only assume how presumptuous the gesture appeared to Zecora, to so casually touch a ruler. But with everything that had been happening recently, she doubted anypony would really care.

"Yes? What is it?" Luna asked as she turned her attention away from the table.

"Sorry to interrupt, Luna, but Zecora had a question that, frankly, has left me wondering. If Nightmare Moon is a creature of the night, couldn't we simply raise the sun early? Wouldn't that serve to put an end to her plans?" Rarity asked.

"If only it were that simple," Luna replied and shook her head. "Nightmare Moon is a creature of darkness, but she does not need it in order to survive. She abhors the light for many reasons, mostly for it being associated with my sister, but it does not harm her. Raising the sun would serve as more of an annoyance to her than anything else," she explained. Had it been as simple as that, she would've raised the sun a long time ago to squash that foul demon. "Beyond such, I do not want to give her anymore reason to harm the foals. There is no telling what she might do; she is vindictive enough to subject them to needless suffering out of mere pettiness."

"Look! Look!"

Luna explanation of why they weren't currently flooding the Everfree Forest with light, cutting through the thick canopies to banish every trace of shadow there was, was cut short by Pinkie's excited state. She quickly turned her attention back to the map displayed on the table, and saw a red dot now present; the same red dot that earlier had represented Rainbow Dash's position. It had been present up until she'd breached the mass of terror fog that had accumulated in the forest, before going silent. She had assumed that the fog would do nothing to obstruct their monitoring efforts, but they'd been wrong about that. This was the first real indication of just where she'd been in that whole mess, and all the ground it covered.

And just as soon as it had appeared, it was gone again, plunging back down into the fog where they couldn't follow.

"I don't get it, what's she doing?" Twilight asked.

"I do not know. Although I wish I did," Luna replied. With no way of cutting through the fog, it was anypony's guess on where they were within that mile of Nightmare Moon's domain.

Rarity shuffled anxiously on her hooves, the not knowing proving to be even worse than knowing gruesome details, as it allowed her mind to run wild. The only proof they'd had so far that Rainbow Dash was still alive, was how hard the Element of Loyalty was strobing and flashing within its case. And while the map showed her still being alive and mobile, none of this really told them anything else.

A loud crashing sound served to startle just about all of them, causing a group jump to occur before they finally realized what it was the front door being knocked on rather enthusiastically.

"This library is seein' more activity than the Manehattan train station," Applejack stated as she got a hold of herself and made her way for the front door to see who was knocking.

"A moment, Applejack," Luna spoke up, causing the earth pony to pause, and allowing her to walk past her. "Considering everything that has been going on, it may be another trick. And if it is, I wholly intend to wallop whatever is on the other side of that door," she explained.

"Well in that case, be mah guest," Applejack replied, not wanting to get between Luna and what she felt was important business.

Luna stepped over to the door, making herself ready for whatever might be waiting for them as it pounded away. She reached out and gripped the knob in her magic, and quickly swung it open to confront who and/or what was there.

"Princess?"

What she didn't expect to encounter, was a confused looking Vinyl Scratch looking up at her.

"What're ya doin' here, Princess?" Vinyl asked.

"Answering the door," Luna replied matter-of-factly, "what of yourself? What brings you by so anxiously?" she asked.

"Oh. Right. I think we might have a problem."

Author's Note

Three years. Three years this project has been going on, and I really can't believe it. What started out as a take on Dirty Bit's "Cuatro" has grown massively in its own unique direction. And I never would've made it if it weren't for everyone that've been loyal readers and commentators on the overall work. Thanks to everyone who's helped shape this.

Granted it hasn't been easy. There's been so much world building going on just to set the backdrop, I know a lot of you have felt it more of a chore than a joy to read it. Hopefully the action and plot advancement unfolding now will make up for how long you've been waiting to see it happen.

Deleted Scene

"Your glowing evaluation aside, this is a serious matter we find ourselves in. So long as the foals remain unaccounted for, I can't risk using my Cero against either one of them. And they'll remain a liability for as long as we have to contend with these two," Ulquiorra stated.

"Well then get going, I'll keep them busy," Rainbow Dash replied as she wiped her face again in preparation of more battle. "I can take care of myself. You can find them a lot faster than I can."

Ulquiorra didn't even have the chance to rebuke Rainbow Dash for her stupidity in believing that she could successfully take on the Kurostruct by herself, in addition to the presence of the Mare Do Well illusion, before she took off towards them to re-initiate her engagement. She didn't even wait for the Kurostruct to finish getting back to its feet before swooping around behind it, and pulling it into a headlock with her forelegs, before using her armored wings to batter its head.

Commendable. She was stupid, but she was commendable. Despite being obviously fatigued in stature, with her vision compromised with her head wound, she was refusing to back down against a superior opponent. A superior opponent, who at the moment seemed unable to reach all the way back behind it, and actually pull her loose. Perhaps she wasn't as hopelessly outclassed as he initially thought.

However that thought was quickly corrected when he observed the Kurostruct successfully latch onto one of her forelegs, and yank her off before throwing her back in his direction, only to be stopped as he intercepted her.

"Tricky jerk," Rainbow Dash muttered, before shaking her head in an effort to clear her senses. "Alright. I hope Luna wasn't expecting to get these shoes back."

"And why precisely is that?" Ulquiorra asked. As far as he could tell, all four shoes were still present on her hooves, so he saw no present reason for why they couldn't be returned.

"Because I'm gonna lose one of them when I cram my hoof right up his ass!" Rainbow Dash stated.

Chapter Eighty Eight

Chapter Eighty Eight

The smell inside the force field was growing worse as time passed. That was Shady's evaluation of the situation they found themselves in. The presence of bodily waste from the youngest in their group, in addition to the amount of sweat that had been generated from their efforts at getting out, was all contributing to a generally unpleasant experience.

And the less said about the lack of bathrooms in general, the better.

There was slightly less crying from the babies going on, so at least there was that.

Breaking through the force field hadn't proven to be a viable option to them. Neither had their efforts at trying to tunnel underneath it, despite their best efforts at doing such. That left them with two options right now; waiting for help to come and find them, or keep trying to find a way out on their own.

Right now they were opting for the second option rather than the first. This time around they weren't relying on muscle to clear the way, but rather magic; more specifically it was Snips' magic, as he tried to cut his way through the roots that were obstructing their advancements. Or at least that's what she'd gathered regarding the situation. Not being able to see anything made it hard to tell sometimes.

"C'mon, Snips, c'mon! You can do it!" she heard Pipsqueak -and several others- encouraging him in his efforts, cheering him on as he gave it his best shot.

Although she honestly doubted that a cutie mark for learning a mane-cutting spell would do much against tree roots. But they had to keep morale up for everypony's benefit, so she kept her mouth shut. If he couldn't do it they'd find out soon enough, and if he actually could do it then all the better. Either way it was just a waiting game to see what happened.

"Hey, Shady, can Ah ask ya somethin'?"

Her ears flicked up at hearing Apple Bloom addressing her, her focus turning to the voice that was in close proximity to her, rather than the background noise that was Snips' efforts at getting them free from their prison.

"I dunno, Twangy, can you?" she asked in turn.

"Wiseapple," she heard Apple Bloom mutter under her breath, before speaking up as she continued. "Well most everypony's been subjected ta one sort o' terror er another durin' this mess. Ah was jus' curious if ya were too?"

"Lemme guess. You're curious about what a pony whose been blind since birth considers to be terror, right?" she asked. She assumed Apple Bloom was nodding, since she didn't hear much else in the form of a response. She'd let that slide, for now. "Well in short, it's a whole mess of nothing. No sounds, no smells, no sensations, nothing at all to experience to let you know you're still alive. When you're blind you figure out what cues to pay attention to in order to orient yourself properly. But when you can't even feel the ground beneath your hooves, you don't know which way is up or down, left or right, backwards or forwards. I guess it's like suddenly ceasing to exist, while still being aware of it. I couldn't even hear myself screaming, which I was doing plenty of by the time my parents found me. I've never been so scared before in my life," she stated.

She could feel the shudder running up Apple Bloom's spine from where she sat, evidence that her experiences had made her quite uncomfortable just to hear about. And with good reason.

"That... that ain' jus' evil, tha's jus' plan sadistic!" Apple Bloom stated.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Shady replied.

But before she could go into better detail about just how sadistic her experiences had been to go through, her ears were swiveling as the commotion beyond the barrier started to become noticeable again. Only this time it sounded a whole lot louder, and the trembling in the ground felt a lot more pronounced under her hooves. It was like being around trees being felled, or on the platform at the train station as a big locomotive came thundering on by.

And then there was a loud, howling scream/wail like some sort of siren blaring in the distance.

"What in Tartarus is that!?" Scootaloo asked, her voice doing plenty to prove that she was disturbed by what she was hearing.

"I don't know, but I don't like it one bit!" she stated right back. Whereas the thunderous booms were bad, this was much worse in its own way, due to the pitch it carried to it. If her ears spontaneously started to bleed, she wouldn't be the least bit surprised. "Somepony tell Snips to double time it while he still can!"

Ever since arriving in Equestria, Ulquiorra had been forced to acknowledge and accept the fact that he would be confronted by things that conflicted greatly with his own understanding of reality, and how the world around him worked. Meeting Princess Celestia and Discord had made that fact quite apparent to him. He simply hadn't expected that the assault of the unfamiliar would be an almost-constant aspect of being here in this dimension, lasting the entire forty nine -or maybe it was fifty, depending on what time it was- days he'd been here.

At the moment, the most recent conflict that left him experiencing was confusion, was the mystery of how a physical construct, composed entirely of semi-condensed water vapor, could withstand so much abuse at his hands, and still show no signs of coming apart, while simultaneously proving that it wasn't wholly immune to said abuse. Every punch delivered, every blow landed to the Kurostruct proved capable of rattling and shaking its entire frame, sometimes sending it staggering, and only reinforcing the fact Nightmare Moon had little concept of just how to adequately manipulate the bipedal frame, putting both her and her efforts at a tactical disadvantage.

Unfortunately that wasn't the extent of the conflict he found himself in. Besides having the durability to weather whatever he could put out, the Kurostruct also had the ability to become stronger in response to the amount of force he invested into breaking it; that was the only way to explain how it was proving capable of rivaling his own level of strength.

At least up to a certain point anyway.

Subjecting the Kurostruct to explosive decapitation via his Bala had the unintended consequence of drastically increasing its physical strength, to the point of it being able to skewer him with apparent ease, thus at least making it a challenge for him to contend with. But since that point, however, there had been no significantly notable increases in its strength, despite the fact he was proving quite capable of dominating it in battle.

Perhaps Nightmare Moon had finally gathered enough reconnaissance via proxy on him to comprehend that he couldn't be outmatched by simply increasing its physical strength. Or perhaps the Kurostruct had been augmented to the extent that it was physically possible, and it was simply not possible to augment it any further. Perhaps the fog was devoid of whatever properties were needed to derive more performance from it.

Whatever the reason was, the Kurostruct was faring poorly against him. A fact that was painfully reinforced as he easily stopped its latest assault against him, bringing an end to its rapid series of thrust attacks by grasping its right arm by the wrist, and pinning the long handle of its zanpakutō against the side of its arm, preventing it from having any range of movement for continuing.

The next course of action involved forcefully wrenching its arm out to the side, while simultaneously bringing his right arm up and back, as he unfolded his hand until his palm was perfectly straight. He then swiftly brought his hand down and delivered a chopping strike right at the pivot point of the Kurostruct's arm, a loud snapping sound erupting in the process of completely severing the limb from the rest of the body right at the elbow.

The howling scream the Kurostruct emitted, as it grasped its newfound stump in what could easily pass for genuine pain, was unlike anything Ulquiorra had expected before. Perhaps Nightmare Moon really had been gathering reconnaissance on just how much of a threat he posed to her, and this presented her with just what it was like to experience a limb being violently removed. Perhaps it wasn't the Kurostruct screaming, but rather her as the sensory overload became too much for her to tolerate.

Looking at the severed limb now in his hand, he felt something. It was a strong, pressing urge to make a sarcastic statement about the current state of things. He would attribute it to the corrupting influence of the ponies he'd been forced to interact with during his time here.

"It's not as if you were actually using it anyway," he stated, before discarding the severed limb. He supposed he could've studied the limb to determine what its inner structure looked like, and perhaps garner more information about what he was up against. But right now he was more preoccupied on following up with another approach, that being grabbing it by the throat as it wailed.

"Now that I know you can be dismembered, I'm going to do just that. Even if you can come back, you're apparently going to experience for yourself, just what it's like to be ripped apart piece by piece," he stated. Now that its zanpakutō was removed from the equation, he'd have a much easier time doing just that.

Except for the fact that a red glow was emanating from between its horns as it charged its Cero attack. He hadn't considered that being a viable possibility at such close range. And now it looked like his lack of consideration for such possibilities was going to come back and bite him in the ass.

High above the battlefield being dominated by the two titans on the ground, an entirely different battle was unfolding in the air by two other combatants, each one of them trying to rip the other apart. And much like their comrades on the ground, how they stacked up against one another was certainly comparable.

Darkbow had the clear advantage in speed over Rainbow Dash, as she wasn't weighed down with armor. Nor was she already fatigued from extended combat with a previous opponent that could easily hold their own no matter how much abuse was dished out against them. Nor did she suffer any physical shortcomings such as malnutrition, meaning that she was in top fighting shape.

Rainbow Dash, however, had far greater maneuverability than her opponent, that was garnered from years and years of experience, and couldn't simply be copied and applied. On top of which she was fueled by righteous fury and the equivalent of a metric buttload of adrenaline, as well as an overwhelming desire to reduce her doppelganger to a bloody paste in retaliation for all the pain and suffering she and the others had been subjected to.

That proved to be sufficient enough to drive her onward in their struggle for dominance. There was no way she was going to give up at this point in time. In fact, as far as she was concerned right now, she was really just getting started in this aerial battle!

They swooped and ducked, they dove and dodged, they accelerated and evaded. They engaged in combat in a manner that only two angered pegasi truly could, each one of them trying to clip and cripple the wings of their opponent to send them hurtling to the ground. It was all very movement-intensive as they would clash, engage, and then disengage as they flew off in their respective directions, only to veer off and reengage in another bid for aerial dominance by force. In a fight like this, to simply stay still was literally death, and for multiple reasons. One couldn't afford to remain stationary in a situation like this, as that simply made them more of a target.

A violent clash erupted as the two met again, Darkbow ducking to avoid the swing aimed at her head, but failing to dodge the upward kick delivered to her chin, and shook her senses. She paused to shake her head in an effort to clear it, before refocusing on her engagement. It was only then that she realized Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be found. In that small frame of time, she'd completely disappeared from view.

"Where'd that chicken go?" she asked herself as she looked around, trying to find some trace of that blue flank in the fog.

The answer as to where Rainbow Dash had gotten to came immediately as two shod hooves plowed upward into her barrel by a very angry and armored pegasus. The force of the impact immediately and forcefully doubled her over -knocking the air out of her metaphorical lungs in the process- as she found herself being driven upward not from the force of the blow, but from the fact that her opponent was still in motion, and forcefully dragging her along for the ride as she rocketed upward!

Upward...

As the wind and the hypothetical blood in her ears wrestled for dominance over which would be heard by her exclusively, she immediately recalled what happened last time, and she realized that Rainbow Dash planned on driving her right out of the fog barrier! That simply wouldn't do. She flared her wings outward to slow and brake her ascension, but it wasn't doing anything to actually achieve that goal; she might as well not have any wings at all for all the good they were doing her right now. This wasn't going to work, she needed another course of action, and quickly.

Struggling to get some sort of leverage, she finally managed to push herself off and tumble out of the way, before managing to catch herself and avoid falling to the ground.

That had been way too close for her own comfort. If she'd been just a little slower in dismounting, they'd be high above the fog by now, and that wouldn't do her any good.

"Ha! I knew it! You're afraid!"

Darkbow immediately whirled around and saw Rainbow Dash simply hovering in place, glaring at her with enough superiority and smugness plastered on her face, that she couldn't help but want to grind it right off.

Not the smugness, but the face that wore it.

"You don't know anything, you stupid jerk!" she shot back angrily.

"You know," Rainbow Dash commented as she folded her forelegs over her chest as she hovered, "I was gonna ask how a mare as awesome as you got stuck working for somepony as lame as Nightmare Moon. But then I realized that you aren't awesome at all, you're lame just like she is!"

Darkbow snarled in response. "Keep talking, nag, you're just gonna make it worse for yourself!"

Rainbow Dash remained unmoved by the threat. "Oh, right, I might wind up hurting my feelings by saying the wrong thing," she replied and blew a raspberry, much to her doppelganger's annoyance. "You know, I'm actually curious about something. When you dissipate from getting kicked out of the fog, does it hurt to feel your body evaporating? Is that what you're afraid of?"

"Shut up," Darkbow growled.

"Are you one of those souls that Nightmare Moon stole from the foals the manticore killed? Does she use them for minions because she has none of her own? Or are you just a mess of fog that can't feel, and can't think for itself?" Rainbow Dash asked further.

"Shut up!" Darkbow yelled.

"What happens when you get killed? Do you actually die, or do you just reform and go back for more of a beating like some masochist?" Rainbow Dash asked, grinning as she watched with amusement at her doppelganger growing angrier.

"Shut up!" Darkbow screamed furiously.

"Or what? You're gonna go crying to Nightmare Moon and tell her that I'm being mean to you? Or are you just gonna try and kill yourself again, like the whiny little bitch that you are?"

That was the last straw needed to drive Darkbow shrieking mad. She didn't even try to get anymore words out, opting instead for a flying tackle. She was going to make Rainbow Dash shut up, one way or another, and she was going to make her wish she'd listened from the beginning when she still had a chance.

Unfortunately she realized only too late that she'd been far too hasty in launching her assault. She quickly found herself being clotheslined, which caused her to go tumbling end over end as she was carried by her forward momentum.

The next thing she knew, she was being grabbed from behind, and put into a headlock by Rainbow Dash, wrapping her forelegs tightly around her neck. She fought in an effort to get loose, kicking and trying to bite, but the only thing she could actually make contact with was armor. Armor that was completely unimpressed by the amount of struggle she was putting up, and didn't yield.

"Wow. You really do suck bad," Rainbow Dash stated as she held firm on her quarry, not letting go of her. "When you first showed up, I thought this was gonna be something pretty incredible; fighting myself and all that. Instead you're nothing but a disappointment wearing my face. Let's see if we can't do something about that," she said as she let go with her right foreleg, but held firm with her left.

"Wait, what're you gonna do now?" Darkbow demanded to know as she squirmed about, trying desperately to break loose.

"Oh, nothing much. Just a little something I like to call an armored noogie!" Rainbow Dash replied as she proceeded to vigorously rub her shod hoof against the top of her doppelganger's head.

Darkbow didn't appreciate the treatment one bit and started growling and squirming in an effort to break loose. She swatted with her wings, kicked at any particular body part she could reach with her hind legs, did anything she could to try and get herself loose. But try as she might, Rainbow Dash held on tight, and was relentless in her approach to torture. Making it all the worse, it wasn't even cold-blooded torture that she could respect, it was just the annoying kind that didn't achieve anything!

"I am so gonna fuck your butt raw for this when I get loose!" she yelled.

Rainbow Dash paused what she was doing at hearing the threat... for about three whole seconds. Before shrugging and returning to her work with gusto, really working at trying to dig her shoe into Darkbow's scalp, in an effort to try and grind it away. "That's still hardly the worst thing you've ever put me through!"

Darkbow simply gave an indignant shriek in protest, her voice cracking like a colt going through puberty as she did.

Being a Hollow, especially an Espada, meant possessing certain physical attributes that others simply didn't have. Attributes such as being able to analyze and comprehend complex information pertaining to one's surroundings, garnered from little more than a cursory observation.

Along with rapid perception, was the ability to accordingly respond just as rapidly, allowing for engagement of a combatant, or even avoiding an incoming attack that could potentially cause serious and significant injury. In an instance he could cross a vast distance faster than someone watching could blink.

All of that together meant that Ulquiorra was easily capable of reacting to the Kurostruct preparing to fire its Cero directly at him, such as kicking off the ground and traveling upward to draw its aim before critical mass was achieved, thus ensuring the destructive force traveled in a safe direction, rather than in the direction of innocent bystanders that would be killed a mile away from their current position.

Unfortunately rapid perception, coupled with rapid response time, didn't mean that it was impossible to get struck by an incoming attack; a fact he had learned for himself on more than one occasion. And it was a fact he found himself being reacquainted with as his right arm was enveloped just below the elbow by the Cero he'd just redirected upward. He'd remained still just a moment too long in ensuring the Kurostruct didn't aim wildly at whatever and wherever, and that deprived him off the full response time he'd needed to get out of the way.

Curiously, he wasn't feeling what one would expect to experience when their body was being struck by a Cero. He didn't have a clue what he was feeling right now!

As the Cero came to an end, he pulled his arm back to inspect the scope of the damage... or rather the lack thereof. Excluding what looked like scuff marks, his arm was completely undamaged by the blast. It was as if what he'd been facing had been nothing more than an illusion, conjured for the purpose of trying to provoke a primal reaction of fear in him.

"Was that it?" he asked as he looked down at where the Kurostruct currently stood. "Was that truly the full extent of your offensive capacity? Is that all there is to the magical capabilities of Nightmare Moon herself?"

Rather than simply flashing directly in front of the Kurostruct with his Sondio, and throwing a jab right at its face that would easily send it flying backwards, he opted for a slightly different approach to the problem at hand. In this particular case, that approach meant touching down on the forest floor, and slowly walking towards his quarry.

"If that is truly the extent of Nightmare Moon's strength, then it's no wonder she lost twice," he stated flatly. "Twilight Sparkle posed more of a threat, even when she was at only eighty percent reiryoku capacity. Even Rainbow Dash was capable of delivering more of a blow than that just now..."

He would be lying right now if he denied that there was a certain... base instinct that was being felt right now as he approached the Kurostruct, like a predator stalking its quarry before moving in for the kill. Something from a time long since passed, but still with a familiar presence all its own that simply couldn't be denied.

Quick as a flash he reached out and grasped the Kurostruct by the head, right between the horns of its mask, and began to squeeze its skull in his left hand.

"You've proven to be nothing more than a distraction; one that doesn't even have to be given consideration any further. Beyond which, you're also an annoyance; a deadly combination if ever there was any," he explained as he squeezed harder to prevent the Kurostruct from escaping his grip, regardless of its squirming. "The missing foals are going to be found, and there's nothing you can do to stop that now. They will be found, they will be moved to safety, and this entire ordeal will be ended in short order."

The sound of bone being strained in Ulquiorra's grip could be heard if one listened close enough. That straining quickly gave way to sounds of cracking, which soon enough led to the whole frontal half of the skull and beyond suddenly being crushed inward on itself.

Despite the lack of blood and brain tissue spilling forth from the newly gaping wound where the face had been, the Kurostruct's body still went limp and collapsed on the ground in a crumpled heap, falling backwards with the dark void of its face upward towards the sky.

He waited to see if it was going to revive. And then he nudged it with his foot -with enough force in its rib cage to flip it over onto its back- to check and see if it might potentially be playing possum.

Not seeing any signs to indicate a trap, he moved northward in an effort to locate the missing foals, and ensure their safety.

Those plans didn't make it past the first step. He turned and looked at the remains of the Kurostruct once more. It, much like the source material it was based on, had an annoying habit of returning from the dead whenever it was out of his sight, seemingly stronger than it had been previously. He really didn't need that happening right now. But at the same time he couldn't just stay here all night, waiting for it to possibly move once again. He would need to figure out an appropriate course of action.

That course of action came to him not two seconds later. Reaching down, he grasped it by its ankle with his left hand, and proceeded to drag it along behind him as he walked, its horns scraping the ground in the process. If it were to revive without warning, then he wouldn't be caught off guard by it this time around. It would be in his presence, and he could rapidly respond should an unforeseen development actually develop.

Darkbow spun about as she hovered in place, trying to keep an eye on her opponent's location in an effort to avoid getting ambushed by Rainbow Dash. Getting loose had been a harrowing experience to go through, and she wasn't in any mood to have to repeat the process so soon after having done so. She had to keep her eyes peeled so she could dodge whenever the attack was launched, so she could get to a better vantage point without having to worry about her counterpart circling her like a sky shark just waiting to move in for the kill.

Of course that'd be a lot easier if she wasn't traveling at such high speeds right now! She was getting dizzy from spinning around in a circle, just trying to keep up in monitoring her movements. She couldn't even think about counterattacking at this point in time; mainly because if she were to lunge forward again, she'd risk missing her mark, and simply be slammed into from behind for a whole new round of beatings.

"Think fast!"

Darkbow cringed at the yell as Rainbow Dash went hurtling past her from behind, causing her to flinch both in surprise as the resulting wind caught her, and simply not wanting to get clobbered yet again; especially when it was coming from behind. Unfortunately all that did was make her all the madder as a result, knowing that she could've been hit full force, and the only reason she wasn't, was because she'd been missed on purpose.

"If I ever get my hooves on you again, I'm gonna-" she yelled, only to be interrupted as she saw Rainbow Dash banking hard to the left and coming back around for another go.

And this time she was aimed directly at her. This wasn't going to be any near miss this time around. There was neither time to dodge, nor to intercept this incoming attack. The best she could do was thrust her right hoof forward with all of her might in hopes of catching Rainbow Dash in the face, so she'd at least suffer something serious as far as injuries went.

Unfortunately that didn't happen either, as Rainbow Dash thrust her own right hoof forward, the two clashing together loudly, bare hoof against shod hoof. But despite her best efforts, she simply couldn't overcome the forward momentum she was subjected to, and that sent her tumbling backward.

That left her prone to another flying tackle from Rainbow Dash, which sent her hurtling to the ground even faster, her unplanned descent failing to be stopped even as her back slammed into -and then through- a tree branch on her back. Even hitting the hard ground didn't stop her, as she simply bounced, before rolling and tumbling, before finally coming to a complete stop as she slammed sideways into a tree, and fell on her back, looking skyward.

It occurred to her that now was an opportune time to stop, and take stock of the situation. Currently she was banged up, cut up, and bucked up, laying on the ground from the vicious beating she'd been subjected to by her counterpart, who only seemed to be getting stronger. How exactly did stuff like that happen?

"This night can't possibly get any worse," she grumbled.

And then she was proven wrong as Rainbow Dash body slammed her, landing roughly right on top of her, and then parking her flank right on her barrel to pin her down.

"Hate you..." Darkbow groaned, "hate you so much...."

"Yeah, yeah. Take a number," Rainbow Dash replied dismissively. "It's not my fault you hate yourself so much that you wanna kill yourself."

It was then that Darkbow felt her tail being tugged on. And then she felt it getting warm and wet at the end. It was then that the realization of what was going on hit her, even though she couldn't see anything more than her counterpart's backside. "Oh you are so not wiping your nasty head blood off with my tail!"

"My blood, my tail, I can do whatever I want," Rainbow Dash replied.

"Get your fat, bony butt off of me!" Darkbow shrieked angrily as she started squirming and struggling harder to get loose.

"Oh settle down, you're not going anywhere," Rainbow Dash retorted and settled in for the long haul, intent on keeping her unruly doppelganger from getting free. "And while you're down there admiring the view, how about you clean up your mess? My flank is still bleeding from where you hit me with that whip! Lick it like a dog would, you stupid bitch!"

Before Rainbow Dash knew what hit her, she found Darkbow's legs on either side of her head, wrapped tightly around her neck. The next thing she was aware of was being roughly thrown aside like she was nothing, sending her crashing to the ground in a heap as she landed on her face. That had pissed her off more than she had been.

"Oh you're so gonna pay for that!" she yelled as she got back up onto her hooves.

"I should be saying that to you, you unruly nag! I hope you enjoyed your little demonstration of disobedience, because now that's over! You're going to learn your place!" Darkbow barked in response.

"Oh? You think you've got what it takes to put me in my place, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked, amused by her doppelganger's attitude. "Well then let's see what you've got! Bring it!"

"As you wish," Darkbow replied with a sadistic grin.

Rainbow Dash didn't have a clue what her doppelganger was up to. But she had serious doubts that anything new could be brought to the table. It had the same skills that she did, so what could she really do that both she and Scratchy hadn't already attempted against her, and failed doing?

That unasked question soon got answered as Rainbow Dash watched what the other one was up to. Her whole outer appearance changed, like millions of little pieces in a double-sided puzzle flipping over to reveal what was hidden just underneath. Leg joints were reoriented, fur and feather was replaced by scale and membrane, with two curved back black horns appearing on either side of her head, as a long row of spines ran down her cyan blue back and newly reptilian tail, from the base of her rainbow mane, all the way to her matching tail tuft of fur. Hooves were swapped out with claws, with individual articulated digits, each with a sharp black talon on the end. Articulated digits that allowed her to effortlessly rip apart the hard ground beneath her as she pawed at it like it was nothing.

Darkbow was gone. Now Raindragon stood in her place, announcing her presence to the world at large with the loudest, most fearsome roar Rainbow Dash had ever heard, this side of Twilight's meltdown in Canterlot. All she could do was stare on in disbelief, and note how this was going to suck so bad on so many levels.

"Consider it brought," Raindragon growled as she turned her sights on Rainbow Dash, her scaly lips pulling back in a sneer that showed off her sharp teeth.

Rainbow Dash responded by quirking an eyebrow incredulously at the whole demonstration. "So... you're taking on the form that I got my ass kicked in? Isn't that, I don't know, counterproductive?"

Raindragon just snorted, steam expelling from her nostrils in the process, as she glared at Rainbow Dash angrily. "Counter this!" she roared and kicked off the ground, propelling herself forward towards her quarry at top speed.

Rainbow Dash didn't even have time to react before Raindragon was on her like Pinkie on a cupcake. She couldn't even blink before she was grabbed and shoved backward, her shod hooves scuffing up the ground as she tried in a futile effort to grind herself to a halt, before she was finally sent skyward for a whole new round of aerial combat. And unfortunately she was up against an opponent who could actually grab onto her this time around.

There was no doubt about it now. This was most definitely gonna suck!

Shady didn't know what was worse to experience; the unidentified commotion that permeated the area beyond the force field where they were held, or the stretches of silence where the commotion on the inside took center stage. If it wasn't the howling and the explosions that rocked the ground, it was the babies crying and the infighting going on between all of them. There were no answers to be found, no escape to be had, and they were turning against each other out of frustration with their lack of control over the situation. To some extent she could sympathize with it. But not enough to be able to tolerate some of the stuff she was currently hearing.

"And another thing-" Diamond Tiara started.

"Snap," Shady spoke up to interrupt whatever she was about to say. "Is there any chance you can possibly chew through this force field we're in and get us out of here?"

"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I can't do something like that!" Diamond Tiara stated.

"Well if your mouth isn't gonna get us out of here, then give it a rest already," Shady replied back.

Diamond Tiara blinked, before bristling with agitation at the complete lack of respect she was being shown. Just who did this pony think she was, do believe she was free to address her in such a manner? "Why you little-"

"I don't care who you are. And I don't care who you think you are either. I don't care about who your mommy is, who your daddy is, or how much money they have that you think you have; none of that matters. I could try and care less, but I really don't feel like wasting the energy it would take. So I'm only gonna say this once. Help us find a way out of here, or just shut up. Really I don't care which one you do," Shady stated.

Diamond Tiara blinked again, unsure of how to respond to that. She was no stranger to being the subject of scorn and resentment by other foals around her, but never had she been so casually dismissed out of hoof by somepony before, and regarded like her basic existence was totally insignificant. That... that was definitely a new one on her.

Based on her... admittedly limited experience with Shady, she knew that she wasn't a pony who was easily impressed, especially not by material standards. But at the same time she'd never been quite so blunt in her dismissals of others; not to her knowledge anyway.

"Hey! Ah think Ah see somethin' comin' this way!"

It was Apple Bloom's announcement that broke Diamond Tiara out of her thoughts, as others moved towards the edge of the force field to try and get a better look through the fog and the darkness, to try and get a better idea of just what they'd have to deal with.

There was definitely something out there, slowly making its way towards their position, but unable to make out any identifying details due to the denseness of the fog surrounding it. Whatever it was, though, it didn't appear to be in any big hurry to reach them. It was almost like it knew they couldn't get away, and had no reason to exert itself by moving faster than it currently was. It was all very unnerving to experience, more than enough to make the hairs on the backs of their necks stand up in uncomfortable anticipation of whatever was coming for them.

"What kind of monster is coming after us this time?" Silver Spoon asked, desperate to run in an effort to escape the interim, but knowing there was nowhere to go but run in a circle.

Sweetie Belle squinted, trying to make out some identifying details to what was making its way towards them. Manticore? Dragon? Cockatrice? Hydra perhaps?

But then she smiled wide at what she saw. "The best kind of monster there is to have coming your way!"

"Mr. Cifer!" Apple Bloom yelled in excitement, relief washing over her as she saw him making his way through the fog. She couldn't really see what was behind him, but she didn't care about that right now, as she beat against the force field with her front hoof in an effort to get his attention. "Hey, Mr. Cifer, we're over here!"

Her efforts were soon joined by other foals, banging on the force field and calling out to draw Ulquiorra's attention to their position. Whether it was through their efforts at drawing his attention, or he was simply moving in their direction to begin with, he eventually stopped several feet away from the edge of the force field, looking right at them.

"Boy are we glad ta see ya!" Apple Bloom stated.

Scootaloo nodded eagerly. "Can you get us out of here?"

"We're about to find out," Ulquiorra replied as he approached, his voice sounding somewhat muffled through the force field. He then threw whatever he'd been carrying with him against the wall of the barrier, where it crumpled limply like a discarded rag doll. "Keep an eye on that. It has an annoying tendency to get up when no one is paying attention to it."

Sweetie Belle looked at the crumpled form against the edge of the force field. It looked like a body... A dead body...

Immediately she recoiled in fear and screamed. "EWW!"

"What? What is it?" Shady asked.

"Ah don' know what it is. But whatever it is, its whole face above the jawline is missin'! There ain' nothin' there but a big hole!" Apple Bloom stated.

Shady's muzzle wrinkled in disgust at hearing this information, the mental image it conjured proving to be very unappealing. "That is without doubt, one Tartarus-grade sneeze."

"That must be what happens when you sneeze while trying to suppress a hiccup," Truffle Shuffle wheezed.

"Gesundheit," Silver Spoon muttered.

Diamond Tiara didn't have anything to say in response, far too disturbed by everything that was going on right now. This night was just too full of weirdness for her. On top of all that, where she stood provided her with the perfect vantage point of the large, gaping hole right in the thing's chest. She didn't know much of anything about biology, but she was pretty sure that shouldn't be perfectly circular and gaping quite like that! It was way too clean and all the way through. Shouldn't there be stuff like bones, and organs, and cartilage or something visible? And what about blood, how come there was no blood to be seen?

The weirdness of the night just served to get weirder when Ulquiorra literally punched the force field with his right hand. The force of the blow was so significant, it turned the entire construct visible as its blue structure revealed itself, confirming earlier estimations about its sheer size. On top of that the blow could be felt right through the ground and up their hooves, which was enough to suggest that he was at least partially responsible for what they'd been experiencing earlier in the night. The impact against the barrier's walls caused a rippling effect to spread out from the point of impact, like the surface of a lake being disturbed by a stone being dropped.

Questions as to how some... thing could possibly generate so much force in a single punch, were derailed at the sight of his arm snapping and breaking from the stress it was subjected to. Immediately all of them cringed in response, some of them even verbalizing their shock and discomfort at what they'd just seen.

Knowledge of precisely what his joints were called escaped them. But those that had been around him had at least some idea of what was proper in how they bent and flexed, and how they didn't. And right now there was nothing proper going on there. It was horribly cringe-inducing to witness, as he inspected his own arm it what could only be interpreted as disbelief.

Or at least what they assumed amounted to disbelief. There was so little change to his expression, it was hard to tell really.

Somehow the fact that he wasn't screaming in total agony just served to make the entire thing even worse.

"This is going to require significantly more effort," he idly commented as he gripped his arm.

Much to the disbelief of everypony present, they watched as Ulquiorra proceeded to, as best they could interpret, un-break his arm by snapping it back into place. The injuries incurred seemed to erase themselves from existence, as he demonstrated that everything was properly flexing again afterwards.

"How did you even do that!?" Archer asked, not believing what she'd just seen.

"Lots of spinach, and plenty of exercise," Ulquiorra casually stated as he tapped at the force field.

"That doesn't even make sense!" Noi stated. There was no way that healthy living let somepony reset a broken limb like it was nothing. What sort of monster was he supposed to be!?

Ulquiorra ignored the comment as he felt at the force field's wall, inspecting its integrity for himself. The results of his efforts were less than satisfying. "This is obviously going to require stronger measures. Standing as far to the side as possible is advised," he explained as he stepped back several paces.

The foals could only watch in confusion as Ulquiorra backed up, wondering what he was going to do. Surely he wasn't planning on charging it headlong after breaking his arm... right?

And then they noticed the green glow emanating from his right hand.

"What exactly is he doing?" Tootsie Flute asked.

"That," Sweetie Belle squeaked in horrified realization, "is what's called a "Cero." And you definitely don't wanna be standing in front of it when it goes off!"

"Scatter and hit the dirt!" Scootaloo yelled.

All the foals ran to either side of the force field -Shady being dragged by Dinky for the sake of expediency- as they attempted to put as much distance between themselves, and whatever was about to happen.

Outside the force field, Ulquiorra took aim as his target as his Cero charged, focusing on the upper portion of the domed structure to direct as much of the destructive force away from the foals as possible, in an effort to minimize the risk of casualties as much as possible. The very fact that he had to resort to this so soon, was a testament to just how far downhill this situation had gone so fast. But there was little choice that he could see right now; that punch was more than enough to fell a dragon, and it had done absolutely nothing to the structural integrity of the barrier.

He briefly considered the possibility of this force field operating on the same principle as the force field protecting the Elements of Harmony, and that his efforts could simply be strengthening it further. But that was a chance that had to be taken if they were going to get anywhere. There was also the matter of some forty bits being on the line, and...

Where the hell had that thought come from?

No matter, it was irrelevant. Once the foals had scattered to the furthest points possible, he discharged his Cero, colliding full force against the force field, before completely obscuring it from his view in the process.

The ground quaked and trembled all around them, the concussive force of the Cero being transmitted through the walls of the force field, which in turn was transmitted through the ground. The fact that the trembling was showing no signs of stopping was concerning.

As his Cero eventually petered out, he saw the results of his efforts, and the lack thereof. The force field was still standing, looking completely unfazed after what it had been subjected to. He might as well have been spitting at it for all the good it'd done them. About the only thing that had given way was the ground underneath it, as a channel was cut through the dirt and underlying soil structure. And by the looks of it, the force field extended underground as well.

Either that, or the ground had been breached, and the force field had automatically extended to seal the gap. Whichever was the case, this was going to prove to be even less easy than originally expected.

"Shit," he commented. If his own Cero wasn't going to work, then this was going to require even stronger measures than that.

"I don't think that did any good," Pipsqueak commented as he tapped at the force field as he and the rest moved back to center, and found it to still be present.

"That would appear to be the case," Ulquiorra replied. So far punching the force field hadn't worked, and neither had his Cero. He was starting to believe that going through it simply wasn't going to be a viable option, no matter how much effort he put into it. "We'll have to try something else; perhaps going underneath."

"We've already tried that," Silver Spoon stated, "there's too many tree roots to get through. Even Snips can't cut his way through them," she explained, Snips nodding his head in confirmation of the fact, despite the act causing his horn to hurt from all of the exertion he'd put on it.

"Then I'll simply dig myself," Ulquiorra replied. There was no way that something as simple as tree roots were going to keep him from fulfilling his duties in rescuing the foals. And once they were rescued, he was really going to cut loose.

"Mr. Cifer, watch out!" Apple Bloom yelled suddenly.

Before he could respond and seek clarification on just what to watch out for, he was greeted to the sight of a sword ripping through his chest and jutting out in front of him, the whole display causing the foals to scream in terror at what they'd witnessed. Glancing over his right shoulder, he saw the Kurostruct standing there, completely healed; likely something that had occurred when the foals had taken their eyes off of its remains when he'd discharged his Cero. He didn't have anyone to blame for this one but himself.

Without a word he grasped the forward portion of the zanpakutō and pulled it forward -and the Kurostruct itself by extension- giving him sufficient leverage to not only grip it, but also aid him in using his entire body to whirl it around with enough force to send it flying and crashing against the force field when he relinquished his grip.

Had it not gone through the preexisting hole in his chest, such a maneuver would've been considerably more difficult to pull off.

Before it had the chance to push itself up again, he moved to intercept it, and shove it back against the force field.

"Let's see if we can determine which will be the first to fail; my fist, your head, or the force field itself," he stated, before proceeding to pummel the Kurostruct for all it was worth, its head slamming back against the barrier with each blow delivered, only for the force of the impact to snap it back forward, straight into his fist in an aggressive cycle of pain. Each impact against the barrier's walls caused a rippling effect to spread out from the point of impact.

Inside the force field, all the foals could do was watch the beating unfold in both disbelief and discomfort, uncomfortable with the sheer amount of violence they were witnessing.

"Sweetie Belle, help me out here," Silver Spoon spoke up. "That thing with the skull face was missing like half its head when Ulquiorra brought it here, right?"

"Pretty much," Sweetie Belle agreed.

"But now it's got its whole head back?" Silver Spoon asked.

"Sure looks that way," Sweetie Belle agreed.

"And it stabbed Ulquiorra through the heart, right?" Silver Spoon asked.

"I guess so. It sure looked like it did," Sweetie Belle replied.

"But instead of falling down dead, it looks like it just made him angry," Silver Spoon observed. "Is any of this making any sense to you?"

"Not in the least," Sweetie Belle admitted. She certainly couldn't explain what they'd all seen. Or what they continued to see.

"And you're sure that he's on our side?" Silver Spoon asked.

"More so than-" Sweetie Belle started, only for a loud crunching sound, and a group exclamation of shock served to cut her off.

"What? What's going on now?" Shady asked, hoping somepony would fill her in on the details she was missing out on.

"Let's just say that I don't think any sort of creature from any genus, known or unknown, has a spine that's supposed to bend quite like that," Featherweight stated uncomfortably as he watched what Ulquiorra had just done. Worse yet was the fact that there was no way to actually un-see it.

"Oh that's so gross," Dinky grunted and gulped in obvious disgust. "I think... I think I'm gonna puke..."

"No! No! No! You can't puke in here you-" Shady started to yell frantically, only for it to be too late as Dinky lost the war all over the ground. "Oh come on! It didn't smell bad enough in here to begin with!?"

Luna's brow furrowed as she listened to the news Vinyl had brought them pertaining to what had been witnessed in the direction of the Everfree Forest. The map had done nothing to convey anything like what had been described to them, but she knew that regardless of such a fact, it couldn't possibly be good. She knew of what both Rainbow Dash and Ulquiorra were capable of doing, and neither one of them fired red beams of energy. Through the process of elimination, that left only one party who could be responsible for what had been witnessed.

"This is a most troubling development indeed," she stated to nopony in particular.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that was the case," Vinyl agreed. The general weirdness associated with Ponyville notwithstanding, Stuff like that just didn't normally happen.

"My word. What could Nightmare Moon be up to?"

"Nightmare Moon? Wait, what!?" Vinyl asked as she quickly looked up again.

Luna turned and glared angrily at Rarity for being so careless in her question. But she relented a moment later, the damage already done. The proverbial cat was now out of the bag, and there was no way of getting that tiger back in its prison. Now it was time to do damage control. Turning back to the unicorn with the untamed mane, she slowly nodded.

"We do not yet understand how it has come to pass, but it is true that Nightmare Moon has returned, and -much like certain extended family members who shall not be named- is proving herself to be a pain in my royal ass! She is operating freely of her own volition independent of myself, and is the one who has taken the foals hostage, preventing us from launching an all out assault against her. Ulquiorra Cifer has departed to try and stop her, but it is possible that even his skills may not be sufficient in stopping her plans. And until Rainbow Dash can be found, we cannot even use the Elements of Harmony against her," she explained, doing her best to explain the situation, without giving away so much information about just how screwed they were, that it would cause a panic to occur.

"Oh wow," Vinyl replied, taken aback by the news. Saying this was bad was an understatement. "So on a scale of one to ten, this would put us squarely on eleven for just how heavily bad this situation is?" she asked.

"Based on what is presently known, I would put the situation at hoof closer to six and seven eighths myself," Luna replied. Although grading disasters on poorly defined scales was more an imprecise art rather than a fine science; especially when there was an emphasis on avoiding a panic. "It is not good, but it could be far worse than it currently is; especially if word were to get out about Nightmare Moon's return, and mass panic ensued. Fear gives her strength, and the more fear there is, the more powerful she stands to become. That is why the rest of Ponyville absolutely cannot know about this development."

"I won't say a word," Vinyl quickly stated, suddenly feeling very uneasy about how she was being addressed in this situation.

"That is most reassuring to know. For right now I am in need of your... unique services," Luna spoke, her voice far softer than it had been just a moment before the unicorn's efforts at defending her good name. And judging by the confused expression on her face -what was visible of her face anyway- it was reasonable to conclude that she hadn't expected that.

"Um, Princess, I'm not sure what you've heard about what goes on at my gigs, but-"

"I am not asking you to do something illicit or improper, my little pony," Luna quickly clarified, "Nightmare Moon is strengthened through fear. I am merely asking that you keep Ponyville too distracted to succumb to fear, to inhibit her plans. Do you think you can do that?"

At hearing the clarification, Vinyl nodded and grinned. It was a cocky, confident grin that suggested one had the situation firmly in hoof, and knew it for a fact when others didn't.

"Gimme twenty minutes and I'll have the beats wubbing and the lights flashin' and strobin'. I'll tell everypony it's so the foals can find their way back to town!"

"In a few hours, such may be the truth," Luna muttered. "Whatever is needed, submit a bill to the Crown and you will be reimbursed for your services."

"Right. On it, Princess!" Vinyl replied before giving a salute, and making a break for the library's door to carry out not only her instructions, but the extent of the overall mission that she had been assigned.

With the DJ now absent, Luna turned to face the others that were present, and looking back at her. "That should help delay whatever Nightmare Moon has planned out. We can do nothing about the foals just yet, but she will not be able to siphon fear from the rest of Ponyville as easily if they are too distracted to be afraid," she explained.

"I don't know," Pinkie replied slowly as she rubbed her chin. "Vinyl's good at what she does, but I don't know if she has what it takes to actually get a party going all by herself. She might need a little help with that. Maybe I should go out and lend a hoof."

"Much as Ah'm sure Ponyville would appreciate that, we gotta be ready to move at a second's notice. Ah don' think there's time fer ya ta organize a party o' this sort," Applejack explained. They needed to head out the moment the Element of Loyalty resonated with Rainbow Dash again, and she knew full well that when Pinkie got to going with party planning and such, she could be a force of nature that could be neither stopped, nor even found if she didn't want to be.

"Yes. About that. I have been thinking, and perhaps it would be best if we were to all make an appearance at whatever Vinyl Scratch manages to put together. Just to reassure the residents that everything is alright," Luna suggested.

Celestia frowned, in a way that only she truly could, learned from countless decades of managing the day court and looking as serene as all Tartarus. She would freely admit that she still wasn't at her sharpest, but she still suspected that something was up. There was something about Luna's body language, and the tone of her voice, that suggested there was more going on here than what met the eye.

"Luna," she spoke up as she approached, "you're scheming something, I know it. Don't try and lie to me, or I'll wash your mouth out with soap if you do," she warned.

Despite the threat, and knowing that her sister was quite serious about it, Luna said nothing as she walked over to the case that held the Elements of Harmony and observed them. The strobe effect of the Element of Loyalty was still present, pulsing much like a heartbeat; ironic for being both reassuring and disconcerting at the same time. The fact that it was still strobing meant that Rainbow Dash was still very much alive. But it also meant that resonance had not yet been achieved. They were so close, and yet still so very far away from success. They needed more time.

Unfortunately time was very much not on their side right now. It was serving to be a valuable commodity that they needed more of, but simply didn't have.

Beyond that, if anything, time was actually serving to be just as much of a villain to them as Nightmare Moon herself was. It was working against them, depriving them of what they needed to achieve success in this matter, and severely limiting their available options. Waiting around simply wouldn't do.

"Very well then," she spoke slowly as she turned to face them, knowing that she had little choice in this matter. "I feel that I must undertake a mission of grave importance. And I do not want any of you present for what must come to pass, because what I must do violates every teaching that Equestria holds dear. I simply cannot, in good conscience, ask you to play any part in that; not even in a spectator capacity," she explained as her horn began to glow.

"Luna?" Twilight asked, a very bad feeling beginning to creep along her spine as she heard this.

"The information Vinyl Scratch brought us would suggest that Nightmare Moon is advancing in whatever she has planned, and I do not believe the Elements of Harmony will be ready in time to aid us. Because of that I am not content to merely sit around and wait, while our friends may be suffering and dying. I am proceeding to the Everfree Forest immediately, for the express purpose of locating, and killing Nightmare Moon myself!" she stated as her horn began flaring brightly. "There shall be no mercy shown to this demon, no surrender shall be accepted, and I will not leave the forest until I am absolutely certain that she is dead once and for all!"

Before anyone could speak in response to Luna's declaration of intent, she was gone in a bright flash, leaving the others to recover from the temporary whiteout they'd been subjected to, by whatever methodology had been used in her disappearance.

"Oh dear, this isn't good," Rarity stated. Although the words felt like a drastic understatement the instant they left her mouth.

Twilight was about to go into an explanation of just how inadequate Rarity's statement was for describing the situation they found themselves in, but immediately stopped when her eyes fell upon the library's round table. Or more specifically, what was no longer present. The map they'd been using to chart Rainbow Dash's position was no longer there.

"Oh no! No, no, no, no, no!" she yelled as she galloped over to examine its surface, nearly crashing into it in the process as she did. "This is bad. This is so very bad!"

"Wha's wrong, sugarcube?" Applejack asked as she approached.

"The map is gone, Luna must've taken it with her when she teleported so we couldn't follow after her," Twilight explained. And then a far worse thought came to her mind. Immediately her horn began glowing as she muttered frantically to herself, with the look on her face becoming more and more distressed with each passing second. "She even deactivated the beacon I put on Rainbow Dash when she headed out!"

"Which means?" Fluttershy asked.

"What it means is that Luna cut us off entirely by taking what we were going to use to chart our travel. With neither the map, nor the the beacon to rely on, we have no way of knowing just where in the Everfree Forest that they are right now. They could literally be anywhere right now, and we'd never know it," Twilight explained, trying desperately to not sound on the verge of panic, despite such being the case.

Celestia tried to find the words that were appropriate for the situation, but ultimately she had none to offer up. All she could do was sigh, close her eyes, and hang her head.

The number of things going wrong on this night were beginning to look insurmountable to Twilight at this point. The cure for terror fog was gone -and didn't even work, just to add insult to injury- all the foals in Ponyville were gone, Nightmare Moon had returned, and the Elements of Harmony were completely useless in their current state. Worse than that, they weren't even left with the small creature comfort of everypony being together for this crisis, and able to lend moral support to one another; Luna was gone, Rainbow Dash was gone, Ulquiorra was gone, and they had no way of finding any of them. Their friends were gone, and they had no way of getting back in touch with them.

The mental strain of so many things going so horribly wrong in such a short amount of time was far too much for her to withstand. Without any input from her on how she felt about the situation, the tears finally began to fall. And just like with everything else that'd been happening up to this point, she was powerless to stop them.

Author's Note

Alright, so this wasn't quite what I had in mind at the end of the last chapter. Or even at the beginning of this first chapter. But as I was writing it I realized that a crucial part was missing from the original draft, and needed to significantly revise how this chapter was going to end. As it was, what was going to come to pass was going to seem way out of character, even allowing for everything that's happened up to this point.

As usual I'm not satisfied with the end results. But then again I rarely am.

Chapter Eighty Nine

Chapter Eighty Nine

Try as she might, Rainbow Dash simply couldn't deny the facts; Raindragon was unbelievably tough! Far tougher than she'd ever thought it possible to be, considering how much good it'd done her when she'd used it, which had been pretty much none. But now here she was facing off against it, utterly dumbfounded by the sheer amount of performance it was capable of.

Just the fact that it could physically grapple her was bad enough in its own right, but the inclusion of the sharp talons that could slice her up just made it even worse to deal with up close. And unfortunately for her, it seemed to favor the up close approach above all else; she had enough cuts and scratches on not only her skin, but also her armor, to prove that fact quite well. Even just breaking free from its hold on her had been a struggle in itself.

Making matters all the worse was the simple fact that she was just a pony, facing off against what was a dragon for all intents and purposes. Her hooves may have been shod for greater impacts, but that didn't do much good against an opponent who could grab her leg, restrain it, and just as easily fling her like she was a frisbee; something Scratchy had done to her as well. She was starting to sense a pattern there.

There was also the fact that Raindragon was fast. Despite the bulk that its frame had, that didn't seem to impair its speed one bit. That just made the grappling factor all the worse, since it could easily engage her in short order, even over an extended distance. That put her on the defensive, as she tried to avoid being grabbed, clawed, bit, or even just plain slapped. That meant they were right back to their aerial maneuvers all over again, only with their offensive and defensive positions being swapped.

"I can keep this dance up all night long," Raindragon taunted as they circled one another, "what about you? You must be getting tired by now. Maybe you'd like a little nap?"

"Who, me? You must be talking to somepony else," Rainbow Dash panted. "I'm just getting warmed up. I can keep dancing until dawn," she shot back.

"Well then, perhaps it's time to drop the waltz and proceed with something more serious!" Raindragon stated.

The midair dance quickly concluded as Raindragon went on the offensive, jets of flames quickly entering the equation with a frightening speed that sent Rainbow Dash into evasive maneuvers to avoid being incinerated in the process.

Time to reevaluate the situation. Raindragon was potentially much faster than her, tougher than her, had claws to aid in close range grappling, and could now exhale large jets of flames at medium ranges for the simple purpose of burning her alive.

Unfortunately even that didn't look like it was going to help her out of this one. Every time she dared to glance back, Raindragon was following her. Every swoop, every dive, every twist and turn she completed, her adversary was still there, proving herself to be just as nimble and maneuverable as herself.

"This is so bad," she thought to herself as she broke into a steep dive towards the ground, only to pull up at the last possible second, hoping the other couldn't do the same. Unfortunately she did the same, and quite effortlessly too.

Had she known this thing was going to be used against her, she never would've created it in the first place. Why'd she even have to go and create something that could breathe fire? How did a fog monster even breathe fire to begin with? Didn't those two cancel each other out and....

That... cheating... bitch!

Enraged, she immediately broke off her escape, and whirled around to face Raindragon head on, her eyes narrowing in a hard glare at her adversary. She didn't even offer up a statement, before breaking into a charge directly at her.

Raindragon merely grinned at the show of bravado, before exhaling a huge jet of flames in her direction to break off the charge.

Except it didn't work out like that. Rainbow Dash didn't break off her approach, but rather flew right through the jet of flames, plowing right through them and exiting the other side, slamming her hooves into Raindragon's midsection with all the force of a wrecking ball, immediately doubling her over with the impact. Without hesitating, Rainbow Dash immediately broke into a series of vicious blows to her opponent's midsection and face, not leaving an opening for retaliation, before unleashing a mighty kick with her hind leg underneath the chin that propelled her upward.

Quick as a flash, Rainbow Dash was above Raindragon and slammed both her front hooves down on top of her head to send her falling back down again. This was followed up with a swooping dive on her part as grabbed the scaly tail and pulled her to a stop, and began spinning in place like a top, dragging her opponent into the spin with her, before finally letting go and flinging her at the ground, which she soon collided with at high speed, landing in a less than dignified manner on her back.

The next indignation to befall Raindragon came as Rainbow Dash performed a sudden, fifteen-foot drop straight down, slamming her back hooves straight onto her scaly rib cage, eliciting a painful groan.

"C'mere you!"

What followed next was a bit of impromptu wrestling, which quickly led to Raindragon's forelegs being pinned against her body in a way that robbed her of leverage, and held down as Rainbow Dash firmly stood on her claws to keep them in place, thus allowing her to freely and furiously deliver a savage beating with both hooves against her scaly face.

The beating didn't last nearly as long as Rainbow Dash would've liked, however, as she felt something muscly and scaly wrap tightly around her neck, before pulling her back and flinging her away, forcing her to flare her wings to break her impromptu flight and regain control, allowing her to set down on the ground again.

"Well now. I honestly didn't expect any of that," Raindragon commented as she sat up, and wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her claw. "Flying right through my fire just to get a shot in at me. You're either really brave, or downright insane."

Rainbow Dash's tail flicked as she snorted in response. "After everything you've put me though, it's probably both. But what it really comes down to, is just plain being smarter than you!"

Now it was Raindragon's turn to snort dismissively.

"Water boils at about two hundred degrees, and fog evaporates at way lower than that. Maybe you can condense water vapor enough to be razor sharp, but even you can't make fire with nothing but water, I don't care how much magic you try and do it with," Rainbow Dash stated firmly. "No fire means no fear, and no fear means Nightmare Moon doesn't get any stronger off of me as a result."

Raindragon just looked at Rainbow Dash, before climbing back to her feet, acting as if nothing had happened. "Well then. If you're going to be smart, I'll just have to switch it up a little!"

Rainbow Dash didn't even have time to blink before Raindragon took off and flew right at her. Instinctively she reared up and threw her forelegs in front of her for protection, her front hooves being ensnared by her opponent's claws as she was shoved back by the forward momentum, her rear hooves scraping against the hard ground, kicking up dust in the process.

"I don't care how smart you are, that doesn't make you right! You're nothing but a weak little pegasus who's all alone out here, and going to be made to know what true fear is!" Raindragon roared.

Unlike the last time they were in this position, Rainbow Dash wasn't horribly overpowered this time around. She dug her hooves in as hard as she could, and managed to skid herself to a complete stop. She just barely had the time to see the stunned look on Raindragon's face, before swinging her leg upward to kick her right in her scaly belly. The force of the impact shook her body, before another kick was delivered, and another, and another before disengagement was achieved. Rainbow Dash didn't even hesitate to take the opening to move back, putting some much-needed distance between the two of them.

"How," Raindragon grunted as she cradled her abdomen, "how can you still be this strong!?"

"I've got friends. That's what makes me strong," Rainbow Dash replied as she set down on her hooves again.

"Friends huh? I don't see any friends out here with you. Looks like you're all alone to me," Raindragon commented as she looked around in a mocking fashion. "What, are they wearing camouflage or something? Or is all that blood of yours clogging your vision?"

Rainbow Dash just frowned. "Just because they're not here doesn't mean I'm all alone. See, that's something you'll never understand, because unlike me, you don't actually have any friends. You're all alone out here; you don't even know what it's like to have friends. Even allowing for Scratchy, you're still all alone. You're all nothing but puppets for Nightmare Moon, so even if he were here helping you out, it's no different than one body part swatting at mosquitoes biting another one. I'd actually feel sorry for you, if you weren't such a horrible monster that needed to die."

"You know, if all you're going to do is talk and be rude, I can suggest a much better use for your tongue," Raindragon quipped as she climbed back to her feet. "If you insist on verbal jousting, I'm gonna have to go and find a new plaything to entertain myself with. So let's do this; would you be more upset if I went after Fluttershy, or Scootaloo? If you had to choose between them, which do you think losing would hurt you worse?" she asked with a sadistic grin.

The response she received came in a veritable explosion as she found herself tackled by Rainbow Dash breaking into a flying sprint, before finally coming to a stop from being slammed into a tree behind them with a loud crunch sounding at the point of impact. But that fact aside, her current position afforded her an unobstructed view into Rainbow Dash's eyes, allowing her to observed all the hurt, the suffering, and the rage held within as she seethed through clenched teeth. The golden sheen of the sight enhancing enchantment she wore did nothing to hide the fact that there was so much pain to behold in those orbs. It was absolutely glorious! It was exquisite to behold so closely!

But the rage was still restrained! Just barely, but still restrained nonetheless. Some tiny facet was still in control, keeping whatever was inside from getting loose. What could possibly be keeping it in check? And what exactly was being kept in check? Not knowing filled her with the urge to see what else was there. She needed to push this pegasus further, and see if she would crumble all over again.

"Well if you're not going to play along and suggest a victim for me, then I'll just choose for myself. Let's see now. Eenie, meenie, miney, moe, catch a pony by the- GURK!"

Raindragon's taunt was interrupted by a sudden stabbing pain tearing right through her midsection. Looking down she saw that the pointed tips of Rainbow Dash's armored wings were slammed full force into her barrel, buried several inches inward through her rib cage, and more or less leaving her pinned to the tree in place of forelegs. Out of shock and disbelief, she weakly grabbed at the wings to try and extract them from herself.

And then the real pain started as Rainbow Dash began pummeling her with her front hooves all over again. But this time it was far different all the others. This time around she could tell that Rainbow Dash was holding absolutely nothing back in her blows. This was no longer some egotistical pegasus she was facing, who was intent on pounding her like a tent stake simply for being a villain. She was going all out with everything she had, delivering blow after blow as hard as she could, as fast as she could, doing everything she could to show that she had now been pushed too far, she wasn't going to stand for anymore, and she was totally committed to what she believed was necessary.

That left Raindragon helpless to do anything but weather the blows she was being subjected to, as they went far further than any beating she'd taken previously in this skirmish. This was the type of beating delivered by a pony who had been pushed well beyond the breaking point, whose sanctity for life had been driven right out of them, and been driven into a pure primal fury that societal niceties tended to keep in check, hidden away from prying eyes. This was the type of beating delivered when the intent was nothing short of killing.

It was also the type of beating that accelerated exhaustion, as the one delivering it tended to burn through their resources, because they made no conservative efforts whatsoever. This case proved to be no different, as the quality of Rainbow Dash's assault soon began to suffer.

The spirit was strong, but the flesh was oh so weak. Despite her best efforts, she simply couldn't keep up with her own frantic pace, and it was only a matter of time before her blows started coming both weaker and slower, gradually becoming worse and worse, reaching the point where it was taking several seconds at a time for each particular blow to be thrown. Finally it reached the point where it took more and more effort just to raise her hooves, as her forelegs began to feel like they were made of solid lead.

She was exhausted, she was weak, and she could barely move as she panted for air, leaning forward with only her wings to keep her from falling right over on her face.

"So that's it then. That's the best you can hope to do against me. Pitiful," Raindragon commented, utterly unimpressed by her efforts, and equally uninjured. Tightening her grip on Rainbow Dash's wings, she pulled them loose from her body, a blue shimmering light shining from the delivered wounds before they completely closed over. She gave a shove, sending the pegasus toppling over onto her back before she could even attempt to right herself. "Now it's my turn."

She reached over and grabbed hold of the front of Rainbow Dash's armor, effortlessly pulling her up off the ground, and holding her aloft so that her rear hooves dangled.

"Let's see how much of a beating you can take..."

In hindsight, perhaps disabling the beacon prior to teleportation hadn't been the best of ideas for Luna to act on. Without it to act as a, well, a beacon to guide her approach, the best she could hope for was arriving in the generalized area of Rainbow Dash's last known location upon her arrival in the fog.

And what fog! She had no idea of its scope previously, but by the time she'd arrived, a good portion of the entire forest was completely draped in it. It was even creeping well above the treeline, making visual confirmation all the more difficult. This was in no way natural, and she knew it; she could practically taste it. This fog was tainted with an evilness that was very perfectly befitting of Nightmare Moon's wicked essence.

"Your affairs had best be arranged and in order, Nightmare Moon, because I swear that I am straight up murdering your ass on sight," she grumbled to herself as she began her descent into the fog, hoping that actually entering it would serve to improve visibility whereas the contrast was failing her.

Such hopes became dashed almost immediately. Visibility inside the fog was just as bad as outside. She could vaguely make out the canopies of the trees, but that was it. She may as well have been looking around with her eyes closed for all of the good her sight was doing her right now. Silently she vowed that if she had to trek through the forest to look for Nightmare Moon, the foul demon's fate would simply be much worse for her when the time came. Just saying aloud some of the things that would be done, would be enough to earn even her a warrant for her arrest for possibly committing several felonies.

"Where could they be?" she asked herself as she looked about, flapping her wings to keep her in a hover as she tried to observe her surroundings, squinting in an effort to better focus her eyes. There had to be some trace somewhere, she just had to-- light!

Down below, there was a faint hinting of light shining through the fog. It could've easily been overlooked if one wasn't cautious enough, but the contrast was just enough to be seen by her prying eyes. Immediately she broke into a dive, swooping down onto its position in hopes of finding somepony.

She landed loudly, her shod hooves slamming into the ground as a result of her excitement -with a cratering effect under her shoes, she was certain- as she looked about. However her excitement was tempered when she realized that there was nopony around to be either greeted or rescued. The only thing present was an old kerosene lantern with a metal frame covered in a fading green paint, and a short, fat globe was showing signs of soot buildup from the intense flickering of the flame being left improperly adjusted for far too long.

"Could there be somepony else out here in need of rescuing?" she asked herself as she reached out with her magic and lowered the flame to a more manageable level. She really didn't like that prospect one bit. There was enough trouble with all of the foals, Rainbow Dash, and Ulquiorra to contend with, without another adult pony unwittingly thrown into the mix.

It was impossible to discern the significance of either its placement or presence out here currently. Instead she concluded that she was far more in need of light right now; if for no other reason, than to let others know that she was present should they be in the same area. She would take it with her, just as soon as she determined which direction she should set out on.

"Luna!"

Luna easily recognized the voice as belonging to Rainbow Dash, and immediately turned to meet it her. She was quite thankful to hear her speaking, as it meant she was still very much alive. But the tone of her voice left her feeling concerned, as it sounded like she was in quite a lot of pain at the moment. And as she turned, she was horrified by what she saw.

Rainbow Dash was indeed alive, but she had no idea how long that would be the case. Her armor was gone, and she was covered in so much blood as she slowly dragged herself forward on her forelegs, gasping for air with each movement, her left hind leg likely broken and useless to her at the moment. Her left eye was missing, gouged out and leaving nothing but a gaping socket behind in its place. And her right wing... it was completely gone! It was ripped completely off of her body, a flap of skin hanging limply at her side as blood trickled freely!

"Rainbow Dash!"

The distance between the might've only been a few paces, but to Luna it might as well have been a hundred miles that had to be crossed on hoof. Even the minor second or two it took to reach Rainbow Dash, and pull her into an embrace felt like an eternity to her right now!

"Rainbow Dash, whatever happened to you?" she asked frantically, mentally kicking herself now for having not done more research on medical magic, unlike her sister had been doing as of late. She certainly needed those skills, and that knowledge now.

"Nightmare Moon!" Rainbow Dash stated as she struggled to breathe, her chest rapidly rising and falling as she tried to catch her breath, only to find herself coming up short of doing just that. "I tried," she panted, "I tried to stop her. B-but she was too strong. I couldn't do a-anything," she said as she swallowed hard, her efforts for air going unrewarded.

"What of the foals? What of Ulquiorra Cifer? Did you by chance encounter any of them?" Luna asked, trying desperately to keep herself from going completely to pieces as she held the broken and bleeding pegasus in her forelegs. She'd known that letting Rainbow Dash proceed on her own had been a bad idea, and now she held proof positive of that fact.

Rainbow Dash attempted to shake her head, before learning that the motion caused her far too much pain. "They're gone... they're all gone," she whined. "S-she left me alive, so I could tell you that she's on her way to Ponyville now. S-s-she's gonna kill everypony!"

By now Rainbow Dash's labored efforts at breathing had increased, combined with her spasming as Luna held her close.

"Cold... so... so cold..." she muttered, before going completely limp in Luna's forelegs.

"No.... no please," Luna muttered as she gently shook Rainbow Dash in an effort to rouse her. But no matter the degree of shaking, nothing would seem to make Rainbow Dash wake up. Frantically she felt around her body, trying to find any trace of a pulse, but could find nothing. There was no trace of life left in her little body.

"No... please no," Luna pleaded, refusing to acknowledge the truth in front of her. Rainbow Dash was merely unconscious from exhaustion, her absence of a pulse easily explainable by her lack of medical knowledge, that was all. There was no way she could've lost so much blood that her body had shut down, that simply couldn't be the case! Frantically she started shaking Rainbow Dash harder in a desperate effort to jostle her back into a state of consciousness. "Rainbow Dash, please wake up! Please wake up!" she begged.

But ultimately it was useless. No matter how much she was shaken and jostled, or how much Luna pleaded otherwise, Rainbow Dash was showing absolutely no signs of life in her broken, battered body.

Why? Why did she consent to allowing Rainbow Dash to run off into a dangerous situation as she had? Why had she not more forcefully objected to the inane idea of her presence being able to do some good?

"I am sorry, my friend, I am so sorry," she wept as she cradled the limp body in her forelegs. "I should have departed myself. I should never have let you set out on your own. I am so sorry!"

"Wow! Everypony you get close to winds up dying horribly! Must really suck to be you!"

Luna looked up, that voice hauntingly familiar to her. Immediately she found the source of the voice behind her, and nearly fainted in shock at seeing the owner of the voice had a face that was just as familiar. A young pegasus filly with a pale blue coat, and white mane and tail.

"This... this cannot be..." she stated.

"More like it must suck to be her friend."

To her left, another familiar foal -an earth pony colt- was emerging from the fog.

"Maybe you should become a recluse up on some mountain, far away from anypony who could get hurt by being around you."

Yet another familiar foal was approaching to her right. And this unicorn colt was hardly the last, as more and more of them began to join suit. Looking around she soon realized that she was surrounded by foals; six unicorns, six earth ponies, and five pegasi. The realization of who they were made her feel sick, as she recognized them as the first victims of Nightmare, and by extension, herself. These were the seventeen foals the foul demon had forced her to watch be killed.

"This cannot be! You cannot possibly be alive!" she stated.

"Well you'd be the expert on that."

"Yeah, some friend you turned out to be."

"Yeah. She told us we were going to make a new colony in Equestria. And what does she do instead?"

"She takes us behind the Castle of the Two Sisters and sucks out our souls! What kind of Princess does that to a bunch of foals anyway!?"

"Never mind foals, what kind of Princess does that to her subjects period?"

"She should do everypony a favor and just kill herself. Equestria got along just fine without her for a thousand years. Whadda we need her for anyway?"

"Yeah, that's a good point! Kill yourself!"

"Kill yourself!"

"Kill yourself!"

"Kill yourself!"

All around Luna, those assembled had joined in morbid unison in calls for her to end her life. No matter where she turned, there was no respite from those present. The fact that it was old friends long gone only made it hurt all the worse. As if her own nightmares and memories over the incident weren't bad enough already. All she could do was close her eyes and hang her head. She was now beginning to comprehend the depths of despair that Rainbow Dash and the others had to experience for themselves, and the motivation that drove some of them to take the actions that they had. In the face of this burden, she couldn't say that she didn't agree with their decisions.

"Why won't you just go down already!?"

That was the question Raindragon found herself asking, equally perplexed and angered by the way things had been developing. She had led Rainbow Dash to exhaust herself in delivering a futile beating against her, bringing her to the point she couldn't retaliate any further. And then she'd followed up by unleashing a brutal beating all her own to the pegasus.

But despite the pounding that she'd taken, Rainbow Dash was still standing up on her hooves. She was shaky, and looked like a stray wind could tip her over, but regardless of that she simply refused to fall down and stay down. How was that even possible? What was still keeping her upright? What phantom source was giving her the ability to defy her!?

"Oh. You know," Rainbow Dash panted as she slowly lifted her head to look Raindragon in the face. "Heroic resolve. Indomitable willpower. Enough adrenaline to trigger a fatal heart attack. The certainty that if I fall down, I'm never gonna get back up again," she wheezed as she struggled to crack a grin. "But besides all that, why would I wanna go down now? I've got you right where I want you right now."

Just the fact that Rainbow Dash had enough energy to even smirk at her was enough to enrage Raindragon further, never mind the fact that she had the audacity to claim to have the upper hoof in all of this! This mare was far too cocky and arrogant for her own good, and far too stubborn to admit that she was broken.

"You can't fly. You can barely even stand up. What makes you think that you're in control of any of this? You know that I can kill you without even trying, right? I could snap your neck with a good slap, and you'd be dead before you could blink!"

"And yet I'm still alive," Rainbow Dash pointed out as she made an effort to stand herself up straighter.

Raindragon snorted at the poorly disguised efforts of antagonizing her. She must've hit the pegasus harder than expected, and made her delusional in the process. She didn't even bother with offering a response, before storming over to where Rainbow Dash stood, grabbed the front of her armor to lift her up off the ground, and slam her down on her back, pinning her against the forest floor.

"You think this is some sort of game? I can assure you it's not," she stated firmly. "You're nothing but a bother that's not needed. I'm gonna kill you, slowly and painfully, and then I'm gonna throw your severed head at Scootaloo's hooves, just so I can see the look on her face when her fragile mind snaps at the realization that her idol isn't coming to rescue her!"

Raindragon had expected to hear any number of verbal retorts in response to her statement. Pleas of mercy in some misguided hope that she could be talked out of her plans. Death threats if she dared to lay a claw on her intended victim. Obscenity in every form and color. She had expected it all.

All that is, except for laughter. Much to her confusion, the mater on the ground had burst into all-out laughter as if she'd just been told the funniest joke in the world, her stomach quaking underneath all the armor she wore.

"What's so funny? Did I break your feeble mind already?" she asked.

"No!" Rainbow Dash wheezed in between laughs as she struggled to shake her head. "I'm just imagining the look on Nightmare Moon's face, when she realizes just how badly she fucked herself over!"

Raindragon frowned as she glared down at Rainbow Dash's prone form. "What exactly are you going on about?"

"If I die, then Nightmare Moon dies like five minutes after me!" Rainbow Dash cackled, desperate for air at this point, but unable to stop laughing long enough to be able to breathe. "She needs me to stay alive, because that's the only way the Element of Loyalty stays out of commission. If I go then somepony else gets it, and that's all she wrote! So go ahead and kill me if you really want to, it'll be so worth it, knowing that you cut your own throat!"

Raindragon stared in disbelief, before outright glaring down at the quaking form of the laughing mad pegasus. So that had been her game plan in coming here. She hadn't been arrogant in thinking that one little pegasus could hope in taking down Nightmare Moon all on her own. No, this went far beyond that. She'd planned all along on sacrificing herself like a pawn, in order to get to the queen.

All the while, her laughing continued unabated.

"Just shut up already!" she roared as she kicked Rainbow Dash in the side to silence her. But all she got for her efforts was a temporary reprieve as she groaned in pain, before she started laughing all over again. "I said shut up!"

"Or what? You'll kill me?" Rainbow Dash cackled, realizing that she had her doppelganger over a barrel now.

Raindragon, however, didn't share her outlook on the situation at all. "Oh you're not getting out of it that easy. I'll leave you alive, but you won't like it one bit..."

Rainbow Dash suddenly became aware of a heavy weight pressing down on her barrel, even through the armor plating covering it. Coming out of the haze she'd been in, she saw Raindragon straddling her, a sharp talon extended as she dragged it along the surface of her armor, leaving a bright scratch behind as it removed the black coating.

"If you hadn't spoken up, your plan might've worked. But now that's neither here nor there," Raindragon commented as she ran her claw along the same scratch mark for a second pass. "Luckily enough, you don't have to die in all this. You see, I know all about pegasus anatomy; such as where every blood vessel is just below the skin. So long as I'm careful in what I do, I can cut you apart, and leave you alive throughout it all," she explained as another pass was made.

Rainbow Dash gulped nervously, her throat feeling much tighter than before. This hadn't been a part of the plan.

"First I'm gonna cut through your armor, every pass no deeper than the thickness of one of your mane hairs. Then I'm gonna do the same to the rest of your body, cutting you just a little deeper each time, to insure that you get the full experience of pain. I'm gonna flay the skin from your bones while you lay there, helpless to do anything about the fact that you're gonna stay alive for a long, long time, suffering more pain than you can possibly imagine," Raindragon chuckled darkly as the scratch in Rainbow Dash's armor grew deeper.

"If you leave me alive, you'll regret it even worse," Rainbow Dash warned in an effort to regain some control of the situation, as well as regaining the breath that Raindragon's weight was starting to rob her of.

"Not nearly as much as you will," Raindragon retorted right back as she scraped her claw along the ever-growing scratch, the sound of metal scraping easily audible as she did. "You were real bold earlier. Storming in here all hot to trot, bragging about how having friends made you stronger than Nightmare Moon. Well where's that bravado now? Where are your friends that give you strength, when you need them right now?"

Rainbow Dash tried to offer up some sentence in response, but it came out far too mumbled to actually understand. Maybe the adrenaline rush was subsiding? Equal parts curiosity and sadism got the better of Raindragon, and filled her with an urge to find out what was said? "Say what now?"

Another mumble followed, but it was still too incoherent.

"Once more, with clarity," Raindragon insisted as she leaned in closer to listen better.

"Look... behind... you..." Rainbow Dash wheezed in her ear.

Now it was Raindragon's turn to laugh. "You think I'm gonna fall for an old trick like that? Not a chance," she said as she resumed dragging her talon along the ever-deepening scratch in the front of the armor plating in front of her. "Seriously, what sort of simpleton do you take me for, using the oldest trick in the book?" she asked.

"The kind that is not long for this world, foul demon!"

Raindragon ceased her actions in mid-scratch as she heard the voice, blinking on confusion. Looking up and over her shoulder, she saw a very enraged looking Princess Luna standing right behind her, seething through gritted teeth, with a glare that could cause a fire to extinguish itself out of fear of having to actually face her.

"I could've sworn you were overcome by grief and despair just a moment ago," she commented, not really seeing how this was possible.

"I very nearly was after what I experienced. But that was before I remembered the suffering of everyone else, and understood what you were doing. After that it was just a matter of making you see what I wanted you to see," Luna explained firmly. "You of all ponies, Nightmare Moon, should know never to trust a skilled illusionist," she added.

"Well now if that isn't as cryptic as all get out," Raindragon muttered to herself, although making no effort to hide what she was saying. "You're as dumb as your little friend over here, which is certainly saying something. Storming into the domain of Nightmare Moon, thinking that you're going to persevere your way through all of this, and escape to see another sunrise. Well I'm here to tell you, that's not how things are going to play out."

Luna watched as Raindragon climbed down off of Rainbow Dash, stepping off to the side just far enough to allow her to witness her scaly tail wrapping around Rainbow Dash's neck, and squeezing down with enough force to make her gasp and struggle in response.

"You're going to submit yourself to Nightmare Moon, and do whatever you're told, no matter what it might be, obediently and without question. If you don't then I'll squeeze your little friend's neck with such force, her head will pop off like a champagne cork," she stated firmly, leaving no room for it to be misunderstood, or misinterpreted as possibly being a request, or even a suggestion. It was nothing less than a statement of fact about what was going to happen.

Luna scowled in response, furious at what she was being presented with, and also horrified. It was true that she would do anything to protect Rainbow Dash, or any other pony for that matter, without so much as a second thought. But... but this? Putting herself at the mercy of Nightmare Moon, forced to do whatever she wanted? Even if it might mean becoming her host once again? completely unable to control whatever actions she was forced to carry out? That was hardly a choice she could accept, considering how much damage she could be forced to partake in.

"Don't think that I won't either," Raindragon warned as she tightened her tail further around Rainbow Dash's neck. "You might have something in mind in the event she dies, but her soul will still belong to Nightmare Moon. Just like all the others that went before her. And not even the Elements of Harmony will be able to change that, or set her free. You of all ponies should be very aware of that fact," she stated with a sadistic, toothy grin.

Luna was horrified by the thought. But she didn't even have time to consider the weight of what was being presented to her, before Raindragon let loose a surprised yell/roar of pain. Looking past her scaly carcass, she saw that Rainbow Dash had managed to bite down on their adversary's tail with great force, and was holding on tightly; likely the only example of opposition she could offer up under these circumstances.

"You little nag! This isn't satire! And that isn't a chew toy! Lemme go!" Raindragon yelled as she tried to pull her tail loose, only to find that Rainbow Dash was holding on for dear life, and making herself dead weight. All she wound up doing was dragging the rebellious mare a few inches along the ground as he tail uncoiled, while causing her to clamp down all the harder.

This just served to enrage Raindragon further, motivating her to ball up her fist in preparation of beating the unruly nag until she finally learned some obedience, and stopped biting her freaking tail! But before she could actually deliver a single blow, she found her limb paralyzed in place, in a very uncomfortable position.

"What the?" she asked as she looked up, and saw that her limb was bound by a band of glowing blue magic wrapping around it, and holding it in place. Blue magic that coincidentally belonged to Luna.

"You are far too tense," she heard Luna practically whisper in her ear from behind, the tone being enough to send chills up and down her spine. "Perhaps you should 'chill out' as they say."

She realized far too late that it wasn't Luna's predatory approach that was causing the chills along her spine. Instead it was her body being frozen into a solid block of ice, leaving her paralyzed in the form of a centerpiece, unable to verbally curse out the alicorn's existence, or even so much as scratch her nose.

And now that such a thought had crossed her mind, she realized it was something that really needed to be done now...

Luna released a breath. With their adversary currently reduced to little more than an evil-flavored popsicle, she could now focus on Rainbow Dash, who was still doing her best to try and bite through said popsicle's tail. Dedication at its finest.

"Rainbow Dash, it is alright, you may disengage now," she said as she stepped over to pull her away. Thankfully Rainbow Dash put up little in the way of struggle before relinquishing her hold. That made it far easier to look over the scope of the damage she'd suffered, and be horrified by it. "Whatever happened to you?"

"I went full burn," Rainbow Dash croaked out. "Never go full burn..."

Luna just shook her head, reasoning that it was ultimately a stupid question to ask. She opted to simply remain silent as she sat down on her haunches, and gently cradled the limp, panting pegasus in her forelegs. "I am so sorry that I let you go out on your own."

Rainbow Dash weakly shook her head. "You didn't really have much choice in the matter. I wasn't gonna just sit around and do nothing," she stated. She was going to make her way out here one way or another, no matter what was said or done. "By the way, the armor's been holding up great so far. I'm still in one piece."

The next thing Rainbow Dash saw, a clear plastic bottle filled with what looked like a green sports drink appeared in front of her. She didn't even stop to question where Luna had acquired it, before reaching out to grasp it as the top was unscrewed, and greedily start gulping it down, uncertain if she was even tasting it as she downed it. She knew from significant experience that such a drink was good for rehydrating and restoring electrolytes lost from an intense workout. And while it wouldn't be able to totally reinvigorate her, it'd certainly be enough to make her stop feeling like she was standing on Death's welcome mat.

Had it not been for the need to stop and breathe -as well as belch- she would've chugged the entire bottle in one go, rather than just under half of it.

"These things are made out of fog," she commented, before going back to downing her drink with all the desperation of a pony dying of thirst out in the hot desert or the wastelands. She couldn't be bothered with stuff like etiquette and such, or other things that would slow her down, even if her frantic pace was causing some of her drink to spill down her front.

"I am aware. I found that fact out on my own upon first arriving in this mess. That is why I was able to turn your dragon-themed doppelganger into an oversized ice cube," Luna explained, glancing back at the aforementioned chunk of ice, and the sour expression that it wore. But right now it was of little interest to her. All she really cared about right now was getting Rainbow Dash somewhere safe; preferably somewhere away from this fog where she could get the medical attention and rest that she so badly needed. Once she had Rainbow Dash safe, she would come back and clean up this mess personally.

"That hit the spot," Rainbow Dash replied with a sigh of relief as she dropped the empty bottle, feeling a lot better than she had been just a couple of minutes ago. She actually felt like she could stand up without needing to lay back down again. "C'mon, we've gotta go get the foals. Ulquiorra thinks they're somewhere north of here," she added as she moved to get back up again. But before she actually could get up, she found herself being held down by Luna.

"All in good time, Rainbow Dash, and right now is not it. You were not fit for combat even before coming here, and even less so now. You need rest, and you need medical attention," Luna explained as she let go and stood back up again, a soft glow emanating from her horn as she did so.

The next thing Rainbow Dash knew, she felt her whole body tingling, and found herself being levitated off the forest floor and set back down Luna's back in an awkward straddling position.

"Once I am certain that you are safe, I will return for the foals and Ulquiorra Cifer. I cannot, in good conscience, leave you here in your state. I should not have even let you come out here in the first place," Luna explained as she began trotting off, back in the direction that would lead them to Ponyville.

"And yet you did! Some friend you turned out to be!"

Luna and Rainbow Dash both stiffened up at the sound of the voice. It sounded so much like Rainbow Dash herself, and yet it was evident that it wasn't. That really left only one source to be addressing them. A source that was supposed to be frozen solid...

They both looked back to the frozen form of Raindragon just in time to see it be shattered, as a new and completely unfrozen Raindragon landed hard on top of it, sending its pieces flying everywhere as all four claws touched down.

"Oh come on! How're you still even alive!?" Rainbow Dash demanded from where she sat perched atop Luna's back.

Raindragon incredulously quirked a scaly eyebrow at Rainbow Dash's question, before waving a sweeping claw before them. "Seriously? You're wondering how a fog construct is still around in a fog bank? Especially with more than fifty gallons worth of fog present? Did I beat you in the head too hard or something? Or are you normally this stupid?"

Rainbow Dash growled in annoyance. "Seriously. Do not make me come over there!" she warned.

"Oh, yeah, I'm real scared," Raindragon replied dismissively, before giving a mock tremble of nonexistent fear. "Didn't we already establish that you can't hurt me? What're you gonna do, lick me to death?"

"Let's see how bold you're talking after I cram one of these horse shoes so far up your ass that you choke on it!" Rainbow Dash stated as she angrily waved a hoof in her direction.

Raindragon chuckled in response, amused by Rainbow Dash's threat. "It's mighty easy to talk tough when you've got an alicorn protecting you to hide behind."

Rainbow Dash frowned in response, before flapping her wings to aid in leaping off of Luna's back and landing in front of her, before crouching in preparation of a charge. "Round three. Bend over!"

Luna didn't know just how to respond to what was unfolding in front of her, because she honestly didn't know what to believe. Rainbow Dash was actually issuing threats to Nightmare Moon, in the midst of the two trading rivalry banter? Even the guards she and Celestia had weren't so bold as to do something like that. How was something like this even possible? How did something like this actually transpire?

Before Rainbow Dash could actually make good on her move to advance, Luna quickly enveloped her in her magic and pulled her back, leaving her hanging -and squirming- in midair as she cursed the unexpected development.

"Stand down, Rainbow Dash," Luna commanded as she turned the irate pegasus around to face her. "As I have explained once before tonight, we are not going to allow Nightmare Moon to lure us into acting without thinking. She wants us to charge in blindly, too infuriated by her barbs and taunts to think things through clearly. The very fact that she is resorting to such, is evidence of the fact that she knows she is too weak to be a genuine threat," she explained, expertly turning the taunts back against the taunter. Getting mad was of no benefit here, so she might as well get even.

"Well if she's so weak, let's just kick her ass already!" Rainbow Dash stated as she squirmed, trying to get loose from Luna's hold, only to find herself getting nowhere. "Come on, her fire isn't even real! Let's give her the wetworks right now!"

Raindragon's left eye twitched. There was no way in Equestria that Rainbow Dash should still be so ornery after the beating she'd taken; to say nothing of the beating she'd given! Both of them had been vicious and totally savage, and should've taken the wind right out of her sails. She'd been stomped nearly to death, and had barely been able to stand just a couple of minutes ago, so where was all this fight coming from!?

Obviously she just hadn't gone far enough yet.

"If you're seriously that anxious to get your butt kicked again, feel free. One at a time, or both at once, I don't really care," she stated.

Rainbow Dash glared in anger, even though Raindragon wouldn't be able to see it with her back turned to her. "She's mocking us," she pointed out.

Luna returned an equally displeased glare. "Then let us give her an appropriate response."

Raindragon never even saw what hit her before she was sent flying backwards, hit with enough force to spin her ass over head as she sailed along, before coming to an abrupt halt with a loud thud as she slammed belly first into a tree, bits of bark flying off from the impact.

"Ow..."

Using her right claw to peel her face away from the tree, she looked back at where she'd been standing to try and get an idea of just what had hit her.

What it had been was still a mystery, but considering Luna had forged herself a sizable clearing that was totally devoid of any fog, she had a pretty good idea of what sort of pressure wave she'd been smacked by. And the shimmering patterns indicated a force field being erected to ensure the fog stayed out of the clearing.

"That's your game plan? You're just gonna hide behind a force field like some scared little foal, too afraid to face me?" she asked in both disbelief and indignation as she pried herself off the tree and made her way back to the edge of the clearing. "What, are you waiting for the rest of your friends to show up before making a move?"

"Anytime you wanna go, just say the word!" Rainbow Dash yelled angrily, all the more furious that she couldn't face forward.

"The word," Raindragon taunted and smirked.

Once more, Rainbow Dash squirmed in an effort to break loose, or at least turn around and face who was mocking her. And once more, she was reminded of the fact that it simply wasn't possible under the current circumstances. Or at least not until she felt herself being set down on the ground. "What the?"

"Rainbow Dash."

"Luna?" she asked in response and looked up.

"You have done a commendable job of lasting as long as you did on your own. Truly it is something few can lay claim to. But now it is time for you to stand down, my dear friend," Luna stated.

The next thing Rainbow Dash knew, there was a flash of bright light in front of her. When it cleared, she saw a number of bottles of colored sports drinks in front of her, and a number of protein and other assorted energy bars in front of her. She didn't have a clue where they had come from, or how Luna had gotten all of this, but the sight of it was enough to send her stomach growling, and remind her of the fact that she was more or less starving.

"Rest yourself and recover your strength as best you can. I will tend to this matter myself," Luna added, her tone carrying a hard, firm edge to it; one that sent unintentional chills up and down Rainbow Dash's spine.

Before Rainbow Dash could even offer up a response, Luna had already disappeared from view, teleporting out of the force field, and appearing in front of it to confront Raindragon herself once again. She wanted to protest this course of action, arguing how there was strength in numbers, but despite her best efforts she simply couldn't find the words she felt would be adequate in this situation. And even if she could, she doubted Luna would heed to pleas for a different course of action.

"Just... just be careful, okay? I don't wanna be the one to explain to Celestia that things went wrong," she offered up feebly, before sighing in defeat and reached for the protein bars, prepared to make the best she could of the situation.

With Rainbow Dash safely behind the barrier, shielded against any errant attacks that might come, Luna didn't have to concern herself with dividing her focus between her friend and their current threat. She wouldn't be hindered by having to defend the both of them, and could instead focus on combat in a much more effective manner. And considering it was Nightmare Moon that she was facing, she was going to need that focus.

Raindragon just continued smirking in an amused fashion. "I don't know whether it's cute or pitiful that you think you can protect your little friend from Nightmare Moon with that puny force field of yours."

Luna ignored the effort at getting a rise out of her. She was not going to give in. "Since when have you become so fond of referring to yourself in the third pony sense of address?" she asked instead. That had gotten very annoying, very fast.

Raindragon just cackled in response. "Oh we're gonna have a lot of fun, you and me. That featherbrained pegasus you're friends with might've booby trapped herself so she can't be killed, but you can't exactly do that yourself. That means I don't have to be gentle in dealing with you. I can really cut loose with you!"

"That suits me just fine," Luna commented as she popped her neck, limbering herself up in anticipation of whatever was going to come. "As much as you have pissed me off the past few weeks with your antics, I am looking forward to some adequate stress relief," she elaborated, scratching at the ground with her left front hoof.

Despite making herself ready for a fight, she hadn't been ready enough. Before she even knew what had happened, her opponent had delivered the first blow, her right claw curled into a fist as it landed right between her eyes.

To say she was unimpressed would be putting it lightly. She had certainly felt it, but it was hardly debilitating to experience.

"I am sorry, I thought you were going to engage me in combat. Did you change your mind already?" she asked.

Raindragon growled, her lips pulling back to display her full set of sharpened teeth in annoyance, before pulling back to throw another punch. But before she could actually follow through, she found her entire upper body being tightly constricted. Her front legs as well as her wings were squeezed hard against her body, leaving her immobile. Looking around frantically for the source of the restriction, she found that it was a long tendril extending from Luna's mane, and made up of the same material.

"Uh oh," she croaked out.

"Indeed," Luna replied as she easily hoisted Raindragon off the forest floor, and left her dangling high enough that even the tip of her tail couldn't touch it. "I have seen your opening salvo. Now it is my turn."

Wordlessly another tendril of night sky mane extended itself, before slapping Raindragon right across the face, the sound of the impact much like the sound of a whip being expertly cracked and producing a sonic boom. the force of the impact snapped her head to side, a look of bewilderment crossing her face, before a storm of slaps quickly followed, each sounding just like the first one.

"I do not know what your game is, Nightmare Moon, but I am not about to play by your rules. Whatever you are up to, I intend to beat it out of you, one way or another!"

The slapping immediately stopped, giving Raindragon a moment of respite. But it was a short moment, as the next thing she knew, she found herself being slammed against the ground, only to be picked back up and slammed back down again. And again. And again. Not simply on her back, but also on her head and her butt, depending on which way she was swung and slammed down. Each wild swing brought about yells of terror with it, but they fell on deaf ears as Luna showed no signs of stopping for anything.

Or at least not until Raindragon found her head slammed right into the ground, now leaving her doing an impression of an ostrich.

"You have been a very bad dragon, Nightmare Moon," Luna stated as a third tendril extended from her mane. "Let us see about correcting that, shall we?" she added and proceeded to bring both tendrils down in a rapid, alternating pattern, literally spanking her adversaries exposed backside, motivating her to scream incoherently with her head stuck underground, thrashing her tail and hind legs about in a desperate attempt to break free and avoid the lashing she was being subjected to. But ultimately it was all for naught, as the assault simply continued relentlessly, with no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, found it necessary to stop wolfing down protein bars before she choked to death, because she was laughing far too hard at watching Raindragon get her ass spanked, to eat and breathe at the same time. As it was she could barely laugh and breathe at the same time. It was all just way too much for her to take at the moment.

It pained Zecora to see Twilight in her current state. Throughout everything that had been happening the past few weeks, she had been doing her best to hold everything together, and keep some semblance of order going. Twilight was largely the reason she was here and able to focus like she was; when the terror fog had struck her in her own home, she had instinctively fled to the one pony she felt she could rely on in her frightened state. It was because of her and her friends that her mind hadn't turned into complete custard. She would be forever grateful for that fact.

And now she found herself in a situation where she could no longer rely on Twilight's strength to see her through it, for the unicorn had no strength left even for herself. The disappearance of Princess Luna, and the uncertainty of the fate of her friends had been more than she could stand to bear.

It was in a situation like this, that she realized she needed to demonstrate her own strength and stand on her own four hooves, rather than leaning on the strength of others for support. And with that thought in mind, she did the only thing she could think to do; that being to go over to where Twilight sat, and wrap her forelegs around her from behind, hugging her for all she was worth in an effort to calm her.

"Please do not succumb to despair, Twilight. With the Princesses on task, I am certain that it will be alright," she stated. Although if she were being honest with herself, she truly didn't believe her own words right now. Even with the diarchy, she had doubts that the situation would be resolved all that easily. Even in her land, Nightmare Moon was the stuff of legends. And if even half of the legends were true... well she really didn't want to think about that right now.

Right now she'd much rather focus on the offer of hope, questionable as it might be, than Princess Luna's announcement that she was going to kill Nightmare Moon in no uncertain terms. Just the thought of it was sending chills up and down her back, as the implied violence clashed with the friendly, caring image that the younger ruler seemed to have about her. Really it was almost too terrifying to think of something like that.

Over where she stood, Celestia tried desperately to try and sort out her thoughts, and figure out just what to do. Luna was gone, Rainbow Dash was gone, Ulquiorra was gone, the foals were missing, the Elements of Harmony still weren't working, Twilight was going to pieces right in front of her, Luna was plotting the death of another -even if said other did deserve it- and she still wasn't entirely stable yet, despite her best efforts at pulling and holding herself together. This was quite the mess to find herself in without any support and...

Had Luna planned this out from the beginning? Had she intentionally left her here to her own devices, knowing that everypony present would naturally look to her for guidance and support, in order to force her to get her act back together? If that were truly the case, then her sister was quite devious in how she went about conducting herself, and demonstrating tough love.

Nonetheless, Luna was so going to get it when she got back.

"What's she gonna get?"

Celestia flinched in surprise and turned to see Pinkie standing behind her, a curious look upon her face as she stood with her head tilted -perhaps just a bit too far to look comfortable or natural- to the side.

"I'll let you know once I figure that out myself," Celestia replied in a soft tone, before standing up straighter and clearing her throat. This served the purpose of not only helping steel her nerves as she prepared to speak, but also get the attention of everyone so they would focus. "Now isn't the time for despairing, my friends, we haven't lost control of the situation just yet."

"I'm sorry, Celestia, but I'm just not seeing what you're saying," Rarity spoke up as she approached. "How exactly is the situation going in what would be considered our way? On top of plotting death, Luna took the map with her when she departed to ensure we can't follow after her. And with Nightmare Moon being on the loose, and there no telling what's happening to all of our friends, how exactly do we still have control here?" she asked.

"Ah was wonderin' the same thing. Although ya phrased it better than Ah could," Applejack added and turned to look at Celestia. "So what've we got goin' in our favor right now?"

More voices of curiosity soon followed, each wanting to know what it was that Celestia knew about what was going on.

"In simple terms, what we have that leaves us in control of the situation, is our friendship with each other. Nightmare Moon failed at breaking that, despite her best efforts. She couldn't separate us from one another, physically or otherwise. We aren't facing this matter alone and vulnerable. In fact I'd dare go and say that we're more united than ever before; Nightmare Moon may have made the situation worse for herself than for us," she stated with a grin.

She didn't truly know if that was the extent of the situation. But that was how she currently saw it. And until she got a second opinion that suggested otherwise, it was what she was going to believe in.

As she looked around the room, she confirmed that her message was having the desired effect on the others, and lifting their spirits. As long as they had elevated spirits, there was still hope for success.

"Luna taking the map with her when she departed might have served to slow us down, but it's hardly enough to stop us from finding her and the others. It'll just take a little more effort is all," she explained further.

Perhaps such a tactic would've served to hinder a normal pony, but she was nothing of the sort. Even if she wasn't here right now, Twilight could hardly be considered a normal pony either, given her skill and overall aptitude in all things related to magic. If she weren't here to oversee things, she had no doubt that Twilight would've eventually come up with a method of tracking down Luna and the others on her own. Considering some of her past exploits when she was still in school, such a course of action wouldn't be as unreasonable expectation for her.

"While I'm tending to such, the rest of you need to spend the time figuring out what you're going to do," she stated in a firm tone.

"What're we gonna do about what?" Spike asked, not understanding what she was talking about.

"The Element of Loyalty still isn't resonating with Rainbow Dash," she started as she glanced towards the glass case, the red gem still clearly pulsating brightly. "If this matter isn't rectified soon, we may have little choice but to kill Nightmare Moon. Villain or not, this is an extreme course of action to engage in, and some of you may not be comfortable with setting out on a mission to do such, even if you aren't playing a direct part on it. I would suggest all of you think long and hard about what course of action you wish to take, and what your level of comfort is with it. None of you will be forced to come along. But if you do so, know what you'll be getting yourselves into..."

Author's Note

Yeah. So... this chapter sucked. There was no fun had in writing it, I couldn't figure out how to make the music I had selected for it actually work, the scenes don't feel dynamic enough, the ending literally took all day just go get done, I had something entirely different planned for what was going to happen but couldn't do it...

Deleted Scene One

"You know, if all you're going to do is talk and be rude, I can suggest a much better use for your tongue," Raindragon quipped as she climbed back to her feet.

Rainbow Dash simply scowled in response, narrowing her eyes as she attempted to glare a hole in the annoying fog construct with nothing but the heat of her sheer hatred right now. But try as she might, the convection effect didn't seem to respond to her demands.

"Well then," she began, "I've really only got three words for you. Tag."

Raindragon blinked, unsure of what exactly was taking place. "That's only one-"

She found herself quickly interrupted as Rainbow Dash shot forward, crossing the short distance with excessive speed, and delivering a hoof blow right to her snout, causing her to recoil in both pain and shock, and grasp her face, muffled equestrian obscenities following suit.

"You're it," Rainbow Dash stated as she touched down where she'd previously been standing, the scowl never leaving her face.

Chapter Ninety

Chapter Ninety

Being thrown against a tree and coming to a sudden, dead stop, was hardly the most pleasant thing in the world to experience.

Being thrown against a tree with enough force to completely shatter its trunk and go flying right through it like it wasn't even there, was decidedly even less pleasant to experience.

And unfortunately for Raindragon, she had the misfortune of learning this fact for herself firsthoof in her fight against Luna, who was currently dominating the engagement with great ease.

Rainbow Dash had been tenacious, and simply refused to give up no matter how hard she was beaten; mostly because she'd undertaken a suicide mission for the sake of protecting the rest of Equestria with her very life. The Espada possessed physical strength unlike anything else that had been experienced in this world, ferocity that rivaled anything that lived in the Everfree Forest, and a viscous streak that had to be at least a mile wide, considering some of the things that had been done so readily.

But when it came to Luna, she was an absolutely different story, on an entirely different level! That mare had offensive magic, and she wasn't the least bit afraid to use it either. The mane tendrils had just been the tip of the iceberg, even if they did have the power to break a tree in half with a single strike; something that had been demonstrated during her desperate efforts at evading them.

Getting flung away had been a stroke of good fortune for her, as she wasn't sure how much more of a whipping she could've taken had Luna simply focused on beating her butt like she had been. But none of that meant her efforts at escape and evasion were proving to be any easier. Luna was absolutely relentless in her pursuit, and hadn't been giving her so much as even a second's rest throughout it all. It didn't matter where she went, or how far away from their last location she traveled, or how she attempted to hide, the alicorn was practically right there waiting for her! And she was pissed!

Just beneath that calm, seemingly placid veneer that the alicorn wore, was a raging, seething bundle of fury the likes of which she had never encountered before, and certainly never wanted to ever again! The utter fury that her blows carried with them said a great deal without the need for words, and every hit landed -magical or physical, it didn't matter- left her without doubt that she was going to die if something didn't change fast. Even if her body was made of fog, of which there was a plentiful supply, that did nothing to change the fact that there were limits that couldn't be bypassed; something pointed out previously by Rainbow Dash in her own unique way.

Her efforts at getting back onto her feet after being thrown right through the tree, however, were stopped as she found Luna's front hoof pinning her down on the ground, applying a great deal of weight to the barrel.

"You look fatigued. Perhaps you would like a rest before we continue?" Luna asked as she looked down at her, her tone dripping with enough sarcasm it was practically drool at the moment. "I swore an oath early on into this mess that once I found the one responsible for hurting my friend, the punishment inflicted upon them would be legendary even in Tartarus. Being royalty, I cannot go back on my word. So that means I must figure out just how to fulfill my oath!"

The next thing Raindragon knew, she was being treated to the sensation of her left front leg being enveloped in Luna's magic, and wrenched with such force, the limb was forcefully ripped completely loose from her body.

The pain of feeling her body ripped apart so violently was more than she could possibly process. She tried to scream out in agony, only to find out that she couldn't. She didn't realize until what seemed like an eternity later, that she had actually been screaming the entire time; she simply hadn't known such because she'd been in so much pain that her brain had temporarily stopped processing information being picked up by her ears.

"For being nothing but a fog construct, you have quite a set of lungs to you," Luna idly commented as she examined the severed appendage with interest, before simply discarding it and returning her focus to her quarry.

"No more!" Raindragon gasped desperately, her throat aching from the sheer degree of screaming she'd done just moments prior. "Please no more!"

"I am sorry, my ears are still ringing from all of your screaming. Perchance were you asking me for an encore?" Luna asked, although her grin conveyed the fact that she knew full well what was being asked of her.

Before Raindragon could even protest, her other foreleg was violently ripped away from her body much like the first, sending her into a new wave of pain before the last one had even finished subsiding, renewing her inarticulate screams of pain and protest once again.

"I would advise you to save your screams, as you will really be needing them for later. But if you wish to burn yourself out now, Nightmare Moon, that is fine as well. Just do not blame me when you are croaking because you have nothing left to offer up!" Luna stated as she pressed her hoof down harder on her rib cage.

And then her hoof went right through Raindragon's rib cage, as her body completely dissolved away into fog, resulting in her hoof slamming against the forest floor. "What sort of trickery is this?" she asked as she looked about to see where her quarry had gone.

She got the answer to that question shortly afterwards, as she saw Raindragon hovering a good distance away from her, her forelegs now completely restored; as was the rest of her form.

"Alright. I'll admit Nightmare Moon might've done some pretty heinous stuff in the past. But you? You're being evil for the freakin' fun of it, you monster!" she yelled.

"Hello, Pot, my name is Kettle," was all Luna had to say in response with a frown. She did not like the fact that Nightmare Moon was comparing her to herself, and was making her out to be the worse of the two. "You are deserving of every last bit of evil heaped upon you, foul demon! You have murdered far too many innocent ponies to be shown any mercy! Beyond that you have devoured the souls of thirty four poor, innocent foals who never had any chance at living their lives! Beyond all of that you have seriously pissed me off to levels I did not even realize were physically possible! I am going to continue ripping you apart, until such time that there is no more fog left for you to hide behind!" she declared furiously.

"Whoa, now, easy," Raindragon quickly said as she held up her front claws defensively. "Can't we talk this over? Maybe come to some sort of an understanding, like civilized ponies?"

"Stupid force field," Rainbow Dash grumbled as she chomped down on a chocolate-covered protein bar in an aggressive manner. She knew full well that she had a long way to go before she was ready for another fight, she wouldn't even try to deny that. But what really burned her was the fact that the protection of the dome was also obscuring her view of the battle going on.

It wasn't so much of a problem since Luna and Raindragon had been fighting where she could see them, and observe every vicious beating her dragon doppelganger was subjected to. But when the battle had moved beyond the range of her vision as said doppelganger tried to escape, and she hadn't been able to follow after them, that's when the force field became a major and unwanted hindrance to her. Was it really asking too much to be able to see what was going on? She sure didn't think that it was.

"The least she could've done was leave me a first aid kit or something," she mumbled as she -once again- wiped the blood away from her face, all the while wondering when the cut on her head was going to stop bleeding. The fur on her forelegs was getting saturated in the stuff, and it wouldn't be long before she couldn't wipe it away anymore. She bet if she looked in a mirror right now, she'd be redder than even Big Macintosh.

At least the cut on her flank had finally started scabbing up. She'd been kind of worried about that one.

A loud crashing commotion against the side of the force field drew her attention away from her own thoughts, just in time to see Raindragon sliding down the side on her back, before collapsing in a heap on the forest floor.

"I guess that's a "no" then," she mumbled to herself, laying prostrate on the ground.

"Oi!" Rainbow Dash barked as she made her way over to the side of the force field and beat her shod hoof against it. "Hey! Raindragon! If you couldn't even kill me, what sort of chance do you think you have against Luna? You might wanna give up now and make it easy on yourself!"

"Your concern for my well being is touching," Raindragon commented sarcastically as she picked herself up off the ground, dusting herself off as she did. "But your precious Luna is going to be the one wishing she'd given up by the time I'm done with her."

Rainbow just glared in response.

"That is what you think."

"That's what I know!" Raindragon shot back. "Wait. How'd you say that when you didn't even move your lips? And why did your voice sound so different and..." she paused as she slowly realized what was going on. Slowly, ever so slowly, she looked behind her, her eyes falling upon the sight of Luna standing behind her. "Oh crud!"

The next thing Raindragon knew was her tail being grabbed by Luna's magic before she could run, and being pulled back towards her. She tried to halt herself, digging her talons into the ground as she tried to pull herself forward, but all that did was cut channels as she was pulled backwards regardless, by a strength much greater than her own.

"So I am going to be the one wishing I had given up, am I? Let us put your prediction to the test, shall we?" she asked rhetorically as she magically pulled Raindragon closer and closer to her.

"Stomp that ass, Luna!" Rainbow Dash called to her in support.

"You know, that is actually a very good idea. Thank you very much, Rainbow Dash!" Luna called back and grinned.

"Wait, what're you gonna-" Raindragon started to ask, only to stop and scream as she felt the crushing weight of all of Luna's shod hooves land on her back at the exact same time! She was being jumped on!

It wasn't even a single crushing jump either, no! It was multiple jumps, each one a crushing stomp on her back! And with each jump came Luna's comment of "bouncy!" to obnoxiously add insult to injury!

"This is the way we stomp the jerk, stomp the jerk, stomp the jerk! This is the way we stomp the jerk, so early in the morning!" Rainbow Dash belted out off key, serving to further infuriate her!

"This is the way we stomp the jerk, stomp the jerk, stomp the jerk! This is the way we stomp the jerk, so early in the morning!"

And then Luna joined in, mockingly singing equally off key as she repeatedly jumped and slammed her hooves down on her back, more or less pounding her into the ground like a tent stake all the while. The alicorn seriously needed to lay off all the snacks!

She didn't know which one of them thought it to be a good idea to shout "Olé!" at the end, nor did she really care at this point. All she wanted was for it to stop!

"I must admit, Nightmare Moon, I never would have thought that I could have this much fun with you," Luna admitted.

And then her attention was torn away as Rainbow Dash started screaming. Blood-curdling, mane-straightening screaming, the likes of which she'd never heard from the pegasus before. Immediately all attention was turned to the pegasus behind the force field, who was alternating between frantically running about, and furiously rolling about on the ground.

Immediately all thoughts on revenge -petty and otherwise- were abandoned as she leaped off of Raindragon's back and teleported inside the force field, anxiously wrapping her forelegs around Rainbow Dash to pull her close for security.

"Rainbow Dash, whatever is wrong? What is happening?" she asked frantically. But the mare's incoherent screaming wouldn't abate for anything whatsoever, no matter how loudly she asked, or how tightly she held her. If anything she was screaming even louder ever before! What was causing this? How could this be happening?

Immediately she turned her sights on Raindragon, who was currently getting up off the ground.

"What did you do to her!?" she shrieked loudly, burning with fury and rage, overcome with a strong desire to outright murder the one responsible for all of this suffering.

Raindragon just smirked in response. "This."

The next thing Luna knew was pain. Overwhelming, excruciating pain unlike anything she'd ever felt before. No longer was she burning with fury but rather fire! She was literally on fire! Every single nerve in her body was light up brightly. She howled loudly in pain as the flames incinerated her fur, her skin blistering up with blisters popping and oozing as the flames consumed her.

And then she wasn't on fire any longer. She blinked in disbelief, before seeing herself completely unharmed. There was no sign of flames, no fur absent, nothing out of the ordinary whatsoever. Nothing except for the memories of what she'd just gone through, and the uncertainty of whether it'd been a mere instant, or countless hours; with so much pain being experienced, even a second could seem like an eternity.

And then there was peace. No more screaming in pain, no more thrashing about, nothing. Looking down in her forelegs she realized that Rainbow Dash had lost consciousness. She was still breathing, confirming that she was certainly alive this time around. She could only assume that the pain had been so intense, her mind had shut down in order to stop processing it.

"I'm sure by now you realize that not being immersed in the fog is no defense against an attack. The fog just plants the seeds of terror, and Nightmare Moon can trigger a fear response in any exposed pony, at any time she wishes, regardless of their location. And there's not a thing you, or anypony else, can do to stop it," Raindragon explained with a wicked, sadistic grin at their suffering.

"Oh I am not so certain of that," Luna said as she slowly eased Rainbow Dash onto the ground, allowing her to stand back up again. "I am certain that killing you would do wonders to put an end to the terror you are spreading like a social disease."

"Wow. You're really dead set on believing that you can do what the Elements of Harmony couldn't do. That's either dedication, or stupidity," Raindragon commented.

Luna frowned in response. "So long as you feel like talking, how about an explanation on that matter? Just how did you survive the Elements of Harmony? Why are you not dead yet?"

"Really? A former Bearer yourself, and you still don't understand it? You're pretty dense, aren't you?" Raindragon asked, before plopping her haunches down on the ground to sit. "Alright, lemme break it down so even you can understand it. The Elements of Harmony can purify evil influences that might possess somepony, and they can imprison evil individuals so they can't hurt others, but they can't kill living beings; doesn't matter how evil that pony might be, the Elements can't and won't kill them. When you and the Mistress were separated from one another, that wasn't the end of the story. Being a living entity with sapience, sentience, whatever you wanna call it, she couldn't be killed. But lacking a physical body, she couldn't be imprisoned either, so she was more or less just kicked to the curb. You following so far?"

"More than I would care to," Luna grumbled in annoyance.

"Good. Now since the Mistress was a non-corporeal entity as a result of the separation, and finding herself without alicorn magic for the first time in a thousand years, she was forced to sustain herself off the primal fear of the various creatures inhabiting the Everfree Forest, working hard towards regaining her strength in hopes of reclaiming what was once hers," Raindragon continued.

"From the looks of it, your "mistress" has been working overtime at achieving her goals," Luna commented sarcastically. The way her adversary was referring to Nightmare Moon in such a revered way, and as if she were talking about a separate pony entirely, was grating on her nerves more and more with each utterance.

"Oh you don't even know the half of what the Mistress has been through since her defeat. Every single second of every day since then has been devoted towards her inevitable return to form. Holidays, the coldest of winters, hottest of summers, all for the sake of her resurrection. All of it up until..."

"... What? Until what?" Luna asked anxiously. As much as she hated listening to her adversary talking right now, admitting that the sudden end left her wanting to know more was something she hated even worse. Even if she was only admitting it to herself, she still hated it quite a bit.

"Oh don't worry. You'll find out soon enough," Raindragon assured her. "That is... provided you're strong enough to last that long."

"You need not concern yourself with my well being. I assure you, I am more than strong enough to weather whatever you may have to offer up," Luna stated, before teleporting back outside of the force field again, ready to go another round against her scaly adversary.

Raindragon smirked. "At first your optimism was cute. Now it's just annoying. No matter what you do you'll never be able to- GURK!"

Once more, Raindragon found herself forcefully interrupted in her narrative. But this time around it wasn't due to impalement, but rather the fact that her head was forcefully slammed to the ground, with Luna now standing atop it.

"As I said once before, you should know better than to trust a skilled illusionist," Luna stated. "Now then. I have had to deal with countless nightmares on the part of Rainbow Dash, filled with many heinous acts that have sickened me. So now I am going to pay you back with what you have paid out. I think it only fitting that you learn what it is like to experience these acts yourself firsthoof," she said with a malicious grin, even if her prey couldn't see it.

She couldn't quite make out what Raindragon had said, seeing as her face was slammed into the ground, but she was certain it was something appropriately dirty.

There was an uncomfortably, heavy sensation hanging in the air, in the aftermath of Celestia's words being spoken. That much was pretty much undeniable at this point. If one were to be particularly melodramatic, it was a heaviness that was threatening to crush all of them.

To be fair, however, it wasn't everyday that the leader of the nation told you to determine whether or not you were up for coming along to witness a state-sponsored killing. So the drama and the perceived weight of the situation were at least somewhat justified.

"My word," Rarity breathed as she brought her left hoof to her mouth.

"The only word we really have isn't good," Twilight stated, not knowing what else to really say in light of all this information.

"I... I-I don't know how to deal with something like this," Pinkie stated anxiously as she began pacing the room.

Looking around the room, Twilight could easily tell that it was a sentiment shared by the rest of them; even Fluttershy and Applejack, who had voted in favor of Ulquiorra's euthanasia plan, looked just as lost and confused and uncertain as all the others. But then again this wasn't an injured foal who was going to die regardless, so it made sense.

She had no idea just what they were going through right now, but she was fairly certain that it wasn't anything close to what she was feeling. Unlike the rest of them she'd been directly involved in a number of deaths, and see more of them than she cared to remember. First it was the changeling invasion of Ponyville that Ulquiorra had forced her to participate in, and then the manticore attack she'd indirectly been responsible for by going along with Pinkie's idea for a party. How many deaths did she have to her name anyway? If she counted the changelings it had to be forty at least, that was for sure. Until she final tally of manticore victims from Ponyville General, there was no telling just how many ponies had been murdered, or how many she'd unintentionally played a part in.

And then, there was the matter of her efforts at trying to murder Ulquiorra. She still hadn't gotten over that yet; neither her attempts at doing such, nor the fact that she could so readily come to making such a decision. It was scary to think about the possibility that she could so easily contemplate revenge being acceptable.

And now here they were, with talk about getting involved in yet another killing...

+++

"The truest definition of murder is the unjustified taking of life through an act of malice. What is being suggested, is an act devoid of any malice. In fact it could be argued that suggesting to the contrary would be the truly malicious act, as it would serve to only inflict greater suffering on one that is helpless."

"It isn't the act of killing that scares you. Nor is it the emotional reaction you would face after having to take a life. What truly scares you is the thought that one day you might not feel anything. You look at me, and the ease in which I have killed others, and it scares you to think that you might become like me. You fear losing the regard you hold for the lives of others, and will have no qualms with murdering them for whatever reason. That if you proceed down this path, one day you might even come to... enjoy the prospect of murdering someone."

"You're attempting to apply your world's logic and values to a wholly alien matter. Enjoyment and a sense of fulfillment aren't requirements for being skilled in a particular field. Killing is not something I have any particular care for, I merely do it because it proves to be a necessity. You have to remember, killing is an everyday necessity in Hueco Mundo where only the strong survive. Only the strongest Hollow may assert control of a Gillian and seek to evolve into a Vasto Lorde. There is no room for hesitation or reluctance."

"The matter at hand is quite serious. If you truly intend to go through with this, then make sure it is for the right reasons. Do not seek out praise, or revenge, or even attempt to avenge those that have already died. Do not act out of anger, or fear, but rather because you believe it's the correct decision. Do it because you believe the act is justified by the circumstances, because no other alternative is feasible. And if you can't do that, then acknowledge the fact early on while you still have the chance to make the decision, rather than attempt to wait until it's too late."

"There will be times when hard decisions have to be made. When one must weigh the potential outcomes of whatever course of action they choose to take, and must be done quickly; sometimes in the space of time it takes one to blink. Sometimes even faster than that. The decision to weigh six, in exchange for six million, is something that may have to be regarded as being a distinct possibility at some point. But simply because we accept that a specific course of action must be taken, doesn't necessarily make it any easier to actually see it through to the end."

+++

And just like that, Ulquiorra's words came forcing themselves to the forefront of her mind, much like the Espada himself had a tendency to do when the matter was important enough to warrant such a course of action.

But unlike the last time she'd heard Ulquiorra's words, this time around there was a sense of strength to be had in his message. A sense of strength that she could feel herself. And while they weren't exactly any words of comfort, they did serve in helping settle her nerves, and enable her to feel more certain about this than she had been just a moment ago.

This wasn't a murder that was being planned, this was a justified killing because the situation not only warranted such, but it was currently the only available option they had. And this wasn't some poor foal cut down before their life really began, nor was it a misunderstood species that had been treated wrongly; rather this was Nightmare Moon herself, possibly the most evil threat Equestria had ever faced in recorded history. Just thinking about that particular fact was enough to leave her fur feeling bristled, and her blood boiling.

Nightmare Moon had killed so, so many innocent ponies already. And if her plans for eternal night were ever allowed to come to pass, that death toll was going to increase exponentially, until Equestria -and by extension the rest of the entire planet- was nothing but a mass graveyard in a barren wasteland.

It was like Ulquiorra said, needing to weigh the lives of the many, against the lives of the few. The fate of many millions was hanging in the balance, being weighed against the life of but one. One who was a remorseless villain who thought nothing of harming others for her own selfish benefit and entertainment. One who was practically evil incarnate, considering everything she'd done so far. One who feasted on the souls of the innocent in order to maintain herself! All the hurt she'd spread because it suited her. The changelings that had been massacred because she'd directed their invasion. The destruction of her relationship with Celestia. The lives that had been ruined by the hallucinations she'd caused with the terror fog. The lives that had been put in jeopardy by the mental trauma they'd been subjected to! The lives that had possibly been ended because those afflicted that simply couldn't weather the trauma through to the end...

"I will fucking kill that whore myself!" she bellowed, exploding with an unyielding rage that absolutely refused to be silent any longer. For so long she'd been completely helpless. Helpless to do anything but stand by and watch in horror as one by one, not only her best friends, but countless other ponies were mentally brutalized. Unable to do anything but listen as they recounted their experiences so reports could be forwarded to Celestia for review, and offer shallow and false platitudes that everything was going to be alright, because she couldn't possibly tell them that they didn't have a clue what was going on. Unable to do anything to help her friends when they were suffering from wounds that she couldn't possibly tend to, no matter how much she tried. It had all pushed her to the edge.

And now she'd been pushed completely over the edge! This was no longer the time for being meek and afraid of what had to be done, this time was time for bloody action! They'd worry about the consequences later on, after everypony was safe and sound.

It was only then, in the aftermath of her outburst, did she realize that everyone in the room was staring wide-eyed at her. That was enough to temper her rage, at least for the moment.

"Sorry. Sorry, I'm just... a little testy at the moment," she offered up in her own defense.

"If that's testy, darling, I'd hate to see you when you're absolutely livid over a situation," Rarity commented, followed by several nods from around the room. Really, the idea was positively terrifying, and reminded her far too much of what happened in Canterlot. She'd never seen Twilight more furious than she did in that moment, and she never wanted to see that ever again. And if even that wasn't the pinnacle of Twilight's rage, then she really didn't want to be anywhere in Equestria proper when that was unleashed.

That being said, she couldn't fault her friend for feeling such. Just thinking about what Nightmare Moon might've done to Sweetie Belle before tonight filled her with anger. And the worry about her little sister being in the Everfree Forest wasn't helping matters any. While she had no lust for spilling blood herself, she couldn't deny that there was a certain... desire for unloading on that wicked fiend. Lady or not, if her little sister were harmed, there would be absolutely no mercy shown. At the very least, a vicious beating was in certainly order.

Celestia simply remained silent as she returned to her own efforts of finding where Luna had gone.

"It's way too dangerous to go out there in the forest. You girls stay here, I'll go."

Everyone in the room, outside Celestia, turned to look at Spike in response to hearing what he'd just said. He wore a stern, serious look on his face as he stood there, clutching the handle of his hammer. The only conclusion they could reach right now, was that he was serious in his statement, and not making an effort to soothe their nerves.

"Tha's a mighty nice offer, Spike, but Ah reckon goin' off inta the forest all by yourself is too dangerous ever fer a dragon," Applejack stated. She didn't care if his hammer was enchanted by Celestia, going it alone out there in the Everfree Forest was simply a bad idea. Even going with others wasn't all that wise, and best done only when it proved absolutely necessary.

Rarity nodded: "Quite so. While it's incredibly brave of you to volunteer to go into the forest like that, Spike, I'd hate to see anything happen to you."

"Yeah, Spike, it's like, super duper dangerous out there!" Pinkie quickly added.

"And how exactly is staying back here any safer?" Spike asked in response. Several of them opened their mouths to say something, but nothing came. They just looked at each other in uncertainty, before shutting their mouths once again. It was just as he'd thought; none of them could give an answer as to how staying in the library would be any safer, than going out into the Everfree forest. Even he could see that fact. "Without the Elements of Harmony, this is the first time since Twilight and I got to Ponyville, that we've all on equal footing in a crisis. Say whatever you want, I'm coming along, and that's all there is to it. Those are my friends out there, too, and I'm not just gonna sit around and wait," he stated as firmly as he could, adding a toss of his hammer up into the air to emphasize his point, and catch it by the handle as it spun and came back down.

Or at least that's what he tried to do anyway. The end results of his efforts at being cool and collected in the face of coming danger were hampered by his missing the handle, and fumbling with the hammer several times before it ultimately dropped to the ground with a thud.

"Damn it," he grumbled and picked the hammer up again. "Alright, that slip up aside, I'm still going out there. And nopony's gonna change my mind about it."

"It would appear we now have three willing to pound Nightmare Moon into the forest floor," Zecora spoke up for the first time in a long while. "Perchance is somepony volunteering as number four?"

"Why will you not die!? How much of a beating must I administer in order to finally put you down once and for all!?" Luna roared furiously.

She had been viciously thrashing Raindragon in a completely unrestrained fashion, administering all manner of brutality upon her scaly hide all over the forest, to the point she couldn't even see where her force field was any longer. If she'd been a living entity, any one of the delivered assaults would've been enough to cause severe internal trauma that would undoubtedly be lethal. But no matter how much she pounded away at this thing, it simply refused to succumb to its injuries. All she was met with were screams of pain, varying obscenities, and it slowly picking itself back up again, ready to go another round.

It was like an obscene bastardization of those stress relief toys on the market.

"What is it, are you some sort of masochist? Do you get off on being beaten to a pulp? Is that it!?" she demanded to know.

Raindragon merely groaned as she slowly sat up from the latest beating she'd been forced to weather.

"Regardless of how hard you pound me, as long as there's fog, I'm not dying anytime soon. And like I said, there's more than fifty gallons of fog to deal with," she state simply, tired of having to continually bring up such a point. "You could chuck me out of the fog bank and dissipate me, but I'm just come right back, more annoyed than ever. Really the only thing you can do to kill me is cause the fog to evaporate. But you know you can't really do that without putting the rest of Equestria at risk, by seeding the clouds and contaminating the ground water, allowing the Mistress to spread her influence to tens of thousands more ponies in the process," she pointed out.

Luna frowned, not expecting that fact to be presented to her like it had been. Apparently Nightmare Moon had been more aware of their plans than she'd first assumed, if she was bringing that particular point up.

"We do not need to evaporate this fog. We have alternative methods of disposing of it," she shot back.

"Oh? Like what? You mean that plot to freeze it solid? Sorry, that won't work either," Raindragon commented and grinned. "Just because you change the form of the fog, doesn't mean the Mistress can't utilize it however she sees fit. Freeze it, boil it, condense it, it doesn't really matter. The form can change, the substance remains the same."

Luna frowned harder than before in response to hearing this. Not only had Nightmare Moon been aware of everything they'd planned, she was even informing her that it still wouldn't have mattered.

"So then why did you brutalize my sister if her plan proved no threat to you? Was it for simple shits and giggles?" she demanded to know.

"Oh, unbelievably so!" Raindragon barked with riotous laughter. "She so deserved it! And you gotta admit, making her think she murdered her own niece was pure gold!"

Luna said nothing as she approach, and instead opted for rearing up on her hind legs, in order to slam both her front shod hooves down on Raindragon's midsection to silence her laughter.

However things didn't work out as she'd intended. Instead of her hooves meeting their intended target, she found one of them suddenly being intercepted and she was held up, as a scaly claw was slammed into her abdomen several times, each one of them more than sufficient to thoroughly knock the wind right out of her, leaving her gasping for air. Which in turn left her vulnerable to being kicked off and sent flying by Raindragon's powerful hind legs, and crashing into the force field back first.

As she crashed to the ground, struggling to suck in the air that had been stolen from her, all she could do was stare at Raindragon in disbelief, as she got back onto her feet again.

"What's the matter? Surprised by this sudden turn of events?" Raindragon asked, her tone making it clear the question was entirely rhetorical, and without the least bit of sincerity. "I'll let you in on a little secret. You really haven't gained any ground in all this, I've been letting you and your two friends pummel me this entire time!"

"Why," Luna coughed as she fought to catch her breath once again, "why would you do something like that? It does not make any sense."

"Why, to stall you of course. Every minute that you and your friends are prevented from carrying out your plans, is another minute for The Mistress to harvest more fear, and get all the stronger. You wouldn't believe how much difference a single minute can make in the grand scheme of things," Raindragon stated.

Luna merely grunted as she pushed herself back up to a standing position. She'd been played like a foal, and she wasn't the least bit happy about it. She was going to make Nightmare Moon pay for her actions, one way or another.

"I do not care if you stall for an hour, it will do you no good!" she stated loudly, preparing to once again enter the fray, and take no prisoners.

Trophies, most definitely. but prisoners, absolutely never!

"Wow, you're really arrogant. You just don't get it, you can destroy the fog, but that still won't stop the Mistress. Especially with that ally of yours helping us out like he is."

"... What? What are you talking about?" Luna asked. What ally of theirs was helping Nightmare Moon?

"Wait, wait, you really didn't know?" Raindragon asked, before she broke into mad laughter. "Alright, lemme break this down for you. That pale biped friend of yours; the Hollow, the Espada, the Angel of Death, whatever he calls himself. He's been helping the Mistress since the very beginning."

"Ulquiorra Cifer is no traitor! He would not serve the likes of you!" Luna loudly protested, unwilling to even consider otherwise. He'd helped them far too much for such a ridiculous notion to hold even a grain of truth.

"And I never said he did, just that he helped us," Raindragon was quick to point out. "He greatly accelerated Nightmare Moon's return with all the terror he caused when he massacred the changelings, and blotted out the sun high above Canterlot. You have no idea how plentiful, and how exquisite the harvest of fear was! Hundreds and hundreds of ponies all throughout Equestria overcome with genuine, absolute terror at seeing their friends and family members being murdered, and left thinking the world was coming to an end. There was more terror harvested on that one day alone, than in all the months prior! Thanks to his actions, the Mistress returned to power once more, and could implement her own plans for growing stronger than ever before, and reestablishing her rule. And it was all thanks to him..." she said with a wicked, malicious grin.

Luna was horrified at hearing this news, her eyes going wide at the realization. She had suspected something had been up, but her mind had simply refused to consider such possibilities before. It couldn't possibly be the truth, but at the same time it made so much sense! There had been so, so many nightmares in the aftermath of the changeling incident, she'd just chalked it up to Ulquiorra's actions. But she'd never stopped to consider that his actions might've had such a drastically negative effect.

"Him pounding the dragon to a pulp? That was definitely an unexpected complication to the plans. Him discovering and uncovering the changeling invasion in a short amount of time? A major inconvenience! Him accurately theorizing that someone was behind them both and necessitating a change of plans as a result? Completely unacceptable!" Raindragon roared furiously. "But in saving all of you from other disasters, he unknowingly caused an even greater disaster to come to pass, by allowing Nightmare Moon to make a triumphant retur-"

Raindragon found her rant cut short as her face forcefully met the forest floor, before being ground into it for added insult on top of injury. But finding nothing keeping her held down, she picked herself back up again, and looked in Luna's direction with a scowl.

"Are you quite through? I did not come here to listen to you gloat, Nightmare Moon, I came here to end you, and save the others. And your delusional ranting about the greatness of your plans is cutting into valuable screaming time. Now take a deep breath if you can actually process such, for I plan on pounding you so hard, you will not even be able to remember how to breathe!" Luna stated.

"You just don't get it," Raindragon sighed as she stood up straighter, before rearing up on her hind legs and used her tail to help stabilize her balance. "You don't stand any chance against the Mistress; certainly not now. Here, let me show you just what I'm talking about, since you obviously won't understand the truth on your own."

Luna watched, too stunned and confused to think about reacting, as Raindragon's body seemed to be absorbing the fog around it, causing it to grow in size. Before her scaly hide was more or less around the same size a regular pony. But in almost no time at all her mass had increased enough to rival her own. It was only afterward she realized that she'd been allowing her adversary to make herself stronger at her own leisurely pace.

And then Raindragon lunged at her, flapping her large wings to propel herself forward. She barely had time to respond before her adversary plowed her front claws into the ground where she'd been standing. It was more instinct than conscious thought the allowed her to avoid the blow, her wings flaring outward as she leaped back. However the victory was short-lived as she found her right foreleg ensnared by her adversary's claw. she was violently yanked forward, and rapidly slapped across the face back and forth, unable to keep track of how many hits she was subjected to before she managed to violently kick her assailant away in the barrel, allowing her to escape.

Her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest, threatening to smash its way right through her rib cage if she didn't get it under control immediately. It was only as the rush of adrenaline started tapering off, that she realized just how much her face hurt from all the revenge slapping she'd been subjected to.

Several paces away from where she landed, Raindragon had hit the ground hard from the force of the kick. But not hard enough to keep her down, as she just picked herself right back up again, looking completely unfazed by what would've been a lethal blow under different circumstances.

"Not bad, but not good enough," Raindragon stated mockingly. "I still don't think you understand the sheer weight of the situation though, so allow me to reiterate one more time. Every minute that passes by, the strength of Nightmare Moon just continues to grows greater and greater at exponential levels. The ponies don't have to be terrified out of their minds for their fear to be harvested, it just adds to the enjoyment of the procedure. No, their current levels of fear are sufficient, since it encompasses hundreds of ponies all at the same time. We have quantity going for us to make up for a lack of quality!"

"Then I will just have to work quickly at eliminating you once and for all," Luna shot back. Although first she had to figure out how to go about doing such. If everything that had happened up to this point had been Nightmare Moon toying with her as she claimed, that made things significantly more difficult. She would simply have to try much harder now.

Rainbow Dash bolted up with a shriek, frantically looking all around her, before looking herself over.

Fire. The last thing she remembered was fire; more specifically her being on fire. But there was no fire to be found, no burnt fur to smell, and no excruciating pain that reached down into her bones. She had something of a headache, and was a bit disoriented, but other than that she felt alright.

"What the hay happened?" she asked herself as she shook her head.

The last thing she remembered, before being set on fire, was Raindragon getting beaten pretty hard by Luna. But looking around she didn't see any signs of either one of them. The fog couldn't really have gotten that thick, could it? Even if it has, she would've been able to hear the sounds of the beating continuing, and gotten some kind of clue where they were.

"Screw it, I'm not waiting around here," she stated to herself.

Tapping at the force field didn't really give her any indication of how strong it was. She had no idea of how many molecules thick it was, or what the overall tensile strength amounted to. But she knew enough to know that going through wasn't going to be an option. Instead she was going under. She might not be an earth pony, but she wasn't going to let that stop her from moving enough dirt to get loose again.

Or at least, not until she found out just how hard the ground really was.

Being locked up in Canterlot for weeks, she hadn't been privy to what the weather situation in Ponyville and the surrounding area had been like. She had no idea how much rain had fallen, or hadn't fallen, or what the weather of the Everfree forest had been up to in her absence. The ground was dry and tough like it hadn't received rain in weeks, making her efforts at escaping all the more difficult. It was enough to make her wonder if Nightmare Moon had specifically picked his area for just such a reason.

"I'm gonna get answers one way or the damn other," she muttered to herself as she scratched ferociously at the forest floor, trying hard to open up a way out.

A loud crash against the force field not far away from her head startled her out of her own thoughts. Looking up from her own efforts, she caught sight of Luna's back pressed against the wall of the force field, as she slowly slid down to the ground and landed with a thud.

"Luna!" she yelled, pounding her shod hooves against the wall in a desperate effort at getting out to see what condition the alicorn was in. Just the fact that she'd been thrown like she had, that wasn't good at all. "Luna, are you okay!?"

Luna groaned as she slowly pushed herself back up onto her hooves. "That hurt..."

"Not so fun being slammed against a force field, is it!?"

Both Luna and Rainbow Dash looked in the direction of the voice and saw Raindragon slowly walking into the impromptu clearing.

"Damn, someone's been taking their vitamins," Rainbow Dash muttered to herself, surprised at the greater physical size their opponent was now sporting. The probably explained how Luna had been chucked so easily; all that mass had to come with a corresponding increase in strength.

"More like the fear of all the foals being held captive," Luna commented in response.

"Oh that's not even close to being fair," Rainbow Dash growled. "Lemme outta here and we'll double team that bitch! I'll hit her high, you hit her low!"

Luna shook her head in response. "As much as I appreciate the offer, I do not believe even the both of us working together would be enough to topple her. She has far more physical strength and speed than her form would suggest."

"And it's only gonna keep growing!" Raindragon boasted loudly as she approached, keeping her pace nice and slow for the maximum effect of tension, secure in the knowledge that there was little that they could do to oppose her. "The more terror your ally milks from the foals, the stronger the Mistress grows. And there's not one thing you can do about it," she stated with a wide, toothy grin.

"Oh that is where you are most certainly wrong. There is indeed something I can do about that," Luna paused and then inhaled deeply. "ULQUIORRA CIFER! YOU ARE TERRIFYING THE FOALS, AND MAKING NIGHTMARE MOON STRONGER IN THE PROCESS! LEAVE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY!"

Raindragon stared in disbelief, not expecting Luna to actually try something like that. There were a lot of things that could be done to a pony. But there was no way she could block out something like that. "You didn't just do that!"

"Oh I so just did that!" Luna quipped and smirked. "What do you intend to do about it? Let us see where you stand now, blabbermouth!"

Raindragon just continued to stare in disbelief. "You are so going to get it now..."

"Perhaps one day I will. But it will not be from you, and it will not be on this night. On this night it is your turn to get it, and I am the one who will bring it!" Luna declared as she flared her wings, holding the parallel with the ground, before angling them forward at just past a ninety degree angle.

The vantage point Rainbow Dash had was terrible for telling what was happening outside the force field. She flapped her wings and took to the air as best she could to try and rectify the matter, but it did her little good. All she could really see was a glow emanating from the tips of Luna's primary feathers, as well as her horn.

All at once the glow erupted into dozens -no, hundreds!- of magical bolts discharging in a rapidly repeating pattern, slamming into Raindragon's frame and everything around her! She had no idea how strong the blasts were, but they must've been packing a punch since they forced her to shield her face behind her forelegs. Meanwhile the bolts that weren't making contact with her body, were making contact with the trees beyond her, knocking the bark right off the trunks is they struck close to the edge, while making holes in the trunks if they struck directly.

She had no idea what such a technique was called, but it was absolutely awesome!

Unfortunately the awesomeness didn't seem to be acknowledged by Raindragon. Through the numerous, bright, miniature explosions of magical bolts occurring against her hide, Rainbow Dash could see that she was slowly advancing her way forward, showing little concern for the pelting that she was taking.

"Luna, look out!" she yelled, her voice cracking in the process as she did.

But it was already too late as Raindragon was already upon her. In one swift move she reached out and grabbed Luna's horn, before throwing a balled claw forward, punching her first in the left eye, then in her snout, and then lifting her off her front legs to punch her straight in the barrel, before finally throwing her against the force field wall once again.

"Do you have any idea just how much that hurt? I didn't appreciate it at all," she growled.

"You leave her alone!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she slammed herself against the force field in a bid to escape.

"You stay out of this, or I'll set you on fire again," Raindragon warned, before promptly catching two back hooves straight to her barrel that both broke the hold she had on Luna, and promptly sent her flying backwards from the force behind them.

It went without saying that the kick came from Luna, as there was no one else around to actually do such.

"You did not just threaten one of my friends while right in front of me," Luna stated with a scowl.

"Oh I did just do that," Raindragon stated right back. "The question is, what're you gonna do about it?"

"Well in a different time, in a different setting, I would proclaim that I am going to pound you so hard, the royal concubines would be jealous," Luna admitted, her voice carrying a hard edge that indicated she was just barely keeping her rage restrained.

Rainbow Dash, naturally, lost it at that and started laughing.

"But since that is no longer appropriate in this day and age, I will simply have to settle for this instead," Luna added as her horn began to glow.

And then without warning she found her horn being grabbed by Raindragon and squeezed hard. Very hard.

Luna grunted in pain, quickly finding herself totally overwhelmed by the sheer amount of excruciating pain coursing through her entire body, starting from the tip of her horn and working its way down at a rapid pace. It was more than enough to send her to her knees, as her vision began to swim.

"Should've spent less time talking, and more time doing something," Raindragon commented, before using her free claw to punch Luna in the face again.

A volley of angry obscenities and hollow banging sounds erupted as Rainbow Dash slammed her hooves against the force field in response to what she was witnessing. But she paid none of them any mind, as she focused more on Luna, and delivering an appropriate beating.

"You put up a good fight, but your time is at an end now," she commented with a grin as she gripped Luna's horn tighter. Already she could feel her defensive magic weakening and dwindling. And once her defensive magic was gone, it'd only be a matter of time before her life followed. "You know, I've got a very interesting question to ask. Can your immortality sustain you through having your throat slit? I don't think it can, but I say we find out for certain rather than guess," she said as she unfolded her clenched fist to bring her sharp talons back into view.

And then she heard a strange sound, not at all unlike that of glass breaking.

The next thing she knew, she found her claw being forcefully ensnared and held in place, before a violent kick was delivered to her face by a shod hoof.

"Get!"

The yell was followed by another kick to the face.

"You fucking claws!"

Another kick followed.

"Off!"

Yet another kick.

"Of my sister!"

This time it was a volley of five kicks, all being delivered in violent and rapid succession.

The assault would've continued on much like that, had Raindragon simply not extended her foreleg, forcefully moving Rainbow Dash right out of striking range, and slamming her to the ground on her back. Followed up by pinning her to the ground with her right hind leg, in order to free up her claw.

She could only guess that squeezing Luna's horn so hard had weakened the magic used to sustain the force field, to the point the obnoxious pegasus proved too much for it to resist.

That or perhaps Luna had let the shield drop in a bid to save herself by sacrificing her friend. Whichever came first.

"You know, at first it was kind of cute. But now it's just getting old, and tired, and annoying," she grumbled to them. "I don't know which one is more pathetic. The fact that you actually believed you could contend with an alicorn-grade threat all on your own, or the notion that Luna could ever be your sister."

Luna grunted and tried to stand back up, but found it impossible, under the nearly-crushing weight of the grip on her horn.

"Do not question my loyalties to those I care for, foul demon, you could not possibly comprehend them," she spat in defiance.

Rainbow Dash had little to add to the conversation except for grunts as she squirmed about in any manner she believed would aid in her escape, furiously swinging and kicking at anything blue and scaly within reach of herself.

"... Alright. You know what? I'm tired of this, and the Mistress has plans, so this is what we're going to do," Raindragon stated, deciding to change the topic of discussion. Immediately she turned her focus to Rainbow Dash. "You are gonna stay alive long enough to watch me murder your dear "sister" in a brutal fashion. Then I'm going to break your spine so you can't move, but will still be alive for a while. If I'm feeling particularly generous, I'll leave you lying on top of Luna's dead body, so you can snuggle her while you die and she rots!"

"You do that, and you die next," Rainbow Dash grunted, "you're gonna have to take your foot off me sometime. And when you do, I swear to whoever's listening, I will find a way to kill you!" she roared furiously.

Raindragon regarded Rainbow Dash skeptically, before smirking, deeply amused by the threat.

"You sounded so serious there just now. Almost like you actually believe it," she stated, grinning harder as Rainbow Dash glared at her. "Let's see if you can actually follow up on that promise, shall we? Now watch this bitch choke on her own blood!" she roared as she brought her talons to Luna's throat.

But before she could actually go about piercing Luna's throat and causing her to bleed out, something white and moving at extremely high speeds slammed into her from the front, doubling her over while simultaneously sending her flying backwards, relinquishing her hold on both her captives at the same time.

Rainbow Dash wasted no time and jumping to her hooves, and quickly scrambling over to Luna's side to check on her, and make sure she was alright. The lack of blood caused her to give a sigh of relief, but she was still far from relaxed.

"What," Luna panted, still overcome with pain, but not nearly as much as when her horn was nearly being crushed. "Whatever happened?"

"I'm thoroughly convinced. Regardless of what your cutie marks suggest, you ponies have a natural talent for getting into trouble when I'm not around."

Both ponies looked up at the sound of the easily recognizable voice, to see Ulquiorra coming in for a landing on the ground, hands tucked into his pockets, his black shirt thoroughly ruined at this point and more or less just hanging on his upper body rather than being worn. But regardless of how he looked, he was a sight for sore eyes right now!

"Wait, wait, wait. Is that really you, or are you just another fog menace that's come to screw with us?" Rainbow Dash asked. Considering some of the things she'd been experiencing tonight, she wouldn't put it past Nightmare Moon to pull something like that. "Quick, tell us something that only the real you would know!"

"If I told you something that only I would know, you would have no way of knowing if it were true or not, thus meaning you'd have no way of verifying whether I'm myself or another fog construct," Ulquiorra pointed out in response.

Rainbow Dash only blinked once at hearing this, as her brain worked to process the information she'd been given.

"Good enough for me," she stated, before breaking into a flying tackle and throwing her forelegs around him, bear-hugging him with all her might, relieved that the three of them were together and safe again.

Luna was far more reserved as she approached. "It is good to see you are well, my friend. There was concern that Nightmare Moon had lured you out here for the purpose of possessing you, and using your body as her new vessel," she explained.

Ulquiorra wouldn't deny that it was one of the more interesting theories he'd heard since his arrival here. If that had been Nightmare Moon's plan all along, luring him out here to a remote area and moving to possess him when he least expected it, then it was certainly a creative way to go about removing one of the top threats she would face in her bid to return to power. But so far he hadn't actually seen any evidence to suggest that was what she'd had in mind. If it were, he doubted the Kurostruct would've been fighting him as hard as it had, since such would only inconvenience her further.

Even if she made such an effort, it was unlikely

"Barring new evidence to suggest otherwise, I'm still myself," he replied. "The foals have been located, but so far all efforts at rescuing them have ultimately proven futile. They're surrounded by a force field that's proven capable of withstanding my Cero at close distance," he added, quickly changing the topic to something of more relevance and importance, than whether or not he was really himself.

That was enough to make Rainbow Dash stop in her efforts at hugging the stuffing out of Ulquiorra, and look up at him wide-eyed in disbelief.

"How could it withstand your Cero?" she asked as she disengaged him and hovered at eye level. "You're like the most destructive force in Equestria right now. How could her force field just no-sell you like that?"

"It is indeed a fair question. But at the moment I believe we have more pressing matters," Luna stated and gestured over to where Raindragon had crashed.

"Oh wow!" Rainbow Dash stated as she looked to where Luna had indicated, not believing what she was seeing.

She hadn't seen what Ulquiorra had thrown at Raindragon to send her flying, but now she could, and what that was, was Scratchy! And it had been in a way that had firmly wedged Raindragon's neck right between Scratchy's horns, firmly entangling the both of them together, and trying desperately to extract themselves from one another.

"Holy crap. Dude, you've got wicked aim," she stated as she looked back at Ulquiorra, and then back at the two as they tried to pry themselves free.

"If that were the case, the dragon would've been impaled through the chest by the Kurostruct's horns," Ulquiorra replied as he watched the display. "And why does the dragon have your color scheme?"

"Let's just say that I didn't really believe what you said about Spike's message, and Nightmare Moon thought it'd be funny to use it against me," Rainbow Dash replied, not really wanting to go into detail about it all right now.

"Perhaps it would be best to attempt rescuing the foals now, and talk about this matter later? I do not think it wise to wait for our enemy to get into a position that is favorable," Luna pointed out. Just standing around to watch the two fog agents try and pry themselves apart didn't strike her as all that wise of an idea to be engaging in. "We will find them, we will get them to safety, and then we will administer as much violence and Tartarus as it takes to put Nightmare Moon down once and for all!"

"Rescue will be easier said than done at this point," Ulquiorra pointed out. If his own Cero wasn't going to crack that force field, there was no telling what it might take. Perhaps his Gran Rey Cero? Would his Cero Oscuras be needed in this case? His Lanza Del Relampago?

Or perhaps they would be going the path of least resistance and dig a tunnel to allow them to escape out into the open? He had planned on going that route prior to being ambushed, and would have followed through if not for the need of continually reengaging the Kurostruct whenever it bounced back from the last beating he'd delivered. It had quite literally gotten to the point of such utter ridiculousness, that the foals had actually been cheering him on like it was a wrestling match, and encouraging him to utilize more violence.

It was actually enough to make him wonder -but not actually care- if he was being a corrupting influence to them in his efforts.

There was going to be a serious need for physiological counseling after this matter was finally resolved. There was no doubt about that.

"Perhaps so, but we must still try regardless. Now then, which way to the foals?" Luna asked.

"The only place any of you will be going is into an open and shallow grave!"

Rainbow Dash groaned at that voice and turned around to look back. Every single fucking time they took their eyes off of these things, they just found new ways to surprise them. And looking back at them, she wasn't disappointed. Both Scratchy and Raindragon were free, and looking right at them. And they looked pissed.

"Oh come on," she sighed as she looked at them. "Look. We'll get to you in a little while, just let us collect the foals and get 'em outta here before things actually get serious!" she yelled. Was it seriously asking too much to let them get the foals out of what would become the line of fire?

"Yeah, you know what? I'm gonna say no," Raindragon commented idly as she flapped her wings and hovered above the ground, crossing her forelegs over her front as she did. "The Mistress has plans for those foals. Or... at least what's left of them anyway..."

"What's left of them? Whadda you mean by..." Rainbow Dash paused, the realization of the words finally smacking her right across the face.

Nightmare Moon hadn't simply been holding the foals here in the forest as mere hostages to restrict the destruction Ulquiorra could lay down upon her. Nor had they been bait purely for luring him out here. She'd brought them here so she could go about eating their souls completely undisturbed! They'd been too late even before they'd gotten here!

"How... how many?" Luna asked, simultaneously not actually wanting to know, but needing to know.

"How many so far? Doesn't matter really, the Mistress isn't done yet, and you really don't need to know," Raindragon replied and shrugged dismissively.

Rainbow Dash was beside herself as this point, sucking in ragged breaths through clenched teeth, bristling with absolute fury at what she was hearing right now. They'd been too late to do anything, and now they were being mocked for it! She couldn't stand this! She wouldn't stand this!

"Spare us the posturing. You've managed to claim the souls of a grand total of two foals in the time since my arrival in the forest. That's hardly outstanding for something of Nightmare Moon's caliber," Ulquiorra stated bluntly.

That snapped Rainbow Dash out of her rage. Two dead foals was still completely unacceptable, but at least it wasn't every foal in Ponyville being before they got here.

Raindragon snarled in response. "Shut your face, your pasty-skinned biped, nopony asked you a bucking thing!"

"Force me then if it bothers you so much," Ulquiorra replied, unmoved by the hostility as she slipped both of his hands into his pockets. "Otherwise stay out of our way. We have more important things to tend to, than an enemy with an inferiority complex, who feels the need to target foals that can't fight back."

This time it was the Kurostruct the growled in response, but otherwise remained silent.

"Biped, you have no idea what you're doing," Raindragon growled viciously. "You couldn't comprehend the forces that you're up against."

"That's been the status quo for nearly two months now. One more day won't make any difference in the matter," Ulquiorra stated.

Ever since Discord had brought him to Equestria, he had been fortunate to know which end was up. He was surrounded by things he could barely understand, could barely comprehend, and often times found himself unable to do anything beyond simply going with the flow of things as everything unfolded before and round him. He honestly couldn't see how that changed this particular situation any.

"Fuck the both of you!" Rainbow Dash yelled, primed and ready for a fight.

"I am with Rainbow Dash on this matter. I have had enough talk for one evening. Let us proceed with putting this night whore down once and for all," Luna stated.

"If either of you get involved, you're likely to die in short order," Ulquiorra stated, interrupting their efforts at charging headlong into something that was beyond their ability to handle. Out of everyone present, I'm the only one capable of withstanding whatever Nightmare Moon has to throw at us. You two proceed north and attempt a rescue, I'll remain and deal with this annoyance myself."

Raindragon howled with laughter, gripping her sides at hearing this.

"Oh that's just so precious! You think you can actually stop the Mistress? Like that and by yourself? Think again, biped! The Mistress can strike anywhere within the fog as she sees fit, and you can't stop her from doing it. You could no more stop the fog, than you could force the waters of a river to heed to your will."

"That fact is perfectly understood. However there's a key fact that you don't understand. Out of everyone in this world, I'm the only one who hasn't been raised on the legend of Nightmare Moon, and has absolutely no respect for her. She's nothing but trash as far as I'm concerned," Ulquiorra stated. "That, and I will be the one who kills her before dawn is supposed to break."

"Wow! I didn't actually think you could be so egotistical," Raindragon stated in disbelief. He was really full of himself from the sound of it. "Disrespect aside, you honestly think you have any chance against the great Nightmare Moon? You could barely keep up with your own executioner. What could you do against the full ire of the Mistress being directed against you?"

"This."

Before anypony could ask what Ulquiorra was up to, or what he was planning on, they were interrupted by a feeling of intense pressure against their skin, and the air taking on a strange quality not entirely dissimilar from watching humidity evaporating above hot pavement. Both Luna and Rainbow Dash watched as It was dancing, and jumbled, and suddenly it felt a lot heavier to experience; harder to breathe in and out. It was like the air had an actual weight to it, and was now pressing down on them.

Raindragon and Scratchy were also being affected by the sudden change in their surroundings. But lacking the need to breathe, they were more properly able to be confused as their bodies fluctuated without any apparent reason.

"What sort of black magic are you working!?" Raindragon demanded to know.

"Up until this point you've experienced little beyond my raw physical strength," Ulquiorra stated plainly. "Now you're experiencing the strength of my reiatsu-"

"Talk in terms I can at least understand!" Raindragon roared furiously.

"Very well then. My body possesses a vast amount of reiryoku, which some could call spirit energy. It generates reiatsu when released, otherwise known as spirit pressure, and that pressure directly interacts with the physical world," Ulquiorra explained. "What was experienced before was the reiatsu my body cannot naturally suppress, due to how much there is to contend with. What's being experienced now, is the reiatsu generated when I don't bother with suppressing it. As you can see you're vulnerable to even this limited amount."

"Cute trick, but the Mistress won't be stopped by something like this; not at her current level of strength!" Raindragon shot back.

"Then I'll simply have to demonstrate further, of just how screwed Nightmare Moon is," Ulquiorra stated dismissively. "This is roughly equal to the amount of reiatsu a Shinigami holding the rank of Lieutenant would be able to generate; approximately one fifth of the amount I can generate in this form."

Luna felt her knees trembling and threatening to buckle at the sudden increase in pressure being generated by Ulquiorra's body. It was pouring into the surrounding area like a faucet that had forcefully been wrenched all the way open. There was just so much of it, and this was but a mere fifth of what he could generate?!

Rainbow Dash fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, her armor clattering in the process, unable to resist the weight and pressure on her body in her current state, and feeling like all the air had been pressed out of her lungs. It was way too much for her to ignore; way more than she'd experienced in Canterlot during the changeling invasion. Obviously Ulquiorra was serious this time around if he was churning out so much force. Unfortunately that seriousness left her feeling like she was being crushed and suffocated at the same time. The air was just so heavy and so thick.

She had reason to laugh though, at least to herself, since that one fifth of his strength, was of the one fifth that he was currently operating at, meaning it was only like four percent of what he was truly capable of. If he unleashed his resurrection, Nightmare Moon didn't stand a fucking chance.

And speaking of which, immediately after Ulquiorra started flaring his strength, she could see both Raindragon and Scratchy being disintegrated, as all the fog in the immediate area was scattered like dust in the wind, putting them in the middle of a large clearing of fresh air free of annoyances and irritants.

"Most excellent, Ulquiorra Cifer," Luna stated, "now would you be so kind as to please restrain your pressure once again? I am having a hard time even catching my breath currently!"

"I can't even stand up," Rainbow Dash grunted from where she currently laid.

"If not for the fact my reiatsu is the only thing keeping the fog back, I would do such. If I stop flaring it, all of the fog for a half mile area is going to come flooding back in once again," Ulquiorra explained.

"One half of a mile area!?" Luna asked in disbelief, eyes going wide as the words registered in her mind. He was holding back all of the fog for such a large area, with nothing more than the pressure generated by the mana within his own body? "Ulquiorra Cifer, I did not wish to believe my sister when she proclaimed such, but it would appear I have little choice in the matter. You are indeed a monster!" she stated.

Beyond that, she had been quite right. He had been bullshitting them! Her sister owed her serious coinage!

"And he's on our side," Rainbow Dash said with a chuckle, before letting out a groan. "Seriously, though, I don't think I can stand up with you flaring and flexing like that. Put it away already!"

"And I have concerns that the foals will not be able to withstand the pressure either; I am not certain that it would not kill some of them, and Nightmare Moon has already done more than enough of that. We may have little choice but to proceed without your spirit pressure as quickly as we can manage," Luna added as she tried to catch her breath.

Ulquiorra wouldn't deny that the concerns Princess Luna was expressing were valid. What they were currently experiencing was but one fifth of what he could demonstrate in his sealed state. And despite being an alicorn, and having the ability to crush him with ease if she so desired, even she was having difficulty tolerating his reiatsu, now that it was truly out in the open. What would a bunch of young foals suffer from if they were to experience it for themselves? Sweetie Belle had stated that she'd felt his resurrección all the way from Canterlot, so there was no telling just what sort of effect he was having on the entire area.

Granted these two were in a weakened and fatigued state from everything that had been happening, so that might make them more vulnerable. But that didn't change the fact that the concerns were indeed valid.

"A fair point," he said as he relented and stopped flaring his reiatsu. Although he didn't bother with completely suppressing it once again. "I would recommend moving quickly while we still can, before Nightmare Moon can make her way back to us."

"I concur," Luna agreed, before taking a deep breath again. "Now then, which way to the foals? The sooner we rescue them, the better off we will all be."

Author's Note

Yeah...

Originally this chapter was much longer. Seventeen thousand words long and going. There was going to be so much more than this going on, Ulquiorra demonstrating his badass skills to a greater degree, but I simply ran out of time. Real life developments slowed progress to an absolute crawl, and with the season six finale being today I wanted to get something uploaded for everyone that's been patient up until this point. So I had to go back to a good stopping off point and just make that do. Hopefully I can make it up to everyone with the next chapter to come.

BTW, I still need a proofreader now that Xbox432 has real life matters to tend to.

Deleted Scene One

"What have you done!?" she demanded to know.

"Nothing much, just a little jump scare to prove the point," Raindragon replied, grinning at the fact that she'd gotten a rise out of Luna. "Now then. What else have you got in mind for dealing with an opponent you can't possibly defeat? Begging and grovelling? Perhaps submitting yourself to the Mistress' services in exchange for the safety of your friends?"

"I was thinking of an entirely different course of action to undertake. Now if I could just remember how it was properly phrased. How did that go again?" Luna asked as she rubbed her chin in through, trying to recall what she wanted to say. "Oh yes, now I remember! What I am going to do, is rip off your head, puke in your skull, and shove your head straight up your ass!" she bellowed.

Raindragon blinked, honestly not expecting that sort of response. "Wow. You must really be pissed off."

Alternate Scene

"Well then you'll have to move a lot quicker than the Espada, which is no small achievement in itself," Raindragon stated dismissively. "He might be attempting to rescue them, but even as we speak his efforts are terrifying them further, which is just aiding to the harvest; the Mistress doesn't even have to bother since he's doing all the work for her!" she further taunted.

"Oh I will most certainly rectify that," Luna paused and then inhaled, "ULQUIORRA CIFER! YOU ARE TERRIFYING THE FOALS AND MAKING NIGHTMARE MOON STRONGER IN THE PROCESS! LEAVE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY!"

Raindragon stared in disbelief, not expecting Luna to actually try something like that. There were a lot of things that could be done to a pony. But there was no way she could block out something like that. "You didn't just do that!"

"So what if I did? Whatever are you going to do about it?" Luna asked, a cocky smirk gracing her face, just daring her adversary to make a move. "I believe the phrase 'come at me, bro' is highly appropriate here."

"Consider it brought then!"

Deleted Scene Two

Raindragon didn't even get the chance to issue a single syllable before catching Luna's right hoof with her face, knocking her flat on her back against the hard ground. She was confused at what had just happened, and her snout was hurting too.

"So you have been allowing me to pound you, have you?" Luna asked as she stood over her quarry and glared down at her. "Does that mean you allowed for this to happen?"

Before Raindragon could even ask what "this" was, she found the answer being presented to her as a lit kerosene lantern suddenly appeared before her.

"I am going to remove that cocky look from your face, permanently!" Luna declared as she roughly shoved the lantern against her quarry's face. Immediately upon contact, the several hundred degrees worth of temperature near the top of the frame started causing the point of contact to turn into steam.

"How ironic that a dragon cannot tolerate fire. Would you not agree?" Luna asked, a satisfied grin crossing her face as she watched her prey squirming and trying futilely to break loose. "It is too bad there is not currently an opera in Ponyville, as you would fit right in!"

Deleted Scene Three

"If either of you get involved, you're likely to die in short order," Ulquiorra stated, interrupting their efforts at charging headlong into something that was beyond their ability to handle. Out of everyone present, I'm the only one capable of withstanding whatever Nightmare Moon has to throw at us. You two proceed north and attempt a rescue, I'll remain and deal with this annoyance myself."

Raindragon howled with laughter, gripping her sides at hearing this.

"Oh that's just so precious! You think you can actually stop the Mistress? Like that and by yourself? Think again, biped! The Mistress can strike anywhere within the fog as she sees fit, and you can't stop her from doing it. You could no more stop the fog, than you could force the waters of a river to heed to your will."

"That fact is perfectly understood. However there's a key fact that you don't understand. Out of everyone in this world, I'm the only one who hasn't been raised on the legend of Nightmare Moon, and has absolutely no respect for her. She's nothing but trash as far as I'm concerned," Ulquiorra stated. "That, and I will be the one who kills her before dawn is supposed to break."

Raindragon barked with laughter at hearing this. "Oh please! There's not a single one among the three of you that could possibly stand up to the Mistress, either nor or when she's done gathering strength. You're all too weak, too arrogant, and too stupid! Especially you, biped, standing down like that in the face of a superior threat! Not only is it stupid, it's downright offensive how you think you can take it easy like that!"

"No offense was intended on my part," Ulquiorra replied as he slowly withdrew his hands from his pockets.

And unleashed a barrage of Bala blasts at the ground around the two fog constructs, kicking up a massive cloud of dust and debris, completely obscuring the view of everything in the immediate area.

Rainbow Dash yelped in surprise as she felt herself roughly grabbed from behind, as did Luna, before they were quickly pulled into the air by Ulquiorra as the lot of them fled the scene before the dust cloud could settle.

Deleted Scene Four

"Oh that is where you are most certainly wrong. There is indeed something I can do about that," Luna paused and then inhaled deeply. "ULQUIORRA CIFER! YOU ARE TERRIFYING THE FOALS, AND MAKING NIGHTMARE MOON STRONGER IN THE PROCESS! LEAVE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY!"

Raindragon stared in disbelief, not expecting Luna to actually try something like that. There were a lot of things that could be done to a pony. But there was no way she could block out something like that. "You didn't just do that!"

"Oh I so just did that!" Luna quipped and smirked. "What do you intend to do about it? Let us see where you stand now, blabbermouth!"

Raindragon just continued to stare in disbelief. "You are so going to get it now..."

"Perhaps one day I will. But it will not be from you, and it will not be on this night. On this night it is your turn to get it, and I am the one who will bring it!" Luna declared as she flared her wings, flapping them hard to propel herself into the sky in preparation of a renewed assault.

"You know, it's stopped being cute that you think you have any chance at stopping the terror fog. You don't even present as much threat as Celestia, and even she couldn't stop it; no more than she can stop eternal night from coming. So just stop getting in the way of the Mistress, and be a good little filly," Raindragon stated as she looked up at Luna's position.

Luna frowned and flapped her wings, glaring down at Raindragon's position.

"Is that so? Well do you know what? Fuck terror fog! FUCK ETERNAL NIGHT! AND FUCK YOU!" she roared as her horn began glowing brightly. "Now, die!" she yelled as threw her head forward, the glow of her horn traveled up to the tip, before being discharged as a wide beam hurtling towards where Raindragon stood.

Down below Raindragon smirked as she watched Luna's efforts, unimpressed with her efforts at intimidation. Who did she think she was, standing in opposition of the will of Nightmare Moon?

Unfortunately her certainty in the tactical superiority of Nightmare Moon was met by the hard reality of the crushing weight of Luna's blast slamming her into and then right through the ground with a ton of weight, indicating a gravity effect was being utilized.

That had hurt a lot! That was unacceptable!

"Where is your confidence now, foul fog fiend?" Luna asked from high above.

"You arrogant little nag! I'm gonna teach you a lesson you'll never forget!" Raindragon roared as she came flying up out of the crater she'd been put into.

"Die!" Luna yelled again, throwing another attack forward, sending Raindragon back into the crater as before, and making it even deeper this time than last.

"Die! Die! Die! Die!" Luna barked out, each iteration bringing a repeat of the attack, pounding Raindragon further into the ground.

Unfortunately it wasn't enough to completely stop Raindragon in her efforts at breaking loose, and flying out of the hole. It was just serving to slow her down, reset her progress, and infuriate her to the point of losing all eloquence.

"Die!"

"Stop it!" Raindragon yelled as she flew up, only to be sent back down again.

"Die!"

"Stop it!" she roared again.

"Die!"

"Angry!" Raindragon screamed, unable to properly articulate just how she felt.

"Die!"

"Curse your filthy soul!"

For the foals held captive, the fight between Ulquiorra and... whatever in Tartarus his opponent was, had somehow morphed from a scene of pure horror, to one of perverse entertainment, with many of them cheering him on as he laid into his opponent in some of the most brutal ways they'd ever seen.

However that was interrupted by the yelling in the distance of two distinct voices, able to be heard even over all the commotion and through the force field. And then there was the trembling of the ground that they could feel through their hooves.

Even Ulquiorra was aware of what was going on, his current struggles against the Kurostruct forgotten around for the moment, as he held it pinned to the ground, with its horns shoved into the forest floor.

"Is... is that Princess Luna?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"It is," Ulquiorra stated.

"She sounds like she's nettled," Pipsqueak commented.

"Die!"

"Super nettled," Shady clarified.

"Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Fucking Die!" Luna howled angrily, blast after blast raining down on Raindragon's position, and the crater that was growing deeper and deeper with every successful blast landed.

But as with all other things, nothing lasted forever, and Luna's barrage had to come to an end. She'd been yelling so much, she hadn't the opportunity to breathe, and she was now desperately in need of catching her breath.

Down below in the large hole, even Raindragon could be heard gasping for air, having yelled in turn since the barrage began.

"Are you done!?" she yelled up through the hole. "Because I'm coming out. And I swear to me, if you do that again, I'll be so freaking nettled!" she roared as she flew up out of the hole and touched down on solid ground for the first time since this whole episode began.

"Well in that case, fucking die," Luna stated, her voice far calmer and composed than Raindragon's had been, as another blast was fired, slamming into Raindragon's back, and plowing her through more hard ground once again.

"Damn it!"

Chapter Ninety One

Chapter Ninety One

Despite all the chaos that had been unfolding around them, Pipsqueak had a reason to feel a sense of pride within himself. He had been certain that help was on the way, that Princess Luna would come and rescue them at some point. And he'd been quite right; a fact confirmed at hearing her calling for Ulquiorra to depart because his presence was making matters worse.

However that sense of pride was currently tempered by the overwhelming fear brought on by hearing that Nightmare Moon was apparently back in action. That had scared him and the rest even worse than what Ulquiorra had been doing to... to whatever that other thing was. And that was saying quite a bit, considering just how vicious he'd been. It was just so hard to comprehend that someone who could be so polite when addressing others, could be capable of such violence and savagery with such ease.

But that matter aside, Princess Luna was still on the case! That meant everything was going to work out!

"How? How is it even possible? It literally doesn't make any sense!"

And then there was the matter of Diamond Tiara and her loud protests of disbelief. It was hard to stay in high spirits while around that.

"He just grabbed that thing by the face, and flew off into the sky with it! And he doesn't even have wings! How'd he do that!?" she asked. It was something that should've been impossible, and yet they'd all seen it as plain as day.

"Well y'all saw his Cero. Maybe he really can do magic an' levitated himself outta here," Apple Bloom offered up in explanation.

"But where was his aura? All magic users have a colored aura that's active when they're using a levitation spell!" Silver Spoon pointed out.

"Then how'd he go flying off like he did, when he doesn't have wings?" Shady asked. No answer was offered up in response, as there was apparently no answer to be had. "That's what I thought."

"Oh just shut up," Diamond Tiara groaned, not in the mood for anymore verbal jousting with a blind filly who apparently had better aim than she did. If her mother could see her now, she'd never hear the end of it.

"Maybe he-"

Noi's theory to explain the incidents they had witnessed for themselves, was cut short before she could even get it out for consideration. She and everypony else found themselves roughly, and violently, being shoved to the ground by an unseen force. A force that felt like it was sitting right on top of them, completely hindering their movement. It was a heavy, oppressive force on top of them, with the air around them suddenly growing thicker and denser like pancake syrup or molasses. Talking was all but impossible, leaving them unable to do anything but panic at the unknown.

And just as suddenly as the force had come around, it had vanished with neither trace nor warning, allowing them to get back up again, more confused than ever before. Made all the worse as all their hard work in trying to get the babies calmed down had been completely undone.

"Just what the hay was that!?" Shady asked as she tried to catch her breath again.

"I don't know," Silver Spoon panted, "but I don't ever want to feel that again."

"That," Pipsqueak grunted, "that must've been Princess Luna."

Sweetie Belle quickly shook her head. "No. No that wasn't Princess Luna, that was Ulquiorra!" she stated.

She'd felt that same... whatever it was... four times now. First it had been following the eclipse high over Canterlot. Second had been when they'd witnessed Ulquiorra's Cero, as was the third time, and now it was them all being knocked to the forest floor. There was no doubt that he was behind whatever it was that they'd experienced. Except... except this time it felt along stronger, and a lot more intense.

The first Nightmare Night after Luna's return, they'd all felt the fury of the alicorn's anger at how the night had progressed; all of them. Hers was a presence that transcended all species, and made itself known to even those without the ability of magical aptitude.

This... this was something else entirely. And it was much, much more frightening. As best as she could make sense of it, Princess Luna might have greater mass, but Ulquiorra had far greater density. From what she could remember of her own experiences on Nightmare Night, it was like comparing a pound of feathers to a pound of steel. He wasn't lying when he said that he was a monster!

Princess Luna could easily raise and lower the moon as she saw fit. But Ulquiorra? He could probably blow up the moon if he wanted to! At least that was how she was feeling it right now.

"What?!" Diamond Tiara asked as she whipped her head around to face Sweetie Belle. "Whadda you mean that was him? How could that be him? How could you possibly know something like that?"

"Because I felt it before, when he initiated the eclipse during the changeling invasion!" Sweetie Belle snapped back, drawing gasps of surprise in response. "Trust me, it's definitely him..."

Despite the crying of the babies, they still heard the thud of somepony hitting the ground, and turned to see who it had been.

"And now Firelock's down," Archer sighed in recognition that their numbers were slowly dwindling.

First it had been Peachy Petal who had been out like a light and showed no signs of waking up anytime soon. Sometime after that it'd been Aquamarine who'd checked out. And now it was Firelock hitting the dirt. They were seriously starting to drop like flies at this rate.

"Put some of Rinky Dink's barf under her nose, that'll wake her up," Shady muttered.

"Shut up!" Dinky shouted back.

"You shut up!" Shady shouted right back.

"The both o' ya shut up!" Apple Bloom yelled at the both of them. "We've got somethin' comin' this way through the fog," she said while gesturing in the southern direction.

Those that could looked in the indicated direction to see whatever Apple Bloom had spotted, but saw nothing approaching. They were just about to ask her what she was talking about, before the answer came more out of the air than on the ground.

Ulquiorra was the first to touch down several paces away from the force field, followed closely by Princess Luna landing to the left of him as she tucked her wings back in against her sides.

"Princess Luna!" they called excitedly at seeing her arrival, instantly knowing that things were going to be better, now that both she and Ulquiorra were on the scene.

But as they looked, they began to realize that something was off with Ulquiorra in how he stood. He was carrying something on his back, but it was way too dark to properly make it out. Maybe it was some sort of device for breaking the force field, and getting them out of here?

Except the device was shifting on its own, and they soon realized that it wasn't so much something being carried, as it was somepony, encased in fancy looking dark armor, getting a piggyback ride, and now dismounting their perch on his back as he let go of their flanks. The pony in question unwrapped their forelegs from around his neck, and setting down on the forest floor on unsteady legs that looked like they could give out at any second from trying to support their weight.

"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo yelled, overcome with excitement at recognizing the third party member. Even with all the muck on her face, that prismatic mane of hers was still evident enough.

Instantly she ran over to the edge of the force field, standing on her hind legs to press her front hooves against the wall and bang on it to get her idol's attention. For so long she'd seen neither hide nor hair of Rainbow Dash, outside of a single letter and a primary feather. Nopony had been saying anything about what was going on, or where she'd gone, leaving her with nothing but speculation, confusion, and fear over what could've been going on.

And now, finally, after so much worry, it was all coming to an end. She finally felt a massive weight being left off her back.

"Hey, squirt," Rainbow Dash replied, her voice far quieter than Scootaloo's as she stepped closer. "I told you I'd be back."

"You sure did!" Scootaloo stated as she set back down on her hooves and proceeded to bounce excitedly, not unlike Pinkie was known to do.

"What's wit' the the armor?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Never mind the armor, what's with her eyes?" Sweetie Belle asked, far more interested in why they were practically glowing with a golden light, and slit pupils like a cat would have.

"Well you don't just go charging into the Everfree Forest to confront Nightmare moon without being prepared, so Luna provided me with body armor and night vision," Rainbow Dash explained. And now that she remembered the matter of the beacon spell attached to her. Seeing as Luna had come alone, she could only assume that meant the Element of Loyalty still wasn't resonating with her yet, and the others were still waiting.

"Uh huh, cool," Shady replied sarcastically, "now could somepony please get us outta here already!? The babies are screaming, it stinks in here, most of us need a bathroom, and the others are dropping like flies; Firelock and Aquamarine are passed out, and Peachy Petal won't wake up!"

Luna frowned at hearing this, although not for the lack of decorum; she'd long ago dismissed such notions in light of the current crisis going on. No, rather she was frowning at what news Shady had to present about another of their numbers being awake. Based on Ulquiorra's information about two of the foals being dead already, it stood reason to this third pony was either dead as well, or would soon be. That meant they had no time to waste, they had to get the foals out of here, right now, before-

"And now number twenty!"

The yell startled most everypony present. But not nearly as much as the blue clawed fist ripping its way through Ulquiorra's chest from behind, thrusting itself into full view of all the foals who'd been watching, generating screams of terror at the sight.

And then they screamed even louder as Raindragon came into full view, her left claw tightly clenching Ulquiorra's shoulder to restrain him, and prevent his escape as she impaled him.

Ulquiorra looked downward at the claw sticking through his chest, before grabbing it by the wrist and pulling hard, yanking more of the limb through the hole -pulling Raindragon closer to him in the process- and slamming the back of his head into her face as hard as he could. A distinctive cracking sound could be heard at the point of impact, followed by the found-filled howl from Raindragon having her beak hit so hard.

That howl quickly turned into pain-filled grunts as Ulquiorra raised his left arm, and proceeded to repeatedly and roughly slam his elbow back into her midsection, impacting against the imitation muscle and scaly skin that made up her body.

Speaking from a purely tactical matter, attacking him from behind and restraining his movements had been one of the smarter moves Nightmare Mon had performed against him since this entire ordeal started. The human body -and by extension his own- wasn't designed for attacking threats that were from the behind.

However she'd lost considerable points by yelling about her latest victim count just before carrying out her attack. As well as focusing on his weak side, and apparently forgetting about the location of his Hollow hole, thus leaving her arm trapped and restraining herself in the process, leaving her vulnerable to his attacks.

Luna's reaction, while slower than Ulquiorra's, was no less effective in dealing with the fog apparition. Much as she had done when saving Rainbow Dash, she flared her magic and subjected it to a quick freeze spell, turning its entire body into one big block of ice, just in time for the next blow from Ulquiorra's elbow to result in it being completely shattered on impact.

All except for the severed foreleg that was still sticking through Ulquiorra's chest and shirt.

"Is... is he gonna be okay?" Diamond Tiara asked, watching in disbelief as Ulquiorra pulled the frozen limb from his chest and discarded it like it was nothing. And all the while looking completely unfazed by the fact that he'd just been impaled through the chest twice in one night. He was acting like this was all routine for him.

"Far more so than we will be if we do not get out of here immediately," Luna stated. She would explain the situation and all relevant details to them, but not right now. Right now she had to figure out a way to get the force field down, before Nightmare Moon could send another fog phantom after them.

"So why'd that dragon look like Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked, far more curious about that matter at the moment, than the matter of the hole in the middle of Ulquiorra's chest.

"Let's just say Nightmare Moon thought it would be funny to mock me with one of my own ideas, and leave it at that," Rainbow Dash stated, not wanting to go into the whole story of the conceiving of Raindragon.

And then she noticed what was left of Ulquiorra's shirt as she broke into a hover just off the ground. She seriously doubted that even Rarity's skills could save the garment. If she'd been able to react quicker, rather than freezing in place at hearing Raindragon's voice, maybe that wouldn't be the case right now. "Looks like your shirt is done for," she commented.

"So it would seem," Ulquiorra agreed, before simply deciding to discard the remnants of the garment. With very little effort he tore it from his frame -paying no attention as the foals screamed in surprise as the hole in his chest came into full view now- before tearing off a strip of material, and proceeding to wrap it around Rainbow Dash's head.

"Hey! What the?" she objected and squirmed in an effort to get away, caught off guard by his sudden movements. If he was trying to blindfold her, he was really going about it all wrong.

"Your head wound is showing so signs of stopping on its own. As saturated as your own fur is becoming, it's only a matter of time before your blood gets into your eyes if it goes unaddressed much longer," Ulquiorra explained as he wrapped the strip of cloth tightly. If time were on their side a second piece of cloth would've been bunched up, and placed under the current one, right above the cut to better staunch the flow of blood. But right now that wasn't an option they had time for, and this would simply have to do.

Beyond such, it would likely obstruct her vision, and make her into a liability; more so than she was on her own.

"Oh. Right, right. Thanks," Rainbow Dash replied, now realizing that she'd been quite silly just a second ago. She stopped her thrashing about to allow him to better bandage her up, grateful that he'd considered how she was doing.

Satisfied that Ulquiorra had his matters under control, Luna turned her attention back to the force field, and the scared foals it held within. She needed to figure out a way of extracting them before anymore could become nightmare fuel, and getting them to safety. Blunt, brute force wasn't going to work, as Ulquiorra had already proven; the damage to the ground was likely from his Cero failing against its surface. And teleporting through a force field that wasn't your own, was rarely ever an option if the caster had sufficient magic. She needed an approach more consistent with finesse. As her horn began to glow, she began scanning the force field for any signs of weakness that could potentially be exploited; no force field was ever truly perfect, as all had limitations if one simply knew both where to look, and what they were looking for. She just had to proceed in a thorough -if still frantic- fashion as she scanned for any present exploitable points that would work to her advantage and...

Wait, that couldn't be right. She mentally backtracked over what she had just scanned through, looking for what had caught her attention, but had been ignored in the scanning process before her mind fully comprehended what she was being presented with.

But as she came back to it again, going over it once more, that left her without doubt as to what she was seeing.

"Well now. This is most unexpected," she stated in disbelief, before turning to face Ulquiorra and Rainbow Dash. "It would appear that Nightmare Moon has access to rather arcane magic works. This force field is using a... rotating frequency modulator or sorts. Its exact structure is in a constant state of flux, making it almost impossible to detect an exploitable weak point."

"Meaning what exactly?" Rainbow Dash asked, now that her head was bandaged as best they could manage.

"Meaning that finding a flaw in the field to exploit is an exercise in futility, as it is constantly resetting itself. Every time it resets, I will need to begin anew in looking for flaws of that specific resequencing configuration. And it is resequencing itself at an exceptionally fast pace; faster than it can be scanned," Luna explained and sighed, halfway between defeat and unbridled fury. "It is not easily done, nor particularly well known. I cannot even begin to hypothesize where she discovered such ancient techniques. As to how she is fueling such an algorithm, that is another matter entirely."

As far as she could speculate, it was entirely possible that the force field was being fueled by the fear Nightmare Moon had been harvesting recently. Perhaps it was even possible that the fear being harvested from the foals, had been going to fuel and reinforce their own prison; she certainly wouldn't put it past that demon to do something like that. There was an irony there, trapping innocent victims in their own fears, within their own nightmares and such. Strand them out here in the wilderness, surrounded by terror fog, and then left to watch as Ulquiorra did his thing, guaranteeing a near-constant state of fear to power it.

"Looks like we're goin' back ta diggin' ta get outta here," Apple Bloom commented from behind the shield and shrugged, before getting up and moving over to the sight of their efforts at escape.

"Hold on," Scootaloo spoke up, before facing Rainbow Dash and the others. "I get what the dragon was, but what'd it mean by "number twenty"? What was that all about?"

"Nothing but trash talk," Ulquiorra stated bluntly, cutting off any and all conversation that might've followed otherwise. The foals didn't need to know that their friends were dropping dead around them. They had time for neither panicking, nor the psychological trauma that was undoubtedly going to follow once that statement was made.

It was also technically true. The statement made by Raindragon had been little more than talk from something that amounted to nothing more than trash.

The longer they remained in this forest, within the domain of Nightmare Moon, the more danger they were all put in as they waited, and looked for a solution. He wasn't in the mood to do anymore looking, so instead he was going to make a solution. His Cero had failed, strongly suggesting that reiryoku wasn't going to be of any assistance in this application. Perhaps high concentrated reiatsu would better, and a barrage of Bala would serve their purposes.

Ultimately he discarded the application, but not the idea. Instead he was going pop the force field like it was a pimple, by applying overwhelming pressure until its structure could no longer withstand it. He grasped the hilt of his zanpakutō, intent on utilizing his resurrección to resolve this matter in the most expedient manner possible. If even that failed to crack it, then they were in far more trouble than they initially perceived.

"Go right ahead! Unsheathe that zanpakutō of yours! See what happens if you do!"

Rainbow Dash groaned at hearing the voice. She knew that Ulquiorra shattering Raindragon wouldn't be the end of her, but was it really asking too much that she not show up so soon after being turned into chunky ice cubes?

The three of them turned to observe as Raindragon reappeared while in the process of landing on all four feet, just several paces away from them, and glared in their direction. All the while she looked no worse for wear, her body possessing no signs that it'd ever been damaged in the first place.

"And what exactly is going to happen, should I proceed with unsheathing my zanpakutō at this point, and having no care for whatever threats you may issue?" Ulquiorra asked, genuinely curious to see what sort of threat could actually be made against him at this point.

"Well let's put this in round terms you'll understand, biped," Raindragon began as she growled. "For starters, Nightmare Moon will subject all the foals to overwhelming terrors that will eventually kill all of them, and their deaths will be anything but pleasant. And the lot of you won't be able to do anything but listen to their screams of terror, and know that you were responsible for it!"

"Fuck you!"

Much as Ulquiorra had anticipated, Rainbow Dash had lunged towards Raindragon in a bout of blind fury, intent on pounding away on her in response for such a threat being issued. However he was quick enough to pull her back by the back of her armor, to avoid her becoming a liability once again. Even with her struggling to get loose, and her unrestrained cursing at the both of them, she still wasn't going anywhere.

Princess Luna was another story. If she decided to press an assault, there would be little he could do, that would actually do any good. He'd need to do something, and fast, before it actually came to that.

"You and I are both well aware of the fact that such can't be done, and won't be happening," he stated.

"Oh really now?" Raindragon asked, utterly amused by his words of dismissal of how serious the situation was. "And how exactly did you come to that particular conclusion?"

"Because for three straight nights in a row, Rainbow Dash testified to having no nightmares while in my presence," Ulquiorra stated in response, the mention of her name causing the mare to instantly calm down, and look at him with confusion. "Considering she's been besieged by nightmares every other night, it's reasonably safe to conclude that either Nightmare Moon took a break from her most advanced victim, or more likely Rainbow Dash's proximity to the reiatsu my body doesn't normally suppress, posed significant interference that made such attacks unable to be implemented," he explained.

Raindragon said nothing in response, settling instead for simple snarling and growling at what he had to say.

Rainbow Dash smirked and proceeded to blow a raspberry at her scaly doppelganger, now far more amused than infuriated.

"If you arrogantly believe that you're strong enough to cut through this interference, feel free to try and do so. It should prove to be quite interesting, to see what results are yielded," he continued as he once again relinquished his body's normal efforts of repressing his reiatsu, once again blanketing the area.

"Dude," Rainbow Dash wheezed as she once again felt the air around her growing heavy. "Not cool..."

Being subjected to Ulquiorra's reiatsu once before, Luna knew what to expect the second time around, and was able to better brace herself against its effects. However it was still significant to experience firsthoof. The force field was being affected, its structure becoming plainly visible. Even Raindragon was being affected once again, her entire body looking like it was in a state of flux.

Hearing the gasps and grunts coming from behind her, she looked and immediately noticed that the foals were being affected, with some down in a kneeling position, while others were on the ground entirely. As much as she was being affected, she couldn't imagine how badly Ulquiorra's spiritual pressure was weighing down on them.

"Ulquiorra Cifer, this is most unwise! The foals are unable to withstand the amount of pressure that you are currently generating!" she stated.

"They're not the only ones. I can barely catch my breath," Rainbow Dash panted, the only thing really keeping her up at this point being that Ulquiorra was still holding onto her armor.

"I would apologize, but it would be irrelevant at this point. The only other alternative is leaving them at the mercy of Nightmare Moon, vulnerable to whatever attack she might launch on them, in an attempt to gain leverage over us," Ulquiorra pointed out as he cast an aside glance in her direction. And then he returned his focus to where Raindragon stood. "Unless of course I can cancel one of your attacks as easily as I can prevent it. If all I have to do is flare my reiatsu at the first sign of distress on their part, then your efforts at shifting the balance of power further in your favor have fallen through."

It was a theory that was sound, although its practical application remained a mystery at this point. There were two primary reasons he was aware of, as to why Rainbow Dash had started spending her nights in his presence. The first was the issue of trust, and the fact that he couldn't be as easily possessed as another pony could. At least not as far as he could tell, based on the lack of such attempts actually being carried out.

The second reason, as had been established by Rainbow Dash, was the ability to sleep soundly while in his presence. Whether it was his reiatsu serving to prevent a target lock from occurring, or even his pesquisa being able to detect her presence that kept Nightmare Moon at bay, it was sufficient to allow for restful nights to proceed without interruption.

And considering she'd revealed herself to him in the marketplace when attacking Fluttershy, he doubted that it was his pesquisa allowing for Rainbow Dash's sound sleep to be a real thing, rather than an abstract concept of theory.

Based on the degree of growling, snarling, and posturing that Raindragon was doing now, he could assume with reasonable accuracy that he was quite correct in his theorizing about the limitations of Nightmare Moon's abilities, and that accuracy was serving to infuriate her.

"Let's see you flare anything when I knock you out cold!" she roared violently.

Ulquiorra remained unmoved by the threat. "Shall I explain the physical shortcomings as to why knocking someone out isn't a viable possibility? Or would you prefer simply getting down to business, and finding out for yourself that such a claim is easier made than fulfilled?"

He then took his attention off of Raindragon, as he turned to face Princess Luna, and relinquish his hold on Rainbow Dash once again. "Can you figure out a way to overcome the safeguards present on the force field?"

"I do not yet know, but I will most certainly make every attempt to do such," Luna replied and nodded.

"Then do so. While you do, I will deal with the matter of Nightmare Moon myself," he stated.

"I don't know what's worse. You turning your back on a threat, thinking you can compete with the Mistress by yourself, or expecting her to actually not interfere with Luna's efforts at interfering with her plans!" Raindragon roared furiously. "You're all outclassed, but especially you, biped! The Mistress has absorbed so much fear, so much strength, that even Luna can't compete with her anymore! And I can easily become numbered in the hundreds if it's so desired! And your disrespectful, dismissive, insulting approach to your superiors, is about to come to a violently brutal ending!"

Ulquiorra said nothing in response, as he slowly turned around to face Raindragon once again.

"With all due respect to Princess Luna, I'm an entirely different sort of animal that you're facing. Your results against her, are not indicative of your results against myself," he stated calmly, a stark contrast to the emotionally driven rant that had just been delivered.

Raindragon was torn halfway between a smirk and a scowl at the Espada's response. He was playing it so calm, cool, and collected, like he had the situation well in hoof. But she'd show him, she'd shatter his bravado and demonstrate that not even he could stand up to the Mistress. She'd break him in mind and body, leaving him-

Without even seeing it transpire, her thoughts had been interrupted as she found his right foot planted firmly against her rib cage, with enough force to completely lift her off the ground, and send her flying upward at a frightening speed. She hadn't even blinked and he'd been on her rapidly, instantly in front of her faster than could actually be processed.

And now he was apparently pursuing after her, via flight at high speeds. Just wonderful.

She tried to right herself, tried to stabilize her approach and trajectory to allow for a better reengagement of battle. But he easily overtook her, and roughly grabbed her by her neck, immediately bringing her unplanned flight to a rapid and forceful halt, as he proceeded to squeeze her throat.

"Are you now beginning to comprehend the significance of the situation you find yourself in?" Ulquiorra asked as he held his quarry at eye level.

In response to his question, she swung her right arm for his head in an effort to punch him. His response came in the form of catching the offending limb at the wrist, and holding it tightly.

"I'll take that as a "no" then. It looks like I'll simply have to educate you on the matter," he explained calmly.

"Did he... did he really jus' kick that dragon, an' send it flyin'?" Apple Bloom asked in disbelief at what she'd just witnessed take place.

With the departure of Ulquiorra came a departure of the overwhelming pressure that had been weighing down on all of them, allowing them to get back up and breathe easier again. And now that they were up and breathing freely, the questions and commentary were pouring forth in much the same manner.

"Sure looked like it," Scootaloo replied and nodded, unable to not grin at such a thought.

"What was up with that tattoo of his? Why's he got the number four on his chest?" Archer asked.

"I'm more curious about why he's got a hole in the middle of his chest, and he's acting like it's not there!" Diamond Tiara stated. "Seriously, you can see all the way through it. Where's his heart, his lungs, his spine!?"

"You know, for having no spine, he's sure got a lot of backbone," Truffle Shuffle commented.

"Well, you see, it's like this..."

With Luna focusing her efforts on trying to find some way of exploiting a weakness in the force field, that left Rainbow Dash with the dubious honor of trying to answer the ever-growing list of questions the foals were presenting. And it was proving to be anything but easy. Both the amount of questions, and the type of questions being asked, was slowly but surely reaching the point where she couldn't keep up. It got even worse when her answers just seemed to spawn even more questions!

"Rainbow Dash?"

"Ugh," she groaned. "Yes, Scootaloo?" she asked, briefly wondering if she sounded like Cheerilee in the process.

"That dragon with your voice, that was Nightmare Moon, right?" Scootaloo asked.

"Well, more like a puppet for Nightmare Moon, based on what Ulquiorra was saying earlier," Rainbow Dash replied.

"Oh. Well when it was threatening us, what was it you said to it? What does "fuck you" mean?" Scootaloo asked further.

"Uh..." Rainbow Dash paused, now seriously wishing that she'd kept her mouth under better control. When she'd first learned what that word meant, and what the context of it was, she'd told herself not to say it around any foals. But Raindragon had just made her so damn mad, she'd stopped caring about such matters, and had flown right off the handle in response to them being threatened to her face so openly. If Ulquiorra hadn't pulled her back, she didn't know what would've happened, but she suspected it wouldn't be good. "Luna? Do you think that you could..."

Luna shook her head, the act seeming to increase the amount of glow presently radiating from her horn. "I am not about to get in the middle of that one. You made your decisions, now face the consequences of your actions like an adult."

"Gee, thanks," Rainbow Dash muttered in response. She was left to her own devices on this one, and she really didn't like that at all. "Well, you see, it's like this..." she began as she paused, trying to think of how to phrase it appropriately.

However her thoughts were interrupted as something violently crashed against the outside of the force field wall with enough force to turn its structure visible.

"Ow..."

Somehow, it made sense to them that Raindragon would be what got slammed into the force field. They didn't question how it happened, or why it had happened. They just accepted that it had.

"I swear," she grunted as she climbed off of the barrier, "if I get slammed into a force field one more time, I'm going to be so freaking pissed..."

And then Ulquiorra came out of nowhere, his left foot slamming into Raindragon's chest, once again shoving her against the force field, and causing ripples to spread out over its surface.

"You did that on purpose," she grunted.

"And if I indeed chose to do such? What do you intend to do about it?" Ulquiorra asked as he maintained his off-ground position, keeping his foot pressed against her rib cage the entire time. "I don't know how you crafted this force field without a physical body that would enable you to use magic. Nor do I particularly care about the methods involved; they don't change the fact that it's going to fail before the night's over," he explained as he pressed down harder.

Raindragon wheezed as she tried to leverage his leg off of her, but found it more or less impossible. It was like trying to rip a tree out of the ground, or lift an entire house. "And just how do you intend to do that?" she managed to ask.

"By applying constant, steady pressure against its structure, until it fully consumes whatever source of fuel is responsible for maintaining its integrity, until such time that it collapses under the strain," he explained calmly. "It might be able to withstand my Cero. It might even be able to withstand intermittent blows capable of slaying a dragon in one hit. But absolutely everything has a breaking point, and will be shattered if enough force is applied over a long enough period of time," he added further.

"Oh yeah? Well then I guess I'm actually gonna break you in two, I just have to hit you harder!" Raindragon grunted as she grappled against his leg.

"Based on what's been demonstrated by Nightmare Moon so far, I'd have to be hit one hundred times harder, just to be left feeling sore in the morning," Ulquiorra replied back, keeping his adversary pinned against the shield, leaving no way of actual escape open for exploitation. "And considering what's been witnessed since my arrival here, an increase in strength of that magnitude simply isn't a physical possibility. Nightmare Moon simply doesn't have the power to enhance you, or any other creation, to such a degree."

"What exactly would you know about what the Mistress can and can't do? How're you such an expert on such matters?" Raindragon demanded to know, snarling the whole time as she tried focusing her efforts on getting Ulquiorra's foot off of her chest, rather than focusing on his leg.

"Because I've paid attention since my arrival in the Everfree forest. The greatest degree of resistance Nightmare Moon managed to present was upon my arrival. For a while my physical strength was actually rivaled on nearly-equal terms, leaving me to wonder if the fog construct of Ichigo Kurosaki was actually being strengthened by the credence that I was paying it. However that theory was undone when Rainbow Dash decided to charge head on into a situation she had no understanding of, and forcefully involve herself in this entire mess," he stated.

"Dude, I'm right here. I can hear every word you're saying," Rainbow Dash pointed out from where she stood on the ground.

Ulquiorra ignored her interruption as he continued speaking. "When Nightmare Moon had to contend with two competent opponents at the same time, the amount of performance she was capable of had to be divided accordingly. That's why the Kurostruct stopped growing stronger, as whatever demands went into manipulating two fog constructs at the same time became too much. This matter was only further exacerbated once Princess Luna became involved, meaning those already significant requirements were made all the more demanding. Your strength, Nightmare Moon's strength, is finite. Beyond knowing this fact, she's likely quite aware of the fact that there's nothing she can do about it. Her best chance of even surviving is to focus all of her attention exclusively on myself, and ignore anyone else that may get involved."

Down inside the force fields, the foals had been paying attention to everything that had been proceeding since the point of impact. Or at least as much attention as they could, considering how much the shield was serving to muffle what was happening in the outside world.

"I'm not following what he's saying. Is he saying that Nightmare Moon is boned?" Featherweight asked.

"It sure sounds like she's boned," Rumble replied and nodded.

"I sure never thought I'd hear something like that said," Noi commented. For so very long, Nightmare Moon had been a legend in Equestria's history, told as a cautionary tale for scaring foals, and for prying some of their Nightmare Night candy away from them. And now here they were, with her being discussed with neither fear nor respect.

"I'm still not believing it myself," Peach Fuzz stated, before looking upwards. "Hey, Mister! Is Nightmare Moon boned?"

"Quite thoroughly," Ulquiorra replied.

The dragon currently pinned between him and the force field merely roared in indignation as it struggled and thrashed about in a bid to get loose.

Despite the seriousness of the circumstances they found themselves in, Luna couldn't help but pause her own endeavors at hearing just what the foals were saying.

"Where do children learn such concepts in this day and age?" she asked as she looked to Rainbow Dash for potential answers.

Rainbow Dash was at a loss for words. It was certainly a good question, but she didn't really know just how to give Luna an answer.

Fortunately she didn't have long to linger on the lack of responses, as their attention was drawn elsewhere by Raindragon erupting into a cloud of fog, dispersing herself out from under Ulquiorra's foot, and subsequently reforming herself several paces away from where he could grab her.

"How?" she wheezed as she cradled her ribs. "You're so skinny, you have to weigh less than a pegasus, but you hit harder than an earth pony! How are you so strong? How can you possibly be so strong!? she shrieked angrily.

"My physical strength isn't dependent upon the size of my physical mass in any way. Yet another quirk to Hollow physiology that you simply don't understand," Ulquiorra replied calmly in stark contrast to Raindragon's outburst.

"Okay, you know what? I'm really glad you brought up that subject, because I've got a little surprise in store for you," she stated as the talons on her right claw began to glow, giving off a blood-red hued light. "You say the strength of the Mistress is finite? Well let's see what you're saying when we combine the form of Raindragon," she paused as she ran her glowing claw down over her face, "with Hollowfication!"

Ulquiorra watched, much to his disbelief, as Raindragon proceeded to dawn what would best be described as a Hollow mask, her voice changing pitch and intensity as the process was completed in very short order. As if the previous visage wasn't bad enough on its own, this new one bore a striking -likely intentional- similarity to Ichigo Kurosaki's own Hollow mask.

He felt the urge to roll his eyes, and ask her if she was really serious with this.

In response to the unasked question, Raindragon roared furiously, her voice being amplified as she did so. "Now, Espada, the Mistress shall show you who's really in charge!"

Ulquiorra hadn't anticipated a significant increase in speed as his opponent lunged at him. But that was exactly what he was witnessing occur as she flew forward. He'd barely had time to dodge the incoming attack, much like a matador dealing with a raging bull, successfully avoiding the collision, but it had still been close. Far too close for his own liking.

"Where did this sudden increase in speed come from? Has Nightmare Moon really learned how to implement the Hollowfication process in this world? And if so, how did she go about acquiring such information?" he asked himself. If she'd learned how to become a true Vizard, then this battle was going to become significantly more difficult. To say nothing of what havoc could be wrecked throughout Equestria if others gained such knowledge for themselves.

However his thoughts on such apocalyptic scenarios was interrupted as he quickly found Raindragon's barbed tail wrapped around his neck as she passed by him, before she proceeded to spin her whole body about -dragging him into the spin in the process- and finally let go and fling him away like he was the one who was trash.

That simply wouldn't do. Not at all.

Righting himself, he proceeded to grind himself to a halt in mid-air, ready to reengage his quarry.

His quarry that was within punching distance by the time he came to a complete stop. Immediately he moved out of the way via a burst of Sonido, before moving around behind her to deliver a horizontal strike to the neck.

And was promptly punched right in the face as she threw a fist over her shoulder. As if she'd been anticipating such a maneuver being performed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Were you trying to get the drop on me just now?"

The next thing Ulquiorra became aware of, was being subjected to a series of many dozens of rapidly thrown punches being delivered to his midsection, all of them with considerably more force than he'd anticipated being possible.

"That little maneuver of yours won't do you any good now! Sonido, super speed, flash step, instant transmission, whatever you call it, it's useless to you now! The Mistress can easily keep up with your, no matter how fast you try and move now!" she roared as she continued the rain of punches and blows, each of them slamming Ulquiorra with enough force to cause his limbs to spasm. "I really should be thanking you, thought! If you hadn't told Rainbow Dash about such interesting techniques, she never would've had the bright idea to use them in her dreams to try and protect herself. Really, you're the whole reason this is even possible to begin with!"

The next blow to land was a haymaker, knocking Ulquiorra right off of his feet, and sending him flying backwards from the force of the impact. Raindragon didn't even wait before launching herself in pursuit of him once more.

"Would you care to know where you miscalculated in all of this? I'd say it was in thinking that even your strength was enough to let you compete with the Mistress! Thinking that she had no chance against the likes of you! Well what're your thoughts now, biped!?"

Before he even had the chance to answer, she felt a sudden, sharp paint erupting from right between her wings, sending her into a tumble, and careening off at an angle away from her quarry. What'd that been all about!?

Flaring her wings to right herself and gain control of her trajectory, she caught sight of movement in her peripheral vision just before it was cut off by the edge of her mask. Unfortunately she caught sight of it, just in time for Rainbow Dash to deliver a flying flash kick to her face, catching her right under the chin with enough force to completely flip her over, sending her flying straight upward.

Rainbow Dash was far faster than her, however, and shot right past her, before flipping her whole body around and over sideways in a way that allowed her to swing her right hind leg around and overhead, and bringing it right down on her head with enough force to send her plummeting back down towards the ground.

How? How could this be possible!? Where was this arrogant pegasus getting so much strength to continue her struggles? No matter how many energy bars and sports drinks she guzzled down, she shouldn't have been able to keep going at this pace! She shouldn't have even been able to manage this pace to begin with!

Rainbow Dash panted as she flapped her wings to keep herself aloft, looking down at Raindragon's tumbling form. That'd taken way more effort than she'd thought to be necessary, and now she was feeling the aftermath of her actions. A smarter pony probably would've stayed back, knowing what she knew and all. But she couldn't stand to just sit back and watch Ulquiorra get owned like he had been. She'd had to intervene, even over Luna's objections to getting involved at this point in the game.

"Are you alright?" she asked once she saw Ulquiorra entering her field of vision.

"As alright as anyone can be in this situation," he replied simply. "I would advise against your continued involvement at this point, however."

Under normal circumstances, she would've argued that she could keep going just fine, and that she could take care of herself. But these weren't normal circumstances she found herself in. She knew full well that she couldn't keep this up for long. So rather than objecting futilely, she simply nodded in response.

"Just watch out for her Cero. If she fires it, see if you can get it aimed at the force field. Maybe it'll do us some good," she said in parting as she started her descent and return to where Luna was.

"Upstart pegasus nag!"

Rainbow Dash flinched at the sound of the voice, seeing Raindragon on a collision course approach with her. She braced herself for impact as best she could, knowing she didn't have time to dodge.

However that became a moot point as Ulquiorra effortlessly intercepted the incoming claw by grasping it by the pastern, immediately putting a halt to Raindragon's attack.

"I already told you once before, your best chance at surviving is by focusing exclusively on myself, and ignoring the others," he stated simply. He then illustrated the fact further by roughly pulling her forward, and slamming his right fist in her midsection with enough force to double her over, leaving her groaning loudly from the impact.

"Thanks for the save," Rainbow Dash stated, before continuing in her departure. She'd already been close enough to the action, she didn't need a front row seat to see it out to the end.

Once Rainbow Dash was as far out of the way of danger as was possible under the current circumstances, Ulquiorra returned his attention to Raindragon. "Would you care to know where you miscalculated in all of this?"

"Miscalculated?" she grunted.

"First and foremost was assuming that I could be dealt with as easily as one of these ponies. Beyond that, was the belief that Nightmare Moon's trickery could ever prove sufficient for competing with a true Hollow," Ulquiorra explained.

Raindragon snarled behind her mask and swung her other fist forward to silence his impudent mouth. Unfortunately that one was ensnared much like the first one had been. Now she was in a pickle, and her efforts at pulling loose were quickly proving futile.

"As was explained previously, Nightmare Moon's resources are finite, and that includes the resources you are provided for this engagement. And no amount of shifting them around is going to change that fact," he explained as he brought both of her hands close together, and quickly ensnared the two claws serving as thumbs, trapping them together with his left hand, allowing him to free up his right hand. "At first I was caught off guard by what was being done, leaving me to wonder if Nightmare Moon had actually learned the process of Hollowfication. So I observed you and your movements, your actions, everything that went into your fighting against myself. You aren't demonstrating a drastic increase in both speed and strength, you're simply reallocating resources for one or the other, depending on what the situation demands."

Raindragon's next effort at attack involved swinging her tail at him in an effort to beat him away. She slammed it against his side hard, but he remained unmoved; as if he hadn't even felt it being landed.

She was starting to sense a worrying pattern here.

"The discovery of your trickery was inevitable. Rainbow Dash merely accelerated the process by getting involved as she did. She demonstrated the shortcoming of your strategy quite well, showing that when your resources are allocated for speed, you have no real strength. Meanwhile, when those resources are allocated for strength, you're exceedingly slow. The timing of the reallocation process is crucial to success, and if your opponent attacks a moment before, or avoids the initial attack, you're placed at a significant tactical disadvantage," Ulquiorra explained.

He then demonstrated the fact by slamming his free fist into her midsection, easily doubling her over with the force of the impact. This was followed up by a series of rapid blows to the same area, each one quaking her entire frame.

Unlike this marionette to Nightmare Moon, he wasn't limited in the scope of what he could do. He could deliver a brutal and powerful blow, a series of rapid and shallow blows, a series of rapid, devastating blows, or any myriad of combinations in between as he saw fit.

"Ninety five."

"What?" Raindragon asked as she grunted, barely able to get the word out, unable to maintain the struggle of trying to get her limbs free from his hold.

"Revising my earlier evaluation of your capabilities, based on new information. You've certainly demonstrated a greater degree of strength than previously, but you would still need to hit me ninety five times harder, just to leave me feeling sore in the morning," he explained, ceasing his blows so that she could better hear his words. "Has the realization begun to sink in yet? The hopeless of the situation? Have you come to experience true despair, at comprehending just how utterly helpless you are? Or do you still foolishly cling to the notion that you can somehow persevere throughout all this?"

Launching herself headlong into the middle of a battle between two heavyweights, in order to deliver her best beating against Raindragon's Hollowfied form, probably wasn't the smartest idea that Rainbow Dash could've come up with tonight.

Worse than that bad idea, however, was going tearing off as she had, against Luna's advice to remain behind where it was safe. Beyond her own safety and well being, she'd completely disregarded the amount of concern and worry in the alicorn's voice, and the pleas that she not do something reckless. But it wasn't blowing off royalty that had her regretting things, as much as it was making a friend worry about her. That had hurt, now that she wasn't in such a desperate position, and able to think more clearly.

As she came back down into the clearing, she expected a number of responses to be thrown at her by Luna. Scolding, shrieking, admonishing, being thunked on the head, being called a feather brain, etc. She was braced for whatever might come as she touched down next to Luna once more.

Or at least she thought she was braced. As it turned out,she wasn't prepared for Luna to grab her, and pull her into a ferocious hug that left her hind legs dangling off the forest floor.

"Do not ever do something like that again, you stupid idiot! You could have gotten yourself killed!"

Somehow, being lulled into a sense of security by the hug just seconds before, had made Luna's admonishing hurt worse than she'd expected. She couldn't help but wonder if that had been deliberate on her part, to insure the message took.

"To be honest, I really don't think I can do that again. I think I almost broke my leg on that last kick," she stated.

Raindragon had been tough when it'd just been her fight against the beast. Against Luna it had been even tougher, and against Ulquiorra even tougher still. Was that Hollowfication shit being pulled right now really real? Or had she stolen that shit from her as well? Was Nightmare Moon intentionally mocking her at this point? If that was the case then she was pissed! Pissed and too weak to do anything about it.

"Please see to it that you do not," Luna stated, her tone considerably softer as she spoke, before setting her back down on the ground again.

"So any progress on getting 'em out of there?" Rainbow Dash asked, opting to change the topic of discussion to something she considered more favorable.

Luna shook her head in response. "You flying off as you did hampered my ability to concentrate, what with my worrying about your well being," she stated.

"O-oh," Rainbow Dash replied in a sheepish manner. "Sorry about that."

Luna just shook her head again, choosing not to pursue the matter further. There were more important issues to deal with, decorum be damned.

"It does not matter. Trying to figure out a weakness to exploit is going to take too long. Rather, I believe Ulquiorra Cifer's approach may have the most merit in terms of problem solving," she explained as she slowly stood up.

Rainbow Dash was about to ask what approach Luna was referring to, but was instantly silenced as the air was filled with a sound she'd never heard before, as a flash of blue light appeared in front of Luna. A flash of blue light that revealed itself to be a wholly magical energy, glowing halberd, bringing up memories of the mana sword Celestia had demonstrated back in Canterlot during the changeling invasion.

She didn't want to admit it, but she was honestly surprised by this whole demonstration. On some level she knew that Luna should've been able to do this, but she'd just never given any actual thought to it before.

"By applying constant, steady, overwhelming pressure to this force field, until such time the power requirements become too much for it to bear, resulting on it collapsing in on itself!" Luna elaborated as her eyes glowed brightly, before slamming the cutting face of her halberd down against the wall of the shield, resulting in a dramatic and violent sparking as the two rivaling magical signatures clashed, the strain of her efforts causing ripples to appear and radiate outward across its surface, much like the surface of a pond being disturbed by the dropping of a stone.

"Oh yeah! Awesome!" Rainbow Dash stated as she observed the entire demonstration, excitement starting to override her fatigue.

Unfortunately for her that excitement was left without a manner of effectively being expressed, and thus nowhere to go. She was feeling anxious and jittery, and she was starting to feel compelled to jog in place while simultaneously squealing like a foal, to try and burn off the sudden excess of energy coursing through her veins.

However that idea was discarded in favor of a far more productive course of action. She quickly moved to another part of the force field, away from the arcs of magic that were currently flying about wildly, before rearing up on her hind legs and slamming her shod front hooves against the dome. If the basic idea to getting the foals free was to press against it until it finally broke, then she was going to do everything she could to add to the force that was being generated. If Luna couldn't do it on her own, maybe her added assistance would be enough to push them over the edge.

Considering that ripples were starting to radiate outward from her hooves as well, she concluded that the theory was sound, and her efforts were having a measurable effect on the situation. In response she began pushing with all of her might, digging her hooves into the ground as she gave it everything she had. She might not have had an invitation to the party, but she was going to crash it regardless.

"Don't you worry, anypony, we're gonna get you all out of there and back to Ponyville where it's safe!" she stated to try and keep their spirits up. "We just gotta push a little bit harder! Just a little bit harder and we'll have it!"

"You don't really believe that now, do you?"

Despite all the noise being generated by Luna's efforts, the voice cut through Rainbow Dash's thoughts like a hot knife through butter, easily being heard. And it was a voice she had been certain had been gone once and for all. Apparently that wasn't the case.

Regardless of that unforeseen development, she tuned it out, focusing all of her efforts on pushing hard enough against the force field to rupture it.

"It's not like you can actually do anything, you stupid little pegasus. You're far too weak to amount to anything but a mere annoyance. Face it, you're nothing, and you can become nothing. No matter how hard to push, you'll never be able to break through."

Rainbow Dash grunted and snorted, her tail flicking about irritably, refusing to acknowledge Nightmare Moon's trash talk. With Ulquiorra keeping Raindragon at bay, talk was really the only option that she had left available to her.

She was already doing the hard part in making it here, she just had to ignore whatever that annoying voice had to say in a desperate effort to demoralize her. She just had to focus everything on the efforts directly in front of her. Although that would be a little easier if she had a large rock to brace her back hooves against.

"It'd be such a pity if poor little Scootaloo had to die next, don't you think?"

She nearly faltered, nearly falling over in response to Nightmare Moon's efforts at playing dirty, in looking for a way to shake her resolve in this matter. But she wasn't going to be shaken, no matter what! No matter what was said, it was ultimately nothing more than words, and words carried no power unless it was actually given to them. She was going to deny Nightmare Moon that power, focusing exclusively on plowing through this force field in front of her. For all intents and purposes, it was the only thing that actually existed right now.

"Seriously though, where do you keep finding the strength to stand back up again and again? Any other pony would've gone down by now. What, are you somehow converting your weather magic into physical stamina or something?"

Rainbow Dash grunted loudly, focusing hard on not paying attention to anything Nightmare Moon had to say to her. she wasn't going to listen, she wasn't going to allow herself to be distracted! Nightmare Moon wasn't going to win, and she wasn't going to fall prey to her dirty tricks and tactics ever again. Fuck that! Fuck the dirty tricks, fuck Nightmare Moon, and fuck this force field! They were all coming to an end tonight. And they were all coming to an end, even if she had to do it all by herself!

"Wow, you're really dedicated to this. Looks like I'll just have to get serious then..."

As with Celestia and her sword, Luna had encountered very little reason in recent history, that would warrant the deployment of her halberd. And as a result of that lack of use, it was weighing on her. Forming and maintaining it took significant levels of mana, concentration, and focus. She certainly had all three, but she was quite out of practice in weathering the strain incurred from keeping so much highly concentrated mana together.

But she couldn't give up at this point! No, rather, she wouldn't give up even if she could; not now, and not ever! She would push through the strain, through the fatigue, until such time everypony was safe once again! She was the one with the physical body, not Nightmare Moon, and if it should prove necessary then she would push her body until it broke into dust under its own strain!

However that determination came to an immediate, screeching halt as her ears were assaulted by blood-curdling screams. Her concentration faulted as she looked about for the source of the noise, only to discover it was Rainbow Dash doing the screaming. Screaming like she had been when Nightmare Moon made her believe she'd been set on fire, and her entire body was being consumed in flames. It stood to reason that the same tactic was being deployed a second time around.

Despite her screaming, however, despite all the pain she must've perceived herself as being in, Rainbow Dash was still pushing against the force field with all her might, rather than flailing about on the ground like last time. She must've been trying to fight through the illusion, knowing that she wasn't really being immolated, but unable to actually do anything about what she was being forced to experience. The pain itself wasn't real, but she knew from personal experience that it was certainly perceived as being real.

Under any other setting, she would've taken the time to note how commendable Rainbow Dash's dedication and perseverance was under these circumstances. But right now she had far more pressing thoughts on her mind to address. And she needed to address them in short order, before it was too late.

"Ulquiorra Cifer, please help immediately! Nightmare Moon is at it again!" she yelled, suspecting that his doing so was likely the only thing that would actually save Rainbow Dash at this point. If what he'd been saying about her nightmares was true, then his reiatsu might be the only thing that could halt the mental trauma she was experiencing at the moment.

She hadn't expected an immediate response to her pleas for assistance. Which was partially the reason she found herself overwhelmed as she felt Ulquiorra flaring his reiatsu once again, and the resulting pressure wave serving to violently expel all of the fog from the immediate area.

Rainbow Dash's screams of pain came to an immediate stop, only to be replaced by her letting out a groan as she slouched weakly against the force field, now relying on its structure to keep herself from falling to the ground.

Within the force field, most of the foals were on the ground, obviously overwhelmed by what they were experiencing for themselves. But seeing as even she could barely withstand it, that much was logical. She'd honestly be surprised if they could weather it better than she currently was.

Seconds later Ulquiorra was back down at their side, his attention no longer needed elsewhere since the release of his reiatsu had dissipated Nightmare Moon's fog phantom, leaving him free to do whatever needed to be done.

"I fear that, even with you keeping her preoccupied, Nightmare Moon is not going to allow us even a moment of respite to gather ourselves," she stated. She'd allowed herself to be lulled into a false sense of security by Ulquiorra being present, and his theories pertaining to how he was the top threat Nightmare Moon had to face. She had never stopped to consider that even he might not be able to keep her from launching a mental assault against them.

"I wouldn't," Ulquiorra replied simply. If he was the villain in all of this, he certainly wouldn't be allowing these ponies the luxury of composing themselves, and prepare for another engagement.

But then again, if he was the villain in all of this, he would've already identified those with the greatest threat potential, and killed off all of them in short order to insure they could do nothing against him. This situation would've never been allowed to come to be.

Right now, however, that was neither here nor there. There were far more important matters to tend to, than thinking about what he could be doing differently.

"That does not surprise me, seeing as you are a true expert in this field," Luna commented, now beginning to feel fatigued from the strain of standing up under Ulquiorra's reiatsu. "It is quite ironic that what is doing us the most good currently, is also putting us at the most risk. Perchance can you bring it back down once again?" she asked.

"I can. But if I do such, there will be nothing to stop Nightmare Moon from attacking again. The moment my reiatsu drops to a more tolerable level, the fog is going to start flooding the area once again," he explained.

"I am well aware, but I fear we have little option. I do not know how much more the foals can withstand. Nightmare Moon being defeated will be meaningless if we cannot save them," Luna stated.

As unwise as dropping his guard would be at this point, Ulquiorra couldn't deny that Princess Luna was correct in her concerns about the well being of the foals. Killing Nightmare Moon hadn't been the primary goal of this night, but rather rescuing the ones she'd captured and taken hostage. Their dying, especially if Nightmare Moon was picking off their souls in order to grow stronger, was simply unacceptable.

Without further discussion on the topic, he proceeded to dial his reiatsu back, restraining as much of it as his body could manage, returning it to the degree most everyone in Equestria was familiar with. And almost immediately afterward, everyone who had been negatively affected was showing signs of relief from the pressure they'd been subjected to.

"Dude," Rainbow Dash wheezed as she toppled over backwards, falling flat on her flanks on the forest floor with a thud. "I don't know how much more of that I can stand."

"Me neither!" Archer stated, who was quickly joined in a cacophony of similar statements and complaints from the other foals present.

"You are not alone in your plight, little ones, even I am having difficulty tolerating what is experienced," Luna stated, hoping that her admission would quell their concerns.

Unfortunately there was nothing to quell her own concerns, as she was seeing evidence of Ulquiorra's warning, panning out in front of her! Already she could see the fog quickly retaking the clearing, eagerly filling in the divot that had made with no effort on the Espada's part. It would be just a matter of seconds before they were completely encompassed once again. And once that encompassing occurred, Nightmare Moon would be free to attack them as she saw fit once more.

"I am sorry, everypony, but you must endure a while longer. Nightmare Moon is returning, and it is the only way to keep her at bay until we get you safe again. Take a deep breath, and hunker down as closely to the ground as you can, it will help," she instructed, all the while knowing that her instructions were nothing more than a lie. In truth she had no idea what would allow them to resist the overwhelming, crushing pressure that Ulquiorra's body could generate so freely. But at the moment she simply had nothing else that she could actually tell them!

Regardless of it being a lie, however, those that could actually comprehend her instructions did as they were told; taking a deep breath and holding it as they got close to the ground.

It was the best they could do for them at the time. Looking over to Ulquiorra she nodded, signalling for him to proceed.

Ulquiorra said nothing as he once again flared his reiatsu, serving to once more keep the terror fog at bay, away from those who were most at risk.

Most everyone affected by the release was floored in short order, Princess Luna's advice doing nothing to spare them from the full force of the impact of what they were being required to endure. Even Rainbow Dash went down, slumping and falling over backwards, most likely driven unconscious by exposure and exhaustion coupling together. But there was little that could be done about that at the moment.

Over where she stood, Luna grunted as she pushed herself upright, doing her best to ward off the crushing weight on her withers, focusing instead on addressing the matter at hoof. They needed to get the foals out of here, and they had to do it in short order.

It was only as she prepared to reengage, did she finally realize that she'd lost focus on her halberd, and had wound up allowing it to dissipate. Frowning, she summoned it back to the forefront once again.

"Quickly, now, I do not know how much of a window of opportunity we have to us!" she stated as she brought her halberd all the way back, and proceeded to slam its cutting edge against the force field once more.

Ulquiorra observed as the two polarity fields of magic clashed against one another, sparks flying freely at the point of contact between the two constructs, as the force of the impact caused ripples to appear across the force field's surface. This was certainly what he had in mind as far as an approach to the problem went, although moreso for himself than being assisted by anyone else. Or rather him providing the assistance.

Never mind. The finer details of what was doing what, were ultimately irrelevant to the matter.

Taking up a position on the opposite end of the force field, both of his palms met with the force field. First the right, and then the left, both very close together. But unlike the last time this approach was attempted, neither blow carried sufficient force to break his bones. Which was quite fortunate, as it was hard to set a broken arm while using a broken arm.

Using one fist would've generated less force to be exerted, but it would've also concentrated that force into a much smaller area, resulting in much greater strain at the point of contact. Using both hands, however, would generate greater force, but that was currently being tempered by a greater targeted surface area to work with. Ultimately neither approach was perfect or proper, but it was what they had to choose from.

Imperfect technique aside, however, ripples along the wall were radiating outward from the point of contact with his hands, were meeting with the ripples generated by Princess Luna's efforts, and were beginning to obstruct his view of the foals inside; much like a shaken up snow globe.

He tried to get some reading on where they currently stood, but what his pesquisa was picking up was all over the map. There was no indication of just how much power the force field was consuming under their shared strain, nor how much longer it could sustain itself before shattering. For all he knew they were actually increasing its reserves by giving it kinetic force to convert; they could actually be making the situation worse, and not have a clue about it! But there was unfortunately little choice but to try regardless. If they were to fail then they would try something else. And they would continue trying until they succeeded.

Although he couldn't directly see it, he could feel Rainbow Dash's involvement in their efforts once again, but he seriously doubted that what she could contribute would amount to a meaningful difference in whatever their results were shaping up to be. But he wasn't about to discourage her from trying. Not knowing where they stood currently, her involvement might amount to the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.

Contrary to popular belief, looking at the world and your own surroundings from a different perspective, really didn't do that much good. That was Rainbow Dash's observation as she regarded the Everfree forest from her current upside down position as she laid on her back on the ground.

Granted she knew what the phrase meant, and what it referred to. She knew that standing on her head wasn't going to help her figure out how to resolve the current issue they were facing. But considering the results they'd been having so far, she really wasn't seeing what different her directional orientation currently made, as there were no real solutions available, one way or the other.

Luna was on the case, Ulquiorra was on the case, Nightmare Moon was being held back by forces she couldn't possibly comprehend, and here she was, flat on her back and unable to do anything. She'd given her all in trying to help out, but her all simply hadn't been enough, as she was hopelessly outclassed in all the relevant fields. She was simply too exhausted, and too weak, to be of any use to anypony right now. Her best course of action was to simply stay out of the way, and not do anything that might interfere with the others and their efforts.

"I should've just stayed up in Canterlot," she mumbled to herself, not even bothering with exerting the effort necessary to roll over onto her stomach. She didn't even bother with lifting her head off the ground. What was really the point? "I'm useless."

"Sugarcube. That ain't nothin' but a load o' manure!"

Alright. That gave her reason to lift her head and look up. Which in this case also involved pulling herself into a sitting up position.

As she did, she came face to face with Applejack standing there, looking right back at her, barely a hoof's distance away from her face, and wearing a friendly, welcoming smile.

"Now then. Wha's this hogwash 'bout ya bein' useless?" Applejack asked her. "Ah know for certain ya ain't talkin' 'bout yerself."

"Quite right, darling, obviously she's mistaken. She must be thinking of somepony else."

Rarity. Looking over to Applejack's left, she could see the snow white unicorn standing there, looking right back at her.

It wasn't just the two of them either. All of them were here. Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, they were all here, standing right in front of her! They'd finally shown up!

"I didn't think you'd make it," she said as she reached out to hug Applejack, only to be met halfway by the farmer beating her to the punch on initiating the gesture.

"As if we'd ever miss out on this party, you silly filly!" Pinkie giggled.

"N-no, that's not what I meant," Rainbow Dash stated as she untangled herself from Applejack's embrace. "I meant that I thought this would all be over before you'd have to come out and help. But I was wrong. I gave it my best in all of this, but my best just wasn't good enough. I'm... I'm just not strong enough to do anything..." she admitted as she looked down at the ground.

"Rainbow Dash, that's not true, and you know it," Fluttershy stated firmly. And if Rainbow Dash was being honest, she was surprised by it. She couldn't remember ever hearing her friend speak quite that firm before. Nor could she remember Fluttershy wearing such a firm, hard expression before.

Twilight nodded in agreement. "It's not an exaggeration to say that you're strong, Rainbow Dash. Far stronger than you ever might believe on your own, because it's so hard to codify and quantify into a round, numerical unit of measurement that can easily be referenced."

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. "Yeppers! And besides, Dashie, everypony knows power levels are meaningless! Will, determination, and heart are what wins battles, not arbitrary numbers!"

The others assembled looked at Pinkie in a mix of uncertainty and confusion, before Twilight returned her attention to Rainbow Dash.

"That matter aside, Rainbow Dash, you have to remember that this is Nightmare Moon we're talking about; an alicorn of all things. It would be hard for anypony to compare favorably under such circumstances. The very fact that you're even still alive in light of such, should be regarded as a measure of pride. I honestly don't know many ponies who could say they faced off against a threat like Nightmare Moon, without the Elements of Harmony, and still lived to tell about it," she explained.

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but smile at Twilight's words of praise and encouragement.

"Thanks, Egghead, I appreciate that. But that's not really what I'm talking about. Nightmare Moon has all the foals trapped in a force field that we're all trying to break through, but the only thing keeping her at bay is the pressure Ulquiorra can generate, and it's just too much for me to handle. I can barely breathe, I can't even stand up with him doing it. I'm just not strong enough to actually help this time around," she stated.

"With all due respect, darling, I believe you're selling yourself short," Rarity rebutted.

Pinkie nodded. "Way too short!"

Twilight nodded as well. "You've already experienced this once before, back up in Canterlot. Ulquiorra was far stronger in his released state than he is now, we all felt it for ourselves, so we know what we're talking about."

"The only reason it seems worse this time 'round is because yer fatigued from fightin' Nightmare Moon so danged much! Yer feelin' too tuckered out ta be ignorin' it, so naturally it feels like it's weighin' down on ya more," Applejack added.

"Not to mention malnourished," Fluttershy pointed out. "You really should have been eating your meals up in Canterlot, even if you didn't like them. But then again you already knew that..." she admonished.

"Now, now. I'm certain Rainbow Dash did the best she could, given the circumstances she faced. We shouldn't be scolding her like a disobedient little foal," Rarity chided. "Instead we should be looking into how we can best go about helping her in this situation."

"Ah reckon we'd best start by gettin' er back on 'er hooves," Applejack suggested as she reached out and took hold of Rainbow Dash's left foreleg. "C'mon, Sugarcube, up ya go!"

Rainbow Dash grunted as she felt herself being lifted up by Applejack's earth pony might. Unfortunately her legs hadn't been ready for the effort, and the moment she was up, she was already falling forward again. She would've hit the ground face first, if not for Rarity moving quick and intercepting her, using her body to brace her, and keep her upright.

"Steady now, darling," she said as she held her so she could get her legs properly situation.

"Your coat's gonna get all bloody doing that," Rainbow Dash mumbled.

Rarity shook her head. "I don't care about that, you're more important."

"Alright. Now listen, Rainbow Dash, this is very important," Twilight spoke up. "That force field is still in place, and it has to be brought down. We need you to do that. We need you to bring that force field down, and fast."

"But I can barely even stand up," Rainbow Dash stated, her point being perfectly emphasized by her swaying and unsteady posture. "What do you need me for anyway? You're all here. You're doing better than I am. You're not being crushed by a thousand tons of spiritual pressure. Just go on without me, I don't have the strength do do it."

Twilight frowned at hearing that. "Weren't you the one that told Nightmare Moon that your friends were what made you strong enough to take her on?"

"W-well yeah, but this is different," Rainbow Dash protested.

"It's only different in your mind, Dashie. Just because you can't see it, doesn't make what we're feeling invalid. We know that you can do this," Pinkie stated. "Luna and Ulqy are already doing the brunt of the work, you just need to help push them over the edge. And besides that, we're all here with you, so we're making you strong enough to do it."

That made Rainbow Dash stop and think. And as she did, she realized Pinkie was right. Luna and Ulquiorra were there and doing the lion's share of the work in trying to get the foals free. She hadn't been tasked with bringing that force field down all by herself; all she was really doing, was providing assistance in trying to expedite the process a little faster. She could do that! She wasn't so beaten down, that even that was too much for her! She wasn't alone in all of this, she had her friends here with her, she had their strength should her own be insufficient. She had this in the bag!

"Well when you put it like that," she said with a grin as she looked back up again, and climbed back onto her hooves, unsteady but not falling over. "Let's show Nightmare Moon how we do this!"

They could do this. She could do this! Sure she didn't have anything like she used in her dreams, like being a Vizard, or a really bitchin' awesome dragon, or even the mythical Storm Surge from pegasus legend, but none of that mattered right now! Right now she had a much greater source of strength than any of that could've amount to, and it was standing right in front of her, urging her onward to victory!

Unfortunately that bravado was tempered as she stood up straighter, and nearly toppled over once again. She might have them here urging her on, but her legs still felt too weak to keep her upright.

How was she ever supposed to get to the force field if she couldn't even stand up, crawl over to it?

And now that she thought about it, she could've sworn she'd collapsed just a few inches away from its exterior. Now it looked a lot further than that. Had she been thrown backwards or something? That thought, along with everything else, was making the outlook all the more bleak to consider.

"This isn't gonna work," she grunted as she struggled to push herself upright again. "I can't do this. Not on my own."

"Well then I guess it's a good thing you're not on your own. You've got us here right beside you," Twilight stated.

"Ya know, Twi', that gives me a good idea. Pinkie, get on RD's left side. Sugarcube, raise those wings o' yours up," Applejack instructed.

"Okie dokie lokie," Pinkie giggled as she bounced over to Rainbow Dash's side to take up her position.

"What... what's going on?" Rainbow Dash as she raised her wings up as instructed, only to realize that she was quickly being sandwiched between Pinkie and Applejack.

"We're right beside ya," Applejack stated.

It took a moment for Rainbow Dash to comprehend what they were actually saying, before her face lit up with the revelation. These ponies, these friends of hers, were the source of her strength. And right now they were lending her that strength when she needed it the most, thus enabling her to stand up.

Nodding in understanding she lowered her armored wings, draping them across their backs to help keep herself upright. "Let's do this!" she stated.

Despite being a pegasus sandwich between two slices of earth pony bread, walking wasn't proving to be terribly difficult. They were keeping her upright, she just had to put one hoof in front of the other, and keep doing that as they advanced forward. Even if Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy weren't in direct contact with her, she could still feel their strength practically flowing through her veins as they all advanced together as one. They made her strong, they made her complete, they made her possible. They had seen her when she was at her lowest points in life, and still they'd stuck around with her, and helped in picking her right back up again. They believed in her, and in return she believed in them. She'd been put back together because of them, and together they were going to tear Nightmare Moon down!

With her friends by her side supporting her the whole way, the distance was made short work of as they made their way to the force field once more.

"Let's do this," Rainbow Dash stated, her voice heavy with determination as she raised her wings to untangle herself from Pinkie and Applejack, allowing her to step forward under her own steam. "Let's get those foals back home safe!"

Rearing up on her hind legs once more, she slammed her front hooves against the shield as hard as she could, before proceeding to push with all of her might against its structure. She didn't know how much good she could do, compared to Ulquiorra and Luna, but right now she simply didn't care. None of them could possibly do it all on their own, nor did they need to try such. They were together, they were united, they were going to succeed!

One by one, she could feel the rest of them joining in her efforts, pushing against the shield with all of their might to bring it down faster. By now the ripples were dancing violently across its surface, obscuring her view of the foals inside, but she still pressed on, pressing with everything she had. She even flared her wings, before driving the armored points against its structure to increase the areas of contact in hope of it doing some good.

"Push harder!" she yelled as she grunted, scraping her back hooves against the ground for any bit of traction that could be gained. They needed to give it everything they had if this was going to work.

And then she heard a ping that she hadn't heard before. It could've been easy enough to dismiss out of hoof, and easy to miss, if not for the fact that more were beginning to follow. And as more pings sounded, she started to see cracks forming in the structure. Stress-related fractures as the force field simply couldn't keep up with the abuse it was being forced to tolerate.

"Harder! Push harder! Give it everything you've got!" she yelled, feeling renewed with the validation that this was actually going to work. She'd lost count of how many second winds she'd caught in all of this, but that was the best way to describe her sense of feeling reinvigorated, now that they were so close to achieving their goal.

The air was filled with grunting, and groaning, and all manner of sounds of exertion as they pushed with all of their might, driven on by the desperate need to succeed.

And then a sound much like a plate of glass shattering filled the air with a thunderous echo. And she watched as all at once the force field came crumbling down, shattering into tiny little shivers of blue crystal-like structures raining down, before disintegrating against anything they came into contact with.

They'd done it. After so much struggling and effort on their part, they'd actually succeeded in breaking the force field, and rescuing the foals. They'd actually done it!

"Woohoo!" she yelled as she pounded her front hooves on her chest in excitement, a loud metallic clanging following the gesture.

And then she blinked, and everything suddenly looked different. That was more or less the best way she could think of to describe what she'd just experienced happen to her. She couldn't even be specific as to what looked different from her perspective, she just knew that it was.

Looking around for some clue as to what had happened, she quickly realized that she was alone. Twilight, Fluttershy and the others weren't by her side anymore. She didn't even see any sign of them having been there. Had... had that all been nothing but a dream she'd just woken up from? But if it was a dream, how had she helped breaking the shield? Had all of that just been a feverish hallucination, brought on by the stress, and strain, and her own fears that she simply wasn't adequate enough to do any good on her own?

"Rainbow Dash!"

She was now aware of a number of the foals scattering in different directions of underbrush -likely to heed the call of nature now that they were free- although her focus was on one in particular who was quickly galloping in her direction instead, and leaping off the ground to meet her. She didn't even hesitate before spreading her forelegs as she crouched down, catching Scootaloo in mid jump, and proceeded to hug her for all she was worth.

She was also vaguely aware of the fact that she no longer felt the oppressive, crushing weight of Ulquiorra's reiatsu weighing down on her. And from the look of it, the others weren't experiencing it either. But whether that was because he wasn't flaring it out, or if they'd simply gotten adjusted to it, she had no clue. Nor did she really care at the moment, as it wasn't important. Right now the only important thing to her was the filly she had in her forelegs, and the fact she was safe and sound. Right now, right here, was what she'd been working so hard for since this whole clusterfuck had begun. Despite so much being so very wrong, at this one moment in time, everything was alright.

"Love ya, Squirt."

"Love ya too, Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo stated.

Through their combined efforts, the force field had finally been subjected the point of critical mass necessary to completely drain whatever source of power was fueling it, resulting in its structure finally succumbing to the strain, and suffering -a rather visually appealing degree of- critical failure, completely shattering like billions of tiny glass shards all at once. Fortunately for everyone involved, they lacked the same cutting potential as glass shards, making them harmless.

With that matter finally resolved, and that particular obstacle cleared, Ulquiorra knew that he could safely stop flaring his reiatsu to the intensity he had been, thus no longer subjecting them to the crushing pressure of just a moment ago.

Now free on more than one front, some foals ran over to Princess Luna to express their relief and adoration over her coming to rescue them. Others ran into the forest with a sense of urgency and desperation he hadn't really seen before. And while such wasn't advisable, he wasn't sensing anything in the immediate area that would pose a legitimate threat to their safety.

Aside from Nightmare Moon still being in the area, of course. But there was little he could actually do about that right now. There were too many unknowns, too many variables in place for him to know for certain if his reiatsu being flared was helping or ultimately hurting them. Nightmare Moon was being held at bay, but that did them little good if extended exposure could still kill them regardless.

There wold be time for speculation later. Right now there were far more pressing matters that had to be tended to, not the least of which was getting the foals out of here quickly. When they were being held hostage in Nightmare Moon's force field, they had actually been at less risk than they were currently, now that they were out in the open, and vulnerable to whatever might come to pass. Now that they were free, anything could happen, and put them at risk of even greater harm.

"It's too dangerous to be staying here," he stated simply.

"You don't have to be telling me twice," Rainbow Dash stated, well aware of that fact for herself. "Oi, foals! C'mon, shake a leg!"

Whether Rainbow Dash's statement played any actual part in motivating the foals to return to the clearing, Ulquiorra has no real clue. All he knew was that they were slowly doing just that, meeting up with the rest of their group once again, many looking far more relaxed than they had been a moment before.

"Does this mean we're going home now?" Rumble asked.

Luna nodded. "If everypony is present then we leave without delay, little ones. Gather close."

"Good. I can't wait to get out of here," Silver Spoon stated, anxious to return back home. Being out here in the Everfree forest yet again was bad enough. But being here without her glasses had only made it all the worse, since she could barely see anything.

"You said it," Truffle Shuffle wheezed as he hurried over to stand next to Princess Luna.

It was around that time, that Bee Bop fell to the ground in mid-step, her face planting into the dirt with a thud as her body went motionless.

For a moment, one that seemed to last for an eternity, those that were in the know of what was going on -and those that actually had the need to- didn't dare breathe. They all watched, waiting to see if the young filly was going to get back up again, complaining that her muzzle hurt from tripped over some errant tree root she hadn't seen in her path.

But that didn't happen. For all of the waiting that was done to observe some signs of life, there was simply none to be found. Bee Bop's body laid limply on the ground in a crumpled heap, as lifeless as a pile of rocks.

"That's.... that's not good, is it?" Key Lime asked nervously.

Luna shook her head in response. This situation was quickly moving as far away from being good as possible, and she wasn't certain of how much worse it could reasonably get. Nor was she feeling particularly inclined to wait and see. Too many had already died on this night, and she wasn't going allow that trend to continue. Beyond the body count already being unacceptably high, Nightmare Moon had already claimed too many innocent souls for herself. She wasn't about to let her have even one more.

"We are leaving! Now!" she stated.

"That's what you think..."

That voice was enough to make Luna freeze in place. Her recollection of a thousand years spent in exile on the moon might not've been the most coherent, but that was a voice she'd never, ever be able to forget, no matter how hard she might try to do just that.

Unfortunately looking around gave her no indication of just where it was coming from! It sounded omnipresent, like it was everywhere and simultaneously nowhere at the same time. For all she knew it was resonating within her own head! But the fact the others were looking about as well served to discount that notion, as they were obviously hearing it too.

"Sounds like we just went from bad to worse," Rainbow Dash muttered as she looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the voice.

Instead, however, she noticed something pertaining to the fog itself. It hadn't been returning to the area like she'd expected, but rather it looked like it was receding. But there was no reason she could see that would explain such a weird pattern of behavior being observed. And it was really odd to observe it, moving about like it was being subjected to a time reversal spell or something.

Then she looked up, and she realized just why the fog was acting like it was. It was actually gathering together high above them, coalescing and condensing into a a tight, confined area; a space that was maybe big enough for one or two ponies, and...

"Oh..."

More eyes oriented skyward to observe as the fog not only coalesced and condensed back into cloud form, but was also beginning to take an actual shape as it swirled about. A distinctly pony-shaped form, like it was being forcefully injected into a die casting mould, and adding definition to the final product.

All at once, in a flash of magic, the pony-shaped form finalized itself into a very distinct alicorn form. The deepest, blackest fur that anypony had ever seen in their lives. An ethereal mane and tail made up of midnight blue that heeded to no mortal winds. Fierce blue, serpentine eyes with slit pupils. Two massive, powerful wings coated in deep black feathers flapping with ease, yet commanding great force. A long, sharp horn. And vicious blue armor that looked like it was suited for going to war.

Nightmare Moon had truly returned. And she looked far more fearsome than Rainbow Dash had remembered her looking. Just looking into those eyes was enough to shake her resolve, and actually leave her feeling the urge to hide behind Luna for protection. Seeing that sneer and her sharp teeth didn't help matters either.

Luna, however, shared no such shaking. She glared up at Nightmare Moon's position, frowning intently.

"So you have regained your physical form, then? Good! That means it is possible for me to disembowel you!" she yelled furiously, refusing to be intimidated.

"What's that even mean anyway?" Snails asked, curiosity temporarily overwhelming what fear he'd been feeling just a second ago.

"What it means is that Princess Luna is gonna cut Nightmare Moon open, crotch to eyeball, with a dull deer antler," Shady elaborated. Not being able to actually see Nightmare Moon like the others, she had the least fear out of the lot of them to be overcome by.

Luna's glare suddenly went wide with surprise at hearing that, causing her to turn her attention away from Nightmare Moon, and instead look at the foals. "Where do you children come up with such vulgar concepts?"

"Ah, the innocence -and the arrogance- of youth," Nightmare Moon stated, practically purring as she spoke with a smooth, silky voice. However the softness of her voice did nothing to contradict the hard coldness of her eyes. "Nopony other than myself will be leaving this forest alive on this night. I can guarantee you that much..."

"We shall see about that!" Luna stated as she stood firmly, ready to engage her evil counterpart in the name of protecting the others from harm.

"Oh, sweet, little Luna, it's so cute how you think you actually stand a chance against me," Nightmare Moon stated with a grin. "When Celestia first faced me over a thousand years ago, I was in an imperfect state. I had but a mere seventeen souls, and she still couldn't overcome my might on her own. But now that I have twenty one souls fueling my return? Not one of you will stand a chance against me!" she cackled, a single flap of her mighty wings serving to propel her higher into the air above them.

"Equestria, your true Queen has returned to claim you! And now she is in a form that transcends perfection itself! She is now absolute perfection! Rejoice and despair, mere mortals!" she howled triumphantly and laughed.

But in all of her gloating and laughing, Nightmare Moon had failed to realize that Ulquiorra had appeared directly behind her, his left arm outstretched and aimed right at the base of her skull.

And her ignorance of her surroundings continued, right up until she felt the impact of his Cero slamming into her back, sending her crashing to the ground at a roughly thirty-degree angle before she even had the chance to right herself, and kicking up a large cloud of dust and debris in the process.

If he were particularly interested in surveying the fruits of his labor, Ulquiorra would note how the force of his Cero had partially buried Nightmare Moon, leaving only her lower body exposed, and perpendicular with the ground, as her hind legs kicked about furiously.

But he wasn't particularly interesting in surveying the fruits of his labor. Nor was he particularly interesting in finding the joke that was presented by this situation, should it even exist in the first place. Instead he simply settled for slicing the tip of his left index finger and drawing blood, as he began to charge for a follow up blast, while Nightmare Moon was still downed.

"You waste even more time talking than Chrysalis did," he commented idly, before adjusting his aim towards where Nightmare Moon currently rested, before discharging his Gran Rey Cero.

The report of the Gran Rey Cero being discharged was considerable, even by his own standards. And the resulting flash of deep violet light was of a similar nature. There were elements in its display that looked a great deal like a lightning strike had just taken place. And the degree of reiryoku that was released with its discharge... well, it was quite easy to understand why the Gran Rey Cero was forbidden within the dome of Las Noches.

Down below the midair battle, even though they hadn't been anywhere in close proximity to the sight where Nightmare Moon had "landed", it still seemed seemed incredibly prudent to dive for cover when the violet-colored Cero was sent hurtling at her position, and causing an even more massive blast than the last one to be unleashed, sending pieces of trees and broken rocks flying in every direction. Luna hadn't hesitated to erect her force field over the group to protect them from whatever incoming shrapnel and debris managed to reach them.

It went without saying that Ulquiorra was playing for keeps tonight.

"Holy Tartarus!" Scootaloo stated, not knowing what else to say in response to the demonstration of destructive power that Ulquiorra commanded, literally at his very fingertips.

"Do you think that did it? Is... is Nightmare Moon dead after something like that?" Diamond Tiara asked uncertainly.

The answer to her question came as Ulquiorra was slammed on his back against the shield by an unseen force, his trajectory doing much to suggest he hadn't taken the course of his own free will.

"I'm gonna venture a guess and say no," Featherweight stated and winced as he -and the others- observed as Ulquiorra stood back up again.

"A correct evaluation of facts," Ulquiorra stated simply without turning around to face them. "Leave now."

"Dude?" Rainbow Dash asked, not expecting such a statement to be made.

"You need to leave the forest at once. All of you," he stated.

"Ulquiorra Cifer, we are not about to-" Luna started, only to be interrupted as he immediately turned, and slammed his right fist against the force field. It was a hard enough blow for her to feel, causing her to falter in surprise, before she managed to right herself again. The sheer amount of kinetic energy he'd just generated, without even a long course of travel in delivering his blow, was truly astounding.

And if she were being fully honest, it was even a bit frightening.

"Leave now," he repeated, his voice firm as he did so. "You're nothing but liabilities if you remain; liabilities that Nightmare Moon can exploit. Leave now, or else I'll kill everyone present, without regard for who they are."

It was a statement that earned many gasps of surprise in response from those that were present.

Most of them knew very little of Ulquiorra, other than what they had garnered from limited interactions with him, and observations of how he conducted himself. They knew that he could kill. They knew that he did kill. They even knew that he had no qualms with killing when he deemed it necessary. But up until that very moment in time, all of his killing had been limited to recognized threats to the safety and well being of Equestria. Now that was all being thrown out the window, as he was threatening to kill the lot of them with all the casualness of talking about the weather; like the act of doing so was nothing to him, and he didn't have any qualms with ending of their lives. The entire notion simply seemed far too unbelievable.

But they had little choice but to believe it, and come to terms with the fact, as he began charging his Cero right in front of them.

"I won't ask again," he warned, aiming directly for where they currently stood, many of them trembling with fear at his words, and the utter coldness behind them.

Finally, Luna had little choice but to nod in acknowledgement, knowing that if Ulquiorra was really turning on them, she wouldn't be able to oppose both him and Nightmare Moon at the same time.

"I hope that you are aware of what you are doing," she said as her horn flared to life once more, the protective shield around them completely fading, before she and the rest vanished all at once in a flash of light.

Leaving Ulquiorra behind, alone in the Everfree Forest with Nightmare Moon.

"Well now, this is an unforeseen development indeed," the alicorn commented as she hovered several feet off the ground, observing her quarry with interest. "You've fought so hard to protect these ponies up until now. And now you're threatening to kill them?" she asked, genuinely surprised by such.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied as he turned to face her, allowing his Cero to dissipate as he did so. "I don't need trash in my way while I work."

"Oh, really now?" Nightmare Moon asked, intrigued by his outlook. She really hadn't expected to encounter something like that with him. "That's a rather callous approach, coming from one who made a moving case for euthanizing a foal that was going to die an excruciating death," she pointed out.

"That was a matter of practicality, not caring," Ulquiorra pointed out. He could ask how Nightmare Moon knew about the incident with Cupid, and what had transpired at the hospital. But he didn't particularly care right now, one way or another. "Without the others around, I don't have to waste time, going through the motions of pretending to be concerned about their well being should you attempt to take them hostage once again. I can dispense with formalities and ceremony, and get right down to business," he explained.

Nightmare Moon simply chuckled in response to hearing this.

"Beyond that matter, you should've taken the opportunity to kill me when you had it, rather than foolishly observing my interactions with the others. You won't be given a second chance," he stated.

At hearing that, Nightmare Moon laughed heartily, throwing her head back as she howled with amusement.

"Oh, that's so precious! Thinking that you actually stand a chance against me!" she stated, before looking at him once again, her good mood suddenly nonexistent as she glare at him. "Arrogant Espada, you can't possibly comprehend the utter vastness of my strength! You thought you were seeing the upper limits of my strength prior? That was nothing compared to now! I have twenty one souls to my being now, evenly split across the three pony tribes, allowing me to transcend perfection itself! Celestia and Luna themselves together couldn't possibly compare to me now! You're nothing more than an annoyance to me! Why, fighting against you wouldn't even amount to interesting!" she roared furiously, violently flaring her magical strength to demonstrate her point to him.

Throughout Nightmare Moon's rant, Ulquiorra remained unfazed by her theatrics, and the demonstration of her strength.

"Then allow me to make things more interesting for you," he replied simply, in stark contrast to her manner of address. Before following up by once again flaring his reiatsu for her to feel for herself.

Nightmare Moon smirked, anxious to see the look of surprise on the Espada's face once he realized that his little tactic would no longer work on her, now that she possessed a physical body, and was thus immune to being dispersed.

Unfortunately she was disappointed, as she was the one wearing the look of surprise at experiencing the full intensity of his spiritual pressure. Being in possession of a physical body meant having actual lungs, which by extension meant experiencing the need of actually breathing. And as soon as she was struck by that intensity, it felt like the air had been forcefully punched out of her lungs.

"Just so you won't feel disappointed, or lose interest in how things proceed, this is approximately half the reiatsu my form can currently generate," Ulquiorra explained.

Half? This was only half of what he could really do if he tried!? How was something like that even possible? What kind of monster had she just earned the wrath of!?

And worse yet, if this was just half of the pressure that his body could generate, whatever horrors could he go about demonstrating if he felt motivated to do so? Especially now that she was alone with him?

"Oh, sweet night, what have I done?" she wheezed out in disbelief, and even fear as the realization began to sink in like a ton of bricks.

Author's Note

Seriously, folks, I need a new proofreader for reviewing the last few chapters since Xbox has moved onto other matters.

Although it didn't end how I originally planned it, and it took longer than I thought, this was originally the second half of chapter ninety. I'm sure you can see why that simply wasn't going to happen. Hopefully it was worth the wait.

Deleted Scene One

"How?" Raindragon wheezed as she cradled her ribs. "You're so skinny, you have to weigh less than a pegasus, but you hit harder than an earth pony! How are you so strong? How can you possibly be so strong!? she shrieked angrily.

"My physical strength isn't dependent upon the size of my physical mass in any way. Yet another quirk to Hollow physiology that you simply don't understand," Ulquiorra replied calmly in stark contrast to Raindragon's outburst. "Does it disturb you that my size isn't indicative of my strength? I could easily make my build appear more appropriate for the amount of force it can generate, if that would make you more comfortable with your impending death."

The next thing Raindragon knew, there was an outward explosion of teal green-tinted power from Ulquiorra's frame, and she watched in disbelief as his musculature experienced a sudden increased in size. She had no idea what exactly his muscle groups were called, but they were considerably bulkier than they had been just a moment ago, easily demonstrating several inches worth of growth in just a short amount of time.

He hadn't looked tough at all before, considering how scrawny he'd been. But now he looked far more developed and hulked up, his tattered shirt stretched tightly against his chest, and she couldn't help but wonder if the sudden increase in muscle mass had brought a drastic increase of physical strength as well. And if that turned out to be the case, then she had good reason to be terrified right now.

"Is this form more comforting to you? Does the idea of dying to this seem less disturbing than my base form, simply because I have significantly more bulk?" he asked as he tensed the muscles in his right arm, causing his bicep to shift and grow as it was flexed, causing Raindragon to emit a nervous gulp.

And just as easily as he had summoned the physical bulk his body was capable of, it disappeared as he allowed his body to return to its previous state.

"Large muscles, lots of screaming, and calling out the name of devastating attacks does not win fights. Nor is it indicative of the strength one has or doesn't have. They're nothing more than useless wastes of time, meant solely to provide observers with a sense of entertainment. They're all a dramatic flare that I simply don't need," he explained.

Outtake

"Large muscles, lots of screaming, and calling out the name of devastating attacks does not win fights. Nor is it indicative of the strength one has or doesn't have. They're nothing more than useless wastes of time, meant solely to provide observers with a sense of entertainment. They're all a dramatic flare that I simply don't need," he explained.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Raindragon stated and waved her claws frantically. "You're not saying-"

"I am," Ulquiorra interrupted. "In no unsimple terms, 'Dragon Ball Z' is not only overrated, it sucks," he stated firmly.

This served to throw Raindragon into a rage. "You take that back or I'll kill you!" she roared furiously as she dramatically flared her wings.

Ulquiorra remained unimpressed with the demonstration of rage. Rather than feeling compelled to do as was demanded of him, he instead opted to double down on his statement. "Goku is a terrible character. He's nothing more than overrated trash."

"Goku could kick your head in any day of the week!" Raindragon roared, even louder than before.

"Goku is an overly simple-minded character, serving as a poor role model for children, an even worse father and husband to his family, constantly looking for ways to slip out of his responsibilities, and whose only passions in life are eating and fighting. He's an overgrown, spoiled man-child of a character, and the fact the world has to rely on him to avoid destruction on an almost regular basis, when he would much rather toy with an enemy rather than finish them off immediately, is a truly sad statement on the status of their reality," Ulquiorra stated.

Raindragon was beyond the ability to even vocalize her rage at this statement. She was left stuttering with her right eye twitching.

"His signature attack is even more ridiculous than he is himself. It takes him a full ten seconds to both charge and enunciate the Kamehameha Wave before firing it. In the time it takes him to finish uttering the first syllable, his head would be lying at his feet, separated from the rest of his body if we were to ever meet and engage in combat," he added.

Raindragon roared even louder than should've been physically possible in the wake of this statement, huge winds kicking up and off her body in the process. "I'm gonna skull *BLEEP* you!"

"As if I've never heard that particular threat before," Ulquiorra commented, unmoved by the demonstration of fury he was being treated to. And then he decided to go right for the clincher. "Overall, Gohan is a far more interesting, and arguably the best character in the entire story. That, and "GT" is the superior series."

That had done it. What followed next was Raindragon uttering a feral howl/roar as her eyes began spinning in a mad fashion.

"Etupmoc ton seod! Etupmoc ton seod! Etupmoc ton seod!" she yelled frantically as she fell to the forest floor grasping the sides of her head.

Off where they stood, Rainbow Dash and Luna could only watch in confusion, trying to comprehend what they'd just seen.

"Did... did we just win or something?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I do not know. But it looks like Ulquiorra Cifer has just broken Nightmare Moon by introducing a wild concept of thought," Luna replied, just as uncertain of what she was seeing.

"Yeah I could see that happening. Everypony knows 'Yu Yu Hakusho' is the better series anyway," Rainbow Dash commented.

"Excuse me?" Luna asked as she turned her attention away from Raindragon's spasming form to look at Rainbow Dash. "I beg your pardon, but 'Naruto' is the superior of the series."

"What!? You're joking, right? Uzumaki's nothing but a whiny little bitch of a main character, who just happened to get lucky twice; first by being the son of the Fourth Hokage, and then by having an unlimited chakra power supply infused into him at birth!" Rainbow Dash loudly protested as she faced Luna. "Urameshi is where it's at! Raised by a single mother who's a total lush and a disappeared dad, but he didn't let that stop him from going on to become awesome! And he didn't whine about it either!"

"Naruto Uzumaki had no family whatsoever, and lived in a village that hated him!" Luna countered.

"Yusuke had to DIE to become awesome! And he died twice for maximum awesomeness! Let's see that obnoxious ninja even try to beat that!" Rainbow Dash shot back.

"Naruto Uzumaki managed to befriend the kyuubi that resented him from the moment of his birth, and wanted nothing more than to devour him and escape into the world again!" Luna practically yelled.

"Yusuke absorbed Genkai's spirit orb through sheer force of will when it was tearing his body apart!" Rainbow Dash yelled back.

The two mares were practically snout to snout, eyes narrowed and locked as the two growled at each other, their lips pulled back to reveal their teeth in a blatant effort at attempting to intimidate the other.

"Actually, of all the series that 'Shonen Jump' has published, 'One Piece' is by far the superior of them," they heard Ulquiorra comment from where he stood.

"Go *BLEEP* yourself!" both Rainbow Dash and Luna yelled in unison.

Deleted Scene Two

Down inside the force fields, the foals had been paying attention to everything that had been proceeding since the point of impact. Or at least as much attention as they could, considering how much the shield was serving to muffle what was happening in the outside world.

"I'm not following what he's saying. Is he saying that Nightmare Moon is boned?" Featherweight asked.

"It sure sounds like she's boned," Rumble replied and nodded.

"I sure never thought I'd hear something like that said," Noi commented. For so very long, Nightmare Moon had been a legend in Equestria's history, told as a cautionary tale for scaring foals, and for prying some of their Nightmare Night candy away from them. And now here they were, with her being discussed with neither fear nor respect.

"I'm still not believing it myself," Peach Fuzz stated, before looking upwards. "Hey, Mister! Is Nightmare Moon boned?"

"Quite thoroughly," Ulquiorra replied.

The dragon currently pinned between him and the force field merely roared in indignation as it struggled and thrashed about in a bid to get loose. "You're all going to be boned before this is over!"

"You know, that doesn't really sound like a bad way to spend a Tuesday night," Shady commented with a wry grin.

Deleted Scene Three

As bad as conditions might've been outside the force field, they were a whole lot worse on the inside. That was the general consensus of those present. Nightmare Moon was out to get them, she could get to them without actually having to touch them, and the only thing actually keeping them all safe currently, was an overwhelming, oppressive weight that felt like it was crushing them on the inside. There wasn't a single one of them that wasn't on the ground, barely able to even breathe, unable to do anything but wait as Princess Luna and Ulquiorra tried to rescue them. There was nothing to do but wait, and hope that they managed to succeed sometime soon.

Or at least that was the case until Apple Bloom started grunting as she slowly -very slowly- struggled to climb back up onto her hooves, forcing herself into an upright position. But once she was actually up, it was quite evident that she was shaky, and at risk of collapsing once again under the strain she was putting on her body.

"Blank flank," Diamond Tiara wheezed, "what're you doing?"

"Helpin' get us outta here. Ah ain't layin' around an' waitin' any longer," Apple Bloom stated as she took a shaky step towards the force field. When she didn't collapse under the strain of her own efforts she took another step. Following that success she took another, and just kept going along, one step at a time towards her destination.

"What good can you do? You can barely even stand up," Silver Spoon pointed out.

"Well neither can Rainbow Dash, but she's not lettin' that stop 'er," Apple Bloom pointed out as she gestured with her head towards where the aforementioned pegasus currently stood.

"You're just wasting your time," Diamond Tiara pointed out. They were just a bunch of foals, what good could they possibly do under these circumstances? They'd been giving it their all already, what more did they have to contribute?

"Beats just laying here and doing nothing," Scootaloo grunted as she fought to stand back up again. If Apple Bloom and Rainbow Dash could do this, then she could certainly do the same. Just because she couldn't fly yet, didn't make her weak.

One by one, more foals were silently agreeing with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, and making the determination to engage in doing something, rather than doing nothing. And one by one, more foals struggled to push themselves back up onto their hooves, and make their ways over to the edge of the force field to do whatever they could to expedite their escape.

"This isn't going to work," Diamond Tiara stated, even though nopony was really paying much attention to her at this point.

"You don't know if you don't try. Now get up," Archer stated.

"Yeah. Move it," Tootsie Flute barked in agreement.

Diamond Tiara wanted to protest, certain that nothing good could possibly come from their efforts. They were just a bunch of foals, a lot of them without even their cutie marks. What could they possibly do that the others weren't already doing? How could they possible help? Why should they even bother straining themselves on something that had an overwhelming chance of failure.

But before she could even get the first word of dismissal out, she felt the painful impact of a hoof against her flanks, effectively shutting her up with a yelp.

"Sorry, Snap, didn't see you there," Shady stated, although the sincerity of her apology was easily questionable. "By the way, you're in my way. Get up and get moving, or else I'm gonna step on you," she warned.

"You would, too, wouldn't you?" Diamond Tiara grumbled. She quickly concluded that this matter wasn't about to be dropped anytime soon. Her best bet for a respite from the insanity of the others determining that they were going to succeed, was to simply get back up again. At least if she stood up, they might leave her alone.

Unfortunately standing back up was way tougher than she thought. For an earth pony she was soft and undisciplined compared to her fellow classmates; and especially so compared to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She'd been aware of that fact ever since the last time they found themselves in the Everfree forest, and had been reminded of it on more than one occasion.

And then she felt a cold nose poking her in her side, catching her by surprise.

What it turned out to be, was Sweetie Belle doing her darnedest to use her head to get her back up onto her hooves, like she was a piece of construction equipment or something.

"Watch where you point that horn, blank flank!" she objected, but nonetheless noted that she was indeed being gotten back onto her hooves again, thanks to the provided assistance.

"You're just lucky it's not sharp like on some unicorns," Sweetie Belle quipped. "Now get to moving."

Diamond Tiara didn't know what was more shocking to experience; the blunt forcefulness of Sweetie Belle's manner of address, or the fact that she and Silver Spoon were actually leaning against one another, each using the other for support as they walked.

All around her, every foal that could walk and comprehend what they were doing, was making an effort at aiding in their own escape. Despite the fact that they were hopelessly outclassed by the likes of Princess Luna and Ulquiorra.

But then again Rainbow Dash was outclassed as well, and she bore the Element of Loyalty. Despite being outclassed, she wasn't letting that stop her from trying, even though she could barely even stand.

... Maybe they actually had a point.

Without a word, she made her way over to where Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stood, before rearing up on her hind legs like the others, to press her front hooves against the force field, and lean into it with all of the might she could muster.

And just like they'd witnessed with the others, ripples were slowly starting to spread outward from the numerous points of contact, and getting lost in the sea of ripples being generated by everypony else that was participating.

"Push! Give it all you got!" Sweetie Belle stated as she leaned in hard, her tiny hooves scraping against the hard ground as she tried to gain traction.

The fact might've been lost to some of them, but she was very much aware of the fact that they were in this for their lives. Nightmare Moon had made it abundantly clear that their lives didn't matter to her, and Ulquiorra was the only thing keeping her at bay as they worked to escape. They really didn't have much choice but to try and get out of here, other than sitting around and waiting to see who died next, just like so many others had so far. And as far as she was concerned, that wasn't an option right now.

"Push!" she repeated.

"I am!" Silver Spoon grunted.

"Then push harder! Don't hold back! Don't hold back and don't stop!" Sweetie Belle yelled. "Push like your life depends on it!"

The strain of simply trying to withstand Ulquiorra's pressure was overwhelming on their small frames, to say nothing of the strain from trying to overcome the force field that held them prisoner. But they had little choice in the matter. They had to keep pushing, and keep persevering, no matter what came about. They were either going to get free, or they were going to die from one cause or another. And Sweetie Belle wasn't in any mood to die tonight.

"Where's-" Noi grunted, "where's Lily Longsock in all this? anyway?"

"Off visiting relatives in Vanhoover," Featherweight stated. "We could've really used her in this. She could've brought this force field down."

"If Lily were here she would've been able to tunnel us out of here before now," Diamond Tiara muttered. Seriously, where did a little filly get that kind of strength anyway? It was practically obscene!

Filler - Closure

Chapter Ninety Two

On numerous occasions before, Twilight had heard the phrase "on pins and needles" being used to describe the conditions of restlessness, unease, and agitation. That uncomfortable inability to simply sit still and exercise calmness, that often motivated ponies to pace restlessly, simply so they had something to do to occupy themselves with.

It was a sensation she'd experienced numerous times before in the past. And it was a sensation that she was currently experiencing right now as she fidgeted, and anxiously shifted from one hoof to another. Every surface in the Golden Oaks library that could be sat on, might as well have boxes and boxes of sewing pins upended on them, because there was no way she could bring herself to actually sit down. She had tried several times, but she'd utterly failed miserably in each of her attempts. Ultimately she simply couldn't remain still for more than a few seconds, before feeling compelled to move about once again.

Celestia's assurance that Luna and the others could be found had filled her with optimism and hope. But now those were turning into anxiousness as she tried to let Celestia do her thing without interruption. But it was just so, so hard to just stand back and do absolutely nothing; not even ask any questions. Whatever sort of magic her mentor was working while sitting their motionlessly, with a soft golden glow emanating from her horn the whole time, she had no real clue.

"This is most unusual," Celestia stated, speaking up for the first time since she attempted to find Luna's position. "I have no idea what it is, but I'm running into a great deal of interference that's preventing a positive lock on Luna's location," she explained as she sat up straighter.

"Interference?" Applejack asked, successfully beating Twilight to the punch before the lavender unicorn could present a more rambling form of the question for consideration.

Celestia nodded in response. "It wasn't there previously, but something is serving to oppose my efforts at tracking her. It's as if a dampening field was suddenly erected over a considerably large area shortly after her departure. I know that Luna is somewhere in it, but I can do nothing to actually pinpoint her at this time," she explained.

Twilight's brow furrowed at hearing this information. What sort of magic did Nightmare Moon have access to, if she could deploy a dampening field that even Celestia herself couldn't cut through? Just how much magic did she actually have at her disposal, to actually be doing something like that?

Before she could actually ask the question, she was interrupted by feeling the sensation of a tremor running through the ground. It was subtle, but it was still noticeable enough that she felt it in the bottoms of her hooves, and observed as several of the smaller items around the library trembled.

"Uh, wha' was that jus' now?" Applejack asked, also having taken notice of the tremor.

A second later there was a second tremor that followed the first, but it was significantly more forceful, and carried a greater measure of strength at it shook them, the library, and the contents within.

"While we're on the subject, just what was that!?" Rarity asked.

"I don't know. But I doubt that it's anything good," Twilight stated. The timing of the tremors was far too coincidental to be explained away as just being a matter of that.

But if there was a connection between the tremors and Nightmare Moon, she simply wasn't seeing it right now. There was just far too much information missing, for her to be able to form any sort of hypothesis.

"Whatever it is, it isn't good," Spike stated firmly. Nothing else that'd been happening up until now had been good, so why should he really expect the pattern to be changing?

"Ah'm gettin' that same feelin'," Applejack agreed. And it was a feeling that'd been building for a very long time now. Apple Bloom was missing, and in danger out in the middle of the forest, and there was no telling what might've happened before -or even after- Ulquiorra got there to resolve the matter. She'd been trying to remain calm, trying to just leave the matter to Ulquiorra to deal with as he saw fit. But the news of Celestia being unable to actually find their location had simply been too much for her to tolerate. She was no camel, but that announcement was the straw that had broken her back.

She had no idea what that interference amounted to in terms of difficulty for teleporting after Luna and the others to help. But she suspected that it was going to be significant. And if it was, if it was going to prevent her from making sure Apple bloom was alright, then she was going to march into the Everfree Forest and find everyone by herself if it had to be done. She didn't care if Nightmare Moon was out there and posing a threat; when it came to her family, she'd even face down Ulquiorra if that was what she needed to do.

Not that she had any expectations of actually succeeding in that endeavor; far from it actually. But standing down just wasn't an option for her.

She glanced towards the library door, weighing her available options, and pondering if she'd be able to slip out unnoticed as the others talked about matters that simply weren't registering in her mind, before they could actually stop her.

Before she could actually move one hoof towards her destination, she caught sight of Spike looking back at her.

Rather than speaking up, or otherwise proceeding as intended, she slowly tilted her head in the direction of the door.

In response, Spike slowly shook his head.

Applejack's brow furrowed in response, interpreting this gesture as Spike saying that he wasn't about to let her head out like she was planning. She responded by giving a single, slow nod in his direction, before tilting her head towards the door again.

Yet again, Spike slowly shook his head in response. Which she took to mean that he wasn't going to go running off with her either. And if that really was the case, then that put her in a difficult predicament; one she'd much rather not find herself in, if it were at all possible to do just that.

Unfortunately that wasn't the case. That was the situation she found herself in, and there really wasn't much she could do about it. She could make a mad dash like Rainbow Dash had, but they'd be on her just like they had been previously. They'd never let her head off into a dangerous situation on her own, just like they wouldn't head out without some sort of plan for dealing with this situation.

Maybe that was what needed to happen, though. Maybe she needed to make a declaration of intent to get something actually set into motion. If she told the others that she was planning on leaving, would that manage to get the ball rolling, and get them closer to actually doing something?

Screw whether it would or not. She was going to go ahead and do it regardless.

"Y'all. Ah know this is important an' all. But Ah ain't waitin' around even one more minute. Ah'm goin' ta find Apple Bloom, even if Ah have ta go inta the Everfree Forest all by mahself," she stated firmly. "An' so help me, if anyone gets in the way of findin' mah little sister, Ah swear Ah'll flatten 'em," she added with equal firmness.

Waiting around had gotten them nowhere but frustrated. She was as patient a mare as one could reasonably be expected to be under these circumstances. But that didn't change the fact that she had her limits, and she was quickly being pushed to them.

"Well then, Applejack, if that's how you feel, then I'm afraid that you'll have to "flatten" me," Rarity spoke up as she effortlessly positioned herself between her friend and the door. She could see the discomfort of her friends as she did this, but it was something that simply had to be done. And if it had to be done, then she might as well be the one to do it.

Before Applejack even had the chance to object, she was already speaking again. "I understand how you feel right now, darling, I really do; you're not the only one with a little sister out there in the forest. But charging off blindly just isn't an option right now. Luna and Ulquiorra are already on the matter, and I dare say there's very little that either of us could do on our own to be of assistance."

It wasn't a statement that was easy for her to make. She didn't like admitting to the fact that she was more or less useless to everypony. But she wasn't foalsih enough to let her pride trick her into believing she could actually do anything under these circumstances. Against somepony like Nightmare Moon there simply wasn't anything she could do; certainly not on her own anyway. They'd been lucky last time. And until the Element of Loyalty finally resonated with Rainbow Dash, she and the others could only sit on the sidelines and wait it out.

Pinkie nodded in agreement with Rarity's statement, her mane bouncing about in the process as she did. "Yeppers! And besides that, the terror fog is still out there, just like Ulqy said! He's the only one that's not affected by it, so he's really the only one who can do anything," she stated in a -surprisingly- serious tone.

All Applejack could do was sigh in defeat as the others started ganging up on her. She suspected that this was going to be the case, although she certainly hadn't expected Rarity to challenge her like she had; that bit had thrown her for something of a loop in all this.

Celestia didn't say anything, but she was thankful that it wasn't her who felt motivated to speak up first in response to Applejack's statement. Because if she had... well her response would've been much like Rarity's had been. She, too, had a little sister that was out there right now, and up against who knew what. Unfortunately there was no comfort for her to take in the fact that Ulquiorra was out there with her right now. Nightmare Moon was... well she didn't know if even the Espada would be enough to stop such a wicked and vile entity. Ulquiorra might've been a top predator back in his dimension, but this wasn't his dimension. There was no telling what might occur, or just how badly things might go wrong.

Making it all the worse was how helpless she felt -how helpless she was proving to be- with this interference, making it impossible for her to find Luna and...

Wait.

Wait!

Immediately her head flew up as she looked in the direction of the library's door. She didn't even offer a word of explanation as she got up, and quickly made her way across the room, her horn flaring to life as the door was pulled open, allowing her to charge outside.

"Now wha' was that all about?" Applejack asked, completely at a loss for what she'd just seen.

"Only one way to really find out," Spike stated, before following Celestia's lead and running out the door.

The others looked at each other for a brief moment, before wordlessly doing the same, each making a break for it to the outside, to see just what had drawn their ruler out of the library.

They'd known for sometime that there was quite a gathering of ponies outside; anxious parents and other family members who were chomping at the bit to find out if the foals were going to be alright. It was anything but a peaceful gathering the last time they'd been outside. But now, as they tried to make their way through it all, it was positively chaotic to experience! There was so much commotion and chaos going on as various ponies screamed and pushed and shoved, it was practically impossible to even see Celestia, despite her greater height.

"Outta my way! Seriously, make a hole!"

But through it all, one shouting voice was making itself known through force. Looking towards it they could see Rainbow Dash forcing her way out of the crowd by flying up and over it, and setting down on the nearest clear spot that was available to her.

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity yelled.

Naturally they made their way over to her; both relieved at the news that their friend was back safe and sound, and desperately seeking answers as to what was going on.

It was only then that they noticed the fur on her face was soaked and stained in what they could only presume was blood. Beyond that she looked like she'd been battered to Tartarus, and her armor looked considerably less than pristine now. Actually she was starting to look like a walking corpse at the moment.

"What... what happened? Are you okay?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Look, I'll tell you all what happened, but first there's something that I really gotta do first," she stated quickly.

With that matter tended to, she turned around and proceeded to retch and vomit on the ground where she stood.

Fast! That was the one coherent thought Nightmare Moon's mind was able to process at the moment, as she battled against Ulquiorra above the Everfree Forest.

It could be argued that, up until now, their battle so far had simply been little more than the two of them feeling each other out, trying to gauge each others' strength, while simultaneously looking for exploitable weaknesses, and at the same time guarding themselves to avoid demonstrating such potential weaknesses. It was a lot like a game of chess being played out currently, only which much higher stakes, and at greatly accelerated speeds; a fact perfectly illustrated as Ulquiorra appeared in front of her in less than the blink of an eye, with his right leg swinging towards her head.

Up until now, their battle so far had simply been little more than the two of them feeling each other out. But now it was getting to be quite serious.

She could see the speeds at which he was currently moving. But being able to comprehend what was being seen, did little good to one who lacked the physical capability of actually responding accordingly. She could see his foot swinging upward to catch her under the chin, but there was nothing she could actually do about it, that would result in the blow either being stopped, or otherwise avoided.

The blow landed with considerably more force than she'd been expecting, proving to be sufficient for sending her flying skyward without her even having to give a single flap of her wings.

However her unplanned ascension was stopped by a sudden, sharp, dull blow delivered to the back of her neck near the base of the skull, that sent her rapidly tumbling, and crashing into the ground.

And then she saw the glow of a green light forming above her. Demonstrating that things could indeed get worse.

"Oh, this bodes poorly," she thought to herself, right before she felt Ulquiorra's Cero slam into her prone form.

Not being surrounded by ponies who could potentially get in his way -or otherwise be made into hostages he would have to take into account- Ulquiorra was free to open up, and demonstrate a greater degree of strength than he could otherwise. It was a fact he was taking full advantage of in this case as he dealt with Nightmare Moon.

Early on into his stay in Equestria, when it became apparent that he was going to be here for quite some time, he had researched a great many topics and subjects in order to properly familiarize himself with his new surroundings. One of those topics had -naturally- been the various threats that Equestria had faced since its inception.

Among those recorded threats had been the entity known as Nightmare Moon, and the lore that surrounded her; it was quite literally a tale as old as history itself.

But as he went about actually fighting her for himself, he couldn't help but note that what he was experiencing for himself, simply didn't live up to all of the hype that surrounded her.

In pony standards, he could certainly understand how she might amount to a credible threat to this world. She possessed sufficient durability to withstand being struck by not only his Cero -which only one other being had been able to do- but also his Gran Rey Cero, which was several times stronger, and considerably more destructive. She possessed a significantly high level of reiryoku, and the reiatsu she generated as a result was more than the Diez Espada normally managed. She certainly wasn't really on par with the diarchy, but any normal pony would be hard pressed to stand up to her.

But in Hollow standards, Nightmare Moon would more accurately be regarded as being trash. Some might even say she was the rubbish that aspired to one day being trash. From what he had seen so far, he could classify her at approximately the same level of strength as a Gillian-Class Menos Grande; certainly more than any human -or even low-level Shinigami- could ever hope to stand up to. But against a Vasto Lorde of his caliber, it was simply no comparison. Murciélago wouldn't even need to be unsheathed for dealing with this matter.

Then again, despite looking the part, this Nightmare Moon wasn't a true alicorn. She didn't possess Princess Luna's body, therefore she didn't possess the same magical strength and aptitude that she once had access to. This Nightmare Moon before him, was but a pale imitation of what the legends spoke of with such reverence, assembled with a number of souls from the three pony tribes, and held together with untold levels of harvested fear like a macabre rag doll. It was nothing more than a broken remnant of a period long since passed, that should've ceased to exist a long time ago, but still refused to relinquish its own pitiful existence. Whether that refusal was born from fear or stubbornness, he didn't really know. Nor did he particularly care.

With her currently down on the ground, he let loose another Cero on her prone form, at a straight, ninety degree, downward angle, to insure she experienced the full force of what she was up against; both concussive and explosive. Things that he simply couldn't do, if Princess Luna and the others had stayed behind.

Trash deserved to be disposed of. It was as simple at that. And he would dispose of it.

"Well now. Your stamina is quite impressive. To think that you could do that multiple times without becoming exhausted as a result..."

Ulquiorra frowned at hearing that; both Nightmare Moon's voice, and the way in which she'd phrased her statement. The first part meant she was technically still alive, while the second part meant she was looking for ways to mock him; which overall meant she didn't fear facing him.

"You should've died from that. I could feel your cervical vertebrae shatter from the force of the impact," he stated as he turned his attention to the clearing smoke, opting to ignore the more vulgar aspects of her previous statement. Just as he opted to not comment on her teleportation skills, as that was likely the only way she avoided meeting her death at the end of his Cero.

"Well, you know the old saying. Should've, could've, would've," Nightmare Moon commented as the smoke in the clearing dissipated, assisted by the flapping of her wings as she hovered at his level off the ground. "You'll find that I'm just full of surprises, Espada..." she practically purred.

"What you're full of is theatrics, and arrogance born of your own hype; nothing that amounts to being of actual substance," Ulquiorra stated as he faced her. "The fact you're still alive is nothing more than an inconvenience. An inconvenience that will soon be solved."

At hearing this, Nightmare Moon cackled with amusement. "Oh that's just so precious! Thinking that you could actually stand up to me!" she howled, before growing quite serious again, and glaring in his direction. "Impudent biped! You stand no chance against the likes of me! I now have twenty one souls in my being, with an even spread across the three pony tribes! Even the diarchy couldn't contend with the power of such an amount! What could you ever hope to do against the likes of me!?"

"Hope is a matter of delusion and irrelevance. What I intend to do, is kill you," Ulquiorra commented, far calmer and more measured in his delivery than Nightmare Moon was in hers. "You speak highly of the number of souls you've consumed, as if it were truly significant and meaningful. Perhaps in this world it is in some fashion, but where I come from, such a meager amount would constitute a small snack. I have no conscious memories of my earlier existence, but half a million would be a conservative estimate for the number of souls I consumed, prior to becoming a Vasto Lorde."

At hearing this, Nightmare Moon's eyes went wide with surprise. "H-half... half a... million?" she asked in disbelief. She tried to issue a whistle of stunned amazement, but found that her mouth wouldn't actually work right for such an exercise.

Recognizing that he had her at a disadvantage, Ulquiorra pressed the assault further. "Perhaps many more than that. As I said, I no longer actually remember such minute details. Names and numbers are completely irrelevant, when the only conscious thought going through your mind at any given moment, is satiating an oppressive, ever-present hunger that can never truly be filled. Friends, family, neighbors, total strangers, all of them become nothing more than fodder, with no consideration for previous ties that were once had," he explained.

Nightmare Moon's eyes went even wider at hearing this further elaboration, a lump forming in her throat as the full weight of his words registered with her. This biped, this Espada.... this monster was far worse than anything she'd anticipated him as being. The depths of this madness were truly astounding. She had slaughtered a number of foals to make her comeback a possibility, but he had slaughtered several nation's worth of subjects, all because he'd been hungry for something other than a salad at the time!

What other sorts of horrible depravity had he been responsible for in his time? How many atrocities had he committed, and regarded them as being nothing more than just business as usual? How many-

Before she could even finish that thought, he'd completely disappeared from view. Just literally vanished into thin air, in the space of blinking her eyes. She wasn't even certain if she had blinked or not.

"Ora."

Nightmare Moon froze, eyes going wide at the realization that the voice had come from behind her. But then again, what more could she realistically expect from such a dominant predator, than an attack from behind?

She whirled around to catch him before he could do anything, only to be assaulted by the most brutal demonstration of rapid-fire hooficuffs she'd ever been made to bear witness to. Face, neck, chest, he was holding nothing back as he pummeled her relentlessly. She couldn't even see all of the blows being delivered to her, as they were coming far too fast to keep track of, but she was feeling every single one of them landing against her. Although she'd quickly lost count of just what that number was, as she was focusing more on breaking free, and actually escaping from the beating.

Those efforts quickly proved fruitless, however, as her right foreleg was quickly ensnared, and she was pulled right back into the fray as he held her captive with one hand, and pummeled her with the other. Even when limited to half his offensive appendages, he was still keeping pace on his assault like it was nothing.

Thinking quickly, she slammed both of her hind legs into his midsection as hard as she could to kick him away from her, effectively breaking the hold he'd been maintaining, and providing her some much needed breathing room.

Taking stock of the situation was painting a very gloom picture. She was quite sore, she could barely catch her breath, she could barely even think straight, and she was alone with... whatever he was.

"You... you monster, you!" she screeched in between her periods of panting for air. "I'll admit, I might've done some truly heinous things in my time, but those were out of necessity. But you... you did them because you wanted to! If Celestia and Luna knew about the true depths of your evil nature, they wouldn't hesitate in uniting with me against the likes of you!"

"Am I supposed to be offended by your evaluation of me?" Ulquiorra asked, unmoved by Nightmare Moon's critical ranting. "The diarchy is already fully aware of my past, and my nature. And despite all of that, all of the horror such a revelation has caused them, they've still come to accept that I'm indeed necessary, in maintaining the safety of Equestria. The first order of business in doing just that involves killing you. The second order of business will involve killing Discord," he stated.

Nightmare Moon found it necessary to guard, quickly raising a force field to intercept Ulquiorra's right fist before it could plow into her face. His speed was simply much too great to contend with, seeing as the point of impact had been mere inches away from head. And that said nothing of his strength...

"I-" she grunted as she tried to ignore the strain that was involved with maintaining her force field against his efforts at pushing right through it. "I don't suppose I could convince you to reverse that order of proceeding, could I; killing Discord first, and then worrying about me?"

"No," Ulquiorra replied simply and bluntly, all the while continuing to press his assault against Nightmare Moon's force field. His efforts at cracking it were forcing her to strain to keep it in place, thus putting her on the defensive. "Allowing the two of you to team up anymore than you have already, would be a foolish decision; one that I'm not about to engage in," he pointed out.

Nightmare Moon grunted as she pushed back harder, fighting to not only keep Ulquiorra at bay, but actually push him away from her. But that was proving to be no simple feat to accomplish; he was deceptively strong for his scrawny size, and trying to shove him was like trying to shove a mountain.

"I'd-" she grunted through clenched teeth, "I'd actually laugh, if what you'd just said wasn't so stupid! I don't know where you get your information, but you think that I am working with Discord of all ponies!? He's the enemy, you idiot!" she shouted, before shoving back far harder than previously, serving to effectively separate the two of them from one another once more. As well as serving to provide her with some much needed breathing room. "Discord is the avatar of chaos! He'd never accept the order I'd ultimately bring unto this world; he's a threat to my very rule itself!" she shrieked.

"I don't believe you," Ulquiorra replied, far more restrained in his delivery than Nightmare Moon had allowed herself to be. Everything she said was suspect, and nothing more than the desperate words of someone who had reason to deceive him, in an effort to save their own skin. What reason could she possibly have for telling him the truth? Even if it was the truth, why should he concern himself with it? Discord, through his mere act of silence, had made himself complicit in the number of ponies that had been murdered since this whole debacle had begun. He'd be lax in his duties if he didn't kill the draconequus upon discovering his location.

Whether or not it was actually an achievable feat, would be determined later.

"Hmph. Just because you don't believe me, doesn't mean it isn't the truth," Nightmare Moon huffed indignantly. "I don't really care one way or the other. Believe me, don't believe me, it doesn't actually change anything."

She'd been prepared to go into a long rant about the weight of the situation they were all in, himself included. But that was interrupted when he suddenly appeared in front of her, his right leg pulled back.

"Oh crap, he's going to kick me again, isn't he?" she mentally asked herself as she helplessly perceived his course of motion.

She was, unfortunately, correct in her observation, as she felt his foot slamming into her, underneath her chin once again, and sending her catapulting helplessly.

This time around, however, she was prepared for such a tactic being deployed against her. And being prepared for it, she managed to focus enough on her magic, to -almost- instantly halt her upward travel, and right herself once more.

"Alright," she said as she directed her attention to where he currently floated. "I'm going to need to ask you to not kick me anymore. It's getting to be really annoying," she stated.

"Fair enough," Ulquiorra replied as he slipped his hands back into his pockets.

Nightmare Moon... wasn't expecting him to relent so suddenly, or so easily. And yet it had happened. She blinked in response, unsure of what to think. "Wait, really? Just like that?"

"Since you're apparently durable enough to not die from the force I'm using, there's little point in continuing with tactics that've been proven as being ineffective," Ulquiorra explained. He could kick her like a football from now until dawn, but there wouldn't be much point if doing such didn't have the potential of ending her existence. Perhaps it was something that could be considered as "fun" but that was entirely irrelevant. "I'll simply have to go with a more brutal approach to killing you."

Nightmare Moon gulped uneasily at hearing this. The very idea that her opponent had possibly been holding back this whole time, on the amount of brutality he could generate was... very uncomfortable to give any consideration to.

"Er, before you actually do that, would you perchance mind answering just one question to sate my curiosity?" she asked anxiously.

"If it has sufficient merit to warrant answering it," Ulquiorra stated in return. Nightmare Moon was, for all intents and purposes, already dead. Answering one question posed no threat to anyone; certainly none that he could see anyway.

"Alright then. Just how have you proven to be so impervious to fear!? So many ponies have already fallen victim, terrified out of their minds from what I've forced upon them! Even Celestia and Luna fell to my wrath! But not you! You've been exposed to just as much terror fog as they have; even more so since you just strolled into the field like it was nothing, but you aren't reacting at all! Why are you simply not afraid!?" Nightmare Moon demanded to know, practically seething through gritted teeth at this point as she spoke.

"Technically that was two questions," Ulquiorra pointed out, "no matter, the answer to both is the same. And as I said when I first arrived here, unlike any other species you might've encountered in this world, be it pony, dragon, changeling, zebra, griffon, or any of the countless others, I quite literally have no fear that can actually be exploited. Both your tricks, and your tactics, have no effect on me, because there's simply nothing there to be affected. I'm no more prone to feeling fear, than a brick wall would be under the same circumstances. There's quite literally nothing that you could do, that would result in a fear response from me; it's simply impossible," he explained.

Nightmare Moon frowned at hearing this. She'd been expecting something different than that. She wasn't quite sure what it was that she'd been expecting, but it certainly wasn't that the one she'd been facing couldn't be made to feel fear. That was simply unacceptable.

"You don't say," she grumbled. "Well then. If you refuse to pay proper tribute unto me, then I'll simply have to go to those that will!" she roared as her horn flared to life.

Quick as a flash, even quicker than Ulquiorra could reach her and stop whatever she was planning, she had completely disappeared. Not merely from his view, but the area entirely.

Had she planned this? Had she plotted out her departure ahead of time, and used her question to him in an effort of a distraction? Perhaps to buy herself the necessary time to successfully teleport away?

And then there was her message about being paid tribute. Some might judge it as being cryptic, but it wasn't cryptic enough to leave him wondering about what she was talking about. It was primarily speculation, but it was safe to conclude that Nightmare Moon was going after those in Ponyville, because unlike himself, they weren't impervious to fear. And if she really was feeding on fear...

"Damn it."

She might not pose a significant threat to himself currently, but if she were to permitted gorge herself on the fear of an entire village full of ponies -a significant number of which had likely been filled with fear by his declaration of intent just a few minutes ago- such might not remain the case for very long. He'd already gotten in trouble once before, for not taking a potential threat seriously enough. He wasn't about to let something like that happen a second time around.

In a burst of sonido he was off, leaving the forest far behind as he moved to intercept Nightmare Moon, and stop her efforts at stacking the deck in her favor any further than she already had.

"Get that damn iodine away from my face already!"

Through a combination of efforts on the part of multiple ponies involved, the town center had more or less been converted into an ad-hoc first aid center.

Nearly every available doctor, nurse, and even orderly at Ponyville General Hospital who was available, had been immediately summoned to the scene, and instructed to bring as many medical supplies as could be carried with them, for the purpose of providing whatever care could be administered under the circumstances.

Actually moving to Ponyville General Hospital had been considered first and foremost. But that idea had been discounted when it was considered just how many ponies would actually be there, and how chaotic and crowded the building would become as a result of the parents not wanting to be separated from their foals again for whatever reason.

As such, rather than bring them to the care, they had brought the care to them, in an area with considerably more room to work with.

All of that, however, had alleviated only one issue they had to contend with.

Almost immediately upon returning to the safety of Ponyville, and being greeted by friendly and familiar faces once again, the foals had been all too eager to share what they'd experienced out in the forest; which had included the matter of Nightmare Moon.

The ensuing panic resulting from this news had been swift and violent. Celestia had managed to bring it under control before things could get completely out of hoof, but it hadn't been any small feat on her part. The effort involved in preventing widespread pandemonium from consuming all of Ponyville had been... considerable. It was doable, but it had still been considerable.

Right now she was exercising a substantial bit of magic for the purpose of suppressing the natural panic -just as she had at Ulquiorra's party on Sweet Apple Acres- illuminating the entire area so those providing care could see what they were doing, and conversing with Luna in hushed tones and arcane dialects as a more complete picture of the situation was painted, so they knew just what they were dealing with.

That more or left the others that were present to their own devices in the interim.

"Quit fidgeting so much, and I'd be able to get done faster!" Redheart stated, her voice carrying just as much agitation as Rainbow Dash's, as she did her best in trying to tend to her unruly patient.

It was patients like Rainbow Dash currently, that made her sometimes wish she was a unicorn. That would make managing her significantly easier.

But, alas, such wasn't the case. And she found herself saddled with a squirming, agitated pegasus, while the foals were being looked over by other competent medical care providers who got the easy stuff.

The cut on Rainbow Dash's thigh had required the most care, but it'd been considerably easier to deal with than the minor head wound. The makeshift bandage had done little to staunch the flow, and had just made the resulting mess all the worse, and even harder to clean up and get an accurate idea of just how bad the damage actually was.

"It stings," Rainbow Dash protested as she flinched away once again.

"Oh, honestly, Rainbow Dash. Sit still and let Nurse Redheart do her job."

Rainbow Dash turned at the sound of the familiar voice and saw Rarity approaching her, and not looking the least bit amused.

"You went out to face off against the likes of Nightmare Moon by yourself. Surely this can't be worse than that," she added as she stepped closer.

"Don't bet on it," Rainbow Dash mumbled as she flinched at the burn of the disinfectant-soaked rag being pressed against her forehead.

Rarity just sighed softly and shook her head, before getting behind Rainbow Dash and bracing against her, holding her in place with her forelegs to keep her from moving about, and allow Redheart to continue with her work.

Rainbow Dash squirmed, but found herself unable to actually get loose without having to get rough with Rarity in the process. And right now she simply didn't want to do that. Ultimately she let out a defeated sigh, and allowed Redheart to swab her head, grimacing at the chemical burn of the iodine that was being used to both clean her up, and clean her wound so it wouldn't get infected.

As she settled in to accept her fate, she found that the hold Rarity was using on her was morphing more into a hug.

"How are you holding up anyway, darling? You came back to us, looking like you were on the verge of death," Rarity stated, unable to keep her voice steady as she spoke.

"To be honest... I think I was," Rainbow Dash replied uneasily. She'd gone multiple rounds against fog manifestations that Nightmare Moon had been using as her puppets of engagement, and she'd gone against them quite hard.

She hadn't been fit for combat when she'd headed out, and she certainly hadn't been fit as the engagement just dragged on for what felt like forever. By the time they'd actually made their way back to Ponyville, she'd been running on nothing but fumes, adrenaline, and being severely pissed off. Those could carry you through a lot, but they could only carry you so far, and she'd learned that first hoof.

"Really, the only reason I'm still alive, is because Ulquiorra and Luna were there to keep me from getting myself killed," she explained. Had it not been for them being there, she was certain she'd be dead right now; if not through Nightmare Moon's direct actions, then her own full burn approach that had exhausted her. "The only reason we got out of there, was because we were all watching each others' backs."

Rarity had no retort. Instead she simply opted for continuing to hug Rainbow Dash where she sat, just thankful her friend was still alive and able to complain.

"Is it really appropriate to be addressing Her Majesty in such an... informal manner?" Redheart asked as she dabbed at Rainbow Dash's head. "Especially when she's right here, and could be hearing you doing such?"

"Well it was actually her idea to be informal, not ours," Rainbow Dash replied and shrugged. "Besides, it's kinda hard to be formal with somepony when you're napping together, and using them like a pillow."

That caused Redheart to stop her actions, and regard Rainbow Dash with uncertainty. "You what?"

"Oh really now?" Rarity asked, intrigued by what she was hearing. She'd known since the changeling incident that Luna wanted them to regard her as more a friend than a ruler, but the idea of Rainbow Dash using her as a pillow was something that just struck out as being hard to believe.

It was also something that was very adorable to think about. When this was all over, she'd have to inquire further about details.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash replied, "nopony really knew what to do with providing care when I was up there. So we were just playing it all by ear. It made for some... really interesting stuff..." she admitted as she remembered some of what went on. She wasn't about to say she enjoyed what had happened, but there had been some moments that hadn't been so bad.

Redheart just mumbled to herself, as she went back to swabbing Rainbow Dash's head, opting to focus on what she knew, rather than prying further. That could always be reserved for later.

Celestia closed her eyes as Luna concluded briefing her on the severity of the matter currently at hoof. And that severity was quite substantial; she'd realized that from the moment she'd gotten some semblance of her sanity back. But to actually hear it being confirmed as factual by Luna, simply ramped it all up in a horrible way.

"So that's it then."

Ulquiorra being on the case as they spoke helped somewhat, but it did little to assuage her current fear. Ulquiorra was without doubt an expert on matters of dealing with threats, but none of that changed the fact that he was currently facing off against Nightmare Moon herself. If it were any other threat, she might not be worrying quite so much right now.

But it wasn't any other threat he was currently facing off against. No, it just had to be Nightmare Moon that was threatening their world once again. The same Nightmare Moon who had stolen Luna from her for more than a thousand years. The same Nightmare Moon who had been subjecting them to unimaginable terror for the sheer sadistic enjoyment of it all. The same Nightmare Moon that had left Fluttershy pondering as to whether or not she could actually possess Ulquiorra's body, and use him as her new physical form.

She had seen the horrors that resided in Ulquiorra's head. But even so she still didn't know how they'd stack up against each other. There was just no telling where this battle could go. Would he need his released state to be victorious? Would it be enough? Did Nightmare Moon have other tricks in store for them, if things should go poorly for her?

There were far too many unanswered questions present, for her to have anything resembling peace of mind. And they were just piling up as they went on.

She needed to do something other than just stand around and think about what they didn't have any answers to. And she needed to do it right now.

"Look after the others, Luna, I have something I need to take care of," she stated softly.

"And pray tell what is that, dear sister?" Luna asked in turn, curious as to what this previously unexplained matter was.

"I'm going into the Everfree Forest, and making sure Ulquiorra is alright. And if Nightmare Moon is still drawing breath when I get there, I'm going to put an end to her myself," Celestia stated, unable to keep the hard edge out of her voice as she spoke.

After everything that they'd been put through, she wasn't bout to leave this matter up to chance. She was going to oversee this matter herself!

"That would be unwise, sister. Ulquiorra Cifer was... quite insistent that we not interfere in this matter," Luna stated quickly in an effort to head off what could ultimately prove to be a very bad decision on Celestia's part. Ulquiorra had threatened to kill them in an effort to hasten their retreat so he wouldn't be disturbed while he worked. What would he do if her sister just suddenly teleported in without warning?

"He can insist until he's blue in the face for all I care. This is our kingdom, and I'm going to do everything in my power to protect it against the likes of her," Celestia stated firmly.

Ulquiorra was strong, there was no denying that fact. But they couldn't simply rely on his strength, and do nothing themselves. They'd been tasked with keeping Equestria safe long before his arrival, and there was no excuse for shirking those responsibilities now.

"... Very well then," Luna conceded with a nod. "But this is under protest. I do not like the idea of you venturing off on your own in your current condition. You are barely holding yourself together, and I do not have enough glue on hoof to put you back together if you break once again."

Celestia smirked in response, amused by Luna's assessment of the situation. Even in times of such stress, she still found the opportunity to deliver a verbal jab at her.

"That's quite alright, Luna, we'll have plenty of glue by the time we rend Nightmare Moon limb from limb for everything that she's done," she replied.

"That's what you think!"

The voice high above angrily ripped through the relative silence in Ponyville, startling everypony and causing them to reflexively look upward to identify the source.

As they did, they saw for themselves that it was indeed Nightmare Moon, hovering high overhead with flaps from her powerful wings, and the distance doing utterly nothing to hide the furious glare she was giving all of them. Much like it had been with Rainbow Dash, her glare had proven sufficient enough to send the majority of them into a panic; but with theirs being much more visceral as they screamed and ran.

"That's it, ponies! Give into your fear! Give into the night! I am your true ruler, and you will worship me!" Nightmare Moon howled.

Or at least she would have, had it not been for Ulquiorra appearing behind her as she was speaking, and kicking her square in the flanks with enough force -and angle- to send her hurtling to the ground, where she crashed headfirst against it, effectively taking the wind out of her boasting sails.

"As I already said once before, you waste far too much time talking," he stated as he descended and set down on his feet right next to where Nightmare Moon had landed.

At the first sign she was actually conscious -in this case her groaning as she began to move again- he pulled back his right leg, and delivered a single kick right to her rib cage. Which in turn delivered enough force to send her skyward once again, howling in pain and indignation the entire way.

It was at this point that Luna arrived next to him.

"It would appear that Nightmare Moon refuses to respect even your skill set," she stated.

"She's proving to be as durable as she is stubborn," Ulquiorra acknowledged as he observed his opponent's efforts at righting herself. And on top of that stubbornness, was apparently enough critical thinking skills to position herself in a location that prevented him from going all out against her. Evacuating Ponyville simply wasn't a viable option available to them.

"Considering the amount of fear she has gorged herself on, I do not doubt that," Luna agreed. "Her coming to Ponyville will only make that matter worse. Too many ponies have succumbed to fear at the sight of her. If not for the reputation of her legend, such might not be the case right now."

That caused Ulquiorra to turn his attention to Luna. "How do you mean?"

"Nightmare Moon is drawing strength from their fear. If they were not afraid of her, she would not be able to do such," Luna explained. "But I am simply not seeing a way of achieving something along those lines."

"Perhaps something along those lines is possible."

Before Luna could even ask what he meant by that statement, Ulquiorra had already disappeared from her side in a flash of sonido, leaving her in a state of confusion.

Just what was the Espada actually planning?

Being taken off guard, as Nightmare Moon had learned, it proved quite difficult to mount an effective defense against being sent skyward by the sheer force of the Espada's kick.

Once she actually managed to gain control of the situation again, and right herself with her magic once more, she took a moment to evaluate the current predicament.

In simple terms, she was suspecting that she was screwed.

It was apparent even to her, that she had drastically underestimated the Espada and his capabilities. And her efforts at tipping the scales more in her favor had so far proven less than satisfactory. She was going to need to rethink her approach. As well as plot out what sort of vengeance she was going to take, once things weren't so horribly lopsided against her.

"This thing is just full of surprises," she muttered to herself.

Suddenly she felt herself being roughly grabbed from behind and restrained, with something wrapped tightly around her neck, as well as squeezing her horn.

"Surprise."

The dull, monotone delivery of that one word served to chill her blood, as she realized only too late just what had happened.

"Are you beginning to experience what it's like to feel fear?" he asked her.

Nightmare Moon wheezed as she squirmed and struggled to break free. "Idiot. I feed on fear, I don't feel it. Fear is for mortals and the weak to experience!"

"It that so? Let's see what we can do about that."

At hearing the utter coldness of his tone, Nightmare Moon too a moment to evaluate the current predicament.

In simple terms, she was definitely screwed!

"What exactly is goin' on up there?" Applejack asked as she and numerous others looked towards the sky, in an effort to try and figure out what Ulquiorra was doing to Nightmare Moon so high above the ground.

The panic brought on by Nightmare Moon's sudden arrival in Ponyville, had quickly been tempered by Ulquiorra arriving immediately after her, and proceeding to go about easily -and literally- kicking the crap out of her right in front of them. And after witnesses her being treated like a hoofball -and some more involved effort on Celestia's part- they had largely settled down, and were no longer running about in a blind panic.

Right now it was more of a spectator sport as they looked skyward in an effort to see what was happening.

Spike looked through his binoculars -courtesy of Pinkie's preparation for binocular-related emergencies around town- in an effort to get an idea of what was unfolding above them. But even when adjusting them for better focus, he was having trouble making out what he was seeing.

"I'm seeing it, but I'm not believing it," he stated as he kept his eyes trained skyward, his brow furrowing as he tried to made sense of it all. "I don't know what happened, but he's got hold of one of her forelegs, and he's... nag slapping her."

"What?" Twilight asked in disbelief. The idea of Ulquiorra doing something like.... that... just seemed to defy explanation.

"See for yourself," Spike said as he held out the binoculars for her.

Taking hold of the binoculars in her magic, Twilight looked to where Ulquiorra and Nightmare Moon currently occupied the sky, in order to make sense of what Spike was saying.

As it turned out, Spike was right about Ulquiorra's current tactic. He was currently restraining Nightmare Moon's efforts at escape by gripping her left foreleg with his left hand, and he was vigorously slapping her back and forth across the face with his free hand, both the palm and the back of it, each blow delivering more than enough force to cause her head to move as a result.

The entire display just struck Twilight as odd. In all previous skirmishes, Ulquiorra had been very practical, and very straight to the point in how he dealt with threats. So to see him doing something like... that... just didn't make any sense. With the dragon it was one thing, as he'd simply been trying to make it leave the area. But this was Nightmare Moon he was dealing with; why wasn't he going for something more lethal than just repeatedly slapping her!?

"What the?"

Her thoughts on Ulquiorra's unorthodox approach were quickly interrupted, as she observed a change in tactics occur. Now instead of slapping Nightmare Moon, he had taken hold of her foreleg with both hands, and had dragged her into a centrifugal spin at high speeds, which would likely subject her to the greater forces of the maneuver as he occupied the middle.

If he was trying to forcibly rip Nightmare Moon limb from limb, then that might just do the trick. She'd felt for herself what the forces of his sonido were like, and he'd been careful with her in those experimental instances. And he was definitely not being careful this time around. The trauma that would be involved with such a maneuver might actually be sufficient at killing her.

Although if she were being completely honest with herself... in these unique circumstances she'd much favor impalement through the heart, followed by decapitation to make sure the killing actually took.

It was without doubt a most unforgivably brutal manner of killing, but for all of the evil that her friends had been subjected to, she didn't particularly care about that right now. Besides that fact, it was appropriate for a wicked creature of old that simply refused to die by any other methods.

Much to her surprise, she didn't actually see Nightmare Moon's leg become wrenched from her body. Instead it was let go with the rest of her right as Ulquiorra's spun around in a way that send her hurtling towards the ground at high speeds, with an obscure scream trailing behind her just before she actually met with it once again, landing face first against it. And although there was no sickening crunch that one would expect to hear -or at least none that was heard over the force of the impact- just about everypony flinched at seeing her come to a sudden stop as she met with the greater resistance of one of Ponyville's unpaved roads.

"That had ta hurt!" Applejack stated, not knowing what else to say after seeing that.

And then Ulquiorra came out of nowhere, his arrival looking like he'd performed an aerial drop from high above, and landing firmly with both feet firmly on Nightmare Moon's head, with enough force to drive her entire head right into the dirt, to the point even her horn couldn't be seen from where they stood.

"I think that hurt a lot worse," Rarity replied, just as Ulquiorra appeared back at their side once again, and standing like he was surveying his own work.

Despite the impressive demonstration of pure brute force, the results had were less than satisfactory. Ulquiorra might've literally shoved her head underground, but she was still very much alive and kicking -literally- as she tried vigorously -and unsuccessfully- to pull her head free.

"Oh come on already!" Spike yelled as he threw his claws up in disbelief. How was she still alive after all that!?

"Ulquiorra," Celestia spoke up as she stepped closer to him. "I understand that you know what you're doing, but I'm afraid I don't understand your approach to doing things. This doesn't seem like a straightforward approach to killing Nightmare Moon," she explained.

"In truth it isn't. So far Nightmare Moon has proven resistant to everything I've thrown at her. And what I haven't tried yet, is too dangerous to unleash with so many ponies in such close proximity," Ulquiorra explained as he looked over his shoulder towards her. If he were to utilize his released state now, there was no telling what the number of casualties would be. "As it is, I'm left testing Princess Luna's hypothesis, to see if a lack of fear resulting from public humiliation, will lead to a corresponding drop in her strength."

Luna blinked, not expecting to actually hear something like that. Ulquiorra actually thought one of her random speculations had sufficient merit, to put it forth into action?

Even the other ponies that were present couldn't help but take notice of what was being said. And it confused them greatly.

"Wait. So what you're saying is, that if we're not afraid of Nightmare Moon, she gets weaker?" Bonbon asked as she tried to grasp what he was saying.

"At the moment it's nothing more than a mere theory, hypothesizing a possibility based on her efforts at harvesting substantial amounts of fear from Ponyville; an unwarranted activity if it served no meaningful purpose beyond merely terrifying everyone," Ulquiorra explained.

Their thoughts on the matter were interrupted as a very loud, multi-syllabled, but ultimately incoherent yell sounded from Nightmare Moon as she struggled to pull her head free. But because she couldn't actually stand up fully, she was robbed of significant leverage, and those efforts were proving largely futile.

"What'd she say?" Fluttershy asked.

Pinkie responded by repeating the entire yell in all its incoherent, muffled gibberish

"Oh," Fluttershy replied and nodded, opting to not ask any further on the matter. She knew Pinkie well enough to know better than that.

"So... what? Do we just wait for her to suffocate or something?" Spike asked as he watched her struggling to get loose, but getting nowhere.

The answer to Spike's question came as Nightmare Moon completely vanished from view. Only to return again, standing upright with her head free from the ground, and looking utterly furious as she gasped for air. It was a furiousness that, while it affected everyone and shook their confidence, was directed solely at Ulquiorra at the moment.

"You insolent, bipedal, freak!" she shouted angrily. "You'll be made to-"

Nightmare Moon's tirade was cut drastically short as Ulquiorra appeared right in front of her faster than she could blink, his right hand moving forward to deliver a blow that she couldn't possibly hope to intercept in time.

Except it wasn't the kind of blow that sent her flying backwards from the force of the impact. It hadn't felt like anything actually, and it left her wondering if he'd simply been trying to make her flinch, in a deliberate effort to mock her. However that thought was quickly undone as she realized that he had indeed landed a blow on her, and currently had finger pressed against the end of her muzzle; something that required her essentially crossing her eyes to observe for herself.

At first she hadn't believed it, but sure enough it was the truth, as plain as day. The Espada was actually booping her right on her nose!

By the time her mind had processed the thought, he was already gone, and standing back at the side of the others, leaving her dumbfounded.

"What... what... just what was that just now!?" she demanded to know in both fury and confusion.

"Where I come from, it's a battlefield tactic known as counting coup; getting close enough to an enemy to kill them, but instead simply poking them with a stick, and leaving them alive so they know just how close they came to death. Letting them know that the only reason they're still alive, is so they can comprehend how easily they could've been killed if it was so desired," Ulquiorra explained, far calmer and more reserved than Nightmare Moon as he spoke.

Nightmare Moon's eyes went wide as she sputtered in response to what she'd just heard. He was actually mocking her right to her face! That was completely unacceptable!

"I'll have none of your insolence! I'm the new ruler of this world, and I command your respect!" she howled furiously, causing the other ponies present to cower in response.

"My attention," Ulquiorra replied, unfazed by the demonstration of fury that he was witnessing.

"What?" Nightmare Moon asked, perplexed by his response. "What did you say?"

"You say that you command my respect. A more accurate description would be that you demand my attention. But frankly you're not worth even that," Ulquiorra explained as he stood with his hands tucked into his pockets. "Since this whole incident began, starting with the dragon, you've been little more than a stereotypical, one-dimensional villain, no different than countless other villains found across the spans of countless works of fiction, whose existence serves no purpose beyond simply advancing a chosen story line that couldn't be resolved in any other way."

Nightmare Moon gave an annoyed huff in response to his evaluation of her. But he paid it no mind. Instead he continued with his explanation.

"Much like countless other stereotypical, one-dimensional villains, you've demonstrated that you're completely convinced in your own superiority, to the point you can't possibly comprehend the possibility that you don't live up to your own hype. You've demonstrated immeasurable arrogance in your conduct, as well as immeasurable stupidity," he stated. "Instead of being pragmatic in going about ensuring your victory over Equestria when Rainbow Dash was out of commission, you went the route of being sadistic by targeting random ponies for terror. It certainly left us unbalanced for a significant period of time, but you failed to follow through in any meaningful way. Frankly I can't tell if you were trying for arrogance, brilliance, or just outright stupidity in your approach to doing business," he continued.

By now Nightmare Moon was growling in annoyance, bordering on a full snarl, utterly displeased with the criticism he was laying at her hooves. What did he possibly know!? Who did he think he was to be talking to her like that!?

"You wouldn't recognize true genius if it walked right up and bit you in the face, biped! My plan was genius incarnate! The failing to understand that is yours alone, you ignorant, pasty-skinned abomination!" she shrieked.

Ulquiorra didn't even blink in response to Nightmare Moon's tirade. "What's understood is that your behavior is no different than that of a petulant child, stamping their feet as they throw a temper tantrum, because they can't accept the fact that they aren't the center of their parents' attention," he stated. "While we're along those lines, the fact that you've dedicated a significant amount of focus and consideration on myself, would suggest strong paternal undertones to your motives," he added.

While Ulquiorra didn't blink, Nightmare Moon did. "What?"

"In simple, easy to understand terms, you have daddy issues that remain unresolved to this day," Ulquiorra elaborated.

The laughter that followed started out slowly, originating with Rainbow Dash sputtering before she burst into full on laughing as she rolled over onto her back, her legs kicking about wildly. It was soon joined by a cacophony of other ponies demonstrating similar degrees of amusement at Ulquiorra's evaluation of everything. No matter where Nightmare Moon looked, ponies from all ages were openly laughing at her now.

Throughout it all, Ulquiorra didn't react. He simply ignored their laughing, and continued addressing Nightmare Moon directly.

"More than likely I'm the first strong male presence you've had to deal with in a long period of time, and much like your own parents -assuming you ever had parents- I've paid you no mind. You're nothing more than an annoyance that I've seen fit to ignore, despite your continual demands that I pay you attention because of your grand plan. Subconsciously, you likely hoped to achieve closure to these issues by doing something you thought would have me congratulating you, and telling you that you've done well for the first time in your life. However those hopes are going to remain unfulfilled. You're nothing but trash, have always been trash, and will be treated as trash. You're going to be disposed of like last week's refuse, and forgotten just as easily."

By now the laughing had become worse than ever before. No matter where Nightmare Moon looked, more and more ponies were succumbing to hysterics at her expense. Celestia, Luna, countless foals and adults, and even Zecora were laughing at her as Ulquiorra mocked her mercilessly!

"Stop laughing at me! Stop it all of you!" she demanded furiously as her head whipped around, only to find her demands falling on deaf ears as they continued unabated, and now completely unafraid of her. "You'll all suffer for your insolence, I promise you that!" she howled as she whipped her head back forward to lay blame square at the Espada's feet.

During the brief moment her back had been turned, she realized, Ulquiorra had appeared directly in front of her, his right hand drawn all the way back, before driving it forward, and slamming it into her chest right beneath her armor plate.

She'd expected to hear the sound of flesh tearing and bone shattering, having witnessed the dreams and nightmares of ponies who had witnessed his talent for impalement. But all she'd heard was a thud, muffled by the sound of the air being driven right out of her lungs, which was followed by an intense burning pain in her chest that she couldn't readily identify the nature of. All she knew was that it didn't stem from impalement, as she easily doubled over and coughed as she tried to remember how to breathe again. If she'd been impaled she would've been held up, and prevented from nearly hitting the ground; that much she knew. So what was going on here?

Much like his first instance of counting coup, or whatever he had called it, he was once again back by Celestia and Luna's side when she looked up. Except this time his fingers were dripping with blood. Looking down she realized that it was her blood! He hadn't impaled her, but he'd struck her with sufficient force to break the skin -possibly cracking a few bones in the process- and draw blood as a result! This was unacceptable!

"It would seem there's reason to believe in a direct correlation between her strength, and the amount of fear available for her to draw on," Ulquiorra stated as he examined the evidence. "Five minutes ago a blow of that magnitude did nothing at all to her. Now it's caused her to bleed. And if she bleeds, she can most certainly be killed."

"It looks like your theory was correct, Luna," Celestia replied as she looked towards her sister.

"Most excellent!" Luna cheered triumphantly. "With such knowledge in mind, I shall resolve this matter in short order. Nightmare Moon! On this night you shall meet your end at my hooves!" she bellowed fiercely in her counterpart's direction, ready to leap both into action and directly on her.

"What? Oh no you don't, Luna, this one's mine," Celestia spoke up as she frowned. "Nightmare Moon was my responsibility to deal with over a thousand years ago. It's only fitting that I be the one to end her reign once and for all."

"Over my dead body you will!" Luna protested furiously. "You have more than enough glory to your name, dear sister, it is my turn to shine for once! I was unwillingly the reason that Nightmare Moon came into this world, it is only appropriate that I take her out of the world!"

Ulquiorra regarded both members of the diarchy. They were actually arguing over who would be killing Nightmare Moon, in a manner appropriate for children arguing over who got to have the last snack? It was absurd.

"Neither one of you possesses the mental fortitude for what needs to be done. I'll tend to this matter myself and be done with it," he stated, unwilling to leave the matter to chance.

"Oh fuck you! I'm the one that almost killed one of my best friends because of what Nightmare Moon put me through. If anypony's gonna kill her, it's gonna be me!" Rainbow Dash protested angrily as she came over and joined the fray of disagreement.

From where she stood, Nightmare Moon just stared in disbelief. This was really happening? Right in front of her? They were actually ignoring her as they argued over who would have the honors of killing her?

This really was happening. They were more focused on their disagreement, and arguing back at forth, over who would have the honors of dealing with her, than they were with addressing her directly.

"It would seem we're at an impasse," Celestia finally said with a sigh. "We'll have to determine who gets the dubious honor of being the executioner."

"And how do we go about doing that?" Luna asked as she tried to mentally figure out a way of resolving the issue.

"Janken."

Celestia, Luna, and Rainbow Dash all looked at Ulquiorra upon hearing what he'd just said.

"Pardon?" Luna asked.

"A method of elimination, far more effective than drawing straws," Ulquiorra replied as he raised his fist. "Rock breaks scissors. Scissors cut paper, and paper covers rock," he continued as he used his hand to give demonstrations of what gestured corresponded with which term. "Each one of us throws out one of the three gestures, eliminating one after another until only one is left. The last one left is the one who will kill Nightmare Moon," he explained.

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?" Rainbow Dash demanded to know, already not liking this idea one bit.

"Have Twilight Sparkle participate on your behalf," Ulquiorra replied.

"You can't be serious!" Nightmare Moon protested loudly in response as she witnessed their carrying on. "You're just going to pretend that I'm not even here!?"

Luna shrugged as she regarded Nightmare Moon. "Why should we not? You have already been proven as growing weaker as you are disrespected by those present. Why should we pay you any mind?"

"You-" Nightmare Moon started to protest once again.

"Nightmare Moon," Ulquiorra spoke up as he turned and addressed her directly. "At present we're discussing a matter of importance. If you continue acting like a petulant child throwing a temper tantrum over not being the center of attention, and interrupt us once again, I'm going to spank you like a petulant child."

Nightmare Moon blinked, uncertain if she'd just heard him right. Now only did he have the audacity to threaten her but he was threatening to spank her of all things!?

Looking around, she could see that her confusion was shared by the others present as well, the lot of them likely taken off guard by what they'd just heard.

In her case, however, the confusion and shock didn't last for long. "You dare to speak to me in such an insolent manner!?" she demanded to know.

Her answer came both fast and furiously as Ulquiorra disappeared from her view, barely after the words had fully exited her mouth. The next thing she knew, she felt herself being roughly grabbed around her barrel in a way that left her hind legs dangling off the ground. Before she even had time to protest the rough treatment, or understand what was happening, she felt a flurry of violent blows raining down on her flanks in rapid succession.

She howled in both pain and indignation, kicking furiously and struggling to get loose, but finding it impossible to actually extract herself from the Espada's assault against her exposed backside. The blows he delivered were coming so fast and hard, that she couldn't even focus enough on using her magic to make it a viable response.

There was no way of telling just how long the assault on her backside lasted, as the swats from coming far too fast for her to be able to count them all. Not that she'd actually thought to take count of such a humiliating assault. Nor would she have been able to, as the burn was proving to be more noticeable than the points of impact. For all she'd known more than a hundred had been delivered before finally coming to an end. An end that consisted with being roughly thrown to the ground, landing square on her burning flanks, and earning an even louder response.

"If you do anything to interrupt us again, and I have to come back over here to deal with you again, the next time I'm going to use a switch," Ulquiorra stated, before going back over to rejoin Celestia, Luna, and Rainbow Dash as they went about their deliberation.

Leaving Nightmare Moon whimpering as she stood back up, and tried to use her wings to cool the burn in her flanks. That, and try not to let on that he'd managed to bring about tears with his assault.

As Ulquiorra made his way back over to join the diarchy and the rest of the party, the other ponies present could only look on, staring in utter disbelief at what they'd just witnessed take place. He had just done what none of them would've dared to think as possible of doing, and literally spanked Nightmare Moon like she was a bad little foal, effectively reducing her to the brink of tears in the process. It was all quite possibly the most unexpected thing any of them had ever seen before, even after taking Discord's antics into consideration.

"Did... did that actually just happen?" Diamond Tiara found herself asking as her young brain tried to wrap around the entire demonstration and comprehend it.

"It sure looked like it did," Noi stated with equal disbelief.

"I saw it, but I'm still not believing what I saw," Filthy Rich stated as he stood next to his daughter. Ponyville or not, stuff like that simply didn't happen. And yet, despite stuff like that not happening, it had indeed happened right in front of them.

"I'm tryin' to figure out what kind of monster you ponies are friends with! I felt shock waves coming from whatever was happening!" Shady stated.

"Huzzah!"

"Fuck!"

"And that. What exactly are they doing over there?" she asked, wishing now more than ever that she could actually see what was going on.

"Some sort of elimination game, I think," Dinky replied, her head tilted slightly to the side as she watched. "Twilight's playing for Rainbow Dash, and Princess Luna just beat her out."

Shady simply shook her head in response. "And my parents thought Manehattan was too dangerous to stay in."

To Twilight it was strange how the events of the evening had progressed. What had started out as brewing Zecora's cure for terror fog had quickly morphed into what just had to be the biggest cluster fuck in all of Equestria's history. She'd assaulted one of her friends, found out the entire foal population of Ponyville had been taken, learned Nightmare Moon had returned and been behind everything, finally reunited with Rainbow Dash, vowed to kill Nightmare Moon by herself, laughed as she was mocked by Ulquiorra, and now she was involved in some sort of elimination process to determine who would get the honor of actually killing the villain, and putting an end to all of this.

Yep. Definitely the biggest cluster fuck in all of Equestria's history.

"Huzzah!" Luna cheered, her projected image of a hand displaying the symbol Ulquiorra had said signified paper.

"Fuck!" Rainbow Dash replied, frowning at Twilight's hand that currently displayed the symbol of rock. "Do over! Best two out of three!" she protested, unwilling to accept the results.

Luna shook her head dismissively in response. "Perhaps another time, when the stakes are not quite so high."

The very fact that Rainbow Dash was involved in this matter at all was... she really didn't know what to describe that as. A mistake, perhaps? Out of all of them, she was the least qualified for dealing with Nightmare Moon.

"Ending the life of another, even when it is justified, is not something you wish to have weighing on your conscience. Trust me on this," she added.

At this Twilight could only nod in agreement, Luna's word echoing painfully within her.

Sensing that she wasn't going to get any support in this, all Rainbow Dash could do was sigh, and hang her head in defeat. "Fine," she relented and stepped aside. "Just make sure she suffers..."

Luna nodded. "It will be legendary, I promise you that now, just as I did when this first started," she assured her.

"Good enough then," Rainbow Dash muttered and stepped aside to let the others continue with their efforts.

"Now then," Luna said as she turned to the others, "who do I have the honors of going up against next?"

"That would unfortunately be Ulquiorra, I'm afraid," Celestia replied with a sigh as she stepped aside. "Stupid scissors," she muttered as she did so.

"Well now, this should prove interesting," Luna stated as she stepped forward to face Ulquiorra in battle. "Know that I consider you a good friend, Ulquiorra Cifer. But on this matter there shall be no mercy shown to you. I intend to make Nightmare Moon pay for her crimes, and if necessary I will go through you in order to do so."

"I can respect that," Ulquiorra replied as he put his closed hand forward.

The others present watched breathlessly as the impromptu duel began, each of the two participants shaking their hands three times before throwing forward their selection. Three shakes and a reveal, only to be done over again and again when even symbols were matched up and resulted in a draw. And with each new round carried out, the intensity of the situation seemed to grow exponentially.

And then just like that it happened. A simple miscalculation brought on by any number of variables, leading to the outcome they'd all witnessed. Luna had gone with scissors, while Ulquiorra had gone with rock, thus winning the match.

Luna stared incredulously at the outcome, not believing it for herself. She nearly demanded a do over just as Rainbow Dash had done not long ago, but she ultimately held her tongue. She had agreed to the rules that Ulquiorra had laid out, and she would respect them. No matter how much she wanted to disregard them all in the name of disemboweling Nightmare Moon with one of her shoes right now!

"Very well then," she said as she tried to maintain as much decorum and restraint as possible. "But do not dawdle on this, otherwise I will step in and take her head myself," she warned as she stepped aside.

Just like that the matter had been decided, and the executioner had been selected. The others present began to scatter and give Ulquiorra a wide berth as he began walking forward in a slow, almost deliberate fashion towards Nightmare Moon, like he was playing some sort of cruel psychological game with her in his approach.

All that Nightmare Moon could do in response, was put forth her best angry glare. "Don't think that I'm going to be making this easy on you, biped! You couldn't kill me in the forest, you won't be able to kill me now either! You don't have the strength to defeat me, much less kill me!"

"That matter is easily resolved," Ulquiorra replied as he grasped the hilt of his zanpakutō and unsheathed it.

Before he could actually utilize it, however, he felt Murciélago being ripped free from his hand with such force, and such speed, his shoulder was nearly dislocated in the process before his hold had been broken, as Nightmare Moon now held his zanpakutō aloft in her magic.

"Looking for this?" she asked with a barely suppressed wicked smirk. And in a bright flash of light it had vanished entirely from view, as if it'd never been there in the first place.

"What did you do?" Ulquiorra asked in response to seeing the entire event transpire.

Although the tone of his voice as he spoke, was far removed from what any of the ponies present had ever heard him use before. None of them could put their hoof on it, but there was something contained within his words that felt... malevolent. Whatever it was, it sent chills down the spines of those close enough to actually hear him speak.

"Hm, hard to say really, I wasn't paying attention at the time," Nightmare Moon replied dismissively and shrugged. "Maybe I teleported it far away from here; anywhere between five miles and the other side of the planet. Or maybe I simply vaporized it, and erased it from existence. It's really hard to tell which one," she said as she cackled wickedly.

Ulquiorra was left dumbfounded in response to everything that had just transpired. He was also left feeling something that he couldn't consciously remember ever having felt previously. Whatever it was, it was very... intense.

"Now then," Nightmare Moon began as the cackling stopped and she became serious once more. "Without your sword, you're also without the lion's share of your strength being at your beck and call. And now that you can't unleash it as you see fit..." she paused.

Another bright flash of light occurred during the pause, this time bringing something with it. And much as both Celestia and Luna had demonstrated on their own previously, Nightmare Moon herself now possessed a weapon forged of pure mana. But unlike Celestia's sword, or Luna's halberd, hers was a scythe with a long, curved blade. And unlike what had been witnessed previously with Nightmare Moon's magic, this construct was made up of a blood red field, giving her an even more intimidating appearance.

"You'll die!" she concluded as she shot forward, scythe raised high and ready to strike.

Ulquiorra was vaguely aware or numerous ponies around him screaming, likely succumbing to terror at the sudden turn of events unfolding in front of them. However his focus was on what was coming at him headlong, traveling at speeds far greater than what he'd calculated as being possible from the likes of Nightmare Moon. The implications of everything were more numerous than even he could make sense of presently.

Before Nightmare Moon could actually get within striking range, Luna had entered the fray in an effort to shield him, intercepting the attack with her own halberd, the two mana constructs meeting and resulting in a violent clash of polarities, with sparks flying at the point of contact, the air becoming alive with the sounds of the two fields straining against one another.

"Over my dead body will that be happening!" Luna stated forcefully as she pushed back against Nightmare Moon's scythe, unwilling to yield even an inch against her nemesis.

"I can accept those terms just fine!" Nightmare Moon shot back as she strained against Luna's defense in an effort to subdue her. "First you will die! And then your murderous friend! And then even your dear sister!" she shrieked furiously.

The response that followed Nightmare Moon's declaration involved a kick delivered to her face by Ulquiorra, serving to break the concentration she was using to maintain her scythe -and by extension the scythe itself- while simultaneously sending her flying backwards as she tried to right herself once again.

Shortly after that, Celestia entered the fray, her sword already in the process of materializing. However she left Luna to actually pursue Nightmare Moon, as she faced Ulquiorra directly, concern evident on her face despite the fury she wore.

"Do you know what happened to your zanpakutō? Did she actually destroy it?" she asked.

"Not possible. As durable as my own body is, Murciélago is even more so. Even you haven't yet demonstrated sufficient strength to destroy its physical structure. At most she's teleported it somewhere far away from here," Ulquiorra replied as the sounds of Luna and Nightmare Moon once again clashing began to fill the background.

"Do you think you can find it?" Celestia asked.

"Not from here, and certainly not without taking the time to go and actually look for it," he explained.

Celestia nodded in understanding of what he was saying. "Then do it. Leave Nightmare Moon for us, we'll deal with her as best we can, kill her if at all possible," she stated as the sounds of battle began to grow to include Luna's shouting of various obscenities at her opponent.

Ulquiorra wasted no time with formalities such as acknowledging her decision, or wishing her luck, opting instead to simply sonido away in search of his missing zanpakutō.

With that matter now resolved, Celestia turned her attention skyward and flew up to join Luna in battle against their foe, intent on putting an end to this entire mess. One way or another.

The majority of ponies that had been present since the foals had returned home were now absent, having run away and scattering as they screamed in terror when the situation turned unfavorable. Other than Twilight and her friends, very few had actually remained present after Nightmare Moon's scythe had come out.

As such there were very few ponies present to watch the display, as yellow, blue, and red streaks of light were zooming about, high in the sky overhead, occasionally clashing with one another in a rapid, complex dance of offense and defense as the three participants went about trying to kill one another.

This wasn't like the orchestrated aerial display that she'd witnessed over Canterlot. This was unrefined, brutal, and left no doubts that they were all playing for keeps. One wrong move, one moment's delay at a crucial time, and death was more or less a certainty for anypony.

As far as she could tell, the only reason Nightmare Moon was still alive when the odds were stacked two to one against her, was the fact that she kept on moving, making it difficult to be flanked by either Celestia or Luna when one engaged her from the front.

"Do you think they can actually do anything?"

It was Fluttershy's soft voice that served to shake Twilight out of her trance, bringing her attention back to the rest of her friends gathering close by to observe how things were proceeding. Where everypony else was currently hiding, she had no way of really telling.

"I don't know," was all Twilight could say in response. "I want to say yes, but... I just don't know. This is Ulquiorra's area of expertise."

"I don't believe I've ever seen either of the Princesses this fierce before," Rarity muttered, unable to think of anything else to say as she watched the battle unfolding high above head, occasionally feeling violent pulses occurring through the mana as they clashed.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Pinkie asked, her voice heavy with worry.

Twilight shook her head. "The Element of Loyalty still isn't resonating with Rainbow Dash. The others won't work without it. And without them, there's nothing we can really do that might make a difference," she explained.

Rainbow Dash huffed angrily at hearing this statement. "Can't you just, I don't know, hit her with a lightning bolt or something?"

Again, Twilight shook her head in response. "I don't have that level of spell mastery yet. I need time to aim it, and Nightmare Moon is moving way too fast; I'd risk hitting Celestia or Luna. I'd have to tag her with a lightning rod in order to have something to lock onto, but that still presents the same difficulties; she's moving too fast, and if I tried then I'd risk hitting the others in the process," she explained.

"Then let me do it!" Rainbow Dash stated.

"What?" Twilight asked as she looked at her.

"Let me worry about tagging her. Gimme a lightning rod, I'll fly up there and ram it right through her black heart, then you fry her!" Rainbow Dash stated.

"What!? No! No!" Twilight protested, utterly horrified by the idea. "Rainbow Dash, you can barely even stand up on your own!"

"I don't need to stand in order to fly!" Rainbow Dash shot back.

"This is even more suicidal than your last idea! You can't compete with those speeds they're flying at, you're too weak! Beyond that you'd be an easy target, you could get cut to ribbons! Or even worse, Nightmare Moon could use you as a hostage against Celestia and Luna!" Twilight explained.

"What other choice do we have!? Tell me that, what else are we supposed to do!?" Rainbow Dash demanded to know, now yelling at this point in an effort to get her point across. "You said it yourself, the Elements of Harmony won't work! There's nothing else we can do!"

"You'll die!" Twilight yelled back.

"Well maybe I actually wanna die! Did you ever think of that!?" Rainbow Dash roared.

It was only after she'd made her statement, did she realize that she'd wound up scaring and horrifying everypony present, herself included.

"I'm sorry," she said as she continued talking, her voice much softer as she spoke. "I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean it. I'm just so tired of being so useless to everypony!"

Applejack stepped up and rested a foreleg across her back. "We know, Sugarcube, we know. You, me, Twilight, Spike... Nightmare Moon made every one of us perdy much useless, one after another."

"Super useless," Pinkie stated in agreement.

"Well then let's do something about that," Spike spoke up, "I agree with Rainbow Dash on this one. That's why I'm going with her."

"What?" was a shared response from just about everypony present -even Rainbow Dash- after hearing what he'd said.

"Spike, you can't be serious!" Twilight stated, horrified at the idea of not just one, but two of her friends volunteering for what would without doubt be a suicide mission.

"I am, Twilight, think about it," Spike protested, "Rainbow Dash can't do it all by herself. She's gonna need someone to hold the lightning rod for her while she gets into position. If Nightmare Moon notices us, I can disorient her with my hammer. And besides all that, if I heat the end of the lightning rod up until it's glowing cherry red, it'll cauterize the wound so she can't just rip it out. It's really the best option we've got if we're going to do anything besides just stand around and wait," he explained.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up!" Rainbow Dash spoke up and physically turned Spike to face her. "Dude, don't think I'm not grateful for the offer of help. But me going up there is one thing, I'm willing to take my chances. But I'm not about to put anypony else at risk in the process," she stated.

Twilight was conflicted, uncertain of what to be feeling in the aftermath of it all. She was relieved that Rainbow Dash had enough sense to know that taking Spike along was a bad idea, and that she was the one pointing out such a fact. But the fact that Spike was still arguing about how him coming along was the only sane idea available, left her ill at ease with everything. Was he becoming filled with some sort of blood lust? Was this a dragon thing he didn't have any control over? There were just too many questions, and too many variables, for her to have any clue as to what was going on.

"Ulquiorra, please get back here soon," she silently pleaded.

And then the matter came to a head as Spike jumped onto Rainbow Dash's back, gripping tightly at the edge of the armor serving to shield her back. Whether it was the force of the impact upon landing, or simply a matter of his weight being added to the equation, it proved to be sufficient enough to make all four of her legs buckle, before giving out under her, sending them both to the ground with a thud.

Rainbow Dash just groaned in defeat, not even bothering to try and struggle to get back up again. That had been the straw to break her back, proving undeniably even to her that she'd completely run out of steam.

"Alright, forget it. I'm just gonna rest here a minute..."

At this, Spike winked at Twilight, before giving her a thumbs up.

Twilight tried not to snort in realization of what had just happened, and what Spike's plan had apparently been. He was a cunning little bastard, but at least he was her cunning little bastard.

"Sister?"

Despite starting out strong in her battle against Nightmare Moon, Luna was feeling fatigue weigh heavily on her. She had attacked violently, ferociously, intent on cleaving the foul fiend in two -and then in numerous other pieces- and putting an end to this nightmare once and for all. And when Celestia had joined in, she'd assumed that their odds of success had been doubled.

But Nightmare Moon had proven to be as slippery as any eel in their battle. She had been maneuvering away from them the entire time, regardless of what attack pattern they had pressed. When trying to double team her, on several occasions they had nearly flown right into each other when she would slip free, thus forcing them to demonstrate caution in their approach, which was serving to slow them down even further.

Their opponent, however, was showing no such signs.

"Yes, Luna?" Celestia asked.

"I-" Luna panted, "I am starting to suspect Nightmare Moon has been denying us rest and peace of mind for the past month, strictly for this reason."

"I don't know. It seems a tad complex for the likes of her," Celestia replied as she tried to refrain from showing the fact that she was feeling just as weak as Luna was currently. "I'd have thought that you got the brains in the separation, not her," she added.

Luna snorted in response. "Brains, yes, but sadism, no. I could not concoct what she has been putting us through all this time. Nor would I even want to."

Off where she hovered, Nightmare Moon cackled wickedly at the exchange unfolding.

"You two look quite tired. What's the matter, little ponies, are you beginning to realize that you're up against a skilled tactician? Is it dawning on you, that you two simply can't keep up with the likes of me? I'm superior to the both of you in every way imaginable! There's not a thing you can do to overcome me, it's futile!"

Celestia scowled in response. "Rant on, Nightmare Moon, it'll do you no good. You didn't win last time, you won't win this time either."

Luna nodded in agreement. "Not having the Elements of Harmony will not stop us! There will be no purification for you this time around, only a cold and empty death!"

Nightmare Moon cackled again, amused to no end. "Bold declarations from a couple of ponies who can't even catch their breath after just a few minutes of flying."

"Oh you don't need to worry about us. There'll be plenty of time to catch our breath, after you're dead," Celestia shot back.

"Quite so," Luna added and nodded again.

"Oh that's so precious, you two actually trying to bluff me like that. It would be so cute, if it wasn't so annoying," Nightmare Moon stated. "But in all seriousness, let's dispense with this ridiculousness. Do you two have any final words to offer up before I kill you? Maybe something you'd like engraved on your headstones?" she asked.

"Just two."

If she'd had a grave, Nightmare Moon would've sworn she'd felt someone walking over it just now as she heard those words, and the deep, emotionless voice that spoke them, coming from behind her!

Immediately she spun around, coming face to face with Ulquiorra once again, his sword held in his outstretched hand aimed directly at her.

"You-"

"Enclose, Murciélago," he spoke, interrupting what she'd been intended to say in response to this unfortunate development.

What followed next was a massive eruption of pure black energy with a teal green outline, exploding outwardly like flames in a most violent fashion, the sheer magnitude of it all being enough to blow her back like she'd just been hit with some sort of shock wave! This was far, far more violent than what she'd come to expect from seeing Celestia's memories of the event up in Canterlot. How was that even possible!?

Her attention was so focused on what was happening right in front of her, she didn't even notice as her scythe dematerialized. Nor did she notice as Celestia and Luna were strategically withdrawing from the immediate vicinity.

"Celestia, help me out here. Is this a good thing? Or a bad thing?" Luna asked, now that she was witnessing -and experiencing- it for herself.

When it had just been an abstract concept, it was one thing. But now that she was encountering it for herself, she wasn't certain anymore. Ulquiorra was on their side, but now that she felt the utter scope of his power, it was enough to leave her in doubt.

"Ask me again in five minutes. I'm not so sure myself yet," Celestia grunted in response.

Down below in Ponyville the others weren't faring much better. The last time they'd witnessed this sort of event had been when Ulquiorra was high above Canterlot, far and away from them, and they'd still felt it to some extent.

This time around, he was much closer, and what they were feeling was far more intense than anything else they'd ever experienced. The shock wave, the air growing heavy, the overwhelming sense of dread, the explosion of darkness that was blotting out the available light from the moon and stars... and the trembling of the ground itself, was all very intense to take in all at once. It was downright terrifying to experience for themselves, even if they ultimately knew what the source of it was.

"Just what's going on!? What is that!?" Diamond Tiara demanded to know from where she and a number of other foals had taken cover.

Or at least some of them knew what the source of the disturbance was, while others were completely clueless as to what the apocalyptic-type event unfolding overhead was.

"That," Sweetie Belle grunted, "is Ulquiorra! And he's seriously freaking nettled!" she squealed, finding it all to be much worse to feel than even his Cero had been the first time she'd experienced the power that came with it.

"What? That dude is seriously doing all of this by himself?" Shady asked, completely dumbstruck by the idea of it all. "Sweet Tartarus, how strong is he? How many pushup does he do? How many sit ups? What kind of juice does he drink!?"

The demonstration of sheer power might've faded, but that did Nightmare Moon little actual good, as she still couldn't breathe in the aftermath. Her lungs burned and ached all throughout the demonstration, and as it came to an end her heart felt like it had actually stopped beating, for she knew just what she was facing. And it was far, far worse, than she could've possibly imagined.

To simply witness Celestia's memories had nothing to prepare her for... for this! And now that she actually had a physical body once again, she could feel it all for herself.

"Do you finally know what it's like to feel fear for yourself, Nightmare Moon?"

It took her a moment to finally realize that he was actually addressing her. Although that realization did absolutely nothing to stop him, as he was continuing on without regard.

"Have you come to learn what it feels like to experience terror? To be completely overcome by despair at the realization of your own insignificance?"

The look on Nightmare Moon's face was one of shock, before morphing into one of absolute fury at the realization that he was dismissing her entirely.

"You dare to deem me as being insignificant!?" she demanded as her scythe once again flashed into existence. "We'll see who's insignificant, when your head is removed from your neck!" she roared as she swung her scythe forward as hard and as fast as she could, intent on killing him where he stood in the air.

She grinned wickedly at feeling the edge of her blade make contact with his neck, relishing in the fact that he hadn't been able to get out of the way in time to avoid it.

But that grin fell completely when she realized that her scythe wasn't sinking further into his neck. It was just sort of resting there against his skin, having come to a complete and dead stop, despite the amount of force she'd put into her swing. A swing that should've completely decapitated him, yet had done nothing of the sort.

The fact that he was just staring at her with those horrible, empty eyes of his, just made the fact worse. And then it -somehow- managed to become even worse than that, as he cast an aside glance at the bladed portion of her scythe; as if he was just now acknowledging and noticing its existence.

"Your stubborn refusal to acknowledge the futility of your efforts makes no difference. You're just as dead either way," Ulquiorra stated in a dull monotone voice, before effortlessly pushing the scythe away from his neck with nothing but his bare hand. "It's just annoying that you actually believe that you have some chance of persevering through all of this. Some would call it optimistic. I call it foolish," he explained, before forcefully shoving her scythe away from him.

Nightmare Moon grunted, unaccustomed to being cast aside with such ease. Her weapon shouldn't move unless she commanded it, and he'd just moved it like it was nothing to him. He was essentially overpowering her own will, and making it look like foal's play in the process.

The darkness in the sky might've faded, but the overwhelming sense of dread still remained behind in its wake, still with its crushing potency. It just seemed to linger heavily in the air, like a bad odor had seeped into the soil itself when the mana that had rained down all around them. It was like being in a fog, but being unable to see it.

Very few ponies actually dared to venture back outside to observe what had happened in the aftermath. Those that had actually been brave enough to step out into the open once all the excitement had died down, had been greeted by a sight that just seemed to defy explanation as they looked skyward once more.

Ulquiorra wasn't simply rivaling Nightmare Moon, and challenging her authority as he had the dragon from so long ago. Instead he was no-selling her outright, and making her look incredibly weak; bordering on the edge of utter ridiculousness in how easy he was doing it.

"So much power!" Spike stated as he looked upward, practically memorized by it all. Up until now he'd only heard stories about what Ulquiorra could do. He'd witnessed him easily kick a tree right out of the ground and take the roots right along with it, and he'd witnessed his Cero being discharged, but that was nothing compared to this. It was like witnessing some sort of a fairy tale unfolding in real life, only a lot darker. "This is both the most incredible, and most terrifying thing I've ever witnessed!"

"I know, right?" Vinyl Scratch asked in response, eyes firmly fixed on the entire demonstration as her headphones dangled around her neck. "The dude is seriously tops!"

"I guess he really did beat up the dragon after all," Thunderlane commented. At the time it'd seemed like a real stretch to believe such, but now not so much.

Zecora could only nod in silent witness as she observed the entire demonstration. She had wanted to comment on what she was seeing as others had, but she had nothing with which to construct an appropriate rhyme; nothing of genuine substance anyway. A statement of "sweet merciful fuck" might have been appropriate, considering what Twilight, Spike, and Applejack had explained about the Espada's native language. But even she had nothing to add to it, and speaking without a rhyme simply didn't feel right to her.

Celestia and Luna merely watched in silence, observing how lopsided the entire battle looked to them. Observing how Nightmare Moon flailed angrily with her scythe in an effort to strike Ulquiorra down, who merely blocked her numerous blows with nothing more than his bare hand, demonstrating the utter imperviousness of his hierro. It was almost comical, how she shrieked and screamed in a fit of impotent rage while he said nothing at all.

But at the same time it was also terrifying, to know that he wielded so much power with such ease. If he could dominate Nightmare Moon, they knew that he could dominate them as well if he truly wanted to do such. Stopping him might've been possible if they tried, but there was no guarantee.

Their thoughts on such worries were interrupted by the sight of Ulquiorra demonstrating that he could actually shatter Nightmare Moon's scythe. The resulting scream that came from her was to be expected, considering the amount of painful feedback she would've experienced from such occurring.

What came next involved Ulquiorra reaching out and forcefully grabbing her by her throat, and holding her in a manner that would've lifted her right off her front hooves had they both been on the ground.

And then they both were on the ground, the two of them appearing out of nowhere as Ulquiorra -likely while using his sonido- slammed Nightmare Moon against the ground, before lifting her back up, and throwing her to the ground once more as he relinquished his hold on her.

For a moment there was no sign of life in Nightmare Moon's body as she just laid there motionlessly. But this was short-lived as she gasped for air, and slowly began moving again.

"Oh, you jerk," she groaned/wheezed as she got back up onto her hooves once more, angrier than ever. "If I taste dirt once more, you're going to regret it in ways you can't even comprehend," she growled.

"You're delusional," Ulquiorra replied, unmoved by the threat. "What can you hope to do against me, when even your scythe failed to harm me?"

"Hope? Biped I don't need hope! As long as there are ponies overcome with fear for me to feed on, I can grow exponentially stronger than I am now! I can become stronger than you could ever possibly imagine!" Nightmare Moon roared, her voice booming as she spoke, causing numerous ponies to jump in response.

Ulquiorra wanted to sigh in response. He really, honestly did. Why did this always happen to him? Every. Single. Time.

"Your words are those of one who's never come to experience true despair for themselves. So allow me to educate you on the gravity of the situation," he stated, making ready to lay the facts on her once and for all. "Perhaps you can grow stronger than you are currently, but it'll do you no good. The gap in our respective levels of strength is simply too vast for you to overcome. I can see how much reiatsu your body can currently exert, and it's insignificant. You couldn't even withstand fifty percent of my own, and that was in my sealed state. You would have to become six times stronger than you are currently in order to dominate me as I am now. And even if you could achieve that goal, even if I were motivated to give you the time you'd need, it still wouldn't do you any good," he explained.

"... W... what?" Nightmare Moon asked in response. "You... you can't be serious, you're lying! Nopony can be that strong! It's impossible!" she protested as she vigorously shook her head, refusing to believe what he was saying. It had to be a lie to try and trick her, it just had to be! He was bluffing her!

"Under normal circumstances, you might be right. But I am no pony," Ulquiorra continued as she stammered. "What you currently see standing before you is but a fraction of my full strength. I have another form I can utilize, a second stage release. And just as my current form is five time stronger than my sealed form, my second stage is five times stronger than even this form that you already can't compete with," he explained.

"Ooh!" Rainbow Dash squealed from where she stood. "That's so awesome it's badass!"

Ulquiorra ignored the sudden yell of excitement, opting instead to focus on Nightmare Moon, and observe as the look on her face contorted, moving away from one of stubborn defiance, to shock, and finally to overwhelming dread as the realization that he wasn't bluffing sank in.

"I could show it to you if you have any lingering doubts; demonstrate the vastness that is Segunda Etapa. But to unleash that much unfettered strength would prove quite fatal, and likely kill everyone within a mile radius, as their souls would simply be incapable of withstanding the resulting release of reiatsu. Not even the diarchy would be able survive," he continued.

At hearing this a number of ponies gasped in shock, and began backing up and away in response.

"You'll simply have to take my word for it, and settle for this," he continued.

A flash of green light. That was all Nightmare Moon saw transpire, before she felt a piercing, burning pain erupting in her chest and out her back. Gasping in surprise, she glanced down and saw a teal green javelin impaling her. She hadn't even seen him cross the distance between them, before seeing him standing right in front of her once again. That was the last conscious thought she remembered going through her mind; his unbelievable... speed...

It'd all happened so fast, it was easy to miss what had just transpired. By the time anypony realized what was going on, it was already over and done for. Ulquiorra had moved in and impaled Nightmare Moon right through the chest, faster than any of them could've blinked. The act itself hadn't been seen, only the aftermath as he stood there with his javelin sticking through her chest and out her back, a dumbfounded look on her face as she glanced down at the wound that had just been inflicted on her, and then slowly back up at him.

What followed next could best be described as the life slowly flowing out of her body, starting with blue of her eyes slowly fading to a dull, lifeless gray. Her mane and tail were next to follow, the ethereal effect first as they fell limp against her body, before their coloring faded to dull and muted grays, as they began to crumble to pieces. The blackness of her coat was next, the utter darkness of it becoming dingy and practically washed out, looking like a sickly imitation of what had been present just moments before.

Cracks began to form in her chest around the point of impalement, spreading out slowly like a stone was crumbling apart. And as they spread, the teal green light from Ulquiorra's javelin was shining right through them, managing to make the display all the more eerie to bear witness to.

"Is that it?" Luna asked as she cautiously stepped forward to get a closer look. "Is she... is she dead? Is it finally over?"

"She is," Ulquiorra replied, withdrawing the Luz de la Luna from Nightmare Moon's chest, before swinging it around in a sweeping arc motion, completely severing the former alicorn's head from her neck in a single pass.

Said head fell to the ground, the impact serving enough to crack its now-brittle structure, causing it to shatter into several chunks of whatever had made up her physical body, which then began to crumble apart into a black dust. Her body soon began following the example, and began crumbling apart under itself, as whatever form of cohesion had kept it together had finally ceased, leaving nothing but a pile of black dust behind in its wake.

Everypony present had been too stunned to even speak up after what they'd just seen take place. Nightmare Moon, the legend that had terrified thousands of ponies for a thousand years worth of generations, was no more.

Author's Note

So... not exactly how I wanted to end this chapter. But if I ended it the way I wanted to, it would've taken much, much longer to update. I already went way over schedule, this was supposed to be up last Saturday, but that just didn't happen.

Hopefully this chapter provides the sort of closure that so many readers have been needing since the start of the whole nightmare arc.

Now it's time to put this story on hiatus. I've got a number of other projects that need my attention that I've been neglecting. And this story might not be updating for quite a while, as the next update is going to involve bonus chapters covering what I originally envisioned for the battle with Nightmare Moon, which is going to be Hollywood, blockbuster-grade epic.

Thanks to everyone that's been following and contributing since the beginning. Hope to see you all again when things get started once more.

Deleted scene one

"So... what? Do we just wait for her to suffocate or something?" Spike asked as he watched her struggling to get loose, but getting nowhere.

To him it didn't really seem like the most practical idea to be engaging in. He was half tempted to take the initiative himself, and see what his hammer would do against her and her dark magic. The cinder block Celestia had charged with dark magic for the sake of the test had been utterly destroyed, and that had just been a small amount. What would it do to something -or even somepony- that was totally infused with the substance?

Just thinking about it, about the events that led to him acquiring his hammer, and the trauma he'd been put through, made him tighten his grip on the handle as the runs continued glowing with a green light.

He could do it. He could do it. Just rush right over there, and slam the end of the hammer head down on her neck at the base of her skull with all of his might. He could -potentially- end it all, right here, right now, all by himself. Ulquiorra was strong, and undeniably so, but he wasn't imbued with spells that caused an explosive reaction when they encountered dark magic.

He could do it, all by himself. He could just rush right over there, and put an end to this nightmare once and for all. Everypony would be safe, the crisis could be over, and he would've done something useful in all this mess. He just had to actually move, bring the hammer down, and...

And actually... kill somepony.

He just had to go about actually ending a life. Just like he had in his nightmare, except this time it would be for real. This time it would be forever.

But it was Nightmare Moon they were talking about here! She'd killed before, she'd killed many, and she'd kill again if given the opportunity! If he didn't do anything to stop her, he'd more or less be letting her kill others, which would really be no different than if he just killed them himself. He couldn't let that happen, not at all! He just had to move in and actually do what need to be done. No stopping to think about it, no lingering doubts about what would come about as a result, just get in there and take care of business! He could do it! He would do it! He would prove that he wasn't completely useless in all of this! He would protect his friends from this monster, and stop any of them from being hurt!

So why couldn't he do just that? Why was he just standing there, feeling like his hammer had suddenly gained a million tons of weight? Why... why couldn't he get the dumb tears to quit spilling down the sides of his face?

Outtake

"Ending the life of another, even when it is justified, is not something you wish to have weighing on your conscience. Trust me on this," she added.

At this Twilight could only nod in agreement, Luna's word echoing painfully within her.

Sensing that she wasn't going to get any support in this, all Rainbow Dash could do was sigh, and hang her head in defeat. "Fine," she relented and stepped aside. "Just make sure she suffers..."

"Alternatively you could simply talk to Nightmare Moon while we sort out this matter, and make her suffer all by yourself."

Everypony recognized that voice as belonging to Ulquiorra, and looked in his direction at hearing the comment he'd made.

"Damn, dude, that was a wicked burn," Rainbow Dash commented, never expecting that she would've heard something like that from him.

Twilight nodded in agreement with Rainbow Dash's assessment. "I think "shots fired" is what's said in response to something like that. As well as a comment on the level of savagery that was just demonstrated. I didn't think you went in for that type of address."

"At a point in time, neither did I," Ulquiorra commented dryly. "I'm blaming the lot of you ponies for being a corrupting influence on myself."

Applejack just snorted in response. He was one to talk about being a corrupting influence.

Chapter Ninety Two

Chapter Ninety Two

On numerous occasions before, Twilight had heard the phrase "on pins and needles" being used to describe the conditions of restlessness, unease, and agitation. That uncomfortable inability to simply sit still and exercise calmness, that often motivated ponies to pace restlessly, simply so they had something to do to occupy themselves with.

It was a sensation she'd experienced numerous times before in the past. And it was a sensation that she was currently experiencing right now as she fidgeted, and anxiously shifted from one hoof to another. Right now the Golden Oaks library might as well be the show room for a freaking cactus farm, or a broken glass emporium, because there was no way she could bring herself to actually sit down! She had tried several times, but she'd utterly failed miserably in each one of her attempts. Ultimately she simply couldn't remain still for more than a few seconds, before feeling compelled to move about once again.

Celestia's assurance that Luna and the others could be found had filled her with optimism and hope. But now those were turning into anxiousness as she tried to let Celestia do her thing without interruption. But it was just so, so hard to just stand back and do absolutely nothing; not even ask any questions. The urge to help out in some way -any way- was simply overpowering. Whatever sort of magic her mentor was working while sitting their motionlessly, with but a soft golden glow emanating from her horn the whole time, she had no real clue.

"This is most unusual," Celestia stated, speaking up for the first time since she attempted to find Luna's position. "I have no idea what it is, but I'm running into a great deal of interference that's preventing a positive lock on Luna's location," she explained as she sat up straighter.

"Interference?" Applejack asked, successfully beating Twilight to the punch before the lavender unicorn could present a more rambling form of the question for consideration.

Celestia nodded in response. "It wasn't there previously, but something is serving to oppose my efforts at tracking her. It's as if a dampening field was suddenly erected over a considerably large area shortly after her departure. I know that Luna is somewhere in it, but I can do nothing to actually pinpoint her at this time," she explained.

Twilight's brow furrowed at hearing this information. What sort of magic did Nightmare Moon have access to, if she could deploy a dampening field that even Celestia herself couldn't cut through? Just how much magic did she actually have at her disposal, to actually be doing something like that?

Or alternatively, could it be something that Luna was currently doing, in an effort to keep them away? Was she so set in sparing them the atrocities of what she was going to do, that she was going all out in keeping them away from her?

Before she could actually ask the question -or any question really- she was interrupted by feeling the sensation of a tremor running through the ground. It was subtle, but it was still noticeable enough that she felt it in the bottoms of her hooves, and observed as several of the smaller items around the library trembled.

"Uh, wha' was that jus' now?" Applejack asked, also having taken notice of the tremor.

A second later there was a second tremor that followed the first, but it was significantly more forceful, and carried a greater measure of strength at it shook them, the library, and the contents within.

"While we're on the subject, just what was that!?" Rarity asked.

"I don't know. But I doubt that it's anything good," Twilight stated. The timing of the tremors was far too coincidental to be explained away as just being a matter of that.

But if there was a connection between the tremors and Nightmare Moon, she simply wasn't seeing it right now. There was just far too much information missing, for her to be able to form any sort of hypothesis.

"Whatever it is, there's not doubt it isn't good," Spike stated firmly. Nothing else that'd been happening up until now had been good, so why should he really expect the pattern to be changing?

"Ah'm gettin' that same feelin'," Applejack agreed. And it was a feeling that'd been building for a very long time now. Apple Bloom was missing, and in danger out in the middle of the forest, and there was no telling what might've happened before -or even after- Ulquiorra got there to resolve the matter. She'd been trying to remain calm, trying to just leave the matter to Ulquiorra to deal with as he saw fit. But the news of Celestia being unable to actually find their location had simply been too much for her to tolerate. She was no camel, but that announcement was the straw that had broken her back.

She had no idea what that interference amounted to in terms of difficulty for teleporting after Luna and the others to help. But she suspected that it was going to be significant. And if it was, if it was going to prevent her from making sure Apple bloom was alright, then she was going to march into the Everfree Forest and find everyone by herself if it had to be done. She didn't care if Nightmare Moon was out there and posing a threat; when it came to her family, she'd even face down Ulquiorra if that was what she needed to do.

Not that she had any expectations of actually succeeding in that endeavor; far from it actually. But standing down just wasn't an option for her.

She glanced towards the library door, weighing her available options, and pondering if she'd be able to slip out unnoticed as the others talked about matters that simply weren't registering in her mind, before they could actually stop her.

Before she could actually move one hoof towards her destination, she caught sight of Spike looking back at her.

Rather than speaking up, or otherwise proceeding as intended, she slowly tilted her head in the direction of the door.

In response, Spike slowly shook his head.

Applejack's brow furrowed in response, interpreting this gesture as Spike saying that he wasn't about to let her head out like she was planning. She responded by giving a single, slow nod in his direction, before tilting her head towards the door again.

Yet again, Spike slowly shook his head in response. Which she took to mean that he wasn't going to go running off with her either. And if that really was the case, then that put her in a difficult predicament; one she'd much rather not find herself in, if it were at all possible to do just that.

Unfortunately that wasn't the case. That was the situation she found herself in, and there really wasn't much she could do about it. She could make a mad dash like Rainbow Dash had, but they'd be on her just like they had been previously. They'd never let her head off into a dangerous situation on her own, just like they wouldn't head out without some sort of plan for dealing with this situation.

Maybe that was what needed to happen, though. Maybe she needed to make a declaration of intent to get something actually set into motion. If she told the others that she was planning on leaving, would that manage to get the ball rolling, and get them closer to actually doing something?

Screw whether it would or not. She was going to go ahead and do it regardless.

"Y'all. Ah know this is important an' all. But Ah ain't waitin' around even one more minute. Ah'm goin' ta find Apple Bloom, even if Ah have ta go inta the Everfree Forest all by mahself," she stated firmly. "An' so help me, if anyone gets in the way of findin' mah little sister, Ah swear Ah'll flatten 'em," she added with equal firmness.

Waiting around had gotten them nowhere but frustrated. She was as patient a mare as one could reasonably be expected to be under these circumstances. But that didn't change the fact that she had her limits, and she was quickly being pushed to them.

"Well then, Applejack, if that's how you feel, then I'm afraid that you'll have to "flatten" me," Rarity spoke up as she effortlessly positioned herself between her friend and the door. She could see the discomfort of her friends as she did this, but it was something that simply had to be done. And if it had to be done, then she might as well be the one to do it.

Before Applejack even had the chance to object, she was already speaking again. "I understand how you feel right now, darling, I really do; you're not the only one with a little sister out there in the forest. But charging off blindly just isn't an option right now. Luna and Ulquiorra are already on the matter, and I dare say there's very little that either of us could do on our own to be of assistance to them. All we could really do is get in the way..."

It wasn't a statement that was easy for her to make. She didn't like admitting to the fact that she was more or less useless to everypony. But she wasn't foalish enough to let her pride trick her into believing she could actually do anything under these circumstances. Against somepony like Nightmare Moon there simply wasn't anything she could do; certainly not on her own anyway. They'd been lucky last time. And until the Element of Loyalty finally resonated with Rainbow Dash, she and the others could only sit on the sidelines and wait it out.

Pinkie nodded in agreement with Rarity's statement, her mane bouncing about in the process as she did. "Yeppers! And besides that, the terror fog is still out there, just like Ulqy said! He's the only one that's not affected by it, so he's really the only one who can do anything," she stated in a -surprisingly- serious tone.

All Applejack could do was sigh in defeat as the others started ganging up on her. She suspected that this was going to be the case, although she certainly hadn't expected Rarity to challenge her like she had; that bit had thrown her for something of a loop in all this.

Celestia didn't say anything, but she was thankful that it wasn't her who felt motivated to speak up first in response to Applejack's statement. Because if she had... well her response would've been much like Rarity's had been. She, too, had a little sister that was out there right now, and up against who knew what. Unfortunately there was no comfort for her to take in the fact that Ulquiorra was out there with her right now. Nightmare Moon was... well she didn't know if even the Espada would be enough to stop such a wicked and vile entity. Ulquiorra might've been a top predator back in his dimension, but this wasn't his dimension. There was no telling what might occur, or just how badly things might go wrong.

Making it all the worse was how helpless she felt -how helpless she was proving to be- with this interference, making it impossible for her to find Luna and...

Wait.

Wait!

Immediately her head flew up as she looked in the direction of the library's door. She didn't even offer a word of explanation as she got up, and quickly made her way across the room, her horn flaring to life as the door was pulled open, allowing her to charge outside without having to smash her way through it.

"Now wha' was that all about?" Applejack asked, completely at a loss for what she'd just seen.

"Only one way to really find out," Spike stated, before following Celestia's lead and running out the door.

The others looked at each other for a brief moment, before wordlessly doing the same, each making a break for it to the outside, to see just what had drawn their ruler out of the library.

They'd known for sometime that there was quite a gathering of ponies outside; anxious parents and other family members who were chomping at the bit to find out if the foals were going to be alright. It was anything but a peaceful gathering the last time they'd been outside. But now, as they tried to make their way through it all, it was positively chaotic to experience! There was so much commotion and chaos going on as various ponies screamed and pushed and shoved, it was practically impossible to even see Celestia, despite her greater height.

"Outta the way! Seriously, make a hole!"

But through it all, one shouting voice was making itself known through force. Looking towards it they could see Rainbow Dash forcing her way out of the crowd by flying up and over it, and setting down on the nearest clear spot that was available to her.

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity yelled.

Naturally they made their way over to her; both relieved at the news that their friend was back safe and sound, and desperately seeking answers as to what was going on.

It was only then that they noticed the fur on her face was soaked and stained in what they could only presume was blood. Beyond that she looked like she'd been battered to Tartarus, and her armor looked considerably less than pristine now. Actually she was starting to look like a walking corpse at the moment.

"What... what happened? Are you okay?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Look, I'll tell you all what happened, but first there's something that I really gotta know. Is the Element of Loyalty working yet? Are we ready to move out?" she asked quickly, not wanting to waste even a second in waiting.

Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but no words were forthcoming. She looked at the rest of her friends uncomfortably, before closing her mouth once again as she turned back to Rainbow Dash, and just slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry."

In her current state, Rainbow Dash felt floored by this statement. After all of that, after charging into the Everfree Forest to face off against Nightmare Moon, without a second thought as to what might happen to her, that still wasn't enough to get it properly resonating with her!? Everything she'd gone through, it'd all been for nothing? She hadn't been able to help even a little bit?

She'd given it everything she had, put everything on the line, in hopes of her actions being able to amount to some demonstrable good in the end. Even when she knew she could've been killed, she'd still gone all in without hesitating. And now she was finding out that nothing had come of her efforts. The foals were safe and sound now, sure, but she hadn't actually been integral in that happening. Had she simply stayed in Ponyville with the others, the results would've been the exact same.

For all of her efforts, she hadn't actually amounted to any good. She'd gone hoof-to-hoof with an imperfect Nightmare Moon, which might amount to bragging rights later on, but ultimately her intervention had done nothing at all that made the situation any better. She was physically exhausted, the Elements of Harmony were no closer to functioning than they had been a week ago, and now Nightmare Moon had regained her physical form and might, and was thus able to put Equestria in danger once again. She may as well have been spitting into the wind for all the good she'd done here tonight.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to rear up and slam her front hooves against the ground over and over again. She wanted to go tearing off back into the forest, and throw everything she had left at the problem, all the while hoping against all odds that the mad tyrant of an alicorn would be short-sighted enough to cut her own throat in the meeting.

Right now she just plain wanted to do something -anything- that didn't involve sitting around, and lose what little composure she had left to herself.

Such a course of action never got past the idea phase, however. Before she could actually contemplate acting on such instincts, she felt herself subjected to a firm embrace, even through the armor she currently had on. Looking to her left, she realized that Rarity had come up beside her, and was now currently holding onto her, as if she'd sensed her rapidly failing strength.

Despite Sweetie Belle being back, she'd still come over to see her.

"Your coat's gonna get all bloody doing that," she pointed out.

Rarity merely shook her head in response. "I don't care about that, you're far more important. You're my friend, and you brought Sweetie Belle back safe and sound. I'm not about to let something as trivial as my coat get in the way of all that."

Rainbow Dash wanted to protest Rarity's assessment. Luna had been the one to bring Sweetie Belle and the others back safely, not her. If anyone deserved to be getting hugged right now, it was undoubtedly Luna, not her. But try as she might, she simply couldn't find the strength that was necessary to protest right now. For the first time in what felt like over a year, her mind was finally free of Nightmare Moon's evil influence, constantly whispering to her that she had to kill Rarity and the others. For the first time in so long, it was finally silent up there, and she was truly free.

Try as she might, all she could do was slump against Rarity for support and shut her eyes, simply too tired to try and struggle any further.

One by one, in short order, the rest of their friends quickly joined in on hugging her, surrounding and enveloping her in a sense of things being right, that she simply hadn't felt in a very long time. Against all of that, she just couldn't mount any resistance. It was a completely shameless tactic, and one for which she simply had no defense.

She'd just settle in for a little bit, and do nothing but enjoy the familiarity of it all.

Teleportation over a long distance that wasn't guided by sight, was always a tricky endeavor when it came to both accuracy and safety; especially when it came to teleporting into the midst of an assembled group. Mass teleportation of one sizable group into the midst of an another sizable group was even moreso, as it required even greater skill, finesse, control, and above all a sufficient quantity mana.

For someone -almost anyone- else, such an endeavor might not've been physically possible. But for Luna such simply hadn't been the case. She, Rainbow Dash, and the remaining foals had all set down safely in Ponyville, far removed from whatever carnage was unfolding in the midst of the Everfree forest right now, as Ulquiorra did battle with Nightmare Moon.

As soon as they had arrived, their little group was both besieged by others, and scattering to meet with said others as anxious families were reunited. Rainbow Dash herself had wasted no time in fleeing the scene, barely taking the time to state something about going for the Elements of Harmony, as she disappeared into the assembled crowd in a frantic fashion, all but pushing and shoving her way past them as they obstructed her path of travel with their mere presence.

The sight of the foals reuniting with their siblings and parents brought a smile to her muzzle, but it was ultimately short lived. Seeing their happiness just served to remind her of those that would never experience such joy again, all thanks to the likes of Nightmare Moon. Just thinking about how many families had been violently ripped asunder by the likes of that demon infuriated her to no end.

Making it all the worse was the fact that she had not been able to do anything to actually prevent it. Nightmare Moon had seen to that, keeping them all engaged, occupied, and otherwise distracted while she went about devouring more souls for the purpose of making herself stronger. For all the ones that had successfully been rescued, those that had been lost weighed heavily on her.

Having to leave Ulquiorra behind to face Nightmare Moon alone was also a source of contention for her. She understood the reasoning for why he had sent them away, but she still didn't like that they'd just run off and left him like they had. He had forced the issue, but she still didn't like it one bit. She should be the one out there right now, putting an end to Nightmare Moon once and for all; not running away in order to foalsit while someone else tended to danger!

Why? Why did fate seem so intent to render her useless, and fit to be forgotten like last week's garbage?

"Sister!"

Recognizing both that voice, and the sound of quickly approaching hooves, Luna looked up and saw Celestia full on galloping towards her, with other ponies just barely managing to get out of her way as the distance between them was crossed in short order.

At least her sister seemed to be functioning to an acceptable degree again. If nothing else, at least there was that. Setting out to face Nightmare Moon, she had been afraid of what her departure would mean for Celestia; there was no telling how bad her impaired state was, or how bad it could be in her absence. But she appeared no worse for wear, thankfully.

Bracing herself, she made no move to avoid the eclipse that Celestia performed on her. She simply intercepted her sister's tackle, letting herself be taken to the ground in the process.

"It is good to see you too, sister," she stated simply.

"Are you alright, Luna? Were you harmed? Did that monster do anything to you?" Celestia asked, her tone bordering on frantic as she spoke.

"I am fine, Celestia, although I fear that will not remain the case much longer," Luna explained, already aware of the fact that foals were beginning to talk and tell of what they'd witnessed and experienced. Word of Nightmare Moon was quickly spreading like wildfire, which would lead to fear, which would in turn make her even stronger than she was presently. "The situation is far worse than we had initially feared," she stated, preparing to tell of what the details were, and all the while hoping that Ulquiorra would be able to rectify the matter soon.

"Ulquiorra Cifer, please kill her quickly," she mentally pleaded.

Fast!

That was the one coherent thought Nightmare Moon's mind was able to process at the moment, as she battled against Ulquiorra above the Everfree Forest.

It could be argued that, up until now at least, their battle so far had simply been little more than the two of them feeling each other out, trying to gauge each others' strength, while simultaneously looking for exploitable weaknesses, and at the same time guarding themselves to avoid demonstrating such potential weaknesses.

It was a lot like a game of chess being played out currently, only which much higher stakes, and at greatly accelerated speeds; a fact perfectly illustrated as Ulquiorra appeared in front of her in less than the blink of an eye, with his right leg swinging towards her head.

Up until now, their battle so far had simply been little more than the two of them feeling each other out. But now it was getting to be quite serious.

She could see the speeds at which he was currently moving. But being able to comprehend what was being seen, did little good to help one who lacked the physical capability of actually responding accordingly. She could see his foot swinging upward to catch her under the chin, but there was nothing she could actually do about it, that would result in the blow either being stopped, or otherwise avoided.

The blow landed with considerably more force than she'd been expecting, far more than she could've braced herself against, proving to be sufficient for sending her flying skyward without her even having to give a single flap of her wings.

However her unplanned ascension was stopped by a sudden, sharp, dull blow delivered to the back of her neck near the base of the skull, that sent her rapidly tumbling, and crashing into the ground with a significant degree of force.

And then she saw the glow of a green light forming above her. Demonstrating that things could indeed get worse for her.

"Oh, this bodes poorly," she thought to herself, right before she felt the impact of Ulquiorra's Cero slamming into her prone form.

Not being surrounded by ponies who could potentially get in his way -or otherwise be made into hostages he would have to take into account- Ulquiorra was free to open up, and demonstrate a greater degree of strength than he could otherwise. It was a fact he was taking full advantage of in this case as he dealt with Nightmare Moon, as only he could.

Early on into his stay in Equestria, when it became apparent that he was going to be here for quite some time, he had researched a great many topics and subjects, in order to properly familiarize himself with his new surroundings. One of those topics had -naturally- been the various threats that Equestria had faced since its inception.

Among those recorded threats had been the entity known as Nightmare Moon, and the lore that surrounded her; it was quite literally a tale as old as history itself.

But as he went about actually fighting her for himself, he couldn't help but note that what he was experiencing for himself, simply didn't live up to all of the hype that surrounded the recorded accounts of her.

In pony standards, he could certainly understand how she might amount to a credible threat to this world. She possessed sufficient durability to withstand being struck by not only his Cero -which only one other being had been able to do- but also his Gran Rey Cero, which was several times stronger, and considerably more destructive. She possessed a significantly high level of reiryoku, and the reiatsu she generated as a result was more than the Diez Espada normally managed. She certainly wasn't really on par with the diarchy, but any normal pony would be hard pressed to stand up to her.

But in Hollow standards, Nightmare Moon would more accurately be regarded as being trash. Some might even say she was the rubbish that aspired to one day being trash. From what he had seen so far, he could classify her at approximately the same level of strength as a Gillian-Class Menos Grande; certainly more than any human -or even low-level Shinigami- could ever hope to stand up to. But against a Vasto Lorde of his caliber, it was simply no comparison. Murciélago wouldn't even need to be unsheathed for dealing with this matter.

Then again, despite looking the part, this Nightmare Moon wasn't a true alicorn. She didn't possess Princess Luna's body, therefore she didn't possess the same magical strength and aptitude that she once had access to. This Nightmare Moon before him, was but a pale imitation of what the legends spoke of with such reverence, assembled with a number of souls from the three pony tribes, and held together with untold levels of harvested fear like a macabre rag doll. It was nothing more than a broken remnant of a period long since passed, that should've ceased to exist a long time ago, but still refused to relinquish its own pitiful existence. Whether that refusal was born from fear or stubbornness, he didn't really know. Nor did he particularly care.

With her currently down on the ground, he let loose another Cero on her prone form, at a straight, ninety degree, downward angle, to insure she experienced the full force of what she was up against; both concussive and explosive. Things that he simply couldn't do, if Princess Luna and the others had stayed behind.

Trash deserved to be disposed of. It was as simple at that. And he would dispose of it.

"Well now. Your stamina is quite impressive. To think that you could do that multiple times without becoming exhausted as a result..."

Ulquiorra frowned at hearing that; both Nightmare Moon's voice, and the way in which she'd phrased her statement. The first part meant she was technically still alive, while the second part meant she was looking for ways to mock him; which overall meant she didn't fear facing him.

That, or she was actually getting turned on from getting the fuck beaten out of her, and was now flirting with him in response.

Between the two standards, he didn't know which was the worse one to be facing.

"You should've died from that. I could feel your cervical vertebrae shatter from the force of the impact," he stated as he turned his attention to the clearing smoke, opting to ignore the more vulgar aspects of her previous statement. Just as he opted to not comment on her teleportation skills, as that was likely the only way she avoided meeting her death at the end of his Cero.

Perhaps she'd come prepared, and had a full variety of healing spells at her disposal. Perhaps a broken neck wasn't as deadly as he'd first anticipated it as being. If that were truly the case, he'd simply have to work harder at it.

"Well, you know the old saying. Should've, could've, would've," Nightmare Moon commented as the smoke in the clearing dissipated, assisted by the flapping of her wings as she hovered at his level off the ground. "You'll find that I'm just full of surprises, Espada..." she practically purred.

"What you're full of is theatrics, and arrogance born of your own hype; nothing that amounts to being of actual substance," Ulquiorra stated as he faced her. "The fact you're still alive is nothing more than an inconvenience. An inconvenience that will soon be solved."

At hearing this, Nightmare Moon cackled with amusement. "Oh that's just so precious! Thinking that you could actually stand up to me!" she howled, before growing quite serious again, and glaring in his direction. "Impudent biped! You stand no chance against the likes of me! I now have twenty one souls in my being, with an even spread across the three pony tribes! Even the diarchy couldn't contend with the power of such an amount! What could you ever hope to do against the likes of me!?"

"Hope is a matter of delusion and irrelevance. What I intend to do, is kill you," Ulquiorra commented, far calmer and more measured in his delivery than Nightmare Moon was in hers. "You speak highly of the number of souls you've consumed, as if it were truly significant and meaningful. Perhaps in this world it is in some fashion, but where I come from, such a meager amount would constitute a small snack. I have no conscious memories of my earlier existence, but half a million would be a conservative estimate for the number of souls I consumed, prior to becoming a Vasto Lorde."

At hearing this, Nightmare Moon's eyes went wide with surprise. "H-half... half a... million?" she asked in disbelief. She tried to issue a whistle of stunned amazement, but found that her mouth wouldn't actually work right for such an exercise.

Recognizing that he had her at a disadvantage, Ulquiorra pressed the assault further. "Perhaps many more than that. As I said, I no longer actually remember such minute details. Names and numbers are completely irrelevant, when the only conscious thought going through your mind at any given moment, is satiating an oppressive, ever-present hunger that can never truly be filled. Friends, family, neighbors, total strangers, all of them become nothing more than fodder, with no consideration for previous ties that were once had," he explained. He then allowed that to sink in a moment, before pressing onward. "Of course that amount is estimated based on the number of Hollows that were consumed. Factoring in the number of souls that they may have consumed prior to their own demise, that number could be in the tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions."

"Hundreds of... millions!?"

Nightmare Moon's eyes went even wider at hearing this further elaboration, a lump forming in her throat as the full weight of his words registered with her. This biped, this Espada.... this monster was far worse than anything she'd anticipated him as being. The depths of this madness were truly astounding. She had slaughtered a number of foals to make her comeback a possibility, but he had slaughtered several nation's worth of subjects, all because he'd been hungry for something other than a salad at the time!

What other sorts of horrible depravity had he been responsible for in his time? How many atrocities had he committed, and regarded them as being nothing more than just business as usual? How many-

Before she could even finish that thought, he'd completely disappeared from view. Just literally vanished into thin air, in the space of blinking her eyes. She wasn't even certain if she had blinked or not. It was-

She quickly found it necessary to guard, raising a force field to intercept Ulquiorra's right fist before it could plow into her face. His speed was simply much too great to adequately contend with, seeing as the point of impact had been mere inches away from head; more specifically her face. And that said nothing of his strength...

"You... you monster, you!" she screeched in between her periods of panting for air and grunting to try and maintain the shield. "I'll admit, I might've done some truly heinous things in my time, but those were actually out of necessity! But you... you did them because you wanted to! If Celestia and Luna knew about the true depths of your evil nature, they wouldn't hesitate in uniting with me against the likes of you!"

"Am I supposed to be offended by your evaluation of me?" Ulquiorra asked, unmoved by Nightmare Moon's critical ranting as he pressed onward with his assault. "The diarchy is already fully aware of my past, and my nature. And despite all of that, despite all of the horror such a revelation has caused them, they've still come to accept that I'm indeed necessary, in maintaining the safety of Equestria. I can do what they themselves can't. Whatever factors in play that allowed you to survive the Elements of Harmony won't save you this time around. This is one encounter you won't be walking away from. This time around you're going to die, because I'm going to kill you myself," he stated as he continued applying pressure against her shield.

Nightmare Moon grunted as she pushed back harder, fighting to not only keep Ulquiorra at bay, but actually push him away from her. But that was proving to be no simple feat to accomplish; he was deceptively strong for his scrawny size, and trying to shove him was like trying to shove a mountain.

"And yet-" she grunted through clenched teeth, "and yet you're failing at doing just that!" she shouted, before shoving back far harder than previously, serving to effectively separate the two of them from one another once more. As well as serving to provide her with some much needed breathing room. "You talk a tough game, biped, but when it comes to delivering, you're falling far short on your promises. As you said yourself, that blow to the back of the neck should've been enough to kill me. But as you can see for yourself, I'm still alive and kicking!" she taunted.

"As am I," Ulquiorra replied, far more restrained in his delivery than Nightmare Moon had allowed herself to be.

Nightmare Moon snorted in response, far more annoyed than amused at his little quip. He had no idea of what he was dealing with, and she was going to impress that fact upon him. She was going to make it perfectly clear just how in over his head he was, and how he couldn't possibly comprehend the situation that he was facing. But that was interrupted when he suddenly appeared in front of her, his right leg pulled back.

"Oh crap, he's going to kick me again, isn't he?" she mentally asked herself as she helplessly perceived his course of motion.

She was, unfortunately, correct in her observation, as she felt his foot slamming into her, underneath her chin yet again, and sending her catapulting helplessly once again

This time around, however, she was prepared for such a tactic actually being deployed against her. And being prepared for it, she managed to focus enough on her magic, to -almost- instantly halt her upward travel, and right herself once more.

"Alright," she said as she directed her attention to where he currently floated. "I'm going to need to ask you to not kick me anymore. It's getting to be really annoying," she stated.

"Fair enough," Ulquiorra replied as he slipped his hands back into his pockets.

Nightmare Moon... wasn't expecting him to relent so suddenly, or so easily. And yet it had happened. She blinked in response, unsure of what to think. "Wait, really? Just like that?"

"Since you're apparently durable enough to not die from the force I'm using, there's little point in continuing with tactics that've been proven as ineffective," Ulquiorra explained. He could kick her like a football from now until dawn, but there wouldn't be much point if doing such didn't have the potential of ending her existence. Perhaps it was something that could be considered as "fun" but that was entirely irrelevant right now. "I'll simply have to go with a more brutal approach to killing you."

Nightmare Moon gulped uneasily at hearing this. The very idea that her opponent had possibly been holding back this whole time, on the amount of brutality he could generate was... very uncomfortable to give any consideration to.

"Er, before you actually do that, would you perchance mind answering just one question to sate my curiosity?" she asked anxiously.

"If it has sufficient merit to warrant answering it," Ulquiorra stated in return. Nightmare Moon was, for all intents and purposes, already dead. Answering one question posed no threat to anyone; certainly none that he could see anyway.

"Alright then. Just how have you proven to be so impervious to fear!? So many ponies have already fallen victim, terrified out of their minds from what I've forced upon them! Even Celestia and Luna fell to my wrath! But not you! You've been exposed to just as much terror fog as they have; even more so since you just strolled into the field like it was nothing, but you aren't reacting at all! Why are you simply not afraid!?" Nightmare Moon demanded to know, practically seething through gritted teeth at this point as she spoke.

"That was two questions," Ulquiorra pointed out in response.

"It was a two parter," Nightmare Moon grumbled and glowered at him.

"No matter, the answer to both is the same," Ulquiorra replied and shrugged dismissively. "As I said when I first arrived here, unlike any other species you might've encountered in this world, be it pony, dragon, changeling, zebra, griffon, or any of the countless others, I quite literally have no fear that can actually be exploited. Both your tricks, and your tactics, have no effect on me, because there's simply nothing there to be affected. I'm no more prone to feeling fear, than a brick wall would be under the same circumstances. There's quite literally nothing that you could do, that would result in a fear response from me; it's simply impossible," he explained.

Nightmare Moon frowned at hearing this. She'd been expecting something different than that. She wasn't quite sure what it was that she'd been expecting, but it certainly wasn't that the one she'd been facing couldn't be made to feel fear. That was simply unacceptable.

"You don't say," she grumbled. "That actually sounds like a challenge to me. I'll admit, you disregarding the visage of your own executioner wasn't something I anticipated being possible. So then I'll just have to dig deeper in figuring out what'll make you scream."

"You could use the psychic equivalent of a steam shovel in your digging efforts, and it still wouldn't do you any good. The simple fact is that there's nothing beyond what you see before you," Ulquiorra replied, not amused by Nightmare Moon actually interpreting his answer as being a challenge to her. "However it's all a moot point. You're about to die, and will soon be forgotten by those that have witnessed your return."

"Oh? Is that so?" she asked him. For being so devoid of emotion, he was certainly arrogance in his opinion of himself. "I'm afraid that simply won't do. I have far too much to tend to before I die. And if you refuse you pay proper tribute unto me, then I'll simply have to go to those that will!" she roared as her horn flared to life.

Quick as a flash, even quicker than Ulquiorra could reach her and stop whatever she was planning, she had completely disappeared. Not merely from his view, but the area entirely.

Had she planned this? Had she plotted out her departure ahead of time, and used her question to him in order to mount a distraction? Perhaps to buy herself the necessary time to successfully teleport away?

And then there was her message about being paid tribute. Some might judge it as being cryptic, but it wasn't cryptic enough to leave him wondering about what she was talking about. It was primarily speculation, but it was safe to conclude that Nightmare Moon was going after those in Ponyville, because unlike himself, they weren't impervious to fear. And if she really was feeding on fear in order to increase her strength...

"Damn it."

She might not pose a significant threat to himself currently, but if she were to permitted gorge herself on the fear of an entire village full of ponies -a significant number of which had likely been filled with fear by his declaration of intent just a few minutes ago- such might not remain the case for very long. He'd already gotten in trouble once before, for not taking a potential threat seriously enough. He wasn't about to let something like that happen a second time around.

In a burst of sonido he was off, leaving the forest far behind as he moved to intercept Nightmare Moon, and stop her efforts at stacking the deck in her favor any further than she already had.

"Get that damn iodine away from my face already!"

Through a combination of efforts on the part of multiple ponies involved, the town center had more or less been quickly converted into an ad-hoc first aid center.

Nearly every available doctor, nurse, and even orderly at Ponyville General Hospital who was available, had been immediately summoned to the scene, and instructed to bring as many medical supplies as could be carried with them, for the purpose of providing whatever care could be administered under the present circumstances.

Actually moving to Ponyville General Hospital had been considered first and foremost. But that idea had been discounted when it was considered just how many ponies would actually be there, and how chaotic and crowded the building would become as a result of the parents not wanting to be separated from their foals again for whatever reason.

As such, rather than bring them to the care, they had brought the care to them, in an area with considerably more room to work with.

All of that, however, had alleviated only one issue they had to contend with.

Almost immediately upon returning to the safety of Ponyville, and being greeted by friendly and familiar faces once again, the foals had been all too eager to share what they'd experienced out in the forest; which had included the matter of Nightmare Moon.

The ensuing panic resulting from this news had been swift and violent. Celestia had managed to bring it under control before things could get completely out of hoof, but it hadn't been any small feat on her part. The effort involved in preventing widespread pandemonium from consuming all of Ponyville had been... considerable. It was doable, but it had still been considerable.

Right now she was exercising a substantial bit of magic for the purpose of suppressing the natural panic -just as she had at Ulquiorra's party on Sweet Apple Acres- illuminating the entire area so those providing care could see what they were doing, and conversing with Luna in hushed tones and arcane dialects as a more complete picture of the situation was painted, so they knew just what they were dealing with.

That more or less left the others that were present to their own devices in the interim.

"Quit fidgeting so much, and I'd be able to get done faster!" Redheart stated, her voice carrying just as much agitation as Rainbow Dash's, as she did her best in trying to tend to her unruly patient.

It was patients like Rainbow Dash currently, that made her sometimes wish she was a unicorn. That would make managing her significantly easier.

But, alas, such wasn't the case. And she found herself saddled with a squirming, agitated pegasus, while the foals were being looked over by other competent medical care providers who got the easy stuff.

"I don't know who bandaged you up, but it just made a worse mess out of everything," Redheart stated.

The cut on Rainbow Dash's thigh had required the most care, but it'd been considerably easier to deal with than the minor head wound. The makeshift bandage had done little to staunch the flow, and had just made the resulting mess all the worse, and even harder to clean up and get an accurate idea of just how bad the damage actually was.

Pealing the dirty, blood-soaked bandage away from her head had caused whatever coagulating had occurred previously, to come away with it, and simply start the bleeding all over again.

"It stings," Rainbow Dash protested as she flinched away once again.

"It's going to sting much worse if you don't quit fidgeting, and I wind up dabbing you in the eye," Redheart warned.

"I-" Rainbow Dash started.

"Oh, honestly, Rainbow Dash. Sit still and let Nurse Redheart do her job!"

Rainbow Dash turned at the sound of the familiar voice and saw Rarity approaching her, and not looking the least bit amused.

That, combined with the bloodstains her coat bore from hugging her earlier, combined to make her actually look intimidating.

"You went out to face off against the likes of Nightmare Moon by yourself. Surely this can't be worse than that," she added as she stepped closer.

"Don't bet on it," Rainbow Dash mumbled as she full-body flinched at the burn of the disinfectant-soaked rag being pressed against her forehead.

Rarity just sighed softly and shook her head as she gave Redheart a sympathetic look of understanding. She responded by taking up a position behind Rainbow Dash and bracing against her, holding her in place with her forelegs to keep her from moving about, and allow the poor nurse to continue with her work.

Rainbow Dash squirmed, but found herself unable to actually get loose without having to get rough with Rarity in the process. And right now she simply didn't want to do that. Ultimately she let out a defeated sigh, and allowed Redheart to swab her head, grimacing at the chemical burn of the iodine that was being used to both clean her fur up, and clean her wound so it wouldn't get infected.

As she settled in to accept her fate, she found that the hold Rarity was using on her was morphing more into a hug.

"How are you holding up anyway, darling? You came back to us, looking like you were on the verge of death," Rarity stated, unable to keep her voice steady as she spoke.

"To be honest... I think I was," Rainbow Dash replied uneasily. She'd gone multiple rounds against fog manifestations that Nightmare Moon had been using as her puppets of engagement, and she'd gone against them quite hard. Some would say too hard.

She hadn't been fit for combat when she'd headed out, and she certainly hadn't been fit as the engagement just dragged on for what felt like forever. By the time they'd actually made their way back to Ponyville, she'd been running on nothing but fumes, adrenaline, and being severely pissed off. Those could carry you through a lot, but they could only carry you so far, and she'd learned that first hoof. She'd more or less collapsed when her friends had hugged her, offering the first bit of calm comfort of the evening.

The rapid infusion of more sports drinks and energy bars supplied by Pinkie had gone a long way in helping stave off the effects of her boneheaded decisions, but she knew that it was only a temporary measure. She knew that sooner or later she was going to crash, and crash hard. It wouldn't be pretty, it wouldn't be pleasant, and there wasn't a thing she could do to avoid it.

"Really, the only reason I'm still alive, is because Ulquiorra and Luna were there to keep me from getting myself killed," she explained. Had it not been for them being there, she was certain she'd be dead right now; if not through Nightmare Moon's direct actions, then her own full burn approach that had exhausted her. "The only reason we got out of there, was because we were all watching each others' backs."

Rarity had no retort. Instead she simply opted for continuing to hug Rainbow Dash where she sat, just thankful her friend was still alive and thus actually able to complain about how things hadn't gone according to whatever plan she'd been following.

"Is it really appropriate to be addressing Her Majesty in such an... informal manner?" Redheart asked as she dabbed at Rainbow Dash's head. "I mean, especially when she's right here, and could be hearing you doing such?"

"Well it was actually her idea to be informal, not ours," Rainbow Dash replied and shrugged. "Besides, it's kinda hard to be formal with somepony when you're napping together, and using them like a pillow."

That caused Redheart to stop her actions, and regard Rainbow Dash with uncertainty. "You what?"

"Oh really now?" Rarity asked, intrigued by what she was hearing. She'd known since the changeling incident that Luna wanted them to regard her as more a friend than a ruler, but the idea of Rainbow Dash using her as a pillow was something that just struck out as being hard to believe.

It was also something that was very adorable to think about. When this was all over, she'd have to inquire further about details.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash replied, "nopony really knew what to do with providing care when I was up there; mind rape was pretty much out of our league. So we were just playing it all by ear. It made for some really... unconventional, but interesting stuff being done..." she admitted as she remembered some of what went on. She wasn't about to say she enjoyed what had happened, but there had been some moments that hadn't been so bad. "You wouldn't believe how soft Luna's fur really is."

Redheart just mumbled to herself, as she went back to swabbing Rainbow Dash's head, opting to focus on what she knew, rather than prying further. That could always be reserved for later. Right now she had more important things to focus on.

"We should probably get this armor off so we can check for other injuries that might be present," she pointed out.

"Yeah, about that. I don't really know how to get out of this getup," Rainbow Dash sheepishly admitted. Having it teleported onto her, she really hadn't been shown anything about what was involved with getting in and out of it. For all intents and purposes, she was stuck like this until Luna decided to take a can opener to her, and actually release her.

But then again, she really wasn't in the mood to get out of it, until after she was certain that Nightmare Moon was actually dead. Until that happened, she was content to just stay in her armor, hot as it may be.

"Oh? Oh dear, I suppose that does present a bit of a problem," Rarity commented. None of them really had seen what went into actually getting into the armor. So figuring out how to go about removing it would be a challenge. She certainly wasn't seeing what looked like any snaps or buckles. And she didn't even want to think about how complicated it would be in freeing up Rainbow Dash's wings from the armor that currently encased them. If done wrong, the potential for injury and harm was likely significant. "I suppose we'll just have to wait then, and manage as best we can for the time being."

Redheart simply nodded, before going back to wiping down Rainbow Dash's head. Once she managed to get all the blood cleaned off, she could call in Dr. Stable to seal the wound properly; just as he'd done her thigh, before moving onto other patients who were in need.

Celestia closed her eyes as Luna concluded briefing her on the severity of the matter currently at hoof. And that severity was quite substantial; she'd realized that from the moment she'd gotten some semblance of her sanity back. But to actually hear it being confirmed as factual by Luna, simply ramped it all up in a horrible way.

"So that's it then."

Ulquiorra being on the case as they spoke helped somewhat, but it did little to assuage her current fear. Ulquiorra was without doubt an expert on matters of dealing with threats, but none of that changed the fact that he was currently facing off against Nightmare Moon herself. If it were any other threat, she might not be worrying quite so much right now.

But it wasn't any other threat he was currently facing off against. No, it just had to be Nightmare Moon that was threatening their world once again. The same Nightmare Moon who had stolen Luna from her for more than a thousand years. The same Nightmare Moon who had been subjecting them to unimaginable terror for the sheer sadistic enjoyment of it all. The same Nightmare Moon that had left Fluttershy pondering as to whether or not she could actually possess Ulquiorra's body, and use him as her new physical form.

She had seen the horrors that resided in Ulquiorra's head. But even so, she still didn't know how they'd stack up against each other. There was just no telling where this battle could go. Would he need his released state to be victorious? Would it be enough? Did Nightmare Moon have other tricks in store for them, if things should go poorly for her?

There were far too many unanswered questions present, for her to have anything resembling peace of mind. And they were just piling up as they went on.

But of all the questions they were currently faced with, none of them were quite as disturbing as the mystery surrounding the absent foals.

In the heat of battle, when panic was running high and attention had been directed elsewhere, nopony had really thought to stop and perform a headcount, and insure that everyone was actually present and accounted for. They'd all been -understandably- more focused on getting as far away as possible, not bothering to stop and ask any questions at the time.

But now that they weren't at ground zero for whatever was happening, they could actually catch their breath, and finally take stock of the situation. And as they took stock, they came across the undeniable fact that not everypony who had gone missing had actually returned. Even factoring in and allowing for the four foals that Nightmare Moon had already... utilized... and those who had lost their parents as a result of the manticore attack, there were still three more foals missing that they currently knew of. Twist, Shining Lights, and Java Bolt. Earth pony, unicorn, and pegasus in that order. The implications behind their absence were quite serious. Had Nightmare Moon already devoured their souls for the purpose of making herself stronger? Had she hidden them away from the others in the event of things not going according to her initial plans, in order to give her a potential bargaining chip over them?

Ultimately the only one who had any answers on the matter was one who had no inclination of telling them what they needed to know. And short of going after Nightmare Moon, and forcefully extracting a confession from her, they weren't about to find out anything. That fact above everything else just made Celestia all the madder. She needed to do something other than just stand around, and think about what they didn't have any answers to. And she needed to do it right now!

"Look after the others, Luna, I have something I need to take care of," she stated as softly as she could under the circumstances.

"And pray tell what is that, dear sister?" Luna asked in turn, curious as to what this previously unexplained matter was.

"I'm going into the Everfree Forest, and making sure Ulquiorra is alright. And if Nightmare Moon is still drawing breath when I get there, I'm going to put an end to her myself," Celestia stated, unable to keep the hard edge out of her voice as she spoke.

After everything that they'd been put through, she wasn't about to leave this matter up to chance. She was going to oversee this matter herself!

"That would be unwise, sister. Ulquiorra Cifer was... quite insistent that we not interfere in this matter," Luna stated quickly in an effort to head off what could ultimately prove to be a very bad decision on Celestia's part. Ulquiorra had threatened to kill them in an effort to hasten their retreat so he wouldn't be disturbed while he worked. What would he do if her sister just suddenly teleported in without warning?

"He can insist until he's blue in the face for all I care. The last time I checked this was still our kingdom. We're still the ones who're actually in charge here, and I'm going to do everything in my power to protect it, and everyone that resides within, against the likes of her," Celestia stated firmly.

Ulquiorra was strong, there was no denying that fact. But they couldn't simply rely on his strength, and do nothing themselves. They'd been tasked with keeping Equestria safe long before his arrival, and there was no excuse for shirking those responsibilities now.

"... Very well then," Luna conceded with a nod, knowing that she couldn't actually stop Celestia. She could certainly try, but it would end poorly. "But this is under protest. I do not like the idea of you venturing off on your own in your current condition. You are barely holding yourself together as is, and I do not have enough glue on hoof to put you back together if you break once again."

Celestia smirked in response, amused by Luna's assessment of the situation. Even in times of such stress, she still found the opportunity to deliver a verbal jab at her.

"That's quite alright, Luna, I'm quite certain we'll have plenty of glue by the time we rend Nightmare Moon limb from limb for everything that she's done," she replied.

"That's what you think!"

The voice high above angrily ripped through the relative silence in Ponyville, startling everypony and causing them to reflexively look upward to identify the source.

As they did, they saw for themselves that it was indeed Nightmare Moon, hovering high overhead with flaps from her powerful wings, and the distance doing utterly nothing to hide the furious glare she was giving all of them. Much like it had been with Rainbow Dash, her glare had proven sufficient enough to send the majority of them into a panic; but with theirs being much more visceral as they screamed and ran.

Celestia couldn't help but scowl. Nightmare Moon had actually brought the fight to them, rather than being sought out. There was no way this could be good.

"That's it, ponies! Give into your fear! Give into the night! I am your true ruler, and you will worship me!" Nightmare Moon howled, watching with glee as those present scattered and screamed in a most beautifully panicked manner. In the span of just a few seconds, the air had become thick with fear; very thick indeed. Thick enough she could smell it, she could taste it! It was so tantalizing to experience firsthoof.

Not wasting any time, her horn flashed to life with a dark blue light as she began working her magic. There was too much precious fear present to be wasted on indulging in its bouquet like it was a fine wine; that could be done later on.

Down below her she observed as a black fog began wafting off of their frames, being carried upwards on phantom winds, as it swirled and coalesced, before being drawn into her body through the top of her horn. And as this was done, she allowed a low moan of pleasure to escape her lips, as her eyes slowly closed. She hadn't intended to savor it, but that couldn't be helped now.

For so long she'd been gathering scraps of primal fear in order to sustain herself, fighting for every little bit of power that had gone into fueling her return. For so long she'd had to struggle patiently, the fear practically being administered with an eye dropper. Even with all of Ponyville being thrown into chaos, the flow of fear simply hadn't been enough for her. It had been close, but close simply wasn't good enough. It was like dying of thirst, and only having tiny little sips of water that just barely managed to wet the mouth. But that had all changed! She was surrounded by an ocean of fear to drink in now, at rates that simply couldn't have been managed previously in her non-corporeal state. Now such wasn't the case. Now it wasn't a mere teaser of coming attractions, but rather than main event. The fear coming from Ponyville was so rich and thick at this point, it was practically chocolate sauce that she was guzzling down at a rapid rate.

She moaned loudly, the bliss simply exquisite to experience as she managed to gorge freely. The power! The power currently flooding her body! Her whole frame shuddered in pleasure as she sucked down untold levels of fear and kept coming back for more. She felt invigorated and strong once again; stronger than she could ever remember being in years! All of the hunger, all of the suffering, everything she'd been forced to experience since being forcefully ripped away from Luna's body, it was all just melting away with now, leaving nothing behind but the current moment of pure and utter bliss and tranquility. For one brief moment in time, absolutely everything felt right.

And then she felt a dull thud against the back of her skull, bringing her attention back to the present and what was going on around her. She had a sneaking suspicion as to what it was. Turning around slowly, she saw Ulquiorra hovering behind her, still wearing that same look on his face that he had since his arrival in the forest.

"Were you seriously trying to kill me just now? Or did you simply want to get my attention, and let me know that you'd arrived?" she asked him, all the while the glow of her horn remained undisturbed, just like the effects of the spell that was still being carried out.

"Had I wanted to get your attention, I would've opted for kicking you squarely in your exposed backside; the target area is certainly sizable enough," Ulquiorra commented dryly, earning an annoyed scowling snarl in response. "Make no mistake, you're going to die before this night is over. That is a statement of fact, not an opinion, nor an empty bluff."

Nightmare Moon simply cackled in response to hearing this. "Oh, you arrogant biped, you! You couldn't possibly comprehend the true weight of the situation you're facing right now! You're so convinced in your own perceived superiority, that you just can't see how horribly outclassed you really are right now!"

Ulquiorra remained unmoved by Nightmare Moon's boisterous rantings. "If we're merely going to rehash previously established talking points, there's no sense in waiting any longer before proceeding with killing you. You're already proving to be more trouble than you're worth," he stated.

"Oh really? Well now, if that's how you feel, you're going to positively hate what's coming next," Nightmare Moon stated and grinned wickedly, her sharp teeth on full display for him in the process.

Before Ulquiorra could respond, either by asking her what she was planning, or otherwise punching her in the snout, she had already vanished from view, teleporting away form her current position, and reappearing down below where everypony had been gathered previously.

The magic she was currently utilizing hadn't gone unnoticed; in fact he'd noticed not only it from the moment he'd arrived, but how it was also affecting the ponies down below. It bore a strong resemblance to what he'd witnessed when Queen Chrysalis had been feeding on Princess Celestia in the dungeons of Canterlot palace. As best as he could determine, based on what information he presently possessed, she was currently feeding on the fear of those present in order to make herself stronger; he'd certainly felt it when he'd punched her in the back of skull, and how different it was this time around as compared to back in the forest clearing. This time around it hadn't even rattled her, whereas last time it'd knocked her right out of the sky.

But beyond the fact that she was feeding freely, he was witnessing what else she was doing. She had deliberately taken up position in Ponyville, putting herself in close proximity to the other ponies; ponies who were far too weak to withstand the full magnitude of his strength, or even a portion of it. He had chased Princess Luna and the others out of the forest for that reason, so he wouldn't be hampered by their presence. And now Nightmare Moon was putting him in that exact same position once again, surrounded by far more ponies who couldn't realistically be expected to evacuate the area.

She was smart, he would give her that. She knew that his current strength level couldn't kill her, so he'd have to utilize a great deal more to achieve that goal. She also knew that the others couldn't withstand being in close proximity to him when he opened up, and the destructiveness of his techniques meant pinpoint precision and a lack of collateral damage simply weren't what he was capable of under most circumstances. So she'd sought out soft targets to hamper the full extent of strength that he could freely utilize, while simultaneously feeding on their fear to further tip the odds in her favor. Even the diarchy wouldn't be able to fully open up on her in her current position, despite their close proximity.

And if she didn't know about these aforementioned points beforehand, she likely learned of them in the five minutes leading up to when the foals had been successfully rescued, and taken back to Ponyville.

Well played, Nightmare Moon. Well played indeed...

Both Celestia and Luna had been beside themselves in a mix of fury and other emotions when Nightmare Moon appeared in the sky above Ponyville. All of their efforts and hard work at maintaining calm and order - as fragile as it had been- had just been trampled on like a patch of filthy weeds. The sheer arrogance she commanded in storming their location like a dragon barbarian, and then having the audacity to actually begin feeding on the fear of their subjects right in front of them, just made this unfortunate turn of events all the more unacceptable to deal with!

As far as either of them was concerned on the matter, this was an open declaration of war against not only them, but all of Equestria. This course of action was not to be stood for!

Before either of them could actually respond, however, Ulquiorra had appeared on the scene, and had launched an attack against Nightmare Moon's exposed back. Now things were beginning to look up!

Or at least they were, until they realized that Nightmare Moon hadn't even been harmed by the attack. If anything it looked like she was more annoyed by the interruption than actually injured.

This was seriously starting to not bode well for them.

And then Nightmare Moon went and proved once again that her audacity truly knew no limits, as she touched down right in front of the both of them, wearing a purse-lipped smirk of such arrogance and superiority, that it was practically daring them to attack her.

If all the ponies present hadn't been screaming and running in terror before, they most certainly were now. Not that it did them much good, as the reach of the spell being used on them looked like it didn't have an upper limit on distance.

"You must have quite the set of brass cojones, to actually come here and face us, Nightmare Moon," Celestia practically growled as her eyes narrowed in a hard frown.

Nightmare Moon chuckled in response to Celestia's statement. "Oh, my dear Celestia. When this is all over, both you and your sister will both be polishing my cojones to a mirror-like finish with your tongues, and thanking me for the privilege daily, after I ascend to my rightful position as the true ruler of all Equestria," she practically purred.

"I will be tearing right off and/or out, whatever cojones you may have before all is said and done!" Luna screamed, her halberd erupting into existence as she spoke, as she made ready to go about using it on her selected opponent. She was going to exact her vengeance upon this demon for the last millennium and three years she'd been put through, and she was going to do it right now!

"Ah, ah, ah," Nightmare Moon stated as she held out her right wing and waved her foremost primary feather from side to side, as if she were scolding a mischevious foal. "You wouldn't want to go and do something rash that might lead to complications, now would you?" she asked, her voice completely devoid of anything resembling fear at having just been threatened with bodily harm.

It was at this point that Ulquiorra had joined the rest of them on the ground, standing just to the left of Princess Celestia. Although his presence went unnoticed and unacknowledged by them. Especially by Nightmare Moon as she continued speaking as if nothing had happened.

"None of you three are powerful enough to hurt me, never mind kill me, without demonstrating a significantly greater deal of strength than you are currently; strength that's so hard to control in such a confined and congested area like the middle of a town, where they are so many potential victims who could be caught in the ensuing destruction. It would be so tragic if you were to accidentally kill them in the process of trying to kill me. What would everypony say? What would happen to your precious kingdom when it comes to light that you were willing to kill countless innocents to put down a single threat?" she asked, the arrogance of her voice no longer being concealed at all. As she spoke she was practically purring.

Luna growled furiously, teeth grit and lips pulled back in a vicious snarl. She wasn't the least bit surprised by Nightmare Moon's tactics. Disgusted, most certainly, but not surprised! She had seen the foul demon utilize this strategy already, so she knew it was par for the course. But to have it flaunted in her face so openly, was simply unacceptable!

"As opposed to the number of famine and pestilence-related deaths that would naturally result from eternal night being implemented?" Ulquiorra asked in response. "A quick death would be a blessing to those that would be affected by what you're planning. "

Nightmare Moon scowled in response. But before she could even open her mouth to offer up a retort, Ulquiorra was already speaking again, effectively cutting her off, and not letting her get a word in edgewise.

"Under normal circumstances, your strategy would be sound. Distasteful to those with moral convictions, but still sound. But these aren't normal circumstances. I'm not a pony that holds the same regard for life as others that would face you. If some should die as a result of killing you, that's simply how things are. It makes no difference to me," he stated.

Nightmare Moon remained expressionless for a second at hearing this statement, and the utter callousness in how it had been delivered. But then that expressionless state gave way as she snorted with amusement, and grinned once again.

"You'd be a masterful poker player, biped. But I've already seen your cards, I know that you're bluffing. You chased the others away from the forest clearing so that they wouldn't get hurt when you opened up on me; not that it did you much good anyway," she stated, unwilling to suppress the grin that she currently wore. "You act tough, but your actions have betrayed you. You hold just as much regard for the life of all these worthless innocents, as anypony else present. None of you can move to oppose me without hurting them in the process, and you all know it. What could any of you possibly hope to do, since I hold all the cards in this game?"

Luna's angered growling only intensified as Nightmare Moon spoke, demonstrating unbelievable levels of arrogance with each word issued. But making the matter all the worse was the fact that she was right in her premise. The three of them would have to exercise a significant deal of strength to beat her, especially as she continued feeding on all of those that were presently subjected to her magic, all the while growing in terms of strength. And if they opened up to whatever extent was necessary to stop her, that posed a significant risk. The greater the force, the lesser the control they had over that said force.

As rich of a target as she presented right now, as open as she was, to actually go on the assault was simply too risky. They had to get her out of Ponyville, if they were to have any chance against her.

"Spare us your useless posturing and egomania," Ulquiorra stated, his voice never swaying from his usual dull tone of address. Although if he could be motivated to actually do such, listening to Nightmare Moon's ramblings of self importance would certainly be sufficient to do such. "Even in your current state, it would take very little effort to put you in a choke hold, and compress the blood vessels in your neck. Assuming your basic physiology isn't dissimilar from that of an earthy pony, you'll be unconscious in seconds. You'll be dead in less than a minute. You won't even have time to panic, before the flow of blood to your brain is completely cut off."

Nightmare Moon's eyes widened momentarily at hearing this. However it was only momentary, as she soon began chuckling once again, her withers shaking with amusement.

"And yet, despite the fact you can supposedly kill me, you're not actually making a move against me right now. Instead you're just standing there like every other slack-jawed idiot in this town," she stated and smirked at him. "You know that you're fast, but are you actually fast enough, biped? Can you keep pace with my skills in magical teleportation? Can you strike me down before I manage to nab a hostage, and thrust them into my place for you to kill instead?"

Ulquiorra said nothing in response, for there was nothing he actually could say. All of his knowledge pertaining to Nightmare Moon's skills was based on what he'd encountered ten minutes ago. She couldn't compete with his sonido then, but what about now? She had been gorging herself on great quantities of fear this entire time, and had already demonstrated greater resilience to his fist than previously. What if her reaction time really could now compete with his own? Him moving to impale her, only to wind up doing such to an innocent bystander being quickly thrust into his path of travel, would simply make the situation worse than it already was.

Nightmare Moon merely smirked in response to his silence. "I'll take your lack of a comeback, as acknowledgement of my tactical superiority in this matter, biped. Every card that has value, I hold it in my hoof. And there's not a thing that you, or the diarchy, or anypony else can possibly do about it," she said as she gave the three a taunting grin.

Her good mood at events turning in her favor was quickly spoiled, as she felt the most horrible, pounding sensation erupting out the back of her skull. She shrieked ineloquently, screaming in horrible pain, and nearly falling to the ground, her senses going fuzzy and leaving her cross-eyed for several long seconds, before she finally got hold of herself once again. Whatever had happened, it had been enough to completely cut out her spell.

That assault hadn't come from the front, it couldn't have. She hadn't seen any sign of the three of them even trying to move, much less make a move against her. Not even the biped had moved from his current spot. The only logical conclusion she could draw from that, was that somepony had actually dared to attack her from behind!

"Just... just..." she stuttered as she whirled around to eye them, nearly falling over in the process from the pounding in her skull flaring up again. "Which one of you impudent little nothings dared to assault your queen!?" she shrieked.

"I DID!"

Nightmare Moon blinked in response, both to try and clear her head, and to better see who was currently addressing her in such a disrespectful manner. She had suspected a -very small- number of ponies being so bold as to volunteer for their own execution, but to her surprise it hadn't been any of them. Instead of a pony, she was confronting a very angry looking dragon, firmly clutching a hammer with a head that was currently smoking.

"Ulquiorra and the others can't kill you because we're right here in the line of fire? Well then I'll kill you myself!" Spike roared furiously.

For far too long now, he'd been helpless in this entire mess. Helpless to do anything to help his friends. Forced to stand by uselessly and watch them get brutalized by forces that they didn't understand, unable to do anything besides take down messages to keep Celestia and Luna up to date on the state of decreasing mental health in Ponyville. And then it had gotten to the point where he couldn't even do that much, and could only stand by uselessly and watch as Twilight assumed his duties of corresponding. He had been unable to do anything except watch his friends suffer, and in the case of Rainbow Dash, he'd even been forced to hurt his friends.

And on top of all of that, here Nightmare Moon was, using them as hostages to protect herself from getting beaten by Ulquiorra? She was putting his friends in danger again, and taunting them about that fact in the most unsubtle approach he'd ever seen? He wasn't going to stand for it any longer! He'd been pushed as far as he was going to allow, and now it was time to push back!

"Bold words from a broken baby dragon," Nightmare Moon replied with a sneer, not yet certain if she should be upset, or amused with how he was addressing her. "What do you intend to do against me, faint again?"

Spike, rather than wasting the effort needed to use his words in articulating just how furious he felt, instead growled in response, before pulling back, and hurling his hammer at Nightmare Moon with all of his might.

Nightmare Moon just smirked in amusement at Spike's poorly thought out -and ultimately impotent- efforts of trying to hurt her. His hammer might pose a threat to her if she ever let him get within swinging range, but all of the enchantments in the world wouldn't do him any good if he couldn't hit what he was aiming at; a fact demonstrated as she so easily sidestepped the poorly planned ballistic approach to the matter, allowing it to easily sail right on past her without so much as even a glancing blow being struck.

She had an incredibly biting retort ready to unleash on the poor dragon, mocking him for his pitiful efforts at trying to oppose her. Although that retort was quickly squashed as she felt her throat being grabbed tightly, just underneath her jawbone, before she was actually lifted up right off her front hooves!

She'd been so focused on the dragon, she hadn't even noticed the Espada coming out of nowhere, until it was far too late to do anything about it!

"I grow tired of needing to constantly remind you that your fight is with me; not with anyone else," Ulquiorra stated as he established eye contact between the two of them, forcing her to look at him as he spoke to her. "As such I'm going to fix that problem now."

There was no flash, or any other form of warning that alerted the others to what was going to happen. All anypony knew was that one moment Ulquiorra had Nightmare Moon by the throat, and the next moment they had both disappeared completely from view, with nothing but a booming echo of static left in their wake.

Those that were unfamiliar with Ulquiorra's skills jumped in surprise at what they'd just witnessed. But those that did know him, knew exactly what this had been; he'd just used his sonido to forcefully remove Nightmare Moon from Ponyville entirely, thus taking away her primary advantage over them, of having so many potential hostages close by.

Twilight still vividly remembered just what it had been like to experience travel via Ulquiorra's sonido for herself. And he'd been quite careful with her. She couldn't even begin to imagine just what sort of stress Nightmare Moon's body was being subjected to right now, with him more or less dragging her along by her neck at such high speeds. If that didn't kill her, or at the very least break her neck, she'd certainly be surprised.

"Goodness! Where did they go?" Rarity asked.

The question was answered almost immediately by an explosion sounded in the distance, as bright blue and teal green lights flashed over the horizon, indicating that Ulquiorra and Nightmare Moon had wasted no time in going at it.

"I'd say over there would be a pretty good guess," Pinkie spoke up and gestured in the general direction of where all the commotion had been coming from.

"It looks like he kicked her all the way back into the clearing we were in," Rainbow Dash commented.

"Sister," Luna spoke up to gain Celestia's attention. "While I have no qualms with allowing Ulquiorra Cifer to kill Nightmare Moon -and I do wish her death to be a painful one- I fear it may prove necessary to actually stop him from doing such. We do not yet know where the remaining foals may be at present, and if he kills her now, we may never know such. There is no telling what has happened to them, or what may happen to them."

Celestia didn't immediately respond to Luna's statement, even though her sister did raise a very good point. Nightmare Moon had already demonstrated twice that she wasn't above taking hostages if she believed it benefited her, and it certainly did. So long as any innocents remained at stake, there was little they could do in dealing with her; they knew that fact, and she unfortunately knew that fact as well. Ulquiorra could potentially justify sacrificing a few in order to save many countless others. And while the argument was sound from a purely logical perspective, the simple fact of the matter was that none of them were Ulquiorra. Nightmare Moon had already claimed far too many victims, they couldn't afford to let her claim any more.

It was so strange, just how suddenly the entire dynamic of the situation they found themselves in had shifted. When they first found evidence to suggest Nightmare Moon had returned and was responsible for terrorizing them, there had been concern that they might need to protect Ulquiorra from her, as there was no way of knowing just how a fight between the two of them would turn out. Now here they were, and actually forced to contemplate the need of protecting Nightmare Moon from Ulquiorra! The irony of it all was just far too much!

No matter what course of action they took, she suspected that some unacceptable loss was going to occur regardless. The only question was, when this was all said and done, which loss were they going to be forced to deal with?

"Then we'll simply have to to do whatever we can, in order to prevent that from happening," she stated, already working to steel her nerves for what would lie ahead.

The element of surprise had certainly been an important aspect in Ulquiorra's successful removing of Ponyville. Had she not been focused on Spike's anger-filled rant, and -unsuccessful- attack from behind, the surgical precision of his efforts would've more than likely been lacking. Had it not been for that distraction, it would've been necessary to see for himself if Nightmare Moon's sudden increase in strength had allowed for other enhanced attributes, and if said attributes would allow her to rival his sonido.

Provided this engagement was survived, he would make sure to mention the fact to Spike later on.

Presently his quarry was looking worse for wear after her unexpected -and undesired- travel. She was wide-eyed, sick looking, and her heart was beating at a greatly accelerated rate. She might've been able to teleport across miles of distance with ease, but sudden physical travel at such high speeds was an entirely different mess to deal with. Twilight Sparkle and Spike had both learned that for themselves, although they fared far better than Nightmare Moon.

Then again he had taken greater care with them, ensuring that they were relatively secured before exposing them to travel over what were considerably shorter distances.

However that was irrelevant right now. For now it was strictly business, which meant killing Nightmare Moon.

"Now then. About that choke hold we were discussing earlier."

He realized the mistake made in talking rather than killing, but it was only realized as he felt Nightmare Moon's shod rear hooves connect with his midsection, and forcibly break his grip on her as he was forcibly shoved away.

Apparently Nightmare Moon wasn't as close to death from her travels as he'd first anticipated. That was a miscalculation on his part, that he was not about to repeat anytime soon.

"You're certainly a vicious demon, I'll give you that," Nightmare Moon panted, doing her best to glare angrily as she spoke. "Under different circumstances, I'd actually have respect for someone like you, and the talents you possess; I could've used you! But-"

She quickly found it necessary to stop talking, as she realized Ulquiorra was going on the offensive rather than heeding her words. By the time she managed to react he'd already partially unsheathed his zanpakutō. The only reason he hadn't managed to pull it all the way out, was because she'd been fast enough to ensnare his wrist in his magic, and halt his movement entirely.

Actually keeping his arm restrained, however, was proving to be more difficult than she'd first thought. Despite the awkward position his arm was in, he was demonstrating a considerable deal of physical strength to contend with! She still had a headache from when he'd punched her in the head, and she didn't need anything else adding to that mess.

"Sweet stars above!" she grunted as she struggled to keep him contained. "How are you this strong? How can you seriously be this strong!?" she demanded to know.

Ulquiorra remained silent, saying nothing in response about the utter stupidity demonstrated by Nightmare Moon's question. Instead he opted for bringing his left hand forward, ready to discharge a Cero in her face. He knew full well that it wouldn't be enough to kill her; he'd already seen such for himself. But it would more than likely be sufficient for breaking her concentration, which would free up his arm, which would in turn allow him to fully unsheathe Murciélago.

What hadn't been taken into consideration as being a potential variable was Nightmare Moon relinquishing her hold on his right arm of her own accord, and focusing all of her efforts on forcefully wrenching and twisting his left arm around just before his Cero was discharged, ensuring he caught the full blast of it right in his face.

Once a Cero had been initiated and discharged, there was no way of altering, halting, or otherwise stopping it. That left him with no option but to weather it, until it naturally concluded on its own.

Being caught by the blast of one's own Cero was something that simply didn't happen. If the other Espada had witnessed such occurring, they would never let him forget about it. And seeing as Aizen -generally- had rules against the Espada killing one another, they would never have let him forget about it.

Once the blast had finally dissipated, he found he had new issues to contend with. His vision was compromised, a cross somewhere between being blurred and seeing double. His hearing was also compromised, leaving him unable to hear nothing but a dull and simultaneously high-pitched ringing. He was vaguely aware of Nightmare Moon's current location in relation to his own, and he could note that she had yet to take the opportunity to flee. He was also vaguely aware of the fact that she was actually laughing at him for what he'd experienced. Personally he didn't care about that one way or another, as he would never stoop to such pettiness... but he was still going to make her pay for it nonetheless.

"Clever," he admitted, once he could start hearing through all of the interference once again. "But you won't be doing that again."

"If it's what I want, it's what I'll do, biped," Nightmare Mon replied and huffed. "I've been paying attention in all of this. Your attacks take a lot of time to utilize; time that I can use to launch counter assaults against you. Meaning not only am I stronger than you, I'm faster than you as well."

Ulquiorra would admit, that was a development he hadn't foreseen occurring. He was the analytical one, and yet Nightmare Moon had been analyzing him, and looking for opening to exploit. Not only looking for them, but apparently finding them as well. This was going to require reevaluating the matter, and formulating a new plan of approach.

"You've yet to see everything that can be done," he replied as a red static charge began appearing around his hands. Perhaps she could exploit the charging time of his Cero, and redirect it back at him. He'd simply demonstrate the futility of getting excited over such a minor accomplishment. With that thought in mind he thrust his right fist forward, sending a Bala hurtling in her direction.

She didn't even have time to react with surprise before the blast slammed straight into her face and exploded. Certainly not enough to kill her, but more than enough to establish that she was overconfident in her abilities.

"What was experienced by yourself just now is called a Bala," he explained, before throwing his left fist forward and unleashing a second attack on her position. "While not nearly as strong as a Cero, it makes up for such by being twenty times faster, both in charging and travel speed. Along with being able to be utilized in rapid succession," he continued, demonstrating just such a fact as he unleashed a volley of Bala fire on Nightmare Moon's position, continual explosions rocking her entire frame as they obscured her from sight, but not from his own pesquisa. He currently had her pinned down, leaving her unable to move as he subjected her to the assault. That would allow him to get into position to deliver a more fatal strike, and bring an end to this entire mess. It was a fact that he was going to demonstrate right now, as he moved in behind her while she was still bracing herself for a frontal attack, in order to deliver a strike right to the nape of her neck, and completely remove her head from the rest of her body.

“GET AWAY FROM ME!”

His ears were the first to be assaulted by the piercing shriek, and then the rest of him shortly after by an all-encompassing darkness. It’d all happened so fast, he wasn’t sure what to make of it. There’d been an explosion of black magical energy radiating off of her body, like some sort of shock wave, as black sphere rapidly expanded outward from her body, before slamming into him with enough force to send him flying.

Whatever that was, it’d been substantial to say the least. The entire surface of the sphere had demonstrated what looked like arcing bolts of electricity. The same was observed not only on his own body in the aftermath, but also on Nightmare Moon’s body. The entire experience had been... quite painful to experience, in ways that he couldn’t adequately articulate. Nightmare Moon, however, seemed to be faring worse than himself in the aftermath, looking like she’d just subjected herself to considerable physical exertion without allowing for proper pacing. Even the amount of reiatsu her body was currently generating had been affected.

If he had to speculate, based on what information was currently available, he would conclude that what he’d just witnessed had been a defensive move on her part, born out of desperation and fear from being dominated as she had been. It would explain the force of the attack, the shrieking, and how exhausted she currently appeared; she’d panicked and reacted violently in a desperate effort to save her own neck.

In simple, uncomplicated, easy to understand terms, she’d blinked.

“What was that you were saying earlier, about fear being for mortals and the weak to experience?” he asked.

Nightmare Moon did her best to glare angrily in response at being mocked so openly, before simply huffing, and opting to recompose herself once again. She wouldn't let him get to her with such foalish taunts.

"Fear? You thought that was fear just now?" she asked, before shaking her head dismissively at such a notion. "Biped, that was nothing more than a natural response to being annoyed by one who fails to understand that they possess all the significance of a mosquito. You're more frustrating than actually threatening," she practically purred. "You might've succeeded in getting me out here, away from everypony, but it won't make a difference. In my current state, you don't pose me any actual risk. My greatness is of such a magnitude of leaps and bounds beyond you, you couldn't possibly comprehend its full scope."

Dismissiveness, ignorance, and more arrogance. If nothing else, Nightmare Moon was at least consistent in how she handled herself.

Perhaps it was time to put that consistency to the test as well.

"You held far greater intrigue and mystery when you were still operating within the shadows," he stated. "Completely random and unpredictable attacks on ponies with no rhyme or reason as to why they were targeted, no discernible pattern for identifying who might be next, attacks that couldn't be defended against, spreading terror and distrust throughout Ponyville and the surrounding area like they were a communicable diseases. We had no clue who we were dealing with, no clue what we were dealing with, we were forced to constantly remain on alert and on our toes, in a constant state of alert as we waited for the next shoe to be dropped. We were all but defeated, helpless to do anything other than wait for the inevitable, and react after the fact."

"You shameless flatterer, you," Nightmare Moon replied, but still beamed with a sense of pride at his words of praise.

"And then the reveal occurs when you make your return, announcing your identity and presence to the world, and suddenly all that intrigue is gone," Ulquiorra continued, ignoring Nightmare Moon's interruption entirely. "All that buildup, and you're what is to be had. Such a disappointment."

Now Nightmare Moon frowned. Was he dismissing her? Was he actually dismissing her just like that!?

"If this were a work of fiction intended for entertaining others, the only purpose justifying your current existence, would be to provide an effective way of showcasing my own strength, by allowing me to slay a supposedly unstoppable tyrant that terrified the world for a thousand years. In a literary sense, your presence would be nothing more than a cheap, overused, poorly executed plot device," Ulquiorra explained further.

"Wow! Talk about arrogance!" Nightmare Moon stated, somewhere between amused and infuriated at how he'd been addressing her. "You've certainly got a creative interpretation of the situation, biped, but unfortunately for you this isn't some work of fiction! This is real life, and this is the world in which we all live. My existence does indeed have a purpose that I intend to carry out, and I won't be stopped by the likes of you!"

She felt the impact of Ulquiorra's fist punching her in the abdomen before actually seeing the event transpire, doubling her over as he effectively knocked the air right out of her lungs.

"Resist all you want. Simply cease with telling me about it. Your voice is proving to be as irritating as nails on a chalkboard," Ulquiorra replied calmly. Whether or not she actually heard him over her attempts at breathing again wasn't a matter of importance as far as he was concerned.

"This was a very, very bad in coming here like this," Luna stated, reiterating the sentiment she'd had since before they set out on their journey to once again confront Nightmare Moon, and stop Ulquiorra before he could do any further damage.

"This is Ponyville. Bad ideas one bit for a gross here," Rainbow Dash commented as she hovered off just off the ground.

Luna just grunted, finding no comfort in Rainbow Dash's evaluation of the matter, even if it did accurately sum up the situation. The others -not even Celestia- had seen and felt what she had for herself, they had no idea of just how dangerous it had been in coming here. And all of them had insisted on coming regardless, because Ulquiorra Cifer was their friend.

It hadn't helped matters in the least that Twilight Sparkle had informed them that if they weren't brought along, they would simply find their own way out. A message that had surprisingly been reiterated by the rest of their friends as well. And knowing what she did about the young unicorn and the others, she knew for certain that they meant it as well. At least by traveling together, they could ensure some level of security, as Celestia could manage the teleportation, while she encased their group of nine in a force field to protect them in case they wound up smack dab in the middle of an intense battle between the two opposing forces.

Fortunately the shield hadn't been necessary; at least not yet. There was certainly a commotion taking place, but other than the devastation from previously, there were no signs of either combatant present.

"Nevertheless, it still remains a bad idea," she repeated once again.

"I'm beginning to feel the same way," Rarity replied more or less absently as she surveyed the damage that surrounded them. It was certainly a clearing they stood in, but the manner in which it had been cleared left much to be desired. There were large craters in the ground, devastated trees, and countless other signs of wanton destruction. "Did Ulquiorra do all of this?"

"Ulquiorra, Luna, me, Nightmare Moon... we all did it. We fought hard," Rainbow Dash explained. Although granted the others had done the majority of it, she'd more or less just participated even though she'd given it her all.

Fluttershy could only whimper to herself as she observed the amount of destruction all around them. To pony standards it might not seem all that bad, but to those that made their home in the Everfree forest, it would be at near-cataclysmic levels. She honestly didn't want to think about how many poor animals had been rendered homeless to what unfolded here; she was just barely holding herself together, and she knew that if she gave that idea any thought, she would just break down crying all over again.

"So jus' where in the hay are those two anyway?" Applejack asked as she looked about, trying to catch some sight of Ulquiorra and Nightmare Moon. If this was indeed the right place, where were they right now?

Twilight looked around briefly, before her horn began glowing as she tried to feel their presence in an effort to pinpoint their location. Finding Ulquiorra shouldn't prove to be all that difficult; he was basically a black hole for mana, and anytime he was present, she could feel the mana in the area being drained as a result as his body fed on it. The real problem was going to be in tracking down where Nightmare Moon might be, and if she was even still alive. She doubted that he'd let her escape again. That wouldn't even really be a problem, if not for the fact that she still had hostages they had to rescue; that was the most infuriating part of it this whole mess they were currently in!

Why? Why did Nightmare Moon have to be so damn smart!?

"Incoming!"

Pinkie's sudden yell broke her concentration, causing her to look skyward just in time to see something flying in their direction. She reached out to intercept it with her magic, but Luna was much quicker, and effortlessly stopped what turned out to be Ulquiorra before he could slam into the ground.

"I trust the matter is not going well?" Luna asked rhetorically as she turned Ulquiorra right side up, before setting him back down on his feet.

"That's one way of describing the matter," Ulquiorra replied, his voice never changing from its usual monotone delivery. "Your decision in coming here was a bad idea," he added.

"Perhaps so, but it was a necessary one," Celestia stated. "Several foals are still missing, and as such, it proved necessary to stop you from killing Nightmare Moon, before we could extract what we need from her," she explained.

The news that Nightmare Moon had actually possessed enough intelligence to not keep all of the foals clustered together -not putting all her eggs in one basket as it were- was certainly an unexpected development as far as Ulquiorra could see. That fact, combined with how she'd taken up a position in Ponyville in order to keep him at bay, was demonstrating that she was far more intelligent than he'd assumed.

"She won't tell you anything of actual use. So long as she keeps the information to herself, you have reason to keep her alive. She more than likely is aware of this, and will respond accordingly," he pointed out.

Celestia knew as well as anyone, if not better than anyone, that Ulquiorra's assessment of the situation was correct. Nightmare Moon was under no obligation to tell them anything that they wanted to know.

But she also knew that they couldn't simply stand by and do nothing, if there was any hope of rescuing the foals. As rulers of Equestria, it was their sworn duty to do everything in their power to protect their little ponies, and they couldn't fulfill that duty by simply considering them to be dead and gone.

"Perhaps so. But regardless of that possibility, we still have to make an effort at securing their safe return," she explained, "through whatever means necessary," she muttered further as she began walking forward.

Despite the heat of the summer weather, Pinkie felt a chill run up her spine at Celestia's words, and it wasn't due to her Pinkie Sense either. She didn't know if it was the words, or the manner in which they were spoken, or just that it was Celestia speaking them, but there was something terrifying to be had in it all.

"Oh really now? How very ominous..."

Nearly everyone looked skyward at hearing the voice as it slowly descended upon their position, as Nightmare Moon once again entered view, her large wings flapping to keep her aloft as she looked down on all of them.

Ulquiorra was prepared to reengage Nightmare Moon, picking up right where they'd left off when she'd flung him away, during the moment he'd been distracted by the -unwanted- arrival of the others. But he was stopped by the feel of a large, white, downy wing being placed on his left shoulder. Apparently Princess Celestia was aware of his intentions, and was moving to intervene before he could take any action.

"You've managed to pique my curiosity, Celestia, just what do you intend to do? Just what does "through whatever means necessary" entail with you? Are you going to try and torture the information out of me?" Nightmare Moon asked, a sadistic grin crossing her features as she spoke, eager to see what Celestia thought she could really do in this situation.

Celestia looked back to Luna silently. Luna returned a hard, unyielding look of her own. But she found it impossible to maintain the staunchness of her expression when she looked into her sister's eyes. Her expression softened and her withers drooped, and her only available response was to give a dejected sigh, and nod solemnly.

"As much as I'd love to do something along those lines, I believe you're too sick for it to actually work," Celestia replied as she turned back to face Nightmare Moon and withdraw her wing from Ulquiorra's shoulder, tucking it back in at her side. Beyond that matter of Nightmare Moon potentially being a masochist, she knew from Ulquiorra that torture rarely ever worked at getting viable information from the subject. "No, this case requires a different approach. For that reason, in exchange for information as to where the foals are, we're prepared to... issue a royal pardon for the various crimes you've committed since your return..."

"WHAT!?"

It was a nearly unanimous statement from everyone present at hearing what Celestia just said, save for Luna who stood by silently, and Ulquiorra, whose only response was quirking an eyebrow.

Not even Nightmare Moon was really believing what she'd just heard, as it'd come very far out of left field.

Before any of them could protest the notion, or otherwise ask if they'd heard what they shtought they'd heard, Celestia was already talking again.

"Your life in exchange for theirs, Nightmare Moon. You return the foals to us, alive and unharmed, and we'll allow you to leave unharmed; nopony will even be allowed to make a move against you," she stated as she began speaking again, once more addressing their foe up in the air as she walked forward. "That's the deal currently in play. Do you accept it?"

"Well now, Celestia, this is certainly a turn of events I didn't see coming. The sanctity you hold for pony life truly knows no bounds!" Nightmare Moon laughed. "It's certainly a most generous offer, one I'm sure you just plain hate presenting so freely! It must be tearing you up inside to know that you have to resort to offering me freedom, just to secure the return of three little nothing ponies!"

Celestia frowned, but continued to hold her tongue regardless. She refused to allow herself to be goaded into snapping.

"There's just one teeny, tiny problem with the deal you're offering me," Nightmare Moon continued. "You can't actually offer me either freedom or safety. Not a single one of you has the strength necessary to actually kill me! Your... associate... has certainly been doing his level best at trying to do just that, and all he's been able to amount to is a minor nuisance. So you'll understand me when I say, take your pardon and shove it where your sun doesn't shine! The foals will remain mine, the kingdom will be mine, your subjects will be mine, you and your sister will be enslaved, and I'll rule Equestria by myself for all eternity, even if it means killing everyone that would try and oppose me!"

At hearing the bold declaration Nightmare Moon had to offer, Celestia could do little more than give a dejected sigh of defeat, and shake her head sadly, much as Luna had done barely even a minute ago.

"Well, Luna, it looks like you were right. She really didn't fall for it..."

"As was to be expected."

"... Huh?"

Once again, it was a nearly unanimous statement from everyone present at hearing what Celestia and Luna were talking about, save again for Ulquiorra.

"What? What kind of nonsense are you going on about!?" Nightmare Moon demanded to know. Were they intentionally talking in riddles to try and keep her off balance or something?

"My sister was quite certain that Ulquiorra Cifer would have you pleading for mercy before long, and willing to tell us whatever we wanted to know in exchange for calling him off. But it would appear even his unique talents are not enough to break you of your wicked and arrogant ways, foul demon!" Luna offered up in explanation as she stepped forward to stand side by side with her sister. She knew better than anypony just how futile such hopes were.

And, once this was all over, she was so going to be collecting on the wager that'd been made!

Celestia nodded in acknowledgement that Luna had been right. No matter how hard one might try, it simply wasn't possible to beat the wickedness out of someone who had no intention of changing their ways. It certainly might be fun to try, but ultimately it would be nothing more than an exercise in futility, and a complete waste of time.

"Not that we would've ever honored such a deal anyway," she admitted and shrugged. Nopony might've hurt Nightmare Moon, but as Spike had so eloquently pointed out some time ago, Ulquiorra was no pony, so technically it wouldn't have been a lie, had they been concerned about such. "I'm afraid in this case "through whatever means necessary" will involve having to weigh the needs of the many, against the needs of the few, and having to accept that not every life is going to be saved by the conclusion of this mess. Certain sacrifices are, sadly, going to have to be made..."

Luna nodded in agreement. "Sad to say, we cannot afford to wait in resolving this matter any further. If you will not give them up, we will simply have to conclude that they are dead, just like all the others. And is such is the case..." she paused as her magical halberd was summoned forth once again.

"Then there's no point in leaving you alive any longer," Celestia added as she follow Luna's example and summoned her sword. "We'll just cut straight to the chase and kill you right now."

"Indeed," Luna stated with an almost sadistic glee in her voice. "Ulquiorra Cifer, if you would be so kind as to look after the others while we tend to this matter."

"Neither one of you possess the mental fortitude necessary for what needs to be done here," Ulquiorra stated bluntly as he addressed both members of the diarchy, and making it quite clear that he didn't hold their opinions of themselves in high regard right now.

There had been far, far too much dialogue going on since their arrival. Far too much time wasted on banter and threats, that could be better utilized for other purposes. If he hadn't been distracted by the undesired arrival of the others, he could have gotten the drop on Nightmare Moon, and potentially demonstrate the power of his released state to her. But instead of doing that, he had to stop and listen as words and insults were exchanged in an overly diplomatic fashion. And now they simply wanted him to step aside?

How they'd avoided being killed up to this point, he couldn't even begin to speculate.

"This is a matter best left to the professionals. Take the others, return to Ponyville, and stay out of my way until this matter is resolved," he instructed as he moved forward, ready to disregard all of this shit he was forced to put up with, and get straight to business.

"Ulquiorra."

And then he heard Princess Celestia utter his name. And the tone in which she'd uttered his name, had done much to convey the fact that she was quite serious right now. Serious enough that it was sufficient to make him turn his back on Nightmare Moon, and once again face them directly.

"While I certainly appreciate your willingness to spare us the unpleasantries of what needs to be done, it isn't your call. We're still the rulers of this nation, and as such it's our responsibility to wither the duties of safeguarding our subjects. This is something that we must do by ourselves, not you. Now please, look after the others," Celestia stated.

Despite the calm tone that was used, Ulquiorra understood that she was giving him an order, and that he was expected to comply with it, even if he disagreed with it; which he did. He could argue the point, laying out exactly why they were unqualified for undertaking this mission, and why it would be best for them to simply listen to him. He could easily crush the both of them with simple logic, and lay out the follies of what they were trying to do.

But perhaps it was best if he didn't. If they were so dead set on getting involved in this matter, perhaps the best course of action was to simply stand by, and let them figure out just how unprepared and unqualified they were. It would be a hard, bitter lesson for them to learn, and further emphasize that he knew what he was talking about.

"Very well then," he said as he slid his hands into his pockets, and turned to make his way over to where the others stood. If they couldn't handle Nightmare Moon, at least the bearers of the Elements of Harmony wouldn't suffer as a result.

"Oh this is just so precious!" Nightmare Moon squealed from her vantage point. "So you two think you can fare better against me than your bipedal friend? Oh it's going to be so much fun to crush your spirits! I'll even give you two the honor of the first move! Give me your best shot, so that I can show you true despair!" she howled.

Ulquiorra merely grunted from where he currently stood, but otherwise made no movement.

"She's getting more arrogant by the moment," Celestia muttered and shook her head, before looking towards her sister. "Are you ready for this, Luna?"

"I was born ready, dear sister. Let us do this at once! Together!" Luna replied ferociously, ready to get it on.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Celestia replied.

Ulquiorra had been on the verge of commenting how the time for talk had long since passed, but that notion died out immediately once his pesquisa detected just what was going on. The diarchy hadn't simply been standing idly by while doing nothing, but instead they were demonstrating significant levels of strength as they became deadly serious. Their individual reiatsu levels were flaring to degrees he hadn't seen before, even during times of great emotional distress on their part. Even when he'd led Princess Celestia to believe he'd murdered a number of ponies in Ponyville during the changeling invasion, that still paled in comparison to this. It was quickly reaching the point where it was painful to be in this proximity to them, and left him wondering how long it would be before he would be forced to move back further for his own sake.

That was when things suddenly changed, and he was left experiencing something far different from anything he was familiar with. It almost felt like how a Quincy could draw reiryoku into their body, but even that didn't do an adequate job of explaining it. No, this was something new. The diarchy wasn't so much flaring their reiatsu outside of their bodies in a violent demonstration of power any longer, but rather it was flaring inside their bodies. They were strengthening themselves to levels he had never seen before, going more for substance than presentation. Instead of auras to emphasize how strong they were, their bodies were glowing, as was their regalia.

And then the glowing of their bodies ceased, but that of their regalia didn't. Instead it just kept glowing and... and changing! It almost looked like it was unfolding outward, as numerous new plates began growing out and entering plain view. Numerous plates and pieces sliding together to form new sections of what could only be described as armor, accompanied by a myriad of clicks and mechanical sounds as it was reformed around them, covering greater portions of their body. And while not everything was covered by the finished product, it still offered far greater coverage and protection than the armor worn by either division of the royal guards.

Exactly how the mechanics of it all worked, he couldn't even begin to speculate. All he knew was that what he'd just witnessed would explain why Princess Celestia's crown had felt so heavy for its size, what with how it had morphed into a helmet.

He was vaguely aware of how the others were torn between cheering and being in a state of utter disbelief, but he couldn't properly focus on just who was saying what. He was more focused on how much more commanding of a presence the diarchy had about them now, as the glowing of their armor ceased, and the size of their weapons seemed to increase in proportion to their newly displayed strength.

It went without saying that the matter before them had just become far more interesting than previously.

High up above, Nightmare Moon watched in interest as the two sisters went about what they were doing. They had certainly become far more serious in this matter than they had been, but ultimately that would do them little good. They could flex their strength as much as they wanted to, but it would ultimately do them no good. They would learn just how helpless they were, whether they wanted to or not.

"Well then. This should certainly be fun..." she stated and grinned, biting at her bottom lip in the process.

Another bright flash of light occurred during the pause in her speech, this time bringing something with it. And much as both Celestia and Luna had demonstrated on their own previously, Nightmare Moon herself now possessed a weapon forged of pure mana. But unlike Celestia's sword, or Luna's halberd, hers was a scythe with a long, curved blade. And unlike what had been witnessed previously with Nightmare Moon's magic, this construct was made up of a blood red field, giving her an even more intimidating appearance as it illuminated her features.

"If you think that you're ready, then let's see just what you've got..."

Author's Note

So... yeah. This is what I've been working on ever since the last update, doing my best to craft the full, Hollywood blockbuster battle against Nightmare Moon. I've had this envisioned for a very, very long time, and a lot of thought has done into how I was going to do just that. All of the world building, all of the backstory and character moments, everything leading up to what's going to follow. Some of which can be seen being referenced now, but it won't be fully elaborated on until its proper time.

I just hope I can actually deliver the full vision to a satisfactory degree. This was a very hard chapter for me to write, and took far longer than it should have, because I know just what's coming and I know how hard it's going to be focusing almost exclusively on the battle, while still including lots of detail. I was writing this right up to the minute it was posted, I'm not entirely happy with everything, I probably missed something, but I can't keep postponing until I'm satisfied.

Extended Scene One

Nightmare Moon merely smirked in response to his silence. "I'll take your lack of a comeback, as acknowledgement of my tactical superiority in this matter, biped. Every card that has value, I hold it in my hoof. And there's not a thing that you, or the diarchy, or anypony else can possibly do about it," she said as she gave the three a taunting grin.

Her good mood at events turning in her favor was quickly spoiled, as she felt the most horrible, pounding sensation erupting out the back of her skull. She shrieked ineloquently, screaming in horrible pain, and nearly falling to the ground, her senses going fuzzy and leaving her cross-eyed for several long seconds, before she finally got hold of herself once again. Whatever had happened, it had been enough to completely cut out her spell.

That assault hadn't come from the front, it couldn't have. She hadn't seen any sign of the three of them even trying to move, much less make a move against her. Not even the biped had moved from his current spot. The only logical conclusion she could draw from that, was that somepony had actually dared to attack her from behind!

"Just... just..." she stuttered as she whirled around to eye them, nearly falling over in the process from the pounding in her skull flaring up again. "Which one of you impudent little nothings dared to assault your queen!?" she shrieked.

"I DID!"

Nightmare Moon blinked in response, both to try and clear her head, and to better see who was currently addressing her in such a disrespectful manner. She had suspected a -very small- number of ponies being so bold as to volunteer for their own execution, but to her surprise it hadn't been any of them. Instead of a pony, she was confronting a very angry looking dragon, firmly clutching a hammer with a head that was currently smoking.

"Ulquiorra and the others can't kill you because we're right here in the line of fire? Well then I'll kill you myself!" Spike roared furiously.

For far too long now, he'd been helpless in this entire mess. Helpless to do anything to help his friends. Forced to stand by uselessly and watch them get brutalized by forces that they didn't understand, unable to do anything besides take down messages to keep Celestia and Luna up to date on the state of decreasing mental health in Ponyville. And then it had gotten to the point where he couldn't even do that much, and could only stand by uselessly and watch as Twilight assumed his duties of corresponding. He had been unable to do anything except watch his friends suffer, and in the case of Rainbow Dash, he'd even been forced to hurt his friends.

And on top of all of that, here Nightmare Moon was, using them as hostages to protect herself from getting beaten by Ulquiorra? She was putting his friends in danger again, and taunting them about that fact in the most unsubtle approach he'd ever seen? He wasn't going to stand for this bullshit any longer! He'd been pushed as far as he was going to allow, and now it was time to push back!

"Bold words from a broken baby dragon," Nightmare Moon replied with a sneer, not yet certain if she should be upset, or amused with how he was actually addressing her. "What do you intend to do against me, faint again? Seriously, what can one as weak and insignificant such as yourself possibly hope to do?"

“I can oppose you,” Spike growled in response as he glared at her, not caring if the odds of actually doing such were stacked against him; that was irrelevant and immaterial right now. “I can stand up, and refuse to be afraid of you any longer,” he continued as he slowly began walking towards her, gripping the handle of his hammer even tighter than before. “I can... KILL YOU!” he roared, the last part of his statement being delivered in the truest sense of the word possible.

Amused. Nightmare Moon was definitely amused at the little dragon’s boisterous delivery, and his efforts at portraying himself as being brave when he was anything but.

“Well now, if you’re so eager to die that you simply can’t wait, I can certainly accommodate you there,” she stated. Really it was just a matter of deciding which approach to it would leave the best impression with the masses, and convince them of the futility of such.

“Spike will not be finding himself alone in such an endeavor. I will not simply abandon my friends, now or ever!”

Spike seeing fit to stand up to Nightmare Moon had been one thing. But when Zecora stood up to add her statement of support, and stand right beside him, that had been something else entirely. Those that weren’t currently hiding in terror couldn’t help but mumble to themselves and one another about this development. Somepony who was more or less one of them, thinking that she could stand up to the likes of Nightmare Moon? It was utterly insane, and yet she was doing it.

“That goes for me too!” Thunderlane stated as he stepped up to stand next to Zecora, not looking the least bit happy. “After what you did to my little brother, I’m not about to just sit by and do nothing!”

He might not’ve known Zecora as well as some ponies did, but he knew enough to not be willing to just stand off to the sidelines. Besides that, she was a sister of the stripe, and he couldn’t just let that go.

“If Thunderlane is getting involved, then so are we!” Cloud Chaser stated firmly as she also stepped up.

“Yeah, totally!” Flitter added as she stepped next to her sister, unwilling to let either her twin or their friend run off without her.

“... Aw, what the hay. I can’t be lettin’ all you pegasi be having fun without me,” Vinyl spoke up, her delivery for more restrained and casual than the others had been as she joined the rest of the growing number of ponies who were willing to tell Nightmare Moon to shove off.

"Count me in too!" Bulk Biceps bellowed as he dropped in, his hooves slamming against the grounds as he joined the growing ranks.

More and more voices of support began falling in, as more ponies began stepping up to join with their fellow residents of Ponyville. Pegasi, unicorns, even earth ponies were entering the midst, almost eagerly stepping up to stand wither to wither with the others to present a united front.

"Well, well, well. This is certainly an interesting development," Nightmare Moon mused, not expecting so many ponies to be quite this suicidal. "It looks like you've got quite a loyal army there, little dragon. It's just too bad they can't actually do anything to help you. I mean, really, what can any of you do against me? Do any of you really think you can oppose an alicorn?"

Spike, rather than wasting the effort needed to use his words in articulating just how furious he felt, instead growled in response, before pulling back, and hurling his hammer at Nightmare Moon with all of his might.

Nightmare Moon just smirked in amusement at Spike's poorly thought out -and ultimately impotent- efforts of trying to hurt her. His hammer might pose a threat to her if she ever let him get within swinging range, but all of the enchantments in the world wouldn't do him any good if he couldn't hit what he was aiming at; a fact demonstrated as she so easily sidestepped the poorly planned ballistic approach to the matter, allowing it to easily sail right on past her without so much as even a glancing blow being struck.

She had an incredibly biting retort ready to unleash on the poor dragon and his friends, mocking him for his pitiful efforts at trying to oppose her. Although that retort was quickly squashed as she felt her throat being grabbed tightly, just underneath her jawbone, before she was actually lifted up right off her front hooves!

She'd been so focused on the dragon, she hadn't even noticed the Espada coming out of nowhere, until it was far too late to do anything about it!

Had they planned this all out? Had he tricked her into focusing on the right hoof while ignoring what the left hoof was doing?

"I grow tired of needing to constantly remind you that your fight is with me; not with anyone else," Ulquiorra stated as he established eye contact between the two of them, forcing her to look at him as he spoke to her. "As such I'm going to fix that problem now."

Filler - Hollow victories, purple ponies, green bugmen and... oh to hell with it! #Cellgames

"Alright. I think it's time we stop, take a breath, and reevaluate the situation here."

Perfect Cell, better known as Mister Perfect Cell -and woe be unto anyone who addressed him differently- stood in the center of his arena, contemplating the recent events he'd found himself in the middle of. Ever since he'd announced his Cell Games -presented by Hetap!- and how they'd be held in one week, he'd been besieged by numerous challengers coming in to face him early.

Granted it was better than just standing around and waiting for the week to pass in complete silence. But the novelty of it was quickly wearing thin. Those that hadn't chickened out at discovering just how hopelessly outclassed they were, were easily bested by him, and it didn't even require using even a fraction of his superior strength.

There were still three days left before the tournament officially started. Meaning there were three more days for any number of surprises and disappointments to show up and annoy him.

"So what've we learned here? First, I was far too generous in giving this pathetic world a week to prepare! Second, I really should've made it by invitation only to keep out the riffraff. I mean, seriously, where do all of these deplorables come from? Did somebody move a rock or something, and out they all popped? Were they all left in a basket on someone's doorstep?" he asked himself, frowning in memory of that one particular asshole. "Third, I really should've put an age limit on this thing; there's way too many kids showing up to challenge me! But then again if I did that, that'd mean Gohan wouldn't be there, and I'd hate to miss the look on his face when I kill Goku and the rest of his friends..."

He really didn't want to go that route. He wanted to see that look for himself. Maybe he'd even put off killing Gohan until last, just to savor the turmoil he'd be causing him, by forcing him to watch as everyone he knew was killed off one by one right in front of him, while he just watched on helplessly.

"I suppose putting up with these children is the price that has to be paid with such. Still, being sponsored by Hetap, probably not a good idea to just let everyone in just because they show up. Maybe I should go with a height requirement instead," he muttered as he rubbed his chin in thought. "But then again if I go that route, that's going to exclude Gohan, Krillin, Chaotzu, and even Vegeta from the fun. So again, back to the matter of missing that look on their faces when I crush them. Although seeing Vegeta's face when I tell him that he's too short to get on this ride, that would certainly be something! Hmm..." he muttered again in thought, trying to formulate a way to go about keeping his sanity intact for the next three days.

"I suppose I could always..." he started, but stopped in the middle of talking to himself as he observed someone new approaching the arena. "Ugh. Here we go again. Oh well. Might as well roll out the welcome mat, and... just what the hell is that thing?"

He had faced down men, women, and even animals coming to challenge him. Martial artists, children armed with playing cards, girls armed with magical instruments, a bald man that looked like a mannequin and his cyborg sidekick, a moody high school student with a cursed notebook and god complex even worse than his own, and kids who were messing with wild animals they should be kept far away from! But this was a pair that was certainly up there in the weirdness department. One was a person dressed all in white and carrying a sword at his side, all while looking like he really didn't get enough sun. The other was... wait, was that a unicorn? Was that a purple ****ing unicorn coming this way!?

"Alright, now they're just trolling me!" he growled, feeling tempted to just blow them up where they were and be done with it. Best to wipe them out now, before that one particular idiot in black and red spandex showed up to ride the one off into the sunset, which was currently a good six hours away, give or take.

But he didn't do that. He wanted to, but he didn't. Unlike everyone else who'd showed up, these two didn't appear to be in any hurry to actually make it to the arena. They were walking like they didn't actually have any interest in meeting up wit him, and were instead simply enjoying the scenery.

What, were they actually going to wait for Goku to show up, before actually approaching him? Sure, he'd taunted Vegeta with such, but he hadn't meant for it to be taken quite this seriously!

For all the faults and shortcomings of the others, at least they'd been in a hurry to meet with him. But as for these two, they were walking so slowly, and so aimlessly, it'd be three days before they even made it to the arena at the pace they were going.

"Seriously, I'm starting to feel like I'm stuck in a mandatory side-quest or something," he commented. Who even designed these things anyway? "Hmm, I wonder what the Konami Code would get me in this situation..."

As he waited for the inevitable meeting, he realized something peculiar; they weren't moving any closer to the arena. It wasn't that they were moving away, but they weren't moving at all. They were just standing still, and conversing amongst themselves. That was just messed up.

Messed up, and very frustrating.

"If you're not going to hurry up, I'm just going to blow you up where you stand right now!" he yelled loudly.

It was only then, after actually being threatened with death, did they appear to even look in his direction. Messed up and inconsiderate all at the same time. He wouldn't even have to try if he wanted to really kill them. Hell, he could blow up the entire planet without breaking a sweat anymore; who couldn't really?

Well, other than Krillin anyway.

Finally, after what seemed like the passage of eternity, the newcomers had finally entered the ring. And now that they had, he couldn't help but note that they were even weirder looking up close than he'd first thought.

"Yep. Definitely should've made it invitation only," he muttered, before deciding to address his latest guests in a more cordial manner. "So! How can I help you today?"

"For starters, you can refrain from any further threats of killing us for whatever reason," the pale one stated in what had to be the most lifeless of tones imaginable. "You can further assist by refraining from any further interruptions, as the work we're doing is quite important. If you can't cease making a nuisance of yourself, I'll simply have to kill you."

That was easily one of the coldest, most emotionless responses Cell could remember hearing in recent history. Second only to that delivered by the... on second thought he didn't want to think about that right now! He'd focus more on the new stranger he was facing. No hesitation, no repressed anger, no overflowing of misplaced overconfidence, just a statement delivered with all the zest of one commenting on the current weather they were experiencing. Honestly, it would be much more impressive and intimidating, if it wasn't so hilarious!

"Ulquiorra, don't."

And then the purple unicorn started speaking. Still not the weirdest thing he'd encountered yet. But it was slowly starting to get up there. What was he going to encounter next, a talking dog perhaps?

"I'm really sorry about that. I apologize for my friend here, we've had quite the experience so far. We're currently lost, and trying to find our way back home, before we miss our current window of opportunity to do just that," the unicorn explained.

"Oh really now?" Cell asked, to which the unicorn nodded. "So you're not here to fight me?" he asked further. That was... disappointing to hear really.

"What? No! Why would we do something like that?" the unicorn asked, aghast at the very idea of such an unsavory course of action being undertaken. "Um, out of curiosity, just who are you anyway?"

This meeting was getting even weirder with each passing minute. These two honestly didn't know who he was? Even after advertising this event on national television? They must've been really lost for that to be the case!

But he'd humor them, if for no other reason than to pass the time, and break up the monotony of waiting for the main event to start.

"Of course, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mr. Perfect Cell! You can call me Mr. Perfect Cell!" he stated.

"Huh. That's certainly an interesting name," the unicorn mumbled. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and this is my friend, Ulquiorra Cifer," she said as she gestured to each of them in turn.

"Twilight Sparkle?" Cell asked, a smirk playing on his lips as he did. "That's a cute name. Should I assume you're some sort of vampire pony? Should I call your "Bella" for short?"

It was at this point that Cell saw the first hints of what could be described as life from Ulquiorra. Hints that consisted of giving a look of disbelief, before face palming and shaking his head.

Twilight, however, scowled and glared in response, with all the intensity of one trying to set another on fire with nothing more than the power of their mind.

"Out of basic politeness, I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear you actually say that," she stated darkly. "This time."

"Oh? Did I perchance touch a nerve just now?" Cell asked as he grinned in amusement. She'd started off sounding so polite, and now she sounded like she wanted to murder him. He couldn't help but wonder just how far this little pony could be pushed, before she actually tried to undertake such a course of action.

"You have no idea," Ulquiorra commented dryly as he withdrew his hand from his face. "Twilight Sparkle, don't allow yourself to be goaded into acting in an irrational manner. Whoever this individual is, he's obviously looking to start something through whatever means necessary."

Despite the oddity of the entire meeting, Cell couldn't help but give an amused chuckle. "Well now, my pale friend, that's quite a vicious little pet you've got there. But I'm curious as to how you concluded what I was up to. And accurately might I add."

"One, you and I aren't friends," Ulquiorra stated, completely monotone as he spoke. "Two, Twilight Sparkle is no pet. Third, even if she was, she isn't my pet. Fourth, the existence of this area in such a remote location, indicates that some sort of activity is going to be occurring in this particular area. Fifth, your presence in the area, along with that of the arena itself, suggests that you are in some way connected with whatever activity is going to be occurring. As such it's safe to conclude that you're deliberately trying to provoke her into acting in an aggressive manner."

"Well now, those are mighty impressive analytical skills right there! Even more impressive is the fact that you're absolutely right! Where you're standing is the sight destined to hold the Cell Games! Presented by Hetap!" Cell stated proudly.

Twilight blinked in response, her hostility temporarily forgotten as curiosity set in. "What exactly is Hetap? And while we're on that, who exactly is getting tapped, and for what?"

Now it was Cell's turn to blink, dumbfounded by the response he'd just gotten. "W-wait, you seriously don't know about Hetap?" he asked. How was that possible?

Twilight frowned in response, glaring at Cell in a manner that screamed "really n***er" so eloquently, it practically conveyed Samuel L. Jackson's voice in the process.

"If I knew, I wouldn't have been asking in the first place, now would I?" she asked, her voice making it clear that the question was entirely rhetorical. "Never mind. I'm assuming this "Hetap" is some sort of corporate sponsor for this event you referred to. And since it has your name in the title, it's safe to conclude that you're in some way responsible for organizing and executing whatever event warrants an arena being made available for use."

"Well now, color be impressed, and give that pony a cigar," Cell practically chuckled. "You're absolutely right, little pony. The Cell Games are something of a martial arts tournament, you could call it a successor to the defunct Tenkaichi Budokai."

"No, I don't think I could," Twilight replied and shook her head.

Cell paid the comment no mind as he continued speaking. "It's an open invitation for anyone and everyone to come and challenge the perfection that is me! Mr. Perfect Cell! Although considering all of the encounters from folks showing up early, I probably should've been more strict with the rules," he stated, mumbling the last part under his breath.

"Oh? That's quite interesting!" Twilight replied, finding herself quite intrigued by the prospect of such. "So what exactly does the winner of this tournament event get?"

"A lifetime supply of Hetap," Cell replied, "plus the honor of knowing that they saved the world from total annihilation at my hands."

...

"I'm... sorry, could you repeat that? I think I misunderstood that last part," Twilight stated.

"I'm going to blow up the planet if I win," Cell elaborated.

"You... you can actually blow up the planet? You have that sort of strength!?" Twilight asked, unable to hide the duality of fear and amazement in her words as she spoke.

"Oh please! I'm easily a dozen times stronger than what it'd take to pull of a feat of that piddly little magnitude! Even Freiza could do it!" Cell stated.

"Why would you blow up the planet!? That would kill millions! Billions even!" Twilight screamed.

By now Cell was having a hard time not succumbing to hysterical laughter. He was amused to no end at just how horrified the pony was reacting to such casual conversation.

"If they can't stand up to the likes of me, they're not fit to even be tread on. As a broken man once said, you're either perfect, or you're not me, there's no in between."

"Do-" Twilight sputtered, "do you really believe your own hype that much!?"

Now Cell really was laughing. "Oh, my little pony, I am the hype..."

"**** off!"

"Uh... what was that?" Twilight asked, horror giving way to curiosity as to where the voice in the distance had come from.

"Oh, nothing at all," Cell replied dismissively, all the while trying not to laugh further.

"I don't suppose you could actually be talked out of blowing up the planet?" Twilight asked hopefully.

"Hmm..." Cell mumbled as he rubbed his chin in mock thought. "Nope! Short of someone actually ringing me out, or killing me, this planet and everyone on it is going to be dust in three days! And no amount of talk is going to be stopping that from happening."

"Oh..." Twilight replied slowly and turned to look at her companion, "Ulquiorra-"

"Don't tell me, let me guess. You want me to stop him from blowing up the planet, because it's the right thing to do," Ulquiorra replied, already seeing where this was going.

"Oh **** no! I was going to ask you to let me deal with this one! I didn't even get the chance to spit in Nightmare Moon's face, I'm not about to miss out on this opportunity! You hang back, I'll deal with him this time around," Twilight stated.

That had done it. That was the comment that made Cell lose it, and reduce him to unrestrained laughter. This polite speaking unicorn had it in her pointy head, that she could take him on? This was rich! this begged being seen!

"That's just precious!" he barked with laughter. "And what do you think that you can do against the likes of me, the most perfect being to ever be created?" he asked.

"One more glittery vampire-related joke, and you'll find out," Twilight stated plainly.

It was at this point that Ulquiorra began walking towards the edge of the arena.

"Oh really now? Now I really have to see this for myself! So then, little vampire pony, are you on Team Edward, or Team Jacob?" Cell asked. "How's that? Is that good enough to stoke you for whatever you're going to do?"

"Good enough," Twilight replied and nodded, before taking a calming breath, and exhaling slowly.

And then all that calmness went straight to hell as a massive shock wave of force erupted outward from her body, sweeping across the entire area, even rattling the pillars of the arena in the process as it collided.

"Well holy shit!" Cell stated in surprise as he felt it impact against his carapaced body. He really hadn't been expecting that just now. At least when it came to Vegeta and Trunks demonstrating their power, he had some idea of what he was in store for; they were Super Saiyans after all! But this was just one little pony whose ki was so pitiful that he couldn't even sense it enough to read it. Where was this demonstration of power coming from!?

"I've gotta say, little pony, you actually impress me! Here I thought you were just going to talk me to death or something, but you're actually getting serious about stopping me! Bravo!" he stated.

"You think this is something? You haven't seen anything yet! This is just the warm up! Watch this!" Twilight stated.

Cell did indeed watch, as he saw Twilight's eyes start glowing with bright white light. She then threw her head skyward as she unleashed a roar/howl unlike anything he'd expected to be possible from such a little equine. This was a deep type of roar that would be more appropriate for a giant monster rampaging its way through the heart of Tokyo right now, unleashing all manner of mayhem and destruction.

She was really, really going all out in conveying the notion that she was powerful. She was hitting all of the standard theatrical tropes used to demonstrate the overwhelming power of a particular character. Glowing eyes, inhuman/inequine roaring that far exceeded the lung capacity and capabilities of the one issuing it, causing the entire ground to tremble violently, a raging battle aura of deep purple light, winds that came out of nowhere and blew the hairs of her mane and tail about in a tempest of fury... there was even a column of purple light shooting clear up to the sky. Even the ambient music was fitting, and could motivate chills running along the spine.

If he had actually possessed a penis, he would be so hard right now!

"Bravo, little pony, bravo indeed! But I'm afraid there's only one "holy shit" issued per customer, and you've already used it! You're not going to get me anymore impressed!" he stated as the roaring ceased, and she turned her focus back in his direction.

"Then I won't waste my time trying! Instead I'll move straight for the kill!" she practically howled as the glow around her body ceased, and flowed directly into her horn, giving it such a white hot intensity that little lavender sparks were beginning to fall from the tip.

"Oh that's just so precious!" Cell stated, amused to no end at how much of a theatrical approach she was going with. This was, by far, the most entertainment match he'd had since he'd played Trunks. He couldn't wait to see her face fall when she went with whatever attack she was planning, and he actually dodged it. The despair she'd be experiencing was going to be epic!

What he hadn't anticipated occurring, was Twilight completely disappearing from view. Nor had he anticipated her reappearing directly in front of him, with her horn pressed right up against his midsection, and carrying with it all the heat of a plasma cutting torch.

"Oh shi-"

Ulquiorra had learned early on that when Twilight Sparkle was in one of her moods, the wisest decision available was to get the hell out of the way, and give her room until she sufficiently calmed down. What he was witnessing now simply reinforced that particular lesson. She had been quite serious about dealing with this "Mr. Perfect Cell" by herself, and hadn't held back in unleashing the depths of her fury on him. The amount of reiryoku poured into her attack demonstrated that fact perfectly as it tore through her opponent's midsection, completely engulfing his upper body in the process as it passed through him.

Just as swiftly as the assault had started, it concluded and cut out. As expected Twilight Sparkle collapsed in a crumpled and exhausted heap, panting from how hard she'd exerted herself.

What hadn't been expected was Cell's entire upper body being vaporized, leaving nothing but his smouldering lower half remaining, which toppled over backwards and fell to the floor of the arena.

Once he was certain the danger had passed, he stepped back into the area, and walked over to check on his companion's current state.

"Are you alright?" he asked as she began sitting back up again under her own power.

"That was oddly satisfying," Twilight commented in between breaths. "How was that? Did I do alright?" she asked as she looked up at him.

"Heavy on the theatrics, but the end results are hard to argue with," Ulquiorra replied as he looked back down at the smouldering remains before them.

"Yeah, kind of hard to argue when you don't have a mouth," Twilight agreed and nodded. "So it looks like I win then. The world is saved, billions of people won't be dying at the hands of an egomaniac, and I get a lifetime supply of Hetap. Whatever that is," she stated.

"So it would appear," Ulquiorra replied.

"Alright. Now that that's done, let's get back to looking for our window so we can return home again," Twilight replied, ready to put the whole ugly incident behind them.

"Agreed," Ulquiorra replied as he turned to leave. There had been far too many weird meetings, with far too many weird beings as far as he was concerned. Equestria might've been a sugar bowl compared to other places, but it was something he was familiar with, and familiarity was preferable to all of this.

Before that as a viable option, however, Cell's lower half had leaped back to its feet, and was currently standing up under its own power.

Twilight just stared, dumbfounded and disbelieving. She'd completely atomized everything above Cell's waist, and his lower half was still moving about?

"Well. This is gonna suck," she muttered.

Not two seconds later, she was proven correct as they watched Cell's lower half twitch about, before his upper half violently erupted from the stump, leaving him soaked in some kind of green goo, but otherwise looking unharmed. Unharmed, but wide-eyed and gasping for breath.

"Gah! ****ing shit!" he screamed with his newly formed mouth. "Do you have any idea how much something like that stings!?"

"Not in firsthoof terms, but I do have a theory," Twilight replied, "how did you even do that? Regrowing your entire upper body from just a stump? How is that even physically possible?"

Despite his fury at being blown up, Cell could at least take pleasure in the fact that his opponent was dumbfounded by his superiority. That just tickled him in all kinds of impolite ways.

"Because, little pony, just like my arena, I'm the most perfect being this planet has ever seen!" he stated in response. "And now that I've seen what you can do, it's time for me to show you what I can do..."

Twilight could feel the malice in Cell's voice as he spoke, indicating that he was intent on returning the favor for what she'd put him through. This wasn't going to be good at all!

"W-wait! Waitwaitwaitwait! There's still one more thing! I still have a coup de gras that I haven't used yet!" she protested quickly, all the while backing away from Cell as she spoke. "You should see it! It's way better than what I just used against you!"

"Oh really now?" Cell asked, finding himself intrigued by the prospect of such. If blowing him in half hadn't been all this little pony could do, what else did she have. "The thing is, I know that you're playing me, but you're right. You've managed to pique my curiosity, little pony. What else have you got in stock for me?" he asked.

"Well, you obviously take a lot of pride in yourself, and your work; take your arena for example. Twenty four tiles long, twenty four tiles wide. But unlike you, your arena isn't perfect; certainly not square anyway! Your arena... is oblong!" Twilight stated.

That... was it? That was this pony's supposed coup de gras against him? Insulting the perfection of his work in such a lame and underwhelming manner?

Cell's entire body shook with laughter at this point.

"That's the best you can do? My arena is oblong? Oh that's rich!" he laughed. "Sorry, Bella, but I'm not falling for that one. This arena was expertly made by myself, there's no possible way it could be anything less than perfect!" he stated.

Twilight frowned in response, which was only deepened by the name he'd used for her.

"Your arena is as lopsided as one of Filthy Rich's business dealings, and I can ****ing prove it!" she stated, a tape measure heeding her call of appearing before her. "Observe!" she said as she pulled it out and laid it against one of the tiles in front of them. "See for yourself. Each and every one of these tiles is twenty four inches long. But when it comes to width... they're twenty four and a half inches!"

Cell's amusement hadn't abated even a bit. She was certainly dedicated in trying to make her point, even going to far as to bring visual aids into the matter to prove herself right. But there was simply no way that such could be possible. He'd made the arena himself, cut to his own specifications, and every single tile had been twenty four inches by twenty four...

... and a half inches...

He looked down just to smirk at her, but in doing so had seen the readings of the tape measure for himself. There it was, starting him in the face as plain as day, twenty four and a half inches from seam to seam.

"No! he protested. That couldn't be right, it had to be a trick! It was a rigged tape measure, that was it!

"Yes!" Twilight stated as she flipped the tool around to demonstrate the unevenness of the tile, showing that it was indeed shorter than it was wide. "Pick a tile, any tile, measure for yourself! Your ring is oblong!" she declared.

"There's no way! There's just no way!" Cell protested furiously, snatching the offending tool up to verify it for himself. He'd show this arrogant little purple unicorn that she was wrong! He was perfect, his work was perfect! She had made the error here, not him!

But that wasn't how things played out. Measuring an entirely different tile for himself, he saw that it was indeed oblong by half an inch. He moved to another tile on the other side of the area, it was oblong as well!"

"No! No! No! No! Does not compute! Does not compute! Does not compute" he yelled, frantically zooming around to find at least one tile that was perfectly square. But now matter which one of them he measured, they were all the same. Each of them oblong, each one of them as imperfect as the last.

He had ****ed up. He had put out an imperfect product, and hadn't even realized it!

"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!" he yelled furiously, the tape measure being crushed in his hand during his anger-fueled tirade! "Does not compute! Does not compute! Does not compute!" he howled.

All the while, Ulquiorra simply stood by, stoic as all get out, watching the meltdown occur as the supposed perfect being threw a temper tantrum much like a spoiled toddler not getting his way.

Author's Note

Sorry that I didn't have this uploaded in time for the anniversary. It took a whole long longer to write than I thought it would.

Ulquiorra's part comes next.

Chapter Ninety Three

Chapter Ninety Three

No matter what course of action they took, she suspected that some unacceptable loss was going to occur regardless. The only question was, when this was all said and done, which loss were they going to be forced to deal with?

"Then we'll simply have to to do whatever we can, in order to prevent that from happening," Celestia stated, already working to steel her nerves for what would lie ahead.

"I'm coming along," Spike stated once he retrieved his hammer from where it'd landed after he'd tossed it in a failed effort at doing something to stop Nightmare Moon. "And before anyone tries to talk me out of it, don't, because I don't wanna hear it!" he stated as he addressed them as a whole, rather than individually.

"Spike-" Twilight started, only to be interrupted as Spike proceeded to dominate the conversation once again.

"No! Don't try and tell me it's too dangerous out there; not again!" Spike practically yelled, cutting off whatever Twilight had to say in opposition. "Twilight, Nightmare Moon was here in Ponyville, standing right where we are right now! She managed to get away from Ulquiorra alive! If she can do that whenever she wants, then nowhere is going to be safe; out in the forest, here in town, it doesn't matter where we are if she can just teleport in and be there!"

Twilight didn't want to admit it, but she hadn't thought about that possibility. Spike was absolutely right about it not really being safe anywhere, given when they'd witnessed for themselves. If Nightmare Moon could simply come and go as she pleased, and not even Ulquiorra could stop her from doing such as she pleased, then staying behind really wasn't the safest course of action available to them. Under such circumstances, she didn't think that anything could be considered as such. The safest course of action available to them, was probably the lot of them staying close together, and relying on strength in numbers.

"If you're going, then I'm going too!"

Twilight's head whipped around as she heard this, and saw Rainbow Dash slowly standing back up, despite how weary she currently looked. As exhausted as she had to be, the very notion of her willingly putting herself right in harm's way again was a very bead idea. But before she could even begin addressing just why this was a bad idea, Rainbow Dash was already speaking again.

"If we're going to find those missing foals, we're going to need air support for covering greater territory. Luna and Celestia are going to need to deal with Nightmare Moon, so they're going to be indisposed. I'm the only one qualified to do it," she explained, her voice filled with commitment, dedication, and passion, despite just how tired she must've been. "I don't deserve the Element of Loyalty if I'm just gonna hang back and cower because I got my flank kicked, while others go out and put themselves in danger. I need to do this!"

Twilight honestly didn't know how to respond. Where exactly was Rainbow Dash finding the strength necessary to do this? Where was she finding the strength necessary to even consider doing this? She should've been laying in a hospital bed, sedated, and hooked up to an IV to assist her on the road to recovery; not standing here in armor, and planning to go right back into the heart of danger! The very insanity of it had her mind reeling with disbelief.

"I'm afraid I can't allow you to go and do that, darling," Rarity spoke up and shook her head, not about to let her friend go running headlong into danger again.

"You can't stop me," Rainbow Dash pointed out simply.

"Oh I'm well aware of that fact. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. What sort of a friend would I be if I simply stood by, and didn't make an effort at trying?" Rarity asked. "I'm afraid there's simply no other choice. If you're set on going out there again, then I'm going too."

"Wait, what?" Twilight asked as she turned to face Rarity. Spike being willing to set out on this, she could understand as he was young and impressionable. Rainbow Dash, she could understand as she was still looking for payback. But Rarity was volunteering to set out on this damn fool errand along with them!? "Rarity, you too? You can't be serious!"

"I'm quite serious, Twilight. We just got Rainbow Dash back, I'm not about to let her head off into danger yet again; it was a bad enough idea the first time around," Rarity stated. "And seeing as I can't actually stop her from doing such, the only course of action that's acceptable is to go out there with her. Once out there, she's going to need all the help she can get," she explained.

"None o' ya are goin' anywhere without me," Applejack stated as she stepped forward, her voice firm as she spoke. "After what Nightmare Moon did ta us, Ah'm all fer stickin' it to 'er one way or another."

"I can't believe this!" Twilight stated in complete disbelief. This wasn't happening, it just couldn't be! Did her friends really have any idea of just what they were talking about doing?

Well she was certain that Rainbow Dash did, she'd been out for blood since the beginning of all this. But the rest of them? Really? She knew Celestia and Luna had told them that they might have to prepare themselves for making difficult decisions in this fight with Nightmare Moon, but did they understand the gravity of what was being discussed? Did any of them understand that they were going to kill Nightmare Moon? Did they understand that before that, they actually had to save Nightmare Moon from Ulquiorra, in order to try and find out where the missing foals might currently be? She certainly doubted that they understood the full weight of everything.

"Well ya'd best start believin' it, Sugarcube, because it's happenin'. There ain' no way, in either Tartarus or hell, that we're lettin' ya do this all by yerself," Applejack replied.

On the one hoof, Twilight was touched by the sentiment of Applejack's statement. But on the other hoof, she knew her friends were missing the point.

"N-no, that's not what I mean," she stated as she shook her head. "You and the others do realize that we actually have to convince Ulquiorra to not kill Nightmare Moon, until we can find and rescue the missing foals, right? We have to actually convince him to take the illogical course of action to threat management, and I don't have a clue how we're going to do that! No matter what any of us might say, he's going to have the logical high ground in this case."

"That's certainly a likely outcome," Celestia spoke up as she stepped forward. She knew that trying to appeal to Ulquiorra would be problematic at best under these circumstances. Trying to explain why killing Nightmare Moon shouldn't be done would be an exercise in futility. Instead they'd have to go a different route, and likely order him to stop. And if it proved necessary, then she would remind him of how he had accepted the fact that she was in charge here.

"Indeed so," Luna added and gave a single nod of acknowledgement, before turning her attention towards Twilight and her friends. "But it is not a matter you need concern yourselves with. Celestia and I will be setting out on this mission alone. Out there is no place for any of you."

Spike stared at them in disbelief. Was Luna seriously saying that they weren't coming along? Even after they'd established that Nightmare Moon seemed fully able to come and go as she pleased? This just couldn't be happening!

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Screw that. I'm not waiting around here for Nightmare Moon to come back just to prove that she can. If you're heading out, then I am too! Let's take the fight to her!"

"That goes double for me!" Spike stated, his tone just as firm as Rainbow Dash's had been.

Twilight groaned, finding it far easier to do than bang her head on a wall, as it was a prospect that would require the effort of walking over to a building to actually do such. Right now she didn't feel like engaging in all the walking necessary to do that, as she would just have to walk all the way back once she was done.

Luna had good points. But then again so did Rainbow Dash, Spike, and the others who were adding their two bits to the ongoing discussion/argument. Going into the Everfree Forest was both incredibly dangerous and stupid. But staying in Ponyville, while smarter, was no safer; not with what they knew. Nightmare Moon had to be kept alive until they got what they wanted, but she had no obligation, or a compelling reason, to actually comply and give them what they wanted; not even if they tried to beat it out of her with a stick. Which sounded quite therapeutic right now, but hardly a constructive effort.

But there was also the fact that every minute Nightmare Moon was allowed to say alive, she threatened Equestria's safety through her very existence. That was established, undeniable fact. If one were to even try and deny it, they'd get slapped right across the face; because she would personally be the one doing it in response to such a stupid notion even being allowed to be voiced! That matter of stupidity aside, however, the point remained that in order to save those foals, they had to put Equestria at risk. No matter how much she looked at the equation, no matter which angle she tried to analyze it from, that was a matter she couldn't reconcile away.

'There will be times when hard decisions have to be made. When one must weigh the potential outcomes of whatever course of action they choose to take, and must be done quickly; sometimes in the space of time it takes one to blink. Sometimes even faster than that. The decision to weigh six, in exchange for six million, is something that may have to be regarded as being a distinct possibility at some point. But simply because we accept that a specific course of action must be taken, doesn't necessarily make it any easier to actually see it through to the end.'

And just like that, once again, she found Ulquiorra's words forcing themselves into the forefront of her mind, and with an echo of relevance.

He had seen this situation coming long before any of them had even considered it as being a possibility. Maybe not this exact scenario, with these specific factors currently in place, but certainly this situation of making difficult decisions when lives were at stake.

No matter what course of action was taken, it was almost certainly going to lead to more innocent ponies dying, and they would all be responsible for such; especially her. No matter what angle she looked at the problem from, she wasn't seeing a way out of it. They had no idea where the missing foals currently were, or if they were even still alive. And while they tried to sort that out, Nightmare Moon could easily cause untold levels of death and destruction.

Regardless of the course of action, she was quite certain that it was going to violate the teachings and principles that Equestria held so dearly. Did they even realize that? She certainly doubted it with all of the back and forth arguing that was going on around her. Luna was yelling, Spike was yelling, Rainbow Dash was yelling and occasionally joined by support from one of the others... it was all too much.

"QUIET" she screamed, much as she did the last time she needed everypony's attention. And upon seeing that she had it, she took full advantage of it. "We can stand here and argue over who goes and who stays until doomsday, but it's not going to change anything! Nightmare Moon is using those foals as a shield, and we don't know anything that would let us figure out how we're going to proceed! If we try and save them, we put Equestria at risk. But if we focus on saving Equestria, we put them at risk! Whatever we do, ponies are going to die, so the lot of you, just quit screaming like foals, and tell me what do we do about that!?"

She was seething right now, angry in both ways and extent she couldn't express. If she tried she would only wind up screaming and shrieking incoherently, like an unintelligent, inarticulate brute. Already she was very close to doing just that. She was vaguely aware that other ponies were slowly moving away from their position, likely because of her current demeanor, but there was nothing she could do about that right now. She desperately both wanted and needed answers, but there were none to be found. She didn't know how to deal with that!

The next thing she knew, there was the touch of something soft and downy upon her back, gently stroking her along the grain of her fur. She's been so upset, so close to simply losing it, she hadn't even noticed that Celestia had stepped over, and was currently in the process of trying to soothe her nerves as best possible.

It was hard to deny that it'd been a long time since she felt such, serving as a reminder that she wasn't alone, and that everything wasn't crashing down all around her. Just the feel of such soft feathers was working wonders at walking her back from the edge she was on. It felt good, it felt familiar, it felt... nostalgic even.

"Better?" Celestia asked in a tone that only she could muster.

Twilight silently nodded, not confident in her ability to speak right now.

Celestia nodded in turn. "It's certainly quite the conundrum to be facing. One that countless rulers have found themselves facing countless times in the past; having to weigh the needs of the many, against the needs of the few or the one. No matter what choice is made, there's always the nagging question if it was the correct decision to make."

Twilight nodded again, choosing not to bring up the fact that Celestia sounded like she was intimately familiar with the ins and outs of what they were discussing. Right now there were certain things that she would rather not know, and not get involved in. There would be plenty of time for that later on.

"Ulquiorra wouldn't have any trouble making the decision," she commented. She knew exactly what he would do if faced with the conundrum, and he wouldn't even have to think about it. "It's all a numbers game to him..."

"Life is unfortunately like that at times," Celestia replied as she continued running her wing along her back.

"There's no way to avoid it, is there?" Twilight asked.

"None that are particularly viable, short of us actually finding the foals. But they could literally be anywhere by now," Celestia replied and let out a long, tired sigh. "I think we all know what we have to do in this case, no matter how much we wish to the contrary..."

Twilight nodded once, solemnly and sadly. Celestia was right. More to the point Ulquiorra was right.

But beyond that, she realized that Spike was also right. Being here wasn't safe. In fact... in fact it might even be a liability to stay in Ponyville!

"I want to be there," she finally stated. "More accurately, I think that I need to be there. The others and I would be the most logical target for Nightmare Moon to try and strike if she manages to get away again. It'd be best for everypony if we were as far away from them as possible. And I can't think of anywhere further away right now than right under her snout."

"Clever," Celestia mumbled, "but are you sure the others would want to go along with something like that?" she asked.

"There's really only one way to find out," Twilight admitted, before clearing her throat in an effort to get the attention of not only her friends, but the others that were still present. "Everypony, what I have to say isn't easy, so please listen up...." she spoke as she stepped forward, moving away from the comfort provided by Celestia's wing.

+++

Twilight had explained the situation to them. She had meticulously broken down the matter to the best of her abilities, carefully laying out the intricacies of what would likely be experienced to all who were willing to listen. She explained the hazards that would be involved with staying present, as well as those should they depart in preparation for battle. She had been blunt, she'd been honest, she'd been on the verge of cursing up a storm at several points due to how much rage was bubbling just below the surface. But above all else, she'd been eloquent in informing the others of just what they needed to know, to make an informed decision.

When all was said and done, and she asked who was still willing to actually set out for the forest, five hooves and one claw had been raised in addition to her own, before she'd even been able to finish getting the question out. Despite knowing what likely laid ahead of them, her friends hadn't hesitated to volunteer for could quite possibly be the last mission they'd ever undertake together as friends. It had simultaneously warmed her heart, and moistened her eyes greatly.

Luna wanted nothing to do with any of it, however. She'd stated outright that them coming along was a very bad idea, and that she would have no part in knowingly taking them into such a dangerous situation, where Nightmare Moon could so easily exploit their presence.

It had been a good point, and Twilight couldn't deny the logic contained within. But to avoid a long, drawn out argument that merely treaded over already established points once again, she'd made a simple statement of fact; she and her friends were going, one way or another. If she tried to leave without them, she'd immediately latch onto them with a spell prior to the completion of the teleportation, that would drag the lot of them along for the ride. If such efforts failed, Rainbow Dash could easily lead them to where Nightmare Moon and Ulquiorra currently were; a fact that Rainbow Dash had all too eagerly agreed with.

Luna had finally relented in light of the realization that the matter was largely hopeless, but had made it clear that it was under protest, and that she really hated the idea of taking them into the heart of what potentially had to be the most dangerous conflict Equestria had ever seen in its history.

Nonetheless, she has still bestowed the thestral vision enchantment upon the lot of them prior to their travel.

It was easy to dismiss such concerns while one was -relatively- safe from harm, high on bravado, and in the heat of the moment.

Now that they were here, however, where everything was unfolding around them... it was an entirely different story, and it was making her start to regret their decision to come along, for what was ultimately witnessing a state-sanctioned execution.

They had all thought that they were prepared for matters like this, what with everything they'd faced in the past. Nightmare Moon's first return, the dragon, Discord's escape, the changeling invasion, Sombra's return... none of that could even hold a candle to any of this right now! This was real, and it was unfolding right before their very eyes.

They might wield the Elements of Harmony themselves, but the power of an Alicorn -to say nothing of two Alicorns- was something that simply had to be seen in order to truly be comprehended. There was just no way simply describing it would do it true justice. The gap between their respective levels was simply too insurmountable to even convey. Even just standing close to Celestia and Luna as they stopped restraining themselves, as they allowed their magic to freely flow throughout their bodies...

The amount of power they were both using right now was unprecedented, having never been recorded before in Equestria's known history.

She'd felt that kind of power once before in her life. High above Canterlot, during the second changeling invasion, when Ulquiorra had revealed his trump card to them all. The force he'd used in curb stomping the dragon? That had been nothing compared to what he could truly do. The amount of strength and power he commanded in his slender frame was utterly mind boggling, and she knew that it was a strength that exceeded what her mortal mind could properly comprehend; it was like trying to explain the mechanics of quantum physics to the foals that Miss Cheerilee taught. Simply being in his presence in such a state, was enough to induce a sense of despair and defeat.

But even that didn't properly compare to what was being witnessed now. The power coming off of the two sisters was a different order of magnitude compared to that of Ulquiorra. Its intensity, its texture, the effects it instilled within those that felt it... the differences that could be comprehended were so very stark to one another. It was soul crushing, but at the same time it was so very uplifting and comforting to experience. There was so much strength it was almost physically palpable, but it was a strength that was reassuring to be in the presence of.

When they finally broke and went on the offensive to attack Nightmare Moon -leaving trails of colored light in their wake in the process- it carried a sense that everything was going to be alright, because they were going to make it be alright, and leave nothing at all to chance.

But Nightmare Moon's presence conveyed a sense of strength as well. Maybe not like the other three, which could be felt in a more physical sense, but it was most certainly there. The amount of fear she must've gorged herself on had to truly be monstrous to explain it all. Her presence inspired a sense of panic and urgency, like being able to induce an anxiety attack in others through mere will alone. Her strength was conveyed on a far, far more primal level. It had the ability to tear right through the civilized mind, and register itself on a base, instinctual level, that so many deluded themselves into believing was no longer there.

That wasn't to say that Nightmare Moon's strength wasn't real, as it most certainly was. Celestia and Luna had both been quite aggressive in launching a frontal assault on her position, the two working in tandem to try and strike her down as quick as possible. They moved in a manner that suggested some sort of synchronization, or at the very least a shared understanding of one another, and what each of them had to do. But despite this, observation showed that Nightmare Moon wasn't really exerting herself in her efforts as she dodged, parried, blocked, and just plain evaded their attacks.

From their vantage point down on the ground, it was difficult to observe just which muscle groups were being utilized for each movement performed. But the movements themselves on Nightmare Moon's part were fluid. Too fluid to suggest that she was actually struggling in her efforts at guarding against the assault. Originally she thought it was just because she kept moving, that kept Celestia and Luna from successfully flanking her in a combined attack. But the more she watched as the display of yellow, blue, and red streaks of light zoomed about in the sky overhead, the more she realized this wasn't the issue. Instead it was something much worse; they were being played.

Nightmare Moon had showed her hoof twice before already. The first time had been when Fluttershy was attacked in the marketplace, and the second time had been just minutes ago when she'd appeared right in the middle of the assembled crowd. She was deliberately inserting herself into a situation where any move against her, that might have the chance of doing significant damage, would put bystanders at risk in the process. She'd even dared them to attack her since she was exposed, knowing full well that they couldn't make a move against her so long as others were in close proximity.

Now they were witnessing her utilizing her strategy for the third time, and none of them had even seen it coming until it was too late to actually do anything about it.

As vicious and brutal as Celestia and Luna were in their attacks, they still had a fatal weakness that they couldn't overcome in this fight. That weakness was, unfortunately, each other. They were working together to increase their effectiveness, but that effectiveness was being hampered by having to be constantly aware of each other's position in order to avoid delivering a fatal blow to the wrong target. It was inhibiting their follow through, causing them hesitate at points where a potentially fatal opening would've otherwise been presented and subsequently exploited.

Even when they changed up their strategy so they weren't working side-by-side, and instead were attacking from both the front and back at the same time, it still wouldn't do them any good. Nightmare Moon's scythe simply provided too much cover to get in close where she was. Even if that wasn't the case, there was still the fact that both sisters had to be careful in their follow through, as one wrong move by Nightmare Moon would lead to her being missed, and one of them being hit in the process.

If they could be separated from one another, if Nightmare Moon had to face them in a one-on-one fashion, her main strategy would fall apart, and she'd be at a severe tactical disadvantage. She'd be quickly overwhelmed by just one of them, and easily killed in short order if she faced either Celestia or Luna on their own.

But the question was how to go about convincing them to actually step back, and let the other face Nightmare Moon on their own? Even if she could command the Royal Canterlot Voice with the same level of skill as Luna, she doubted they'd actually listen to her explain the matter, as this was quite personal to them. Or worse, Nightmare Moon might attack them while they were distracted because they had to stop and listen to her.

If there were any options available to them, she was oblivious to just what they might be. Nightmare Moon had managed to hurt the two of them in a deeply personal manner that most simply wouldn't be able to understand. Their actions might've consciously been about protecting Equestria, but it would be pretty foalish to rule out the possibility that unconsciously they were looking for how to deliver payback upon her, and smite her ass for all that she'd put them through. She knew that it had to apply to them, because that had been a part of her motivation for coming out here in the fist place; she wanted revenge. Simple, uncomplicated, undeniable revenge...

But watching as things unfolded, she knew that revenge wasn't going to be the answer here; either for herself, or for them. Revenge was clouding their minds on the issue, making them sloppy, and leaving Nightmare Moon with the clear advantage in the matter. They were just too angry to properly think straight, and it could only get worse. The longer Nightmare Moon managed to physically rebuff them, the angrier they'd get, the sloppier they'd become, and it would only be a matter of time before one of them made the wrong move at the wrong time. The diarchy could easily become a monarchy if this predicament wasn't resolved soon.

What could they do about it, however? That was a contingency she hadn't exactly planned upon, and now she was regretting it. They'd come here for a myriad of reasons, but chief among them had been to act as decoys, reasoning that if Nightmare Moon tried to escape and take hostages again, they'd be the ones most likely to be used due to their importance. Their being here was to try and dissuade Nightmare Moon from returning to Ponyville, and hopefully keep the others safe. But how could they go about doing that, if they couldn't even keep themselves safe?

They were foaling themselves. It was really that simple. They were useless in this instance, and there was nothing that they could do. If they'd been practical about the matter, and approached from a purely logical angle, they would've simply stayed behind in Ponyville, and let Ulquiorra do what he did best. Nightmare Moon would've been dead by now, and this entire mess would be over. But that hadn't done that! Oh no, they just had to go and come out here, because they were all delusional in the belief that they might be able to do something that Ulquiorra couldn't do on his own! They couldn't even resist the hallucinations brought on by the terror fog, just what the fuck were they supposed to do against Nightmare Moon directly? They didn't even have the Elements of Harmony to fall back on in this case! The most powerful magical artifacts in all of Equestria, and they were just sitting back in the library like useless garbage, because that demonic bitch had found a way to sabotage them! That was why they were here right now, trying to kill her the old fashioned way, having to condemn the missing foals to death, and it was all her fault!

The more she thought on the matter, the angrier she found herself becoming at a direct result. She was growling, even snarling angrily, mentally berating herself for her own uselessness. If she'd focused more effort on learning how to conjure and maintain a mana weapon like Celestia and Luna could do, instead of becoming distracted with everything going on around Ponyville, they might not even be in this situation to begin with! She could've materialized the blade right in Nightmare Moon's guts and eviscerated her right on the spot. This might as well all be her fault directly! She was linked to so many deaths already, realistically what was a few more?

There weren't enough curse words in either her language, Ulquiorra's language, or any of the other languages in Equestria, to adequately articulate what she felt right now. Her blood was boiling, she couldn't see straight, she couldn't hear straight, she couldn't even think straight. The only coherent thought running through her mind right now, at this moment in time, was that she wanted Nightmare Moon to die, no matter what it took to get there!

High above the ground, far removed from the others so they wouldn't be in the way, Luna, Celestia, and Nightmare Moon were going all out in their efforts in killing each other. It was combat in its most brutal, most unrefined sense, far removed from being a well choreographed dance between the three of them. This was all quite real and one wrong move all but spelled certain death for those that were directly involved. And that was what worried Luna right now.

Despite the amount of unyielding rage that she was feeling for her adversary right now, and the overwhelming desire to utterly rip and tear Nightmare Moon's guts out, even she couldn't deny the fact that she was concerned about Celestia at the moment. Even with the threat of danger, and the rush of adrenaline, certain thoughts refused to be drowned out entirely.

Celestia's entire demeanor was certainly better than it had been just an hour ago, but that didn't mean she herself was better. Anger was certainly more constructive than despair in a situation such as this. But at the same time anger was just as much a double-edged sword as Celestia's own weapon was. Anger had the potential to render one blind to their surroundings, and leave them oblivious to the threats that stared them right in the face.

As strong as her sister was trying to be right now, Luna knew the truth was otherwise. She was still emotionally disturbed after Nightmare Moon's attack, much as Rainbow Dash herself had been, but without the benefit of time and support to assist her in coping with everything. They'd been forced to muster Celestia out in a mentally vulnerable state because they needed her right then. And now she was witnessing the consequences of those actions.

Celestia was acting in a reckless manner, giving into her rage as she wailed on Nightmare Moon, striking at her in a manner that was high on theatrics, but quite low on effectiveness. More often than not, she was going for wide, sweeping arcs with her sword to try and cleave her opponent in half, but also leaving herself open to a counterattack. Thrusts would've been much more appropriate to go with, and harder to guard against, but such was simply not happening.

She had allowed herself to believe that the matter could be controlled. She'd deluded herself into believing that by convincing Celestia to fight alongside her, her current mental instability could be adequately addressed. But that just hadn't been the case. Rather than fighting in a unified manner, Celestia had quickly descended into acting in a reckless manner that put them all at risk. More than once she'd been forced to break off her own attack because her sister was pursuing one of her own that could potentially inflict harm on the wrong opponent.

Nightmare Moon, unfortunately, was quite in control of her mental faculties, and easily able to contend with Celestia's rage. She was easily deflecting, blocking, and guarding against whatever attack her sister tried to deliver against her, which was only serving to make Celestia all the angrier as she went.

Loathe as she was to admit it, Luna couldn't deny that Nightmare Moon had the clear advantage in the matter. While she and Celestia were certainly stronger, Nightmare Moon was far more composed, and able to overcome whatever offense was thrown against her; in a sense she was the smarter of them. She wasn't succumbing to emotion, she wasn't overextending herself, she even rarely went on the offensive. She was drawing them into engagement on her own terms by simply demonstrating a bit of patience. And worse than that, they were actually falling for it. If something wasn't done fast, it stood to reason that they'd simply exhaust themselves, and then she could easily move in for the kill. They would become sloppy the longer this was continued, more prone to making mistakes, and leaving themselves open for exploitation.

The above factors were simply unacceptable. Something needed to be done about this situation to rectify it. But the question was, what might that be? She was too busy worrying about Celestia's well being to devote the necessary mental focus on not only keeping tabs on her, but also contemplating all of the available options. She was good at logical thinking, but there was only so much that she could actually do in this situation. Ulquiorra was likely more qualified for this particular multitasking endeavor, but that was neither here nor there right now. Calling him in to help would just put others at risk in the process. She was going to have to do this one on her own, and simply hope for the best.

During the time of her reign as one of the rulers in Equestria, Celestia had found it prudent to be fluent with a fair number of languages for when she received visiting foreign dignitaries. Over the course of centuries she'd lost count of just how many different languages she'd learned, as some simply weren't as common as they once used to be.

That matter aside, she wasn't aware of the appropriate words in any of them that could adequately describe just how much anger she felt right now, as she faced down Nightmare Moon once again! And the fact that she wore a smug-assed smirk throughout the engagement, only served to further infuriate her. That, and make her want for a cheese grater for removing that smirk from the face that wore it!

Despite the physical combat element of their engagement, facing Nightmare Moon was reminding her a lot of the psychological game of chess that the day court brought with it whenever she had to address certain nobles. But seeing as Nightmare Moon had been bound to a certain noble for a millennium, that really wasn't a surprising development to note. Further infuriating, but not all that surprising really.

"You look tired, Celestia. What's the matter, are you not getting enough rest?" Nightmare Moon crooned as she blocked yet another sword strike with her scythe, the sound of the two fields crackling against one another filling the air in the immediate area between them. "Do you need to lay down and take a nap? Maybe get a glass of warm milk?" she taunted further.

"Your concern is overwhelmingly touching," Celestia bit back, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she spoke. "I'll nap quite soundly after I make sure you're dead for good this time. In fact it'll be the second thing I do, after I send your head in to be stuffed and mounted!" she shrieked as she dragged the edge of her sword down along Nightmare Moon's scythe, before repositioning the blade to run parallel to the ground, and lunged forward is a strong thrusting motion to impale her opponent straight through the heart.

But such a simple move was insufficient for actually doing anything of effect against Nightmare Moon; a fact that was demonstrated as her opponent simply moved back, easily stepping out of the limited range over which she could extend her sword.

"Oh my! Crude and slow doesn't even begin to describe that one. I'm actually embarrassed for you, Sunbutt, thinking something like that might work against me," Nightmare Moon stated. "I'm also a little offended. I thought I was special to you. I guess I was wrong there."

"Oh you're certainly special, alright," Celestia quipped in response. "In fact you're so special to me, that I'm going to-"

"Sister!"

Celestia found her -admittedly vulgar- declaration of intent cut short as Luna's booming voice caught her attention, forcing her to acknowledge her sister's presence as she hovered next to her.

"Do not let her goad you into acting recklessly. You are smarter than her. You know that, I know that, and she knows that. That is why she is trying so hard to keep you unbalanced," Luna stated, "and succeeding at it, apparently," she muttered to herself.

Celestia grunted in response, Luna's snide comment not being quiet enough to totally escape her ears. She wanted to tell her sister to mind her own business, and that she could easily take care of herself. But she stopped short of doing such, as deep down she realized that Luna was indeed right. Despite everything Nightmare Moon had done to them, everything she'd done to her, she still had enough sense to realize when she was in the wrong on the matter. Allowing herself to succumb to the sheer amount of hatred she had in her right now, would do none of them any favors.

"You're right, Luna, you're right," she admitted as she forced herself to calm back down. "I'm allowing myself to get far too worked up over the desperate gambits, of nothing more than a mere gjenganger in this matter."

Nightmare Moon grunted at Celestia's insult and scowled at the two of them, but ultimately said nothing, refusing to lose her composure in the matter. She'd already allowed herself to lose far too much of her composure as it was, thanks to that pasty-faced, mass-murdering, bipedal abomination currently running around, and that stupid dragon with his stupid little enchanted hammer. She wasn't about to dignify them any further in their futile endeavors against her. And if they were going to be stubborn about it, then she was just going to have to up the ante in response.

"I wonder if you'd be saying the same thing about Ready Stance if he were here right now..." she practically purred.

One could practically feel the change in the air at Nightmare Moon's blatant taunt being issued without even a second thought. Whereas Luna and Celestia had been working at maintaining at least some form of composure and discipline over themselves, those efforts were swiftly fading in response. Ready Stance had been among the very best of day guard, and had served them loyally for many years. When it came to selecting which guards would look after Rainbow Dash during her suicide watch, he had been at the top of the list of candidates. His untimely demise -his murder at the hooves of Nightmare Moon- in the line of duty had been a great tragedy to the palace staff, to say nothing of his own family.

And to have his memory mocked by the one who had ultimately been responsible for killing him... that had been it. After that low blow of a taunt, Nightmare Moon was now going to be in for a world of pain that she couldn't possibly hope to comprehend. Even Luna couldn't bring herself to let such disrespect go without repercussions being soundly and vigorously delivered in response to this.

But nothing of the sort actually came to pass, as once again the air changed. Unlike the previous one, however this was a change that could literally be felt, and feeling it caused a sudden tremor running up the both of their spines.

A tremor of such magnitude, it caused an involuntary shudder throughout each of their bodies, much like being exposed to a cold arctic wind. It was all a very familiar, and very terrifying sensation to experience out of the blue. Terrifying enough that their focus was sufficiently broken, and their weapons dissolved back into the ether from whence they'd been summoned to begin with.

"Oh no..." Celestia practically squeaked out with wide, panic-filled eyes. This couldn't be happening to them, not now of all times! "Faust, please, not now..." she all but whimpered.

But her pleas were met only with screaming. Terrible, horrible screaming that defied rational explanation. Screaming that couldn't be typified and codified in a neat and orderly fashion. Screaming that was soon joined by an eruption of turbulent magical energies from behind their current position, that just served to further cement the fact that this was indeed happening, and it was happening right now!

The intensity of the eruption simply couldn't be emphasized enough. Lesser ponies might've easily been blown right off their hooves from being in close proximity to it. It was enough to draw both of their attentions away from Nightmare Moon herself, as they turned around to verify for themselves just what was going on.

Much as Celestia had feared, the disturbance was coming from Twilight herself. But this wasn't the same sort of disturbance they'd felt down in the prisons of Canterlot palace during the changeling invasion, when her outburst had resonated throughout the marble hallways, and destroyed a good portion of the throne room in the process. That had been worthy of concern on its own merits, but what was happening currently was far, far worse than that.

She'd only felt this with Twilight at one other point in time, and it had nearly ended in catastrophe. And it was just as terrifying right now, as it had been way back when she'd first met the little filly at the entrance exams.

In the few seconds that had passed since Twilight's inequine screaming began, her entire body erupted in a bright flash of light, as a lavender aura completely encompassed her, accompanied almost immediately by a second magical pulse emanating outward from her body, kicking up dust in every direction in the process. Nearly all of her companions had scattered -either of their own volition or otherwise- from the immediate area as the shock wave struck, and the aura expanded at least a meter in every direction. Right now it was difficult to tell if it was truly an aura, or if she'd erected a personal force field around herself.

For whatever reason, through whatever manner, a core breach event had been initiated.

"What're you waiting for?!"

The sudden yell had brought their attention back to their immediate surroundings, and they quickly realized that it was Nightmare Moon who was addressing the both of them.

That fact in and of itself was just... unusual. Rather than striking when their attention had been drawn elsewhere, she'd just been hanging back and hovering there, her own eyes wide with what they could only assume was terror at what she was witnessing for herself. Whatever it was, it had sufficiently shaken her focus to the point the cohesion of her scythe was no longer being maintained.

"Go to her, you foal! Go to her and stop her, before she blows us all to the Elysian Fields!" she shouted anxiously, her voice heavy with what sounded like genuine panic as she addressed Celestia directly. "What're you waiting for, you idiot?! I didn't work so hard to return to this world just for this! Defeating the two of you won't mean anything if she winds up killing all of us!"

Celestia was at a loss as her mind tried to process this information. Nightmare Moon was actually imploring her to act before it was too late. Not only that, but she was making no move that would suggest it was a trap to attack when her guard was dropped. This was all far, far too weird. Had she actually been driven insane by everything going on? Had the strain of leadership finally broken her mind?

"Go now, sister!" Luna screamed, breaking her out of her confusion. "Tend to Twilight Sparkle before it is too late! I shall tend to this demonic wench myself!" she stated as her once again summoned her halberd, more than ready to engage Nightmare Moon by herself, without having to worry about collateral damage getting in the way.

Celestia could do little more than nod in response as she placed her trust in Luna's capabilities. Right now she had to get to Twilight while there was still time.

Spike hadn't been in Canterlot for the changeling invasion, so naturally he hadn't observed a great many details transpire. He'd been forced to rely on others to relay what they'd witnessed for themselves, while he was left to coordinate things in Ponyville.

But their accounts had done nothing to prepare him for the sudden eruption of rage and power that was coming from Twilight right now! One moment they'd been discussing the aerial combat going on high over head, and the next thing he knew he was diving for cover, as she suddenly started roaring in a manner that'd scare a full-grown dragon!

Seeing Twilight angry wasn't anything new; growing up and living with her for as long as he had, it was impossible not to. He knew firsthoof -better than almost anypony- just what sort of temper she had about her. On more than one occasion, he'd witnessed how her anger seemed to manifest itself in the form of a blazing, fiery unicorn that looked like it could burn down all of Ponyville without even trying. But all of that just seemed to pale in comparison to what he was witnessing right now. He'd been scared before when Twilight lost her temper in a truly epic fashion, who wouldn't be? But this was truly something else. This felt way different than all the times before. It felt a lot more terrifying to be witnessing; terrifying enough that he honestly considered running away, for fear of what she might actually do.

He had no way of actually knowing it for himself, but his sentiments on the matter were shared equally by everypony in the immediate area. What they felt coming from Twilight was truly astounding and terrifying. Nothing like this, as far as they could remember, had ever been experienced before. And if they made it out of this alive, none of them wanted to experience it again either! It wasn't just frightening to experience, it was even downright painful to feel the degree of unstable magical energies radiating off of her body and against theirs. Energies that caused even the ground beneath their hooves to tremble, as if even it was afraid of her right now.

And then there was the matter of her screaming. Terrible, horrible screaming that chilled them to the bones. To the very marrow of their bones! Screaming that simply shouldn't have been possible with either the structure of her diaphragm, or the capacity of her lungs.

Not even Ulquiorra was immune to experiencing concern over these developments. However his concerns were of an entirely different nature.

Much like the others, his primary focus had been on the aerial combat unfolding high above them. Yet even with his attention being directed toward the dogfight between the three combatants -and their utter incompetence in that field- it had still been impossible for the disturbances in the area to actually escape being sensed by his pesquisa. He had detected them early on, how they'd been coming from Twilight Sparkle herself, and how they'd growing throughout the entire demonstration. Not simply growing in strength, but growing in terms of magnitude and instability. These hadn't been steady increases that suggested a deliberate course of action, but rather an uncontrolled reaction of some sort; like a freak accident that resulted from negligence on the part of one demonstrating carelessness.

During his time in Equestria, he had -unwittingly- become familiar with the nuances of various ponies in how they went about conducting themselves. Among those varying nuances was what it felt like when they went about working their magic. Much like individual reiatsu patterns, each pony had their own unique feel when they actually worked their magic, be it unicorn, earth pony, pegasus, or even alicorn magic. And what he was feeling right now, wasn't what he'd come to associate with Twilight Sparkle.

If Twilight Sparkle's magical abilities could be adequately described as a sculptor engaged in the process of bringing a statue into existence, what was being witnessed right now would be more akin to an avalanche bring triggered down a mountainside; rough, unrefined, and a great magnitude larger when it came to the destruction of existing stone. It wasn't like anything he'd felt being demonstrated by her before; not even back in Canterlot during the changeling invasion, when she'd directed the entirety of her fury against him.

Random, unguided speculation wasn't a course of action he was particularly known for engaging in; rather it was something he objected to doing, preferring instead to rely on facts rather than being guided by blind guesswork. But even with that fact in mind, based on what facts were currently in evidence, one conclusion immediately leapt to the forefront of his mind; he was witnessing a core meltdown in effect. More than likely a slow burn core meltdown as well. It was a possibility that would certainly explain what he was currently experiencing.

He'd witnessed the aftermath of a core meltdown once before already, and observed what the scope of the damage had been then. If that was what an average unicorn could do, he really didn't want to contemplate what the scope of damage would be from a unicorn as advanced as Twilight Sparkle. There was no telling just how many lives would be lost as a result of that being allowed to occur.

With such facts -and possibilities- in mind, there was only one course of action coming to mind, that struck him as being the most logical to engage in at this point in time.

He immediately stepped forward, raising his right arm in the process as he fully extended his hand, and quickly brought it down perpendicular with the current position of her neck, right at the base of her skull. Killing her would be infinitely kinder than allowing her to die as a result of what she was currently experiencing, along with potentially averting the core meltdown before it reached critical mass.

Unfortunately that wasn't what happened. Before his hand even made contact with the fur on the back of her neck, he could feel the clash between their respective reiatsus occurring. Within seconds the force of the clash caused his arm -as well as the rest of him- to recoil back violently, as everything below the elbow was completely vaporized, leaving him with nothing but a ragged stump, and confusion as to just what happened. Not simply what, but also how. If she could do that to his hierro currently...

He was vaguely aware of the fact that the others were talking, but he wasn't focusing on what they were saying, as there were more important matters at hand now. If he couldn't kill Twilight Sparkle in an effort to stop the core meltdown, he would simply have to utilize his sonido in an effort to get her as far away from the rest of them as possible before she reached critical mass. If they should lose the diarchy -if such was actually possible- Equestria itself and everyone that lived in it likely wouldn't be far behind.

"Move aside!"

But even those plans didn't make it to fruition before being interrupted. His arm wasn't even finished regrowing as Princess Celestia swept into the scene from behind their current position.

Confusion reigned supreme as the lot of them watched Celestia trot over, and promptly sit down on her haunches behind Twilight, before reaching out and wrapping her forelegs around her midsection, and pulling her into what could best be described as a bear hug, lifting her right up off the ground as she continued screaming.

"Twilight! Twilight! Where are you, Twilight? Can you hear me?"

Entering a pony's mind directly was a far different process than merely reading their mind. It was a process that was far more difficult to perform effectively, and required both far greater effort and finesse, as well as greater skill in general. Thoughts could be scanned and read with comparatively little effort, because it was so hard for a pony to turn their mind off and actually stop thinking about things, especially when nervous. But to actually gain access to the inner workings of their consciousness, that was an entirely different process.

The process was similar to the dream walking that Luna performed, but at the same time very different. Dream walking dealt with the unconscious mind, when a pony's defenses were naturally relaxed and open to such. The conscious mind, however, was very much aware, and very resistant to whatever was deemed an intrusion from an outside source; that was one of the primary reasons brainwashing a pony was so difficult to pull off effectively.

It was for those reasons she was fortunate -as well as thankful- that Twilight's mental defenses were currently down, since having to try and mentally overpower her would only make the matter all the worse.

Getting in, even under such circumstances, was the easy part. Once she actually was in, however, that was when things really became difficult. The only reason Twilight's defenses had been down in the first place, was because of just how much pain she was currently in; just setting hoof into her student's mental territory was almost overwhelming even for her! But she had to press on! Somewhere in this din of chaos, in this maelstrom of colors, noises, and sensations that roared with the ferocity of the most violent winds, her student was in desperate need of help.

Hatred. That was what she was feeling right now as she tried to find Twilight. So, so very much unyielding, unquenchable hatred; far too much hatred for one who was still so young. It honestly scared her just how strong and palpable it felt right now; to know that it was all coming from Twilight herself, and was all directed at Nightmare Moon.

But at the same time she was sensing a great magnitude of fear. Fear of what was going on around her, and within her. She was aware of what was going on right now, and it scared her deeply, putting it at odds with the seething hatred, the two emotions in a tug of war to see which was more dominant, and which would reign supreme.

"Twilight! If you can hear me, please answer me!" she called out again.

"Princess!"

She heard it. Through all of the noise of chaos and negativity surrounding her, she heard it. Twilight's mind was receptive to her presence here, meaning there was still a chance to be had. She couldn't actually see her student, but she could still feel her presence close at hoof.

"Princess! I'm so sorry I yelled at you like I did! I never should've said those horrible things, I'm sorry! Please! Please make it stop!"

Even here, even over the din that was assaulting her senses, she could still hear the utter panic in Twilight's voice; much as she did the last time they were here.

"It hurts so much! Please! I don't want to die like this! Please make it stop!"

"It's going to be alright, Twilight, I promise you, you're not going to die; not here, and certainly not like this. It's going to be alright."

She knew that she needed to be calm right now, no matter how much she wanted to share in Twilight's current panicking. She knew that if she gave in, then all hope really would be lost.

"I know that you're afraid right now, Twilight, but I need you to focus. You need to bring your magic back under control before it's too late."

"I can't do it! I can't! There's so much magic; too much magic! I can't get it under control!"

"Yes you can, Twilight, yes you can! I know you can do this, I believe in you, my most faithful student."

"But I can't! I'm not strong enough to do this by myself!"

"You won't be doing this alone, Twilight, I'm right here beside you. I'll be helping you through every step of the process, but this is something that you need to do. I'll keep your magic contained, but you need to bring it back under your control. I need you to do this, your friends need you to do this."

"A-alright. Alright. I'll do my best..."

Had it been anypony else, the claim of them doing their best might be seen as indicating a half-hearted attempt that they wouldn't follow through with, due to accepting their defeat before even making the first move. But Celestia knew that wasn't the case with Twilight. If she said she would do her best, then she seriously meant it.

"Very good then..."

Forty seven seconds. Forty seven seconds, and everything had changed. Ulquiorra had no idea as to just what had happened in that short span of time, only the aftermath. The reiatsu levels being demonstrated by Twilight Sparkle were no longer in a range he would immediately classify as being a danger to everyone around her, and they were dropping, both steadily and sharply, to levels far more readily associated with her.

Whatever Princess Celestia had done in that short span of time, a Chernobyl-type event no longer seemed like a definite possibility.

As the glow of unstable magical energies faded from view, he -and by extension the rest of them- could see Twilight Sparkle keeping her body rigid and tense, before going limp and slumping back against Princess Celestia for support, and looking physically exhausted. Considering how close she'd come to dying in a spectacularly violent fashion, her current condition was understandable. More than likely, she was out of this confrontation for the duration. Not that she had actually been contributing much of anything since the start of it all, but any potential involvement on her part now would be unlikely at best.

All of that, however, was immaterial to the current matter. Now that the crises relating to Twilight Sparkle had been resolved, they could once again return their attention to the matter of putting a more permanent end to Nightmare Moon.

Celestia breathed a sigh of relief as her senses came back to the real world, allowing her to feel Twilight slouching back against her. As she heard her panting for air -intermingled with a squeak that would've been adorable under different circumstances- she knew all was well with her student once again.

Or at least as well as it could be, when the matter pertained to her own body, rather than their current situation. Twilight might not be in danger of experiencing a core breech right now, but there was still the matter of Nightmare Moon to tend with.

Placing a quick kiss atop her student's head, just behind her horn, she made ready to reengage the original threat of the evening.

"Goodness! Are you alright, darling? What was that just now?" she heard Rarity asked as she stepped closer, her voice heavy with worry for the well being of her friend.

"Yeah, Twilight, what was that? You shot my ass, like, six feet with that," Rainbow Dash added, more curious than concerned.

The others present -minus Ulquiorra- expressed similar curiosity on the matter, wondering about what Twilight had demonstrated to them just a short time ago, and presenting a number of questions in short order. That complicated the matter, and she knew it full well.

"I'm afraid now isn't the time to be asking such questions," she spoke up in an effort to bring the matter back under control. Leaving Twilight alone to answer the numerous questions would only make the situation worse. "I'll explain the matter to all of you, but not right now; there's simply no time for such. Right now, I need to get back up there and help Luna before it's too late," she stated, hoping the promise of answers would sate them until things had managed to calm down a little.

"Princess... wait..."

It was a weak request, delivered with all the strength of one who couldn't catch their breath. But it was loud enough to catch Celestia's attention, and bring that attention back to Twilight once again. She looked completely exhausted, but still struggling defiantly in an effort to get out whatever had motivated her to speak up in the first place.

"Yes, Twilight? What is it?"

"You-" Twilight panted, "you can't go back in there. Nightmare Moon is playing you and Luna against each other. You... you can't fight her effectively, because she's putting each of you in the line of fire when you attack..."

Celestia paused, having not expected such a statement. Before she could even inquire further, Twilight was already launching into an explanation of what she was talking about.

"Any time one of you engages her directly, the other has to pull back as a result. Luna's been having to hold herself back each time you go on the offensive against Nightmare Moon, because she doesn't want to hurt you. It's exactly what she did when she popped right into the middle of town, right in front of everypony; you couldn't attack her then, because there were too many innocent bystanders in the line of fire," she detailed as she moved to sit back up under her own power once again.

As far as Twilight could see, this was just another in a long line of similar acts Nightmare Moon had perpetrated in her campaign of fear.

She looked upward, trying to gauge how Luna was doing in one-on-one combat against Nightmare Moon. As best she could determine, she was faring better on her own, now that she didn't have to restrain herself like she had been, and was more able to go all out in lashing at her quarry. Now that it was a solo engagement, Nightmare Moon was having a far harder time actually defending against Luna's onslaught, and her balance was being broken bit by bit. That calm, cool, collected disposition of hers was taking a beating, and her movements were more jerky, almost carrying a sense of being frantic as she had nopony to hide behind any longer.

"Luna... Luna can take care of herself in this matter. Sisters shouldn't fight against each other like common enemies..." she muttered.

"That's not right," Pinkie mumbled, "that's not right at all! That's low even for Nightmare Moon!"

"She's a villain, darling, one can hardly expect her to observe any rules relating to the concepts of decency or fair play," Rarity commented, not certain of what else to say in light of everything going on.

"That might be the case, but Ah'm in agreement with Pinkie on this one," Applejack growled. "Ah get that Nightmare Moon's killed other ponies and whatnot, but actually playing yer own kin against ya like that? Ah swear, if she were down here where Ah could actually get mah hooves on 'er, Ah'd pound 'er flatter than an apple turnover!"

"Well, if you can get me up there, I can probably manage to arrange that," Spike commented as he tightened the hold he had on his hammer. "Break both of her wings, maybe crack her on the horn a few times for good measure, you might just get your chance to do it," he stated, his mind already running through what might be necessary to pull off such a daring assault.

Had Spike not spoken up when he did, Ulquiorra would've pointed out to Applejack that even if Nightmare Moon was at ground level, her tenacity would've done no good in this matter. His own physical strength had yielded no lasting effects against her prior to their arrival, and even the diarchy weren't faring much better on their own.

But then he heard Spike's comment about attacking Nightmare Moon's horn, and paused in thought. Based on his readings about pony physiology, a unicorn's horn was incredibly sensitive to injury, and a sufficient blow could interrupt their magical abilities for an extended period. The same facts was even noted regarding changelings. Barring evidence to the contrary -which he had yet to find- there was no reason to believe that the same didn't apply to alicorns as well. He couldn't help but wonder just what would become of all that magical strength of Nightmare Moon's, if her horn was attacked directly. What would be left if they could actually pull off something like that? If her horn could be broken, or perhaps cut off entirely, what strength would she be able to draw on then?

With so little information on alicorns, it was difficult to conclude just what would happen. But at the very least, it stood to reason that things would fare badly for Nightmare Moon under such circumstances.

"I'm afraid that I have to object on such a course of action," Princess Celestia spoke up as she stood back up again, interrupting his train of thought before it could go too far. "There's far too much risk to yourself by going with such a plan of attack, Spike, even if it might work. I'm afraid that, right now, even if you are a dragon, you're simply too young to be going all out like that. But you did manage to give me another idea, and it's one you can actually help with," she continued.

Spike had wanted to object at being sidelined to easily, especially on the basis of his age. But then he stopped when Celestia said that he could actually help with what she apparently had in mind. that had his attention real quick.

"Yeah? What do I need to do?" he asked, eager to be of actual assistance once again.

"Just stand right there, and all will be revealed soon enough," Celestia stated as her horn began to glow with a golden aura, before it switched to a dark pink aura.

The aerial combat between Luna and Nightmare Moon was temporarily forgotten about, no longer at the forefront of their minds as curiosity over what Celestia was intended asserted itself over them. Several of them back in surprise as a beam shot forth from her horn and engulfed Spike's body, himself included, but other than that nothing appeared to be happening. Or at least it looked that way until her own body began glowing once again, this time with the same dark pink aura.

"Luna will have her turn, but I'm going to be ready for re-engagement regardless."

Ulquiorra watched, trying to figure out just what Princess Celestia had in mind for a counter assault against Nightmare Moon. The magic she was using right now was unlike anything he'd ever felt before, but that wasn't saying very much, as he'd only bore witness to a limited number of spells being cast during his time here in Equestria. As to how this magic involved Spike, that was another mystery in itself that-

And then he had his answer. As he watched, Princess Celestia's appearance began to change. He had no idea how to go about describing the manner of change itself unfolding, as it seemed to defy a basic explanation. But suffice to say, the image of the white alicorn was giving way to something else that looked to lay just beneath the surface. Even the armor itself was changing in form to coincide with what was going on.

Leg joints were reoriented, as fur and feather was quickly replaced by scale and membrane in their place. Two curved back horns thrust themselves into existence, appearing on either side of her skull at the back of her now wedge-shaped head, as neapolitan-colored frills on the sides of her skull quickly replaced her flowing mane. A long row of sharp looking white spines ran down her equally white back and very long, reptilian tail, from the base of her skull, all the way down to a tail tuft of fur that matched the frills. Horseshoes were morphed into what could best be described as golden plate mail gauntlets, as hooves were swapped out and replaced with claws, with individual articulated digits -a total of five digits on each limb- and each topped off with a sharp talon on the end. Articulated digits that effortlessly clacked against the hard ground in an individual manner as they were being flexed for the first time.

Princess Celestia had transformed herself into a dragon. That was the simplest, most comprehensive way he could think of how to explain what he'd just witnessed. But it was unlike any dragon he'd ever seen before. Not that he'd actually ever seen many dragons to begin with, but that was beside the point right now.

The form was a strange mix of traits and attributes that didn't really look like they belonged together. While the majority of Princess Celestia's body was composed of white scales, those that ran along her underside, from her chin down to her tail, bore the same coloration as the frills on the sides of her head; as did the leathery membranes on her wings. Her horn -her original horn- had taken on a mother of pearl sheen, setting it apart from the whiteness of her scales.

Coloration aside, there were physical aspects that seemed entirely out of place. The tuft of fur on the end of her scaly tail looked utterly bizarre, and clashed significantly with the overall reptilian presentation. Such was more appropriate for the illustration of a dragon that was based upon the lore of the nation of China, what with its slender, almost sinewy build that...

His mental evaluation of Princess Celestia's new form suddenly ceased, coming to an almost screeching halt as his mind immediately changed course in the pondering of details. How exactly had this particular form come about? Was it something that had occurred on its own, based solely on a pony becoming a dragon? Or had she possessed control over the final product, and actually guided it, molding it into what was now before them?

The claws, the wings, the slender frame, the two prominent horns on her head, the way in which the joints on all four of her limbs were oriented and could bend...

This form that stood before them, as close as he could tell, looked as if it was heavily inspired by his own Segunda Etapa form...

Had Princess Celestia discovered it when she'd read his mind during their first meeting? Had she actually come across that information? And if so, was this newfound dragonic form her own subtle -if not unintentional- way of letting him know that she knew about it? Perhaps it had been chosen less on the basis of letting him know that she knew, and more on the basis of its perceived strength?

There were far, far too many questions going on right now, and not nearly enough answers to go around! When this was all over, whoever was still left alive at the end of it, they were undoubtedly going to sit down, and have a very long conversation about all of this.

"Holy fuck," Rainbow Dash stated in an almost breathless tone as the aura faded, giving an unobstructed view of the end result. "That... that's just too awesome to put into words..."

"I'll say," Spike replied, dumbfounded and just about slack-jawed by the whole thing. If Celestia could do that, then... nope. Best not think about such things right now!

The various responses of the others fell on the deaf ears of Twilight, who was left in awe at witnessing Celestia's seemingly effortless transformation from alicorn to dragon. Spells that allowed for such actually existed!?

She had to find that spell! She had to learn how to do stuff like that herself!

"If a dragon is what we need, then a dragon we shall have..." Celestia growled, although her voice was far too soft to properly match the form it came from. However the act was still enough to give a glimpse at the numerous sharp teeth that now filled the mouth of her new form.

Twilight shook her head, suddenly coming back to her senses as she heard Celestia's words. She didn't recall them ever concluding that the situation needed the intervention of a dragon. Spike had volunteered to beat the living fuck out of Nightmare Moon with his hammer, but that would've just presented the same complications as if Celestia had been allowed to jump back into the fray once again. She honestly wasn't seeing how this sudden development made any real, beneficial difference in the current matter, that would warrant it being brought up in the first place.

Now that she thought about it, this new development might even make the situation worse than it would've been otherwise, if Celestia had simply joined back in as she had been. Could she even use her magic right now, in this current body of hers? Was something like that at all possible?

"This night fiend has already drawn her last breath," Celestia continued as she arose from her sitting position. "Her corpse just hasn't realized it yet..."

Uninhibited in her combat, and able to go all out without a fear of collateral damage being left in her wake as a result of such, Luna was able to easily deduce an accurate assessment of the situation; Nightmare Moon was no weakling.

She certainly danced about a fair bit, avoiding a fair percentage of direct engagement as she did so, but when the two of them did actually engage, this weapons clashing and sparking as they tried to overpower one another, it was easy to see that she was competent, and capable of holding her own in this battle with little in the way of trouble.

That wasn't to say she was insurmountable, however; far from it actually. Despite their clashes being brief, they had been quite intense, and she was starting to show signs of being winded as a result. Much like herself, she was slouching and panting, as mutual glares of hatred and contempt were exchanged between the two of them, as each prepared to go at one another again.

Originally this had been purely to give Celestia the opportunity and time necessary to tend to Twilight Sparkle while there was still time to prevent what was attempting to happen, without being interrupted when she was at her most vulnerable. But that was then, and this was now. And right now, she was intent on bringing an end to all of this on her own. Just as soon as she caught her breath again. The crisis with Twilight Sparkle had passed, so she didn't have to concern herself with that at least.

"I must admit," Nightmare Moon panted, "you're not nearly as weak as your big sister is. It's quite surprising really. I guess it comes from not stuffing yourself with as much cake as she does."

"You do not even know the half of it. The bakers up in Canterlot are making a small fortune off of her fat ass," Luna shot back, primarily to rob Nightmare Moon of any glee that would be had from such a petty and insulting taunt. That, and there had been a measure of truth to it, but she didn't need to know that.

Her halberd brought to bear, she prepared to launch herself back at her foe once again, but stopped just before doing such as strange sound met her ears. It sounded almost like the leathery flapping of thestral wings approaching, only it was a lot louder than what she'd heard being produced by those on her staff. What could possibly be coming to interfere with them now? Did Nightmare Moon have friends and minions at her disposal now?

"Luna..."

Now her curiosity was really piqued at hearing her sister's voice from behind her. Her sister's voice, and leathery wing flaps. She gave Nightmare Moon a cautious look -who presently looked somewhat dumbfounded- before turning around to see what Celestia was up to.

What she saw was completely unexpected.

"What? What in the-"

"Might I be of assistance?" Celestia asked as she hovered about in place.

"... In that form?" Luna asked, uncertain of what else to say in response to this particular development. Did Celestia even know how to make use of such a form?

"Well, we didn't really have a cockatrice on hoof, so..." Celestia muttered and shrugged.

Luna felt the urge to groan. That was what Celestia decided to go with, in explaining not only herself, but also her own conduct? Really?

Suddenly -far more suddenly than Luna would've thought possible- Celestia lunged at her, latching onto her left foreleg with her newly formed claw, and forcefully flung her back behind her. It'd all happened so fast, she didn't even have time to properly process the exact sequence of events! Angrily, she turned around to glare at her sister, prepared to give her an earful for her course of action, but stopped at what she saw. Nightmare Moon had lunged at them while her back was turned, and had struck at the both of them with her scythe; the same scythe that Celestia had pulled her out of the path of, and had directly intercepted by using the back of her own armored claw as if it were a physical shield!

Had Celestia not acted when she did, she would've potentially been killed before she had time to realize what was going on.

"Go, Luna! Stay with Ulquiorra and the others where it's safe! I'll tend to this!" she heard her sister yell, snapping out of her shock at just how close she'd come to being killed.

Luna didn't even have time to utter a response, before Celestia pressed the assault against Nightmare Moon, much to her surprise. Just as hour ago she'd been the one pulling up the slack, and trying to keep everything together. Now all of the sudden, her sister had actually pulled herself together, for the sake of protecting her from harm. This... this was most certainly going to be something else...

Everything had happened so fast, it left Nightmare Moon uncertain of exactly what transpired until after the fact. Celestia had been fast enough to not only perceive her attack, but react to it as well. She had pulled Luna out of the path of the attack before it could be landed, and thrust herself forward for the purpose of using her own body as a shield, to intercept and stop the travel of her scythe blade.

Their eyes met briefly, only for an instant. But it had been long enough for Nightmare Moon to see the unrestrained killing intent that Celestia's eyes held, and all focused solely on her. In that instant, she actually felt something she hadn't felt before; fear. It was a deep, primal sort of fear that only resonated on the instinctual level, sending a shiver up her spine. It was far different from what she'd felt when Twilight had been at risk of a core breech.

This was a most interesting development. Certainly unexpected, but most definitely interesting!

"Well then, Celestia, if that's how you feel, then let's see just what you can do!"

The words had just barely left her lips when Celestia immediately swooped into action, switching from defense to offense as she swept her scythe out of the way, and lunged forward to grab her by the face with surprising speed.

She felt pain from her muzzle being slammed and pressed against her own helmet, and the skin on her nose being scraped against the rough surface of the underside of Celestia's claw as she was held firm. The impact had been hard enough, and jarring enough, she'd lost the cohesion of her scythe. But at the same time, despite her vision being obstructed by the individual digits of the claw in her face, she was still quite aware of the fact that she was being taken for a ride as Celestia dragged/shoved her along for their shared flight, with her being held out in front of her!

The next thing she felt was the impact of her back being slammed into the trunk of a tree, which quickly morphed into being slammed right through the tree, kicking up a storm of slivers and wooden shrapnel flying in every direction. Her mind hadn't even finished processing such before she found it being repeated a second time. Then a third. After the fourth tree was reduced to kindling she lost count, as her mind was left swimming from the rapid, painful input she was being subjected to.

This wasn't acceptable by any stretch of the imagination. As it was already, it was going to take her hours to get all of the splinters out of her butt.

Glaring through the claws obstructing her vision, she focused on Celestia's face as best she could, and let loose a magical bolt that caught her right between her eyes. Certainly not the most powerful of attacks she could've launched, but it was enough to get Celestia roaring in response, and letting go of her as she cradled her own face. She would've smirked at seeing her opponent in pain, but right now had far more important things on her mind than simple gloating; like putting a lot of distance between them. Immediately she took off straight up, flying high into the sky to put herself out of Celestia's reach before she could be grabbed again.

This really wasn't going the way she'd envisioned it. She'd accounted for numerous possibilities in order to secure her victory, but somehow Celestia taking on the form of a freaking dragon hadn't been a contingency she'd anticipated developing.

Oh well, no matter! Celestia could take on the form of a hydra for all she cared, it still wouldn't make any difference in this matter. She wasn't about to be bested by her oldest of foes simply because she was playing dress up.

"Here me, Celestia!" she bellowed as she stopped her ascent, and opted instead to hover as she addressed the forest below. "Your little temper tantrum won't do you any good in this fight! I'm your superior, now as I've always been, and nothing you can do will ever change that fact! I am the true Queen of Equestria, not you, you insignificant worm!" she howled as her horn glowed.

She watched as Celestia breached the treetops, aiming her entire body for her position on a collision course. Nightmare Moon smirked in response to this occurring.

Summoning her scythe was discarded in favor of another course of action, in this case it was barraging Celestia with a tempest of magical blasts raining down on her scaly hide, pelting and pummeling her with superior firepower that would humble even Luna's earlier wing barrage against her.

She watched in glee as Celestia was forced to shield herself against the proverbial hailstorm of a magical onslaught being unleashed upon her position, unable to escape it. She had to guard her face with her forelegs while allowing the rest of herself to be pelted, meaning it was only a matter of time before her wings could no longer keep her aloft, and she'd be sent crashing to the ground, and breaking who knew how many bones in the process of her unplanned landing.

"Cower you-"

As it turned out, Celestia hadn't actually been cowering when she'd been shielding herself with her forelegs.

Instead she'd been bracing herself as she plowed ahead undeterred, slamming into Nightmare Moon head on -right in the face no less!- before she could even finish her taunt, hitting her with enough force to not only break off the attack, but send her reeling -as well as flying- from the force of the forward momentum that'd been imparted on her at the moment of impact, while simultaneously demonstrating that physics hurt! The last part was only emphasized all the more as she found herself being slapped across the face by Celestia's muscly tail as she passed by.

Her head hurt, her ears were ringing, her vision was blurry, she wasn't certain if she was right side up or upside down, and she was feeling the distinct urge to hurl at the moment. Celestia had hit her with all the force of a speeding freight train with that little maneuver of hers just now. That old bag of bones had a lot more surprises to her than had originally been anticipated. But no matter, it was a small issue that would quickly be resolved. She would clear her senses and get righted again, and then Celestia would really be getting it!

"Where are the foals?"

Her disorientation and discomfort were immediately forgotten about as the growling hiss was practically whispered in her ear. Immediately she moved to escape, but quickly found herself being grabbed and put in a headlock, with her neck held firmly in the crook of Celestia's left foreleg, with her claw pressed against the side of her head.

"I'll ask you one more time, Nightmare Moon. If you don't answer me this time, I'll rip your head right off your neck, right here and now," Celestia growled, her hot breath being exhaled against her neck in a manner that sent unpleasant chills down her back once again. "Now tell me. Where are the foals?"

"Close enough at hoof they can practically be touched," Nightmare Moon wheezed. "And yet, simultaneously far enough away as to be completely unreachable," she added after a beat.

She suddenly tensed up at a most painful sensation, which she could only conclude was Celestia using one of her claws to cut the skin on her cheek and draw blood. Perhaps the answer she'd gotten had displeased her. But she refused to let on to just how much pain the simple act was actually causing her; she wouldn't give Celestia the satisfaction of it all.

"Why did you murder Ready Stance?" Celestia asked as the severity of her tone increased further.

"Who, your precious guard? Why not? He served his purpose, there was no point in leaving him alive afterward. He'd just be a loose end if I'd left him alive..."

Nightmare Moon wheezed as she felt Celestia's hold on her neck beginning to tighten from the muscles in her foreleg flexing. She definitely didn't like that answer.

"And Doctor Thrush? What reason could you have for murdering him as you did? What could he have possibly done to deserve that!?" Celestia demanded to know, practically shrieking as she presented the question.

Now Nightmare Moon grinned. Celestia was dangerously close to losing her composure, and she could feel it.

"He had the audacity to pervert my nights by inducing a fear of the dark in that stupid pegasus. Her, I don't care anything about, but I refuse to stand a mortal tarnishing my gift to them!" she stated as firmly as she could under the present circumstances. "Under the circumstances, you would've done the same thing..."

The mutilation of her face was quickly ended, as was the headlock, and she found herself being forcefully whirled around, forced to face Celestia directly.

"I would never murder one of my subjects! I'm NOTHING like you, Nightmare Moon!" she shouted/roared fiercely.

Nightmare Moon, in turn, found the energy to chuckle at Celestia's words, and the manner in which they were delivered.

"You obviously don't know what I do, Celestia. You didn't see the sickness, the depravity that was in his mind. Your words wouldn't flow so freely, so readily, if you knew what was really in his heart, just beneath that professional veneer of his. Thrush, that subject of yours, that was a true monster in pony form," she stated in a low, firm tone.

Of the many minds that she had poked around during her reconstitution phase, laying the groundwork for her return, his had stuck out. The things that he had done to so many throughout his career. She had done the kingdom a favor by removing him from it.

"His wasn't the only disturbed mind I've seen, his weren't the only secrets I've come to possess," she continued on. "Thrush wasn't the only one lying, and hiding his true self, Daybreaker..." she added in a tone just above a whisper, and delivered with a smirk.

The look of utter shock on Celestia's face was exquisite. If only she were in possession of some manner of somehow preserving it for all eternity. She had big plans for that face.

But unfortunately, it ended far too quickly, as said face reverted back to a look of barely subdued rage.

"Do you have any last words to share while you can still talk?" Celestia asked as she drew her right claw back, straightening all of her individual talons in preparation of delivering a vicious -and fatal- strike.

"Just seven, actually," Nightmare Moon replied, "you forgot about my horn, you idiot..."

Celestia hadn't even been able to fully process what Nightmare Moon was saying in time to actually respond and react, before her opponent's horn flared to life, and the grip she had on her neck was forcefully disengaged, before two shod hooves were slammed into her armored chest with enough force to shove her away.

"You're so incompetent it makes me sick!" Nightmare Moon stated as she summoned her scythe once again. "Equestria is soon going to have the ruler it both needs and deserves! And that rule will be heralded by your death!" she roared as she lunged forward, swinging her scythe right for Celestia's exposed neck.

The fight between Celestia and Nightmare Moon hadn't been going anything at all like Twilight had expected it to. It was pretty much as simple as that.

Then again, she hadn't known exactly what she'd been expecting, when she first saw Celestia transform into a dragon, but she was reasonably certain that what she was currently witnessing hadn't been it. Maybe the demonstration of a magical tirade against Nightmare Moon that would make her own brush with near-death look like a firecracker in comparison. Or maybe the reveal of as-of-yet unknown secrets about the alicorn species. Those had certainly been regarded as possible developments when Celestia decided to enter the fray once again. But certainly not a dragon, and certainly not... any of this...

If she had to speculate, the form has been chosen to satisfy some base, primal desire for a physical, even visceral satisfaction that couldn't be achieved through the exchange of magical bolts being fired, or combat spells being weaved; Celestia certainly hadn't been shy about getting up close for the purpose of delivering brutal blows against Nightmare Moon, even if it meant putting herself in the line of fire. It was a risky gambit to take, even under the best of circumstances.

Further speculation would suggest that the scales of her new form were up to the task of shielding her from harm. She had tanked a number of bolts in her skirmish against Nightmare Moon, and was presently showing no signs of being worse for wear, although it was hard to say for certain without an up close examination once she was back on the ground. Right now it was just a hypothesis that her being over a thousand years old, had directly translated into her newfound form having a thousand year developed carapace that gave her the same sort of protection as a naturally born dragon at that age. If that was the case, then it was doubtful that Nightmare Moon could present anything that would actually hurt Celestia.

But all of this protection came at an apparently steep price. Celestia was demonstrating significant levels of speed, strength, and even agility, allowing her to close distances and avoid attacks while delivering same, but they had all been of the physical nature. She had yet to see a single magical attack delivered, which at the very least strongly suggested that becoming a dragon had left her devoid of any offensive or defensive magical capabilities.

That fact put her at a significant tactical disadvantage in this fight, as Nightmare Moon could reach out and touch her from an extended distance; a fact that had been demonstrated a number of times throughout their aerial combat. And even though it didn't look like Celestia was taking damage, Nightmare Moon could still ensnare her in a telekinetic hold, and just plain throw her away, and leave her vulnerable to a counterattack. The fact that such a tactic hadn't been exploited to make her open to a scythe attack had been nothing short of a miracle so far.

Much as she hated to admit it, everything served to suggest that both Celestia and Nightmare Moon were engaged in a stalemate. Unless some outside intervention should develop, this was likely going to come down to a question of who possessed the most stamina, and who could keep their composure the longest. If they were left to their own devices, this might go on all night before anything resembling a conclusion was had.

Making it all worse was the fact that there wasn't much that any of them could do to help in the matter. Even if they could somehow intervene directly, they'd simply wind up putting themselves at risk of being attacked in the mix, or Nightmare Moon taking advantage of their involvement, and making hostages out of them yet again. That would just serve to make a bad situation even worse. The only one among them who might stand a chance of achieving some good was Ulquiorra, and she wasn't about to ask him to actually put himself at risk like that. If he hadn't thought to do something like that on his own, then it probably wasn't her place to be suggesting it as a course of action.

"Is any o' this makin' sense to ya, sugarcube?" she heard Applejack ask, tearing her attention away from the current clash unfolding overhead.

She simply shook her head in response as she glanced down at the forest floor. "Very little has been making sense since the start of all this. But then again real life rarely makes sense."

"Isn't there anything we can do to help?" Pinkie asked, her voice heavy and anxious as she spoke.

"I believe we're already helping as best we can, Pinkie, by simply staying out of the way while Celestia does her thing," Rarity explained.

Twilight nodded silently in agreement. Much as she hated to admit it, sometimes the best -if not only- available course of action was to simply do nothing, if not just stay out of the way of those who knew what they were doing. That was assuming Celestia did know what she was doing. Honestly, she was starting to think the best thing they could've done, was simply stay out of the way, let Ulquiorra do his thing, and then pick up the pieces afterward. He was the most proficient one of them when it came to dealing and dispatching death, as well as the most practical. They'd all succumbed to be emotionally charged at the time when deciding to come here, and that meant-

"Incoming!"

At Spike's yell, every set of eyes that had been focused elsewhere immediately turned skyward to see that Nightmare Moon had decided to turn her focus on them, and sent a magical blast hurtling in their direction!

Twilight mentally stumbled, trying to recall the spell used for conjuring a force field.

Ulquiorra's hand was already on the hilt of his zanpakutō at the call, but Luna's reaction was far faster, immediately bringing forth a shield spell to intercept the blast before it could do any damage.

Celestia's intervention, however, had come completely out of left field. They had failed to notice the swooping dive she'd engaged in, throwing herself into the path of the attack, and using her own body to intercept and break it before it could reach their position.

The impact of the attack had been enough to knock her right out of the air, slamming her into Luna's defenses in the process, and leaving her pinned between them for the duration.

"Sister!"

The force field was cancelled out as fast as Luna could manage, but the damage had already been done. Celestia fell to the ground in a heap, tendrils of smoke wafting up off her form as she laid there motionless.

Despite the distance between them being measured in feet, it might as well have been miles the way Luna felt as she crossed it to reach where Celestia currently laid.

"Sister, are you alright? Are you injured?" she asked frantically, all the while doing battle internally over whether or not to try and actually move Celestia.

Celestia groaned as she stirred, slowly picking herself back up off the forest floor. "I'll be alright," she grumbled and rubbed at her head, only to find the helmet she currently wore was in the way of achieving that goal. "But I'm going to need a masseuse when this is all over," she stated further as she straightened herself up again.

Luna shook her head. "Sister, this madness has gone on long enough. You have done quite well in all of this, but I am begging you to please stand down, and allow myself or Ulquiorra Cifer to take over on this matter!" she stated. Even if Celestia's body was up to the task, it was apparent that her mind wasn't. If it were, she would've known she didn't need to shield them with her own body as she just had.

"Your concern is touching, Luna, but I'm not out of this yet," she stated as she fully pushed herself back up into a standing position. "I need you and Ulquiorra where you are presently, in case Nightmare Moon tries to attack you and the others again. You keep them safe, and I'll tend to her."

"Well then you might wanna move it, because she's right there!" Rainbow Dash spoke up as she looked skyward.

Luna was going to protest Celestia's stubborn insistence on continuing to fight, but that plan was put on hold as she, too, looked up to see Nightmare Moon was glaring down at them, a cocky looking smirk adorning her features as she did. It was enough to make her want to charge head on and whip out her halberd once again.

The simple fact that she wasn't attacking them just yet was nothing less than unnerving.

"Well now, Celestia, your reflexes are certainly faster that I was expecting. I didn't think you'd actually be able to pull off such a maneuver," Nightmare Moon commented as she hovered above them, the smirk never leaving her face even once.

"Go fuck yourself!" Rainbow Dash yelled back in response, not caring if the comment was aimed at her or not. Right now she was very, very close, to going tearing off after her all on her own.

Nightmare Moon opted not to dignify Rainbow Dash's impotent retort with a response, and instead focus her attention back on Celestia, who was presently doing her best to glare at her angrily.

"You know, Celestia, at first I didn't have a clue what was going on, what with your manner of engagement. It's so primitive, so unimaginative. But now I understand exactly what you've done, and it's your own undoing," she cackled as she glared back at her. "It all makes so much sense now. The accelerated speed, the toughened carapace, the increased muscle mass... in your short-sighted rage, you gave up your magical aptitude, in favor of heightening all of your physical attributes, through usage of that new form. As if simply increasing your physical abilities, would ever be enough to deal with me!" she stated and laughed. Celestia was utterly pitiful, if she truly believed that brawn would ever triumph over magic!

"You're so wrong in your assumption of facts, it's not even funny anymore," Celestia growled as she crouched down, her long legs folding up at her sides, as her tail was brought to rest against the ground, and her forelegs brought to her front, each one of her claws digging and anchoring into the hard ground before her. "I still have plenty of magical aptitude accessible; more than enough to deal with the likes of you..."

Nightmare Moon cackled again at Celestia's boast. She obviously didn't know her subject matter, if she believed that being locked in a dragon's form would leave her access to any of her magical attributes; that was obviously the whole reason she'd gone with a bare-hoof beat down against her in the first place. She really must've been getting senile in her old age, that's all their was to it.

That, or she'd really scrambled her brain when she attacked her mind earlier in the evening.

"And what could you possibly do to me as you are now?" she asked and grinned wryly, knowing that it was nothing but hot air. For all of the beating that Celestia had delivered, she had nothing to actually show for her efforts, beyond a few minor bruises, scratches, and a couple of shallow cuts. She might be a little sore when tomorrow rolled around, but that was the extent of it.

Celestia, however, wasn't giving her anything that resembled an audible answer. Instead she just sat there, and opened her maw as if she were roaring, exposing her numerous sharp teeth, and... a ball of white/golden light forming right in the center of her mouth near the back of her throat, swirling into existence in a leftward direction, as vapor trails of like-colored mana energy were drawn into her opened mouth, and causing the ball to swell in mass to a maw-filling size, and glow with an intensity like a miniature version of the sun itself.

"What."

Nightmare Moon could only watch in disbelief as, with a mighty exhale -or perhaps a strangulated roar, she didn't know for certain- Celestia let loose a massive, blinding beam of pure, highly concentrated mana from her mouth, and sent it rocketing right in her direction! Staring into it was like staring into the sun itself, and even from her vantage point all the way up here, and away from it, she could feel incredible heat radiating off of it, as it quickly approached her location.

Acting on instinct rather than anything resembling conscious thought, she quickly erected a force field in front of her, just barely managing to intercept the attack, and block it before it could actually hit her. But it had been so close to doing just that! Another second of hesitation, and she would've been engulfed by it.

Intercepting the attack, however, had been the easy part.

The amount of heat coming from that blast had been unbelievable from afar, but up close it had been unbelievably worse. Even her shield was doing little to actually shield her from the intensity of what was just on the other side of it. It might not actually be able to crack through her force field, but the heat was still intense enough to leave her feeling like the fur on her face was being singed right off just from the close proximity.

There was also the fact that her shield tanking the brunt of the assault was starting to result in her being pushed back across the sky.

And that was to say nothing of just how blindingly bright it had been! The night sky had practically been lit up like it was daytime. It was just utterly unspeakable, that something like that were to happen. Was Celestia actually channeling the sun itself through her own body, in order to pull off such an attack?

Finally the attack came to a stop. And not a moment too soon, as the instant it ceased she finally allowed her shield to drop. Just trying to hold that blast back had been enough to leave her feeling fatigued. Making it all the worse was that it hadn't been the full brunt of the blast, as Celestia's aim had been slightly off. Had she been right on the nose, she wasn't certain if her shield would've actually held out; being blinded by the blast, she couldn't see if her shield had started to fracture, but she could certainly feel the strain it'd been under. Had she been pinned down on the ground, or against a mountainside, it could've potentially shattered like an eggshell after that.

Unfortunately, as her vision cleared, she quickly became fully aware that Celestia was already in the process of charging another attack. And as she saw the swirling mass of mana growing in concentration, and expanding in size to the point of completely filling her mouth, she didn't know what was the more fearful fact to consider; the fact that Celestia could readily use that particular spell more than once, or that she could apparently do it in quick succession, with no cool down phase in between.

From his vantage point, Ulquiorra was experiencing shock at what he had just witnessed take place, the readings of his pesquisa shooting off the charts, and into currently unestablished territories. These readings of reiatsu intensity went even higher than what he'd experienced upon first arriving in Equestria, when he'd arguably been at his weakest. They were so high, they were actually beginning to burn away at his skin, with smoke wafting up from the affected areas. And all of that had merely been from the attack being charged. The actual discharge was another -and quite painful- story entirely.

When Princess Celestia had unleashed that attack, the entire immediate area had been subjected to a shock wave, kicking up huge, billowing clouds of dust all around them in the process, and even making the ground shake to some extent as the third law of motion declared that it was still relevant in these uncertain times, with the recoil being felt through the soles of his feet. The blast had been so violent, even he found it necessary to shield his face with his forearms; something he had never been forced to do before, in all of his years of remembered existence. Had it been panic that had motivated him just now? Some primitive instinct leftover from a lesser Hollow he'd consumed so many years ago? An aspect of self preservation that he didn't have a conscious control over?

The light coming off of the discharge was bright enough, it quite literally illuminated the night sky, casting off a yellow tint in the immediate area as it traveled along its assigned trajectory, leaving a roar in its wake like intense flames, or even an angered dragon. Ulquiorra was left unable to do anything but watch, observing how treetops that weren't even in the direct path, but merely along it, were utterly obliterated from the blast passing overhead, as it made its way to Nightmare Moon's position. And if he were open to speculation, he would wager that Nightmare Moon's face was one of utter bafflement at what she was witnessing before her.

Unfortunately all the bafflement in the world was of no use, if the intended target had the ability to endure the blast outright, simply by erecting a barrier and waiting it out!

As the blast came to an end, and the gold tint faded, Ulquiorra was left with no more doubts in his mind. What he'd witnessed in that attack just now, it was undeniably the blast of a Cero. And it had been a full-fledged Cero, not merely a weak imitation of such, as Twilight Sparkle had displayed back in Canterlot. The ratios and structure were all within acceptable parameters to be considered as such.

And, disturbingly, it was a Cero that could outmatch even his own Cero Oscuras, if he were to be foolish enough to stack them up against one another. How Princess Celestia had learned to use such a technique, he didn't have a clue. But the fact remained that somehow, somewhere, she had familiarized herself with the mechanics of his technique, and learned how to use it on her own.

The question of whether or not this form had been inspired by his own Segunda Etapa seemed far more likely now than previously.

A great number of hours could be involved with hypothesizing, speculating, and discussing the matter at length. But right now that point was moot, as Princess Celestia was already in the process of charging a second Cero, to try again at striking down Nightmare Moon.

The roar of the Cero being discharged had been just as loud as the first one, and the heat had been just as intense. And, much as he didn't wish to admit to it, he'd felt an almost instinctive urging to duck when he saw Princess Celestia was in the process of turning her head in an attempt to aim the Cero's path to correspond with Nightmare Moon as she flew horizontally, to avoid being struck a second time. But despite her best efforts at keeping up, all she could do was trail behind the intended target, obliterating the tree tops -and leaving nothing but smoldering stumps behind- as she cut a path of destruction through the forest.

Based on what he was seeing, Princess Celestia was having the same type of difficulty controlling her Cero -the Cero Sol perhaps?- as he did with his own Lanza del Relámpago.

Princess Celestia was undeniably powerful in her current state; far more than in her natural alicorn state, and undeniably greater than her opponent. But all of the power in the world would be of no use to them right now, if she couldn't actually strike down Nightmare Moon, who possessed far greater levels of mobility as she was right now. She could just continue to dodge ad nauseum, as Princess Celestia missed time and time again, aiming for where she was instead of where she would be. And she didn't have the reiryoku to continue missing time and time again, he was aware of that fact. If things continued as they were, the results would not be in their favor.

As he witnessed Princess Celestia in the process of charging up a third Cero, he knew that they would have to change their approach.

Nightmare Moon panted as she flapped her wings to steady herself. Unlike the last time they'd clashed, Celestia was definitely going all out in trying to obliterate her this time around. She was drawing far more power than ever before, and wasn't the least bit shy about using it in her spell discharge. She was trying for a killing blow with every shot, and would most likely succeed if she could actually hit her.

But all of that strength came with a price. In her stationary position, Celestia was far slower than herself; she'd discovered that fact when she'd banked to the right to avoid getting incinerated, and managed to stay far enough ahead of the ensuing path of destruction, to avoid having her tail burnt off as it trailed behind her. So she was fairly confident in the fact that she could still persevere, so long as she kept dodging, and looked for an opening to exploit. She would've fired upon their position during the charge time it took Celestia to actually ready the spell, but it was unbelievably short in nature; too short for her to exploit with anything of significance. And if she did fire off what rapid-deployment attacks she had, they'd do little good against that hardened carapace she'd have to go up against.

And that was to say nothing of Luna herself, who would do everything in her power to prevent harm from coming to any member of their little group...

Looking down, she saw yet another blast being readied. Predictable, really, considering Celestia's current mental state. And just as predictable, was the fact that she'd dodge this one, just like the previous on, rather than wasting her magic in guarding against it. It was just a matter of time before she was completely exhausted, and unable to maintain that horrible form any longer.

However her attention was taken away from what was directly in front and below her, as something wrapped firmly around her neck from behind, pulling her into a tight choke hold. Immediately she started kicking, squirming, and flailing to try and get loose from whatever it was that had ensnared her again. However her efforts were met by something firmly grabbing her horn in the middle, and squeezing it tightly, causing her to tense up in overriding pain.

"There will be no escape for you this time," a voice said from behind her. A voice she instantly recognized as that belonging to Ulquiorra. He'd managed to sneak up behind her, again, and now had a tight grip on her, that was preventing her from using her magic, as he squeezed her horn even tighter than before. The pain was starting to get seriously intense, and made her wonder if the keratin structure was actually going to crack and rupture in his grip.

"Let me go you foal!" she wheezed out in response as she continued to struggled, trying to beat him off of her back with her wings. But so far it was proving useless, and only seemed to spur him on further as he squeezed away. And it only grew worse, as down below, she could see that Celestia was almost ready to fire again. "If she hits us with that, we'll both die! Do you want that to happen? Do you want to die?" she asked him.

"If it ensures your defeat, then my death will be an acceptable price," Ulquiorra stated as he held onto her firmly, effectively cutting off her mobility, and leaving her open for a direct assault by Princess Celestia; a fact that was apparently recognized, as he witnessed the discharge of her Cero in progress.

His assigned purpose in this world had been to protect Equestria from harm. And as his skin began to smoke - both from the combination of the close presence to Nightmare Moon, and from the ever decreasing proximity to the approaching Cero- he was aware that he was close to completing that purpose. For that fact, he had no regrets. As the approaching light started to blind him, he knew that in a matter of approximately three seconds, it would be all over. He would have completed his task this time around, unlike the last time. Secure in that knowledge, his own death was perfectly acceptable.

"Mission completed," he thought to himself, as he felt the both of them being engulfed in the stream of highly concentrated reiryoku, the roar of it all beginning to quickly deafen him to everything else around him.

Except for the barely squelched scream from down below, from a voice he couldn't readily recognize, as they were completely overtaken by Princess Celestia's fury.

"ULQUIORRA!"

Author's Note

Alright. I'm not happy with the final product. There was a lot I was trying to do, a lot of things I was trying to tie together as I finally get to the action of the story, the stuff I've been planning for years now. Looking over it, I probably should've spent those years refining everything, rather than building up to what would be happening. The fight between Celestia and Nightmare Moon was especially difficult to write and choreography properly. Sadly I don't think I managed it. Sorry, folks, I tried. Hopefully the quality isn't so rough that it discourages reading what will be following.

Chapter Ninety Four

Chapter Ninety Four

When they had volunteered to set out into the Everfree Forest in the dead of night to confront Nightmare Moon, Twilight and the others hadn't known what to expect encountering, other than the fact that it wouldn't be pleasant. But that fact notwithstanding, they could easily come up with a list of possible developments.

But even allowing for such to occur, and the infinite number of hypotheticals that could be speculated on developing tonight, Celestia utilizing an ancient spell for the purpose of transforming herself into a freaking dragon had definitely not been on the list! Nor had her selected manner for engaging Nightmare Moon in combat. That was all way out of the left field for them. Going by Luna's face, even she hadn't anticipated this turn of events coming to pass. But that had done nothing to stop her -or any of them really- from cheering for Celestia, and urging her onward toward victory.

Where, when, and how exactly Celestia had gone about apparently mastering her new form was a question that Twilight couldn't come up with an answer for. It wasn't a form that had ever been recorded in Equestria's recorded history -at least not that she'd ever seen- and yet she'd been using it like it was second nature to her. Was it a side effect of the spell that was being used? Did it actually bestow such skills with the new body? Was it a spell that she could actually learn to do herself?

In hindsight, going over these numerous questions while a battle was raging on just overhead probably wasn't the best decision to be engaging in right now; a fact that was made all too clear when she witnessed Nightmare Moon shifting tactics, and directing her attack against them when she learned that Celestia couldn't be easily beaten. She'd been too distracted to cast the necessary defense spell, but Luna had easily picked up the slack and erected a force field over them.

Celestia actually throwing herself into the mix, and using her own body to try and shield them really hadn't been anticipated; not under these circumstances. Back in Canterlot, sure, but those were under very, very different circumstances. The only good thing to come of such was that she didn't appear terribly harmed from intercepting the assault herself.

Instinct born from years under Celestia's tutelage was screaming at her to check on her mentor's well being, but her ability to actually respond was slowed by the fact that Celestia was already in the act of getting back up again.

By now Luna was imploring her sister to stand down, to let either her or Ulquiorra take over in dealing with Nightmare Moon, but Celestia would have none of it. No, she was too determined to carry in her efforts at dealing with Nightmare Moon all by herself. She refused to give in, refused to relent and let somepony else take over for her, despite her lack of results that would suggest her continued struggles would do any better. What more could she really do in her current state? What did she really have left to throw at their foe, that she hadn't already utilized?

The answer to the question came twofold. First as Celestia's cutie marks -still proudly adorning her scaly flanks despite the change in form- began to glow, much like a light shining through stained glass. And then second as a glowing ball of golden light started to form in her mouth.

And then came the actual discharge. Sweet merciful Faust, the discharge! The basic concept behind it was simple enough, to the point of being rudimentary in its very nature, but nothing like that had ever actually been seen on that massive of a scale before! The blast had actually generated physical recoil that could be felt throughout the ground in the area as it was discharged, as well as a shock wave that sent dust and dirt flying into the air as it rocked each of them. It really did make her tirade look like a firecracker in comparison!

The heat coming off of the attack was utterly intense; far more intense than standing next to a raging bonfire. She might've melted marble herself, but even that feat of magical potency managed to pale in comparison to what was currently being experienced! None of them were even in front of Celestia, but that did little to actually protect them from experiencing the intensity of it for themselves.

And then there was the matter of just how bright the attack was to experience! Watching it was like staring directly into the sun itself; a very bad idea no matter how it was regarded, and proved to be more than enough to motivate her to shield her eyes until after it'd passed.

Twilight couldn't deny it if she tried, she was left awestruck by it all. That much magical energy being channeled into a single attack was... was... it was utterly mind boggling! She honestly didn't know if Equestria had the technology to properly measure that sort of output; for all she knew the needle would be going around on the meter numerous times to convey just how ill equipped it was for giving an accurate readout of what was being analyzed by it.

"Just what was that!?" Spike asked, both awestruck and dumbfounded in the wake of the blast.

"I dunno, but that was awesome!" Rainbow Dash stated, heart pounding with far more excitement than was really appropriate under the circumstances. "Did that do the trick? Is Nightmare Moon dead after that?"

Twilight looked skyward, squinting as she waited for her vision to clear, to see if Celestia's attack had worked as intended. Unfortunately, much to her disbelief, disappointment, and even anger, such hadn't been the case. All that it'd done was push her back across the sky. That, and completely incinerate the treetops that'd been in the path of the blast.

"No. No it didn't, she managed to block it with her shield," she stated as she observed the force field disintegrating, all the while idly wondering just how much stress the attack had caused. "It didn't do any good..."

"We'll just see about that," Celestia growled.

Twilight's head snapped around at this, not believing what she was either sensing or seeing. Again!? As much magic as was in that blast, Celestia was making ready to do the same thing again? And so soon after the previous one!? If she were Pinkie, her jaw would -quite literally perhaps- be on the ground right now at this revelation.

The second shot was much like the first, rocking the ground as Celestia's cutie marks glowed almost like molten lava, the blast crossing the sky as it hurtled towards Nightmare Moon at great speeds. But unlike the first shot, and likely due to the extended range, this one was wide and had completely missed the mark! Nightmare Moon hadn't even needed to guard against it to escape any harm!

Or at least that's what it looked like, until Celestia responded to this development by angling her head to try and compensate, and steer the beam back onto its intended target.

Nightmare Moon responded to this by banking to the left -her right- and avoiding the blast, while Celestia followed close behind, but not close enough to actually do any good. All she managed to do was destroy more forest as numerous treetops were wiped out of existence from the close proximity to the heat of the beam, leaving nothing but smouldering ends in its wake.

That, and those of them who'd been on Celestia's left side had scrambled to get down, or otherwise get out of the way, as they saw the direction the beam was moving in, as they had no desire to be anywhere close by if her aim slipped.

"This is getting really scary!" Pinkie stated as the beam once again cut out and ceased, and she currently huddled behind Celestia near the tip of her tail.

"Right. Because it wasn' scary before all this," Applejack muttered, before turning her attention to Twilight. "Did it work that time? Is Nightmare Moon burnt to a crisp like she should be?"

"No," Twilight replied as she looked skyward and huffed. "She dodged it..."

This was going to be extremely problematic. The speed of Celestia's attack was significant, but apparently that just wasn't good enough. If Nightmare Moon could guard against it, or just plain evade it, it didn't matter just how much destructive force the beam carried with it; near misses didn't count in this.

Celestia didn't even bother having a retort to offer up this time; not as Nightmare Moon returned to her previous position in the sky, almost as if she was taunting them by putting herself right in the line of fire just to prove how futile their efforts were. Instead she simply began charging a third beam in obviously growing frustration over how things had been progressing throughout the night.

The next thing Twilight knew, she heard the telltale sound of Ulquiorra's sonido. Looking over to where he was, she saw that he was no longer there. In fact he wasn't anywhere in the area as far as she could see. Where had he gone? He really didn't strike her as the type that would retreat from a battle for any reason; that was primarily the reason he was here in Equestria to begin with. But still, that didn't do anything to address the question of where he... currently... was...

No.

Immediately her mind was besieged by numerous memories choosing to come flooding back to her all at once, making her eyes go wide with panic as her head jerked skyward, back to Nightmare Moon's last known position. Ulquiorra hadn't actually fled the battle, he'd charged into it! He currently had Nightmare Moon restrained from behind, trapped in a headlock and a horn hold as he held her firmly in place, despite the amount of struggling she was putting up to try and get loose.

Suddenly it all made sense. Perfect, frightening sense. Ulquiorra's current actions, all the words of advice he'd given them during his time in Equestria... he was going to forcefully keep Nightmare Moon in place so she had nowhere to go, and no way to respond except for dying. He was planning to sacrifice himself to insure Celestia's attack actually hit home this time!

NO!

She frantically looked back and forth, between Ulquiorra's position and Celestia's, and the charging state of her attack. There were only a few seconds left before it would actually be discharged, and they'd both be consumed by it. Her mind was screaming at her right now, urging and pleading her to do something to stop Celestia from following through with this course of action, but no matter what she just couldn't get her mouth to respond to let the words out! She was practically petrified in place, helpless to do anything but watch in silence as the blast reached its full charge, and was then unleashed without so much as an ounce of hesitation at the fact that Ulquiorra would never be able to survive being struck by such.

Finer motor control finally came back under her control, allowing her to whip her head around just in time to watch the both of them be utterly engulfed by the full magnitude of the blast, but not allowing her to actually do anything other than simply watch it all transpire.

"ULQUIORRA!" she screamed as she finally found her voice once again, her voice cracking under the strain of everything.

The blast -the solar death beam of an attack as it were- lasted only a hoofful of seconds each time it was fired before eventually petering out, but this time around it felt like it lasted for an eternity before it finally ceased.

Her eyes hurt and burnt from staring at the blast for far too long, leaving her vision all blurry and washed out before her eyes finally adjusted to the current level of ambient light, modified by the thestral vision spell from Luna. She anxiously looked up, desperately scanning the sky for any sign of Ulquiorra, only to find nothing but empty night sky, and smoke rising from the still-smouldering treetops.

Anxiously, she turned to her friends, hoping against hope and odds that they'd been smart enough to look away when she didn't, and could actually tell her something, anything, about what had happened during the time she was blinded.

The question, however, would have to wait, as she suddenly found herself distracted by Celestia's current condition. She looked bad; far worse for wear than just a couple of minutes ago. She was slouching, like she couldn't even keep her own body upright without actually having to support its current position. She was also panting quite hard, almost on the verge of being considered gasping for air like she'd been unable to even breathe. Her cutie marks, for whatever reason, had started to give off a red glow. She looked like she was on the verge of collapsing where she currently stood. Jets of steam were even being emitted from the frills around her head, although she didn't have a clue as to why or even how that was happening, unless her body was somehow trying to stabilize its own internal temperatures after all of that.

What happened next was... unexpected, as the transformations began to reverse themselves. Leg joints reoriented themselves as horns and frills receded, claws and talons merged back together, as fur and feathers quickly overtook and replaced scales and membranes. In just a matter of seconds Celestia had gone from being a dragon, back to being an alicorn, with her armor reorienting itself to match the current form she occupied. Seconds later even this changed, as the numerous pieces of armor plating disassembled, retracted, and retreated back into the golden regalia they'd emerged from, leaving no trace behind that they'd ever been there to begin with.

Luna took a cautious step towards Celestia, deeply concerned by what she was currently seeing. "Are you alright, sister?"

"Never," Celestia panted, "have I expended that much magic in such a short amount of time..." she stated and brought her right hoof up to rest against the side of her head, and wait for the current feeling of dizziness to pass as she closed her eyes. She wasn't accustomed to this level of exertion, and if she was standing, she was certain she'd topple over as a result of such. She just needed a minute to rest and get her bearings once again.

"Princess..."

It was a simple word from Twilight, but the tone of her student's voice was enough to make her open her eyes and look at the young mare, to see the concern and worry that was present on her face.

"Princess," Twilight repeated again, "Ulquiorra. H-h-he... he was..." she stuttered as she tried to get the words out.

Celestia hung her head solemnly. "I know," she stated simply and sighed.

She had known what Ulquiorra had done, having seen it for herself when she was preparing to deliver her final strike against Nightmare Moon. Despite knowing -she wanted to believe that he knew- what such a course of action would most likely entail for him, he still hadn't hesitated to physically restrain Nightmare Moon, and make her escape impossible. He had willingly sacrificed himself for the sake of striking down Nightmare Moon once and for all, and at last bringing an end to her reign of terror.

For so long, she'd regarded Ulquiorra as being a monster, a potential threat to both Equestria, and the ponies that resided within its borders. What she'd seen in his mind had scared her to no end, and left her unable/unwilling to trust him, and believe that he could coexist with the others in the world. Trust had been born purely out of necessity on her part, leaving her with little actual choice in the matter. And yet, even with all of that, he had still opted to engage in a course of action that would save Equestria, even if it cost him his life. All of her fears, concerns, and misconceptions had been undone before her, and she couldn't even tell him that she was sorry for treating him like she had.

"I'm sorry," she stated, both sadly and sincerely.

Fluttershy whimpered in response to the news of this development, barely perceptible to anypony. Anypony other than Rarity who stood closest to her, who drew her into a comforting hug in response.

"So he's... really dead? Just like that?" Rainbow Dash asked, trying to process the information. It just... didn't sound real to her right now; not after everything he'd shown himself capable of doing.

"We... we should probably check the body," Spike muttered. He didn't know about anypony else, but he learned real quick after the first shot to not look directly into the stream of Celestia's attack. And while he couldn't speak for the others, he'd seen something black and charred hit the ground in the general area that they'd been in when the attack finished. Exactly what it was, or what remained of whom, he didn't know. Nor was he really certain that he wanted to know. But at the same time, they sort of needed to know.

"No," Pinkie whimpered, shaking her head as she trembled. "Nono, please, I don't wanna see Ulqy like that. I don't wanna see him dead."

"Uh, Pinkie, Ulquiorra was dead when we met him, remember?" Rainbow Dash pointed out.

Again, Pinkie shook her head. "That was different from this. This is real dead, deader than dead. No saves and no continues, perma-death dead."

"That sounds quite serious."

"It is!" Pinkie stated. But then paused, slowly closing her mouth as her mind processed the observation she'd just heard. None of the others had a voice that deep, nor had she seen any of their mouths moving. Could... could it be? Was she hearing things? Or...

Silently, the nine of them turned around to look behind them.

Ulquiorra stood before them, hands in his pockets, and wearing the same neutral expression he was best known for.

"Should I comment on how you look like you've just seen a ghost? Or state the obvious of how rumors pertaining to my death are entirely premature?" he asked them.

It took a second for the group to process everything, and understand that they weren't merely seeing things. Ulquiorra was alive and actually addressing them!

Fluttershy was by far the quickest to respond, emitting an unintelligible, high-pitched sound as she flew forward, tackling Ulquiorra with all of her might, and proceeded to hug him for all that he was worth. All the while, he remained unfazed, and simply continued to regard them, as if wearing a butter yellow pegasus was nothing out of the ordinary for them.

"How-" Celestia started as she took an uneasy step forward, assuming the speaking role for the group. "Please don't misunderstand, Ulquiorra, I'm really glad you're still alive; but just how did you manage to survive that? I've seen you seriously injured from exposure to far less magic than that, just from being in the vicinity of it. How did you manage to walk away unscathed from direct contact?"

"In truth I didn't. The only reason I'm still present, is the fact that Nightmare Moon's body demonstrated a significantly greater degree of resiliency than my own when struck by your attack," Ulquiorra replied, all the while paying no attention to Fluttershy's antics as she continued hugging and clinging to him. "I was prepared to do whatever was necessary in killing Nightmare Moon, however that decision fell through when my arms were disintegrated. When it was concluded that keeping her restrained was no longer a possibility, I used her body as a spring board, kicking myself away while using my sonido to get out of the line of fire as quickly as possible, while leaving her behind to weather the blast by herself."

"Huh," Rainbow Dash muttered, "so in a way Nightmare Moon actually saved your life."

"Perhaps in a manner of speaking, from a certain point of view," Ulquiorra acknowledged. "But if not for her, I wouldn't have found it necessary to put myself in the position in the first place," he continued.

Celestia simply shook her head, and did her best not to grin in response. Right now she was just glad that Ulquiorra had survived, and the matter had finally been resolved.

"I'm sorry, but there's something I'm not following," Rarity spoke up. "You said your arms disintegrated, and yet you still clearly have them. What exactly-"

"High-speed regeneration," Spike, Applejack, and Twilight said in almost perfect unison, causing the latter two to chuckle and giggle.

"It's true, Ah saw 'im regrow his own leg after he cut it off because a cockatrice turned it ta stone," Applejack stated.

"Oh my," Rarity replied, both amazed and also repulsed by the very notion such gruesome imagery managed to conjure up. At the moment she was at a loss for words.

Rainbow Dash just chuckled to herself, but quickly found it necessary to stop as a sudden wave of dizziness struck her, forcing her to hold her head and shut her eyes as she waited for it to pass. She was fairly certain she was crashing right now, what with the adrenaline rush wearing down, and the tingling she was feeling in the majority of her muscles at the moment. In hindsight, she really should've listened to the care staff back up in Canterlot during her stay. But right now that was neither here nor there. Right now she'd need to settle for simply sitting down for a minute.

"So what do we do now? Do we just go home, or..." Spike asked.

"Returning to Ponyville, and informing the others would be for the best," Luna stated. The entire town had been on edge for more than long enough, and they deserved some good news for a change. "The rest of you, go on ahead. There is still something that must be done here before I can join you."

"An' wha's that?" Applejack asked.

"Locating where the others may be out here. If they are indeed here," Luna explained. Nightmare Moon's death didn't really change anything, other than removing the threat they currently faced. Now that she was gone, it was time to address the other outstanding issues. "If such is not a possibility, then retrieving the bodies so that they may be buried properly. It is the least that can be done after failing them..."

All of the excitement and good will that'd been born from Ulquiorra's survival and Nightmare Moon's defeat, was immediately sucked out of the air at this statement by Luna, only to be replaced by a deep sense of solemness and melancholy. They'd gotten so wound up in everything that had been going on, it was easy to forget one of the main reasons why they'd originally come out here in the first place.

Rainbow Dash grunted in response as she opened her eyes, and pushed herself back up into a standing position. As much as she'd like to go back to Ponyville and crash properly, that was going to need to be postponed for the time being. She was going to simply need to push through the trembling and burning she felt in her muscles right now.

"I'm ready when you are, Luna," she stated, her voice weary as she stood up as straight as she could.

"Wait, you?" Applejack asked, before shaking her head dismissively at the idea. "Sugarcube, ya need yer rest. Ya look like ya can barely even stand up. Shoot, Ah could probably tip ya over jus' by blowin' on ya."

"I don't need to stand in order to fly," Rainbow Dash replied, before turning back to Luna again. "Just say the word."

Luna shook her head in response to Rainbow Dash's assessment and offer. "You have already done far more than anypony could reasonably ask of you, Rainbow Dash. Return to Ponyville with the others and recuperate. I shall be along as soon as I can."

"Everyone needs to return to Ponyville immediately," Ulquiorra stated.

Twilight looked at Ulquiorra in confusion as to what he meant by his statement, but stopped before asking the question. The look on his face... it was a subtle difference from the expression he normally wore, but it was still noticeable to her. He was sensing something in the area. And if he was urging them to actually leave, then-

An explosion out of nowhere rocked their position before any further thought on the matter could be had. It was so sudden, none of them could've prepared for the blast going off so close to where they'd been standing. Debris had been thrown everywhere, and that was the last thing Twilight recalled hearing, before the overwhelming silence set in, disturbed only by a dull -yet simultaneous- high-pitched ringing in her ears.

Having been at the epicenter of more than one failed spell that yielded disastrous -read explosive- results, she was familiar with the disorientation that went along with being hit by concussive forces and noises. Sight, hearing, and all other senses were currently impaired, making it impossible to sort out just what she was hearing, while what she could see moved in a distorted, almost unrealistic manner. But this time around, it was with the added bonus of currently being in a horizontal position as she laid on her side, and seeing everything tilted at a less-than ninety degree angle.

Magical bolts of an unknown origin and type were raining down on their current fractured position, kicking up dust and dirt as they impacted against the ground, and further obscuring her sight, making it difficult to tell just how the others were responding to the assault. All she had were fragments of those who were currently within her line of sight.

Rarity had been roughly grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground by Rainbow Dash, who proceeded to climb atop her and flare out her wings as wide as they could go as more bolts continued to rain down. Despite her physical exhaustion, Celestia had physically thrown herself into action, using her own body to guard others in the group, while Luna went with a force field approach to the problem to keep Celestia from taking anymore of a beating than she already had. And Ulquiorra... he was moving far too fast for her to be able to process beyond a series of blurs. As close as she could tell, it looked like he was deflecting incoming bolts with nothing but his bare hands, sending them in any direction that didn't coincide with where they presently were.

All at once, like a violent rush, the full extent of her senses came back to her and she leapt to her hooves, only to find that the chaos was just as bad with her senses intact as it was otherwise. Smoke, dirt, and debris clouded and obscured the area, choking anyone that dared to breathe, as bright flashes of light and loud booms made detection of the point of origin of the assault impossible to detect, and only served to further the disorientation.

Then it all just stopped. The barrage on their position, it just... stopped, just like that. As easily as it'd begun, it came to an end in the same manner. Not that it was immediately recognized, or even regarded, as many of them were still waiting for the other shoe to drop in the wake of the resulting silence, interrupted only by the sound of debris falling back to the ground.

"What happened?" Rainbow Dash asked as she finally opened her eyes and glanced around. "Is it over? Are we dead or something?"

"What in tarnation was that!? Who've we got attackin' us now?" Applejack demanded to know from her current position under Celestia's frame, with Fluttershy currently hunkered underneath her own frame.

"I don't know. I wish I could say," Twilight said as she turned her attention to Ulquiorra's current position, his palms currently smoking as he stood at the ready, like a predator trying to find where its prey was currently hiding. "Ulquiorra, details. What the fuck is going on?"

"Nightmare Moon is still alive," Ulquiorra stated in response, his voice never wavering from its usual monotone delivery. "I don't know how, but Princess Celestia's attack failed."

"Well then what're you waiting for? Go and kill her already!" Rainbow Dash practically shrieked as she entered a hover off the ground, letting Rarity get back up in the process as she moved directly in front of Ulquiorra to look him in the eyes. "Less talking, more mangling! Go full resurrection on her ass!"

"I agree with the sentiment. But in order to do that, I would first need to detect her presence," Ulquiorra pointed out. "I don't know how, but she's managed to blanket the entire area with her reiatsu, making it impossible for my pesquisa to pinpoint her present location. It's as if I'm reading her everywhere, and simultaneously nowhere."

"Crap," Rainbow Dash grumbled. She really hated Nightmare Moon being clever. "Can't you do like you did with the fog and just disperse it or something?"

Twilight shook her head in response. "It doesn't work that way, Rainbow Dash. Reiatsu doesn't just go away or get dispersed, it sticks around almost like a tar. Ulquiorra wouldn't be able to disperse it anymore than he could drive the color out of the area."

When she had recruited Spike and Ulquiorra in figuring out the initial mystery behind Rainbow Dash's hallucinations, they'd both been given a crash course in the basic physics of Ulquiorra's reality. To say they were familiar with the subject would be an understatement right now. And while she really would love it if Rainbow Dash's idea held water, she knew it unfortunately didn't.

Luna looked to Celestia, knowing that she hadn't yet had a chance at recovering from her earlier exertions. She looked like she was barely even able to stand on her own hooves; doing further battle was out of the question for her, that wasn't even up for debate at this point.

"She could attack at any time, from any location. And we would not know until it was too late," she noted, already making ready to immediately cast a force field at the first sign of trouble, and hoping that the area in which it would be deployed with Nightmare Moon free, so as to not trap her in with them.

"She's trying to make us afraid again," Spike stated as he gripped his hammer tightly, eyes darting back and forth as he tried to see something -anything- that was out of sorts, that would give them some clue as to what the game plan might be. "She probably knows she can't survive another standup fight."

"Ah got the feeling ya might be right about that," Applejack commented. Who knew how much magic Nightmare Moon had used up in surviving Celestia's attack. Shoot, she was probably a lot weaker now, and was looking to build herself back up once again by feeding on more fear.

Well, that wasn't going to happen. She wasn't about to give into fear and panic just because some ornery sidewinder was trying to spook her. Forget that. No, that didn't go quite far enough. On second thought, fuck that! She wasn't about to be a source of food for anypony or anything, and certainly not for the likes of Nightmare Moon!

"Stop hiding an' show yerself already, ya rotten varmint!" she yelled, her tone heavy with frustration and anger over how things had been progressing. She was tired of this hide and seek nonsense, and would much rather face an upfront confrontation, even if Nightmare Moon was an alicorn while she wasn't.

"Considering everything that's happened since this whole mess started, I'm inclined to agree wholeheartedly," Rarity stated firmly. After all of the ponies that had been hurt, the relationships that'd been tested and strained, the immeasurable suffering that'd been inflicted on them all for no reason other than simply being present, the notion of a standup fight appealed to her on a deeply primal level. "If I had the opportunity, I'd thrash the living daylights out of her."

"By all means, my little pony, thrash away..."

All semblances of bravado on Rarity's part immediately faded at the sound of the disembodied voice that seemed to originate from all around them, while simultaneously feeling as if it'd just been whispered right in her ear, in a manner that tickled the individual hairs of the fur lining it, and sent a violent chill of terror running up and down her spine. Immediately she looked around, trying to find the origin of the voice, but found nothing. That just served to disturb her further, as she knew what she'd felt at the time.

And then there was laughing. Wicked, mocking, demonic laughter that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time, with no distinct point of origin.

"Stop your hiding and show yourself, Nightmare Moon! Come out and face us at once!" Celestia barked as she stood up straighter. Despite the fatigue she currently felt, it was doing little to quell her fury.

Her demand, however, was simply rebuked with more laughter filling the air.

"Really now, Celestia, I think we've clearly established by now that you're not in a position to be making demands of anyone, much less myself," Nightmare Moon cackled.

Despite the claim, however, Nightmare Moon did appear before them, far enough away from their position on the ground to make an immediate attack against her unfeasible, but still close enough that they could see her smirking down on their position on the ground, and not even showing so much as a scratch on her body.

"You gave it your best shot, but even the two heaviest hitters in the whole hit parade couldn't do anything the likes of me. Just face facts and accept your defeat already, and save me the trouble of having to beat the optimism out of you and yours. Simply admit that you've lost, and I'll be merciful in my rule," she continued.

Celestia scowled in response to Nightmare Moon's boast. "I'll never accept your rule, Nightmare Moon," she stated defiantly.

Unfortunately her statement of intent was met with more laughter, as Nightmare Moon seemed to take a perverse amount of delight in her unwillingness to surrender.

"Sister," Luna spoke up, "as much as I admire your spirit, you are in no condition to continue fighting, you are too weak."

"You need not concern yourself with my well being, Luna," Celestia replied. "I have something in mind. But we'll need at least one minute to put it into motion..."

Even as high up as she was, Nightmare Moon had heard the statement with ease, and scoffed in response. If Celestia had been trying to whisper to Luna in order to avoid eavesdropping on what she had to say, then she'd just failed miserably at it. She may as well have been shouting it from the peak of Canterlot Castle.

"Oh no you don't, not again. If you think I'm going to let you have even one second to put this plan of yours into motion this time around, Celestia, then you're going to be sorely mis-"

Before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted as Ulquiorra flashed into existence in front of her, his left arm pulled back. She didn't even have the chance to process what had happened, nor even see his movements as he thrust his arm forward. It'd all been a giant blur that had caught her off guard, before an excruciating pain violently erupted within her chest, causing her to involuntarily scream out in agony.

Looking down as her blurred vision cleared to some degree, much to her horror, she quickly learned that the source of the pain had been him shattering her rib cage as he impaled her with his hand, the appendage buried all the way to his wrist in her chest cavity!

"Sorely mistaken. That's what you were going to say, correct?" Ulquiorra asked, an almost casual tone in his voice as he did, standing in stark contrast to her shrieking delivery. "You're correct in your evaluation. Whatever plan Princess Celestia may have in mind, I knew you'd never allow us the time necessary to actually put it into motion. Fortunately we don't have to count on you having a sense of fair play to do just that," he explained as he began pushing deeper into her chest.

Nightmare Moon emitted a cross between a piercing scream, and a choking cough, trying to properly express the amount of pain she was suffering right now, while simultaneously trying to clear her airways of the blood that had found its way inside them.

"I have no idea how you survived Princess Celestia's attack. But rest assured it won't be happening a second time. This time around, you will be dying, because I'm going to see to it myself. This mission is now under my authority," he explained firmly.

Nightmare Moon tried to gasp for much-needed air, but found the task to be more or less impossible due to a tightness in her chest. A tightness that she only realized too late came from the fact that right now, the Espada was actually rooting around and groping her internal organs! Sweet merciful Faust, he was fondling her entrails!

"Well now, you're certainly full of surprises. It seems you really do have a heart after all," he commented as he squeezed the quickly-pulsating organ in his hand, causing her to emit a strangled scream in response. "Matters such as the heart have intrigued me for quite some time now. Perhaps we should bring it out into the open where there's more light for a more thorough study."

He pulled to withdraw his hand, and Nightmare Moon's heart along with it, but found the major blood vessels it was attached to were quite strong, and didn't give into tearing as easily as he was expecting. He'd just have to pull harder, regardless of how much screaming and convulsing she was doing. He'd just briefly caught a glimpse of the mysterious organ being removed from her body, before suddenly she had no body from which to actually extract it.

Much to his disbelief and amazement, he watched as her body completely disintegrated, leaving him not only empty handed, but with no blood on his hands either; quite literally in this case. There wasn't any physical trace of Nightmare Moon to be found anywhere.

Thankfully, a lack of physical traces to pick up on, did nothing to change the fact that there were other traces that could indeed be picked up on, now that he knew what to look for. Unlike previously, there was no blanketing reiatsu that clouded the area, and made her detection impossible.

"I know that you're still here, I can sense your presence. There's no sense in trying to hide when I can detect you. Come back out and actually face me, or you'll wish that you had," he stated.

The next thing he knew, he saw what appeared to be a swirling bank of ethereal material, looking much like Nightmare Moon's mane and tail a hundred or so feet away from him, condensing in upon itself, before she finally reappeared in her physical form. More than just reappearing, there was no sign of any physical harm being done to her. At best she merely appeared to be winded from the effort that was involved.

So that was it then. He now understood why Nightmare Moon hadn't been burnt to a crisp by Princess Celestia's attack. In truth she had been, it simply hadn't been permanent.

To an untrained observer, what he'd just witnessed would appear similar to the abilities of the woman, Orihime Inoue, and how she could reject the existence of physical damage. It might even be mistakenly labeled as high-speed regeneration. But this was something completely different. Whereas the woman had the ability to turn back time in a localized area, Nightmare Moon had instead deconstructed her entire body to an ethereal state, and then reassembled it to an undamaged state. She had decorporealized, and then subsequently recorporealized herself in order to undo the lethal injuries she'd been dealt; a great big no selling as it were.

It was also quite revealing of a number of fascinating -and potentially valuable- details about what was involved.

"A fairly impressive strategy. To think that you had contingencies in place, in the event you became overpowered by an underestimated opponent," he stated. "Based on your actions leading up to this point, I would've judged you as arrogant to the point of believing that no one could pose you any risk, and thus see no reason to even consider ways of healing yourself. It would appear that I was actually wrong for a change."

Nightmare Moon glared at Ulquiorra in response as she caught her breath. "You'll come to realize there's a great deal about me that you don't know, Espada. This isn't some simple, little story, and I'm not some one-dimensional villain that can be easily triumphed over!" she stated.

Ulquiorra remained unmoved by Nightmare Moon's statement, the lack of interest apparent on his face. "Is there a reason that I should care about such trivialities?"

At hearing the dull response, Nightmare Moon merely snorted in annoyance. "Care, don't care, it doesn't make any difference; not to me, and certainly not to the overall situation we find ourselves in. I'll admit, you managed to catch me off guard with that little maneuver you pulled, but I can guarantee you that it won't be happening again," she stated as her horn began to glow, and her body began to shimmer.

At hearing -and seeing- this, Ulquiorra quirked an eyebrow in response. "And just how do you intend to actually achieve that goal?"

"In truth I've already done it. Thanks to the earth pony magic my body holds, my bones, muscles, and even my skin now have the tensile strength of diamonds, rendering me impervious to whatever physical attacks you might attempt," Nightmare Moon boasted with a wicked smirk as the glow faded, knowing that there was nothing he could do against her now.

"You don't say," Ulquiorra replied, his lack of being impressed quite evident in his voice as he raised his right arm, and pointed directly at Nightmare Moon. "Then I simply won't use a physical attack against you."

Nightmare Moon's eyes widened momentarily as she saw the teal-green glow emitting from Ulquiorra's fingertip, instantly recognizing the fact that he was powering up his Cero for another go against her. That simply wouldn't do at all.

"So, that's how you want to play, is it?" she asked as her horn began glowing again, but for a different purpose this time. "Well then let's play!"

Despite the significantly later start, Nightmare Moon's attack was quicker to power up, being the first one discharged. However Ulquiorra's attack traveled faster, the two meeting roughly in the middle between each of them with a loud clash at the point of collision, and fluctuating colors shimmering wildly.

However this collision proved to be incredibly short lived. Without any warning, or inclination of what had happened, or was going to happen, everything simply ceased. In one bright flash and a low rumble, both of their attacks disappeared as if they were never there to begin with. That left the both of them stunned, and quite confused as to just what had happened.

"This was a turn of events I couldn't have foreseen developing," Ulquiorra commented.

"What? What just happened?" Nightmare Moon asked, curiosity overwhelming her desire to outright murder the Espada while he was analyzing the situation.

"As close as I can estimate, based on all the available information, the phase, wavelength, and polarity of our respective attacks are of such, that when they directly clash just as they did, they automatically cancel each other out," Ulquiorra replied as he tucked his hands into his pockets. This was certainly not something he'd anticipated being a possibility. This was going to require some reevaluation.

"Meaning what exactly?" Nightmare Moon asked.

"Meaning simply, that neither of our primary attacks are going to do any good at hurting one another. Even if they were to succeed in doing damage, the level of injury incurred likely wouldn't be significant enough to warrant the resources needed to even bother with such an attempt," Ulquiorra elaborated.

When Nightmare Moon survived contact with his Cero the first time around, he simply assumed that her reiatsu level exceeded his own. After watching her decorporialize, and then recorporialize herself in response to being impaled, he revised that assumption to be that she simply pulled the same trick to counter the damage she incurred. Now, in light of this new information, he was left to wonder if his Cero did any good at all, or if she had merely been trying to bullshit with him to begin with.

"Well that's a fine pickle we find ourselves in!" Nightmare Moon stated, snorting at the notion that she simply couldn't blast him away as she pleased. "Well, what now?" she asked.

"This."

Before she even had time to process the fact that she'd asked the question aloud as if she'd been politely conversing with him, he'd already responded, and had appeared right in front of her, before slamming his right fist straight into her muzzle.

The force of the impact proved sufficient to snap her head back, before the rest of her quickly followed as she flew backwards against her will, traveling a good hundred feet or so in distance before she finally managed to right herself, and regain control once again.

Her bones, muscles, and even skin might have the tensile strength of diamonds right now, but that blow had still hurt a great deal. And if the coppery smell she was picking up was any indication, the blood vessels in her muzzle didn't share the same resiliency as the rest of her. It was going to take forever to get the smell of her own blood out of her nostrils now!

But that was of small concern right now, there were more important issues to focus on, such as the Espada pressing his attack against her. She refocused her attention forward just in time to see him flash out of existence, putting her on high alert as her eyes moved about rapidly, trying to find some trace of him. The trace she sought flashed right past her on her left side, moving so fast she barely even saw it, before the same flash circled back around on her right side.

And that was when things started to get very weird. She knew that there was only one Espada to be had in this world, and yet she was seeing double! There were suddenly two Ulquiorras circling her at high speeds and... now there were three! Four! A dozen! There were a dozen Espada circling all around her! Did he have the ability to clone himself? And if he did, why were they simply running around her in all different directions? Why weren't they attacking from all conceivable angles and...

No. No these weren't clones, these were after-images, the result of his rapid movements being right at the threshold of her ability to detect and process. He was zooming about her at such high speeds, he was presenting himself as being everywhere at the same time! And adding insult to injury, he was mocking her. She knew from previous experience that if he wanted to, he could move so fast that she couldn't detect his movements, and he would be in a new location before her mind even processed he had taken a step. The fact that she was seeing so many of them, meant that he was intentionally moving slower than he could, and deliberately rubbing the fact in her face that she couldn't keep up with him!

But right now she couldn't focus on the fact that he was mocking her, or how he'd figured out what degree of speed he'd needed to achieve that goal. Right now it was more a question of which of these blurs was the real Espada that was trying to kill her? Which one did she need to focus on, while being able to safely ignore all the others that were meant purely to confuse her, and keep her distracted?

"Ora."

Nightmare Moon froze, eyes going wide at the realization that the voice had come from directly behind her, right about the time the after-images ceased. But then again, what more could she realistically expect from such a dominant predator, than an attack from behind?

She whirled around to catch him before he could do anything, only to be assaulted by the most brutal demonstration of rapid-fire hooficuffs she'd ever been made to bear witness to. Face, neck, chest, he was holding nothing back as he pummeled her relentlessly. She couldn't even see all of the blows being delivered to her, as they were coming far too fast to keep track of, but she was feeling every single one of them landing against her.

Suddenly she was much less than certain about the integrity of the diamond tensile strength of her body being able to withstand the assault it was being subjected to.

Nightmare Moon hadn't even had the opportunity to finish her bold declaration before Ulquiorra leaped into action. Those present cringed at witnessing him brutally impale her through her chest, with all the casualness of it being nothing but business as usual to him. Most of them still vividly remembered the horror of witnessing him do the same to the changeling that they'd thought was Fluttershy, the sound of bones shattering and flesh being torn apart still quite vivid in their memories. And this demonstration just served as a gruesome reminder. The only difference was that this time around, there were no arguments that the one who was on the receiving end actually deserved what they were getting.

Applejack was about to comment on how it looked like Ulquiorra had the situation under control, and how it looked like they weren't going to need any other plans put into motion now. But that particular observation died as she saw Nightmare Moon turn herself into mist in response.

"Oh my. Did... did that actually just happen?" Fluttershy anxiously asked.

"It sure did," Applejack replied as she watched Nightmare Moon reform, and look completely unharmed by the fact that Ulquiorra had put his fist through her chest just moments ago. Whatever magic was at work, it just had to be significant.

"Whatever magic Nightmare Moon is using to perform such a feat, it's something that I've never seen, nor even heard of myself. I didn't even know something like that was possible until I witnessed it for myself," Celestia stated, feeling both intrigued and terrified by what they were learning.

Ulquiorra was, without a doubt, more than strong enough to kill Nightmare Moon on his own; stronger than either herself or Luna in his own right. That blow just a moment ago had most certainly been fatal. Yet all of the strength in the world was useless to them right now, if Nightmare Moon could just undo whatever damage she accumulated with ease. There was no telling just what the extent of such magic was, or how often she could undo whatever was done to her. Physical strength only went so far in the real world, and physical strength by itself just couldn't overcome magic. Magic was needed to counter magic in this case.

"Luna, we have to act now. There's no time to waste," she stated firmly.

"I do not disagree with the sentiment, sister, I merely question what you have in mind when you can barely stand," Luna replied, unable to help but wonder just what Celestia's grand plan was. What had she been talking about prior to Ulquiorra's assault against Nightmare Moon, that would take them a full minute to execute?

Celestia shook her head in response. "Not me, Luna, you. I don't have the necessary strength to continue on my own; certainly not enough to draw on sufficient magic for stopping Nightmare Moon. What I intend to do is transfer what's left of my magic to you, so that you can stop her yourself. As best I can tell, based on what I currently feel, it should be more than enough to let you triumph in this."

Luna didn't know what to say at hearing this. Celestia was actually...

"Then let us proceed," she stated quickly as she stepped forward, knowing that there was very little time for thinking right now. They had to act first, they would think later.

Celestia gave a quick nod, before lowering her head to Luna's level until the tips of their horns touched.

The others could only watch in stunned silence as the golden hue of Celestia's magic flowed freely from her horn into Luna's, where it was sucked up like a vacuum. The entire demonstration was similar to what they'd witnessed when Rarity had donated her mana to Twilight back in Canterlot. But it was lasting far longer, and the amount of magic was much, much greater. It didn't appear to be slowing down either; if anything it looked like it was increasing. It was like somepony had forcefully wrenched open a water faucet that had previously been stuck, and now it was on full blast.

Twilight found herself torn on just what she wanted to observe. The transfer of mana from one pony to another was hardly an unheard of concept, but this scale of transfer most certainly was. It wasn't exactly breaking any new ground in terms of magical research, but the unfamiliar variable made her want to observe the process, and see what came of it.

At the same time, however, she desperately wanted to watch as Ulquiorra pummeled Nightmare Moon for all she was worth, for the visceral -even primal- satisfaction it would give her. After all of the pain and suffering she'd had to endure from watching Ponyville go to pieces all around her, and being helpless to do anything substantial, she craved watching the retribution unfold.

Intellectually, way in the back of her mind, she knew that what Ulquiorra was doing right now probably wouldn't amount to anything; not with Nightmare Moon's ability to simply piece herself back together in an unharmed state. But it was so hard to actually care about that right now!

With a violent flash of colors and lights above them, her decision was cemented, and she turned her attention skyward to watch as Ulquiorra beat the living fuck out of Nightmare Moon as she so richly deserved!

Any efforts on Nightmare Moon's part of keeping track of just how many blows Ulquiorra was delivering to, were quickly discarded and forgotten about in light of the beating itself that was being delivered. Increasing the tensile strength of her body was serving to protect her against any further piercing attacks that he might've tried delivering upon her, but it was doing absolutely nothing to shield her from the actual force that was behind each blow. That left her to suffer through and weather every single newton of force that was delivered to her frame. He might not be proving successful at injuring her, but he was proving quite exceptional at hurting her!

Focusing, she moved to break free, and escape any further beating that he had in store for her. But those efforts quickly proved fruitless as her right foreleg was quickly ensnared, and she was pulled right back into the fray as he held her captive with one hand, and resumed pummeling her with the other one. Even when limited to half his offensive appendages, he was still keeping pace on his assault like it was nothing for him.

Acting quickly, she slammed both of her hind legs into his midsection as hard as she could to kick him away from her, effectively breaking the hold he'd been maintaining, and providing her some much needed breathing room; breathing room that was expanded upon as she flapped her wings to drive herself back, and increase the distance between them even further.

Taking stock of the situation was painting a very gloom picture. She was unbelievably sore even with all the adrenaline coursing through her system, she could barely catch her breath after all the blows she'd taken to the ribs, she could barely even think straight, and she was alone with... whatever he was, who had made it his own private mission in this world to kill her through whatever course of action he deemed necessary.

Making it all worse, that breathing room she'd earned herself had come to an immediate end as her opponent righted himself with ease, and proceeded to launch himself right in her direction! She'd put everything she had in that kick, and he just shook it off like it was nothing! That simply wouldn't do; not at all!

She was quick to respond, summoning her scythe to strike him down as he advanced. But not quick enough to actually strike before he reached her position, and returned her kick with one of his own, right to her face with enough force to send her flying backwards once again, and causing her scythe to dissolve before it could actually be put into use.

He was as persistent as he was vicious. Under different circumstances his character would be admirable, respectable even. But not when she was facing him as an enemy in the midst of battle, and most certainly not in the middle of fighting for her very life! This ridiculousness had been going on for far too long, and she was going to bring an end to it right bucking now!

Throwing out her magic, she ensnared him where he currently was in relation to herself, ensuring that he couldn't strike her any further as she righted herself. And from what she could see as she did such, she'd responded not a moment too soon, as she'd caught him in the process of unsheathing his sword for the purpose of using against her! Fortunately he'd only gotten the blade partially out in the open, but that was of small comfort right now.

Now that she had him, however, she actually had to keep him there. It'd been difficult enough the first time around when she'd only been restraining his one arm to keep him from drawing his sword. But now that she had his entire body restrained, it was proving to be so much more difficult than she'd anticipated.

The fact that he was still physically struggling against her hold just made it all the worse. Even as tightly as she was holding onto him, he was still able to exert some minute degree as movement; not enough to do any good, but certainly enough to demonstrate that he wouldn't be easily subdued.

This was going to require some rethinking on the approach.

"Release me at once," Ulquiorra stated plainly.

"As if-" Nightmare Moon grunted, "as if I'd ever do something like that. That would be a very stupid decision to make right now."

"Then I'll simply have to make you do such," he commented.

At that Nightmare Moon actually laughed. He was going to make her let him go? That was utterly hilarious! She'd be laughing even harder than she was right now, if not for the fact that she had to stay focused.

"If you had any magic about you, I might actually be worried by that statement. But the simple fact is that you don't. You're no spirit of chaos, you're no alicorn, you're not even a lowly unicorn. I've watched you and I know that all your skills, everything you can do, relies on you actually being physically able to move, which you can't do right now," she pointed out, wishing that she could be more eloquent in her mocking of him and his empty threats. But sadly that wasn't the case, and she had to settle for the bare bones approach to pointing out his failings. "I've got you caught, like a fly in a spider's web, and there's nothing you can do about it. What could you possibly hope to do against me in your current condition?"

As it turned out, watching Ulquiorra pummel Nightmare Moon unmercifully, wasn't nearly as satisfying -or entertaining- as they initially thought it might be. He was moving at speeds that were simply too fast for them to perceive his attacks, meaning all they could really see were a lot of blurs, and her frame constantly being rocked by the impacts. Even if that wasn't the case, he'd knocked her so far back, they looked incredibly tiny where they currently were in the sky, making it difficult to see anything regardless.

It took very little time for them to conclude that watching the transfer of magic between the diarchy, was the more interesting affair to watch unfold.

"This is taking way more than one minute," Spike muttered.

"Seventy nine seconds and counting."

Twilight's head whipped around as she looked at Pinkie at hearing this. "Wait, you mean you've actually been keeping track this whole time?"

"You mean that you haven't?" Pinkie asked in return.

No. No she had certainly not. Twilight's mind had been so chaotic with everything going on, she hadn't thought to consider the possibility of Celestia being wrong on her evaluation of how much time they'd need to put her plan into action. It simply hadn't ever entered into consideration. Even if it had, she honestly couldn't say what sort of difference it would've made.

"Éxito de taquilla."

Without warning the entire area was rocked by an explosive force that just seemed to come completely out of nowhere, sending strong tremors radiating throughout the ground as a significant portion of the Everfree Forest before them was just... obliterated was the only word to describe what they saw in the span of time they'd been paying attention. Entire swaths of twisted trees were just utterly crushed and destroyed like they were absolutely nothing, as the ground around and beneath them was forcefully shaken; like tons of invisible weight had just been dropped on it. The only noise that'd been audible over the sound of forest destruction was an inequine shriek coming from way above them.

"What in the-" Applejack started, only to be interrupted as the same... whatever it was, happened once again, rocking the ground that they stood on, as more of the wrecked section of forest was struck again, followed by another shriek.

This was soon followed by yet another repeat, and another, the commotion coming in a steady stream of assault. It wasn't rapid fire in its delivery, but it was certainly striking every couple of seconds with enough force to shake the ground each and every time. Each successive strike was serving to further obliterate the remnants of forest in the affected area, splintering what was left of the trees and underbrush, and even cratering the ground itself!

"What's going on!?" Spike asked, naturally terrified by what was being witnessed, and the complete absence of any idea as to what it was.

"I can't see anything!" Rainbow Dash yelled as another boom of force sounded. Quickly she turned to Twilight. "Twi' what's going on? Do you know what's happening?"

In truth she didn't. Twilight didn't have a single damn clue as to what was going on right now, or how it was connected to what they were currently experiencing. She didn't know anything more than the rest of them, other than the fact that whatever was going on was also making it difficult for Celestia and Luna do properly do what they were trying to do.

Well, that and the fact that whatever was currently happening, was happening directly underneath Ulquiorra's current position in the sky and...

She nearly whacked herself in the face with her own hoof as she put the parts together, and realized that whatever was going on, it had to be Ulquiorra's doing. But exactly what he was doing was the question. She quickly cast the mage's sight spell and looked skyward, trying to get some idea of just what Ulquiorra was up to.

What she actually saw, however, she didn't know how to adequately describe. This was... this was something else!

"Whoa..."

"What is it, Twilight, what do you see?" Rarity asked, just before the ground was rocked once again.

"I really don't know," Twilight replied as she shook her head and turned her attention back to the group. "I've never seen anything like this before. At the moment I can only hazard a best guess estimate. But going off of what I'm seeing, it looks like Ulquiorra is actually concentrating all of his reiatsu into an area half the size of a city block, and dropping it all right on top of Nightmare Moon. He's literally beating her over the head with nothing more than the spiritual pressure his body normally generates!"

Her earlier statement of astonishment was joined by several others at this revelation. To some extent or another, they had all felt what it was like to be around Ulquiorra when he didn't bother to suppress the full extent of his reiatsu, and they knew that it was significant. But to see it causing physical damage like this, to actually witness if affecting the surrounding area, that was something else; it was terrifying actually. It was so easy to forget just how much strength he commanded in his svelte frame, what with the care he exercised with his surroundings when it came to controlling that strength.

But when it came to Nightmare Moon, he didn't have to demonstrate that same care and consideration. Instead he could lay into her, and really let her have it without a second thought!

"He's really letting her have it," Spike commented as yet another tremor of force resonated its way through the ground.

"But... but why though?" Fluttershy asked weakly. "Why is he going with this particular attack instead of something... more direct? It just... it doesn't seem like something that he'd normally do."

"Hm? Whatever do you mean, darling?" Rarity asked, her curiosity piqued by what Fluttershy was getting at.

"It..." Fluttershy paused as she tried to find the words, "this just doesn't feel like something Ulquiorra would do. It's not his style."

Twilight's brow furrowed in thought over what Fluttershy was trying to say. Granted, they hadn't seen Ulquiorra do anything like this before, but that didn't really mean anything, did it? There was still so much about him that they simply didn't know, as he had yet to share everything about himself with them.

All rational thought on the matter was quickly abandoned as Ulquiorra crashed into the ground right next to their group, resulting in more than a few terrified screams from them as a result. The position of his landing did nothing to suggest it'd been his own idea to disengage from the battle with Nightmare Moon, and his overall condition looked abysmal. His breathing was very labored as he struggled to climb back to his feet, and his complexion looked positively pale; pale even by his own ashy, off-white standards.

"You look like crap!" Rainbow Dash stated for the group as Pinkie was in the process of helping pull him back onto his feet. Just the fact that he wasn't doing anything to suggest he didn't actually need the help was concerning in its own right.

"Wha' happened? Why're ya back down here, instead o' up there an' rippin' Nightmare Moon a new one?" Applejack asked.

"Nightmare Moon concluded that I pose little threat to her when rendered stationary," Ulquiorra explained as he stood up straighter. "She was proven wrong in her assessment, but the process of actually doing such was far more difficult than I anticipated."

While hardly the most terrifying thing they'd ever heard Ulquiorra say, the simple statement still spoke volumes to the lot of them. He wasn't one who struck up a conversation with others just to pass the time, or for the sake of talking. When he spoke, he was careful in the selection of his words, as they had meaning behind them. And now here he was, openly admitting that he was having trouble against Nightmare Moon. What did he have to be experiencing to warrant him making such a statement?

It was a question that went unanswered -perhaps thankfully so- as the light between Celestia and Luna finally fizzled out and stopped, bringing their attention back to the two sisters. Throughout the whole transfer they'd been acting like they were in a trance, oblivious to the world around them even when it was quaking. Now they were about to see what the end result of it all was.

The difference between the two was as they stood back up was as stark as the difference between night and day itself. Celestia looked as if the simple act of just standing back up had consumed what little stamina she had left, as had left her unable to either bring herself back to her full height or even open her eyes the whole way. She was slouching, her head just barely above her withers, and looked like she was going to collapse at any second. Meanwhile Luna looked wide awake, wide-eyed, and just seconds away from succumbing to a vicious sugar high.

"It's done," Celestia managed to utter, before groaning as she proceeded to topple over and fall to the ground before anypony could catch her.

As she hit the ground, the familiar visage crumbled like a house of cards and dissipated, leaving a very different pony behind in its wake. Unlike the tall, regal form Celestia had, this pony was much smaller, barely reaching the average height of a grown mare. Instead of a long, flowing mane and tail with neapolitan coloring that seemed to blow in an ethereal breeze, hers were standard hairs with a uniform pink coloration.

It was more or less obvious that this pony was still Celestia, but it was a Celestia none of them were familiar with; rather it was one who looked so small and vulnerable in comparison, with regalia that looked far too big to fit her tiny frame.

At the same time, Luna's entire body was beginning to glow, giving off a golden aura that seemed to get brighter by the second, until everyone present was forced to either look away or shield their eyes.

Everyone except for Ulquiorra, who was able to see through the aura, and observe just what was happening. He could see what the infusion from Princess Celestia was doing to not only Princess Luna's reiatsu, but also herself directly. The infusion of magic was rapidly reshaping Princess Luna's body itself, forcing her to grow into a larger, stronger form; stronger than Princess Celestia had been in her dragon form. Stronger than even Nightmare Moon if his readings were correct.

As the glow of the aura finally faded, everyone was able to see what the end result was, and it was indeed impressive. Luna stood before them, as easily as tall as Celestia had been, but looking undeniably tougher in terms of her build than her sister, with a much darker blue coat, contrasted by the now golden trim of her armor.

The general consensus amongst the group was that the end result was undeniably impressive, with many stating something to such an effect.

Luna said nothing in response to their statements, as she leaned down to nudge Celestia's prone form with her snout, and continued doing such until the smaller alicorn finally began to stir and move on her own again.

"I've done all that I can do. The rest is up to you now, Luna," Celestia stated in a voice that was much higher, and much younger sounding than her own. As she fully opened her eyes to look around, they grew wide as they fell upon Luna, alight with both awe and wonder at the end result. "Oh my. I wasn't expecting this!"

Luna gently smiled, nuzzling her sister's cheek as she did, before standing back up to her full, newfound height.

"Ulquiorra Cifer, you have done quite well against Nightmare Moon, my friend," she announced as she stepped forward, demonstrating that even her voice had been affected by the infusion of Celestia's magic. "But now the time has come for you to depart. Take my sister back to Canterlot where she will be safe. I will tend to this matter on my own..." she stated as she walked forward, preparing to engage Nightmare Moon once again.

"You can't be serious."

The statement had come so far out of left field that Luna hadn't known what to think upon hearing it. Mentally stumbling, she turned back around to face Ulquiorra once again.

"This is the perfect opportunity For Nightmare Moon to be completely overwhelmed, dominated, and outright killed through our combined strength. And you wish to waste that opportunity?" he asked her pointedly. "There's no logic to be found in such an approach," he stated even more pointedly.

Celestia nodded in agreement where she sat, the act nearly causing her crown to slip right off her head in the process.

"Ulquiorra Cifer..."

The tone of voice Luna spoke in as she stepped closer to where he stood was very authoritative, and very commanding, despite not being even an octave higher than it'd been just a moment before.

"I am ordering you to take Celestia back to Canterlot," she stated as she stopped directly in front of him, close enough that the tip of her horn easily touched his forehead. "Am I understood?"

The tone used in the question had been especially firm in its delivery. It actually felt as if it was an open challenge to dissent being aired in response. The air was tense in the aftermath, and a collective breath was more or less held as they waited to see who would blink first in this standoff.

In the end, it was Ulquiorra who was ultimately the first to yield. "As you command, Princess Luna."

Celestia was beside herself in disbelief at this turn of events. This was actually happening?

"Luna-" she protested even as Ulquiorra was in the process of picking her up of the forest floor, and more or less draping her on his back.

"Hush, sister, you no longer have a part in this," Luna interrupted, silencing the disagreement before it could even begin. "Do not argue with me on this, or you will sincerely wish that you had not!"

Celestia found herself floored by the sheer coldness of Luna's tone of address. She found herself floundering, trying to form some sort of protest to how everything was unfolding before her, but wholly unable to actually get the words out as Ulquiorra ascended into the air with her in tow.

Had she, unknowingly, somehow made this situation worse, by saddling Luna with what might be considered an insurmountable task?

Luna watched as Ulquiorra departed with Celestia in tow, before returning her attention to... well, her present surroundings, as there was still the question of where Nightmare Moon presently was. She could still sense the fiend's dark presence, but was unable to tell just where she was. It was like what Ulquiorra had been saying earlier, about her seeming to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time. As hard as he'd pounded her during his session, it really wasn't a surprise that she'd go back into hiding at her first available opportunity.

Her attention then turned to Twilight, Spike, and all the others who were still present, wearing expressions of terror, confusion, and uncertainty with the situation before them. All things considered, it was an understandable reaction.

"I would advise you to return to the relative safety of Ponyville while you still can. This situation is going to become far more heated before it is resolved. I am most certain of that," she stated.

"Nopony is going anywhere!"

Once again, the disembodied voice of Nightmare Moon sounded from all around them, causing them to jump in surprise. Only this time around, it was a lot louder than when she'd been teasing Rarity.

"You saw fit to stick your collective noses where they don't belong, and now you have to face the consequences of your actions. If any of you even try to set so much as one hoof outside of the forest, everything that's happened up until now will look like a warmup in comparison to what I'll unleash on Equestria next!"

This turn of events only served to deepen the frown that'd been forming on Luna's face. A frown that she wasn't the least bit shy about sharing with the others at the moment. Twilight and the others were at risk if they remained right in the heat of the situation. But if they left, Nightmare Moon was promising severe repercussions, and she wasn't certain they'd be able to stop that from coming to pass. She could be bluffing, but they couldn't really afford to call her on it; not yet anyway. Just the fact that she was hanging around to taunt them, rather than fleeing when she had the opportunity, suggested far more was going on than they were seeing; more than meets the eye as it were.

"Get out here and say that to my face!" Spike yelled back angrily.

"Yeah, show yourself you gutless coward!" Rainbow Dash added as she hovered off the ground. "We're gonna fuck your face!"

Luna groaned. She appreciated that the others were willing to help her in this mess they found themselves in, but this wasn't the sort of help she needed. False bravado would only do so much.

Then again, taunting and insulting Nightmare Moon in such a manner might keep her agitated and unbalanced, and work in their advantage. Perhaps she should actually be encouraging this sort of crass behavior? There were certainly a few insults she wouldn't mind lobbing herself right now.

"Is that so?"

All eyes turned forward as the disembodied voice sounded far more localized this time around, and they were treated to the sight of Nightmare Moon slowly descending into view, her massive wings flapping in a slow manner as she hovered well off the ground, putting her in the right position to look down on them; something she did with a smug glare of superiority.

"The amount of bravado and arrogance being demonstrated here is thicker than peanut butter, and not nearly as appetizing. Do you puny little mortals honestly believe that you stand a chance against the likes of me?" she asked then pointedly.

"Honestly? How 'bout ya c'mon down here an' we'll find out fer ourselves," Applejack quipped.

Nightmare Moon actually laughed in response. "Oh that's just adorable. Little pony, you have no idea just what you're messing with..."

"Wait, you mean you're not actually an egomaniacal, body-stealing, soul-eating, mass-murdering, sadistic, demonic parasite, with delusions of grandeur and plans for the genocidal extermination of all life in Equestria as we know it?" Pinkie asked.

Nightmare Moon's amusement turned to annoyance at this question. "Alright, you know what? Just for that one, fatso, I think I'll start by breaking you first!"

A crack sounded as something hot and sharp suddenly erupted across her face, forcing her to shut her eyes out of instinct as her face felt like it was suddenly on fire. Fire, and pain that seemed to reach deep below the surface and violently assault her nerves in a way that made her want to scream out. She only then noticed something warm and wet against her face, and opened her eyes to discover that it was blood. More specifically, it was her blood.

Looking back down at the others, she saw that Luna now held her helmet aloft in a tendril of her starry mane. It didn't really take a genius to figure out what'd just happened.

"I am your opponent in this conflict Nightmare Moon, not anypony else; they are off limits to you! If they are attacked in any way, if even so much as one hair of their manes is put out of place, you will be made to regret it," Luna stated firmly.

Nightmare Moon snorted in response. "You're hardly in a position to be threatening anyone, Little Luna," she replied dismissively. "Now be a good little pony princess, and give me my helmet back."

"Bite me," Luna replied as the tendril of mane trembled and squeezed the helmet tighter, before crushing it as easily as if it were nothing but an empty soda can.

The demonstration caused Nightmare Moon's eyes to go wide, but not out of surprise. Rather it was disbelief at such actually being done.

"Alright. Now you-"

The remains of her helmet being hurled back at her head served to interrupt her warning, causing her to move to the left to dodge the impending impact.

Exactly what happened next was up for debate as she hadn't seen it herself, but she suddenly found herself being slammed against the ground.

Perhaps, and it was really just speculation on her part of entirely unlikely scenarios, but perhaps she was underestimating how much of a threat Luna actually was to her, in her current powered up form. She was, at the very least, as strong as Celestia had been in terms of base magical strength. Exactly what she did with that strength in this engagement, however, that was the question she didn't yet have the answer to.

Celestia knew from experience that Ulquiorra could move quite fast. Exactly what the upper limits of his speed were, she really didn't know; certainly faster than the eye could follow, and the mind could process, but that was about it. What she did know for certain, was that their current speed of travel wasn't anywhere near that level.

It was, however, a sufficient enough speed to compel her to hunker down and hold onto him tightly as he flew, for fear of possibly being blown right off his back by the oncoming air currents they had to weather in the course of their travels. And as high up as they currently were, that was a landing she really didn't want to experience firsthoof. He would most likely be able to catch her before she would ever actually hit the ground, but why actually take the risk?

Because it was ultimately necessary to do such; that was why.

It was unbelievably difficult for her to actually relinquish hold on him with her right foreleg, even as her left tensed to cling to him tighter, in order to rap him on the back of the head to get his attention; trying to yell into the wind blowing in her face in order to get his attention wouldn't do much good, even if she was close to his ear.

Fortunately it looked like her efforts were having the desired results, as he was slowing down considerably.

"What is it?"

"I was hoping you might actually be able to explain that," she replied as she readjusted her hold on him. "Starting with what exactly are we doing here?"

"Princess Luna has ordered that we return to Canterlot, and we're complying with that order," Ulquiorra replied in a very simple, straight to the point manner of address.

Celestia sighed, wanting to shake her head, but knew he wouldn't be able to see the gesture, so there was no point in actually doing such. "No, no, that's not what I meant. None of this is making any sense to me. You said yourself that Luna's plan wasn't logical, but you didn't even argue when she ordered you out. Why're you even going along with this?"

"My initial assessment of the situation was based on incomplete information at the time. In light of new information and evidence, it's no longer valid," Ulquiorra explained.

Celestia's brow furrowed in confusion, feeling distinctly like the odd mare out to an inside joke that was being told. "New information? Ulquiorra, what new information could've changed your mind in the few seconds between you telling Luna off, and suddenly evacuating the area?"

"Finding out exactly what Princess Luna's plan entails," Ulquiorra stated, before continuing to explain before she could press him for details. "She intends to bring the totality of her strength to bear against Nightmare Moon, and hit her with everything she has. The only thing currently stopping her from doing such is the uncertainty of whether or not she can properly control her newfound strength, and as such she needs to evacuate the area of any potential liabilities that would get in the way of doing just that; liabilities such as yourself, myself, and the others currently present in the clearing."

"That... that makes a lot of sense out of everything now," Celestia mumbled as numerous pieces of the puzzle suddenly fell into place. A great deal of Luna's sudden change in demeanor didn't seem so jarring, now that they were put in the right context. "I was afraid I'd wound up making the situation worse somehow..."

"You don't trust Princess Luna," Ulquiorra elaborated.

Celestia winced in response to the statement. "You don't understand, Ulquiorra, I do trust Luna. But at the same time, I also know Luna; far better than anypony ever really could. With everything that's been going on in recent weeks, she'd had to step up and assume far more responsibilities and stress, and at a rapid pace that others might consider unhealthy. I was worried that the sudden change in her demeanor indicated that the burden had finally become too much for her to bear, and that such was my fault for essentially tasking her with stopping Nightmare Moon all by herself," she explained.

"Such doesn't appear to be the case in this matter. Princess Luna has already prepared for contingencies in the event of her efforts failing," Ulquiorra stated.

"Contingencies?" Celestia asked in disbelief. Luna already had contingencies in mind for this situation!? "What sort of contingencies could she have come up with so quickly?"

"The purpose behind our return to Canterlot is two-fold. The first is to get out of the way so that Princess Luna is free to operate uninhibited. The second is to facilitate a counterattack against Nightmare Moon."

"A counterattack? What sort of counterattack?" Celestia asked.

"Myself. The initial engagement against Nightmare Moon proved quite resource-intensive, and far more difficult than initially assumed, even for myself. Once you're safely returned to the Canterlot Palace, I'm to reinvigorate myself by utilizing the intense levels of mana located in Canterlot, and return to battle at full strength. If Princess Luna concludes that she simply can't kill Nightmare Moon through her own efforts, she's going to keep her pinned down and unable to escape until my return, at which point we completely overwhelm her through our combined strength," Ulquiorra explained.

Celestia didn't want to say she was impressed by the plan Luna had in mind, as doing such would do a disservice to her sister. But despite that fact, she certainly was impressed -perhaps amazed- that Luna had thought things through not only as far as she had, but also as quickly as she had.

"And she managed to convey all of this information to you, in just a few seconds worth of time?" she asked him.

"Correct. Her skills in telepathic communication are significantly more advanced than your own. Several minutes worth of elaboration and explanation was had within the span of several seconds worth of time. All done in a manner that prevents Nightmare Moon from becoming wise to what the intended course of action is, and leaving her unable to respond to such," Ulquiorra explained.

"I suppose that's to be expected, considering her dream duties and all," Celestia mumbled. "That certainly explains a few things. I was certain you'd be vigorously opposing her on this, and making another attempt on Nightmare Moon's very existence by yourself."

"Had the order come five minutes earlier, I most likely would have done just that," Ulquiorra admitted. However that had been before learning for himself just what Nightmare Moon could actually do. He could lay waste to her, devastating her physical being with one fatal blow after another, but it would do little good if she could just piece herself back together with little-to-no effort, and undo all of his hard work like it was nothing. And with her making every effort at preventing him from unsheathing his zanpakutō, that made it even more difficult to argue.

In this case, retreat was a valid tactic. Princess Celestia possessed too much value to Equestria's continued existence, to simply just leave her in the line of fire where she could possible be killed. And with Princess Luna keeping Nightmare Moon busy and distracted, it would afford the opportunity to revert back into his true form without interruption, and demonstrate the utter futility of her efforts against them.

"So I take it the plan of devouring Nightmare Moon's soul simply wasn't an option?" Celestia asked.

"When was such an approach even discussed?"

It was only after she asked the question, did Celestia remember that all of the talk about the possibility of Ulquiorra eating Nightmare Moon had been nothing more than speculation on their part. Now she felt rather silly for bringing it up in the first place.

"Regardless of such details, such an approach is an option, however it isn't a particularly good one at the moment," Ulquiorra clarified.

"... I honestly never expected to hear you say something like that," Celestia admitted. "So why wouldn't devouring Nightmare Moon's soul be a good option in this fight?"

"Hollows evolve by devouring one another. Of the hundreds of thousands, to millions of individual Hollows it takes to evolve into a Vasto Lorde, only the strongest, most dominant personality emerges to actually exert dominance over the amalgamation, and transform it into something other than a writhing mass of mindless, hunger-driven beasts. Not knowing anything about the mechanics of souls in this world, devouring Nightmare Moon is a risky approach to the problem. It may kill her, and bring an end to our struggles against her. But at the same time it may not, as there's the possibility that she may be able to assert dominance, and claim my form for herself."

Celestia shuddered hard at his assessment, having heard more than enough on the matter. One of the last things she wanted to contemplate right now, was the possibility of Nightmare Moon getting any stronger than she already was, or claiming anymore victims than she had already. Just the fact that he had considered such possibilities for himself, was more than enough for her.

"Less talk, more speed. Let's get back to Canterlot as soon as she can," she stated and held onto him tightly.

The words had barely gotten out of her mouth before she felt a significant increase in speed on Ulquiorra's part, making her thankful that she'd tightened her hold on him.

"Luna, please be alright..."

Author's Note

So another chapter. My apologies for this taking so long, I tried to have it up three weeks ago, but it just didn't work out that way.

Originally this chapter was going to be significantly different. I had something specific in mind all drafted up, and as I was writing it, I realized that it didn't make a lot of sense as they unfolded. So I had to clear that up, try and clarify points, and upped Ulquiorra's badass quota significantly.

Filler - Hollow victories, purple ponies, green bugmen and... oh to hell with it! Part 2 #Cellgames

"Twenty four... by twenty four and a half. Twenty four... by twenty four and a half. Twenty four... by twenty four and a half..."

Because of regenerative qualities and capabilities that were, quite frankly, unfair to the point of being utterly ridiculous in scope, Twilight's efforts at obliterating Cell-

"That's Mr. Perfect Cell! Don't think for even a minute that I won't destroy you as soon as I'm done here!"

-had been quite lackluster.

"Twenty four... by twenty four and a half. Twenty four... by twenty four and a half. Twenty four... by twenty four and a half..."

On the other hand, mentally unbalancing him through pointing out glaring imperfections in the quality of his work, had been quite successful.

She and Ulquiorra watched as the self-proclaimed perfect being had proceeded to crawl along the arena on his hands and knees, measuring the length and width of each individual tile, in utter disbelief of the fact that he had produced something of such inferior quality, mumbling to himself all the while as he demonstrated he was simply unable to accept the fact that each and every tile was oblong.

All in all, it was quite hilarious how easily the mighty had fallen. Toppled by the fact that perfection simply wasn't a possibility.

But the hilarity of the situation had worn off not long after they realized that he was going to measure each tile individually. It was quickly becoming less hilarious, and more sad than anything.

"So how bad do you think he's going to lose his shit when I point out that the four corner obelisks are not only of uneven heights, but also uneven angles on the top points?" Twilight asked.

"Quite badly," Ulquiorra replied, never taking his attention off of their current opponent. "Doing so may result in him posing an even greater immediate danger than he does already."

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that," Twilight admitted. Best not to break him too much all at once.

"Twenty four... by twenty four and a half. Twenty four... by twenty four and a half. Twenty four... by twenty four and nine sixteenths! Oh come on!"

As entertaining as it was to watch a supposed super villain demonstrating degrees of OCD that eclipsed her own, and made her seem normal in comparison, Twilight knew that they couldn't stand around all day. They had a lot of work to do and it wasn't going to do itself.

The fact that Cell currently had his backside to them gave her an idea. An awful, horrible, wretched idea... that just had to be done!

She glanced over at Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra glanced back at her in response. No words needed to be spoken in this case, as everything that needed to be shared between could be conveyed with a mere look, a gesturing of the head, and an evil smirk that she made no efforts at subduing.

Ulquiorra responded in turn, disappearing from view in a burst of sondio, and reappearing right behind Cell with his right leg pulled all the way back, before swinging it forward as hard as he could. Resulting in the contact delivering enough force to send Cell flying with a surprised yell, as he passed between two of the obelisks at the far end of the arena like field goal!

"Woohoo!" Twilight yelled excitedly as she watched Cell sailing through the air in a collision course with the nearest mountain.

Although the excitement took a nosedive when she saw Cell just stop in midair before he made contact with anything. And then that excitement crashed and burned when she saw him not only right himself in midair, but also fly back to the arena under his own power. Apparently those wings on his back were quite functional.

Well ****.

"Alright," Cell grunted as he set back down on his feet, crushing the tape measure underneath his left foot in the process as he landed. "Which one of you had the audacity to kick me when my back was turned? Because personally I applaud the underhandedness of taking such an initiative! But at the same time I take offense to being field goal'd like a common football! Do I seriously look like Oolong to you!?"

"I don't know what that is, but it sounds disappointing," Twilight commented.

At that, Cell actually laughed. "Oh, little pony, you have no idea just how right you are," he stated, before growing serious once again. "Now then, fun and games aside, we still have business to tend to. And I'm afraid it's time for you to die, Bella!"

"Oh, really? Well in that case, give it your best shot. Believe me, you'll need it," Twilight replied.

"Twilight Sparkle. What are you doing?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Don't worry, Ulquiorra, I've got everything well in hoof. I learned from my mistakes from the last time. It's all under control," Twilight assured him, before turning her attention back to Cell. "Well, come on now, what're you waiting for? Do I need to send out an engraved invitation or something? Are you waiting for me to finish talking? Let's see what you've got! We've still got a lot of work to do to find our window to return home, and my dick is not going to suck itself!"

...

The last taunt had come so far out of left field, Cell didn't know how to immediately respond to it. Had he heard her right? Hoping for clarification, he turned to Ulquiorra.

"Did she actually say-"

"I made the mistake of teaching her about human profanities one day," Ulquiorra stated flatly, "it's a decision I still regret making to this day."

"Oh, well that's completely understandable. You try and teach lesser species about new things they have no concept it, and they manage to horribly mangle it through their own pitiful understanding of things their primitive minds can't possibly grasp!" Cell stated.

Twilight frowned in response. "I'm standing right here, and can hear every insulting word you're saying about me, you miter-headed asshole!"

Seeing that he'd succeeded in getting a rise out of her, Cell decided to have more fun at Twilight's expense.

"Hm? Were you saying something just now? I'm sorry but I don't talk to beings that're less perfect than myself."

"So does that mean you'll be sparing us anymore of your delusional, self-important ramblings? Because I'm really not interested in hearing the rantings of a megalomaniac who can't accept his own glaring imperfections!" Twilight shot back.

"Speak up, little pony, I can't hear you from down there!" Cell fired back.

"What was that cicada butt? I can't hear you from up there!"

All throughout the exchange, through the trading of various barbs, and the lobbing of insults like they were hand grenades, Ulquiorra had resumed his position outside of the arena, watching as the two to attacked one another verbally.

"Bitch, I do what I want!"

"Don't make me come over there!"

"Oh really? And what're you going to do to me this time around, Bella?"

Twilight tried to respond, but realized she didn't actually have a response to lob at him. What was she going to do to him?

"What's the matter, pony, run out of quips? cat got your tongue? No more words to flail?" Cell taunted.

Twilight just frowned, before coming up with the perfect response to give. "Your design is asymmetrical."

At hearing that, Cell immediately lost it, his calm veneer falling away. "Hold up! Time out! Time the **** out!" he called as he made his hands into the shape of a T. "You, little pony, you're asymmetrical! Your pale friend over there, he's asymmetrical! But me? I'm perfectly symmetrical in every way!"

"The **** you are! Your left eye is three millimeters higher than your right, your right bicep is seven millimeters smaller around than your left, and don't even get me started on the proportions of your feet! The only difference between you and the hunchback of Notre Dame is you can actually stand up straight!" Twilight yelled. "Oh, and while we're on the subject, your spots are a mismatched feng shui nightmare."

That had done it. Cell -Mr. Perfect Cell- was having none of this! This pony needed to be dealt with, and he knew just how to do it. Raising his right hand and pointing right at her, he opted for Frieza's patented and popular Death Beam and fired. That would put an end to this whole mess, and then he'd focus on her pale friend.

There was just one small problem with that plan. He'd missed. He. Had. Missed. Despite being directly in the path of the Death Beam, and less than an arena's distance away, somehow he'd still managed to miss her. She was standing there, completely unharmed, and unfazed. How had he missed!?

No matter. He'd correct that matter easy enough. With another Death Beam fired no one would ever be wiser that he'd missed his first shot and-

He'd missed again. Somehow, by some strange quirk of fate that he couldn't understand, he'd missed the pony with his second shot. What the hell was going on here!? Were these inverted controls or something!?

"Alright, screw the finesse, let's go with straight brute force!" he stated and unleashed a Death Beam volley shot. There was no way she could contend with the rapid fire approach to doing business!

Except... she somehow was. He could now see what the problem was. It wasn't that he was missing her, it was that she was dodging them! Somehow this puny little pony had the reflexes that were necessary to let her duck, dodge, and evade each one of this shots as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

Just what was going on here!?

Ulquiorra didn't know just what sort of magic was being utilized, only that it was being utilized. He could feel it, as well as see it.

Cell's physical movements had grown incredibly slow in the span of just a few seconds, as had his energy-based attacks. They were slow and sluggish, even after accounting for his own perceptive abilities. Slow enough that Twilight was having no trouble keeping up with them. He recognized that she was actively taunting Cell by standing still right in front of him, and letting him fire at her, only to move just out of the way before they could make contact with her.

She would duck, she would dodge, she would shimmy to the left, shimmy to the right, jump in the air, and even raise up on her hind legs and spin right out of the way of the oncoming attack, paying them no mind as they eventually hurtled right on by her. It was a lot like watching a matador in a bullfight. Only in lieu of a red cape, she would actually wave her tail to taunt him.

Whatever was going on, Twilight Sparkle's skill in the fine art of trollery was of a truly masterful degree.

He could've spent a great deal more time analyzing and contemplating what he was seeing, if not for his pesquisa detecting another reiatsu pattern quickly approaching their position. A reiatsu pattern that had similarities to what he could feel coming from Cell, but at the same time it was quite different. A relative perhaps?

"Hey."

Turning around at the sound of the voice, he saw...

What the hell was that thing? It was easily as tall as Yammy Llargo, and looked like a green cucumber man with antennas, wearing a turban, a purple gi, and a cloak with shoulder pads that would've been over the top even in the 1980s.

"Pray tell what are you supposed to be?" he asked.

"Namekian. Name's Piccolo," the stranger replied as he hovered above with his arms folded across his chest.

"As in the woodwind instrument?" Ulquiorra asked.

"The very same," Piccolo replied, before turning his focus to what was unfolding inside the ring. "Is she actually dodging?"

"She is," Ulquiorra confirmed.

"Neat!" Piccolo replied and smirked. "You mind if I stay and watch? It's so rare to see someone who actually knows what they're doing and understands the concept of getting the hell out of the way."

"That depends on what your intentions are, and why you're here," Ulquiorra replied. The fact that this... Namekian, whatever that was, had a similar reiatsu pattern to Cell, was a point of concern in need of being addressed.

Piccolo shrugged in response. "Watching Cell get humiliated by a lavender unicorn. About four days ago he blew a hole right through me and left me for dead. So when I sensed something out of sorts I decided to come and investigate. Probably not the smartest of decisions that could've been made, all things considered, but **** it this is too good to pass up."

"Then by all means," Ulquiorra replied. He could understand the value of watching an enemy be humiliated. And as long as it didn't pose a risk to them, he wouldn't deny the opportunity for such.

And if these two were actually trying to kill one another, then all the better.

Wordlessly Piccolo set down next to Ulquiorra, the two watching in silence as Twilight went about humiliating Cell by continuing to dodge his attacks, with it sometimes resembling an active attempt at mimicking a human style of dancing.

"We are so going to livestream this!"

"So. Time dilation field?" Piccolo asked after some unmeasured length of time passed.

"Uh, more like twelve seconds."

"Shut up, Nail, nobody's counting!"

"It would appear to be the most likely case. Although I've never actually seen such in action before," Ulquiorra replied.

"Huh. We've got one of those, too, although it's not nearly as portable," Piccolo commented. "If the witches and other magic users here knew how to do that, they might actually be useful."

"You seem remarkably unfazed about everything currently going on. Most would take one look at Twilight Sparkle and question their sanity," Ulquiorra stated.

"Well I don't know about where you come from, but around here magic users and talking, intelligent animals are hardly uncommon. Hell, the current king is a talking blue dog, so whatever," Piccolo replied.

"Affirmative action?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Dragon Balls," Piccolo corrected.

Out of all the weird shit that had been seen on their journey, it was that comment that had Ulquiorra turn away from watching the battle to focus on his fellow spectator.

"Exactly how do a dragon's testicles factor into any of that?"

While Ulquiorra was busy conversing with his new friend, Twilight was hard at work inside the arena, doing what she did best.

"Think, Twilight! Think!"

Unfortunately, what she did best was over-analyzing and panicking.

"Alright. So far the time-dilation field seems to be doing its job, and it appears to be maintaining a ratio of ten seconds inside for every second outside. That gives me time to think this situation over, but I need to be fast since there's no telling how long the field can be maintained with a being like Cell. And even though I have plenty of time to determine the angle of the attack and respond accordingly, I can't afford to get sloppy in my dodging and reacting, otherwise those blasts will actually hit me, and then it's goodbye Twilight; not exactly a desirable outcome to be facing."

Way, way over-analyzing.

"So I know that I can dodge his attacks, no problem there. Simply waiting him out until he exhausts himself is a possibility, but I don't know how viable it is. Eventually I'm going to get tired from constant dodging, and I have to maintain the time-dilation field actively, so my magic is constantly being drained in keeping him at a disadvantage. And he really doesn't look like he's going to tire out anytime soon. Trying to match him in strength isn't going to work either since I can't exactly blow up a fucking planet. And even if I had enough strength to blow him to bits once again, he'd just instantly regenerate. I'm going to have to prove to be smarter than Cell if I'm actually going to make it out of this one alive and get us back home."

She really, really should've let Ulquiorra take this round.

"But then again he probably wouldn't fare much better than I would. He can't even do magic, and with Cell able to regenerate like an internet troll, trying to match him in abilities is..."

And then her rambling thoughts came to an end, in order to make room for a focused, coherent thought. She knew exactly what she was doing to do in order to persevere in all this.

"Uh.... what's she doing now?"

The question from Nail brought Piccolo's attention back to what was going on in the arena, and away from explaining the nature and history of the Dragon Balls to his current companion. But even when he was paying attention, he still didn't know just what to make of it. Something about Twilight's movements were... off somehow. Something was out of sorts as she set back down on all four of her hooves, and looked like she intended to face Cell down.

"What's she doing?" he asked in turn, thus speaking for the group.

"I don't-" Ulquiorra started, before observing the shimmering light of Twlight's force field materializing in front of her. "It appears she intends to block rather than dodge," he elaborated.

"Huh," Piccolo grunted, "does she actually have the power to do something like that?"

The question was answered on its own before Ulquiorra had the opportunity to do such, as the latest Death Beam to be unleashed by Cell collided with the shield, and seemingly just broke right apart as it collided with its surface.

"It certainly looks that way," Ulquiorra commented, honestly at a loss for words at what he was witnessing.

Reaching out with his pesquisa, he started to analyze everything much closer than previously. He could feel the respective levels of strength possessed by both Twilight and Cell -as best he could anyway, since they both had differing types of strength to analyze- and it was a very lopsided, mismatched arrangement. Cell wasn't operating at his full level of strength, not even close to it, and he was still leagues above what Twilight could ever hope to accomplish in growth and development.

That matter notwithstanding, however, neither she nor her shield were showing any ill effects from the various attacks it was being forced to intercept, and subsequently defeat. Even as they began to speed up they were...

She had just deactivated the time-dilation field she'd been using to slow down Cell's attack speed.

"Twilight Sparkle, how ****ing stupid can you possibly be?" he found himself thinking.

"Oh, believe me, that's a question on a lot of minds right now."

...

That wasn't any voice that Ulquiorra was familiar with. And it was in his head as well.

"Who the hell is this?"

"The name's King Kai, top deity of the Northern Quadrant of the galaxy you're currently in," the voice replied.

"Just wonderful," Ulquiorra noted to himself. Now they had this to deal with.

All the while, more of Cell's attacks continued glancing and ricocheting right off of Twilight's shield like they were nothing. Even Cell was noticing it at this point, and not believing it.

"Why!? Why!? Why won't you just die already!? How can you possibly be so strong when I can't even feel your power!?" Cell screamed, his mind unwilling to accept what he was clearly witnessing for himself.

Twilight shook her head in response. "It's not about strength, Cell, or even power, rather it's about science! While you were busy demonstrating that you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, I was busy analyzing your attacks, and by extension yourself. The energy produced by your body, whatever it's called-"

"Ki," Cell interrupted.

"Um, excuse me?" Twilight asked.

"It's called Ki," Cell elaborated.

"Oh. Thank you," Twilight replied at the sudden cordial nature of the exchange. "So then, the "Ki" produced by your body emits a very unique, very specific wavelength frequency, and with all of those attacks you were firing at me, I had plenty of opportunity to not only detect and analyze that frequency, but also isolate it from all of the background interference I've been picking up here. Once that was done it was just a matter of recalibrating the output harmonics of my shield to appropriately match the wavelengths produced by your body, and voila, now nothing you throw can actually hurt me," she explained.

"Huh," Piccolo replied from where he stood at hearing this, "usually this is the part where I yell "Nerd!" at someone for being too brainy for their own good, but I'm actually impressed by that."

"You have no idea how many views our Youtube channel is getting right now because of this!"

Cell's reaction at this development was one of shock and disbelief. Before morphing into one of amusement as he smirked.

"Well now, my little pony, I must admit you're certainly an amusing opponent. This is possibly the most fun I've had since I announced the Cell Games to the world!" he stated, before once again growing serious. "So, Frieza's repertoire won't do any good against you? Well then let's see about someone who's a little bit higher on the totem pole..."

Twilight watched as Cell put both hands together and assumed a very awkward and uncomfortable-looking position, with a purple glow emanating from... somewhere on him.

"Gallick Gun!"

Twilight frowned at hearing this. "Seriously? You're weaponizing garlic against me now? Enough with the vampire jokes already! You're as unimaginative as you are lopsided, you-"

"FIRE!"

Twilight just sighed as she saw the incoming wave of purple energy headed right for where she was standing. "Really?"

As was witnessed with the previous attacks, this one cascaded against her force field with equal uselessness, presenting no risk of harm. To emphasize this point, she trudged through the beam's path, approaching Cell's position at a snail's pace. To add further emphasis to the fact that he was hopelessly ****ed, she began significantly expanding her shield outward until it was far larger than his attack, so he would be able to witness for himself that his efforts were worthless against her as it cascaded impotently. He was going to understand this one way or the ****ing damn other.

He must've come to understand it pretty damn quickly, too, as his attack ceased before she even reached the halfway point between their respective positions.

"Are we learning yet?" she asked in a rhetorical -and a bit condescending- manner as she faced him. "I certainly hope we're learning, because I don't have the necessary time to deal with assholes who can't even comprehend basic physics!"

Cell held his tongue in response, opting instead to cross his arms over his chest once again, and focus his efforts on trying to cause Twilight to burst into flames from the intensity of his glare alone.

"Not even you can overcome physics, Cell. Even it you tried to hit me with a planet buster, it still wouldn't do you any good. I know the wavelength frequency your body produces, and I've adapted to it! I'm like the Borg, only softer and more cuddly," she continued.

"Wait. So she's a science fiction geek?" Piccolo asked. The irony of that was thick.

Ulquiorra cast an aside glance at his companion in response. "Is there something wrong with that?"

Piccolo shrugged. "I'm not judging."

Ulquiorra gave a non-committal grunt in response, before turning his focus back to the exchange between Cell and Twilight.

"Oh, that's just OP!" Cell objected.

"Bitch, I'm OP Plus!" Twilight yelled back.

Cell, not to be outdone, simply shrugged off this unfortunate turn of events. He wasn't about to be shown up, nor lose his cool; not again anyway.

"Well now, Bella, you're certainly full of surprises."

"Surprise!"

Both Ulquiorra and Piccolo watched in disbelief as Twilight disappeared from view, only to reappear behind Cell and wrap all four of her legs around him, before they both disappeared from view entirely, and reappeared outside of the ring as Twilight... basically flipped and threw Cell onto the ground just inches away from the surface, slamming him into it before he could respond and prevent his descent. All while she pulled her legs back so she didn't touch outside of the ring first.

Once he was on the ground with Twilight standing atop him, she proceeded to jump on him several times, slamming all four of her hooves onto -and potentially into- his back while shouting what sounded like gibberish, before finally jumping back into the ring and sticking a four-point landing.

Twilight Sparkle, the socially awkward, adorkable little librarian pony with a penchant for cursing like a sailor, had just thoroughly trounced Cell.

"That... that didn't actually just happen, did it?" Piccolo asked.

"It would appear it did," Ulquiorra replied. "That makes twice now that Twilight Sparkle has defeated Cell in his own tournament."

"Huh," Piccolo muttered. Only then for the words he'd just heard to register in his mind. "Wait, twice? What do you mean by twice?"

"Woohoo! Ring out! Ring out! I win!" Twilight exclaimed excitedly as she jumped about. "Sorry, Cell, looks like you lose again."

"That's-" Cell muttered as he picked himself up off the ground, "Mr. Perfect Cell," he clarified as he proceeded to dust his carapace off.

"U mad bro?" Twilight asked.

"Absolutely livid," Cell admitted as his right eye twitched, despite his voice never raising even a single octave.

"Whatever. History and important details are made by the victors, not the losers; losers like yourself," Twilight replied dismissively with a wave of her hoof, much to Cell's annoyance. "But never mind that now. The point is I've won this tournament of yours, and I did it twice. First by total obliteration of your circulatory system, then by throwing you right out of your arena and onto the ground outside. So let me have my Hetap, whatever the hell that is, and kindly **** the **** right ****ing off!"

Throughout the tirade directed at him, Cell's composure remained -more or less- intact as he simply waited for Twilight to finish talking, before finally responding.

"Well now, my foul-mouthed little filly friend-"

"Don't you get fresh with me," Twilight growled.

"I'd certainly love to do just that, and present you with your well-deserved winnings! There's just one little problem with all that..." Cell continued, a smirk growing on his face as he paused. "The Cell Games, presented by Hetap, don't officially start for several more days! So your little victory here doesn't count as being anything more than a mere exhibition match for the sake of entertainment, I'm afraid. So really I haven't lost anything just yet."

Now it was Twilight's turn to experience an eye twitch at this development.

"Why you lying, cheating, no good bastard! Why didn't you say something before I wasted so much time handing you your green ass!?"

"Filler," Cell replied smugly as he stepped back into the arena once again. "Besides that, it was quite simply amusing."

"You totally just pulled that rule change out of your ass just now because you lost!" Twilight yelled.

"The only thing that's going to be pulled out of anyone's ass around here, is going to be my fist, when I cram it up yours," Cell replied.

"Oh really now? Well good luck even getting it up there," Twilight shot back as she activated her shield once again.

"You know, little pony, at first it was cute when you thought you could oppose me. But now it's just growing old and annoying," Cell quipped. "Tell me something, will that shield harmonics trick of yours serve to protect you from me doing something like... oh I don't know, maybe picking up a ten ton chunk of solid rock, and beating you into a bloody pulp with it?"

The look on Twilight's face suddenly morphed into one generally reserved for a deer finding itself illuminated by the headlights of a swiftly approaching car late at night.

"Um... uh..." she stammered as her pupils practically reached pinprick levels in terms of dilation.

"I'll take that as a "no" then," Cell replied as he grinned, amused by the fact that she now comprehended just how hopeless her situation truly was. "Sorry, Bella, our little interaction was fun while it lasted. But that's just how the ball bounces," he continued as he stretched out his hand, ready to select the section of mountain that would make the greatest impact.

The only thing that stopped him from following through was Ulquiorra suddenly appearing in front of him, seizing his wrist in a grip that was truly vice-like, and simultaneously slamming his fist right into his chest. Not simply in the sense of fist meeting sternum with a blunt impact that would leave a nasty bruise, no. Rather he punched him with enough force to completely shatter his carapace, and drive his hand right into his chest cavity.

First it was the little emo with the cursed notebook stopping one of his hearts, and now it was the big emo driving his fist straight into the other one. What were the odds of that!?

"Bounce this," Ulquiorra stated, just before unleashing a Bala and obliterating a majority of Cell's chest cavity in the process, leaving nothing but a smoking, gooey crater behind in its wake.

"Thanks," Twilight stated in relief as Ulquiorra removed his hand, and proceeded to tip Cell's carcass over. "I honestly thought I had him there."

"If fair play were an aspect of this event, you would have," Ulquiorra commented, before turning his attention back to Cell's prone form. "Everyone knows you're not dead. Get up."

"Well at least someone's paying attention!" Cell quipped and leapt back to his feet, the hole in -and through- his chest closing back up like it'd never been there to begin with.

Just as soon as it had closed up, Cell experienced the unfortunate meeting between his face and Ulquiorra's fist as another Bala was discharged, completely vaporizing his head all the way down to his neck, and sending his body falling over backwards once again.

"Huh. Well that certainly was mind blowing," Twilight muttered.

"That was very bad," Ulquiorra commented.

"Not funny, but fast," Twilight pointed out.

Once more, Cell leapt back to his feet, his head regenerating in a spray of green viscous fluids, only to be disintegrated once again at Ulquiorra punched him in face a second time, sending him back to the arena floor.

"You know, I'm no expert or anything, but I really don't think that's gonna do any good if he's just gonna keep shrugging it off like that," Piccolo commented as he observed the incident unfolding.

"Perhaps not all at once, but it's a cumulative approach to addressing an issue. Death by a thousand cuts as it were," Ulquiorra explained, pausing only long enough to once again punch Cell's head off his shoulders at he jumped up and regenerated. "Cell's regenerative qualities are truly impressive, but everything has a limit that can eventually be broken. Sooner or later he's going to exhaust whatever resources allow him to regenerate his lost body mass as he does. I intend to force him to continue expending those resources at an accelerated rate, and wear him down like weather does to a rock, until his body is simply too exhausted to regenerate anything," he elaborated.

"Huh..." Piccolo muttered.

"Now there's an approach few have ever considered," Kami commented.

"I don't know. Frieza tore off a lot of my arms back on Namek, and that didn't slow me down," Nail stated.

"So you're saying I found you on the ground for an entirely different reason?" Piccolo asked, right before Cell popped up only to be decapitated once again. "This might take a while..."

He then noticed that Twilight was no longer observing the fight itself; instead she was staring up with him with wonder from where she currently sat.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Oh! Sorry!" Twilight quickly apologized as she snapped out of her stupor. "It's just... you look a lot different from your picture on the can labels."

Nail's laugh in response was so loud, it could practically be heard outside of Piccolo's mind.

Author's Note

This isn't exactly how I originally envisioned the chapter, it just sort of grew when I realized how much potential Twilight had for snark-to-snark combat, and it felt like a shame to toss that all away. The chapter would've been much shorter since Ulquiorra would've been all business and proceed straight to his plan.

Hopefully this tides everyone over while I go about revising my notes for the future chapters for streamlining purposes. But adapting to a new style of writing is proving difficult.

Chapter Ninety Five

Author's Note

To all of my readers who are still present for this journey, I'm legitimately sorry for what I'm about to unleash on all of you. I was trying something new with these chapters, but it didn't really work out like I hoped it would.

Chapter Ninety Five

Chapter Ninety Five

"It's useless," Twilight sighed dejectedly, shaking her head as she stopped looking skyward, and instead returned her attention to the ground and her present surroundings. "They're moving way too fast. I can't track their movements at all. I know they're up there... but I don't have a clue just what they're doing right now. I mean, besides trying to kill each other, that is."

She had no source material at hoof that would enable her to properly perform a compare and contrast, and allow her to draw an accurate conclusion on the subject. But that matter aside, this engagement between Luna and Nightmare Moon struck her as being more akin to a brutal street fight in nature, than anything resembling a formalized duel between opponents who possessed something resembling a begrudging respect for one another. There was no fluid movements that suggested long-studied out choreography on how to not only move yourself, but to move in relation to the moves being presented by the opponent. Nothing that gave the illusion of this being steeped in established tradition that would be high romanticized and glamorized by a writer.

None of that was present in this engagement. Nothing but sheer and utter brutality.

And yet at the same time... it somehow felt different from the brutality demonstrated by Celestia just minutes ago in her own engagement. She didn't know how to explain it exactly. It was... more purposeful in its execution perhaps? Luna's movements, what they could actually see during those brief periods when they were visible, almost seemed to convey a deliberate and meaningfulness in how they were delivered.

It was... almost like watching Ulquiorra working, rather than Luna. Ulquiorra excelled in the practical approach to doing things, regardless of what they were. Celestia's movements had been full of fury and vengeance, and all but broadcast the fact that she intended to make Nightmare Moon suffer as much as possible. What they were seeing right now, however? It was in stark, stark contrast to what had been seen.

If asked, she wouldn't be able to offer up a rational explanation to justify her position of belief. But despite all of the brutality that was witnessed -when it could be witnessed- Luna's demeanor felt -to her at least- like she was treating the entire thing as being purely business; like she was reading a tax bill that was presented for her consideration. It was... what was that term, tranquil fury? She wanted Nightmare Moon dead as much as any of them, but she was maintaining control of her emotional state, and refusing to give into the baser instincts and desires that all sapient beings unwillingly possessed within them.

"They're utilizing high-speed teleportation in this engagement, making it impossible for us to follow their movements. I didn't even know something like that was actually a practical application. The considerations in need of being factored in for the deployment of such are, admittedly, beyond me," she acknowledged.

The teleportation itself was hardly a difficult skill; at least as far as she was concerned. For her it was as basic as levitation would be for any other unicorn. But teleporting in such a rapid fashion, and in an armed conflict against an opponent who possessed equal skill in the art, that was where things got difficult. Knowing where somepony was going to appear when they teleported themselves, and how to intercept them as they emerged, was something that actually boggled even her mind, and made her own understanding of things feel so very small in comparison.

"Coming out here was a huge mistake. Forget being unqualified for dealing with this, we're unqualified just to be out here right now! This is beyond any of us! This is..."

Twilight could feel the oncoming panic; it was a concept she was intimately familiar with. The only thing that stopped such from fully materializing and consuming her, was the timely intervention by Applejack hugging her firmly, and holding onto her tight. She'd chalk it up to the two of them having lived together for the better part of a month. Anypony who spent that much time together tended to pick up on slight cues and little tells about those around them, and could figure out how to best interact with them.

"Us bein' unqualified really ain' nothin' new fer us. We really weren't qualified the first time somethin' like this happened," Applejack pointed out as she let Twilight go once again. "Now, wit' that bein' said, lemme ask ya somethin'. Do ya think Princess Luna an' Nightmare Moon are even aware of us bein' here right now?"

"I... I don't know. It's possible, but at the same time their focus would, realistically, be on each other rather than anything else, since they're trying to kill each other," Twilight replied.

"Well then in that case Ah vote we get the hell outta here and let 'em fight it out without us bein' in the middle of it! Princess Luna's got the situation well in hoof, let's get outta the way," Applejack stated.

"Quite frankly I'm in agreement with Applejack, profanity and all," Rarity said as she gave a nod. "The only reason we had for staying out here was Nightmare Moon's threat. But if she has her hooves full just trying to stay alive, she'll never know that we're gone, and thus won't be able to retaliate against the others. I say we make use of the opportunity while we have it."

Applejack's proposal was met with a near-unanimous round of agreement from everyone present, with the group consensus being that they take the opportunity and un-fuck the situation with the swiftness.

Near-unanimous, with the sole exception being Rainbow Dash.

"You go on ahead. I'm gonna hang back until this is over," she stated, shaking her head, and returning her focus skyward.

"Rainbow Dash..." Twilight started, but found she didn't know how to go about finishing the sentence. Why would Rainbow Dash even say something like that? It didn't make any sense.

Fortunately for her, Rarity was there to speak up where she couldn't.

"Darling, without the Elements of Harmony at our disposal, there's nothing that any of us can do here. There's no reason for any of us to just stay here with danger unfolding all around us. We should escape while we still have the option, before it's too late."

Rainbow Dash turned back around to face the others. "It's not like any of you have to stay here just because I am."

"And leave you behind where all the danger is? What kind of friends would we be if we did that?" Rarity asked.

"The smart kind," Rainbow Dash stated, "look. This doesn't affect you the same way that it does me. You wouldn't understand."

"Well maybe we would if ya actually explained it to us," Applejack pointed out.

Rainbow Dash mulled over the matter momentarily, before finally responding.

"Luna was there for me when Nightmare Moon fried my brain with her hallucinations, and left me not knowing what was real or not anymore. She was there through all the crying, the screaming, the cursing, throwing things... she was there through all the ugly stuff I put her through when I couldn't even think straight, and never called it quits or gave up on me. She wasn't there as "Princess Luna" carrying out some royal obligation, she was "Awesome Big Sister Luna" in how she went about doing what she did. She was there for me when I needed her, even when I didn't know it myself. The least I can do is be here for her in return," she stated, doing her best to deliver the explanation evenly and not let her emotions run wild as she recounted her stay in Canterlot. "Look. Call it honor before reason, or whatever you want, but the point is I'm staying until this is over," she said as she gave a dismissive shrug and turned her focus back to the battle at hoof.

The others stood in silence as they tried to make sense of Rainbow Dash's explanations for her -admittedly- illogical actions. She knew what she was doing didn't make sense, but she was still going to do it regardless, even if it put her in mortal danger in the process.

That matter aside, however, the reasoning behind her decision was proving difficult to mount a reasonable counterargument to at the moment. going by Rainbow Dash's explanation -what they understood of it- she saw Luna like she was family. And which of them didn't have a family member they wouldn't do anything for, even if it wasn't the smartest decision available?

Without a word, Applejack stepped over to Rainbow Dash's side and sat down next to her.

Rainbow Dash... she didn't expect that. "AJ?"

Applejack shrugged in response. "If you're family enough ta be helpin' us out durin' Cider Season when we're facin' a crisis, you're family enough ta warrant stayin' behind with when things are really goin' bad."

"Yeah, you're not getting rid of us that easily," Spike added.

One by one, like a floodgate had just been opened, the others were quick to follow Applejack's example, and stake out a position for themselves at Rainbow Dash's side, leaving the cyan pegasus not sure just what had happened to change their minds so rapidly. They'd been all set to flee just a moment ago. But now they were all staying.

"This makes absolutely no logical sense whatsoever," Twilight spoke up from where she sat by Fluttershy's side. "In fact this is probably the dumbest, most boneheaded thing that could ever be done by any of us under circumstances like these, second only to all of us coming out here. But you know what? I'm well past the point of caring about stuff like that. Fuck it."

Ever since they'd first met Ulquiorra, the Espada had been challenging the way they went about seeing and regarding the world around them. He presented thought-provoking -and sometimes worry-inducing- theories that had never crossed their minds, simply because they had no reason to consider such concepts of thought before. And he did it all so effortlessly. Whether by conscious effort on his part, or just some unexplained matter, his simple interactions with them had provoked significant changes in the way they saw the world, and interacted with it. They were more logical in how they thought about addressing a problem, that simply couldn't be denied.

But even with all of that, the simple matter still remained that the brain just couldn't out-think and reason with the heart.

High above the ground in the night sky, beyond the reach of mortal eyes, Nightmare Moon was learning firsthoof just how poorly the situation was stacking up for her.

Luna was demonstrating a significant amount of focus and dedication in this skirmish; far more than she'd assumed was possible after all of her efforts at undoing the sisters.

Celestia had been easy -and also quite fun- to bring down to the level of a vicious, reactionary beast that had no use for critical thinking skills. She'd been brought down from the figurehead of a nation, to just another wild animal that could easily be baited and led into a trap.

Luna, however, was something else! In terms of focus and dedication she was a bucking machine!

Whereas Celestia's main source of danger came in the form of the sheer amount of strength she commanded, Luna's came in the form of mental clarity. She was more vicious than a Zebricanized honeybee, no argument there, but she was going about demonstrating it in a thoughtful, deliberate manner of approach befitting of a politician. Her attacks were calculated and cautious, and being executed in a manner that wouldn't result in her overextending herself, and being left vulnerable to a counterattack as a result of overzealousness.

Further efforts at destabilizing her weren't doing much better, either. Luna was simply refusing to trade banter with her. Small talk, quips, insults, all forms of chatter had been kept to an absolute minimum, no matter what she'd hurled at her opponents; and she'd lobbed some truly heinous stuff in Luna's direction to try and get a rise out of her. But despite it, despite every horrible thing she'd said to try and get a rise out of Luna, she'd kept her composure throughout it all, carrying on as if she hadn't heard a single word of it. How exactly was something like that even possible!?

Teleportation had been no aid to her in this battle either, as Luna had been on her the entire time like a filthy gryphon on a bit! It was like Luna somehow knew just where to go before she'd even finished teleporting there herself! And when they clashed, they clashed hard! More than once she was certain her scythe was going to shatter from the force delivered by the impact of Luna's halberd.

She'd also come to learn that under the right circumstances, coming to an immediate stop in a cloud bank wasn't too dissimilar from coming to an immediate stop against solid concrete.

She was cut up and scraped up, bruised and bleeding, the simple act of breathing felt like it was a complex action that required a great deal of focus, and her legs felt like they were made from rubber as she tried to climb back onto her hooves again.

Her armor wasn't faring much better than she was, either. If things kept going as they were, it wouldn't be much longer before she found herself as naked as any common pony was. That simply wouldn't do at all.

"As soon as I-"

Her thoughts were interrupted as Luna entered her field of vision once again, touching down on the surface of the same cloud bank she currently rested on, and just stared at her.

"Are we having fun yet?" She asked. The only response she got was Luna continuing to stare at her, with eyes full of dismissal. "Fine. Stay silent for all I care. It won't help you."

Getting back up onto her hooves again, she redirected her full attention at Luna. If this was some sort of psychological warfare being attempted, then it was drastically unimpressive. She was going to crack that placid veneer like a walnut.

The assault came fast, and it came hard, catching her entirely off guard. But it had been Nightmare Moon who'd been caught off guard rather than Luna, her senses being completely overwhelmed. She hadn't even seen Luna make a move before the maelstrom of sensory overload struck her. Sight, sound, everything was white and hot for what felt like an eternity.

Exactly how long it stretched on was anypony's guess. All she knew for certain was that once she could comprehend her surroundings once again, she was experiencing an excruciating degree of indescribable pain that made her yearn for the whiteout once again. Everything on her ached, her vision was unfocused, and her throat felt stripped and burned from when she must've been screaming endlessly in pain previously.

"The only reason that you are still alive, is because I made a promise to Rainbow Dash. It is a promise that I intend on keeping..."

The words were distorted and the context didn't properly register in Nightmare Moon's ears. But the sound itself did, and explained much. Luna was presently behind her, meaning the one standing before her had to be an illusion. Now it made sense why it had been so silent, and why she hadn't seen what had hit her so hard.

"My only regret is that I do not possess the same mind rape capabilities as you. If I did, what you put Rainbow Dash through would be nothing compared to what you would be experiencing yourself," Luna continued.

Try as she might, Nightmare Moon found that she couldn't bring her body to move. She couldn't bring her magic to bear either, as something was restraining her horn; something that she couldn't even see.

"But lacking such skills, I will simply have to go about doing such the old fashioned way..."

Something in the way Luna's voice had carried her sentence, sent an unconscious shiver down Nightmare Moon's back, and left a lump forming in her throat.

"I really don't like this..."

Rarity and the others might not've been able to see the battle between Luna and Nightmare Moon, but that didn't mean they couldn't hear what was going on. The sounds of battle had raged on all around them as the two combatants clashed and teleported about, providing at least some idea of not only where they were, but what was happening.

Now, however, that was no longer the case. The forest had grown disturbingly still and quiet, as if the conflict had just suddenly ceased and they simply hadn't known about it.

One of them had to be dead. That was the only possibility that would really make sense right now. There was no way it would be this quiet if the both of them were still alive.

The sudden, piercing scream from somewhere in the distance quickly put an end to such speculation, spooking them in the process. The both of them were definitely still alive, somewhere out there; one simply didn't -and wouldn't- scream like that for no reason.

"I don't know which one of them is actually screaming," Rarity admitted, "and I do not want to know what's being done that would warrant... that," she added and unconsciously shuddered, trying not to contemplate whatever horrors might be getting administered right now.

Fluttershy said nothing as she covered her ears with her hooves.

"Yeah. No," Pinkie added and quickly shook her head, her mane bouncing about as she did so. "Some secrets are better off left secret. No, buried in a locked vault and thrown off a bridge into the ocean!"

"Twilight."

Twilight looked to Rainbow Dash, noting only after the fact that her voice had a certain... sternness to it when she spoke.

"Can you get back to Ponyville, and get back here with the Elements of Harmony real quick? If Luna's the one screaming up there, we can't afford to wait any longer, we need to do something, and we need to do it fast."

"I could probably be gone and back in about thirty seconds," Twilight admitted, "but if the Element of Loyalty still isn't resonating with you-"

"Then I'll just have to make it work. One way or another," Rainbow Dash finished before the conversation could go any further. Celestia was out of commission, Ulquiorra was absent, and Luna's whereabouts and condition were unknown. They were all out of options as far as she could tell.

"-AND FUCK YOU!"

Or maybe they weren't. That was definitely Luna's bellow, and she sounded like she was in full control of the situation.

The sound of air rushing was heard just before something that looked suspiciously like Nightmare Moon slammed into the ground at a roughly forty five degree angle, kicking up dust at the point of impact. Almost immediately a rain of hundreds of magical bolts descended on her position, kicking up even more dust and dirt, and completely obscuring their view in the process. All the while minute tremors could be felt radiating through the ground.

Twilight hadn't hesitated to erect her shield, for fear of them being caught in the spread as they watched, trying to get some idea of the fate currently befalling Nightmare Moon.

"My goodness! What sort of assault is that?" Rarity asked.

"I don't know what it's called, but I saw Luna using it earlier. She's channeling her magic through her wings, and using her feathers as conduits instead of her horn," Rainbow Dash explained.

"What!?" Twilight asked as she turned to look at Rainbow Dash. "Alright, on the one hoof I'm amazed to learn something like that is even possible. But on the other, it seems like a rather wasteful application of mana. She's pretty much just saturation bombing the entire area around Nightmare Moon in hopes of getting a lucky shot in. I don't even know why she'd be going with such an approach in the first place. It's just so impractical," she said as she turned back forward to continue watching.

"Because more dakka is regarded as being more awesome," Pinkie explained.

Luna wasn't satisfied with merely killing her. No, she was trying to humiliate her as well! That was the only thing that made any sense to Nightmare Moon as she laid prone on the forest ground, subjected to the constant rain of pain that Luna was bringing down on her.

But she wasn't about to give her opponent any satisfaction in that particular matter; not after everything she'd been subjected to already! She still had her dignity.

Finally the rain of pain-

"It's called the Licht Regen! Everypony knows that!"

-came to an end, and she could no longer feel herself being assaulted by the magical equivalent of a hailstorm. Although it took a moment for her body to quit reading the aftershocks coursing through it, and finally motivate her to quit huddling and open her eyes.

It was all quiet, and there was no sign of Luna anywhere; not even behind her. Concerning, but at the same time it was a bit of a relief, as it gave her a small moment to breathe, and properly evaluate the situation. It was currently bad, but not nearly as bad as some moments had been in the past. If she could make it through all that, then she could make it through this as well. There would be no need to flee to safety somewhere far removed from here.

"Luna obviously doesn't know who she's dealing with, if she thinks her little temper tantrum is going to actually amount to anything," she muttered as she pushed herself back up into a standing position. As soon as she found her counterpart, she was going to be made to regret her actions here tonight. She just had to actually find her first...

She looked all about, trying to spot some sign of her quarry, but saw nothing. Nothing except for those obnoxious seven in the distance. If Luna was hiding somewhere, perhaps she could use them to draw her out into the open; they'd make excellent leverage. She smirked at that particular nasty thought.

The only warning she had that Luna was making her move at that particular second in time, was a bright point of golden light in the sky, and the sound of rushing air. By then it was far too late to respond, only react.

Were it not for Twilight's shield having already been erected previously, being only a hundred paces from ground zero for the resulting shock wave could've been quite lethal for all of them. Even with the shield up, they still managed to experience a great deal of the brunt of the force behind it, and it was utterly brutal; brutal enough that it hammered all of them to some degree or another, with cracks forming along the surface of the shield itself before all was said and done.

Exactly what Luna had thrown at Nightmare Moon was a mystery. All they knew for certain was that it was big!

At the rate things were going, with all the damage that'd been done, the Everfree Forest might not be a forest much longer.

"What... just what was that just now?" Pinkie asked uneasily, once she was certain they were still currently alive. "Did Princess Luna hit Nightmare Moon with an entire freight train?"

As crazy as the question would sound under different circumstances, Twilight really couldn't say for certain if it'd been done or not. That much wood and steel, accelerated to an appropriate velocity, could potentially have such destructive effects upon immediate deceleration from connecting with anything in its path. But the sound hadn't been... industrial? It didn't sound like a train crashing, at least not as far as she knew anyway; there wasn't enough steel being crushed and twisted for it to sound like that.

As the dust eventually began settling over the battlefield, she looked out to try and see some sign of either combatant, all the while not knowing what to expect to see, or what to prepare herself for. Whatever it was, it likely couldn't be...

"Oh wow!"

The ground came up to meet Nightmare Moon as her legs finally gave out underneath her, leaving her little more than a panting, wheezing mess that was more or less teetering on the edge of consciousness.

There had been no time for her to respond to the incoming attack, only to react on an instinctual level. React in the form of immediately raising her shield to protect herself from Luna's incoming assault, and just barely managing to do so in time.

Luna had thrown everything she had at her in that attack just now, including not only her halberd, but her own self as well! She'd flown straight at her on a collision course, and rammed the spike of her weapon forward in a deliberate effort to skewer her skull at high speeds. Had she hesitated even just a fraction of a second longer, it might've actually succeeded in hitting its intended mark. Fortunately for her that hadn't been the case, as her shield had prevented it from coming to pass.

Unfortunately for her, it hadn't been a perfect interception. The point of the halberd had violently pierced her shield just before it'd completely solidified, allowing it to slide through the newly-created breach all the way to where the the weapon expanded to form the back hook and forward cutting edge, leaving it just barely a foot away from where her head currently was. There were numerous cracks radiating out across the surface from the point of impact and penetration, showing that the structural integrity had been compromised; not that she would've needed to see them, as she could feel them. She'd felt them forming when her shield had been pierced, with the painful feedback in her horn from the move nearly breaking her concentration and toppling her on the spot.

She had managed to stop Luna's efforts at killing her, but she was in no way certain that she'd be able to do the same thing again.

"It all makes so much sense now! That commotion and destruction wasn't from a freight train, it was all Luna! She threw herself at Nightmare Moon so hard and so fast, she literally exceeded the speed of sound in the process!" Twilight stated in amazement.

"Okay? And what's that mean?" Spike asked, uncertain of what Twilight was trying to say.

"It means that Luna hit Nightmare Moon with not only the concussive forces a sonic boom erupting at point-blank range, but all of the force needed to actually generate one!" Twilight elaborated.

Applejack said nothing in response, although she did aim a knowing, smug grin in Rainbow Dash's direction at hearing this.

"The amount of planning needed to time everything just right is difficult to fathom, to say nothing of actually surviving the physical strain that would be involved. Honestly, I don't know how either of them is still conscious, much less standing, after experiencing forces like that," Twilight continued, torn between maintaining the force field for their own safety, and deeply analyzing the struggle unfolding in front of them.

"Rarely am I impressed by a villain, Nightmare Moon. But in your case, I am willing to make an exception."

Touching down on all four hooves once again, Luna inspected the quality of her work. While the end result was far from what was desired, they could nonetheless still be respected on their own individual merits. Nightmare Moon might've succeeded in shielding herself from the attack, but the act had taken quite the toll on her in the process, leaving her a crumpled mess teetering on the edge that was between consciousness and unconsciousness.

Piercing the shield had been one matter. But much to her own surprise, she'd hit with enough force to actually crater the ground the shield had been resting on top of, evidenced by the raised radial area visible along the outside edge. How Nightmare Moon was still conscious after weathering that, she didn't have a clue. Nor did she particularly care on that matter, as it was soon to be all academic.

"You have no moves left to play, Nightmare Moon, simply give up already, and allow this entire matter to come to an end once and for all!" she demanded.

"Spare... spare me..." Nightmare Moon wheezed weakly, the words themselves barely discernible from her own efforts at breathing.

Luna blinked at hearing this. "Spare you? After all that you have done, all those that you have hurt, you have the nerve to plead for mercy!?" she shrieked in response.

"Spare me-" Nightmare Moon repeated, "your self-righteous, delusional ramblings. I'm in no mood to hear you acting all high and mighty, thinking you have the upper hoof in this matter," she continued, before groaning as she slowly stood back up once again. She followed this with stretching as best she could within the cramped confines of her shield, and popping several joints that were currently bugging her. "This is hardly over, Luna, I won't be defeated by the likes of you."

"Is that so?" Luna asked, before letting out an annoyed sigh. "Very well then."

The strain on Nightmare Moon's shield had become somewhat static since the moment of penetration. But now she could feel that strain increasing significantly, as Luna started pushing with her halberd once again.

"You want to do this the hard way? Then fine. You are obviously pinned into place, meaning escape is not an option for you. I will simply force you to maintain your shield until you can no longer do so," Luna growled angrily. "First I am going to pop that shield of yours like a pimple, and then I am going to do the same thing with your head; squeezing your skull until your brains erupt out of it!"

Nightmare Moon grunted, paying more attention to the strain on her shield than on Luna's threat of great bodily harm. The stress fractures hadn't yet been regenerated, and now they were actually growing once more under Luna's assault. If she was going to have any hope of making it out of this, she had to focus on maintaining the integrity of her shield to stave off the assault.

She wasn't about to be defeated here tonight, and certainly not by the likes of Luna of all ponies! She was going to persevere throughout this all, and come out on top, one way or another!

"This is like watching the irresistible force meeting the immovable object," Rarity commented as she and the others watched the struggle unfold between Luna and Nightmare Moon, with neither one of them showing any signs of yielding to the other.

Pinkie shook her head in response, her pink mane bouncing about in the process. "We don't even have time to get into how wrong that comparison is."

Applejack opted to ignore her friends' nonsensical evaluations and observations, and instead opted for trying to get answers from Twilight directly.

"Do ya think Princess Luna can win this one? Nightmare Moon doesn' look like she's on the ropes yet."

Twilight shook her head in response. "I don't know, I can't tell. Clashes like this are... difficult to accurately map out. Luna has the most obvious advantage since she's on the offensive, whereas Nightmare Moon is operating from a disadvantage by being on the defense. She has to use a lot more magic to keep her shield held together than Luna does to press the assault," she explained, before turning her attention back forward again. "Largely it boils down to who has the greatest mana reserves to draw upon. But at the same time it's a matter of mental focus. Assuming they both have equal or similar reserves at their disposal, it all comes down to who can maintain their focus long enough to outlast the other, and there's no way to accurately determine that. They could keep this up for hours, or even days if they try hard enough," she continued.

"Days?" Fluttershy asked in disbelief. This could go on for days before they knew who was going to win?

Rainbow Dash scratched the side of her head with a shod hoof, careful to avoid the cut that'd only recently been patched up. "We had to deal with another shield like an hour ago when we were rescuing the foals. Luna, Ulquiorra, and I each hit it from three different points to maximize the strain until it collapsed in on itself."

"Well then let's go for it!" Spike stated as he clutched the handle of his hammer even tighter than before. "Nightmare Moon uses dark magic, that means her shield has to be charged with it. I'll get behind her and smash her shield with my hammer 'til it cracks like an eggshell, then Luna can skewer her skull, and bada-bing, that's all she wrote!"

Twilight didn't even bother finishing opening her mouth before rethinking her immediate response to Spike's proposal on how to proceed. She realized now wasn't the time for objecting, and warning him that it was too dangerous for something like that. The time for such protesting had long since passed, ever since they essentially bullied Luna into letting them tag along on this insane mission to put an end to Nightmare Moon.

"Screw it. Just be careful out there, Nightmare Moon is still dangerous. And try not to get too close to Luna, otherwise she might get caught in the blast as well. That won't do her concentration any good," she stated as she allowed her shield to drop, which allowed Spike to immediately take off running towards his destination.

"Right on!" Rainbow Dash stated, just before finding herself ensnared by both Pinkie and Rarity at the same time. "What the-"

"You're staying right here with the rest of us," Rarity stated firmly as she held onto Rainbow Dash, despite her best efforts at squirming away. "You've done more than enough already."

"Yeah, Dashie, you're sitting this one out even if I have to sit on you," Pinkie added.

Rainbow Dash growled in frustration at how things were going. This was way too much. "Of all the-"

"RD," Applejack spoke calmly as she regarded her stubborn friend. "Jus' sit the fuck down an' shut the fuck up."

It was more the unexpected nature of the statement that caught Rainbow Dash's attention than what had actually been said. Out of everypony, Applejack struck her as being the least likely to make use of Ulquiorra's particular type of dialect for expressing herself.

"Well that certainly came outta nowhere," she stated.

"Ya don' know the half of it," Applejack replied back.

Charging Nightmare Moon head on, screaming and wildly swinging away, would only do more harm than good, and Spike was well aware of that. He'd only make himself a target for Nightmare Moon to focus on, and put himself at risk of a counterattack. That was why he wasn't going such a route, but was instead circling around the long way, to come up behind his quarry where she wouldn't be able to see him.

Beyond that matter, Twilight was right. He didn't want to unintentionally wind up putting Luna in the path of harm with his intervention. His aim had improved significantly since the beginning of everything, thanks in no small part to the numerous hours he'd spent working to improve it, learning how to at least partially compensate for how it tumbled when thrown, and how to best keep it on target. Knowing that he now had the ability to do some measure of actual good, he'd thrown himself into his practices, determined to do all he could to actually accomplish that goal. And while he was confident that he could hit Nightmare Moon's shield without hitting Luna at this angle, now really wasn't the time to be proving his skills. He could go about proving himself later, when everypony was back home and safe again.

Even going the long way around to approach Nightmare Moon from behind, it'd taken little time to close the distance between them. He could've simply thrown his hammer and called it good enough, but that wouldn't actually be good enough in this case. After all of the crap they'd been put through, all of the mindfuckery they'd been subjected to unmercifully, he was craving something far more visceral in terms of satisfaction provided. Whether it was wise or not, he didn't particularly know, nor did he even care at this point. All he knew for certain was that he was going to get within striking distance of that shield, and slam his hammer against it with everything he had.

The explosion against the back of Nightmare Moon's head when Spike's hammer had made contact with it had been violent, loud, bright, and left many wondering just how she could've survived experiencing something so destructive at point-blank range.

The explosion against the back of Nightmare Moon's shield when Spike slammed his hammer against it, had dwarfed the previous explosion in every single field of qualification, making it look like the equivalent of a firecracker in comparison.

Twilight, and most everypony else who had been watching, immediately hit the deck out of instinct, opting not to be standing when all manner of fuck was unfolding right in front of them, and filling the area with blinding light, deafening noise, and dust billowing up and obscuring all visibility.

Perhaps it was from the fact the hammer was making direct contact with dark magic energies that weren't buffered by flesh and bone. Perhaps it was from Spike being in direct contact with the hammer, meaning it could draw directly from the magic he held in his body, rather than what it siphoned off of him when it was thrown. Whatever the explanation was, nopony could say for certain.

Beyond that, any explanation about what did and didn't happen, would have to wait until their ears quit ringing, and they could actually see again.

Luna was quick to recover from being in such close proximity the explosion, momentarily dazed from everything. Looking down at where she had been, she saw the entire immediate area had been obscured by a large dust cloud. But she knew that Nightmare Moon was still alive, having survived the blast whatever it had been. She knew that as an absolute certainty, as she could still feel it. She just didn't know exactly where her counterpart was at the moment. But she was going to find her in very short order. And once she did, she was going to kill her.

Her eyes quickly darted to a disturbance in the smoke, confirming that Nightmare Moon was indeed alive, as she tried to make a hasty airborne retreat while using the smoke and dust as cover. As if such a cheap tactic would work against her!

"Huzzah!"

"I... wasn't expecting... that," was the only thing that came to Pinkie's mind in terms of a response once her senses had cleared. An explosion, certainly, based off of what they saw back in the town square, but nothing quite on that sort of scale. "My Pinkie Sense must need a systems update or something."

"Yeah. Now I'm really glad I didn't get to go out there," Rainbow Dash commented, thankful that she'd been held back by the others. If she'd gone out there to assist, she would've been caught in that explosion herself, and she doubted her armor could've held up to that. If not for her friends once again, she could've been dead right now.

As she process that particular unsettling thought, an even more unsettling thought came to mind.

"Wait a sec, what about Spike!?"

Nightmare Moon had the benefit of being protected by her shield, but Spike didn't. He'd been at ground zero for that explosion going off. He hadn't been safe back here with the rest of them.

An uneasy, semi-sick feeling was resonating in the pit of her stomach as these thoughts played out in her mind, no matter how much she didn't want to consider them. They knew up front that they could die coming here, but they'd never really given the matter much thought beyond simply acknowledging it like it was an afterthought. But now, when the possibility was starting them in the face? Suddenly it was very, frighteningly real.

Had he... had he actually...

Such dark thoughts were -thankfully- interrupted, by a loud yell from above.

All heads turned upward, just in time to see the sight of Luna slamming Nightmare Moon into the ground, back-first, not even fifty feet away from them, and crushing whatever was directly underneath the two of them.

They watched in something resembling stunned silence as both alicorns were reduced to physical grappling against one another, kicking, swatting and even outright biting, before Luna finally managed to get the upper hoof and straddle Nightmare Moon's frame, essentially sitting on top of her barrel, and commenced viciously delivering a series of right hooks to Nightmare Moon's exposed face and head with her armored hoof. They watched, but unwillingly, wanting desperately to turn away at the sound of each sickening impact just seemed to echo throughout the forest, accompanied by Nightmare Moon's shrieks of pain.

Nopony would ever claim that Nightmare Moon was innocent of her crimes. Nor would they try and suggest that her punishment had been harsh. But to actually witness the utter brutality of the beating that Luna was delivering, each of them tensing up and flinching at the sound of each blow delivered, each shriek that erupted as metal loudly contacted with flesh and blood... they simply wanted it to end. Every shriek of pain elicited in between periods of Nightmare Moon choking on her own blood, and having to spit out her own dislodged teeth... it was all just too much for them to take.

"I can't watch this," Twilight finally whimpered as she covered her eyes, trying to drown out the brutality. "Somepony tell me when it's over."

There was something satisfying on an entirely primal level about getting physically involved in a matter. Something about the visceral connection of hoof against face, as she sat on her chest, and beat the living daylights out of Nightmare Moon with a wet crunch with each blow delivered. It was very therapeutic in a way, to watch as the wicked mare's head violently slammed against the hard ground beneath her, and bounce back up from the force of the impact, just so she could punch her back down again. She'd lost count of the number of blows she'd delivered to Nightmare Moon's face. But she'd been fully aware of the progression from defined face, to what laid before her now. She couldn't even tell how much bone structure remained intact anymore, due to the sheer amount of bleeding and swelling that was taking place right now.

If she were thinking clearly, she would be ashamed -and even horrified- to admit that she was actually enjoying it. She'd continue beating Nightmare Moon to a bloody pulp for as long as there was breath in her body, but she knew they still had important business to tend to.

"And now, Nightmare Moon," Luna said in a sinister whisper as her halberd was conjured back, and left hovering just over the two of them, with the point aimed downward. "You die!" she roared and slammed the halberd down at her throat with all of her might.

The speed at which they were traveling might've been sufficient to hamper communication between two ponies. But such was not the case for Ulquiorra. Even at present speeds, he could still hear Princess Celestia's sudden, anguished screams over the sounds of the air rushing past them.

Even if he couldn't hear her screams, he would still be able to feel her body stiffening and locking up as one would when in severe pain. Already he was significantly reducing his speed of flight to facilitate proper communication.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Faster-" Celestia managed to choke out. "Go... go faster!"

Ulquiorra wasn't about to question the order. The flight over Ponyville had taken far longer was necessary, and significantly delayed their travel time back to Canterlot. But even so, Princess Celestia was barely hanging on and tolerating the speed they had been traveling at. Left without assistance, she would've blown off before now. And yet she was calling for even greater speeds?

For exactly one and a half seconds, he actually considered disregarding his assigned orders, and investigating whatever had motivated her initial outburst. But he had to weigh that against the consideration of Equestria as a whole.

Without further hesitation, he tightened his grip on his passenger to avoid losing her in transit, and set off for Canterlot once again at greatly increased speeds.

Chapter Ninety Six

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter Ninety Seven

Chapter Ninety Seven

"Filler or not, Nightmare Moon is not going to be getting past us without a fight. If the wench wants a victory on this night, then she's actually going to have to go about earning it," Rarity stated in a tone of voice that was both extremely refined and cultured, while simultaneously cold as ice and filled with enough malice to send a shiver running down Pinkie's spine.

"Ah'm down fer that," Applejack replied and shrugged simply. "Ah could use some payback after what Nightmare Moon made me do."

"Ah-ah!" Rarity quickly spoke up and raised her hoof in a pausing gesture. "This isn't about getting payback for being hurt, Applejack. Revenge clouds the mind and makes one reckless. And as much as I agree with the sentiment of making her pay, as much as I'd love to go about it myself, it simply isn't our business to seek revenge."

Applejack grunted, but ultimately said nothing in response. The only things coming to mind at the moment were entirely unkind and simply inappropriate for tossing out at a friend who was only trying to help. She knew full well that revenge wasn't right, and even in her current state she understood that fact so well. But that understanding did absolutely nothing to stop her from wanting it so very badly right now. After everything she'd been put through, directly and indirectly, she wanted it so much it almost hurt to not have it.

The matter really wasn't helped when Pinkie started gently patting her back. It just made her feel worse about everything, and what she would've considered if Rarity hadn't objected to that particular train of thought leaving the station.

"Ah'm mighty sorry," she mumbled and hung her head.

"Alright," Spike spoke up. "Not to interrupt this touching moment of friendship or anything, but what're we gonna do!? Nightmare Moon and Rainbow Dash are up there, and we're all the way down here! How're we supposed to help, or really even do anything besides stand around and wait?"

Twilight's relief at finding the ironic echo in Rarity's words was short lived in response to Spike's own question. They couldn't exactly join Rainbow Dash in her own endeavors from the ground, and the only other flier in their group was Fluttershy, and... yeah, that wasn't going to happen. Just what were they supposed to do from down here that would make them useful? How were they supposed to help Rainbow Dash?

Hot-air balloons? That was no good, as there were only a few in Ponyville, and they were never kept at the ready at all times. Even if they were kept inflated and heated around the clock for immediate deployment, they were far too bulky, slow, and just plain awkward to be of any use. If they did try and make use of them, they'd just be rendered sitting ducks.

Maybe Pinkie's gyrocopter? Even if they had more than one, none of them knew how to operate the complex device other than Pinkie herself, and it only held one pony.

Teleportation? Levitation? She was the only one who could reliably do that, and only she would be able to go. Even if she did, then what? What could she do?

"Other than teleport the both of us really high up, and detonate my core..."

She shook her head vigorously, trying not to think about that one.

No matter what option came to her frantic mind, the still-logical portion of her mind quickly shot it down as being a non-option, and she was quickly running out of possibilities to go through.

It was all enough to give her a headache. Like it or not, the FUBAR was quickly approaching the SNAFU on a collision course, and they were all trapped right in the middle of it!

"I don't know," was all that she had to -slowly- offer up in response. Even if she could come up with an effective method of getting to where they could engage, just how well could any of them really be expected to fare against an angered alicorn?

At the same time, what other choice did they have in the matter? They were the only thing standing between Equestria and certain destruction. Which was par for the course and familiar territory and all, but this time around it was without the Elements of Harmony at their disposal. But, once again, what other choice did they have in the matter? They couldn't just run away simply because the situation was unfavorable.

Like it or not they had to stand their ground and fight it out, as hard as they could, and for as long as they could. Regardless of the fact that Nightmare Moon seemed to just shake off however hard they hit her without any apparent issue. The cheating bitch...

"Even if I knew a way for us to get up there, which I don't yet, it's down to just us. And without the Elements of Harmony, I just don't know..." she continued.

For better or worse, Rainbow Dash had taken it upon herself to charge Nightmare Moon head on, before they'd even worked out a plan of engagement for this situation. It was arguably the dumbest thing that could've been done under these circumstances, but one could hardly blame her after hearing the sort of threat she'd leveled at Luna; promising her experiences of both untold levels and numbers of psychological and physical atrocities, being inflicted upon her by the foul fiend in the name of petty revenge and outright sadism for its own sake.

But dumb decision or not, that was neither here nor there anymore. What was done was done, and they had nowhere to go but forward with it all. Or maybe forward and up if she could figure it out in time.

"Idiots."

The voice itself was easily recognized, but the tone of address wasn't. Slowly, all eyes turned in Fluttershy's direction in response.

Said pegasus wore a firm glare as she regarded each of them. But this wasn't the stare she was so well known for; this was something new for her. It had all the cold, turpentine-curdling, emotionless intensity as Ulquiorra's stare, while simultaneously conveying the same disapproving nature of a parent who was upset when their foal got into trouble. It was enough to make each of them shut up, and pay close attention to whatever she was going to say next.

"Rainbow Dash can barely even stand up, but she's still fighting against Nightmare Moon with everything she has. And we're down here feeling sorry for ourselves, whining and lamenting about how to get up there to help her?" She shook her head disapprovingly. "Nightmare Moon attacked each and every one of us in a deeply intimate, personal way. She exploited our deepest fears and insecurities for ripping us apart. She destroyed not only our trust in each other, she also destroyed our trust in ourselves."

Everyone stood stock-still and just stared at Fluttershy as she looked at each of them, practically boring a hole right through them with her own sour, disapproving stare.

Finally she just sighed and shook her head, as if she was too tired to carry on with whatever lecture she was delivering. "If you want something done right, do it yourself..."

The last sentence was delivered in a grumbled as she unfurled her wings and gave a few flaps, before finally taking flight, leaving the rest of them behind in utter confusion.

"How..." Pinkie started, "what the... when did... who... where did... how in... who the f-... when did Fluttershy go and Arrancar up?" she finally asked.

Twilight blinked and looked back at Pinkie. "Arrancar up?"

"Well I was going to say "stallion up" but stallions are just as prone to panic and fear as mares are. Ulqy, though, not so much," Pinkie explained.

"Good point. Also a good question," Twilight muttered and rubbed her chin in thought, wondering just what had spurred this sudden turn about in Fluttershy's character.

The pondering on such didn't have the chance to last long, as Fluttershy quickly came back into view before touching down, and looking as if she'd just experienced quite a fright. Her eyes were wide, and even they could tell her heart was beating rapidly as hard as she was breathing.

"O-oh my..." was all she managed to wheeze out.

"Darling, what is it? What's going on?" Rarity asked as she stepped forward, suddenly experiencing the same sense of protective instinct asserting itself as it had when Fluttershy had been attacked herself.

"Rainbow Dash. She's... she's..."

Fluttershy panted rapidly, before finally taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling to steady her nerves.

"She's delivering a hoof-assisted intestinal exorcism upon Nightmare Moon all by herself!" she stated bluntly.

"I'm... sorry, she's what now?" Rarity asked, uncertain of what Fluttershy had just said.

"Ah think she jus' said RD's kickin' the shit outta 'er," Applejack suggested, to which Fluttershy nodded rapidly. "Ya sure 'bout that, Sugarcube?"

Again, Fluttershy nodded rapidly. She knew what she had seen, even if she had trouble believing it herself.

"This Ah gotta see fer mahself," Applejack stated, intrigued and even a bit amused by the idea of Nightmare Moon getting her ass hoofed to her by Rainbow Dash.

"Me too," Spike agreed and quickly turned to Pinkie. "Pinkie, binocular emergency, on the double!"

With a wide, wild grin, Pinkie saluted in response. "Binoculars coming right up!"

As unexpected a development as this was, Twilight wasn't about to complain about it occurring. And while it was far too premature to be celebrating just yet, this was the first bit of good news to come their way in some time. Everything else so far had just been false hopes dressed up with intermittent flares of wow and awesomeness, and the occasional explosion.

If this was the real deal, however, if Rainbow Dash really was dominating Nightmare Moon -or even just fighting her on semi-equal terms- then she wouldn't hesitate to start hooting and hollering in a manner that would rival whatever level of excitement Pinkie could muster.

Provided she actually got to see it for herself first!

Nightmare Moon was smart. It was a matter that was truly as simple as all that. Being smart was a simple, basic requirement for anypony who had the intention of ruling over not just Equestria, but also the surrounding territories and beyond.

It was also a requirement after her second defeat, and the subsequent forceful separation from from Luna by the Elements of Harmony; along with being robbed of those near-limitless resources that were rightfully hers.

It was because of factors such as those, and what she had to go through in that time, that she needed to become smarter. And become smarter she had.

It was because of that hard-earned intelligence that'd been forged over the years of hardship and making do with essentially nothing, that she was fully aware of the fact that somehow, somewhere, something had gone very wrong in this engagement with Rainbow Dash; she recognized it as being a fact the moment she'd been doubled over from getting gut-kicked when she wasn't looking.

Recognizing that something had gone wrong, however, wasn't quite the same as knowing what had gone wrong; that was a mystery that needed unraveling and addressing. Just as soon as she shook off the upward kick she'd taken to the underside of her chin.

Her initial assessment of Rainbow Dash had established her as being the weakest link. Brash, egotistical, self-centered, lazy, and in constant need of validation from those around her in measuring her own sense of self-worth, she was undeniably the perfect mark to focus her efforts against for rendering the Elements of Harmony useless, and making Equestria hers for the taking.

Despite her assessment being technically accurate, she still found herself being surprised by this turn of events.

The initial blows from Rainbow Dash at the beginning of this skirmish had been unpleasant, but hardly debilitating to weather; much like a spanking, they were unpleasant but didn't extend far enough below the surface of the skin to do any actual harm. It should've been easy to wear the polychromatic mare down to nothing without even having to lift a hoof in opposition.

"Should've" being the operative word. Such was not currently happening!

Rainbow Dash might've been the weakest link in the chain, but she was currently committing her all to this fight. And that "all" was turning out to be far more than she'd theorized as being possible.

The initial kicks and blows hadn't been too serious. But everything that came after the gut kick was a different story entirely. They weren't shallow flashes of pain that could be shaken off like a slap, but rather a deep, burning agony that seemed to radiate right through her muscles and down deep into her bones.

On its own such would've been bad enough, but unfortunately for her it was coupled with the fact that Rainbow Dash was simply much faster and nimbler than she herself was, demonstrating how she was an elusive, nimbly, squirrely little nag with a penchant for swooping in and delivering a peppering of rapid-fire blows, occasionally garnished with a particularly brutal kick for good measure -such as the one under the chin just seconds ago- before pulling back out to move to a new position for reengagement.

That wasn't to say she wasn't trying to fight back against Rainbow Dash, as she most certainly was. But try as she might, she just couldn't seem quite able to actually keep up. Rainbow Dash's smaller frame meant less mass, less air resistance, and less drag to contend with and wrestle against, allowing her to move much more freely than her own, larger frame would allow. It wasn't a huge difference in speed, but apparently it was just enough to make a difference.

Her own alicorn body was much more durable, but that did little good in a skirmish where speed counted more. Strength only went so far when a thrown hoof could be dodged. What good was an offensive wing sweep when the scrawny little pegasus could simply vault over it and deck her behind her ear as she passed by?

Loathe as she was to admit to such a fact, she had little choice but to acknowledge her own physical shortcomings in this matter. More often than not, she was forced to go on the defensive and guard against the maelstrom of incoming blows, as she tried to formulate some sort of strategy to assist her.

She knew she could put an immediate halt to all of this, and do so with ease. All she had to do was use her magic, and Rainbow Dash wouldn't stand a chance in this little escapade. She could easily crush her like an empty soda can, pulverize her internal organs into mincemeat in the process, and even fold her up like origami without having to break a sweat, and there would be nothing the annoying little pegasus could do about it other than die.

But she wasn't doing that; not just yet anyway. Like it or not, the annoying little pegasus had actually managed to get under her skin with her petty insults and taunting, and put her in a rather sour and downright primal mood right now. Crushing Rainbow Dash with her magic wasn't good enough right now, as right now she wanted satisfaction of a far more visceral type. She wanted to show that colorful runt just why she was wrong, and demonstrate her superiority in not only magical terms, but also physical terms! She wanted to feel bones crunching under her own hooves, and prove to everyone who might be watching that she wasn't just some dumb showmare to be trifled with! If necessary she'd paint the streets red with the blood of the opposition all by herself, until there was nopony left to doubt her!

"DODGE!"

Rather than react with stunned surprise at the sudden yell, she lunged out at the sound of the voice, swinging her right foreleg at Rainbow Dash's head as she approached. Only to come up short as the antagonistic mare came up short herself with a mid-air brake, and quickly maneuvered in to ensnare her outstretched limb in her forelegs; as if she'd be able to actually hold her with such a petty move.

Before the could actually demonstrate the futility of such efforts, however, she found herself being violently headbutted right in the snout with enough force to disoriented her; as if that'd been the plan all along. With Rainbow Dash fighting dirty, it very well could've been.

The next thing she knew was being violently -repeatedly- kicked in the abdomen, successfully knocking the air out of her lungs and further disorienting her, and making a defensive response all the more difficult to mount as the kicking just seemed to continue without end.

To her disbelief, thrusting her free foreleg forward to try and interrupt the assault only made the situation worse. It was quickly ensnared just like its counterpart, leaving Rainbow Dash free to continue kicking the crap out of her without opposition. And leaving her deeply regretting the foalish decision to face the pegasus on equal terms, as her barrel was subjected to a proverbial jackhammering with shod hooves.

Eventually this culminated with a powerful, double-hoofed bucking right to the sternum, with enough force that it actually sent her flying backwards.

On the one hoof she was free once again, even if she was tumbling and actually needed to right herself. On the other hoof she was quite sore, and left panting as she hovered and cradled her bruised and beaten midsection, as she waited for the spasms in her diaphragm to pass.

"You-" she panted, "you upstart little pegasus, you! You're going to be made to regret that! Provided you live long enough!"

Had the statement not been interrupted by the need to breathe, her breath hitching at certain syllables, and all combined with overall poor body posture, it might've sounded far more intimidating upon delivery.

Rainbow Dash merely snorted dismissively. "Yeah? Well you're full of-"

"Don't-" Nightmare Moon grunted, "don't tell me, let me guess. I'm full of shit, right? You've been rather fond of making such statements, ever since you learned such abysmal language..."

"Well, yeah, but that's beside the point! What I was gonna say, is that you're full of fog," Rainbow Dash stated.

Despite being in pain from the vicious kicking she'd taken, Nightmare Moon looked up at Rainbow Dash in confusion at hearing this statement, her discomfort temporarily forgotten about as curiosity asserted itself in her mind.

Her hooves weren't currently shod...

"Obviously not enough to be completely cloud, otherwise I would've punched right through your rib cage. But definitely enough to be vulnerable against my hooves."

Nightmare Moon grunted disapprovingly in response, the pain returning once more as she did. "And just how did you go about figuring such out?"

"I'm guessing one of my shoes went flying off when I tried to kick you in the head. I didn't realize it at the time, until I kicked you again and it didn't hurt," Rainbow Dash replied and wiggled her right hind leg in response. "After that it was just sorta guesswork. Luckily for me, I guessed right on this one."

Nightmare Moon scowled. She was in this current position because of a missing shoe and a lucky guess? That was downright more insulting than being compared to that stupid Trixie!

"It took me a while to figure everything out. Now a lot of things suddenly make a lot more sense," Rainbow Dash continued, before shrugging dismissively. "Binding your essence to a fog bank for spreading your influence all over Ponyville without being detected? I gotta say, that's pretty ingenious for a villain; nopony would suspect fog of being evil, or even give it a second look if they encountered it in the early morning."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Nightmare Moon muttered under her breath as she -slowly- uncurled herself from her huddled position. "So you mean to tell me that you, of all ponies, actually figured that out all by yourself? All because of a missing shoe when you kicked me!?"

"That just burns your butt, doesn't it?" Rainbow Dash asked, making no effort to conceal the smug smirk she was presently wearing. "All that effort at being sneaky, and I'm the one who figured it all out; by accident no less. Not somepony smart like Twilight, or Luna, or even Ulquiorra, but me!"

"It was certainly a disappointment," Nightmare Moon shot back, doing her best not to let Rainbow Dash goad her into doing something stupid like lash out blindly. "So you're not really as thupid as you look. There are ways of dealing with ponies like you..."

At first Rainbow Dash's efforts against her could almost be considered cute, thinking she had a chance against her. But that was then and this was now. She'd witnessed firsthoof that her opponent couldn't safely be underestimated, and she'd had enough setbacks! With no more hesitation her horn flared to life in preparation of showing this scrawny pegasus who was really in charge. If she couldn't break her spirits, she'd settle for simply breaking her body instead!

Despite lacking the physical strength to actually slam her hoof right through Nightmare Moon's chest, the blow Rainbow Dash had just landed, had still been enough to knock the air right back out of her lungs again, and leave her doubled over and coughing as her magic cut out.

A direct assault from the front!? She should've seen that coming! Why hadn't she seen that coming!?

Before she could even contemplate that particular development, she was met with an immediate double whammy followup shot being delivered right to the side of her horn before she could respond.

Trying to scream in pain while simultaneously being out of breath, as it turned out, was really hard to do.

The next thing she became aware of was the sensation of her wings being entangled in something, and something sharp pressing into her back right between them.

"I really didn't wanna do this to a fellow flyer. But you cheated and tried to use magic, so now you've gotta pay the penalty."

Rainbow Dash was behind her now. And she was...

Oh.

Ohh.

Oh crud!

"Please don't break my wings," she wheezed/whimpered.

"No."

"Well butter mah butt an' call me a biscuit!"

With a little assistance, and Pinkie's knack at planning for unforeseen developments, those assembled and able were all observing Fluttershy's earlier evaluation of the present situation; Rainbow Dash was indisputably beating the crap out of Nightmare Moon, and doing it all by herself.

It wasn't so much an upfront confrontation, but more of an omni-directional maelstrom of hits and kicks coming from all angles and sides, intermixed with constant movement to make counterattacks difficult, if not straight up impossible.

Even on the rare occasion that Nightmare Moon did manage to launch some sort of counterattack against her, Rainbow Dash just proved that she was capable of ducking, dodging, and straight out evading whatever was thrown at her.

"RD's kickin' Nightmare Moon around seven days ta Sunday, an' its only a Wednesday. Ah don' think Ah've ever seen 'er put up so much of a fight before," Applejack stated as she looked away from the battle briefly, before looking back at it, all the while wondering if she was seeing things.

"I'd say that's an understatement," Rarity replied, turning her attention away from the battle and towards her friends. "She's putting in far more fight and effort than when she was trying to kill me. I can't even begin to imagine the degree of dedication she must be experiencing right now."

"Yeah. About that..."

Slowly, those assembled turned their attention away from the aerial combat, and towards Spike as he spoke.

"Ten minutes ago, Rainbow Dash could hardly even stand up under her own power. The last time we were in the Everfree Forest, she couldn't even keep pace with me. But now she's not only going toe-to-toe with Nightmare Moon, she's actually beating the shit out of her?" Spike asked. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad she's giving Nightmare Moon the ego-raping she so richly deserves, but I just can't figure out how she's doing it. What exactly is going on here?"

With the question now broached, everyone present paused and went silent. It was -more or less- a question that had crossed each of their minds to a certain extent, but none of them had dared actually voice it, out of fear of potentially jinxing things horribly.

"Now that you mention it," Rarity spoke up slowly, "I don't mean to speak ill of her, but it doesn't make any sense. Nightmare Moon should easily be tearing Rainbow Dash to pieces with her magic. Yet she hasn't been able to get a single spell out; it's like she can't even manage to keep pace with her."

"That right there's a mighty good point," Applejack admitted and idly scratched the back of her head with her hoof. She'd been way too busy watching the show to question things like that. But now that the question and points had been raised, she couldn't think about anything else but that. "Twi'? Ya got any idea 'bout it?"

Twilight could only shake her head wearily in response. "Maybe if I could focus, I might be able to put something together, but right now I'm tapped out. At this point, your guess on it is as good as mine," she explained.

The others didn't want to admit it, but hearing this gave them reason to pause in concern. Twilight, to the best of their knowledge, had never made such an admission before when it came to having a theory or explanation for what was going on around them. Now here they were, with just such a development staring each of them uncomfortably in the face.

"Maybe Nightmare Moon used up more magic than we thought, and she doesn't have enough to spare. Maybe Ulquiorra's theory about alicorn magic being slower to bring to bear was right. Maybe power levels really are bullshit and Nightmare Moon is no tougher than a normal pony right now. I just don't know right now!"

Twilight's ensuing meltdown over her own uncertainty was mercifully interrupted by a shrill scream sounding somewhere in the distance.

"Uh... did that sound familiar to anypony else?" Spike asked.

The scream ended with a thud as Nightmare Moon slammed into the ground some distance away from them, landing in a heap like a lump of bread dough dropped unceremoniously onto a baking pan.

"... Huh," was all Pinkie could find to say in response to what was just witnessed.

Seconds later it was Rainbow Dash who was landing, but right next to them in a far more controlled descent and touching down.

"Darling-" Rarity started.

"Fog," Rainbow Dash interrupted.

"Come again?" Twilight asked.

"Fog," Rainbow Dash repeated, "I don't know how she did it, but she used fog in constructing that body of hers; that's why she can't keep up with me. A team of pegasi could take her down, no problem. Hell, even Fluttershy could kick the crap out of her!"

"M-me?" Fluttershy asked.

"You're sure about the fog?" Twilight asked.

"Positive, but I'll explain how later when we know she's dead," Rainbow Dash explained quickly, knowing full well that they weren't done yet. Nightmare Moon had survived way, way too much for that to be enough to do her in.

Sure enough, as she paused she could see Nightmare Moon was still very much alive, and slowly working to climb back onto her hooves once again. Not all that surprising, but certainly annoying.

"Right. I gotta go put Spike's plan into motion; be right back!"

Not even waiting for anypony to say anything in response, either in support or opposition, she kicked off the forest floor and launched herself forward, ready to reengage Nightmare Moon once again. This time around she was going straight for the kill; she was going to throw everything she had left into it, to snap Nightmare Moon's horn right off her head. That would make her easy pickings for the rest of them. If she could pull it off they wouldn't even need Ulquiorra to finish this off, they could do it themselves!

But then Nightmare Moon dodged.

All of that bravado and optimism came to an immediate, screeching halt as it slammed into a brick wall. All metaphorically of course, but the analogy was accurate enough to describe the unfolding situation nonetheless. This mare, who just seconds ago looked to be struggling just go get back onto her hooves, had suddenly reared up and pulled her head out of the way before contact could be made.

Everything seemed to slow down from Dash's perspective at this turn of events, as if time itself was too heavy to properly advance. So help her, she was certain she actually could see the shift in Nightmare Moon's expression as hoof failed to meet horn, as a sinister sneer asserted itself with narrowed eyes and pulled back lips, to reveal sharp teeth that no pony should ever have in their maw.

The slow down immediately ended as Nightmare Moon lunged forward with maw open wide, and proceeded to bite down on her extended right foreleg.

Rainbow Dash yelled out in a mix of shock and pain as she found herself ensnared, all forward movement stopped as Nightmare Moon dug her teeth in all the deeper, tearing their way right through her flesh with ease.

"Stupid motherfucker!" she yelled and slugged Nightmare Moon across with her free hoof to break herself loose.

Going after her horn wasn't going to be possible with her current position and angle, so she'd have to simply settle for what was within her reach and go from there.

The only problem was it wasn't working. Her blows were landing solid against Nightmare Moon's face, but she didn't look the least bit affected now; if anything she just looked annoyed as she hung on and continued biting down. Even kicking her in the throat didn't seem to be having any affect on her. Making a bad matter all the worse, she could feel the tip of Nightmare Moon's tongue wriggling against her ensnared foreleg. The bitch was actually tasting her in all this!

She wanted to play that way? Fine then! Two could play at this game!

"Rainbow Dash-"

Twilight didn't even have time to finish urging her friend to slow down and wait before said pegasus was already off and charging at Nightmare Moon once again. If that stupid idiot didn't wind up killing herself through her own boneheaded decisions, she was going to kill the rest of them with stress by making them worry about her!

Spike could only scratch his head with his free hand in confusion. "What plan was she talking about just now?"

The others were just confused about what Rainbow Dash was talking about, but the sudden, piercing scream stopped any of them from lingering on the question for too long. Immediately all eyes had turned back to their friend out of fear of what was going on. But the sight they were met with wasn't what they were expecting; Nightmare Moon was the one screaming at the top of her lungs, with Rainbow Dash atop her, biting down on her horn with what they could only assume was all of her might, and doing her best to hold on as the alicorn writhed and thrashed about on the ground in absolute agony.

Rainbow Dash had, for lack of a better term of explanation, just brought Nightmare Moon down with nothing more than her bare teeth.

"Holy fudgecicles," Pinkie whispered. Or at least as much as one could whisper while still being heard over such horrendous screaming. "If I hadn't seen that for myself, I wouldn't have believed it!"

Not even Luna, who up to now had been doing her level best to tune out all distractions as she focused on recovering her lost magic and strength as fast as possible, had been able to ignore Nightmare Moon's howls of anguish. Her concentration had been broken like a pane of glass struck by a rock, leaving her unable to do much besides watch the spectacle along with the others; all the while immensely relieved that it wasn't her friend who was currently suffering.

"I... I don't know how I should be feeling about this," Rarity spoke up, practically transfixed on what they were all seeing.

Nopony present wanted to admit to the fact out in the open. But it was impossible for any of them to honestly deny that there was a deep, darkly primal sense of satisfaction to be felt in watching as Rainbow Dash straddled Nightmare Moon and bit down on her horn, repeatedly chomping down on it as hard as they could, leaving their sadistic enemy in a constant state of unimaginable agony and suffering that few had ever truly experienced. To watch her helplessly thrashing about on the ground, unable to escape or resist the torment and suffering being so rightly being inflicted upon her, after she'd spent so long inflicting such on others... it was all a very cathartic experience to have.

It was also the reason they allowed it to continue for so long, being in no big hurry to intervene, in order to give Rainbow Dash ample opportunity to work through her own torment. As Rarity had said, it wasn't their place to seek payback, but that wasn't to say they'd interrupt payback if it was in the process of being administered.

"Do-" Spike spoke up, being the first to find his voice, "do you think Rainbow Dash is going to bite Nightmare Moon's horn right off?"

Normally such a morbid thought never would've even entered his mind. But the more he watched, the more he couldn't help but think such. Rainbow Dash's entire demeanor was very aggressive, with her not only holding onto Nightmare Moon for dear life, but also thrashing about, and so help him he was positive he could hear her growling and snarling over all the screaming. She was starting to remind him of a dog enthusiastically playing with its favorite rag toy by vigorously flinging it about while shaking its head.

Spike's question served to snap Twilight out of her fantasizing/stupor, and bring her back to the here and now with a head shake.

"Oh Faust, I hope it doesn't come to that. Rainbow Dash is already tempting matters that are beyond both her control and understanding just with what she's doing!"

While the resulting fallout that would come to pass if Rainbow Dash successfully bit Nightmare Moon's horn off wouldn't rival a core breech, it would still be very bad for her. There would indeed be an explosion of magical energies resulting from such an injury, and at that close distance -to say nothing of it being right in her face- it could quite possibly kill her.

Under normal circumstances, trying to bite through a unicorn's horn would be like trying to bite right through solid bone; a feat that their equine teeth simply weren't capable of pulling off. But if Rainbow Dash's evaluation was right, and Nightmare Moon's physically form was even partially composed of fog, it might just be a possibility when it involved pegasus teeth doing the biting.

From a basic, strategic standpoint, the most logical course of action was to simply leave Rainbow Dash undisturbed, and allow her to continue what she was doing; keeping Nightmare Moon pinned down and essentially unable to retaliate for the foreseeable future. Her actions would ensure that Nightmare Moon would be easy pickings for whenever Ulquiorra managed to return, or whenever Luna finished recovering. Plus the statistical odds of actually biting through her horn were admittedly quite low, and unlikely to manifest.

But statistically low didn't mean impossible. And they had managed to pull off accomplishments many would regard as statistically low in terms of the probability of success. And quite frankly, she didn't feel confident in taking that sort of gamble with Rainbow Dash's well being; she wasn't about to risk sacrificing a friend just to take down an enemy, it wasn't worth it!

Beyond that particular matter, in practical terms, there really just wasn't that much additional benefit that could be had from letting Rainbow Dash continue her actions unimpeded; other than simply torturing Nightmare Moon further. Beyond that fact, Nightmare Moon's howling was incredibly distracting, as well as incredibly painful to listen to.

They needed to do something about that, and do it now.

"Rarity."

"Twilight?"

"You bit Chrysalis' horn pretty hard, didn't you?"

"As hard as I possibly could," Rarity replied. "I swear, there are still times I taste her chitin on my tongue..."

"And it's safe to assume Rainbow Dash has at least the same amount of biting force per square inch as you do."

"I dare say she has even more, considering how often her mouth gets her in trouble," Rarity muttered. "Why, though?"

"Even if Rainbow Dash stopped, and let go right now, Nightmare Moon's magic is going to be inaccessible to her, due to the amount of physical trauma she's been subjected to. No offensive magic, no defensive magic, and certainly no healing magic," Twilight stated, never once looking away from what was right in front of her.

"Twilight-" Luna tried to speak up, only to find her voice too soft to be heard as Rarity was already speaking again over her.

"I suppose that's an accurate assessment of the situation. But again, why, though? What do you have in mind for us to make use of this information?"

"That we don't waste time waiting for Ulquiorra, and instead take the initiative ourselves," Twilight elaborated as her horn began to glow brightly. "I need you to rip Rainbow Dash off of Nightmare Moon, as hard and as fast as you can; it's too dangerous to leave her there for what I have in mind."

Rarity found herself intrigued by Twilight's statement, desperately wanting to know just what her friend had in mind. She wanted to ask for details, but stopped just short of actually doing just that. Even she knew that, whatever was about to happen, they would see it for themselves soon enough. If she had time to ask, she had time to do, and do she indeed would.

Without pause, she reached out with her magic and latched onto Rainbow Dash, before yanking her back as hard as she could.

Much to her surprise, she got nowhere. Her efforts were met with significant resistance as Rainbow Dash held on tight, utterly refusing to relinquish her quarry. In fact Rainbow Dash's hold was so tight, Rarity was almost pulled over instead.

Undaunted, she continued as best she could, trying to regain her footing as she did so. "Goodness! I've extracted gems from solid stone with less effort than this!"

Twilight could only shake her head in response. "Just keep pulling! I need to be able to respond the instant she's free!"

"I'm trying, darling," Rarity grunted through grit teeth, "I'm trying."

The others could only watch from the sidelines as things played out before them, all the while wishing that they could do something -anything- to actually help in some manner. Anything other than standing around uselessly, watching the perverse tug-of-war play out, with Rarity doing her best to reel Rainbow Dash in, who was in turn doing her best to remain right where she was, even if it meant dragging Nightmare Moon right along with her, through the use of all four of her legs!

Suddenly Rarity's difficulty was making a great deal of sense. The path of least resistance in this equation was apparently Nightmare Moon's thrashing form itself, which was presently being dragged back up onto its hooves, simply because Rainbow Dash was refusing to relinquish her own hold.

For a while it looked like Nightmare Moon was going to be dragged, kicking and screaming -literally- over to their position; provided Rarity's magic and concentration actually held out long enough to achieve such. As it was she looked ready to collapse at any moment

Finally, when Rarity looked on the verge of collapse from sheer strain, her efforts were rewarded. With one last, mighty pull, Rainbow Dash was successfully yanked off of Nightmare Moon, with enough force to practically throw her right over their position.

Not even two seconds later, they finally saw just what Twilight had been planning this entire time. Without either warning, notice, or even fanfare as to what was coming, dozens of long, steel rods came raining down from the sky, landing all around Nightmare Moon's position, firmly burying themselves not only into the ground she was currently standing on, but also her own body!

Impaled, skewered, perforated, violated, stabbed, pierced, etc. whatever one might use to try and describe the situation, the point remained that Nightmare Moon's body now had numerous steel rods sticking through it, effectively pinning her to the ground.

"My goodness!" Rarity gasped.

Any steel rod that had missed its intended mark was quickly teleported out of sight by Twilight, only to be followed up by a second rain of steel down on Nightmare Moon's position, impaling her to an even greater degree that previously. By the time it was done, one would be hard pressed to identify a single organ -vital or otherwise- that hadn't been severely perforated by the numerous steel rods that rendered her little more than a macabre pincushion.

"HOLY SHIT!" Rainbow Dash squeaked in surprise, her protests and anger at being pulled away long forgotten about in light of this development. "You got 'er!"

"That was nothing," Twilight replied dismissively as she proceeded to teleport away the remaining rods that had failed to find their mark.

Next to be done was grabbing hold of the ones that had found their mark, and yanking them upward and outward with her magic, just far enough so that they were no longer embedded in the ground; a move that had the side effect of dropping Nightmare Moon to the ground in a crumpled and collapsed heap as there was nothing holding her up.

"That was just the preliminary strike," Twilight continued as her horn began to glow anew, eyes locked on Nightmare Moon's prone position. "This is the real deal!"

The "real deal" in this case turned out to be a bolt of lightning, accompanied by a deafening crack and a blinding flash overhead as it cut across the sky to strike Nightmare Moon where she presently stood, sending untold millions -if not billions- of volts worth of raw electricity right into her body along the path of the steel rods jutting out of her.

Applejack and the others hadn't had the time necessary to process just what had happened, much less actually get back up and off the ground from where they'd crouched, before a second bolt of lightning came crashing down on Nightmare Moon's position.

Most of them had been aware to some degree that Twilight had been working hard to master the magical summoning of lightning, but few of them had any idea just what degree of skill she'd managed to acquire since undertaking the endeavor; out of the lot of them.

Now that they were actually seeing it for themselves, they were having difficulty comprehending it; primarily because of just how terrifying it was to be in such close proximity to so much raw, destructive power! Out of all of them, only Spike really had any true comprehension of just how fucking dangerous and insane this really was.

Twilight growled something, incomprehensible and full of inexpressable fury the others couldn't make out, before making a violent downward gesture with her head, and bringing a third strike down on Nightmare Moon's prone form.

No fourth bolt was immediately forthcoming. Nor did the air around them having a charged quality that left loose hairs standing up. As Twilight slouched and fell back on her haunches, they took that as an indicator that she was done.

"Ya a'right, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, being the first one to Twilight's side in order to rest a hoof on her withers.

Twilight nodded as she panted, making no effort to straighten herself back up. She was alright, although that was due to the sheer amount of practice and effort she'd put into learning how to manage that particular spell. But even still, exhaustion and fatigue were nevertheless unavoidable when it came to using it in such a rapid fire manner.

If nothing else she was in far better condition than Nightmare Moon herself right now, even without the impalement being a factor to take into consideration. The electrical charge within those lightning bolts, the sheer amount of raw current that'd struck her, was enough to power a shield large enough to encompass the entire city of Manehattan, and protect it against the full force of a category five hurricane.

And every last joule of electrical current had migrated along those steel rods, and right into every perforated organ and system of Nightmare Moon's un-grounded body, saturating it inside and out; guaranteeing that there was no hope of her shaking this one off in her current magically-deprived state.

There was a strong urge to engage in some sort of witty retort, to say something of relevance on this particular matter. But at the moment she was just too tired to think up anything creative to put out there. All she wanted to do was go home with her friends, and get out of here.

If not for the sound of metal clanging together and falling to the ground, that might've just been possible.

"Oh no..."

But such wasn't the case. Nightmare Moon's body was nowhere to be found where it had crumpled, only the discarded steel rods.

"How!?"

This shouldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening! As in it physically couldn't be happening!

Spike just muttered to himself and gripped his hammer tighter in preparation, for he could already see where this was going. Even when they actually could catch a break, they couldn't really catch a break.

"This shouldn't be happening! This can't be happening," Twilight muttered as her eyes darted back and forth, much like the eyes of her friends currently were.

"Even if it can't be happening, it's still happening," Spike shot back.

"The trauma from that bite should've rendered her incapable of using her magic for hours!" Twilight protested to no one in particular other than herself. "She shouldn't even have been able to scratch her own butt, never mind decorporealizing herself like that!"

A disembodied laugh sounded from all around them, serving to put them even further on edge than they had been just previously.

"Oh, dear, innocent, naive little Twilight," Nightmare Moon's voice cooed mockingly, "you have so very much to learn about how the world around you really works..."

High above their current position, they watched as Nightmare Moon reformed herself, looking entirely unfazed by what she'd just been subjected to. Unfazed, and extremely malicious as she glared down at them with a sinister, chilling smile as her large wings flapped casually.

"I must say, I certainly wasn't expecting that. You could say it was certainly a shocking development," she quipped.

There was a nearly-perfect simultaneous "fuck you!" shouted on the part of Rainbow Dash and Applejack, and a strongly disapproving booing on the part of Pinkie in response.

Nightmare Moon continued, unimpressed by their petty retorts. "Had I been a unicorn that little maneuver of yours would've worked, too. But that's why alicorns are the superior pony species; we don't suffer the same shortcomings with our horns. My magic was available to me a scant few seconds after you pulled your little friend off of me."

Twilight looked back at Luna for clarification, and received a solemn nod of the head in response.

"She is speaking the truth, I am afraid. The only thing that can actually stop the magic of an alicorn is sufficiently binding their horn..."

Twilight had no words to offer up in response to this little revelation, as there was nothing she could think to contribute. It was her own actions that had put them in this present mess, with Nightmare Moon free once again, and able to continue her onslaught against them. Even if her motives and actions had been entirely pure -which sadly they weren't- this unforeseen development was still her fault; much like a great many other developments that'd been occurring lately.

What was there left for them to do at this point? She was significantly weakened after that futile endeavor, Luna hadn't had nearly enough time to recover, Rainbow Dash was in no condition to fight, Ulquiorra was still absent, none of them could actually reach her, and now they found out that horn-biting was invalid!

What other options did they realistically have at their disposal? What more could they do?

Up above, Nightmare Moon idly popped her neck as looked down on the gathered group of resistance, all the while trying not to be overcome with seething rage at the indignity of it all. Every single one of them was going to be made to suffer for their actions here tonight, with something especially fitting set aside just for Rainbow Dash!

But... business first, pleasure later.

Business... hmm...

Perhaps she'd been going about this all wrong. There was certainly more than one way to go about breaking the spirit of rebellious ponies. She'd gone with her preferred method of inciting terror in the citizenry, even going as far as custom tailoring her approach to best exploit the fears of each targeted individual for maximum impact. But in her defense she'd been working while stressed and starving at the time! Now that such wasn't the case-

Pulling her head to the side to avoid the incoming cursed hammer tossed at her face, she began to contemplate the matter from a different angle. And as she did, she realized that she didn't need all of the group broken and psychologically scarred beyond coherent thought. In truth, just a little division in the group would do. Crack their unity even just a little, and then the rest should prove to be a cake walk. Her problem had simply been trying too hard the first time around, that was all.

"Now then," she spoke, "since we've established the hopelessness of the situation you find yourselves in... let's get down to brass tacks and talk rye. I could easily kill each and every one of you right now, but that would just be an otherwise needless waste of resources. All of this senselessness currently going on? You can put an end to it all right now. All you have to do is support my bid to return to power as the true ruler of Equestria. Swear your loyalty to me, and upon my reclaiming what's rightfully mine, each of you that stands with me will be handsomely rewarded!"

The looks of disbelief and uncertainly on their faces at her words spoke volumes to her. Where violence and terror had failed, greed was beginning to succeed, she could feel it.

"Wait, you're trying to bribe us?" she heard Pinkie ask, voice heavy with disbelief.

"Bribe is such an ugly word," Nightmare Moon replied dismissively, "let's call it a business venture, shall we? Something that's mutually beneficial to all the parties involved. Because, really, that's the only way this can be looked at. All the fighting, all the suffering, it can all be put to rest, neatly and cleanly with just a little bit of cooperation. And for that cooperation, you'll all benefit greatly, to degrees that would be impossible otherwise. Unimaginable wealth, political influence, the ability to pursue your deepest of desires in the most hedonistic of lifestyles, your own country to rule as Emperor? Anything you may want, or even... anypony you may want... Stallions, mares, colts, fillies, whatever your pleasure may be."

She paused her sales pitch to look down at the assembled group, and much to her delight, observe the newfound looks of uncertainty crossing over their faces. The sudden change in her approach to doing business had obviously left them unbalanced, and unprepared for what they'd encountered.

Oh sure, they might've come here prepared to face her down in mortal combat, and potentially die in the course of it. But to be confronted with the possibility of having their greatest desires and own basic greed being satiated? Desires that even their own friends didn't know about? That was an entirely different matter they hadn't been mentally prepared to defend against. That was the true acid test for separating the posers.

A nervous glance sideways, eyes flitting back and forth, a shiver of subdued excitement as they were forced to wrestle with the onset of base emotions... she was seeing all of it in them. She just had to push the matter a little further, play on their own individual weaknesses and secret cravings, and they would be broken. More than that, they would be broken and hers. Even if it was just one of them that ultimately succumbed, it would still do.

"Set your price, my little ponies, tell me whatever it is you want as a down payment, and you'll have it before the start of the next hour. What do you say?"

"SUCK ON THIS!"

A cloud of pressurized confetti from a party hat-tipped rocket exploding right in her face was definitely not among what Nightmare Moon expected as an answer to her proposal.

Instead of being divided and fractured, their little group seemed more united than previously as they shouted down her business proposal. Outright denials, profanities and obscenities of all sorts, and numerous other forms of disagreement were all hurled at her without even a hint of hesitation.

"Fine then," she sighed in annoyance, "have it your way then. I was trying to be kind. I was trying to show that I can be truly merciful, and even forgiving. But you lot just don't want that, you want to do it the hard way. So be it! You want to do things the hard way? Well then you seven are going to..."

Nightmare Moon paused mid-rant. Seven? That couldn't be right, it just couldn't! Mentally she counted each of them, just to double check, gesturing at each of them with a hoof to keep things straight. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven... what was going on here? There was Luna, the dragon, and the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, but there were still only seven present down there.

"Alright, where'd the other one of you get to? What sort of games are you playing now!?"

Something sharp slammed into her back, not simply once but twice in rapid succession, nearly knocking her right out of the sky in the process.

Without explanation everything on her body seemed to ache horribly. Her limbs felt heavy like lead and unresponsive as they hung limply against her sides, except for her wings which were currently flared wide open and unable to retract or even flap. The only reason she wasn't dropping like a stone, she discovered, was something tightly wrapped around her neck, keeping her aloft like a makeshift noose in a hastily-executed hanging.

As anypony would naturally do at feeling their windpipe being forcefully squeezed shut and air cut off, she panicked and tried to break loose, wriggling to the best of her limited abilities to try and slip free in a desperate to breathe freely once again.

"Now, now, don't struggle, you'll just make it more painful for yourself," a soft voice cooed from behind.

Nightmare Moon's eyes went wide in revelation. It was the butter jelly pegasus who'd gone missing down below, who now currently held her in a choke hold from behind! All the others were so boisterous and over the top in their presence, she hadn't even paid the quiet one any attention.

"Just relax, everything will be over soon enough. Just... hush now. Quiet now. It's time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now. Quiet now. It's time to go to bed."

Now that was just rubbing salt into an open wound as far as Nightmare Moon was concerned. One simply didn't sing to an enemy they feared. It wasn't even regular singing, but a freaking lullaby! The utter indignation of it all - she was being lullabied while getting choked out!

Then there was the matter of the singing itself. Fluttershy's voice was one of utter softness and kindness, but even she could tell that in this case it wasn't genuine. Just behind that veneer of softness, she could feel something both sinister and malicious in each word currently being sung in this deliberately ironic lullaby choice.

Making matters all the worse was the fact that it was working. She didn't know what kind of choke hold she was in, but her senses had been going dark and fuzzy with a frightening speed, making her futile efforts at escaping all the more pitiful.

By the time the third repeat of the chorus came around, the fog on her mind made it all but impossible to identify anything other than a dark blur, and the few sounds she could still pick up sounded like they were being heard through water...

Down below on the forest floor, Twilight and the others were watching in disbelief. None of them had really expected Fluttershy to take such a... bold course of action all on her own. But she had done just that; attacked Nightmare Moon all by herself, getting in behind her when her back had been turned, without any of them being any the wiser as to what she'd been planning on doing.

She got in and had Nightmare Moon restrained in a choke hold before the alicorn had even known what was up, and had rendered her quarry limp in short order, in what was perhaps the most practical, straightforward approach any of them had tried yet.

Slowly, they descended, Nightmare Moon being lowered to the ground in a manner that could almost be mistaken for gentle if one hadn't known any better. Fluttershy touched down immediately after, still holding onto the prone form as if she were cradling the head of a loved one.

For a brief moment, everyone was silent as they approached, uncertain of what to say or what to not say. Even Fluttershy herself was silent, other than quietly panting for air.

Finally, whatever stunned state Fluttershy was in over her actions apparently came to an end, as she took a deep breath, and proceeded to violently jerk nightmare Moon's entire head to the right, twisting it far beyond what was normally possible for equine neck vertebrae to allow, and with such force the cracking of said vertebrae was actually audible through all the flesh covering them.

Up until the moment Nightmare Moon's body dissolved into a fog-like substance that quickly ascended out of their reach, it looked like the matter had finally been put to rest once and for all.

Fluttershy could only whimper as she looked down at her now-empty hooves.

Luna shook her head in disbelief. "I do not understand! There is no way Nightmare Moon could have cast a spell after being choked into a state of unconsciousness, it simply does not work that way!"

"The only thing I can figure is she's actually learned how to perform an auto-cast."

All eyes were quickly on Twilight in response to her statement.

"Auto-cast? What's that?" Pinkie asked.

"It's a very complex, very arcane concept of magical application that was intended for battle where a unicorn might not possess the ability to focus on channeling and shaping a specific spell due to being incapacitated. I've read about the concept in my studies, but I never found anything to indicate it was ever developed beyond being a simple concept of thought; nopony could figure out the mechanics behind how to perform magic in such an unconventional manner," Twilight explained.

"Well it sure looks like somepony figured out how to make it work," Rainbow Dash muttered as she looked skyward warily. "That neck snap should've killed her instantly. Fucking necromancy..."

"Well... Mr. Cifer did say it'd take a minute ta actually work," Applejack pointed out.

"The only thing I can figure is, however she actually went about doing it, Nightmare Moon must have set up the spell to activate if she suffers a fatal injury that could kill her," Twilight continued. Nightmare Moon must've been smart enough to anticipate taking a lethal injury or two after her return, otherwise there would be no point actually engaging in such a course of action.

"Great. So even if we do kill her, we still can't kill her," Spike grumbled.

"How right you are..."

There was a groan from the group as Nightmare Moon once again descended into their field of vision, still wearing a smug smirk on her face as she gently flapped her wings and glared down at them.

"I must admit, you're all more determined than I expected you to be, even in the face of such adversity. It's all quite commendable, even respectable. But sooner or later even you have to recognize facts and simply accept the futility of this all. There's no shame in admitting defeat and surrendering peacefully to me; I can be quite merciful and even reasonable. Are you starting to comprehend the true hopelessness of the situation? Are you understanding how your futile efforts are nothing against me?"

"Ah'll sooner die than surrender to the likes o' you," Applejack snorted as she adjusted her hat. "Now get yourself down here so Ah can have a shot at ya! Ah'm gonna whomp the tar outta ya so hard-"

"Applejack."

Applejack's promise of violence was interrupted as a white foreleg was delicately extended in front of her, serving to obscure her line of sight.

"I respect you as much as anypony would, so please don't take it the wrong way when I say that Nightmare Moon is simply out of your league," Rarity stated as she did her best to stand between Applejack and their quarry. "Allow me to take this one instead."

"You!?" Applejack asked in disbelief at what she was hearing.

"Wait, you?" Rainbow Dash asked, as she quirked an eyebrow.

Not even Nightmare Moon was immune to the surprise development. "You? Seriously?"

Rarity ignored the protests and surprise as she continued speaking. "Only a unicorn has any chance of opposing Nightmare Moon under present circumstances, and not getting killed in the process. Rainbow Dash got lucky, but we can't count on luck. Nightmare Moon has shaken off untold levels of abuse and physical damage that none of us could withstand, and we've already hit her with so much! If any of you go up against her now, all by yourself, you'll die. I'm the only one here who isn't either exhausted or unsuited for facing her. Please, let me do this for the sake of my friends."

It hadn't been the most impassioned of pleas any of them had ever heard before, but it was certainly a sincere plea.

Making it all the worse was that none of them could really argue against it. Rarity's evaluation of their current conditions were painfully accurate, with none of them being in prime fighting condition for what they were facing. Even if they did object, what could they really hope to do in her stead that she couldn't do?

Like it or not, they had little choice but to simply wait and see how things went.

"Now then..."

Rarity turned her attention back towards Nightmare Moon, stepping forward calmly but firmly, her eyes locked on the one who was to be her quarry in this skirmish.

"I believe it's our turn to dance, my dear," she stated, her tone heavy with venom as she spoke.

"Then by all means, let us dance," Nightmare Moon retorted with a glare as firm as Rarity's own.

Author's Note

I'm not happy with the finished quality of this chapter. But at the same time I was getting tired of it taking so long to finish for uploading, so sorry about that.

Chapter Ninety Eight

Chapter Ninety Eight

"Er, just- before we actually begin, please?" Rarity paused with a raised hoof, all of her previous bravado suddenly being replaced with nervousness. Quickly, she turned back around to address the others. "Twilight? You and the others may wish to step back a bit. That, or summon yourselves plenty of umbrellas and ponchos. Because as things currently stand, you're all unfortunately right in the splash zone..."

Nightmare Moon found herself tilting her head to the side in confusion as she heard Rarity's statement to her friends. Was that supposed to be a veiled threat against her? Some secret code perhaps, to indicate she had some sort of plan in mind?

Whatever the meaning behind the phrase was, it ultimately wasn't important. This mare couldn't pose a challenge to her; certainly not compared to the like of her boisterous friends. This little exchange would be quite easy.

"How kind of you," she purred, "letting your little friends know your death is going to be quite messy."

"Hm?" Rarity asked as she turned back around to regard Nightmare Moon. "Oh, no-no, dear, I'm afraid you have it all wrong," she said as she shook her head, "I am going to to be the one ripping and tearing you completely asunder. I'm going to rend you like cheap, puce, polyester. And I dare say that you won't be shaking this one off as easily as you have everything else."

Under different circumstances, Nightmare Moon would've been laughing over such a ridiculous claim being leveled at her. But as she'd learned over the course of the evening, that wasn't a wise course of action for her to undertake. Underestimating these ponies was getting her killed far too many times for her own liking, and she'd much rather not suffer anymore deaths tonight if it could be avoided.

"Arrogant words from an arrogant little tailor. Your friends are all much stronger than you, and they've all failed. Repeatedly! And you think that a weak little pony such as yourself, can actually do better than them?" she asked.

"Quite so," Rarity replied calmly and evenly with a subtle nod of the head. "Honestly, dear, the very fact you even have to ask such a question just shows how limited your understanding of the matter really is. Perhaps I might not possess the overwhelming magical strength that Twilight may have at her disposal, or the physical prowess of Applejack. But what I do possess is an immeasurable degree of skill. What I may lack in overall strength, I make up for in finesse," she continued.

Nightmare Moon snorted dismissively in response, unimpressed by the answer.

"As much as I may love my friends, I'm afraid they're all rather limited in their thought processes when it comes to approaching matters like this," Rarity continued as her horn began to glow. "They don't really understand the proper approach and application of tact and the like. That's what separates myself from them, and it's that difference which will allow me to succeed where they've failed in putting an end to you."

"Little pony, your mouth is writing a check that your body simply can't cover. There's no way you can live up to the hype you're creating about yourself," Nightmare Moon pointed stated dismissively.

"That remains to be seen," Rarity replied with equal dismissiveness, before rearing up on her hind legs, holding her forelegs out fully extended to her sides, and closed her eyes. "Worry more about yourself."

The glow of her horn grew brighter, and then a sudden flash enveloped the entire area around her. A flash that faded to reveal many hundreds -if not potentially thousands- of gems now hovering about her. Diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and countless other rare stones of all various shapes, sizes and colors, hung thick in the air much like a cloud as they hovered about.

"These are the tools of my trade. And these are the tools with which I'll be picking you apart piece by piece," she explained as she touched back down on all four hooves once again.

"So... your master plan is to basically stone me to death?" Nightmare Moon asked skeptically. Surely this had to be a joke.

"... Yes."

The cloud of gems hovering in the area quickly morphed into an all-out maelstrom of rare and precious stones exploding outward and enveloping the entire area as they whirled about in a mad, chaotic fashion as if they were being blown about by phantom winds, in a manner similar to the inside of a snow globe that'd been subject to a vigorous shaking.

If not for Nightmare Moon's shield, she might've been in trouble. But such wasn't the case, as she'd seen what was coming and reacted in a timely manner. She was safe behind the magical barrier, and free to watch as Rarity's salvo failed to pose a risk to her. She could even, almost, see said unicorn's face as shock washed over her features, at the realization of her hype failing to meet her own expectation. All of that confidence washed away by the cold, hard reality of the matter, as her numerous stones harmlessly bounced right off the shield. It was enough to make her grin/sneer in response.

Unfortunately it didn't seem that Rarity was actually getting the message. She wasn't accepting the fact that her efforts were in vain, or submitting to the reality of the situation, but was instead pressing forward in a blatantly desperate manner; as if simply continuing the assault would yield different results. She was succumbing to blind panic in her denial of the reality that stood before her, proving herself incapable of responding to this unforeseen development actually developing and derailing her entire plan.

Oh well. If breaking the speedster's spirits wasn't a possibility, she'd simply have to settle for the seamstress instead. Despair and defeat were the same regardless of which one it overtook. She'd simply let her have her little dun, engage in her little display of impotent pride, let her exhaust herself, and then step in to deliver the final blow, before moving onto her friends; and all while they watched on helplessly.

Maybe this could be fun for her after all.

The very idea of Rarity attempting to face down Nightmare Moon all on her own had been utterly ludicrous to even consider.

But that had been before the gems had come out into view. And once those gems had been set into motion, expanding outward to encompass and engulf everything in the immediate area, Rarity's "splash zone" comment made a great deal of sense!

A safe distance away, and behind the additional security of Twilight's own shield, the others in the group watched as Rarity went about... well, doing whatever it was that she was doing currently.

"There's something... oddly familiar about this," Twilight commented, although she couldn't immediately place just what it was.

"Funny, I've got that same feeling right now," Pinkie commented. "Which is really odd for me, because I usually know what's behind that feeling of déjà vu, but this time around I'm coming up blank."

"Yeah, well, the whole déjà voodoo thing aside, what in tarnation is Rarity doin' anyway? She's not gettin' through Nightmare Moon's shield, so why's she still even tryin'?" Applejack asked.

All eyes forward once again, the others could see that Applejack's assessment of the situation was correct. For all the dizzying speeds and dazzling visuals to be had, Rarity's efforts weren't really yielding any significant results. Despite the speed at which the gems were traveling -and the force they carried behind them- none of them were actually getting through Nightmare Moon's defenses.

But despite that fact, despite how the gems were simply bouncing and ricocheting off of the shield's surface, despite how some gems were literally shattering against it, Rarity was simply refusing to recognize the situation for what it was for her; hopeless. She was out of her element, outclassed, and her bluff had just been called. And yet she was pressing on regardless, as if she believed there was some small sliver of hope if she held on long enough.

"She's stalling!" Rainbow Dash blurted out.

Hearing this, Spike looked at her for clarification. "How do you know that?"

"Because she did the same thing to me that night you found us out here. I mean, not the whole diamond storm thing, but the stalling thing. She knew she couldn't take me on her own, so she stalled me out until she could actually get control of the situation," Rainbow Dash explained.

"A'right, but how do ya figure Rarity's stallin' 'er?" Applejack asked.

"Because a pony can't utilize a force field and offensive magic simultaneously," Twilight stated in realization before Rainbow Dash could speak up. She could practically feel the revelation presenting itself to her now, and she felt like an idiot for not realizing it sooner. "Rarity's assault can't breach Nightmare Moon's defenses. But at the same time Nightmare Moon can't drop her defenses to counter without actually leaving herself vulnerable to said assault in the process. And while the individual stones themselves might not seem to pose much of a threat on their own, the math of weight multiplied by velocity dictates otherwise, as even a half of an ounce traveling at these speeds could break bones."

"So it'd be like gettin' caught right in the middle of a ragin' hail storm since there's hundreds o' gems ta deal with all at once," Applejack surmised.

"Right!" Twilight readily agreed, grateful that she was being understood. "She might not be able to beat Nightmare Moon in open combat, but she's not really trying to either. She's just keeping Nightmare Moon distracted until Ulquiorra returns," she stated, before turning back to face Luna. "Ulquiorra is coming back, isn't he?"

Luna nodded. "That was the plan. He is under orders to return, once Celestia is safely back in Canterlot, and he has had the chance to revitalize himself. We need simply bide our time until then."

Twilight nodded in turn. Every minute Nightmare Moon had to maintain a defensive position was another minute she couldn't hurt anypony, and another minute for Ulquiorra to get back to them and take care of business. So long as Rarity could maintain her offensive, they should be alright. Or at least she hoped that was the case. In combat even a minute could seem like an eternity, and if one didn't know to pace themselves, it could end poorly.

All they could do right now was hope that Rarity knew to pace herself in this.

The amount of tenacity Rarity had to her was certainly respectful as far as Nightmare Moon was concerned. Despite the futility, the seamstress simply refused to admit defeat, opting instead to stubbornly maintain her efforts regardless of how hopeless it was.

Despite that hopelessness, she was certainly giving it her all; stones such as emeralds and the like simply didn't shatter quite that easily upon impact with a hard surface. But even if she could manage to throw an entire mountain at her, it still wouldn't do any good against her shield.

The pattering of projectiles against her shield came to a halt, but she knew better than to drop her guard just yet as she watched to see what was going to happen next; anypony who kept up a pointless barrage this long wasn't about to stop of their own volition just because of a lack of results.

Sure enough, the flurry might've been stopping, but not the assault. Without so many impact ripples to obscure her sight, she could see Rarity was up to something new, with her entire assortment of gems coalescing into a large, concentrated cluster high above them. Was she actually going to...

Yes. Yes she was. Instead of a flurry, Rarity was attempting a deluge attack against her by bringing all of her gems down on her at once.

Creative. Not very effective, but certainly creative. All she had to show for her futile efforts was a wide swath of forest floor pockmarked by all the stones that'd failed to do anything to their intended target, with a nice large circle in the center that was untouched.

Finally, it looked like her opponent had run out of steam. She swayed as she tried to stand up, before simply collapsing on top of the pockmarked ground, far too weak to even stand under her own power. It would be pathetic if it weren't so amusing.

A slow descent would do far more to illustrate the hopelessness of the situation. But in this particular case a quick teleport to ground level was far more warranted. Too much delay would simply welcome the others trying to intervene on their friend's behalf, and she didn't need that right now. If they did try to intervene and launch a rescue effort, then they'd quickly find themselves with a hostage situation on their hooves, and at her mercy one again.

Not that she'd actually show them any mercy...

Touching down just a few brief steps away, Rarity was an even more disheveled mess up close than she would've thought. Covered in dirt and dried blood as she laid on the ground, her mane tangled and haphazard, her entire body quaking as she tried to gasp for air, with the glow of her horn flickering in and out of existence in an anemic fashion like a sick lightning bug.

"A valiant effort, seamstress," she admitted, before reaching out with her magic and plucking Rarity off the ground by her neck. "But sadly not enough of one to save your princess, or your friends..."

Sharp, white-hot, blinding pain erupted in her gut without warning and quickly radiated outward, resonating all the way through to her back. She screamed in a mix of agony and surprise, everything else seeming to cease to exist as she found herself collapsing on the ground and trying to cradle her abdomen with her forelegs.

Doing such made her vaguely aware of something warm and wet spreading across her midsection and forelegs. Something that, as it turned out, was her own blood.

"Oh dear. It would appear that perforated your small intestine. That could prove to be fatal."

Hearing the voice before her, Nightmare Moon looked up to see Rarity standing back up, returning her mane -mostly- to its well maintained state with a simple shake of the head, and wearing a look that was usually reserved for one who was in full control of their surroundings.

"I wasn't trying to breach your defenses, as I knew that wouldn't be possible. So instead I worked on laying a trap for you. And what better bait to use in such a trap than myself?"

Nightmare Moon was in absolutely no mood for witty banter; not in her present state at least. She had no care for whatever self-congratulatory boasting the seamstress had to engage in regarding her own perceived brilliance. It was all just background noise and static to her at this point anyway.

Disengaging from the current skirmish, she allowed her physical form to decorporealize in order to retreat, repair, and regroup. She wouldn't be able to counterattack while incorporeal, but at least she couldn't be attacked in turn while she contemplated this turn of events.

She could surmise what'd happened down below. The seamstress had made herself into the equivalent of a poison pawn, and she'd taken the bait without even realizing it.

In hindsight, she really should've realized those gems hadn't been rendered inaccessible simply because they were buried in the ground, rather than touching down on the pockmarked ground without even thinking twice about it.

She was getting sloppy. That's all there was to it. For so long she'd been so careful in how she went about doing business. Now that she had a touch of power back, she was letting it go to her head. She couldn't afford to keep making mistakes like that, or it would cost her dearly.

The smart thing to do right now would be retreat from the conflict entirely. Find somewhere to hide, lay low, recuperate properly, and plan another counterattack for sometime in the future. But she couldn't afford to do that right now. Celestia was weak. Luna was weak. The Espada was gone. And those blasted Elements of Harmony were currently where they didn't pose any risk to her. If she left now, she risked throwing that all away, and there was no guarantee she could get things back in her favor a second time around; disabling the Elements of Harmony had been more a matter of sheer luck than skill on her part.

Like it or not, she'd have to stay and see things out to their conclusion. She'd have to stay, and be smarter from here on out. These ponies just weren't breaking like they should be under present circumstances. Killing them served little beneficial purpose, as she needed them alive to help extend the reach of her rule over Equestria. So long as they were still alive, the Elements of Harmony weren't going anywhere.

All that said, however, it was proving harder and harder to not resort to the scorched earth doctrine, and completely wipe the lot of them out in a fit of frustration! Really, there was only one or two in this world she might have actual trouble dealing with later on down the line. But those two were really big ones, and they'd be much easier to deal with if the Elements of Harmony were on her side...

She'd simply have to focus, tone down her inner-psychopath, and get back to work. It was time to reengage, and do what she did best.

No sooner had the recorporealized herself, she caught sight of an incoming swarm of gems hurtling at her at incredible speed, leaving her unable to respond, only to react. She immediately stopped flapping in order to drop below the path of the incoming assault, just barely managing to clear it in time as it traveled past her.

An offensive move against her was to be expected, just not quite so suddenly, as if her location had been known the moment she'd chosen it.

Unfortunately she didn't have time to think on the matter, as the swarm was making a U-turn and arcing back around towards her!

Rainbow Dash genuinely wanted to help Rarity in her plight. Honestly, all of them felt the same way right now. But the simple matter was that none of them were entirely certain just how to go about actually helping. Going by what they were currently seeing, Rarity seemed to be taking care of herself just fine all on her own.

She really didn't have a clue what Rarity was doing at the moment, only that she seemed highly competent as she stood on her hind legs while using her forelegs for the purpose of guiding and directing the flow of her gems. Whatever she was doing, be it conducting or orchestrating or whatever the proper term was, she was keeping Nightmare Moon on her toes and in a constant state of alert and motion as she tried to avoid getting pummeled.

All in all, Rarity was possibly the most competent one of them present at the moment. She had far more up her sleeves than they'd first assumed. The moment Nightmare Moon had decorporealized herself for whatever reason, Rarity wasted no time in extracting the rest of her gems from where they rested in the ground, and making ready to reengage at a moment's notice. She was going about all of this in a pure business, no-nonsense manner that seemed devoid of her usual flare for conducting herself.

But despite all of that, despite however much fury she must have to her, never once could she see Rarity surrendering her grace and poise for the sake of an attack. Her movements were fluid and smooth as she used her body as a physical conduit for directing the ebb and flow of her gems, carrying herself like she was giving a solo at a ballet recital. Even the huge swarm of gems seemed to be carried by that same grace that flowed through Rarity. There were no sharp jerks as they were directed, just a smooth and circular flow as they were traveled about in an effort to strike Nightmare Moon down with enough force to physically cripple her.

Honestly, she was kinda turned on by it all at the moment.

Loathe as she was to acknowledge it, Nightmare Moon was having a difficult time in her conflict with Rarity. If for no other reason, the simple fact that she wasn't being allowed to stop moving long enough to collect her thoughts and think coherently for even a moment. She was forced to duck, dodge, weave, occasionally barrel roll, and just generally evade as she was swarmed from all directions by very sharp, very fast-moving stones being trained on her position. She needed to regroup behind her shield, but in order to do that she first needed to be able to focus enough to actually deploy it! Therein laid the rub in all of this.

Something just happened. She didn't know what it was, nor had she felt anything, but she suddenly found herself plummeting to the forest floor.

Her shield hadn't been a viable option in all this commotion, but levitation was another story, and she thankfully managed to catch herself before slamming into the ground with enough force to break something.

The sheer weight of the gems hammering down on top of her, however, managed to close that remaining distance before she could stop herself from getting a face full of dirt.

There were no two ways about it. She needed a moment to rest, and regather her thoughts.

"Well now, that's a sufficient warmup. Let's get to business, shall we?"

Nightmare Moon needed a moment to rest, and regather her thoughts. But first she needed to silence the mocker.

"Come now, you've recovered from far worse than that. Have you really burnt through so much of your magical reserves, that you can't even regenerate your missing feathers at this point?"

Slowly, Nightmare Moon raised her head to regard the yappy little seamstress. She then did the same to inspect her wings, and found the primaries had been sheered right off, just above the skin line, as if they'd been cut right through. She'd never even felt it happening, although that explained at least one mystery.

Looking back at the tailor, she could see she wasn't even trying to hide the fact that two pairs of scissors were held aloft in her magic along with the countless number of gems orbiting her. Obviously she must've brought them into the fray with the gems, and snipped her feathers right off while she was distracted. Or maybe not obviously, but it sounded like a really good theory right now.

"Well now, tailor, you've certainly creative," she begrudgingly admitted, before grunting as she climbed back to her hooves again. "So you managed to cripple my flight for the time being. But to what end? What did it get you?"

"You," Rarity stated simply, before the two pairs of scissors flashed out of view. "What it got me, my dear, is you. You're down here where I can actually reach you now... "

Once again a large portion of the gems surrounding Rarity started to move about, but not in the same manner that'd been witnessed previously. Instead of launching outward, they were coalescing inward above her, before descending onto her back and clinging to her sides along her ribs.

"And I dare say you won't be escaping so easily this time around..." she concluded as the mound of gems split apart and unraveled into four, large, tentacle-shaped limbs tapering down into points, with each one of them significantly longer from tip to base than she herself was from nose to tail.

Nightmare Moon felt something stir deep within her in response, but she couldn't identify what it was. Anger? Fear? Disbelief? Incredulity? Amusement? Excitement? Anxiousness? Uncertainty? Hunger? Gas? Whatever it was she was experiencing at the moment, she simply didn't know. All she knew was that she didn't really like where this was going. This could present its own unique complications to the battle.

"Well now," she replied slowly as she popped her neck, stood up straighter, and allowed herself to smirk. "It looks-"

An opal smacked her in the face, right in the forehead just above the eyes as the left front tentacle pulled back and swung forward, much like a whip being cracked. Immediately her statement was cut off as she screamed in surprise, clenching her watering eyes shut tightly from the sharp pain radiating outward.

Perhaps now wasn't the appropriate time for witty banter and the like. This mare was proving to be something else. Perhaps she had been right in how she differed from the others, as she was proving to be just so unlike the others.

Now she was angry, and the tailor was going to pay for that sneak attack. First her, and then her friends! She opened her eyes to issue a death glare, only to find that her quarry had closed the gap between them during the brief moment her eyes had been shut. Not only had she closed the gap, but she was swinging the right tentacle around just as she'd been opening her eyes, and catching her right across the face with all the weight and force of a cinder block being thrown.

The left tentacle wasn't far behind, slapping her from the other side with enough force to move her head against her will and subsequently stagger her.

There were few words in the equestrian language to explain what the others felt as they watched Rarity's efforts against Nightmare Moon unfold. Shock, bewilderment, and disbelief were a few of them, but not even those could truly do justice to convey just what was coursing through each of them at the moment.

Out of all the words available for trying to describe the matter, "terrified" was perhaps the one that best fit what they were experiencing.

Each of them knew that Rarity was quite capable in her own right, as she had demonstrated that fact numerous times. Whether it was engaging in a bare-hoofed beat down with numerous changelings, or demonstrating manipulation and trickery with the diamond dogs, she was hardly a slouch when it came to matters of conflict.

But this wasn't that. This was Rarity assaulting Nightmare Moon with tactics and an approach none of them had ever seen of her before, nor had even suspected her being capable of. She was effortlessly slapping Nightmare Moon both senseless and shitless with her newfound appendages in a demonstration of ever-increasing savagery and brutality that simply showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. To the contrary, it looked like Rarity was actually getting into the groove of things with great ease.

Twilight flinched/cringed as one of the tentacles shattered into its respective gem bits against the side of Nightmare Moon's head, trying her best to not try and calculate how much force must've been delivered by that particular blow for that to happen, as she truly didn't want to know the answer to that particular question.

Rarity never even missed a step at this sudden development, as one of the remaining tentacles simply took over in administering the beating, while the shattered limb reformed itself like it was nothing.

"Fluttershy," Twilight managed to squeak out, finally finding her voice again, "you know Rarity as well as any of us. Have you ever seen anything that would suggest she was capable of... of this?"

Fluttershy shook her head weakly in response, despite the fact Twilight wasn't facing her to see the gesture at the time. "Never. Something like this is entirely unprecedented."

Twilight's brow furrowed in response as she chewed at her bottom lip, wanting to look away, yet unable to bring herself to actually do so. There was something almost hypnotic about it all, how Rarity seemed to have everything under control as she carried on. If she listened close enough, she could almost pick out a pattern to the blows being landed and mixed with Nightmare Moon's own screams of pain.

Nightmare Moon was trying to escape, trying to flee, but she wasn't getting anywhere fast in her efforts. Rarity simply responded by using one of the tentacles to ensnare her right foreleg, a second to anchor the two of them to the ground, and then switched up her approach. The two remaining tentacles reshaped, the tips turning blunt and about the same size as a grown pony's hoof, as she stopped with the slapping and went with something more akin to rapidly punching Nightmare Moon's face, head, neck, and anything else within her reach.

How Nightmare Moon was still standing, to say nothing of still even being alive, she didn't have a clue. The sheer amount of physical abuse she was weathering was presently incalculable.

"I got off lucky..."

The statement had barely been a mumble, but it'd been enough to tear Pinkie's attention away from the brutality as it refocused on Rainbow Dash. As she did, she saw her friend trembling where she stood, her armor nearly giving off an audible rattle. It was enough to cause her question to pause on her lips, but she managed to push on regardless.

"What do you mean, Dashie?"

"That night I came back to Ponyville to kill Rarity. I thought I had her for sure, but she had me on my back and pinned to the ground in nothing flat. But seeing this, she could've killed me for sure if she wanted to," Rainbow Dash stated uncomfortably, outright shivering at the thought.

A sense of dread and a clenching of the gut settled in over her at this revelation, as she realized just how wrong she'd really been. All that grace, all that sophistication that Rarity had about her, all this time it'd been disguising something far more ferocious than she ever could've thought of becoming herself. Rarity was some sort of refined monster, and the only reason she was still alive to be realizing such was because Rarity hadn't seen fit to rip her to literal pieces on that night.

Applejack shook her head dismissively in response. "Sugarcube, Rarity wouldn' do somethin' like that to ya. She's jus' not that kind o' pony," she insisted in an effort to ease her friend's worry.

"Yeah? Well I never thought she'd turn Nightmare Moon into her own personal punching bag either, but she did," Rainbow Dash shot back and gestured forward. "When she volunteered to fight, I was sure we'd have to swoop in and save her in short order, but that didn't happen. She's doing better than I did, than Twilight did- shoot, I think she's doing even better than Luna did against her!"

"Perhaps so," Luna replied and shrugged her withers. She wouldn't deny that she was impressed by the amount of fight that Rarity had to her, or with her tactics to compensate for her own physical shortcomings.

With the apparent flexibility of her skills with precious stones, there was truly no telling just what she could do if she were to put her mind to it.

She would have to inform Ulquiorra that he needed to update his individual assessments of Twilight and her friends in light of this new information.

She also knew that she should be focusing on trying to recoup her strength. But at the moment she was all too fascinated to actually do such.

Rarity's assault on Nightmare Moon was showing no visible signs of suffering from fatigue anytime soon. The screams coming from Nightmare Moon couldn't even be heard, as they were being drowned out by the near-continuous commotion that was coming from the blows that were being landed. Even if she could scream loud enough to eclipse the sound of her own skull being pounded, it would be doubtful if Rarity would even care to acknowledge their existence, as she had far more important matters to focus on.

It would be so very easy to kill Nightmare Moon right here and now, and she knew it. Just drive a diamond shard into her barrel, or right through her carotid artery, and it would be all over.

But her intent wasn't to kill Nightmare Moon. No. Killing her wouldn't take, and it would ultimately just give her a way of escape, and then she'd have to go and catch her all over again. It was much better to focus on the larger picture, the more important picture. So long as she kept Nightmare Moon here with her, bound, and subject to a continuous beating, none of the others would be put at risk. So long as she kept up her efforts, they would be safe as the matter was controlled. Every blow she landed, every second she managed to drag this out further, that would be one more second the others would be protected.

The simple fact that Nightmare Moon would be in excruciating pain throughout it all was merely a delightful bonus; much like the metaphorical cherry on top of a delicious -if fattening- ice cream sundae.

Her stones ground to a halt, but neither of their own volition, nor of her own. She hadn't commanded them to pause, and yet they had done so regardless, refusing to budge or heed her commands. What had gone wrong here?

She realized immediately what had gone wrong, was Nightmare Moon herself. Looking forward she saw her quarry glaring at her, horn alight with her magical aura wrapped around the stone tentacles to hold them firmly in place. And unfortunately she didn't look all that worse for wear besides a number of cuts to her face.

"You're certainly a tenacious one, tailor," Nightmare Moon commented, "you actually had me worried. Before I found out just how weak your blows were, that is."

Rarity's primary response was a polite smirk, and a dismissive shrug of the withers.

"If we're being honest, you had me worried as well. I was afraid you were going to sleep through all the excitement. But then you decided to take me seriously. I can't even begin to describe how good that feels, knowing you actually regard me as one who can compete with you."

Nightmare Moon quirked an eyebrow at hearing this. "Little tailor, exactly what're you babbling on about?"

"I'm a socialite, dear, being able to accurately read ponies is part and parcel with my trade. And you are but an open book to me; specifically a comic book."

Nightmare Moon cackled in response. It was an amused cackle, but that was fine. Honestly she didn't mind, as she would have the last laugh in the end. It was a point emphasized as she jerked her head back, tugging on the tentacles in the process to try and break them loose, but Nightmare Moon held strong and refused to yield.

Had she known the truth of the matter, she would've realized the effort was nothing more than a feint.

But she hadn't known such. Leaving her vulnerable as a hoof-sized, deep red ruby came rocketing out of nowhere from, and slammed into the back of her skull with enough force to stagger her.

The mass of gems currently perched atop her back was hardly the entirety of what she had on hoof. Rarity was smart enough to know that putting all of her eggs in one basket would be very unwise, to say nothing of unwieldy even with her talent and magic relating to gems; instead it was just enough for the current application without being gauche or unwieldy. There were still a plethora more to draw on as they were needed, as had just been demonstrated.

Ever since Ulquiorra had given her the dragon's blood ruby during his third visit to Ponyville, she'd been wondering just what to do with such a rare and exquisite gem. But right now she was left without wonder, as it was just what she needed. With its size, weight, and the natural hardness of the corundum mineral, it was the perfect choice for beating Nightmare Moon to a bloody pulp, and that was just what she was going to do with it.

With Nightmare Moon staggered, she proceeded to switch up her tactics once again. The other germs were forgotten about and allowed to collapse and fall to the ground, as they weren't needed for her current approach. Thus she could devote her entire focus to manipulating the dragon's blood ruby itself, which would allow for much greater control and force when delivering a blow.

Which was exactly what she was doing right now as she stood on her hind legs once more, working her entire body as she swung the large stone like a long flail, while delivering blows like a solid-shafted mace without any rebound along the path of least resistance.

She swung hard, and struck from multiple angles, but she didn't swing in a wild and uncontrolled manner. She was concise, keeping her aim -mostly- focused on Nightmare Moon's head, specifically the area around her horn to generate the greatest degree of pain, damage, and disorientation. Although an occasional body or limb shot would certainly be allowed for good measure.

"I regret that it came to this, I honestly do," she stated, before walloping Nightmare Moon upside the head. "I simply abhor violence, even if it ultimately proves necessary. But you brought this upon yourself!"

It was less of an overhead hammer swing this time around, and more a straight punch right in the mouth.

"If it'd been just me it would've been one thing. But you just had to go and involve those that I love instead!" she yelled as she swung the ruby right into Nightmare Moon's right wing, hard enough a crunch of bone was all but audible. "You hurt them all dearly, and I will not allow that to stand! Nor will you!"

Clasping both front hooves together and raising them high, she brought her forelegs down hard, guiding the ruby down right on top of Nightmare Moon's spine with enough force to drop her to the ground.

She wanted to be far more eloquent than she was managing, to make Nightmare Moon understand just what she'd brought upon herself with her actions. She wanted the dark alicorn to understand the utter hatred she had for her right now. Pure, unadulterated, immeasurably deep, impossibly wide, all-encompassing hatred! But she just couldn't manage it right now. Perhaps on some level she understood taking the time for exposition wasn't a wise idea. Or perhaps it was simply the adrenaline clouding her mind.

Whatever the answer was, it ultimately wasn't important. Nightmare Moon wouldn't care. She didn't care about anything or anyone but herself, so why even bother with wasting the effort to try and formulate a speech right now? So be it then.

Despite the amount of beating she'd taken, she was still apparently coherent. Her horn was starting to glow from whatever spell she was attempting to work.

That simply wouldn't do. Rather than waiting to see just what Nightmare Moon had in store, Rarity went full preemptive strike and swung down hard, bringing the ruby right down on top of her horn to cancel her plans right then and there.

She hadn't intentionally aimed for the tip of Nightmare Moon's horn, but it'd been struck regardless of her intentions. As it did strike, there was a visible surge between the two respective magical fields resembling a static discharge at the point of contact. The next thing she knew she felt the gem violently shattering within her magical hold as if it was nothing but a cheap glass trinket.

That shouldn't have happened. If it was an emerald, yes, but not a ruby!

"Ouch..."

Snapping out of her disbelief at the development, she saw Nightmare Moon standing back up again, and stretching to pop her back.

"That hurt," she commented matter of factly as she popped her injured wing and gave it a test flap, before tucking it in back at her side.

"Good then," Rarity replied with an displeased scowl, already in the process of magically gathering a hoofful of random gems and flung them right at Nightmare Moon.

The gesture of resistance was futile and weak, and did next to nothing to actually impair Nightmare Moon's condition any. But it had been enough to make her reflexively shut her eyes just before her face was impacted. And that had been enough of an opportunity for her to follow up with another hoofful of gems, tightly bundled together in a death grip, being administered right to the side of the head.

Seeing another opening present itself, however briefly, she proceeded to grab as many gems as she could and ensnare Nightmare Moon by wrapping them around her body, before turning around and using them for the purpose of judo flipping her and slamming her onto her back on the ground as hard as she could. Surely that had to at least knock the air out of her lungs, and give them a few seconds worth of time, right?

Her teleporting out suggested otherwise.

This warranted complete evisceration...

Nightmare Moon teleporting directly into the midst of their group had caught them all off guard, sending them all reeling and scrambling in surprise before they could get a hold of themselves and regroup.

All except for Luna who stood stock-still, staring up at Nightmare Moon in fear as her dark counterpart stared back down at her, all the while grinning menacingly. Who wasted absolutely no time in plucking her up off the ground in her magic, and whirled her about to face the others to serve the role of an equine shield.

Having witnessed such underhoofed tactics being utilized once before, Rarity wasn't the least bit surprised to see it being done once again.

"Relinquish her immediately, you cowardly friend! Your fight is with me, not with her!"

"Yeah, what she said," Rainbow Dash added as she assumed an aggressive posture, ready to leap into action herself once again. "Let 'er go!"

"I think not," Nightmare Moon replied dismissively while she continued to hold Luna aloft. "None of you are in a position to be making any demands of me, and you'd do well to remember that. Lest something particularly horrible befall the little princess here!"

"Relinquish her... please..."

Nightmare Moon wasn't the only one who was confused by what had just been heard. But out of all of them, she was the only one to actually speak up and voice that confusion.

"Please?"

"Please," Rarity repeated in confirmation. "She's been through enough already. If you simply must take a hostage, then allow me to take Luna's place instead. I won't fight anymore, just please let her go," she said as she laid her gems down on the ground.

"A very tempting offer, little tailor. As well as a very generous one," Nightmare Moon admitted, "but not good enough. I have plans for each and every one of you, but little Luna here is simply too good of a hostage. I'm not about to trade her for the likes of one piddly little unicorn, no matter how much of a pain in the flank she might've been to me in all of this!"

Rarity could only sigh and close her eyes in response, before picking up her gems once again. She had tried the diplomatic approach, but Nightmare Moon was having none of it. That unfortunately left them with no other choice but to do things the hard way. Resigning herself to the reality of the situation, she opened her eyes and made ready to reengage once more. She'd just have to exercise greater than this time around to ensure Luna didn't wind up getting hit in the process.

"If not a unicorn who is a master of needle and thread, perhaps a zebra can satisfy your purposes instead!"

That hadn't come from any of them, and they all knew it. That fact could only mean one thing. Even Nightmare Moon was aware of what the implications were.

She turned around, coming face to face with Zecora herself, glaring at her, just as the zebra caught her in the face with a cloud of red powder being blown from her right hoof.

The reaction was as close to being instantaneous upon contact as one could reasonably expect under present circumstances, as Nightmare Moon began coughing violently, and showed no signs of actually being able to stop as her entire body was shuddering. The hiccuping that followed only made matters worse as she was stuck doing both simultaneously. She tried to glare but couldn't get her eyes to stay open from the amount of burning they were experiencing, nor could she make them stop watering. Nor could she do anything about the irritation up deep inside her nostrils that was serving to make her nose run, or driving her to sneezing repeatedly.

There she was, in the middle of a fight, reduced to a coughing, hiccuping, sneezing mess, leaking bodily fluids of one sort or another from nearly every orifice on her head, unable to see because of the burning in her eyes, and unable to do anything about it. If there was a more undignified manner to be in, she didn't know just what it was.

Zecora looked on at Nightmare Moon's current predicament through her one eye that wasn't currently swollen, and smiled to herself in satisfaction as Luna was now free to escape from her captivity, which she did as soon as the option presented itself.

"Kushambulia"! she bellowed triumphantly with her right foreleg held high in the air.

Apart from the sound of Nightmare Moon's various dysfunctions fighting for dominance, the forest was utterly silent in the wake of Zecora's yell. Even she seemed confused about this, before turning around and angrily shouting further.

"Attack, ponies! Attack! Attack! Attack!"

Further out of the range of combat, the underbrush hadn't been destroyed by combatants with insane levels of power at their disposal rustled with signs of life, before a veritable explosion took place as numerous ponies came barreling out from underneath the cover, and all charging straight for Nightmare Moon herself.

The others could only look on in disbelief as she was body-checked by Big Macintosh leading the stampede, slamming into her with enough force to completely lift her off her hooves and send her flying, crashing, and tumbling along the ground. Once she was back on the ground again, she was swarmed by a number of pegasi and earth ponies who proceeded to rear up onto their hind legs to stomp her repeatedly, and being none too gentle with each other on actually getting a shot of their own in.

More ponies were streaming out from their cover and into the clearing. Thunderlane, Ditzy, Vinyl Scratch, Colgate, Flitter and Cloud Chaser, Bulk Biceps, Lyra, Time Turner, Berry Punch, and so many others, easily several dozen in terms of numbers. Ponies from all varying walks of life, none of them the type one would expect to just show up and confront a mad tyrant like this, but who had still shown up regardless. Some were in possession of flashlights and lanterns to provide some degree of illumination to their party, some had shown up with whatever could be grabbed to use as a weapon, and others had come with nothing but outright fury.

"What in tarnation?" Applejack asked, more of less summing up what the others had been thinking at the moment. "What're y'all doin' here!?"

"We came to help. We can't let you mares have all the fun," Vinyl replied and shrugged. "Talk to ya later, I'mma go join in the fray while the gettin's good," she said, already making her way over to the growing swarm of ponies fighting for a piece of Nightmare Moon for themselves, and being none too conservative with their language.

Not the first time since this all began, Pinkie found herself needing to pick her lower jaw back up. All of this was proving to be too hard for even her to believe. The townsponies had actually become involved with stopping a monster, rather than running away in fear. This was all completely backwards and defied the norm! Were they in the Twilight Zone or something? Had somepony opened the wrong door without realizing it?

Wanting answers more than even chocolate cake, she quickly snatched up Zecora before she could join in on the madness, and pulled her over to them.

"Zecora! What's going on here!? Why's everypony acting like Barnyard Bargains is having a Black Friday sale?"

Zecora took a moment to get loose and collect herself before she could get a proper response out. "It is a rather long story. But without the commotion of unrestrained violence, the only thing for us to hear from town was an oppressive and unsettling silence. And we concluded that the situation was not in the sack, when we did see the Espada flying overhead with an unfamiliar pony upon his back. Fearing the worst and not knowing how this story ends, we concluded the best course of action was to come and help our friends. And though we knew we may not survive the night, we still made the decision that we would stand and fight."

There was a lot of information to be deciphered in Zecora's words, but now wasn't the time or place to go about doing that. Although the gist of it, from what Twilight could tell, was that reinforcements had arrived in the form of ponies volunteering for what they knew was a dangerous mission.

This could be either very good, or very bad, depending upon how one looked at and regarded the situation.

"Nightmare Moon has harmed far too many ponies for us to simply let this matter rest. We will aid in tending to her; even if it includes ripping her black heart right out of her chest..." Zecora continued.

"Oh. Um, Ulquiorra already tried doing just that," Fluttershy replied. "It didn't work."

Spike nodded. "Impalement. Impalement with extreme prejudice. Electrocution. Suffocation. Broken neck. Blunt force trauma. Dark magic counters. Total obliteration with a solar death beam," he said, flipping up an individual digit with each item he went through. "We've tried everything. And each time she just regenerates and undoes whatever damage we do to her."

Pinkie nodded eagerly in agreement. "Twilight thinks she's got some high-level Sōten Kisshun recovery magic on auto-cast in case she takes a lethal injury so she can shake it all off and keep going without missing a beat!"

Zecora's brow furrowed in confusion, annoyance, and was followed by a sigh and nod of understanding as she realized just what was ahead of them.

"Then we will simply not give her that opportunity. She can suffer through the full experience of the uchungu wa maumivu, while getting the crap beaten out of her by the community!"

"Zecora," Luna spoke up as she stepped forward, finding herself far more able to look the zebra in the eyes now than previously. "I cannot being to express how much I appreciate this demonstration of support. But I cannot in good conscience leave Nightmare Moon to you. You would all be much better off in the relative safety of Ponyville, far removed from the conflict."

Zecora merely shook her head in response. "Perhaps that is indeed the case, Your Highness, but we are not going anywhere. This is a crisis that affects everyone equally, be they stallion or mare. If we do not stand together to combat this threat as one, our time on this planet may soon be done. After all that you have done to try and keep us safe from attack, it is only fair and right for us to give something back. We will face Nightmare Moon at your side, and demonstrate to her that we will not be terrified. We will remain steadfast throughout this fight, to make her realize that we are cancelling eternal night!"

Luna tried to think up a response to convince Zecora of just how bad an idea this was. But so help her, she simply couldn't find the words in light of this development. There was a firm conviction behind the zebra's words, that most simply wouldn't understand unless they experienced for themselves. Even if she could summon the Royal Canterlot Voice in her present state, she doubted even that would serve as sufficient to quell this determined spirit she was seeing right now.

This was something not seen in many ponies in this modern day. Ponies demonstrating a level of dedication, determination, and commitment largely seen only in those that made up the royal guard rather than everyday citizens. No one had expected anything of them, certainly not anything like this, and yet without even being asked, they had still willingly come here to offer whatever assistance they could, even after understanding the risks they faced in doing so.

"Then I would be honored to have you all at my side. Not merely in this battle, but as my friends," she replied warmly, filled with a new sense of determination practically coursing through her veins now.

Perhaps they couldn't persevere against Nightmare Moon all on their own. But at the moment, that fact simply didn't seem to matter. Whatever was ultimately destined to come, whether or not Ulquiorra would make it back in time to do what they couldn't, they would face it head on, and they would face it together, among friends.

Author's Note

This is, more or less, what I've been working towards for a very long time back in this story. Back during the early drafting phase, when I knew I wanted Nightmare Moon to return as a serious villain, I had this idea envisioned of the ponies in Ponyville standing up to her in a massive demonstration of civilian rebellion. But in the show they're so prone to being terrified, I knew something that course of action would never be believable; not without laying extensive groundwork to show how they've reached the point of no longer caring enough to be overruled by fear. Hence the long, difficult, painful journey that everypony's been put through, to show why they're not going to take things lying down anymore.

Now that that's happened, we can finally move onto what most everyone else has been waiting for.

Deleted Scene One

"So then... this was unexpected," Twilight commented as her mind tried to process the series of events she'd just witnessed transpiring. She was more accustomed to being the one lending assistance to others, not the other way around. This was going to require some time to adjust to.

"I'll say," Spike agreed as he watched the... well it was a clusterfuck, that's all there was to it. "Hey, Zecora? Just what did you hit Nightmare Moon with anyway?"

"A mix of ingredients that includes cayenne pepper extract and the ground hairs of a salty tarantula, which I have kept within my staff in the event of bad encounters that might lead to a fractured scapula. When I emigrated to Equestria I brought it with me, in the event of bad situations that were impossible to avoid or foresee. Once it makes contact with the mucousal membranes within the eyes, mouth, and nose, it is quite impossible for the victim to escape its painful throes," Zecora admitted without hesitation.

Twilight flinched, both from just how bad that sounded to experience, and from the fact Zecora admitted how she thought something like that would actually be necessary in Equestria. Intellectually she knew it was probably meant as a defense against potentially dangerous creatures. But she also knew it could've easily been intended as a defense against ponies as well. She'd really rather not consider that line of thought right now, or ever for that matter. With everything going on, she didn't want to contemplate the added possibility of such concerns being justified.

Fortunately such thoughts were quickly interrupted; although it would've been preferable if that interruption hadn't come in the form of Rarity collapsing on the ground right where she stood, as the composure she'd maintained throughout went to pieces like a piece of cheap glass being hit with a rock. Where she'd been stoic and focused just seconds ago, she was now trembling and weeping, and just generally looking as if she'd been run through the wringer.

"Rarity, are you alright?"

Rarity could only shake her head at first, before finding her voice once again.

"No. No I'm not. Darling, I'm not alright at all! I-"

The others quickly moved back as Rarity retched and vomited on the ground right in front of her, unable to even move off to the side before it happened. The only one of them who actually refrained was Fluttershy, as she patted at Rarity's back with her hoof.

"I don't think I've ever been so scared in my entire life; not even the first time we faced down Nightmare Moon," Rarity eventually managed to get out as the wiped her mouth with the back of her foreleg.

"Scared?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief as she turned to regard her friend. "You went toe-to-toe with Nightmare Moon like it was nothing! You were beating the crap out of her! You were-"

"I was bluffing!" Rarity blurted out, putting an immediate end to Rainbow Dash's evaluation of the situation. Seeing the stunned look she was getting, she continued. "It was all a front, a mere charade! I might've looked like I had the situation well in hoof and under control, but it couldn't have been anything further from the truth. I was scared, I was desperate, I was lucky, that's all there is to it."

The admission and evaluation of the matter served to catch them all off guard, and left them trying to reconcile what they were hearing with what they'd witnessed, save for Zecora who was left out of the loop and merely following along in hopes of being filled in.

"It was all just a bluff," Rarity repeated, "but at the same time, I wasn't the only one who was bluffing out there," she added.

"Whadda ya mean by that?" Applejack asked.

"Nightmare Moon offered us an out. She promised an end to the fighting if we served her, and offered us significant benefits to try and sway us into accepting her offer. One simply doesn't extend such an offer unless they need to. And one doesn't need to extend such an offer unless they're trying to hide the fact they're on shaky ground. She must be getting close to exhausting herself, and knows she can't maintain her bluff indefinitely; especially if we keep pushing her," Rarity explained as she pushed herself slightly more upright than she had been a moment ago.

"That's... a very good catch. I didn't realize that at first," Twilight admitted, mentally kicking herself for being so slow to understand the situation for what it was. She couldn't really be that stupid, could she?

Then again, as Rarity had explained, being a proper socialite involved the ability of being able to accurately read ponies in a given situation. Maybe those skills really were aiding her in this particular matter.

"I believe you may be right in your evaluation," Luna added as her brow furrowed.

Her efforts at regaining her magic to get back to the fight had gone nowhere, primarily because she hadn't been able to focus on that particular task due to everything else that had been happening the past few minutes. So instead she had focused on other matters throughout, simply because it'd been impossible not to. And as she focused, she noticed specific things.

The degree of fight Nightmare Moon had presented against them, when she and Celestia had been her primary antagonists... it was different from what she was currently witnessing. She hadn't been relying on offensive and defensive magic as heavily now as she had been. Perhaps regenerating herself five times in semi-rapid succession had exhausted her magical resources to the point she could no longer rely on them as readily as she had previously. She'd gone from wielding her scythe and offensive magic with wanton abandonment, to primarily relying on her shield to convey a perceived invulnerability, to outright physically dodging to avoid taking anymore injuries that would need tending to.

Her wings still being clipped was another matter that made no sense. She had witnessed Nightmare Moon successfully recover from being impaled with multiple steel rods, yet she apparently couldn't regenerate her feathers, otherwise she would have by now. Was she truly running on empty, or did she have something specific in mind?

Whatever the answer was, Ulquiorra had better return quickly and put a final end to the matter once and for all!

Deleted Scene Two

"I don't think I've ever been so scared in my entire life; not even the first time we faced down Nightmare Moon," Rarity eventually managed to get out as the wiped her mouth with the back of her foreleg.

"Scared?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief as she turned to regard her friend. "You went toe-to-toe with Nightmare Moon like it was nothing! You were beating the crap out of her! You were-"

"I was bluffing!" Rarity blurted out, putting an immediate end to Rainbow Dash's evaluation of the situation. Seeing the stunned look she was getting, she continued. "It was all a front, a mere charade! I might've looked like I had the situation well in hoof and under control, but it couldn't have been anything further from the truth. I was scared, I was desperate, I was lucky, that's all there is to it."

The admission and evaluation of the matter served to catch them all off guard, and left them trying to reconcile what they were hearing with what they'd witnessed, save for Zecora who was left out of the loop and merely following along in hopes of being filled in.

"But... b-but how could you be so scared when you were so ferocious out there? How could you kick so much ass if you were terrified?" Rainbow Dash asked, her mind reeling at the apparent contradiction.

"Because it's what was needed!" Rarity stated, which only seemed to serve as grounds for more confusion. "I never believed that I'd actually be able to stop Nightmare Moon on my own, the best I could ever hope to do was simply slow her down and buy us some time. But I wasn't about to just stand idly by and leave Applejack at her mercy, I couldn't do something like that that to any of my friends, no matter how scared I might be. I daresay there's not a thing in this world that I wouldn't do for the sake of those I care about. Even if it meant becoming evil itself, simply so they wouldn't have to."

Hearing Rarity's words, Rainbow Dash could feel something within her. Something that was... surging, like the start of an incoming flood of adrenaline, but not anything uncontrollable like that. This was something new, something that felt both very foreign, and ready to burst at the seams, and yet very welcomed at the same time. She felt like a heavy weight she'd long since grown accustomed to was being lifted right off of her withers.

If only she knew what was taking place elsewhere at that very moment.

Friendship was a funny, fickle thing. It was unyieldingly resilient, able to successfully weather even the worst of conditions and hardships that one could ever experience in their lives, while paradoxically being very fragile, and vulnerable to being destroyed like cheap glass by a seemingly insignificant occurrence. Its bonds could hold together through anything and everything, but those same bonds could do nothing without something to hold to being present, and allowing for overlapping layers.

It was for reasons like that, that Friendship itself had been quiet and unresponsive. For outside reasons that weren't properly understood, Loyalty had been driven into a coma and unresponsive. Kindness could not bring Loyalty around. Nor could Laughter, Honesty, nor even Generosity. Nor could Friendship rise to the occasion and persevere where the others had failed. For without Loyalty, there could be no Friendship. Without the individual elements that went into making Friendship what it was, it could do nothing on its own. And without Friendship to unite them, the others could do precious little individually.

Such had been. But such was not now.

Time was difficult to gauge the passing of when one wasn't alive and experienced no ill effects from the passage of strange aeons. Days could be hours, or they could potentially even be centuries. A year could pass without notice, or a second might seem like it would never end.

None could say just when Loyalty had shown the first signs of stirring. Only that Laughter had been most vocal once it was realized this was a genuine revival rather than a mere fluke being witnessed. Loyalty was indeed returning to them. It was but a trickle, not as fast as was optimal, and certainly not enough to sustain Friendship once again, but it was occurring regardless.

Such had been. But such was not now.

Now was marked and differentiated from then by the whimpering trickle of return giving way to, and being swept aside by, the equivalent of an incoming tidal wave of force, orders of magnitude more powerful than what had been experienced previously. Had they possessed feet, they would've been swept off of them by the sheer force behind it.

Despite that, despite the crushing force that'd been demonstrated, it still hadn't been enough. Loyalty was returning, and was much closer now than every before, but had not yet achieved a true and proper return.

That shortcoming, that measure of completion that was absent, was being met by continual struggles and efforts appropriate for a wild animal trying to break free of its confines, growling and snarling fiercely. Loyalty was fighting and straining against whatever was preventing its successful return, pushing and ramming hard to try and break through the last barrier that stood in the way of rejoining them. The return was so painfully close, it was almost palpable at this point, as if the precipice was within sight and simply needed a little extra push to be crossed over.

Whatever that push was, whether it was a gentle nudging from Kindness, or boost in confidence from Generosity, or even the proximity to Friendship and the others, none could ever know for certain. But once that push had finally occurred, it was like a dam breaking under the strain as Loyalty roared back to life, bathing the entire area in a blinding red light and crushing presence that could destroy lesser beings through proximity alone.

After an eternity, Loyalty had returned to them.

With Loyalty back, Friendship could resonate and be felt once again.

And with Friendship able to properly resonate with the others, Harmony would again be able to sweep over the land!

Deleted Scene Three

"That hurt," she commented matter of factly as she popped her injured wing and gave it a test flap, before tucking it in back at her side.

"Good then," Rarity replied with an displeased scowl, already in the process of magically gathering a hoofful of random gems to carry on in her efforts. "That obviously means I'm doing it right."

Nightmare Moon responded to the demonstration by reaching out and smacking Rarity's horn with her own magic, causing the unicorn to scream in pain/shock as her concentration broke and the gems fell to the ground.

The fact Rarity didn't fall to the ground with them left Nightmare Moon perplexed. That smack should've floored her easily, yet she was still standing.

Just great. A second determinator pony she had to deal with.

"Is-" Rarity shuddered as she struggled to stand up straighter, "is that all you've got?"

Nightmare Moon frowned in response before delivering another magical slap, this time right across Rarity's face, and with much greater force behind it. Unfortunately it didn't have any better results than the first one. True, Rarity had to brace herself in response to avoid toppling over, but she remained standing regardless. Worse than the fact she was still standing, was the fact she was also smirking.

"I'm sorry, was that supposed to hurt me? Or was that simply a love tap just now?"

Nightmare Moon could feel her inner egomaniac wanting to be unleashed in response. This mare was mocking her, and that simply wasn't acceptable.

"I know that you're trying your best here, dear, you really are. But there's just no originality, no creativeness, no soul to your efforts for me to feel," Rarity continued and sighed. "I don't mean to be rude, but I'm sorry to say that you're simply boring me terribly."

She bored her? She bored her!? Did this impudent little pony think this was supposed to be entertainment? This wasn't about entertainment, this was serious business!

"Well then," she growled, "let's make things interesting."

A quick flexing of her magic and she was gone, teleporting away from Rarity, and over towards her main target; Luna herself. If she was going to be mocked, then she would have to make these ponies realize the errors of their ways.

Her aim was a little less precise than she would've liked, but it'd served to let her touch down right smack dab in the middle of their group, directly in front of a tiny, wide-eyed Luna that was currently staring at her in shock and disbelief as she grinned menacingly down at her.

Admittedly, she didn't have a specific plan in mind about just what she'd do to Luna when she attacked. She only knew it was going to be very bad.

Being suplexed from behind and having her head slammed onto the ground wasn't something she expected to happen in response. But it'd happened regardless.

Chapter Ninety Nine

Chapter Ninety Nine

This shouldn't be happening.

No, this couldn't be happening!

That was Nightmare Moon's evaluation of this entire situation she currently found herself in. This was a mistake, it had to be a mistake!

She'd been feasting and gorging herself upon the fear of these ponies as they'd been running around in sheer terror not even a scant thirty minutes ago. And yet now she was being ganged up on by those same ponies, as they beat the crap out of her!

She never should've turned around when she heard the rhyming of that accursed zebra witch, leaving her face vulnerable to whatever powder she'd brought with her. She couldn't mount a proper defense in her current state!

Making matters all the worse was the fact she didn't have anyone to blame but herself for this current mess she was in. She hadn't needed to go after Zecora, as she'd posed no threat to her plans. But she'd been in a foul mood on that night due to things not going according to her plans, and she'd needed somepony -anypony- to take her anger out on to make herself feel better. The zebra had simply been unfortunate enough to draw the short stick on that particular night.

In hindsight, she might've gone just a bit overboard with the degree of suffering and malice she'd inflicted at the time. But it was too late to do anything about that now.

Through some truly monumental efforts on her part, she managed to overcome the assault and force herself back up onto her hooves once again, but that didn't seem to be deterring them one bit. Instead they just started hitting her harder.

she lashed out, physically swiping, swinging, and kicking at everything in her immediate vicinity to swat them away like gnats, but her inability to see through the burning in her eyes made getting a successful hit in difficult, if not outright impossible. She was just swinging blindly.

Like it or not, she was going to have to resort to blanketing the entire area in an offensive magical field to target all of them in an indiscriminate fashion. It was a wasteful tactic, as well as incredibly gauche, but her patience was wearing incredibly thin and she no longer cared about such trivialities.

"Oh no ya don't!"

Something landed hard on her back before she could actually cast her magic. Something that was heavy, and loud, and obnoxious, and was one Vinyl Scratch who was currently straddling her along her spine like some sort of perverse carnival ride.

If she weren't in the midst of a vicious coughing/hiccuping cycle that showed no signs of ending, she'd have something fitting to say to the brash entertainer. Instead she'd just have to settle for administering an indiscriminate beating.

Except it didn't come. No magic, just an intense, painful sensation all around her horn that made the itching even worse! What had she done to her!?

She didn't have long to contemplate the matter before Vinyl socked her in the back of the head with a rabbit punch, before disappearing as if she'd teleported out. No sooner had she left, did others step in to take her place. Others she couldn't identify, but who would be made to regret their decision to be brave against her!

Big Macintosh was a stallion of few words, as he'd never really needed to be otherwise. Oftentimes it was just easier that way, letting others carry the conversation themselves, while he focused on other matters at hoof.

In this particular case, that matter was being a good big brother, and paying Nightmare Moon back for all of the torment and suffering she'd inflicted on his little sisters. With interest. He hadn't been able to do that back in Ponyville with how things had unfolded. But now that he had the opportunity, he was going to be making the most of it. Zecora might've been the one to actually organize them into action, but he'd been at the forefront of the actual assault once the opening had been presented, hitting Nightmare Moon head on with enough force to fell a mighty tree and rattle various internal organs.

The only problem with actually paying Nightmare Moon back, was that everypony had the same idea. Zecora's mobilization efforts had been a little too successful for his tastes, as he had to exercise great caution in not hurting anyone else while trying to fulfill his elder sibling duties. So either they were going to have to share and take turns with her, or they'd have to fight each other just to get their turn in. Either way it wasn't a favorable prospect, but what choice did they really have?

He watched as the twins slugged her in the face simultaneously, knocking her square on her butt. Then Blossomforth went about demonstrating her unnatural flexibility by grabbing Nightmare Moon from behind, and subjecting her to a Germaneian suplex that resulted in her head being slammed against the ground. All the while managing to avoid the same fate herself due to the differences in their respective heights.

That right there was mighty impressive in its own right. Ridiculous, but still nonetheless impressive. It also would've been the perfect opportunity for him to step in and deliver some older brother justice to the nag, if not for the fact that he could see Ditzy getting into position to... wait, was that a kitchen sink she had in her hooves?

At the point of impact he realized, yes, it was indeed a kitchen sink. Faucet and supply lines and all, dropped right on top of Nightmare Moon's currently prone form where it shattered. Blossomforth barely had time to even get out of the way before the impact occurred, leading him to wonder whether it'd been planned out or not.

He hadn't seen for himself who brought it into play, but a toilet was the next thing to be dropped from a high point onto Nightmare Moon, shattering much like the sink had.

In light of such developments, he concluded that perhaps it would be best to hold back and not simply rush into the heat of battle just yet. Lest somepony had actually brought a piano along to donate towards the cause.

"Twi'?"

"Yes, Applejack?"

"Is there any chance this is actually gonna work?"

Twilight remained silent, uncertain as she and the others watched Vinyl holding on for dear life to avoid being bucked right back off again, while at the same time going about hastily assembling a crown consisting of stainless steel hose clamps and numerous roofing nails atop Nightmare Moon's horn, and tightening everything into place to prevent it from coming loose.

She winced internally as she evaluated the crude contraption further. Both points and heads were being firmly pressed/driven into the outer keratin layer, much as Rainbow Dash's teeth had been previously. She could only speculate on why Nightmare Moon wasn't currently screaming and writhing in agony on the ground, but right now it wasn't important as the others were keeping her quite busy with smacking/kicking her around. That, and her sneezing/coughing fit was showing no signs of slowing down in the immediate future.

The main concern was that Nightmare Moon's magic was kept in check; her being in agony was nothing more than a nice -but unimportant- bonus. So long as the restraint remained fixed in place on her horn and didn't wind up becoming dislodged for one reason or another, it should be doable. The restraint, combined with all the other distractions going on, should -in theory at least- serve their intended purpose of keeping Nightmare Moon too unbalanced to counterattack.

"If we can keep from killing her prematurely, then I think so," she replied with cautious optimism, hoping that she wasn't unintentionally jinxing the situation by voicing her thoughts aloud. "We win when Ulquiorra kills her for good. All we really need to do in the meantime is just keep her busy until then. Really, we could just hogtie her and wait it out. But I really don't think we can talk this crowd into going along with that."

The pessimism in Twilight's evaluation of the unruly crowd was well emphasized as both Flitter and Cloud Chaser delivered a synchronized double flying kick to Nightmare Moon's frame to stagger her further. She'd been front and center since the start of Nightmare Moon's attack against the greater half of Ponyville, and had heard -and documented- their accounts of what each and every single one of them had been put through. There was no way they were going to deescalate on their own after all of the sadistic torture they'd been forced to suffer through.

For better or worse, they were likely going to keep this up until whatever blood lust that had possessed them had been sufficiently sated.

"I think, so long as they don't try and drag her off the ground, we'll be alright for the time being," she continued.

Zecora had been mostly silent since her arrival, opting to let the others have at it as they pleased. But Twilight's current evaluation had been enough to pique her curiosity enough to warrant speaking up.

"I am sorry, I do not understand. What possible difference could it make if they pound her in the air or on the land?"

"Well it's just a theory really, based on what we've witnessed so far. But before you all showed up, Rainbow Dash was doing quite well against Nightmare Moon while engaged in aerial combat-"

"I kicked her ass," Rainbow Dash interrupted.

"-but when she was on the ground, that suddenly ceased. And she managed to weather and shrug off basically every gemstone-related assault Rarity hit her with prior to your arrival, also while on the ground. I can't verify it, but I think that when she's on the ground, she's using her earth pony magic to physically enhance and strengthen her form against damage - like an organic armor. I think at the moment that might work to our advantage."

"I still do not understand," Zecora stated flatly.

In response, Pinkie took the opportunity to bring Zecora up to speed with a -relatively- brief overview of what they'd learned so far in their engagement against Nightmare Moon, from her regenerative capabilities and Twilight's initial theory relating to such, to the observations of her physical structure being partially composed of fog, and was thus vulnerable to pegasus hooves when in the air, away from the strengthening qualities of the earth pony magic that'd been protecting her up to now.

At times it looked like Zecora's eyes were spinning in confusion, and it was uncertain if the resulting nod was from true understanding, or if she was merely trying to shut Pinkie up from delivering further time-consuming exposition on the matter.

From what Zecora could comprehend, the gist was that so long as Nightmare Moon remained in contact with the ground, none of the pegasi currently letting her have it should be able to -in theory- deliver a fatal injury that would potentially get her out of the restraint. They had gone the long way around in everyone getting on the same page, but at least they'd managed to get there. And now being aware of this information, she knew how to plan and coordinate accordingly.

It also made her feel somewhat better about how things had transpired. Other than the initial assault and resulting impairment of Nightmare Moon's senses, she really hadn't been able to contribute any in this matter. She might've mustered the citizens of Ponyville and motivated them to taken the battle to Nightmare Moon rather than waiting on her to return, but beyond that there was little for her to really do other than just sit and watch.

Had she not been driven from her hut in the middle of the night, things could've transpired quite differently. Had she received word that Nightmare Moon had returned, she would've been able to prepare and bring her most potent concoctions with her; not the least of which was one that would've turned the dark alicorn's lungs to solid stone. But if she'd done that, based on what they were saying, she would've wound up making matters far worse than better.

In some sort of weird and twisted way, perhaps it'd been for the best that she'd been so ill-prepared for something such as this.

Still, having to sit this out and simply watch as others did what she simply couldn't, really sucked.

And then the kitchen sink dropped on Nightmare Moon, causing them all to flinch. Perhaps staying put really was the better alternative.

Lyra was anxiously shifting back and forth from one hoof to another, alternating between not wanting to be here, and desperately looking for an opening to show Nightmare Moon what she was made of. Her horn was brimming with the magic necessary for casting the advanced fire spells she'd been practicing for weeks, and she was both itching and burning to finally let loose with the fruits of her labors. If it weren't for everypony else being in the way right now, she'd be trying to seer Nightmare Moon's face right off!

But she couldn't do that right now! There were way too many ponies in the way to let loose with that kind of righteous violence at the moment. Ponies like Big Macintosh and Bulk Biceps who had gotten together to force Nightmare Moon into an upright sitting position on her hind legs from behind, while restraining her forelegs as far out to the side as was possible. Which left her vulnerable as Thunderlane and Raindrops were double-teaming and subjecting her to repeated gut blows to keep her from being able to catch her breath.

She hadn't wanted to, but she'd wound up becoming engrossed in watching her neighbors going at it with such wanton abandonment.

So engrossed, she screamed and nearly peed when she felt a hoof tapping her on her pasterns, before spinning around quickly to find Colgate standing there.

"Jeez, a little warning next time," she grumbled, her heart still beating from the scare. "What?"

"Am I seeing things? Or are Vinyl's restraints starting to glow?" Colgate asked.

Curious, Lyra turned back around to try and see what her friend was talking about. Under cover of darkness with scant lighting it was really hard to tell just what was going on. Squinting hard, she tried to tune everything out and focus exclusively on the nails and clamps the DJ had placed on Nightmare Moon's horn to constrain her magic.

It was hard to make out under the present conditions. But if she strained really hard, it looked like the hardware was indeed giving off a dull red glow in the night. And if her eyes weren't actually playing tricks on her, it looked like it was slowly getting brighter.

If she had to guess, Vinyl's efforts weren't going to last them much longer if they didn't do something fast.

"It's too much heat," she surmised, "we have to do something to slow her down before she burns through those restraints, or we're all dead."

"But how?" Colgate asked.

Lyra turned back to look at her. "We need ice, we need lots of ice, and we need it right now. You learned the freezing spell when Twilight was teaching those self-defense classes; see if you can cool the restraints down before the melts her way out of them!"

"Look, just because I learned the spell doesn't mean I know how to use it in every situation," Colgate replied and shook her head. "She's surrounded right now. If I tried I could hit the others and they'd be frozen. I don't have that level of control over it."

Lyra could only groan and facehoof. Was she seriously the only one who actually practiced what they'd learned in those classes!?

"Then get in close and just point blank it! We need to-"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!”

First the piercing shriek that assaulted their ears.

Then the wave of all-encompassing sphere of darkness that exploded outward, engulfing all of them and sending them flying with the following shock wave.

Then the pain. So, so very much pain everywhere for everyone...

What they'd been hit with, they didn't know and would chalk it up to "random dark magic thingie" once they got their bearings straight.

At the center of it all was Nightmare Moon, now free. Free from the restraints that'd been subduing her magic. Free from the assault from numerous other ponies. Free to decorporialize and recorporialize herself as needed, thus rendering her free from the inhibiting effects of whatever powder Zecora had hit her with. But perhaps most importantly, free to catch her breath once again, greedily sucking down lungfuls of air like an alcoholic would a bottle of wine.

But that freedom had come at a great cost, and it was one she'd all too freely paid due to the urgency of the situation. Driving the ponies back and healing herself, all back-to-back, had consumed far more of her magic than she'd been prepared to expend in such a short amount of time, leaving her feeling incredibly weakened and on the verge of collapsing where she stood. However that was easily rectified.

Despite the bravado of these ponies in coming to face her, she could smell that they were all still quite terrified; still ripe with fear. Them coming here to try and face her was as good as ordering takeout, and she wasted no time in going about absorbing it, just as she'd done when she'd stormed into Ponyville. Already she could feel the trembling in her frame ceasing. She felt rejuvenated and refreshed once again.

And then she felt a cinder block being smashed over the back of her skull.

She slowly turned her head in the direction of the impact and saw Big Macintosh standing there, looking rather displeased.

Well then. If he wanted to do things the hard way, she'd give him a reason to be displeased.

Spike didn't know if he was the first to recover, or maybe the last, or if anypony had gotten the number of the locomotive that'd run them over. All he knew was that he hurt, and he felt like he kinda wanted to hurl as he pushed himself back up.

His senses were a mess of disorientation as he unsteadily climbed back to his feet and tried to make sense of his surroundings and decipher what'd just happened. Looking around him, most everypony was still down and in no condition to get right back up; not from what he could see anyway. All he did see was Nightmare Moon standing tall.

But she wasn't exactly standing by herself. Big Macintosh was also standing back up, and currently engaged in trading physical blows with her in a back and forth manner. Not only that, but he appeared to be holding his own against her, even when tanking the solid blows she was landing. Really, neither one of them were making any effort to block or avoid the incoming blows, making it a question of who could tolerate the most pain.

Unfortunately it was Big Macintosh who went down first after one particularly hard blow was landed. And while he was still alive from what Spike could see, he didn't look like he was in any condition to get back up again anytime soon.

That might've been it for the strong stallion, right then and there, as he wouldn't be able to protect himself against further assault from Nightmare Moon in his current condition.

But he wasn't going to let that come to pass. He wasn't going to just stand by and let Nightmare Moon take anymore of his friends from him, or otherwise watch as more ponies got hurt. He pulled back and flung his hammer at her head, just as he'd done multiple times before. He didn't even care if it wouldn't kill her on impact, that didn't matter right now.

He found himself practically snout-to-snout with Nightmare Moon almost as soon as the hammer had left his claw. She must've seen what he was doing and teleported instantly, thus cutting him off from the hammer, and giving him no way to get it back.

What he wouldn't give for that auto-recall ability to actually be a thing right now. Because right now she looked way more imposing than she had any right to be.

"Too, too bad. You had one shot at being able to do something, and you wasted it," she stated mockingly as she smirked while staring him in the eyes.

Spike hadn't actually intended to claw Nightmare Moon across the snout, it just sort of happened. But she recoiled in pain and surprise at his claws digging into her face. And just like the original strike, he lunged for her.

Being without his hammer didn't change the fact that he was still a dragon, making his whole body a weapon. Claws that could tear through stone, sharp teeth paired with enough biting force to chew through solid diamond, scales that could withstand submersion in lava, and the ability to produce fire hot enough to melt solid iron at will, Nightmare Moon had nothing on him!

He didn't particularly care that his efforts wouldn't be enough to put Nightmare Moon down on their own, right now that just wasn't important. If all he could do was make her feel pain, then he was going to go for the gold in pain as he raked his claws across her face, ripping and tearing as he made her bleed.

He found himself flipped and slammed onto his back faster than he realized, the impact knocking the air right out of his lungs and leaving him coughing as he tried to rectify his unfortunate situation. Although that would probably go easier if he could've moved, rather than being pinned down by some as of yet unseen force on top of him.

Looking up at her as she towered over him, glaring angrily down at him with outright malice and hatred, he could see that he'd done more of a number on her than he'd thought in the heat of the moment. Her face was streaked with scratches and cuts to various depths, along her nose and even above her eyes.

He wasn't a Hollow. He wasn't an alicorn. He wasn't even a unicorn. But despite all of that, he'd still been able to make her bleed all on his own. That fact made him smirk back up at her, despite how she was trying to turn him into a pile of ash with just her stare alone.

"You're fucked," he stated defiantly.

Nightmare Moon snorted in response and kicked him in his side, forcing him to wince in pain as his bravado broke from the force of the impact.

"Just for that, you little fewmet, you're going to suffer more than any of your friends. They'll live long enough to wish they'd died on this night, but you? Whatever the afterlife holds for you, you'll never get to experience, because I'm going to swallow your soul!" she growled and opened her mouth wide, revealing the numerous sharp teeth contained within her gaping maw.

However her plans were cut short as she felt something crammed into her mouth, just short of reaching the back of her throat. Something hard and rigid, and off-white that extended past her muzzle. Something that turned out to be the forearm of the Espada who was currently standing directly before her.

Ulquiorra had returned to the fray.

Only then did she actually notice the sensation of heat forming in her mouth, and a teal green light just on the edge of her peripheral vision.

"Swallow this instead."

The destructive force of Ulquiorra's Cero being discharged was -largely- contained in Nightmare Moon's mouth, apart from a minor back blast that escaped out to the sides. But it had been more than enough to send her flying backwards, as well as shaking off whatever lingering disorienting effects of her magic remained on the ponies present, serving to jolt them back awake and responsive in very short order.

Most of them had the good sense to scatter upon realizing just what was going down. But not all of them.

"Do I even want to know what happened?" he asked, knowing full well the answer was that things had gone wrong.

"Prob'ly not," Applejack replied, now that she was back on her hooves again. "Things didn' work out, so we held the line. We got reinforcements, we held the line more. We even manages to kill 'er a few times, 'though it obviously didn' take."

Ulquiorra would admit, he was both surprised and impressed by the level of succinctness of Applejack's summation of what'd transpired during his absence. Short, straight to the point, and not bogged down with excessive details he simply didn't need.

He was also impressed that they'd managed to survive this long in his absence. Princess Luna was presently in a de-powered state similar to Princess Celestia. And if such had happened at the time of the latter's outburst while she'd been riding atop his back, they'd been on there own for a significantly long period of time, against an opponent who still vastly outclassed all of them. Granted, she was significantly weaker than previously, as he could feel such, but the gap between them and Nightmare Moon was still quite significant.

"Noted," he replied in an equally succinct manner.

By now Nightmare Moon was stirring from where she'd come to a stop from her Cero-assisted travel. The fact it hadn't been sufficient to completely vaporize her head was particularly disconcerting, as it demonstrated her innards were just as tough as her outsides. Apparently the inside of her mouth wasn't a weak spot to be exploited.

It was a small consolation prize when she retched and proceeded to vomit spectacularly right where she stood, all the while yielding a sound not too dissimilar from someone making a concerted effort to actually drown a bleating goat.

"Now would be a good time to leave," he stated further, fully aware that if they remained, their presence would only serve to hamper him further. Nightmare Moon had already demonstrated that she wouldn't hesitate to exploit others for her own benefit, and he was having none of that.

"You do not need to be telling us more than once," Luna replied as she quickly moved to address the others. "Everypony, we are leaving as of five minutes ago! Haul! Ass!"

"Nopony-" Nightmare Moon coughed as she finally straightened back up once again. "Nopony is leaving here! You saw fit to meddle, so you can all just stay right where you are and face the consequences of your own actions!"

If he were anyone else, Ulquiorra would've sighed tiredly at Nightmare Moon's statement. She had neither power nor authority to dictate what those who were present were going to do or otherwise not do. He briefly considered rebuking her and explaining this fact, but ultimately decided against such. It would be a waste of time and effort on his part; time and effort that could be better utilized killing her.

"Then we'll simply do this the hard way," he replied as he gripped the hilt of his zanpakutō and unsheathed it. He would put her down with a single strike, separating the top of her skull from the rest of her head, and render her dead before her nervous system even had sufficient time to process the pain signals.

He hadn't witnessed just what had served to sever his fingers from the rest of his hand. He'd only realized it had happened when Murciélago's hilt went flying out of his now open hand as he unsheathed it.

Had that actually just happened? Even he wasn't immune to disbelief, looking at the bloody stumps of what was left of his fingers in confirmation, as he tried to comprehend just what had happened.

But the disbelief was short-lived as he immediately refocused on what he knew; his zanpakutō was no longer under his direct control, and he needed to retrieve it.

"Looking for this?"

The search was short-lived, as he quickly found Murciélago presently held aloft in Nightmare Moon's magic, obviously in a blatant mocking fashion. Which was further emphasized by her wearing the cockiest, most arrogant smirk he could ever recall seeing, in either this or the other world.

Ignoring the screams and panic of the others around him, he lunged forward to reclaim his zanpakutō with his left hand while the fingers of his right regenerated, only for it to be moved just outside of his reach before his fingers could even brush the hilt.

And then the matter managed to get worse as Murciélago was sent flying far into the west, putting it well outside of his immediate reach.

Slowly, he turned his focus back on Nightmare Moon, whose grin only seemed to increase in terms of smugness.

"Do you honestly believe such a weak tactic will work? That I won't be able to retrieve my zanpakutō in short order?" he asked.

"Can you do that before I kill these ponies in your absence?" she asked in response.

...

So that had been her plan then. Put him in a position where he was forced to choose how he proceeded.

His intention had been to dispense with formalities, and go right to his released state in order to put Nightmare Moon down, both immediately and with the least amount of effort possible. But in order to do that, he needed Murciélago. But in order to retrieve Murciélago he would have to leave the ponies unprotected as he left the area. It wasn't that far away, at least not by his own standards, but it would still be an opening she would be ready and posed to exploit if he took the bait.

Regardless of how the matter was examined and analyzed, it appeared to be a no-win situation with the facts as they presently were. He was just going to have to go and do it the hard way then.

"Under different circumstances, I'd actually regard such a tactic as being respectable," he commented. Out of everything, it was possibly one of the most pragmatic approaches she'd taken in this entire mess. "I'll just kill you as is, and be done with it."

Ordinarily, considering what she was up against, such a statement might give Nightmare Moon reason to be concerned. But these weren't ordinary circumstances. She had scoured the minds of Celestia and other ponies to gather as much information on this monstrosity before her as possible when she recognized his true alpha predator status. Without his sword, the majority of his strength was simply inaccessible to him, putting him at a severe disadvantage. Obviously this statement of his was nothing more than a mere bluff, to try and shake her confidence.

Well, she had news for him, it wasn't going to work. This wasn't a game of poker, and his stone face wasn't going to assist him in this matter one bit.

He was up to something as he was trying to sell his bluff, forming a ball of teal green energy in the palm of his outstretched hand, making ready to utilize that stupid Cero attack of his again, despite earlier confirming the fact that it was useless against her.

And then he did something different and crushed the ball as it formed, causing it to explode out the top and bottom of his hand, forming what looked like one of his stupid lunar javelins, only shorter and closer to the size of his sword-

He practically teleported in front of her and nearly took her head right off in a single swing, stopped only by the timely summoning of her scythe to block the strike from actually landing. But the force behind that strike had nearly swatted her scythe right out of the way.

"You-" she grunted as she struggled to push back against him, "there wasn't anything like this in Celestia's memories! This isn't one of your attacks! How're you doing this!?"

"You assume far too much," Ulquiorra replied, his tone even as he pushed back against the scythe in an almost casual manner, yet still managing to make her lose ground. "But you're correct. It's a technique that belongs to Coyote Starrk, I merely learned it from him."

Nightmare Moon just growled furiously in response to the revelation. Not only did he have his own techniques, but apparently he could hide the knowledge of the techniques he'd learned from his companions. Who knew what other sorts of surprises he had to him!

"This is the first time I've ever actually had to use Colmillo," he continued.

"Well then I'm honored, as it'll also be your very last!" she shouted back.

"Perhaps so. But not in the way that you're thinking."

Nightmare Moon might've had no intention of taking the fight into the air, but a single strike from a shock wave-inducing swing of Ulquiorra's sword had put an end to that by sending her skyward, regardless of what she'd wanted. After which he'd wasted no time pursuing her, leaving the others far behind on the ground where they wouldn't be able to get involved further.

To those who didn't have the benefit of the thestral vision enchantment, the ensuing battle looked like little more than streaks of red and green flashing across the sky and repeatedly clashing against one another. But for most of them the aerial display was going unwitnessed, as they had far more pressing concerns to focus on at the moment; such as trying to focus on what Twilight was currently saying.

The gist of it, or at least what they could comprehend of it, was that they needed to help out in the search for Ulquiorra's sword. Which begged what seemed like the obvious question to many of them.

"Why?"

"I'm sorry?" Twilight asked, confused at her train of thought being broken.

"Why does he need us to find his sword?" Thunderlane asked, honestly not seeing what the big deal of it all was.

"Yeah," Flitter agreed, "I mean, it's just a dumb sword, right? He's got that magic sword he's using instead, and he's dominating."

The others were quick to follow in agreement, not understanding the importance of retrieving Ulquiorra's sword, or how it could possibly help him in this fight. And they were none too shy about sharing their opinion and confusion on the matter about why it was so important.

"It's not just a sword! It's a key!" Rainbow Dash spoke up, loudly, in order to quell the commotion of the others. "Right now Ulquiorra's operating at only twenty percent of what he can do. If he's going to take Nightmare Moon down permanently, he needs his zanpakutō to unlock and access the other eighty percent. Don't ask how, he just does."

There was still confusion, but at least that made more sense then simply looking blindly for what seemed like a simple sword lost in the middle of a dark forest. Now that they knew what the importance of it was, it was a different matter to tend to. Now it was one with actual, coherent purpose. Understanding that, they looked forward again, waiting for further instructions.

"Right," Twilight replied and nodded once she understood the situation was under control again. "As I was about to say, we know what we need to do, and we have a general idea of which direction to look. So spread out, find Murciélago, and bring it back to Ulquiorra as fast as possible."

Author's Note

And the king of the battlefield has returned to rain down unholiness.

There is so, so very much that I wanted to do different with this chapter. I wanted to give the citizens of Ponyville the opportunity to shine on their own. I wanted to show how they came to the decision to go into the Everfree Forest to confront Nightmare Moon, and the part Zecora played in organizing and motivating everyone to take the initiative. But the more I tried to make it work, the more I realized the scope of what I had in mind was just too grand to orchestrate and execute properly, so I condensed a great bit of it down, cutting out a lot of moments I've been planning for over a year for the sake of speeding things up.

Below are a couple of scenes I had considered for how the chapter was going to go.

Deleted Scene One

The atmosphere in Ponyville was tense, bordering on downright suffocating at the moment. But what could one really expect when Nightmare Moon had demonstrated the fact that she was still very much alive, despite supposedly being defeated by the Element of Harmony?

What had started off as a very bad night with the disappearance of all the foals in Ponyville, had only managed to get worse for all of them when she'd practically waltzed right into town like she owned the freaking place. Along with situating herself in a manner that made it dangerous for her to be attacked, since they'd all be put at risk of becoming collateral damage in the process.

Thank Faust Spike had been there to distract her with a hammer upside the head, which allowed Ulquiorra to go and drag her right out of there before she could fight back. And thank Faust further that the Princesses had been there to go chasing after them to put her down properly.

Exactly what was going on out in the Everfree Forest at the moment was anypony's guess. The sky had been alight with all manner of magical forces that were visible all the way back in town, there were explosions and magical surges going on, tremors like earthquakes that just kept coming, shock waves from forces that couldn't be seen, and a whole mess of other demonstrations of overwhelming power none of them properly understood.

Now, however, none of that was going on. Now it was just a long stretch of overwhelming silence.

Deleted Scene Two

Under normal circumstances, the journey from Ponyville to Canterlot would take as little as three minutes for Ulquiorra to complete, as he could easily and freely travel at speeds that would make even Rainbow Dash turn green with both envy and acceleration sickness from the amount of G-forces she'd be subjected to. But normal circumstances didn't see him transporting a pony passenger whose overall physical condition would never survive being subjected to even half his maximum travel speed.

Princess Celestia was unconscious and unresponsive as she rode atop his back, and still present only because he was currently holding onto her forelegs to secure her position and prevent her from falling off.

Whatever the reasons behind her unconsciousness were a mystery that he wasn't about to be getting any answers to anytime soon, as she was the only one who could elaborate on the reasons behind such, and she was presently in no condition to share the pertinent details. Even if she could communicate such details, it would make little difference to the current task at hand he'd been charged with; that being getting Princess Celestia back to the safety of Canterlot palace.

He understood the importance of the mission he'd been assigned; Equestria could continue to function with only one of the diarchy left alive, but it couldn't afford to lose both of them. If Princess Luna should fall to Nightmare Moon, Princess Celestia would at least have the chance to survive, which would allow Equestria to survive in turn. But this presently was by far the dumbest way to go about achieving that goal.

He was a warrior, among -if not outright- the highest caliber in the land, and all but unrivaled in his area of skill. He was not a taxi service to be ferrying ponies about from place to place. His proper place was back in the forest, putting Nightmare Moon down like a diseased animal once and for all, while someone else oversaw the evacuation of important individuals.

Were it not for the meddling on the part of the diarchy and the others, Nightmare Moon would be dead right now, killed with such speed the body would've ceased functioning before the mind could even realize what'd just happened. Had they simply refrained from getting involved, he wouldn't have needed to restrain himself to prevent collateral damage, and this entire mess could've been avoided.

But such simply had not been the case. They had interfered, they had gotten themselves involved, and now they found themselves here in their respective parts.

Fortunately resolution of the situation was close at hand. The distance to Canterlot palace was being closed at a rapid pace few ponies in this world could hope to compete with, and once Princess Celestia was safely returned, he could get back to the appropriate business at hand of squeezing every trace of life out of Nightmare Moon.

The moment he was within range he started scanning the palace with his pesquisa to pinpoint the location of all present palace staff; specifically those that made up the royal guard, regardless of which division they belonged to, in order to determine who was closest. Once that was determined, he wasted no time in adjusted his angle of approach accordingly, to ensure Princess Celestia was actually left in the presence of someone appropriate, rather than simply dumping her on the first open balcony he came across.

Exactly what the lunar guard was currently doing with the maid at the time he dropped in, it wasn't of any significance, as it wasn't any of his concern. He simply touched down in front of them, and deposited his passenger on the carpeted floor.

"Look after her, or I'll kill you myself when I return."

With that matter tended to, he wasted no time in departing just as he'd arrived, undoubtedly leaving a state of frightened confusion in his wake as he left, heading for the one place in Equestria he belonged right now.

Chapter One Hundred

Chapter One Hundred

It'd been quickly realized that in their present situation with things as they were, trying to find Ulquiorra's zanpakutō in the dark of night, with only eight sets of eyes actually capable of doing that, would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Fortunately that situation was alleviated with ease due to some quick thinking on Twilight's part, thus leaving everypony present with the thestral vision enchantment, and allowing them to see as easily if it were daylight out.

Although Ditzy couldn't ignore the how weird the spell was making her eyes feel at the moment, or how it was making her blink far more than usual to try and clear the strange sensation.

"Alright," Twilight spoke up upon completion of casting the spell, "everypony spread out. We have a general idea of what direction to look, but Murciélago could still be anywhere. Search everywhere that a sword of that size could reasonably fit. Leave no tree or rock formation un-inspected."

"Just be really super careful," Pinkie was quick to add, "Ulqy's sword is sharp enough to cut right through a dragon's fire like it's cheap styrofoam. If it's in a tree, don't stand directly below it, and whatever you do don't try and shake it out of the tree!"

Nopony needed -nor truly wanted- any further elaboration on the matter than that. They understood well enough, the risks they were undertaking on this mission, just as they did the risk if they didn't undertake it.

A serious miscalculation had been made on his part pertaining to Nightmare Moon's battle capabilities. That was really the only logical explanation as to what had just happened.

He hadn't directly faced her in combat when she'd been wielding her scythe. His only source of information pertaining to her capabilities had been from indirect observation of her midair combat against Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Going by his observations, he had drawn a conclusion about the range of reach Nightmare Moon could achieve with her scythe, estimating it to be approximately two meters from her body.

That estimation had quickly been proven wrong during their aerial combat, with nearly fatal consequences as a result.

Nightmare Moon's reach with her scythe was far greater than he'd assumed or otherwise observed, spanning at least ten meters, and with the ability to strike far faster than he'd been lead to believe from previous observation. Leaving him with a diagonal cut from his right shoulder down across his midsection for his troubles and his own ineptitude. Had he been any slower in his retreat, the curve of her blade would've sliced through his ribs, rather than merely scraping along them as it passed.

If her scythe could actually pierce and cut through his hierro, then he was going to need to exercise a far greater degree of caution in this battle than he'd anticipated. He was actually going to need to be careful this time around.

He hadn't needed to be careful against an opponent, since his time back in Hueco Mundo.

... Why exactly was such a thought causing him to experience a sense of anticipation just now?

"Well now," Nightmare Moon purred, her upper teeth pressing against her bottom lip as she grinned. "You're not nearly as invincible as you'd like others to believe."

Ulquiorra opted to refrain from dignifying her taunt with a response, as the wound he'd incurred proceeded to heal itself, his flesh practically stitching itself back together as all trace of the wound disappeared just as it's been delivered. Something that would've been more easily done if her weapon didn't both cut and cauterize at the same time.

"Oh, now that's very interesting right there," she mused. "All the better for me to vent my frustrations on you, without you dying prematurely."

Ulquiorra refrained from taking the bait that would've ultimately resulted in engaging in a battle of banter, and instead decided to let his own skill speak for him on the matter. In this particular case, the skill in question was a bala sent hurtling directly at her head. He already knew it wouldn't be enough to kill her, but it would certainly leave her open to a follow up attack and - it missed.

His bala had missed. If he hadn't seen it for himself, he wouldn't have believed it. She'd actually managed to move herself to the side out of its path of travel.

Making such a development worse was the smug smirk she currently wore, indicating it hadn't been simply dumb luck on her part.

"Too bad," she replied all too mockingly, "best two out of three?"

"Yes," Ulquiorra replied and tried again with another bala.

But it hadn't been a normal bala, as she found out the hard way. It hadn't been a single incoming blast that could've been easily dodged if one had adequate reflexes and response times, coupled with recognizing what was coming. Instead it'd been nine incoming projectiles in a fairly tight cluster, and managing several simultaneous points of contact with enough force to practically knock the air right out of her on impact.

"What..." Nightmare Moon found herself asking as she tried to process what'd just happened. "What... what was that just now?"

"Escopeta," Ulquiorra replied, making no effort to immediately continue the assault as he spoke. "Generally reserved for crowd control situations, or when needing to strike a quick-moving opponent."

"Oh," she replied and absently nodded.

She then proceeded back to business as usual and lunged forward, swinging her scythe in an effort to decapitate him, just as he had done to her in revealing he had more than one sword at his disposal.

Ulquiorra's response wasn't so much blocking the incoming strike, as it was binding it.

For reasons he didn't understand, nor cared enough to determine, the downward curve of Nightmare Moon's scythe was particularly aggressive, not unlike the hawkbill blade of a linoleum or pruning knife. But this worked to his advantage as it allowed him to wedge his own blade between the front and back points, and proceed to twist it to the side with enough torque to halt her attack entirely, as well as leaving her unable to easily pull herself free.

"Best two out of three," he stated as he balled his free hand into a fist.

Nightmare Moon could only groan in response before the carnage continued. "Oh sweet Faust..."

Even with the benefit of the thestral vision enchantment, most ponies who took the time to glance up at the battle overhead would be hard-pressed to make out any details other than the red and green glows coming off of the weapons being utilized. But most were far too busy -and far too afraid- to bother looking up to try and evaluate the current scope of things for themselves.

Had they done such, they would've noted the combat was currently appearing static rather than all over the sky, but beyond that they wouldn't be able to tell anything. As such it was far more constructive for them to focus on trying to find Ulquiorra's missing zanpakutō, than anything else.

Such was much easier said than done in Zecora's case, as she was working behind a disadvantage. Her one eye was still swollen and hurt to open, essentially cutting her field of vision in half as she searched right alongside Lyra and several other townsponies.

"Just so you know, what you did back there was really brave. How you faced down Nightmare Moon all by yourself, to give us an opening to attack her."

She recognized the voice as Lyra's, although she had to turn her head an extended degree to regard the unicorn as she spoke. It was a glowing evaluation, but hardly the full truth of the matter.

The real truth was that she'd been just as terrified as everypony else had been, if not even more. It hadn't been courage that'd brought her and the others out here, but rather desperation. Desperation that had only increased when they saw Ulquiorra leaving the battlefield with a pony in tow, and knowing that one who could punch a dragon to death wouldn't simply flee the conflict without a very good reason.

Honesty, it all was kind of hazy right now. She barely even remembered speaking to the townsponies when trying to mobilize them to action. It was more like someone else had taken control and had been speaking through her in order to encourage them to take the fight to Nightmare Moon and cancel her plans to her face, rather than hiding and waiting for her to come find them.

Even if they hadn't responded to her words, and she was forced to set out on her own, it still wouldn't have been bravery driving her hooves forward. She hadn't even been certain if her powder would've worked at all against alicorn physiology. She simply wouldn't have been able to live with herself if she hadn't at least tried to do something meaningful to help her friends in their time of need; not after all they'd done for her.

Before she could go about correcting Lyra's evaluation, she found herself being tackled to the ground as an explosion occurred... somewhere in the vicinity. She hadn't seen anything, she'd only heard it after the fact.

"Sheesh! We're walking here! Ugh, I hope somepony else is having better results in this search..."

"Huh."

Whether it'd been divine intervention, random chance, or some other factor at play, it'd been Luna and the rest of their little group that'd been the ones to find Murciélago first.

It literally stood before them, almost perfectly perpendicular to the ground, with half the length of its blade buried in a large chunk of granite rock.

"You know, Nightmare Moon's aim really sucks. Anypony could've found this," Rainbow Dash commented as she folded her forelegs across her chest while hovering just off the forest floor.

"Don't knock it, this works out better for us," Pinkie pointed out. If Ulquiorra's zanpakutō wasn't well hidden, then they didn't have to search extensively for it. The fact it'd been sent over a mile away in this mess had been bad enough all on its own, and wasn't in need of any additional complications from being extensively obscured from their sight.

Twilight simply shook her head, unable to think of anything to say on the matter, and unwilling to take the time to think anything up. She just wanted this to be over once and for all, and reached out with her magic to grasp the zanpakutō, enveloping its entire exposed length of a lavender aura.

Trying to yank it out of the stone nearly sent her to the ground in the process.

"Holy crap," she grunted as she braced herself to avoid face planting in the process. "It's... stuck."

"Stuck? Whadda ya mean stuck?" Applejack asked, not really understanding what Twilight was saying. She'd witnessed incredible accomplishments in strength when it came to lifting things that no pony could physically lift, and done in such a casual manner it looked like no effort was involved whatsoever. So how would one little sword be stuck in a block of stone?

"Just what I said. It's stuck," Twilight stated as she made ready to try again.

Once again the zanpakutō was enveloped as she tried to pull it free, the lavender aura wrapping around it flaring brightly and violently as she strained against unseen forces, without much success.

Rarity wasted no time with bothering to ask if her assistance could be of any use before contributing what she could, her own periwinkle blue aura joining with Twilight's lavender aura as they both proceeded to pull with all of their might.

It went without saying that her strength couldn't possibly compete Twilight's, but the brightness and visual intensity of her aura would certainly suggest otherwise as they worked in unison, giving it everything they had.

If nothing else, she'd at least managed to hold on as long as Twilight had before finally succumbing to the strain of their futile efforts.

"My word," she gasped, "that really is stuck."

"A'right then, move aside an' let me give 'er a try," Applejack spoke up as she tilted her stetson. Unicorn magic might've been good for a lot of things, but some applications simply required good old-fashioned earth pony physical might. If they couldn't get the sword unstuck, then she'd do it by herself.

"And where do you plan to grab onto it without getting cut in the process?" Spike asked.

Applejack stopped, unable to think up a response. Where was she going to grab hold of the sword anyway? At least half of the exposed surface area was the blade, which included that sharp edge. The hilt came to mind, but lacking hands would make that difficult. Wrapping her forelegs around it really wouldn't do much good either. And trying to grip the hilt in her mouth would be just plain awkward.

"Damn," was all she could offer up in response. Why'd Spike have to go and be so smart? "Well, wha' do we do now? Do we get more unicorns an' y'all try ta pull together?"

Twilight shook her head in response. "With how far we could all be scattered, it would take too long to try and pull that off. Even if that wasn't the case, we don't even know if something like that would work. For all we know about Hollow-type zanpakutōs, this might actually be a design feature to prevent unauthorized use by individuals they don't belong to. In which case Ulquiorra would be the only one who can pull Murciélago loose."

"Well then let's just move the stone to Ulqy's position and let him do it!" Pinkie suggested, seeing it as the most logical, most straightforward approach to solving the problem. And if he couldn't pull it loose all that easily, he could smash the boulder over Nightmare Moon's head to break it free, so it was an added bonus.

Rarity was the one to shake her head next. "I'm afraid that won't work either, Pinkie. That's no mere stone we're up against. It's more akin to an iceberg, and we're only seeing the tip of how large it truly is. I could feel it while we were trying to free the sword just a moment ago. Even if we could unearth it, and do so quickly, I strongly doubt every earth pony in all of Ponyville would be enough to move it back to Ulquiorra at anything more than a snail's pace, if even that."

This was one of those situations where they were literally trapped between a rock and a hard place. Ulquiorra needed his sword, but they couldn't bring it to him. They'd have to bring him to it, and by extension bring Nightmare Moon along with him. That would only serve to complicate the matter even further, as she'd never allow him the opportunity to free it.

"Well then let's do what Ulquiorra would do, cut through all the bullshit, and go the most direct route," Spike spoke up. "Twilight, if you still know that spell Celestia showed you before sending us to the Crystal Empire, then use it. I'll take it from there."

It took a moment for Twilight to fully understand just what Spike was getting at. The fact that she hadn't been able to think of it herself made her want to smack her own head in frustration. Maybe it had to do with the fact that both Spike and Ulquiorra had an inherent predatory nature in their origins, even when they didn't conduct themselves in such a manner.

"And this is why you're my Number One Assistant," she muttered, before clearing her throat and speaking up. "Alright. Now we just need a plan for how to safely get Murciélago back to Ulquiorra."

"A-actually," Fluttershy practically squeaked, "I think that I might have an idea for how to do just that..."

Contrary to what some might've believed, the battle being waged overhead wasn't as wholly one-sided, or as cut and dry, as they would care for it to be.

Ulquiorra was undoubtedly the one with the superior strength, skill, and expertise in the area of open combat.

But Nightmare Moon was the one that possessed superior skill at trickery and evasive maneuvers that made open combat prolonged and difficult to properly execute.

Perhaps she couldn't keep up with his sonido, or otherwise physically tank one of his lethal blows. But at the same time his pesquisa couldn't detect where she was going to teleport to, until after she had already teleported to her new location away from his strike. Nor could he accurately calculate which angle of approach/retreat she was going to utilize at any given moment.

Boiled down to the basics, their engagement was essentially proving to be a game of leapfrog/follow the leader, intermixed with the occasional clash of mana-based weapons as they tried to kill one another.

This manner of engagement might've carried on for quite some time, had Nightmare Moon not once again utilized an older trick and successfully snagged Ulquiorra in a field of restraining magic to stop him dead in his tracks. The only difference this time around was this time around, she was far outside of the reach of whatever he'd hit her with the last time. He wasn't about to get the drop on her again.

She just had to keep it up long enough. And he wasn't making it easy.

"The longer you drag this out, the worse it's going to be," he stated idly as he strained against the field that currently bound him, all the while straining her concentration further and further. "Release me, and I'll make your end merciful and short. You won't suffer, unlike your victims."

"It's certainly a most generous offer for you to be making," Nightmare Moon grunted sarcastically in return as she strained back in an effort to maintain her hold on him, which was proving to be far more difficult than previously. Even trying to prevent him from moving an inch required a great deal of effort.

"But no thank you. In case you didn't notice, you're not in the position to be offering me any sort of deals, biped! You're the one at the disadvantage right now, not me! I can break you in half like a twig right now, and there's nothing that you can do about it. My return to power and ascension to rule can't be prevented, especially not by something as weak and aberrant as yo- GURK!"

Her speech was cut off as something slammed into her midsection quite hard, the force of the impact being enough to double her over and knock the wind out of her, resulting in a low wheeze as her breath escaped her lungs.

She'd just been hit with a train car. That was the only explanation that made any sense. Down below, somepony had managed to throw an entire train car right at her.

"Oh. Did that break your concentration just now? I'm really sorry. But what you were saying wasn't very nice. And that is my friend you're talking about."

A train car that just happened to be colored pink and butter yellow.

Of all the ponies she'd had dealings with on this night, none of them were as sincerely hated as Fluttershy was at this very moment. Not only was she mocking her, but she was also simultaneously apologizing for mocking her! She would burn for this. She would burn...

It was then her ears detected the sound of metal scraping against metal. She didn't know what that was or what it meant, but it certainly didn't sound good.

"Alright, it's done, now let's get out of here!"

Hearing the unmistakable voice of Rainbow Dash, Nightmare Moon looked up and saw her hovering by Ulquiorra as he... as he was in the process of drawing his sword from the back of her armor.

Oh crap...

Fluttershy delivered one more gut punch to her for good measure before she fled with Rainbow Dash, leaving her alone with him in a completely unobstructed manner. And this time around she really didn't think she'd be able to get his sword away from him a second time.

There was a brief moment as he locked eyes with her from across the battlefield and slowly raised his sword, practically pointing the tip at her in an overly deliberate -almost menacing- manner.

"Enclose, Murciélago."

The next thing she knew, she was being enveloped in a tidal wave of teal-outlined black flames that seemed to stretch on for miles, obscuring her sight of everything. Everything, that is, except for him at the epicenter of it all, leaving her helpless to do anything but watch as everything unfolded.

His sword had more or less dematerialized into nothing and left him empty handed, but that didn't seem to be slowing him down any. If anything it just seemed to kick things into gear! His hair was growing far longer than it had been, reaching all the way down to his lower back. The bony protrusion atop his head was both retracting and expanding as it took on a much more symmetrical and streamlined design with two prominent horns jutting outward.

There were two explosions of some thick, inky-black liquid out of his back that quickly solidified into the form of large extended bat wings that could easily dwarf her own if they were compared side by side.

Something finally served to snap her out of her stupor and she realized that he wasn't moving. For whatever reason, he appeared to be physically frozen in place during his transformation, while she was free to move about. Free to retaliate as it were.

Summoning her scythe once again, she swung it hard and fast to cleave him in half and put an end to this before he could finish transforming. Only to watch -and feel- as it shattered like cheap glass before ever making contact with his body.

The energy and pressure his body must've been exerting as he transformed was so intense, not even her scythe could pierce it. Like it or not, that dastardly fiend had ensured that he couldn't be interrupted before he was ready. That was supposed to be her routine!

Finally, it ended. The flames dispersed, leaving her with an unobstructed view of just what she was facing. Of the source of so many of Celestia's recent and delicious nightmares. Seeing him... it... for herself, rather than through the eyes of another, now she could understand why that was. Just being in this close a proximity was enough to make her legs tremble. Had she been standing on the ground at the time, she might've collapsed.

"Do not become overwhelmed by fear. It'll only serve to further hamper your efforts at survival."

Sweet merciful Faust, even his voice had changed along with his form. It was smooth like butter, yet contained a sharp edge in what could've been a whisper. The sinister way he rolled his R's as he spoke could practically make a mare melt. Under different circumstances...

She shook her head. She couldn't allow herself to get distracted or she was going to die, and in short order. She had to stay focused!

"I-I warn you, biped, I will not be holding back on my strength like Celestia did when you fought her over Canterlot! You're going to learn firsthoof just how strong an alicorn truly can be!" she bellowed as furiously as she could manage, emphasizing her point as she once again summoned her scythe and making ready for battle. He was not about to drive her to terror. She was going to emerge victorious in this encounter, one way or another.

"Then I won't be holding back either."

An uneasy lump formed in the back of her throat as he spoke. It'd only been a mere seven words, and yet it was possibly the most terrifying sentence she could've heard under present circumstances. When he'd been smacking Celestia around up in Canterlot, he'd actually been holding back!? He was truly that strong?!?

No. No, he had to be bluffing. No creature in this world could possibly be that strong, it simply wasn't possible. If such strength existed, they would've known about it long before now.

Confident in such knowledge she lunged forward, swinging her scythe towards him to cut him in half. She'd managed to injure him previously, she'd do it again. And this time she'd do it faster than his response time could save him!

Except not. In the time it took her to cross the distance, he'd managed to already summon his javelin and move it into position to block her strike before it could land.

He then proceeded to flex his arm, and fling her away like she was nothing more than mosquito; like her strength and resistance didn't matter in the least in comparison to his own.

She would be having none of that! Flaring both her magic and her wings, she righted herself and launched a counterattack, teleporting directly behind him to strike.

Except he wasn't there. She looked around from side to side, but saw no sign of him. She'd teleported behind him, and yet he wasn't anywhere to be found. How was that possible? How could he have disappeared when he didn't even know where she was teleporting to? He was-

"Olé."

He was directly behind her!

Somehow, he'd managed to move behind her, before she'd even finished teleporting behind him. He had countered her counterattack.

Oh shit.

"Oh crap," she groaned.

This was going to suck for her on so many levels.

Author's Note

I tried. I really, really tried to make this chapter the end of this particular story line. But it was proving hard to write without being bloated and I just had to end it there because it was taking too long. I was getting tired and frustrated and simply had to call it good enough. I tried to have it out last week in time for the finale, but it just wasn't possible.

Chapter One Hundred One

Chapter One Hundred One

To say Nightmare Moon was faring poorly against Ulquiorra in his released state would be a gross understatement.

She'd found out firsthoof that she couldn't compete with him in terms of physical strength, as he could easily bat her about and away without even really trying whenever they clashed with their weapons.

Even her teleportation was no longer benefiting her in this skirmish, as his already impressive speed just seemed to have increased substantially. Whatever boost she might've gained previously had been entirely wiped out by his seemingly appearing right beside her wherever she went, only to strike at her again.

In very short order, he had easily knocked her offensive approach to the wayside, and forced her to quickly retreat to a purely defensive approach, as she hunkered behind her shield. Both to avoid further injury, and to try and get her bearings straight while trying to figure out a plan.

Not that he was going to be giving her the opportunity to do that, however. Something like that would be counterproductive in all this.

He could've appeared next to her in a burst of sonido and physically smacked her all about the Everfree Forest in a twisted variant of pinball until her shield finally cracked under the strain. But instead he chose to demonstrate to her, the power of his Cero Oscuras, to further hammer home the fact she was completely out of her league.

His aim had been off the first time, his Cero just grazing the outside edge of her shield, but it had served to crack its structure regardless.

The second Cero Oscuras had been more on point, and had fractured her shield further.

Then, just to mix things up while she was recovering from her previous exertions, he hurled his Luz de la Luna straight at her, and shattered her shield entirely with a sizable explosion on impact that sent her flying/tumbling from the force. Were it not for her skill in magic, and her ability to self-levitate to keep her aloft, she would've wound up slamming against the forest floor as a result. But it was no matter, as it would be rectified soon enough.

He could've easily appeared next to her in a simple burst of sonido and beheaded her on the spot.

He could have, but his approach was far more methodical. Far more predatory. A slow, deliberate walk across the distance separating them, each step taken causing ripples to appear in the air like the surface of a lake being disturbed by stones. A pace that wasn't fast, simply because there was no need for it to be fast. It was a fact that he understood. It was a fact she understood. And he knew that she understood such, as he could see it in her eyes when she finally looked back up at him when he was mere feet away from her.

"Three minutes, twenty-one seconds. Such has been the sum total of your so-called "unrestrained strength" in this fight," he stated simply. "You have no chance of surviving this encounter, no hope of coming out on top. Do you now comprehend the true scope of the futility of your efforts? The utter hopelessness of it all?" he asked.

"In terms from your own aberrant language... fuck you," Nightmare Moon panted. "I don't know if that's the correct term, nor do I even care. I refuse to surrender and submit myself to you, you aberrant monstrosity. I refuse to give you the satisfaction..."

So that was it then.

"So be it then," he replied. She refused to understand the true hopelessness of the situation she was in? Then she would be made to learn. "You will come to know what true despair is, and be made to comprehend your own insignificance for what it is."

Nightmare Moon just grunted in response. "If I'm truly so insignificant, then why do you care so much about what I think?"

Ulquiorra's reiatsu stilled in response to the question. Out of everything he could've anticipated Nightmare Moon saying, that had definitely not been among them.

"What did you just say?"

"Why do you care so much about what I think?" Nightmare Moon repeated. "You seem rather fascinated with what a supposedly insignificant thinks about themselves. Almost like asking an ant to evaluate it's place in the world. So why do you care? What's it to you anyway, whether or not I accept my own perceived insignificance?"

The question shouldn't have carried the thought-provoking impact that it did. And yet despite that fact, it had done such regardless.

He was going to kill Nightmare Moon, regardless of whether or not she acknowledged the truth before her. That fact was the indisputable constant in all of this. So why did he care? Why did he care now, and why did he care with Ichigo Kurosaki back in Hueco Mundo? What difference was ultimately made? It wasn't as if accepting their fate made them any more dead than if they were killed while denying it.

So why did beating the optimism out of an opponent feel so important? Why did hope have to be crushed into dust along with the body?

"You're right," he admitted.

Nightmare Moon looked up at him once again. Out of everything she could've anticipated Ulquiorra saying, that had definitely not been among them.

"You're absolutely right. It really doesn't matter. I've wound up allowing my priorities to become skewed in this situation, and lose focus of what's important. That won't happen again, I apologize," he clarified.

Nightmare Moon blinked, completely taken aback by the sudden cordiality of the exchange. It was even more surprising than his admitting that she was right about something.

"Oh. Well thank-"

"I'll simply kill you now, and be done with this matter entirely."

Segunda Etapa wasn't warranted in this situation. The immense power and strength it commanded would be utterly wasted and trivialized against a being such as Nightmare Moon. At this close of a proximity, a single Cero Oscuras would be enough to obliterate her from existence, to the point not even her ability to recorporealize herself would be enough to put her back together again.

But the charging time for a Cero Oscuras was long enough to be exploited if she had some last trick in mind. Just as she had demonstrated previously. That simply wouldn't do. Luz de la Luna would work just as well in this case, and with much greater speed.

"Farewell."

If only things were truly that simple.

Applejack's sole contribution in the fight against Nightmare Moon so far, had been little more than serving as a spring board for Fluttershy, literally throwing her right at Nightmare Moon, so she could fly much faster and hit much harder, and basically act as a distraction to let Rainbow Dash get Ulquiorra's sword back to him. All in the hope that he could do what none of them had been able to do on their own.

She didn't like it. Not one single, stinking little bit! She and her friends were the ones who possessed the Elements of Harmony, they were the ones who were supposed to be stopping evil threats and putting Nightmare Moon in her proper place. They weren't supposed to be outsourcing that responsibility onto others! It didn't matter if that responsibility fell on the withers of one who could punch a dragon hard enough to make it go cross-eyed, or could uproot an entire tree with a single kick, she still didn't like it!

But what could they really do about it? Regardless of how she felt about the situation, she had to face facts. Nightmare Moon had returned without any of them them knowing, and had effortlessly picked them apart, making them question themselves and each other, and rendered the Elements of Harmony utterly useless against her. It'd all been done faster than she could rope an ornery calf, easier than she could buck an apple tree, and all without any of them having a clue what was going on until it was already too late.

Right now, Ulquiorra was their best hope for success.

No siree, she didn't like it at all. In fact she downright hated it.

The only thing she hated worse than that, though, was how she was feeling right now. She was a mixed up jumble of unpleasant emotions that she couldn't even put into words. But then again, the middle of a battle for the fate of the world was hardly the right place to be thinking over how you felt at the moment; especially with shock waves and explosions going off above them.

She sighed, resigning herself to the fact that, whatever she was looking for, she wasn't going to find it out here.

Off to her left she saw Zecora out of the corner of her eye, still quite curious about Pinkie's roll of duct tape they'd used for securing Ulquiorra's sword to the back of Rainbow Dash's armor. Even in her current state, she couldn't help but chuckle a little at her friends' bewilderment at encountering an entirely different sort of magic.

"Something's not right."

Slowly, more and more ponies were congregating in the clearing. Some to find those they'd come with, others to simply watch the latest development in the battle between Ulquiorra and Nightmare Moon.

There'd been pandemonium when he'd transformed and cast the entire area into darkness, obviously. But that had more or less settled down, thankfully. Right now it was pretty much spectator sports, as everypony watched for glimpses of the two clashing in brief flashes of visibility. Some of whom were more rowdy than others.

Spike was simultaneously terrified and having the time of his life as he watched. Up until now he had only had stories of what Ulquiorra was capable of, but now he was seeing it live and in dragon. Quite frankly the stories didn't really do justice to the accounts he'd heard, even when Pinkie was the one telling -and potentially embellishing- them.

Despite some of the rowdier members of the crowd being loud and obnoxious at times, and even his own focus on what was happening, he'd still managed to hear Twilight's statement. And that statement now had his full attention as he turned to the side to better face her.

"What do you mean? What's not right?" he asked.

Twilight shook her head uneasily in response. "Well... that's sort of the problem. It's not something I can actually quantify in round terms. Something about all of this just... feels wrong to me..."

Spike really didn't like the sound of that. Whatever the problem at hoof was, Twilight could always find a way to explain it in a way that made sense. Or at least in a way that didn't leave it sounding like it was an irrational sort of gut feeling trying to express itself.

"Twilight, Nightmare Moon has been torturing every one of us for what feels like years, and had Equestria at her mercy. There is literally nowhere for things to go for us except up! Things can't even get any worse for Nightmare Moon, because she's already dead, she just doesn't realize it yet."

He knew the statement about how things couldn't get any worse was borderline jinxing their situation, but in this case it was highly appropriate. Nightmare Moon was facing Ulquiorra's full might in this battle, and he wasn't going to stop until she was dead. Her circumstances were at the pinnacle of how bad things could possibly be for anyone, while they had already crossed past that point and emerged on the other side to where things looked up.

"Ulquiorra's got this situation well in hand, hoof, claw, and whatever other extremity you wanna use to describe him having everything under control. Nightmare Moon can't throw anything at him that he can't deal with. If she were a stallion, Ulquiorra would have her by the balls right now," he continued.

"... When this is all over, we're having a very long talk about your use of language, mister," Twilight eventually replied. "But you're right. I'm overthinking this. I'm so used to us being the ones who have to solve a crisis when it appears, I honestly don't know what to do with myself in a situation when that's not the case."

"Yeah, welcome to my world," Spike muttered not-so-quitely in response.

It a way it was kind of funny, how he and Twilight were both on the same side of the useful/useless divide at the moment. For so long-

"Behold, Ponyville!"

All introspective, existential thought was immediately ceased by the bellow, causing all eyes to look forward and up as something was thrown to the ground with a mighty thud. Something that turned out to be the crumpled form of Ulquiorra currently lying on his back, and making no apparent effort to get back up again.

"Your "champion" at the epitome of his strength, and he still couldn't kill me! You pinned your hopes on his success, and now you can watch as they die right along with him!"

Spike didn't even have time to process the sequence of events before Nightmare Moon opened fire on Ulquiorra's position with a beam of magic that even he could feel.

He must've blinked without realizing it, because the next thing he did realize, he saw Twilight flashing into his field of vision as she landed on top of Ulquiorra, and proceeded to shield him with a combination of her body and her own magical shield, about a split second before Nightmare Moon's blast could make contact.

A serious miscalculation had been committed on his part. That was the only conclusion that readily made sense right now.

He had allowed himself to prematurely conclude that he could easily read and deduce the totality of her strength, simply because what he currently faced was nothing more than a shadow of the true Nightmare Moon. He simply hadn't considered the possibility of her actually being able to outlast him after everything she'd been put through by the others.

He had underestimated her strength, just as he has underestimated the strength of Ichigo Kurosaki's fully Hollowfied form. He was starting to sense a pattern.

Nightmare Moon didn't possess the strength necessary to overpower him in direct combat, regardless of what she might believe to the contrary. The matter was truly as simple as that. She simply couldn't defeat him through sheer brute strength, nor could she even overcome his ability to simply brush her aside like she was nothing more than trash.

What she did possess, however, was vast reserves of endurance and stamina; reserves of such depths that her stamina was proving sufficient to outlast even him in this battle. Reserves that his pesquisa had failed to pick up on when he'd scanned her. Had he known such, he would've approached the matter differently.

Such was ultimately what led him to his current position on his back on the forest ground, staring up as Nightmare Moon prepared to open fire on him. He simply hadn't been able to consider the possibility of this sort of development happening.

But then again, he hadn't been able to consider the possibility of Ichigo Kurosaki being able to surpass him to the degree that he had back in Las Noches, either. That was twice now that he'd made such a costly mistake.

Arrogance, overconfidence, shortsightedness, whatever the reason behind it was, it made little difference right now.

Twilight Sparkle entered his field of vision, silhouetted against the light of Nightmare Moon's attack as she teleported at him with outstretched forelegs, more or less tackling his prone form against the ground, and deploying her shield just in time to intercept the attack and prevent it from connecting.

Her shield was holding for the moment, but he knew it was only a matter of time before that was no longer the case. Her reserves had already been strained and drained significantly, to the point she'd never be able to outlast Nightmare Moon in a battle wills. Even now he could both feel and see it beginning to crack under the strain of what it was tasked with holding back, despite her best efforts at maintaining its structural integrity.

Twilight knew, intellectually, that attempting to shield Ulquiorra from harm was both unwise and unnecessary. He possessed far greater physical durability and resiliency than any of them, and could withstand far more damage without being harmed when subjected to it.

But whether it was wise or not, her heart made decisions faster than her mind could compensate for, and she found her hooves driven forward as she teleported and leapt to Ulquiorra's defense. Leaving her to realize just how bad of an idea it was only after she felt Nightmare Moon's assault bearing down on her.

Her shield had weathered what she'd considered to be truly monumental burdens before in the past. Not like what Shining Armor could withstand, but still respectable in her own right. But all of those paled in comparison to this. And the fact that she'd already been weakened from her lightning attacks wasn't helping any.

She tried. Oh she certainly tried to keep Nightmare Moon's assault at bay, but she simply couldn't feel any signs of it letting up, and the strain of trying to concentrate and keep her shield together was quickly reaching the point. If she'd come into this fresh, rather than being subjected to week's worth of mental strain as she sat and watched helplessly as her friends were picked off one by one around her, she might've stood a chance at outlasting Nightmare Moon's efforts.

But such wasn't the case and she quickly found herself overwhelmed by the white hot sensation of sensory overload as her shield gave way and she was consumed.

She felt the sensory overload, and then she felt nothing at all. Which was really odd, because she should've been feeling something at this point since she was in the direct line of fire.

Once her senses cleared she found out the reason why that was; Ulquiorra was currently using with his wing like a shield and intercepting Nightmare Moon's attack himself.

It made sense, now that she was actually thinking about it rather than just reacting. They had spoken at length, often discussing a great many details about Ulquiorra's unique physiology. She knew that he could concentrate the reiatsu within his body and increase the density of his reiatsu within his skin to harden its defensive qualities, leaving it much like a thick plate of hardened steel, but she simply hadn't thought about that fact at the time. If she had...

Well if she had thought of it, she still might've dove into action like she had. She didn't know for sure. He was still her friend, after all.

It didn't work! It didn't work! It didn't work!

Nightmare Moon was furious at this development; at this meddling! Why did these ponies continue finding the courage to get involved in her affairs?

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she had little choice but to shrug it off, lest she do something rash. She had to remember that she currently had full control of the situation. She could work with that. And if she could crack Twilight's shield once, she could do far worse the second time around.

"Enjoy your moment of defiance while you can, little pony. You won't enjoy what comes next, either for you, or the others..."

A purple light down below suggested Twilight was attempting a retaliatory move. Even after that, she still had the strength and will to fight? Or was it the arrogance to believe that she stood a chance?

Regardless, she still strafed to the side to avoid contact with the incoming bolt of magical energy, just in the event it was a distraction attempt that would weaken her control of the situation.

The smugness died before it could even be fully formed as she felt something hit her from above. Something wet and warm, sticky and viscous, and a very slimy green as it practically dripped everywhere on her. Her vision was obscured by the stuff dripping down over her eyes, to say of where else it went, before she felt it actually set up and harden against her.

She couldn't see. She couldn't hear. She couldn't smell. She could barely even breathe. All she could do was scream in what was most certainly NOT surprise as she tried to get the sludge off of her face, all the while trying to fire off whatever spell came to mind.

This unfortunate fact left her quite vulnerable to Flitter and Cloudchaser swooping in to deliver a double uppercut to her chin, while Bulk Biceps came up and hit her from behind immediately afterward.

"Changeling goo," was all Twilight managed to get out.

She wanted to elaborate further and explain how she'd been experimenting on the substance off and on ever since the second invasion in Ponyville, and how this application seemed a far more worthwhile endeavor than just keeping it around indefinitely. But she didn't do that. Right now there were far more pressing matters to address.

"What happened up there?" she asked as she sat up on Ulquiorra's lap.

"A serious miscalculation," Ulquiorra replied as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

Twilight's brow furrowed in confusion and concern over what Ulquiorra meant. What sort of serious miscalculation was he talking about?

Before she could press him for further details and an explanation on what he meant, she was treated to the sight of his wing disintegrating into dust all the way to his back.

That in itself wouldn't have been too concerning, except for the fact that she wasn't seeing a new wing sprouting into existence. What she wasn't seeing was proving to be far more disturbing and unsettling than what she was seeing.

"Twilight Sparkle. I need you to get off of me."

The fact he had taken the time to actually ask her to move, rather than simply moving her himself, was even more concerning. She found herself so stunned by it all, she hadn't even realized she'd done as he'd asked until he was already climbing back to his feet again.

"What sort of miscalculation?" she finally asked, as she was certain he wouldn't be volunteering such information on his own. "I'm very good when it comes to calculations. Tell me what I can do to help, please."

The silence only lasted a second or two. But it felt like it stretched on for an eternity before Ulquiorra finally spoke again.

"The Luz de la Luna is incredibly fast to deploy, faster than even a cero. But it comes at the cost of requiring considerably more reiryoku to manifest," he explained. "I thought this could be compensated for, by being in close enough proximity to Nightmare Moon, to shorten the duration it would have to be maintained. I was wrong."

The information contained within the sentence was scant. But it had told Twilight all she needed to know about the situation, and leave her quite horrified by what he was saying without even saying it.

"But... b-but you recharged back in Canterlot! Luna said so! You-"

"Princess Celestia could feel Princess Luna's strength fading quickly," Ulquiorra stated, effortlessly shutting down her protests. "In her condition, she wouldn't have survived travel to Canterlot at top speed. Time was of the essence, necessitating that certain sacrifices be made. And as Princess Celestia wasn't a viable option for that sacrifice, there was only one logical course of action that could be undertaken."

Ulquiorra hadn't come flat out and stated it, but the implications of what he had said were easy enough for Twilight to read and piece together the series of events that'd transpired. And while it was entirely possible she was wrong, she certainly doubted it. Ulquiorra was far too precise in the manner he spoke to suggest something he didn't actually mean to say.

He had been exhausted from his last fight with Nightmare Moon, likely further exhausted from taking Celestia back to Canterlot, and hadn't even stopped to catch his breath before hurrying back into the fray to face off against Nightmare Moon yet again.

On the one hoof, that sort of dedication was admirable. But on the other hoof he looked like he could barely even stand up under his own power! His wing wasn't regenerating, and if he couldn't even make use of his attacks then they were in big trouble. They had to do something!

"Then do it here. Get somewhere and recharge, we'll keep Nightmare Moon stalled like we have been. We'll buy you whatever time you need to recuperate," she stated as she tried to focus on just how to go about accomplishing such.

"At this point that wouldn't do any good. The reiryoku currently within the area is far too thin to be of any use for such purposes. It would take hours of effort to accomplish, and it's quite doubtful everyone acting together would be able to stave off Nightmare Moon for that long," Ulquiorra elaborated.

Twilight frowned as her ears folded at hearing this. She supposed it made sense to some extent; with all of the magic they'd been casting throughout this battle, and with Luna's own efforts at trying to recharge herself, it would make sense if the latent mana in the area would be considered as too weak to use for more advanced techniques. She had felt the power drain for herself whenever Ulquiorra was in the area, so she had some idea of what he was talking about.

"At this point, proper revitalization in an expedient fashion would require devouring souls," Ulquiorra continued.

"... Then, if that's what's needed, then do it," Twilight replied, "take my soul. Use it to stop Nightmare Moon."

Chapter One Hundred Two

Chapter One Hundred Two

Pinkie didn't like violence, not one little bit. In fact she absolutely abhorred it. But even she could understand that there were times and circumstances under which violence was necessary, warranted, and even justified, no matter how distasteful it ultimately was. She knew this, her friends knew this.

She hadn't let that distaste stop her from coming out here, however, even when she was informed of the very real possibility that they might have to kill Nightmare Moon themselves since the Elements of Harmony still weren't functioning.

The decision to come along hadn't been made lightly, though. She'd weighed the matter quite heavily in the time that they'd had, before ultimately arriving at the only conclusion she could draw, and still live with herself. There was so much as stake right now, she simply couldn't, in good conscience, stay behind in Ponyville while the others opted to go on ahead.

She abhorred violence. But what she abhorred even worse than violence was the thought of standing aside and doing nothing, and letting somepony die in the process when it could've been prevented. That was simply something she could not accept, and would not accept. So to protect those innocent ponies, she would willingly dive headlong into the lesser of two evils and engage in all manner of violence on their behalf.

Granted, with Ulquiorra on the job and doing the majority of the heavy work, she hoped that wouldn't to be necessary. But unfortunately that was proving to not be the case. Something had happened and now Ulquiorra was the one at a disadvantage, meaning they had to step up and fast.

The moment Flitter, Cloudchaser, and Bulk Biceps got Nightmare Moon on the ground she sprang into action, taking a page from Blossomforth's playbook by getting behind her and delivering a Germanian suplex to slam her head into the ground, before climbing out from under her and atop her barrel to straddle her.

"No party for you!"

It was a sentence that Pinkie never thought she'd utter to anypony or anything, as she never imagined a scenario where it would be appropriate for her to say something. But in this particular case it was a highly appropriate statement as she proceeded to rain down numerous, pounding blows on Nightmare Moon's prone form with her front hooves, each of them causing her body to jerk and spasm from the force of the impact.

She understood that it probably wouldn't do any good in the long run, what with all she'd seen Nightmare Moon surviving up to this point. But right now that was all beside the point. Ineffective or not, she refused to stand by and do absolutely nothing. She would do what she could, and simply hope for the best.

"What... what did you say?"

Ulquiorra was rarely one to find himself outright stunned by what he encountered. But the statement by Twilight had done just that and left him unable to trust his own ears. Surely he must've heard wrong over the din of chaos. Clarification was needed.

"I said take my soul. Use it to revitalize yourself, and stop Nightmare Moon," she said, more or less repeating her previous statement.

So he hadn't heard her wrong after all. In one way that was good as it meant his senses were still intact and could be relied on. But it also meant her statement was real, which presented its own complications and issues in need of dealing with.

"You would die," he pointed out.

Twilight, in response, shook her head. "I don't care. I'd rather die than just stand by and watch my friends die instead. And if we don't stop Nightmare Moon, if we don't kill her, that's precisely what's going to happen; everypony is going to die!"

There had been no hesitation in her voice as she spoke and acknowledged the reality of what she was saying. Nor had there been quiet resignation of her fate. Instead there was only unwavering certainty in her position, and the belief that what she was proposing would work. Rarely was such conviction ever seen.

"I'm sorry I have to ask this of you, Ulquiorra, but it's the only way," she continued as she used her magic to pull her mane back into an impromptu ponytail and turned her head to better expose the side of her neck to him. "We're out of time, we're out of options, it has to be this way if we're going to save Equestria. It's like you said yourself, six for six million? Well this is one for all. Nopony else is going to die on my watch, so just do it!"

This was not the type of situation Ulquiorra ever expected to find himself in. That had been par for the course since his arrival in Equestria, but this development had to be the most unexpected of all. Worse yet was how this development was serving to affect him.

He couldn't remember the last time he had actually partaken in the consumption of a soul, Hollow or otherwise. Once he'd achieved Vasto Lorde status, there had been no need for such, as the reishi of Hueco Mundo had been sufficient to sustain him as he'd wandered the desert. Now he was being provided with the chance to do such once again, and he could practically feel his mouth watering at the offer being presented to him, with his mind being filled with desperate urgings to go through with it.

She was so close to him, he could practically smell her soul, and the sweet aromas wafting up from it. It was tantalizing, like a cut of prime meat being offered up to a hungry carnivore who hadn't eaten in so long. Or an addict who had spent years being clean, only to be met with overwhelming temptation as their habit of choice was presented to them once again after such a long absence. And she was presenting herself to him willingly, despite knowing what it would mean for her.

He could do it, too. There was nothing to stop him from succumbing to the sudden rush of primal desires presently flooding his mind. He could sink to his baser instincts and consume her soul where she stood without so much as even a second thought about it. No one would ever be the wiser as to what happened, either. They would have no way of knowing how she died, or that he'd been the one who did it. He could blame her death on Nightmare Moon, and no one, not even Princess Celestia, would have any reason to doubt his account of things.

"I can't," he stated, both to her, and to himself. "At this point, a single soul simply wouldn't be enough to do anything worthwhile. For proper revitalization to be a possibility, a great many souls would be necessary."

Control was returning to the forefront of his mind as reason and logic reasserted themselves, serving to drown out the more primal aspects of his Hollow nature. At the moment there were far more important and pressing matters in need of addressing than cravings. At this point, even if he accepted her offer, a single soul wouldn't even be enough to stop his-

That train of thought immediately stopped as a new line of thinking presented itself to him. Just like that the answer to the question at hand presented itself, and he knew what needed to be done to solve this problem.

Pinkie's intentions in fighting Nightmare Moon herself had been good. But good intentions always had a way of, one way or another, leading to bad outcomes that were counterproductive to what was supposed to accomplish. This was something she came to realize only too late when one rage-filled blow slammed in the hardened changeling goo hard enough to crack it.

Granted, she hadn't been aiming for it at the time, as even she understood what purpose it was supposed to serve. But Nightmare Moon had managed to jerk her head right into the path of an incoming blow.

The force of the impact had been enough to slam her head back into the ground. But the maneuver had served the purpose of freeing her from her restraints.

In a magical flash she found herself being flipped and slammed on her back against the ground with Nightmare Moon standing over her, and wearing a sneer that just screamed how she was going to inflict all manner of horrible things on her.

Fortunately Lyra was there to cover her back with a stream of fire erupting from the tip of her horn and striking Nightmare Moon's right wing, sending the alicorn screaming in pain and leaping off of her quarry.

"Burn, you whore! Burn!" Lyra yelled furiously as she unleashed another stream of fire on Nightmare Moon's new position, giving Pinkie the opportunity she needed to evacuate back to where her friends currently were.

Her efforts, respectable as they were, lasted up until she was ensnared from behind in Nightmare Moon's magic and flung away to the side like she was nothing more than trash.

Others who were brave enough to join in the fray didn't fare much better. Colgate, Thunderlane, Bulk Biceps, Vinyl Scratch - anypony who tried found their efforts amounted to very little, as they were easily defeated and discarded in much the same manner.

Despite knowing full well that she probably didn't stand a chance against her, Applejack hadn't hesitated to charge towards Nightmare Moon, intent on delivering the best beating she could muster.

The clash would've been hard and devastating for one or possibly both of them, if not for Ulquiorra blindsiding and grabbing Nightmare Moon around the throat with his left hand, and lifting her high enough the ground for her forelegs to dangle uselessly, as she struggled against his ever-tightening grip.

"Your fight is with me, Nightmare Moon, not anyone else," he stated simply as he tightened his grip on her throat even further, before taking off into the sky with her in tow, far out of Applejack's reach.

So close. She was so dang close!

The plan had been to drag Nightmare Moon several thousand feet above the ground, to the point the atmosphere would be too thin for her to breathe properly. Although that plan was revised to approximately two hundred feet when she broke loose by kicking him away with her hind legs, and halting their upward ascension.

No matter, he could improvise; such as reapplying his vice-like grip on the cannon of one of her extended hind legs, and hold her in place for punching her right in the face.

He had been aiming for her horn, but she had managed to jerk her head just enough that it landed flat on her snout.

She proceeded to return the favor with her unrestrained hind leg, by kicking him square in the face. To which he followed her example, and kicked her in the chest. Thus devolving their engagement into a matter of hand-to-hoof-to-foot combat as she struggled to get loose, while he fought to keep her restrained.

The reishi in the Everfree Forest was far too thin to sustain him in his efforts, but it was still sufficient enough to provide him the opportunity to stand, thus putting him at a minor advantage to Nightmare Moon as she would still need to levitate herself to stay aloft. However it was insufficient for providing a firm enough surface to body slam her should it come to that. He would simply have to avoid utilizing such tactics in this engagement, as he was not about to let her get away again. He had to keep her away from the others to ensure they were out of range; both of what she might do, and of what he would do.

With Nightmare Moon presently indisposed with combat against a superior opponent, the good citizens of Ponyville could more easily focus on other important matters, like getting out of the area, and getting medical attention for their injured members. But first they needed to determine who was in the greatest need of care, and focus on getting them out of the area first. Those who could still move would have to prioritize helping out those that couldn't.

"Luna!"

But their own crude attempts at triage would have to wait, as Twilight came galloping up to their position, eyes wide and looking quite panicked as she nearly collided with the currently de-powered alicorn.

"Twilight Sparkle, what is the matter?"

"Ulquiorra's dying!"

The statement was so far out of left field, Luna couldn't help but blink in response. "I am, sorry? What do you mean Ulquiorra Cifer is dying?"

"Yeah, Twilight, Ulqi's already dead, how can he die again?" Pinkie asked as she scratched her head in confusion.

"He's running out of power," twilight stated quickly, not even stopping to catch her breath before she continued. "He didn't recharge in Canterlot when he had the chance because there wasn't time. The second he got Celestia back to the palace he made his way back here to fight with Nightmare Moon again. But he doesn't have the strength he needs to fight her. He doesn't have the power he needs to utilize his attacks, or even heal the damage his body has taken so far."

"Okay, so the situation's bad and we're behind the eight ball again. That's par for the course," Rainbow Dash noted. "But how does that mean Ulquiorra's dying?"

A chorus of other voices from those present joined in, echoing the confusion.

"Ah reckon Ah know," Applejack spoke up, but hoped she was wrong. "A while back Mr. Cifer had ta chop off his own leg when a cockatrice petrified it. When he did it disintegrated 'cause there wasn' any power goin' to it anymore."

Twilight nodded in confirmation, thankful that somepony understood. Ulquiorra's body was like a battery or a lit candle, and once it ran out of mana to sustain itself...

She honestly didn't know for certain, and she desperately hoped she was wrong, but she couldn't help but wonder if he was going to execute a suicide play to take Nightmare Moon out. He'd already demonstrated once that he had no qualms with dying in the name of doing such if he believed it was necessary. It certainly wouldn't surprise her if that was his intention, to make the best of his current situation.

"Dear Faust," was all Luna could say in response to this revelation. Now she really wished she hadn't insisted on him taking Celestia back to Canterlot. If she had simply listened to him, they might not be in this position at all.

Then again, if Celestia had listened to her when she'd advised against coming out here, they might not be in this position at all. There had simply been too many mistakes made on this night, and too many were paying the price for such bad decisions being made by those who should've known better.

"Well then let's stop talking, and go and do something about it!" Rainbow Dash stated with a displeased tone as she looked around. "Seriously, we were defending Equestria and promoting harmony before he ever showed up. Let's go kick some evil ass!"

"Rainbow Dash, there's nothing we can do!" Twilight snapped right back. "The mana in the area is too thin to be of any use to Ulquiorra. We've been using so much magic in our fight against Nightmare Moon, there's nothing left for him to feed on!"

It was a cruel twist, how what they used to fuel their spells was the same thing Ulquiorra used to sustain his own existence. They could still perform their various spells with the mana available, but it just wasn't enough for him. If only they could...

Wait... wait just a minute...

"Actually, maybe there is something that we can do," she said in a far more positive sounding tone than just a moment ago. "Ulquiorra needs a massive infusion of mana right now; far more massive than a single pony could ever muster on their own. So instead we're all going to do it together. We're going to give him all the mana we have, so he can put an end to Nightmare Moon once and for all!"

She could just kick herself for not thinking of performing a mana transfer earlier, especially as they had performed one for Luna not even an hour ago. But that was neither here nor there. Granted, in her defense, she'd never considered the viability of a transfer as big and complicated as what she was proposing, as it was on a much larger scale than anything she'd encountered in her studies. But right now it was the only play they had left to play.

"But what if it's not enough? What if it doesn't work?" Ditzy asked.

A chorus of other concerned voices soon joined Ditzy in agreement, questioning whether or not this tactic would actually succeed.

Spike, in response, growled as he climbed up on Pinkie's back to better address the crowd in his own unique, eloquent way.

"If this doesn't work then we all die, and it'll be all your fault because somepony was holding back and made it not work! He's risking his life for us, so the least we can do is give him whatever support he needs! So if you wanna see another sunrise, you all just shut up and focus on making it work!"

Twilight nearly squeaked in surprise at just how forceful Spike had sounded in his delivery, and how abrasive his manner of address was. But as best she could see, it was having the desired purpose of getting everypony present focused on what was needed of them, rather than the possibility of their efforts failing. That was good, they'd need to be positive for this to work.

She'd have a talk with Spike later. Right now she had to focus on her part of this operation. All of the positivity and generosity in the world wouldn't do them any good if she couldn't the mechanics just right.

"Ulquiorra, please hold on. I promise, help is on the way," she silently pleaded, before addressing the others present. "Alright, everypony, gather close. We only have one shot at making this work, so focus! Give everything you've got to Ulquiorra, don't hold anything back!"

The others looked at one another uncertainly, before nodding in agreement and stepped closer to Twilight as her horn started to glow in preparation for what needed to be done.

There was no sense in Ulquiorra denying the blatantly obvious facts that currently faced him. He could feel himself growing weaker, the longer this fight against Nightmare Moon raged on. He'd been reduced to basic physical attacks against her, and their own validity was highly questionable, considering how much of a beating she'd been taking up to this point, and showing no true signs of being worse for wear.

He himself, however, wasn't so fortunate on that front.

Her scythe had been successfully blocked, and even shattered for the time being, but not before he'd lost his remaining wing to its cutting edge. For his efforts his palms had been left badly burnt, to the point that he could barely open his hands at all, on top of all the other injuries he'd already sustained in this fight. He was slouching, he was panting and gasping for air, and he was starting to have trouble with properly coordinating his physical movements. His high-speed regeneration was being starved for reiryoku, as what little he had left simply couldn't be spared. And he could forget about his Segunda Etapa at this point in time; he'd already wasted too much reiryoku for it to even be a consideration.

Had he been prepared for the equivalent of a marathon rather than a sprint, perhaps he wouldn't be in this position right now.

He could feel himself reaching the end of his tether, and to a much greater degree than when he'd faced Ichigo Kurosaki. Nightmare Moon was most likely going to be the death of him, even with her reiryoku levels depleting as they were; not nearly fast enough to make a difference here. It was a fact already being emphasized as she cracked her neck, and looked ready to continue fighting him.

He already knew that he would never win this conflict through strength, but then again he really wasn't trying to do that, as he had another strategy in mind. One that she would soon come to experience for herself, when it was far too late for her to do anything about it.

"You've reached your end, Espada, even I can tell that," Nightmare Moon commented as she scowled at him dismissively, doing her best no the telegraph her own state of weariness. "You're ready to drop. Just go on and give up already. You'd spare yourself so much suffering if you just submitted. Surely you don't want your last moments to be excruciating..."

Ulquiorra said nothing, not interested in dignifying Nightmare Moon's comment with a response one way or the other. Two more minutes, and it wouldn't make anymore difference anyway. It was a given that his last moments were to be excruciating, so he was going to do his best to ensure that she shared in the experience.

Nightmare Moon scoffed in annoyance. There was simply no reasoning with him; he was far too stubborn to realize that he was outclassed. He was intent on his existence being spent suffering miserably. Oh well, that was his decision to make, and she would honor it.

"Have it your way then," she replied.

But before she could actually go about ending his worthless existence, a deep thromming-type sound was heard as a massive wave of mana exploded in the distance up towards the sky, traveling in a multi-colored pillar, causing her to stop in her tracks as she watched it ascend. At first she thought it was the Elements of Harmony in action, but that thought was quickly dismissed when she realized there was too many colors present, and the feeling it radiated was all wrong. No, this was something completely different.

And then the pillar of light actually changed its trajectory, and arced downward, bearing down on Ulquiorra's position, and slamming into his back with enough force that it nearly knocked him right off of his feet in the process, as it completely enveloped him.

The light was absolutely blinding; worse than Celestia's attacks had been. It was bright enough she had to shield her eyes, as the light radiated outward with great gusto. What was going on here!?

By now the mana wave had vanished, but its after effects were still very present, in a bright white ball of mana hanging in the sky where the Espada had hovered, the entire surface crackling and shimmering with lightning arcing all around it. But as bad as the brightness itself was to her, what was contained within it was much worse.

She could see the blackened silhouette of Ulquiorra within, partially obstructed from the glare around the edges of the outline, but still easily visible enough for her to tell that he was no longer slouching, but standing upward with a sense of renewed vigor. Worse than that was the fact that both of his wings were in the process of regrowing; something that he hadn't been able to do on his own just a moment ago, otherwise he would've done it!

And then his wings shot outward, piercing the surface of the sphere, as it started to contract in on his body.

"No!" she shouted at the realization of just what was happening. Those worthless ponies were reinvigorating him! This couldn't be! This wouldn't do at all! She had to put an end to this before he was fully recovered! Quick as she could, she called on all of her available magical strength, channeling it all into the tip of her horn, violent little blue and white sparks popping and falling freely as she did so. She had to end this immediately while she still had the option available to her!

Throwing her head forward, Nightmare Moon let loose with the biggest magical blast she could muster, a great deal of heat beginning to radiate from the dark blue beam hurtling straight towards the mana sphere, intent of piercing it at him all the way through.

But it didn't work like she'd hoped. Instead of penetrating the sphere, her beam was actually splitting apart, and cascading off of the sides like it was nothing; like a stream parting to travel around a stone that was far too big for the surface to cover. Had those worthless ponies been able to amass so much mana, that it actually eclipsed her own!? It couldn't be, it would've taken all of Ponyville and Canterlot to do that and...

No. No it was even worse that that! Her beam wasn't cascading against from the mana sphere, but rather Ulquiorra's outstretched left hand! She'd missed it through the brightness she'd been up against, but as the glare faded, and he became fully visible once again, it was as clear as day that he was stopping her attack with nothing more than his bare hand! She was too late to stop his invigoration!

And just like that, her beam cut out. There was no point in pouring out good mana towards a useless cause like this anymore. She was going to need it for other purposes, she was positive of that right now.

Twilight collapsed to the ground in a crumpled pile, the others following shortly after her in much the same fashion. She felt unbelievably weak, and unable to stand after that. But that was to be expected, considering how much mana she'd poured out in such a short amount of time. She had said they needed to give it their all, and that was exactly what they'd done. She just didn't expect that their all could possibly be so much! She'd felt it all for herself when she was serving to channel and direct it, and it'd been completely overwhelming.

That was the extent of what they could do. Now it was up to Ulquiorra to do the rest from here on out. She just hoped that it had been enough to actually make a difference. Otherwise they were all finished.

"Do it, Ulquiorra," she muttered, too weak to stand up, and unable to see anything more than a blurry light above them right now.

Ulquiorra calmly drew his hand back, and slowly turned it over to look at his palm as he flexed his fingers. The damage that has once been present from contact with Nightmare Moon's scythe was now completely gone, with nothing but unmarred skin being visible. Nor was there damage from blocking her attack with his bare hand; something that he wouldn't have attempted to do previously, but had done out of simple necessity.

There were so, so very many unfamiliar sensations and feelings he was playing host to now, as they coursed their way through him. They were strange, and conflicting, and chaotic, and so vastly different from anything he had ever felt before. But at the same time, it somehow felt like the sensation of chaos shouldn't be resisted and opposed, but rather embraced and welcomed. In some strange and unexplainable way, it felt... right.

"I see now," he finally said as he broke the silence. "This is what it means to have friends."

"F... friends!?" Nightmare Moon squawked, completely taken off guard by what he'd had to say. What would a killing machine know about friends? It had to be a trick.

"It's a concept I can finally say, with absolute honesty, that I comprehend," Ulquiorra replied as he turned his focus away from his hand, and up towards Nightmare Moon where she hovered. There would be time for properly analyzing everything later on. Right now he still had work to do.

Nightmare Moon scoffed, trying to regain her lost composure in the face of the current threat. "I'm so happy for you," she replied sarcastically with a sneer as her horn began to glow again. "Unfortunately for you, you've realized the concept just in time to lose it! Your friends will die for this!"

She might not have the magic necessary to stop the Espada, but the ponies who had contributed to this atrocity were another story. He had dared to declare that he would impress upon her what true despair was, and now he would be made to pay for it. She was going to make him pay, by taking away those that he had come to refer to as being his friends. She was going to impress upon the worthless Espada what the truest form of despair was, when she took everything from him!

She felt the impact before she actually saw it land against her barrel, immediately breaking her concentration.

Along with Ulquiorra's wings, his incredible speed had apparently returned, allowing him to kick her unprotected ribcage hard enough to send her flying upward, before she actually saw him standing in front of her.

Maybe that threat really hadn't been the best idea she'd ever had.

"That will not be happening," Ulquiorra stated as he appeared directly in front of her before she could even blink, his right arm drawn all the way back, before swinging it forward at unbelievable speeds.

Every last nerve ending in Nightmare Moon's body was alight right now, her pain receptors thrown into overtime as they tried to comprehend what had just happened. The white hot pain was the most excruciating thing she could ever remember experiencing, and she briefly wondered if she'd been screaming the whole time; the way her senses had reacted to the pain, there was no way for her to really know just what had happened.

By the time her senses had come back, she'd become aware of the very distinct fact that she had blood dripping down her face, and getting into her eyes.

That, and her wings didn't seem to want to cooperate anymore. Suddenly it was very difficult to remain aloft of...

Panicky she felt atop her head, and immediately pulled her hoof back from the pain of touching the spot where her horn was. Or rather had been, as it was now gone! He'd completely cut her horn off right at the base of her skull!

No, that wasn't accurate. He hadn't cut her horn off, as his javelin was nowhere to be seen; he'd chopped it off, all the way down to the root bed, with nothing more than his bare hand and pure brute strength!

"Stop! Please!" she begged, desperately flapping her wings to try and remain aloft. "I'm sorry I threatened the others! Truly I didn't mean it, I was out of line!"

"Truly I don't care if you meant it or not. I'm still going to kill you regardless," Ulquiorra replied coldly and dismissively. "Your time has come to an end, and that is all there is to it."

He clenched his hand as he summoned his Luz de la Luna, but stopped as he felt it materialize. What he was holding in his hand didn't feel right, it felt different. As he looked at it he realized this was not his Luz de la Luna. This was something different, something else entirely.

It had the same basic javelin structure, but that was where the similarities ended. The reiryoku wasn't of a teal green coloring. Instead it looked like it was filled with the shimmering, pulsing light from a simple crystal prism. Like a rainbow, but with a far larger gradient of varying colors.

Just as it looked different, it also felt quite different. Before it was just sort of... there, its presence detectable like any physical construct would be. But this was radiating some strange, foreign sensation through his hand and against his exposed skin. The closest physical analogy he could draw on was that which would be experienced if one were to step out of the shadows and into the light of a bright, sunny day for the first time. But even that didn't seem adequate to describe it.

This was not his Luz de la Luna. It was as simple as that. This was... this was...

"Luz de Amistad!"

Slowly, he turned his attention away from it, and back towards Nightmare Moon, immediately inducing a sense of panic in her as she realized he was now focused entirely on her.

"No! Please! You don't have to do this! Please let me live! I'll give you whatever you could possibly want, just name it!" Nightmare Moon pleaded.

"Whatever I could possibly want in this world, I already have," Ulquiorra stated, before he sonidoed directly in front of her, and rammed his javelin straight through her chest in a single, swift motion, punching right through her ribs and straight into her heart. "And your continued existence is not a part of it, Nightmare Moon."

Nightmare Moon's body tensed up at the impact, before he drove the javelin even deeper until it punched straight through and out her back. She jerked and spasmed wildly as she threw her head skyward and released an animalistic -bordering on outright demonic- roar as a black light shined out of her mouth and eyes, before ceasing as her entire body went completely limp. The fact she was currently impaled was presently the only thing serving to prevent her body from dropping to the ground.

Ulquiorra waited and observed, waiting for any sign that this was some sort of trick. Waiting to see if she still had any fight left in her and was going to decorporealize and recorporealize herself once again. But no such signs ever came as she continued to dangle limply and lifelessly, impaled on the end of his javelin.

And then something completely unexpected happened, and he watched as thirty nine bright, white, spherical lights erupted from her body and proceeded to scatter. He might not've known for certain what he was seeing, but he certainly knew what he was sensing. Her victims were finally free from her grasps.

Finally, after so long for so many, it was really over.

Twilight was reasonably certain she'd passed out from exhaustion at some point in the wake of performing the transfer, although she couldn't be sure one way or another. Details were fuzzy and hazy in the immediate aftermath, but that was likely to be expected, considering what she'd just done. Honestly, if they survived this, she was going to have one hell of a scientific paper to write and submit on the subject.

She didn't know how much time had passed after the transfer had been completed. She honestly wasn't aware of much going on around them, until an extremely bright light shone high above them, accompanied by some sort of roar before dying out, although the light remained for quite some time afterward.

Her vision was much like the rest of her senses right now, still fuzzy and unfocused with exhaustion, but she was fairly certain she saw Ulquiorra high above, slowly descending toward the ground before finally landing. Honestly it was hard to tell against the backdrop of the sky because of how big and black his wings were, and how much of his white frame they obstructed from view. She suspected the thestral vision had worn off, what with how much mana they'd donated to the cause.

"Is it over?" she asked, although right now even speaking coherently was difficult. "Did we win? Is Nightmare Moon dead?"

"Quite dead," she heard Ulquiorra confirm, before observing as he... she assumed he was pulling his javelin out of her chest as it dematerialized.

She didn't feel renewed by this news, but she did feel relieved, like the weight of so much worry had been effortlessly lifted right off her withers. Nightmare Moon was finally, truly dead. Their efforts hadn't been in vain.

Her body was weak as she tried to roll over, and even weaker as she tried to stand back up, resulting in her promptly falling onto the ground again. She eventually decided that crawling over to where Ulquiorra was touching down might be in her own best interest.

"Don't come any closer, Twilight Sparkle."

Ulquiorra's words gave her reason to pause, but only momentarily before she continued her forward trek towards his position.

"You don't want to see this. It doesn't concern you any further. Just stay back."

His words of warning continued to be ignored as she continued moving towards his position, undaunted by his efforts. What he didn't understand was that she needed this. She needed confirmation for herself of Nightmare Moon's defeat, not merely his accounting of such.

He didn't warn her a third time as she continued crawling along, not even bothering to stand up any longer, as it was far too much effort and she wasn't confident enough in herself to try. She would stand up later once her legs didn't feel like jelly.

"Oh no..."

She desperately wished that she had actually heeded his warnings after all rather than stubbornly refusing to listen. What met her at the landing spot wasn't the body of Nightmare Moon, but rather the lifeless body of a foal with a gaping, cauterized hole in their chest.

"What-"

"Much like a parasite, Nightmare Moon took a host after all, rather than simply constructing a new body for herself," Ulquiorra elaborated.

"Did... did you know?" she asked, her mind reeling from this revelation.

"I did. From the moment she made her appearance, I knew the truth of the matter," he explained. "There was good reason I warned everyone that I was the only one who possessed the mental fortitude to do what ultimately needed to be done."

Twilight's mind and body were both quaking in light of everything, as she realized firsthoof just how unprepared for this she really was. She thought after everything they'd been through, that she'd been through, that she would be able to deal with stuff like this better. But she was wrong. She was so very, very wrong...

"We should return to Ponyville. There is still much that needs to be done."

She was vaguely aware of Ulquiorra's words. Just as she was vaguely aware that he'd apparently returned to his sealed state in the aftermath of Nightmare Moon's defeat; something she observed as he knelt down to pick up the body in front of them. But at the moment her mind just couldn't parse it all together in a coherent fashion. It just absolutely refused to push aside what had happened, in order to process any new information. She just... it just... couldn't.

What had they just done? One minute she was relaxing over the news that Nightmare Moon and was no more, and the next she was facing the revelation that they had killed an innocent foal in the process.

What had they done? What had they all done? What had she done?

Chapter One Hundred Three

Chapter One Hundred Three

Bonbon had absolutely hated the idea of Lyra venturing off into the Everfree Forest for the purpose of going to confront Nightmare Moon head on. The only thing worse than that was the fact Lyra had gone off without her.

It should've been her out there in the forest right now. She was the one who was best qualified for such a dangerous operation, even if she was an earth pony, even with Lyra learning offensive magic from Twilight. She was the one with the knowledge, with the techniques, and the technology that would've benefited everyone the most.

But Lyra would have none of that. She had attempted to raise such issues while still maintaining her cover, only to be shot down. And when the mint green unicorn was assertive... sweet Celestia she could be intimidating. The way she'd spoken when telling her to remain back in Ponyville where it was safe, and the tone of voice she'd used had made a shiver run down her back. Whether it was a good shiver or a bad shiver, she didn't know at the time.

She found herself back at home, uncertain of what to do with herself as she waited for news of whatever was happening. The only thing she really could do was pace anxiously as time moved at what felt like a snail's pace. She really should've been out in the center of town waiting. The only real difference between pacing out in the open with the others who remained, and pacing back in her home, was that she could actually see what was in her path and not trip over something.

Not for the first time since she got back, and likely not for the last, she contemplated returning to the center of town to see what the news was, even though there was nothing any of them could do but stand around and wait. But it felt rude to be here back at home, rather than standing around outside.

Although such thoughts halted at the sound of the front door being opened, bringing her out of the kitchen to see Ulquiorra walking through the door with Lyra currently perched atop his back.

She watched, uncertain what to make of the entire display as Ulquiorra crouched down to let Lyra climb off his back and stand on her own again, giving her an unobstructed view of her friend's current condition. Her mane and coat were both filthy and in need of a washing, and her right hind leg was injured, evidenced by the fact she was currently favoriting it and trying not to apply any weight to it as she stood.

Concern and confusion temporarily gave way to relief at the sight of Lyra still alive, and she quickly moved across the living room to pull her friend into a tight embrace, thankful she was back home safe.

"If you ever do something that stupid again, I swear I'm going to bite you next time. And not in a good way," she warned, before pulling back. "What happened to you? Are you alright? You look like you got ran over by a loose wagon!"

"Yeah, Bonnie, I'm alright. I just had a little accident, it's no big deal," Lyra replied absently.

"No big deal? Lyra, you ran off to face Nightmare Moon, and you came home injured. How is that no big deal?" Bonbon asked.

"You'll laugh," Lyra sighed, "Bulk Biceps fell on me when Nightmare Moon picked him up and tossed him away."

"Unbelievable as it may seem, it did happen that way," Ulquiorra stated, speaking up for the first time since his arrival.

Bonbon did indeed laugh in response. But it was the sort of laugh one gave when a tense situation diffused into a sense of relief.

"I'm just glad you're alright," she replied and hugged Lyra again. "What about the others, are they alright? What about Twist, is she with them?"

No one seemed to be in any big hurry to respond, and that in itself was concerning. It made her pull back to look Lyra in the eyes to try and decipher what was going on.

"Lyra? Where's Twist?"

"Bonbon," Lyra started hesitantly as she tried to find her voice, "I..."

"Twist is dead."

The blunt, straight to the point statement from Ulquiorra caught Bonbon off guard, leaving her both horrified, and wondering if she'd heard him right. Her little sister was dead?

"Nightmare Moon took her not only as a hostage, but also a host, to use her body as her own for her return. The Elements of Harmony were out of commission at the time, meaning the two couldn't be separated from one another. Difficult choices had to be made," Ulquiorra continued further. "There were no other options available. I was forced to kill Twist in order to kill Nightmare Moon."

Bonbon's mouth hung open as she dropped to her haunches at the revelation, far too shocked to speak.

"Whatever measure of comfort it may be, she didn't suffer. Her end was quick."

Bonbon's right hoof connected across his face, driven by a will that wasn't her own as something inside of her had just snapped. Whether it was his monotone delivery, or the words he spoke as he delivered the news, or even Lyra's efforts at physically comforting her, she didn't know what had been the final straw.

"Get out! Get out! I don't ever want to see you, just get out!" she screamed only semi-coherently as she tried to lunge at him, only held back by Lyra being in her path.

On Ulquiorra's side of the divide things were no better, but for entirely different reasons. He was well aware of how the ponies viewed both himself and his methods with fear, revulsion, displeasure, and a number of other negative emotions. But as he watched Bonbon breaking down into hysterical crying as she clung to Lyra, he was struck with uncertainty. This... felt wrong.

He felt compelled to do something in response, but exactly what that something was, he didn't know. Should he heed her demands and leave in order to give her time to sort things out? Should he remain present and allow her to properly vent her frustrations and pain against him?

Leaving the two in their current state didn't strike him as the right thing to do, but he couldn't explain why. Nor could he really explain what benefit could be achieved by his presence, other than letting Bonbon physically wail on him until she succumbed to exhaustion.

In the end, taking his leave was the only thing he could do, quietly stepping out the front door and closing it behind him with equal quietness. His continued presence would only serve as an irritant for Bonbon. There was nothing that he could either do, or offer to her, that would make up for his actions.

None of this was right. He wasn't prepared for this. He was a weapon, to be pointed in the direction of an enemy in need of being killed. His skills didn't include anything that applied in situations like this, after the battle was ended and the emotional fallout needed to be dealt with.

"Damn it."

There were far too many conflicting sensations right now, each of them wrestling for dominance in dictating what course of action was proper to take under these circumstances. There were also far too many questions about what should be done. But he did know of one thing that not only could be done, but likely needed to be done. Barring information that could be beneficial and suggest otherwise, he would do just that.

The hard plastic seats/benches/structural engineering atrocities of Ponyville General Hospital were hardly known for their comfort factor, especially over the long term. But in Twilight's current state she hardly noticed such. Her mind simply refused to absorb and process any new information presently.

She barely remembered the trek back from the Everfree Forest to Ponyville. Nor did she really remember the decision to move from outdoor triage to back at the hospital proper. She knew it happened, as she was here presently, but it was all nothing more than a blur to her at the moment.

Rainbow Dash was currently unconscious and showing no signs of rousing anytime soon. Nopony had been able to figure out how to get the remnants of her armor off, so there had been little choice but to leave it on her as she rested. Hardly ideal, but jostling her about wasn't a better alternative. She had fought against fatigue and exhaustion to the bitter end, holding out just long enough to receive confirmation from Ulquiorra that Nightmare Moon was indeed dead at last, before promptly passing out, and needed to be carried out of the forest on Applejack's back. Currently she was resting in one of the hospital beds, hooked up to an IV, provided with a mild sedative to ensure she rested, and given a high-level dose of broad-spectrum antibiotics to ensure she didn't get an infection from Nightmare Moon's bite.

Lyra had escaped serious injury with nothing more than a dislocated hip. She had been among those that were lucky, but others hadn't been.

Ditzy had suffered a detached retina. Whether or not it could successfully be reattached remained uncertain.

Thunderlane had suffered a concussion. The true extent of the damage done had yet to be discovered, but the change in his tone of voice in the aftermath didn't suggest anything good. She was no vocal expert, but she thought he sounded like Applejack's cousin, Braeburn.

Bulk Bicep's wings had been crushed by Nightmare Moon in her rage, necessitating word being sent for specialists up in Cloudsdale. Whether or not he would ever be able to fly again was anypony's guess.

Vinyl... her larynx had been crushed in a choke hold by Nightmare Moon, before she'd been flung away like trash. She was going to need numerous reconstructive surgeries and physical therapy to undo the damage that'd been done, and even then there was still no guarantee she'd ever be able to speak again.

Big Macintosh had suffered a fractured skull from tanking so many blows from Nightmare Moon, although the doctors were fairly confident there would be no serious long-term damage to be concerned about, as the fractures were all hairline. But there were just so many of them...

The list of injured ponies just went on, and on, and on. They didn't even know the full extent of injuries and damage yet, as it was still being tallied and accounted for. What made it even worse was the fact they were injured because of her and her friends. They were injured because of her...

She had been forced to watch helplessly for weeks as these ponies and countless others were preyed upon and attacked, subjected of mental atrocities few could truly imagine. As a result of that, her own objectivity had been compromised. She hadn't been the voice of reason when they'd needed it. She'd allowed her own anger to cloud her judgement. Ulquiorra's warning and advice had been ignored in the name of vengeance, and the misguided belief that they could do better than he could. Now look at where they were...

If they had simply remained behind, rather than charging into danger like they could do something about it, none of them would be where they were now. Twist would still be dead, slain by Ulquiorra's hand, and she knew that for a fact. But none of the others would be injured from a battle that wasn't theirs to fight. Celestia and Luna wouldn't be depowered and vulnerable. And she wouldn't currently be experiencing a massive sense of guilt over the part she'd essentially played in killing an innocent foal.

What she felt currently was far, far worse than what she'd felt with any other death on her conscience right now. Worse than when Ulquiorra had essentially forced her to help him kill the changelings in Ponyville. Worse than what she'd felt over the death of Cupid. Those could be rationalized away as not being her fault, and she knew it. But this was different. This couldn't be rationalized away, no matter how much her mind might try; not after everything that they'd done To Nightmare Moon, all the while not knowing she'd taken an innocent filly as a physical host.

This mess had been all their fault. All her fault. They had seen fit to interfere, forcing Ulquiorra to restrain himself for their own safety. They had meddled with what was his business, forced him into a disadvantage, nearly gotten him killed, and had to clean up the mess afterward.

Over, and over, and over again, these thoughts and more played out in her mind in an endless loop, showing no signs of letting up.

How many more deaths was her name destined to become associated with? Ponyville seemed to get besieged with at least one crisis a year, there was no reason to think tonight was going to be the end of world-threatening events developing. How many more deaths was she going to wind up playing a part in, either directly through her own actions, or indirectly simply by being in the vicinity?

A squeak on her left side finally pierced through the haze of her own thoughts, alerting her to the fact that somepony had set down next to her. Turning her head, she saw that it was Applejack currently making use of the next seat over.

"Hey."

Short, simple, but not the sort of greeting she'd expected to encounter. Not under the present circumstances anyway.

"We're all bunkin' in RD's room fer the night."

Again, short and simple. She could appreciate that, but not right now. All she could manage in response was a detached grunting noise to signify she'd heard the statement.

She expected there to be more from Applejack, but all she was met with was silence from her companion, and the general commotion that was associated with a hospital. She waited, but Applejack continued to say nothing.

Turning her head once again, she saw Applejack looking back at her. Sort of. She was looking at her, but not directly at her. Not like she was waiting for any sort of response before continuing to say whatever she had to say. She was just sort of there in a way.

"Ah reckon Ah know what yer goin' through right now, Sugarcube."

That statement nearly earned a humorless chuckle in response, but she just couldn't muster it.

"Do you, now?" she asked.

"Ah was forced ta kill mah friends an' family. So, yeah, Ah do," Applejack replied.

Ouch. She'd forgotten about that small detail. And now having it presented to her again made it hurt anew as she remembered the incident. Simply because Applejack's ordeal had been an illusion brought on by Nightmare Moon, didn't make the trauma of what she'd experienced any less real for her to languish over.

"I'm sorry."

"It's a'right. Ya were there fer me when Ah needed ya most. Ya kept me from breakin' like RD did. So the least Ah can do is be there fer ya in turn," Applejack replied.

Despite how she presently felt, Twilight couldn't help but smile at Applejack's words. Right now that honestly meant a lot to her, even if it was only a small measure of comfort.

"Thank you."

Applejack's response came in the form of pulling her into a hug and holding her close, despite the awkwardness of the chairs they currently resided in. But she didn't mind, as the awkwardness was a small price to pay for the measure of comfort she was experiencing from the hug right now. She needed this, even if she didn't really deserve it.

"Now. Ah'm gonna give ya a piece o' advice 'bout this, even though Ah know ya probably won't take it. That advice is ta stop thinkin' 'bout what happened."

Applejack was right. She probably wouldn't take that advice. She didn't have a clue how she could even go about doing that right now.

"But-"

"If ya don't listen ta me then Ah'm gonna spank yers. Now don' interrupt," Applejack warned. "Sugarcube, Ah've been there. But thinkin' on what happened isn't gonna change it, no matter how much ya want it to. Ya gotta put it outta yer mind, even if ya think it's impossible. The longer ya dwell on it, the worse it's gonna be. It'd be best jus' ta stop now, rather than stoppin' later."

Twilight shook her head in response. "I can't do that, Applejack. This wasn't an illusion this time around, we can't deny it happened. We not only killed another pony, but we played an active part in the act. We gave Ulquiorra the power and strength he needed to kill her. It's no different than if we murdered her ourselves with our own hooves."

"Yes, it is different, Twilight. We mighta played a part in what happened, but all we were doin' was helpin' Mr. Cifer so he didn' die. That's all you, and I, and everypony else did tonight. Nightmare Moon killed Twist, not us. Ah know it's hard ta believe right now, but that's what happened, whether or not ya choose ta believe it."

"Applejack-" Twilight started, only to be interrupted once again.

"Twilight. Listen, Ah could argue back an' forth wit' ya on this fer a couple o' hours, an' likely not get anywhere. So ta save some time Ah'll jus' say this. What if Nightmare Moon planned on this, so whatever victory we had was, er, whadda ya call it, pyrophobic?"

"Pyrrhic," Twilight clarified without even thinking. "Do you think that's actually the case?"

"Would you really put it past her, with all o' her schemin' an' such?" Applejack asked in a non-answer response. "She had a lot o' tricks up 'er sleeve ta use against us, stuff ta ensure her advantage an' such. So what if she had a final "up yours" in mind, in the event she did lose, knowin' full well that it'd have this sort o' result?"

"That's an awful lot of conjecture," Twilight pointed out before sighing. "But at the same time it makes a disgustingly, disturbing amount of sense. Nightmare Moon was sadistic and vindictive in her methodology; I've got the reports as proof of that. And now that you said that, I honestly can't stop thinking about it being a possibility. It would make perfect sense for her to pull something like that," she said and groaned.

Applejack, in response, merely rubbed her back in a supportive manner.

"That would mean the only way to really deny Nightmare Moon victory, is if I stop thinking about this myself," Twilight continued, before groaning again and hanging her head. "Why did you have to go and fill my head with such thoughts anyway?"

"So ya'd have enough reasonable doubt ta forgive yerself without feelin' guilty 'bout doin' it," Applejack replied.

Twilight slowly lifted her head up to look at Applejack in response to her words. She was smiling back at her, despite how exhausted she must've felt just below that friendly veneer she was presently wearing. A veneer that was infuriating yet oh-so welcomed all the same. It was a friendly, bright smile one friend would give when they wanted another to believe everything was alright, even if it really wasn't, because that was the narrative they wanted to sell above all else. It was a narrative she was having a hard time arguing against.

Not that she didn't try to mount an argument in response, but it just didn't stand up under scrutiny to that friendly smile she was in need of right now. It was like the forces of darkness trying to stand in opposition of the sun, and withering away in the process.

"Why did you have to go and be so smart?" she asked, all the while trying to determine if she should be mad at Applejack, or thankful.

"Well when yer roommate is one o' the smartest ponies in all Equestria, ya tend ta pick up these things," Applejack replied.

Another smile on her part, despite how she presently felt. This wasn't fair, not at all.

"Ah know this isn' gonna make ya forget about wha' yer feelin' right now. Ah don' think anything ever will. But does it at least help, even jus' a little bit?" Applejack asked as she continued to rub her back in a supportive manner.

"No," Twilight replied and shook her head, "not right now anyway. I think my brain has reached the critical threshold of not being able to process any new information without rest."

"Well then let's go an' take care o' that. C'mon," Applejack said as she climbed down from her chair.

Twilight wanted to protest, but she honestly couldn't find sufficient reason or energy to to attempt such. It would be a futile struggle, both with applejack and herself. So rather than resist, she silently complied and began following after Applejack.

The walk to Rainbow Dash's room had been mercifully short, which was just fine with Twilight at this point, being far too tired for any greater deal of physical exertion than was absolutely necessary.

The hospital staff had been kind enough to supply their group with spare blankets and pillows from storage upon learning that they planned on stay until Rainbow Dash woke up again. But they were hardly being utilized appropriately right now, as everypony was more or less sleeping in a pile on the floor. Everypony other than Rainbow Dash, who currently rested in her own hospital bed due to the aforementioned IV.

They were dirty, disheveled, and obviously quite sore, but they were all together and looking quite comfortable in the presence of one another as everypony was essentially serving as pillow duty for one or another.

"This isn't exactly the slumber party I had envisioned when you predicted one following Nightmare Moon's defeat," Twilight whispered in an effort to not wake anyone as she carefully stepped into the room.

She surveyed the situation carefully in the dim light, before moving to settle down and pressing her own body up against Zecora's. The zebra stirred momentarily, but ultimately didn't wake up and merely settled back down once again, sinking into the touch as much as she could.

Before she could even close her eyes in an effort to rest, she found Applejack stepping over her, and laying down next to her, leaving her sandwiched between them. The matter could've ended then and there without so much as a second thought. But it didn't. Instead, without even a single word, Applejack rolled onto her left side, and wrapped her forelegs around her while scooting even closer, leaving her in the position of her face practically being buried in her friend's chest fluff.

"Ya jus' try ta sleep now, Sugarcube, Ah'll be here in case ya need anything," Applejack whispered in a reassuring tone. "An' no snorin', Ah'm mighty ticklish there," she added.

Oh how the tables had turned...

Twilight wanted to respond, either with a nod or a laugh, but found she didn't have the strength to do either right now. All she could do in response was simply close her eyes and mumble incoherently, uncertain of what she was even saying.

The situation wasn't perfect; not by a long shot. But for right now, in this particular moment, surrounded by her friends as they were all safe and sound, it would be acceptable. They could deal with everything in the morning, but for right now, this was all there was for her and them.

"Ah love ya too, Sugarcube..."

Being the palace physician, Malar was no stranger to being forced to keep odd hours in his line of work. Although it was rare for him to be awoken in the dead of night because of a case the night shift couldn't deal with on their own.

This was one of those rare occasions he currently found himself in. But the patient circumstances were another story.

"So... what exactly happened?"

He understood -he thought so at least- the patient on the examination table was Princess Celestia. But he had never really seen her so vulnerable before. So small. So powerless. So adorable!

Honestly, she looked a little bit like his niece cosplaying as Princess Celestia, only somewhat taller and with a better looking horn.

"Nightmare Moon decided on a comeback tour," Celestia replied, her voice somewhat higher -almost squeaky- than it'd been previously. "We fought against her hard, but neither Luna nor I were strong enough to take her on, even when we were working together. So I transferred my magic to Luna in hopes that it would benefit her."

"And that's how you wound up in your current state?" Malar asked.

Celestia nodded. "The regal form... requires a certain degree of magical energy to be maintained. So when I transferred all of my magic to Luna, I reverted back to what you see before you. Back to what you might call my "real" form."

That was information Malar hadn't expected to be made privy to. And now that he had it, he wasn't really sure what to do with it. To think, this cute little filly before him was what Celestia actually looked like when she wasn't powered up in her Princess mode.

"Did it work?" he asked.

"I don't know," Celestia replied and sighed. "Luna had me removed from the scene immediately after. But on the way back to Canterlot I could feel my magic slipping away from her. I honestly don't know what happened. Right now I can only hope for the best, and wait to see what develops. In my present state I can't even exercise basic levitation, much less make contact with Luna."

"Oh," Malar replied, not sure of what else to say in light of such. A change of subject was needed. "So, Your Highness... this is what you look like under all that... pomp?"

"Essentially, yes. Although it's been quite a few centuries since I was last like this," Celestia replied. "I didn't realize just how much it's messed up my physical perspective of things. Everything looks so much bigger now as a result."

"Well, welcome down to our level, Your Highness," Malar replied with a friendly grin. "I'll be honest, seeing you like this gives me sort of a nostalgic sense from when I did pediatrics during my residency. You're as cute as the dickens right now."

The resulting pouty scowl of indignation as Celestia folded her forelegs, in a desperate effort to not crack a grin at the comment, did absolutely nothing to change his evaluation of the matter. If anything it just confirmed it further!

"I can assure you, Doctor, I'm the same mare who recruited you all those years ago," she replied, "and the same mare responsible for your paychecks," she added.

"Oh I'm well aware of that fact, Your Highness. Believe me, I don't respect you any less, just because of your present condition," Malar assured her. "Now, would the patient care for a lollipop?"

Celestia just sighed in response. "Green apple, please..." she grumbled softly as she glanced down at the floor.

For Celestia, it was equal parts considerate, and embarrassing that Malar undid the cellophane wrapping around the requested treat before holding it out for her to take in her mouth.

"Alright then, while we wait for news on what's developed, what say we have a look and make sure there's nothing else wrong with you. If I'm going to be up at such an early hour, I might as well be working," Malar stated.

"Yes, well, I apologize for that. It certainly wasn't my idea," Celestia replied around the candy tucked in the corner of her mouth. "What time is it anyway?"

"Wednesday, July fourteenth. Presently four-seventeen AM."

Both Celestia and Malar looked up at the sound of a third, unexpected voice in the room, and turned to see Ulquiorra presently standing in front of the infirmary doors. How long he'd been standing there observing them, and how he'd entered the room without being noticed, were both a mystery at the moment. But they knew he had his ways of doing such.

He'd even retrieved his jacket and satchel, indicating he'd been at the palace for a while now.

"Is Nightmare Moon dead?" Celestia asked as best she could under present circumstances.

"Quite dead. She will not be returning for a third time," Ulquiorra confirmed.

For the first time in a very long time, Celestia let out a sigh of genuine relief at this news. Or at least partially, as there was still more that needed to be done.

"And the others? Are they alright?" she asked.

"Such would depend entirely on how one defines being alright," Ulquiorra clarified, before continuing on. "During our absence, numerous other ponies joined in the fray against Nightmare Moon. Numerous injuries were sustained by those present. But of those injured, none appear to have suffered anything life-threatening. Not to the best of my ability to determine at least."

"And fatalities?" Celestia asked hesitantly.

"Five foals," Ulquiorra confirmed. "The initial four victims, Peachy Petal, Aquamarine, Firelock, and Bee Bop. Along with Twist, who Nightmare Moon was utilizing as a physical host for her return."

Again, Celestia sighed, but not out of relief this time. She honestly wished she could say that this turn of events surprised her, but she couldn't. Nightmare Moon taking a host body, rather than simply creating her own, was her standard way of doing business, as Luna could attest.

Perhaps the fact it was a foal this time around was why Ulquiorra insisted he was the only one qualified for killing Nightmare Moon. Perhaps, unlikely as the thought may be, he had actually been trying to spare them the mental suffering they would've experienced if they'd succeeded.

"The deaths were unavoidable, however the injuries were not," Ulquiorra continued further. "If not for the interference on the part of yourself, a great deal of pain and suffering could have been avoided, and several dozen ponies wouldn't currently be injured."

"Do you plan to draw parallels between you and I, to suggest I'm some sort of a monster?" Celestia asked pointedly. Having already been subject to such a maneuver once before, she honestly wasn't interested in a repeat performance.

"It was contemplated on the journey to Canterlot," Ulquiorra admitted. "It would certainly have been warranted, seeing as how I had to inform Bonbon that I killed her little sister. But the notion was ultimately discarded. There's been enough needless suffering already without adding more on top of it, by fixating on a matter that can no longer be changed."

Celestia had no immediate response, simply thankful that Ulquiorra wasn't going to berate her for her actions. She could do that well enough all on her own, without needing him to add to it.

"However," Ulquiorra continued, "in the future, when a situation arises where my particular skills are again warranted, stay out of my way."

Whether it was a request, an ultimatum, or even an order, Celestia didn't know. Nor did she feel bold enough to seek clarification on the matter; not at present time at least. She needed to change the subject.

"Is Luna alright? Was she among those harmed by Nightmare Moon?"

"Other than exhaustion, Princess Luna is unharmed, presently in a physical state much like yourself. At last check she was at Ponyville General Hospital with the others," Ulquiorra replied.

Another sigh of relief, quieter than that of last time. If Luna had been harmed by Nightmare Moon, or worse, she didn't know what she would do.

"Good. I'd like to see her immediately. How soon will you be ready to return to Ponyville?"

"Now just a minute there, Your Highness," Malar quickly interrupted, speaking up for the first time since Ulquiorra made his presence known, and bringing their attention back to him. "I can understand you being anxious about your sister. But I'm not about to release you for long distance travel in your current condition. Not without first performing a full medical examination to determine your condition. You can just wait right there while I get ready."

Celestia frowned, displeased with this development, not liking it one bit. "Is that really necessary?"

"In your present state, I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist on it. We have no idea what your current condition may be, and I'd be remiss in my duties, to say nothing of my oath, if I let you go running off," Malar explained, before shaking his head. "It won't hurt anypony for you to wait an hour. If I'm going to be up at this accursed hour, I might as well be working. So you just continue sitting there while I get ready."

Celestia didn't like this news at all. In truth she downright hated it. But she held her tongue... up until she was certain Malar was out of earshot as he went about gathering supplied for the examination, before turning to Ulquiorra.

"Get me out of here," she whispered as discretely as she could. "Back to Ponyville. Fast."

"On this particular matter, I defer to Dr. Mandibular Malar and his expertise," Ulquiorra replied simply, effectively shutting down her plans of escape. "His position is logically valid. We've already had enough death and suffering taking place. I am not about to risk the potential well being of Equestria, simply because of anxiousness on your part."

"If we stay he's going to insist on a blood sample. And I really don't care for needles one bit," Celestia admitted.

"If the method of acquisition is ultimately what's being objected to, perhaps a punch in the snout would serve as an acceptable alternative?"

The delivery had been so deadpan, Celestia nearly swallowed the sucker currently tucked into the corner of her mouth. Whether Ulquiorra was issuing a veiled threat to exert compliance from her, or was actually making a bad attempt at humor, she honestly couldn't tell. Nor did she feel bold enough to seek clarification on that particular matter either, for fear of what he might say in response.

Like it or not -and she really didn't- sitting down and shutting up for this might be in her best interest right now, lest she wind up making things even worse for herself than they were already.

Chapter One Hundred Four

Chapter One Hundred Four

"If such behavior hadn't been witnessed first hand, I would be hard pressed to believe a recounting of the incident by a third party," Ulquiorra stated. "Did a reduction in physical size bring about a corresponding reduction in emotional maturity, or are the two independent of one another?"

"I said that I didn't like needles," Celestia offered up weakly in response. "I'm sorry about your hand."

Ulquiorra's response was merely a quite grunt, although it would be hard to notice over the sound of the wind rushing past their ears.

First he had been bitten by Rainbow Dash. Then by Nightmare Moon's fog puppets. And now by Princess Celestia. He couldn't help but wonder if this was going to become a running thing for him.

"How long will it be until we arrive back in Ponyville?" Celestia asked.

"You can't possibly need to use the restroom already," Ulquiorra replied.

"No, you smartass, I don't," Celestia shot back without hesitation, and without making an effort at keeping her voice even. "I want an estimate on how long it's going to be, before we get to our destination. We don't seem to be traveling all that fast from what I can tell."

"At present speeds, approximately ten minutes. Any faster and the air currents would make vocal communication impossible, even if you could yell like Princess Luna," Ulquiorra explained. "Even if such were not the case, your body wouldn't be able to withstand the resulting pressures exerted on it."

The medical examination conducted back at the palace had been... unconventional was the best way to describe it. Especially when it came to obtaining a blood sample. But unconventional or not, it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered were the results.

Unofficially, as far as Dr. Malar could tell, Princess Celestia's health hadn't been negatively affected by losing her magic. There was a slight imbalance of her electrolyte levels, but that could easily be explained as a result of her diet suffering from all of the recent stress she'd been under. The only factor serving to prevent an official, clean bill of health from being issued, was discovering the presence of the same opioid and hallucinogenic compounds that were present in not only Rainbow Dash's system, but likely of Ponyville as well.

What was also found to be present, however, were the first sign of the corresponding metabolites associated with such substances, indicating that they were being processed and broken down accordingly.

The most logical conclusion to draw was that, with Nightmare Moon now dead, the magical hold she had over so many was also gone. If the contaminates were no longer being shielded from their surroundings via her magical intervention, it would only be a matter of time before they were processed out of existence once and for all.

"Did you know the truth about Nightmare Moon? That she'd actually taken a host," Celestia asked after an extended stretch of silence.

"From the moment she returned. Not only that she had taken a host, but who the host was," Ulquiorra explained. "Do you expect me to apologize for my actions?"

"No," Celestia replied, just barely audible, accompanied by a gesture that felt like she was shaking her head. "I understand you did what you had to do. What I intended to do was thank you."

This served to pique Ulquiorra's curiosity. She was thanking him? For what?

"You warned us, even though we didn't want to listen to what you had to say, because we were too overcome by the desire for revenge. And then you undertook a distasteful task by yourself, to spare us the suffering we'd likely experience in the aftermath upon learning the truth, if we did it ourselves. I can't think of many who would willingly do something like that for others; especially when they stubbornly insist that they aren't heroes," she explained.

Ulquiorra could have predicted numerous possible responses to be met with, but that had certainly not been one of them. It honestly left him without an immediate response, uncertain of just what to say.

Maybe it was best if he just didn't say anything at all, and simply focused on getting them to Ponyville safely.

He didn't need to talk in order to fly. Once they were back in town, back with the others, he could work on figuring things out from there. For now, though, he simply had to focus on safe travel, and ignore the mounting questions and trivialities that would besiege and bog down mortal minds. Now was neither the time, nor place, to be addressing such matters when there were more important details to be focusing on.

All thoughts, both on the matter and otherwise, immediately ground to a screeching halt, as did he himself, as his pesquisa began picking up... something. Something that he couldn't readily identify.

His midair braking must've been far harder than he'd thought, as he felt Princess Celestia slamming against his back, even if the travel for her had been minimal due to their proximity to one another.

"Is something wrong?"

"Unknown. There's some sort of anomaly ahead of us," he explained as he scanned the area to try and determine what course of action to take. But all of his readings were... highly inconclusive. He couldn't even decipher it's location, or its position in relation to their present own. It was all very-

We'll be right back after a brief word from our sponsors.

FUCK!

We now return to our regularly scheduled program.

They were in Ponyville.

that was the simplest, most straightforward way to explain the current predicament they found themselves in, but it was hardly the most logical explanation of what had just happened.

It wasn't a matter of being in Ponyville airspace, but rather in Ponyville itself, down on the ground; specifically in front of the Golden Oaks Library. In addition to that it was also daytime, with the position of the sun in the sky suggesting it was approximately eight in the morning. Factors and developments that couldn't be physically possible, and yet... they were factors that were staring them right in the face.

Princess Celestia wasn't even on his back at the moment, but rather standing next to him, and looking just as confused as he felt.

"Did... did you see what just happened?" she asked.

"I did not. There was a bright flash of white light, and suddenly we find ourselves here; as if we just blinked into existence," he replied.

Their surroundings were very quiet. Cliche as it was to say, it was too quiet. But it was also quite accurate, as his pesquisa was detecting absolutely nothing at the moment. No ponies, no disturbances, no nothing at all. It was almost like being back in Nightmare Moon's fog again.

"Should we go inside?" Celestia asked.

"I don't believe we have much of an alternative. Out of every location we could have arrived at in Ponyville, it was the library specifically. Such can't be a coincidence," he noted.

Knocking was considered as an option they had available. But it was discarded in favor of simply walking into the building. They could stand around and speculate on exactly what was happening for a great many hours, but they would still be no closer to getting any answers.

Beyond that particular matter, engaging in such heavy speculation and theorizing about what may or may not be simply didn't seem right; not at the present moment anyway. Potentially another side effect of what he had been through. But that would be another question for another day.

Still, he went first, just in case this was some sort of elaborate trap, with Celestia tailing behind him. The scene that greeted them inside the library was... unexpected to say the least.

Twilight was present and sitting at the main table with the other five members of her core group of friends, along with Spike, Princess Luna, and even Zecora. None of them looked any worse for wear from what they could see, but each of them was looking just as confused about the present situation. And that look of confusion only grew as they entered the scene.

"Don' ask," Applejack stated in a preemptive manner. "We don't know what's going on. We found ourselves here like five seconds before ya walked through the door."

Pinkie nodded in agreement. "The last thing I remember was being in Dashie's room and using Rarity as a pillow. The next thing I know we're all here and it smells like pancakes cooking in the kitchen."

At Pinkie's comment, everyone took notice that there was indeed the smell of pancakes currently present in the air.

"Then perhaps we should turn our attention to the kitchen, and find out who else is present," Ulquiorra noted. Pancakes took time to prepare and even get ready for cooking. So it stood to reason that if such was already under way, someone had already been present before all of them, thus meaning a greater likelihood of them possessing answers as to what was going on.

"Fine by me," Rainbow Dash replied and pushed herself up from the table. "Let's go get some answers, and if need be kick some ass."

"And chew some bubblegum?" Pinkie asked.

The oddness of Pinkie's question served to make Rainbow Dash falter on her follow through. "Do you actually have any bubblegum?"

"Yep!" Pinkie replied excitedly.

"Did you bring enough bubblegum for everyone?" Rainbow Dash asked, before suddenly getting the strangest feeling of déjà vu from back in flight school.

"...No," Pinkie replied and turned her attention downward, suddenly finding the table in front of her to be the most interesting thing in the room.

That exchange... had been weird. That was the only way Ulquiorra could presently put it. But now was neither the time, nor the place, for such nonsensical distractions.

"Whoever is in the kitchen, come out into the open where we can see you," he called out. If this really was a trap, he wasn't about to go charging further into it, and potentially leave the others unguarded as a result.

Had he known that it would be Discord of all beings appearing before then, wearing a chef's hat sitting askew on top of his crooked head and with a half apron tied around his waist, he might've actually refrained from calling out.

"Oh good, everypony's here! We can finally get started!" Discord state in an all too cheerful manner as he clasped his paws together, giving a smile that was deeply unnerving. "Just sit right down and I'll be with you in just a moment!"

A heavy hand landed firmly on Discord's right shoulder from behind, serving to interrupt whatever derailed train of thought he might've once had. Turning his attention to the disturbance he noticed it was a left, off-white hand, just as Ulquiorra disappeared from his vision.

Huh. So that was how it felt to have something like that done to him, instead of by him.

"The only reason you're presently alive where you're standing, is the remote possibility of you having answers as to what exactly is going on around here," Ulquiorra stated as he -not so- subtly increased the force of his grip on Discord's shoulder to let him know that now was not the time for fun and games. "If you don't have answers, then say as much now so we can proceed accordingly."

The sheer amount of menace in that sentence hadn't been hampered one bit by the monotone delivery. If anything it'd only made it worse to be on the receiving end of.

But not to be outdone, or even intimidated, Discord responded by snapping his eagle talon, effortlessly disappearing out of Ulquiorra's grip, and reappearing a short distance away.

"Well that's a fine way to be greeted," he replied sarcastically, "I've been very busy doing important and necessary work. I decide to take some time and come visit my friends, and what am I greeted with? Outright hostility and threats. Why it's enough to-"

"Discord."

One word from Fluttershy had effortlessly put an end to the rant, making him go quiet and look forward in response as he waited to hear what she might've had to say next.

"It's always nice, being able to see you again after so long," she continued, her voice warm and quite friendly as she spoke. "I was starting to get worried when I didn't see you. Where've you been all this time?"

That was far more appreciated in Discord's opinion, warranting a wide smile in response.

"Oh, my dear, I'm sorry but you wouldn't believe just how busy I've been lately. Unlike certain others, I don't have the luxury of working for six days and resting on the seventh. I've been grinding eight long, grueling days worth of work this week without rest and-"

"You've been absent from this world for more than thirty five days, not eight," Ulquiorra interrupted.

Discord paused at this, a look of utter confusion on his face, before he blinked sideways, turned and literally rolled the fur on his lion's paw up his arm like one would a coat, revealing what looked like a regular wristwatch, an hourglass filled with red sand being worn much like it was a wristwatch, a calendar, a sundial, and what bore a strong resemblance to an abacus.

"Ahh," he replied as he consulted the devices on his arm, before rolling his fur back down again. "Well that's the thing about my neck of the woods. Time flows, let's say... differently, with no real rhyme or reason as to why. You could easily cram several months worth of studying for a test on the night before you take it. You could start writing a best-selling novel and have it completed by morning. Or alternatively your two-week vacation could be over before you even step out the front door. Even I can wind up losing track if I'm not careful and don't pay attention. So... my bad. I guess you could say my watch simply stopped!"

The others were silent in the wake of Discord's revelation about where he'd been. He'd been absent this entire time, and he hadn't even realized it, all because he hadn't been paying attention and thought it'd only been a little over a week?

"I am in no mood for your shenanigans, or your bullshitery, Discord," Luna growled, although much of the effect was lost due to the currently higher pitch of her voice, giving said growl and almost squeaky quality. "Ulquiorra Cifer, kill!"

It wasn't an order Ulquiorra actually anticipated to hear; not even in light of recent events that had forced these ponies to confront topics and developments they were uncomfortable with. But at the same time it wasn't an order he was particularly opposed to. If Discord had no use to them, no way of justifying his continued existence in this world, then doing away with him made the most sense.

He would've followed through with the command right then and there, if not for the fact that Princess Celestia was also present, and potentially able to override the order before he could execute it properly.

"Do you concur?"

Celestia, in response, shook her head.

"I would certainly like to. But not just yet," she replied, before turning her attention to Discord. "While you were off doing who knows what, Nightmare Moon returned and murdered forty one of my little ponies!"

Discord blinked once again, before slowly turning his attention to where Luna sat.

"You didn't learn after the first time?"

Before Luna even had time, Rainbow Dash was already unleashing an outburst on her behalf, angrily slamming both of her front hooves down on the table in response.

"Not her, you piece o' shit! The real Nightmare Moon! The one the Elements of Harmony ripped out of Luna's body! She's been alive this whole time and has been fucking with us!"

"Oh," Discord replied flatly. "Sorry, Lulu."

Luna just scowled in annoyance and folded her forelegs, doing her best to try and make him burst into flames through the power of her glare alone.

Celestia could only sigh, before turning her attention back forward. "Discord."

"'Tia?"

"You know how I feel about your pervading the natural order of things. So it should tell you just how serious this matter is to me, when I ask you to do just that, to fix what went wrong. Those that died due to Nightmare Moon's actions over the past two month period, they don't deserve to pay the price for what's ultimately our fault. Bring them back so they have a second chance."

The room went silent at Celestia's words, as the more mortal members of the group tried to understand just what they were presently hearing.

"Bring them back," Discord repeated slowly, trying to determine if he'd heard right. "Ah. Well, the thing is, Celestia, that's something that I can't actually do..."

"Not all at once? You'd have to do it in batches? Bring them back one at a time?" Celestia asked.

"Not at all, period," Discord clarified. "I can do a great many things otherwise impossible, but what you're asking of me is far outside of my skill set."

Celestia's face dropped and her eyes went wide at this revelation. Surely this had to be some sort of joke. It couldn't be possible that Discord was telling the truth, it just couldn't!

"You've done it before, I know you have!" she protested loudly. "I-"

Discord could do little more than shake his head in disagreement at this point. "I'm afraid not. I've certainly tried to do just that under other circumstances in the past, but it's simply just not something I can do. I can extend the duration of life to a truly ridiculous degree if I want, but even I can't give back what's no longer there."

"You're lying!"

The shriek from Celestia had taken most of the others by surprise, causing more than a few to jump at the sudden high-pitched outburst.

But perhaps more surprising was how Discord -now sans the apron and hat- crossed the room as if he'd always been there, and scooped Celestia's tiny form up in his arms in an almost tender manner.

"I know it's hard to accept and understand, Celestia, but it's the absolute truth," he explained as he practically cradled her, his voice sounding deep and quite genuine as he spoke. "I can animate the corpse of a recently deceased, letting it move about as the neurons and synapses in the brain continue to fire. Maybe even bring out the vestiges of whatever memory that might still be housed within to give the illusion of life, but that's all it is; nothing but an illusion, and only for an hour at most. It allows for closure for the bereaved, but that's as far as it goes. The power over life and death is an authority reserved for far above my pay grade, well beyond whatever position I could ever hope to hold myself."

"Then how do you explain me?"

The attention that'd initially been focused on the spectacle of a sombre, almost tender Discord trying to console Celestia with the cold truth of reality, was quickly refocused as Ulquiorra spoke up, bringing their attention back to him.

"That's a rather good point," Rarity noted and slowly turned her attention back to Discord, all the while giving a critical eye to her target. "With all this information you've dropped on us, how do you explain Ulquiorra's presence in this world, as well as our ability to interact with him when he's, by all accounts, quite dead?"

What followed was a chorus of voices echoing the same and similar points to Rarity's, wondering how Ulquiorra's presence was a possibility in light of Discord's little confession about the shortcoming of his powers. All the while said spirit of chaos wore a look that suggested he'd been caught in a lie that was quickly unraveling before him. A look that was made all the worse by Ulquiorra's own hard gaze being fixed upon him.

"Well, lad, that's where explaining everything get a bit... let's say complicated. Firstly, you come from a different reality with an entirely different set of rules governing it and its physics. Secondly, you sort of fall into a quasi-dead/semi-alive kind of legal-ish gray area," he explained as Celestia was teleported to a newly vacant seat at the table, allowing him to freely wobble his hands, as if he were trying to shape a ball out of thin air. "Technically all Hollows would qualify as such, I suppose. You're all souls, disembodied spirits, yet you have bodies and presences capable of interacting with the physical world and others around you. Why, trying to figure out the mechanics of how something like you works is enough to make your head explode an-"

Discord's explanation was cut off as his head quite literally exploded, much to the surprise of everyone present, leaving nothing but a smoking neck stump behind in its place. Although the matter was short lived as both hands proceeded to pull his head back out of the stump, as if nothing had happened.

"Anyway, as I was saying. You're sort of an exception to the rule. You weren't so much "brought back to life" as you were simply brought from your own world here to Equestria. But all that aside, the original point remains the same; I can't bring the dead back to life, no matter how much I'd like to do just that. And believe me, I'd like that very much. I can't have fun with dead ponies now, can I?"

Nopony had actually seen the spirit of chaos being slammed into the library's floor. They only saw the aftermath as he was pinned to the ground with Ulquiorra's left foot planted firmly on his throat just beneath his chin.

"If you can't be useful to us, there's no sense in keeping you around any longer," Ulquiorra stated calmly as he looked down on Discord's position.

"Wait."

Rather than one of the diarchy, or even Fluttershy, the outburst had come from Zecora instead.

"If Discord can do nothing for the dead, perhaps he can assist the living instead. Currently there is an entire hospital wing of ponies injured in their fight against Nightmare Moon, and from what I have heard the prognosis does not suggest a full recovery anytime soon. As he can warp reality at a whim, undoing their pain and suffering should be a piece of cake for him."

At hearing Zecora's suggestion, Twilight's face lit up quite spectacularly. She hadn't even considered such an idea on her own, and she regretted that, but she'd worry about regretting it later. Right now the idea was just too good to waste with dwelling on negativity.

"Sister," Luna spoke up with a barely suppressed grin, "if you do not kiss her, then I am going to do it myself."

Ignoring the squeak of embarrassment from Zecora that followed, Ulquiorra -slowly- lifted his foot off Discord's throat in response.

To which Discord immediately vanished and appeared next to the table once again, rubbing the spot where Ulquiorra's foot had been. "Really, lad, you're far too up tight about these sort of things. You need to learn how to take it easy and relax at times."

"I was taking it easy," Ulquiorra countered. "Can you do as Zecora suggests or not?"

"... Not at present time, no," Discord eventually admitted, before quickly continuing before he could be interrupted again. "But not for lack of desire or willingness on my part. There are certain rules that even I have to follow that preclude me from doing such."

"You once stole my tail right off of my butt," Celestia stated flatly as she frowned at Discord. "Do you really expect us to believe you can pick ponies apart but can't put them back together again?"

"And don't even get me started on when you stole our tribe attributes, you uncouth brute," Rarity added.

"Oh no, it has nothing to do with that. I certainly have the ability to do what our dear zebra friend is suggesting. I just can't do it right now. I'm far too tapped out for an orderly deed of that degree of magnitude," Discord somewhat-clarified.

"Explain."

The statement had been quite simple, straight to the point, and right from Applejack herself, as she was in no mood for fun and games at present time. Fortunately it seemed to do the intended job, as Discord was busy doing just that without -much- in the way of fuss.

"Well you see, it's like this. When you're a spirit of chaos, engaging in orderly deeds can be rather... well let's say it can be rather detrimental to your health; not unlike feeding chocolate to a dog. The more order you participate in, the worse it gets. And if you engage in too much order too quickly, without adequate time to recover in between, you'll literally cease to exist as a result."

"It's true," Fluttershy added and nodded in confirmation. "Discord can't give up being chaotic, anymore than we could give up on oxygen. He tried once and... well the results weren't pretty..."

"So, wait, does that mean you're not an asshole by choice? All those practical jokes you play on everypony for laughs, that's just you doing what you need to survive?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well I wouldn't go and phrase it quite like that," Discord replied indignantly, "but to make a short story long, yes. I sort of have this thing against ceasing to exist. If I were to heal all those injured ponies now, after all I've already been doing, I'd have to cause five times as much chaos just to balance things out and break even. And depending on just how many injured ponies we're talking about, I can guarantee you absolutely nopony would like the degree of chaos attached to that particular price tag..."

The darkness in tone at the end of Discord's statement had been so palpable, everyone short of Ulquiorra felt an involuntary shudder run right up their spines. As much as they knew he loved his chaos, if even he was advising against it, they really didn't want to think about that matter too much.

"That makes literally zero sense," Twilight stated as she spoke up to break the ensuing silence brought on by Discord's efforts at explanation. "Undoing the damage caused by Nightmare Moon would be instituting chaos since it goes against nature, wouldn't it? Fractured bones and crushed larynxes don't just heal up and disappear of their own accord. Letting them heal naturally would be the orderly thing to do. The argument could easily be made that, by undoing their injuries and returning them to their previous state, you'd be contributing more to chaos than to order."

Discord chuckled, but it was easy to tell there was no humor or joy behind it.

"Oh, dear Twilight, I do love the way you think. but I'm afraid it's not quite that simple. In the grand scheme of things, what does and doesn't amount to chaos and order is subject to enough fine hair-splitting and technicalities that even a griffon would get fed up and have no part of it," he replied. "Honestly, even giving a straight answer can be subject to the order/chaos divide at times; especially right now. Although what with this being a dream that lessens the burden at the moment."

The others looked up silently at the last part of Discord's statement, opting to ignore what he'd been saying up to that point.

"This is a dream?" Luna asked. "You have been meddling with my field of magic again? What did I tell you the last time!?"

"Oh seriously, Lulu, it was either this, or I wake everypony up at five in the morning to have a sit down with my friends and see how they've been doing in my absence. Bringing everyone together in their dreams was the least intrusive approach I could take under present circumstances," Discord explained.

Rainbow Dash said nothing as she looked at the hoof of her right foreleg, and watched as it morphed into a fist. Specifically a balled up dragon's claw of a fist, with the rest of her body following suit and taking on the Raindragon form once again.

"Yep, it's a dream alright," she noted.

Spike, unprepared for the sight of Rainbow Dash in dragon form, was left speechless as his jaw dropped in surprise. That had been both amazing, and hot, and left him very confused about what he should be feeling right now.

"Ooh! Dashie, you look amazing!"

Pinkie, however, had no such qualms with expressing herself on the matter.

"Girls, Ah think we're gettin' a might bit distracted here," Applejack spoke up before the others could chime in, and turned her attention back to Discord. "A'right, Discord, Ah reckon we owe ya an' apology er two, but later. Ya said you couldn' heal anypony right now 'cuz yer tapped out on bein' able to do orderly stuff. So Ah gotta ask, wha'd ya actually do ta leave ya so tapped out in the first place?"

"Oh, that is a good question," Rarity added and turned to Discord as well. "Whatever did you do to leave you in such a state?"

"Well as I said, even giving a straight answer can be problematic in situations like this. But why don't you ask your friend over there," Discord replied and gestured over to where Ulquiorra was presently standing, slowly bringing their attention to him. "While he's still here, that is..."

"Princess Celestia and I were wide awake just minutes ago, on the way to Ponyville to rendezvous with the others at the hospital," Ulquiorra pointed out in turn.

"Or were you?" Discord asked cryptically in equal return.

Ulquiorra very nearly responded, but promptly chose not to. That was a question he really didn't want the answer to at present. He would seek clarification later, but not right now.

"I would ask what nonsense you're getting at now, but I know I wouldn't get a straight answer even if I did," he responded. "Let us rephrase the question in another manner. Exactly what can you reveal without putting yourself at risk of ceasing to exist, that is directly relevant to the topic of discussion at hand? How do I factor into any of this, and how am I keeping you from healing those that were injured?"

"Well it's quite simple. Sort of. Not really actually. Bear with me," Discord muttered.

What followed looked deceptively like Ulquiorra's own Garganta Broadcast technique, as two side-by-sde displays appeared before them. Each was black and rectangular, divided by a horizontal white line running along the middle. The display on the right possessed a secondary line, rose pink in color, following a gentle sloping wave pattern at it rose and fell in rounded hills and valleys, both the upper and lower hemispheres looking equal to one another.

The display on the right stood in sharp contrast, as its secondary line was teal green in color, and far more jagged and erratic as it rose and fell at drastic angles with no apparent rhyme or reason for the position of the highs and lows of the peaks.

"Visuals make the whole matter so much easier to explain, especially when they're color-coded for convenience. Now, the visual on the left represents the normal harmonic frequency of our reality. Calm, gentle, relaxing, balanced... all perfectly boring really, but ultimately important. The visual on the right represents the harmonic frequency of Ulquiorra himself in our world. As I'm sure you can see, there's a stark difference in the two."

The two displays then merged together, with the only visual difference being as the two colored lines now ran simultaneously with one another.

"Now, do you see the points at which the two wavelengths overlap? And more importantly, the points at which they don't overlap?"

Outside of Ulquiorra, the others nodded in response to the question as they observed the display, waiting to see where Discord would actually be going with his presentation.

"As I'm sure you can conclude from the chart, our friend here isn't properly in sync with our own reality. Although contrary to popular myth, differing frequencies can coincide with one another without being drastically at odds with each other, so long as they're generally within a tolerable threshold."

Discord's explanation paused briefly as the first approximate third of the green line blinked, drawing attention to how its high and low points were still within the same highs and lows of the red line, just at different points and at a far greater frequency.

"For the most part that threshold hasn't been a problem. Although the degree of that out-of-sync nature started to become far more significant after the Changeling Incident occurred up in Canterlot," Discord continued, with a blue dot appearing at a specific point on the display just before a series of jagged and erratic spikes had formed, which then became highlighted and started blinking, drawing their focus to just how far past the boundaries of the red line they actually went. "Had it not been for that particular development I might never have noticed the problem and-"

"Discord," Celestia interrupted, "if you have a point, please get to it. I have no patience to sit through another one of these presentations; I get enough of them from petitioners during the day shift at the palace, seeking money for their pet projects."

Discord simply sighed in defeat, not even offering up a nod before continuing.

"Very well then. The absolute bottom line; these sort of harmonics we're seeing are not compatible with our reality. If they continue to remain unchecked then our friend here, the Cuatro Espada, is at the very real risk of ceasing to exist if his own frequency continues to remain as unstable and incompatible with our reality as it presently is..."

Chapter One Hundred Five

Chapter One Hundred Five

"I'm... sorry? Could you please repeat that?" Celestia asked uncertainly. "It almost sounded like you said-"

"That Ulquiorra is at risk of being wiped out of existence. That's exactly what I said, because that's the truth of the situation," Discord confirmed.

"Discord," Luna trembled as she spoke up, "if this is your idea of a joke then it is not funny in the least."

"If only it were a joke, Luna. Although I dearly wish that it were as easy to brush off as one of my jokes. But sadly that's not the case," Discord said with a weary sigh, "so help me, I've never been more serious about anything in my entire existence. This is all very, very much real, and just as frightening as it sounds. We're talking true spontaneous erasure here, without any warning beforehoof."

All throughout the library it was an explosion of chaos and fear, but from Ulquiorra's perspective all of the yelling and swearing had more or less morphed into nothing more than white noise that was impossible to focus on. It was all just a low-pitched whine in the background as his own thoughts were currently raging in his head.

Being a Hollow, he knew better than anyone that he could die at any given moment; it was simply the way things were in Hueco Mundo. Either a Hollow proved strong enough to survive and evolve, or they encountered a bigger, stronger Hollow and became food for them. In some cases it was even possible to be killed by mere reiatsu if a particular Hollow were of sufficient strength. But what Discord was talking about proved to be far more disturbing to contemplate than the natural order of his world. A violent death was something he was fully prepared to encounter and face if it proved necessary.

But being erased from reality, essentially by reality itself due to his own state of not being synchronized with it? That was something he had never given any consideration to being a possibility; why would he? And now that it actually was out there for such consideration, the notion was... he found himself honestly not wanting to think about it.

"Is this what it's like to feel fear? To be horrified?" he wondered as he tried to make sense of just what he was currently experiencing.

"Is... is there anything that can be done to prevent that from happening?" Celestia finally managed to ask.

"Well there's a very good reason for why I've been away for so long, and missed all the excitement. Ever since I discovered the truth of the matter, I've been working very hard to try and prevent that from actually happening," Discord replied and gave a weary sigh. "I can't even begin to detail all the work I've put in, as nopony here is capable of thinking in fifth dimensional terms."

"And... did it work? Is Ulquiorra Cifer... safe?" Luna asked shakily, almost afraid to put any real weight to her words out of fear that speaking wrong could cause something bad to happen.

"... I don't know," Discord reluctantly admitted.

The tail end of the green line was now blinking, showing a steep drop from a particularly high spike, before eventually leveling back out within the boundaries of the red line, and largely resembling the start of the display.

"At this point the best, most concise answer that I can give is... maybe. Ulquiorra could be with us for the duration of his natural Hollow existence. Or he could be gone today, tomorrow, next week, six months, or even five years from now, and we'd never have any warning beforehoof. He'd literally be here one minute, and gone the next. And this time it won't be because of his sonido."

Where there had been chaos and commotion just a minute ago, there was nothing but silence in the wake of Discord's grim news, as they tried to process and come to terms with this revelation, not daring to even make a peep.

"How did this happen?"

Exactly how long the horrified silence stretched on for was unknown. The only thing that was known, was that Twilight was the first to actually break it. As even in her own horrified state, the logical, scientific portion of her mind simply refused to be silenced at a time like this.

"Discord, h-how did something like this happen?" she asked again as she tried to compose herself. Answers were needed, and her being emotional wasn't going to get them. "Why is Ulquiorra at risk of ceasing to exist? Why is this happening just now?"

"In simplest terms, I guess you could say I... made a miscalculation," Discord admitted reluctantly.

"A miscalculation? What sort of miscalculation?" Spike asked, far more willing to speak up now that Twilight had gone first, essentially paving the way for them to join in.

"One of the most basic, yet simultaneously most devastating sort of miscalculations one could possibly make. When I found him back in his own reality, I looked into his character, his personality itself, and felt he could benefit greatly from the magic of friendship. I assumed I had the whole picture and knew all I actually needed to know. But it was more like a single puzzle piece out of many," Discord stated, before releasing one more in what looked like it was going to be a series of many tired sighs. "Perhaps I should've dug deeper. But as it turns out, some problems simply can't be found out until after the fact."

"What sort of problems?" Fluttershy asked, knowing the others would've likely been far more rude in trying to get answers if they spoke up first.

"As best I can determine, and believe me I've gone over the various factors quite extensively in trying to find the answer, Ulquiorra's incompatibility issues arise from his own strength. I know that doesn't sound like it makes any sense, and yet it's the only thing I can find to explain his. Our Espada friend here possesses both a type and degree of strength that simply isn't compatible with the physics of our world, like it is back in his world. And the greater the degree of strength he draws on, the greater that instability becomes as a direct result."

"That makes literally zero sense!" Spike interrupted, "nono, that makes less than zero sense! That makes negative sense; I feel dumber after listening to that! This is a bad comic book plot. What next, are you gonna tell us Ulquiorra is so strong he can punch reality itself and bring the dead back to life?"

"That story line was terrible," Pinkie added and nodded.

Several confused glances were exchanged by the others present, but Discord's explanation continued regardless.

"Well it's not anything quite that bad, although it is a problem in need of being addressed."

The display they'd been looking at previously was quickly expanded and enlarged significantly as Discord spoke, allowing for far greater levels of detail to be seen in the green line without the need to squint for making it out. Now there were a great many peaks and valleys before the high incline point that'd been used to mark the changeling incident back in Canterlot.

"Up until the incident up in Canterlot, the degree of incompatability was relatively minor; hardly anything that could be considered as putting him at risk of ceasing to exist as a result," he continued, drawing their attention to how the pattern was, for lack of a better term, largely stable with only mild-to-moderate overall variations. "At that point and beyond... well the figures speak for themselves, even if they have no words or voice to communicate with."

"Do ya mind gettin' ta the actual point, an' movin' past all the exposition?" Applejack asked, feeling rather impatient with Discord taking the long way around explaining things. The sooner they got straight answers, the sooner they could figure out how to help Ulquiorra.

"Well if you want to actually skip past all the exposition and world building," Discord replied in an annoyed tone, "in his present sealed form, even when demonstrating significant feats of strength, the degree of incompatibility he has with our reality is minor; more at the level of annoyance than an actual threat to himself or anything else. But when it comes to his resurrection that's a whole 'nother story to get into! Just the transformation itself is bad enough, but the longer he uses it, and the harder he uses it -stop giggling- the worse the incompatibility issue becomes as a result. For lack of a better explanation, Ulquiorra is too strong for our reality. And the harder he pushes against it, the harder it pushes back on him. But not being a spirit of chaos, he's uniquely vulnerable to that resulting pushback."

More silence followed Discord's explanation of the situation they found themselves in, this time resulting from confusion and uncertainty, rather than fear and terror.

"So..." Luna started slowly, "not knowing what you have done so far, what exactly can we do on this particular matter?"

"Not much, unfortunately. The best we can do is try to minimize the amount of time that he's vulnerable," Discord replied, before turning his focus to where Ulquiorra presently stood. "Now I know you likely don't need to be told this, but it still needs to be said for the benefit of others. Don't go utilizing your resurrection unless you're certain it's absolutely necessary. And when you do use it, try to limit its use to no more than three minutes at a time. That should limit the degree of incompatibility to a tolerable level. Anything after that, especially when under heavy use... well you get the idea."

"Duly noted," Ulquiorra replied, not even bothering with trying to correct his pronunciation at this point, or otherwise explaining why he wouldn't do something of that particular like anyway, even if the presented circumstances weren't as dire as was being suggested.

Unlike certain others, especially amongst the Espada, he had never felt the need to flaunt his strength for the sake of flaunting it. The situation with Ichigo Kurosaki notwithstanding.

"So that's ultimately the situation we find ourselves in right now. Ulquiorra's very existence is at risk of spontaneously ending without warning, and is only exacerbated when he does what he does best. And in an effort to prevent that untimely demise, I've wound up making myself far too weak to heal anypony right now. Now I know that's not a particularly high note to end on, but not all stories can have a happy ending," Discord said in conclusion.

Silence. Nothing but more silence in the wake. Far too much silence as far as he was concerned. Something needed to be done about that.

Although that something came in the unexpected form of Ulquiorra being tackled to the floor by a blubbering Pinkie Pie clinging to him as if for dear life.

The next thing they knew there were two Pinkies in the room, and both Ulquiorra and Discord equally found themselves on the receiving end of a tight hug before they could respond, although Discord at least remained vertical.

"Well now I'm pissed and depressed," Rainbow Dash sighed and hung her head, choosing to ignore the Pinkie situation out of concern for her own mental health. "I was gonna use this dragon form and light Discord's tail on fire when he wasn't looking. But I can't do that, now that I know he's actually been doing something important..."

Applejack snorted in response, caught off guard by the unexpected comment. But she took it in stride and just smirked, and reached over to rub her friend's scaly back. "There's always next time, sugarcube."

"Well I certainly do appreciate your restraint," Discord replied in a tone that was hard to tell if it was sarcastic or not. Although he did stop to pet his Pinkie's head, before turning his attention over to Ulquiorra as he more or less levitated his way back onto his feet. "Also, lad, if you have anything you want to do, or have potentially thought about doing, I'd recommend doing it while you have the opportunity. Within reason of course."

"I suppose I'll cross world domination off the list then," Ulquiorra replied without even thinking about it.

Once again the room was made silent. But this time it was a slightly different silence, resulting from what Ulquiorra had said, rather than the sense of lingering dread Discord's explanation had brought with it.

The silence was swiftly broken as the Pinkie currently hugging him snorted.

"Ulqy... Ulqy just made a joke," she snickered.

"Mr. Cifer's makin' jokes? Welp, that settles it, we're screwed," Applejack surmised. The situation they found themselves in probably had to be the worst case scenario imaginable, if Ulquiorra of all folks was actually being humorous.

"Darling," Rarity replied, "in a situation like this, I think it far more appropriate to say that we're fucked."

All eyes in the room were now on Rarity at her statement, even Ulquiorra's.

Rainbow Dash let out a hard laugh in response, nearly falling over backwards from her own amusement as she gripped her sides.

"She said "fuck" she actually said it! And I got to hear her say it!"

"Oh my," she squeaked out in response to the sudden attention. "I swear, I didn't mean to say that, it just slipped out, really. Frankly I blame it on this all being a dream. If we were awake I'd never be so vulgar."

Rainbow Dash simply laughed even harder, leading to her actually falling over backwards and landing roughly on the floor. Not that it served to stop her, however, as she continued to laugh regardless with her hind legs stuck in the air.

"Oh come now, it wasn't that funny," Rarity protested and let out an annoyed sigh. "Ulquiorra I do apologize. It was uncalled for, to suggest you being humorous was a bad thing."

"I will second that. Having a sense of humor is not a bad thing," Luna added. "I will also say that, while world domination is not likely to be a viable option, if he wishes to take over running Equestria, all he ever need do is ask and I would start the paperwork myself. It would be nice to take a vacation once in a while. Provided he can refrain from ordering or otherwise carrying out executions, of course."

"I can make no such guarantee," Ulquiorra replied indifferently, indirectly earning more laughs in response.

Celestia shook her head, deciding that now probably wouldn't be the best time to get into an argument with Luna over just how bad the idea of the kingdom being Ulquiorra's command could be. Even if a day off would be nice from time to time.

"I have questions."

Thoughts on what Equestria's military would look like under Ulquiorra's helm, and other potentially horrifying matters, were put on hold as Twilight spoke up.

"And you're going to answer them," Twilight continued as she looked directly at Discord.

"I am?" Discord asked, his tone of voice showing he viewed the statement as a challenge.

"You are," Twilight confirmed, "because Fluttershy's own well being could indirectly be at stake in all this."

"Oh now that's just hitting below the belt, Sparkle," Discord protested with heavy emphasis on his displeasure.

"Well I am at the right height for doing something like that," Twilight countered.

"Fine, fine," Discord sighed in defeat, "what're your questions?"

"Well to preface, I don't think even you would spend so much time detailing Ulquiorra's resurrección like you did without a very good reason to warrant such an approach; it's an awful lot of work to clarify how it's his released state that puts him at the most risk of ceasing to exist, rather than the less-detailed approach of simply letting us believe he's at risk in general," Twilight explained, allowing a moment for it to sink in before she continued. "Now, I can't think of a reason for why you'd do that, unless there's something you're not presently telling us, but yet wanted us to understand, if not figure out."

"Ah think Ah know where this is goin'," Applejack muttered and turned her attention away from Twilight, and over to Discord.

"As do I," Rarity added as she did the same.

"Now, I know you're hardly linear in how you do things, Discord, but I think you know far more than you're presently letting on. Why you're not letting on, I don't really care; you do you as you need to. But what I do care about are my friends, and if what you know involves them, I think we need to know too. And ever since the changeling incident, we've had five questions but no answers to go on, so let's change that right now," Twilight continued. "In less than two weeks' time since meeting Ulquiorra, we've been subject to two different attacks; first by an angry dragon laying in wait for us, and then a changeling takeover that very nearly succeeded. Now, I know this is Equestria, and it has its fair share of crises, but two in two weeks is way above the national average."

"Depending on whether it's an even or odd year, the national average of threats to Equestria is either one or two," the Pinkie currently hugging Discord interjected.

"Right. So the first question is, did you know that these incidents were going to occur? More specifically, did you know how they would actually play out?"

Now all eyes were on Discord, watching him expectantly while waiting for him to respond.

"... Yes. And no," Discord eventually replied, "I honestly wish you hadn't asked. But..."

A burlap sack appeared on the table in front of them, as a cat looking a great deal like Opal crawled out of it, and proceeded to scamper off to parts unknown.

"It's far easier to show you, than try to explain it with words. Bear with me," he continued as he slowly raised his eagle talon and snapped his claws.

In a flash the library setting was gone, replaced by what could best be described as the cosmos at large, surrounded by the unobstructed view of stars and planets far beyond their own. But they didn't have time or the opportunity to be amazed by the view, as every non-chaos user present was experiencing their bodies tensing and locking up as if they were being subjected to electrocution, while their eyes were whited out by a bright light shining outward.

The entire episode had barely lasted three seconds before ending just as quickly as it'd started. But it'd been more than long enough to leave a lasting impression on all of them, as they collapsed hard against the library floor, with nearly all of them screaming in the aftermath.

"The first time is always the worst," Discord commented after the fact.

"Discord," Luna croaked, barely finding the strength necessary to even roll over, "what... just what was that just now!?"

"That, my dear Luna, is the reason for this entire mess we presently find ourselves in," Discord began as he clapped his claws together, causing the initial display to disappear, and a new one to take its place behind him as he continued speaking. "First and foremost, the multiverse theory is actually fact. Let that sink in for a moment, but not for too long; I don't need your brains melting under the strain of what the unfortunate implications that might bring about."

"Too late," Pinkie grunted, now reduced to a single entity rather than two, and no longer able to hug anyone. "Ugh, somepony dream up a stomach for me so I can hurl..."

"Now onto the second and more important point. What you all experienced was something that is completely unprecedented within our reality. At some point, somewhere between the time of Shining Armor's wedding and the reappearance of the Crystal Empire, something in the great multiverse of existence for lack of a more appropriate term "shifted" and has essentially thrown our world off from its intended course," Discord stated. "The fate we were originally destined for is no longer set, and there's no telling just where things may go from here on out. Events of the future could have already occurred in the past, and events that should've already happened by now could occur at a point when the lessons learned there should've already been learned before now."

"Oh dear," Rarity murmured, "you mean like that horrible boat trip Applejack and I went on with Rainbow Dash last year?"

"We agreed never to speak of that again," Rainbow Dash grunted, before taking a breath and rolling herself over and more or less falling into a sitting position on the floor.

"Well in any sense that is a very good example of what I'm talking about. The lessons learned and difficulties experienced would make sense early on in your friendships, but not after having years to become familiar with one another. But in the present situation we find ourselves in, there's no such guarantee-"

"Discord," Celestia interrupted firmly, "assuming this is all correct and true, why didn't you warn us about all of this sooner?"

"Because, my dear 'Tia, of four specific reasons. First, at the time this event occurred I was still firmly cast in stone, and couldn't have informed anypony even if I wanted to. Second, when I finally had the opportunity to warn you about the truth, I was still very much evilly-minded and simply didn't care about the matter at the time; I had my own chaotic plans for the world, so what did I care if things got a little wacky? Third, even if I did warn you about what happened, it simply wouldn't have made any difference, other than causing unrestrained terror and panic. Something of this magnitude is far, far beyond the control of any of us; even I can't undo a reality-warping event of this magnitude. Reconciliation with the path we should've been on is impossible. We have no choice but to simply wait and see how things play out, and hope for the best. And fourth, the aforementioned chaos/order divide. The only reason I can tell you now, is because this is all being done via dream."

"Why tell us now at all?" Ulquiorra asked, once he finally had his bearings back, and was able to stand upright again. "You obviously had no intention of informing us about this occurrence, so what served to change your mind?"

"Well certain developments have forced my claw in all this, such as Twilight and the others apparently figuring out that something is up. So it was either come clean and provide exposition on what we're facing, or erase everypony's memory up to a certain point and maintain the charade as long as possible," Discord explained. "But after a while even that gets to be boring, so on with shaking everypony's beliefs to their very cores!"

"THIS IS SERIOUS YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Luna shouted furiously, however her lack of the Royal Canterlot Voice, and her own squeaky tone, had done nothing to aid in demonstrating her displeasure.

"And you think that I don't know that!?" Discord shouted right back at her, and anypony else who might've believed otherwise. But his tone was far more violent, far harsher, and easily shut them all up. "I know for a fact, better than anything, just how serious this situation truly is. So if I appear silly, I assure you it's a necessary defense to maintain what semblance of sanity I still have left in all this!"

The others were understandably taken aback, as this was the first time any of them could recall seeing Discord actually, genuinely angry.

"So," Zecora began as she tried to keep her tone calm. "The future is no longer set. Which is what many believed to begin with. How does this event change that, or otherwise serve to affect any of us as a result?"

Rainbow Dash did a double take in response. "Woah, you didn't rhyme? I thought you always rhymed."

"I am far too upset to rhyme at the moment. I will do so later on, when things are not quite so terrifying," Zecora replied, before standing up straighter and turning her attention back to Discord as she waited for an answer.

"Well it's certainly a good question. And one that certainly needs answering," Rarity agreed and looked to Discord for answers. "Honestly, Discord, I don't think you would've told us this without having a reason, and based on what you've said previously, I doubt it would be purely for your own entertainment. So how does this development impact us?"

"You won't like the answer. But I think we're far past that point now," Discord muttered and rubbed his antler before continuing. "It's true, I could've opted not to tell any of you about this, let you all continue living out your lives in blissful ignorance of the truth. I thought about doing it, but... that wasn't an option. Some time ago I started to get... well let's call them premonitions. Dark, disturbing premonitions of a future Equestria that'd fallen. Premonitions about the deaths of you and your friends, from threats you simply couldn't stop. Threats that I couldn't protect you against without hampering your own growth, and putting myself at risk of ceasing to exist in the process. Suddenly ignorance was no longer bliss but a liability. You had to know about these unfortunate facts for your own good."

There was a flash of purple light as Twilight teleported over to where Discord stood, and proceeded to envelop him in a firm hug with her forelegs around his waist.

"Thank you. If this is all true and accurate, thank you. I couldn't bear to lose my friends."

Discord merely patted her head, enjoying the appreciation he was getting for a change, rather than all of the screaming and accusations.

"I'll offer my own gratitudes later. But right now I have a far more pressing question," Celestia stated, "Discord. You said you received premonitions. Can you tell us what we can expect to face? Particular enemies? Dates? Times? Locations? Anything that would let us coordinate preemptive strikes?"

Discord shook his head in response. "I'm afraid not, Celestia, although I do like your thinking. But there was nothing definitive except for death and devastation if something wasn't done. I can't even give you clues about what to look for, otherwise you'll be jumping every time the wind blows at an askew angle."

"Then it would appear we have answers to questions one, three, four, and five. Leaving us with just question two remaining. Thus making it my turn to ask," Ulquiorra stated as he once again turned his attention to where Discord stood. "Not knowing any other details about what was involved, why did you choose me specifically to be involved in this matter? Out of any other potential candidate that could've been brought to Equestria, what was it about me specifically, that made me the ideal choice?"

Once again all eyes were on Discord as they waited for an answer to the presented question. A question that'd weighed heavily on more than a few minds since it was first presented. And now that an answer was in sight, the anticipation was almost palpable.

"I suppose you do have the right to know why you were brought here. Although you may not like the answer that you get, or where it may take you from here."

In a flash Twilight had been returned to her seat at the table, as had all the others, with even Ulquiorra being forcibly seated at a newly established chair, before Discord plopped himself down into an overstuffed recliner that popped into existence directly behind him.

"Buckle up, you're all going to be in for a wild ride."

Chapter One Hundred Six

Chapter One Hundred Six

"So. Why you're here in Equestria," Discord began as he leaned back in his chair, making himself comfortable for what ultimately laid ahead of them. "I'm afraid a concise answer to that question isn't all that simple, or even straightforward. It's all rather involved."

"If I have to state the obvious, and tell you to get on with the explanation, I can promise that you won't like the consequences that will be had from such," Ulquiorra explained in a calm yet simultaneously disturbing tone.

"Right then," Discord replied, "first the short, simple answer. You're here because a "boots on the ground" approach to doing business was needed in order to keep Equestria safe. You're essentially what you might call an independent contractor, brought here to deal with the threats that could end Equestria by putting an end to Twilight and the rest of her friends. I'm sure you understand that if they die then the Elements of Harmony become useless. And having an extra set of hooves, er, hands on deck, serves to lessen the possibility of that becoming the case."

"A logical conclusion, and a wise course of action. That much won't be denied. But it still leaves the question of how I came to be selected for such a task," Ulquiorra pointed out. "What is it about me, specifically, that made you decide I was most qualified for undertaking such a mission?"

"I'm getting to that part, I promise," Discord stated in the most assuring manner he could muster. "In simplest terms, you were selected because you were the most qualified individual for the job, based on a wide variety of criteria. I wasn't about to assign the task to just anything that happened to be convenient and available at the time."

"Oh, I can't wait to hear this," Celestia muttered. If Ulquiorra really was the most qualified individual for keeping Equestria safe from what Discord was alluding to, she couldn't help but wonder who and/or what hadn't made the cut.

Celestia's barb went unaddressed as the display behind Discord once again changed with the snap of a claw, now showing faces. Many faces. Potentially thousands of faces.

Some of those displayed were familiar to Ulquiorra, as they were his fellow Arrancar from Hueco Mundo. Even some Shinigami. But the vast majority of the faces he was seeing were unrecognized, and there was no way of telling just where they were from. Begging the question of just how many universes/realities/planes of existence had Discord scoured before settling on him?

"Obviously whoever was selected for the task needed to be quite strong for facing whatever threat might arise in the future. Strong enough to take on a dragon at the very least, obviously. The fact it was a physical strength is simply an added bonus," Discord explained.

A number of pictures currently on the display darkened, with a red diagonal line being drawn through them from left to right at a downward angle. Suggesting those individuals had simply not met the first part of the criteria.

"But strength by itself, physical or otherwise, is utterly useless; pure dumb muscle would never suit this world's needs, so whoever was selected needed significant intelligence as well. Not just raw intelligence either, but logical thinking, deductive reasoning, practicality and pragmatism, the ability to contemplate the possibility of matters beyond their own understanding, the ability to adapt to new situations as they arose, and a great many other areas of thought. They needed to possess the skill to recognize that something was wrong, when they couldn't be told the facts of the matter directly."

More pictures went dark and were marked through.

"In addition, we needed someone who could be trusted. Someone with ambitions of world domination and their own ruling over others was something we simply didn't need, even during the best of times. Being untrustworthy is a bad combination with that aforementioned significant intelligence. No, whoever was selected, they needed to be someone who not only understood loyalty, but willingly embraced it themselves. There's no place in this world for chronic backstabbing disorder, and we didn't need one more thing to defend against, with all we would be having on our plate already."

Again, more faces went dark and marked through, decreasing the number of candidates even further than before.

"The ability to kill was also very important. Not simply the ability to physically commit such an act, but the mental strength necessary to follow through with such a decision if it was deemed necessary, without getting hung up on the morality of such, or being bogged down by the emotional weight involved with such a course of action. Although at the same time, it had to be someone who didn't view killing as the default answer for every situation that arose, or who treated it with glee and engaged in murder at the drop of a hat because they enjoyed ending the lives of others. We needed a professional who understood this very well."

The number of images that went dark and were marked through was... surprisingly few this time around.

"Now, I could go through the whole myriad of qualifying factors that had to be considered, whittling down this list bit by bit until we get to you specifically. But cutting to the chase, in addition to every other category that had to be met, even those we haven't mentioned yet, we needed someone whose own story back in their world had essentially come to an end, so that they wouldn't be missed if they just suddenly disappeared one day. Their coming here was going to be a one-way trip with no way back, and I wasn't exactly keen on throwing other realities into this particular type of chaos just for our own benefit. That's not entertaining at all, nor very sporting if you ask me."

Nearly all of the faces went dark and were marked through simultaneously. Whereas there had been potentially thousands before, there were barely twenty now. And as far as Ulquiorra could tell, he was the only one from his own reality that was still present among the finalists.

"But most important of all, what we needed was someone who would have a good reason for being close to Twilight, Fluttershy and the rest of their friends in the event of an emergency, without simultaneously seeming out of place with their presence."

Ulquiorra suddenly found himself very, very alone, with his image the only one still highlighted on the display, leaving him the equivalent of a white dot in a veritable sea of all-consuming blackness. How very familiar.

Just as it had appeared, the entire display vanished in the same fashion, the area seemingly becoming lighter in the process.

"What made you so special, so unique, so qualified for this mission, Ulquiorra?" Discord asked in an almost rhetorical manner as he turned his focus solely on the Espada now. "That would be you yourself specifically. You came from a background beyond the comprehension of most in this world. A background that would've broken the minds of most ponies forced to experience even a fraction of it for themselves firsthoof."

Celestia unintentionally winced at Discord's words, but ultimately said nothing.

"Back when we first met and introductions were being made? When I said you could benefit from friendship, I was stating fact rather than expressing opinion," Discord continued, uninterrupted by Celestia's physical gesture. "You came from a place that would be a literal Hell to anyone in this world. You were a misanthropic, heavily nihilistic individual who firmly believed happiness could only come in the form of one having nothing to lose. Yet despite all of that, you changed. In the span of just a few days, upon encountering certain unique individuals who outright defied your logic and view of the world, you found yourself forced to reevaluate your own limited beliefs in light of new information you couldn't reconcile away."

Try as he might, Ulquiorra simply had no idea of what to say at this point in time. Rarely was he rendered speechless, but it was certainly happening right now.

"In a lot of ways, Ulquiorra, you're very similar to our own Twilight Sparkle. You could not only benefit from the magic of friendship, but you actually possessed the capacity to do just that, just like she did. And that's ultimately what made you so perfect for the job; more perfect than anyone else who could've been selected. Your capacity to learn and benefit from what so many ponies take for granted, provided you with the perfect opportunity and reason to actually spend time with Twilight and her friends. Meaning-"

"Meaning that while I went about learning the same lessons that Twilight Sparkle herself learned during her time in Ponyville, I would have a statistically greater chance of being present in the event something went wrong, and they found themselves in a potentially deadly situation as a result. Which, by extension, would mean providing a statistically greater chance of Equestria and its residents surviving a potentially cataclysmic event, than if anyone else were selected instead," Ulquiorra surmised.

"Essentially, yes," Discord confirmed. "It had to be you, and your unique circumstances, you're the only one who could make everything work properly. Anyone else wouldn't have reason or need to associate with Twilight and the others, meaning their presence would serve no purpose, and just potentially make everything worse as a result."

"Why didn't you just ask instead?"

Everyone paused to silently look in Ulquiorra's direction at the presented question, having not expected that to be his given response. They then looked back at Discord, waiting both for an answer as to why, and if it really would've been as simple as all that.

Even Discord seemed puzzled by the question. "What, ask? Just like that?"

"Had the request for help simply been presented at the time of our first meeting, it would've been accepted once all the relevant details had been laid out," Ulquiorra explained as he stood up from his chair and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Being adrift in the void as I was, the opportunity to make myself useful would've been taken. Instead you decide to go about orchestrating what has to be the most convoluted, nonsensical approach to a basic problem that I've ever seen in my existence. Weeks of effort could've been saved and better utilized, had the straightforward approach simply been carried out."

"Well, lad-"

"My name is Ulquiorra Cifer."

"-I suppose I could've gone and done things differently," Discord admitted reluctantly. "But again, the chaos/order divide is still very much in effect, so there was only so much that I could reveal in a straightforward approach. Also, think of it as a secret test of character to see if you were really what we needed. You're thrown into a very foreign world, told that you're free to do as you please. You come across just enough information to let you realize on your own that something's wrong. You have the opportunity to simply walk away and do nothing to help because you're not under orders to help. And what do you do in the face of all this? You practically dive headfirst into unraveling the mystery before you, all the while learning how to work with others and utilize their strengths, and take up the task of defending this world without ever being asked to do so. If that doesn't speak highly of your character, then I honestly don't know what would."

Despite there being the urge... maybe even an unconscious primal desire... to verbally rip into Discord for his attempts at justifying such a convoluted, nonsensical approach to how he conducted himself, Ulquiorra found that he simply couldn't. Yes, it was convoluted, far more than even Princess Celestia's approach to dealing with the changelings. But at the same time, there was a certain logic in the approach that was hard to deny. Aizen's plan for motivating Orihime Inoue to willingly come to Las Noches was far more straightforward and subtle, but it could also be deemed convoluted, and likely to fail if not applied against the right sort of mentality.

He could justify his actions as being nothing more than his own attempts at following Princess Celestia's orders when they had first met. But the part about not doing anything to cause harm to the residents of Equestria, or put them at risk, was heavily ambiguous when it was analyzed and dissected as to just what that entailed and didn't entail. It could've easily been interpreted in a manner to justify a lazy, even cowardly approach to situations and staying out of the way of danger; especially in his case when his strength was taken into consideration.

But he hadn't done that. Instead he'd deliberately chosen to interpret her orders in a manner that allowed -even justified- his getting physically involved in dealing with numerous threats that has arisen. The dragon, the changelings, the manticore, and then Nightmare Moon. None of which he'd been required to do, and yet had done so regardless, and of his own volition. He had rationalized it all as being a way of justifying his existence in this world. And yet... had it been something more than merely that? Something that even he wasn't consciously aware of at the time?

"Is this ultimately what it means to be a hero? To undertake a task, even when you don't have to do such?" he found himself wondering.

Had his fight with Ichigo Kurosaki really served to change him that much from what he was? Had the illogical words from the woman had that much of a profound effect on him? Had the quincy's futile but desperate struggles impacted him more than even he'd realized?

He didn't know. Annoyingly, he simply didn't know.

"It was still a convoluted, nonsensical approach to engage in," he commented, it being the only thing he could think of in response.

"Yes, yes, yes, I'm sure we've thoroughly established that fact by now. So then, onto new business!" Discord stated.

SPLAT

Discussion was abruptly ended as a cream pie came flying out of nowhere and impacted against Discord's face, easily shattering into a gooey mess.

It was later revealed to be a coconut cream pie, as chunks of coconut shell were seen in the filling as it fell to the ground.

Silently, slowly, Discord wiped the mess off of his face with his lion's paw, a look of disbelief beneath the residue he hadn't managed to get off.

"Alright, who threw that?"

No one came forward to confess. If anything they all looked just as confused and uncertain as Discord himself, looking about the room in hopes of identifying the source of the disturbance.

"Whatever," Discord sighed and shook his head.

"Discord," Twilight spoke up, "you went the long way about explaining how you brought Ulquiorra to our world to protect us from unforeseen developments in the future, correct? Developments coming about from our reality being knocked off its intended axis, right? Why stop there?"

"I'm not sure I follow," Discord replied.

"Now that the problem has been identified, why not go further to try and tip the odds more in our favor? Instead of expecting Ulquiorra to do everything on his own, why aren't you bringing in reinforcements from other worlds? Maybe, oh I don't know, a battalion or two of soldiers who fit some of the other criteria Ulquiorra had to meet? I mean, now that he's here and we've identified the problem, couldn't we outsource to other competent beings who could coordinate with Ulquiorra, since his strength is apparently limited?"

"Oh, how delightfully militaristic," Discord commented with faux cheerfulness. "As logical as that approach might sound on paper, Twilight, I'm afraid it wouldn't work out in the long run from a practical standpoint. Something like that would only add unnecessary complications that make the entire problem worse. Just the logistics of trying to get everyone together on the same page and organized would be an undertaking that even you couldn't manage. No, the fewer outside influences we have to balance, the better off we'll be overall. Ulquiorra might be limited by being only a single individual, but he's our best available option in all this."

"I don't believe you," Twilight replied bluntly and crossed her forelegs over her barrel while scowling at him.

"I don't blame you. But seeing as how I'm the one who would actually have to invest the time, effort, and magical resources to make everything work out, I'm vetoing that proposal here and now. Too many cooks ruin the soup and all that," Discord replied firmly.

What followed was an intense staring competition between the two, each trying to glare the other into submission through their own annoyance.

If not for Celestia placing a wing on Twilight's back, there was no telling how long the two would've continued being at odds with one another.

"I suppose I should be thanking you for the help and information you have been able to offer us, given your circumstances limitations," she sighed as she rubbed Twilight's back in an effort to soothe her student's current mood. "Ulquiorra may be limited to one, but he's been invaluable to us."

"Thank you, 'Tia, it's certainly nice to be appreciated once and a while, rather than being cursed out and shouted at by everypony who doesn't understand a good deed when they see it," Discord replied.

"You know what, Discord? You're absolutely right. It is nice for one to be appreciated," Celestia agreed and stood up from her assigned chair.

The others watched as Celestia took a breath, and closed her eyes in concentration, before returning to her regal form, standing just as tall and majestic as ever. She opened her eyes, wearing that serene look that only she could pull off so effortlessly, as she adjusted her position to better face Ulquiorra where he stood.

"Ulquiorra Cifer. My name is Princess Celestia, one of the rulers of a land called Equestia. We haven't officially been introduced yet, so I know these are hardly ideal circumstances to be making a request of you, but I'm afraid we find ourselves in a spot of trouble and don't have much choice. Our world, our kingdom, and our dear subjects, are all under threat from forces and factors we find ourselves ill-equipped to deal with on our own. I know it's asking a great deal of you, especially so soon after having just met, but could you help us with our plight? Could you come to Equestria and help us protect our little ponies from these threats?"

The entire display was... nonsensical to say the least. That was the simplest, most concise way Ulquiorra could describe what he was seeing. Had Princess Celestia taken leave of her senses? Had she forgotten that this wasn't their first interaction? What was the meaning of this?

Unless... the hypothesis relating to his interaction with Pinkie Pie on his third visit to Ponyville had been more accurate than he realized. Was this, in her own way, Princess Celestia's efforts at attempting to make up for the harshness she'd demonstrated upon their first meeting, and learning of the true nature of his character?

Then again, he had said that he would've helped if the request had simply been made. And this was certainly a formal request for aid being presented to him right now.

"I don't know how much assistance I can provide you with, given that I know so little about your circumstances. But I will do what I can. I accept your request."

Psychology was a soft science, amounting to little more than educated guesses. But perhaps it was one he would need to develop a better understanding of. Perhaps this was simply how pony brains worked, and he simply needed to learn how to work with them for best results.

Much as was done in his first interaction with Twilight Sparkle, he extended his right hand towards Princess Celestia, with her mimicking the gesture until they touched, performing an impromptu hoof/handshake.

Once the exchange was completed, whatever concentration Princess Celestia was using to hold herself together apparently ceased, as she immediately reverted back to her smaller form once again.

"Touching, dear sister," Luna commented, "but onto more serious matters. Discord."

"Present," Discord replied.

"Perhaps later, if you are a good boy. But for now it is business that must be tended to," Luna replied. "My sister may be trying to play it off, but I know better. The both of us are far too weak to raise and lower the sun and moon, respectively. And as much as I would like a stretch of nights for at least a few days, I highly doubt our subjects would appreciate it. So until we have had a chance to recuperate? Raising and lower them at the appropriate times?"

Celestia frowned in response, but ultimately chose to say nothing. She would deal with Luna later. Lest they descend into a battle of the raspberries in front of everyone. They really didn't need that right now.

Discord mumbled to himself and rubbed his chin in thought as he pondered the request.

"I don't know, Lulu, something that orderly for that long is really approaching the threshold here," Discord pointed out. Before sighing and shrugging. "Eh, sure. There will certainly be a bit of an artistic flare in how I go about doing it, just so things don't get to be too orderly around here, but for the most part it'll be just fine. Just release whatever sort of press statement you need so your little ponies don't panic too hard if the sun does loop-de-loops in the sky without warning."

"Good then. Our plates will undoubtedly be full enough come morning. We are going to need all the rest we can get if we are going to properly return to form for our dear subjects," Luna surmised.

"You know what, Luna? You're absolutely right," Discord replied as he slowly raised his eagle talon, "everybody needs the chance to rest up..."

Nurse Sweetheart yawned as she made her way down the halls of Ponyville General Hospital. She had unfortunately drawn the short straw of checking on Rainbow Dash at this miserable hour. She suspected it'd been rigged against her, as she had slightly more energy than the rest of the staff at the moment, but she couldn't prove it. It would have to wait until later. Right now she was far too tired to care after the night they'd all been having, what with triage in the town square, and caring for the injured in the aftermath.

Despite all of the excitement of the evening, and the number of injured patients being tended to, adrenaline could only carry a pony so far, and she was anxiously looking forward to the end of her shift rolling around so she and the rest of the night shift staff could finally get some rest, and turn over responsibility to their day shift counterparts. The moment her shift was up she was going to find the nearest comfortable spot in the hospital, and promptly drop right there and then.

But, work first, rest later...

The door to the room was closed upon her arrival, which struck her as a bit out of the ordinary, but not to the point of paying any special attention to it. It could easily be explained by any number of things and simply wasn't worth worrying about right now. She pushed it open as quietly as possible before slipping inside. She knew about the others deciding to spend the night with their friend, but she was unprepared for just how they'd planned to do that, and very nearly stepped on one of them before catching herself at the last second.

She shook her head in dismissal, before refocusing her attention on the appointed task at hand; that being checking on the actual patient in the room.

In her current tired state, and given the low-light condition in the room, she could be forgiven for nearly missing the additional guests in the room who hadn't been present previously. If not for the sudden snort of a snore, they might've otherwise gone unnoticed until morning.

Over in the far corner of the room, partially obscured by the shadows, was the Espada, sitting on the floor and leaning back against the walls for support as his head hung low, to the point his chin was touching his chest. His sheathed sword was removed from his belt and resting against the wall not far away from his position, while an unfamiliar mare rested her head on his lap like a makeshift pillow. A mare who, upon closer inspection, looked suspiciously like a white alicorn with a pink mane and tail and sun cutie mark.

This night was just proving to get weirder, and weirder by the moment. all she could do as a nurse was shake her head, and refocus her attention on the actual patient at hoof. She would make mention of this at the front desk shortly, and let them decide how and when to go and sort everything out. She simply wasn't getting paid enough to worry about all of these non-medical developments occurring without warning.

Had she been paying more attention to a greater extent of her surroundings, she might've noticed how the new alicorn shifted her position, but otherwise didn't stir or move from her current spot.

Not that her impromptu perch seemed to even register the movement. As deep and sound as his slumber appeared to be currently, for all intents and purposes he was dead to the world.

Whatever rest they were currently getting, they were obviously in desperate need of it. For what would ultimately be coming in the following days, they would undoubtedly need all the rest they could get.

Author's Note

I'm not pleased with the state of this chapter. I've typed it and retyped it, refined it and rerefined it, and I just can't get it to feel right. But if I didn't release it regardless I'd wind up driving myself nuts.

So there it is. Discord's reasoning for why Ulquiorra is in Equestria. For good or bad, better or worse, that's ultimately what I've had in mind for a long time.

Chapter One Hundred Seven

Author's Note

Just a note to the readers. The layout of this chapter is different from the rest, presented in more of an anthology style, rather than in a linear fashion within a continuous plot line throughout. Everything that's seen happens, but not in any specific sequence over the course of a single continuous day. This is more wrapping up the Nightmare Moon arc of the story than anything, before moving onto the next story line.

Chapter One Hundred Seven

Chapter One Hundred Seven

How long had Apple Bloom been laying on her bed? How long had she been crying? How long had she been unable to cry because of all the crying she'd been doing previously? She honestly didn't know. She couldn't recall petty, immaterial details like arbitrary lengths of time; not the way she felt currently.

Nightmare Moon had been defeated and Equestria had been saved once again, but it'd all come at a terrible cost. Far too terrible a cost for what was involved; that being stopping a monster that would've killed everypony if she'd been allowed to live.

"Sugarcube, Ah don' know how ta tell ya this, 'cause it's gonna hurt no matter how Ah go an' do it. Twist is... she's dead, Apple Bloom. Nightmare Moon took 'er as a host an'... Mr. Cifer had ta do what he had ta do..."

The news from Applejack had hit her with the mental force equivalent of a ton of bricks and left her floored, desperately wanting to deny the statement as being far too impossible to be real. But Applejack wouldn't lie to her, and especially not about something as big and important as all this. She knew it had to be the truth, but her mind just couldn't process that fact. It wanted to deny it, wanted to shout that it wasn't real, wanted to confirm that Twist was still alive and well.

Nothing was going to serve to change the facts of the matter, however. Twist, one of her oldest friends, was dead and gone, and there was nothing that anypony could do about it.

Why? Why did she have to die? Why did any of them have to die? Why had Nightmare Moon taken her as a host, rather than anypony else?

She didn't have any answers. She doubted anypony had any answers, really. And that lack of knowing, the lack of available answers, just served to make the hurt all the worse. How was she supposed to make sense of anything?

A knock at the closed door to her room served to interrupt her thoughts. Only for them to be replaced by other thoughts. That wasn't a knock she recognized.

It was too low of a position on the door to be Big Mac or Applejack, too firm to be Granny Smith, and it didn't match the usual pattern that Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo would employ when visiting. Plus there was no voice going along with it, which was just weird.

She must've been taking too long to respond, as the knock sounded again, just as before, but still with no voice accompanying it.

Slowly, she climbed off the bed and made her way across the room to find out who was on the other side of the door. Gripping the knob with her left hoof, she twisted it and pulled it open.

Standing in the hallway, on the other side of the door, was the duo of Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. That in itself was more than weird enough. But weirder still was the fact they didn't really look like themselves. They weren't wearing what she and her friends had come to regard as their characteristic, antagonistic sneers that indicated there was going to be trouble at the first word. If anypony asked her, they looked kinda like she felt right now; like they'd had a great deal of life and enthusiasm sucked right out of them. Diamond Tiara didn't even look like she could muster direct eye contact, as she was keeping her gaze low.

She didn't know if she should be concerned by this or not.

"We heard about Twist," Silver Spoon stated simply, her voice weak as if she barely had the strength to get the words out. "We're sorry."

Diamond Tiara simply nodded glumly in agreement, looking as if the act of simply opening her mouth to speak would result in her losing her composure entirely.

Prior, Apple Bloom had thought she'd been completely cried out at this point. But the fact it was these two who had come to offer their condolences for her loss had apparently tapped reserves of sadness she honestly didn't know she had. Her eyes were growing wet and her vision blurry before she even had warning to try and head off another wave of bawling, leaving her little more than an undignified mess in front of her two adversaries.

She honestly didn't know what she expected to happen after that, but it was most certainly not Diamond Tiara approaching and pulling her into a hug. Nor did she expect to find herself clinging to the pink filly for dear life as she bawled anew. But at this particular moment, she honestly didn't care who it was, just so long as somepony was here right now.

Today, Rainbow Dash was finally -and permanently- returning to Ponyville where she truly belonged. This day had been a very long time coming, and Luna couldn't help but smile at the thought.

With Nightmare Moon dead, the hallucinogenic substances in her body -and the bodies of countless others- were no longer being magically shielded, and thus prone to breaking down as they were metabolized into nonexistence. The very last vestiges of Nightmare Moon's assault against them were literally withering away into nothingness, and all physical traces would soon be no more. As far as Doctor Malar was concerned, her blood was good to the last drop.

She could've returned home much sooner, had she actually taken better care of herself in the time leading up to now. Her stubborn refusal to eat certain dishes during her stay had certainly done her no favors physically. And then physically fighting with Nightmare Moon had only made things worse, straining a system that wasn't up to it in the first place. It'd been nothing short of a miracle she hadn't died from exhaustion/malnutrition alone on that day!

Fortunately that hadn't occurred. She'd survived her ordeal, to go on to need to recover from said ordeal. It was a long, difficult journey towards said recovery, and required weeks of effort to replace what had been lost, to get her back to what would be considered a healthy condition where her ribs weren't so visible, and her mane and coat were shiny once again.

As far as Doctor Malar was concerned, in his expert medical opinion, it was safe to release her to return back home without supervision.

Luna couldn't help but smile at the thought. But it wasn't exactly a happy sort of smile. It was more like the sort of smile her sister would often wear during times of difficulty when a brave front had to be put on for the benefit of somepony else. True, she was happy for Rainbow Dash, but at the same time she wasn't entirely happy about the change that would soon be coming to life in the palace.

The time in which Rainbow Dash had come to reside with them in the palace had been... well it'd been horrible, that was the only way to describe it! Although that was more due to the unconventional circumstances they found themselves in, than anything the pegasus had done herself that would make her at fault.

There had been many rough points in Rainbow Dash's recovery that left many of them wondering if they were cut out for the task they'd undertaken. But as time passed, and Nightmare Moon's influence over her weakened, they had slowly -very slowly- settled down into a somewhat comfortable -almost familial- sort of setting, as the lot of them tried to work through things they obviously weren't qualified to deal with.

It was that ad hoc sort of approach, she believed, that had been responsible for some of the better moments they'd experienced during an otherwise dark and horrible time that was better off forgotten.

"You do not have to leave if you do not want to. You know that, right? You are free to stay with us in the palace if you would like," she stated, despite knowing it sounded weak. But she also knew that if she didn't speak up, she'd kick herself for her silence.

"Thanks, but I really need to get back to work," Rainbow Dash replied as she took one last look around her room, just to make sure nothing was getting left behind. Although other than Tank, more or less everything had been lent to her for her stay. "I don't even wanna think how much salary I'm getting docked for being down for so long. Assuming I haven't been fired."

"Ah! That is one area in which you will not have to worry. My sister took care to speak to the weather bureau directly. The directors were quite understanding," Luna replied with what could've potentially been a mischievous smirk. "Your position is quite safe, just waiting for you to come back to it. Although if you would like, it would be quite easy to get you transferred to the Canterlot branch of the weather bureau. Then you would have good reason to stay."

Rainbow Dash shook her head in response. "I'll admit, that's very tempting and all. The conditions up here in Canterlot are way better. But I really need to get back to Ponyville. It's my home, and it's where my friends are. We've been apart for way too long and I miss all of them."

"You could commute," Luna suggested, "I can teleport and drop you off in the mornings before I turn in for the day, and come by to pick you up in the evenings."

Rainbow Dash didn't immediately reply to the proposal. There was nearly a solid minute of silence as she wore a look that suggested serious thought was being given.

"You're really not making this any easier," she eventually mutter, sighed, and hung her head. "Look, you, and Celestia, and Ulquiorra, and the others, you all helped make this bearable when I was ready to kill myself. Everything just came together in a way that just sorta worked, you know? But I can't stay here forever, even if it would be kinda sweet."

At this, Luna could only sigh and nod. "I know."

"But at the same time, it's not that I really want to leave, I have to leave, you know?" Rainbow Dash replied as best she could. "I know the whole familial thing we had going on was just sort of a joke between us, but... I honestly, almost, started to believe it myself. It was nice to think about and all that; made me feel a bit less alone in everything. And when I do go back home, that means it's all gonna be over..." she said as she looked down at the floor, not liking that she had to admit any of this.

It would've been far easier for her to leave without having to openly say these sort of things out loud. Now it was just going to be really awkward. Open mouth, insert hoof.

Luna approaching and pulling her into a hug certainly wasn't expected. But it certainly wouldn't be objected to either. No, this was the sort of thing one just sank into and got lost in.

"I would not have jested about such a matter, if I did not find the notion acceptable in the first place, Rainbow Dash," Luna stated quite firmly, despite her voice never changing as she spoke. "Perhaps we are not family, be it by blood or other social convictions modern ponies are so obsessed with. But that will not stop me from regarding you as being my sister, and loving you just the same. Nor would I object to you doing the same yourself."

"You're not playing fair," Rainbow Dash mumbled, not in any big hurry to break the current hug.

"I am afraid it is part of the job description to not play fair in matters such as this," Luna replied and grinned mischievously.

Despite herself, Rainbow Dash just smiled.

"Very well then. I will escort you back home as soon as you are ready to go," Luna continued, knowing that her own defeat on the matter was inevitable.

"That should be easy. I just gotta say goodbye to everypony and I should be good to go," Rainbow Dash replied. "Let's see, Malar, Goodwill, Corners, Ebony, Celestia, Ulquiorra, the guards... ugh, I'm gonna be here all day!"

"Oh?" Luna asked, barely able to suppress a smirk. "Well then, I guess you will just have to spend another night, and I will take you back to your home in the morning."

Rainbow Dash wasn't sure whether to grin or frown at the tone in Luna's voice. So instead she took a third option, pulling back just far enough to thrust her head through her forelegs, to gain access to the underside of her barrel and blow a raspberry against her exposed belly. Sending the princess into squeals of laughter as she tipped and rolled over backwards, trying to shield herself from further assault.

Luna learned the hard way on that day, that she wasn't the only one who knew how to play dirty.

"So this is it then. You're really going back home," Twilight stated, more for her own benefit than Applejack's.

"Eyup," Applejack confirmed, "been a long time comin'."

"I know," Twilight replied softly, all the while trying not to sigh. "I'm... I'm going to miss you being around. Having you and Zecora living here with us was... well it was a lot of work! But at the same time it felt like it was work that was well worth it."

Applejack didn't say anything, mostly waiting to see where Twilight intended to take her train of thought on her own without interruption.

"I... I didn't think this through too well," Twilight admitted and hung her head. "I'm sorry."

Applejack shook her head. "No need ta be sorry, Sugarcube, Ah understand ya."

Without comment, Twilight moved in to hug Applejack where she stood.

"It took so long to get here, for a while I didn't think this day would ever come. And now that it finally is here, I'm not ready for it. I thought I'd be excited about you being able to go back home, but... I'm not," she admitted.

All throughout, Applejack simply patted Twilight's back with her left foreleg, silently letting her friend voice whatever displeasure she might have to say on the matter. It was only once Twilight stopped talking, that she spoke up again.

"It's probably gonna take us the better part of the afternoon ta get Zecora escorted back home an' situated again," she noted. "Would ya feel better if ya spent the night wit' us at Sweet Apple Acres, an' come back home in the mornin'?"

Twilight nodded, rubbing her chin against Applejack's withers in the process. "I'd like that. Thank you."

The matter should've been resolved then and there. But Applejack couldn't help but notice Twilight didn't seem to be in any hurry to actually disengage the hug.

Not that she could actually blame her, however. If Twilight was feeling even half as bad as she did at the start of her stay here, it was pretty understandable. Obviously this was going to require a different approach to doing business.

"Y'know, Sugarcube, we don' really work on the farm on Sundays, unless we really have ta," she started, pausing only to make sure she had Twilight's attention before she continued. "How 'bout, fer a while, we spend Saturday nights at each others' place? Would that work fer ya?"

At that, Twilight actually pulled back to look at Applejack.

"Really? You'd be alright with doing that?"

Applejack gave a simple nod in response.

"That... I could make that work," Twilight quickly agreed and nodded before the offer could be rescinded.

She couldn't recall the exact details at the moment, but she did remember reading something about studies suggesting mental health benefited from ponies having moments in which they didn't have to try and maintain the strength indefinitely. Something about periods of weakness being good overall. She'd have to look up the studies to double check and see if she was remembering correctly, but the basic theory behind it all was sound. The two of them could try and be strong in their respective fields of focus for six days, and on the seventh they could just relax and let it all out if needed. This might be just what they needed right now.

"A'right, Ah reckon that's enough. Let's get goin', we gotta get Zecora back home an' settled in before it gets dark," Applejack pointed out.

"I know," Twilight replied, "I know..."

Toggle Bolt's right eye twitched as he regarded what remained of the prototype armor sitting before him, uncertain if he wanted to scream, cry, curse, sigh, or simply throw something in a fit of juvenile frustration.

As the head researcher of Research and Development, he understood that Princess Luna had jurisdiction and discretion over the projects that he and his team worked on. If she wanted to, she could withdraw funding on any half-finished project and have it shelved at the drop of a hat, because the funding could be better used elsewhere.

But her deciding to actually pilfer one of their prototypes for her own improvised field testing hadn't been a development they'd expected to encounter. Nor had they anticipated it being returned in such bad, broken condition! She hadn't even returned it while they were present, oh no! Instead she'd snuck it in when they weren't looking, as if she were ashamed over what she'd done and had hoped to escape detection and a subsequent reprimand for their hard work being incomplete, burnt, dinged, and covered in scrapes with melted edges.

Honestly, it reminded him of his niece a little bit when she didn't want to get in trouble for doing something she shouldn't.

"So," he started slowly as he tried to focus on the task at hoof, rather than his own simmering fury. "What exactly is the story here?"

Over at the work table, one of his fellow researchers by the name of Lug Nut, read over the provided note of explanation/apology.

"Ah, long story short?" she asked, more rhetorical than anything before she proceeded. "Apparently it was procured for doing battle against a resurrected Nightmare Moon. Both it and the user survived the encounter."

Toggle Bolt's foul mood suddenly slammed into a brick wall at hearing the summation of the note's contents. The screech of a record being deliberately scratched wouldn't have been out of place in his mind at the moment.

"Nightmare Moon? Really?"

When they had set out to create the Mark II Lunar Armor, a great deal of thought had been put into its construction. Specifically what they and various advisers wanted it to be, and to do. Combat with an alicorn had never really been on anypony's list, as there were only three of them in existence. But to hear that their creation had fared as well as it had, in a role it'd never been suited for... well that was a different story.

Lug Nut nodded while continuing to scan the note.

"Overall, Sir, the prototype received high praise for its performance in the field under adverse conditions, including protection against magical-based attacks. Along with recommendations for areas of improvement based on pilot feedback. Increasing the field of peripheral vision on the helmet for use in flight. A method of quick-detachment. And... shoes that can act as conductors for pegasus magic, rather than insulators. Apparently they were abandoned for that particular reason."

Toggle Bolt could feel his head spinning, but not necessarily in a bad way. Their project had not only survived use in a situation it'd never been intended for, but there were areas in which it could be improved even more!?

"Well then," he began as he tried to maintain some measure of professionalism. "It looks like the team has more work to do. Today we start work on the Mark III Lunar Armor. Do we still have the notes and findings related to the Mark II? Stupid question, of course we do! Let's get them out and see about incorporating these enhancements into the design. We're going to be earning our salary today."

Angel Bunny was... well he was a jerk of a rabbit, even he would admit it. But he was a jerk who had a strong interest in his own self preservation.

His rabbit senses had detected a change in atmosphere that coincided with Fluttershy stepping through the cottage door by herself. A change in atmosphere that only the most primal of senses could serve to detect in the presence of a threat.

This wasn't like the threat that'd come from Rarity to dropkick him. It wasn't even like the threat posed by Opal who would likely gobble him up if so ordered to do so. No, this was something much more pressing than that. This was the sort of change he hadn't felt tingling him up his little bunny spine since the last time the Espada had been in the immediate vicinity. But it wasn't here right now, and the only change to come to pass had been Fluttershy herself strolling back onto the property without a companion at her side. Which would ultimately mean...

He didn't gulp nervously, but he did understand that, until he got a better feel for the totality of the situation at paw, he'd better shape up his routine. This wasn't the same Fluttershy he could so easily torment in an effort to toughen her up. This was a mare who had seen some right frightful stuff, and lived through it.

He might've been a jerk of a rabbit, but he wasn't a stupid rabbit. He had a strong interest in his own self preservation.

As best as Ulquiorra could tell, the post-Nightmare Moon festivities were in full swing in Ponyville at the moment, despite the amount of injuries and suffering that'd been incurred by its citizens during their efforts at holding the line against her.

According to Pinkie Pie's explanation, this event was needed to let everyone know that it was finally done, and that Nightmare Moon was finally and truly dead. According to her, they needed this emotional catharsis to get everything out of their systems, in order to properly heal and move on in life, otherwise they risked eventually being consumed by lingering, unresolved negativity.

At this point, he honestly didn't know just how much stock to put in her words. They were utterly nonsensical in their very nature. And yet... he couldn't rationalize what he was thinking, with what he was seeing. Numerous ponies, young and old alike, regardless of being injured or not, partaking in celebratory events of all shapes and concoctions, and all set into motion at sundown with the announcement from Princess Luna that Nightmare Moon was finally dead.

There was music, and dancing, and singing, and games, and refreshments, and an atmosphere that felt so strange to be experiencing firsthand. How could they be so happy, in light of how many had died so recently? Or how many had incurred great physical and emotional suffering for their involvement in a futile fight they had no hope of ever winning? Or those who were missing and still unaccounted for, despite ongoing searches to try and locate them? It made absolutely no logical sense. And yet he was witnessing it all for himself.

That last part was perhaps the most baffling to experience - his own presence during the festivities. Why he was here, he honestly didn't know. He didn't belong here; not for this anyway. Celebrations, particularly joyous celebrations, were... so very strange to experience. He hadn't been ordered to be present, nor was his being here even necessary. And yet here he was regardless, watching as others had fun in a manner that suggested none of them had a single care in the world.

It was even more jarring when one stopped to consider he'd indirectly caused so much of the pain and suffering himself, through his own actions.

He was the outsider looking in. Surrounded by a sea of smiling faces, as they experienced things he could never hope to comprehend, even if he invested enough effort to actually care about such.

So why hadn't he left yet?

For that, he had no answer. So help him, he couldn't explain his presence as he observed the nonsensical shenanigans of Ponyville during this late night event. He was playing host to... things... that he couldn't understand. Thoughts and sensations that were utterly confusing, bordering on downright baffling.

Everything was so complicated right now. It had been that way ever since the infusion of magical energies he'd received from these ponies in the climactic moments of the fight with Nightmare Moon.

Whatever the long term repercussions of such would be, he ultimately had no way of knowing. More or less par for the course for how his life had been for so long, especially after his arrival in Equestria. But now there was a lingering sense of uncertainly that was more noticeable, and more difficult to tune out. There was no way of knowing just how far the corrupting influence of these ponies had spread through him.

What would become of his absorption of so much magical energy from so many ponies? Would these sensations eventually subside and fade away into nothingness? Would they serve to change him into something he presently wasn't, and reshape his state of character? Would he find himself thinking about things from a new perspective he'd never before utilized?

Would he eventually find himself able to care about others? Would he eventually start to care?

Would he actually smile? Would he find amusement in the antics of Pinkie Pie and end up laughing?

Would he... would he actually feel inclined to participate when these ponies broke into a musical number!?

"Hey."

His thoughts relating to such and other apocalyptic hypothetical scenarios were swiftly interrupted by the realization that he wasn't presently alone. The twins, Flitter and Cloudchaser, had left the celebration and approached him.

Of everyone who had taken part in the battle of Nightmare Moon, they had been lucky enough to escape with little more than black eyes, and horseshoe-shaped bruises on their hindquarters that their fur did wonders at concealing from the view of others.

They had fluttered over to where he stood, before reaching out and taking hold of his arms, practically dragging his hands out of his pockets as he tried to make sense of what they were doing. He realized only too late that what they were doing, was leading him over to what looked like a forming conga line of dancing ponies.

He blamed Discord for the circumstances he presently found himself in. In fact he blamed Discord very, very much.

In his office, at the desk in the middle of the room, all Malar could really do at the moment was give a tired sigh as he stared down at the reports before him. The initial findings by the forensic accountant assigned to Canterlot General Hospital were... well they weren't good, he'd put it that way.

Not that he'd actually been part of the investigation, but he had been supplied copies of the findings as they were made available.

If he was reading this right, there was a great deal of white-collar corruption to be had at the hospital; enough to tie up the courts for years actually. How had things ever been allowed to get this bad?

And that was just going by what'd been found in the official records. He honestly shuddered some at the thought of what might've been going on under the table, away from where any sort of paper trail existed.

Loathe as he was to admit it, for all of his faults and negative character traits, Thrush appeared to be nothing more than a symptom of a much larger problem, rather than the source of the problem itself.

He jumped at the sound of a metallic thud in front of him. It actually took a moment to realize it was just a tray of food being set down in front of him on his desk.

Across from him, on the opposite side of the desk, was Nurse Goodwill with a similar tray of food.

"What?" he asked, utterly confused.

"You've been staring at those reports most of the day, Doc. You didn't show up for dinner in the mess hall, so I figured I'd bring dinner to you," she explained, before sliding her tray onto the other side of the desk across from him.

Malar blinked as he looked between the reports, the tray of food, and finally the clock on the wall. Had he really been at it that long?

His stomach growling indicated that he had been. So now was probably a good time to take a break and give his neck a rest. Setting aside the notes, he looked over the tray, idly noting the assortment of food before him looked like what he would normally pick from the offered menu the palace staff enjoyed.

"Well then, thank you."

Goodwill said nothing as she proceeded to pull up a spare chair, and sat down at the other end of the desk across from him.

"So what've you found anyway?" she finally asked.

"First, it's what the forensic accountant has found out, not me," he pointed out. "Second, based on preliminary reports, CGH is plagued by all manner of corruption and incompetence. They're in need of serious medical experts there; those who take their oaths seriously. Not these... entrepreneurs looking to line their pockets and bank accounts."

"Oh..." Goodwill replied. "Are... you thinking about going there to work?"

"Oh, merciful Faust no!" he stated quickly. "I'm past my prime for getting back into the game like that; it was rough enough operating on Rainbow Dash here. No, I think my place is here at the palace, where I can actually do some good in a hooves-on approach."

He would be forgiven for not noticing the relaxed slouch that Goodwill's posture took in response, as it would be easy to miss if one hadn't been looking at just the right time.

"I'll tell you this, though," Malar continued as he picked up his fork, "Corners was lucky to get out of there when he did. I don't envy anypony there, with the coming storm. Whatever may come to pass, it's going to be very, very ugly..."

"Princess Celestia."

Celestia stopped in her tracks mid-stride down the hallway, her front right hoof not even making contact with the carpet yet.

"Ulquiorra."

She honestly didn't need this right now. She had just recently regained her regal form, she was still getting adjusted to the difference in perspective from her smaller body, she had a meeting she needed to attend, and she desperately wanted to swing by the kitchen and grab a snack to get her through what was undoubtedly going to be another calculated effort at sucking the life right out of her.

"We need to talk."

She honestly, really didn't need this right now...

"How many pages of exposition am I looking at this time around?"

Much to her own surprise, that seemed to actually throw Ulquiorra off, as he had to pause momentarily before being able to give an answer.

"Three with the standard font."

Now it was her turn to be thrown off, mentally stammering at the fact he actually had a response to such a question. All the while doing her best to wear the same serene, collected mask she'd cultivated over centuries.

"Walk and talk," she instructed. She was going to get that snack one way or another. She needed that sugar boost to get her through this!

"What was the basis for the shape of your dragon form?"

Or... maybe she wasn't going to get that snack after all.

"I'm... sorry? I don't think I understand your question."

"The decision to become a dragon in the fight against Nightmare Moon, I can understand. If not for her regenerative capabilities, it would've been a sound strategy. But the form itself isn't understood. The presentation appears to be an eclectic blending of unrelated traits that have no rational basis in being present with others; including the presence of five articulated digits per limb, instead of the standard four if Spike is any indication of what the dragon species is like," Ulquiorra explained as he slowly stepped closer. "So one cannot help but wonder why such is the case. Was the form simply left to random chance as a result of the transformation process? And if that wasn't the case, then one cannot help but wonder what might've served as the guiding inspiration for the end result."

She hadn't intended to, but she actually found herself flinching away from Ulquiorra as he spoke. She had to fight the instinctual desire to bring her wings forward to shield herself; something she hadn't found herself experiencing since the time she was a filly. There were times it was honestly easy to forget just how intimidating he could really be.

"... It was something that I saw in a nightmare. Something truly horrifying that prevented me from properly resting for nights on end," she mumbled in explanation, her eyes focused more on the ground than anywhere else. "Something that, in a moment of weakness, conveyed an overwhelming degree of strength. Far more strength than I could ever hope to..."

Try as she might, she couldn't manage to finish the sentence. Not with him looking at her in the manner he currently was. She could feel his gaze on her, even if she wasn't meeting it herself.

"Then it's safe to conclude you saw it."

She didn't know what "it" was precisely, but it was apparent that Ulquiorra had knowledge of what was being discussed. She could do little more than nod in response at this point, suddenly feeling as if she'd been caught in the act of doing something very wrong, and now having to face the consequences of her actions.

The fact he wasn't talking at the moment just made it seem all the worse.

The fact he turned and walked away with another word on the matter seemed to make it even more worse, if such a thing was possible.

Suddenly she was no longer hungry for that snack.

The "Nightmare Moon was dead as a damn door nail" party in Ponyville had been in full swing since sundown. Lots of food, lots of music, lots of dancing, and lots of physical rejoicing for everypony present in the hours that followed.

"This feels really weird..."

Most everypony present. In Rainbow Dash's case it was a different matter. She was nowhere near recovered enough to even be out here for all of the festivities; even she knew that was the case.

Malar had argued hard against allowing her release for some late-night party, when what she needed most was rest. He might've thought she hadn't heard the discussion between him and Luna through the infirmary's double doors, but she'd picked up on more than enough to understand what the gist of the matter had been.

Honestly, if Pinkie wasn't involved with the party and festivities, she might've sat the whole thing out. She was in no condition to be here for everything that'd been going on. Even just standing up under her own power was quite taxing right now. She'd spent more time simply sitting and observing, than doing anything else. It was a weird concept for her, and even weirder that she didn't find herself objecting to it. Just catching up with Scootaloo had been an effort in itself to pull off, and one that had required her to lay down for a good part of it.

That'd all been some time ago. Now, however, she was on her way to Sweet Apple Acres for some additional celebratory events, courtesy of a ride atop Applejack's back as she trotted along.

"I really shouldn't even be out here," Rainbow Dash pointed out as best she could at the moment, "I'm supposed to be resting and whatnot."

"Don' worry yer pretty li'l head, Sugarcube, you'll be gettin' plenty o' rest soon enough," Applejack assured her, never missing a step as she went along.

But, with the thestral vision spell being utilized once again, seeing the path in the dark made it all quite easy to avoid any unforeseen hazards in the path that might've otherwise been easily sidestepped during the daylight hours.

"Yer stayin' fer some proper Apple family hospitality, sleepin' in a real bed an' gettin' a proper breakfast in the mornin'. But first, we gotta meet up with the other girls fer somethin' special."

Rainbow Dash said nothing in response, as she honestly didn't know what to say. Even if she did know what to say, she doubted it would make any difference. Instead she simply remained perched atop Applejack's back, letting him limbs hang limply as it was too much work to try and hold them up.

Honestly, as weird as riding atop her friend's back was, it wasn't all that bad. If her trotting was a little more rhythmic, she could see herself being lulled to sleep in the dark of night, against the warmth of a friend.

The rest of the journey passed in both darkness and silence, but Rainbow Dash could eventually see a point of light in the distance that was slowly getting bigger as they approached. As they got closer, it started to look like a flame dancing. And as they got closer still, she could slowly make out that it was a campfire. A campfire that the rest of their core group of friends were currently sitting around, and looking in their direction as they approached.

Somehow, the fact they were watching just made her approach atop Applejack's back feel all the weirder. Downright embarrassing almost.

"Hey," she greeted awkwardly from stop her perch. "This... isn't what it looks like."

"It isn't? Because to me it looks like one friend helping out another," Pinkie stated. "Also, it looks like it'd be fun."

Somehow, Rainbow Dash felt like she should've seen that one coming. She'd chalk that one up to being out of the game for so long, and spending so much time around Ulquiorra.

Without another word, Applejack stepped closer to the group and sat down on her haunches, allowing Rainbow Dash to more easily disembark and sit down as well.

"So... what're we doing out here? Roasting marshmallows? Ghost stories? Camping out under the stars?"

"Maybe later on. At the moment we've thought of something far more pertinent and appropriate to engage in," Twilight replied. "Rarity, if you would be so kind as to do the honors."

Rarity nodded and procured a plain, nondescript cardboard box from behind where she was sitting, and wordlessly levitated it over to where Rainbow Dash currently sat.

Rainbow Dash sat up a little straighter, fiddling and fumbling with the folded tabs a bit with unsteady hooves before eventually opening the box to see what was inside. But once she did, she wasn't sure about just what she was seeing. She looked at the contents of the box, then back to Rarity. Then at the contents again, then back to Rarity again.

"Is this-"

"It is," Rarity interrupted, her voice firm as she spoke. "Would you care to do the honors of burning it?"

"Wait, burning it?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Burning it," Rarity confirmed. "I want every trace of this abomination out of my home. Every sketch, every proof of concept, every individual article of clothing from each copy, I want it all gone! I want it reduced to nothing but ashes in the wind. I don't even want to hear the name of this abomination ever again!"

Fluttershy was honestly surprised at just how intense Rarity's outburst had been, and just how much it'd taken out of her to deliver. By the time it'd concluded she was panting and slouching, looking as if she'd just taken part in an exhaustive race. All she could really do was rub her friend's back, before speaking up herself.

"We were discussing the matter, and we reached a decision. Since you were the one who was harmed the worst by... what happened, for whatever reason that it did happen... it seemed only fair that you be the one who gets to put a proper end to all of this."

Rainbow Dash sat very, very still as she looked at them, before slowly turning her attention back to the box before her. Where she continued to sit still, in a long stretch of silence that managed to make all of them uncomfortable, and starting to wonder if this was a bad idea.

Slowly, she reached into the box with her front hooves, and withdrew a limp, black mask, and held it up to look at it in the light of the campfire as it reflected off the lenses of the eyes.

"You hurt me. In fact you hurt me more than I can put into words," she growled as she frowned at the mask as if she was having a conversation with another pony, leaving the others uncertain just who or what was actually being addressed. Was it the visage? Or was it them?

"But worse than that, you managed to hurt my friends too. You hurt them, and they didn't even realize it was happening until it was too late for anypony to stop it. You tricked them, twisted them for your own selfish purposes, made them think that they were actually doing good to help somepony else that they cared about. And then you just discarded them like they were trash when you no longer needed them!

"But guess what, you stupid bitch. I'm still here, and they're still my friends. Now more than ever. And you're still nothing. I win, you lose. Now get out of my sight."

One by one, the mask, and the other assorted articles of clothing were tossed onto the fire, the fabric slowly succumbing to the heat of the flames and being engulfed into embers, the air being filled with the acrid scent of burning material and papers, until the entire box was empty.

For a while, nopony spoke, with the only audible sound being the crackling of the fire as the additional fuel was consumed and slowly reduced to nothing more than ash that was lost amongst the other assorted embers.

Finally it was Rainbow Dash who broke the growing silence and tension.

"It's done. It's over now. She can't hurt us anymore. Neither of them can..." she sighed, before slowly looking back at them. "It's been a big day, and I'm really tired. Can we just skip to the group hug or whatever we're gonna do? I'd kinda like to turn in now..."

"Of course," Twilight agreed. Like the others, she knew full well about the extent of Rainbow Dash's present condition, and didn't want to put her at anymore risk of a setback in recovery than was absolutely necessary, if at all possible.

One by one the others gathered and huddled around her, with the whole assembly looking more like a cuddle pile than a group hug. But right now that was neither here nor there. The only thing that really mattered was the fact they were all together.

"Luna, I'm imploring you; whatever you do, do not say it!"

"But I must, Celestia, I simply must!" Luna gushed with barely containable excitement. "Huzzah! I am finally the big sister!"

All Celestia could do was sigh in response to Luna's enthusiasm. Of the two she had been the first to regain her regal form, which has resulted in her presently greatly-elevated stature.

It had been a bizarre sort of dimorphism between the two of them, back when they were young fillies approaching their teenage years. She had been the older of the two, but had always been smaller than average for her age. Whereas Luna, despite being the youngest, had been blessed with a growth spurt that gifted her several inches of height at some point during their development.

In their de-powered states, reduced to their normal forms as they had been, in was strange enough. Luna was still slightly taller than the average pony, whereas she actually had to tilt her head upward just to look somepony straight in the eyes.

But now that Luna had been the first to regain her regal form, the difference in height was just so very much more. And Luna wasn't letting that difference go to waste either, as she currently reveled in the difference in stature.

"Only in size, Luna, only in size," she reminded her.

"What was that, my dear little sister? You will have to speak up, for I cannot hear you from all the way down there," Luna replied with a teasing grin.

Celestia growled in annoyance. "I said that I'm going to kick your ass, you little brat!"

Luna snorted in amusement. "I would like to see you try, my dear little sister. I would like to see you try..."

"Mark my words, Luna, you will rue this day," Celestia warned her in turn.

"Perhaps I will," Luna agreed and shrugged dismissively. She then proceeded to move over to where Celestia presently was, and pull her into a hug. "Perhaps I will."

Celestia squirmed, but ultimately made no effort to try and break loose from the embrace. Honestly, it was nice being the one who was held, rather than the one who did the holding.

Restful Hills Cemetery.

It'd been the site of far, far too many funeral services as of recently, for far too many that'd been cut down far too early in their lives. Today was no different

The only small consolation that could be drawn from such, was the fact that there would be no more victims of Nightmare Moon. That unfortunate enough to have their service today, were officially the final victims she would ever claim. But it could hardly be considered any measure of comfort to those presently grieving their loss.

There were so many in attendance for the service. More than had been present for the service held for those who had been killed in the manticore attack.

But as the afternoon stretched on, and the sun began to set, those in attendance slowly left to return to their own lives and obligations.

All except for one who had remained behind, waiting for everypony else to leave before making their presence known and coming forward.

That one was Ulquiorra, stepping out of the canopy of a large tree that'd been in the background. Like others, he had been present for the service, but his reasons were his own and not shared by the others. Although he had waited for the others to depart out of basic politeness, as making his presence known would've only served to make things worse for Bonbon than they already are. There was simply no point in such a course of action.

Silently, he approached the scene of the fresh burial plots and stood before them, before approaching one in particular, and stopping to slip his right hand out of his pocket, and rest it atop the headstone.

"Nope, sorry, I've got nothing new to report. But thanks for asking anyway."

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong here. Taste this. Do you think this need more oregano?"

"Would you care to stay for dinner? We made plenty."

"When in my life am I ever gonna need to now how to diagram a thenteth?"

"Thith math ith thupid!"

"Could you help me with my homework, Mithter Thither? Please?"

On, and on, and on they went. Without mercy. Without end.

He had said it before, he would say it again; these ponies were a corrupting influence on him.

"For whatever it may be worth to you now, I am sorry, Twist."

Chapter One Hundred Eight

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter One Hundred Nine

Chapter One Hundred Nine

Ditzy tried not to let out a frustrated sigh, despite how displeased she was with her current situation and surroundings, and the circumstances behind both.

Ever since her surgery, she'd been taken out of the field and stuck behind a desk at the post office. Insurance reasons and all that sort of stuff that came with working in the mail service. Apparently the higher-ups had determined that, for the time being, she was better off working inside rather than outside.

Making it worse, that entailed working the front desk. Which in itself entailed being the face, the designated representative that often got associated with every mail snafu that came along down the line when ponies didn't get their letters and packages, even if it was way down the chain and out of her hooves. This was such a crap assignment...

Perhaps the most ironic twist in everything that'd befallen her, her eyesight was actually a little better now. Granted, her depth perception was a bit off, but other than that she honestly felt like she could see for miles!

That still hadn't been enough to convince the higher-ups of her fitness for field work, however. According to them it was still too soon to tell if she was actually fit to deliver the mail to others, and they didn't want to take the chance of her retina detaching itself again while under the physical strain of lugging heavy parcels about.

If somepony asked her for her opinion on the matter, it was more about them not wanting to pay for her downtime if that did come about, and a subsequent surgery was needed, because that would count as a workplace accident they'd be liable for. And they didn't want that liability to cost them.

Worse than all that, the patches of fur that'd been shaved off for her surgery still hadn't grown back in yet. Thus not only was she saddled with front desk duty, she also looked like she'd lost a fight with the gas burner on her stove. Again.

More annoying was the fact her entire work schedule had changed! The hours were different, she had a different day off... she'd loved her original schedule, it'd been perfect for her! It'd been perfect for her daughters! Now, however, not so much. Now it was much harder to spend time with Dinky and Sparkler. She didn't even want to think about what this change was going to mean for when school started up again.

Maybe she could get back on her regular schedule and delivery route by then. She certainly hoped that was the case, but at the same time she didn't hold out that much hope for it to actually happen.

"This sucks biscuit dough," she sighed, wanting to simply hang her head. Or maybe headdesk. It hurt more to do if done wrong, but the resounding thud was far more satisfying for expressing frustration and displeasure.

...

Tartarus be had, headdesk it was!

Except she couldn't do that right now, as a customer picked that exact moment to enter the post office with a package in tow. The pony in question being Carrot Top with a parcel perched atop her back as she approached.

Business now. Headdesk later.

"Hi, Carrot Top," she greeted as friendly and professionally as she could.

"Hi, Ditzy," Carrot Top greeted in turn as she approached. "They got you working front desk?"

"Yeah," Ditzy sighed, "sorting incoming mail, measuring packages, and being the one who gets yelled at by irate ponies when the mail naturally screws up somewhere else."

"Oh. Sorry to hear that," Carrot Top replied as a slight frown crossed her face.

"Thanks," Ditzy replied, "what brings you by?"

"I need to get this package shipped out. No real rush, but it needs to be delivered in less than a week," Carrot Top explained as she adjusted her stance to allow the parcel to slide off her back and onto the counter.

Ditzy nodded in understanding, reaching out to take the parcel and get it ready to be processed, but immediately stopped. She tilted it to the side as she looked at it, before tilting her head to the other side, before finally setting it back down to retrieve both a scale and a ruler from behind the desk to measure it.

"Hmm..."

"What? Is something wrong?" Carrot Top asked, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy as the package was scrutinized, all in a manner that was uncharacteristically silent and serious.

Honestly, it was uncomfortable to watch, and filled her with the urge to squirm. It was almost like she was the one being weighed and measured to determine her worth.

"Is... is there a problem?" she asked further, unable to keep the unease out of her voice as she spoke.

"Nope, no problem," Ditzy finally confirmed as she set the ruler aside. "It's just that, with the combined dimensions of the package, it falls into the oversized category. The shipping's gonna cost extra."

"Excuse me, what? There's no way that package can be oversized, it just can't be," Carrot Top stated in disbelief.

Ditzy nodded. "Afraid so."

"That can't be, you must've made a mistake or something. Measure it again," Carrot Top insisted.

"I already did. Twice," Ditzy replied. "You probably don't realize it because of how strong you are from all the farm work you do, but with the combination of its weight and cubic inches, it's oversized by post office criteria. It has to be shipped accordingly."

Carrot Top groaned and hung her head. "Can I speak to the manager on this? See what they have to say about it?"

"If I have to get Parcel Post out here, he's going to tell you the exact same thing. And then he's going to explain how the increased fees for shipping are to help compensate the postal services workers for the additional strain they're under from making deliveries of such. Believe me, you don't want to be subjected to that. It's more painful than just paying the fee and being done with it," Ditzy explained, her tone doing much to imply just how often she'd been subjected to such.

Carrot Top let out an exasperated sigh at hearing this. "Come on, Ditzy, we're friends. Can't you cut me a break? Help me out here? Please?"

"I already did. By letting you know the shipping was going to cost extra, rather than going ahead and charging you the extra shipping," Ditzy stated flatly. "I need this job, Carrot Top, and mail fraud is very serious. I'm not doing anything to jeopardize my work here, friend or no friend. I've got bills to pay and two foals to raise. Now do you want your package shipped or not?"

"Some friend you turned out to be," Carrot Top grumbled. "After all we've been through over the years, all the thick and thin, you're telling me that it's not worth anything?"

"Not in this case, no," Ditzy confirmed flatly. "Now, do you want your package shipped or not? There are other customers I could be helping right now, by getting mail sorted for delivery. The longer I spend talking to you, the less time I have to sort things out and get them helped."

"Somepony as developmentally disabled as you couldn't help anyone out," Carrot Top snapped. "What would you know about mail delivery anyway? It's a miracle you can even breathe and walk upright at the same time!"

Ditzy's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "That was just plain mean."

"The only thing that's mean here is you actually being allowed to have a family that depends on you. Are you taking care of them, or are they taking care of you? Foal Protective Services should come in and take them away from you! You stupid feather-back!"

Ditzy slowly pushed the package back across the counter, until it was on the verge of toppling right over the ledge. Insults were one thing, and she could deal with that. But to actually bring her daughters into this? Well that she simply couldn't stand for.

"Take your package and go. You can try again on my day off, when I don't have to stand by and watch you try and pull a con job on Equestria's mail service."

The slap came fast and hard, connecting Carrot Top's right hoof with her left cheek faster than she could blink or respond, leaving a deep stinging sensation behind in her wake, overshadowed only by the shock and confusion at what'd just happened. And then the realization at what'd just transpired in that brief flash.

Slowly, she turned her head back to face Carrot Top once again, and see the angered look she currently wore on her face. She wanted to be professional and ask her to leave once again. But in light of everything she just couldn't seem to manage that right now. Instead she'd have to settle for something else.

"Is that all you've got?"

She knew she wasn't supposed to challenge and pick fights with customers in the post office.

But at the same time, the customers weren't supposed to assault her -verbally or physically- when she pointed out that their requests/demands were physically impossible and/or illegal. So they were well past that point of no return by now.

"Like you could actually do any better?" Carrot Top shot back bitterly.

Saying nothing in response, not even giving a sigh, Ditzy calmly climbed over the front counter into the main lobby area, stepping down next to where Carrot Top had been as the earth pony gave her space to see just what she could muster.

She unfurled and stretched her wings, flexing them a bit before gently tucking them back in at her sides. She then moved onto stretching her neck to the left until a satisfactory pop was felt, before doing the same to the right. She rolled her withers to address a forming kink.

And then she proceeded to slap Carrot Top right across the face, connecting her left hoof with the intended target with enough force to floor the stunned earth pony, who hit the ground with a thud before she even realized what'd just happened.

Had she struck Carrot Top with her right hoof, impacting her on the left side of her body which she'd been bracing for impact, the results might've been quite different. But she hadn't done that, as she saw the bracing and tensing of muscles underneath her coat while doing her stretching.

To add the metaphorical cherry on top, Ditzy stood and leaned down over Carrot Top as she spoke. "In case you didn't know, I'm a lot stronger than I look; raising two foals by yourself will do that to you."

Carrot Top could do little more than groan as the pain of the blow made itself known through the surprise.

"Now, if I have to get Parcel Post out here and explain the situation, you're going to be in for a world of hurt; both for attempted mail fraud, and assaulting a postal worker. So I'd suggest you take your fat, oversized package, and get out of here while you've got the chance," she continued.

With that matter settled and resolved, she climbed back over the counter once more, returning to the portion of the post office that was off limits to the rest of the general public. There was still a lot of work that had to be done in sorting mail for shipping out before the end of the day, and it wasn't about to do itself.

Author's Note

Too short.

That's what she said.

Chapter One Hundred Ten

Chapter One Hundred Ten

Twilight let out a grunt as she slowly climbed to her hooves, and proceeded to stretch much like a cat would.

She was certainly no stranger to logging long hours spent reading. But there was a limit to how much time even she could remain fixed in a stationary spot, and pose, before her body demanded she take a break and move her muscles, lest they rebel against her for not heeding to their demands. They had no care for how enthralling a particular book might be at the time, as such details were entirely immaterial to their position.

There was an inaudible pop as she stretched her back muscles, noted by a sharp pain that faded into feeling good as a kink was exorcised and banished away. That had been needed far more than she actually cared to admit. Because if she did admit to needed it, then she'd have to acknowledge just how long she'd been sitting still.

As she did a few more stretches to loosen herself up a bit more, she took note of her surroundings, just in case anything had changed around her while she was in her own little zone, oblivious to everything else. And as such did, her ears picked up on a funny sound somewhere in the room. It was, how would she best describe it, almost like a slippery squeak?

Glancing around, she saw the only other one currently in the room with her was Spike, also sitting on the floor, and with his back turned to her. He was doing... something... but his back was obstructing everything, making it hard to see. But the sound definitely sounded like it was coming from him. Or at the very least in his general area.

"Spike? What're you doing over there?"

"Buffing my hammer," Spike replied back.

Twilight sputtered in response to just how brazen his answer had been. "Out here!? C-can't you at least have the decency to go do that in the bathroom, you little pervert?"

Spike, in response, slowly turned around to face her, revealing that he was holding his sledgehammer and a polishing rag, all the while giving her a sour look with a quirked eyebrow.

"I'm the pervert?"

Twilight could only sigh as she glanced at the floor in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Spike, my mind was somewhere else."

"Yeah, like in the gutter," Spike quipped as he returned to his polishing/buffing task. "So what're you reading over there anyway? And are you actually old enough to be reading it? Because if you're not... then I get the book after you."

Twilight shook her head in response.

"Well, my little lecherous dragon, you're certainly welcome to it. But I'm afraid it's not anything along those lines. I've been trying to do some research on what Discord said, but so far I'm not coming up with anything pertaining to what we're supposedly up against."

"You mean that reality shift thing? Well he did say it was unprecedented, so of course there wouldn't be anything you could research," Spike pointed out.

"I still find it very hard to believe that something can be truly unprecedented," Twilight basically mumbled in response. "But I'm afraid you might be right about that. Even Starswirl's research never spoke on anything like this even being a possibility."

Unprecedented. A word that Twilight had a love/hate relationship with. Unprecedented meant new discoveries could be made. Unprecedented meant that they were going in blind with no idea of what to do. Unprecedented brought them Ulquiorra Cifer and all the wonders he held. Unprecedented also brought them the discovery that the world they lived in might not be the world that they knew.

That was perhaps the scariest aspect of it all. From what she had gathered from Discord's explanation of the matter at hoof, their reality being thrown off its intended course had the potential to reverberate even into the past. Meaning even their own memories of events that had already transpired could've been affected, making it impossible to know for certain.

There was a certain, overwhelming sense of incomprehensible fear and terror at such a possibility having the potential to be real. If one couldn't even trust their own memories, then what could truly be looked towards for answers and certainty in the world?

It was something she -understandably- tried very hard, not to think about too hard.

"Alright," Spike spoke up, "I think we need a break. We'll go to Sugarcube Corner, get something sweet, have a couple of laughs with Pinkie, try and enjoy the rest of this peaceful afternoon, and come back to start on dinner."

"Hmm, that does sound more promising than what I'm doing now, which is just worrying futilely about something I can't possibly do anything about," she mumbled to herself and rubbed her chin in thought. "Fine, you win. To Sugarcube Corner it is then."

"That's the spirit," Spike replied as he proceeded to drop his hammer to the floor, to scramble over and climb atop Twilight's back. "Onward."

Twilight could do little more than giggle at Spike's enthusiasm, finding it a welcome relief to the stress she'd been experiencing lately. Sometimes, more often than she cared to admit, she really needed that.

They were outside the library in very short order after that, and she enjoyed the sensation of the late-summer sun against her coat as the trotted along to their destination. Even she would willingly admit that no amount of books in the world could ever replace that simple joy; not even first editions.

"So what's your sweet tooth craving at the moment?"

"Jelly doughnuts," Spike said without a moment of hesitation.

"You know, that sounds mighty good right now," Twilight commented. "Jelly doughnuts it is, then."

The trip to Sugarcube Corner had been short, simple, and pleasant enough to warrant taking the snack break in the first place. But that general peacefulness had unfortunately come to an end before they even stepped hoof inside the establishment, as their ears were assaulted by the sound of a growing commotion from inside. A very unpleasant, bordering on violent commotion, that only seemed to be growing in intensity.

"That can't be good," Spike muttered before they made their way to the door, doing his best to steel his nerves for whatever they were about to find as they stepped inside.

Such ultimately proved impossible, as there was no way of being prepared for what was encountered; Pinkie and Bonbon were currently in the midst of fighting.

Not simply shouting at each other over a matter of disagreement, but outright fighting. Bare-hooved, no holds barred, back alley fighting. Full contact body blows were being traded freely and indiscriminately, as Bonbon demonstrated when she wrapped her forelegs around Pinkie's midsection and body slammed her into the ground, before climbing atop her to pin her down, and proceeded to deliver blows to her head with her right hoof.

Pinkie, not to be outdone, pulled some maneuver Twilight couldn't even put into words to describe, and flipped Bonbon underneath her, before rearing up on her hind legs and dropping back down to slam both of her front hooves on the spot where Bonbon's head had been, missing only as her opponent rolled to the side just a moment before the impact landed, and proceeded to break the floorboards under the resulting force.

Bonbon's response came as she wrapped her forelegs around Pinkie's left leg before she could get loose, and swung her lower body up to deliver a kick to the side of Pinkie's head with both back hooves, staggering the pink pony and providing her the chance to scramble back onto her hoofs to reengage.

Pinkie's own dazed state didn't last long, allowing her to immediately meet Bonbon's advance as the two reared up on their hind legs to grapple in the middle of the room. She failed to stop Bonbon from managing to deliver several -painful- kidney shots, however she did manage to ensnare her foreleg and twist her body around, judo flipping and throwing the candy maker down onto the floor with a loud thud.

Not even the force of the impact proved sufficient to take the fight out of Bonbon's sails. As soon as she felt her foreleg was loose, she climbed onto her hooves to rear up, and began using her forelegs to deliver blows against Pinkie, who was forced into a similar standing position to use her own forelegs to shield her head and face from the impacts. Up until Pinkie spotted an opening to retaliate and swung her right hind leg towards Bonbon to kick her in the stomach, only to have it caught by Bonbon's forelegs and prevent the blow from landing.

The move was very difficult and awkward to execute rapidly, but she managed to pin Pinkie's leg in place with only her left foreleg, while raising her right foreleg to bring down and deliver a bone-breaking strike to the trapped limb.

That had been more than enough to snap Twilight out of her thoughts, driving her forward into action as she ensnared the both of them in her magic, and forcibly separating the two of them before the blow could actually be landed.

"Just... just... what the actual, literal fuck is wrong with the two of you!?" she shouted as she forcibly held their attention. "Start explaining. What's going on here?"

Both ponies opened their mouths to speak at the same time, only for their lips to be forcibly clamped back shut by Twilight's magic.

"No. One at a time," she clarified, in absolutely no mood to hear the two trying to talk over one another. "Bonbon, since I saw you swinging first, you start. What exactly is going on between you two?"

Bonbon nodded as the hold around her lips receded, allowing her to speak again.

"It's simple, Twilight, that fatso over there, is still friends with that monster that murdered my sister! And I won't have it! She can either be friends with me or it, but not the two of us!"

Again, Twilight found herself at a loss for words, uncertain what to think of what she was hearing right now. Whereas she'd initially been silenced by her own infuriated state, this sort of accusation was well outside of anything she'd anticipated.

"Nightmare Moon killed your sister, Bonbon, not Ulquiorra," she eventually pointed out, deciding it was best to address that particular issue first, rather than the rudeness that'd been displayed with the name calling.

"Did Nightmare Moon ram a spear through Twist's chest?" Bonbon shot back.

Twilight flinched away in response, both at the question and the harshness in Bonbon's voice, her ears flattening against her skull as she did.

"I didn't think so."

"She wants me to stop being friends with Ulqy, Twilight!" Pinkie protested as the magical bindings on her lips fizzled out, allowing her to speak once again. "She's trying to tell me who to be friends with! She can't do that!"

"I can, and I did, you fat ponka," Bonbon snarled as she turned to face her adversary once again. "You can either be friends with him, or you can be friends with me. You don't get to be friends with everyone. So you'd better choose, and choose very wisely."

On, and on, and on the arguing went. Arguing and outright screaming, with the two of them carrying on as if she wasn't even here anymore. A matter that wasn't helped as her magic fizzled out in her current state, letting the two get right in each other's faces once again without ever missing a beat.

What was going on here? What sort of madness had befallen the town this time around? What sort of insanity was gripping her friends? How could things be falling apart so quickly in front of her, despite her best efforts to try and head them off? It was as if she wasn't even here, and utterly helpless to make even the slightest bit of difference to her surroundings.

"Why're you being so mean!?" Pinkie asked, both sounding and looking as if she was on the verge of tears at this point.

"Mean? You think I'm being mean? I'm the one who had to bury my little sister because of what that monster you're friends with did to her! If anything I'm being kind in even giving you the ultimatum in the first place. So you'd better pick right in just who you want to be friends with. Because if you choose wrong then-"

"Enough!"

The sudden yell had been forceful enough to cut through the back and forth arguing, effectively shutting up both Pinkie and Bonbon, as they looked towards the only other one in the room with them.

To say Twilight was mad right now would be a gross understatement. At this point she was positively furious, and utterly seething with rage through tightly grit teeth as she glared at them. Even now she looked like her mane and tail were beginning to smoulder, and threatening to burst into flames if left unchecked.

Even Spike understood that this wasn't good, and quickly jumped off of Twilight's back at the first traces of heat he was detecting along his scaly butt.

The instant he did a bright flash of light, and a sudden wave of intense heat erupted in the middle of the room, enveloping the both of them at the same time it sent Spike diving under the nearest table out of fear of what'd just happened.

Even as bright as the light was, it still wasn't bright enough to obscure their sight of just what was happening where Twilight stood.

The blackness of her pupils was washed right out and replaced with a hot white, as the purple in her irises turned an angry cherry red, as she glared right at them with a practically murderous intent. All the lavender of her coat, horn, and hooves was gone in a flash, replaced by an extremely pale shade of yellow, bordering on a dingy, sun-bleached white. And the hair of her mane and tail had ceased smouldering, only to burst into open flames.

Twilight Sparkle was no longer present in the main room of the bakery. Flashpoint Sparkle had just entered the fray.

Pinkie tried to squeak in fear, but found herself unable to do even that as she stared at what Twilight had become. She had only seen it one other time in her life, and that had been one time too many for her comfort and sanity. This inequine... thing... had been seen at a distance the last time, and that had been bad enough. Now it was in the same room with them, at a much shorter distance, and it was even more incomprehensibly frightening up close. She could feel the heat radiating off of its frame as the flames burnt around it, fueled by just what had to be the sheer amount of rage contained within. Rage that was palpable even to her.

But as bad as Pinkie's current predicament was, Bonbon's was arguably the worse of the two, primarily because the fiery visage that stood before them slowly and firmly fixed its gaze solely on her. Leaving her feeling as if death itself was staring right at her. More specifically, her own death.

Making matters all the worse, that death was slowly approaching her as the fiery visage slowly stepped forward, with tendrils of smoke wafting up from its hooves as it moved.

She tried to back up, to put at least some distance between it and her, only to quickly bump into one of the tables and finding herself with nowhere to go as it moved ever closer.

"Get out," the burning mare commanded in a voice that was nothing short of outright demonic. "I'll deal with you later."

Bonbon, in a moment of utter sphincter-puckering terror, nodded in understanding and bolted for the front door to leave as quick as possible, lest she end up shitting a pair of pants that she neither wore nor owned.

Leaving Pinkie behind to face the fiery demon all by herself.

And then it just sighed and slouched, falling to its fetlocks and looking weary as the flames died out. Leaving a tired, slightly singed -and very purple- Twilight behind in its place. Just as quickly as it had all unfolded, it had all died out.

It was only after everything had transpired, did Twilight realize Pinkie was currently cowering on the floor, her forelegs brought up over her head, and her eyes clenched shut tightly as she violently trembled against the floor.

"Pinkie?"

"Go away!" Pinkie shouted shakily, never moving from her spot or position on the floor.

"Pinkie, I-"

"Go away!" Pinkie shouted again, it proving to be only the first in a long string of such utterances that only grew more incomprehensible as they went, as her frightened utterances became muddled as sadness and crying slipped into the mix and rendering her a sobbing, blubbering mess.

Twlight's heart ached at the sight of her friend on the ground, knowing full well that it was her who put her in this miserable state during her tirade. There was simply no excuse for that at all. Celestia would have her butt in a sling if she'd been here to witness this.

Sadly, she moved beside Pinkie and wrapped her forelegs around her friend to hold her.

"I'm very sorry, Pinkie..."

"Twilight?"

Through no small effort, Spike and Twilight eventually managed to get Pinkie calmed down once again.

In that period of calmness, the damage done to Sugarcube Corner could better be surveyed, and taken stock of. Various upturned tables and chairs littered the room from the previous fight between the two earth ponies, shattered and splintered wood planks from the impact delivered by Pinkie's stomping maneuver, and burn marks in the shape of hooves where she herself had stood.

Working together, the scope of the damage had been easy enough to clean up, so the Cakes would never know what'd happened when they got back. Spike had focused on getting the tables back up and into place, while Twilight focused on the floor, putting the same spell to use when a hole had been blown in the library so many weeks ago, the wood for lack of a better word being "melted" and reformed into an undamaged state before being hardened up again.

For the most part, Pinkie had been silent since calming down, doing little more than sitting still and looking at the floor throughout. So it came as something of a surprise when she finally broken that silence.

"Yes?" Twilight asked.

"Please... please, don't ever do that again? Please? Promise me?" she asked shakily.

"I'm... sorry? Do what again, Pinkie?"

"When you burst into flames," Spike stated as he righted the last of the upturned chairs.

Pinkie nodded in response.

"Oh..." Twilight replied slowly, once again turning her attention back to Pinkie. "I'm sorry, Pinkie, that's not exactly something that I can do, or otherwise promise to do. It's not something that I actually have any control over. There are times when I just get so overwhelming mad and it just sort of... happens."

"Don't feel bad, Pinkie, it's hereditary. Something she and Shining Armor both got from their mother," Spike clarified.

Twilight could do little more than nod in confirmation of Spike's explanation.

"Wait, seriously? She does? They do?" Pinkie asked.

"Yeah. Although they've both got nothing on her; Mama Sparkle's flames are blue when they come out," Spike clarified, his tone sounding just a bit too upbeat for what he was talking about.

"If it's any consolation, Pinkie, it's a very rare event. It takes a lot of anger to get any of us, er, fired up like that," Twilight added as she mover over to rub Pinkie's back, hoping to stave off whatever sort of growing panic might be forming in her friend.

"Yeah! Which is really good in her case, considering how hot her flames burn. If you ever see Mama Sparkle go full fireball, you know someone done fucked up!" Spike stated, unable to suppress a grin as he did.

Twilight frowned at Spike, as he was enjoying this particular discussion far too much.

"It's not an excuse for my actions, Pinkie, I just... well I lost it when I saw you and Bonbon fighting like that. Why were you fighting? What even started that in the first place?" she asked.

At the question, Pinkie looked away in shame as she hung her head.

"I didn't realize it at the time, but I... might've made the mistake of commenting in front of her on how it's been a while since we last saw Ulqy, and wondering what he was up to," she reluctantly admitted. "And from there it just sort of got out of hoof and went downhill really fast; faster than I could get ahead of. The next thing I know she's saying the meanest stuff I've ever heard from her, and making all kinds of threats, and when I tried to make her stop she socked me in the face. And then it all just... happened."

Out of the possible explanations Twilight could've gotten for how things happened, that most certainly hadn't been one of them. She understood that Bonbon was still upset, but to think she'd be so easily provoked, to go as far as physical violence -especially physical violence of this scale- was one she never saw coming.

"I'm not a very good friend," Pinkie mumbled. "I'm a bad friend..."

Twilight shook her head, and stopped rubbing Pinkie's back in order to hug her.

"Don't say stuff like that, Pinkie, you're a great friend! It's Bonbon who isn't. There's absolutely no excuse for what she did, understand? Absolutely no excuse, whatsoever. She didn't have the right to assault you just because she was upset."

"But-" Pinkie protested.

"No. No buts, Pinkie, you're not at fault here. Bonbon is the one at fault, understand? Because if you're at fault for being hit, that means I'm also at fault for coming to your aid. Is that the case, Pinkie? Am I a bad friend?"

Pinkie genuinely found herself at a loss for words at Twilight's question. She tried to answer, tried to utter something to avoid an uncomfortable dead silence, but found such to be impossible. She opened her mouth, but no words could come forth, as she honestly had no idea of just how to respond.

In the end, all she could do was weakly shake her head in response. She simply couldn't bring herself to say, or even consider the notion, that one of her friends was bad.

"Well then, if I'm not a bad friend, then you can't be a bad friend either, Pinkie," Twilight stated as she tightened her hug. "Think about it, if you were a bad friend, I wouldn't actually want to keep your company, would I?"

"I... I guess not," Pinkie replied.

"And since you're a good friend, it's only natural for another good friend to come to your aid if they perceive a need, right?" Twilight asked further. "Bonbon looked like she was about to break your leg with that one maneuver of hers. I couldn't just stand by and let her follow through with that, could I?"

"... No," Pinkie mumbled and slowly shook her head. "That actually makes a lot of sense. I think."

"Good then!" Twilight stated. "Now, let's have no more of this nonsense about you being some sort of bad friend. There's no room for that sort of subject matter here."

"You're right," Pinkie agreed, now willingly leaning into the hug she'd been on the receiving end of for so long. "Thanks, Twilight. I think I needed that."

Over where Spike was currently perched, he watched the two. He was thankful that Pinkie was coming around to Twilight's position, but at the same time, something about it all felt kind of... off, for lack of a better way of describing it. It wasn't anything specific that he could put his claw on, but there was a sense he couldn't shake, that something just wasn't right; even when allowing for Ponyville standards.

It was something he would, in all likelihood, have to bring up with Twilight at some point. And he would. Just not right now; not when Pinkie was still in need of help and comforting.

And just what was all the neighing going on outside about? When had that started, and why was he just now noticing it?

Chapter One Hundred Eleven

Chapter One Hundred Eleven

Among the staff of Canterlot Palace who were tasked with the general upkeep and day-to-day cleaning that went into keeping the palace presentable, Holly Leaf had been unfortunate enough to draw the short straw for pulling library duty today.

It wasn't that library duty was a particularly bad assignment per se as far as cleaning went. The enchantments carved into the shelves ensured a postively-charged ion field kept dust and various mites at bay, so it wasn't necessary to take each and every book and/or scroll off the shelves to wipe them off/down. Honestly, in all the years she'd been working at the palace, and all the times she'd drawn library duty, she couldn't remember something like that ever really needing to be done.

No, the real problem that came with the assignment, was within the room itself; more specifically its occupant.

For reasons that none of them really knew -as none of them really dared to ask- the Espada had essentially, for lack of a better term, come to take up residency within the library itself.

Really, that was about the only way to actually describe the matter in anything resembling a coherent sense. How else could one go about describing an extended presence that continued for days on end as if it belonged there?

He, she mentally corrected herself. Not an it, but a he. The Espada, for all he was capable of doing, rumored or otherwise, was still a sentient/sapient being and demonstrated conscious thought, rather than a beast that was guided mindlessly by blind instinct.

It wasn't that the Espada was particularly unpleasant to be around. He was... well, he was reasonably polite in his interactions with others whenever there was reason to converse, but the politeness and courtesy he exercised was of a cold, clinical, detached sort of manner that could be really off-putting in its own way. It was kind of like talking to a toaster, or something like that.

No, the biggest problem that came from dealing and interacting with the Espada, stemmed from what he did without even trying.

He was, without doubt, an apex predator in a world full of prey species, and they were all very aware of that fact, either consciously or subconsciously. His mere presence just seemed to silently broadcast this fact to everypony in the area, and generated an unpleasant -even frightening- air around him that practically radiated down into their bones; into their very souls as it were.

Simply being in the same room with him was enough to play on primal instincts, leaving the afflicted feeling like they were in near-imminent danger, as if they were presently being stalked by something that wound pounce upon them and devour them if their guard was lowered even a little. Constantly looking over their withers, trying to catch sight of the phantom presence that seemed to be just on the edge of their peripheral vision, even when there was nothing there but their own taxed nerves...

She should've picked a different straw. Then it wouldn't be here on this day. But it was far too late now. She had her assignment, and she had to do it.

Even just setting hoof into the library was intimidating in itself. But whether that was due to the presence of the Espada somewhere in the room, or just her own mortal anxieties getting the best of her, she honestly didn't know.

Moving through and about the library was like a perverted game of hide and seek; creeping along the shelves in an effort to remain hidden, peeking around the corners, occasionally whipping her head around at something that may or may not have actually been there as the hairs in her ears stood on end. And upon sight of nothing in the immediate area, quickly moving to a different hiding/vantage spot to restart the process.

She knew it was silly, and foalish, and even unprofessional to act in such an undignified manner, especially when she was carrying out official palace duties. But at the same time, it was the Espada they were talking about. The standard rules of engagement and conduct were never drafted by those who had to contend with such a terrifying entity. Surely she would be forgiven for such, under the circumstances.

The recently implemented lounge area, much like various other locations around the library she'd crossed so far, was absent any evidence of life. Or occupation. Or whatever it was best referred to as; the point being that he wasn't here. So she set to work, fluffing the pillows on the couch, adjusting the beanbag chairs, and wiping down the surface of the coffee table, before moving on to continue with her duties.

The feeling of being watched, however, persisted regardless of such. No matter where she moved, or how much she tried to focus on cleaning, or what section of the library she entered, the feeling remained present, despite there being no sign of the one that could be responsible for it.

Maybe he was in the restricted section, for which she didn't possess appropriate security clearance to enter. That would certainly explain a few things. Or it could just be her imagination was running wild with her.

"I'm being silly," she muttered to herself and shook her head. Even she knew it.

"Are you looking for something?"

The voice came from directly behind her, where she had been just two seconds ago. Understandably, she shrieked and jumped in response, whirling around in surprise.

She didn't come specifically face-to-face with the Espada as he stood there just a few precious feet away from her, but it was still close enough to count as such.

"Where did you even come from!?" she asked, perhaps a bit more forceful than was appropriate. But with the way her heart was pounding right now, it felt very appropriate.

"From the realm of Hueco Mundo," he replied simply as he stood there with an open book held in his hands.

"N-no, I mean just now! I was just standing there and I didn't see you anywhere!" she stated, in absolutely no mood for any nonsense right now.

"I was referencing a book located on a higher shelf."

At that, all she could do was groan and shake her head. The lack of wings made it so easy to forget that the Espada could actually fly. Or levitate. Or air-walk. Or whatever it was called that allowed him to get around without having to come in contact with the floor.

If nothing else, that at least explained why she felt like she was being watched; because she most likely had been.

Oh well. On the bright side -if there was one- him being out here in this part of the library meant it would be easier to clean the area he was usually standing in when he read. His ability to remain in place like a statue for hours at a time while reading, well enough to rival even the guards, was positively disturbing to witness firsthoof. Whenever he pulled that, the only indicator he gave that he was still even alive, was whenever he'd have to turn the page of what book he happened to be reading at the time. Never a random sigh, or a throat clearing, or anything one would expect to encounter. The books he read made more noise than he did, and-

"What are you reading about anyway?" she asked, her train of thought interrupted by curiosity, and an inability to read the title of whatever presently had his interest.

"Research and methods pertaining to the recollection of memories and dreams," he replied as he turned the page.

That definitely wasn't the sort of answer she'd been expecting to hear out of him. It'd been so far out of left field, she felt the urge to tilt her head to the side in confusion as she tried to make sense of it. Was he reading a self-help book? She honestly didn't have him pegged for the type who would read something like that.

"Wouldn't it just be easier to ask Princess Luna for help on that front? I mean, dreams are sort of her specialty, after all..." she cautiously pointed out. "If anypony would have knowledge of how to go about recalling lost dreams, surely it would be her, right?"

"Under normal circumstances perhaps. But these are not normal circumstances. The memories in question are crystal clear, but the experiences behind them are not," he continued in cryptic explanation.

"I'm... not sure I follow?" she replied uncertainly as she tried to make sense of what he might or might not have been saying. Was it really too much to ask for a simple explanation that didn't have to be pried loose like teeth?

It really didn't help that his face was so flat compared to a pony's, making it difficult to tell just what he might've been thinking at the time. Not that she was actually skilled in anything like that, but the point remained the same.

For a moment, she wondered if he was simply ignoring her. It was so difficult to tell. If he didn't want to explain, was it asking too much that he tell her such, so she could go back to her duties?

"During the battle with Nightmare Moon, I was subjected to something. Whatever it was that occurred on that night, I can't even begin to make sense of what transpired. I experienced sensations, and thoughts, that seemed to make sense at the time of the event. But in the aftermath, that sense of understanding is now absent, and I'm left to ponder why this is," he eventually explained. "What I can recall of the events in question is lacking. Brief, phantom-like flashes of something related to memory, tantalizing and teasing by their presence like something at the very edge of one's peripheral vision, yet never enough to grasp hold of and bring clarity to the mysteries at hand. And the more I try to recall them, the more they seem to slip away; almost as if they aren't intended to be remembered in the first place. They seem to exist only so long as they aren't actually disturbed by conscious thought; much like a reflection on the surface of a still pond."

In the silence following the explanation, Holly found herself sitting down without really realizing she was doing such. When she'd gotten her assignment for cleaning today, this wasn't how she'd envisioned it going. If asked what she'd thought might happen, this turn of events was quite possibly the furthest away from what she might've considered being a possibility.

She had planned to get in as quietly as possible, do her work without drawing any attention to herself, avoid any interaction with the Espada if at all possible, and slip back out the same way she'd come in. If such wasn't possible, maybe inquire if there was any truth to the rumor that he'd doughnut-holed the dragon with a single punch if she could work up the nerve to speak in his presence. But that plan had gone straight to Tartarus from the moment she stepped hoof inside. Instead she presently found herself sharing a... surprisingly understandable conversation with him, as her apprehension and discomfort slowly evaporated.

The... he wasn't just some Lovecoltian abomination like she and so many other ponies had initially assumed after hearing tales about his exploits. Even though he technically was, he was apparently much more than just that. He was someone who was surprisingly relatable, as he shared his thoughts, and even his frustrations on being unable to recall his own thoughts on something he didn't properly understand. She doubted there was a pony alive who didn't experience that sort of thing at some point in their lives.

Having been around Twilight sparkle more than once during the course of her employment, she knew what it was like to lose track of a train of thought and not being able to recall it, or otherwise feeling like her head was spinning from being verbally assaulted by things she couldn't even comprehend, while still trying to follow along in an explanation.

"Oh," she mumbled, it being the best she could present on such short notice, until she got her own thoughts straightened out better. "So... have you found anything yet that might be of some use in this?"

"Not as of yet, unfortunately," he concluded, before returning his attention to the book he currently held. "What is being sought may not even exist as a field of research in this world."

The more he talked, the more he shared, the stranger it felt to converse with him. Despite his foreign outward appearance that could be so off-putting, and the sheer scale of his reputation -be it factual or not- there was a surprisingly equine-ish quality to him as she listened. It was less like talking with a monster capable of mass destruction, and more like conversing with a fellow member of the palace staff.

"... I'm on break in another hour or so," she found herself reluctantly -perhaps even surprisingly- admitting before the resulting silence could reach the point where it would seem stifling to experience. "Would you like to go to the palace cantina for a drink?"

Why she'd even asked such a question, she honestly didn't know. At the moment it'd seemed like a good idea, but now as the words were out there for actual consideration rather than just rattling around in her head, she suddenly found herself wondering why she'd even done that! It'd been so forward, and presumptuous, and, and...

Before she could even get an answer to the poorly thought out question, there was an eruption of fire as a scroll materialized out of thin air right before him, before falling into the open book.

Even her own question and apprehension were forgotten about as she watched him tuck the book under his arm, and open the scroll to read what it had to say.

"What's it say?" she finally asked.

Whatever the answer was, she never received it. In a flash he'd vanished from the room, allowing both the scroll and the book to fall unceremoniously to the ground as she was enveloped by some unseen breeze.

"Goodness, what was that all about?"

Her curiosity on this sudden turn of events ultimately proved to be more than she could resist, and she picked up the scroll read what had gotten him out of here so quickly.

"Oh no..."

As she read it, her eyes went wide at what it meant. She now understood, and she was horrified. It'd only contained a single word -one she'd needed to reread a second time just be sure- but it'd been more than enough once the realization set in.

The first thought that came to mind was informing Princess Celestia about this. Even if she was in conference with important diplomats, this warranted a timely interruption. She needed to be made aware of the situation.

The open scroll fell to the ground as she immediately exited the library to make her way to the throne room.

"We didn't party nearly hard enough when we had the opportunity," Pinkie commented in a tone that was far more bitter than anything Twilight could remember hearing her use before in the past. "Now look at the mess we've gotten ourselves into."

Much as she hated to, Twilight had to agree with the assessment of the matter.

They knew the situation was bad when they left Sugarcube Corner, as they observed more and more ponies engaged in what could best be described in polite terms as disagreements. Although they didn't know just how bad it was until now.

The anger demonstrated by Bonbon was one thing, and easily explainable as a side-effect of her grief. But what they witnessed outside the bakery with other ponies couldn't be explained away as the result of such; certainly not when Mr. Rich and Big Macintosh were actually engaged in an all-out, profanity-laced shouting match right outside of Barnyard Bargains, fueled by disagreements over prices, profits, and discounts. And much as in the case of Pinkie and Bonbon, words quickly gave way to physical violence.

Had they not intervened when they did, Mr. Rich would've likely wound up having his skull ground into dust under Big Macintosh's hooves. Although in doing such, they nearly got dragged into the squabble as both earth ponies viciously turned their anger on them, ungrateful for the intervention, and unwanting of outside assistance. Their little group had actually found it necessary to retreat, before the two warring parties united against them.

And it'd just gotten worse from there, the further they went.

They knew the situation was bad. But the true weight of the situation hadn't fully registered until it was literally bearing down on top of them, as the signs made themselves known.

The first sign was a sharp, howling wind that came out of nowhere, and struck them with the force of the frozen north.

The second sign were heavy, dark clouds rolling across the sky, and easily shutting out the light of the sun like an impenetrable blanket.

The third sign was the ghostly, piercing neighing that demanded the attention of all.

And then the fourth sign of just how truly and utterly fucked they were. Windigos. Actual, plain as day, windigos currently circling overhead and screeching incessantly.

What had long been thought of by many, as nothing more than creatures of myth and legend in tales of times long ago, were proven to be very much real on this day, neighing and screeching incessantly, as they became fully visible to the naked eye.

No matter how angry anypony had been at the time, their appearance had been enough to immediately drive them out of the public square, back into the perceived safety of their homes. Although whether or not the bickering and fighting while inside was anypony's guess at the moment.

"Nightmare Moon was sowing the seeds of strife and general ill-will for months, and we were all totally unaware," Pinkie continued as she began to pace back and forth in the main room of the library, it being where the three of them had taken shelter at the appearance of the windigos. "It must've been just the bare minimum of group anger necessary to sustain them, and let them return to power and start making things worse; just like a crack in a dam. And without Nightmare Moon around to act as the top dog of evil ponies, they had no competition they needed to hide from, meaning they could freely and actively work on furthering discourse to increase their own strength even further. And we didn't even realize it until they were breathing right down our necks with their arctic wind breaths, because we're all too stupid to see the truth right before our eyes."

Turning around for another pass, she stopped as she saw both Twilight and Spike looking at her in surprise.

"What? You were going to say it," she added.

"I probably would have," Twilight admitted and gave a weak nod. "If my mind wasn't a jumbled mess of panic right now..."

She might've left out the part about them being stupid. Or she might not have. She didn't know right now.

She paused to glance out the window at the outside world, or what there was to it that she could actually see. The snow was coming down fast and heavy, and visibility was poor at best; anything past a few feet required a great deal of effort just to make out.

How far was the snow really spreading? Had it reached beyond the borders of Ponyville into the surrounding territories? Was this going to negatively impact Applejack and the other farmers in the area? Or had the windigos not gathered sufficient strength for that yet? Was this even natural snow, or was it something produced by their magical influence on the world?

The scientist part of her mind was reeling with questions that desperately wanted/needed to be answered. But right now that part was being overridden by the sheer amount of fear and concern she was experiencing.

Anxiously, she glanced over at the glass case housing the Elements of Harmony, ready at a moment's notice should they be needed. It was a small comfort to see each of the six stones shining vibrantly in their respective colors, reassuring her that they could indeed be used once again. Although it was a small consolation when those tasked with bearing them weren't actually here to do just that.

She was reasonably certain, eighty nine percent in fact, that she knew where Rarity, Fluttery, and Applejack were in case she needed to go and get them.

Rainbow Dash, however, she didn't know about. Even after all the time she'd spent with her friends, learning about them, the cyan pegasus remained an outlier. She could quite literally be anywhere right now, so going out to find her would be overwhelming difficult. But even if she could find her, she wasn't certain if she should; not yet anyway. Her return from Canterlot had only been a few days ago, and whether or not that was enough time to jump back into the excitement of things remained to be seen.

But there was far more to it than that. If she was right, Applejack was currently at Sweet Apple Acres. Assuming the influence of the windigos hadn't reached that far yet. She knew that she could easily teleport to there in order to find Applejack, but getting back was a different matter entirely. Her teleportation skill was at maximum only when she was traveling solo. If she tried to return with somepony else in tow, they could easily wind up adrift in the snow, and be encapsulated in ice before they could get to safety. That would just make a bad situation all the worse.

She was willing to risk it for her friends. But she wasn't willing to risk her friends.

"Alright, that does it," Spike spoke up, breaking her out of her own distressed thoughts.

"That does what, Spike?" Pinkie asked and quizzically tilted her head to the side.

"The windigos feed on strife and negativity, right? Well we're gonna give 'em just that. They're gonna see just how much strife and negativity a dragon can generate when they've been pushed too far by all of the shit going on around here. They're gonna get all they could ever want," he practically growled. "I'm going out there to lure them in close. And when they get close enough to feed off all the anger I'm putting out, that's when I'm gonna let 'em have it. I'm gonna release all the fire I've got in one massive, whites of their eyes, point blank, right between the eyes, full-spectrum BURN!"

Twilight was a mix of emotions at Spike's explanation of what he planned to do. Excitement, fear, pride, and a number of other feelings were all churning in her, leaving her unable to do much of anything to express herself except smile weakly in response.

"I appreciate you being willing to do that, Spike, but I'm afraid it's just too dangerous to actually do something like that."

"As opposed to, what, exactly? Just sitting here like we're useless?" Spike pointed out.

"If you feed them as much anger as you're boasting about, Spike, you might actually wind up giving them even more strength before you can burn them. They might be able to freeze you solid before you can actually exhale. And the resulting power boost you might wind up giving them, could increase the area of coverage they can maintain, letting them reach even more ponies in an all-consuming cycle of destruction," Pinkie spoke up. "Just like how Nightmare Moon used the fear caused by Ulqy to return to power even faster."

"Add to that," Twilight continued from where Pinkie left off, "we're dealing with spirits in this case. Not physical beings. I know your fire is hot, Spike, but windigos don't actually have bodies. It could just pass right through them like nothing. These are entities shrouded in more myth and legend than fact, that until recently we didn't even know for certain if they existed or not. We have nothing to go on but old tales that may or may not reflect historical fact. It's too big of a risk to take for something that may not even work. I know you want to do something; I do too. But doing something, just for the sake of doing something, can wind up making a bad situation worse."

As much as Spike wanted to protest, as much as he felt he needed to protest, even he doubted he could truly muster anything meaningful to present. The thought of unintentionally making things worse, or being frozen in a solid block of ice, really didn't sit all that well with him. And the fact that Pinkie had been the first to point these facts out, rather than Twilight, sort of made them hit home a lot harder than he'd expected to be the case.

Had it been Twilight, he could've at least made an effort to argue his position as valid. But Pinkie had hit him with a simultaneous one-two combo of facts and concern for his well-being, leaving him unable to mount a protest in response.

"Add to that, we need you here more than out there," Twilight stated as she moved closer and pulled him into a firm hug.

She was willing to risk a great deal for her friends. But she wasn't willing to risk her friends.

Like it or not -and she really didn't- the best course of action right now was simply to hunker down, stay put, and hope that their message had actually reached Ulquiorra. Out of anyone in their world, he was the most suited for when it came to dealing with spirits of a vengeful nature. Or at least she hoped he was.

Windigos.

That had been the extent of the message Ulquiorra had received from Twilight sparkle, with her reiatsu all but physically staining the piece of paper it'd been hastily scribbled on. All of it taken together, had been enough to warrant an investigation of the matter, to determine just what the problem was.

Upon his arrival, hovering high above Ponyville, he found both the problem and its source.

The raging winter storm wasn't any of his concern, as he was more focused on its epicenter; three ghostly figures currently whinnying in an eerie manner as they flew in a counter-clockwise formation.

It was safe to conclude -and operate on the assumption- that these were indeed windigos. However their appearance differed significantly from the illustrations he had seen. These were not the sleek, angular, artistic representations that the books had shown. They were vaguely equine-ish in terms of appearance, roughly the size of Princess Celestia, but it was more appropriate to describe them as emaciated, skeletal wraiths, with their lower bodies consisting of a specteral tail.

Just as it was safe to conclude these were windigos, it was equally safe to assume all the representations that had been seen were sanitized depictions, meant to make the tales less frightening when told to impressionable children.

Whatever the reasoning behind the discrepancies in terms of appearance was, it didn't particularly matter. He was here to do a job, not ponder about the mysteries behind pony psychology. And since he was here to do a job, that being dealing with a dangerous threat, he proceeded straight to doing just that with the discharge a bala.

Impact was achieved, forcibly knocking one of the windigos right out of its travel path, and startling the other two to the point they were no longer circling. Only now did they actually seem to become aware of his presence, floating in place as they regarded him, seemingly uncertain of just how to respond, and potentially even bewildered at the fact they'd just been physically assaulted.

Try as she might, Celestia found it difficult to focus on her work, in light of the news that'd been brought to her by one very disturbed maid who'd burst into the throne room as if all of Tartarus was in hot pursuit of her. Although considering just what the news had consisted of, that analogy wasn't too entirely far off from the truth.

Windigos. Malignant beings that predated even her and Luna. Beings that were steeped in legend and mystery even during their own time, to the point nopony knew where they came from, how they came to be in the first place, or any other relevant details like that.

And now all out of the blue, they had apparently returned, and set their sights on Ponyville?

She remembered Discord saying their reality had been shifted off of its axis, and steered in a direction they hadn't been destined for, making the future quite uncertain. But even with that sort of information taken into account, this still seemed so difficult to comprehend as actually happening.

"In the future, when a situation arises where my particular skills are again warranted, stay out of my way."

Those words of Ulquiorra's rang clearly in her mind as she paced in the currently unoccupied throne room. And they rang continually whenever she contemplated the notion of venturing out to Ponyville to investigate the matter for herself.

As much as she wanted to, as much as she wanted to make sure her subjects were safe, deep down she knew it was for the best if she didn't. Venturing out there right now would do nothing more than serve as an effort to sooth her own sense of uselessness. And she knew that.

Twice now, she'd forcefully inserted herself into situations that Ulquiorra was involved in, firmly believing that she knew better in how to deal with matters relating to Equestria, as she had far more experience than him when it came to such matters. Believing it was possible to avoid -or at least greatly minimize- the amount of bloodshed that would be experienced.

And where exactly had that sort of cavalier attitude gotten them? The ensuing damage and suffering that'd been experienced on the part of her subjects, and even her friends, had arguably been far worse than what might've been experienced, had she simply allowed Ulquiorra to proceed with killing the threat outright. She already had two such debacles to her name. She was in no rush to add a third one to that list.

Like it or not, and she really didn't, it seemed like the wisest course of action available to her was to simply defer to the Espada, and let him do as he felt was needed.

But still, it'd been three hours since he had apparently left to resolve the matter on his own. That wasn't particularly comforting to consider. And with each passing minute that he was absent, it just served to make her feel more and more uneasy. His absence meant a lack of information, and a lack of information meant the mind scrambled with approaching panic at the possibility of the worst possible scenarios coming to pass.

Not that she believed Ulquiorra couldn't take care of himself. It was just... the uncertainty of it all. If she was there, she could at least observe how things were going.

Even venturing out to the throne room's balcony, and glancing through the telescope towards Ponyville didn't reveal any information that would help sooth her worries.

"Ulquiorra," she said in defeat, knowing there was nothing to do but sit and wait like everypony else, "please be safe."

"If you insist."

At hearing the familiar monotone voice she looked up, and saw him simply standing there, in midair with his hands tucked into his pockets as he looked down at her. Whether it was more appropriate to feel annoyed or relieved, she didn't know yet. She'd figure it out later.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asked.

"Long enough to hear you mention my name," he replied in a non-answer fashion, all the while slowly descending until he touched down on the balcony just a short distance away from her.

Annoyed. Definitely annoyed.

"Should I ask for details about what went on in Ponyville? The note said windigos, but didn't offer anything more than that as an explanation," she eventually replied. "And if at all possible, a short explanation would be preferable," she quickly added, knowing just how long-winded he could be if given adequate room to go in-depth.

Ulquiorra paused for only a moment, before beginning his explanation.

"A pack of windigos besieged Ponyville. Precisely why is unknown, but the running theory is that they were an after-effect from the damage caused by Nightmare Moon during her extended campaign to reclaim control over Equestria. Whatever the precise reason, it's ultimately of no importance, as they have been adequately dealt with."

Celestia would admit, it was a short, precise summary. How truthful it was, was another story. But it was one she'd get to later.

"I see. And you're certain about that last point? You don't believe they'll return, at some point in the future when we least expect it?" she asked.

"Quite certain," Ulquiorra stated firmly. "I devoured them myself, to ensure they wouldn't be able to cause anymore trouble for anyone."

Celestia's eyes went wide at hearing this. "You... you devoured them?"

"In the same manner you devour entire cakes," he clarified.

"Oh, now that's just rude," she objected reflexively, before shaking her head and continuing. "I mean... honestly I don't know what to mean; I'm afraid you've managed to catch me off guard with that statement of yours. Was... was that really a wise course of action?"

"That much is unknown. But at the time it was the only course of action that seemed logical. So long as the windigos remained free to continue, there was no telling how much damage they could cause if left unchecked," he explained. "A decision had to made made, and it was done."

"Should I ask about the Elements of Harmony, and why they weren't used?" Celestia asked.

"In simplest terms, Twilight Sparkle choked under the pressure," he stated. "Whether or not this will be a problem in need of address in the future remains to be seen."

Celestia could do little more than frown at this. But at the same time she couldn't help but agree with Ulquiorra's assessment. After everything that'd happened recently, all the strain Twilight had been under, and likely still was under, real or perceived, they would need to keep a close eye on her, rather than assuming she was perfectly capable of going back to her old life as the local librarian.

Waiting for her to reach out and ask somepony else for help also wasn't a viable strategy, as she knew -perhaps better than anyone- that Twilight wasn't the sort of mare to do that. She'd try and do it all on her own, and likely succumb to even worse stress and mental strain as a result.

"Thank you, for being able to do what was needed of you," she stated softly. "Did they give you any trouble? The windigos, I mean?"

"They attempted to resist, and even managed to do so. For thirty seconds, before finally meeting their end."

"I'm... sorry, I think I misheard you just now, did you say thirty seconds? You've been gone for over three hours. If it only took you thirty seconds to, er, dispatch them, what took so long for you to return?" she asked. "Er, I mean, it's not that I was actually expecting you to come back upon completion of the mission like you're obligated to. I'm just curious as to what exactly happened back in Ponyville."

"A combination of cleanup and damage control efforts," Ulquiorra stated. "First, it was necessary to scour the area to ensure no other windigos were present. When the first one was devoured, the other two attempted to flee, but failed to succeed. It would be unwise to simply assume only three were present, so an extensive search was performed of the surrounding territory to ensure all had been taken care of. Second, coordination with the citizens of Ponyville to address the presence of the snow. The members of Ponyville's weather team assured that it would melt if given enough time, but it was still determined best to move as much as possible to non-critical areas of the town to minimize potential environmental damages caused by its presence. Third, a snowball fight instituted by Pinkie Pie."

"You took part in a snowball fight?" Celestia asked, uncertain if she'd actually heard right.

"Not by choice," he clarified. "But their cooperation was deemed necessary for the cleanup efforts. So their eccentricities were indulged. For a time and up to a point anyway."

It was only through many decades of effort spent developing the perfect poker face, that Celestia didn't smile in response. The idea of Ulquiorra actually going along with something as immature as a snowball fight, for the sake of others, simply to motivate them to work, was entirely unexpected, yet at the same time touching in an odd sort of way. The thought of him, in all his down to business, straightforwardness, deeming something so ridiculous as a worthwhile use of his time, was somewhat silly, and perhaps even a bit heartwarming to consider.

"If there's nothing else to discuss, I'll be taking my leave now. There's still much research left to do," he announced, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, right, of course."

What else could she really say in response? If such an answer did exist, it was proving to be quite elusive right now. Perhaps it was best just to let the matter end there, rather than trying to drag it out any further.

Author's Note

Deleted Scene

"Is there anything else to discuss?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Just... one particular question, although I'll admit it may sound a bit morbid," Celestia replied. "You said you devoured the windigos. What exactly do they taste like from your perspective?"

Rather than immediate responding, Ulquiorra paused, as if he were having trouble actually finding the appropriate words.

"Extremely cold, like sucking on an ice cube. And exceedingly bitter; far more so than even Twilight Sparkle's preferred blend of coffee. In truth it was all I could do to actually choke them down."

Chapter One Hundred Twelve

Chapter One Hundred Twelve

Rarity didn't feel much like humming as she slowly moved from one display to another in her shop's showroom. Not after everything that'd ended up transpiring over the course of the last few days.

Windigos. The very word, and the implications behind it, sent a disturbing chill creeping down her spine even now. She honestly didn't want to think about it, but found it difficult to do anything but think about it.

She'd been quite content to regard them as nothing more than a tale of legend. But she could no longer do that, after witnessing their existence with her own eyes. Just the fact that they had been here, in her home of Ponyville, and none of them had been aware of it until they willingly made their presence known, was simply too horrible to properly grasp.

Was the peace and harmony of their world truly so fragile, that a few bad moods and disagreements could serve to undo everything, and allow such horrible creatures to return to power? Had they been on the precipice of doom for years, all the while blissfully ignorant of just how close they'd come to living in a frozen wasteland?

If not for the timely arrival of Ulquiorra, they would likely all be dead right now. Or worse, finding themselves in a state where they would actually be begging for a death that would never come.

Thoughts relating to her own mortality, and the mortality of those around her, were hardly comforting to consider. How many times had they come close to death in their various adventures and efforts to save Equestria? How much closer could they come before it actually took? How much more mental stress could they bear, knowing that the fate of the world was essentially resting on the six of them? Knowing that if they failed, everypony failed? Who would be tasked with taking over should they die before their time? How many times would Ulquiorra be forced to pick up their slack, because they'd gotten sloppy? What would the societal and political landscape of Equestria look like it he was forced to take over full-time?

She would rather not think about such horrible implications.

If nothing else, the presence of the windigos in their town might've explained some of the more unsavory interactions that'd been going on the last several days; her own included. It was shameful how she'd acted, how snippy she'd been, and how good and right it'd felt to actually indulge in such at the time.

Honestly, she didn't want to think about that either. Not with just how horrible she'd been to others. How much of her behavior had been her own, and how much had been the influence of the windigos? Beneath all of her years of culture, was she really just as much a foul brute as Rainbow Dash could be when she got worked up? That demonstration the other day, had that been the real her that'd unconsciously been buried and forgotten about in the name of becoming a socialite? Had it been her true self peaking out from under the mask of culture she'd been wearing for so many years, let loose because her inhibitions had been lowered at the time?

Such thoughts were ultimately what led her to wandering between the displays of her show room, going through the motions of her work, but without actually committing to anything of substances. Neither her mind, nor her heart, were truly in it; not with such thoughts and so many others weighing as heavily on her as they were.

The door chime sounded behind her, almost causing her to jump at the morbid silence of her shop being disturbed. It took a moment for her to gather her wits and remember where she was. She had a customer. Her focus was needed elsewhere than on herself right now.

"W-welcome to Carousel Boutique," she greeted as she turned around, brushing her own thoughts aside as she once again donned her mask of culture and a welcoming smile. There was simply no time to be feeling bad for herself right now. She could always return to that later, once the day was through.

"Hiya, Indi!"

Shady was easy enough to recognize, even by sound alone. The mare that walked next to her, with her butterscotch colored coat, dark chocolate mane and tail, and paper-based cutie mark, not so much.

Honestly, it was hard to see any sort of resemblance between the two, what with such stark differences in their color palettes. If she hadn't met them before, she'd never know -or even guess- they were actually related.

"Shady, be nice." the mare in question instructed.

"I'm always nice, Mom," Shady quickly replied.

"Uh-huh," she muttered sarcastically, before offering a tired, apologetic smile to Rarity. "You'll have to excuse her, Ms. Belle. She's a hoofful even on her good days."

"Well, I am average-sized for a foal my age," Shady was quick to retort.

"Oh, it's quite alright," Rarity replied and waved her right hoof dismissively. Honestly, the levity was a welcome distraction from her own current thoughts. "What can I do for you today, Mrs. Rebus?"

"I have errands to run today, so I figured I'd start by picking up my daughter's saddle bags," the mare explained, her tone easily sounding like it was forced to be firm despite the one it coming from just wanting to take a nap.

It was a tone she herself was familiar with all too well at times.

"I'm the pack mule for today," Shady quipped.

"And don't you forget it, either, you little sod-biscuit," her mother quipped right back, while doing her best to drown out the urge to smirk in amusement with a sour scowl, and losing that battle.

Despite her years of practice in projecting an image of culture and refinement in her work, even Rarity found it difficult to conceal her own amusement as she listened to the two.

"Yes, well then, I won't keep you waiting but a moment," she replied, her horn flaring to life as she spoke to reach behind the front counter and retrieve the aforementioned article to levitate the parcel in question. "I hope they're to your liking."

"I'm quite sure they will be, Ms. Belle. You do excellent work. And I must say, these are no exception."

"Somepony wanna fill me in on the details since I'm the one who has to wear them?" Shady asked as she tilted her head to the side.

"Of course, dear, it's very important that the target audience be informed of what they're getting," Rarity replied, preparing to go into explanation mode. "The entire body is made from an under and over layer of heavyweight duck canvas to provide it with water-repellent qualities, although you'll find the entire thing quite light upon your back. All of the material edges have been rolled and sewed underneath to prevent fraying, and the bag and corresponding flap corners have all been rounded to reduce the risk of stress points that may come undone in the future. All seams have a tight, double stitching increased durability, and all seams of the bag bodies have been reinforced with a steel rivet at the top to prevent tearing. Since snaps, ties, and clasps would prove problematic for closing, both the flap and the bag have button magnets sewn into the body for ease of closure and opening. Since you don't have your cutie mark yet, I embroidered the image of sunglasses into the upper right corner of the flap with black thread. There's also a thin layer of fiber-fill padding in the wide back strap, to provide comfort and cushioning on your back even under heavier loads. With the entire body done up in a nice cinnamon brown dye to offer a pleasant and complementary contrast with your coat and mane."

At hearing all of this, Shady thrust her snout forward, sniffing intently at the saddlebags, before pulling back and letting out a loud whistle.

"Well color me impressed!" she stated and grinned.

That in itself would've been sufficient praise as far as Rarity was concerned. But Shady had gone further and dove right at her to initiate a hug. It certainly wasn't the first time one of her customers had gotten excited about the quality of her work, but it was the first time in a while. All she could really do was drape the saddlebags over her back.

"I apologize for her, I really do," her mother sighed, "if you let me know how much, we can be on our way and get out of your mane."

"Of course," Rarity replied, once again reaching behind the counter to retrieve a small bag, and a slip of paper. "Here you are. An itemized list of services rendered, the materials used, hours works, the final price, and your change."

"Change?"

"Of course," Rarity repeated, "I'm not in the habit of claiming tips that aren't mine. The only thing I don't understand is why you didn't simply stop in and pick them up yesterday when you paid for them."

"Paid for..." the mare asked, a look of confusion washing over her face. "Er, Ms. Belle, I didn't pay for anything. I was stopping here today to do that."

An uneasy silence washed over the boutique, both mares looking in each other's general directions in confusion, with Shady pulling back to move her head back and forth, as if she was looking between them for clarity as to what was happening.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I think I misheard you, Darling," Rarity stated uneasily. "Are you sure? Yesterday there was a knock at my door, but nopony there; just a bag of bits with a note attached: "Enclosed, please find payment for one set of foal saddlebags." I assumed you were simply too busy at the time to actually stop in."

The note, much like the receipt, was quickly retrieved and presented to the confused mare for her review, her brow furrowing as she read it over.

"This isn't my hoof-writing," she stated as she looked up from it, confusion and unease clearly visible across her face as she spoke. "Maybe this was for some other customer?"

Rarity shook her head in equal confusion. "I can't say that it is. I haven't been asked to produce a set of foal-sized saddlebags in months."

Again, despite the gesture being entirely futile, Shady turned her head from one mare to another.

"Does this mean we get a free set of saddlebags out of the deal?"

"Nothing is ever free, Shady, you know that; somepony always has to pay," her mother pointed out, before turning her attention back to the note. "The question is which pony actually did the paying, and why?"

"Yes, that's a very good question," Rarity replied and nodded. "Just... consider it on the house for the time being, we'll get this all sorted out later."

"As tempting as that does sound, the idea of it doesn't exactly set well with me; it feels a little too close to theft for my tastes."

"Nonsense! I won't hear talk like that," Rarity objected firmly. "My work and services are to do with them as I please, even if that means giving it away to whomever I wish. However, if it makes you feel more at ease, I will accept one third of the bill amount as payment, until such time that this matter is resolved. And not one bit more; I'd rather operate at a loss, than unfairly and improperly bill my customers."

This really wasn't how she expected to be spending her day when she woke up this morning; trying to unravel the mystery of a payment she couldn't figure out. Granted, it was better than how the day had been shaping up in light of everything that'd occurred over the past few days. But at the same time, better didn't exactly amount to being good.

Then again, a mystery -albeit a small one- still beat contemplating what had been troubling her. Given the choice she'd much rather try and sort this out, than try and examine her own character for possible negative aspects. It was something she'd have to do, eventually, but not today. She could find perfectly good reasons to hate herself later on, when she had nothing better to do with her time.

Chapter One Hundred Thirteen

Chapter One Hundred Thirteen

Another day, another day of work on the farm.

Applejack let out a contented sigh as she stood in the middle of her family's prized orchards, breathing in the fresh scent of the mid-August air, and feeling utterly relaxed at the moment as she allowed herself to simply lose herself in the midst of it all.

She couldn't rightly speak for other ponies, and attempting to really wasn't something that felt right to undertake. But as far as she was concerned, she'd much rather take the work on the farm over some other endeavor she could be engaging in right now.

It was good work. It was honest work. It was decent work. But more importantly than that, it was steady work. And therein laid the serenity of it all.

There was nothing really wrong with going on adventures. But after all of the excitement they'd had over the past four or so months, and the fate of Equestria hanging in the balance so many times, the day-to-day stability to be found in farm work was like a vacation to her. Where there was stability, there was security to be had. And when one had security that made having peace of mind so much easier to achieve. And a good schedule was probably amongst the most stable things one could have in life.

That sounded a little too much like something Twilight might say. A little too close for her own comfort.

"Best be gettin' back ta work," she said to herself, having allowed herself to kill enough time already. Farm work might've been quiet compared to battling evil forces, but it carried its own excitement. And in another two or three weeks, depending on the weather, things around here would be getting mighty exciting in their own right when it was time to start the full-scale harvesting of apples, rather than a few here and a few there.

Before she actually could get back to said day-to-day stuff on the farm, however, she heard something above her in one of the trees. Something that could've been the wind blowing the branches and causing them to shift in the breeze, but she knew better.

Glancing upward confirmed the fact that she wasn't currently along.

"Hey there, RD," she called up.

"Hey, AJ," Rainbow Dash called back down from her perch up in the tree's canopy.

It was a simple enough exchange between them. But there was something in Rainbow Dash's tone that Applejack couldn't help but notice. Something that seemed flat, and not exactly characteristic of her friend. She'd heard her down sometimes, but that was an entirely different sort of tone.

"Ya sound like ya got somethin' on yer mind. Ya wanna come down here an' talk 'bout it?"

She knew she needed to get back to her share of chores on the farm. But she also knew that, sometimes, work just had to wait on matters that were more pressing. And what could be more pressing than those who were close enough to be your own kin?

"Not really," Rainbow Dash replied and shook her head, before letting out a sigh of what sounded like defeat as she hung her head. "But I probably need to."

"Well then, get on down here an' talk ta me face-ta-face before mah neck gets a kink in it," she called back up.

There was no immediate move to actually come down from the impromptu perch being used. Not at first anyway. But eventually Rainbow Dash did just that, slowly climbing off the branch she'd been sitting on, and unfurling her wings to hover her way down to the ground.

"Finally gettin' some weight back on ya," she noted, glad to see that was the case. "Now then, wha's on yer mind?"

"If I say it out loud, you might laugh," Rainbow Dash muttered in response. "I don't know if I can handle that right now."

Applejack could feel her own brow furrowing in response to hearing this, uncertain of where it'd come from, or even how exactly to proceed.

"Sounds like this is somethin' mighty heavy to ya, Sugarcube. Ah can't rightly promise Ah won't wind up laughin', 'cause Ah don' know mahself. But Ah promise if Ah do, it won't be because Ah'm bein' mean to ya. Is that good enough?"

"I guess," Rainbow Dash sighed as she looked down towards the ground, before looking back up at her. "Am I real?"

There was no laughing on Applejack's part. There really wasn't much of any type of response on Applejack's part as she just stood there, not even her brow furrowing as she tried to make sense of the question. Had she missed hearing something the first time around, and only caught part of it? Maybe she'd wound up zoning out at a crucial moment?

"Uh... come again?"

"Am I real?" Rainbow Dash repeated uneasily after biting her lip, almost as if she were afraid to actually speak.

Well, she hadn't misheard. But the repeat had added nothing that might serve to clarify the question.

"Ah'm... not sure Ah'm followin' ya, Sugarcube. Ya mind explainin' that a bit more? So Ah know where yer comin' from?"

More lip biting from Rainbow Dash, uneasily shifting her weight from one hoof to another as she indecisively looked about, almost like she was nervous about speaking up. Almost like she was worried about more than simply being teased. This was starting to make her feel uneasy in turn, like there was something potentially lurking about that they weren't seeing; something that was just waiting to pounce on them when their guard was down.

"You... you remember what Discord said? About multiverse theory being real and all that?" she eventually managed to get out.

Applejack nodded in response. "Ah remember it, jus' don' be askin' me ta try an' explain it."

"Yeah, well, multiverse theory is bad enough in itself, if the comics and stuff are anything to go by. But what else Discord said, about our reality shifting off its axis because of some outside force happening. That's like the sort of explanation for the emergence of another alternate universe for a parallel story line being told. And-"

Rainbow Dash swallowed, trying to force a lump of uneasiness back down her throat.

"-Are we the alternate universe in that case, AJ? Are we just copies of the real us that exist somewhere else in the multiverse? A-am I a counterfeit version of the real me? A cheap knockoff like what you'd find sold in some one-bit store?"

Ah. So that was it then. Now Applejack understood where her friend was coming from in her question. Or at least she liked to think she did.

She would admit, reluctantly, that there'd been a fair share of unease on her part in the aftermath of Discord's explanation of things as they were. There had been questions on her own mind at the time, questions that even Twilight in all of her wisdom hadn't been able to help her figure out or come to terms with. Questions that had robbed her of more than a few nights of good sleep, as she laid awake and pondered things that most other ponies didn't have to ponder.

If only Twilight hadn't asked those questions, none of them would be in this position right now. She wouldn't be pondering about what was real and what wasn't, or wondering if the taste of the apples in their orchards was real, or a cheap imitation of the real thing when they simply weren't fully done yet. She wouldn't find her mind wandering and pondering existential matters, only to come back to just standing in the middle of a crop field with a zoned out look on her face.

But she didn't blame Twilight for asking. Just like she didn't blame Ulquiorra for theorizing the questions in the first place. Just like she didn't blame Discord for telling them the truth, horrible as it might be. It wasn't right, and it wasn't friendly either. They were here now, the bell had been rung, and that was all there was to it. All they could do was try to make the best of it.

Still, this was a mighty heavy concern Rainbow Dash was presenting to her right now. She remembered hearing the term "imposter syndrome" once or twice before, but she really doubted that it had anything to do with matters such as this.

"Lemme ask ya somethin', RD," she started, "The author of those "Darin' Do" books ya like so much, A.K. Yearlin', she prob'ly doesn' print 'em up herself, right? She prob'ly submits one of those manuscript things to the publisher who does all the actual printin' work, right?"

"Well, yeah, that's how things work," Rainbow Dash responded.

"Well, are the adventures in the books any less excitin' ta read about, or any less the real deal, simply because what yer readin' is in a mass-produced book and not in the original manuscript?"

"Well, n-no," Rainbow Dash replied uneasily.

"Do the books bein' mass-produced make 'em fake simply because they're not the original manuscript?"

"No..." Rainbow Dash added further.

Applejack simply smiled warmly as she stepped closer, and reached out to rub Rainbow Dash's back.

"RD, we are who we are, and we are what we are, fer better or worse. Even if we are jus' copies, we're still as real as we think we are, jus' like those books ya read are real. That's all that really matters, isn't it?"

To this, Rainbow Dash had no immediate response to present, other than continuing to stand there as she looked uneasy and uncertain.

"Even if we were jus' fake versions of ourselves, it's not like we can do anything ta change it. So in the end, wha's it really matter one way or another?"

Again, no verbal response.

"Wha's the point o' bein' miserable because there might be other versions of us out there, somewhere in the multiverse?"

Still no response. She was starting to suspect this was venturing into territory that Rainbow Dash was entirely unprepared to traverse, and potentially making her even more uncomfortable than she had been when she'd started this conversation. Maybe it was time to go a different route to try and bring her back to the shallow end of the metaphorical pool.

"For all we know, Rainbow Dash, the reality we hypothetically got spun off from wasn' the "real" us either. They could'a been another alternate reality, spun off from a whole 'nother alternate reality somewhere on down the line."

"Whoa..."

This time, Rainbow Dash did respond, with a near-breathless gasp and wide eyes at what she'd just heard.

"That's... that's really heavy stuff to think about," she stated/mumbled. "How'd you get to be so smart? Er, I mean, I know you're not stupid or anything like that. But that sounds a lot deeper than the sort of stuff you normally say. What gives?"

"Well when yer roommates with one o' the smartest ponies in all Equestria, ya tend ta pick up on a thing er two," Applejack replied and shrugged dismissively.

It was certainly no exaggeration on her part. The number of things that she'd learned or otherwise picked up on from Twilight during her short stay, simply in an effort to drown out her own morbid and uncomfortable thoughts at the time, had been pretty substantial. Either from listening to Twilight talk, or asking her questions, or even picking a random book off the shelf and trying to read it when she was simply too scared to sleep because she didn't want to have any nightmares.

Some of the stuff had been easy enough to follow and understand on her own with little-to-no assistance. Other stuff had been so far over her head and beyond her understanding, the words might as well have been written in another language. But she'd been mighty stubborn in her attempts to make heads or tails of the stuff, as it gave her another reason to not go to sleep when she wasn't ready.

The fact Twilight and Spike had been understanding and supportive of her efforts at warding off sleep had certainly helped make things a bit easier.

"So, ya feelin' better since ya talked?" she asked as she set her hoof back down on the ground.

"Not really, no," Rainbow Dash replied and shook her head. "I just can't get that thought out of my head, you know? I just keep thinking, what if somewhere out there in all these alternate realities is the real me, and I'm not it?"

"Well, so what if that is the case? What difference would that really make?" Applejack asked right back.

"Because if there is a real version of me out there, then what if she's the better version? What if she's more awesome than I am? What does that make me?"

"Mah friend," Applejack replied firmly, really wanting this sort of discussion to come to an end. "RD, did ya ever stop an' think that maybe this "real you" yer talkin' 'bout might be less awesome than the you Ah'm talkin' to right now?" she asked pointedly.

The look on Rainbow Dash's face did a great deal to show that such a thought had never entered her mind. And now that it was out there, she could see it was proving difficult to process and comprehend.

This sort of discussion was starting to get ridiculous. Yes, she sort of understood it, but that didn't change the fact it was ultimately ridiculous. Even if it were valid, it still wasn't something that any of them could do anything about, other than live with the fact, and try not to lose their minds to all the existential nonsense.

"Is something like that even possible?" Rainbow Dash asked, her voice suddenly devoid of the franticness it'd held just previously.

"Gimme one good reason why it couldn' be. One that doesn' involve 'er supposedly bein' realer than you," Applejack stated.

Rainbow Dash tried to speak, but failed at Applejack's second sentence effectively eviscerating her argument before her. And try as she might, she simply couldn't figure out anything else to say.

"Maybe there are other versions of ya out there, RD, but the only one that matters ta me is the one Ah'm friends with," Applejack continued. "An' honestly, that one is mighty awesome as far as Ah'm concerned. Yer the only one of 'em Ah know that went an' punched Nightmare Moon right in the face for all she did to ya, an' lived ta tell 'bout it."

At that, Rainbow Dash found herself unable to resist smiling. She certainly had that fact going for her, if nothing else.

"Thanks, AJ, I appreciate that."

"No trouble at all, Sugarcube. No trouble at all," Applejack replied and patted her back. "So. Ya feelin' better now?"

"Kinda, yeah," Rainbow Dash replied and nodded. "Thanks again."

"Good ta hear. Now, if all this mess is settled, Ah've got chores ta get to, before Ah start thinkin' too hard on this sort o' thing mahself. Ah'll catch ya later," Applejack stated.

But before she could actually leave, a particular thought crossed her mind. It wasn't a particularly nice thought, but...

"Also, RD, jus' 'cause somethin' er somepony might be the original, that doesn' make 'em better by default. If the comics are right an' different realities have different circumstances an' such, fer all any o' us might know, this "real you" might actually be workin' in fashion jus' like Rarity."

Rainbow Dash, in response, did a full body shudder of disgust at the notion being presented to her, as if she'd just bitten into a particularly sour lemon. "Don't even joke about something like that!"

Applejack could only laugh boisterously in response as she trotted off. Maybe that'd been a low blow for her to go with in closing, but at least it sounded like it'd gotten her friend out of her funk.

"Well, then for all we know, there's a version of you somewhere that's a Manehattan socialite just like your aunt and uncle!"

At that, Applejack stopped in her tracks. Now that had been downright uncalled her. Slowly she turned back around, and fixed her best displeased glare on her friend, ready to tell her a thing or two.

Not that she ever had anything against her aunt and uncle. She loved them dearly, but her heart simply wasn't in the whole socialite thing, what with talking funny and pretending to be fancier than she really was, about topics she really had no interest in.

"Ah take time outta mah busy day to talk ya through a crisis, an' tha's how ya go about thankin' me fer it?" she asked incredulously.

"Yep," Rainbow Dash replied and smirked. "You gonna come over here an' kick my ass for it?"

"Maybe Ah would, if it wasn' so bony right now," Applejack smirked back. "Get a few more pounds back on ya, an' then it'll be a bit more fair fer ya. Ya might actually stand a chance then."

The flying tackle came faster than Applejack could anticipate. But the short overall travel distance, and Rainbow Dash still not being in one hundred percent condition, had greatly hampered the amount of impact behind it.

What followed had been a short tumble, the two rolling about on the ground, before mutual giggling broke out between them as they wrestled, and finally concluding with Applejack flat on her back as Rainbow Dash perched atop her.

"Say you surrender!" she demanded as she glared down at Applejack.

"A'right. Ya surrender," Applejack replied.

"No, no! Say "I surrender"!"

"Ya surrender," Applejack repeated.

"You know damn well what I mean!" Rainbow Dash shot back angrily. "Apologize! Both to the other me for calling her a fashionista, and to my ass for calling it bony!"

"Sorry, Sugarcube, Ah'm not gonna do it," Applejack replied defiantly from her spot.

"Oh no? Well then, we'll just have to see what can be done about that..." Rainbow Dash stated as she wore a grin that would make any villain proud, unfurled her wings, and ever so slowly began to lower them to Applejack's exposed sides.

It was at that moment, Applejack knew, she'd fucked up.

Author's Note

Not exactly what I had in mind for this chapter. But ending on a humorous note felt better than ending on a more sombre one.

Chapter One Hundred Fourteen

Chapter One Hundred Fourteen

"I'm... really sorry. Could you repeat that, please? I don't think I heard you right."

Afternoon tea wasn't exactly something that Fluttershy could actually take the time to sit down and enjoy every day. An unfortunate and unavoidable side-effect of being the designated animal expert in Ponyville, responsible for all their well being. So many different, lovely animals in her care, and each with their own individuals needs that needed to be overseen. And then there were her own daily chores that needed tending to.

But that was hardly unique circumstances for her; a lot of other ponies probably worked just as hard as her, if not even harder. Why, the amount of time and care that went into overseeing Sweet Apple Acres had to be just as much, if not even more, than what she had to put in to take care of her animals, right?

Honestly, the only reason she could take a break at the moment, was because of the untimely -but honestly not unwanted- arrival of Twilight. She had only just finished watering her plants, and hadn't even set the watering can back down on the ground before being addressed by her friend. And even then, only because she could tell something was on her mind; something perhaps best addressed in a somewhat calmer setting than the outside could offer.

And as long as she was taking time out to talk with a friend, while inside the comfort of her own home, she might as well go right ahead and get some tea ready for them to enjoy.

Although now she wasn't entirely certain that was a possibility.

Twilight shook her head in response. "You didn't hear wrong. I need to speak with Discord. But he hasn't been responding to my efforts to get in touch with him. So with you being on better friendship terms with him than the rest of us, I was hoping you might be able to succeed where I failed," she explained.

As far as requests relating to Discord went, that one was probably the weirdest one she'd heard yet.

"I see," she replied slowly and sipped at her tea as she thought on the matter, uncertain of just what exactly to say. "And what did you need to speak with Discord about?"

"It's a little difficult to explain," Twilight stated, before taking a tentative sip of her tea; almost like she was uncomfortable with talking. "Lately I've found myself facing some difficult questions that I have no answers for. And rather than carry on by myself in a desperate search for answers, wrecking my mental health and annoying others around me in the process, I thought I'd try to seek out help early on. And considering the nature of the questions, Discord is probably the most logical starting point there is to be had. Strange as that may sound."

"Well now, why did you just say so in the first place?"

Both ponies froze in place at the sound of a third voice in the room, simultaneously very close and very far away from their current position at the table.

And then Twilight squirmed as she felt something very warm and fuzzy moving beneath her. Something she found out was actually Discord's lap only too late, as she found him wrapping his forearms around her in a hug, and rested his chin atop her head.

"I can't tell you how nice it feels when a friend actually stops and appreciates you," he continued as he held her close.

This was definitely far closer to Discord than Twilight had comfortably wanted to get, and she couldn't help but squirm uneasily. Were it not for the fact he'd be dragged right along with her due to the close physical proximity, she would've immediately teleported right out of his hold and over to another chair.

But, she had to remind herself, now wasn't the time for succumbing to petty discomfort. She'd come here in search of Discord, in search of answers, and she was going to have them one way or another, regardless of what was involved.

"Y-yes, well, never mind that right now. Discord, I've come to bargain," she spoke up as she did her best to steady her nerves and focus her mind.

"Oh?"

In a poof and a flash Discord was gone, having teleported to a previously absent chair as he sat on the table, propping up his chin on his paws as he looked at Twilight with interest.

"At first you had my interest, but now you have my curiosity. So then, what sort of bargain are you looking to strike with the lord of chaos?"

Twilight gulped uneasily, feeling even more uncomfortable under Discord's gaze than she had been when on his lap. Performance anxiety? Maybe it was. But she knew if she hesitated, she would be lost, so she simply had to plow through it. Now or never.

"I have questions that I need answers to. I need them delivered in as straightforward and direct to the point manner as possible. And I'm willing to let you turn me into whatever animal you need to, in order to offset the chaos/order divide so that's possible."

The silence following her little statement seemed even more uncomfortable than the unease leading up to her presenting her petition. Discord's own quietness as he blinked sideways, and then looking over to Fluttershy, who looked back at him, was seriously starting to make her wish she'd gone the alternate route, even if it was worse for her mental health.

"Oh my," Fluttershy whispered.

"Oh, how delightfully unexpected," Discord replied and grinned in a wholly unnatural way. "I must say, my dear Twilight, this is certainly a unique way to go about bartering for services and favors. I wholeheartedly approve! But, before we get too far along, I feel I should warn you that not all questions carry the same price, unfortunately. I'm afraid that matters like "what is the meaning of life?" or "what came first, the chicken or the egg?" or even "who put the bop in the bop-she-bop" aren't so easily paid with random chaos. No, for something like that, the price tag would be far higher than anypony could reasonably be asked to pay..."

Twilight found herself unable to resist the urge to shudder at Discord's words, and the look he was giving her. Was he deliberately trying to be unsettling or something?

"So now, before we can begin discussing prices for services rendered, let's hear what sort of questions you have on your mind. It'll help me know just how we stand," he continued.

"Flat-footed," Twilight replied nervously, before clearing her throat. "Alright, out of all the questions I could ask you, I suppose the most pressing one is this: Are my friends and I obsolete?"

Discord's jovial -if a bit predatory- mood seemed to evaporate in the wake of the question being presented. It was almost as if he was the one who hadn't wanted to hear what was said.

"I'm... sorry? I don't think I understand what you're asking," he replied slowly as he sat up straighter, his paws no longer tucked under his chin but rather resting on the edge of the table. "When you say "obsolete" what do you mean by that? "Obsolete" in what way?"

"Obsolete in terms of Equestria's continued safety," Twilight clarified, before speaking again and not even giving Discord the chance to respond. "Ulquiorra has been in Equestria for eighty-six days. And in that short amount of time we've been subjected to five crises that had the potential for far-reaching consequences for the nation; far above the national average for such events. The dragon incursion, the changeling invasion, the manticore attack, Nightmare Moon's resurgence, and most recently the reappearance of the windigoes. And in each of those cases, my friends and I who've been tasked with ensuring Equestria's safety, have been caught entirely off guard, unprepared, and unable to amount to any sort of meaningful difference. The only reason we haven't suffered any significant catastrophic events as a result, is solely because Ulquiorra's been present and able to intercede where we've failed."

"Oh," Discord replied slowly, unable to keep the unease out of his voice as he spoke.

Twilight nodded before continuing. "He's been able to do with ease, by himself, what we've been struggling so hard to accomplish as a group. I didn't give it much thought at the time, because we were so busy trying to solve mysteries and such. But now that we actually have a stretch of calm downtime, I can't help but think about these things. And the more I think about it, I can't help but wonder what purpose do we really serve anymore?"

She let out a sigh, before reaching over and picking up her teacup between her hooves to take a sip as the uneasy words hung heavily in the air almost like a stale smell. She'd hoped that being able to voice her concerns would help relieve some of the burden she'd been bearing so far, but that hadn't happened. If anything talking about it had actually made it feel worse to her.

"I look at us, and then I look at him, and whatever we can do when it comes to saving Equestria and protecting others, Ulquiorra has proven capable of doing the same, only much better. He's stronger than Applejack, faster than Rainbow Dash, and smarter than me; there are times we'll be talking, and I swear his mind is performing complex computations at a rate that even I can't hope to keep pace with. And then I look back at all of us and-"

"The Goku Doctrine," Discord interrupted.

Twilight blinked in confusion at Discord's words. "The what?"

"In any long-running work that focuses on the exploits of a central cast of characters, there'll inevitably be times when they simply have to become stronger to face new threats. The main character will always receive the greatest degree of upgrades, the fan favorites will generally receive enough of an upgrade to keep them relevant, while the rest of the cast simply fall behind, all the while struggling just to keep up and stay relevant. Eventually the difference in their respective power levels becomes so insurmountable, there's simply no hope of ever catching up and once-competent characters who could rival the main character, are left by the wayside as their existence becomes more and more meaningless," Discord elaborated as he picked up the teapot and poured a cup for himself.

"... Essentially, yes," Twilight agreed, "bringing back to the original question; is that ultimately where we're at right now? Have we been rendered obsolete to Equestria, now that Ulquiorra is here?"

There were numerous other questions she could ask right now. But when she'd stopped to think about them, they were mostly all derivatives of the first question in one form or another. And right now, asking what was essentially the same question over and over again just didn't seem to have much point.

Discord didn't respond at first, opting to instead focus on his tea as he took a long sip. It was only after he had finished, his head tilted almost all the way back as he drained his cup, before he finally spoke up again.

"You might not like the answer that you get, or the price it'll incur," he warned.

"Answers I might not like are still preferable to not having any answers," Twilight replied as her tail flicked behind her.

"Just so long as you're aware of what you're getting yourself into on this one," Discord confirmed as he picked up the teapot and refilled her cup, followed by Fluttershy's, and then his own, before he turned his attention back to her. "You and your friends aren't obsolete, Twilight; far from it actually. You're all still just as vital to Equestria's defense as you were when you first started out, if not even more so."

"How!?" Twilight blurted out in a less than elegant fashion. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad to hear that, but I don't understand it. How can we still be so vital, when Ulquiorra can do more than we can to keep Equestria safe?"

"Because he can't do what you can do!" Discord stated firmly, wearing a look of annoyance as he spoke. "Seriously, I can't believe that I actually have to explain that little detail to you, Twilight; I genuinely thought you were smarter than that, but I guess I was wrong. Yes, Ulquiorra can do much to keep Equestria safe, and he certainly has the potential to eventually become the strongest hero Equestria has ever known, or ever will know. But that's not the same thing as being one of Equestria's greatest heroes; it's not even close to being the same thing."

Over where Fluttershy sat, she was uncertain of how to respond, or even if she should respond. Discord's words had been very unkind, and the blank look on Twilight's face in response to her words left her unsure of just what she should do. Not understanding the content of his message hadn't helped that fact either.

"I... I don't think I understand. What exactly is the difference?" Twilight replied slowly.

"Let's put it like this, Twilight," Discord started in a far calmer, more reserved tone as he spoke. "Boiled down into the simplest of terms and the fewest of words, what exactly did Ulquiorra do to Nightmare Moon, to put an end to her efforts at taking over?"

"He killed her," Twilight answered.

"And what did he do to the manticore that attacked Ponyville while he was off at some party?" Discord asked.

"He killed it," Twilight answered.

"And what did he do to Queen Chrysalis when she attacked Celestia during an exploited moment of mercy?" Discord asked.

"He... killed her..." Twilight answer a bit more slowly as the realization began to make itself known. "And the windigoes. And he would've killed the dragon if Fluttershy hadn't stopped him when she did. And he even threatened to do the same to you at least once..."

"I think you're finally starting to get it," Discord replied and smiled a wavy/crooked smile. "For all of his strength and capabilities, Ulquiorra is still very much a counterpoint to the teachings of Equestria that you and so many others have taken to heart and benefited from; an antithesis if you will. He doesn't yet have the same understanding that you and your friends do, so he can't do what you do so well," Discord continued.

"And what's that?"

This time it was Fluttershy who spoke up and voice the question rather than Twilight.

"Bring hope to others who have no hope themselves," Discord stated as he turned his attention from Fluttershy back to Twilight. "Yes, Ulquiorra could potentially save many lives by killing a threat and being done with them. But you and your friends have the potential to save many more lives than he ever could, because you can actually reach the heart of a villain and make them turn away from their wicked ways. Just like you did with Luna when she was possessed by evil and her own hatred. Just like you did with me."

The answer and following explanation was definitely not what Twilight had been expecting to get out of Discord. Yes, she'd requested something straightforward, and had even offered to pay for it, but even then she'd still expected something heavily tinged with elements of sarcasm and smartass throughout.

"In time you'll come to learn, there are many types and definitions of heroes to be found: superheroes, unscrupulous heroes, nominal heroes, hero sandwiches, etc. Ulquiorra can certainly fit into one of those categories at some point. But right now it's not really an exaggeration, or even an insult, to say that he's closer to being a weapon. An incredibly intelligent, logical, and articulate weapon that can engage in thought-provoking conversations, but still a weapon regardless. Despite his potential, he still very much operates on the principle of identify threat, find threat, kill threat. That's not to say it isn't necessary at times, but killing is hardly the hallmark of what being a hero is about. Especially when it's regarded as being business as usual."

The more Discord spoke, the more Twilight found herself uncertain of just what to be thinking. This was way, way outside of what she'd ever expected to get out of the spirit of chaos. Listening to him talk was almost like listening to Celestia speak.

Discord just sighed, sipped his tea, and set the cup back down on the table. "If I were to describe you in terms of symbols, Ulquiorra would best qualify as the symbol of peace... through superior firepower. He conveys the message 'Don't mess with Equestria or we'll kill you' as it were. But you, Fluttershy and the others would best qualify as the symbol of hope. You convey the message 'Even if you've made mistakes in the past, it's never too late to change and become better.' Optimism rather than condemnation. I know it might not sound like much in context, but I'm sure you know, better than anypony, just how powerful hope can be when all else seems lost. Even I couldn't drive it out of you during my temporary reign of terror, and believe me I tried. Oh how I tried..."

Twilight wanted to smile at what sounded like a compliment from Discord, but at the same time she wasn't entirely certain it was the right thing to do; not just yet anyway. Maybe it was best to simply wait and see what else he had to say, before reaching any conclusions. She still wouldn't put a bait and switch past him.

"In any given world where sentient life exists, you'll find those who do the most good are often the ones who willingly do the small, necessary tasks that're most devoid of glamor and excitement, but keep society functioning and civil. Or those who willingly put their lives on the line for the sake of others, even though they don't have nigh-invulnerability on their side to protect them. Anypony can be brave when they know that nothing can hurt them. Those that willingly put the well being of others ahead of their own are the ones best fit to be classified as heroes, not those who're never in any danger," Discord stated, before downing the last of his tea and setting his cup back down. "Now then, if you'll all excuse me, this little motivational speech of mine is running far longer than it should have, and now I'm running late for a meeting. I need to go and remind a certain dark lord that, even without free will, life will always ensure chaos exists. And wherever there is chaos, there will always be me. Old stone-face is long overdue for another atomic wedgie. Toodaloo!"

And just like that, with a wave and a snapping of his eagle talon, Discord was gone just like he'd arrived, with no warning whatsoever.

Leaving Twilight and Fluttershy behind in the ensuing silence.

"Well now. That was... something..." Twilight mumbled in response, not entirely sure of what to make from what she'd just experienced.

"Twilight," Fluttershy spoke up softly, "could I ask you something? I know it's really not any of my business, and I don't want you to feel like you're under any obligation to answer. But were you more upset at the thought we were obsolete to Equestria's defense, or by the fact that we aren't?"

The immediate impulse Twilight felt was to play it cool, do her best to channel the essence of Rainbow Dash, and ask what kind of question that was. But one look into those blue eyes had made her defenses crumble before they could even be fully formed. All she could really do was sigh and slump in defeat.

"Honestly? Both of them are kind of bad in their own way," she replied and leaned back against her chair. "If we aren't obsolete, that means we'll continue going on missions where the fate of the world is potentially at stake, putting our lives on the line for the sake of millions, all the while knowing that any one of us could potentially die. Every time a crisis of epic proportion arises, I'm worried that it's going to be the last time the six of us are all together; the last time I'm going to see my best friends alive. I don't want to lose any of you, but at the same time I don't think I could bear to live with the knowledge that I let others die because I was too afraid and too selfish to save them. But then again the alternative really isn't all that promising either. If we were obsolete, would we ever still be friends?"

"Why wouldn't we be?"

The question had been so simple, but it'd figuratively floored Twilight, momentarily leaving her uncertain how to respond.

"Be... because we needed to be friends to make the Elements of Harmony work. They wouldn't have worked if we were at each other's throats and couldn't stand the sight of one another. Nightmare Moon would've won then," she answered as best she could.

"Past tense. That was then, this is now," Fluttershy pointed out with a gesture of the hoof. "Do you honestly think we'd stop being friends with each other, simply because Equestria didn't need us to protect it anymore?"

"I... honestly don't know," Twilight mumbled, "we were all united by a common goal, brought together by necessity while our bonds formed. Knowing that if we couldn't keep the harmony between ourselves, we'd never be able to do the same for everypony else when they needed us. Whether we like it or not, it's been a defining, significant aspect of the relationships we've all maintained with one another. So what happens when that significant aspect is suddenly gone? Would we still stick together regardless? Would we slowly drift apart and go our separate ways as a result? Would we... would we..."

Her cheeks suddenly felt very hot, burning with enough heat for the convection to be reaching her eyes. It was proving to be difficult enough to see straight, to say nothing of being able to breathe properly without it hitching in her throat.

"I've run the calculations numerous times. I've used a chalkboard, abacus, slide ruler, and numerous other tools in my efforts. And no matter how many times I run them, no matter the permutation, no matter what variable factors are introduced, the end result is always the exact same; our friendships ending. The only difference of outcome is whether they're ended on our terms, or by an outside factor beyond our control. But that's hardly a difference worth mentioning when the end result is losing the best friends I've ever had..."

"Didn't you once tell Ulquiorra that friendship isn't something that can actually be scienced?"

The threat of tears spilling down her cheeks was immediately forgotten at Fluttershy's question, and brought her head back up to look across the table at her.

Yes, she had told Ulquiorra something that basically boiled down to that, during his third visit to Ponyville in the aftermath of the changeling fiasco. But she certainly didn't remember mentioning that conversation to anyone else. The only other ones present at the time had been Spike, and Ulquiorra himself. And for the life of her, she doubted either one of them would've brought that topic up in conversation with Fluttershy. She could be wrong about remembering it, what with everything happening as fast as it had been.

"I know we've all talked about this before, Twilight, but friendship isn't like a mathematical equation. The outcome doesn't change just because the structure is changed around, or the steps are carried out in a difference sequence of order. Maybe our friendship did receive a teeny motivational nudge from the crisis at hoof at the time, but it certainly didn't define it, it certainly wasn't the sole reason for it to come into existence, and it most certainly isn't the reason we've remained friends through the good times and the bad."

"I-" Twilight started to speak up, only to be interrupted as Fluttershy continued talking, effectively cutting her off.

"What you're basically trying to do is taking a five-gallon bucket of water, dipping out a quart in a glass jar, holding it up, and claiming it's fundamentally different in chemical structure from the water still in the bucket. Along with claiming that its absence fundamentally alters the nature of the chemical structure of water still in the bucket into something else entirely."

Twilight's jaw didn't exactly drop, but she could certainly feel it hanging open somewhat. Not knowing just where this conversation might be going, she opted to slowly close it, lest she end up saying something she shouldn't, at a time when it would be unwise.

"Now, as to the other matter. If there's one thing I've learned in my time as an animal caretaker, it's that nopony and no creature is ever guaranteed tomorrow. We'd like to think we are, we say "tomorrow's another day" but for some that day will ultimately never come. Maybe someday our friendships will end, maybe they won't. Maybe their ending will be of our own volition, maybe it won't. But we can't live our lives in fear of that maybe coming into existence. I know how scary and painful the idea of change can be, and I also know that we can't live our lives in fear of that pain. Because if we do, if we try to avoid that pain at any cost, we don't leave any room anything else in our lives. We might be safe from getting hurt, but we miss out on everything that would otherwise make life worth living."

Twilight couldn't say for certain that she'd ever experienced a thousand-yard stare for herself. But in the wake of Fluttershy's statement, she was fairly certain the look on her face could accurately be described as such, as flashbacks from her time before Ponyville played back in her mind. At the time it certainly seemed like she'd been living the good life as Celestia's prized student, and able to research things to whatever extent her heart desired. But in light of everything she'd experienced since then, it felt more like that time had been mere existence rather than life.

Her words had hit just a little too close to home for her own comfort.

"First It was Applejack, back at the hospital in the aftermath of Nightmare Moon. Then it was Pinkie in the library while we hid from the windigos," Twilight eventually replied as she came back to her senses. "Exactly when did my friends get to be as smart as I am?"

Fluttershy smiled in response at what strongly sounded like a compliment. "Well, you can't really be friends with somepony for years, and not pick up a thing or two from them in the process."

Now it was Twilight's turn to smile in response. That idea was oddly comforting at the moment.

"Now then. I..." Fluttershy paused, before slowly, sheepishly turning her attention down towards the table. "I'm sorry, I don't really know where to go from here."

"It's alright, Fluttershy," Twilight replied as she reached across the table to touch her foreleg with her own. "You've given me a lot to think about. Like how silly it is to be afraid of something that hasn't happened yet, might not happen at all, and can't be stopped at present. There are far more important things to be thinking about right now. Like enjoying my friends while we still have each other."

The table proved problematic in the execution of a hug, but it was easily bypassed and sidestepped by the two.

As much as she hadn't wanted to admit it, Discord had been right about her not liking the answers she'd gotten to her inquiry. But whether she liked the answers, at least now she had them and could stop pondering the matter at night when sleep was evading her.

"Thank you for being my friend."

Author's Note

Not exactly how I had this chapter envisioned.

Chapter One Hundred Fifteen

Chapter One Hundred Fifteen

Celestia did her best not to let out a frustrated sigh as she looked at the file in front of her, its manila folder held slightly askew to allow for the best angle of light for reading without requiring her to strain her eyes; at least not with that particular part of all this.

Being co-ruler of Equestria, there were certain aspects of the job that she hated. Certain aspects that really tested and strained the carefully constructed image of serenity incarnate that she'd spent innumerable decades carefully crafting and meticulously perfecting.

The departure of Shining Armor after his marriage to Cadence, and additional departure to oversee the Crystal Empire, had left the position of Captain of the Royal Guard painfully absent. An absence that'd been filled by Ready Stance as acting Captain until a more suitable replacement could be found for the position. Although she'd hoped that he would've accepted the role on a permanent basis, what with his years of service making him a more than qualified individual.

But with his death at the hooves of Nightmare Moon, that sadly wasn't a possibility. Which led her to where she currently was; carefully reviewing and even scrutinizing the personnel records of the five applicants who had managed to pass the written exam portion of being considered eligible for promotion. That was perhaps the part she hated the most, having to review so many minute details before making the final determination of which candidate she could deem most qualified.

Service history, infractions and disciplinary history, commendations they'd been nominated for, commendations they'd been awarded, commendations they'd been denied and the reason for why the denial was made, medical history, annual psychiatric evaluations, attendances, absences and the reasons for such, and so many other details that all had to be read through and compared to the others. And it all had to be done by her...

So help her, she was going to have that changed at some point in the future.

"Lieutenant Piercing Lance."

The metallic clacking of shoes against each other, muffled somewhat by the carpeting, indicated the guard that stood before her desk and behind the folder was doing their best to stand even more at attention at being addressed.

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"At ease, Lieutenant," she insisted, mentally wondering if such a snap, disciplined reaction to being addressed should count in favor of promotion, or count against it. "There's no need for that right now."

For a military organization, it would be one thing. But for an organization that was closer to a police force in terms of authorities and duties, it was decidedly another matter.

Granted, she certainly didn't want them sloppy and disorganized. But overdoing it wasn't a whole lot better.

"My apologies, Your Highness."

"Accepted," she replied, wishing that she could take her own advice and give even half a slouch like the guard at the moment. "Can you tell me why you're here today, Lieutenant Lance?"

"I assume it's to be informed my score was too low to pass the Captain's exam, Your Highness. Presently that failing is the only thing coming to mind. Unless this is a disciplinary hearing for some infraction I didn't realize I'd committed."

"Well then you may be pleased to know that you're wrong, on both counts," Celestia replied with a slight smile at being able to deliver good news for a change. "I honestly don't know who you've spoken to, or what they've told you, but you didn't fail. A score of ninety five on the written exam is passing, which is what your score was."

"Isn't that just as good as failing, Your Highness? The others all scored higher than I did; I heard them talking about their results. Thunder Strike scored a ninety seven! Bolt Face, Brick Wall and-"

"Yes. I'm aware of how each of you scored, Lieutenant, I have those results here as well," Celestia interrupted as she briefly turned her attention to the exams, which also had to be present for the purpose of this meeting. "It's true, of the five you scored the lowest on the written exam. But the position you're applying for isn't like a gold star, hoofed out to the student in class with the highest score. And the exam only demonstrates that an applicant has the ability to memorize facts and information, it can't tell me about their character. That's why these face-fo-face interviews are so important to the process. Each of you are being interviewed to determine which one of you is the most qualified for the position."

"O-oh..."

With that matter tended to for the moment, Celestia could return to scrutinizing the files in front of her, and proceed with the interview process.

Also, she would need to speak with somepony about this sort of misunderstanding. Over the decades, the number of individuals who believed the highest score on the written exam was the most important factor in determining who got promoted, had actually managed to increase rather than decrease. There was definitely a shortcoming to be had somewhere down the line, but that would have to be dealt with later. Right now she had to tend to this. And then she had four more interviews to conduct. And then she had to review everything herself, and make the final determination on which applicant was most fit to be promoted.

"Now then, Lieutenant Lance," she continued, refocusing her thoughts on the task before her. "If you were promoted, what is it that you could bring to the Royal Guard?"

"Speaking freely, Your Highness? Not a blasted thing! I didn't even expect to get as far as this! The only reason I took the Captain's test in the first place, is because I didn't want the rest of the guards to think I was too scared to try. They'd never let me forget that. I know that's not a very good reason and all, but that's how it is."

Well now. That was certain a unique answer as far as they went, as far as Celestia could remember. And perhaps the most honest as well.

Not that others who held the position of Captain weren't honest. But there had been so many who hadn't been cut out for the position. Certain individuals who didn't possess the right mindset for the authority the position brought with it.

As much as she hated to admit it, over the decades certain individuals within the Guard had held ambitions of power, and believed that enough promotions and advancements would be the ticket to accomplishing those goals. Honestly, she'd rather not think about those cases, even though she needed to keep them in mind so as to prevent such an occurrence from happening.

"About the only thing I could really do well as Captain, would be performing a heroic sacrifice by throwing myself headlong into the amount of paperwork involved with the position, giving up my life so that the others don't have to experience such horrors firsthoof for themselves."

Celestia knew she shouldn't laugh during the interview process, especially not for such an important position. But so help her, she couldn't resist to urge to at least chuckle at the paperwork comment. She'd tried admirably at suppressing the expression of amusement, but it'd proven futile as it just slipped right out.

"Ours is not to reason why. Ours it but to sign reports filed in triplicate."

This time it was a bit more than a chuckle that slipped out, as Celestia realized it was a losing battle to keep her mirth contained behind the mask of serenity she'd spent so much time crafting.

"There's nothing more noble than self-sacrifice for a worthy cause," she stated. "I still remember the dark days of formal paperwork before duplication spells were a common device. The dark days before even carbon paper was a thing, when all paperwork had to be written out the old fashioned way, one copy at a time," she shuddered for an extra bit of show.

This time the Lieutenant was laughing, hopefully amused by her clownish antics. Stone faces and set jaws were fine and all, but sometimes they were just uncalled for. Right now there was the need for a bit levity, to cut through the staleness currently hanging heavy in the air like the odor from a rotten onion.

And then there was a knock at the office door.

"Yes? Who is it?"

While not exactly an invitation to enter, the door opened to reveal one Raven Inkwell standing in the now-open doorway, and looking mildly frantic in terms of appearance.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Princess, but the Espada is outside and waiting to speak with you," she explained.

Celestia's brow furrowed at this little announcement. Ulquiorra was actually waiting to speak with her? He wasn't just barging in as if it was his office?

"Is it important?" she asked.

"It's Ulquiorra, Princess, I don't think he's here just to make small talk," Raven stated.

"No, I suppose he wouldn't be," Celestia replied and let out an exasperated sigh. "Very well, show him in."

Raven nodded and proceeded to quickly step aside as Ulquiorra acquired her previous spot, demonstrating that he'd literally been right outside the door the entire time.

"So then, Ulquiorra, to what do I owe the honor of your visit at a time like this?" she asked, hoping to get to the point as soon as possible.

"Some time ago, Applejack requested my assistance with making necessary repairs to the barn at Sweet Apple Acres. Barring unforeseen developments that warrant my attention elsewhere, I intend to do such," he explained.

That was honestly a little surprising to hear. Ulquiorra was actually volunteering to basically go and mingle with others? As in actual mingling independent of a crisis in need of tending to?

"Well then, don't let me stop you. Take care," she replied, unwilling to say anything that might actually wreck this development, or otherwise prevent it from actually occurring. "Have fun, try not to kill anyone."

"It remains to be seen if one can truly be had without the other," he replied before departing.

Now Celestia really didn't know what to think. The fact he had responded to her attempt at dark humor with his own brand of such, was still such a weird thing to experience. He could give as good as he got, and without missing a beat. Maybe she should be worried?

Whatever. She shook her head and decided to simply let the matter rest for now, as she returned to the interview process. Only to notice how the atmosphere of the room had returned to the tense stillness it'd been just minutes ago, with Lieutenant Lance standing stock still, practically frozen in place, and looking quite anxious.

"Are you alright, Lieutenant? You look as if you've just seen a ghost," she stated, realizing only too late that such had more or less been the case, depending on how it was looked at.

"I'm... fine, Your Highness, it's just... t-the Espada. Its... I-I mean his reputation precedes him. He's puckered more than a few butt holes amongst the Guard since his arrival. I-I've never been so close to such a frightening presence before; I felt like death itself was eyeing me like I was a snack the whole time he was standing behind me!"

Celestia could do little more than nod in response, easily understanding that sentiment. She'd certainly felt something along those lines before in Ulquiorra's presence, especially early on in their introduction, but this was the first time she'd actually heard it expressed quite like that.

Maybe she had grown numb to such a feeling herself? Or perhaps it affected different ponies in different ways? Maybe it was something -else- she'd have to look into. Later.

"Yes, he certainly does tend to have that effect on others. But after a while, you come to learn it's not really directed at you, it's just sort of there as it were," she explained. "Now then, I believe we still have a few questions to get through."

Applejack couldn't rightly say just how the alchemic concoctions Zecora whipped up actually worked, all she knew was that they did work. Such as the solution she'd gotten for treating the blight of one of her family's prized apple trees.

She had watched as the ingredients were grabbed and mixed in one of the zebra shaman's cauldrons, much in the same way Granny Smith would go about preparing a stew for dinner, all the while some vaguely rhyming words were spoken that may or may not've been in her own native tongue. She was sure she'd missed something in the preparation process as she watched, before being hoofed a bottle of brew that was supposed to tend to her problems with ease.

Ashamed as she was to admit it, she wasn't certain this was going to work at the time. But upon applying the slightly glowing tonic to the roots of the tree in question, she could actually see the blight stains on the leaves starting to recede before her eyes. Supposedly by this time tomorrow, whatever was ailing their tree would be cured in full.

Maybe it was a zebra thing in how she could make roots and plant extracts and such like unicorn magic. It certainly wasn't earth pony magic, or anything she was accustomed to seeing. But whatever nature-bending skills were at work here, they worked spectacularly.

"Ah'm gonna need ta invite that gal over fer dinner more often," she commented to herself and tucked the now-empty vial into her saddlebags. "Wish Ah'd talked to 'er earlier, though. Might not'a needed Mr. Cifer ta uproot that one tree like he did after all."

"Perhaps not."

Applejack didn't want to admit it, not even to herself, but the sudden sound of the unexpected voice behind her, in the otherwise quiet orchard, had nearly made her let out a startled yelp. Had she been any other pony, she might've just done that. But she didn't, and after a bit she recognized the voice. Turning around merely confirmed what she already knew, about it being Ulquiorra who was presently behind her, doing his usual above-the-ground hover thing that made it impossible to hear him coming.

"Mr. Cifer, Ah'm startin' ta think ya do that surprise greetin' thing on purpose or somethin'," she stated, doing her best to sound annoyed. But ultimately she knew it was a futile effort and soon relented. "What brings ya by? Somethin' bad goin' on 'round here?"

"Quite the opposite actually. At the moment there is a lull in any crises that warrant my attention or involvement. I've come to see if the hayloft to the barn is still in need of repairs," Ulquiorra explained as he touched down on the ground.

The explanation had caught Applejack by surprise. This definitely wasn't what she'd envisioned for the day when she'd awoken in preparation of another day of work on the farm.

Yes, she'd mentioned it some time ago, way back before everything had gotten as weird as it currently was. But given what'd happened the following day, and each subsequent day since then, it'd been a little easy to forget about something as trivial in comparison as the hayloft needing some repairs.

That wasn't to say she'd forgotten about it, but she understood it if it didn't get tended to anytime soon, or if she'd have to do it by herself. Now here she was with it coming up after so long.

"Uh," she paused, her mind trying to process everything, "yeah. Sorry, ya jus' kinda caught me off guard here an' all. Yeah, the barn still needs some work done. Faust knows RD sleeps up there way more than she should, and Ah'd feel mighty bad if some poor pony got caught by the hayloft collapsin' on 'em."

"And I would be negligent in my duties if I were to leave a known hazard unaddressed," Ulquiorra added.

"However ya need ta sell helpin' somepony out," Applejack replied and shrugged dismissively, before trotting off. "C'mon, Sugarcube, I'll show ya wha' ya got ta work with."

Perhaps it was a bit egotistical on her part, but she liked to believe -or at least think- she had at least some idea of how Ulquiorra's mind worked. In the few months he'd been in Equestria she'd had about as many interactions with him as anypony, been present for a fair number of conversations and discussions, been subjected to his theories and postulating, and witnessed as he broke down his reasoning so that those he talked with could follow along and understand not only where he was coming from, but how he'd arrived at the conclusions he had.

Maybe it wasn't a hundred percent accurate, but the mental image she'd wound up crafting of him in that time was one of the strong silent type who spoke when it was necessary or important, but mixed with just enough social awkwardness that he didn't know how to go about interacting with others in basic, everyday terms.

She knew he would stop and help others if they asked, especially if it was something that seemed important. But in pretty much every interaction she'd witnessed, he'd always presented his willingness to help against the backdrop of it being related to him simply following his orders from Princess Celestia, even when what he was helping with wasn't really all that related to keeping ponies out of harm either directly or indirectly.

But if it was some sort of a coping mechanism for him, something that allowed him to keep up whatever appearances he might've believed were necessary to show the public, who was she to call him out on his methods? They weren't hurting anyone, and as best she could tell they didn't really amount to a lie, so she really didn't see anything wrong with how he went about it.

Although as far as she was concerned, the princesses should just go ahead and order him to make some friends and interact with others, and cut out all the nonsense and excuses and whatnot in the process.

Then again, if that really did happen, there was no telling what might happen as a result. Probably some philosophical showdown relating to how making friends while under obligation to doing such, didn't actually qualify as making friends at all.

Author's Note

There was originally going to be more to this chapter, but I just couldn't focus enough to do it right. Sorry about that.

Chapter One Hundred Sixteen

Chapter One Hundred Sixteen

The feel of lumber essentially crumbling under her hooves wasn't really the most comfortable of sensations for Applejack to experience. And the fact it was being experienced when she wasn't really even putting that much force into it only served to make it even less comforting. Wood and lumber were as big a part of her world, if not bigger, than the fruits that grew in their orchards. This was just... wrong.

"This is worse than Ah thought," she stated grimly.

The walk from the orchards to the barn had been fairly short, which had suited her just fine. No sense moseying along at a leisurely pace when there was work that needed to be done, and a lot of work at that. Once inside it was a simple matter of pointing out the joist in need of attention, and investigating it to determine the true scope of damage they had to work with.

Although the fact she was essentially perched atop Ulquiorra's back and shoulders while examining the beam up close just struck her as an odd thing to be doing, and an odd spot to be being. Odder still was just how solid the position felt to be perched in. She knew he was floating in the air right now, as there was no other way she could be so close to the offending piece of lumber, but so help her it felt like he was still standing on the ground.

She had been subjected to unicorn levitation a time or two, willingly and unwillingly and it'd always been an uncomfortable, weightless thing to be feeling; way different from how she felt right now. How he did it, she didn't really know, she was just glad that he could.

"A lot worse. This is gonna be a total replacement job from the looks of it," she surmised, doing her best not to think too much about how she wasn't firmly on the ground.

"So it would seem," Ulquiorra noted as he descended back to the ground to allow her to dismount.

"Much better," Applejack mumbled, once she was certain she was back on solid ground once again. "A'right. Ah reckon we've got enough supplies fer the job in one o' the outbuildings."

"We'll need significantly more than whatever is on hand," Ulquiorra spoke up. "There are numerous structural shortcomings in the building's framework in need of being tended to."

"Well... ya ain' exactly wrong there," Applejack spoke slowly. "Ah don' want ya ta get the wrong idea 'bout us, Mr. Cifer. We don' jus' let things fall apart around us 'cause we don' care. It's just... money's tight sometimes, especially before harvest time, and we can't always afford to be makin' all the repairs we need to at once. We gotta do 'em as we can, on top o' everythin' else that goes inta runnin' a farm."

Whatever Ulquiorra's observations and opinions were, he didn't opt to share them with her. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but at the moment it felt... off. Almost like he was silently judging her over such a simple thing. It was those eyes that really sold such a thought, she was sure of it.

"Then I'll do it myself."

"Er-" Applejack grunted, "Mr. Cifer, Ah wasn' tryin' ta poor mouth ya er anythin' like that! Ah'm not beggin' fer charity-"

"I'm aware."

The statement was incredibly simple, and at the same time incredibly effective in making her shut right up and pay attention.

"Shortly after the Nightmare Moon incident occurred, Princess Celestia took it upon herself to make my status as an independent contractor official. I've been issued back pay since the time of arrival, hazard pay, overtime pay, as well as been provided with an emergency fund should something arise. Having no need for currency myself, it is only appropriate it go to use where it actually can be of use," Ulquiorra explained. "This isn't charity. This is preventing harm coming to others."

Hearing all this, Applejack wasn't entirely certain what to say. Or what not to say. All this time she'd thought the only cash Ulquiorra had access to was the few hundred bits he'd gotten from the gem Rarity gave him that one time, but apparently that wasn't the case. If his pay was anything like what Shining Armor had been earning prior to his leaving for the Crystal Empire... holy crap was he currently well off.

"Tha' makes me feel a bit better, knowin' Ah'm not takin' advantage o' ya," she eventually admitted. "So Ah guess it's off ta Barnyard Bargains? If so Ah'll come along wit' ya; help carry stuff back, an' get ya the usual discount Filthy gives us."

Yes, there was still work on the farm that needed to be tended to, but helping out a friend who was willing to help you out sort of took precedent over that. Besides, there was no sense in Ulquiorra having to pay full price for whatever he had in mind, when he was just helping them out.

An oscillating fan hummed in the background as its blades whirled about, blowing a thin piece of red ribbon/streamer material that'd been tied to its outer cage, as it fought a desperate but futile battle to alleviate some of the stuffiness in Filthy Rich's office of barnyard Bargains. A task that was made all the more difficult as it was tilted downward, so as to avoid blowing about any important documents that might've been caught in the path.

A window air conditioner would've worked far better, as he knew full well. But that would require keeping the office door shut for maximum effectiveness, and he really didn't want to do that right now. Successful businesses weren't built on closed doors that rendered others inaccessible. He preferred an open door policy when managing the store, so those on staff knew they could ask him questions if they needed to. It helped him remember his roots, and the roots of his family before they were as financially successful as they were now.

That said, his friendly accessibility wasn't doing much to make the job of managing the store any easier right now, as all he wanted to do was sweat! The numerous invoices, receipts, bills, and other order-related documents all required a fine bit of focus and concentration as they rested in a certain and specific order spread out on his desk. Concentration that might've been helped by a cooler, dryer environment, if it were a viable option.

But nopony ever got to be successful by simply taking the easy, comfortable way out. Although a few certainly tired.

With a sigh of frustration, he glanced over at what was probably the most important document to be found on his desk. So important that it had a frame around it to keep it from getting lost in the shuffle. His family, dysfunctional as it could be at times, was his motivation to keep muscling through difficult moments such as this. They had seen him through tougher times, they'd see him through this as well.

"Mr. Rich, Sir?" came a voice immediately following a knock at his office door. "We have a bit of a problem."

He recognized the voice as being that of Amethyst Star; one of his younger staff who'd just recently earned a promotion to cashier. And right now she sounded quite uneasy.

"The Espada is here, Sir, in the store. He's... trying to make a purchase," she continued in as quite a tone as she could manage while still being audible.

"I don't see how that's a problem. His money's as good as anypony else's," he replied.

He knew from the moment he'd met the Espada that he was a unique individual, not simply in physical build but also in character. A bit intimidating, certainly, but there wasn't anything wrong with that; sometimes intimidation was a good thing. And after he'd been so instrumental in rescuing his daughter, he wasn't about to raise a fuss. As far as he was concerned, Ulquiorra was just another customer looking to purchase what his store had to offer.

"That's where we have a problem, Sir, he's not looking to pay with cash. He has a credit card and I..." Amethyst hesitated, "I got scared and forgot how to run the machine..."

"Oh."

Now that was a problem he could understand. Maybe not appreciate, but at least understand.

"Alright, I'll be right out," he finally replied and set the papers down, before pushing himself away from the desk.

How the Espada had acquired a credit card, he really didn't know. Nor was it really his place to care, so long as everything checked out. If the answer to the question came about, all good and fine. But for now, as he made his way to the checkout, he redirected his attention on channeling his patented salespony energy, as he did whenever he was making a sale himself.

"Mr. Ulquiorra!" he greeted with gusto, only then noticing that he wasn't alone. "And Applejack! What brings you to my humble establishment?"

"That'd be me, Mr. Rich," Applejack spoke up. "Mr. Cifer's pickin' up some supplies, an' Ah came along ta help tote 'em back. An' also see if Ah could get 'im the family discount."

"Ah, what the hay," he replied and shrugged. After all the good Ulquiorra had done for them, he wasn't going to fuss to the notion of the Espada catching a break on prices. "Sure. A friend of your family is a friend of mine! So, what might you be looking for."

"The following."

The answer was short, concise, and concluded as a sheet of notebook paper was slid across the front counter. Doing his best to ignore the voice, he focused his attention on the list, and immediately had to do a double take. It was a very comprehensive and itemized list in terms of materials, more so once it came to the hardware than the lumber; individual item names, SKU codes for each item, quantities sought, and the sticker price for each as well.

"Well now," he paused, not exactly sure how to finish that sentence. His was not to reason why, as the customer was -supposed to be- always right in the world of retail. "I was told you planned on paying for this with a credit card?"

"Correct," Ulquiorra confirmed. "During the tour I was given of Ponyville, you spoke proudly of the fact your store was equipped to process such transactions."

"Guilty as charged," Filthy couldn't help but mentally note. Back during the whole "visiting dignitary" thing, he had perhaps gotten a little bit carried away in detailing the more modern features he had to offer, and how he believed the use of such methods of transactions would become more widespread in the future.

Granted, the cards were still in their infancy and weren't usually seen outside of big urban centers like Las Pegasus and the such, but everything had to start somewhere! Why wait until the last minute to get on board with what could be the next big thing?

"Well then, let's see about getting this order processed. If you'd just leave your card here, I can start getting your order processed while you gather your shopping list."

He'd only been part of the way through his sentence before Ulquiorra had already done such , setting the card down on the counter while he and Applejack went to retrieve what they had come to pick up. And now that he could see it for himself, and the embossed symbol of the royal seal on its front face, he had an idea of just how their Arrancar friend had managed to acquire one so quickly.

"Alright, Amethyst, if you'll observe..."

The trip back from Barnyard Bargains was a bit more grueling than Applejack would ever want to admit to it being.

She wasn't weak by any stretch of the imagination, but she had underestimated the amount of weight that would be resting on her back the whole way back to Sweet Apple Acres. The amount of hardware and supplies Ulquiorra had purchased for the repair job had been substantial; enough to just about replace every bit of metal in the barn as best she could tell.

Partially threaded hex bolts, coarse-thread hex nuts, fender washers, mending plates, joining plates, and a whole lot of other parts were currently tucked into her saddle bags as she walked along. Meanwhile the treated lumber was being carried by Ulquiorra atop his shoulder like it was nothing to him. Which, knowing him, was probably the case.

Much as she didn't want to admit it, by they time they got back to the farm properly unloaded, and everything organized in terms of layout, she felt like she needed a rest.

But she also knew she couldn't do that. She'd asked Ulquiorra to assist, not do the work himself. And that meant having to work on his timetable when he was available. And if they weren't having to run around to save Equestria right now, then right now was when it was going to get done.

So to paraphrase what Pinkie had so eloquently said some time ago, it was time for her to go and Arrancar up!

With a grunt she could only hope she'd successfully kept to herself, she made her way over an old workbench-looking table that hadn't seen much in the way of recent use, and procured an old wooden tool box by picking it up in her teeth, before carrying it over and setting it down on the floor next to the assorted piles.

"Pa's old tools should work jus' fine fer us, he had jus' 'bout anythin' a pony could need fer construction work," she explained. "Jus'... please be careful with 'em. Ah didn' think 'bout it at the time but Ah've seen the kind o' torque ya can generate, an' Ah don' know if they're up to it."

"Your property will not be damaged," Ulquiorra stated simply.

"A'right, good ta hear," she replied, feeling a bit relieved. "So. Now that we've got wha' we need, where do we start?"

"I don't require assistance."

The statement had been delivered so bluntly, and so matter-of-factly, it struck Applejack almost like a punch right to the gut.

"Ya... ya don't?"

"Correct," he confirmed. "Did you want to assist?" he asked, after what had felt like a small eternity passed between the two points of speaking.

As bad as the initial statement about not needing help had been, somehow the question had been even worse. Being told she didn't need to help was one thing, but to be asked right after if she'd wanted to, it honestly felt humiliating to her; like it was being offered as a courtesy or something.

"Wha's the use? Not like it really matters at this point," She grumbled as she found herself sitting down on her haunches the barn's floor and letting out a sigh. "Mr. Cifer, when Ah asked if ya could help, Ah didn' expect ya ta be doin' all the work yerself; jus' the high up stuff we'd need a ladder er scaffoldin' for. Now this whole mess has gone totally outta control! Ah felt bad enough when ya volunteered ta buy the supplies we'd need ta fix the barn up proper. An' now... now Ah'm gettin' told that Ah'm not needed fer fixin' mah own barn!"

She hadn't wanted to go down this particular line of thinking. Not here, not now, and most certainly not again. But she had, and now there was no stopping it; not after all that.

"Ah'm jus' so danged useless wit' ya around! When it was Nightmare Moon on the loose, all Ah could do was sit an' watch while others took 'er ta task and gave 'er the walloping that Ah' couldn't! Even Fluttershy an' Rarity did more than Ah could! The windigoes, Ah didn' even know they were around until it was already over an' too late ta do anythin' about. And now yer tellin' me ya can fix up mah barn all by yerself an' Ah'd jus' get in the way if ah tried ta join in. It's enough ta make a mare feel like she's got no reason fer even bein' around! What'm Ah even doin' here!? Am Ah even needed here at Sweet Apple Acres anymore!?"

She needed to calm down. She needed to get her head back on right. She needed to take a breath to help steady her nerves.

"... Ah'm sorry, Mr. Cifer, Ah shouldn' 've said that to ya like Ah did. That was jus' uncalled fer. Ah know yer only tryin' ta help. Ah just..."

She sighed and hung her head, sorely disappointed in herself and her outburst just seconds ago.

"Ah don' like all the excitement, or the danger, or the stress involved wit' keepin' Equestria safe, an' knowin' that ponies are gonna die if Ah don't; Ah downright hate it! Ah'm jus' a simple farmer, Ah'm not cut out for stuff like that. The only reason Ah haven' gone an' chucked it all by now, is 'cause o' mah friends bein' part of it. Even if Ah did, it wouldn' stop 'em, an' the only thing Ah'd hate worse than all o' the above, would be mahself fer abandonin' them jus' 'cause Ah'm scared. So when Discord said ya were here ta help on that front, Ah was mighty glad ta be hearin' it; it took some o' that weight off mah back ta learn we weren't alone. Gave me a bit o' hope that we might be a'right.

"But this is farmin' an' such. This is mah life an' what Ah'm best at. So ta hear ya say ya didn' need me fer that... Ah jus' sorta lost it, Ah guess. Almost like Ah'm bein' told my purpose in life ain' even worth the soil under mah hooves. Like Ah'm... like Ah'm jus' in the way, totally useless an' better off not even bein' here."

She needed to stop talking, right now. If she didn't shut her mouth right up, she was going to lose it completely. And if she lost it completely, she was going to wind up crying like a baby. Already she could feel it threatening to come on, and needed to run her foreleg across her face to keep her eyes from getting any wetter.

"Then I apologize."

Applejack slowly looked up in confusion, her own inner turmoil forgotten about at the moment, as she wondered if she'd heard right.

"Uh... come again?"

"I have firsthand knowledge of what it's like to experience a sense of uselessness; to feel as the entire justification for your basis for existence is ultimately for naught. It's something I experienced in Hueco Mundo, at the hands of Ichigo Kurosaki when he proved vastly stronger than myself; stronger than should've even been possible. Up until then, my purpose had been to carry out Aizen's orders and keep the city of Las Noches safe. And in that moment, as I faced down his Hollowfied form, I learned that I could no longer fulfill either of those obligations. In that moment, my existence no longer served any purpose, and it no longer mattered if I lived or died, as it ultimately made no difference."

The longer she listened to Ulquiorra talk -or monologue or whatever- the more she found herself sitting there in utter bafflement, just like when they'd first met. But this time around it felt so very different, considering what the subject matter was.

The fact that he'd turned so as to directly face her while speaking just added to the strangeness of it all. As if he was actually going out of his way to address her directly; with eye contact and everything!

"As emotionless and unfeeling as I may be, even I have standards. And having experienced such for myself, even I wouldn't go so far as deliberately inducing that feeling in others," he continued. "I said your assistance wasn't needed here, because I understand you have more important matters in need of tending to before the sun sets. This is hired hand work, best reserved for those who don't have earth pony magic for cultivating produce for sale."

To hear the way Ulquiorra explained it all, Applejack honestly felt low in response. Lower than even the belly of a snake in the wake of his words. He hadn't been dismissing her out of hoof like she was useless, but she hadn't seen that fact until it was too late. Her own insecurities had gotten the better of her, she'd yelled at him without good reason, and now she just wanted to go and kick herself.

"Mr. Cifer, Ah'm mighty sorry fer-"

"I'll require a tape measure to determine the exact length needed for the replacement joist," he stated, as if he hadn't even heard what she'd been saying. Or simply hadn't paid it any attention. "Followed by one fender washer being fully seated on each bolt."

"... Ah'll, um, Ah'll jus' get right on that, then," she mumbled, all the while trying to fight off the sensation of her head swimming. The entire mood of the conversation was changing far too fast for her to accurately keep track of; it was like trying to follow Rainbow Dash's path of trajectory when she was doing some of her stunt flying.

For her own sake, it was probably best to keep her head down, not ask too many questions, and simply focus on what she could. Lest Ulquiorra go and pull some other rapid change of plan she couldn't see coming until it was too late.

In hind sight, maybe she really should've taken Ulquiorra's advice, and tended to other parts of the farm while leaving him to work on the barn by himself. It wasn't exactly a thought she liked to entertain, but it was possibly a necessary one.

It was only early afternoon by the time everything was said and done, and by that time it already felt much later in the day, and she felt like she'd thoroughly had it.

It hadn't even come from Ulquiorra having unreasonable demands for her assistance. No, the problem had been her own fault in just trying to keep pace with him as he moved from one task to another once he'd gotten started. Even just trying to watch him at work was like trying to keep track with the movements of a hummingbird as it buzzed about from one flower to another. He had speeds and degrees of precision that would positively make Rainbow Dash glowing neon green with envy! At times she'd all but swear she was seeing two or even three of him.

Even gravity itself seemed like it couldn't properly keep up with him when he was in motion, what with how he went about getting the joist lifted up, replaced, and firmly secured into place.

He hadn't even stopped there. Once the joist had been taken care of, he'd moved onto other areas of the barn in need of being addressed. Although the longer it went on, the less his actions seemed like they could be justified on the basis of simply keeping others safe from harm.

One of the doors that'd started sagging under its own weight had been forced back into its original position and shape, and secured with a new piece of lumber running diagonally like an impromptu turnbuckle. Maybe if she got creative with her reasoning, that could possibly be justified as him doing his job. But the rest of the stuff that was getting tended to? Well that was just slipping further and further into straight up bullshit territory. This felt more like something her friends would be doing upon learning about the situation.

The repair work hadn't even been the sort done in a hurry to simply make things qualify as safe, either. She'd thought he might take that route, just getting things secure enough that he could say he did his part, but that hadn't happened. Instead of a ghastly patchwork job, from what she could see, it honestly looked like he'd tried to stay within the style of the original architecture as much as possible.

By the time they'd run out of supplies for repair work, she was far too tired to do anything other than sit down and simply observe. She'd pushed herself to her limits just trying to keep up, to lend what assistance she could, and now she was regretting it. Trying to keep up with Ulquiorra had been a very dumb idea from the start. She was going to need a big dinner, a hot bath, and go to bed early tonight, just to hope she felt better in the morning.

"Ah never expected ya ta be goin' this far above an' beyond," she commented as he once again touched down on the barn floor. "Yer inner architect showin' or somethin'?" she asked as a previous conversation with Spike came to mind, back when they were fixing Zecora's old cart.

"It felt right."

If her head had gears in it, she was certain that statement would've caused them to seize in place.

She could only look at him in confusion as he stood there, wiping down one of her father's wrenches with an old cleaning rag, before placing it back in the tool box where it once sat.

"Ah'm sorry, Ah think Ah misheard ya. Did ya jus' say somethin' felt right to ya? Ah didn' think ya went inta stuff like that."

"I don't. Just as it was strange for you to hear, it was equally strange for me to say," Ulquiorra stated. "Such a strange, and even annoying sensation to be subjected to. To willingly volunteer to do something entirely unnecessary. And yet it was done, due to a persistent sensation of the endeavor being worthwhile, for reasons that I simply can't comprehend. Lacking a better explanation to describe it all, it "felt right" to do this. To be involved in the construction of something that tangibly, physically exists, rather than attempting to analyze intangible concepts of thought and emotion that still dumbfounds scholars to this very day."

The more this conversation continued, the weirder it seemed to be getting. And that was an evaluation she could make, even when taking Pinkie's usual antics into consideration. This was weird even by those standards. Weird enough it was starting to make her feel a bit uneasy, and wonder if she should be concerned or not. Had he managed to get exposed to poison joke again without them knowing? Was the pollen in the air or something?

"Nothing has been the same since the fight with Nightmare Moon. Whether that's a good thing, or a bad thing, I don't yet know."

"Yer right 'bout that. Nothin's been the same," she agreed and nodded as certain memories flashed through her mind. Some good, some not-so-good, and some downright terrible. "But tha's perdy much life in general. Change is gonna happen whether ya want it or not, whether yer ready fer it or not. An' all ya can really do is buckle in, plant yer feet firmly, an' take it head on. Sometimes ya roll wit' it an' come out a'right, sometimes ya get rolled and have ta pick yerself back up again."

Whatever Ulquiorra's thought on the matter were, he didn't voice them to her. Whether that was a good thing or not, she really didn't know. Sometimes the way his mind worked was scary, sometimes it was downright insulting, and sometimes she didn't know what to make of it at all.

"Listen," she spoke up as she approached to pick up the tool box so it could be placed back in its original spot. "Ah know ya prob'ly don' need to, ya not bein' mortal an' all. But do ya wanna stay fer supper after doin' all that work? We got plenty o' vittles," she offered, figuring it was the least she could offer him, after all he'd done for them.

After what felt like a solid minute of silence, he finally responded.

"Having never experienced what a "vittle" actually is, it may prove worthwhile."

For the first time today, she found herself having an honest to goodness laugh. Ulquiorra's response had been so serious, and so deadpan in its delivery, she simply couldn't hold her amusement back as she snorted and succumbed, her entire body quaking with mirth.

However that mirth was soon ended as a loud rumbling sounded overhead, like a crack of thunder. Immediately the hairs on her back were standing up, just before the sound of lightning erupted far too close for her own comfort, sending her jumping in both fear and surprise as it sounded like it'd struck right outside the barn door.

It was only afterward that she realized she'd wound up clinging to Ulquiorra's frame. She felt a bit embarrassed as the fact sunk in, and slowly let go of him to touch down on her hooves again, trying not to give too cringey of an apologetic grin.

"Sorry."

"There's something outside," he stated as if nothing had just happened. "Something that doesn't belong here."

The sentence had been so simple, and the delivery so dull, and yet it'd still managed to send a chill running up her spine. How could it not, considering what he'd just said?

He'd outstretched his arm as he walked to the door to block her path, a futile gesture on his part as she was following regardless, consumed with a desire to know just what he was sensing, yet simultaneously afraid of just what they'd encounter upon setting hoof outside the perceived safety of the barn.

There was a large, circular scorch mark in the ground, just past how far the overhang of the roof extended past the building. As best she could tell it was easily ten feet across, with the edges still smouldering. But what was at the center of the blackened circle was of far more interest right now. And the what in this case was Twilight, flat on her stomach with her limbs splayed looked, looking both unconscious and in pain.

Her immediately instinct was to venture into the smoking circle that used to be grass and check on her injured friend to make sure she was alright. But the impulse to do that stopped after a hoof, as her mind caught up to everything and she realized that this wasn't actually Twilight. Or at least not the Twilight that she was friends with. The Twilight she was friends with didn't have purple, feathery wings on her sides like this one did. The Twilight she was friends with wasn't an alicorn like this one was.

"What the..." she asked as her mind tried to process everything. "Mr. Cifer, what is this? Is this a changeling or somethin'?"

"This is no changeling," Ulquiorra stated firmly, all the while never taking his eyes off the mysterious alicorn as she slowly began to stir. "Her reiatsu contains elements similar to that of Twilight Sparkle and both members of the diarchy. But how this could be, I don't know."

Somehow, the confirmation that this wasn't another changeling invasion only managed to fill her with more unease.

"Note to self. Never do that again," the purple alicorn muttered in a voice that was all too similar to Twilight's, as he slowly pushed itself into a sitting position, and stretched her wings before tucking them in at her sides. "Or at least not until I recover enough to know what I'm actually doing next time."

"T... Twilight?" she found herself asking, uncertain of what exactly to believe or even think right yet. "Is that you?"

The purple alicorn's ears seemed to perk up and swivel at registering the voice, followed by her moving herself to turn around, and smile in response.

"Hi, Applejack," she greeted in a tone that was too eerily similar to Twilight's to not be Twilight. Although that friendly tone and smile quickly shifted to something else as her eyes fell on Ulquiorra where he stood. "Oh dear. You're not supposed to be here. Or at the very least, not like that. Are you from the other side of the mirror? Was there a malfunction in the portal when you stepped through?"

Applejack found herself looking at Ulquiorra in confusion, who was presently looking back at her. She had wanted to ask him what this was all about, but she was certain he didn't know any better than she did.

"This is outside my area of expertise, far beyond whatever knowledge I may possess relating to this world," he stated, his right hand already slipping into the satchel at his side, before withdrawing what looked like a scroll sheet, in addition to his notepad and a pencil. "Perhaps Princess Celestia will know what's going on."

"You know about Princess Celestia?" the purple alicorn asked, before shaking her head. "I guess that's a silly question, seeing as you just said her name. And since you're actually writing her. Never mind then. I can send that letter for you when you're ready."

"You cannot," Ulquiorra replied, all the while focused on what he was writing at a speed few could ever hope to match. "And you will not."

"I won't?" the purple alicorn asked, her brow furrowing in obvious confusion as she looked between him and Applejack for clarity.

"Correct. Wherever you came from, and however you arrived here, you are not the Twilight Sparkle of this world. The Twilight sparkle of this world is still in Ponyville as we speak. Until we get answers about what's going on, you will do absolutely nothing but sit there where you can be monitored."

The purple alicorn audibly gulped in response, swallowing a nervous lump that'd formed in the back of her throat over the course of that statement. She had no idea just who or what this strange pale individual addressing her was, but there was something about him and the tone of his voice that left her feeling very uneasy in his presence. Uneasy enough that she honestly didn't feel it was best to try and oppose him right now.

"Er, right then. I'll just... sit right here and do nothing."

Chapter One Hundred Seventeen

Chapter One Hundred Seventeen

The provided chair was too small.

That was Brick Wall's professional opinion as he regarded the piece of furniture parked on the other side of Princess Celestia's desk. It needed to be at least three inches wider than it currently was, for him to be able to comfortably squeeze his rump into without the risk of either getting stuck in an embarrassing manner, or otherwise breaking it apart from it being unable to contain his muscly flank.

Being the brute that he was, and standing only half a head shorter than Princess Celestia herself, it could sometimes be fun trying to fit the accommodations that other ponies took for granted without a second thought. It was for reasons like that he always got the bottom bunk in the barracks. It was for reasons like that, that he currently opted to stand at attention, rather than risk embarrassing himself.

"Lieutenant Brick Wall."

"At your service, Your Highness," he spoke firmly and clearly.

"I'm glad to know that," she replied. "Can you tell me why you're here today, Lieutenant Wall?"

"The only reason I can think of, is for evaluation to see if I'm fit for the Captain's position of the Royal Guard," he replied, unable to think of any other reason he might be here right now, rather than currently on duty.

He watched as Celestia simply nodded from behind the folder she was currently reading, before she continued onto her next question.

"So then, Lieutenant Wall, can you tell me what you might bring to the Royal Guard if you were promoted?"

"The best that I have to offer, Your Highness. I would bring the same dedication that I've always brought in my years of service to the Guard," he stated, although not without some measure of regret immediately after.

Were he a little more composed, and aware of what the questions might've been, he could've been better able to go into detail about how he intended to follow Captain Armor's lead in placing a strong emphasis on defense. But he hadn't been able to do that. Instead he'd simply have to roll with it as best he could.

"Along with doing my best to be an example to others of what they can become; not simply those within the Guard, but also beyond. Throughout the history of the Royal Guard, there's only been a hoofful of earth ponies who ever served as Captain, and I'd like to do the current generation justice."

"That's certainly a respectable goal to strive towards, Lieutenant. Ponies need those they can not only look up to, but also associate with. But being a symbol is far more daunting than most would consider," Celestia stated as she shuffled the papers withing the folder somewhat, before lowering it to look directly at him. "Be yourself first, but strive to be the pony who makes the legend reality, rather than the other way around."

Brick Wall easily found himself at a loss for words, opting instead to simply not in response.

If not for the sudden eruption of flames right in front of her as a scroll materialized out of thin air, he might've been able to say something in agreement of her points.

Silently, he watched as her brow furrowed in a manner he had never seen before, and quickly turned her focus to the scroll, opening it to see what it had to say. And as he did he saw something written on the front of it, now currently upside down. Unable to resist, he titled his head to the side in an effort to try and make out what had been written on the front, that had commanded her attention so urgently.

Defense Condition Level Two - Read Without Delay

A tense sensation was quickly working its way up his spine at those words. That was the second-highest level of alert the kingdom had, and was generally reserved for any bad situation below an enemy invasion already in the process, or an S.U.D event in close proximity to a populated area. If that was on the front of a note being sent directly to Princess Celestia...

"Should the Guard make ready to deploy at once, Your Highness?"

Celestia, her attention back in the room rather than the contents of the scroll, quickly shook her head as she rolled it back up again.

"I don't believe that's necessary at this time, Lieutenant. I am, however, afraid we'll have to cut this interview short. I have to tend to this immediately."

"Of course," he replied, understanding that this took precedent. "I'll just show myself out then..."

"Applejack," the purple alicorn squirmed uncomfortably, "you know that I could easily untie these ropes without any effort, right?"

"Ah know that, Surgarcube," Applejack confirmed and nodded. "An' Ah appreciate the fact ya aren't tryin' ta right now."

"I-" she grunted as she attempted to shift her position to something that was a little more comfortable than what she was in right now. "I still don't understand the need for all of this, though. What exactly is going on around here?"

"Ah wish Ah could say, but Ah'm as clueless as you are right now," Applejack admitted and shrugged her withers. "Hopefully we'll be gettin' some answers here soon enough. Jus' gotta be patient an' wait a spell."

"I suppose you're right," she sighed and slumped, figuring she wasn't going to get anymore comfortable than she currently was. "Just... could you please ask your friend to stop looking at me like he wants to eat me? It's really disturbing."

"Mr. Cifer, ya mind not lookin' at 'er like ya wanna eat 'er?" Applejack asked.

"I'm not," Ulquiorra replied from where he stood, currently watching the two ponies with unfettering focus and attention on where they currently were.

"Sorry, Sugarcube, Ah tried," Applejack replied and shrugged dismissively.

The purple alicorn merely gave a defeated sigh and slumped down, realizing that any further attempts at discussion were going to be pointless. It looked like she was going to be stuck in this awkward, hogtied position until Princess Celestia showed up to set things right. All she could do was try to be comfortable, and hope they didn't have to wait too long.

The one thing she had going for her right now was her location. They were all inside Applejack's barn at the moment, shielded from the intensity of the direct sun outside, and she'd been deposited on the relative softness of a hay bale rather than having to lay on the hard ground.

With the discussion apparently concluded for now, silence returned to the interior of the barn, disrupted only as Applejack slipped her hat off to fan herself, before returning it to its customary place atop her head.

Exactly what was going through Ulquiorra's mind, or the mystery Twilight's mind, Applejack couldn't really tell for certain. Probably a lot of questions, but that was as far as speculation could really take her at this point. All she knew was what was going through her own mind. And right now, that was the fact that she could go for an iced tea to help counter the heat of the day.

Her guests were probably in the same boat as her on that front, now that she thought about it.

Going back to the house and fetching them all some refreshments was probably a very good idea. But then again it had the potential to be a very bad idea. If Apple Bloom was currently home she'd ask questions, and she'd have to answer them, and the filly would possibly want to come and talk with Ulquiorra. Not that there was anything wrong with that. But if this new Twilight was here for nefarious purposes, it would be best to keep others away from her as much as possible.

In hindsight, hogtying her probably hadn't been the best of ideas for her to engage in. But at the time it'd seemed like a good idea, as it was the only thing either of them could think of to keep her from attempting to wander around and potentially try and get out of their sight. At least she'd been semi-cooperative and hadn't struggled too much at being informed of what was going to happen. The promise they'd let her go once Celestia got here probably helped with that a bit.

That was another reason she wasn't too eager to heed the call of liquid refreshments just yet. She honestly didn't want to be absent should Celestia respond immediately. Not that she would've been able to contribute much to the discussion, but she'd at least like to hear what did get discussed.

And then there was the matter of their guest. Alicorn or no, it was still Twilight in some sense. A very foreign Twilight who was talking about stuff she didn't understand, and not from their own world if Ulquiorra was right, but the idea of leaving the two of them alone together just didn't set right with her; not after how uncomfortable she'd been in his presence, even in the company of a familiar face.

So she'd just stick it out for the time being, and wait a while longer.

Over on the hay bale, their guest grunted and tried to move, but got nowhere against her bindings. She liked to think of that as being a good sign. After all, what sort of villain would willingly suffer the indignity of being tied up like they were? Not any sort she was familiar with, that was for certain. Chrysalis certainly refused to accept being tied up, even after they'd done their best to beat the crap out of her.

And then a thought struck her. Ulquiorra had resisted any efforts on the part of their guest to get answers to her questions, reasoning that until they had more information to go on, it was risky to reveal too much information about anything; even if the subject didn't have anything to do with national security. But maybe if she asked the questions, he'd be more willing to answer them. It might help the new pony relax a bit, as well as break up the near-stifling silence.

"Are ya sure yer message went ta the right pony, Mr. Cifer? Ya jus' burnt it with a lighter an' all..."

"If Princess Luna's explanation is accurate, then yes," he replied, simply and to the point.

That hadn't gone nearly as well as she'd hoped, as she'd been expecting him to go into detail as to how it would all work. Maybe she could ask him when he'd picked up the lighter and why as well. But he was being exceptionally tight-lipped right now as he kept his attention focused on the Twilight in front of them.

Before she could try and press further, however, her ears were greeted by the characteristic sound of a teleportation spell being performed. Turning around, she saw that Celestia had finally arrived. Now maybe they could get some answers around here.

"Finally!" the purple alicorn sighed exasperatedly, before turning her head to the side. "Hello, Princess!"

"Hello, Twilight," Celestia greeted in turn as she stepped closer, her voice just as warm and motherly as Applejack had ever heard it. "I'm sure you have a great many questions right now. I can assure you, we do as well."

"I do," the purple alicorn confirmed and nodded vigorously. "Normally I'd defer to you, Princess, but in this instance I have a very pressing question I need answered immediately. Can I please be excused to use the restroom? I don't know how much longer I can hold it!"

Applejack tried not the let out an amused smile at the question, while Celestia just continued projecting that same serene aura she was so well known for.

"I don't think there would be any harm," Celestia replied as her horn lit up, before the rope was enveloped in her magic. But just as soon as it was, she paused without untying it. "Um... Applejack, would you mind? I... never actually learned how to untie a bolson knot," she sheepishly admitted.

The absurdity of the admission, along with the bewildered look on the other alicorn's face following it, had been enough to get an actual laugh out of Applejack this time around. Not that she'd meant to, but it'd happened anyway.

"Ah reckon Ah can do that. Move aside, Princess, Ah'll show ya how it's done."

"Hotter than Tartarus right now, Ah tell ya what," Granny Smith grumbled to herself as she shuffled about in the kitchen, getting preparations ready for what would be dinner tonight.

She might've been slower in her old age than she would've liked, and maybe not as able to pack as much of a kick to an apple tree as her grandkids could, but those facts had never served to stop or slow her down before, and she wasn't about to let them get to her now. Not even if the kitchen was the hottest room in the house right now. But come heat or annoyances, she'd make herself useful one way or another. If that involved making the meals, then so be it.

"Apples don' shy away from honest work, no siree," she mumbled to herself as she consulted the recipe to make sure everything was being done properly. "Ya'd think at my age Ah'd know these by heart."

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by a knocking at the back screen door, and then the sound of its hinges squeaking as it was opened from the outside. Odd, since her family wouldn't bother with knocking at the door to their own home, and a proper guest would have the courtesy to wait before entering as if they owned the place.

She had a particularly blistering retort readied for whoever would enter their home without so much as even a word. Although when she turned and saw Celestia stepping through the doorway, tilting her head downward just a bit in the process to let her horn clear the top of the frame, her mood immediately changed.

"Well! Howdy do, Princess! Haven' seen ya 'round these parts since ya showed up fer that city slicker's party!"

"Hello to you too, Granny Smith. How're you doing?" Celestia asked as she fully stepped into the kitchen.

"Eh, can't complain. Nopony wants ta listen," Granny stated, practically cackling as she did. "If ya don' mind mah askin', wha' brings ya 'round these parts? Not that Ah mind any, but don' ya have more important things ta be doin' than visitin'?"

"That's primarily why I'm here at the moment," Celestia replied. "I was wondering if we could make use of your parlor for a meeting."

The request was definitely an unusual one. Why her parlor? But Celestia had been the one who'd made it possible for her family to get the land that was Sweet Apple Acres in the first place. Who was she to turn down an old friend she'd known since she was Apple Bloom's age.

"Well Ah reckon Ah don' see why not. Come on in outta the heat an' inta the fryin' pan!"

Celestia stepped aside and allowed Applejack to step in next, as she made her way over to the refrigerator to fetch the pitcher of tea that'd been chilling. She was followed by Ulquiorra -a name she was certain she'd never get right if she tried pronouncing it- as he stepped in. Bringing up the tail of the train was Twilight. Or at least a pony who she felt looked like Twilight, but also different. Honestly it was a bit hard to tell right now.

"Am Ah missin' somethin' here?" she asked uncertainly as Appleack was in the process of setting out five glasses on the table, and filling them with tea from the pitcher.

"No more than the rest of us are," Ulquiorra commented from the spot he'd essentially claimed as his own off to the side.

"It's kinda complicated," Applejack admitted, before setting the mostly-empty pitcher down, picking up her glass, and just about chugging half of its contents down in one go. "We're hopin' ta get ta the bottom o' wha's goin' on 'round here."

"Well, don' let me stop ya. Ah'm jus' gonna be mindin' mah own business as Ah cook," Granny Smith replied and shrugged dismissively, before returning to her work. "Jus' be sure ta let me know how many o' ya are stayin' fer supper!"

Applejack carefully set the tray with four of the five glasses of tea down on the coffee table, before claiming a spot on the couch for herself, getting comfortable for what was likely going to be a very involved, complicated discussion, relating to just what the hell was going on around here. She knew it was Ponyville and all, so some amount of weird was to be expected. But this was weird even by those standards. She was pretty sure even Pinkie couldn't out-weird this one even if she tried to.

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure where to start. This really isn't in my area of expertise," Celestia admitted uneasily.

The look on Twilight's face was, again, one of confusion. Maybe even discomfort, like she was being confronted by news she simply wasn't prepared for.

"I still don't understand how that's even possible," she offered up weakly, even a bit desperately. "You're Princess Celestia! The sole monarch over Equestria for one thousand years! You have knowledge about every subject in the entire kingdom!" she continued, the desperation in her voice only increasing as she went along.

Celestia slowly shook her head in response. "Only one of those three is correct, I'm afraid. It's true, I am Princess Celestia. But I was never sole monarch, merely the one who was present for one thousand years. And despite what many in the kingdom would like to believe, there are a great many things I simply don't have knowledge of. I'm very sorry, little one, but whatever mental image you may have of me, I'm afraid it's quite mistaken."

The look on this Twilight's face was a painful one for Applejack to see for herself. She hadn't really seen that sort of look since the fallout from the changeling invasion. It was the look of one having to confront the fact that long-held notions of belief were wrong. And if her reaction was anything like the one their Twilight had... yeah, that wouldn't be good.

"A'right then," she spoke up and set her glass of tea back on the tray. "If ya big, fancy talkers don' mind, Ah'm gonna take the lead an' explain this one."

Neither Celestia nor Ulquiorra spoke up in objection, and Twilight's attention was immediately focused on her from where she sat.

"It's like this, Twi'. About a month ago, Discord dropped some perdy disturbin' news on us. First, multiverse theory is real. Let that sink in fer a moment, but not too long. Second, somethin' happened between yer brother's weddin' and the Crystal Empire reappearin'. We don' really know what, an' Discord couldn' rightly explain it, but somethin' in the multiverse happened and knocked our 'verse right off its axis. So long story short, an' not knowin' any better way ta put it, Ah'm guessin' ya wound up in an alternate reality to yer own," she explained as best she could.

The finer details from it all were missing, she was sure of that, but she'd done her best to hit the highlights of the discussion. If the other Twilight was here, she could probably do a much better job of it.

For her part, the Twilight they had present just sat there in silence and listened, eyes going mildly wide, ears perked up, and jaw slightly slack. Now she looked like her mind was trying to process the newfound information she'd just been given, but at less-than-optimal speeds for the task at hoof.

"... I want to say that makes a disturbing amount of sense, based on what I've seen and experienced for myself. And there's a tiny part of me that wants to scream in sheer terror at the implications behind everything you just said," she slowly admitted. "I'm just having a hard time making sense of it all. I wasn't really doing anything at the time that could theoretically explain falling into a... well however you'd describe an alternate reality; there's far too many terms to keep straight which is which and how they differ. It's not that I don't believe you, Applejack, I'm just really curious about your reasoning. Just what makes you so sure that I don't belong here? "

"Because the Twilight Mr. Cifer an' Ah talked to a few hours ago wasn' an alicorn like ya are, Sugarcube. She's still the same unicorn Ah met back when she first came ta Ponyville fer the Summer Sun Celebration, an' complainin' that Celestia wasn' takin' 'er concerns seriously 'bout Nightmare Moon returning," Applejack explained.

Twilight could only smile sheepishly as she glanced over towards Celestia, uncomfortable about one of her less than stellar moments of behavior being tossed out so casually.

"That's actually a very good reason. But there are other explanations that would explain such. I think. It could be... no, now that I think about it, that wouldn't account for inconsistencies in memory. Hmm..." she mumbled as she rubbed her chin in thought, brow furrowing as she tried to figure something out. "I... have nothing on this one. I'm sorry."

Applejack simply chuckled in response. "Welcome ta the club, Sugarcube."

"Alright," Twilight sighed and sat up a bit straighter on her spot. "Does anypony mind if I ask a few questions to get things rolling? Even if I allow for the possibility of my being stuck in an alternate dimension/reality, that still only explains so much."

"I don't think there would be any harm in that," Celestia replied, before turning her focus to where Ulquiorra presently stood. "What about you, Ulquiorra?"

"At present I can voice thirteen reasons for why sharing any degree of information can amount to a potential security threat to the well being of the kingdom, and those that reside within it. I could easily go into detail, methodically explaining point by point, why this Twilight sparkle could potentially be the worst threat this world has ever faced," Ulquiorra explained, simply and bluntly. "But as has been alluded to in the past, friendship sometimes requires tolerating a potential security threat, in the interest of the greater good."

"Well that's certainly a pessimistic way of looking at Equestria's teachings," Twilight muttered. But she shook her head, and decided that now was simply not the time to get into such a discussion. Time spent hashing out those details was time spent not getting the answers she was after. In the interest of learning, she'd save the bickering for later. "How exactly are you here, and in your current form? Humans aren't supposed to be able to cross through the portal to Equestria without being transformed into a physical form that's appropriate for our world. Just like Equestrians can't pass through the portal without being transformed into humans, or in Spike's case a dog."

"The answer to your question is as simple as it is convoluted," Ulquiorra began as he stood with his hands tucked into his pockets. "How I came to be here in my present form is due to Discord's involvement. I was brought into the equation to act as a safeguard in response to the event Applejack spoke of. Discord warned that the original future of this reality was no longer set, no longer guaranteed, and the threats your counterpart and her friends would face as a result could be unpredictable. Threats that he could not stop, and threats that they were unprepared to encounter, and unable to deal with on their own. So while they protect Equestria, I protect them so they can carry out that mission."

Though the explanation was short, it was easy to see that it had Twilight's full, undivided attention, as she carefully listened to what he had to say, all the while leaning forward on her seat to the point she was dangerously close to toppling over if she shifted her weight wrong, as if reducing the physical distance between them would serve to enhance his words.

It was only once he'd finished speaking, and made no move to continue, that she finally spoke up in response.

"Let me just start by saying thank you. That makes me feel a lot better, knowing that some version of us is getting the support they might need. I know we've been able to manage some truly miraculous wins against various villains in the past, but there have been times that I swear we've been a hair's breadth away from loss and Equestria falling into ruin. I'd honestly hug you for being there for our counterparts, but I really don't know if that would be appropriate."

"It would not be the first time I've been hugged by ponies since my arrival. I doubt it would truly be the last."

The dismissive statement may as well have been an engraved invitation from Twilight's perspective. She needed no further prompting to climb down from her seat and trot over to Ulquiorra, before rearing up on her hind legs in order to throw her forelegs around him.

Ulquiorra merely remained stationary in his spot, paying the embrace no mind. Although Applejack and Celestia took the opportunity to appreciate the quiet moment for all the sweetness it carried with it.

"That still doesn't explain why you're still human, however," Twilight eventually pointed out.

"Well ya see, Twi', Mr. Cifer ain' exactly human, even though he kinda looks like one. He's wha' ya call a Hollow," Applejack stated.

Twilight looked back at Applejack, before looking back up at Ulquiorra, before pulling back just enough to tap at his sternum with her right hoof.

"He sounds quite solid to me."

"Pfft!"

Celestia had been able to keep her amusement contained to a polite giggle. But Applejack had succumbed to a full-on belly laugh, and was currently clutching at her sides as she leaned back on her seat.

All Twilight could do was continue looking up at Ulquiorra in confusion, as her ears slowly went limp as the realization set in that she was being laughed at.

"The friends of your counterparts can be immature idiots at times," Ulquiorra stated dryly. "In the simplest of terms, a Hollow is essentially a ghost. The earthbound spirit of a deceased individual, that has gained a physical form enabling it to interact with the living world around it," he explained.

Twilight looked at him with confusion etched deeply across her face, before her ears practically rocketed back upright into their previous position.

"A spirit? Y-you mean as in a soul? An actual, honest to goodness soul!?"

"Correct," Ulquiorra confirmed.

"This is amazing!" Twilight exclaimed and re-tightened her hold on him. "Philosophers have been arguing for centuries over the possibility of this, but nopony has been able to prove anything, it's all just been guesswork. Do you know what this means for Equestria at large? You're actual, tangible proof that there really is more to existence than just this mortal coil! Please! Tell me, is there an afterlife we go to when we die!?"

The degree of enthusiasm Twilight was currently showing, was something Ulquiorra hadn't found himself subjected to since early on after his arrival. But apparently Twilight was still Twilight, regardless of what reality she came from.

"I have seen evidence that suggests it exists. However I can't confirm what that afterlife may actually amount to," he explained.

By now Twilight was squealing through tightly pursed lips, practically vibrating with the amount of excitement she was trying so desperately to contain.

Before she could launch into any further questions, she was quickly enveloped in a golden aura, and practically peeled off of Ulquiorra like a banana peel, before she was levitated away from him.

"Twilight," Celestia spoke firmly to get her attention, but also gently. "I can understand how this is all very exciting. But would you mind answering a few of our questions now?"

"Oh! Right!" Twilight stated, only now realizing just how far ahead of herself she'd gotten in light of this new information. "I apologize for that. What would you like to know?"

"For starters," Celestia began as she set Twilight back down on her hooves and released her, "you can tell me about this portal you referred to earlier. I know you said something about the "human world" and about how beings who step through it are transformed into a form that's appropriate for whichever world they step into, so it's logical to conclude some sort of transmogrification spell is attached to it. What else can you tell us about it?"

"I can try, but since this is an alternate world, that might be a bit difficult. Did this Equestria have the Sirens?" Twilight asked.

"It was quite some time before Luna and I came into power, but yes. The tale of Starswirl the Bearded defeating and banishing them was well known back then," Celestia confirmed.

"Right then. In the Equestria I came from, Starswirl banished the three of them to a world that was devoid of equestrian magic, leaving them unable to amount to a threat to those around them. In this case that was the human world, or at least some equivalent of the human world; what with the revelation of multiverse theory being a thing, I don't know exactly which human world it might be, if there's more than one. All I really know is that their world and our world is connected via an interdimensional doorway in the form of a magical mirror. Or at least it's a mirror on our side, while on the human side it's the base of a large statue," Twilight stated.

"Did you just say a magic mirror? As in Starswirl's magic mirror?" Celestia asked. Twilight nodded in response.

"Is that significant?" Applejack asked as she turned to look at Celestia.

"We actually have that mirror in this world, stored securely back at the palace in a restricted wing," Celestia replied. "There were stories about it and its capabilities, although I never verified them for myself. Supposedly the portal opens to another world for a three day period every two and a half years."

"That jus' sounds right plum stupid if anypony asks me," Applejack commented flatly. "If yer gonna make a portal to another world, why have it open fer only a few days? An' why so long in between? An' if these "Sirens" are so dangerous they had ta be banished to another world, why even have a portal tha' can be opened afterward anyway? Why didn' Starswirl jus' close it off fer good if he was so smart?"

"I'm inclined to agree," Ulquiorra added as he turned to better face the others, specifically Celestia. "If the existence of this portal poses a risk to the safety of Equestria, it should be destroyed rather than merely locked away."

"What!?" Twilight practically shrieked as she turned back to face Ulquiorra, utterly horrified by what he was saying. "No, you can't do that! If you destroy the mirror then this world's Sunset will never be able to come home again!"

"Sunset?"

Everyone's attention in the room was immediately turned to Celestia as she stood there, a look of disbelief on her face as she spoke.

"Did you say Sunset? As in Sunset Shimmer?" she asked further. Twilight immediately nodded in response.

"Who's Sunset Shimmer?" Applejack asked.

"A former student of mine, before I ever met Twilight and took her on as my personal student. A filly of great magical potential, but even more focused on her studies and advancement than Twilight ever was. She simply couldn't see the importance of friendship for what it was. We... parted ways on less than positive terms and I never saw her again, never even heard of her again," Celestia explained, her tone heavy and solemn as she addressed the group, before releasing a long sigh and returning her attention to Twilight. "For so long, I was afraid she'd died in some faraway land on a quest for knowledge and power. But to know she's been alive all this time..."

Twilight knew -or was at least willing to accept- that this wasn't her home world. And by extension, this wasn't her Princess Celestia. But those facts didn't really matter right now. Without a word she stepped forward, and reared up on her hind legs to wrap her forelegs around the taller alicorn's neck to offer up what she was certain was a much-needed hug, before unfurling her wings to wrap them around her barrel as best she could.

As she felt the hug being returned with a foreleg around her back, she was convinced she'd made the right decision.

"Thank you. I understand that our realities might be different, but you've managed to give me a hope I was afraid to hold onto," Celestia stated softly.

"I don't know how many similarities our worlds have to one another, but you didn't fail her, Princess. And in the end, she doesn't blame you either. She eventually learned how to take your teachings to heart. She just... needed a little time, and a helping hand, to see the error in her ways," Twilight continued, although it was easy to tell her from her tone that she was holding certain details back. "It's reasonable to conclude the same applies over here as well."

"That remains to be seen, considering what Discord had to tell us" Ulquiorra commented.

"Oh, jus' shut up an' let 'em enjoy a moment, would ya," Applejack retorted. "We can discuss the finer details o' stuff like that later."

"Very well then," Ulquiorra conceded, "but there are still questions in need of being answered at some point. Questions that now pertain to this Sunset Shimmer individual, and the relevancy she has in events that transpired. Specifically, what type of threats she may pose in this world."

"What!?"

Despite not wanting to break the hug she was currently sharing, Twilight knew it was necessary to do so, in order to turn back around and face Ulquiorra again. Although when she confronted those eyes practically boring through her again, she honestly regretted it.

"I can tell with a mere glance you're withholding pertinent details to your tale," he stated, causing the purple alicorn to flinch almost as if she'd been physically struck right across the face. "If I'm to ensure the safety of your counterpart and her friends, I need to know what you know about potential threats we may be faced with."

Again, Twilight flinched. She wanted to protest and argue that he was playing dirty, that what she would have to say would only serve to hurt Princess Celestia by giving her reason to feel like a failure. To desperately try and claim that the sequence of events that transpired in her world didn't necessarily mean the same sequence of events would transpire in this world.

But despite it all, she couldn't do that. She knew that he had a point, even if it was being made brutally. And as much as she wanted to spare this version of Celestia whatever emotional pain she might experience, she didn't want to think about how she might unintentionally hurt this world's equivalent of her friends if he was right.

"Alright," she sighed and nodded as she sat down on her haunches, slouching down as she did so.

Reluctantly, she began to tell them the less-than-glamorous tale of events that'd transpired in her world. Her ascension to an alicorn, her coronation as Princess of Friendship, the public ceremony of said being held in the Crystal Empire, the arrival of Sunset Shimmer through the magic mirror and ensuing battle for her crown -the Element of Magic, she stressed- and her own journey into the new and unfamiliar world on the other side of the mirror.

As much as she wanted to hold back certain details, she found it impossible to do such under Ulquiorra's gaze, leaving her feeling compelled to speak honestly about Sunset Shimmer's own evil ambitions, what she'd attempted, and what had ultimately led to her defeat and reformation. Along with her own failures at preventing the entire mess from transpiring in the first place.

By the time she was done, she felt like she wanted to cry. And the longer they went without speaking, the worse that want became.

"Well now," Celestia began slowly. But whatever she was trying to say simply died before getting past her lips. "I'm sorry, I just can't do this. Not on my own," she admitted, before turning her attention to Ulquiorra. "Would you mind if I plagiarized a page from your book for this?"

"Not at all," Ulquiorra replied.

"Thank you," Celestia replied, before turning her attention back to Twilight. "So let me see if I understand you correctly. My counterpart in your world, knowingly removed a dangerous magical artifact from its secure storage, had is transported all the way to the Crystal Empire in time for your coronation ceremony, a ceremony that she herself knew about because she put into motion in the first place. And knowing that it was around the time the portal would be open, she didn't bother to take proper security measures once at the empire, didn't ensure an adequate contingent of guards were present for the big event, didn't lock the doors to the room the mirror was going to be stored in, and didn't even think to turn the mirror to face the wall so anything that might try to come through would run face first into the wall and fall back through the portal. Furthermore, she didn't even think to secure a plastic replica of the Element of Magic for the ceremony, so one of Equestria's most valuable treasures wouldn't be a separate security issue that would have to be taken into account. And she had the nerve to be surprised when something went wrong?"

Twilight looked up at Celestia, confused and dumbfounded by her summation of events, helpless to do anything but nod in confirmation in response.

"Um... I guess you could say something like that?" she offered up weakly in response.

"Just... how fucking stupid is my counterpart in your world?"

Twilight gasped in response, wide-eyed and red-faced at what she'd just heard.

Applejack didn't know which was funnier, hearing Celestia curse so freely, or seeing Twilight's reaction to actually hearing it. Either way she had to bite the inside of her cheek to avoid succumbing to her own laughter again. But it sure wasn't easy.

"I know that I'm not the wisest pony in all of Equestria, and I'll admit that I've had periods where I've made bad decisions. But what you described is such a painfully glaring absence of logic, I can't help but question what sort of thought process was behind it. Was Discord behind that one? Please tell me that was Discord's meddling and not her own idea. Because if my counterpart did that on her own then so help me, I will not hesitate to slap her if I ever meet her. That's ignorance to a degree and extent I simply can't forgive!" Celestia continued.

The more Celestia went on, and the more shocked/flabbergasted Twilight looked in response to what she was hearing, the more Applejack was positive she was going to have a bloody hole in the side of her face from biting down on the inside of her cheek so hard to keep from laughing. She couldn't take much more of this!

By the time Celestia got to the idea of bringing Luna along for the meeting, and letting her slap the shit out of her sister's counterpart as an apology for sticking her on the moon for a thousand years, and Twilight's horrified reaction to such, she was dead. She collapsed right on the ground and laughed so much harder than she had previously, uncertain if she would even be able to recover from this one as her back leg repeatedly smacked against the floor boards. Her entire body was convulsing as her chest heaved, tears ready to stream down the sides of her face, as she struggled desperately to breathe through the soundless laughter her body was producing.

All the while, Ulquiorra continued to stand unmoving, and wearing the same expressionless look on his face.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight whined pitifully in protest, unable to put up with anymore of what she was hearing. "Please don't say things like that!"

It was only after, that Celestia seemed to take stock of her surroundings, and look down at the pathetic, embarrassed face Twilight wore as she looked up at her. It was a look that instantly broke her disgust and frustration with her counterpart from another world.

"I apologize for that, Twilight," she sighed as she reached up to gently stroke the smaller pony's head with her hoof. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. You're a visitor here, I should've made a better effort at making you feel welcome during your stay."

"No, no, it's alright," Twilight sighed and slouched, taking a moment to enjoy the physical contact, "just please don't use that kind of language anymore? Please? I've never heard you say such vulgar things before!"

"Under normal circumstances, I don't usually say such vulgar things; that's more Luna's shtick than mine," Celestia admitted. "But under present circumstances, I felt an exception was warranted."

"Why did Sunset Shimmer come through the portal?"

By now Applejack's laughter was subsiding, allowing her to compose herself and get her amusement under control. Which in turn allowed the others to hear Ulquiorra's question being presented, and turn their attention back to him.

"More specifically, why at that particular point in time, and not at any other point previously when the portal was opened?" he continued.

"To get the Element of Magic," Twilight stated. "I'm a little ashamed to admit that I didn't know it at the time, but apparently if you take a magical artifact through a portal from one dimension to another, whatever magic binding the artifact to its intended user is severed, making it possible for anyone to basically claim it for themselves. And, well, Sunset wanted all of that magical power for herself."

"The reasoning behind the heist isn't being questioned, as it makes sense even to myself," Ulquiorra replied. "What is being questioned is the timing to everything that transpired in your tale. Your ascension just happened to coincide with the period of time the portal between the two worlds was going to open? And Sunset Shimmer somehow knew about this sequence of events? And she chose this opportunity to return to Equestria, rather than at any time when the portal was opened previously? The timing of it all is far too coincidental to be written off as nothing more than mere coincidence."

"I..." Twilight opened her mouth to respond, only to pause and close it again as she tried to evaluate his words, and make sense of what he was saying. "I honestly don't know. I never gave that any thought before. But now that you mentioned it, I can't help but think of it. The statistical probability of those two separate, unrelated events just happening to coincide with one another is positively astronomical. I-I don't even think it's even possible to postulate that high, to describe how unlikely the odds of that happening even are," she stated as her brow furrowed, and she rubbed at her chin with her right foreleg in thought.

Applejack, having properly composed herself by this point and gotten her hat back where it belonged, wasn't sure just what to think as she watched Ulquiorra give this Twilight the same routine he'd given them so many times before. It felt weird watching it from the outside, rather than being subjected to it.

She felt somewhat bad for the mare, but at the same time also thankful that it wasn't her.

"Maybe it..." Twilight paused as she glanced upward, before shaking her head dismissively and set her hoof back down on the floor. "No, that couldn't be it. It's ridiculous."

"Sugarcube, yer talkin' to a ghost from another reality that Discord brought here ta save our furry butts 'cause our world's gone side-wacky. How much more ridiculous can what you're thinkin' really be?" Applejack asked.

"Touche," Twilight muttered and sat up a bit straighter. "Alright, just bear in mind that it's just a theory, based on what we've experienced back in my world, and having only about a minute to throw it together.

"The Elements of Harmony come from the Tree of Harmony. We don't really know for certain what it is, or where it came from, or how it created the Elements of Harmony. All we really know for certain is that Starswirl the Bearded was involved in its creation. Anyway, we've learned that the Tree of Harmony is, to some extent, aware of its surroundings and place in the world, and is capable of interacting with others, demonstrating at least some measure of sapience. Since the Elements of Harmony are its creation, maybe it's possible it can use its connection to the Elements to interact with others.

"At the time, I thought my ascension came from completing an unfinished spell by Starswirl the Bearded, that swapped the cutie marks of my friends; something that ordinarily shouldn't be possible. But now that I think about what you've said about the timing and all, it makes me wonder. We needed to use the Elements of Harmony to set their memories and cutie marks straight again. And it was the Elements of Harmony that activated and triggered my ascension -not Princess Celestia- just a few days before the portal opened. As farfetched as it may seem, maybe... the Tree of Harmony sensed the portal was going to be opened, and used its connection with us to exert its influence and set everything into motion? Maybe its influence extended beyond the portal to Sunset Shimmer, to bring her back to Equestria, so that we could help her?"

"And Sunset could only be helped by the alicorn you? Not the unicorn you?" Applejack asked in response. "Ah'm sorry, Sugarcube, but tha' doesn' make any sense ta me. Tha's more convoluted than some o' the crap Ah've heard Discord peddlin'."

"Well... in my defense... I did say the Tree of Harmony demonstrated sapience, not intelligence," Twilight offered up weakly. "I know it doesn't really make any sense. It's just the only thing I could think of the rationalize what your friend pointed out relating to the timing issue. The only thing I can really think of, is maybe the Tree made the conclusion that I was ready to ascend, even if I didn't feel it myself, and simply picked that moment to do it."

"Perhaps," Ulquiorra replied simply, but added nothing further.

Not that any of them would complain about such, however.

"Is he always like that?" Twilight asked as she looked to Celestia for answers.

Celestia shook her head in response. "No. Usually his theorizing goes into much greater depth than that. He must be going easy on you since you just arrived."

"... I honestly don't know whether to be impressed or terrified by that," Twilight admitted. "I've been privy to meeting some of the greatest minds Equestria has to offer, and I don't think any of them, not even Starswirl the Bearded, could keep pace with him."

"Starswirl?" Celestia asked. "Is Starswirl the Bearded actually alive in your reality?"

Twilight nodded. "He and the other Pillars all are. They put themselves into a state of limbo/suspended animation for a thousand years to keep Equestria safe from the Pony of Shadows. But we managed to find them and bring them back. Although doing so also brought back the Pony of Shadows as well, and we had to defeat him before he could wreck Equestria."

"O' course it'd go that route," Applejack grumbled, before giving a shrug. "Well, don' worry, Sugarcube. If the Pillars are alive an' we go that route in our own world, Mr. Cifer will prob'ly whomp the tar outta the Pony o' Shadows right quick."

Twilight quickly shook her head as she turned around to better face Applejack.

"Applejack, you don't understand. The Pony of Shadows isn't something that can be out-thought like that. We nearly lost the Elements of Harmony and the Pillars of Equestria in trying to defeat it the second time around."

"Twi', Ah don' think you understand. Mr. Cifer here might not look like a powerhouse by pony standards, but Ah witnessed 'im jus' 'bout beat, Ah repeat beat, a fully grown dragon ta death wit' his bare fists. The only reason it's still alive is 'cause Fluttershy stopped 'im at the last second before he could finish it off. Ah don' think there's a thing in our reality he couldn' kill in short order if he tried an' used both hands."

At hearing this, Twilight reeled back in obvious disbelief, looking between Applejack, then at Ulquiorra, then at Applejack again.

"I... I'm honestly not sure how to feel about that..." she weakly admitted as she tried to wrap her head around such a notion. "I never considered such pure brute force as being a legitimate option when it came to the safety of Equestria. It just... goes against our teachings."

"And yet your own account of Sunset Shimmer's efforts to conquer Equestria, detail how pure brute force was needed to show her the error of her ways," Ulquiorra commented.

"T-that was different!" Twilight protested.

"Is it? You outright dominated her through overwhelming force, leaving her no choice but to give up her ambitions and finally, begrudgingly, accept Equestria's teachings, when she really had no interest in doing such of her own volition in the first place. You essentially told her that her outlook was wrong, and forced her to abandon it and adopt your own outlook, deeming it the only correct one to be had. Simply because you left her alive, doesn't serve to change the facts of the matter. Whatever doesn't neatly fit within your narrow definition of "harmony" or "friendship" you simply crush into submission or oblivion," Ulquiorra stated. "Regardless of whether or not you wish to admit to it, your approach is no different from my own."

Twilight flinched away, uncertain if it was from the hard, piercing stare she was being subjected to, or the brutal accusations being leveled at her, or perhaps a combination of both factors. To have what they did compared to what he did was just... just... horrible! The very notion that they were similar in how they approached a problem made her feel physically ill to even contemplate. There was no similarities between them, there simply wasn't! None!

"Ulquiorra..." Celestia growled in a tone of voice that commanded all of their attention simultaneously. "You've already done enough to traumatize and corrupt one Twilight Sparkle. Please don't try to go two for two."

"That may require my refraining from speaking with her for the duration of her stay in this reality, however long that may be," Ulquiorra pointed out.

"Huh. Mr. Cifer, Ah think yer onto somethin' there, an' Ah'm not really sure Ah like it," Applejack stated before swiveling back around to face Twilight. "Twi', Ah don' wanna come off as inhospitable, but how long are ya gonna be here anyway?"

"I... that's actually a good question. I'm not really sure," Twilight replied, her mind instantly snapping back to a discussion she was far more comfortable with. "I don't even know what I did to wind up here in the first place, or even where "here" is specifically. This could be a problem..."

"It certainly could be," Celestia agreed. "You're welcome to stay at the palace until we get this matter properly sorted out."

"I'd like that," Twilight replied, smiling and nodded in the process. "If nothing else, it'll give me a chance to compare notes and see how the royal library of this reality compares with the one back home. Maybe I can even find something there, that can point me in the right direction of figuring out how to return home."

"Uh... what exactly is goin' on in here?"

Three of the four sets of eyes in the parlor pivoted around to the doorway to see a very confused Apple Bloom standing in the threshold.

"Uh, hi Apple Bloom," Applejack offered up weakly, uncertain of what else to say at the moment after her train of thought had been interrupted.

"Hi," Apple Bloom replied, her voice sounding a bit skeptic in tone as she spoke. "Wha's Princess Celestia doin' here? An'-" she squinted, "is Twilight an alicorn now? When did that happen?"

"Well..." Twilight took the initiative to speak up first. "The thing is, Apple Bloom, I'm not really the Twilight you know. I'm... sort of from another reality, just like, um... him," she tried to explain and used one of her wings to gesture in Ulquiorra's direction. "I guess you could say I'm from out of town, and just waiting to go back home."

"Oh, Ah get ya," Apple Bloom replied and nodded in understanding. "Are ya stayin' fer supper? Granny asked me ta find out how many o' ya she should be cookin' for."

At Apple Bloom's question, Twilight's stomach immediately started growling in response. She didn't know if it'd actually been audible, but it's certainly felt audible in her gut, provoking an embarrassed/apologetic smile and giggle on her part. Instinctively she started looking between Applejack and Celestia for answers.

"Is it alright if I stay for dinner? With the way my schedule's been, I haven't been privy to your family's cooking in months."

"Months!?" Applejack blanched in response, disgusted by the statement. "Well dang, Sugarcube, that jus' won't do! You park yer royal purple butt down at the dinner table, yer stayin' an' that's final. Celestia, how 'bout you?"

Celestia simply shook her head in response. "As much as I'd like to stay and enjoy your family's cooking, Applejack, I still have a lot of work that needs to be done before the day is over. I'm afraid I'll have to decline," she explained.

"A'right then. Apple Bloom, tell Granny we've got two stayin' over," Applejack stated, sending her sister on her way out of the room, all the while grateful for just how easy things had gone.

Once Apple Bloom was out of the room, Celestia returned her attention to the others. She wasn't about to quibble over where this Twilight stayed for dinner, but there were still other matters left to address before she could return to Canterlot.

"Ulquiorra. I appreciate the fact you informed me of what was going on, rather than trying to deal with the situation yourself, with your usual approach to taking care of business. And frankly I've seen enough to believe that this situation isn't a serious threat in need of a heightened state of awareness or concern."

"I disagree," Ulquiorra replied. "But ultimately it isn't my call. So until such time this Twilight Sparkle does something that would conclusively prove she demonstrates a threat to this Equestria, I will simply defer to your judgement on the matter."

"I... honestly don't know if I should feel insulted or not by that," Twilight admitted to Applejack. "Should I feel more upset by the fact he considers me a threat, or the fact he's dismissing me as being a threat?"

"He's got a real talent fer that kind o' stuff," Applejack grunted, unable to really give a proper answer one way or another. "Before ya leave, Princess, Ah need ta know somethin'. This kind o' thing is bound ta get out sooner or later. Should we let our Twilight know that there's another one here?"

Celestia couldn't deny that it was a good question to be presented. But at the same time, it was one she simply didn't have an answer for. Twilight certainly deserved to know about this, but whether or not she should know, and at this particular time, was another matter entirely. There was still the question of just how much mental strain she was really up to at the moment.

"We should. And we will. But not right now. As much as I'd like to be honest with her about everything, I simply don't have enough time or even focus right now for all of the questions bound to be asked when she's informed about this."

"Yeah, Ah can understand that one," Applejack replied, not really wanting to think about what that sort of discussion might look like. "Before ya do go, Ah got one more question fer Twi', Ah'll make it short," she said and quickly turned to Twilight. "When exactly is that portal o' yers to the human world supposed ta open?"

"I... honestly don't know. If I had a calendar I could probably pinpoint the week it's supposed to happen, but not the exact days it would happen," Twilight reluctantly admitted. "Why do you ask?"

"Ah appreciate hard work as much as the next pony, especially when it's honest work. But Ah also appreciate workin' smarter an' not harder when it can be done. An' since we've got an idea o' what might be happenin' at some point down the line, Ah'm gonna make like Celestia an' take a page from Mr. Cifer's book as well," Applejack stated. "If we have an idea on when Sunset will be comin' through the portal, we can ambush 'er before she can steal the Element o' Magic an' take it back through the portal. We can avoid a whole lot o' trouble, an' she an' Celestia can patch things up."

"That's... actually a brilliant idea. The capital B-type of brilliant," Twilight stated, her eyes lighting up as a grin broke out on her face. "If we did that, then this reality would be spared a great deal of problems that mine had to go through. If we stop this Sunset from doing what our Sunset did, equestrian magic won't be introduced to the human world. There's an number of ancient and potentially dangerous artifacts currently over there, laying dormant since there's nothing on that side to power them. Applejack, you're a genius!"

Applejack blushed in response, unprepared for such a compliment to be thrown at her so freely.

"Except..." Twilight continued, her tone and mood suddenly dropping, "if we did that, it's going to wind up hurting a lot of people. Yes, those artifacts will still be dormant and harmless trinkets, and the Sirens will be powerless to do anything. But... if we do that, then a lot of the damage Sunset has already caused won't get fixed. The friendships she's managed to ruin over there will remain ruined, the people who've been hurt will remain hurt... and my human counterpart over there is going to likely remain stuck in a psychologically abusive situation, under the control of an individual who sees her as nothing more than a disposable tool to advance her own social standing."

"If the matter ultimately comes down to the choice of a few destroyed friendships, or an entire world being put at risk by exposure to a magic that doesn't belong there in the first place, then the decision that must be made is quite clear," Ulquiorra stated. "It would be quite idiotic to take the course of action that would put the lives of millions at risk. The most logical course of action would be to go the route of saving the most lives through the least amount of effort."

Twilight frowned in response. "Are you always this callous?"

"Are you?" Ulquiorra asked in turn. "You already said the number of potentially dangerous magical artifacts in the human world is unknown. Meaning you have no way of knowing how many avoidable threats will be inflicted on millions of innocent beings, or how long their world will be at risk of harm. As the Princess of Friendship, could you really live with the knowledge that the short-term gain of patching up a few friendships in a world that's none of your concern, could potentially end the lives of countless others, and possibly destroy many more friendships than you could ever hope to comprehend?"

Twilight flinched. His words were like venom, and every accusation leveled against her was like a knife being thrown directly at her heart. There was an utter cruelness in his delivery, a sadistic evil in how he spoke, as he verbally cut into her like a demented surgeon, verbally ripping and tearing her apart. It hurt horribly to hear.

But the only thing that managed to hurt worse, was just how on point and right he was throughout it. In less than a minute he'd taken her concerns, twisted them around, and turned them back against her in a cruel, undeniably logical manner that left her uncertain just how it'd happened so fast.

In less than a minute, before she'd even understood the proverbial chess match she was in against him, he'd already left her trapped and in checkmate.

"Mr. Cifer," Applejack sighed, "jus'... could ya throttle back a bit on bein' a bastard? Please? This Twilight's already got enough on 'er mind as is. We don' need 'er breakin' down like RD did."

"Rainbow Dash?" At hearing her friend's name, and the implication something bad had happened, Twilight's discomfort for herself evaporated, much like the tears that'd been threatening to fall. "What happened to Rainbow Dash?"

Applejack sighed, now wishing she'd simply kept her mouth shut. But she hadn't, and now that she'd stuck her hoof in it, it looked like she was going to have to see it through.

"Nightmare Moon came back and broke 'er. Broke 'er right hard, Twi'. Had that poor gal convinced we'd turned against 'er an' did downright horrible things to 'er. Broke 'er so damn hard even the Element o' Loyalty stopped resonatin' with 'er entirely. Nightmare Moon had us at 'er mercy an' there wasn' a thing we could even do 'bout it. Picked us apart one by one, turnin' us against each other an' even ourselves all at once. She even got ta Celestia. The only reason she's not rulin' right now is 'cause Mr. Cifer was here ta put 'er down permanently like a rabid dog."

She hadn't been planning to give quite that much of a recollection of events, but once she'd started talking it'd proven difficult to stop it all from flowing out.

"... Oh..." Twilight replied slowly and sat down on her haunches, head drooping as she did so, far too much on her mind for even her own comfort right now.

Celestia's only response at the moment was to glare unfavorably at Ulquiorra, putting as much fury into it as she could muster.

Ulquiorra's response was to simply look back at her, wearing the same dull expression he was so well known for, utterly unimpressed and unconcerned for whatever amount of displeasure she might have for him.

"This is a lot more ethically complicated than I thought it would be," Twilight stated, unaware of the staring match playing out around her. "He's right that this isn't my world, so what happens here really isn't any of my business, even if I think it is. I need to think of not only what I can do, but what I should do. When does helping become meddling? When does it become interfering? How... how do I make the right decision?"

Finally, Celestia broke away from her efforts at boring holes through Ulquiorra's carcus, to turn her attention back to Twilight. Ulquiorra could wait, but she doubted this little pony could.

"Try not to think too hard about it," she said as she rubbed the smaller alicorn's back again. "Whatever you decide to to, we'll be alright, one way or another."

Twilight simply nodded wordlessly, before turning around and reaching out for a hug, this time very much needing to be on the receiving end of it. And the moment she felt it, she latched on for dear life, simply closing her eyes and letting her weary self sink against Celestia's strong frame as she felt a downy wing drape over her.

Author's Note

I had an ending in mind for this chapter, but I just couldn't make it work. So this is ultimately where we're at this time around.

Chapter One Hundred Eighteen

Chapter One Hundred Eighteen

"Are you unwell?"

Being able to sit down with Applejack at the end of the day, and simply enjoy dinner with her family would've normally been a highlight to one of Twilight's day. But this time around that simply, sadly wasn't the case.

The food had been extraordinary, just as good as she remembered the last time she'd eaten with them. And the portions had been enough for a banquet in her humble opinion, hyperbole notwithstanding. She knew her table manners had been atrocious compared to how she usually conducted herself around others, but she'd been unable to resist the allure of the familiar cuisine that'd been put before her.

Everything had been going smoothly enough, up until it came to the matter of small talk and conversation. And that was when everything had slowly but surely fallen apart around her.

It hadn't been rudeness on the part of anypony, or invasive questions about topics she didn't feel like discussing, or anything else along those lines that had served to spoil her evening; quite the opposite actually. The conversation had been polite, friendly, and served as a stark reminder of the simple fact that this wasn't actually her reality.

The tastes, the sounds, the sights, the smells, they were all indistinguishable from what she knew and remembered, down to the little and seemingly minuscule things others would pay no attention to; like the squeak of a particular floor board under Big Mac's weight, or the wear marks on the table that showed how it'd been well-used over the course of its time with the family. Surrounded by so many points of familiarity, from the large to minute, it was so easy to be lulled into a false sense of security and let her guard down, and simply forget the fact that she was a stranger here. Only to be reminded of the cold, harsh reality at the most inopportune time.

In this case, it'd been Apple Bloom casually commenting to her family that the attempts at getting a house-painting cutie mark hadn't panned out.

It'd been so innocuous, so trivial, and yet it was the proverbial straw to the equally proverbial camel's back that was her right now. She had seen that Apple Bloom had no cutie mark, and yet she'd simply brushed it off at the time since she saw the pony and not the cutie mark. But to be audibly reminded that this Apple Bloom didn't have a cutie mark, while the one she knew did have hers, had shaken her far more than she would've thought possible.

Apple pie à la mode really wasn't a surprise when it came to desert for the evening, although her ability to savor it had essentially been ruined as the full weight of the situation settled on her withers like Big Mac's trademark yoke.

And then there had been him. The human-like ghost, whose name she still couldn't figure out how to pronounce properly, who had been sitting and eating with them like it hadn't been any big deal, as if his presence was a casual and everyday thing.

She was accustomed to mingling and interacting with a variety of different creatures found outside of Equestria, to the point it could be downright hard to see individual species as if they stuck out like a sore digit. But even she couldn't help but notice that there was something about him that just seemed so off when compared to everything and everyone else she'd had experience with over the years. Something downright uncanny, like maybe he could've belonged here, but simultaneously just didn't belong here.

Granted, she was a bit biased, based on her earlier interaction with him, but even allowing for that, it was still hard to ignore just how downright creepy it felt to be eating with him, now that her mind had focused in on the facts.

Now that dinner had long been concluded, she found herself standing out on the front porch as she waited for a pickup and escort to Canterlot for spending the evening at the palace. Not due to being ushered out like a guest who'd overstayed their welcome, but rather because she needed some fresh air to clear her head, and let her mind try to settle if at all possible.

The fact he was standing with her, and currently questioning her, did nothing to help those efforts.

"I find myself stuck in an alternate reality that's simultaneously vastly similar, and imperceptibly different from my own reality. I have no idea how I arrived here in the first place, no idea of how I'm going to go about getting back, and I'm constantly having to remind myself that this isn't actually my world, no matter how familiar it may seem to me. "Unwell" would be an understatement to describe what I'm going through right now," she explained as she glanced back to more directly address him. "Did you go through this when you wound up here?"

"I did not. Discord informed me from the very start that I would be brought to a world unlike my own. He was certainly right about that aspect," Ulquiorra replied.

"Oh. Right. I guess that makes sense," Twilight replied and turned her attention back to, well, ultimately nothing. "I suppose I can eliminate Discord from the list of possible explanations for how I came to be here in the first place, since he communicated with you but not with me. Although I may be able to use him as a way of getting back home if I can get in touch with him. But getting in touch with him is more an art than a science, so it's not exactly a reliable strategy."

"Assuming the Discord of this world and yours are similar enough. Something for which there is no guarantee," Ulquiorra noted.

Twilight's head immediately swung back around to look at Ulquiorra, eyes wide and mouth pursed shut at what he'd just said. The idea that there was more than one Discord was terrifying to contemplate, and now she knew just why she'd never entertained the notion to begin with. It was much more comforting to believe Discord was merely a single entity that existed across multiple realities simultaneously.

"If it's alright with you, I'd rather not discuss the idea of there being more than one Discord," she stated, once again turning her attention forward, and very much wanting to change the topic to something that was less brain-melting. "I still don't even know how to pronounce your name correctly."

"Ulquiorra Cifer," Ulquiorra stated simply. "First name, U-L-Q-U-I-O-R-R-A. Last name, C-I-F-E-R."

Twilight's brow furrowed in response as she turned her attention back to him again.

"From a phonetic standpoint your name doesn't make sense. It doesn't sound at all like the spelling would suggest," she stated and shook her head. "The first syllable of your name alone. Princess Celestia pronounced it like Pinkie would say "ooh!" at being excited, but its spelling would suggest it's meant to be pronounced like "pull" or something similar along those lines. The rest of your first name, I suppose it makes sense between the spelling and the pronunciation.

"Your last name, however, makes less sense from a phonetic standpoint. You pronounce the first syllable like somepony's saying "shh" because somepony's making too much noise, but the spelling doesn't support this at all. The way it's spelled makes your last name sound like it should be pronounced like the word "cypher" with a hard, long "I" rather than a short one."

She honestly hadn't meant to go about critiquing his name like she had. It'd all just slipped out without her thinking twice about it. And now that it was out there, she felt kind of bad for doing it.

"I'm sorry. That was rude of me. I shouldn't be making fun of your name."

"You didn't," Ulquiorra replied, his voice just as flat and dull as always. "It was a valid, rational point to make about a subject that wasn't understood, with a coherent, well-articulated explanation presented as to why the matter wasn't understood."

"Oh," Twilight replied, uncertain of what else she could actually say in response.

The following silence wasn't of any real comfort, even though she'd thought it might be. Hoped it might be. But with how the conversation had ended, it just felt oppressive and unsettling. She felt the predator right there, in her presence, easily able to pounce and devour her before she could even let out a terrified squeak of fear. And the lack of conversation was only exacerbating that sense of discomfort as the day transitioned into night.

The fact that feeling was practically resonating off of him wasn't exactly helping either. Was she the only one who could actually feel it? Or had the ponies in this world simply been exposed to him for so long, that they were mercifully oblivious to his nature?

Before she could spend more time contemplating such deep and perplexing matters, an interruption came in the form of a bright flash of light, as none other than Princess Luna teleported into view, just a few paces away from the front porch.

"Well now. Sister was not joking after all," she said as she set her eyes on Twilight. "Greetings, Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight's response was less than eloquent, as she more or less leapt the distance in order to land in front of Luna, and hugged her vigorously.

Without missing a beat, Luna reciprocated and wrapped her left foreleg around her fellow alicorn's back.

"Not that I am unappreciative, but what exactly brought that on?" she asked.

"I'm just really relieved that you're alive," Twilight eventually admitted as she released her hold.

"Is there a reason that I would not be?" Luna asked as she pulled back to look at her.

Twilight chewed at her bottom lip uneasily before eventually speaking up. "Applejack said that Nightmare Moon came back. And that he," she paused as she unfurled her left wing to gesture towards Ulquiorra, "that he... killed her. I was afraid that meant..."

Luna closed her eyes and shook her head in response. "Fortunately that was not the case. No, Nightmare Moon was very much her own individual, and very much independent of myself this time around. Which was quite fortunate, considering what all occurred on that night."

Twilight simply nodded and set back down on her hooves, thankful that her fears about certain possibilities in this world hadn't actually come to fruition.

"Now then," Luna continued, "I have many questions, Celestia has many questions, and I am quite certain you have many questions. If you have objections, I would be most happy to bring you to the palace so we can begin sorting out matters as best possible."

"Actually, Princess, not really..." Twilight replied slowly. "Don't get me wrong, I do have a lot of questions. And I'd be more than happy to answer any you might have. But not right now. Right now I'd very much like to rest, and maybe freshen up. I'm probably a little gamey after everything I've been through, and I'm feeling like I can't properly focus my thoughts; not exactly a good combination for an inter-dimensional Q&A session."

"Yes, I can certainly understand that. I was very much in need of the same, and much more, when I finally returned from the moon. Far be it from me to deny a fellow fish out of water the opportunity needed to properly settle in," Luna replied, before turning her attention to Ulquiorra. "Will you be accompanying us?"

"It would be for the best if I did, should something unexpected occur," Ulquiorra stated as he stepped off the porch and towards the pair.

Twilight hadn't expected to appear in the throne room as they came out of Princess Luna's teleport. But the fact they had done just that didn't exactly surprise her. The throne room seemed like it was as reasonable a location to appear as any to be found in the palace.

It was simultaneously comforting to appear in a location she'd been so intimately familiar with, and discomforting to -once again- have to remind herself that this wasn't her world, even if it looked exactly like it.

And then she noticed Ulquiorra standing there in a statuesque manner, looking off into the distance like he was deep in thought, completely oblivious to their very existence. Honestly, if it wasn't for his coloration, she would've sworn he'd been petrified by a cockatrice.

"Is he alright?"

"He will be in a moment. Our friend unfortunately suffers from teleportation sickness. His senses become completely overwhelmed by the process, leaving him unaware of anything. The greater the distance traveled, the longer he remains in such a state," Luna explained as she observed him, before relaxing as she finally saw him blink and begin to move again.

"Fascinating," Twilight replied as she rubbed her chin with her right wing, before finally tucking it back at her side. "I honestly didn't know teleportation sickness was even a thing."

"Problematic is the more appropriate term," Ulquiorra stated, before finally returning his attention to the others in the room. "I'll leave you to tend to our guest. Barring unforeseen developments, I have work to do in the library, compiling a list of books that won't have any relevance to the subject of how to return home."

As much as Twilight wanted to voice how she appreciated that consideration, she simply couldn't find the words to do it right now. But she did appreciate it, since his doing so would account for the possibility of inter-reality differences that might result in different books having different titles and subjects. If nothing else it would at least give her an idea of what books to avoid in her research. That would at least save her time, and potentially allow her to get back a little sooner than she might otherwise.

Exactly how much sooner that would be, would be anypony's guess.

Once he had departed, she returned her attention to Luna. She just... first had to figure out what words she wanted to use before she could actually speak. But her hesitation and uncertainty had allowed Luna to take the lead and speak up first.

"If you would be so kind as to follow me, I will escort you to my quarters. You may rest there."

"Your quarters?" Twilight asked curiously as she blinked, caught off guard by the offer.

Luna nodded. "I can assure you the bed linen is quite fresh, so bedbugs will not be a problem. It is also secure, so you will not be bothered by curious interlopers that would prevent you from resting. And I am assuming it is a location you are not overly familiar with. So if you do manage to rest, your mind will not write off everything as simply being a bad dream upon waking up."

The reasoning at least sounded solid to Twilight as she listened to the explanation. Whether or not it actually was solid remained to be seen firsthoof, but she could at least appreciate the sentiment. If she actually did manage to rest, and woke up in what looked like her old room in the palace, she probably would assume it'd just been a nightmare, only to be set up for another round of culture shock at the first anomaly making itself known again.

"Beyond that, my shift will be starting soon, so I will not be in need of them until dawn. Somepony might as well be making use of them," Luna continued.

"That makes sense," Twilight replied and nodded. "I guess I'd better not keep you any longer, what with how long it takes to hang fresh lavender around the palace."

Luna looked at Twilight curiously, her head tilting slightly to the left in obvious confusion.

"Hanging lavender?"

Twilight nodded. "Your counterpart in my reality hangs fresh lavender throughout the palace each night, to promote good dreams amongst the ponies in the palace. It takes her a while to complete the task."

"That is certainly a nice sentiment on her part. But why is she doing such a task by herself? What is the night staff doing at that time? Why are they not helping?"

Now it was Twilight's turn to look confused, and also tilt her head slightly. "Night staff?"

Luna nodded firmly. "The guards who ensure the palace remains safe while so many others are asleep in the comfort of their beds. And the cleaning staff who oversee the janitorial duties that cannot be done during the course of the daylight hours. The the kitchen staff who ensure those who are working such late hours have suitable meals. And the medics who are on call in the event of injury or illness. The counterparts to all those who are on staff when Celestia is in charge during the day. What of them? Why are they not assisting with such a task, instead of letting my counterpart do it all by herself?"

The lack of an immediate answer, coupled by the look of confusion etched on Twilight's face as she tried to comprehend what she was hearing, as if it was spoken in a foreign language she was desperately trying to decipher, spoke far greater volumes than mere words ever could. And what Luna was gathering from it, she did not like one bit.

"My counterpart in your reality is overseeing the palace all by herself when the sun sets?" she asked, needing actual confirmation.

Twilight's only response was a single, confused nod.

Luna let out a long, annoyed huff as she hung her head, closer her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her muzzle with her right hoof.

"I apologize in advance for what I am about to say, little one. But in light of everything that I have heard I am afraid that it simply must be said," Luna stated as she set her hoof back down and slowly looked up, a stern look across her face. "That is absolute bullshit!"

Twilight physically recoiled in response, as if the sudden yell had been a wholly physical slap right across the face.

"I understand that there are differences between your reality and ours, truly I do! But there is no reason for such a scenario to ever come to pass! Neither I nor Celestia are capable of tending to the everyday upkeep tasks of this palace by ourselves, even if we were working together, staying awake at all hours of the day, and split the duties down the middle. There are too many ponies who the palace is home to, for such a course of action to even be considered wise or even responsible; we would simply have no way of ensuring their safety and security, to say nothing of the other everyday responsibilities that would need to be dealt with."

Throughout it all, Twilight did her best not to wince as Luna went about systematically explaining why the workings of her reality were stupid and unworkable in a real-world setting. But it certainly wasn't easy to just stand there and listen to the sheer amount of disrespect her home was being subjected to, by those who didn't understand the circumstances they had to work with.

The worst part of it all... was the bitterly flavored fact that Luna's outburst was actually making a disturbing amount of sense to her as she listened; just as was the case back at Sweet Apple Acres when Celestia had been questioning her.

Could she really oversee the Castle of Friendship by herself, without Spike being there by her side to assist her when she got distracted with work and her experiments? Her castle was a lot smaller than this one, and even that was too much for just one of them to tend to by themselves. If Spike wasn't there to pull her fanny out of the fire when it came to housekeeping, she was fairly certain it wouldn't be anywhere near as nice as it currently was. Especially not when she got distracted by one of her experiments.

If she couldn't oversee that by herself, then how could Princess Luna accomplish what she herself couldn't do, and with a much larger building to work with? Now that the thought was out there for consideration, it really didn't make much sense in hindsight.

Maybe winding up in this strange world was actually a good thing.

Luna simply sighed and shook her head tiredly as she concluded her venting.

"If you would be so kind as to follow, I will get you situated so you can rest," she said as she gestured towards the doors of the throne room. "For your benefit as a new arrival, my schedule is as follows: I awake at six PM. Night court runs from eight to ten PM, usually as a courtesy to those who could not get an audience with my sister. Patrol in the dream realm runs from ten-thirty PM to six AM, and I try to turn in for the day between eight and nine AM. I am able to function on less sleep if needed, but I do not enjoy doing such, and I tend to get cranky and sarcastic when I am not particularly well-rested. Abide by this scheduling and we will get along quite swimmingly. Fail to do such, however, and you may find yourself an unfortunate casualty in the ongoing prank war between my sister and I."

Twilight nodded, certain that wouldn't be a problem. Although after that last part of the statement, she wasn't certain she could do anything else but nod. The idea of being dragged into a sibling dispute between two powerful alicorns who didn't necessarily recognize the rules of engagement from her own world wasn't exactly a comforting idea to be faced with.

"I don't think that'll be a problem. Although now I really wish Spike was here with me. Prank wars are more his forte than mine."

Dear Twilight sparkle,

It is fully acknowledged that sending you this letter may be a bad decision on my part. But considering the track record of Princess Celestia herself, it is highly unlikely to be the worst decision that could be made under present circumstances.

At approximately four-seventeen PM this afternoon, an alicorn version of yourself from what is believed to be an alternate reality, appeared at Sweet Apple Acres. Both the mechanics and the reasoning behind such a development are presently unknown to all parties involved, herself included. Presently she is being kept staying at the palace in Canterlot until we determine exactly what to do with her, or until she discovers a way to return home, whichever comes first.

A meeting between yourself and her will be arranged at some point so that the two of you may converse. However she is currently facing questions of both ethics and morality that may delay the meeting.

During the interim period between her arrival Sweet Apple Acres, and her travel to Canterlot, she mentioned a number of incidents that have transpired within her reality, but not in this one. Whether this is due simply to the differences between alternate realities, or perhaps some form of time travel possibly being involved, is not currently known.

When questioned further about the knowledge she possessed, and how it might apply in this reality, she expressed discomfort with the idea of sharing her knowledge, as it could have unintended consequences on potential future events that may result in more harm than good being done as a result of her interfering with a timeline that is not her own.

For the time being she is not being pressed for further details about what she knows. However it may eventually prove necessary for us to do such, regardless of her own unease with the interdimensional equivalent of insider trading.

We will focus on the matter of security, and trying to determine what happened. The entire point of this letter is simply to provide you with advanced notice of what took place, so you aren't caught off guard when you come face-to-face with another version of yourself.

Whether or not you decide to inform the rest of your friends about this development is entirely your choice to make.

Signed,
Ulquiorra Cifer

Twilight slowly read over the letter that Spike had brought her. And then she read over it a second time, just to make sure she hadn't accidentally misread or misinterpreted something. Upon further review, she concluded that she hadn't.

"What's it mean, Twilight?" Spike asked as he stood off to the side, waiting anxiously for her to fill him in on what they'd both read.

"That's a very good question, Spike," she replied as she glanced at the letter a third time, before slowly rolling the scroll back up. "To start with, I guess it means that in at least one alternate reality I ascended to being an alicorn."

Finding the words to express just what this meant, both in general terms, for them specifically, and in the overall broader scope of what this meant for their own reality, was a very tall order. And the fact this letter had come so late in the day really hasn't helped either. Why couldn't they be brought up on this development earlier when she would've had more time to think?

But then again, Ulquiorra probably had to write her when he had the necessary time to do it. And if he was focused on Equestria's safety, that naturally took precedent over trivial things like punctuality and whatnot.

And even if the timing of his letter hadn't been the best, as this development would likely interfere with her ability to peacefully sleep, she couldn't really deny the fact that she appreciated the head's up about what had happened, and what might happen. If this had been dropped on her without any kind of notice about what to expect, she wasn't sure just how well it would've been received.

"And now she's here in our reality," Spike surmised.

"It seems that way," Twilight confirmed.

"And the Spike of her reality isn't with her. Meaning we now have a princess version of you without her number one assistant to help keep her calm," Spike surmised further. He then let out a long, irritated sigh. "Yep. My workload has just been doubled."

Twilight wasn't sure just how to respond to the comment, whether with amusement or annoyance.

"Don't worry, Spike, it's not all that bad. I mean, I'm here to help out," she eventually point out.

"Well then, make that tripled," Spike replied.

Now Twilight was certain the proper response was to frown in annoyance at Spike's antics and insults. If not for the fact he was wearing a smirk that was just daring her to try and keep a straight face as she looked at him.

She couldn't help but suspect the little bastard was trying to keep her distracted and off-balanced so she wouldn't be able to let her mind wander to the potential catastrophic complications that might come from another one of her being here in this reality.

Truth be told, she really didn't want to think about those either. And like Ulquiorra said in the letter, he and the others would be tending to security matters. They didn't really need her for that. And for once in her life, she would be glad to not actually be needed.

"Should I take a letter, or something?" Spike asked.

"That might be for the best," Twilight replied and waited for Spike to go and retrieve the writing supplies, before dictating the message for him to take down. "Dear Ulquiorra. Thank you for informing me about this development. I can definitely confirm I wouldn't have appreciated this being sprung on me out of the blue at the time of my counterpart showing up at the library door, with no advanced warning."

She paused, wondering whether or not it would be proper to add something along the line of "I'm looking at you when I say that, Celestia" but ultimately decided against it.

That was the easy part of the letter. Now it was getting difficult to find the words to express what she thought and felt. Should she tell Ulquiorra to tell her other self that she had some idea of what she felt like in her present situation?

This was probably going to take a while.

Chapter One Hundred Nineteen

Chapter One Hundred Nineteen

Dear Princess Celestia,

I apologize for the late hour of this letter. I know this is hardly the ideal time to be receiving this. But given the subject matter, I feel it may be best to get this out of the way now, rather than in the morning.

I received word from Ulquiorra about a certain visitor here in Equestria. Another Twilight Sparkle. Specifically an alicorn Twilight Sparkle. A Princess Twilight Sparkle if you will.

I'm certain you had good reason for not informing me about this development transpiring when it did. I can only imagine what sort of pressing matters you had to tend to in light of being informed about all of this. I mean, it's not everyday you receive a visitor from an alternate reality.

However, I would appreciate to know what this development may mean for me. More specifically what it might mean for my future.

Am I destined to become a princess in this world as well, Celestia? Just like Cadance? Am I destined to become a ruler, and have the well-being of so many others placed under my watch?

I admit, the thought of that much responsibility scares me, even after everything we've been through so far. What scares me more is the possibility that, while she might've been up to the task herself, the same might not be true in the case of myself.

I don't want to just summarily reject the possibility if it is in the works. I'd just like to have some idea of what I might one day be facing, so that I might know how to be conducting myself while I still have the opportunity to learn and prepare myself accordingly; both so that I don't disappoint you, and so that I don't screw things up by being ill-prepared for a responsibility I wouldn't have even dared to imagine.

Celestia hadn't even finished reading all the way through the letter yet, before finding it necessary to set it down at her desk and look up with a sigh. She definitely hadn't needed this headache on top of everything else she was dealing with right now. But honestly it was her own fault for not asking Ulquiorra to keep this information quiet for at least today.

That said, words were going to be had in the near-future.

But first, she needed to figure out just what to say to Twilight in the time being. Even if it was just informing her that she could tell her everything, but only after she had the time to compose and organize her thoughts for jotting them down for writing them out.

Considering what she'd learned about her counterpart and how she conducted herself, Twilight at least deserved that much.

"So help me, Ulquiorra," she sighed again as she turned back to the letter to read it further, while wishing she'd been faster and turning in. "When this crisis is over, and we can all catch our breath, I'm going to burn your scrawny ass."

Exactly how long Princess Twilight had been unconscious had been anypony's guess. She really hadn't been paying attention herself at the time when she'd laid down, but she was certain she'd needed it, what with how refreshed she currently felt. The shower beforehoof, with some borrowed shampoo from Luna's stock, hadn't hurt matters either.

The bed in Luna's chambers had been exquisitely comfortable to lay on, and she'd found herself falling asleep far faster than she would've thought possible. She hadn't even realized she'd been asleep until she woke up again, and found herself still stretched out on top of the cozy bedding just like when she'd first laid down to test it out.

"Well... at least Princess Luna won't need to change the bedding..."

She'd been reluctant to even get up and leave the comfort the bed promised her, especially when she saw what time of night it currently was. But as awake and refreshed as she felt, trying to go back to bed would probably be futile.

So instead she got up, stretching out not unlike a cat until there was a satisfying pop felt in her back, and after a moment to gather her thoughts concluded the library would probably be the best destination for her at the moment. Even if it meant being around... him.

But it would be a small price to pay, to see just how different the palace library here was from the one back in her own reality. Not just how different, but also how similar.

This was going to be so much fun!

One hop, skip, and burst of teleportation-related magic later, and she was in the palace library, ready to peruse the assembled knowledge.

But not quite ready for just how... different... the library actually looked compared to what she'd been expecting. Whereas so many other things she'd encountered in this world were identical to her own, the library most certainly wasn't one of them.

This... this looked like it had far more in common with the library at Canterlot High than it did the palace library back at home. The stone walls were painted in warm earth tones from what she could see. The shelves that surrounded her current position were filled with hardback books rather than rolled up scrolls. And in what she was certain was the center of the unrestricted section, where there had once been simple tables and benches now held what was more accurately described as a lounge.

She had to blink and do a double take at that last point. In addition to the standard furniture, there was a sofa, coffee table, what looked like a couple of recliner chairs, bean bag chairs, and even a section of plush carpeting for all the new furniture to rest on.

"Alright then," she said to herself slowly as she looked around. "Not exactly what I was expecting, but... that doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing. Just different, like everything else in this world."

Then again, it being different from what she'd expected might wind up being a good thing. If she ended up getting lost in her reading, the fact it would be in a book rather than a scroll might serve as a subtle reminder of where she currently was. And the library back in her dimension definitely didn't have beanbag chairs for reclining in.

But before she could actually get cracking on her reading, she paused as she became aware of the feeling of something in the room not being right. Something that was downright uncomfortable, and making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"Ulquiorra?" she called out hesitantly, her voice shaky as she spoke.

"What is it?"

The sound of the semi-familiar voice helped soothe her nerves somewhat. However the positioning of the voice was a bit unsettling in itself. It didn't sound like he was behind her, or to the sides, and she could tell he definitely wasn't in front of her. Could it be he was...

Glancing upward, she had her answer.

"I didn't know you could perform magic."

"In truth I can't," Ulquiorra replied, his focus presently on what looked like a notebook from the current position.

The statement made Twilight blink and do a double take, trying to rationalize what he'd said with what she was presently seeing.

"But you're currently floating in midair with no visible mechanical system to support your position. That's self-levitation, just like what Starlight does," she protested.

"Who?"

"Oh, ah, somepony back in my reality. Friend, former pupil, reformed villain who once held egomaniacal plans of world domination," Twilight clarified. "But this isn't about her. If you can't do magic, then how're you floating off the ground like that?"

"I could explain the mechanics behind the technique to you. But undertaking such a course of action would most likely lead to even more questions being raised as a result. The entire night would easily be consumed by the information that would need to be shared," Ulquiorra pointed out. "Your counterpart already has countless notes and observations pertaining to Hollow physiology. She would likely be quite willing to provide you with a copy of her findings at the inevitable meeting should you ask."

"Oh. That makes a lot of sense," Twilight noted. "It's such an odd concept to even think about though; having to actually catch up with myself."

"She will likely experience the same feeling when you two meet, and can freely exchange whatever information between one another," Ulquiorra stated, before slowly descending and touching down on the library floor with a book in tow. "If there are no other matters to presently discuss, I've completed the list of books that will have no relevance to the subject of how to go about returning to your own reality."

Before Twilight even had time to express how she appreciated the work he was doing to assist her, she was already being presented with another curiosity of this world.

As best she could tell, it looked like a standard spiral-back notebook, just like what she'd seen on the other side of the mirror. Wire-wrapped binding, thin cardboard front and back covers, thirty three blue lines per page, and filled with some of the neatest penmanship she'd ever seen, as she held the book in her magic to read it over.

To say Ulquiorra had been thorough in his organization of the assembled information would be an understatement. Not only were the entries numbered and entries spaced with a line break between them, but they also included the author's name, the edition and year of publication when applicable, whether the entry was found in the restricted or unrestricted section, and even the number of pages! Even his pages were numbered in the top right-hoof corner!

The only fault she could really find with it all was the fact it wasn't actually alphabetized. But that was a minor gripe on her part. She had seen worse, and had done more with less.

Her resolve on the matter faltered as she began flipping through the pages, and saw the vast quantity of information he'd actually compiled for her. With each new page flip, she felt her eyes slowly growing wider in disbelief. By the time she'd reached the final page of notes she was looking back and him, and back at the book.

"You wrote out all of this, in the few hours we've been at the palace?"

"Correct," Ulquiorra confirmed. "Taking into account the potential differences that might be experienced between the two realities. If it is on the list, it won't be of any help in returning home, even if a similar entry in your realm would have different information."

"... I honestly hadn't thought about that being a possibility," Twilight admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed by that. But she wouldn't let her own embarrassment get her down, as it was all a part of learning. "So what index did you reference when constructing this list?"

"No index was used, I've simply read all of them since I arrived in Equestria," he clarified.

"You have?" Twilight asked, before looking back over the list again. "That's quite the reading list. How many years have you been here?"

"Ninety three days."

"Ninety three d-" Twilight squawked in response as she looked back at him in disbelief. "But there are over... that would mean you... rates like these aren't even physically possible! Even I can't read this many books in that short amount of time! How did you manage this!?"

"Being dead has its advantages."

It took Twilight more time than she comfortably wanted to admit to, to remember and recall the fact she was technically having a conversation with a ghost. One extremely, physically solid ghost, but still a ghost nonetheless.

"That still just raises so many questions," she noting as she opted for a change of subject, and carefully set the book down on one of the familiar tables so she didn't wind up dropping it. "I mean, you're technically a ghost, but you were sitting down to dinner with Applejack's family. And eating your fair share of the food just like the rest of us. If you're a ghost then how-"

"Hollow physiology isn't the sort of discussion you'll want to be involved in," Ulquiorra replied before she could even finish asking her question. "Discovering just how badly I violate the laws of physics of this dimension was not something the other Twilight Sparkle was prepared to experience. In truth it may have actually contributed to the psychological trauma she experienced during the return of Nightmare Moon."

"... That just raises even more questions than answers," Twilight admitted softly. "And I already had so many questions to begin with. There's just so much about here that I want to know while I'm here. There's so much potentially undiscovered information, that could even help us back home if we simply knew about it."

"And yet you see fit to deny us the same opportunity to learn and benefit from what knowledge you could share," Ulquiorra quipped.

"That's-" Twilight replied defensively, but stopped before ever finishing her intended rebuttal. Even she knew he had her with that one. "That's a very fair criticism. I guess I deserved that one," she admitted.

The fact he wasn't metaphorically on top of her in her moment of weakness, further unbalancing her mentally, was something she was thankful for. The brief respite was what she needed to try and focus her thoughts.

"It's just... when Applejack mentioned the other me in this world was still a unicorn, I guess it planted a kernel of doubt and uncertainty in my mind. What if the other me is destined to become a princess and take up rule just like I did, and my meddling changes that course of events? Or worse, what if she's not destined for being a ruler, and I wind up doing something that sets her down a course that was never intended for her? My meddling here could have potentially wide-reaching consequences for this entire world. What about future allies that my world has already made, that could be made here? What if I wind up making things worse just before finding my way back home, and wind up leaving all of you here to fix my mistakes?"

"If Discord's explanation is to be believed, this alternate reality has already been knocked off of its intended course, leaving us all in uncharted territory. According to him, the situation at hand has so much potential for catastrophe, that bringing a deceased villain into the equation could only serve to improve the situation. How much worse could you possibly make the situation, even if you tried?" Ulquiorra asked.

"... I'm honestly afraid to even try and answer that question," Twilight admitted. Just the idea of what he was asking was... Pinkie would probably call it mind-meltingly horrible. Or something like that. Even just thinking about it left her feeling the need to take a seat and sit down on the bench nearest her position. "The way you think kind of scares me at times. It's the type of thinking that usually leads to one going really deep into the realm of philosophical existentialism, and questioning the very nature of reality itself."

There was no immediate response on Ulquiorra's part. But from his posture and the way he was standing, it looked like he was at least listening to what she had to say. Almost like he was waiting to see where she went from here. And if his notes were anything to go by, he could easily out-wait her without even trying. A battle of attrition wasn't going to be hers to win in this case.

"I've been down that path before. And I don't like the sort of questions that come up with it; like the nature of the universe. Take the human solar system for example. It has eight planets, but only one of them has the conditions required to support life. So what purpose to the other seven planets even serve in existing? Why is life as we know it isolated to only a single planet?"

"Nine."

"Excuse me?"

"There are nine planets in the solar system. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto," Ulquiorra clarified.

"Oh. Ah... not really. At least not in the human world I've been to. Pluto used to be classified as a planet, but it was downgraded to a dwarf planet. It doesn't count anymore," Twilight replied.

The way Ulquiorra turned to more directly face her, and the look he currently wore, suggested she had his full attention now.

"Since when?"

"Ah... two thousand six AD, I think? Honestly, I wasn't paying that much attention to the topic at the time; I was still learning how to even use a computer, and there was a lot to learn about. As in terabytes of information, if those terms make any sense."

Ulquiorra's only response was a simple, nonspecific grunt, before returning his attention to whatever had held it originally. Which was fine with her, as it gave her the opportunity to familiarize herself with the list he'd made, so she would know what books to avoid in her quest to return home. It would be just plain rude to let all of his hard work and effort go to waste.

"If those from the seemingly infinite number of alternate realities weren't intended to interact with one another, why is whatever physical mechanism serving to separate them from one another so easily traversed; to the point it is apparently possible to do so entirely by accident?"

Now it was Twilight's turn to look at Ulquiorra, just as he'd looked at her a moment ago.

"For that matter, what is the reason for alternate realities to even exist in the first place? What purpose does their existence serve? Do they merely exist, simply for the sake of existing, while serving no other purpose? Or is their purpose for existing beyond the scope of our ability to comprehend?"

The more Ulquiorra talked, the more Twilight sincerely wished that he really wouldn't. She was seriously regretting this entire discussion even being started. She never thought she'd actually think it, but right now she was regretting even coming to the library.

"You're not going to stop bringing up these sort of questions until I tell you everything I know, are you?" she finally asked.

"Would you if the situations were reversed?" he asked right back.

"...No I suppose that I wouldn't," she replied and sighed as she hung her head and shut her eyes, before finally looking back up at him. "The fact that you actually killed Nightmare Moon has me worried, though. What assurance do I have that, if I did tell you what I know, you wouldn't use this information to carry out preemptive killings on those who might not even have gone down the path of villainy yet?"

"None whatsoever."

The admission on Ulquiorra's part had been so blunt, so straight to the point, Twilight physically recoiled. He hadn't even made an effort to dance around the issue, or try to deny her fears were a possibility. He hadn't even had the decency to turn and face her as he said it. Instead he'd all but confirmed it as being a definite possibility, if not an outright certainty, with all the casualty of a passing comment. Just the idea of it made her feel ill.

"Then I'm afraid I can't help you," she stated as firmly as she could muster, all the while trying not to slouch in her seat. "I can't be complicit in what might transpire; especially not after Applejack's evaluation of you and your skills."

"Even if it had the potential to save lives?" he asked.

She tried not to flinch at that one. She failed. She failed miserably.

"Saving lives by ending lives? What right do we have to be deciding who lives and who dies? Who're we to be making decisions like that?" she asked pointedly.

"The innocents who have done nothing to deserve what may happen to them, but who will still be harmed regardless," Ulquiorra replied just as pointedly, as he finally turned to face her directly. "Who're these threats to determine their interests are of greater importance than those who will be harmed by their endeavors? Why should their decisions be respected and allowed to come to fruition, when they won't extend the same courtesy to their victims? If they can be stopped, then they should be stopped."

"That doesn't make it right!" Twilight suddenly shouted back and slammed her forehooves down on the table as she stood up on the bench. "What you're talking about goes against the very teachings Equestria was founded upon. If we go down that path then there'll be no coming back for anycreature! Not for you, or me, or anyone here! If you just go around killing others on the basis of "what if" then it makes Equestria no better than the villains we'll have to face! We'll lose the moral high ground and become villains ourselves, lashing out in a terrified manner at the outside world and reacting with force when it's not necessary! It'll be the death of everything that makes us who we are!"

She was angry right now. So, so very angry. Angry on a level she couldn't consciously remember experiencing before. And it was all directed at him, and just how utterly infuriating he was in how he conducted himself. Not only was he talking about preemptive murders like they were a good thing, but he actually had the audacity to try and guilt trip her into assisting him with his endeavors!

But the worst part of it all, the absolute worst part, was the look he wore on his face as she screamed at him. It wasn't one of anger, or shock, or even disdain for her position, but one of utter dullness. He looked at her with a listless, -downright bored- expression, almost as if he'd actually predicted the conversation would turn out this way. He looked at her in the same disinterested manner she would look at the second hand ticking away on its journey around a clock face while waiting for the cutie map to deem her necessary for the successful completion of a friendship mission. That was perhaps the most infuriating aspect of it all.

All throughout her tirade he never spoke up, never even so much as blinked. It was only when she was seething through her grit teeth as she fought to catch her breath, did he show any signs of life and consciousness.

"Perhaps a third option, a compromise of sorts, is in order."

The way he spoke so calmly, while she felt like her blood was boiling in her veins, just irritated her all the worse, and left her eyeing him incredulously.

"What sort of compromise?" she asked suspiciously.

"You provide us with any information you can about events that have happened in the Equestria of your reality. Developments, discoveries, threats, anything that could benefit this reality by allowing for said threats to be avoided. We use this information preemptively to convince those that would threaten Equestria, that it's in their best interest to either leave us alone entirely, or become willing allies who have something to bring to the table to prove they're actually worth having as allies."

"And how exactly would you propose going about doing that without killing any of them?"

"Any final details would ultimately have to be determined by the diarchy, as I don't possess that authority. But for the sake of hypothetical discussion, let us say a demonstration of the insurmountable force they would face if they were to take hostile action against Equestria. If necessary start with the closer of obliterating an uninhabited area the size of Canterlot, leaving nothing behind but a smoking crater."

Twilight tried not to shudder as a phantom chill ran up her spine. The amount of destruction he was so casually suggesting, all to simply serve as a warning to others, easily eclipsed that caused by Tirek back home, and he'd been the strongest solo enemy they'd ever faced due to how much magic he held. But to raze something the size of Canterlot? Could that even be done?

"It's... not the worst idea I've ever heard, as far as deterring violence goes," she eventually admitted, "especially not if it's an uninhabited area devoid of innocents. But where would we even find a force on this planet able to destroy a target the size of the palace?"

"Not the palace," Ulquiorra stated.

"Not the pal-" Twilight's consuming thoughts immediately stopped, bringing her attention back to him again. "Did you mean Canterlot as in the city?"

"Canterlot as in the mountain atop which the city actually sits," Ulquiorra corrected.

Twilight's eyes went wide. She wasn't certain, but it felt like they went far wider than was physically possible at what she was hearing.

"Let me see if I'm correctly understanding you," she began, her voice quiet and soft as she spoke. "You want to BLOW UP A FREAKING MOUNTAIN just to send a warning to others!?"

"It would be the most logical course of action to take in light of everything," Ulquiorra replied, unfazed by her sudden outburst. "The diarchy of Equestria are the only ones known to possess the sole authority and ability to raise and lower the sun and moon. This puts them in the unique position of being able to end all life on this planet as we know it, simply by doing nothing whatsoever. If they should fail to do their duties, or simply refuse to, one side of the planet would eventually be baked under the scorching heat of an unrelenting sun, while the other side would be reduced to a frozen wasteland, with neither hemisphere capable of supporting life.

"They wouldn't even have to be killed for the planet to die; simply be put in a bad enough emotional state for them to no longer care about anything at all. Yet there are apparently numerous outside forces in the world who believe Equestria is weak, and thus theirs to conquer and pilfer as they please. If they are truly this stupid, to believe they could ever truly persevere in the end, such a demonstration of force may be necessary to get the message across."

As he spoke, Twilight listened, thankful that he went into an explanation on why he believed what he was proposing was logical. If he hadn't, she wouldn't have been able to follow along with what he was thinking otherwise.

"I never really thought about that before," she admitted as she rested her chin on her left fetlock. "You would think, with the facts being what they are, nocreature would even want to attack us for fear of that outcome being a possibility. The situation you just described, that'd be like... what's that human saying? Cutting off your nose to spite your face? I mean, granted, there was an alternate timeline where Nightmare Moon beat Princess Celestia and implemented eternal night as she ruled the kingdom, but the vegetation was still as lush as ever, even years into her rule. I guess it's theoretically possible that life could continue if they were to fall, if enough powerful unicorns were working together to move the sun and moon like they used to. But other creatures wouldn't necessarily know that. It would be downright foolish to try and invade and occupy a foreign country, where you simultaneously need the help and cooperation of the populace just to avoid dying."

In the end, all Twilight could ultimately do was groan in frustration and hang her head.

"This Princess Luna was right. My world really is that stupid..."

All throughout, Ulquiorra never said a word. As nothing on his part truly needed to be said.

"Alright," she sighed again as she looked back up. "Let's say I'm on board with your idea of... pacification through overwhelming intimidation, and all of the minute details needed for its execution are a piece of cake to set up. That still doesn't address the original question. To accomplish what you're proposing, we'd need a destructive force capable of generating the necessary tonnage of energy to literally destroy the entire mountain. To be perfectly frank, I don't know of a force on the entire planet that's actually capable of doing that. Even when I was at my strongest, I still couldn't do something like that. Where would we even begin looking for something of that magnitude? And even if we could find and possess such a force, wouldn't that just be inviting new problems? If these outside parties wouldn't think twice about attacking the seat of power that's basically keeping them alive, what would deter them from trying even harder to take this force for themselves?"

"The Equestria of this reality already possesses such a force. And it is quite secure from procurement by any enemy force, internal or external," Ulquiorra stated. "I am that force. And my allegiance is not something that can be swayed."

"... On the one hoof, I'm happy to hear that. But on the other I'm horribly confused. You," she paused to gesture at Ulquiorra with her right hoof, "have the strength to destroy a mountain? I'm sorry but I'm just not seeing how that's possible. I know ponies of gargantuan magical strength, and even they couldn't do something on that scale. And you? I know Applejack said you're strong, but that strong? I'm sorry, but I'm just a bit skeptical of that claim."

She'd been expecting a rebuttal, prepared for an in-depth explanation relating to various mechanics that backed up the claim. But she hadn't been prepared for watching as he went about plucking his own eye out of its socket! Before she could even scream at the gruesome spectacle, he'd already crushed the organ like it was cheap glass, and filled the immediate area with a dense layer of some mist-like substance she was afraid to breathe in.

"What was that!?"

The question went unanswered, at least by him, as something came across the mist's surface. Something like... watching home movies on an old projection screen. Movies of a barren, desolate wasteland of a desert, practically choked by an inky black night sky, barely illuminated by a crescent moon that hung in an almost ominous, oppression fashion.

Color. A flash of color, somewhere between teal and emerald, suddenly flashed across the sky, practically cutting through the suffocating monochromatic setting as it sailed off into the distant horizon, until it disappeared entirely from view. She couldn't be certain as it had happened far too fast, but had that streak of green actually had a shape? Had it been a... javelin that she'd just seen?

To call what happened next an explosion would be a gross understatement of what was actually witnessed. It was more along the lines of a world-shattering kaboom! The boom was almost deafeningly loud even through the video feed, causing her to jump back as a massive skyscraper of teal green flames erupted towards the heavens to pierce the darkness, extending outward to an incalculable width of absolute destruction. And then the resulting shock wave that traveled outward from the point of detonation, shaking everything in its path as even the video feed wasn't left unaffected.

And just like that it was over, both the video and the mist, disintegrating like it was nothing, leaving her in stunned silence as her jaw hung limp on her face.

"Mother of..." she eventually whispered, not having sufficient air in her lungs to do much else. Slowly, she turned to face Ulquiorra, in terror of what she'd just seen, and what she currently saw as his eye regenerated in its socket. "What was that?"

"The closer, Lanza Del Relampago. An attack of such destructive potential, even just summoning it while in the palace would be enough to bring it crashing down around us," Ulquiorra explained.

Twilight could honestly feel her level of terror growing by the moment, if not by the word.

"And... does Princess Celestia know that you can do this? That you could... nuke Canterlot from orbit?" she asked, suddenly flashing back to an old piece of cinema she'd been privy to in the human world. All she knew for certain was the term was synonymous with maximum destruction.

"She does. As does Discord. They're both fully aware of not only what I am, but also what I'm capable of," he confirmed. "As was said previously, the situation in this reality is apparently so bad, that even when being aware of my true nature, they still concluded that my presence could only improve the matter for everyone involved."

"That," Twilight gulped uneasily, "that is, quite possibly, the most terrifying thing I've ever heard in my entire life. How did this world get to be in such a bad state of things, that somecreature like yourself had to be brought in to make things better? I mean, no offense to you, but I just don't understand it. You're so... counterintuitive to this world, almost like the physical manifestation of the antithesis to the teachings that've guided us for for a thousand years. How does something like that even happen?"

"You may not like the answer to that question," Ulquiorra warned.

"I know. But having answers that I don't like, is still better than not having answers that I do like," Twilight replied.

"Just so long as you're certain."

And so, for the next hour, Twilight sat and listened -and occasionally questioned- as Ulquiorra went about explaining the situation to her, as Discord had explained it to them.

The amount of detail he had gone into had been excruciating to experience for herself. He'd gone into depths of explanation and clarification that she hadn't anticipated, and wasn't entirely sure she wanted to be subject to. It was only by telling herself -repeatedly- that the details were relevant, that she'd been able to get through it. He honestly didn't strike her as the type who would be talking for the sake of talking, unless what he had to say was actually important. So she focused, much as she would when back in school, paying close attention to the lessons and lectures laid out by her various teachers.

There was a great deal of cynicism in his tale; far more than she would've expected, or otherwise been prepared for. He hadn't been the least bit shy about sharing his own negative viewpoints and opinions regarding their world, their species, their teachings, or any number of other details related to them. But at the same he hadn't held back on criticism of himself, and the absurdity of how he was apparently the best candidate Discord could find out of thousands, to bring into the equation to protect this world from unforeseen developments. And knowing what she did about him, his criticism of the circumstances he found himself in were quite fair; he certainly wouldn't have been her first pick, but nopony had asked her.

It was so very odd how he presented himself, not in a boisterous and self-supporting manner that played up his perceived greatness and qualifications, but more as one who doubted their own qualifications for the job. There was such a thing as being humble, and then there was this. More than once, she found herself nodding in agreement with how absurd he'd made it all out to be. But at the same time it was hard to argue with the results.

By the time he'd finally concluded reading her in on the situation that they currently faced, and his own observations relating to them, she wasn't even certain that she even could feel anything. Throughout it all she'd been curious, inquisitive, confused, horrified, repulsed, angry, slightly sick, and now strangely numb; as if she was too scared to even feel anything else. It was as if her brain had reached the critical mass point of information it could absorb and process, but she hadn't yet realized that fact herself. Maybe mentally exhausted was the best description for it all?

"... Perhaps I misjudged you too harshly," she eventually admitted, her voice slightly hoarse as she spoke, before clearing her throat. "That's certainly quite the tale. I honestly don't know what to say."

The way he'd explained it, how he tried to detail what Discord had shown them, it honestly sounded -to her at least- like reality itself had turned against them and become an enemy in and of itself. Not in the sense of reality in the sense of this alternate reality they were in, but all of reality in the broader sense of the definition. That in itself was downright terrifying to even contemplate. For everycreature's sake, she hoped with all of her might that she'd been very wrong in her interpretation, and the situation wasn't quite that dire.

But as scary as the premise itself was, the idea that their own past had actually been changed by whatever malfunction had occurred in the multiverse was somehow far, far scarier to even consider. How had that premise not driven them insane? The idea that they could no longer trust their own memories of what had happened, because something had cosmically retconned events that'd already transpired without their knowledge or ability to intervene... that was on an entirely different level of being utterly terrifying. If the past couldn't be trusted, then what could be trusted and relied on!?

"Is that why you want to know about my experiences back in my Equestria? To use my knowledge of my world as a comparison point, to try and set the intended course of this world right again?" she asked uncertainly.

"That would ultimately be a fool's errand, and a hopeless endeavor. Even Discord has acknowledge that trying to put this world back on its intended tracks is well beyond his skills. Even if we were to try such, there would be no way of telling how far into the past the shifting of events has reached, and what has been thrown off course as a result. And attempting to use time travel magic to fix these possible issues would result in an even greater mess occurring," Ulquiorra pointed out.

At the mention of time travel, Twilight shuddered. Her experienced with Starlight in that area had been more than enough for her to know what he was saying, and she couldn't agree more. Timelines and paradoxes were better left alone.

"I had an experience like that once. I wouldn't care to repeat it for anything."

"Accounting for the difference between realities would also need to be done. Attempting to use your knowledge as a roadmap would simply result in the course of this world being changed to better resemble that of your own, rather than what it was supposed to be," he continued in explanation. "At this point in time, the best that can be achieved is simply mitigating whatever damage may occur as a result of what's already happened; saving as many lives as possible, and securing the safety of Equestria as best possible. Putting an end to conflicts before they can develop, and avoid innocent bystanders being involved as a result."

"I can certainly respect that course of action. But one thing I've learned in my time as a princess, is that sometimes conflicts are a necessary part of life for growth and development to occur, and that avoiding them can actually cause more harm than good," Twilight explained, before finally taking the time to adjust her position on the bench to break the forming stiffness out of her joints. "Time travel... actually puts a lot of things in perspective."

"If you were presented with a detailed list of every crisis that would potentially befall and threaten your world in the next decade, would you do nothing and simply allow them to occur? Or would you instead spend your time working backwards to prevent the crises from developing if at all possible?"

Twilight physically flinched at the question, having not expected the matter to be turned around and presented in such a manner.

"... Even if what came about as a result of the conflict was a good thing?" she asked.

"If time travel really is at work in this instance, then you possess knowledge of possible future events. There's no reason the same positive outcomes could not be had, while avoiding the hardships and suffering that led to them in the first place," he pointed out. "Any allies that are made, any magical or technological developments that would be discovered, there's no reason they can't be achieved now, and benefit others as a result."

Try as she might, Twilight had no rebuttal to offer up. He hadn't even hesitated to take what she'd said, and throw it right back at her. And worst of all, his points were very valid, and very solid. Try as she might, she couldn't figure out a counterargument to present. Where would they be if she'd been able to intervene and prevent Starlight Glimmer from traveling down the path of villainy after her friendship with Sunburst had ended?

For a long time, she was silent as she mulled over the points that'd been raised in their back and forth discussion. All of the negatives, and the positives.

The matter wasn't helped by the fact that Ulquiorra just silently stood there, looking in her direction but not necessarily at her; more like he was looking past her. It was unsettling with how statuesque he was, as if he was presently lost in his own thoughts and potentially unaware of his own surroundings.

Whatever resolve she might've had previously, she could literally feel it crumbling away inside of her, under his oppressive presence.

"Not every conflict we had back in my reality could be resolved peacefully, despite our best efforts," she eventually spoke up, doing her best to not make eye contact as she did. If she did, she knew she'd break entirely. "There was one particular incident where a peaceful resolution simply wasn't an option, no matter what we tried. We were facing a tried and true villain, evil for the sake of evil, who had plans of world domination. Who saw his own forces as disposable if they failed him in his goals of conquest; to the point he openly let them know there would be consequences if they failed him.

"At the time we were on the verge of being defeated by him and his forces. They had superior forces, and their technology rendered our magic useless. The only reason we won was because he was killed when his second in command betrayed him after he betrayed her. There... there was absolutely no way of reasoning with him, or convincing him to stop. And we didn't have the Elements of Harmony with us at the time. What happened couldn't have been avoided.

"He called himself the Storm King, a yeti from the southern region of the planet. A conqueror and pillagers of countries and nations, who secured the assistance of a unicorn named Tempest Shadow by promising to fix her broken horn once he'd accumulated the magic to do it. But he never had any intention of living up to his end of the bargain, if he even could in the first place."

She was crying as she spoke, and she knew it. Even if she wasn't overcome by choking sobs that made it impossible to talk, she could still feel the wetness running down her cheeks and staining her fur in trails. She knew there would be consequences for her words here on this night. But she also knew there would be consequences if she didn't speak up and say something now. All she could do was hope for the best, and that she could/would be forgiven for the decisions she was going to make.

"The Storm King commands through fear and intimidation, not respect. Nothing... nothing beneficial, whatsoever, can come about from his continued existence, if this reality's version of him is anything like ours. If... he's killed, his empire will crumble apart like a house of cards in a stray breeze. Countless countries won't be pillaged into ruin. The yetis can go back to whatever they were doing before he rose to power. And Tempest won't have an insurmountable amount of guilt to try and atone for..."

Even as the words left her mouth, she felt sick. She knew what she was doing, and she knew what her decisions on this night were ultimately going to lead to. She had tried, desperately, to not go down this particular course of action. And yet here she was, doing just that. All of her grand speeches, her moral high ground, had suddenly abandoned her, leaving her to simply comply with what was being asked of her.

All she could do was hope that the positives would outweigh the negatives, and that the balance of the outcome would allow her to forgive herself one day.

If the Storm King of this world did attack Canterlot, assuming that event hadn't already happened, there would be so many that would get hurt in the process; on both sides of the equation. Knowing what she did about Ulquiorra -even if what she knew was clouded by educated guesses- he would likely respond to a hostile attack against Equestria by simply blowing their airships right out of the sky on sight, which would kill everyone in the process. How many yeti families would be torn apart by that course of action in the process if it were allowed to occur?

If she gave them the Storm King before he could breach Equestria's borders, all the lives that would be saved by her actions would make up for the one life that would be taken as a result of her actions... right?

It didn't really count as orchestrating an assassination if it was absolutely certain the creature was going to be killed through their own actions, regardless of what action she herself took... did it?

Meanwhile, somewhere in Ponyville, a lone pink figure could do little more than sigh sadly, as her tail refused to uncurl from around her left hind leg by itself.

"I feel a great disturbance in The Force. And not "great" in the sense of it being a good thing either."

Chapter One Hundred Twenty

Chapter One Hundred Twenty

"Ugh..."

While Luna loved her subjects dearly, and faithfully saw to her work as guardian of the dream realm, it would be a lie to say she didn't experience the occasional night of regret that she hadn't gone into a difficult line of work.

Last night had been one such night.

"There are truly some sick individuals to be found in Equestria," she noted to herself, even though it wasn't really her place to be judging others for what they experienced in the sanctity of their own minds.

As her shift in overseeing the dream realm finally came to its inevitable close as the clock striking six in the morning, she found it a little more difficult to resist groaning as she proceeded to stretch her tired, stiff joints from being stationary for so long.

"If only dream exercise translated over into the waking world..." she grunted as a pop sounded from her left wing.

By the time her shift had ended she was tired, she was frustrated, she was sore, and with some of the dreams she'd seen she honestly felt filthy and in need of a shower right now. A hot shower with lots bleach, and maybe some medicinal alcohol thrown into the mix just to help ensure cleanliness had been achieved. She hadn't even actively watched the dreams, she'd only seen them in passing while carrying out her duties, and that'd still been enough for her.

But she knew the desire to tend to her own hygiene would need to wait until later. Right now she had more important things to tend to, than scrubbing herself clean of the imagined third party dream filth that was plaguing her mind. Right now she had a very important guest to tend to. The shower could wait, but she wasn't certain Princess Twilight could.

More than once she'd tried to be a good host and check on their guest during the night, to see if she could be found in the dreamscape. But for all of her effort, she had ultimately found nothing.

Either Princess Twilight was like Ulquiorra, and not properly in sync with this reality and thus beyond her reach. Or she had been awake the entire night and thus not in the dreamscape.

Whatever information their guest had about her world that could potentially benefit their own, they wouldn't be finding and accessing it through those particular means. Not that she was particularly keen of using such methods, but at times it was simply one of those many gray necessities that laid between the absolute ideals of black and white.

Hopefully such tactics wouldn't actually be needed in this case. She already felt filthy and wrong enough without resorting to such underhoofed approaches against one who she wanted to count as being a friend.

Fortunately for her, her big sister was there to serve as a distraction from such unpleasant thoughts as she entered the throne room.

Although that hope faltered as Celestia herself faltered and shot her a look of concern.

"Oh dear. You look terrible," she commented. "I take it last night didn't go as smoothly as you'd hoped?" she asked.

"That would be putting it lightly, I am afraid," Luna sighed, not even bothering to retort that her sister didn't look much better. Now was simply not the time for it. "What I have to say regarding last night's efforts, I am ashamed of."

"And what might that be?" Celestia asked.

"That I am... honestly running out of hope that we will ever find the missing foals, Celestia. I have searched every metaphorical corner of the dreamscape, and I can find no trace of either Shining Lights or Java Bolt. Every inquiry that I have made has turned up nothing. I have consulted with detectives, law enforcement officers, and various others authorities and officials from every city in Equestria. I have even pushed past the boundaries of our nation, and beyond even the Crystal Empire itself, in order to consult with any willing dragon and gryphon who will so much as even speak with me. Nopony, nocreatue, no one whatsoever, has been able to help me! None of them can report having even seen them!"

Celestia could do little more than silently extend a wing, and drape it over Luna's back at the moment.

"I do not know how much longer I can stay committed to overseeing this branch of the search, sister. My regular duties are already strenuous enough without devoting time to looking for two foals who could very well be dead," she sighed and hung her head in shame. "The only thing we know for certain is that Nightmare Moon did not kill them, otherwise their bodies would have been left with the others. And that is the part that hurts the most; knowing that they very well could be alive, but beyond our ability to find them. I cannot even find them through their dreams. If they are alive, then they are not dreaming; not in any sense of the word that I am familiar with. I fear what that could potentially mean."

"Do you want to stop searching?" Celestia asked.

"What would you do in my situation, sister?" Luna asked back.

"That's a very difficult question, I'm afraid," Celestia replied, it now being her turn to sigh. "If an incident like this occurred some nine hundred years ago, when the pain of losing you to that nag was still quite fresh and hard to face... I would've gone in with crossbows blazing, ripping and tearing my way through all that opposed me until none were left, pursuing the guilty party or parties to the ends of the planet, and leaving no stone un-turned in the process."

"My big sister, the war horse," Luna commented with a weak smile. "Whatever did serve to mellow you out, into what we see today?"

"Age and wisdom, my dear sister," Celestia replied as she ran her feathers along Luna's back. "I had plenty of time, and plenty of opportunity, to understand the fact that such a fiery course of action would only ever serve as a temporary distraction from the pain I so desperately wanted to run away from. Along with the knowledge that, eventually, I would have to return home and confront that pain all over again; only it would be worse, because the next time I wouldn't be able to run away from it."

"A comforting story, dear sister. But I am afraid it does nothing to help me with this current predicament. The foals are still missing, and we are still no closer to finding them than when Nightmare Moon first snatched them up in the dead of my night," Luna pointed out. "So I must ask the obvious question, yet again - What the fuck are we supposed to do!?"

"To start with, you could try not cursing at me like I'm somehow responsible for the problem. I know you're frustrated, Luna, but I'm not the enemy here. You'd do well to remember that, before I give you something to curse about," Celestia pointed out.

Luna frowned in response to the warning, but ultimately said nothing. Not yet anyway. It would be far too easy to point out that she already had plenty to curse about without the prospect of threats best reserved for their parents, and coming from her no less.

She also managed to bite back the remark that she would return the threatened punishment wholeheartedly at her earliest convenience, but it wasn't easy.

"And second," Celestia continued, "what we're supposed to do is what we honestly believe is best. Not best for ourselves, but for the best of our subjects and nation, no matter how unpleasant it may be. Our ponies look to us for guidance and protection, and we owe such to them."

"Meaning what, precisely? What am I supposed to do in this situation?" Luna asked pointed, the hairs on her back starting to bristle under Celestia's feathers as she spoke.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that question, Luna, it's not my call. But know that whatever decision you make, I'll support you in it," Celestia assured her.

"Comforting, but hardly helpful," Luna mumbled, already knowing that there would be no easy answers to be had.

She didn't want to give up the search for the missing foals. But how much longer could she afford to keep traversing the same areas over and over again. How many bad dreams could she allow to go unattended? How much longer would her own mental health hold out?

She didn't know. But sooner or later, she would have to come to a conclusion, be it right or wrong.

"Perhaps it would be best to see to our guest, and make sure that she is alright," she suggested, deciding it was about time to change the subject.

And if Princess Twilight had found herself in Ulquiorra's presence during the night, perhaps it was even more important to check on her as soon as possible. Not that she didn't trust him, but...

On second thought, the less said on the matter, perhaps the better.

One quick adjusting of celestial bodies later, the two sisters began the search for their guest.

The library had been the most logical place to begin, under the assumption that Princess Twilight shared similarities with their Twilight. And in addition to being the most logical place, it had also turned out to be the correct one, much to the surprise of nopony whatsoever.

The surprise came later as the sisters approached, and were able to properly survey the situation before them, taking in details that hadn't been immediately available when they'd first entered the large room.

The purple alicorn before them looked quite haggard as she sat on one of the benches, next to a table filled with stacks of books and numerous pieces of notebook paper in various states of being crumpled up and discarded.

Ulquiorra was presently nowhere to be seen, but they knew he was still somewhere; both due to their own experience on the matter, and simply being able to feel his presence.

The sound of a piece of paper being torn from its book, crumpled up, and subsequently tossed aside, brought the attention back to Twilight as she looked dissatisfied with whatever she was presently working on.

"Problems?"

The sound of Celestia's voice served to snap the other alicorn out of whatever her present thoughts were, causing her to jerk in surprise as she turned her attention to them.

"That would certainly be one way of putting it, I guess," she sighed and slouched on her seat. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear either of you come in. I guess I've been a little distracted with my thoughts."

"Yes, I can see that," Luna said as she looked over at the pile of discarded papers, before looking back at Twilight again. "You look quite tired. Did you rest at all last night?"

"Is it morning already?" Twilight asked. But rather than wait for an answer, she closed her eyes and raised her head as the tip of her horn started to glow. "Huh. It really is morning. I guess I wound up losing track of all time. But to answer your question, I did manage to get a few hours of sleep before pulling an all nighter. Thank you for the use of your bed, it was exquisitely comfortable, and probably did me more good than anything else. Oh! You won't need to change the linen before turning in, though; I wound up falling asleep right on top of the comforter almost as soon as I laid down on it."

Luna just smiled softly as she shook her head. "It would not be the first time I shared my bed with a friend. Hopefully it will not be the last, either. Rainbow Dash and I shared a fair number of naps together during her stay at the palace."

Again, Twilight's attention turned back to Luna at hearing that statement.

"That honestly sounds like an interesting story. I'd love to ask for details. But..." she sighed and slowly returned her attention back to what she was working on. "I have to tend to this first."

"If you don't mind my asking, what exactly have you been working on for so long?" Celestia asked as she once again looked at the pile of discarded papers.

"It's a list of every incident that I can recall, that's transpired since my arrival in the Ponyville of my reality. Ranging from the minor incidents that could end a friendship, all the way up to the potentially cataclysmic situations that could very well spell doom for the entire world. Along with details about how each incident was resolved, and what came about as a result of the resolution," Twilight explained.

"And all of the crumpled papers?" Luna asked.

"Revisions as they come to mind," Twilight clarified. "Along with a cost/benefit analysis to go along with the list of events, weighing out the positives and negatives that could arise as a result of them being addressed in a different manner from how they were addressed in my world. As well as a sort of grading system of how the outcome may differ, based on the level of intervention ranging from; doing absolutely nothing and allowing events to play out as they otherwise would, low level intervention such as talking to the parties involved before their plans can come to fruition, all the way up to allowing Ulquiorra to... neutralize potential threats with overwhelming force.

"But the calculations required to figure out how things might be changed, either positively or negatively are... admittedly more complex than even I can account for. At this point it's little more than just a best guest estimate on my part, based on what I know from my own world. Which might not even be applicable in this world, meaning I could just be completely wasting my time."

"I'm not the least bit surprised. That sounds like quite the undertaking," Celestia stated as she stepped closer, both to rest one of her wings on the smaller alicorn's back, and to get a peak at just what the list entailed. "You seem to have found the answers you were looking for when it comes to providing assistance."

"I wish that was honestly the case, but I'm afraid it's not," Twilight replied and gave a tired sigh. "I wasn't prepared for what Ulquiorra told me last night. I wasn't prepared for it at all..."

Celestia frowned at hearing this, as did Luna, as they both waited to see if Twilight felt like being forthcoming, or if she needed the answer coaxed out of her before she could speak.

But Luna's patience was wearing thin right now, and she decided a friendly nudge was in order.

"What exactly did he tell you, that sent you down this particular path?"

Twilight didn't immediately reply, as she seemed preoccupied with hesitantly biting at her bottom lip, as if she were afraid to even speak up. Her eyes moved from side to side, almost like she was looking for someone or something.

It was only after much hesitation, did she finally speak up in response.

"Among other things that were discussed over the course of last night... was the library. The Golden Oaks Library specifically," she said, softly and slowly. "Back in the reality I came from, it was destroyed in a villain attack that I couldn't stop. I just barely had time to grab Owloicious and teleport out before we were blown to bits right along with it. I had to watch as the building that'd served as my home for so long, was reduced to nothing but a smouldering pile of embers, along with everything housed within that held a sentimental value to me. The gown Rarity made me when we all attended our first Grand Galloping Gala together, the yellow dress she made me for by birthday... all of it just gone in a flash..."

Slowly, she looked back up at them with traces of moisture in the corners of her eyes as she spoke.

"I know this isn't my world. No matter how much it might look, and feel, and even smell like it, I simply don't belong here. But I simply cannot, in good conscience, just stand by and let that happen all over again; not if it can be prevented by sharing what I know. I could never forgive myself if I returned home, knowing that I could spare a version of myself that same heartache that I had to go through, but didn't speak up because I was too afraid of what might happen if I did. I was appointed as the Princess of Friendship, and I'd be entirely unworthy of holding that title, if I didn't do something to help potential friends in need; even if that friend turns out to be me."

It wasn't narcissism to be friends with another version of herself, was it? Technically the two of them weren't the same pony, they were just... extremely similar in a lot of respects, but leading entirely different lives. Saving the library from destruction wouldn't be any less a matter of helping a friend in need, than stopping Applejack's home from being destroyed... would it?

"I certainly can't fault your reasoning," Celestia replied as she rubbed at the smaller alicorn's back. If she suddenly found herself in a position to warn her past self, or an alternate past version of herself, about the circumstances that took her sister away from her, she wouldn't have been able to resist taking the opportunity. "What about these other incidents, though? Are they all related to the destruction of the library?"

Twilight shook her head in response, but made no effort to move away from the touch on her back.

"The more I thought about the matter, the more I realized it would be incredibly selfish of me to only intervene on my counterpart's behalf. So I realized that once I reached the conclusion I had to help her out, I had to extend the same courtesy of thought to everypony equally. So that's what I'm doing. And all the while hoping that I'm not in over my head on this one."

"If you feel that you are-" Luna started.

"I'll be alright. Thank you for your concern, though," Twilight interrupted. "I just wish I had some idea of whether I was making things better or worse for your reality by doing this. I think it was around two in the morning when Ulquiorra finally came around to the idea of telling me about what he could regarding the history of this reality. It was very informative, but also very concerning. There are significant differences at play, and I don't know how they might affect everything in the long run.

"Back in my world, Nightmare Moon was just Princess Luna giving into years of resentment and anger at being shunned by Equestria, but here she was apparently an independent, parasitic entity that took control of Princess Luna. Or in the case of Queen Chrysalis, she's still currently alive and was a legitimate threat for years after her initial defeat, whereas in this reality she's dead. Not only dead, but considerably lacking by comparison, if Ulquiorra's evaluation is trustworthy enough to go by. The Chrysalis back in my reality would've never fallen for such a weak ploy at trickery that this one did. She never would've believed he had defected to serve her, even if brainwashing was in play."

The look Luna gave Celestia in response, was quickly shut down by the sour look Celestia gave her in return.

"But at the same time, this difference could end up being a good thing. If the Chrysalis in this world is dead, she can't go on to become a member of the League of Villains that we faced, so it might not even be possible for them to form in this world. That could spare this reality a great deal of pain and suffering in the future. Ulquiorra might only need to kill one villain to keep Equestria safe, rather than several. It's those sort of differences that've prompted so many revisions."

Neither Celestia nor Luna were quite certain how to respond to this news, leaving them looking at one another in confusion in hopes that one of them would be the first to actually speak up.

The only sound that really served to interrupt the awkward silence, was that of Twilight's pencil moving briskly across the page's surface as she wrote something else down.

"Well then. If you don't mind my asking, hypothetically of course, who exactly would Ulquiorra have to kill in order to ensure Equestria's safety?" Celestia asked, finally being the one to properly break the awkward silence.

The explanation on Twilight's part was more or less a repeating of the one she'd given last night. Although the words flowed a bit easier the second time around, now that she was in a more comfortable and familiar sort of company, and from being fairly certain that the worst degree of damage had already been done the previous night when she'd told Ulquiorra everything she could about the Storm King.

The fact that said company was more comfortable and familiar, may or may not have motivated her to open up and share a bit more detail about everything she knew regarding the incident, than she could've brought herself to say previously.

"Well now. I certainly wasn't expecting that," Celestia replied. "Thank you for sharing this information with us, my young friend, I'm certain this will go a long way in helping us out."

"I hope so," Twilight sighed, before glancing back at her notes. "That particular incident got its own subsection of notes, detailing everything that came about from our adventures, including the allies we met along the way."

"I'll be certain to review them, once you believe they're completed to your satisfaction," Celestia assured her.

"If I may ask," Luna spoke up, "your account of this "Tempest Shadow" pony has me confused. Does your world not possess the means to replace a broken horn?"

Twilight could only shake her head in response to the question.

"I mean... in one alternate timeline that I saw, Equestria was at war with the Crystal Empire under King Sombra's reign, and in that scenario we had the technology to produce prosthetic wings so pegasi could continue to fly. So I suppose the notion is possible at some point. It could simply be that my Equestria hasn't yet learned of this breakthrough if it's already happened. Even now there's still a lot of territories we haven't made proper contact with yet."

"Then before I turn in for the day, I will speak with Doctor Manidular Malar in the infirmary, and ask for him to speak with you on the subject. He will be far more capable of directing you to the texts on the matter, and perhaps naming the experts who specialize in the procedure. With all that you are doing for us, it would only be fair that we do something for you in return," Luna stated. "And I can think of no better place to start, than what we know about fixing a unicorn's broken horn."

Despite how she currently felt, Twilight couldn't help but smile warmly when she heard this. Although her good mood was almost immediately tempered as something else came to mind.

"Wouldn't Ulquiorra object to sharing such information, on the grounds it could put the safety of this Equestria at risk?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if he did. But the most he can do is simply object, he doesn't really have the authority to prevent us from doing such if we wish," Celestia assured her. "But on that subject, I would like to speak with him about a few matters. Do you happen to know where he might be?"

"Acquiring breakfast from the palace mess hall for our guest."

All three alicorns jumped or otherwise flinched in response to intrusion of another party to the conversation, before turning to the sound of the voice and seeing Ulquiorra standing there, regarding them with the same dull expression he always wore, holding a tray of food with his right hand while his left was tucked away in his pocket.

Only he could be in the act of carrying a tray of food in the same fashion as a waiter at a high class restaurant, and still look like a badass while doing so.

"If she is anything like this reality's Twilight Sparkle, she'll end up becoming so absorbed in her research and reading, she won't think to stop and eat on her own," he spoke as he approached their position. "One blueberry bagel, lightly toasted, with Fillydelphia cream cheese. One cup of black coffee. Two eggs, scrambled. Three pieces of crispy hay bacon. One piece of rye sausage. And one side of hash browns," he concluded, before setting the tray down on the table in front of where Twilight sat.

"... As much as I'd like to object to that assessment on the basis of it being rude, even I can't deny just how accurate that is," Twilight stated calmly, before practically thrusting her notes to the side, and picking up one of the bagel slices with her magic to chomp down into it.

"Very considerate," Celestia noted, before turning to face him directly and step forward. "Ulquiorra. Did you write Twilight to inform her about recent developments?"

"The fact such a question is being asked indicates you already know the answer to it," Ulquiorra retorted as he turned to face her in turn, his hands once again securely in his pockets. "Thus making the question entirely pointless on your part to ask. So one can't help but wonder why it would even be asked in the first place."

Celestia tried not to facehoof in response. Somehow, she felt like she should've expected that.

"I would've appreciated if you'd at least consulted with me first, before deciding to go that route," she stated.

She knew from the moment she opened her mouth that she'd said the wrong thing. She knew it when she saw the look Ulquiorra gave her as he turned his head ever so slightly to better affix his gaze on her. It was a look she hadn't been on the receiving end of in quite some time, and had almost allowed herself to believe she wouldn't be again. Almost.

"Had you advised me to leave Twilight Sparkle in the dark regarding recent developments over the last eighteen hours, I would've gone about meticulously picking apart such a position, and explaining precisely why such an approach was not only inherently idiotic, but potentially dangerous as well, all before proceeding to inform her regardless of your objections on the matter. You know that, I know that, the readers know that," he pointed out, with all the dull ruthlessness he was so well known for. "There was no point in wasting either of our time with a pointless procedural endeavor when we both know what the outcome would ultimately be. Twilight Sparkle was informed of what she needed to know in order to mentally prepare herself for the inevitable meeting, and you were spared the additional mental strain that would've interfered with your ability to rest peacefully."

Celestia grunted in response, doing her best to bite back a reactionary response as she tried to think of something that was far more diplomatic, and appropriate for the role of a ruler; something that she'd have to project far sooner than she cared for.

"While I appreciate your consideration," she began as she settled on sarcasm, "your decision to act has caused its own problems. Twilight wrote back last night, just before I had turned in, and she's already asking questions. Very hard, very difficult questions, that I don't know how to respond to."

"Truthfully would seem the most appropriate course of action," Ulquiorra idly pointed out.

Celestia's response came in the form of an annoyed huff.

"Be that as it may, you and I both know Twilight well enough to understand she doesn't always do well under stress. And there are times when giving her weeks or months of advanced warning to worry and stress over factors that're beyond anypony's control, will only serve to do her more harm than good in the long run. And you and I both know her well enough, to know that she doesn't do simple preparation, but rather goes all out in her commitment to trying to resolve a situation all on her own. Contrary to what you might believe, I'm trying my best to do what's ultimately for the best; not just for her sake, but for everypony's sake at large," she practically growled. "And whether you choose to believe it or not, that concern includes your sake as well. So I would appreciate at least a little more consideration, before you go charging off by yourself and operating in what you might think is the best manner."

"You were given consideration. As were Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Applejack's family. All of you were taken into consideration when the decision was made to inform the Twilight Sparkle of this reality about the appearance of her counterpart," Ulquiorra replied calmly.

Celestia paused, sensing an explanation was incoming. And right now she didn't want to miss just how he was going to justify this one.

"First, Applejack and her family are in much closer proximity to Twilight Sparkle than any of us, due to the location of Sweet Apple Acres in relation to Ponyville, as well as the fact the family regularly does business in the Ponyville marketplace, meaning they have a far greater likelihood of interacting with Twilight Sparkle on a day-to-day basis. Even before becoming the bearer of the Element of Honesty, Applejack's skill in deception is sorely lacking. If she felt the need to keep yesterday's events a secret from Twilight Sparkle, this would put a significant degree of strain on her, possibly making Twilight sparkle suspicious as a result. By preemptively informing her, the two can operate more openly as they will both be in the same page.

"Second, while it's accurate Twilight Sparkle doesn't do well under stress without the assistance of her friends, she has shown a remarkable degree of mental resilience under the right circumstances, such as when she believes a friend is in need; in the immediate aftermath of Rainbow Dash falling victim to Nightmare Moon, she switched from despair to determination in the span of a minute as she concocted a plan for how we should proceed. She's capable of handling this development, but she's in need of time to prepare herself for meeting with another version of herself; she doesn't need a surprise visit at the library where she opens the door and comes face-to-face with an alicorn version of herself. If her immediate response is to assume she's meeting with a changeling, she may react with violence.

"Third, you're in the unenviable position of having an entire kingdom to run and maintain. You have enough responsibilities to deal with as it is, without the added burden of trying to determine the ideal time to inform your student about this development; especially when taking into consideration your ongoing efforts towards reestablishing trust with her in the wake of the fallout following the second changeling invasion. By being informed immediately, even if by me rather than you, she won't have grounds to question whether or not you've disregarded those efforts for the sake of some ulterior motive. And considering the wild leaps in logic she's been known to make in the past, such a development couldn't be ruled out as being a possibility."

The certainty Celestia had in her position just a moment ago no longer felt as firm as it had been just a moment ago. Right now the only certainty she had on the matter, was that her facial features were betraying her current state.

Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Ulquiorra had given this whole matter at least as much thought as she had, but from an entirely different point of view than her own. Honestly, to her at least, it -almost- sounded like he'd evaluated everything from the perspective of one looking out for their friends. Perhaps it was a stretch to believe such, but she would take what she could get right now.

"Yes, well... please remember that not every responsibility in the kingdom falls squarely on your withers alone. Er, shoulders. I don't expect you to do everything by yourself, even if you feel the need to. You have friends who will help you when you need it, provided we know when that is."

"If the situation and circumstances permit for such."

As the two battled it out verbally, Luna simply stood by the side of their guest and watched, glancing back and forth between Celestia and Ulquiorra as the duked things out with their words. And all the while feeling conflicted as it unfolded. As much as she loved her sister, she would be lying to herself if she said she didn't somewhat enjoy seeing Ulquiorra running circles around her, and demonstrating how she wasn't always the smartest.

But at the same time, she certainly appreciated the rare times when even Ulquiorra had to concede the fact that he wasn't always right. There were times his intelligence was simply annoying, and made her want to kick him. So seeing him concede had an appeal all its own.

Was she playing both sides of the field? Oh absolutely! Did she feel bad about it? Not in the least. She knew when push came to shove, both parties would drop their mutual differences and be at each other's side in a moment's notice, ready to do whatever was necessary of them.

But her entertainment with the engagement was tempered with a glance towards their guest as she just sort of sat there, staring with an uneasy look on her face while most of he food sat untouched on the tray.

Perhaps breakfast hadn't been the best time for the two to engage in their mutual combativeness.

"Is he always like that?" Twilight finally asked in a soft, uncertain voice, as she turned to Luna while gesturing at Ulquiorra with her right foreleg. "Princess Celestia had a valid complaint about his conduct, and him overstepping his bounds by going behind her back to do something she didn't want him to do. She had every valid reason to be displeased with him, and what he did.

"And instead of wilting under her scowl like even professional and hardened nobles back in my reality have, he just stands there, with the nerve of looking utterly bored in the process, before not only explaining why he did what he did, but actually listing off reasons why he was right in doing what he did, and why consulting with her beforehoof would've been wrong. Granted they were good reasons, but that's beside the point! He's treating Princess Celestia like she's his secretary rather than his superior, he easily reduced her to the one wilting, and practically apologizing to him for taking issue with his going behind her back!"

All eyes in the room were now on Twilight in the wake of her statement. And now she suddenly felt like now had potentially been the wrong time to speak up, with Ulquiorra still in the room and able to hear what she'd just said.

Luna responded by extending a large, downy wing, and patting the younger alicorn on the back.

"I am afraid that he is," she replied. "The longer you are a guest in our reality, the more you will come to understand that Ulquiorra Cifer is the biggest asshole in the entire kingdom."

Twilight physically flinched at the assessment, and just how casually it'd been thrown out there.

"He certainly is that," Celestia agreed. "He's also unquestionably loyal, and utterly unwavering in his dedication to keeping Equestria safe from harm. We might not always see eye-to-eye on what the best course of action is, but I've long since come to understand that I can trust him to have our best interests at heart. And given the choice, I'd much rather have rude competence than an incompetent suck up. I have enough of the latter to deal with already in the course of a day."

"If necessary I can do both. However being a suck up will cost extra," Ulquiorra commented in a tone that would make even a desert complain about the degree of dryness to be found within.

Exactly what got the two sisters giggling in response, Twilight didn't really know. She'd have to sort that out later on.

"As to the matter of Celestia being his superior," Luna spoke up as she settled down, "it would be far more appropriate and accurate to regard Ulquiorra Cifer as an equal. As well as a friend."

"But you called him a..." Twilight paused, unable to bring herself to finish that sentence. "What you called him was very rude. That doesn't really sound like something one friend would -or even should- do to another. Especially not when done with all the casualness of taking a breath."

"Perhaps not. But one thing your counterpart stressed during one of our conversations on the subject, is how there's no quintessential, definitive example of what friendship amounts to, that she's ever been able to find. According to her, it's ultimately left up to individual interpretation," Ulquiorra stated, bringing his attention back to her as he spoke. "In my time here, I've been subjected to no less than five different interpretations of what friendship amounts to, and a myriad of differing and even conflicting ideas about what it does and doesn't entail. The very best friendships may very well be those where the mutual parties can freely trade insults with one another, while still knowing they'll have each other's back at a moment's notice if needed, even without being asked."

As Ulquiorra spoke, Twilight sat silently and listened to what he had to say, all the while wearing a confused and slightly wide-eyed look.

She responded by pushing her tray of food out of the way to grab her writing equipment, and quickly flip to a new page before scribbling something down.

"I'm definitely going to have to take that one home with me," she mumbled, before setting the notebook aside again, and returning her attention to the others. "That's one interpretation I've never really considered before. But now that you've said it, it sounds like it makes so much sense! It dabbles into the subject of just how deeply a friendship can go between two creatures with different ideas about what is and isn't appropriate. And if a years-long friendship really could actually be broken by something as simple as one party being rude, was it even a friendship to begin with?"

"I would say it isn't," Celestia commented and gingerly shook her head. "As much as we'd like to believe friendship is an easy to understand matter, I'm afraid they're not as cut and dry, or as sanitized, as we allow ourselves to believe. They're often as nuanced as the ponies themselves who maintain them. And one of the reasons why your counterpart had to learn about them firsthoof, rather than trying to study some overly simplified description in a book, and believing it was all there was to be had on the subject."

Twilight forced herself to bite back a response of just how accurate that assessment was, still not quite ready to go into too many details about how different things were in their reality. Especially not with what Ulquiorra might have to say regarding a specific school; he'd outright eviscerate its legitimacy in a heartbeat.

"Now then. As much as I'd love to answer whatever questions you may have, I'm afraid my schedule for today is very busy, as always. But I do look forward to hearing about what information you can provide us with, and what we can provide you in turn," Celestia continued, but paused in mid-step before she could turn to leave. "If you don't mind my imposing for just a moment. By chance could you tell me which pony was promoted to Captain of the Guard after your brother married Cadence and left to oversee the Crystal Empire?"

Twilight shook her head in response as the pencil in her telekinetic grasp came to a halt.

"To the best of my knowledge, I don't think anypony took over after Shining Armor left. It wasn't exactly a subject I paid much attention to. I know they do a vital service, but at the time I had other pressing matters to focus on."

"Of course," Celestia sighed, figuring it couldn't possibly be that easy. "That leaves me with conducting more interviews to find the most qualified applicant. Unless of course Ulquiorra wants the position."

"Ask the guards if they want me in charge of their training regimen, and you'll have your answer," Ulquiorra shot back without missing even half a beat.

"I thought not. Very well then," Celestia sighed again. "I'd best take my leave now. I still need to get breakfast before my day starts. Luna, behave yourself. Ulquiorra, behave yourself. Princess Twilight, don't allow these two to try and talk you into doing anything you're uncomfortable with. I swear there are times they act more like conspiring siblings than anything."

Luna pulled back at Celestia's parting jab as she left the library, before turning to better face Ulquiorra.

"She is not exactly wrong. You do possess a certain elder brother quality about you," she stated with a hint of mirth in her voice as she tried not to smirk.

"There's no need to get insulting," Ulquiorra retorted flatly.

The entire exchange had been weird for Twilight to observe. And the fact she was now left alone with the two of them, in light of Princess Celestia's parting words of advice -or maybe warning- had motivated her to quickly return her focus to breakfast, as if it were the most interesting thing in Equestria right now. Maybe if she was busy eating, they might leave her alone for the time being, and not involve her in any shenanigans.

Had she known exactly what course the conversation was going to take, she might've thought otherwise.

Once Luna was certain Celestia was no longer in earshot, she began speaking again, but in a quieter and much more serious tone than previously.

"You are aware of this whole "Storm King" issue, correct? This is not exactly the sort of situation we can just stand idly by and ignore. How do we proceed? What is the best course of action for us to be taking?"

"A mere three months ago, I would've proceeded straight with killing him outright and being done with the matter before any discussion on the matter could even be had," Ulquiorra stated bluntly. "But the corrupting influence of you ponies continues to prove greater than I could ever anticipate. And while execution may still be the best course of action in the end, we will have to consider other possibilities first. Find the Storm King, determine what similarities he does and doesn't share with his alternate version, and reevaluate if necessary."

"I am not opposed to resolving a situation without bloodshed. But how do we go about actually finding the Storm King in order to attempt such?" Luna asked. "I have never seen a yeti before, much less even heard of one; before today I did not even know that such a species existed."

"By focusing our efforts on finding Tempest Shadow. If we find her, then we find the Storm King, and we can proceed accordingly."

"Um... I don't know if that would actually work out."

Despite Twilight's best efforts at seeming inconspicuous while she ate breakfast, she'd been wholly unable to really tune out the conversation. And what she'd heard, she didn't particularly like. What she hadn't yet eaten could wait until later, as this was more important.

"I'm guessing you have some sort of paranormal/otherworldly manner of finding Tempest that I wouldn't properly understand. But leaving the discussion of how that might work aside, even if you do manage to find her, the odds are good she won't actually be at the Storm King's location at any given moment. She's sort of his best enforcer, sent out in advance to weaken the defenses of an area his forces are going to conquer and pillage, because he's too much a filthy coward to do it himself. She's... very good at what she does; how easily she took down Canterlot is proof of that. Even if you do find her, she's likely to be out in the field, far away from whatever base of operations the Storm King maintains. So you'd be back at square one in that regard.

"And if all things being equal, I don't really see even you being successful in convincing Tempest to help you find her boss so you can kill him. Her loyalty to him, in the hopes of restoring her horn, is too unwavering to just be broken by talking. Even when he betrayed her to her face and said he was just using her, she still didn't want to believe that he'd be that low. I just don't see it happening, either through words or brute force. And if you did try to convince her, she'd likely just kick you in the face and tune out whatever you had to say."

"All she would receive for her efforts would be a broken leg," Luna mumbled in response, before clearing her throat as she spoke up louder. "You need not concern yourself about such details, my young friend. We will tend to the logistics of making everything work, all you need to do is tell us what you can, and we will take it from there. We have ways of convincing even the stubbornest of ponies."

Twilight felt an uneasy lump forming in her throat that necessitated a hard effort at swallowing back down. The way Luna has phrased that last sentence had sounded far too ominous for her liking.

"I honestly hate even having to ask this. But with how different this world is from mine, I think I might need to ask it, before we go any further," she clarified. "You wouldn't actually torture Tempest, would you?"

"We don't do that here," Ulquiorra stated bluntly before Luna even had the chance to respond. "Torture is nothing more than an inefficient waste of time stemming from sadistic tendencies, and yields no worthwhile results to warrant its use in the first place. It does nothing more than motivate the victim to tell whatever lie the torturer wants to hear the most, simply to make the pain and suffering end."

How exactly an answer could be simultaneously comforting and concerning, Twilight couldn't say for certain, but it had been.

"That's... good to know," she replied, doing her best the keep the unease out of her voice. "But if you're planning on getting Tempest to help you find the Storm King, how exactly are you going to do that? How can you get her to agree with that plan, if you aren't going to try and force her to?"

The look she received from him in response was an entirely different degree of unsettling, and was only made all the worse by the resulting silence.

Author's Note

Problematic weather is problematic.

Better to submit something incomplete now, than not be able to submit something complete later.

Chapter One Hundred Twenty One

Chapter One Hundred Twenty One

"Well now..."

Rarity's brow furrowed as she scanned the note currently held before her, trying her best to make sense of it. Failing to achieve that, she made a second pass over it, this time reading more thoroughly, even squinting a bit as if the act would add some much needed clarity to exactly what she was reading.

This was certainly not what she'd anticipated encountering when she'd stepped into the library to ask Twilight if she was up to a luncheon date at the local cafe. But anticipated or not, it was still the situation she currently found herself in. And in all honesty, it wasn't a situation she was particularly willing to pull herself out of; not after seeing the state her friend was currently in.

"Well now," she repeated as she slowly took her attention away from the letter, and brought it back to Twilight who stood before her, anxiously holding the note aloft for reading. "So it would seem that happened."

Twilight nodded, before setting the letter back down on the library's central table, where it joined a number of other papers and writing supplies currently sitting in a state of assorted disarray.

"Frankly, darling, I honestly don't know what to say right now. Had it been anypony... anyone other than Ulquiorra writing to tell you this, I'm not certain I would believe it," Rarity stated.

"That makes two of us," Twilight replied, glancing between the letter and her friend. "This raises so many questions. I'm not even sure where to begin with all of them."

"Perhaps the simplest would be the best. How much sleep did you actually get last night after receiving this letter?"

"Would it do me any good if I tried to deny the merit of that question?" Twilight asked.

Rarity simply shook her head in response.

"I didn't think so," Twilight replied and let out a sigh, briefly closing her eyes as she did, before looking back at her friend again. "Very little, actually. I don't even want to think about what my blood/caffeine level is right now. Every time I'd close my eyes and try to rest even a little, my mind would just wander on its own, right back to the questions raised by the letter. After a while I just got fed up with it and decided to start writing stuff down. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate Ulquiorra keeping me informed about what's going on, but his timing sucks. Why couldn't he write me this morning about this sort of development, after I had a full night of sleep to properly focus?"

"Would you have been able to wait if the situation was reversed? Could you have refrained from alerting us to the sudden arrival of another version of any one of us right out of the blue, even if it was in the dead of night?" Rarity asked.

"... No, I don't think I could have," Twilight reluctantly admitted and shook her head, knowing her friend had her there. "I just... I don't know. I'm tired, I'm frustrated, I'm confused, I'm scared, I don't know what to do! I feel like I'm on a treadmill right now, not getting anywhere."

"Hmm," Rarity quietly grunted in thought. "Perhaps a rest is in order then; try to make up for the lack of sleep you got last night."

Twilight shook her head in response, but only after sitting down on her haunches for some added stability.

"As much as I'd like to do that, I don't think I could actually rest. Even if I could theoretically get some much-needed shut eye, I have no idea when this meeting with the other me is actually going to take place. What if she shows up and I'm fast asleep? That would be incredibly rude. What if she gets offended and decides to declare war on our reality in response to being offended by my lack of decorum with regard to meeting her?"

"Oh pish posh," Rarity replied dismissively and waved her left hoof as if she were batting the very notion away like it was but a housefly. "I know you, darling, and you'd never declare war on anypony for any reason. You simply don't have it in you to do something like that."

"I appreciate that assessment. But, Rarity, we're not discussing me. We're discussing an alternate version of me," Twilight stressed as she stood back up again. "This could be a Twilight Sparkle who's actually a conquering warlord seeking to expand her domain, and has her eyes set on our Equestria to plunder for its natural resources to take back home!"

"Well then I wish her the best of luck. If she truly is a warlord, then she's in a very bad predicament," Rarity replied sternly. "First, Ulquiorra's letter makes it sound like she's stranded here, with neither a method for returning to her home, or even an idea of how to get there. Second, she's presently surrounded by three of the most powerful beings our reality has to offer. And third, we have a fully functional set of the Elements of Harmony at our disposal while she most certainly does not. Frankly I can't think of a worse set of circumstances for some would-be conquering warlord to find themselves in."

"... I really do need sleep, don't I?" Twilight eventually asked. "I'm drastically overthinking, underthinking, and wrongly thinking everything. I didn't even stop to consider those facts. I should've seen them immediately for myself. I haven't even met this mare yet, and already I'm suspicious of possible worst-case scenarios we might find ourselves in."

Rarity refrained from responding verbally to the question, as she saw no need for doing such since Twilight already knew the answer.

"It's just... I think I'd be able to rest a lot easier if Celestia would just respond to my letter, and explain what this development might mean for me. I have far too many questions, no answers, and my mind is reeling over all the possibilities."

Again, Rarity refrained from responding, but for an entirely different reason. Whatever her friend had to say was obviously important, and most likely needed to be voiced for her own well being. Interrupting her wouldn't do any good right now.

"Ulquiorra implied they don't know if time travel is involved, meaning there's the possibility this Twilight is from the future, or at the very least one possible future. Does that mean that I'm destined to become an alicorn as well? Am I going to become full royalty and be made responsible for an entire kingdom, just like Cadance and Shining Armor with the Crystal Empire? Am I going to have the same physical immortality as Luna and Celestia, and be forced to watch helplessly as everypony around me grows old and dies until I'm all alone? I-"

Twilight suddenly found herself being silenced as Rarity gently pressed her right forehoof against her lips.

"I understand your concerns, darling, I really do. Frankly you have good reason to be concerned. But Discord himself said that the future of our world is no longer set on a given path. What was to happen is no more. Wherever this other Twilight originated from ultimately means nothing, either for you or the rest of us. Her appearance here is no more indicative of whatever your future may hold, than the leaves at the bottom of a tea cup being read by some fortune teller."

The words weren't as comforting as Twilight would've hoped for, but they were at least something. Something she could at least smile about for what they amounted to.

"Now then," Rarity continued as she removed her hoof and set it back on the floor. "I've known you long enough, to know that alone isn't going to put your mind at ease. So instead I'm going to give you something else of reasonable complexity to focus on. A moment ago you said something about becoming full royalty. What exactly did you mean by that?"

"Oh. Ah," Twilight paused momentarily as she tried to figure out how to best respond to the question. "Well when Shining married Cadance he became a prince consort as a result. And as a result the rest of my family technically became royalty by extension as well. My parents, Spike, even I all more or less have official royal titles, even though we don't actually hold any type of public office. It's all kind of complicated and heavily technical. To give you a proper explanation I'd have to go in-depth into the whole royal hierarchy, and how it's directly affected and impacted by Celestia and Luna refusing to hold a position greater than Princess. It would probably take a couple of hours to adequately and correctly cover all the involved details."

"I doubt either of us have anywhere to be right now," Rarity replied in as supporting a tone as she could manage. "I have the time. And even if I didn't, I'd certainly make the time, especially for a friend."

"I know, and I really appreciate that fact," Twilight replied, unable to keep from smiling at least a little in response. "It's just... really complicated. Complicated and uncomfortable. It's not a topic that I like to discuss, much less even think about. Thinking about myself being royalty... just feels wrong in a lot of ways. I'd much rather think of myself as just Ponyville's simple librarian. Who just so happens to be Celestia's student. And even then, I don't really like mentioning that last part to new ponies. It's like I'm flaunting my status to them, as if it somehow makes me better than them, and just reeks of insecurity in my own self. Back when I was focused on my studies, to the point of excluding everything else, it was one thing. But after coming to Ponyville and making friends with you and everypony else, it put a lot of things into perspective, and made me realize I have a lot of regrets about my previous life."

"Oh, now, none of that," Rarity objected as she stepped closer. "Darling, there's nothing at all wrong in having a sense of pride in who you are, what you are, and what your accomplishments in life may be. You're certainly not ashamed of being Celestia's student, are you?"

Twilight shook her head in response, it more or less being the only thing she could actually think to do when faced by such a ridiculous question. There were certainly things in her life she wasn't exactly proud of, but that was definitely not among them.

"Never ashamed, just a little more conscious of the implications that go along with introducing myself as such. How it could give certain ponies the wrong idea, like I'm an easy mark for them to go about achieving their own goals through me. If you know what I mean..."

"Like the time we were all vying for your extra ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala, and each of us for our own selfish goals," Rarity surmised.

"I didn't want to say it outright. But basically, yes, like that," Twilight replied.

Rarity simply nodded, now having a far greater understanding of what Twilight had been getting at previously.

"We really were horrible, weren't we?" she asked rhetorically, knowing full well that it was the truth. Perhaps it was fitting that their plans had been ruined.

"About as horrible as I was for not telling all of you how and why your plans never would've worked. So let's just call it even on that front," Twilight replied. "I've had to accept that a lot of interactions and business dealings basically boil down to how one creature can use another to benefit themselves in some fashion or another. And despite not liking it myself, I'll admit there are times I've had to do the same thing myself; like when those scientists from Canterlot were here gathering samples, and I "convinced" them to keep me informed of whatever they found. That was one of the things Celestia taught me; sometimes you have to know when to apply your weight with others. But now, in light of these latest developments, I can't help but wonder if lessons like that were because she was grooming me for a leadership position."

"Twilight, darling, you being in a leadership position is the only reason we've survived so many catastrophes around Ponyville. You convey an aura of having a level head and a plan even when everything has gone horribly wrong. If ever there was a pony fit for being in charge, it would be you," Rarity stated.

"That doesn't really make me feel any better. I'm just a single pony, and just as prone to errors as anypony else; Ulquiorra said it best when he said being intelligent doesn't mean you don't make mistakes and screw things up. What if everypony is counting on me and I make a situation exponentially worse because of that fact?" Twilight asked, a slight hitch popping into her voice in the process as she tried to breathe normally.

"Then it'll happen. Just as it's happened with countless other ponies who hold a leadership position, Celestia included," Rarity pointed out and huffed. "Twilight, if I may, I'm going to tell you something that I'm fairly certain you might not want to hear, but may need to hear right now. And I don't want you repeating it to anypony. Am I understood?"

Wordlessly, Twilight nodded in agreement.

"Good then," Rarity replied and stepped closer to her friend, leaning in until her lips were practically touching the lavender fur on her right ear as she spoke in a whisper. "For all of her centuries of supposed wisdom, her game plan for dealing with the second changeling invasion was the biggest, most idiotic fuckup that I've ever seen before in my entire life."

Twilight immediately pulled back in response, practically floored at hearing Rarity swear so freely.

She had long since come to accept Spike, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and even Luna being prone to random bursts of swearing like sailors to differing degrees. But Rarity was a whole different story; one that she hadn't thought she'd encounter out of that one time in their shared dream. Hearing that slip past her friend's lips had hit with a much more precise impact than she was prepared for.

"I greatly respect Celestia, as much as anypony. But we've all learned for ourselves that she's far from perfect. She's just as prone to making stupid decisions as any of us are, and that incident confirmed such to be fact rather than theory. In hindsight there was so much room for error, so many ways everything could've gone horribly wrong for us, and the only reason that it didn't end in total disaster, was because Ulquiorra was there to keep everything on track.

"But, that questionable decision aside, Celestia doesn't let her flaws stop her from being a ruler. She hasn't let her lack of perfection get in the way of doing her best. Frankly, the risk of being wrong is just part of the burden being a leader carries. All that matters is you do the best you can under the given circumstances, and project all the confidence and certainty you can, even if you have to lie through your teeth in doing so. Often time being a competent leader is less about what one knows, and more about keeping others calm rather than panicking when things are going wrong, by keeping everypony's confidence up."

"... Are you trying to talk me out of being an alicorn? Or into it?" Twilight asked, now quite confused.

"I'm trying to lay to rest whatever latent fears you may be playing host to, that the appearance of this other Twilight Sparkle might've stirred up," Rarity clarified. "... Is it working?"

"... Strangely enough, I think it is," Twilight replied and nodded, not quite certain how, but still thankful nonetheless. "I never really thought about it like that before, but it does help put some things into perspective. I think I've known that even Celestia can screw things up, but it's been hard to reconcile that fact against the perfect image she's been cultivating for so long, even though I've witnessed it myself.

"But if she can't do a perfect job, then it's wholly unrealistic for me to expect myself to not do the same thing and fail occasionally; especially during the early days when I'd just be getting started, and getting a feel for everything. I'd actually be setting myself up for failure from the very outset without even realizing it, because of unrealistic expectations and ideals I'd be trying to hold myself to. Thank you, Rarity!"

"No trouble at all," Rarity replied as she reciprocated the incoming hug. "Now then, if it's not too much trouble, perhaps you could do something for me in return?"

"Of course! What is it?" Twilight asked.

"I know you said it's complicated, but could you please tell me what titles you and your family hold as royalty? You've managed to pique my curiosity and I'm having a very difficult time letting the matter go!"

Despite herself, Twilight found it hard not to giggle in response.

"Alright, I think I can do that," she replied and disengaged the embrace in order to better face her friend for the explanation that would follow. "Boiled down into the most basic, simplistic terms of our place in the royal hierarchy, Dad would technically be a baron, while Mom would be a baroness. I'm essentially a duchess, and since he was basically adopted by our parents, Spike is more or less a duke."

Rarity slowly, silently pulled back further as she looked at Twilight, before blinking equally slowly.

"Your... parents adopted Spike?" she asked. Twilight nodded. "Well now I... I didn't really see that one coming. I mean, I knew not long after meeting you that there was some measure of familial chemistry in your interactions, something that just went further than him being your paid assistant. I... guess, what with how you two act around one another, I just automatically assumed that you were the one who adopted Spike and was serving as the parent," she replied uneasily.

Twilight looked at Rarity, eyes wide with disbelief, before quickly shaking her head.

"No, no. Nothing like that. Although I have had to be the parental figure of our little duo, I'm still very much the big sister in this relationship," she clarified. "Although it very nearly ended up otherwise..."

She realized only too late that she'd said that next part rather than thinking it to herself. And now that it was out there in the open, she knew she once again had Rarity's attention, even though she didn't particularly want it.

"Might I ask how?"

The fact the question had been so polite, so simple, so unassuming, honestly didn't help matters. In anything it made the inquiry much harder to resist after everything else.

"Why not? After everything else we've shared this morning, I don't think it could hurt anything," Twilight replied and tried not to sigh too loudly as she prepared to give the explanation. "Do you remember how my entrance exam involved hatching Spike's egg with my magic? Well after he was hatched, we had to do something with him. So for the first two years of his life, Celestia oversaw his raising while I got accustomed to the academics of the School for Gifted Unicorns, although she insisted I tried to spend time with him every day to establish familiarity so he'd know who I was as he got older. I was taught about feeding, changing, bathing, and the rest of the basics that go into caring for infants.

"But after two years of interaction, and seeing how well I was thriving in school, Celestia had the bright idea that I was ready to take over on Spike's care and upbringing full time. At only eight years old. In addition to my schoolwork. Naturally, when they heard that I was going to be a mother at such a young age while still attending school, my parents were... less than thrilled with that idea."

"Yes, I can imagine they would be. Which just goes to reinforce my previous point about how even Celestia can make stupid mistakes," Rarity replied and nodded grimly. "But enough about that subject. We've already established -and quite firmly- Celestia's not perfect, there's simply no need to continue rehashing that particular subject. What you've gotten me more curious about right now, darling, is your current familial standing with Spike. Did your parents simply become his keepers instead of you, or did they actually adopt him in an official manner?"

"Well originally it was just going to be the former. But that idea eventually went south in favor of the current arrangement. It was eventually made official; we had papers drawn up and everything about six months before the Summer Sun Celebration," Twilight explained. "The details of it all are sort of a long, funny, bordering on downright fantastical type of story that sometimes border on being too absurd to take seriously; even in light of everything that's happened the past few months."

"I doubt either of us have anywhere to be right now," Rarity repeated. "If you're not up to sharing, that's perfectly fine. I won't force you. But if it'll help you relax a bit more so you can rest, I'll all ears."

Twilight visibly mulled over the matter, chewing at her bottom lip as she tried to determine just what she wanted to do. And how much of Rarity's generous nature she was willing to push.

"I'll... tell you later," she eventually replied, honestly just not feeling up to telling that particular story right now. "I need rest. But in order to get rest I need answers, so I need them both at the same time. And right now I really wish Applejack could be here. But that's not going to be until later tonight."

"Well... I may not be Applejack. But could I make do in a pinch?" Rarity asked.

Twilight slowly looked back at Rarity, trying to decipher the meaning behind her words. They sounded like it was something simple, but so help her she just couldn't grasp it! Why did she have to have her brain in such a haze when she was tired!?

"Huh?"

"Darling, you need rest, even if just for an hour or so. And if having a warm body close by is what's needed to help you rest easier, then I'd be lax in my generosity duties if I didn't do whatever I could to help," Rarity explained. "So... you just mosey yourself on upstairs and lay down for a nap you hear, sugarcube."

In a moment she wasn't particularly proud of, Twilight snorted in response before breaking into giggles.

"That's the worst Applejack impersonation I've ever heard."

Rarity frowned in response. Or at least tried to frown. Then she tried to pout. And then she tried simply to not succumb to her own amusement.

"I suppose you could do better?"

"Ah, not even to save my life," Twilight admitted. "Rainbow Dash is the only one I know that can pull off passable impersonations well enough."

"Yes, well, I believe we're getting off track. You need rest, and as your friend I'm going to do whatever is needed to help you with that. So upstairs you go, and I'll be right behind you," Rarity insisted firmly, all but physically nudging Twilight in the direction of the library's loft.

POP

The two hadn't even managed to set hoof up the stairs before being alerted to the sound and flash of a teleportation occurring inside the library. Bringing their attention to Celestia currently standing in the middle of the floor, just to the side of the table that sat there.

"So close," Rarity mentally grunted as Twilight abandoned the plan in order to dive towards Celestia to embrace her. That mare needed her rest, and now it was going to be even harder to get her to lay down and catch up on some much-needed sleep.

"I honestly didn't expect you to actually be showing up," Twilight stated from her current position as she loosened her grip around Celestia.

"In honesty, I wasn't exactly planning to, either," Celestia admitted. "But considering the subject matter, I felt it was best to address it face to face, rather than through back and forth correspondence."

"I really appreciate that," Twilight replied and set back down on her hooves again, grateful that the delay involved with writing and sending letters wasn't going to be a factor. "I have so many questions, I don't even know where to properly begin. This other Twilight, her future, my future... it's all making my head spin over the possibilities. And the possible possibilities."

"I understand your concerns, my young friend. And I'll do my very best to answer your questions," Celestia assured her.

And then she noticed they weren't alone, as Rarity was also in the room with them. Making her nearly frown in response.

"Rarity, perhaps it would be best if you took your leave for the time being. As I'm sure you understand, this is a very... difficult subject to discuss..."

"I have no doubt about that, Your Highness," Rarity agreed and nodded. "However, I'm afraid I can't leave just yet. You see, I have a friend who needs my help at the moment, and I don't believe it would be right to abandon her, just because the subject of discussion is uncomfortable. What sort of friend would I be if I did that?"

Once again, Celestia wanted to frown in response. She also wanted to explain why it would be in Rarity's best interest to leave them alone. She even wanted to point out that it was well within her authority to order her departure.

But one look at Twilight, who was all but silently pleading with her, made doing that impossible.

"Very well then," she reluctantly agreed and sighed in defeat. "I respect your dedication, however your timing in this case is quite rotten. What needs to be discussed is a very sensitive matter, and if you're going to be present, that requires reading you in on far more than I was prepared to discuss with Twilight. I must insist that whatever you hear not leave this room. This isn't something you can tell anypony about, am I clear?"

"Quite clear, Your Highness," Rarity confirmed and nodded. "Oh my honor as a lady, I can Pinkie Promise that not a creature shall hear from me, what will be discussed here today."

"I suppose it'll have to do," Celestia reluctantly acknowledged. "I just hope you're actually up for what you'll have to hear. If you regret it later on, there's nothing I can do about it."

Far away, far removed from the relative comforts of the Ponyville library, another matter was unfolding under vastly different circumstances.

The sound of wood creaking and groaning was almost constant, proving to be the most prominent noise that filled the still air, aside from the constant howling of wind blowing outside the safety of the airship, and thankfully dulled by the insulating qualities of the hull of the ship. Maybe not by much, but at least to some degree.

"Urp!"

Unfortunately those same insulating qualities that were masking the severity of the ongoing sandstorm raging outside, were doing nothing to lessen the swaying and shifting of the ship as it was battered by the forces it currently needed to weather. Nor were the anchors that kept it secured near ground level.

For the majority of the crew aboard the ship, the movements of the vessel weren't that much of an issue. Many were even able to sleep through it as if it were nothing. But not all were so fortunate when it came to the ability to tune out and ignore the swaying of turbulence and harsh winds.

"Uh, Boss? You really don't look so good," one particularly short, squatty little crew member of the hedgehog variety spoke up uneasily as he looked on, uncertain of just how to intervene in what he was watching within the confine of the ship's cargo hold.

"I'd be lost without your keen powers of observation, Grubber."

The degree of venom in the response was expected. But not the tone in which it was delivered; it was far too lacking, sounding both strained and tired. It honestly sounded like the very act of getting her gear on was going to be enough to floor her.

"What I mean is... are you sure you wanna go out there right now, Tempest? This sandstorm has been going ever since we arrived in the Badlands. Even before we got here! It doesn't look like it's gonna be letting up anytime soon," Grubber continued.

"That's exactly why I'm going out there," Tempest grumbled, her tone doing a lot to convey she was more focused on slipping into her desert robes for venturing outside, than she was on talking to him. "We've been rocking violently for the last eight hours. I've been throwing up for so long I don't even have any bile left to bring up anymore. I have to get off this ship and onto something solid that's not swaying every five seconds. The sooner we find what we came for, the sooner we can get out of this storm, and back into the clear skies."

Grubber bit at his bottom lip, uncertain if he should approach and help her wrap the coverings around her face, or let her do it by herself. Should he be a good underling and assist her so she could keep her balance, or let her prove that she wasn't helpless even though she was currently airsick and dehydrated?

"That storm's hitting pretty hard though. The gusts ripped the erator right off the bow of the ship," he stated. "We're currently "The Imp" at the moment. Do you know how intimidating that doesn't sound when we roll up on someone to pillage? I don't even wanna think what that storm's gonna do to flesh and bone if one of us sets foot outside."

Tempest's only response was an empty grunt as she sat down on her haunches to steady herself to better pull the goggles down over her face, ensuring her eyes would be safe from whatever debris was currently blowing about outside the safety of the ship's hull.

"If you're not coming then make yourself useful. Drop the gangplank and open the cargo bay doors so I can exit. And stay out of my way."

Gurbber winced. That one had hurt, even without her insulting him. Did she honestly think he'd just leave her high and dry like that, because he was scared?

Well... maybe in some circumstances, especially if his fuzzy hide was going to be directly at risk, but that was beside the point! After everything they'd been through over the years, to just suggest he'd cut and run like that, that was just dirty! Especially now.

If the leads they'd been chasing for the last month were right, then the staff of whatever, was located somewhere in the ruins of whoever, in the Badlands outside of Equestria's borders. And if that was the case, or even if it wasn't the case, she was still going to need him to know for sure. She was going to need him to carry the lantern and the chemical lights so they could see by, the spools of cordage for marking whatever path they took so they didn't wind up getting turned around, and frankly he needed to come along on this outing, in the event of there being a narrow passageway to scurry through.

The simple truth was that she was just too big and bulky to do that on her own. And the Storm Guards that made up the crew of the ship were even bigger and bulkier than she was, so they couldn't be any help even if they weren't resting at the moment! If she tried to traverse the ruins on her own, in her condition, and something went wrong... he didn't want to think about it. No matter how tough Tempest was, a cave in was still a cave in. And the thought of her being buried alive under a pile of collapsed rubble that was dislodged from her trying to traverse an area too small for her, all alone by herself, didn't sit right with him at all.

"Fine, fine, I'll come. Just... let's make sure there aren't any scorpios or sandworms out there first..."

He knew such beasts weren't in the area, as they would've attacked the ship if they had been. But even a couple minutes worth of delay might do them some good and let more of the storm pass.

And then there was a loud, thunderous boom echoing throughout the cargo hold that sent them both jumping in surprise.

Two more booms followed in quick succession, confusing -and scaring- them as they tried to figure out the source of the mysterious noise.

"Is someone shooting at us with a cannon?" Grubber asked.

"Too quick of a succession for cannon fire," Tempest noted as she pulled the cloth covering away from her face, her own nausea temporarily forgotten about in light of this new development. "You'd need an artillery battery to fire that fast."

Before there was time for discussion and debate about the issue of why an artillery battery being set up against them was unlikely, three more booms sounded. And this time they were accompanied by vibrations throughout the ship. Vibrations they could feel through their feet along the floor of the cargo hold. Vibrations that felt as if they were emanating from right around the doors that led to the outside.

Whatever was causing the commotion, was on the other side of the ship's bulkhead. And whatever was out there sounded like it was getting angry, as three more booms suddenly followed, this time significantly louder than the last, and causing even stronger vibrations to course along the floor.

"Grubber," Tempest finally spoke up, feeling if not actually hearing her voice crack in the process. "Get to the controls, and open the bay doors. And then get over to the munitions crates, and get an obsidian orb ready. Now."

"B... Boss?" Grubber asked, his head whipping around to look at her rather than the bay doors. "Shouldn't we be, I don't know, maybe weighing anchor and getting out of here as fast as possible instead of trying to fight!?"

"The gangplank never got deployed. Whatever's on the other side of those doors has to be massive to reach them from all the way down on the ground. And the engines aren't prepped for takeoff, it would take too long to try and flee; we'd be sitting ducks the entire time," Tempest pointed out. "Whatever is out there apparently knows what doors are, it wants inside, and it wants in right now."

Three more echoing booms quickly followed. This time with a degree of force that physically shook the ship like the winds themselves.

"It's going to breach the hull if we don't do something. Get over to the switches and open those doors before they're broken down!" she ordered as the adrenaline coursing through her system gave her a newfound strength to command and direct.

Grubber gulped anxiously, afraid of what they were actually going to be doing, but even more afraid of Tempest's fury if he didn't comply. Faced with such a choice he quickly booked it on all fours over to the controls on the far wall of the cargo bay, before putting all of his weight into throwing the lever to open the bay doors as ordered.

Even though the ship had been aimed into the storm's path upon landing, the howling winds and blowing sand had still found their way around to the aft of the ship the moment the doors had started to creak open outward.

Tempest would never, ever admit it to anycreature, not even willingly to herself, but she was honestly starting to feel scared of whatever was presently on the other side of the ship's hull. Scared to the point it felt like time was creeping by at a snail's pace as the gap slowly appeared and let sand seep in. Scared enough it felt like her chest was being constricted and the air squeezed right out of her lungs by an invisible force.

Scared to the point she was slowly backing away from the doors as she waited for them to open, while blue sparks began falling from her horn as she readied her opening salvo in case Grubber was too slow to get into position.

The bay doors had barely opened even a fraction of their overall size before... something... just casually strolled right through the gap. Something small, and pale, and stood on two legs, with a sword at its side as it wore clothes.

She looked at it. It looked back at her. And then it took its hands out of the pockets at its sides and started making gestures with both hands that indicated it wanted the doors to be closed. Something that Grubber was far too eager to comply with before Tempest could even respond and object to him acting without waiting on her.

Whatever this... thing... was that currently stood before her, it was proving to be far more off-putting than Tempest had initially thought. The way it stood was unnatural. The way it moved was unnatural. The way it was currently looking at her with those green eyes that conveyed conscious thought behind their slit pupils was very unnatural! Just being in its presence was enough to make her legs tremble as she tried to hold them rigid, fearful of what would happen if she actually showed any signs of fear. Even the air in the bay felt like it was bending and recoiling away from an influence that simply had no business existing in their world.

"Are you Tempest Shadow?"

In a less than dignified moment that she positively refused to acknowledge ever happened if she were asked about it, Tempest let out an involuntary yelp of surprise at suddenly hearing the voice of the thing that stood before her, and flinched away as a bolt of unstable magical energy discharged from her horn and exploded on contact in a shower of sparks and a puff of smoke.

It didn't move, didn't blink, didn't even flinch at being attacked. It just continued looking straight at her, with all the zest of somepony waking up on a Monday morning and getting ready to go to work. Dull, lifeless, disinterested in the fact it'd just been attacked and struck with what could've been a lethal strike, and entirely unharmed despite the direct hit!

And then it started advancing in her direction, slowly and methodically. If she could remember how to move her legs, she would've backed up, rather than standing there in shocked terror, with her heart trying to beat out of her chest, and everything seeming like it was moving at a snail's pace.

"Are you Tempest Shadow?" it asked again, as if the entire demonstration hadn't even happened.

"So what if she is!?"

Tempest's own efforts at trying to form coherent words, even getting her mouth to move in accordance with her brain's instructions, were halted from the sudden call behind them.

Looking up, she saw Grubber standing above them on a pack of crates currently strapped down to the bay floor, and clenching an obsidian orb in each hand.

"Bud, I don't know who you are, or even what you are, but we're really bad news, and you really don't wanna mess with us! You take even another step towards her and you're gonna regret it!" he yelled down as he gripped the orbs tighter and raised them over his head. "Do you have any idea just who you're dealing with right now? Who we work for? Do you know what we could do to mess you up!?"

"I know that if you try to utilize those weapons against me, your companion will be caught in the blast radius before she can escape, and will suffer a far worse fate than I will myself. You may wish to rethink your strategy of approach."

It was speaking again. Coherently, and logically. There was actual intelligence behind those eerie green eyes that looked like they could bore into her soul! That just made it all the more off-putting and terrifying, but at the same time it was slightly reassuring that this... thing... wasn't some sort of mindless abomination that had them cornered.

"G-Grubber, stand down!" she called out. "Y-you furry idiot, you just completely gave away the element of surprise! You should've just thrown them and been done with it..."

Grubber's attempts at looking more fearsome than he actually was, crumbled under Tempest's scolding, leaving him looking crestfallen in response. With little choice in the matter, he began climbing down from his perch.

"I grow tired of this inquiries. Are you, or are you not, Tempest Shadow?" the thing standing before her asked yet again.

"That depends on who -and what- is asking," Tempest replied, still trying to get her own nerves under control, which was now proving even more difficult with the thing barely being a pony's length away from her.

The subsequent resulting look she found herself on the receiving end of, was an entirely new sort of disturbing to experience; even worse than she'd seen previously. Just how many layers of disturbing did this thing have to it!? Was this some sort of mutant onion that they were facing!?

"Ulquiorra Cifer, the Primera Espada of Equestria. Currently tasked with protecting the overall well being of the kingdom from various threats," it replied in an all too calm -yet chilling- tone of voice. "You match the overall description that was provided. Your evasiveness in providing a straightforward answer one way or another, as well as the general overall hostility that has been demonstrated, would also strongly suggest you are indeed Tempest Shadow. As well as indicating there are those who are familiar with the name but not the pony behind it, and who would be inclined to engage in violence against yourself if presented with the opportunity."

"Let's... say for the sake of discussion that I am her," Tempest began cautiously. "What business does Equestria have all the way out here, this far in the Badlands? How did they even know where or when to start looking in order to find me out here?"

"Equestria is aware of the existence of the Storm King, and his plot to invade Equestria for the purpose of stealing its magic for his own immature purposes," Ulquiorra explained, getting straight to the point. "I was dispatched to intervene and prevent this development from successfully coming to pass, in an effort to prevent as much bloodshed as possible. It was determined the best way to achieve such, was to find his Lieutenant, and go from there."

Tempest was taken aback by this statement, unconsciously pulling her head back and blinking in response. Had she attempted to physically back up, she would've bumped into Grubber as he stood behind and just to the side of her.

"I don't know whether to be impressed, angered, or terrified by what you just said," she admitted and huffed. "I suppose the jig is up at this point, what with how much you seem to know."

"It is," Ulquiorra confirmed. "I can also tell, with a mere glance, that you haven't accepted the fact that this is over. I already know you're attempting to formulate a way to persevere through this development so that it amounts to a setback, rather than a defeat. You're trying to identify an opening that can be exploited so you can regain control of the situation and neutralize me, because you haven't accepted just how hopeless this present situation truly is for you."

Tempest gulped uneasily at just how thoroughly and effortlessly she was being picked apart. This thing knew what she was thinking now? Did it have mind reading powers or something? Was that how she'd been found out here, miles away from the nearest civilization?

"Whether you follow through on such an attempt, it's none of my business, as it will fail. I'm simply here to deliver two messages. The first, informing you that we know, and have already implemented countermeasures that will result in a great loss of life in the event of an incursion. The second, is as follows."

Neither she nor Grubber had time to scream before what happened next right in front of them.

"I still don't understand how all of this is actually going to work," Princess Twilight Sparkle stated as she uneasily shifted the majority of her weight from one hoof to another in the palace infirmary, as well as looking around the room much like a child would at a doctor's appointment in the moments leading up to their examination. "We're going to tell Ulquiorra what we know, and then he's going to go out and find Tempest Shadow using his, whatever his Hollow techniques are, and tell her what we told him? I'm sorry, but I just don't see how that's actually going to work. We tried talking to her back in my world, and it didn't do any good. She was convinced the Storm King would hold up his end of the bargain to the very end."

Over to her left, Princess Luna shook her head in response.

"Be that as it may, we are not using mere words alone. Rest assured, we are quite prepared on this matter. Ulquiorra has very unique skills, that allow him to share vast quantities of information both audibly and visually. If Tempest Shadow is found, she will not only hear what is being said, but see it for herself as well," she explained.

"Oh!" Princess Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, her reiatsu levels increasing much like they had done with this reality's counterpart. "I actually know the spell you're talking about! I used it to help a friend of my reality's Applejack realize she was being manipulated by her agent for his own, selfish purposes. That's another interesting thing I discovered in my time over in the mirror world. Humans have a technological equivalent of that as well, they call it a video camera. But if I get into the details about video cameras, I'll have to get into the details about cellphones, and every other technological advancement they've made that exceeds ours."

"I'm familiar with the concept of which you speak," he stated in an effort to bring the discussion back to the topic at hand. He knew it would do neither them, nor Tempest Shadow herself, any good to be getting bogged down with details relating to the digital revolution. "There will be time for discussing this later. Simply stay focused on what is needed right now."

Princess Luna nodded in agreement.

"I am certain it is an interesting topic, but Ulquiorra Cifer is right. I only have two hours before I need to turn in for the day, I do not wish to waste it getting sidetracked with other matters," she clarified. "The fact you know this particular spell is quite beneficial. Ulquiorra Cifer possesses his own version, which is what we will be using. She will be privy to this discussion as if she were here herself."

"This discussion, and a great deal more. Everything that is experienced from my perspective, she will experience as well. Sights, sounds, smells, sensations. She will feel for herself not only when you're being truthful, but also when you're being dishonest," he clarified.

Over where Doctor Mandibular Malar stood, there was a physical shudder from the stallion in response.

"That is honestly a disturbing amount of information to find out you can relate to others with ease. It could be a massive violation of privacy."

"You are not wrong, Doctor. But disturbing or not, it is something that must be done in this case," Princess Luna explained as she turned to face him. "When you are ready, merely speak to Ulquiorra Cifer as if you were speaking to Tempest Shadow. He will do the rest. Now then, Princess, if you would please begin."

It was at this point he decided to speak up, as only he knew how things actually needed to proceed.

"Before we begin, it's important to establish a baseline so Tempest Shadow can feel for herself you're being honest in your explanation. To do that I will need two truths and a lie from each of you, in no particular order. Make it a lie that even you don't believe yourself."

The three looked at one another in visible confusion, before Princess Luna nodded, and Princess Twilight Sparkle nodded in turn and looked at him again.

"Alright then. Once I didn't have a weekly friendship report to submit to Princess Celestia, so I panicked and sort of created a friendship problem in the process because I was afraid of being tardy. I absolutely love cheesy quesadillas. And I didn't have my first sleepover with friends until after I'd already moved to Ponyville."

The second one had definitely been the lie. If there had been a visible truth/lie at the time, it would've buried the damn needle in the dishonesty territory.

"I'm Doctor Augustus Manehattan. Raven Inkwell and I once discussed the idea of making Prince Blueblood believe the palace was under quarantine because we didn't want to deal with him. And on more than one occasion I've told Princess Celestia to her face to lay off all the cake she eats because she needs to lose weight."

This time the first one had been the lie. A simple lie, but it qualified regardless. Now all that was left was Princess Luna, and they could continue.

"I prefer coffee to tea. I detest poached eggs. And Celestia and I used to have a brother named Cosmos. But we did not particularly care for Cosmos while growing up. So one day Celestia and I conspired together, murdered him, disposed of the body, and then denied to Mother and Father that we ever had a brother to begin with."

The last one had most definitely been the lie. Along with being the one that sent Princess Twilight Sparkle into hysterics as she snorted with laughter and nearly fell to the ground.

"That was horrible!" she protested, despite her own ongoing amusement.

"And yet you are still laughing," Princess Luna replied with a smirk.

"There will be time for laughter and ridiculousness later. We have business to attend to now," he pointed out. "Princess Twilight Sparkle. Begin."

"Oh! Right!" Princess Twilight Sparkle exclaimed and turned back forward, before clearing her throat in order to start speaking again. "Hello, Tempest. I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle, although I still prefer "Twilight" myself, but that's not really important right now. I know that you and I haven't met, so this is probably real confusing to you. Believe me, it's just as confusing to me as well. Anyway, while I haven't met you specifically, I have met a version of you. I come from a reality that's alternate to this one. I don't know how I got here, and I don't really know how I'm going to get back home. But as long as I'm here in this world, I'm going to help its residents however I can, with the information that I have. We still don't know if time travel was also involved in my arrival here, but based on everything we've seen so far, it's a reasonably safe assumption that something like that might be going on.

"Anyway, let's start with the basics. I just hope the information I got from the Tempest Shadow that I know, applies equally to yourself as well. Although you go by the name "Tempest Shadow" now, your birth name is actually Fizzlepop Berrytwist."

"That is an adorable name!" Princess Luna interrupted with a wide smile.

"Princess Luna, please don't say that, you'll just make her mad if she hears that," Princess Twilight Sparkle stated, before again clearing her throat and turning back forward. "I apologize. Anyway, you were born Fizzlepop Berrytwist in a remote town, far away from either Ponyville or Canterlot. Growing up, two of your best friends were Glitter Drops and Spring Rain. The three of you dreamed of entering Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns together. But that dream was shattered one day when you went to retrieve a lost ball you three were playing with, and wound up losing your horn in an attack by an ursa minor sleeping in the cave the ball went into. After that it just sort of went downhill from there for you. You ran away from your home and your friends, and eventually fell into the service of the Storm King after he promised you he'd restore your horn if you did what you were told. He took advantage of you by offering you hope when you didn't have any for yourself."

Throughout the explanation, he could feel her reiatsu levels fluctuating with her emotional state. To the point she needed to pause and take a breath to better compose herself.

"I don't blame you for what you did, Tempest, not you specifically, or the other you that I actually know. But please believe me when I say the Storm King cannot be trusted. I can't emphasize that fact enough, Tempest, he'll betray you at the very first opportunity he has, once he gets what he wants from you. All your service and loyalty to him, it's going to be for nothing. I wish this wasn't the truth, but it is. And I know it's the truth because I saw it for myself. I was de-powered from having my magic stolen, helpless to do anything but watch as he did so. I know you don't have any reason to believe my words, but I have proof of this. Proof that you need to see before it's too late."

The explanation ceased as Princess Twilight's Sparkle's horn began to glow, and projected what looked like a large viewing screen, similar to what Princess Celestia had done previously. With an initial flicker of static, it began to display an image across its surface. The image of a large, white-furred, bipedal creature, its face covered in gray skin, framing two ice blue eyes. It wore some type of black armor on its body, with what might or might not be horns perched atop its head.

"I'm so totally over the cute pony thing! This! Ends! Now!" the beast on screen declared, before triumphantly raising a staff topped with a crystal towards the sky, and began cackling maniacally as it discharged blue magical energies in the form of what looked like lightning.

The darkened sky began reacting to the discharges of whatever magical energy was at play, with dark -almost jet black- clouds being drawn to the epicenter, as the winds began whipping and slowly but surely forming what appeared to be a tornado.

"Now I truly am the Storm King!" the beast declared boldly, its fists clenched triumphantly as it stared up in marvel of what was forming before him. "And the entire world will bow to my ba-ba-ba BOOM, baby!" it continued as it danced and flexed in place.

"Yes, yes, you are every bit as powerful as I promised, sire," the Tempest Shadow on the screen stated as she walked into view, her armored hooves clopping at the ground with each step she took. "Now, restore my horn, and I swear to use my magic to serve you!" she plead as she bowed before the Storm King.

The Storm King, in turned, laughed manically yet again, accentuated by a perfectly timed lightning strike behind him.

"Who cares about your dinky little unicorn horn?" he asked dismissively and easily swept her aside with his left arm, before walking right past her as if she were nothing.

The look on Tempest Shadow's face was one of utter disbelief, tinged with desperation.

"But... but we had an agreement," she insisted desperately as she ran around in front of him to cut off his path.

"Get with the program!" the Storm King roared, clenching his fists as he quickly bent down until he was at her level, his face right next to hers. "I USED you! It's kinda what I do," he finished dismissively, without even an ounce of sincerity or remorse in his voice, before quickly raising his staff to fire at her.

Tempest Shadow easily dodged the first bolt of magical energy, despite it being fired at such close range. The smoke hadn't even cleared from the burn mark cut into the stone beneath her before a second was fired in succession, which she also dodged. Followed by a third.

By this point it was evident she'd had enough and retaliated, discharging a bolt of unstable magic from her own horn at the Storm King, who blocked with another bolt from his staff. The two clashed in the middle, with an explosion that blew the Storm King back and into a stone wall, while also sending Tempest flying and desperately trying to cling to the stone railing to avoid being dragged off by the winds of the ever-increasing storm.

The point of view shifted from the temporarily downed Storm King and the staff he still clenched, and Tempest Shadow as she desperately clung to the railing with her right front hoof. And then it shifted again, closing the distance as two lavender hooves shot out and latched onto Tempest Shadow's foreleg just as she was pulled away.

"Hold on!" Princess Twilight Sparkle's voice implored from off screen.

"Why're you saving me?" Tempest Shadow asked, a look of pure bewilderment on her face as she stared back at the only one who was currently keeping her from being taken by the storm she'd unwittingly helped to create.

"Because this is what friends do," Princess Twilight Sparkle's voice explained in a soft, warm tone.

He had seen more ponies cry in his time here than he cared to remember to count. The look on Tempest Shadow's face strongly suggested she would be yet another he would have to bear witness to. But instead she smiled. It was a weak, relieved smile, but still a smile regardless.

Princess Twilight Sparkle then pulled hard on Tempest Shadow, bringing back to the supposedly relative safety behind the balcony railing, despite the ongoing storm.

"Aww!"

The point of view shifted away from Tempest Shadow, back to the Storm King as he got back to his feet, and regarded them with utter disgust and contempt.

"Isn't that just so sweet," he cackled mockingly as he stepped closer, before raising his staff to aim directly at them. "Yeah... See ya!"

And then the Storm King was bowled over as the rest of Princess Twilight Sparkle's friends came into view out of nowhere, slamming into him at high speed and sending him flying.

As this happened, the screen went black and disappeared as easily as it'd come into being.

"I know that you don't have any reason to believe me, Tempest. You don't even know me. But trusting the Storm King will only end in disaster for everypony involved. Even if he wanted to, he can't restore your horn, even with the combined magic of four alicorns at his disposal. I'm sorry if this hurts you, but that's just how things are," the Princess Twilight Sparkle that stood before him concluded, both looking and feeling defeated by what she'd been forced to say.

At this, Princess Luna stepped closer to the young alicorn, and extended her left wing for the purpose of rubbing her back in a comforting manner. And then she became quite serious as she turned her attentions towards him.

"Tempest Shadow. I am Princess Luna. You may or may not have heard of me, but that is not of any importance right now. I am deeply sorry for what you have gone through since a young age, and I am equally sorry we did not learn about your situation much sooner. And if you really are in the service of the Storm King like your counterpart was, I implore you to leave immediately, based on what we have come to know. Leave his service, come to Equestria with Ulquiorra Cifer, and we will see to it that everything in our power is done to replace your horn. You do not deserve the abuse and treachery that will come from serving this fucking idiot that deems fit to call himself a king!"

Princess Twilight Sparkle's mood was immediately disturbed by the sudden swearing on Princess Luna's part, making her pull back and gasp as she looked at her in disbelief.

"Was... was it really necessary to swear like that?" she asked uneasily.

"In this case it was most definitely necessary. One of our subjects has been stolen, mistreated, deceived, and she is destined for being stabbed in the back as payment for all of her years of hard work. I will not stand for such a travesty being allowed to transpire under my watch. It was bad enough when it was Nightmare Moon who was doing it. If Ulquiorra Cifer does not kill this bastard then I will do it myself for what he has done to her!" Princess Luna practically roared as her reiatsu flared, to a degree it was starting to prove painful against his skin.

Whether or not it would interfere with his readings, he didn't yet know. Only time would tell if he would be able to provide an accurate reading.

"Tempest Shadow, you deserve better than the secondhoof snake oil that is being peddled here. And you will receive it even if I must orchestrate everything myself! Now, Doctor Mandibular Malar, please take over and tell her what we can do to help her, before I end up losing my composure entirely!"

The stallion in question nodded where he stood, understandably uneasy after what he'd just witnessed, and presently still was witnessing as Princess Luna was still visibly fuming as she tried to calm down. But regardless, he cleared his throat, before stepping forward to begin speaking.

"Miss Shadow, Doctor Mandibular Malar, I've been in medicine for over thirty years and have treated all manner of ailments and injuries, ranging from the mundane to the severe. I'm sorry to hear about your horn, I know how much of a loss that can be for a unicorn to suffer. I don't know how much knowledge you may or may not have regarding the development of medical magic and science, so I'll spare bogging you down with the minute details for the time being, and get straight to the point. We can grow you a brand new, fully functional horn from synthetic crystal."

"Wait, what?" Princess Twilight Sparkle asking, her unease immediately forgotten about as curiosity exerted itself over her, bringing her focus and attention to the stallion. "You can actually do that? You can substitute crystal for horn material? How!? And what exactly is synthetic crystal? How does it differ from natural crystal?"

"Princess Twilight Sparkle," he spoke up, knowing that if he didn't intervene now, this entire discussion could last for much longer than was necessary. "The entire purpose of this meeting is to benefit Tempest Shadow, not yourself. You can inquire about the technical details of the process at a later point. She does not need to be subjected to a lecture at present."

In less than a second, her entire demeanor changed, and essentially deflated in response as her reiatsu levels dropped, and her ears folded against her skull.

Doctor Mandibular Malar frowned in response, giving a nonverbal growling of some sort in response, before turning his attention back forward again.

"Now that I think about it, Miss Tempest might benefit from knowing something about the process, just so she understands it's a valid procedure. We basically take a sample of a pony's blood, and inject it into synthetic crystal while it's still in liquid form. This basically custom tailors the finished product to that specific pony, and makes it as much a part of them as any other body part may be, just not organic. After that it's more or less just a matter of making a mold, and surgically attaching it to her stub to render it functional."

"And that actually works?" Princess Twilight Sparkle asked, her mood somewhat improved after what she'd heard. "Tempest would be able to cast magic again? The crystal won't just suddenly shatter or explode under strenuous magic use?"

"Well I can't say that it's not a possibility. But to the best of my knowledge, based on all we currently know, no unicorn has ever demonstrated the level of mana output that would be necessary to actually do something like that. I don't think the average unicorn even could do something like that without killing themselves through mana depletion in the process, which would happen even with a fully organic horn. But, yes, she'd be able to use her magic again, just like any other unicorn. Just like I've been doing for the past five years without issue."

Much to his own disbelief, this time it was his turn to be curious about what he'd just heard. This was a development he hadn't foreseen coming.

"Say what now?" Princess Twilight Sparkle asked as she stepped closer to the stallion, her reiatsu levels now alive with all the enthusiasm he'd seen on Pinkie Pie numerous times before, as she stood just inches away from being nose-to-nose with him, staring directly at his horn. "You actually have one of these crystal horns? Oh my goodness! B-but it looks so real, so natural! When you were describing the whole thing just a minute ago, I thought it was going to be something that looked like actual crystal, cut to a vaguely horn-like appearance, and secured to the horn base with gold wire wrapped around the spiral or something. If you hadn't said anything I would've continued assuming it was an organic horn just like my own. No wonder Princess Luna suggested I speak with you about this topic."

"The wonders of medical science and magic coming together in beautiful harmony. We've come a long way in the last ten years since the inception of the idea," Doctor Mandibular Malar replied with a wry grin, before taking an understandable step away in order to continue speaking. "I can fill you in on all of the finer details later on, Your Highness, along with her if she'd like to know them herself, and learn what went into getting the procedure to where it is currently."

"Doctor, if I may," Princess Luna spoke up, now that she was calmer than previously. "I know what it is like, better than anypony perhaps, to suddenly be confronted with modern developments that seemed impossible to even dream about. Could you explain, for Tempest Shadow's benefit, why she may not have known that this procedure even existed?"

"It would probably be for the best that I did, but at the moment I can only speculate," Doctor Mandibular Malar replied and nodded, before turning back forward to face him again. "Depending on when you left Equestria, Miss Shadow, the procedure might not've even existed at the time. We've only been performing it for about ten years now. At the time I went in for the procedure myself, most ponies outside the Manehattan area really hadn't even heard about it unless they were up on their medical journal reading. And even then I only learned about it from Princess Celestia. It's... just a matter of unfortunate timing. I'm sorry about that. I know it doesn't make up for it, but the point remains that the process exists, it works, and you can finally be helped, by those who actually want to help you."

Princess Luna, and Princess Twilight Sparkle, nodded in unison at the last point raised.

"I know it's ultimately your decision to make, Tempest, nopony can make it for you except you. I wish I could be there to meet you face to face for this, but sadly I can't. All I can do is trust Ulquiorra, and you, to do what you believe is best."

Tempest watched, unable to look away, and unable to tune out the information that was being forcefully inserted directly into her brain. This mist, these tiny shards of eye that Ulquiorra had practically thrown right in her face after horrifying them with what he'd done with his own eye, were making her see things from his point of view. She was seeing exactly what he had seen.

But it was doing so much more than that. She wasn't simply seeing what he had seen, but was also experiencing what he'd thought, what he'd felt, what he'd detected, and to what extent he'd detected it. She could feel the fluctuations in mana just as he'd felt them. She was experiencing input and sensations that she never even dreamed as being possible, just as he'd said she would.

She hadn't wanted to believe it. She wanted to deny that things couldn't possibly have been as simple as they'd all presented it to her. But deep down she knew it was all true, as she'd felt it for herself. She could positively feel the overwhelming honesty and truth in their words as they spoke about everything. From the doctor informing her about what the process involved, to the one princess who somehow knew details about her life that she hadn't shared with anypony, to the other princess imploring her to come back home like a mother would a runaway foal.

She didn't know precisely how she knew it was the truth they were speaking, she just somehow did. Not simply because they were what she desperately wanted to believe were true because they offered her a glimmer of hope and optimism. It... felt almost instinctual to her. Like their words somehow resonated down in the marrow of her very bones.

It was all more than a little overwhelming, forcing her to slowly sit on her haunches as she tried to process it all for herself.

Grubber could do little more than rest a hand on her back as he just stood there. He'd seen, heard, and felt the same things she had, due to the close proximity he'd been in when everything happened, but his takeaway from it all had been different from hers.

There were a lot of things he could focus on, a lot of things he could worry about. But at the moment, he had more important things to worry about, right in front of him.

"Boss? Are you gonna be okay?" he asked as he gently rubbed Tempest's back. Or at least the spot that wasn't presently armored.

No response. Not a scowl, or a growl, or a snarl, or even a cursory "leave me alone" zap to make him back away. Just... utterly nothing. She didn't even look like she registered he was even there at her side.

"You can finally get your horn back, just like you always wanted. This is good news, right?" he asked as he nudged at her back.

Nothing. Just absolutely nothing. It was like someone had come along and just turned the light off in her eyes. This wasn't the Tempest he'd come to know, respect, and even fear. This wasn't his Tempest at all. This was more like a broken, empty husk of her left behind in her place.

"What'd you do to her?" he asked as he looked to Ulquiorra for answers.

"I showed her what she needed to know. Not necessarily what she may have wanted to know," Ulquiorra clarified as he stood there with his hands tucked into his pockets, and his right eye completely restored as if it hadn't been ripped out of its socket just a few seconds ago. "What she chooses to do with this information, and how things may proceed from here, are entirely up to her."

Author's Note

Deleted Scene

"I showed her what she needed to know. Not necessarily what she may have wanted to know," Ulquiorra clarified as he stood there with his hands tucked into his pockets, and his right eye completely restored as if it hadn't been ripped out of its socket just a few seconds ago. "What she chooses to do with this information, and how things may proceed from here, are entirely up to her."

Grubber looked back at Tempest Shadow, who didn't even look like she could blink at the moment. Something told him they were going to be here for a long while at this rate.

"Yeah..." he replied uneasily, uncertain of what else he could really say right now. "Um, do you mind if I ask a question while we wait? I mean, since you're not here to kill us or anything? How exactly did you know where to find us? You said you're from Equestria, right? That's a pretty long way from here."

"In truth I had no clue where to conduct my search. Princess Twilight Sparkle was unable to provide any useful information about your whereabouts. We were forced to improvise and go on what we did know at the time," Ulquiorra stated.

"Like what?" Grubber asked.

"Tempest Shadow herself. According to Princess Twilight Sparkle, she was the only unicorn serving in the Storm King's forces, so we focused our search for an isolated unicorn who was not in the company of other ponies. Utilizing a combination of extremely long range scanning, and high speed travel, it was determined that one hundred and eleven candidates fit that initial criteria. From there it was a simple matter of utilizing the process of elimination as they were each investigated, one by one, from nearest to furthest in terms of distance from Equestria's borders. You were number thirty nine on that list."

"Oh," Grubber replied, not really sure what else he could say on the matter. "Well... lucky us then."

Chapter One Hundred Twenty Two

Chapter One Hundred Twenty Two

"This isn't something you can tell anypony about, am I clear?"

"Quite clear, Your Highness," Rarity confirmed and nodded. "Oh my honor as a lady, I can Pinkie Promise that not a creature shall hear from me, what will be discussed here today."

"I suppose it'll have to do," Celestia reluctantly acknowledged. "I just hope you're actually up for what you'll have to hear. If you regret it later on, there's nothing I can do about it."

+++

Had Rarity known then what she knew now, about exactly what sort of horrifying details she'd be made privy to, she might've taken Celestia's offer to excuse herself, and spare her present self the extreme amount of discomfort she was going through at the moment. But she'd stubbornly refused in her ignorance -ignorance she desperately wanted back right now- and she had no one to blame herself.

Now she had to deal with the knowledge of such things as core breaches, meltdowns, and spontaneous unicorn disintegration being frightening realities. Realities that she doubted she'd ever be able to put out of the forefront of her mind, despite her best attempts at doing so. Something like that simply didn't just go away because it was inconvenient and unpleasant.

There was, understandably, a certain degree of existentialist dread stemming from the newfound knowledge that she, her sister, their parents, or any one of their unicorn friends could spontaneously cease to exist without warning. Making it all the worse was the uncertainty of just how that end could potentially come for any single one of them.

There was also a unique type of being disturbed to be had from the idea that the best-case scenario was simply dropping dead on the spot from rapid onset mana depletion basically bleeding them to death, whereas the worst-case was violently exploding like an atomic bomb -Ulquiorra's description of events, not Celestia's- and potentially leveling an untold amount of territory around them in the process. To say nothing of the ponies in that territory who would also die as a result.

It'd been especially painful to learn Twilight had been forced to live with these horrifying thoughts ever since she was a filly, back when she'd nearly died to a slow burn core meltdown all those years ago at her entrance exam. Nopony so young should ever have to live with that sort of information, they just shouldn't! She couldn't even look at Twilight right now without feeling her heart practically breaking at the thought. And when Twilight actually looked down at the floor in an almost guilty fashion in an effort to avoid making eye contact, it just about proved sufficient to shatter her heart.

It took every ounce of her skills at being a socialite, to not rush right over to her friend's side and hug the stuffing out of her. The poor mare had no reason to be ashamed of something that was beyond her control, and if need be she was going to vigorously remind her of that fact; but it would have to come later when the time was more opportune.

Looking at her friend now, she knew that she couldn't have left then. As much as she wanted to be terrified, there was simply no room for such an emotion right now.

"Darling, I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that," was the first thing out of her mouth as soon as Celestia finished with her explanation of the matter at hoof. "Yes, I can certainly understand why that sort of information is best kept under wraps. And as I've said, not a word of it shall escape my lips," she continued, returning her attention back to Celestia.

"Thank you," Celestia replied, leaving unsaid just how bad things could be if such news ever were to get out into the general public. She just hoped Rarity did understand as well as she said she did.

"However," Rarity continued, "I honestly don't believe you would've shared the details about Twilight's... er... predicament, unless it was somehow relevant to the questions she asked you concerning her alicorn counterpart. Even I know that what doesn't get said, can be just as telling and important as what is said."

"A correct observation. There's technically a connection between the two," Celestia confirmed.

Over where she stood, Twilight swallowed nervously as she felt an uneasy lump forming in her throat at hearing this news, uncertain of why this news left her feeling even more unsettled than Rarity being told an inconvenient truth about unicorns.

"Might I ask how?" Rarity asked, very aware of Twilight's current unease but also presently driven by her own curiosity.

"Admittedly it's just a theory at the moment, one that's based primarily on my own experiences from a very long time ago," Celestia clarified. "But in theory, if Twilight were to become an alicorn, it might serve to fix her core and prevent it from detonating."

"Wait, wait. Hold up a second," Twilight spoke up. "That could actually work? I mean, theoretically that could work?"

"Theoretically," Celestia confirmed. "There's still a lot about the ascension process that's unknown, what with only three examples to go on. We know the process -what we actually know of it anyway- essentially rebuilds a pony's physical structure from the ground up at a microscopic level, transforming their physiology from what they were previously into that of an alicorn. Whether or not it actually could fix your core, we just don't know. All we have to go on, are my own experiences from a very long time ago."

Twilight's questions immediately ceased, her full attention now on Celestia's words, anxious to hear what she had to say.

"Long ago, long before Luna and I ascended, before Equestria was even properly founded and Discord was still a force of evil, I lost my left eye for one dumb reason or another that simply wasn't worth remembering. For years there was nothing but an empty socket hidden behind an eye patch. When we became alicorns, my eye was back like it'd never been gone in the first place," Celestia explained. "And I'd just gotten used to my lack of depth perception being a thing, too..."

There were a couple of polite chuckles, but the mood quickly returned to its previous seriousness.

"Admittedly, it's nothing more than a mere theory to go on. There's no way of knowing for certain if it'll work," Celestia stressed. "But at the same time, it may soon become something we'll actually have to try."

The nod from Twilight that followed was stiff and awkward as far as Rarity could tell, bordering on downright mechanical. Something about it just felt wrong to observe. This was going to require far more information to go on.

"If I may ask, why exactly would Twilight have to become an alicorn?"

Celestia looked to Rarity, before looking back to Twilight.

"Do you want to explain it, or should I?"

"I will," Twilight replied softly and sighed, before turning to better face Rarity. "Do you remember what happened in the Everfree Forest? Right before Celestia turned herself into a dragon?"

Rarity thought on the question for a moment as she tried to recall the details her friend was referring to, before giving an involuntary shudder of discomfort and quickly nodding.

"That was my core going into a meltdown," she clarified. "It was also an indication that things are worse than we initially believed. Back when the first breach was discovered during my entrance exam, a number of preventative measures were placed on my core to try and prevent that from happening again. Binding spells, shielding charms, power limiters, etc. They're probably the reason I was even allowed to ever travel to Ponyville in the first place. And for well over a decade it looked like they were working and keeping everything in check. But... that incident proved that wasn't the case.

"Whatever happened out there, every protective measure we've been relying on was shredded like tissue paper that night. Either they never worked in the first place, and my core had simply been stable up until then, or something caused them to fail. And based on the accounts of Celestia and Luna about how terrified she was when I was going critical, I don't think it was another one of Nightmare Moon's tricks as a distraction. She stopped fighting them so I could be tended to and brought back under control. That's not exactly what a villain does when things are going according to their plans."

Rarity shook her head, agreeing with Twilight's assessment. It seemed unlikely at best that what happened was another trick to keep them unbalanced.

"How exactly it happened, though, it isn't important. All that matters is the fact that it did happen. And even though all the safeguards were put back in place again, there's no guarantee that a third meltdown might not occur at some point in the future. Becoming an alicorn might be the only way I can keep everypony around me safe," Twilight stated.

"I'm afraid I still don't quite understand why becoming an alicorn would be necessary to keep us safe. I was there when everything went wrong, we all were. We all saw Celestia bring you back to normal; you were just fine the rest of the night while we fought for our lives," Rarity pointed out.

"I'm afraid the matter is far more complicated than whatever you saw would suggest, Rarity," Celestia stated as she took over the explanation. "What you saw transpiring doesn't do anything to detail just what was involved with bringing Twilight's core back under control. It's not so much a spell that was used, as it is a process of basically walking it back and locking it down again. It's not something that Twilight can learn to do on her own, there needs to be a second outside party able to intervene before it's too late. If I'd been two minutes slower, it would've been too late to do anything except try and evacuate the area.

"Ironically, if you hadn't come along on what Ulquiorra might call the boneheaded move of all time, a lot more ponies could've ended up dying, simply because we wouldn't have been able to respond in time. There's no way I would've been able to get away from Nightmare Moon if you had all stayed back in Ponyville."

"I'm really sorry about that," Twilight replied weakly, it being the only thing she could say in response as her ears folded against her skull.

Hearing this, Celestia shook her head as she extended her left wing to stroke Twilight's back in a comforting manner.

"Nopony is blaming you, Twilight. A core meltdown isn't something that any unicorn has control of. You're no more at fault for what happened, than a tree is for one of its limbs snapping off. And please, don't try and reason that it being your core somehow makes you at fault. I really don't want to go through that discussion yet again," she implored her.

Twilight simply nodded in response, even if the look on her face suggested she didn't actually believe it.

"So... let me see if I'm understanding all of this. I feel like my head is starting to spin from all the details," Rarity spoke up in an even, measured tone. "Twilight needs help from an outside pony in order to keep her core in check, if something like that ever happens again. Preferably somepony who's close enough at hoof that they can respond in less than two minutes. Am I correct?"

Celestia nodded. "Quite correct."

"And the fact this is even being discussed, would at least suggest this isn't a problem that Discord can rectify with his abilities," Rarity continued.

"I'm afraid not," Celestia shook her head as she tucked her wing back in at her side. "If only it were that simple. I asked Discord, I asked him the first night of his reformation under Fluttershy. Twilight's situation is one of the reasons I wanted him to be reformed in the first place. But sadly even his power has limits as to what can and can't be done. This is, unfortunately, outside the scope of his abilities to deal with; much like resurrecting the dead turned out to be. The way he explained it when I asked him, the best he could do is transform her into another species that doesn't actively use magic, like an earth pony, so that she wouldn't have a core anymore."

"Yes, that does sound very problematic," Rarity agreed as she rubbed her chin in thought. "Er, not that there's anything wrong with being an earth pony. That's not what I was getting at."

"I know you didn't," Twilight replied and shook her head. "Becoming a different species doesn't bother me; it'd actually be a very informative and educational experience to see how others live their day-to-day lives. The only problem is that with most options I'd be without my magic; an aspect of me that I've been heavily relying on for everyday tasks since I was a filly. By comparison it'd be like Rainbow Dash losing her ability to fly. Or Fluttershy not being able to talk with animals anymore. Or you losing your sense for fashion. It's a very jarring and even frightening thought to consider undertaking."

Rarity gave an involuntary cringe/shudder in response, trying to wrap her head around just how drastically her life would change if something like that were to happen to her.

"Out of all the available choices, becoming an alicorn would be the least objectionable. If the theory pans out then nopony will be at risk of my core going into meltdown again, I won't have to move away to keep them safe, and I could still use my magic," Twilight stated in a somewhat optimistic tone, before eventually giving a sigh. "But at the same time, there's the matter of the functional immortality involved, and being forced to watch as everypony and everything I've come to love and appreciate grows old and dies around me, while I remain untouched by the sands of time.

"At one point in time I wouldn't have minded that. I would've had all the time in the world to learn about every field of science and magic imaginable. I could've even revolutionized society itself with the knowledge I could accumulate over the centuries. But that was before I discovered what I was missing out on all those years by not having friends, and suddenly that quest for absolute knowledge seemed much less fulfilling to consider. If I become an alicorn I'll have to watch as my friends die. Then I'll have to make new friends, all the while knowing those friendships will eventually end sooner or later, even if they last for decades. I'll end up being too afraid of them ending, to be able to enjoy them while they last. I'll be too afraid of the pain of loss to keep putting myself out there when the end is always going to be the same. I-"

Twilight suddenly found herself silenced as Rarity thrust her right forehoof against her lips.

Rather than address her friend and potentially add more fuel to the fire that was her emotional/psychological downward spiral, Rarity turned to look at Celestia instead.

"Are there any other options that could be used? If you had more time to work with, could some other alternative be found or developed? Some new type of spell or magical intervention to solve this problem?"

"It's possible, with enough time," Celestia admitted, "whether or not it works, though, is always the question."

"Just like the hypothesis that ascension will do the trick," Rarity noted as she withdrew her hoof from Twilight's lips and placed it back on the ground. "I believe I've heard all that I need to know on this matter. I only have one other question. Exactly how difficult would it be to learn that process you were referring to earlier?"

"I'm sorry, what now?" Twilight asked in confusion.

"It's quite simple, darling. I'm hereby taking over this matter at once," Rarity stated firmly as she once again turned her attention to her friend. "Celestia never said that only she was capable of bringing your core under control, only that you needed an outside party to help. And if she can teach me exactly what I need to know about the process, then I fully intend to do that myself."

Celestia quirked an eyebrow in response.

Twilight was left speechless, and was quickly cut off as Rarity continued speaking without missing a beat.

"I've been paying close attention to everything that was said since you arrived, and I'm quite certain even Ulquiorra would agree it's the most logical course of action to undertake. Twilight needs an outside party to help her, and you need more time to find a solution that can be used to help all unicorns in the same position she currently is. I'm simply the best available choice in the matter; I'm already in the know about what's going on, and I can make it here from the boutique in about a minute if I'm ever needed."

"I must say, that's certainly a generous offer to be making," Celestia commented, while doing her best to not smile just yet. "Not many ponies would be so willing to help a friend in this type of predicament."

"What others might or might not do in a given situation isn't any of my concern; a pony could positively drive themselves insane worrying about that sort of matter. I have more important matters to focus my attention on," Rarity stated. "I won't lie, though, this isn't purely about helping Twilight. This is also about Sweetie Belle and her well-being. She's a unicorn as well, meaning it's entirely possible her core could become destabilized one day, putting her in the exact same position as Twilight. If I can help Twilight, then I can help her. What sort of friend, or big sister, would I be if I didn't do everything I could?"

Celestia's response was interrupted as Twilight immediately moved in to hug Rarity in a manner that would rival what even Pinkie could manage.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" she choked out. "I was so worried what my friends would say if I ever told them!"

Rarity frowned, but said nothing as she simply patted Twilight's back reassuringly. Now certainly wasn't the time to get into the finer details about what sort of reaction might be had. The poor mare needed rest for her own mental health, as well as her clarity, and this ongoing discussion wasn't doing her any favors. The longer it went on, the worse things would go.

"Just one thing before we get down to the details," Celestia spoke up and gently prodded Twilight's back to make sure she was paying attention before she continued. "To answer the question that brought me out here in the first place, Twilight, it's no. You are not destined to become a Princess like Luna and I are. I never selected you to be my successor to the throne one day down the line. Whatever you become in the future is entirely your decision to make. There might be outside factors to account for that sway your intended course, but that same caveat goes for everypony; it always has been. The day may eventually come when Luna and I have to abdicate the throne, but I certainly don't expect you to just upend your life in order to take over for us if ever that should happen."

At hearing this, Twilight's entire demeanor appeared to improve rapidly, as if a burdensome weight had been lifted right off her withers.

"Although if that ever were to happen and you assumed control, I know the kingdom would be in some of the best hooves available for the job. I'd be very hard-pressed to find anypony better."

Rarity couldn't help but smile when she saw Twilight smiling at the comment. Not that she could really blame her with that degree of praise.

The sofa in Princess Luna's room was decidedly less comfortable to rest on than the bed was. But in all fairness, it was doubtful anything could be quite as comfortable as the bed that the night princess called her own.

Not that Princess Twilight was going to complain. It'd been a very busy and hectic morning after a very long night with no rest, she'd been very tired, and Luna had been all too willing to let her stay over again while she rested the day away. Something about enjoying the company of another who appreciated rest when the sun was out and about.

Actually sharing the bed while it was in use had been a bit off-putting to think about attempting. That just wasn't something she was too comfortable with trying out; not just yet anyway. It might take a few days before the idea stopped feeling weird to consider. Provided she was actually still here for that.

The sofa had seemed like a suitable compromise. And in truth it was still quite comfortable to rest on, and easy enough to fall asleep on. It could quite possibly put other general issue beds to shame in that department.

But still, that bed Luna had, had been the gold -or maybe platinum- standard of furniture comfort for this world.

Regardless of the relative comfort level, however, the rest she desperately wanted just seemed to elude her. Despite needing to rest, her brain simply refused to let her rest with everything that was currently running through it.

At the very top of that list of thoughts demanding her attention right now was Tempest Shadow. Had Ulquiorra found her yet? Had Ulquiorra delivered Princess Luna's message to her? What had her response been? Were they on their way to kill the Storm King even now? There were far, far too many unknowns currently interfering with her ability to rest properly.

The conversation she'd had with Dr. Malar about crystal horn prosthetics was also weighing heavily on her mind. She'd barely been able to keep her curiosity contained while putting the message together, and had more or less grilled the older physician at the first available opportunity, asking him question after question about the procedure. So many bases to cover, so much new information to try and remember for taking back home.

The incognito spell that Princess Luna had gifted her wasn't quite that high of a priority, but it was certainly up there somewhere on the hierarchy of important things to think about. It'd made things so much easier for her already, as various palace staff just seemed to ignore the fact she was an alicorn, and treat her just like they would any other pony they encountered in their daily routine. That one was definitely on the list of things she was taking back with her if -when, she corrected herself- she figured out how to get back home.

Despite her best efforts, getting an adequate amount of rest, to enable her to stay awake the rest of the day, while still enabling he being able to sleep through the night and get her schedule back on track, simply didn't look like it was actually going to happen.

She rolled over with a frustrated grunt, growing more and more fed up the longer she laid there, torn between her desire to continue just laying comfortably where she was, and getting up to do something to alleviate the growing restlessness she was playing host to. Maybe a jog around the palace would help tire her out, get her mind at ease, and let her rest.

And then she was jolted by the sound of something blaring from within the darkened room. Something she realized only afterward was a ringing alarm clock. This was eventually followed by a tired, resentful groan, as a hoof thudded down on the offending appliance and silenced it.

Was it actually time for Princess Luna to get up? Was it really that late in the day already? Had she been cat-napping the afternoon away without even realizing it? The lack of clear answers did nothing to help her current mood.

"Are you awake, Princess Luna?"

"No," Luna grumbled, followed by what sounded a great deal like covers being pulled closer to her, as if she were trying to burrow deeper into her bed.

"Shouldn't you be?"

"I abdicate," Luna replied, muffled by what most certainly sounded like the covers pulled up over her head.

"Come on, now, you don't actually mean that."

Luna merely grunted in response, showing no signs of rising.

Twilight sighed. Obviously this wasn't going to be easy. So with a grunt, she sat herself up on the sofa, and clapped her forehooves together twice. Immediately Luna's chambers were flooded by every light in the room coming on at once.

The pile of covers on Luna's bed growled and retracted in on itself in response to the assault, before two forelegs were thrust out from under the edge and clapped together,shutting the lights right back off.

Twilight frowned in response and turned the lights back on with a clap. "I'm not getting dragged into a clap-off duel with you."

"Would you prefer swords instead?" the lump in Luna's bed asked.

"What? No!" Twilight answered quickly, horrified by the very idea.

"A pity," the lump sighed, "I need a sparring partner I can practice my thrust and parry against."

That last bit left Twilight uncertain whether or not Luna was actually joking. And that uncertainty left her more uncomfortable than she cared to admit.

"I wonder how Ulquiorra's doing at the moment," she announced, desperately wanting to change the subject to something less violent.

At that, Luna finally showed signs of stirring as she slowly peeled the covers down from her head and yawned as she stretched.

"How he is doing may ultimately depend on a number of variables we have not accounted for," she stated as she begrudgingly emerged from a bed that was far too comfortable to leave. "Accounting for the differences between our respective reality, there may not even be a Tempest Shadow in this world. For all we know she may still be Fizzlepop Berrytwist, living peacefully in whatever remote town she grew up in. She may not even be a unicorn at all, but rather an earth pony. These are all things we cannot possibly know for certain."

"I never even thought of that," Twilight admitted. "I got so hung up on the possibility of time travel being at play, I completely blitzed off the fact this isn't my reality. There's no telling how many different variables we didn't even consider when formulating our plan. I could've ended up making things even worse by meddling. We could've ended up sending Ulquiorra on a wild goose chase, when he was needed here more."

"I suppose that could be a possibility. But in all fairness, there were times we have needed Ulquiorra Cifer to constantly travel back and forth between Canterlot and Ponyville, essentially pulling double duty in keeping both locations under his watchful eye should something develop. I do not see this as being any different than that," Luna replied as she walked over to the couch.

"I suppose..." Twilight reluctantly agreed. "I just... I'm worried that any little thing I do in the name of helping, could potentially make things worse down the line."

"If it is going to happen, then it will happen. And we will deal with it accordingly when it arises; just as we have done countless times already," Luna explained, before extending her right foreleg. "Welcome to Team Fuckup, my young friend."

Twilight flinched, but accepted the offered hoof regardless. "Does it really have to be called that?"

"Would you prefer Team Butts instead?" Luna asked.

"Well..." Twilight paused in thought, "if those are my only options, I suppose it would work."

"Excellent," Luna replied chipperly. "I am Moonbutt, Sister is Sunbutt, you can be Starbutt."

"I suppose it's fitting," Twilight commented, "although I don't have a clue how you came up with such a team name."

"You would have to ask your counterpart's sister-in-law. Princess Cadence is the one who originally came up with it. She is Lovebutt, by the way."

The very notion that Cadence of all ponies was behind the whole "Team Butts" idea was so hard to believe, it left Twilight momentarily speechless as she tried to process the information.

But the process was interrupted as a flash of fire appeared in front of Luna as a scroll materialized and dropped to the ground.

Wordlessly, Luna levitated the scroll of the floor and unrolled it to read over whatever the contents were.

"It is from Sunbu- er, I mean 'Tia," she stated. "Apparently she is tending to some small matters outside the palace and may not make it back in time for dinner. She advises we do not wait and eat without her."

"Does she at least say what kind of matters she's tending to?" Twilight asked, finding the whole thing a little bit odd.

Luna shook her head as she rolled the scroll back up. "She does not. But if it were important, she would likely say something. Or at least... I believe that she would."

Author's Note

This chapter took way, way longer to get out than it should have. It was supposed to be out two weeks ago, but the sheer number of rewrites I had to go through just didn't make it possible.

Too many of the drafts leaned too heavily on telling rather than showing. It felt cringey even for me to read and came off with a tone of "This is how the world of this story works and if you don't like it then this story isn't for you!" I've seen far too many stories structured like that, and structuring just felt awkward and uncomfortable to read. So rather than release something like that, I kept revising/redoing it until it felt like the flow was acceptable.

Chapter One Hundred Twenty Three

Chapter One Hundred Twenty Three

A loud POP sounded, carrying all the impact and force that would be experienced from a firecracker going off by somepony standing right next to it.

It'd been more than enough to break Rarity's concentration and send her tumbling back in surprise, her concentration broken and her posterior surely bruised underneath her fur from falling square on her flanks.

This wasn't the first time such had been experienced. And judging by the way things were shaping up, it really didn't look like it would be the last time either.

When Celestia had explained the process of walking back a core was just that, a process, she had most certainly meant it. There was a myriad of small, minute details about what was involved, and how everything had to be done for it to be successful.

Everything had sounded simple when it was first being explained, but that was where the aspect of simplicity ended.

Comparatively it was like teaching somepony to sew. They might be able to learn how to perform basic repair stitching from listening to an explanation of what was involved, but that didn't mean they'd know how to sew in the sense of running a sewing machine and making a dress from scratch.

The steps involved were numerous, the sequence of what had to be done and how was involved, and more than once she'd found herself rereading over Twilight's hastily written checklist of what the procedure required. Just to make sure she was following the instructions properly, and that the current setbacks weren't due to her own misunderstandings.

With a grunt of annoyance and pain, she pushed herself back up into a standing position once again.

"Reset it, let's try that again," she stated.

The fact there was a training dummy readily available for her practices, something that seemed roughly like a cross between one of her ponnequins and a CPR dummy, did a great deal to suggest there was much going on behind the scenes than she would ever truly be privy to; Celestia had just teleported it right in as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, as if she'd known right where it was should it ever be needed.

The exact details, she didn't particularly care about, she was just thankful she had a practice dummy to work with, and wasn't actually attempting to learn and understand the process while practicing on Twilight herself. That was more stress and awkwardness than she was ready for, and she knew it.

Over where she stood, uneasily watching events as they transpired, Twilight bit at her bottom lip but nodded regardless as she flared her magic, doing whatever it was that made the dummy a proper working analog of herself to learn on, with a pseudo core that needed to be locked down and brought back under control before it went off.

"Not going so well?"

Rarity's concentration was broken almost immediately from Twilight shrieking in surprise as if she'd just been poked entirely unexpectedly from behind. Causing the dummy to detonate yet again, before she'd even had the chance to fail in her efforts.

That little setback aside, they quickly found the source of the unexpected voice to be none other than Spike, as he stood there watching them in confusion.

"Spike?" Twilight asked nervously. "How... h-how long have you been there?"

"Long enough to know that Rarity's trying to do something that looks difficult, but not long enough to figure out exactly what it is," Spike replied. "So what's going on?"

"Rarity's decided to learn how to keep Twilight's core from suffering a meltdown."

The statement from Celestia had been so blunt, so straight to the point, so devoid of any attempt at a cover story, the sheer shock of hearing it spoken out loud had nearly floored Twilight.

Rarity hadn't been very far behind her in that department. After all the emphasis on just how important it was to not let the information get out to the general public, she was just bluntly telling Spike about it like it was nothing?

"Really?" Spike asked. "Nice. It'll be a relief to have somepony close at hoof in case things go bad."

The confusion Rarity and Twilight were feeling only increased in response.

"Spike? Do you mean that you've known about Twilight's... predicament... this whole time?" Rarity asked.

"Ever since I was made her assistant," Spike confirmed. "I mean, sure, it was all about teamwork and helping Twilight understand nopony could do everything by themselves. But it was a lot more than that at the same time. Celestia wasn't about to let Twilight go without some kind of support system in case something ever happened and she needed help; she said the day might come when Twilight needs help, and I'd be the only one who can help her. She told me what signs to look for, made me memorize a whole lot of important details, she even gave me a special scroll to send immediately if I ever saw those signs for myself."

"Spike, how... if you knew, then how come you never told me that you knew?" Twilight asked as she finally felt her reasoning ability returning after that bombshell of a revelation.

"Because I didn't wanna talk about it," Spike stated bluntly. "Seriously, knowing that you could die from something you had no control over, and I was the only one who might be able to stop it? That's just morbid and depressing to think about. Not to mention stressful. Besides, you knew about what you were going through, and you weren't letting it slow you down any. I mean, really, what would you knowing that I know, actually do to make things better? Were you going to try and hide your condition so I wouldn't have to worry about you? There'd be no point in me being your number one assistant if that were the case. We're supposed to be working together, Twilight, not keeping secrets from one another."

Try as she might, Twilight couldn't fathom or muster a proper rebuttal to Spike's points. Maybe if she were more well-rested, she might be able to come up with something to throw out there. But at the moment she honestly didn't feel like she could trust herself to do that.

Instead she did the only thing she could really do at the moment, and trotted over to spike in order to pull him into a tight hug. Which he was all too willing to reciprocate.

Rarity smiled, quite pleased by the news. But pleased or not, there was still work that needed to be done, and she knew that.

"Twilight, darling, I'm as happy as you are right now, knowing that neither one of us is actually alone in all of this. But if it's not asking too much, could you possibly postpone the hugging until after you've reset the training dummy again? I still have a lot of work to do if I'm going to figure all of this out before Applejack gets here for the night," she pointed out. "Unless of course Celestia wants to read her in on everything as well."

"If at all possible I'd rather not," Celestia confirmed quickly.

"Oh. Right," Twilight replied sheepishly as she let Spike go.

One quick flexing of lavender magic, and the training dummy was once again reset and ready to be the subject of Rarity's attention.

"Very good then," she muttered to herself as she sat down on her haunches and rubbed her forehooves together. "Now. Let's see if we can't achieve better results this time around..."

Despite the hunger that Luna presently felt, and the driving desire to tear into the meal in front of her with a complete disregard for anything that resembled table manners and basic etiquette, it was difficult to not notice that Princess Twilight wasn't currently eating.

She hadn't even had the benefit of lunch during the day to quell what had to be a growing appetite, and should be positively famished at the current hour. And yet despite that, what should've been, she was mainly picking at her food with a fork held limply in her magic, in a distracted and disinterested manner.

"Is the food not to your liking, my young friend? Would you prefer something else instead?"

The question seemed sufficient to snap her out of whatever was presently on her mind and interrupting her dinner.

"Your counterpart seems to quite enjoy the cuisine of the Hayburger in Ponyville. It would be a simple matter to have something delivered if you would like."

Twilight, reluctantly, shook her head in response. "I really appreciate the offer, but that's not necessary. There's nothing wrong with the food, I'm just... not really hungry. I mean, I am hungry, but I can't really seem to focus on eating. I've got a lot on my mind at the moment."

"About returning to your home reality?" Luna asked.

"Well there is that, but not at the moment," Twilight replied and shook her head. "What exactly are we supposed to say if Princess Celestia gets back before Ulquiorra, and he's not here to greet her when she returns?"

The question was most definitely an unusual one. One that just begged clarification. Thankfully it seemed her confused silence was enough to spur Twilight on to provide that clarification.

"I didn't really give it any thought at the time, but we didn't inform her about what we were going to do. We didn't even tell her that we were planning it. We just proceeded with the plan as if we were the ones in charge, without any regard for keeping her in the loop about what events transpired after she left," Twilight pointed out uneasily. "There's a fifty-fifty chance that Princess Celestia is going to return from her business first, and Ulquiorra won't be here when she gets back to the palace. She's going to know that something's up, and she's going to suspect us. What're we supposed to say when she returns first? What am I supposed to say? I know me, she's going to take one look at me and I'm going to crumble like a house of cards, and start spilling the beans about how we went right ahead with orchestrating a political assassination behind her back! We-"

"Princess Twilight Sparkle."

The statement was soft, but carried enough firmness that it immediately shut up the younger alicorn.

"First and foremost, you are far too tense," Luna stated. "Secondly, we did not go about orchestrating an assassination. We are performing a search and rescue operation, looking for a lost pony who is in desperate need of help and compassion from those who have her best interests at heart, and who is currently in the custody of an opportunistic, parasitic warlord who will kill her the moment she is no longer of any use to him; a fact that you yourself have confirmed."

Twilight didn't immediately speak up, despite there being a pause in Luna's explanation.

"Third, I admit that I do not fully know how things are done in your world, but Ulquiorra Cifer does not "greet" my sister whenever she returns to the palace; not in this timeline at least. He tends to spend most of his time in the library, reading for hours if not days on end. Were it not for the occasional crisis needing to be tended to, we would almost never see the Espada. He interacts with the palace staff far more often than he does us, simply because they have more reason to venture into the library for janitorial duties. She will not find his absence upon her arrival unusual, as she will have no reason to be aware of his absence. In truth she would have far more reason to be suspicious if he did greet her upon her return.

"Fourth, I am my sister's equal and have just as much legal authority over matters as she does. I answer to her purely because she is my sister and I love her dearly, even if she is an annoying pain in the butt at times. If I so decide then I will proceed with whatever course of action I deem fit, without her consent or involvement. What is she realistically going to do, spank me?

"And fifth, my sister has made more than her own fair share of bad decisions in her time without first consulting others beforehoof, simply because she believed she knew better on the matter; a fact that Ulquiorra Cifer can attest to if asked. She has no room to object in this matter, even if we told her to her face what we did. I made a decision based on what information we had at the time, I will stand by it, and if she does not like it then she can simply suck it up, as I was merely following her own example on how to proceed. If she does not care for somepony else doing what she does, then she should not be doing it herself!"

Twilight physically recoiled in her chair at the conclusion of Luna's statement, slightly wide-eyed in response.

The idea of Celestia and Luna bickering like... well, like siblings... wasn't really that unheard of, even in her own reality. But never quite to this extent that she could remember. Everything over the past couple of days, from the foul language, to the mention of an ongoing prank war, to what she just witnessed, was painting the two of them to be less like royalty, and more like average, everyday sisters.

"Do you feel better now?"

"... Strangely enough, I actually do a little bit," Twilight admitted and nodded. "That was some serious big sibling energy just now. That spiel carried the same sort of oomph that Shiny used to deliver when I was a filly and afraid the monster under my bed was going to gobble me up in the night, and he'd take care of it for me."

Luna couldn't quite help but smirk at the comment. It certainly wasn't the first time she'd been referred to as such, but at least this time it was under much better circumstances.

She briefly wondered if she would be considered as much an aunt to Princess Twilight as she was the other Twilight, but she decided to not voice the question at present time. They had enough on their plates -metaphorical and literal- to add that on top of everything else.

"Um, Princess? Do you mind if I ask you something?" Twilight eventually squeaked out.

"As long as you do not mind my eating while you ask," Luna retorted.

"Not at all," Twilight quickly clarified. "When you and Ulquiorra went to check the school admission records, just to make sure Tempest wasn't actually a student here in this reality and we'd be setting off on a wild goose chase, did you happen to come across the names Sunburst or Starlight Glimmer, by any chance?"

"Not that I can recall," Luna replied in-between bites. "But at the time we were focused on the names Tempest Shadow and Fizzlepop Berrytwist. We had no reason to focus on any other names. And going back as many years as we did in the name of being thorough, all the way to the year you were born, there were a great many names to sort through, none of which we were looking for. It is possible they maybe have students at one point in time, but that would be another matter for another time."

"Oh. That makes sense..."

"Are those names relevant?" Luna asked.

"Not to Tempest specifically, but in the general sense of keeping Equestria safe, sort of," Twilight admitted a bit uneasily. "Starlight Glimmer was yet another villain we faced but eventually managed to reform. Her descent into villainy was all kicked off when her foalhood friend, Sunburst, got his cutie mark and accepted into Celestia's school, while she didn't. She... sort of blamed cutie marks for his leaving. It's... kind of complicated."

"She became a villain because her friend got his cutie mark and left her? She did not try to make other friends?" Luna asked further.

Twilight shook her head. "From what I understand, Sunburst was her first and only friend. And his departing like he did had a profound effect on her."

"That... that is stupid," Luna stated in what could only be called disbelief. "She is stupid! I know that friendships ending can be a painful thing to experience, but that is simply the natural order of all things; they exist for however long they do, and then they inevitably end for whatever reason. That is not an acceptable reason to descend into the realm of villainy, and I speak from experience on that matter! That mare needs therapy; therapy and a swift kick in the ass!"

Twilight's ears folded flat against the base of her skull in response, giving her an appearance like she was wilting in response to Luna's outburst.

"Well, in my defense, I never said otherwise," she offered up weakly. "I'll admit, it's a really weak explanation. But it is what it is. And if there is a one-to-one ratio between your world and mine, with regard to certain villains, it might be best to nip the matter in the bud if at all possible before the situation escalates in the amount of intervention needed. Not every scenario needs Ulquiorra's... unique approach... to settling business. That's something I was trying to address in my notes. If we approach preemptively, we might be able to avoid a lot of pain and suffering."

"I certainly do not dispute the validity of that particular point. I do not think even Ulquiorra Cifer would choose to dispute it," Luna clarified. "I am certain we will take this matter under advisement, just not right now. We are already dealing with enough as is. One thing at a time, one villain at a time, one meal at a time. The future is uncertain, but breakfast is now!"

"Oh. Right. Of course," Twilight replied and quickly nodded as she understood what Luna was getting at.

And in truth, she really was feeling enough of an improvement in her own mood to more readily eat something.

Celestia knew that there were going to be consequences had at some point down the line, for the actions that'd been taken in the Golden Oaks Library. She knew that she'd been gone from the palace for far too long, leaving royal business effectively grinding to a halt. Countless ponies had been left waiting, appointments had been missed and would need rescheduling, and so much paperwork would need to be done late into the night. It was questionable if she would even get any dinner tonight...

But she just hadn't been able to bring herself to leave.

She knew, better than anypony, just how important what they were doing actually was. Rarity understood that point as well, otherwise she wouldn't be struggling so hard, and pushing herself through her numerous failures and setbacks with as much determination as she presently was, despite how much of her own time was being invested.

No, leaving them alone just wasn't something that she could bring herself to do, regardless of her own circumstances and responsibilities. Those would simply have to take a backseat.

Which made it all the more rewarding when all of them eventually heard a pleasant DING coming from the dummy, rather than the loud POP they'd slowly been growing accustomed to, signalling success had finally been achieved.

And then that same DING was heard again, and again, and again in three separate attempts indicating that the first success hadn't merely been a fluke, but could actually be replicated consistently.

That had made every bit of hell she was going to catch later on, all worthwhile.

"Congratulations, Rarity," she spoke up, despite not wanting to break the mood that was currently being experienced by the room. But good news like this had to be acknowledged. "It would appear you have this well under control now."

Despite the amount of fatigue she'd worked up over the last several hours, both physical and even mental, Rarity couldn't help but perk up at hearing this.

"Every unicorn palace guard learns how to prevent a core breach at the academy before graduation. But I don't recall any of them managing to get the hang of it quite that fast," she continued.

"Well in all fairness, I was under the direct tutelage of you and Twilight this entire time. I doubt the guards have the benefit of that degree of hooves-on learning," Rarity offered up.

She was technically right in that assessment, but that wasn't worth bringing up right now. Instead she simply opted to teleport the training dummy away, returning it to where it belonged.

"I would suggest periodically practicing what you've learned here today, to keep your new skills and knowledge as honed as your ability to work wonders with needle and thread. I'll have another dummy made available within a few days. But for the time being, take the opportunity to relax while you can," she advised.

"Yes, I believe I'll do just that," Rarity replied and let out a tired huff. "But later. For now I just want to go home, get cleaned up, and get something to eat. Applejack will be here soon, and I don't want to make things complicated by being here. The less reason she has to be suspicious, the better. Twilight, darling, I'll see you in the morning. Don't be afraid to ask if you need any further help."

Rarity turned and got one hoofstep away before the library's front door was swung inward from the outside to reveal Applejack standing there, off to the side as she held it open to allow Spike to enter, pulling a red wagon behind him that was loaded with rolled up paper bags, and a heavenly aroma making its presence known inside the room.

"Howdy, Twi'," Applejack greeted as she stepped into the library herself. "Ran inta Spike comin' from the Hayburger an' figured Ah'd come over a bit ear-"

It was only then that Applejack apparently realized they were there.

The urge to facehoof in light of this development was monumental, and Celestia could feel the muscles in her right foreleg spasming, just utterly begging for her to follow through and provide them with the relief that could come from not resisting the gesture.

So much for keeping the spread of information to an absolute minimum.

"... Is somethin' wrong?" she finally asked.

"Not at all, darling," Rarity replied and quickly shook her head. "Celestia was simply bringing us all up to speed on the appearance of Twilight's royal counterpart, and what it means for her. Ulquiorra wrote her last night without concern for the time of day, and the poor dear's been up half the night, worrying herself to a frazzle that it would mean she was destined to become a princess as well. The answer is "no" by the way."

Celestia couldn't help but notice Applejack's posture in the wake of Rarity's answer, and how she seemed to relax greatly at hearing it.

"Tha's a load off mah withers right there," she commented and smiled. "Ah almost thought 'bout cancellin' tonight 'cause Ah was afraid o' sayin' the wrong thing. Glad Ah don' have ta."

"Quite so," Rarity replied with a subtle nod and smile, before turning back to the rest of them. "If you'll excuse me, Twilight, I'll be taking my leave now. I've taken up more than enough of your time today, and I wouldn't want to get in the way with everything."

"What, you're leaving?" Spike asked, confused by this sudden development. "But you've been busy all day helping Twilight out. Don't you even want to stay for dinner? I got us all takeout so all the commotion that goes with cooking didn't disturb your work."

The mention of anything related to food was more than enough to catch the attention of Celestia's stomach and send it rumbling in protest of its own empty state. All the more reason she wanted to return to the palace.

"Helpin' Twilight wit' what?" Applejack asked, her curiosity currently piqued.

"It's... highly technical," Rarity stated quickly in a desperate bid to prevent the discussion from going in a direction they didn't want. "Twilight needed some help with... what was it again, darling, two-party magic?" she asked as she quickly looked back to Twilight for clarification, before turning back to Applejack without even waiting for a response. "The gist of it, is that she basically needed an extra set of hooves for learning something that simply can't be performed solo. And being her friend and a fellow unicorn, I was happy to volunteer my services."

"Oh. A'right then," Applejack replied, before giving a nod. "Mighty friendly o' ya to do, sugarcube."

This time it was Celestia's turn to relax at the potential crisis being averted, eternally thankful for Rarity's socialite skills being what they were. They way she'd stepped right up and assumed command and control of the discussion, all in a technically truthful manner that didn't raise Applejack's suspicions, was certainly a blessing. She would have to thank her later.

"That said, would you and Twilight mind if I joined you for dinner? Spike did take it upon himself to get food for all of us, I'd hate to let it go to waste by not being here."

Applejack looked past Rarity over to Twilight, who simply nodded back in response.

"Ah don' see a problem wit' ya stayin' fer a spell. Be mighty rude ta jus' send ya away after ya've been helpin'," she replied.

As much as Celestia wanted to smile at everything slowly, naturally returning to a calmer, less stressed tone, she just couldn't manage it right now. She'd smile later, but for now she really had to go.

"If you'll all excuse me, I have things that need tending to now."

"Yeah? Well before you go, you might want this," Spike stated, before reaching into the back of the wagon and withdrawing the largest of the present bags. "One haybacon double cheeseburger with tomatoes and pickles. One large order of hay fries. And a large chocolate shake," he said, listing off the contents as he held the parcel out for her.

The rumbling of Celestia's stomach returned with a vengeance, leaving her licking her lips in anticipation. Just the fact Spike had thought to bring her something along with everypony else's had been quite touching. Without a hint of hesitation she eagerly snatched the bag from his claws with her magic, and opened the bag to better inhale the delectable aroma contained within.

"Spike, I adore you," she sighed contentedly, already planning on devouring everything at a pace that may or may not allow her to taste the bag's contents. "Thank you, I'll take it to go."

But just before she teleported away, she stopped herself, and thought about it better.

"On second thought, I'll have it before I go. Just as sure as I show up at the palace with this, Luna will steal my fries without even a hint of remorse. The little brat."

Anypony who wound up spending any amount of time around Pinkie Pie knew that she was very... unique in how she conducted not only herself, but also how she went about conducting her business, regardless of what that business actually constituted in real world terms.

But even the Cakes, who Pinkie had lived with for years and thus had the greatest level of regular exposure to her, were having trouble wrapping their heads around exactly what the pink party pony was currently doing, down in the room that constituted her workshop.

The biggest indicator that something wasn't right was just how quiet she was currently being, as she sat at the combination desk/work table over in the corner, illuminated only by a hanging pendant light. There was none of the usual noises she was well known for, only quiet and unintelligible mutterings as she sat and fidgeted uncomfortably like her own skin didn't properly fit her frame.

Carrot turned his attention away from Pinkie and back towards his wife, who was presently doing the same thing as they stood in the doorway, taking in the sight before them. And silently having the conversation of just who should be the one to approach and figure out what exactly she was doing.

Finally, after much back and forth deliberation in silence, it was determined it would be best for Carrot to step up to the task at hoof.

"Uh... Pinkie?" he spoke up uneasily as he stepped forward. "What exactly are you doing down here?"

The only indication that Pinkie gave of even hearing him and acknowledging his presence, was raising her head momentarily, before it was immediately lowered right back down as she went back to whatever scribbling she was presently doing.

Again, Carrot uneasily looked back at his wife, hoping she could offer something that he couldn't. The look currently resting across her face suggested she was just as lost and helpless as he was, along with urging him to continue trying.

"Pinkie, honey, it's starting to get late," he continued, trying to be undaunted as he turned to face her again. "You've been down here a long time. What say you come upstairs for dinner?"

The fact even Pinkie's stomach remained dead silent at the mention of getting something to eat was more disturbing than her own present behavior. It was almost like she hadn't even heard the question being asked. It was starting to feel really creepy...

"Is there... anything we can do to help?"

"Help..."

The response didn't sound like Pinkie at all. Despite being her voice, it didn't possess any trace of the usual spring she was so well known for when she spoke. It sounded dry, strained, even weary; as if she hadn't spoken in years.

"There are forces at work here. Forces that're beyond our comprehension. Forces that were never intended for our world. Forces that our world was never intended for. Help? Nopony can help us with the current path that we're on, nopony..."

Slowly, she turned away from the table she was perched at to face them, looking quite haggard as if she hadn't slept in several days. And not the type of not sleeping that went into planning one of her big parties.

"Mr. Cake, Mrs. Cake... if you ever hear me say "Code Meatloaf!" you need to run. Drop whatever it is you're doing at the time, grab the twins, and just run. Run far, run fast, and don't look back. Just run..."

The warning alone had been disturbing enough in itself. But delivered by Pinkie in her current state had just made it all the worse, and all the more terrifying.

"We will, Pinkie. We will," Cup assured her as she finally spoke up. "But where exactly should we run to? Where should we go for safety?"

Pinkie's response was little more than a quiet, forlorn shake of her head.

"I don't know," she admitted, sounding as if she was on the verge of being broken by her own words. "I don't know. Just... run. Run until you can't run another step, and then keep running more. Run far, run fast, and don't look back. Just run..."

Author's Note

I couldn't make the Saturday deadline even though I tried. But at least I got it out before next month.

Chapter One Hundred Twenty Four

Chapter One Hundred Twenty Four

Dear Princess Celestia,

Estimated time of arrival thirty-five minutes.

Ensure the palace's airship landing pad is vacant.

Clear the airspace over Canterlot.

Have a contingent of guards present and at Defense Condition Level Three readiness.

And absolutely no singing.

Signed,
Ulquiorra Cifer

Celestia slowly read over the letter that'd flashed into existence right before her.

She then read it over a second time, just in case she'd missed something on the first pass.

And then, just for the sake of being thorough -and a slight bit of desperation- she gave it a third pass, hoping it might provide some greater measure of clarity. For all of his straightforwardness, there were times Ulquiorra seemed unacceptably cryptic.

The fact the note had appeared in front of her just as her lunch break concluded, practically the moment she'd finished off her lettuce and dandelion sandwich as if it'd all been planned out to occur in such a fashion, just added further confusion and mystery to exactly what was going on around here.

Across the desk, sitting in the chair opposite of her, Princess Twilight fidgeted uneasily in the ensuing silence since the letter's arrival and subsequent reading.

"Twilight," she spoke slowly as she turned the note around to let her companion see it for herself. "By any chance can you explain this?"

She watched as Twilight's brow furrowed in confusion as she leaned in, propping herself up on the desk with her front hooves as she scanned the document for herself. And then she watched as a mix of facial expressions she'd known all too well played out, telling far more than the smaller alicorn ever could with her words.

The nervous chuckle as she looked back up really didn't help any.

"Um... maybe?"

"What exactly did transpire after I left the three of you alone in the library yesterday?" she asked pointedly.

All Twilight seemed able to do in response to the question being asked was let out a slow sigh, and hung her head in what could only be described as defeat. Or maybe it was shame. It was one of those two anyway.

"After you left, we discussed what to do about the Storm King. Ulquiorra theorized the best way to get to him was to go through Tempest Shadow since we'd have an easier time using his skills to find an isolated unicorn than a whole pack of yeti soldiers. And from there is sort of spiraled into a search and rescue mission instead of a political assassination.

"So after verifying that Tempest wasn't a student at your school in this reality, we cobbled together a message for her. With me showing her how the Storm King will betray her, Dr. Malar informing her about horn replacements and how they work, Princess Luna imploring her to return to Equestria, and Ulquiorra delivering it," she explained, unable to muster direct eye contact as she spoke.

"And not a single one of you saw fit to inform me about what you were planning on doing," Celestia surmised.

Twilight briefly looked up and opened her mouth to say something in response. But upon making eye contact she closed it back up and looked down again, unable to say anything in her own defense.

Celestia simply sighed as she set the note aside on her desk for later.

"At this point I honestly wouldn't mind ponies going behind my back, if they'd just have the decency to keep me informed about what their intentions were," she stated. "Surely that's not asking too much from my little ponies, is it?"

Twilight flinched in response to the question as if she'd just been physically struck right across the face.

"I... I-I'm sorry..." she offered up weakly, barely able to get her voice above a whisper as she spoke.

"I don't doubt that. But we can discuss this matter in greater detail at a later time. Right now we apparently have a lot that needs to be done, and be done within thirty-four minutes at the most. I don't know what Ulquiorra is planning, but I've never seen him request this degree of response on our part before; usually he wants us to stay out of his way when he operates. That in itself is rather concerning."

Twilight was vaguely aware of trotting behind Celestia as she went about filling the requested preparations in Ulquiorra's note. But the finer details that'd gone into actually getting those preparations into effect were lost in the haze of guilt still weighing on her mind. The hurt look in Celestia's eyes at realizing they'd completely disregarded her was far more wince-inducing to experience than she'd been prepared for, and just thinking about it had left her feeling in a fog, operating more on autopilot than anything.

Right now she found herself outside, waiting at the palace's landing pad for whatever was going to happen, whenever it was going to happen.

Princess Celestia was also present, that much went without saying, as she stood with a posture that just screamed business and professionalism.

Also present was a contingent of royal guards, divided into ten teams of three, each of them positioned at various locations around the area, made up of members of the three pony tribes, and currently carrying a spear tucked in the crook of their right forelimb.

As she looked around her surroundings once again, she didn't really know what she'd expected from reading Ulquiorra's note, but this really wasn't it.

"So..." she spoke up slowly, feeling unable to remain still in the current silence, with only the sound of the wind in the background to serve as a distraction. "How exactly do these... defense condition levels, actually work? What do they entail? Is a level three high on the chart?"

"Quite the opposite actually. Level three simply means being ready to mobilize to action in the event a situation may arise."

The break in silence was appreciated. But the tone of Celestia's voice wasn't what Twilight had been hoping for. It wasn't exactly cold, but it was... detached, and disinterested, as if her mind was elsewhere and she was speaking out of reflex.

"There are five official levels of defense condition readiness that Equestria recognizes. Level five being the normal everyday the palace operates with, all the way up to level one, where the entire guard is mobilized to action, and Luna and I are both donning armor and making ready to battle with everything we have," Celestia explained further.

"So it's like a countdown then," Twilight surmised. "Um, what happens if you reach zero?"

"Officially there is no level zero," Celestia stated. After a brief paused, she continued. "Hypothetically speaking, however, if ever a threat were to qualify as a level zero event, it would mean we've crossed a threshold where no level of response, not even Ulquiorra going all out with whatever degree of force he deemed necessary, could possibly make the situation any worse than it already was on its own."

Twilight stared at Celestia with wide, terrified eyes at hearing this assessment, uneasily swallowing a lump of fear that'd formed in the back of her throat.

Applejack's glowing evaluation of Ulquiorra's strength was difficult to comprehend and quantify in any meaningful term. She understood that he was stronger than he looked, but just how strong he was couldn't properly be understood until she'd witnessed for herself just what he was capable of doing, when he'd given her that little demonstration the night before last in the library.

"The Lanza Del Relampago," she muttered and shook her head.

"Oh. So that's what that particular attack is called then," Celestia replied. "When Discord first brought him to our world, I probed his mind to see just what we were going to be dealing with. I saw a great many things that utterly horrified me at the time. It's nice to at least know the name of some of the things I saw."

The way Celestia spoke, the utterly casual tone of her voice as if they were discussing something as simple as tea blends, was almost more disturbing than anything else at the moment, and sent an uneasy chill creeping up her spine.

"... Ulquiorra said that even just summoning it would be enough to destroy the palace..."

"That honestly doesn't surprise me, based on everything I've seen and heard so far," Celestia stated. "Has he told you about his time in Las Noches? In his reality it's a massive city fortress, occupying somewhere in excess of two hundred thousand square miles if I remember correctly. Assuming the evaluation of his own strength is accurate, he was forbidden from utilizing his transformation while in the confines of the city, because the resulting release of spiritual pressure his body puts out would be enough to destroy it."

The uneasy chill that Twilight had felt creeping up her spine, had instantly morphed into a full-body shudder of terror at hearing this particular bit of information.

"Exactly what that destruction would entail, he never really specified. And I haven't been too keen on seeking clarification on the matter. So whether it would merely blow the city's domed roof off of the structure, or could actually reach the four corners and tear the walls down to their foundations, I don't really know. Nor do I particularly care to know that answer, for the sake of my own sanity," Celestia continued.

Twilight honestly wanted to puke at this point. She'd thought that she'd experienced peak terror the other night when she'd witnessed the Lanza Del Relampago for herself.

But this new revelation was far, far worse than she'd ever thought possible. How? Just how was it possible for one entity, one individual, to have that much power at their literal fingertips, and able to call upon it at will? Even when she held all of the alicorn magic in Equestria, she couldn't even come close to feats like that. Not that she'd actually wanted to achieve something like that, but her own reluctance for mass destruction was well beside the point.

Being able to blow up an entire mountain with a dedicated attack was one thing, and she could understand it. After all that's what attacks and offensive capabilities were designed and intended to do in the first place; destroy a target. But destroying the palace just by transforming? The equivalent of what amounted to him simply flexing his muscles? That was just utterly horrifying!

And what had they gone and done with such a powerful being? Why they'd sent him out to track down Tempest Shadow so she could lead them to the Storm King for what was ultimately killing purposes, that's what!

"I think I'm gonna be sick," she stated, feeling the stress and guilt swiftly catching up with her.

A bucket, and a plastic bottle of water, suddenly flashed in front of her on the landing pad's surface.

"In my experience it's best to simply get such matters over with. Trying to fight it and put it off will only make you more miserable," Celestia commented.

"Princess!"

The ill feeling Twilight had been playing host to was suddenly much easier to ignore as one of the guards sounded off, grabbing both of their attentions.

She looked up as one of the pegasus guards flew into view, carrying with him a spyglass as he moved to Celestia's position. A pegasus guard that...

Wait. Was that pony actually Flash Sentry? He certainly looked the part if nothing else.

She didn't want to sound mean or anything, but right now she was very thankful for the incognito spell that Princess Luna had gifted her. And equally thankful that it could simply be cast and forgotten about rather than requiring to be maintained.

Then again, this Flash didn't know her. So maybe a lot of unpleasant awkwardness could be easily avoided.

"Oh! So that's why he wanted the airspace and landing pad cleared."

Curiosity was proving to be more overpowering than anything else Twilight was feeling at the moment. Overpowering enough that she trotted over to where Celestia currently stood in hopes of understanding what she was talking about.

Instead of an explanation, she was offered the spyglass, a general direction of where to look, and latitudinal/longitudinal coordinates on where to focus her sight so she could see for herself.

"That's Tempest Shadow's personal airship! It's not nearly as big or robust as the Storm King's normal airships, but it's much faster and far more maneuverable," she stated upon recognizing the incoming vessel.

Exactly what this development meant, she didn't really know. And at the moment she was honestly too afraid to let her mind freely wander over the possibilities. Right now waiting and seeing was their only viable answer.

The forward advance of the airship gradually slowed until it was more or less in a stationary hover above the landing pad as its onboard propeller responsible for forward movement ceased spinning, while the mechanisms that operated steering rotated the craft to present its port side.

The landing struts deployed from the bottom, allowing the vessel to gently touch down on the pad without damaging the underneath or making it risk tipping over.

And a ramp extended outward from the side of the vessel and dropped down to the ground, as the bay doors slowly swung open.

The atmosphere on the landing pad was tense as those present waited to see just who or what descended the ramp. Twilight was certain she heard the guards stiffening up as they gripped their spears tighter, making ready as best they could to immediately respond if need be.

Ulquiorra being the first and seemingly only one to come walking down the ramp with his hands tucked in his pockets wasn't exactly what Twilight had expected to see. But at the same time there was an odd sense of comfort to be experienced from seeing him all calm, cool, collected... and still looking like he was utterly bored.

"Your punctuality continues to prove impressive as always, Ulquiorra. You're a full two minutes early," Celestia quipped as he stepped down onto the landing pad.

"The winds were with us once we crossed into Equestria's borders," Ulquiorra quipped right back without missing a beat.

"I must say, that's quite the ship you have there. Had I known you actually fancied one yourself, that could've easily been arranged locally. There was no need to go abroad just for that," Celestia replied.

The entire exchange had struck Twilight as just plain weird. Even after having witnessed similar back and forth banter between the two, it still felt odd. But at the moment that was neither here nor there. There were more important matters to tend to first.

"Um..."

It was only then that either pony recognized the fact that there was another party present. Another party who was standing behind Ulquiorra, and was of the squatty, bipedal, hedgehog variety.

Twilight couldn't help but blink at the realization. Did Ulquiorra really command such a presence, that they'd managed to miss the fact that Grubber was behind him the whole time?

Either way, their attention was now on the pudgy little fluffball as Ulquiorra stepped to the side.

"H-hi, Princess. Name's Grubber. Big fan of your work, how you raise the sun every day and all that," he said, giving an uneasy/awkward chuckle as he fidgeted while addressing Celestia. "Listen, my boss has kinda had a rough time the past couple of days. We got stuck in a sandstorm in the wastelands that was rocking us about and ruining the resale value on our ship, she got really airsick in all the turbulence we were in. Then your messenger here showed up and hit her with a doozy about how she could get her horn back and kinda broke her again. She's been in a state of shock since and hasn't really been herself the whole trip. Do you think you could maybe kinda go easy on her until she's back on her hooves again?"

"Grubber..."

Twilight turned her attention away from their current guest to look towards the sound of the new but very recognizable voice at the top of the ramp. But as she did, she found it necessary to do a double take.

She knew that this was Tempest Shadow. But she didn't look like the Tempest Shadow of her own reality. Her armor looked different to some extent but she couldn't put her hoof on it. Her mane and coat were more faded and looked like some of her more vibrant color had washed right out of its limp state. She looked utterly tired, like she hadn't been asleep for days and it was catching up with her.

And while she was flanked by two yetis in their storm armor, their posture didn't look at all like they were operating in an official capacity. It honestly looked like they were there simply to ensure she didn't fall down and go tumbling as she -slowly- descended the ramp.

In her humble princess opinion, Tempest Shadow looked like utter crap! Grubber really hadn't been kidding about her having a rough time.

"You don't need to speak for me," she continued as she eventually stepped onto the solid surface of the landing pad.

Grubber could do little more than chuckle awkwardly as she approached. "Sorry, Boss. Old habits, y'know?"

He then -calmy- stepped to the side to get out of her way, as her escort stopped their advance and allowed her to move towards Celestia on her own.

"Princess," she began as she addressed Celestia directly. "I have no excuse for my actions. So I won't bother wasting either of our time by trying. I'm at your mercy, and will accept whatever course of action you see fit for me," she concluded, her voice strained as she spoke, before eventually bowing her head.

Celestia, in turned, respectively bowed her own head.

"I accept," she said, before raising her head again. "I appreciate your straightforwardness. As well as your willingness to accept responsibility. It can get rather tiring having to listen to self-important ponies who believe the more words they use, the better if reflects on them."

Tempest remained silent in response.

"Now then. I'm sure there's much that we have to discuss, but that can all come later. I'd like you to be examined by a qualified physician before we proceed any further. You look like you need rest, amongst other things," Celestia continued.

That statement proved to be enough to make Tempest look back up again, confusion etched right across her face.

"A-aren't you even going to have me restrained?"

Celestia shook her head in response. "I don't think that will be necessary. Ulquiorra, do you believe Tempest needs to be restrained?"

"I do not," Ulquiorra replied simply from where he stood. "Tempest Shadow is stubborn, but far from stupid. She won't try anything just to prove that she can. Nor will her ship's crew feel inclined to prove that they can't be trusted while she's in our custody. They lack the necessary will to fight in this case."

"Then I believe that's good enough for me," Celestia replied. "Lieutenant Strike, Sergeant Reckless. Please take your teams and escort our guest to the infirmary. The rest of the teams, secure the airship for the time being. I don't want anything to happen to it while our guests are here."

"Yes Ma'am!" the two aforementioned guards stated in acknowledgement of their orders.

"As for the rest of us. I believe that we have a great deal to discuss and get sorted out, in order to figure out where we presently stand, and what still needs to be done," Celestia continued, mentally trying to keep track of not just what would be getting discussed, but who the discussion would be involving.

"Um, actually, Your Highness," Grubber spoke up, "I'd kinda like to go with Tempest if that's alright. Someone's gotta inform the docs that she's allergic to penicillin and keep an eye on her."

Celestia shook her head in response. "I have no objection, Grubber. By all means feel free to go with her. She may do better with a familiar companion."

"And what of us?"

The deep rumble of a voice managed to catch Celestia off guard, as she had no idea just who it belonged to. It was only after that she realized one of the burly yeti guards that had escorted Tempest down the ramp, was standing differently and looking directly at her.

"And you are...?"

"You may call me Strife, Your Highness," the guard announced, before reaching up to remove his helmet, and causing more than a few flinches from the assembled ponies as his furry face came into view. "We have eight other troops aboard the vessel. What would you have of us?"

Celestia's brow furrowed in response as she tried to figure out an adequate answer to the presented question.

"I'm honestly not entirely sure," she admitted, uncertain of what else to say.

"Then I humbly request we be allowed to attend the briefing. If nothing else it would allow you to keep an eye on us, and perhaps put some nerves at ease since we're cooperating," Strife suggested, unable to not notice the assembled royal guards and how they seemed... rather edgy at the moment.

"That's an excellent idea. Yes, I believe that will be fine. Provided whatever weapons you have are left onboard your vessel," Celestia replied.

"No objections," Strife agreed all too readily as he cast an uneasy glance in Ulquiorra's direction, before turning back to Celestia. "After what all we've witnessed, I doubt they would do us any good anyway."

Celestia looked back at Ulquiorra, before halting herself before she could ask anything. There would be plenty of time for inquiries later, once other pressing matters were tended to.

"Very well then. If you'll all follow me..."

"You're Princess Twilight, right? The same one from the message?"

Like the others, Twilight had been ready to follow Celestia's lead to wherever the briefing was going to be held. But she was stopped as Tempest approached her at an uneasy pace, with Grubber following close at her side and the two teams of guards bringing up the rear.

"I am," she confirmed and nodded.

"I don't know what to say right now," Tempest admitted, "you're the first pony in fifteen years that hasn't regarded me with outright fear or disgust."

Twilight hadn't expected that answer, and found herself shocked and unprepared for the impact it carried. But that shock quickly gave way to annoyance and she felt the need to frown -if not growl- in response. But it was an urge she had to resist, lest she send the wrong message to the wrong recipient.

That didn't make it any less distasteful, though. To be shunned by her own kind, and for matters beyond her control... that was just plain unacceptable!

Were she not the Princess of Friendship, right now she would be feeling sorely tempted to bang skulls together for that type of intolerance.

"Nothing you did or went through deserves that level of scorn, Tempest. Not you, or your counterpart back in my reality," she stated firmly. "I don't know how your past may differ from the other Tempest Shadow, but I can't imagine any circumstances that would justify that."

The smile that played across Tempest's lips in response was weak, and it was brief, but it was still there, and still noticed by Twilight all the same.

"Thank you, Princess."

Twilight very nearly replied that it was just what friends did. But with Grubber standing right there, she immediately rethought that approach so she didn't say something that might make him feel slighted.

Instead she opted for the far simpler approach and moved in to provide her with what was sure to be a much-needed hug. Except as she reached out to her, Tempest quickly stepped back just out of her reach and nearly backed into the guards in the process.

"Um, no offense, Princess, but I'm not really the hugging type..."

Now that was a development Twilight definitely hadn't seem coming at all. And now that it was actually out there, like a slap in the face, she was left trying to figure out how to correct her actions, now that she was aware of the fact this Tempest apparently wasn't hot for physical contact.

"Oh."

At the moment, it was the only thing she could think to offer up in response.

The resulting silence was awkward, mixed with uncertainty on just what to do next, as the two just glanced away from each other. But it was short-lived, as Tempest seemed to remember what she was doing and slowly started to walk away again, with her entourage following close behind on the way to the infirmary.

This was definitely going to tame some adjusting.

chapter One Hundred Twenty Five

chapter One Hundred Twenty Five

It was hard for Tempest to not be at least a little bit awestruck as she walked through the hallways of Canterlot's palace. Everything about it was just so big, and bright, and vibrant.

Everywhere she looked there was some new demonstration of opulence and extravagance to catch her eye, and detract her attention away from trying to map out exactly where they were going. And if not for Grubber and the palace guards at her side, she might've easily gotten lost and walked off somewhere she wasn't supposed to be going.

The sheer amount of wealth the palace conveyed in the tiniest of things was so hard to ignore. There was no telling how much even some of the fixtures and dressings would fetch on the black market. Provided they didn't find their way to her own quarters first...

But she couldn't think about that sort of thing. More accurately, she shouldn't be thinking about that sort of thing. Nor did she even really want to be thinking along those lines.

But as Grubber had said just minutes ago, old habits. And all those years serving the Storm King and doing his bidding weren't easily discarded or forgotten about just because she was being treated decently and like an actual pony again.

If she were less disciplined, she might sigh in frustration as she walked along. There was far too much going on for her own comfort right now. Her entire world had been turned upside down and inside out in just a couple of days, leaving her uncertain just where she stood at the moment. And uncertainty was a bad thing as far as she was concerned.

"Here we go," one of the guards announced, breaking her out of her own inner turmoil and bringing her back to the present as they stood before two swinging double doors with a red cross symbol prominently emblazoned across the both of them.

Tempest more or less found herself hanging back as some of the guards seemed to take point and push the doors aside to usher the rest of them inside a room that looked far more appropriate to classify as a hospital than a mere infirmary.

"Hey, Doc," one of the guards announced.

The doctor, a unicorn that Tempest immediately recognized from the message, turned from his desk to face them at being called.

"Sergeant Reckless," Malar said with an exasperated huff. "Please tell me you're not here for a broken tooth from trying to eat a poker chip. Again."

"You bite into one poker chip because it looks like candy, and you're labeled for life," the guard grumbled in annoyance and shook her head. "No Doc, it's not me this time. We've got a guest for you."

It was only then that he seemed to take notice of her being present.

"Well now, Miss Shadow! I certainly didn't expect to be seeing you here. Not so suddenly at least," he said as he got up from his seat at the desk and approached them.

"Your boss' messenger isn't exactly the kind of creature you can just say "no" to when he wants you to do something," Grubber stated uneasily and gave a shudder. "He's... scary."

Much to Tempest's surprise, she actually found the guards nodding in agreement with Grubber's assessment. Almost as if they had their own experience on the matter.

"He certainly is that at times," Malar acknowledged. "But enough about him. What's the nature of this visit?"

"Her Highness wants our... guest," Lieutenant Strike spoke up, "to be examined by a qualified physician."

"Well she certainly looks like she could use an examination right now," Malar agreed as he looked back at her. "Is she under arrest, Lieutenant?"

"I don't believe so, Doctor. We weren't informed of any such status being in effect. As far as we know she's as free to come and go like any other palace visitor," Strike acknowledged.

"Very well then. You can leave Miss Shadow in our care, we'll take it from here," Malar stated.

Tempest couldn't help but blink a couple of times in confusion, trying to figure if she'd just heard right. The idea of being left alone in the care of the medical staff, just like that, was so odd to even consider. Even odder was the fact the guards didn't really seem to have any objection and just departed as if they'd been dismissed, didn't make any sense to her.

Maybe they were simply going to wait outside the doors until they were called again. It was certainly what she'd do in a similar situation.

Whatever the guards were up to, that was immaterial at the moment. At the moment only one question was important enough to hold her attention.

"Is it really true your horn is artificial?"

Malar's response was less verbal and more visual, as his horn began to glow and become enveloped in an aura of his magic. And then the aura started to shift and fade while the glow itself remained, now residing in the upper three-fourths of his horn.

She watched as the brown coloration of the appendage atop his head started to shift and slowly become downright translucent as its artificial nature was revealed, leaving her staring in awe as she inched her way closer, all but mesmerized at the sight, and the now-visible seam line where the crystalline structure was joined with the remnants of his own horn; an aspect she hadn't seen before when it wasn't glowing.

And just as easily and swiftly as it'd started, it ended just the same and returned to looking like a normal, nondescript horn no different than what would be seen on the head of any other non-broken unicorn.

Finally, after so many years, what she was so desperately after was at last within her grasp.

"Cool glowstick," Grubber commented. "So when does Tempest get her own?"

"I'm afraid that's not my call. I have a lot of pull as the chief physician of the palace, but I don't have that much pull," Malar replied and shook his head. "I'm afraid that's up to Princess Celestia herself. She'll make the final determination on that call."

Tempest hadn't managed to forget that particular part. But actually hearing it mentioned after finally having actual confirmation of what she was after, had still managed to hurt. It was like a carrot was being dangled in front of her, and then yanked away just as she'd moved in to bite down on it.

"Now that matter aside, Princess Celestia requested a medical exam, and I intend to do just that," Malar stated. "Nurse Goodwill. One inhibitor ring, if you would."

Tempest hadn't failed to notice the additional medical staff in the infirmary. But hearing this had suddenly made her far more aware of their presence than she had been when she'd first walked in.

"E-excuse me, what now? An inhibitor ring?" she asked, suddenly finding herself feeling quite flustered. "Is that really necessary?"

That wouldn't do. No, that wouldn't do at all. Already she could feel her muscles tensing up, and she was certain the temperature in the room was rising quickly as the very idea sat poorly with her. It wasn't bad enough that her horn was shattered, and her magic was useless for all intents and purposes? They had to go one step further and rub salt in that wound? What else did they plan to do to her!?

"Nopony said anything about using an inhibitor ring on me! I'm not going to be a prisoner and wear one of those things again-"

"Tempest Shadow!"

Much to her surprise, Tempest found herself silenced and rooted to the spot as Malar spoke, his voice taking on both a level and tone of firmness she hadn't heard him using before, as he leveled his gaze at her.

It wasn't out of fear, or respect, but something else entirely. Something that was telling her to shut up and listen. Maybe it was his glare, or the tone of his voice, or even his posture. But so help her, it had a paralyzing effect on her at the moment that just utterly seemed to command her attention.

"Listen to me, and listen well. This has nothing to do with you specifically, nor are you being treated like a criminal," he continued. "Whether you choose to believe it or not, use of an inhibitor is standard procedure when dealing with any horn-based injury, regardless of whether the pony is an ally, enemy, or neutral participant. If Princess Celestia herself were here with a broken horn instead of you right now, we'd be doing the same to her until we had the situation evaluated and under control. Even a simple cracked horn has the potential to be dangerous.

"I know nothing about you except for what Princess Twilight revealed when we were composing our message to you. I know nothing about your psychological conditioning, your stress triggers, your fight or flight response, or even what nerve clusters may trigger an involuntary magical response on your part when touched. But what I do know, better than most, is just how dangerous unicorn magic can be when it doesn't have a proper, intact conduit to be channeled through. I don't want to restrain you like a common criminal, I want to keep you safe, just like I do my staff. I don't want you or them caught in the middle of an unstable magical discharge just because I tripped something I didn't know about."

Try as she might, Tempest couldn't muster a decent counterargument. Malar had made a great deal of sense with his explanation and reasoning. As well as easily left her feeling like an utter idiot for her outburst and unreasonableness just a moment ago. She must've been even more screwed up than she thought.

"I'm... sorry. I overreacted," she admitted uneasily as she looked down towards the floor of the room, finding it far too uncomfortable to maintain eye contact.

Grubber patting at her right side reassuringly didn't go unnoticed, despite the mood she was currently in.

"You did, but it's an understandable response," Malar replied, sounding much calmer now as he spoke. "I'm ashamed to admit I wasn't much better when it was me. But I had even less of an excuse because of my medical experience at the time."

Without explanation, Tempest watched as he proceeded to undo his white lab coat, before shrugging it off and letting it fall to the floor. And then she did have explanation, as she saw just what was underneath it as a large, discolored patch of skin rested across his back, contrasting against his brown fur.

Grubber's response was a dry heave of a cough.

"I wish I could say that an uncooperative patient did this to me, but I can't. This is regrettably of my own doing," he explained as he just stood there while she stared. "Back when I suffered the accident that cost me my horn, like most others, I didn't want to believe the truth. I thought that if I just focused and concentrated hard enough, approached with caution and used the most minutes amounts of magic possible, I could eventually learn how to make do with my stump of a horn. I stubbornly maintained the idiotic belief that I could actually be the million-to-one statistic pony who could rise up and overcome the cards I'd been dealt. But, sadly that wasn't the case.

"The only thing more regrettable than my own past behavior, is what it nearly cost me in the process. In my own hubris, denial, and outright stubborn refusal to see the truth before me, I nearly immolated myself and my own niece in the process; she wasn't even supposed to be there at the time. It's only by Faust's good graces that she didn't get hurt."

Hearing all this, Tempest felt even more idiotic for her initial outburst than she previously did. She didn't even want to think what Malar himself was having to go through in telling her all of this, especially since she was the reason for it all. There was a definite urge to go crawling back to her private quarters on the airship and just hide her face.

As the nurse came out with the ring in tow, she didn't even bother to speak up, simply keeping her head low and allowing it to be slipped on her stump without issue. Although she flinched as she felt it automatically resizing until it snugged itself up, to the point she couldn't easily shake it off on her own.

"All good?" Goodwill asked, seemingly oblivious to Malar's outburst just a moment ago despite having been in the room the entire time. "Now then, let's see about getting you out of that armor so we can have a proper look at you."

"Er, do we really have to do that?" Tempest asked hesitantly. "You don't really want to see what's underneath. It's... really not pretty."

"Oh pish-posh. There's nothing you need to be embarrassed about," Goodwill stated in a positive, supportive tone. "We're all medical professionals here, we've had our baptism by fire at Canterlot General. You'd be hard pressed to have anything that we haven't already seen before."

Malar nodded as he was in the process of putting his lab coat back on once again. "Barely two months ago, we were stitching up a poor pegasus who'd just about been cut to ribbons from crashing through a stain glass window in the throne room. If not for the suspended animation runes and glyphs carved into the infirmary floor, we never would've been able to move fast enough to save her. I can assure you, you're in the best hooves this side of Manehattan."

"Beyond that, you definitely need a good washing, you're covered nose to tail in dirt. Let's get you out of that armor, then I'll sponge you down for the time being. Once the exam is over you can get a proper shower. You'll feel much better afterwards," Goodwill instructed.

Try as she might, Tempest couldn't figure a good counterargument to that point. She knew that she was dirty, borderline filthy. She could feel sand in uncomfortable places that she hadn't been able to shake out, from the time they'd spent in the wasteland. And it'd been a good while since she last had the opportunity to take an actual shower.

"Would that be a shower with hot water?"

"As hot as you want it," Goodwill replied and smiled.

"Well, when you put it like that..."

Finding chairs that would actually allow the yetis to comfortably sit down had been an interesting challenge in itself.

But it'd been done, and the lot of them were presently seated in the conference room, aside from Ulquiorra who opted to remain standing where most everyone present could see him without having to swivel around.

"So, Ulquiorra," Celestia began from her seat at the head of the table, "What exactly can you tell me about what's going on here? What exactly happened yesterday? I'm afraid I'm out of the loop, and I'd like to have at least some idea about what's going on in my kingdom."

"Following your departure from the palace library yesterday morning, Princess Luna and I began discussing matters pertaining to the Storm King, and how best to resolve the situation in a preemptive manner before Equestria could be invaded by his forces. It was eventually determined the best course of action for us to take was to locate the Storm King, evaluate him to determine what threat he posed to Equestria, if any, and then proceed accordingly with more intact and accurate information.

"To do such, it was determined the best approach was to first locate Tempest Shadow, since an isolated unicorn would be far easier to locate than a large gathering of an as-of-yet unknown and unidentified species. To gain her cooperation, we essentially bribed her with information about the one thing she wanted more than anything; something that Equestria currently has the means to easily provide her with, that the Storm King either could not or would not. Along with informing her about the inevitable betrayal that would follow if she continued along the path she was currently on.

"And before the question is even asked, she was not forced into compliance with our goals, or otherwise subjected to coercion. She was provided with the information, and allowed to make whatever choice she wanted on where to proceed from there. It was entirely her decision to return to Equestria and face the potential consequences of her actions. Just as it was the decision of her crew to follow her, despite knowing it would put them well into the heart of enemy territory where they would be surrounded, and cut off from any support or reinforcements they might otherwise receive."

Several of the yetis currently in the room nodded in agreement.

"Bringing us to where we are presently," Ulquiorra stated in conclusion.

The explanation was a lot more succinct and straightforward than Celestia had been expecting from Ulquiorra. In truth she'd expected him to be speaking at length and overloading her with minute details from his perspective.

Whether that succinctness was because he was withholding information, or he was simply moving away from his standard approach to doing business, she didn't really know. And at the moment, she honestly didn't even care all that much.

"I still would've appreciated being informed about what you three were planning before it was executed," she replied.

"As was stated yesterday in the library, you're in the unenviable position of having an entire kingdom to run and maintain. You have enough responsibilities to deal with as it is, without the added burden of being informed that we were setting out on a rescue mission to bring one of your little ponies back home where she belonged," Ulquiorra stated flatly as he slowly leveled his gaze where she sat. "Tell me that you wouldn't have been worried about the success of the mission and the well being of Tempest Shadow, if I had first informed you of what we were going to do, and how we intended to proceed."

As much as Celestia hated to admit it, Ulquiorra's evaluation was likely quite accurate. Yesterday had definitely been stressful with Twilight and Rarity, and she didn't know just how her concentration would've been if she'd had this brought up then. So in a way he'd technically done her a favor, but overall that was beside the point.

"Be that as it may, I would appreciate if, in the future, you kept me informed about what's going on in my kingdom. Let me decide on whether or not I'm in a condition to be facing additional worries," she implored firmly. "Unless the situation is dire enough to require an immediate response, where any sort of delay for discussion could potentially have drastic consequences for all involved."

"Acknowledged," Ulquiorra replied.

While it was certainly something, Celestia knew from experience that Ulquiorra acknowledging what she said, wasn't exactly the same thing as actually agreeing with what she said, even if he might do as she'd asked regardless. He'd proven more than once that he could be very selective and specific in his interpretation, and when he'd adhere to the letter if not the spirit of her instructions.

Under different circumstances he'd make an excellent lawyer. And she would hate to have him as opposition in such proceedings.

She'd have to speak with him about the matter for clarification purposes, but at a later date. There was neither point nor sense to be had from bickering in front of their guests in such an unbecoming manner.

"So now that Tempest Shadow is back home in Equestria where she belongs, and truly has belonged this entire time, how do we proceed next?" she asked.

"I don't know," Ulquiorra admitted without a hint of hesitation on his part. "This is outside my field of expertise, or even general knowledge."

Over where Princess Twilight sat, she was facing a similar question; now what?

As much as she hated to admit it, she really hadn't thought this through as much as she wanted to believe she had. She'd more or less gotten caught up in everything as Princess Luna and Ulquiorra essentially took the lead, with her following along in an effort to not be left out. She hadn't really had a plan on what to do next, because she hadn't anticipated getting to this point quite so fast.

Tempest was safe and would be getting the medical treatment she needed, but now what?

Maybe they should proceed further and go to Klugetown if it existed in this reality? Maybe break up Verko's crime ring before he'd have the opportunity to try and capitalize on the resulting power vacuum?

Or find Seaquestria and inform Queen Novo that she and the rest of the hippogriphs were now free to return to their original home in Mount Aris without fear of repercussions?

Find Captain Celaeno and the rest of her pirate crew, and inform them that their old boss was no longer in charge of them?

They were all very good, very worthwhile endeavors. And each and every one of them, including the ones she couldn't immediately recall, were all in need of being done.

The only real complication serving to prevent any of them being done right now, was needing confirmation on whether or not the Storm King was actually dead. Ulquiorra really hadn't said for certain whether or not he'd proceeded with that particular part of the plan after making contact with Tempest.

Even as fast as he supposedly was, would he have really had enough time to locate Tempest, deliver their message, convince her to turn against the Storm King, track him down to whatever rat hole he was hiding in, kill him, and make it back to Canterlot, all within the mere twenty-one hours he'd been gone?

She didn't know. And at the moment she didn't know how to go about broaching the subject when the Storm King's troops were sitting at the table with her. That would make for a very awkward conversation if any of them were loyal to him. And potentially starting a war in this reality wasn't something she really wanted to be responsible for.

Even if, by Princess Celestia's estimate of Ulquiorra's strength, it would prove to be the shortest war in all of Equestria's history.

"Your Highness."

And then Strife spoke up, snapping her out of her thoughts before they could go sideways into some territory she wasn't prepared to find herself in. A fact she was quite thankful for.

"If I may ask, does Tempest Shadow face any sort of legal repercussions from coming back to Equestria?" he inquired, his deep voice practically rumbling as he spoke.

"I honestly don't know at this point," Celestia admitted. "I certainly intend to look into the matter once everything has settled down. I feel sorry for what she's gone through, but if there are victims, then they deserve justice, and I owe it to them to do what's necessary. But as a nation, we don't possess any sort of legal authority to prosecute deeds beyond our borders. And unless she actually did something truly heinous in the past like committing murder, then I'm hard pressed to think of any crimes for which the statute of limitations wouldn't have expired long before now."

"Then we didn't escort her into a trap," Strife surmised. "Good then. We may serve the Storm King, but we're loyal to her, Your Highness. And we would be very displeased to find out that same loyalty caused her harm," he explained in a tone that was a borderline hostile growl.

Before any of them could respond, Strife was already continuing.

"She may be quite tough, and very strict, but she's extremely fair; she's never asked any of us to do something she wasn't willing to do herself, and has always lead from the front rather than the rear. So when your messenger brought us news about everything, we voted on how we wished to proceed. The final tally was ten-to-one, setting sail for Canterlot to bring Tempest where she could benefit the most."

"What was the opposition vote?" Twilight asked curiously.

"That we go back to base and kill the bastard first," he admitted, to which several of the other guards nodded in confirmation.

Twilight found herself flinching. Did everycreature in this reality curse so freely?

And then she remembered, Strife and the rest of them had been exposed to Ulquiorra for the whole journey back here. Much like everyone else she'd encountered in this reality that used such language without a second thought. He was the common denominator in all of it. It was almost like he was some sort of walking profanity plague with the ability to corrupt everyone he encountered.

Everyone except for her so far. So far she'd apparently been able to resist. But how long would that remain the case?

Princess Celestia, on the other hoof, didn't so much as blink at the statement.

"So the Storm King is still alive," she surmised. "I'm honestly a little surprised by that. I thought for sure Ulquiorra would've proceeded straight to killing him, either with or without your cooperation."

"At the time Tempest Shadow was in no physical condition for such an extended journey. Otherwise it would've been done," Ulquiorra elaborated from where he stood. "It was determined the best course of action was to bring her back to Canterlot for whatever treatment she was in need of."

That little bit of information actually managed to surprise Twilight. As well as make her a bit happy to hear. Maybe Ulquiorra really wasn't as bad as she'd initially believed.

"I admit I'm happy to hear that," Celestia stated, unable to completely suppress the smile that wanted to be expressed in light of this announcement. "But I'm afraid we're still at the same problem we were previously. What do we do now?"

"If I may make a suggestion, Your Highness," Strife spoke up, "let us deal with this ourselves."

"Pardon?" Celestia asked.

"Let us return to our land and we'll kill the Storm King," he elaborated. "It's obvious that neither one of our respective parties has any particular love for him; certainly not in light of all this new information about what his true plans and goals are. In truth something like this has been a long time coming, we were simply too... cowardly to do what was needed of us. We allowed him to rise to power, so allow us to clean up our own mess. There's no need for anycreature in your kingdom to get involved with what should've been a local problem."

"I'm certainly not opposed to your request, and your willingness to accept responsibility. But I do have some questions about everything," Celestia stated. "What type of assurance do I have that this isn't some sort of clever ploy to return to your land, simply to mount an attack against us?"

"Ah... that would be your messenger standing over there," Strife said as he uneasily gestured in Ulquiorra's direction. "Do you know about scorpios, Your Highness?"

"I've certainly heard of them, but I can't say I've ever actually seen one for myself," Celestia admitted. "Supposedly they're one of the few creatures in existence that an ursa major is wary of."

"Then let me tell you, they're every bit as frightening as their legends would suggest. If anything the legends told about them don't do them justice," Strife replied and shuddered. "So help me, I have no idea how such a massive beast was able to approach us without making a sound. But as we were fixing to set sail and leave the wasteland, one of them was approaching our position at a speed that just shouldn't have been possible for something of that size. From its position when we first noticed it, it would've been on us before we could ever hope to gain enough altitude to escape the reach of its massive claws. We were all quite certain we were done for.

"But him? Your messenger? What did he do in light of these obvious facts? He charged at it headlong without an ounce of hesitation when it was a mere fifty meters from our vessel and proceeded to punch it. In the face. With his fist. Once. There was a loud crack that could be heard over the blowing winds of the sandstorm and the next thing we know the massive beast is turning to flee as fast as it could, screaming like a stuck pig the entire way. I didn't even know it was possible for them to make that sort of noise! Nor did we want to know what happened next, and we got out of there as fast as we could!"

Strife's tale concluded as he -and several other guards- gave a full-body shudder.

"I don't know what species your messenger is, Your Highness, nor anything else about him. Nor do I really want to know; for all the yeti species knows he's just one more creature your kingdom plays host to, and that's good enough for me. But if he can do that to a scorpio then I genuinely don't want to imagine what he could do to our entire kingdom if we ever displeased you and yours. It would be in our best interest to work together, rather than in opposition. Our species is far from perfect, I'll admit that, but I don't want to think we've done anything to warrant extinction," Strife stated.

"And now I would know what to be looking for, should repercussions ever be warranted," Ulquiorra stated. "I would recognize one of your species from five miles away, to the point of being able to pin down your latitude and longitude if you tried to sneak into Equestria. An airship of yetis would stick out like a sore thumb. Your entire kingdom may as well be a spotlight being projected into the night sky."

This time Twilight joined the yetis in shuddering at Ulquiorra's statement. She hadn't even planned on doing it, it just sort of happened that way.

The more details she became aware of regarding what Ulquiorra actually could do, the more frightening it became to even think about how he was not only here in this world, but what could come about as a result of his presence.

But at the same time, she couldn't help but note that his proposal of pacification through a demonstration of overwhelming force had proven viable as a result. Tempest's crew had seen what was likely a mere fraction of his overall strength, and they were practically tripping over themselves to offer whatever help they could to stay on his -and by extension Princess Celestia's- good side. And he'd done it all without killing anycreature.

"Maybe... there really is something of worth in his methods of operation," she thought to herself.

At this point, Celestia just wanted to sigh and tell Ulquiorra to stop frightening their guests. Even if it had helped soothe some of her concerns. But she refrained from doing such, and decided it was best to get the discussion back on track again.

"Very well, Strife. If you believe you can adequately deal with this situation on your own, then I defer to you and the judgement of your kingdom on how you wish to proceed from here."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Author's Note

I'd planned on having this posted last night. But the last thousand or so words just didn't want to cooperate at the time.

Chapter One Hundred Twenty Six

Chapter One Hundred Twenty Six

The noise currently forcing its way past Tempest's parted lips was one of sheer, utter contentment. One that hadn't been heard from her in a very, very long time, to the point even she couldn't really remember the last time she'd made it, consciously or otherwise.

She vigorously shook her entire body like a dog, flinging water droplets in every which direction inside the shower's tiled walls without a hint of care, before quickly thrusting her head and neck back underneath the stream, letting it beat down on her in a way that few could ever truly hope to appreciate.

Hot water, as hot as she could physically stand it, filling the entire room with a pleasant steam. Hot, soft water, an outright luxury to be had, soaking right through her fur as it caressed tired, aching muscles, beating away at grunge at the roots of her mane even she wasn't aware of. And all complemented by some of the finest soaps and shampoos she'd ever been privy to, far in excess of anything she'd had access to in the past, even with her position in the Storm King's army.

Come to think of it, she doubted even he had such fine toiletries at his disposal. Honestly, she doubted he even knew about such niceties, or would even be able to care about such luxuries.

Oh well, that was his loss! Right now he and his incompetence didn't matter. All that really mattered was the shower she was getting, and she was going to enjoy it for all that it was worth. Which, at the moment, was more than all the gold in Abyssinia to her.

Screw that arrogant monkey with his delusions of grandeur. Who needed him and his treacherous backstabbing ways anyway?

She flung her head back, sending water flying from her mane as she thrust her face directly into the spray of the shower, her eyes clenched shut as she simply enjoyed the simple bliss of it all.

"So this is where I find you."

Said simple bliss suddenly halted at the sound of the voice, bringing Tempest's attention back to her surroundings. Immediately she pulled her head out from under the water and shook as much water off her face as she could in order to open her eyes and look around.

The dark blue alicorn currently leaning casually against the door frame was definitely not what or who she'd been expecting.

"Princess... Luna, right?" she asked as she better turned to face her.

"Correct," Luna replied as she pushed herself away from the door frame and approached. "I must say, it is refreshing to meet a subject that is not immediately bowing in my presence. Although I suppose you are not technically one of my subjects since you left Equestria before I returned. But that is a matter of fine hair-splitting and is neither here nor there at the moment."

Tempest had no immediate response to offer up, instead just opting to remain in place, waiting to see what developed first.

"At the moment I am simply here to welcome you to Equestria. As well as state that I am quite happy you accepted our offer," Luna continued. "I must also apologize. Usually I do not intervene with peaceful dreams. But this was the only way for me to actually meet with you at the moment."

That statement served to actually break Tempest's silence.

"I'm dreaming right now?"

Luna nodded. "Sedated and resting in the palace infirmary, although I do not know the full details. I was admittedly a bit... impatient... when I heard you were here. I could not bring myself to wait for you to awaken on your own so I simply popped in here."

"Oh," was all Tempest could think to respond with at the moment.

"If you do not mind my saying, this is quite a dream to encounter. Rarely do I meet ponies who take such satisfaction in exercising basic hygiene practices," Luna commented.

"Well, when you have to put up with years worth of lukewarm hard water, cheap soap bought in bulk, and bathing in the presence of others, you really learn to appreciate the simple pleasures in life," Tempest mumbled. "The ponies here have been nothing but kind since I got here, even though they had no reason to be. There was more than enough shampoo, nopony tried to rush me in getting washed up, I could just... take it slow and relax. I've never felt so clean before in my life."

Luna couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Yes. It is the small, simple things to be found in life, that can often missed the most. In my own case it was the smell of freshly baked bread. The first time I smelt it after my return, I was reduced to tears over just how much I missed it during my banishment. A thousand years spent isolated on the moon, a prisoner in my own mind, trapped in a dream-like state I could not awaken from, and I was bawling like a newborn foal at the scent of freshly buttered dinner rolls my first night back."

The conversation had suddenly gone in a very weird direction that Tempest hadn't expected it to go. Now she found herself awkwardly uncertain of what to say, with only the sound of the running water to fill the silence.

"But that is enough small talk about me for right now. I am here for your benefit, not mine," Luna said as she once again spoke. "Is there anything I can do to help you while I am here?"

"Not unless you can tell me which prison I'm going to be sent to, so I'll know what to expect," Tempest muttered.

Luna's brow furrowed in annoyance at hearing this. "Sister has not yet said one way or another. But at the moment I do not actually believe incarceration is in your future. You may have a past marked by questionable and regrettable decisions, but so do a great many others. Your crimes cannot compare to my past misdeeds and what was attempted. And while he has gone on to become one of our greatest allies -as well as a friend- you cannot even begin to hold a candle to the past of Ulquiorra Cifer. The number of deaths he is responsible for is truly incalculable. If he can be forgiven his past atrocities, we would be hard pressed to not extend you the same courtesy for actions and decisions born of desperation."

Tempest couldn't deny that the words were somewhat comforting, although she still had trouble accepting them.

But at the second she at least had something else to focus on to serve as a distraction.

"Yeah, about him. What exactly is the story with him anyway? I've been to a lot of places in this world, I've seen a lot of weird things I can't explain, and I've never encountered anything like him before."

"Ah, he is an entirely different matter. He has his own reserved level of complexity," Luna stated. "His is a story best reserved for when you are more recovered, better rested, and have something hardier in your system than a bowl of gummy bears from the infirmary that you and your fuzzy little companion saw fit to devour."

At this, Tempest was unable to suppress a sheepish, embarrassed grin under Luna's watchful eye; like a mother who knew her foal was guilty of some type of wrongdoing and wanted to see if they'd admit to it.

"In my defense, I simply wanted something to get the medicinal taste of that tongue depressor out of my mouth. I didn't expect a simple candy to be that good. And having not eaten for two days I might've lost my composure," she offered up.

At this Luna's muzzle scrunched up as she thrust her tongue out in absolute disgust. "I have tasted many foul things before in my time, including once biting through the rind of a pineapple because I mistakenly thought it was a new member of the apple family grown in my absence. But that, that is a unique displeasure all its own.

"That said, though, I would still prefer to wait until you are on a more solid footing before bringing you up to speed on everything. The dream realm allows for a great deal of flexibility, but even then there are limits that must be obeyed. And certain things are best resolved in the flesh, rather than in the mind. Celestia will have her own matters to brief you on, and she tends to get cranky when I steal her thunder."

For the second time today, Princess Twilight found herself standing in Celestia's office.

After all of the excitement of the morning and early afternoon, with Ulquiorra bringing Tempest to Canterlot and everything that'd followed, there was something calming about being in a semi-familiar surrounding with a semi-familiar friend, even if it still technically wasn't her own reality. But the similarities that did exist, helped soothe her nerves just enough to make the stress bearable at the moment.

"I want to apologize for my behavior yesterday," she stated, opting to get right to the heart of the matter of why she was here. "I'm really sorry that we didn't keep you informed about what we were planning. And even though Ulquiorra made some good points, points that I can't exactly disagree with, that's still no excuse for how the three of us conducted ourselves. We should've at least had the courtesy to tell you what we were thinking about doing.

"I was... afraid. I don't know specifically what I was afraid of, though, only that I was afraid. There were too many variables for me to focus on at the time; too many things that could've gone wrong. Telling you what we were planning could've caused a riff in your relationship with Princess Luna if you two disagreed on how to proceed, and I'd end up being responsible for that rift, and whatever fallout might occur. Or if not Princess Luna, Ulquiorra could've verbally ripped you apart a second time if you protested what was planned, before proceeding regardless of what you might've said. And I honestly don't think they were going to refrain from going forward, regardless of whether or not we participated in the planning phase. We-"

"Princess Twilight."

Twilight's borderline ramblings of terror were effortlessly cut off as Celestia spoke, immediately bringing her attention to the older unicorn on the other side of the desk, anxiously waiting in silence to hear whatever she had to say.

"I accept your apology. You don't have to go into detail, explaining all the potential fears you've been playing host to about how your decisions could affect others. It's something that I'm all too familiar with myself," Celestia explained as she pushed herself up from her seat and slowly walked around to the front of her desk. "And in all honestly, I was a lot less upset about being left out of the loop after I saw Tempest's condition for myself."

"You are? You were?" Twilight asked.

Celestia nodded. "Despite what some might believe, I'm not perfect in my role as ruler; nopony can ever be that. I'm experienced, but experience and intelligence doesn't keep you from screwing up, it only limits the circumstances in which you'll eventually screw up. And in this case I'm afraid to say my screw up was a multi-faceted one. I didn't even realize the depths of it until I laid eyes on Tempest for myself, and saw just how bad of a condition she was actually in."

Twilight could do little more than nod uneasily. She'd been expecting this Tempest to possess the same sort of energy her counterpart carried when they'd first met, and it'd been shockingly absent. It was almost like dealing with an entirely different pony.

It also made her curious -and a bit frightened- at what other possible differences might be in play in this reality. Just how bad were things if the Storm King's own troops were willing to kill him after learning the truth about his intention to betray Tempest the instant he got what he wanted? It was a question she wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to think about.

"Making it all the worse, it's my own experience that served to contribute to my screwing up so profoundly," Celestia continued and let out a tired huff. "For a thousand years, I was the sole ruler of Equestria, taking on all responsibilities involved with a diarchy forced to become a monarchy. I'm afraid that sort of experience isn't easily shaken off. Even though I know that Luna's back and the burden of leadership isn't solely mine anymore, there are still times I find myself thinking along those old lines, and forgetting there are others who can pick up the slack.

"And as far as Ulquiorra taking me to task like he does? I've come to realize that's simply him doing his job, and doing it well."

"I don't understand," Twilight stated, utterly lost.

"Then I'll explain. When Discord first brought Ulquiorra to our reality, none of us were really certain how to proceed. And what I saw when I probed his mind was very disturbing and unsettling to encounter. But there was no evidence of malice on his part, just a willingness to do as he was instructed by those who he considered his superiors. So I gave him a very specific order to follow; to not attack my subjects, nor do anything to cause them harm, or put them at risk.

"He seemed willing and open to abiding by these terms, which helped reinforce the fact he wasn't needlessly violent or dangerous for the sake of it. But little did I realize at the time that he'd chosen to interpret my instructions in a very specific fashion. One that essentially demanded he get involved in any situation that could potentially lead to somepony being harmed. According to him, just passively standing by and doing absolutely nothing would constitute causing others harm by extension."

"That's... certainly a creative way of adhering to the rules," Twilight acknowledged. "I'm still not seeing how it's relevant to what you were saying just a minute ago."

"At first I didn't understand it either. It wasn't until the second changeling invasion that I learned Ulquiorra's definition of "harm" wasn't limited exclusively to a physical sense, but was broad enough to encompass the notion of psychological trauma as well," Celestia explained, doing her best to suppress the urge to cringe as she spoke. "He was... quite thorough throughout the incident in explaining why he disagreed with my approach to dealing with them, and the potential consequences that could be had. His words were harsh, bordering on outright cruel, but at the same time he was absolutely right. I tried to keep the bloodshed to an absolute minimum, and as a result a lot of innocent ponies suffered because I didn't stop to consider an alternative to what I thought was a good idea at the time.

"Had I simply stopped to listen to what he had to say, and allowed him to proceed as he saw fit, a great deal of pain and suffering my little ponies had to endure could've potentially been avoided entirely. I was too stubborn to consider that he, a living antithesis to Equestria's teachings might actually be right, and that stubbornness cost us dearly."

"Killing them outright would've been the better option?" Twilight asked.

"Knowing what we know now... yes. It would've been," Celestia confirmed and nodded slowly. "So many of them died regardless, either due to starvation or simply being too weak to withstand the sheer amount of spiritual pressure that Ulquiorra's body puts out. All I really managed to do with my plan was cause them further pain and suffering. I'm not saying that his would've been the preferable option, but in the end it would've arguably been the kinder option for all parties involved, both ponies and changelings. Ever since then, I've been more open to listening to what he might have to say about particular matters, even if we don't always see eye-to-eye on what the best course of action is.

"It's difficult to put into actual words and still come off as coherent. But there's something almost comforting to be had when Ulquiorra brings something to my attention. If he truly embodied the emptiness of death like he claims he does, I honestly don't think he'd ever speak up. The fact he does suggest he honestly cares about everypony's well being, even if he won't admit to it. If the day ever came where he didn't have complaints to raise, it would either mean I've stopped making mistakes, or he simply no longer cares about what might happen to everypony who lives in Equestria, and is content to let simply let the chips fall wherever they may."

The entire explanation had sounded so strange from Twilight's perspective. She was certain the whole discussion had gotten offtrack somewhere along the line, but she wasn't quite sure where. That was going to take time to figure out. Assuming she wanted to invest the time and effort to figure it out in the first place.

The entire assessment, at least to her, had sounded like a cross between the notion of tough love, and assigning pony qualities and aspects to a non-pony entity who didn't possess such traits. It would definitely require further assessment and evaluation to be certain, once she actually felt like undertaking such a task.

"Now then. I could be wrong, but I don't think feeling the need to offer an apology was what brought you to my office around lunchtime," Celestia continued.

It took Twilight longer than she actually cared to admit, to recall what Celestia was talking about, and what had brought her here originally before everything had gone a bit more sideways than usual. With all the excitement of Tempest arriving, and the resulting fallout, she'd actually needed to rack her brain a bit to get back to why she'd even come here originally.

"Right, about that. Before we proceeded with the plan of finding Tempest and bringing her back, Princess Luna and Ulquiorra searched through the attendance records of the School for Gifted Unicorns, just to make sure we weren't setting out on a gigantic waste of time. Needless to say, we weren't. But I didn't think far enough ahead at the time. I got so focused on Tempest, I forgot to give them other relevant names to look through. So I was hoping that you would know them if I asked. Do you remember the names "Sunburst" or "Starlight Glimmer?" Were either of them students at the school?"

"Sunburst, and Starlight Glimmer," Celestia replied in a mumbled tone, her brow lightly furrowing as she glanced towards the ceiling in concentration, along with stroking her chin with one of the primaries on her left wing as it unfurled. "Yes. Yes, I think I do remember those names; Sunburst at the very least. He was admitted about a year after your counterpart was."

"And what about Starlight Glimmer? Was she ever a student?" Twilight asked.

"Not to my knowledge. I know that they were friends prior to his enrollment, but that's about it," Celestia explained. "Are they villains we'll eventually have to deal with, like Tempest?"

"Well, not Sunburst, he's far too nice of a pony to ever go down that road. But Starlight? Oh definitely..." Twilight confirmed, before explaining the matter as she had to Luna the previous night.

Celestia could do little more than shake her head in response as she listened. "That mare needs therapy."

"And a kick in the butt?" Twilight asked, unable to resist the urge to inquire further, after how similar Celestia's response had been to Luna's.

"In her case it certainly couldn't hurt," Celestia replied.

Now it was Twilight's turn to shake her head in response, not really wanting to get into that particular discussion. For now there were more important things to focus on, and change the subject to.

"I know that it's best to nip these sort of problems in the bud before they have the chance to develop into full blown villainy. I know that fact both from my own experiences, and from listening to Ulquiorra talk. But if at all possible, could Starlight's intervention be done without his involvement?" she asked.

The fact Celestia didn't immediately offer up a verbal response wasn't a development she'd expected to be met with. She'd been hoping for a further inquiry, but it was quickly apparent she'd have to proceed on her own, and hope for the best.

"Within eight hours of meeting him, Ulquiorra tore through every mental defense I had with the barest of effort like they were absolutely nothing, and left me believing that it was in everypony's best interest if I help this world by telling you everything I could about possible developments that might arise, so you had at least some idea of what might be coming your way. And the worst part of it all? He made sense while doing it. Perfect, rational, frightening sense. He even cited friendship teachings from my counterpart while making his points. He all but beat me over the head with my own words. How do you argue against somepony that's basically citing you to make their point?

"I know that he's focused on keeping Equestria safe... but Starlight isn't exactly a pony who's well known for her robust mental fortitude. And I say that as somepony who loves her as much as I do any of my friends. If he goes to confront her, I'm honestly worried that he could snap her mind like a twig in less than five minutes without even trying."

"I can't say something like that isn't a possibility that could develop," Celestia admitted while wearing an expression that Twilight honestly couldn't recall seeing before. "But unless Starlight is secluded away in some remote location where she can't otherwise be found through normal measures, or poses a unique and immediate threat to Equestria as a villain, I don't believe we'll need Ulquiorra's unique skill set in dealing with her. Your counterpart and her friends are still just as vital to Equestria's safety as they've ever been, and I'm hard-pressed to think that one unicorn would be too much for them to deal with."

Twilight had to all but physically bite back her response to this evaluation. If Princess Celestia knew what she knew, she doubted such an assessment would be made so dismissively.

She also had to remind herself that, if some sort of time travel really had been involved with her winding up in this particular reality, then that potentially meant this Starlight hadn't yet had the necessary time to become the threat that her Starlight had been when they'd first encountered her. If she didn't currently have Starswirl's time travel spell then that cut down on the threat she could present. And since this world would be benefiting from the intelligence that she could provide, they would have the benefit of surprise on their side.

Was it underhoofed? Potentially. Was it heavy on supposition? Absolutely. But at the same time it was the only thing she could think of that might work and keep Ulquiorra from getting immediately involved, and potentially using more force to resolve the situation than was truly required. What was that one saying, an ounce of prevention for a pound of cure?

And really, she didn't have any actual proof that this reality's Starlight was as far gone as hers was. If she proceeded as if there was a one-to-one ratio between the two realities, wasn't she just assuming guilt without any evidence? What kind of Princess of Friendship would she be if she did that?

"A cautious one..."

"Now. Do you have any information about Starlight that would suggests she poses a unique and immediate threat to Equestria's safety, or its citizens?"

Possibly one of the biggest questions Twilight had been hoping wouldn't be asked of her. Hearing it made her want to wince in response, and she wasn't sure she'd been able to resist the urge to do just that.

"... Not at present time. No..."

It wasn't technically the truth. Just as it wasn't technically a lie either. Since she only knew about her Starlight, there was no way she could say for certain what type of threat her counterpart posed at this time, assuming there was any at all.

She was certain the critical eye Celestia was giving her was going to break her. But Celestia simply nodded.

"Then that's good enough for me. If at all possible I'd prefer if we resolved the situation with Tempest first, before we attempt to take on any other additional responsibilities. I'd rather avoid the palace playing host to a villain's convention. The guards have enough problems as it is already."

That was a point Twilight couldn't really dispute. But at the same time it brought something else to the forefront of her mind that was at least somewhat related.

"While on that subject, you might want to see about returning the Elements of Harmony to the Tree where they belong. Its magic has been weakening over the past thousands years ever since they were first removed. And sooner or later it's going to weaken to the point it won't be able to suppress the plunder vines any longer. Those are what grew out of the plunder seeds Discord was eating when he was first running amok, by the way. Anyway the Tree needs the Elements in order to be revitalized, otherwise things are going to get... bad..."

"You don't say," Celestia mumbled as she raised her left hoof to stroke at her chin in thought. "I don't really recall Discord eating anything when we confronted him all those centuries ago. But that was a very long time ago and we had much bigger matters to tend to than his dietary indiscretions.

"No matter. I'll discuss the matter with the others, and inform them about what the situation is, before we proceed one way or another. The Tree of Harmony is certainly vital to Equestria's well being, but at the same time we might find ourselves in a situation where your counterpart and her friends need immediate access to the Elements of Harmony; time that they might not have in order to retrieve them. Trying to tend to one crisis preemptively could potentially make us more vulnerable to another crisis as a result."

"Then why did you originally keep them locked away in Canterlot's vault where they wouldn't be able to access them?" Twilight asked in utter confusion. "Err, that is assuming you did what your counterpart in my reality did, in the interim between Nightmare Moon's defeat, and Discord's reformation," she offered up sheepishly.

"That... is a very fair question," Celestia admitted. "I can't speak for the other Me in your reality, but in my case it just seemed to make sense at the time to keep them secured. Up until Discord's release and Chrysalis' appearance, there were no threats that really needed to be addressed. We more or less just allowed ourselves to be lulled into a false sense of security. And in our case it really wasn't possible to return the Elements to the Tree, even if we'd wanted to. After I was forced to use them against Luna my connection to them was severed, and they turned into useless stone spheres, rendering them useless to everypony. Especially since only five of them were in physical existence."

Twilight nodded, noting how the explanation more or less lined up with her own experiences back in her own reality. At least that bit of history remained unaltered by whatever "shifting" had occurred in this particular reality's timeline.

"That matter aside, returning the Elements to their original resting place didn't exactly leave us defenseless. Once we did and the plunder vines were subdued, the Tree presented us with a mystery hexagonal box that required six keys to open. Six keys that turned out to be mementos from lessons we learned that reaffirmed our connection with our individuals Elements. Once we opened the box we were essentially imbued with Harmony directly," she explained. "Whether or not the same would apply in this world, I don't really know. I do know that we were able to retrieve the Elements from the Tree when we needed them, but it was important to return them once we were done."

Before the explanation could delve further into the conflict with Tirek, and potentially hypothesizing whether or not Ulquiorra would actually be able to find him with his unique abilities, they were interrupted as the door to Celestia's office was opened as Princess Luna entered the room.

"Our guest is currently resting comfortably," she stated in straight to the point fashion as she approached their current position. "But I fear she is in need of far more care, both mental and physical, than I am able to offer or provide. This pony is not the same Tempest Shadow I was led to believe we might be receiving if our invitation was accepted. I was anticipating a stern, strong-willed, no-nonsense mare that not even Ulquiorra Cifer could intimidate. What we have received is more like a broken, empty shell of a pony in comparison to what I have heard regarding her counterpart. I am honestly left to wonder if our message served to break her, or if she was already in such a poor condition."

Twilight looked at Luna in response, before looking back to Celestia, and then looking off in a direction that wasn't facing either of them. This wasn't news she'd been prepared to receive.

She'd known full well that her actions could potentially have unintended consequences, and that was one reason she'd been so reluctant to offer up what knowledge she possessed to this reality. But she hadn't expected this. She hadn't signed up for actually hurting others.

"I... I have to go," she stated quickly as she made her way out of the room.

Leaving the two sisters confused as to what just happened.

"Is she alright?" Luna asked, hoping that Celestia might be able to fill her in on something that'd been missed.

"To be honest I don't know. She seemed alright just a moment ago," Celestia replied. "Maybe she decided to check on Tempest herself."

"Perhaps," Luna acknowledged and shrugged. "It is just as well. I am free to speak much more candidly without her being present to hear what I have to say."

Celestia suddenly found herself snout-to-snout with Luna, as her sister teleported over to her to glare at her, radiating an energy that made he want to back away very slowly and carefully for her own safety.

"Know this, dear sister. If you awaken me by dumping a bucket of ice water upon my head a third time, I swear that I will lay a reckoning upon your buffalo ass. And not even Ulquiorra Cifer will be able to save you from what fate will await you. Is that clear?"

How? How did Luna manage to be so intimidating despite her smaller stature? Celestia honestly didn't know the answer to that question, even after all this time.

"That," Celestia all but squeaked out as she took a cautious step backwards, "is your own fault. You didn't get up when I told you it was urgent."

"You awakened me at three in the bloody afternoon! How did you really expect me to react at such an abysmal hour?" Luna protested. "You did not even inform me about Tempest Shadow until after you tried to drown me in my bed!"

"I... may have made a mistake," Celestia replied slowly.

One quick teleportation spell and Twilight found herself situated in the library, much as she had been the first night of her arrival in this strange reality. She was even back in the same spot she'd first arrived in without even deliberately aiming for it.

But that was fine. Here was where she currently needed to be, so it all worked out. Or at least it would all work out, once she accomplished what she'd come here to do.

"Alright," she said to herself, "this is where you were for a good part of yesterday morning. And the entirety of the night before last. This is where everything happened. So this is where to start looking."

She wasn't proud to admit it, but she'd ended up losing track of her notes shortly after she, Ulquiorra, and Luna had started plotting and planning how to deal with the threat posed by the Storm King. She'd gotten so wound up in everything, she hadn't even given their existence any thought, and had just assumed they'd been left laying where they'd been last seen.

But they weren't just laying around where they'd last been seen. Not her notes, or the torn out revisions she'd discarded. The place looked practically spotless, as if the cleaning staff had only recently come through here. Which potentially was the case. And if that was the case, there was no telling where anything was now.

"Where are they?" she asked herself as she looked around, the question being mumbled in a repetitive loop as she scanned the area, hoping for some clue as to where she needed to be looking.

"Are you looking for something specific?"

She had felt Ulquiorra's presence when she'd arrived in the library, so she'd known that he was there. But finding him to be within earshot of her location had been a surprise to her.

"I thought you'd be elsewhere right now," she stated as she turned around to better face him, observing as he was presently reading some book she couldn't identify.

"At present there are no outstanding matters that require my skills, my services, or my attention. Tempest Shadow has been found and secured, the yetis have no desire to fight us, a plan of action has been determined and finalized regarding the Storm King and the threat he poses, and the airship is currently being serviced by the palace's technicians," Ulquiorra explained. "Until such time that I'm needed, my time can be better spent elsewhere; such as further research into this world, and updating the notes about which texts won't provide you with any answers on how to return home to your own reality."

Twilight couldn't really dispute the logic in the points raised. Honestly she really couldn't think of anything that Ulquiorra could be doing under the present circumstances, that wasn't already being tended to. If he did try, he'd likely just be standing around to feign interest in something while serving no real purpose with his presence.

Plus she appreciated the thought he'd given her, and was trying to help her with her own endeavors.

She was also thankful he'd mentioned notes, as that made it much easier for her.

"Ah, speaking of that, have you seen my notes? I remember leaving them here when we were discussing what to do about Tempest, but I lost track of them after that."

"Presently secured inside my satchel," he stated. "Do you wish to update them with new information?"

"I'm afraid it's quite the opposite. I want to destroy them," she clarified. "Princess Luna is worried our getting in contact with Tempest might've done more harm than good. And if that's the case then I can't, in good conscience, let what I know be used to potentially hurt others. I signed up to help, not harm. But if harm is an unintended side effect of meddling in this reality, then I'm going to have to withdraw my assistance."

Ulquiorra's response was... honestly it was disturbing just how unreadable and statuesque he could be. He just stood there as if he hadn't even heard a single word she'd just said.

And then without so much as even a funny look, he reached into the open top of his satchel with his right hand, and pulled out a sizable stack of papers to offer up to her. One quick flexing of her magic to pluck them from his grasp, and she quickly scanned over them. Much to her relief everything was present, including her numerous revisions and discarded rejects. That made things easier for her.

But as she readied the spell that would reduce the pages to nothing but cinders, she stopped. She looked at them, and then back at him in utter bewilderment.

"This was too easy," she stated as her attention turned away from the notes in her grasp, and more to him. "Princess Celestia and Luna have talked about how dedicated you are to keeping Equestria safe from harm. And these notes represent information about potential threats that might materialize one day. You wouldn't have just given them back to me for destruction unless... unless you'd already had the chance to memorize them..." she said as the realization slowly dawned on her.

"Correct," Ulquiorra confirmed.

Twilight slowly turned away from him and looked back down at the pile of notes still held in her magic. Her plan on how to move forward from here was useless now.

"When I was convinced into helping this reality by providing them with whatever information I could, I honestly thought that I'd be doing some good; providing information about possible threats that'd need to be dealt with before they could get out of hoof, you know?" she asked, not really looking at him as she spoke, more keeping her focus on the library floor. "But after seeing Tempest's state for myself, and hearing Princess Luna's evaluation? I don't just know anymore if that's actually possible. I signed on to help ponies, not hurt them. And if my intervention, my meddling in affairs that aren't my own, is going to end up causing pain and suffering through developments I didn't foresee then I-"

She hadn't known precisely where this conversation was going to lead, or where it was going to end. But she knew she'd needed to say her piece. Provided she could actually get her piece out.

She didn't know what sort of reaction she was expecting from Ulquiorra in light of her getting cold hooves. But him seemingly walking past her and sitting down on the left side of one of the benches behind her really wasn't something she'd anticipated as being one of them.

It was... it was odd to see him sitting rather than just standing. And sitting in what she could only describe as a relaxed posture, with his forearms resting on top of his thighs, and positioned in a way that he didn't have to readjust his sword to account for its presence.

"Twilight Sparkle, please sit down."

Nope. That definitely wasn't what she'd expected from him. It was so out of left field that she felt practically compelled to comply out of surprise. Without a peep she walked over and climbed up onto the right side of the bench and sat down, looking at him curiously.

"If you don't wish to help us, that is entirely your call to make, and you won't be forced to do otherwise. Not by myself, and not by the diarchy. You're free to continue searching for a way to return home if that's what you want to do. We'll continue doing what we have up until this point -dealing with threats as they arise- to the best of our abilities."

For a brief instant, Twilight wondered if this was really Ulquiorra and not some unreformed changeling in disguise. That brief statement hadn't sounded anything like what she'd expected of him. She could do little more than stare at him in disbelief as her mind tried to make sense of this sudden shift in demeanor.

"But it's still being asked if you'll consider helping us, so that we can in turn better help others that may be in need," he continued, all the while never looking directly at her throughout his speaking.

"... It's not that I don't want to help everypony with their problems," she eventually managed to say. "Being the Princess of Friendship, I'd be remiss in my duties if I just stood by and watched others struggling with something I could help them with.

"But after Princess Luna's assessment, I just don't know if it's that simple anymore? What if we really did manage to cause Tempest severe psychological trauma by sending her that message? What if I give you information about what should be a trivial problem, but the intervention results in it being blown entirely out of proportion? What if the yetis mutinying against the Storm King causes their kingdom to experience a social upheaval they aren't prepared for that plunges them into a civil war? I don't know if I could live with myself if something like that happened! I don't like hurting others!"

"... I don't care for causing harm to others either."

The coming anxiety attack had practically run face first into a brick wall at hearing Ulquiorra's statement. Panic had plummeted and been all but beaten over the head by utter confusion. All she could do as her brain tried to reboot was stare at him in disbelief with wide eyes as she tried to make sense of what he'd just said.

"I don't deny that I'm the most skilled in this reality when it comes to causing harm to others; a side effect that comes from spending centuries in the realm of Hueco Mundo where it was kill or be killed, devour or be devoured. One tends to develop a certain degree of skill and proficiency when preserving their own existence is on the line. But being skilled in something that's a necessity isn't an indicator of possessing a sense of passion or even a desire to engage in such necessities."

Twilight continued staring at Ulquiorra, uncertain if he was speaking to her, or speaking at her.

"The ponies of this world simply don't possess the degree of mental fortitude necessary to do what is needed of me. They aren't detached enough to look another sapient entity in the eyes and end their existence because of the threat that they pose. Nor would it even be appropriate to expect them to change their nature to such a drastic degree. So I do what they cannot, because they'll die if I don't. I walk what many would consider the dark path of evil by myself, because that is what's needed of me to fulfill my duties to this world.

"But if we had greater intel, greater information about what might happen, then our ability to react preemptively would allow for a far greater degree of response, both with a corresponding decrease in the amount of force that would have to be used, and a decrease in the amount of resources that would need to be allocated to help victims in the aftermath. If our interventions are timely enough the number of enemies I would be forced to kill could be reduced even further... possibly even to the point of being nonexistent."

Twilight wasn't one hundred percent certain she understood just what Ulquiorra was saying. But to her, it honestly sounded like he'd gone the long way around of asking her to help him put an end to the amount of killing he'd otherwise have to do if this reality was left to its own devices.

And if that really was what he was asking of her, then things obviously went far deeper than she'd initially believed.

Silently, she reached over with her left hoof and rested it atop his right hand.

"I think I can help with that," she replied. "I just really hope that the likes of Murphy and the law of unintended consequences aren't at play here. I'd hate to think trying to save lives could somehow make things worse down the line for everypony involved..."

"The fact Discord had to bring me into the equation to make things better, would suggest that particular threshold has already been crossed," Ulquiorra pointed out, unresponsive to her touch.

"... No matter how many times I'm reminded of just how powerful you really are, of just what you are and why you're here, I keep forgetting those facts when we get to talking. You just... don't convey the sense that some sort of ultimate weapon would. You carry and conduct yourself so much like a pony would. I don't know if that forgetfulness on my part is a good thing or a bad thing," Twilight admitted.

"Consider it a psychological defense mechanism. There are certain existential horrors that the mortal mind isn't meant to consciously comprehend in an extended and in-depth manner. There are times when ignorance truly is bliss," Ulquiorra replied, before slowly standing back up again and tucking his hands into his pockets. "Even I have encountered things I would rather not actively think about."

That last sentence sent a shiver of absolute terror down Twilight's back as her brain tried to make sense of the fact Ulquiorra was basically admitting to there being horrors even he was uncomfortable with. She would much rather not think about exactly what that meant!

"As to whether your assistance in this reality will do more to harm than to help, it may be best to speak with your friend in the infirmary, and see what she has to say on the matter. See for yourself if Princess Luna's assessment of the matter is accurate or not," Ulquiorra continued, seemingly oblivious of her current state.

"That's not a bad idea," Twilight eventually agreed. "Right. I'm not going to be able to find the answers I need by asking myself over and over; it's too much of a closed circle. I need an outside perspective for clarity. And who better to provide that perspective than Tempest, since she was made aware of what could've potentially awaited her?"

"Fizzlepop Berrytwist, the mare behind the Tempest Shadow persona," Ulquiorra answered in response. "If Princess Luna's assessment is indeed accurate and the Tempest Shadow we have received was broken upon first contact, then speak to the pony that is behind the mask and not to the mask itself. She was forced by her circumstances to become who and what she was. Perhaps who and what she could've been is still a possibility for her to achieve."

Twilight could do little more than stare at Ulquiorra in bewilderment as she tried to wrap her head around what he'd just said.

"I never even gave that any thought," she admitted reluctantly and slowly turned her attention back to the floor, as well as the notes still held in her magic grasp. "I've only ever known her as Tempest Shadow for so long, I didn't even think she could be anypony else but Tempest Shadow. I didn't even stop to think what sort of complications her getting her horn back might result in. I didn't... give it any thought at all. I obviously have a lot left to learn."

The fact Ulquiorra didn't have any sort of retort immediately ready left her even more uncertain now. Was that his way of driving home that she was hopelessly deficient in her knowledge and thought process? Or did he simply have nothing to add to the conversation at this point?

Whatever it was, she really didn't like it.

"I think I'm going to take your advice now rather than later," she eventually stated as she climbed up from her seat on the bench. "If you need me I'll be in the infirmary, waiting for Tem... waiting for Fizzlepop to wake up so I can speak with her. While I'm at it, maybe I should speak with Grubber as well. I don't really want to make him feel like he's being ignored in all of this. And his input on this matter could be just as vital as hers. He's known her for far longer than I have, even back in my own reality."

Chapter One Hundred Twenty Seven

Chapter One Hundred Twenty Seven

"Excuse me? Grubber?"

Said hedgehog paused his task, a shammy cloth clutched in his paw and an open bottle of polish at his side, as he looked up at the source of the voice addressing him.

Instead of it being one of the medical staff coming by to complain about the clutter all over the infirmary floor, it turned out to be the purple princess pony who was responsible for them even being here in Canterlot in the first place. As well as the reason Tempest was finally going to be able to get her horn back.

"Hi, Princess!" he greeted from his current spot on the infirmary's floor.

"Hello," she greeted in turn as she smiled at him in a genuinely friendly fashion. "What're you up to?"

"Polishing Tempest's armor. She's out like a light right now, but I don't wanna leave her alone in case she wakes up. And there's only so long you can spin in an office chair and slurp jello cups before that gets to be a bad idea," he explained. "One of the palace guards was nice enough to lend me a bottle of armor polish and a shammy so I didn't have to leave and carry all of this with me. Oh, and some oil for the leather straps so they don't get dried out and start cracking. That can be lethal in our line of work."

"Well that's very considerate of you. Do you need any help?" she asked.

"Eh. It's probably better if I do it myself. The boss is pretty picky about her armor, and if she wakes up and sees you messing with it she might get upset," he explained before going back to what he'd been doing before the interruption; which in this case was tending to one of Tempest's horseshoes.

"Oh. I suppose I can understand that," she replied, a hint of disappointment in her voice as she spoke. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Are you kidding? After everything you did to help her? Ask away, Princess!"

Again, Twilight smiled in response.

"Well it's sort of related to that subject, coincidentally," she admitted. "You've known Tempest for a long time, right? Do you... ugh, this is kind of awkward to ask... do you know if our message did her more harm than good? When she showed up she didn't seem at all like the Tempest I know back in my own reality. Did we... did we break her somehow?"

"Oh totally!" Grubber stated without an ounce of hesitation. "I mean, I don't know if it was just the message that did it, but she was pretty much catatonic for a while afterwards. I've never seen her like that before. She didn't snap out of it until she heard about the scorpio attacking. But before that? I was starting to wonder if I was gonna have to claw feed her or something."

Twilight felt her heart -and maybe her stomach- drop like a stone at Grubber's words all but confirming her worst fears to be the truth. Gone was the ability to maintain some sort of optimism and hope that things really hadn't been as bad as she'd feared. Instead those hopes were dashed as doubt and other negative feelings started to bubble up to the surface.

"But at the same time you did her a lot of good by letting her know the Storm King was gonna stab her in the back," Grubber continued as he looked over the shoe in his grasp, before finding it satisfactory enough to set aside and move onto another. "If you hadn't told her that, I don't know where we'd be right now, or what we'd be doing for that matter. We've had to do a lot of unsavory things because we didn't have much choice otherwise. But now? She doesn't have to do that stuff anymore. Tempest gets her horn, everyone gets to live happily ever after."

Those negative feelings were suddenly starting to feel very confused as Grubber continued speaking. She could almost picture them with confused looks on their faces as even they wondered what was going on right now.

"So we didn't hurt her when we contacted her? We didn't cause her any long-term psychological damage?" she asked.

Grubber shrugged in response. "That, I honestly can't tell you, Princess; you're asking questions way above any of our pay grades. All I know is that if you hadn't intervened when you did, we'd probably still be searching ruins in the wasteland for some stuffy artifact so our boss could conquer the world. Maybe even getting eaten by that scorpio for all we know. You probably saved her life and ours too, that's gotta amount to way more good than anything you could've done to harm her, right?"

"I'd certainly like to think so. I just..." Twilight sighed softly as she tried to properly organize her thoughts and words. "This is all new to me. I never contemplated the idea of possibly breaking a pony's psyche by extending a helping hoof. Yes, you're all alive. Yes, Tempest will likely get a new horn and she'll be able to use magic again. And yes, she'll no longer be forced to serve the Storm King in pursuit of an empty promise. Based on what Strife said earlier, I don't think any of you will be for much longer.

"But that's all short-term gains. After that we move into long-term gains and losses. That's where Tempest's mental state would come into the equation, along with whatever happens in the aftermath of the Storm King being dealt with. That's where things tend to get tricky and complicated, and leave me wondering just how much damage my meddling might cause through the law of unintended consequences. This gets even more complicated when we take into account there's not a one-to-one ratio between this reality and mine. There are various differences at play that could potentially affect everything in a drastic manner if caution isn't exercised."

"I hear what you're sayin', Princess. I might not understand everything you said, but I hear it," Grubber replied, pausing as he apparently spotted something on the shoe that missed his previous attention, and going back over it again. "You don't wanna do Tempest dirty, like a certain black market zebra shaman did in Klugetown years ago."

"Exactly! Wait, what now?" Twilight asked, caught off guard by the last part of his sentence. "What happened?"

Grubber paused, looking past her and back over at Tempest's current position and verifying she was still unconscious in the bed, before turning his attention back to Twilight.

"I'll tell you later. She'd be really upset if she woke up and heard me telling you what went down," he replied in a tone that was far more serious than what he'd been using just moments previously.

"Alright then," Twilight relented, "but still, you're right. I don't want to harm a friend while trying to help a friend. I was hoping you could share some information with me about... well, about anything relating to her so I'd have some idea what the help/harm divide is. I'm being asked to help in other venues with other possible crises and..."

She sighed and hung her head, trying to find the right words to express herself properly.

"I'm afraid, Grubber. I'm afraid of doing the wrong thing and possibly making things worse. When I heard that we might've broken Tempest psychologically, I started panicking about how things could go horribly wrong if I intervened and meddled in the matters of this world."

"Like saving us?" Grubber asked while quirking an eyebrow.

Twilight quickly shook her head. "No, that would be an example of things going right. Things going wrong would be if, by sparing somepony hardships that led to them growing emotionally as a result, it somehow led to the rise of a future political tyrant as a result."

"Oh," Grubber replied. "I get it now. You're worried about doing everycreature dirty by accident."

"... Essentially, yes. So I was hoping that you or Tempest could offer me some insight, or words of advice, or really anything that might convince me I'll be doing the right thing by getting involved in affairs that aren't my own. Something that can overcome this lingering sense of doubt that just won't go away..."

"Well I... I don't really know what to say," Grubber admitted, easily lost in all of this. "What would be the worst case scenario if you didn't help others like you helped Tempest?"

"Ponies could get hurt in ways that could potentially be avoided. And this world will have to continue addressing various threats as they arise, with Ulquiorra potentially having to kill some of them to keep Equestria from falling," Twilight answered.

"Us too, right?" Grubber asked, his tone doing a lot to suggest he already knew the answer to his own question.

He then set down the shoe, to better turn his full attention to her.

"So by getting involved you saved us from: the Storm King, that scorpio in the wasteland, and Equestria's very own messenger of death," he said as he flicked out one of the claws on his left hand for each item mentioned as if he was keeping count himself. "And you're still asking me for advice about doing the same for others. Is my fuzzy little hedgehog brain missing anything here?"

"... I'm being ridiculous, aren't I?" Twilight eventually asked in light of him laying everything out as he just had. Had she really done all of that? Had she saved them three times over just by getting involved?

"Way ridiculous," Grubber confirmed. "If there's one thing I've learned in this line of work, you gotta take the bad along with the good. And believe me, we've had plenty of both."

"Even if what I do to help might make certain things worse?" Twilight asked.

"Based on what you've been saying since you walked in, how would you ever know one way or another?" Grubber asked in turn.

"... I guess I really wouldn't," Twilight admitted as the point slowly dawned on her.

Despite his apparent goofball status, she was starting to realize that Grubber was smarter than he let on. If this reality really didn't have a one-to-one ratio with her reality and the sequence of events that transpired, how would she ever know for certain if her getting involved truly made things better or worse for those that resided here? She could literally be worrying about absolutely nothing!

"I think you just wound up giving me all the answers that I needed," she stated with a smile and moved to his side to wrap a foreleg around him and hug him. "Thank you, Grubber."

Grubber wasn't the least bit shy about sinking into the hug, in stark contrast to Tempest's own reluctance for such contact.

"Anything for a friend, Princess. But if you really wanna thank me, I wouldn't say no to a cupcake with chocolate icing."

Twilight couldn't resist laughing in response, happy that at least some things between the two realities were consistent.

"I think that can be arranged. But first, I'd really like to speak with her when she wakes up. I need to figure out just who we're dealing with. Is she still Tempest, or is she the Fizzlepop that's behind Tempest," she explained.

"Uh, say what now?" Grubber asked.

"According to Ulquiorra, the Tempest we know may be a facade that Fizzlepop was forced to put on in order to survive in the world she found herself in; an act to serve as a shield for a scared, crippled unicorn to hide behind who couldn't let on that she was scared," she clarified as she slipped loose again. "And when we sent her our message that what she sought for so long was available, had been available all this time, it might've been such a shock to her system that it literally broke that facade and left nothing but Fizzlepop behind to sort through and pick up the broken pieces around her."

"Whoa..." Grubber replied slowly, almost breathlessly, as the explanation sank in.

Twilight nodded. "Admittedly it's just a theory at the moment. We don't really have any proof one way or another. So I'd like to clarify the matter before I proceed any further if at all possible. Who she is may affect how we proceed in her case."

"Yeah, I think I'd like some answers to that myself," Grubber confirmed.

Silence once again set over the infirmary, apart from the background noises one would otherwise hear in such a location and subsequently learn to tune out like white noise.

"I'm probably going to be here until she wakes up and can answer some questions," Twilight stated. "Would you mind if I at least examined her armor if I don't touch it? There's something about it that looks different from what I remember. And it'd give me something to distract myself from my own thoughts and worries about matters that're beyond my control."

Grubber looked at her, then down at the armor before him, then over at the bed their mutual acquaintance was currently resting on.

Finally he shrugged. "You know what? I don't think it'd hurt anything. You saved all our lives, it'd probably be the least any of us could do in return."

"Thank you."

"Well then..."

Celestia slowly looked up from the report before her, before passing it over for Luna to read for herself so she could finally quit fidgeting about anxiously.

Malar had been quite prompt in bringing his findings to her office the moment they'd concluded, even though he hadn't needed to come himself and could've simply had the report delivered. But it was that kind of service that was appreciated.

"Not exactly the sort of state you'd expect a would-be conqueror to be in," she noted.

"No I'd say not," Malar agreed and shook his head. "Dehydration, malnutrition, shoddy electrolytes, at least ten pounds underweight for a pony her size, sleep deprivation, eroded enamel from prolonged vomiting, an infected molar that could stand to be removed, to say nothing of the numerous physical injuries she's sustained from who knows how long ago. I don't know when she was last seen by a qualified physician."

Luna's response was an annoyed grunt as she scowled down at the file before her, as if it was deliberately responsible for her foul mood.

"It might not be my place to say, but I'm starting to think we were given bad intel, Your Highness. The Tempest Shadow we received doesn't seem like she could hope to live up to her own hype. Er, the hype of her counterpart. A stiff breeze could probably topple this one. In the condition she's in, she probably would've surrendered if we'd offered her a sandwich and a slice of pumpkin pie," Malar commented. "We wouldn't even need the whipped cream topping."

"She was practically being helped down the ramp by two yetis when she got here. That assessment may not be very far from the truth," Celestia noted. "At least now we know for certain. I was afraid she was a lot worse off when I first saw her for myself this afternoon."

"If there are no objections, Your Highness, I'd like to begin treating Miss Shadow. Specifically I'd like to treat her in-house," Malar stated. "I still don't trust Canterlot General with a patient of this importance; not after everything that's happened. And small though it may be, she at least has some rapport with the infirmary staff. She may do better here than elsewhere, surrounded by even more unfamiliar faces and unfamiliar places."

"No objections," Celestia replied and shook her head. "I defer to your expertise, but at least coordinate with Canterlot General and requisition whatever supplies and assistance might be needed to get her back on all four hooves again."

"As you wish, Your Highness. I'll get started on figuring out who and what we may need to get nice and fattened up again. Those ribs of hers are far too visible for my own comfort."

The growl from Luna might've been missed by Malar's ears as he left her office, but it failed to avoid detection by Celestia's.

"Is there a problem, Luna?"

"Even as we speak, we are hosting a pony who has been severely mistreated for years, Sister. Worse is the fact that there is nothing I can actually do for her. I cannot even offer her simple comfort because she is asking questions for which I do not have any answers, because she is currently in no condition to be addressed in an in-depth manner so that we can get our questions answered first! That goes well beyond being a simple problem. This is Rainbow Dash all over again!"

Celestia sighed, trying her best not to let it be known just how frustrated she was currently feeling herself.

"I understand you're upset, Luna, but please don't exaggerate. We're not quite that bad off this time around."

"No. We are not..." Luna slowly huffed in annoyed agreement. "But it most certainly feels that way to me right now. I am just as useless now as I was then, and just as furious about it as well. What good is this crown that I wear upon my head, if I cannot fulfill my office?"

Celestia slipped over to Luna's current position to extend her left wing and drape it over her back before speaking.

"Fulfilling office is something that regrettably takes time, Luna. How many ponies have you met that needed multiple visits to resolve what was plaguing their minds, because one night was not enough time?"

"... More than I care to admit," Luna reluctantly admitted and huffed. "It is such an ultimate cruelty, 'Tia. We talk about how things take time, how things will get better with time, but for some of us time is of no consequence. You, I, and Ulquiorra Cifer are immortal beings, we will be here for the duration, however long it may take to resolve things, so what is the passage of even years to the likes of us? But others are not so fortunate. What about other key players who do not have the same benefit as us? They may pass away long before all is said and done, and leave us without conclusion or resolution as to what they set into motion. What will happen then, if they die before we can finish what was started by them? What will become of everypony, of everyone that is involved if that happens, and so many ends are left loose and unable to be addressed?"

"I wish I could say for certain, Luna. But sadly even I don't know the answer to those type of questions. I'm not sure anypony does," Celestia replied as she slowly stroked her sister's back with her wing. "All that we can really do, is do we can do with the time that we have available to us. If certain matters are left unresolved and without closure, I'm afraid that's well outside of our control. All we can do is accept that."

Luna's only response was a dissatisfied grunt, finding no comfort in Celestia's words, and the hairs on her back all but bristling at the continued contact.

"And Luna," Celestia continued undeterred, "you aren't the first one to think about such unpleasant thoughts. I think about such possibilities every single day. And they scare me greatly, contemplating just how many things may actually be contingent on the lifespan of a mortal being sufficient for us to address everything in need of being addressed."

"Wake up, dearie. Wake up..."

Twilight wasn't certain whether it was the gentle nudging or the soft voice she became aware of first. It all seemed to blend together in a seamless fashion as she stirred, just barely aware of the fact she'd actually been asleep for some length of time.

Against the wishes and protests of her body to the contrary, she stirred from her rest, stretched while yawning until she felt a satisfying pop, and took stock of her surroundings to refresh her mind on where she was.

She slowly became aware of the fact she was in the palace infirmary. Specifically she was resting on one of the empty beds, with Grubber currently curled up and occasionally snoring away by her back hoofs near the other end of the bed. She also became aware of one of the nurses being in close proximity to her, and likely the one who woke her up.

The name of the particular nurse escaped her at the second, all she knew for certain was that it wasn't Goodwill. Had they been introduced yet? She didn't know, but didn't believe so.

She was right in the middle of trying to figure out how to politely ask just what her name was without potentially coming off as rude for not knowing/remembering it on her own, but those thoughts stopped as she took in the greater scope of her surroundings and saw that Tempest was also awake.

Not just awake either, she was wide awake! She was sitting up on her bed, tucked under the top sheet as she currently gripped a plastic fork in her right hoof, and all but shoveling food into her face from tray of food in front of her as fast as she could eat.

If she had to guess, going by what she could see from her angle, it looked like scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast cut into sticks, and a serving cup of what she believed was strawberry jam.

"I figured you'd want to be awake to talk with your friend," the nurse continued with a smile.

Twilight absently nodded in agreement and appreciation, looking between her, Tempest, and Grubber who was still currently asleep. She gave him a gentle nudge in turn, but he seemed unwilling or unable to stir from his own rest. That more or less left her and Tempest alone as the nurse moved aside to tend to something else in the infirmary; almost as if she intended to let them talk in private.

Tempest spared her a brief glance, but made no effort to speak up as she continued eating. Not that she could really blame her, based on everything Grubber had told them. This was probably the first real meal she'd had in days. And she wasn't about to make her stop eating just to get some answers from her; that'd just be plain rude.

But that didn't mean she necessarily had to sit in awkward silence.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you something. You don't have to answer it right now, just... think it over, alright?"

Tempest paused, not speaking up, but turning more of her attention to Twilight and nodded as she listened and waited.

"I have questions that won't go away, that I can't answer on my own, and you might be the only pony I can speak with, who can actually tell me once and for all what I need to know, so I can figure out where to go on from here. To that end, Ulquiorra suggested that I speak with you, and hear what you might have to say on the matter. But to do that I need to know exactly who am I talking to: Are you Tempest Shadow, the Storm King's lieutenant and enforcer? Or are you Fizzlepop Berrytwist, the mare behind the mask of Tempest Shadow? Who exactly is the real you?"

That served to grab the mare in question's total, undivided attention, forcing her to stop chewing and swallow forcefully as she stared at Twilight, with her non-scarred eyebrow arched as high as it could go in utter confusion.

"Uh... could you run that by me again?"

"I can try to at least," Twilight replied, pausing momentarily to try and get her thoughts organized before continuing. "Princess Luna said she met with you, I'm guessing through your dreams, based on how long you've been unconscious. She said something that was very... concerning, something that I haven't been able to shake. She... thought that we might've broken you psychologically by sending you our message.

"I spoke to Ulquiorra about Princess Luna's concerns, and he said I should speak with you directly and hear what you had to say on the subject. Specifically he suggested I speak to Fizzlepop Berrytwist, the pony that you were, rather than Tempest Shadow, the pony that you were forced to become when you served the Storm King. At the time it sounded like it made a lot of sense; this world apparently has a medical procedure for restoring broken horns -something I didn't even know existed- so the entire reason you had for becoming Tempest Shadow in the first place is effectively moot. Something of that magnitude happening like it did... I didn't think about it at the time, but the impact it must've had, must've been a doozy."

"You're not exactly wrong," Tempest agreed, before sighing as she set her fork down in order to pick up a stick of toast to plunge into the cup of jam and scoop out a sizable portion, before tossing the whole thing into her mouth to chew. "What even is that thing anyway? He just tore out his own eyeball like it was nothing! And the next thing I know I feel like I'm surrounded by the three of you, having a face-to-face conversation as you're telling me I've been wasting the last fifteen years of my life, serving a treasonous monkey who never had any intention of holding up his end of the bargain. And the worst part of it all? I could feel you telling the truth. I don't know how, but as easily as I'm feeling the cotton of these bed sheets, I could feel the honesty and sincerity practically radiating off all of you like the heat of a campfire."

Twilight flinched, unprepared for the level of detail Tempest was currently sharing with her. The conversation she'd had with Princess Luna hadn't prepared her for hearing about what'd been experienced firsthoof. It was undoubtedly something that was going to need further research.

"In my defense, I had no idea what you'd be subjected to when he delivered our message to you," she stated. "I wish I could tell you about him, but I know almost nothing about what he is, beyond being some sort of ghost."

Tempest opened her mouth to respond, before promptly closing it back up again and shaking her head in what could only be described as disbelief and unwillingness to discuss the matter further.

"Well as much as I'd like to help you with your question after everything you did for us, I can't really do that," she stated instead in an obvious change of subject. "I've never really stopped to ask myself who I am, or whether I'm one pony or the other. I've always just thought of myself as me, you know?"

"I suppose that makes sense," Twilight reluctantly agreed and nodded, figuring she wasn't going to get the answers she was looking for that way.

"But if it's any consolation, Princess, thank you for sending him out to find us like you did. You probably saved all of our lives, and possibly years of our lives that would've been thrown away serving that worthless baboon," Tempest continued. "Maybe I'm just odd, but I'd much rather be alive and faced with the fact I was played like a fool, than dead and certain I was at the very edge of actually achieving my goals. Being tricked and taken advantage of, I can move past that. But being dead for no good reason, that's a lot harder to get over."

Twilight couldn't help but smile at hearing that. While it wasn't exactly the answer that she'd been looking for, it still told her exactly what she'd needed to know, in order to decide just how to proceed from here on out.

"And thank you. I think I can continue with what we were doing, now that I'm certain about the good that can come from what we're doing," she replied with a smile.

And then the moment was ruined by the loud growl from her stomach that chose right then to make itself known, much to her own embarrassment.

"It sounds like I'm not the only one who could use a good meal," Tempest commented, doing her best to suppress an amused grin by shoving a forkful of hash browns into her mouth.

"I guess not," Twilight replied sheepishly, before quickly glancing over at the clock on the wall. Was it really that late already? "It's been a long time since lunch. And I guess I should wake Grubber up while I'm at it. It's probably been just as long for him, if not longer."

Tempest said nothing, opting instead to focus on her own food as she set the fork down to pick up the serving cup of what remained of the jam, and fiddled with it until it was clasped firmly in her hoof, allowing her to bring it up to her muzzle so she could thoroughly lick out the remnants of its contents.

Chapter One Hundred Twenty Eight

Chapter One Hundred Twenty Eight

"I'm beginning to worry about the current state of my own mental health and well being."

In the short time she'd been in their world, it wasn't unusual to find Princess Twilight Sparkle in the library of Canterlot palace at any given moment when she had free time.

Her presence was becoming so common that Ulquiorra had stopped regarding her to any greater degree than he did any of the palace staff who had ventured inside the library due to having janitorial duties in need of being tended to.

But the statement had been enough to warrant his attention, and bring him out of the book he was currently reading, in order to regard him as she approached the lounge area, looking rather fatigued while levitating what looked like a makeshift scroll behind her.

Whatever she and Tempest Shadow had discussed over the better part of yesterday afternoon and evening, it had apparently been just what she'd needed to hear, to convince her that proceeding with lending her assistance to this reality was the correct and worthwhile thing to do.

Her return from the infirmary had been marked by a significantly more upbeat attitude, and all but diving back into drawing up notes about events that'd already transpired in her reality, all but writing continuously throughout the night with what could only be described as a renewed sense of purpose.

But now, well into Monday morning, it was looking like her night owl tendencies were finally catching up with her.

"I've only been in this reality for four days now. Technically only sixty-seven hours, give or take the matter of a few minutes," she continued as she all but trudged her way over to what was unofficially her table and bench. "And already I'm starting to contemplate lines of thought that feel more indicative of this reality than my own."

Ulquiorra said nothing as he observed her finally climbing up on the bench and sitting down at the table, looking like the mere act of physically resting her legs would be enough to tip her over the edge and send her into unconsciousness.

He knew he could ask what she meant, but he chose to wait and see if she intended to proceed on her own, or instead wait to be prompted before continuing.

In turned out to be the former, rather than the latter.

"It was... sometime around three AM, I think, when the idea first popped into my mind," she stated, pausing as she tried to suppress a yawn, before setting the scroll down on the table and unrolling it to reveal its contents for him to see.

Looking over what the scroll had to reveal, the majority of its contents were presented in what he'd come to learn was pointy style pictographical fashion, with the occasional odd scribbling next to one illustration or another to provide clarity.

"As we've already established, there's a number of variants and differences between our two respective realities. Some of them minor to the point of being easily missed like the shade of a particular pony's mane, and some so unimaginably different it's impossible to note any real similarities. As it turns out this works both ways," she explained, while pointing to a particularly aggressive looking picture. "In this particular case, Chrysalis. In this reality she's dead and buried, but back in my reality she's very much alive. Not only alive, but still a significant threat we have to deal with."

Ulquiorra continued to maintain his silence and observe, opting to allow her to set the tone and pace for whatever this discussion was going to entail.

"No matter what we do, she refuses to accept defeat, and is always scheming or planning something to harm us. Even when her entire hive abandoned her and reformed their ways, she still refused the opportunity to stop being a villain. If anything she just became worse after that. For the longest time I've been at a loss for how we should proceed in dealing with her. It's not like I can just ask you to come back with me to my reality and deal with her like you did this one, even if getting back home wasn't a problem in itself to address.

"I mean, I suppose I could ask that of you. But if I did that, it would basically amount to abandoning our world's teachings that've seen us through a number of other crises in the past. If I make an exception of that magnitude for her, and say that our standards have to be abandoned because of how dire these circumstances might seem, then it becomes that much easier to do the same for another threat down the line. And another after that. It would all lead down a very dark path that I'm not ready or willing to see us go down, just because Chrysalis wants to play hardball. We'd basically be letting her win if we did that. We might as well just hoof Canterlot over to her if we go that route."

Again, no comment from him. This was essentially a rehashing of what they'd discussed Friday night when the subject of help had first been broached and she'd objected to the possible killing of threats.

"So it's a bit of a quandary on what we should do with her. We can't just kill her, but at the same time she refuses to concede defeat after everything she's lost. So I think it's time we try something different, a third option that feels like it belongs more in this world than mine. I'm going to offer her a bribe. In fact I'm going to offer her a bribe she couldn't possibly turn down."

That was a statement he hadn't expected to hear before, especially not from her of all ponies.

"It's obviously going to take a lot of work to get everything just right for this plan to actually be feasible; it's not something I can do exclusively by myself, even if I had the legal authority to proceed on my own. That's where all this comes into play," she continued unimpeded as she swept her right foreleg across the entire length of the scroll to gesture to what the plan was. "Changelings feed on love, so we've already established what the food source is, the currency of negotiation if you will. That's the easy part, and where things become progressively more complicated the further in we go.

"After her hive overthrew her, Equestria had access to far more information on changelings than ever before; in fact we had access to a hiveful of reformed changelings who're willing to ally with us. Once I get back to my reality I intend to have a meeting with Thorax, their current king, and inform him of what the plan is."

She paused to gesture to another picture on the scroll, that Ulquiorra could only guess was meant to represent the aforementioned king changeling.

"I'm going to ask him to help me with some tests, the first of which will be determining just how much love a changeling actually requires if they go twenty-four hours between feedings. Specifically I intend to determine just how much love is needed for a changeling to feel full over that twenty-four hour period. To that end I'm going to let him siphon my love, so nopony else will be put at risk from this idea. Once we can extrapolate this amount and measure it in terms that have a numerical basis, we classify it as a single unit of love. From there we determine just how many units could safely be harvested from a pony without putting them in danger. If possible I plan to ask if he can determine what percentage of a pony's love goes into a single unit. I know Chrysalis drained a great deal from Shining Armor, but he didn't suffer any negative long-term effects from it; not that we've ever been able to discover."

A sliding of her right hoof across the parchment surface brought it to the rough representation of two figures, one likely Thorax and the other being her.

"Granted, there might be some inconsistencies in the consumption rates between a reformed and unreformed changeling. But that can be addressed later; Thorax may know that better than any other creature I can ask, with the exception of his brother, Pharynx. But I'm getting distracted from the original point I was trying to make. Back on topic!

"In this reality, and even in mine, there are countless texts that can be found relating to the magical manipulation of gems; including information on how they can used to store magical energies and properties, and even how they can be used to harvest these properties. Once we find out how much love is in a unit, we divide and break that amount down over a sizable number of ponies; specifically a population size. Obviously the forcible harvesting of too much love from a single pony can be dangerous and put them at risk. But if only a minute amount is passively acquired from each individual pony over a large enough group and pooled together in some sort of repository, then the same results can be achieved without harming anypony in the process.

"The biggest hurdle we'd have to cross is actually selling the idea to everypony to make it feasible. We're basically talking the equivalent of a street sweeper brooming up the loose hairs that a pony might shed over the course of their day as they walk down the street of any given town. But even if the amount is minuscule, I'm not about to propose forcibly taking from anypony. It has to be something they'd willingly do voluntarily, like giving a minute amount to a charity that also provides a return on their investment. In this case the return investment would be one less villain putting Equestria at risk.

"Put into terms you might be more readily familiar with, we'd be talking about the equivalent of every human in a city the size of Manehattan willingly putting one nickle each in a collection box each day. That'd amount to... what's that conversion rate again, ten thousand dollars a day? Maybe twenty? Let's go with ten for simplicity's sake. If this was done over the course of a month period that box would hold three hundred thousand dollars, and none of those humans who participated in giving would be out more than one dollar and fifty cents of their own money."

There was a lamppost illustrated, with various lines around it and leading to and from in various directions.

"Once we determine an exact method of harvesting and storing love, and getting enough ponies to agree with what's being proposed, the hard part is going to be getting in touch with Chrysalis, and convincing her to listen to the proposal, to hear what we have to say. Which in this case is basically telling her we'll give her so many units of love periodically so long as she stops trying to take over Equestria. The exact amount can be determined later, once all the other factors are worked out, but I'm thinking a sizable amount that she wouldn't be able to gain otherwise. In fact, if circumstances allow, I'm planning on pulling the comma/decimal point switcheroo tactic on her.

"We offer her so much love up front, which will be fair for her even on its own if it's taken. But if she rejects the amount as being too paltry we tell her the decimal point near the beginning of the amount was actually supposed to be a comma, which will be the amount of units we were really willing to give her in the first place. And all she'll have to do to earn it is just leave us in peace. We can all stop fighting, she can be contently fed for the rest of her life, and she can claim the meaningless victory of gloating over the fact we couldn't defeat her and had to instead resort to buying her off, while we can claim the actual victory of being the sole proprietor of her uninterrupted food source and keeping her on the equivalent of a leash since she'd have to abide by our rules if she doesn't want to be cut off."

The explanation concluded with her hoof sliding over to gesture to the illustration of a fat -bordering on obese- smiling Chrysalis. Followed by Twilight slowly turning her head to look up at him directly.

"This isn't at all what my world would do. But at the same time I guess you could argue that it kind of is? We have what Chrysalis needs, what she wants, and we're willing to provide her with it so long as she meets us halfway on this metaphorical two-way street of cooperation. It could be argued that this is just a simplified interpretation of friendship's teachings, boiled down, tailor-made, and carefully structured towards a very specific individual with a very precise outlook on the situation. Couldn't it?"

Those eyes. The look she was giving him right now was one of tiredness and desperation, practically pleading for him to agree with her outlook. To assure her that she wasn't making a mistake by considering her plan.

Before any such answers or discussion regarding her plan could be had, they were interrupted by a flash of fire as a scroll materialized in front of him, hanging briefly in the air before dropping as he reached out and plucked it up with his right hand before it could actually fall to the floor.

Without so much as a word, he set his book down on the table in order to unroll it and read what it had to say.

Not two seconds later, he was already setting it down on the table, leaving Twilight curious about what he could've read in that short amount of time.

"A situation has come up. I apparently have to go to Ponyville," he said simply, answering the unasked question hanging in the air.

Rather than ask for further clarification, Twilight turned her attention to the letter. Since he'd just left it out in the open, it was considered fair game for her consumption... right?

Dear Ulquiorra,

I've just been informed that the situation with Bonbon is getting worse.

I'm well aware this isn't your area of expertise. But could you please come to Ponyville, so we can try and rectify this matter? I'm genuinely worried about what might happen if this goes unresolved for much longer.

Signed,
Twilight Sparkle

Reading the letter hadn't done any good. It just left her with more questions than she'd had previously.

"What sort of situation is she talking about?" she asked as she turned back to him, only to find that he had already been walking away from her.

In a flash, she teleported ahead of him to block his path.

"What sort of situation is she talking about?" she asked again.

"One you need not concern yourself with," he replied dismissively.

"I'm already concerned, and only growing moreso as I don't get any answers," she quickly pointed out. "The letter stated "the situation with Bonbon" so that means you and others know what's going on, and what this is all about. You'd save the both of us a lot of time if you just inform me of what's going on in this reality."

"Very well then," Ulquiorra replied. "When Nightmare Moon returned, she took Bonbon's little sister not only as a hostage but also as a host, binding her essence to her body. The Elements of Harmony were taken out of commission through an orchestrated attack against your counterpart and her friends, which resulted in severing Rainbow Dash's connection to the Element of Loyalty. Without the Element of Loyalty, the rest of the Elements of Harmony were rendered useless as a result. To stop Nightmare Moon I had to kill her. To kill Nightmare Moon I was forced to also kill Twist, as there was no available way of separating her from Nightmare Moon."

Twilight could do little more than stand there, listening in horror and disbelief at the utterly casual recollection of equally horrifying details. The cold, clinical, detached tone just seemed to magnify the horror of it all. How could he speak of such things with all the zest of reading a laundry list, as if it were just one of those monotonous day-to-day things!?

"And... w-what're you going to do?" she asked, barely able to force the words out for fear of what the answer was going to be.

"I won't know the answer to that question, until I determine just what is actually going on. Once I know that, I'll have an answer on how to proceed from there."

Somehow that just made the whole situation feel worse to consider. But that degree of horror aside, there were more important matters to tend to.

"I'm coming with you," she said quickly as she moved to intercept his path once again. "I know this isn't my reality, but if I'm going to help out, then I might as well do something to actually help, rather than leaving everything to you and the others while I just sit back. I might not know all of the details, but this sounds like a friendship problem to me. And friendship problems are my area of expertise. Something like this is where I shine."

"Mourning the death of a loved one goes far beyond being a simple "friendship problem" as you put it. This is far outside of your league. You're not qualified for getting involved in this matter," Ulquiorra pointed out.

"Neither are you, but you're still going to get involved," Twilight pointed out in turn. "I might not have a lot of experience in consoling those grieving for the dead, but I can still help. And besides that, even if I'm out of my league, you still kind of need me right now. I can teleport us directly to Ponyville from here, a whole lot faster than you could make it there on your own."

Left unsaid was the fact that if he still refused to accept her offer of assistance, then she fully intended to teleport to Ponyville regardless of what he said, and get involved from there.

"Very well then," Ulquiorra conceded. "I still have matters to tend to before we can depart. Find Princess Celestia and inform her of our plans to depart, so she's brought up to speed about what's happening. After that inform Tempest Shadow as well, so she'll know that you'll be out of the palace and won't be available for some time. Once done, go to the palace gardens and wait there. Once I'm finished with my business, I'll meet up with you and we can depart from there," he instructed.

Twilight nodded and smiled, thankful that the discussion was over and he'd agreed to accept her help. That made things so much easier to tend to.

"Right then. I'll see you there," she replied and teleported out of the room to find Princess Celestia.

Chapter One Hundred Twenty Nine

Chapter One Hundred Twenty Nine

Having the ability to send and receive messages on her own was certainly helpful and useful. But Twilight couldn't deny that there was something comforting about watching Spike carrying out the process, just like he'd done so many times before. There was a sense of familiarity in watching her assistant/little brother sending out letters for her just as he'd done for her for years.

And right now, a comforting sense of familiarity was very much needed.

"And that's done," she stated rhetorically as she turned back around to face her company. "Now all we can do is wait."

In the main room of the library with them were three other mares, those being Lyra, Vinyl, and Octavia. All of whom had come by not long ago to bring her up to speed with the latest developments.

"Typical Monday morning. Even by Ponyville standards," Spike mumbled.

Lyra could do little more than sigh softly and look down at the floor in response. Vinyl responded by reaching over and patting her back in a supportive manner with her left hoof.

"I do hope that he can help," Octavia commented as she spared a glance at her friends, before turning back to face Twilight. "But is he really the best one to be asking for help, love? I don't mean to be rude, but he doesn't strike me as being the bet suited for a problem like this. He seems more the type to kill a problem than discuss it."

Vinyl nodded in silent agreement as she placed her hoof back on the library floor.

"You're not wrong," Twilight admitted, her mind recalling various details about Ulquiorra's exploits that were better left unsaid at the moment. They already had enough on their hooves without getting into a discussion about Ulquiorra's true field of expertise. "But at the same time he might be the only one who actually can help us. His brain works at a speed that even I can barely keep pace with. He might be able to figure out something that we can't. Maybe he can formulate a plan and the rest of us can carry it out."

"I sure hope so," was all Lyra could muster in response.

Twilight frowned, wanting to offer her friend some comforting words to assure her that everything would be alright, one way or another.

But any words she could've offered up died in her throat as a familiar feeling crept its way over her.

"Huh. He made good time today. Ulquiorra's already in town," she stated.

"Really? Just like that? How can you tell?" Octavia asked.

"We've been around Ulquiorra so many times, Twilight can basically feel the mana drain he generates within a fifty yard radius," Spike explained.

Twilight nodded. "It's a unicorn thing," she explained.

Vinyl nodded in affirmation, much to Lyra and Ocatvia's confusion.

"Spike, could you get-"

"Already on it," Spike stated, already in the act of scurrying his way over to the front door and opening it.

As Twilight had said, Ulquiorra was already in town. Left unsaid was the fact he'd been right at the door by the time it was opened, before he'd even been able to knock.

"It's good to see you, Ulquiorra," Twilight stated and smiled weakly. "Come in."

"What's the current state of the situation?" Ulquiorra asked, skipping the pleasantries entirely as he stepped inside the library, only then even seeming to pay the others any attention as they turned to face him.

"By Espada standards, nothing to get excited about. By pony standards, definitely not good," Twilight stated. "I-"

"Actually, Twilight, I'd like to explain the situation if that's alright. I feel like I'm best qualified to right now," Octavia spoke up as she turned back to look at her as she spoke.

Certainly a curious development as far as Twilight was concerned. But at the moment she couldn't see any reason to object.

"Very well, Octavia, the floor is yours."

"Thank you, love," Octavia replied and turned back around to face Ulquiorra. "You see, it's like this. It all started last night when I..."

+++

"Hold still! Hold still, you little brat!" Octavia huffed in annoyance.

The only response on Vinyl's part was a frown as she continued to squirm in discomfort, all the while doing her best to successfully pull herself away from Octavia's brutish hold. But the earth pony was not to be easily swayed and held firm, not letting her quarry escape from her.

"You know as well as I, the doctors said you have to keep your throat bandages clean, especially between surgeries," she grunted, idly wishing she wasn't such a mare of class so she could be more free to express her frustrations as she fought against the smaller mare. "Honestly, you act like you don't want to get better and speak again."

Vinyl's response was a particularly sour scowl, followed by her horn glowing as it flashed and flickered.

"D-don't you take that tone with me, young lady!" Octavia objected, doing her best not to become flustered in recognizing just what was being communicated. "I swear, I don't even know how Mother and Father ever put up with you. Five children in our family, four with astounding musical talent, and the one unicorn to grace our family in over three generations turns out to be the biggest brat of the lot!"

Finally, after much difficulty, the task at hoof was done and Vinyl was released. Octavia smiled wearily as she admired the end result of her efforts, with the fresh bandages wrapped around the unicorn's throat, proving to be just as white as her coat was.

And with that done, Octavia could feel her frustration dissipating, along with the need to be combative.

"What am I ever going to do with you?" she asked tiredly.

Vinyl's response was a smug looking smirk, and a wiggling of the eyebrows.

"Well of course I'm going to love you, that goes without saying. That's just what family does, even in the worst of times!" she pointed out, before sighing in near-exhaustion. "But you're still an incorrigible brat. You know that, right? It's such a good thing you're not living with our big brother. Concerto would tan your hide while you're still wearing it and not even think twice about it."

Vinyl gave another sour scowl of disapproval, her muzzle wrinkling as she thrust her tongue out between her lips.

"Yes, he certainly is that," Octavia chuckled and nodded.

Before any further conversation or discussion could be had, they were interrupted by an urgent knocking coming from the front door.

"Were you expecting company tonight?" Octavia asked.

Vinyl shook her head, her tongue long since having retreated back into her mouth where it belonged at this point.

"Right then," Octavia replied before trotting over to the front door and opening it to figure out who it could be at this hour.

A currently crying Lyra, with puffy red eyes and her cheek fur stained with wet trails running down her face, was definitely the last pony she ever expected to encounter.

"Good gracious! Lyra, dear, whatever's the matter?"

"Octavia," Lyra sniffed, "Vi', could I stay with you girls tonight? Please?"

"O-of course, love," Octavia stammered as she quickly ushered their friend inside, before taking a quick look around outside and all but slamming the door behind them.

She then slid the lock's bolt into place, just in case something was far more wrong than the situation would otherwise suggest. While vinyl took it upon herself to usher their friend over to the couch so she could sit down.

"Now then," Octavia started as she approached, and sat down next to Lyra on her unoccupied side. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Bonbon," Lyra sniffed as she wiped her eyes with the back of her foreleg. "We had a fight. A really bad one."

Octavia wanted to frown much like Vinyl currently was in light of this news. But being the more cultured, more mature mare, it fell on her to be more restrained and portray a neutral energy. So she maintained that restrained mask, and opted to simply ease her foreleg across Lyra's back to provide her a sense of physical comfort and connection, and simply waited for their friend to speak at her own pace. No matter how much she wanted to pry for details.

At a time like this, she was -slightly- thankful that Vinyl couldn't speak up and potentially make things worse.

"We were just... talking about what we planned on doing tomorrow. Getting our schedules sorted out and stuff, you know?" Lyra sniffed. "I don't even know what I said at the time. Maybe something about Ulquiorra, I just don't know. All of the sudden she just snaps at me and starts yelling. She started saying such awful, horrible, hateful things. Things I never would've expected to hear from Bonbon.

"About him, about ponies who still treat him as a friend, about ponies who aren't even involved in this whole mess! She was just so angry. So angry at me..." Lyra whimpered.

Octavia and Vinyl leaned back just enough to share a look behind their friends' back, each concerned about this news, but uncertain of what to do right now.

"She just wouldn't quit yelling and saying horrible things. I've never seen her so angry before," Lyra continued as she repeatedly sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "It just hurt to stand there as she screamed. She just made me so angry that I just started yelling right back at her like a mare utterly possessed! I was shouting and screaming right back at her like I hated her; like I just wanted her to die! I-I just couldn't take it! I just left without looking back. I can't bear to even look at her right now..."

Another shared look of confusion and concern between the two, uncertain of just what could be done. Of just what should be done. But what they both knew for certain was that they couldn't just turn their friend away right now; not after all that.

"Alright," Octavia finally spoke up. "You know our couch is always open for a friend in need, Lyra. You stay here with us for tonight. And after breakfast tomorrow, we'll all go over to the library and explain the matter to Twilight. Hopefully she'll know what we can do to get this matter resolved."

+++

"... And that brings us to now," Octavia stated in conclusion.

Again, Vinyl nodded in affirmation, with Lyra joining in.

"Which in turn brings us to you," Twilight elaborated. "I know that something like this isn't your area of expertise, Ulquiorra. But all the same I was hoping you might be able to provide us with your own unique outlook on the matter before we proceed; maybe you might notice something that we haven't thought about, and can point it out before we make a mess by trying to intervene prematurely.

"Like I said, I know this isn't your area of expertise. But at the same time, it's not really mine either. The last time I tried to talk with Bonbon I sort of... burst into flames and terrorized her because of how mean she was being to Pinkie at the time. I'm probably the last pony she wants to have anything to do with right now..."

The other mares in the room looked in confusion at the statement, while this time it was Spike who nodded in confirmation.

"That may be an accurate assessment. But even if it is, you're likely on far better standing with Bonbon than I am," Ulquiorra pointed out, having listened closely to what had been said since his arrival, as he was brought up to speed with everything that'd been going on in their case. "Requesting assistance from an outside party is certainly a wise move. But my assistance may only serve to make the situation worse if I get involved.

"I am arguably the last individual Bonbon would want to see under any circumstances. Even just seeing me may cause her severe psychological trauma. She may be driven to react in a violent manner, much as Roseluck did. She may end up suffering a severe psychotic break and lose all touch with reality. There is a far greater potential for harm than help in this particular instance."

A look of shock, horror, and even regret settled across Twilight's face as the words struck and the explanation sank in. Much as was standard whenever Ulquiorra explained something in a way that highlighted just how idiotic they could be at times, and how much growing they had left to do.

Why? Why hadn't she been able to think of that possibility? She'd been there when Roseluck went ballistic and started throwing potted plants at him. So why hadn't she been able to foresee that potentially being a thing this time around? How had they been able to survive for so long without his help!?

"But at the same time, if merely hearing my name is enough to make Bonbon hostile towards those around her, including her friends, we may not have much choice but to undertake such a course of action, regardless of the risk posed by doing such," Ulquiorra continued.

"Seriously?" Spike asked skeptically. "You really wanna risk that, after explaining how things could go bad if you talked to Bonbon?"

"Whatever I may want has no bearing on the matter at hand. Bonbon's grief is making her hostile towards those around her, and if allowed to continue unabated, could yield significant complications down the road. Complications I can't even begin to postulate on, because this is a subject I'm not well versed in," Ulquiorra clarified. "If allowed to continue unabated, what's hostility now may advance to assault charges in the future, if not worse. This could prove to be the start of a cascade sequence of bad events."

The discomfort in the library in the wake of his announcement was practically palpable, even to him. But that was hardly surprising, considering just what the subject matter was about. Few tended to do well in light of hearing that one of their associates could end up doing something they believed was entirely out of character for them.

"Do you want us to come along and provide backup?" Twilight finally managed to ask. "We're all Bonbon's friends, we might notice something that you don't."

"It would perhaps be best if I proceeded alone on this matter. While intel is undeniably important, this situation may require split-second reaction time and on-the-spot improvisation due to a change in the course of how events proceed at any given moment. You won't be able to help either her or me if you're too busy being caught off guard and uncertain of how you're supposed to respond," he warned. "Bonbon already regards me as a monster, and correctly so. There's no sense for anyone else to be dragged into that evaluation as well."

"That doesn't sound comforting at all," Spike pointed out. "What exactly are you planning to do anyway?"

"I don't know," Ulquiorra admitted, it being the only thing he really could say right now. In truth he had absolutely no plan on just how to proceed, or what to do when he went to confront Bonbon. This was well outside his fields of experience. Even his experience with Rainbow Dash during the Nightmare Moon incident seemed insufficient for this problem.

Eventually, he replied with the only thing he really could think to say in response. "Shock and awe."

In the kitchen of their shared home, Bonbon firmly brought her hoof down onto the top of the ice pick currently held by her left, driving the tip through the bottom of a can of cranberry sauce.

The events of last night still played out in her mind, over and over on a brutal, interrupted loop, the words said making her wince and cringe internally. Sleep had not come easy for her throughout the night, and she was certain that was only fair after everything.

She had been utterly horrible to Lyra, in ways she could barely even comprehend right now; like her memory was choosing to only give her a cliff notes version of events that transpired. So many, many horrible things said without even the slightest hesitancy. It was like the windigo event all over again!

She had to apologize to Lyra, that much was certain. Exactly how to go about doing so, that much was less certain. All she could do was hope that making her friend's favorite meal would be enough to help get the ball rolling, and make the process a little easier.

Now she just needed to dig out the can opener to get that process underway.

But the search for such an implement in a drawer that was in desperate need of organization and cleaning out, was interrupted by a knocking at the back door of the kitchen.

"Now who could that be?" she asked herself in a purely rhetorical manner, before trotting over to the door and opening it to see who was on the other side.

As she did, time seemed to freeze in place, and she was positive she could feel her eyes growing wider in surprise.

"You-"

"Are here at the behest of your friends," Ulquiorra interrupted. "It was their idea that I get involved. Were it my decision, I would still be in Canterlot right now."

The exact words being said weren't really reaching Bonbon's ears right now, as the sound of her own heart pounding was effectively drowning out everything, filling her with a sense of sheer terror as she slowly backed up, fearful that if she turned to flee she'd be pounced upon in an instant.

The sense of terror was only magnified as he slowly strode through the doorway with all the casualness of owning the place, shattering the notion that the safety of her home offered her any actual protection against the likes of him...

Bumping into the kitchen's island quickly snapped her out of her trance and brought her back to her surroundings, where she laid eyes on the ice pick still laying on the countertop. As quick as she could she snatched it up in her left hoof and lunged at him, rearing up on her hind legs and driving the sharpened tip into the right side of his skull just ahead of his ear with all of her might.

And then her horror returned as she realized, even with all of the force she'd put into it, she hadn't even managed to pierce his skin with her attack. He just... stood there, staring at her with those horrible eyes, as she stood stock still, staring slack jawed in fright and shock.

It was only after the fact that he showed any signs of life, as his eyes slowly drifted to the right to regard or even acknowledge having been assaulted. That just made everything worse to experience.

He reached out towards her, taking her right hoof in his left hand to hold her up, while cupping his right hand around her left hoof, and proceeded to push the ice pick against his own skull, driving the entire shaft in all the way to the hilt.

Or at least it looked like that, until she realized what really happened was the ice pick's shaft had been driven all the way through the wooden grip, splitting it apart along the grain, with the tip being forcibly curved over from the amount of strain it'd endured, rendering it little more than a primitive crocheting hook at this point.

And then those horrifying eyes slowly moved back to her, as if to emphasize the point of just how much of a monster he truly was.

"Your hatred for me is reasonable, justified, even warranted," he stated as he released his hold on her, allowing the broken pieces of ice pick to fall to the floor.

She followed, too stunned by the entire demonstration to maintain her balance, and fell backwards, landing right on her butt with a hard thud against the kitchen floor.

"You don't have to stop hating me. Truly it makes no difference to me one way or another. I was brought to this world to save these ponies, not to be loved by them," Ulquiorra continued. "But when others start being subjected to that same hatred, and met with unjustified, unprovoked aggression simply because my name is mentioned, that's when it becomes a problem, and does make a difference. I deserve to be hated by you, but the others don't. Is that clear?

"Since you obviously can't do this on your own, this is what's going to happen. You and I are going to take a quiet walk together, to an equally quiet and secluded spot. Away from the prying eyes and curious ears of trespassing interlopers who have no business being present for what is going to transpire. And once there, you are going to do whatever it takes to get this aggression out of your system, until you're no longer driven to hostility whenever you hear someone mentioning my name. I don't care what form that course of action may take, so long as it gets done and you no longer pose a threat to those around you."

The entire scene had been so surreal for Bonbon to witness, leaving her uncertain if she could even trust her own senses, which currently both felt foggy and incredibly focused if such a thing were even possible.

"How... h-how do I know this isn't just some cheap ploy so you can get me somewhere and kill me without getting caught?" she asked as she stared up at him.

"As if I would concern myself with such pedestrian trivialities," Ulquiorra replied dismissively as he looked back down at her. "If I wanted you dead, you'd never even know I was there. You wouldn't even know you were dead until you were looking down at your own motionless body laying on the floor, and no one would ever know what happened."

The explanation was utterly terrifying to hear. But at the same time, Bonbon couldn't help but appreciate and perhaps even respect the blunt honesty of the answer. No deception, no effort at trying to make her believe he wasn't a threat, just straight to the point and admitting the horrifying truth of it all.

And then he crouched over her, and picked her up to help her back onto her hooves again.

"We'll need to stop by Barnyard Bargains on the way to where we're going. There are a few things we'll need to pick up for this," he stated.

Spike glanced up at the clock on the wall of the library's kitchen, before looking back down at the small jar he currently clutched in his claws.

It was nice -if a bit unusual- to have the library filled with ponies other than their core group of five friends, because if gave Twilight a chance to socialize with others and potentially establish other friendships.

But the circumstances that brought them here were far from ideal. And Lyra's anxiousness really wasn't doing any of them any favors, as she alternated between fidgeting as she sat, and paced restlessly about the main room. She was an absolute bundle of nerves, and there was only so much any of them could do to help her out. And he knew it was only a matter of time before that helplessness and inability to do anything began getting expressed as annoyance.

That was what brought him to where he was right now, contemplating the idea of brewing up a cup of Zecora's special tea for Lyra to soothe those nerves. Something to leave her feeling a bit sleepy, and more inclined to just sit and snooze for a little bit.

Just contemplating the idea of potentially drugging Lyra felt wrong, even if the dosage would be small. Just a little bit to take the edge off, just enough to make her feel a little bit relaxed and could easily be written off as the adrenaline wearing off.

It would help them in the short term, but it might not do the same for her. And he really didn't want to go down the route of turning to such solutions anytime a problem arose and tensions were running high.

Plus it was far too early in the day to be making Lyra tired, even if it could be framed as being for her own good. With Twilight it was one thing, but Lyra wasn't Twilight.

Slowly, even a bit reluctantly, he pushed the jar back into its usual storage place under the cupboard. For the time being they'd just have to put up with her anxiousness and the clacking of her hooves against the wooden floors as she paced.

For the time being, all they could do was wait it out, do their best to not go and get themselves involved directly, and trust that Ulquiorra could handle this situation without making everything worse.

Whitetail Woods.

Out of all the locations that were within walking distance of Ponyville, it had ultimately been selected as the most suitable for their intended purposes. It was reasonably secluded without being difficult to reach, reasonably close to Ponyville without being a main stop for many, didn't require an excessive amount of travel to be reached, and was for all intents and purposes deserted at this time of day as adults worked and foals attended school.

Out of all the locations that were within walking distance of Ponyville, it was the one that best suited the needs that were presently had, offering seclusion and privacy.

Peace and quiet would've also been offered, if not for the fact it was currently being disturbed by a steady sound of commotion as Bonbon went to town on Ulquiorra with a sledgehammer, wailing away at him with all she had.

The journey to Whitetail Woods had been a particularly tense one to be had. Tense enough that even Ulquiorra had been able to feel it as he and Bonbon walked towards their destination. He had been able to feel it throughout the entire course of their journey, as her reiatsu flared violently and often erratically. That just further confirmed and convinced him that this course of action was ultimately necessary. Readings like this simply couldn't be allowed to go unaddressed.

And for better or worse -likely worse- he was the one left with the unenviable task of addressing them by himself. And so he did just that as best he could, in a manner he believed could do the most good; standing idly in place as Bonbon vented in a fully uninhibited manner.

The opening salvo upon their arrival at Whitetail Woods had been verbal, with Bonbon shouting and screaming at him without a hint of concern for what somepony might hear from listening in where their attention didn't belong. She had gone all out, airing every manner of grievance with him that she could coherently think of, her speech slowly becoming peppered with equestrian obscenities the longer she went on, before slowly morphing and including various human profanities being mixed in as well.

She howled, she screamed, she cursed, she blamed him for so much suffering and so much evil their world had been subjected to, until finally she'd run out of intelligent words and had been reduced to little more than furious gibberish as she tried to express the sheer amount of rage that simply refused to be properly exorcised.

That had inevitably led them into the next phase as she started pounding away at him with her front hooves, before learning how bad of an idea it was to do just that. Which was in itself why they'd stopped at Barnyard Bargains on the way. Ulquiorra had known this development was likely to occur based on prior experiences with others, so he'd taken it into consideration and purchased some... stress relievers... for Bonbon to make use of.

The crowbar covered in bright red enamel had been the first to be used, first as she tried to stab him with the straightest end of the contraption, before considering the whole endeavor useless and flipping it around to savagely beat him with the curved end.

It had fared poorly, and had started to bend after a short amount of use against his unyielding exterior.

The five pound pick axe had been next, swung with ferocity in hopes of doing something to him. And for a while it looked like a superior choice, as the wooden handle did a far better job of absorbing the shock and reverberations of each impact than the solid steel construction of the crowbar. But in the end it hadn't fared much better than its predecessor, and after a while it was apparent it was going to get nowhere, as the points had been worn down, bent, or otherwise broken from the repeated impacts against a hard surface. The resulting crack along the hickory grain didn't bode particularly well either.

Finally it was down to the eight pound sledgehammer mounted on a fiberglass handle for maximum shock absorption and durability, in the hopes of yielding different results as she went with pure blunt force trauma against him.

The entire exercise had been going on for approximately two hours now, and was showing no immediate signs of coming to an end anytime soon.

Even Ulquiorra had to acknowledge, that for a pony whose special talent supposedly revolved around making candies, she had remarkable physical stamina and endurance to be able to go for so long. Her form and follow through were also quite good, with her neither overextending or overexerting herself on her swings. She appeared to have a marathon mentality in mind, keenly aware that she had an indeterminate amount of work ahead of her, and a finite amount of strength to utilize to get it done. She wasn't foolishly laying into him excessively in the amateurish belief that it would make shorter work of what laid in front of her, and would just burn her out at an accelerated rate.

It wasn't something that someone could be expected to just know intuitively, but usually had to be learned from experience by doing just that and learning the hard way how it was a bad idea to go all out at too early of a point, burning themselves out too quickly, and still having a mountain of work left to do without the strength necessary to see it through.

That, along with her ability to apparently combine physical labor with intermittent swearing that would possibly impress the likes of Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Princess Luna, was enough to leave him idly wondering if her family either owned or otherwise worked at a construction company. It would certainly explain a few things if that were the case.

The pattern of strikes and blows finally began to change, however, as Bonbon started to display signs of fatigue and exhaustion slowly but surely setting in. Her form was starting to become less maintained, her stride and pace were slowing down, her breathing was becoming heavier, and the hammer blows against him were becoming more and more infrequent.

Finally, after two long hours, Bonbon no longer looked like she had the strength or the stamina to go any further despite her pacing efforts, as she managed to land one last blow before the hammer dropped to the ground with a thud, and serving as little more than something for her to lean against to remain upright as she tried to catch her breath again.

All the while Ulquiorra continued to remain unharmed, unfazed, and unmoved throughout the entire process.

"It's not working," Bonbon panted. "I'm exhausted and sweaty, but I still hate your guts just as much as I did before. Maybe even more now than I did before."

"Rest up and try again," Ulquiorra advised.

"You just don't get it, do you?" Bonbon grunted dismissively and allowed the sledgehammer to drop to the ground as she set back down on her hooves again. "I get that you're trying to do the right thing, but there's just no right thing to actually be done here. You killed my sister, you bastard, and that's just not going to go away, just because you let me beat you with a hammer until I'm sore and can't stand up. Especially not when I couldn't even put a hole through your shoe with the pick axe.

"And you have the gall to just stand there and look bored about it all! You took my family away from me, you son of a bitch! I promised our parents that I'd take care of Twist and look after her. She was my main concern for years. And now because of you I can't keep that promise to them. I'm going to have to live with that failure for the rest of my life, and nothing is ever going to make up for that!"

"And I will be carrying that failure for far longer than you will ever be alive," Ulquiorra countered pointedly. "Princess Celestia entrusted me with the safety of you ponies. All of you ponies, your sister included. Every violent death that occurs, every life lost to villainous incursions, is another failure on my part. Them being statistically acceptable losses in the grand scope of things, doesn't change the fact that I failed to keep them safe from avoidable and preventable harm."

Bonbon was at a loss for words, uncertain if Ulquiorra's response made her feel better or worse about her own situation. Was she supposed to hate him more, or hate him less from this? Was he... was he actually comparing what she was going through now to his job?

"Look," she sighed, "I can appreciate that you tried to make things better. But this isn't going to cut it. I don't think anything ever will. So... thank you for giving me the opportunity to vent my frustrations like you did. Now let's just go back to town, we can continue to avoid each other, and I'll try not to take out my anger on others just because they say your name around me. Problem solved, and all is right with the world..." she grumbled as she turned around to take her leave, wanting nothing to do but put this whole ugly episode behind her.

"Before she left, Twist gave me a message to give to you."

The statement nearly caused Bonbon to faceplant on the ground in surprise.

More. She definitely hated him more right now. Immediately she whirled back around to face him and scowl.

"You expect me to believe, that after you rammed a spear right through my little sister's heart, she still managed to give you some parting words before dying? What kind of idiot to you take me for!?"

"Whether you choose to believe it or not, it doesn't change the fact of the matter," Ulquiorra replied.

"I don't care! Just leave me alone already! I don't want anything you have to offer!" Bonbon snapped back.

"Then that's your problem," Ulquiorra stated.

There hadn't even been time to scream in shock before what happened next.

* * *

Bonbon tried to blink. Tried to process what was going on. Tried to process what had gone on. There hadn't even been time for her to scream before it all happened. Now she was flat on her back, looking up through a surrounding of plants and...

No. She wasn't actually on her back right now. Right now she was standing up, and the plants she was surrounded by and looking through weren't individual plants. They were tree branches. She was inside the canopy of a tree, standing near the trunk atop one of the branches as she looked out through the canopy. But what was she looking at, exactly?

Headstones. Grave markers. This was a cemetery. More specifically this was Restful Hills Cemetery just outside of Ponyville. But why was she here?

A service of some sort was currently underway. And as she watched, she would've sworn her heart seized in her chest as the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. This was the service that'd been held for the victims of Nightmare Moon. She was seeing everypony who'd been in attendance, herself included! She was starting right at herself from behind with Lyra standing right next to her!

But it went so far beyond simply seeing herself and everypony else. She was hearing them as if she was standing right next to everypony. Every droning word that was said, every anguished cry, every muffled sob and everything else was ringing in her ears as clear as day. She could feel each and every one of them in attendance, she could read how much they were hurting from their loss. She could honestly feel just how palpable her own sorrow was right now.

It was only when she could catch a glimpse out of her peripheral vision to her right, did she see a white hand resting against the tree's trunk, and realize the horrible truth of it all. The Espada had been in attendance right along with them. He'd actually been standing behind them the entire time, and they'd never even known it! She was seeing what he'd seen; she was looking through HIS eyes, and lacked the ability to look away!

It was so indescribably weird to watch the service playing out just like it had, to be watching herself grieving and gripping to Lyra for support and strength when she was ready to go to pieces. It was even weirder to feel herself in such a condition and recognize just how bad off she was at the time. It felt... really invasive to realize such things. Had she been broadcasting herself that openly to everypony this whole time, or was he just really that perceptive?

Watching the service as it played out, from an outside perspective, was such a strange thing to be witnessing. Being there for it all, and then seeing how it differed from her own experience, was surreal and disorienting.

Eventually the service concluded as the sun began to set for the horizon and those in attendance began to depart, either for home or elsewhere, but there were still others who remained present. She didn't really recognize them at this distance, although she could feel some sense of familiarity with them. She didn't know how exactly, but it could still be felt.

Only once she saw herself depart did she find herself leaving the tree canopy as Ulquiorra jumped from his hiding spot and landing on the ground. From there it was a short walk as he approached the most recent graves, and stopped in front of one in particular. She instantly recognized it as being Twist's grave, and she was powerless to do anything but watch as he placed his right hand atop its marker.

Was the grain of the stone really that smooth? Why was she feeling its texture beneath his fingers right now?

"Nope, sorry, I've got nothing new to report. But thanks for asking anyway."

Bonbon froze at the memory playing in her mind without warning. She remembered the day that conversation had been had. Ulquiorra had showed up at their house, checking up on Lyra after her sprain at the party, and asking if they had anything out of the ordinary to report that might help him.

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong here. Taste this. Do you think this need more oregano?"

She remembered asking him that question. Something just hadn't seemed right about the dish she'd been making that night, and she'd needed a second opinion that wasn't Lyra. Ulquiorra just happened to be there at the time.

He agreed with her. More oregano had definitely been needed.

"Would you care to stay for dinner? We made plenty."

That was Lyra for you. Ever the friendly and open one to others. And much to their surprise he'd -if reluctantly- accepted the invitation to stay. Along with eating his fair share of what'd been cooked.

"When in my life am I ever gonna need to now how to diagram a thenteth?"

She winced as the memory of Twist's question came up. And it was a fair question to be sure. The importance of diagramming a sentence was something she herself had grappled with at that age, and even today she still couldn't see the importance of it.

And what had Ulquiorra said in response? That if she could figure it out, she could sell her knowledge and skills to other foals who needed help with their homework and make some extra money, simply by having knowledge they didn't possess.

He then went one step further and suggested that if she could become really proficient at diagramming a sentence, she could actually do that portion of their homework for them, and charge them whatever price she wanted since she'd technically have them over a barrel. Oh how she'd absolutely FREAKED at the thought he was telling her sister to help other foals cheat on their assignments.

The resulting wicked smirk and the attempt at an evil laugh coming from Twist at the idea of doing just that hadn't helped. Nor had Lyra laughing her flanks off either.

He had -eventually- stated that he wasn't endorsing such a course of action, and that he was only providing a hypothetical answer to a valid question.

"Thith math ith thupid!"

Math, a common complaint on Twist's part. Ulquiorra confessing that math wasn't his strong suit either had been a surprise in itself.

"Could you help me with my homework, Mithter Thither? Please?"

She wanted to choke up at that particular memory smacking her in the back of the head. She remembered doing her best to politely remind her sister that it was rude to be asking guests to help with such things, as well as improper since she was meant to be doing such work herself. But despite that he'd agreed to at least take a look at what she was doing, to see if he could spot what she was having trouble with, and potentially point out to her so she could more easily understand the explanation.

He'd been very calm, very patient, and utterly monotone in his explanation of things, to the point he could practically put a pony to sleep just by talking.

So many memories. So many, many memories rushing to the forefront of her mind in an utterly unrelenting fashion that just wouldn't stop, despite a dedicate effort to shut them out. Was he remembering all of this?

"For whatever it may be worth to you now, I am sorry, Twist," he stated.

As he said that, a small cream-colored hoof rested atop his hand.

"It's okay, Mr. Cifer. I know you didn't have any choice."

Bonbon felt like her heart suddenly seized up in her chest as she heard that voice. That was Twist's voice! And now it wasn't just a memory of her voice either, she was actually hearing it!

Immediately her attention was pulled to the left and confirmed it; Twist was right there with her. Er, with him. Either way Twist was right there. Minus her glasses and not speaking with her lisp, but she was still right there!

But... how? She'd been there to claim her sister's body, she saw for herself that she was dead. So how was she here speaking now? How could she feel the contact of her hoof? Why was she floating like a unicorn levitating themselves!?

"The fact there was no other choice that could be made in the matter, doesn't actually make the decision any easier," Ulquiorra explained as he slowly withdrew his hand to slide back into his pocket. "I could've ripped Nightmare Moon from your body and devoured her soul. But not knowing how the mechanics of this world work, that might have served to give her the opportunity to take control of my body."

Twist shuddered in response at that evaluation, understanding just how bad such a hypothetical turn of events could've been.

"In the end, the only decision I had available was to be quick, and try to make your pain and suffering as brief as possible," he continued. "Were Nightmare Moon not as durable as she proved to be, that might've actually been possible."

Bonbon tried to make sense of what she was feeling right now. There was a sudden wave of... what was that right now? Was that regret from his perspective? It was so weird.

"Actually, Mr. Cifer, you didn't really hurt me," Twist stated. "It was really weird. I was hearing and seeing everything that happened, but I didn't really feel anything that happened. I mean, I knew what was happening, and I knew that it should've hurt, but it didn't really. It was just kinda... there... you know?"

"In truth I don't. But your evaluation does line up with Princess Luna's assessment of when she played host to Nightmare Moon. The both of you reported being aware of what was heard and seen, but no mention of what was felt or otherwise experienced at the time. Princess Luna stated she was helpless to do anything to stop Nightmare Moon from using her as a puppet. Perhaps whatever mind controls the body like a puppet is subjected to the more physical senses of what's experienced," Ulquiorra theorized.

"Yeah..." Twist replied slowly, not entirely certain of what to say in response. "Anyway, you don't have to feel bad because you didn't hurt me. I didn't really feel anything up until the very end, and all I felt then was warm like stepping into the warm sunlight of a brand new day."

Immediately a new series of thoughts became apparent to Bonbon; thoughts that weren't her own, and were triggered by Twist's evaluation of her own experiences. They had to be his at the time, based on how in-depth they were. Thoughts about what had happened at the time that could potentially explain and rationalize things.

The spear he used at the time hadn't been normal; not the Luz de la Luna, the Light of the Moon. It had bore a similar physical structure, but its makeup was different, infused with properties that weren't entirely his own. Infused with something that felt foreign and yet familiar all at the same time. It was... it was almost like the spear had been directly crafted right from the harmonious energies that Twilight and all the others had infused into him during the battle.

Luz de la Luna hadn't seemed an appropriate name for what he'd been holding in his hand at the time. It had practically named itself Luz de Amistad as if it somehow knew what it was, even if he didn't share the same understanding.

Maybe that's why it hadn't caused Twist any pain in the end. Harmony wouldn't hurt anypony that was innocent... would it? But why had she died then? Was it because it wasn't pure Harmony energy that had been used? Was it because he'd been the one using it and not them? She didn't know. And apparently he didn't know either.

"Yeah... This is touching and all, but what about us?" another voice called out.

Bonbon suddenly remembered that Ulquiorra hadn't been alone at the time, and there were still other ponies present at the cemetery. Turning to the left to regard them, she felt an uneasy sensation creeping up her spine. There were thirty eight others present, all of them foals, and all floating just like Twist was. Some of them she immediately recognized and could recall their names. Some she recognized by sight but didn't know them by name. And others she didn't recognize at all and didn't have a clue who they were supposed to be.

"Yeah, what about us, Mr.?" Archer piped up. "What happens with us now?"

A chorus of others joined in, voicing their confusion and seeking answers.

"I don't have answers to those questions," Ulquiorra admitted. "If this were my dimension I could tell you what would happen next. But the mechanics of this world and how they work are as much a mystery to me as they are to you."

A chorus of moans and whines of disappointment sounded. Not that she could really blame them for feeling that way.

"You. Shinigami pony."

All attention from everypony present was suddenly directed back to the right, as Bonbon realized there was yet somepony else with them that she hadn't noticed before.

Unlike the others this pony was an adult. Or at least she looked like more of an adult than they did. An earth pony mare with a cream-colored coat like her own, with strawberry pink eyes, a light blue mane and tail done up in a loose ponytail, wearing what looked like a pink Neighponese yukata, and clutching what looked like a wooden boat oar with her right hoof.

She'd never seen this mare before, but there was something so strange about her. Some otherworldly sense of beauty to her as she just hovered there, looking utterly bewildered.

"Eh?" she asked in surprise as she blinked twice in confusion. "Are you addressing me? Can you actually see me?" she asked in a voice with what sounded like a Trottingham accent.

"I am, and I can. Just as I saw you at the hospital when you were escorting Cupid and her parents in the aftermath of her passing. It doesn't take a genius to deduce what you are, and what your purpose here ultimately is," Ulquiorra stated. "You're here to ferry these souls to the afterlife, correct?"

The pony could do little more than nod dumbly in response, obviously well outside of her comfort zone at the fact she was being seen and addressed.

"T-that's quite correct, Sir. It's my purpose to ensure the dearly departed are escorted to where they belong."

"What will become of them once they leave here?" Ulquiorra asked.

"As much as I wish that I could, I'm afraid I can't answer that question," the pony admittedly sadly. "My role is to escort the departed to the afterlife, but what happens after that, I sadly don't know. I'm not privy to what happens after I do my part. I'm but a simple ferrymare, what you're asking is way above my pay grade. As long as there's life I'm barred from entering the afterlife myself. Only when all life is gone will I actually be allowed to cross over myself, and know what awaits on the other side."

Bonbon didn't need to be experiencing things from Ulquiorra's perspective to know that he didn't like the answer the ferrymare had to give. Was she feeling... hostility from him right now? Was he standing protectively between her and the foals to prevent her from gaining access to them? Was he actually intending to fight her to prevent her from taking them with her?

"As I explained, I have no idea how the mechanics of this world work pertaining to matters of life and death. I have little choice in the matter but to take you at your word and trust you," Ulquiorra eventually acknowledged.

The ferrymare, in turn, visibly relaxed at this statement.

"But know this," Ulquiorra continued as he slowly approached her, until he was standing barely an arm's length away from her; literally close enough that he could reach right out and grab her if he chose to. "If I find that my trust was violated, our next meeting won't be nearly as pleasant. Is that clear?"

Bonbon was left feeling utterly dumbfounded, even flabbergasted. He hadn't actually just done that, had he? There was just no way, it had to be a mistake.

"No way," one of the foals behind them whispered. "He just straight up threatened Death right to her face."

"And Death blinked first," another of them practically wheezed out.

The assessment, unbelievable as it was to hear, certainly appeared accurate. The ferrymare nodded vigorously as she hovered backwards to put some distance between them, gripping her oar protectively in front of her like it was a shield as she whimpered, apparently taking his warning seriously as if she genuinely believed he could make good on it.

"Very well then," Ulquiorra replied, before turning and walking away from her.

He looked to the foals, who looked back at him, then at one another. They nodded to one another, and then to him, before moving forward and past him, seeming to understand they were supposed to go with the ferrymare from here.

"Bye Mr. Cifer," Twist spoke up as she lingered, hesitating to join up with the rest of them. "Tell Bonbon goodbye for me, alright?"

Bonbon winced, really wanting to cry at the moment, knowing that this was the last time she was ever going to see her little sister, and desperately wishing she could reach out and hug her one last time.

"Wait."

She hadn't expected Ulquiorra to speak up, or to turn back around, but he had.

"Shinigami pony. A moment of your time."

The ferrymare and the foals looked back at him, as confused as she was right now.

"Yes?"

"There is still business to tend to, before you and the foals depart," he stated as he stepped forward again. "There is a way for Twist to tell her sister goodbye herself."

"That's... interesting? But what exactly makes her so special?" the ferrymare asked in confusion.

"The fact that I killed her directly, whereas the others were killed by Nightmare Moon," he stated simply. "I'm directly responsible for Bonbon's pain and suffering, because there was no other way to keep the others safe. Because of factors beyond my control, that fact is weighing heavily on me and I can't make it go away, no matter how illogical it may be. This is something that I owe the both of them. Twist will be able to tell Bonbon goodbye in her own words, and Bonbon will be able to receive it as it was intended to be."

The ferrymare suddenly found herself to be the center of attention as all eyes were on her, leaving her hovering there uncomfortably as she chewed at her bottom lip in thought, as she tried to weigh the pros and cons of the decision she was now faced with making.

"Alright," she eventually agreed and nodded. "But please try not to take too long. A lot of these foals have been dead for a very long time. It's not right OR good for them to linger in the living world as long as they have."

Something about her words felt strange from Bonbon's perspective. Or rather the response they drew. Was it a sense of irony coming from Ulquiorra that she was picking up? Was this a subject he had direct experience with?

"That is something I understand quite well," he replied simply.

Whatever the source of the sensation was, Bonbon didn't have time to linger on it as Twist was making her way back over to his position again.

"So I can tell Bonbon goodbye on my own?" she asked as she looked up at him.

"In a sense. I possess certain unique abilities that ponies don't. Address me as if you were addressing Bonbon directly, and she will see, hear, and feel everything as if she were experiencing it herself. Everything will be experienced from my perspective, with my memories and observations becoming available to her," he explained.

"That is so cool!" Twist stated with a huge grin on her face. But all too suddenly the grin faded away. "But, what should I even say? If this is going to be the last thing I ever say to Bonbon, what should it be?"

"Anything you want it to be. Sappy, silly, meaningful, uplifting, the decision is entirely yours to make," Ulquiorra stated.

Twist nodded uneasily, visibly trying to compose her thoughts.

"Alright. Ugh, this is gonna be awkward, pretending you're my sister," she admitted as she glanced away, trying to muster the courage she needed to proceed.

Eventually she looked back forward and let out a huff as she straightened back up.

"Here we go, I guess... Hi, Bonbon, it's me. I guess you know by now that I'm gone and not coming back. I'm really sorry. I wish that I could come back, though. I'm gonna miss you and Lyra a lot.

"There's just so many things that I wish I could tell you right now. So many things that I wish I could've asked you when I had the opportunity; like how to let a crush know that I like them without sounding like a dork in the process," she giggled. But all too quickly the mirth in her voice died as she once again became serious. "I know you're sad, but please don't be sad for too long, alright? Please? I don't wanna leave you crying. Remember all the fun we used to have, not the bad stuff. Smile and laugh again for me, alright? Please? Please don't cry just because I'm not there with you right now.

"And the stuff that's under my mattress? Please don't get too upset about it when you find it?" she all but pleaded while in the middle of blushing heavily and fidgeting uneasily in place.

"There are so many things I'll never get to say to you, things I'll never get to ask you, even with Mr. Cifer helping me. That makes me sad to think about. But I don't wanna be sad, because I know it'll make you sad and I don't wanna do that. This is already going to make you sad and I hate that. But if I left without saying anything when I had the chance, that'd just make me feel worse, like I was ignoring you. I'd hate that a whole lot worse.

"I wish I knew just what to say that'd make it all better, but I don't. I'm really sorry about that, Sis. Just... know that you did alright, and I never hated you, even when we did bicker and fight."

Bonbon desperately wished she could reach out and hold Twist in her forelegs, to assure her that everything was alright, that she didn't have to feel bad about not being able to tell her anything, but she just couldn't seem to do it. As much as she willed her forelegs to move, they refused to comply.

But it was unnecessary, as Twist turned out to be the one to initiate contact as she hovered closer, and she felt her sister's forelegs wrap around her in a hug.

And then she felt her own forelegs close around Twist in a firm, unyielding hug as she was held close. And for a brief moment, she completely forgot that her sister was dead as she felt the coarseness of her coat brushing against her. She could even still smell the faint scent of peppermint sticks clinging to her mane.

The bastard Espada. He had actually gone the extra mile and hugged her own sister, just so she could feel that embrace for herself one last time.

"I love you, Bonbon."

The words hurt to hear, knowing this was going to be the last time she'd ever hear them being said by her sister. Desperately she wished she could hold her sister tighter and say that she loved her too.

"I love you, Bonbon," Twist repeated.

"I love you, Twist," she wished she could say in return, but no words actually came out.

The feel of lips against her cheek was a surprise, but not an unwelcome one under the circumstances.

Far too soon for her own liking, the hug ended as Twist eventually let her go. And as desperately as she tried to hold on just a little while longer, she was powerless to stop Ulquiorra from relinquishing his own embrace on her, allowing her to hover away from him.

"I guess I have to go now," Twist sighed reluctantly. "You'll make sure Bonbon gets the message?" she asked.

"I will," he replied.

"Good," Twist replied and smiled weakly. "Thanks for everything."

With that, Twist slowly made her way back over to where the others were currently -and patiently- waiting on her.

"I'm ready now," she stated.

"I'm glad. It's much easier for the dead to pass on without regrets weighing them down," the ferrymare stated as she gave a comforting smile.

"Hey you!"

The sudden yell made some of those in attendance jump, as one of the foals present spoke up. One of the foals that Bonbon didn't recognize at all. A young pegasus filly about Twist's age, with a powder blue coat topped with a poofy, curly white mane and tail with blue streaks, and what had to be the bluest eyes she'd ever seen.

"The next time you see Princess Luna, can you let her know that I don't blame her? That none of us do? We know she wasn't responsible for what happened."

The whole thing had been a strange, unexpected development. That much went without saying.

"I can do that," he replied.

"Alright, children," the ferrymare spoke again, her voice a bit firmer this time as she did. "If you'll all be so kind as to follow me."

Without further fuss, the foals complied and took their place next to her as she began to slowly ascend, with them following behind her on their final journey. Some of them turned to wave their goodbyes as they traveled along towards the horizon.

All the while he watched their departure, unblinking as they moved further and further away into the sunset, until they could no longer be seen or detected.

Now they truly were gone. And he was truly alone.

* * *

The brief sensation of vertigo passed as quickly as it had come, leaving Bonbon to experience a brief period of disorientation as she blinked, trying to process exactly what had just happened. It'd been just a few seconds, but it'd felt like hours had passed.

Glancing to Ulquiorra for answers at that moment had been a bad idea, as she failed to turn away in time to avoid seeing as something like a black orb sitting in his right eye socket transformed into a replacement eye. It'd confirmed he'd actually done what she'd seen him do, but wow was it unsettling to watch!

All of this time. All of this time, ever since the funeral, he'd been carrying around a message from Twist for her. One last chance to hear her sister's voice, one last opportunity to share a hug with her. He'd even gone out of his way to orchestrate everything just for her so she could have that. He'd done things entirely out of his character, just so he could make her feel like she was there instead of it being him.

And what had she done? She'd kept him at bay because of how furious she'd been. All these months of anguish and sorrow, both for herself and those around her had been her own fault! He could've helped her a long time ago if she'd only just let him! But no, she just had to go and lash out angrily at him and anypony who even so much as mentioned his name because the pain was too great for her to accept.

All this time, he'd been waiting patiently to keep his promise to Twist. And she'd been nothing but absolutely horrible to him. The things she said to him, the things she did to him, as she tried to make him comprehend even a fraction of the pain she'd been going through. Only to find out that he was already fully aware of what that suffering was like.

It was all too much for her to bear. The sorrow of her loss, the memories of what she'd witnessed and experienced from his perspective, and the utter guilt she felt from her own actions all hit her like a ton of bricks all at once, reducing her to a pitiful bawling state that she was helpless to stop.

She felt herself being pulled into a hug, but by who or what exactly, she didn't have a clue in her current state. Nor did she particularly care right now as she latched on for dear life and held tight as her body quaked as she cried, blubbering incoherently as she tried to form the words of an apology that she would have to give to so many, for all that she had done to cause them pain and suffering in turn.

Princess Twilight bolted upright with a surprised snort as she jolted awake and frantically looked around, trying to figure out where she was and what was going on.

She was in the royal gardens of Canterlot Palace, currently sitting under the canopy of a large oak tree.

Now she remembered. Ulquiorra had told her to wait here while he tended to business so they could go to Ponyville together, and see what they could do to help Bonbon.

She'd already informed Celestia about what was going on. Or at least to the best of her abilities, based on what limited information she had to go on. Next had been Tempest in the infirmary, letting her know that she was going to be out of the palace for a bit because she had something to tend to.

After that it was just a matter of waiting for Ulquiorra to finish up whatever business he had going on. She didn't know exactly what that business was, nor where exactly it was in the palace, so staying put like he'd suggested had seemed like the best decision to make.

But the longer she waited, the longer she went without seeing any sign of him, the harder it was to just sit and wait. More than once she'd glance at the sun to try and determine just how long she'd been waiting. Or contemplate getting up and going to look for him, to see if she could offer her assistance so he could finish up quicker.

But if she did that, then she'd risk being away when he came looking to meet up with her. Then he'd either have to come looking for her in turn, or wait for her to return to the gardens. That would just waste time in the name of trying to save time.

In the end, all she could do was sit tight and wait for him to finish up whatever pressing matters had to be tended to. So she sat patiently in the comfort of the shade of the tree and just waited as he'd instructed, trusting that he'd be along at any minute.

She must've fallen asleep at some point while she waited, but she certainly didn't remember it happening.

Had she missed him? Had he found her asleep and proceeded without her? Was he still not done with his business yet?

"Ulquiorra," she sighed as she sat up to stretch her legs. "Where are you?"

The longer they waited, the longer Bonbon had to go without the help she obviously needed. That fact hurt. Her just sitting here and doing nothing when she could be doing something hurt. Not only that it also made her mad. She was supposed to be the Princess of Friendship, but she wasn't doing her title justice if she was just sitting around and waiting on others.

"That does it," she grumbled as she pushed herself up onto her hooves and stretched her back. "Forget it. I'm not waiting around here anymore. I'm going to go tend to Bonbon myself. Time is of the essence here. If Ulquiorra doesn't like it then he can just come and find me."

Her plans had been made and finalized. But her execution was abruptly halted as the booming, staticy echo of Ulquiorra's sonido sounded next to her, breaking her concentration and stopping her plans of teleporting to Ponyville.

She may or may not have screamed in an in-eloquent fashion at getting caught off guard.

"Don't do that!" she shouted as her heart raced. But she had enough sense to be embarrassed by her outburst and cleared her throat as she tried to calm herself down. "I'm sorry. You caught me off guard. I was starting to think you couldn't get away. But you're here now, so obviously that's not the case. Anyway I'm ready to leave now, what about you?"

"I am," Ulquiorra replied, seemingly unfazed by her outburst.

Twilight nodded. But just before she could tell him to place his hand on her back so she could teleport them both to Ponyville, he turned around and proceeded to walk off.

"What?" she asked, utter confused. "Um, where exactly are you going?"

"The library seems like as good a place to be right now as anywhere," Ulquiorra replied, not even pausing in stride as he spoke, and without even turning around to face her.

"But... what about Bonbon? Aren't we supposed to be going to Ponyville to help her?" Twilight asked in bewilderment.

"The matter relating to Bonbon has already been tended to," Ulquiorra replied as he paused his walk to address her. "She will need time, understanding, and support to properly heal and move on. Fortunately for her she has a support network of friends who can provide her with just that."

"But you said-" Twilight started to object, only to be quickly halted.

"I said that once I was done I would meet you in the palace gardens, and we could depart from there," Ulquiorra stated. "I have done what I can to help Bonbon, so my business has been concluded. We can leave now, and get back to more important matters at hand."

Twilight snapped in front of Ulquiorra in a flash of teleportation, her wings flapping angrily to give her just enough altitude to let her glare at him at eye level, with her lips pulled back in a snarl.

"You dishonest, disingenuous jerk!" she shouted furiously, no longer concerned with decorum. "You think you're clever with your tricky wordplay? Well you're not! That was mean, that was cruel, tricking me into thinking you were going to let me help a pony with a friendship problem! I've been sitting here all this time like a good little pony, just to find out you went behind my back after ditching me! You make me want to curse at you like Princess Luna!"

All throughout the tirade, Ulquiorra didn't so much as even blink in response. He just stood there, staring at her with those dull, disinterested eyes. It was only once she'd stopped yelling that he responded.

"Had you accompanied me to Ponyville, your presence would've only served to complicate the matter, even with the use of your newfound incognito spell. The presence of two Twilight Sparkles side-by-side wouldn't be a simple matter that could easily be brushed off to the side," he pointed out, his dull tone in sharp contrast to her own. "Even if it were, you would need to be read into the situation from the ground up to bring you up to speed. That would take time, which would only prove to be longer because of your inquisitive nature, and the questions you would be asking. Time that could otherwise be spent actually fixing the problem at hand, rather than sitting down to hammer out details to make a plan about how to fix the problem. Time that could've been of the essence, depending on what the exact nature of the problem was.

"Even if you had come along, you wouldn't have been prepared for what needed to be done to help Bonbon. You would've objected to the process that had to be implemented, because it was wholly unconventional to the norms held by you ponies. Everything would've become more complicated. The most logical, time-expedient option available was to simply proceed."

Twilight's glare slowly weakened as Ulquiorra's words met her, leaving her less and less certain about the validity of her outrage. As much as she hated to admit it, he was raising some very valid points that were becoming increasingly difficult to dispute. And slowly but surely he was starting to make her regret her outburst.

"Beyond that, how am I ever supposed to develop my own understanding of what friendship is, if an over-eager expert in the field who wants to make herself useful, potentially does all of the work herself?" he asked further.

As much as Twilight hated to admit it, that was an exceptionally good point to raise. How many times had she been envious and even jealous of her friends when the cutie map called them away on a mission, while she'd been left sitting around the palace and unable to join them? She couldn't say for certain that she wouldn't have tried to assert royal authority on the matter and arbitrarily take over, simply to prove that she was still needed on missions like this.

Maybe he'd been far smarter than she could even comprehend.

"I'm... sorry about that just now," she apologized weakly as she touched back down on the ground, now feeling rather ashamed of her outburst. "I shouldn't have acted like that. I shouldn't have let my own feelings get in the way and cloud my judgement like they did. I have to remember that this isn't my world, that things don't work exactly like they do back home."

Ulquiorra didn't say anything in response. She didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, but it still left her feeling unnerved, as if the other shoe was about to drop at any moment.

The only response on his part was withdrawing his hand from his right pocket, and bringing out a rolled up scroll to hold out to her.

She nearly asked what it was, but stopped herself as she realized it'd be easier to simply take it and ready it to see what it had to say, rather than asking for an elaboration. So she gingerly reached out with her magic to take it out of his hand and unroll it.

Dear Princess Twilight,

That feels so weird to unironically say, much less write down in correspondence.

Ulquiorra told me about the idea you had for dealing with the Chrysalis back in your world since she's still alive, unlike our own in this reality.

Let me just start by saying that I like the idea. As in I really, really like the idea. It's all very practical, pragmatic, and it honestly does sound like a logical application of our teachings in order to address an unconventional situation with equally unconventional circumstances.

But even though I like it, I wouldn't be doing you any favors if I didn't raise a few points that could potentially be shortcomings of such an idea.

Based on all we know about changelings, scant though it may be, we know that love isn't just a source of food for them, it's also a source of power to fuel their magic. While it might be possible to buy Chrysalis off and get her to agree to the hypothetical terms, it's equally possible that her pride and quest for revenge will never allow her to take the easy way out. For all any of us know, she might simply choose to stockpile the love you offer her, to fuel a future campaign to conquer Equestria. Your gesture of friendship and goodwill might only be giving her ammunition to use against you.

I'm not saying that it's a likely outcome, because I don't have the information I need to make that determination. All I'm saying is it might be something you need to factor in before making any final determinations on how to proceed.

I'm hoping we'll be able to meet up soon and discuss matters like this and others face-to-face. Not that there's anything wrong with the pen pal route, but as we both likely know, some things just have to be experienced directly, right?

Signed,
Your fellow egghead and friend, Not-Princess Twilight Sparkle

Twilight looked over the note slowly, uncertain of what exactly she should feel in response. She hadn't even thought about the possibility of Chrysalis possibly using her offer against them. Had she been too tired at the time to see that as a possibility? Had she simply wanted to believe that even Chrysalis had some good in her that could be brought out with a bit of kindness and the right presentation? Or was she truly too stupid to comprehend that some parties simply couldn't be reached, no matter how much effort one put into it?

"I need rest, don't I?" she eventually asked as she turned away from the scroll and looked back to Ulquiorra.

"It wouldn't hurt," Ulquiorra replied. "Get some sleep. Whatever needs to be done can be done later."

"Right. I'll just... go and get some sleep," she replied, not certain what else she could say right now.

Without further discussion she rolled up the scroll from her counterpart and trotted off, hoping that a few hours of shuteye would help her make sense of everything.

Author's Note

So I finally did it.

I've been planning this chapter for a very long time now, and I've finally done it.

This chapter has been bugging me for years. Frankly I blame it on why it's taken me so long to progress the story. I've been dreading actually undertaking this chapter, because I wanted to do the exchange between Ulquiorra and Bonon to actually feel right, and genuine, and believable. I've been anguishing over what the exchange would look like, constantly revising and rewriting it, but never truly happy with it. As a result the progression of the story suffered because of that lingering fear. All I can do is hope that it's actually halfway decent and move on.

Chapter One Hundred Thirty

Chapter One Hundred Thirty

Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last time, Tempest found herself probing at the empty socket in her mouth with the tip of her tongue, simply unable to ignore its presence. It wasn't the first time she'd ever lost a tooth, but it was the first time that she'd ever lost one voluntarily.

She knew the tooth in question hadn't been good for a while, and could stand to be removed. She just... hadn't quite gotten around to having it taken care of yet. She'd simply been too busy managing and tending to various duties in the Storm King's army to actually go see the dentist.

...

Oh, who was she even trying to kid? That was a pathetic lie even by her own standards. She'd both hated and feared going to see a dentist and had put the whole thing off, opting to simply put up with the pain and use the other side of her mouth for chewing and whatnot. Figuring that if it ever got too bad then she'd simply take a punch to the face and hope the force and delivery were enough to knock the tooth right out, and simply be done with it.

As she reclined on the infirmary bed, idly staring up at the ceiling and counting its tiles as her tongue prodded away, that decision in her life was finding itself joining numerous others as it was tossed on the rethink/reconsideration pile. If she had known just how far the field of dentistry had developed and advanced in the last twenty years, she wouldn't have put it off for so long.

The extraction process had been so smooth, she could scarcely believe it'd already happened. Even as the nitrous oxide and novocaine wore off, the lingering pain from the extraction seemed to pale in comparison to the pain she'd put up with whenever the tooth flared up and reminded her of its existence. Compared to that, what she felt now was nothing.

"And to think. I hesitated," she mumbled to herself, the slurring of her speech all but gone at this point.

The promise of a potion to restore the lost enamel on the rest of her teeth, as well as one to regrow her extracted molar before the socket closed up, had been made for sometime tomorrow. But in all honesty she wasn't really holding her breath. That was just hoping for too much, wasn't it? She didn't get this good of treatment anywhere, but Canterlot was treating her almost like she was royalty.

That fact in itself made her feel all the worse about what she'd been willing to do in the name of getting her horn back. It made her feel like she didn't deserve this five-star treatment at all; which she likely didn't.

But somehow they'd known about her, about her arrival and plans, and had instead welcomed her with open forelegs like greeting an old friend. That just made the guilt hurt all the worse.

Maybe the Espada had been right. Maybe she really was still Fizzlepop Berrytwist and not Tempest Shadow after all. Tempest Shadow wouldn't feel guilt like this; guilt was for the weak.

She found her thoughts being interrupted as her ears flicked at a new sound in the room. Something that had the pattern of hoof steps but not the same sound, and were approaching the bed. It made her tense up in anticipation of just what was on the other side of the hanging privacy curtain.

"Hello?" a stallion's voice called from the other side of the curtain, "is now a good time for visitors?"

She didn't recognize the pony the voice belonged to, which was both good and bad. She'd only spoken with a few ponies that worked at the palace, so she didn't know that many. But at the same time it didn't sound like anyone who would have a grudge against her for her past actions. So it could really go either way.

"That depends," she said as she sat up a bit straighter, doing her best not to slur her words as she spoke. "Who exactly is asking?"

She hadn't given permission to be disturbed, but despite that the curtain was still pushed aside to reveal her visitor. A unicorn stallion of average height, and average build, with a slate gray coat, ink black mane and tail that looked rather unkempt like they hadn't seen the business end of a comb for a number of days, and brown eyes that looked like they were made from poured walnut stain.

But the most outstanding aspect of his entire appearance, besides the goggles that hung limply around his neck, was the fur on his face, from his muzzle to the scalp, looking as if he'd been splashed with something that'd completely acid washed all the color right out of it and left it pure white.

"That would be me. Toggle Bolt is the name, research and development is the game. I'm the chief engineer for the entire department," he stated warmly and extended his right foreleg towards her.

Tempest hesitated, but returned the gesture regardless. Before taking note of the horseshoes currently on his hooves.

"What exactly are you wearing? Are these shoes... plastic?"

Toggle Bolt chuckled and shook his head in response. "No, no. We don't do that here. These are shoes made from a non-conductive, rubber composite material. When you're working around some of the stuff that we are, they're a necessity."

"That makes sense," Tempest noted as the gesture ended. "So what brings you by to visit me?"

"Intrigue, among other things. The palace has been absolutely abuzz with talk since you showed up in your airship the other day. The cooks, the janitors, even the gardeners have heard about your arrival, and the talk filtering through the grapevine is getting more and more ridiculous with each new iteration.

"But R&D doesn't deal in rumors and gossip; we don't have anywhere near enough budget for that sort of thing. So while my staff is busy with helping make repairs to your airship, I decided to come and meet the one behind all of the excitement. When in doubt, it's always best to go straight to the source."

"Oh," was all Tempest could manage to offer up as a response.

"But enough of this beating about the bush nonsense, I'll get straight to the point. Doctor Malar asked me to come by and help," Toggle Bolt continued. "Princess Celestia told him to get you back up on all four of your hooves again. Which he took as one of those high society wink-wink/nudge-nudge/plausible deniability go aheads to have me come in to assist."

"Meaning what exactly?" Tempest asked, her curiosity starting to be overruled by annoyance and frustration at him not actually getting to the point like he'd promised her.

"Meaning I'm here to see about fitting you for a new prosthetic leg," Toggle Bolt stated. "Mal' was pretty clear when he said Big White specified all four hooves again, which really isn't physically possible in your case, otherwise I wouldn't be here."

An uneasy sensation was currently creeping its way up Tempest's back, and slowly spreading throughout the rest of her body as she heard the explanation.

Even before they'd set out on the journey to return to Equestria, she had known, understood, and even accepted that there would be consequences to be faced for her actions. She had, in her mind at least, been fully prepared for that development to occur the moment she descended the gangplank to meet with Princess Celestia and throw herself on her mercy.

But to hear about how the palace staff were actually gossiping amongst themselves about her, that was an entirely different sort of disconcerting that she hadn't prepared herself for being subjected to.

"I already have a prosthetic leg..."

The friendly look on Toggle Bolt's suddenly darkened, leaving Tempest uncertain just what she had said that would make him look like he was now angry. Was it because she was rejecting his offer of assistance?

"What you have is a poor excuse for a walking implement," he stated. "My department was asked to give it and your armor a once-over, both to make sure everything was on the up and up, and to see if it needed to be serviced like your ship. And based on our findings I simply can't, in good faith, allow you to continue hobbling around on that thing without at least giving you the option of a much-needed upgrade. Maybe it was top of the line ten years ago, outside of Equestria, but compared to what we have now it's downright primitive, pedestrian, utilitarian..."

The last word was growled as if it were some unforgivable curse to be uttered in his circle.

"The one saving grace to its design, is that it looks like a natural extension of your armor; like you wore a sleeve specifically along the entire length of your left foreleg, so it doesn't blatantly stick out like a sore hoof. But today's technology is simply so much better. Please, at the very least, let me show you what the Mark Seven iteration of prosthetic legs has to offer. The final product has only been out for six months, so it hasn't been approved by the Equestrian Medical Association yet, but it was designed and built specifically with guard duties in mind; standing, marching, galloping, restraining, drills, etc."

Tempest could do little more than watch and listen in stunned -and confused- silence. The mood in the room had gone from hostile to sales pitch really freaking fast.

"This is really that important to you?"

"You're a pony in need, and have been for quite some time. That's what engineers ultimately do; we figure out ways to help those that're in need, by figuring out how to improve upon the status quo," Toggle Bolt insisted. "I understand if you don't want to ask for help, because I've been there plenty of times myself. And there are still times I'm like that, even on the job. But you're not asking, I'm offering preemptively because I think it's worthwhile. So what do you say? Will you meet me halfway? Will you at least look over what we have to offer you?"

Tempest opened her mouth, but found the words wouldn't easily come to her, even as she moved her mouth to try and speak. In truth she really didn't know just what she wanted to say. The sheer amount of generosity she was being so freely subjected to right now was well outside of anything she was accustomed to. Frankly it made her feel... downright uncomfortable. This was well beyond the sort of hospitality that her reputation as serving the Storm King would bring her wherever she went to execute that idiot's orders and whims. This felt far more genuine and freely offered in comparison. Far more guilt inducing...

"It's not in fire engine red, is it?" she asked. "I hate fire engine red..."

The look of confusion on Toggle Bolt's face at the statement lasted for about half a second, before turning into an amused smirk.

"I can see you're a mare of refined, mature tastes. Fire engine red by itself is gauche, and when mixed with gold it's positively ostentatious," he stated dismissively. "The surging popularity of those Ironhorse comics has done nothing beneficial for the development of functional prosthetic limbs, I can tell you that right now."

Tempest looked at him blankly in response. "Ironhorse?"

Toggle Bolt didn't want to admit it, but the question had actually caught him off guard.

"You... you honestly don't know about Ironhorse?"

Tempest shook her head in response.

"Wow..." Toggle Bolt replied, flabbergasted by the fact. "Oh, my dear. My dear, you and I simply must have a conversation about this while I take down your measurements."

"... That's the weirdest pickup line I think that I've ever heard before," Tempest stated, uncertain of what else to say.

"Pickup line? Please. You seem like a nice pony, but you're really not my type," Toggle Bolt replied dismissively. "No, I need to get you properly measured and sized up in the event you decide to take advantage of the offer. I don't need to see you standing up, to know you're a good deal taller than the average pony; the standard leg would be too short on you.

"So I need to confirm details like joint distance, degree of rotation, joint position, and even key circumferences of your other leg so the end result is not only symmetrical, it's also specifically tailored to you. How you stand, how you move, how you carry yourself, etc. we'll need all of those details for the best possible fit and finish. Otherwise we might as well just be fitting you for a peg leg and calling it good enough."

"There's really that much that goes into a fitting for a prosthetic leg?" Tempest asked.

"That and a whole lot more if you actually want it done properly. Believe me, when you see just what's being offered, you'll understand why," Toggle Bolt explained.

"And you're sure Princess Celestia is alright with all of this?" Tempest asked. "Up until a few days ago I was willing to sell out Equestria for my own selfish interests. And the next thing I know I'm here, getting four-star treatment, and the offer of even more. How can she be so... so... kind? So supportive? So... loving? I didn't do anything to deserve this sort of treatment."

"No, you really didn't," Toggle Bolt agreed without even hesitating. "Look, like I said, R&D doesn't deal in rumors. But if even half the talk I've heard going on around the palace is accurate, you probably would've been killed on sight if it were anypony else at the helm. But Princess Celestia has a lot of forgiveness to her. Especially for those that're remorseful about their bad actions.

"She didn't order the imprisonment of a showpony who exploited a cursed magical artifact for petty revenge. She believed Discord had the potential for good when nopony else thought it possible. And she hired an orderly from Canterlot General Hospital who was complicit in torturing a national hero. Short of actually murdering somepony, I'd be hard pressed to think of something you actually could do that would land you on the crap list."

"How comforting..." Tempest mumbled in response as she slowly turned her focus downward towards the bedding she was currently under. "Listen. Toggle Bolt. Could we do this later? At the moment I'm really not feeling up to any of this..."

Toggle Bolt could do little more than give her a quizzical look his response, his brow furrowing in confusion as he tried to make sense of what was being said. But in the end there was little he could do except nod politely.

"Of course. Whenever you're ready."

Celestia hating paperwork was as much a universal constant as the fact it was impossible to get a prime number from adding two even numbers together. There was simply no way of disputing such.

But hating it or not, even she had to admit that it provided her with a much-needed distraction from the general insanity that'd seemed to be plaguing the last the days since Princess Twilight appeared in their world. If nothing else it helped ground her mind in the here and now, dealing with matters that she could more easily understand. It gave her something to focus on, because it needed her focus and attention.

"Lieutenant Thunder Strike."

Each of the guards who'd taken the Captain's Exam had been interviewed in turn, in the order of lowest score to highest score. Piercing Lance, Brick Wall, Bolt Face and Slam Fire. And now it was Thunder Strike's turn.

There was no sound coming from the other side of her desk to indicate said guard jumped to attention. For he'd been standing at attention from the moment he'd entered her office.

Of all the guards currently on staff at the palace, he seemed to stand out the most amongst them. There was a certain peacock quality in how he conducted himself in terms of presentation, professionalism, and seriousness. His armor seemed like it was always polished to the point it practically gleamed in the sunlight, in a manner better suited for the honour guard. His chestnut mane and tail was always well combed and trimmed neatly and evenly, and his white coat brushed and looked like he had himself regularly steam cleaned. Even his storm cloud cutie mark looked trimmed and brushed.

Honestly, he made her think of a recruitment poster in how he presented his outward appearance, with a heavy emphasis in meeting uniform requirements.

"Yes, Ma'am!" he stated, firmly but without shouting like some of the other applicants had felt the need to.

Even now as he stood before her, he looked as cool as a cucumber, and as collected as a sack of marbles a foal had won in a match. Definitely a stark contrast to some who'd been in his position in the past, as if he always knew just the right degree of volume to use in any given situation.

"Can you tell me why you're here today, Lieutenant Strike?" Celestia asked.

"To be interviewed, to determine whether or not I'm actually fit to be promoted to Captain of the Royal Guard," he stated simply.

"Correct," Celestia noted. "Now, tell me, Lieutenant Strike. If you were promoted, what is it that you could bring to the Royal Guard?"

"They very best that I have to offer, Your Highness. Dedication, professionalism, and discipline," he stated firmly. "I'm fully prepared to do whatever is required to make the Guard an organization you can be proud of once again."

Celestia paused. She'd been in the process of looking back towards the contents of the manilla folder in front of her. But then she slowly looked up over the folder and back towards him, wondering if she'd just heard what she'd thought she'd heard.

"I'm sorry. Could you repeat that last part again, Lieutenant Strike? I don't think I heard you right."

"I said that I'm fully prepared to do whatever is required to make the Guard an organization you can be proud of again, Your Highness."

So she hadn't actually heard wrong after all.

Slowly, she set the folder down on the desk so it couldn't serve as a distraction.

"Lieutenant, tell me something. Have I done or otherwise said anything, either to or to anypony else, that might give the impression I'm not proud of the Guard?"

"N-no, Your Highness, you haven't," he replied hesitantly, his voice no longer as firm and focused as it had been at the start.

"That's good to know then," she noted. "But now I'm very curious as to where this idea came from. If it wasn't something that I said, how exactly did this notion that I'm not proud of the Guard, ever come up?"

Lieutenant Strike didn't immediately comment. To an untrained observer it looked like he hadn't even heard the question at all. But she had seen the subtle way his muscles twitched and shifted his coat at her words. She'd seen the same sort of response at more get-togethers and social functions than she cared to remember in terms of numbers. The cues were extremely subtle, and could easily be missed. But she could see the cold, professional exterior of the Lieutenant begin to weaken in response to the question.

It was starting to remind her a lot of Twilight's early years as her personal student, trying to work up the nerve necessary to self-report when she'd believed she'd committed some grave infraction that needed to be punished, because the sense of guilt she was experiencing at the time wouldn't allow her to do anything else.

"There was a time in our nation's history when the Guard was everything, when they were looked to by ponies as a source of hope, and strength, and security in the darkest of times. We were the ones that kept ponies safe from the evils that lurked in the shadows where the good wouldn't dare to venture on their own. They would look up at us as we stood strong in our impeccable armor, dream of being like us, strive to join our ranks so they could..."

He paused, having to take a steadying breath as his voice wavered as he spoke. After a moment of composure, he continued slowly.

"Those times are long gone, Your Highness. Ponies don't look at us the way they used to anymore. We used to be regarded as national heroes. We used to be sent out to quell problems before they grew out of proportion and threatened the kingdom. We drove back that which lurked in the darkness so that others could be safe, blissfully unaware of what was waiting to prey upon them.

"Now that duty and responsibility has fallen to others. Your student, Twilight Sparkle, and her five friends. Going out and facing the dangers of the world that we were tasked with stopping; the dangers that our illustrious organization were specifically formed to deal with from the beginning. Now they're the ones accomplishing what we no longer have the ability to accomplish on our own, because of how far we've fallen over the years. It tells ponies that they can't depend on us anymore; that we as an organization have failed them and no longer serve any purpose in existing."

Celestia remained silent, waiting to see just where this would lead without her interference.

"... The Guard isn't what it used to be when I first graduated from the academy seven years ago, Your Highness," he continued, his voice uneasy as he tried to remain calm and collected. "The regulations that've moulded us and guided us for so long, that were drilled into us from our first days at the academy until the time we graduated, haven't been receiving the same amount of respect and enforcement they used to. Every year, it seems like the standards on acceptable conduct and decorum for the Guard become just a bit more lax than they were the year previously. Reflecting the fact that we're not what we used to be.

"We're but a pale imitation of the illustrious organization you instituted all those centuries ago, Your Highness. You have every right to be ashamed of us for what we've allowed ourselves to become. We're disappointments, to you and the ponies of Equestria we swore to protect. We..."

Throughout the explanation, the strength in his voice had been wavering and quaking as he spoke, making it a constant struggle for him to try and keep himself collected.

She had wanted to see just where the explanation would go if she didn't interrupt. But now she'd seen enough, and it was just far too painful to continue watching as the guard before her struggled to go on, down a path that she really didn't care to witness.

"Lieutenant," she interrupted, her voice firm but kind as she spoke.

It was only once he was focused back on her again, and she was certain she had his attention, did she start speaking again.

"I've never been disappointed in the Royal Guard, so please don't believe otherwise, no matter what anypony may tell you to the contrary," she insisted.

"May I ask why not, Your Highness?" he asked. "You'd be justified if you were. Faust knows our failures have been significant and numerous enough to warrant it. Nightmare Moon's return, Discord's release, the changeling invasions, the dragon incursions, King Sombra's return... they all occurred within the last few years, all on our organization's watch, and we weren't capable of stopping a single one of them. We were formed to address problems like this and keep the innocents safe.

"And who was it that neutralized these threats and kept the world from succumbing to darkness? A recent college graduate, a tailor, a vet, a farmer, a caterer, a weatherpony, a baby dragon, and most recently a ghost from another world. They did what none of us could do despite all of our years of experience in training, tactics, and equipment being tailored specifically towards achieving those goals, and the millions in taxpayer money spent towards such. How-"

He paused, needing to take a deep, shuddering breath to steady himself as he continued.

"How can you not be disappointed in us, Your Highness? What could any of us have possibly done to redeem ourselves, in light of so many failures that've forced civilians to rely on themselves?"

"Lieutenant," Celestia started, but paused to let out a soft sigh and momentarily close her eyes, before looking back towards him. "Thunder Strike, please remove your helmet for me. I'd like to speak with the pony that makes the guard, face-to-face."

A look of confusion crossed his face in response. But he complied regardless as his horn began to glow, as he carefully lifted his helmet up off of his head and held it to his side.

"That's better," she replied and smiled kindly. "Thunder Strike, I know how seriously you take your duty in being a guard; I've seen your service record for myself. It's commendable, it's respectable. I can't tell you just how happy I am, to know there are ponies who view the Royal Guard with so much respect."

Despite his best efforts at keeping his expression neutral, she could see the slight smile trying to play at the corners of his mouth at her praise.

"But the simple truth is that I don't expect the Royal Guard to be a military force for neutralizing every threat that might come Equestria's way. I don't expect any of you to go charging into battle, facing down alicorn-level threats in the name of protecting the creatures that call this nation their home. We haven't had need of that type of response in a very, very long time, and I'd much rather we not go back to actually needing that type of response either. I've seen too many good ponies die, because they were following a sense of duty that compelled them to make the ultimate sacrifice when it just wasn't necessary for them to do that. I'd rather not see that trend continue.

"You don't disappoint me, Thunder Strike. Not as a guard, and not as an individual who's trying to do his job to the best of his abilities.

"Yes, failures have been had in the past, and failures will continue to be had in the future. It's just as simple as that, and no amount of drilling and preparation will be able to stop that. But I don't expect any of you to be perfect, when even I can't accomplish that goal. The failures that we've experienced are just as much mine as they could be anypony's. The only disappointment that I have is with myself, and myself alone."

This time it was Celestia's turn to pause as she took a moment to catch her breath and compose herself, lest she crack in front of him in an undignified manner.

"I had to wear a mask of professionalism at all hours, because so many ponies needed me, depended on me, counted on me. I spent one thousand years being angry at myself every single day over the loss of my sister, and unable to so much as even hint to the ponies I was surrounded by, how I was feeling the entire time. It's very hard to smile through all of the seething hatred, and appear serene while berating yourself that you didn't do enough to protect those closest to you.

"It took me over six hundred years to learn and finally accept, that no matter how much a pony believes they should've done more, that they could've done more if they simply pushed themselves and tried harder, there are simply situations where no amount of effort can ever be enough to prevent certain events from happening. None of us want to believe that, because guilt won't allow us accept simple truths about our inability to meet our own unreasonable demands, but that is most certainly the case. I couldn't save Luna from Nightmare Moon, Luna couldn't stop Nightmare Moon from using her body to kill her victims, Discord can't fix Twilight's core, and Ulquiorra couldn't protect the city of Las Noches.

"So tell me, Thunder Strike. Why would I be disappointed in the Royal Guard not being able to outclass me?"

"You... you wouldn't, Ma'am," Strike replied, his voice noticeably weaker and less composed as he spoke. "You're... you're not an unreasonable tyrant, Your Highness..."

"No, I'm not. All that I've ever asked of anypony, is that they simply do the best they can, that can reasonably be expected of them. Sometimes we stumble along the way as we try and figure out what our best is. But stumbling isn't failure, failure is when we give up and don't even try."

"I... I understand, Your Highness. I apologize for my conduct," Strike stated. "And I... I would like to formally withdraw my name from consideration for promotion. I made assumptions I had no place in making, I insulted you, and I've disgraced my office. It's quite apparent that I'm unfit to be Captain of the Royal Guard."

"Lieuten-" Celestia started, before stopping herself and sighing. "Thunder Strike. I don't want to dissuade anypony from striving to better themselves. And if you genuinely believe that you're unfit, I'll willingly accept your request. But unreasonable expectations don't help anypony, they just set us up for failure; as we just talked about."

"I... I just want to make the Royal Guard proud of what I can bring to them, Your Highness," he replied, unable to bring his voice up to the same tone he'd used previously. "So many fine ponies have dedicated their lives to the institution, entire families have served from one generation to another like a family tradition... they don't deserve to have their commitment besmirched by somepony who's unwilling to pull their weight, and I will not allow myself to be the pony that does that to them, Your Highness. The Royal Guard deserves the very best that I have to offer them. You deserve the very best that I have to offer."

"Thunder Strike, I've seen your service record for myself. I know about the level of commitment you've brought," she stated. "Ever since you came to work here, you've pulled every Hearths Warming shift, every Hearts and Hooves shift, every Summer Sun shift. You max out on overtime every single month, you haven't once put in for any vacation time, you've never even taken a single sick day. In terms of hours worked, you've contributed more than any other guard has in the same time frame. Just how much more can you reasonably expect to offer?"

"I'm prepared to take additional shifts and work more hours if needed, Your Highness," he replied.

"More hours?" Celestia asked in disbelief. "Thunder Strike, you're already logging more hours than anypony else at the palace apart from Luna and myself. I respect your willingness, but I won't have you do anything that drastic. I'm surprised you even have time for eating and sleeping as it is."

Just the idea of such a notion. All she could do was shake her head in response. Who was giving the guards such ridiculous ideas anyway? First it was Lance thinking that a ninety five on the exam was a failing grade, and now it was Strike thinking he wasn't working hard enough. She wasn't about to ask him to contribute more than he already was.

"With all the hours you log already, you'd have to cut out whatever time you have for rest and relaxation. And I'm not about to ask anypony to do that, outside of a declared state of emergency," she stated.

"Relaxation, Your Highness?" he asked.

The question had been peculiar, and brought her attention back to him. Only then did she notice he was just standing there with a curious, perplexed look on her face, as if she'd suddenly started speaking a foreign language that he didn't understand.

"Yes, relaxation. You do relax, right?" she replied slowly as she observed his response. Which in this case was just silence and a confused blink. "Thunder Strike, if you don't mind my asking, how exactly do you unwind when you're not working? What exactly do you do when you're not on duty and have free time to yourself?"

"I practice so I can keep my skills adequately sharp, Your Highness. Standing at attention, marching, refraining from distracting physical stimulation like random itches that pop up at inopportune times. Cleaning my armor so it remains presentable, basic calisthenics to remain physically in shape, fine-tuning my magic for greater precision in use. I'm trying to read books from across the room so I can learn to spot minute details at a distance that might indicate something is out of place. If I have the time, I reread training manuals to ensure my knowledge about rules and regulations is both correct and accurate, as well as up to date in the event of a revision being released," he explained.

Celestia sat in stunned silence, all but staring at the stallion before her. This was definitely not the type of answer she'd been anticipating, and that fact left her... concerned. Was he really so dedicated to service that he honestly didn't know how to relax? Or could he simply not relax?

"Thunder Strike," she started slowly. "Even during the darkest of times that our nation has faced, I've never asked any of my guards to be that dedicated in their service. I've never encouraged them to stop being the ponies who they were. Even Shining Armor took time off from work. What... where... where does this sense of dedication come from? Whatever inspired you to go to such lengths in your service? Frankly I'm more than a little concerned," she stated.

Once again, Strike didn't immediately respond to the question. But his stoicness was less than last time, and it was a bit easier to pick up on his discomfort and unease as he tried to figure out what to say; his chewing at his bottom lip was a big giveaway this time that'd been previously absent.

"... Because neither the organization, nor you, deserve anything less than the absolute best that I can offer," he replied. "Your Highness, all my life, all that I've ever wanted, was to be a member of the noble Royal Guard. To be part of something bigger than myself. It's been my dream for as far back as I can remember, ever since I first learned about them in a play. I must've been... five years old at the time."

"A play?" Celestia asked curiously.

Strike nodded. "It was a local production, put on by a theatre troupe for underprivileged foals. It was a matinee anthology, filled with a lot of different acts. But the most memorable one came in the evening when the sun had set, when the local weatherponies could really do their part to make the effects pop."

There was a sudden hitch in his voice as he spoke that Celestia instantly caught. And the slightest trace of a smile that even he was incapable of suppressing, as his brown eyes seemed to shimmer with excitement.

"It was a play simply called "Chess" set on a gigantic chessboard. There were these huge torches standing at the four corners by the rooks, burning brightly to illuminate and add atmosphere, as thunder growled and lightning flashed overhead from the storm clouds that were brought in. At the start a black bishop with a goatee zoomed across the white squares of the board," he said as he waved his right hoof in a sweeping motion, "and struck a white pawn down with his spear, causing him to vanish in a flash of light, and putting the bishop in a position to capture the white queen.

"The white king is having none of this, and raises his sword high, summoning a white knight. The knight storms into the battle and attacks the bishop, overwhelming his pitiful defenses and strikes him with his sword, cutting through him in a flash of light, and putting him in a position to approach the black queen and capture her.

"The black queen commands one of her pawns with an executioner's axe to advance and block the white knight's path of approach with the assistance of his compatriot. But the white knight shows no fear or hesitation as he approaches with purpose and determination and bravery, and clashes with two opponents simultaneously, keeping them at bay with sword and shield alike, first striking down the black pawn with the axe on his left, before turning and doing the same to the pawn with a sword on his right!"

His voice grew in pitch as he gestured with his right foreleg, swinging it fiercely to mimic the act of swinging a sword.

"The black queen is furious at this and summons her own knight, a black knight, to do battle with the white knight and they clash in the middle of the board. They dance around, each fighting to defeat the other, the white knight with his sword, the black knight with his flail, the combat as fierce as their dedication to their respective causes. As the music reaches a fever pitch, as the lyrics being sung can be felt, a stallion's voice declares "To compete, you have to be strong!" just before the white knight successfully strikes down the black knight!"

Another swing of his right foreleg as Strike now stood on his hind legs, his voice growing.

"The black queen is open, but instead of targeting her, the white knight now approaches his real target; the black king, an old and evil stallion whose crown is adorned with a skull, and holds him at sword point, daring him to make his move as he holds him in check, with the voice declaring "To win, you have to be smart!" The black king, knowing he has no moves left to play, bows his head in defeat, acknowledging checkmate.

"In victory, the knight rears up and thrusts his sword to the sky, is struck by a bolt of lightning, and is transformed into a unicorn Royal Guard is full dress uniform and clutching a ceremonial saber, with the voice declaring "Maybe you can be one of us! The few. The proud. The Royal Guard!" as the music ends triumphantly at the climax of the play!"

He stood there, his right foreleg thrust skyward as he posed, mimicking the white knight as he panted heavily. Before finally regaining his composure as he set back down on all four hooves again.

"It was in that moment, Your Highness, I knew exactly what my future was going to be. I was going to be a Royal Guard, I was going to be the best Royal Guard. Not simply the best that I could be, but the best Royal Guard that anypony could ever hope to be.

"While other foals were concerned with silly matters like getting adopted, I was reading everything I could get my grubby little hooves on about the Royal Guard. I read so many adventure tales about their exploits, the dangers they faced in the name of protecting others who couldn't protect themselves, the glory of dedication to something greater than themselves. I would dream about being one of them in those stories. I cobbled together my own guard armor costume for Nightmare Night from bits of cardboard and aluminum foil that I'd scrounged up. I actually wore it every chance I got, even long after Nightmare Night had come and gone.

"I would spend hours in front of a mirror, practicing my salute, my marching, my standing at attention without fidgeting, learning how to resist scratching at a random itch, learning how to be yelled at without flinching or blinking, in the hopes of being the best that could be had. When I ran into one of the play's vocalists years later, I begged her to teach me the words to the song so that I could sing it too. I even taught myself Latin at the library so that I could understand what the lyrics were saying and what they meant. I actually broke out singing that same song the day I graduated from the academy and got my diploma."

He finally needed to stop talking long enough to catch his breath, as a warm, nostalgic smile worked its way over his lips as he chuckled at the memory.

"I used to spend hours just staring up at the recruitment posters around the town. Captain Armor's predecessor, Captain Barrel Roller was featured prominently on them, standing firm at attention and sternly looking forward in the most no-nonsense manner possible, her full dress uniform polished and styled to absolute perfection as her pumpkin orange coat practically popped with nary a hair out of place. She conveyed so much strength, and certainty, and majesty, and discipline, that I could barely comprehend it all. Below her at the bottom was the caption that read "We're looking for a few good ponies. Do you have what it takes to serve?" And I wanted that, Your Highness. More than anything, more than even getting my cutie mark, I wanted to prove my worth and that I could be a Royal Guard, just like her and so many others.

"I threw myself into my schoolwork, studying as hard as I could so my grades would reflect that I was smart. I exercised hard, to the point of physical exhaustion to build muscle, tone my body, and hone my magic to prove that I was strong so that I could serve. I was determined to match earth ponies in strength, pegasi in maneuverability, and other unicorns in magical prowess so that I could be the white knight that would defend and inspire others!

"I applied to the academy, literally the minute I was old enough, and I worked hard, Your Highness. I worked hard to graduate with honors and be the valedictorian of my class. And when my application to work here at the palace was accepted, it was the happiest day of my entire life, because it told me that I had what it took to serve as a guard; to serve in the Royal Guard."

Throughout the explanation, Celestia sat quietly and patiently listened to what he had to say. And as she listened to his story, she wanted to facehoof so, so very hard. She now at least had her answers, as to where Strike's sense of what was expected of the Guard came from.

A recruitment ad. The boy had been motivated by a dramatic, heavily theatricalized recruitment ad!

She made a mental note to review his files and find out just which city Thunder Strike had grown up in, and determine just who had been in charge there. She was going to need to have a very long, very involved discussion with somepony about what was and wasn't appropriate as far as entertainment for foals went.

There was nothing wrong with ponies being inspired by recruitment ads and wanting to join the Royal Guard. But this had been a most extreme case, and was borderline brainwashing. His entire foalhood had been stolen from him by a fleeting dream he'd desperately been chasing after for most of his life, and he hadn't even realized the fact because of how utterly taken he'd been by the glamor he'd seen on display.

To watch a grown stallion, one who rarely showed any trace of emotion in either his voice or his facial expressions, to suddenly speak so excitedly and animatedly that he was practically channeling the essence of Pinkie Pie herself, recounting his time spent watching a live recruitment ad being performed as if it was his fondest foalhood memory, had made her want to wince and even weep. She had wanted to stand up from her desk, march over there, and pull him into tight a hug. But she knew it would be a bad idea to do that.

"Thunder-" she started, her voice threatening to crack as she spoke, forcing her to pause and try to steady herself. "Thunder Strike. I have overseen the growth and development of Royal Guard since their inception. And in all those centuries, not once have I ever met a pony who shared your level of dedication and commitment. If that isn't enough to make them proud of you, then I'm not proud of them."

It was technically the truth. And right now it was the only thing that she could really say. She knew from the moment she heard his words, read his body language, that she couldn't say anything to him regarding her thoughts on the tragedy that his foalhood had been. The only thing she could do at this point was try and run damage control.

"But you are proud of the Guard, Your Highness?" he asked.

She nodded, and smiled. "I am. I'm very proud of them. Both individually and collectively."

"Your Highness... with your permission, I'd like to revise my previous answer."

Once again, Celestia looked to him, curious.

"What could I bring to the Royal Guard if I was promoted? I regret to say that I'm unable to bring anything to the organization that would warrant my being promoted," Strike stated solemnly. "When I was called to your office, this interview was on a very short list of possibilities I could foresee. I came in here, prepared to detail how I would go about bringing the organization back to its former glory. With an emphasis on, and an adherence to, standards and regulations that was in line with what was seen back at the academy. Marching, formation, drills, saluting, etc.

"But you said that you aren't ashamed of the Royal Guard. And if you aren't ashamed of the organization as it currently is, that would mean you don't take issue with the laxness in our formations, our conduct, and our discipline. And if you don't take issue with our lack of refinement, then... then I honestly don't know what I can provide here. My intent to fix what I thought was broken, was my entire motivation for even taking the Captain's exam in the first place. And now I find out it was all for naught. My motivation was selfish, and for that I apologize, Your Highness," he said as he bowed his head.

Celestia honestly wanted to groan at this point. She wanted to groan, and she wanted to find out just who along the line had been responsible for giving her guards these ideas.

"I wouldn't consider that selfish at all, Thunder Strike," she replied as she shook her head, trying her best to remain calm. "You thought there was something wrong with an organization you obviously care very deeply about. And rather than voicing your concerns to somepony else in hopes that they would fix things, you went about trying to address the problem yourself the best way you knew how, because you wanted it to be done right. That's the exact opposite of being selfish."

At hearing this, he raised his head again, uncertain of how to respond.

"The only fault I'm finding here, is the fact your instructors apparently never taught you that the dogmatic adherence to standards demanded at the academy, doesn't translate over into the field where real life is a variable to address. That's on them, not on you. A certain degree of laxness and slack is necessary for the proper working order of any organization; something that I learned the hard way," she continued.

Maybe damage control could involve slipping the truth in here and there, feeding him just enough that he would naturally realize things on his own, and understand for himself without having to be beaten over the head with it all.

"The only fault I can find with you, is being a bit misguided about what makes for good guards. Dedication and adherence to regulations is fine and respectable, but that's only part of the equation. What makes the best guards, are good ponies who will do the right thing and help others when they're in need. Like the time you worked Sergeant Pulaski's shift, so that she could attend her son's piano recital," she concluded.

At hearing the last sentence, a look of shocked horror erupted across his face in response as he inhaled sharply through his nose.

"You... you knew about that?" he asked, honestly sounding terrified as he spoke.

She nodded simply in response. "You stamped her time card, covered her duties for her shift so nopony would know about her absence that day. And then you went and worked your own originally assigned shift on top of that, along with the overtime you normally pull."

"Her-" he all but squeaked out, "her family needs the money, Your Highness. And she doesn't have anymore paid time off for the year," he explained while desperately trying not to tremble where he stood.

"I'm aware of that. But what I find most interesting, is the fact that she didn't even ask you to do that for her. You just did it of your own volition, despite knowing such a practice is technically against regulations," Celestia continued.

"A... A-A guard must always be loyal, to command and comrade alike! Without loyalty there can be no trust, and without trust there is nothing!" he stated, his voice shaky as he spoke in recitation, desperately trying to remain at attention and struggling to simultaneously keep looking forward while also not looking directly at Celestia.

Over on Celestia's end of the desk, this was definitely not how she'd thought this would go. Spooking him certainly hadn't been what she'd wanted to do.

"Lieutenant, at ease! Stand down!" she stated as she stood up from her chair. "I wasn't saying that because you're in trouble. You didn't do anything wrong. You helped out somepony who you could see was in need, and even put yourself in a position of preventing somepony else from committing such a violation themselves. All of it done freely of your own volition, all without ever being asked, or otherwise seeking compensation for your actions."

This seemed sufficient to bring Strike's attention back to her again, although she could see that he was still on the verge of panic, and at risk of hyperventilation.

"Thunder Strike, I need you to pay very close attention to what I'm about to tell you," she stated, speaking slowly and deliberately so that he would be able to understand what she was saying. "One thing that every guard must come to understand for themselves, is that sometimes rules and regulations can cause more harm than they prevent. Sometimes, regulations have to be violated in order to do good; like breaking down somepony's door because their house is on fire and they may be trapped inside.

"A steadfast and dogmatic adherence to rules and regulations may be fine in theory, but never in practice when this adherence leads to even worse harm being done because those rules got in the way. Had you not done what you did, Sergeant Pulaski would've been forced to choose between missing her son's piano recital, or missing paid time at work, with either option potentially hurting her family. You did exactly what you were supposed to do."

"You... you want the guards to violate regulations, Your Highness?" he asked, obviously confused.

"When necessary, Thunder Strike, when necessary. The last thing that I need, or want, is a palace full of guards who're more afraid of saving lives, than they are of breaking regulations, because of what some shoddy instructor at the academy might've drilled into them. I don't need unthinking automatons who only know how to do what they're told. I need guards who'll listen to their heart when it tells them that something is very wrong and needs to be addressed, regardless of who's responsible for the wrong," Celestia stressed.

The look of confusion just continued remaining plastered on his face, as if this was the first time he'd ever heard this notion. But considering what she knew, that might very well be the case. For all she knew this was the first time he'd ever been put into a position of being confronted with something that wasn't purely black and white.

"Thunder Strike. Lieutenant Strike. Please try to understand what I'm saying. Yes, the chain of command is important and has its place, I don't deny or dispute that fact. But at the same time I don't need suck-ups and yes-ponies surrounding me; that's what got us into the pastry wars in the year eight-fifty ANM," she continued, hoping to get the point across to him. "And anypony who expects to serve as Captain of the Royal Guard, had better be prepared to vocalize their disagreement with me, if they have grounds to believe it's warranted. I'm old, I'm not perfect. I've made mistakes in the past, I'm still making mistakes today. And if somepony is too scared to call me out on that because of my office, who does that serve to benefit?"

"... N-nopony, Your Highness," he replied slowly. "Nopony is benefited in such a situation."

She smiled and nodded in response. He at least understood that much.

"The best guards are the ones who do the right thing, regardless of what that might involve," she stated and smiled.

Immediately he looked back up at her, the look of confusion and unease giving way to a look of determination.

"You have my word, on my honor as a Royal Guard, Your Highness."

"I'm glad," she replied. "That's one reason why I've come to value Ulquiorra's counsel as much as I do; he's not afraid to tell me to my face what I need to hear. If he disagrees with the way I'm doing things, he lays out the reasoning as to why he disagrees in a logical, coherently thought out manner, and explains what could or should be done instead. He takes the time to present his points so I can thoroughly understand where he's coming from, and determine for myself if I agree with him."

"Then... then the Espada wasn't brought in to replace us, Your Highness?" Strike asked.

"What? Oh Goodness, no!" Celestia objected and vigorously shook her head. "No, Thunder Strike, not at all. Ulquiorra is competent at what he does, but even he can't possibly see to all of Equestria's defense needs by himself. He's not anywhere near that good. His greatest contribution to our defense is his skill in logistics, tactics, and problem solving. He can't replace Twilight and her friends, and he certainly can't replace the Royal Guard."

It really wasn't a lie. Not even close to a lie. Just... not the entire complicated truth of the matter. If anything it was more like the highlights of the full story concerning Ulquiorra's presence in their world.

"Neither the Royal Guard, nor Twilight and her friends, are any less important now than they were prior to his arrival. On more than one occasion he's made it clear that he needs our assistance, and our familiarity with the world; something that he simply doesn't possess. He needs us to act as his eyes, ears, and understanding of what's going on in our world, so that he can respond accordingly. In a sense we're all in this together, and have to rely on each other for what parts we can play. That's why he made the suggestion that you be placed on Rainbow Dash's suicide watch."

Thunder Strike was practically floored by hearing this statement, completely unprepared for it and left stammering in the wake, nearly even dropping his helmet in the process.

"The... the Espada picked me to watch over and protect her?"

"He did."

In truth Ulquiorra had played no part in the selection process of which guards would be tasked with keeping Rainbow Dash alive, that had fallen to her and Luna. But it had still been his suggestion on how to proceed, that had seen Thunder Strike assigned watch duty. And it had been the Lieutenant's service record that had earned him that trust and consideration. So technically it was the truth.

The brief, relieved -even proud- smile that flashed across his face at the news was enough to make her want to smile in turn. But first there was still work that needed to be done.

"And as to the matter of Twilight and her friends, I'm afraid that's my fault."

The smile on Strike's face was quickly replaced by another look of confusion.

"I don't understand, Your Highness. How can you be at fault for them protecting Equestria?"

"Through an unfortunate sequence of events. Back during the reign of Discord, the Elements of Harmony were more open-ended and could be used by anypony with a good heart. That's how Luna and I used them to defeat him and restore peace and order to Equestria. That's how I managed to use all six of them myself when Luna fell to Nightmare Moon's influence. But being forced to use them against one I loved so dearly caused my connection to them to be severed, and they were rendered five useless stones that couldn't be used by anypony.

"Twilight and her friends managed to revive them, but the process in which it was done served to bind the Elements to the girls, making it impossible to reassign them to more qualified individuals. That connection will remain for as long as those girls are alive, meaning they have no choice in the matter but to be an integral part of Equestria's safety and well being. They weren't given a say in what they wanted, and now it's too late for them to have any say. I spent months trying to find a way to break that binding, so that they wouldn't have to face dangers on their own. But it seems once the Elements make up their mind, nothing can serve to sway them, not even a former bearer herself.

"For better or worse, they're but one more branch of Equestria's defenses. Just like the Royal Guard, and Ulquiorra, and everything else we currently have in place to ensure the safety of those that reside within our nation," Celestia concluded with a huff.

So many things that needed to be said. But not nearly enough time to properly vocalize all of it. Nor enough time to dwell on such matters. There was still work that needed to be done, and these distractions were taking far too long. She still had an interview to conduct and get through, along with far more paperwork afterward.

"Lieute- Thunder Strike," Celestia began again, "there's still a lot of work that has to be done, in order to determine which of you five gets promoted. But if I'm being honest, I don't believe you have what it takes to serve as Captain of the Royal guard."

"I under-"

"Let me finish, please," she politely interrupted. "This has nothing to do with your level of dedication to serving, or your service record, or anything else like that. Lieutenant, I have no doubt you would do everything in your power to prove your worth as Captain if you were promoted. In fact I'm certain you would.

"But that level of dedication, that seemingly compulsive need to prove your own worth, is a two-edged sword and would cut you just as deeply as what you would wield it against. You nearly had a panic attack at finding out I knew you worked Sergeant Pulaski's shift. What do you think would happen if you were put into a position of authority, and saw every guard on the day and night shift as extensions of yourself?"

"... I would probably be found by the cleaning staff, dead at my desk..." he surmised slowly.

That wasn't exactly what she had been alluding to, but it was certainly one of the foreseeable possibilities for a stallion that was so high strung. So at least he understood that for himself.

"I'm sorry, Thunder Strike, but I just don't believe you're cut out for the position; not right now anyway. Perhaps sometime in the future, things will be different."

It was a very difficult thing for her to say properly. But at the moment she only had herself to blame for that difficulty.

"Dismissed."

He nodded, before slipping his helmet back atop his head, and turning to depart from her office, leaving her behind with her paperwork and whatever final determinations she needed to make.

But he stopped just before he reached the door, and turned back around to face her.

"With all do respect, Your Highness, you're wrong," he stated, trying to look serious in firm, but in truth he looked like he was scared stiff. "A-about your assessment on the Elements of Harmony. That's on Nightmare Moon, not on you. She deliberately put you in a no-win situation, where you had to choose between saving your sister and saving your subjects, because she knew you couldn't choose both. If you spared your sister, the planet would've been tidally locked, with one side becoming a frozen wasteland, and the other a burnt desert, with neither side capable of supporting life. You weren't give any choice, you did what you had to do, not what you wanted to do.

"Twilight and her friends, and the part they have to play, that's all on Nightmare Moon, none of it is on you. She's the one who didn't give them any choice in the matter."

That certainly wasn't what she'd been expecting to hear, and certainly not from him. But it made her smile regardless; both because of the content, and the fact that it was coming from him. Perhaps the seeds she'd tried to plant were already starting to take root.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Strike. I appreciate that," She replied as she smiled.

He simply nodded, before turning to make his way for the room's door once again.

"Lieutenant?"

This time it was Celestia speaking up, just as his hoof rested on the doorknob, bringing his attention back to her.

"This "play" that you spoke about, it's quite obvious it was important to you. And you actually learned the song that was used during it. Would you say it was impactful?" she asked.

He nodded in response, with a fair bit of enthusiasm in the gesture. "Very impactful, Your Highness. The music and the lyrics are what tied everything together and made the play what it was. I don't think it would've worked without it."

"I see," she replied. "Lieutenant, would you consider doing me a small favor before you go? I'm quite curious, and I'd like to hear this song that was responsible for bringing you to us. And you did go through all the trouble of learning another language in order to sing it. Do you think you could sing it for me?"

At first Strike didn't respond, simply standing there with a blank, confused look on his face, as if he hadn't understood the question and his brain had gone into lockup from trying to decipher what was being asked of him.

But the confusion was quick to clear up, his eyes going wide and his mouth hanging open in realization, before it quickly snapped shut and he nodded vigorously as he understood what was being asked of him. He licked his lips, cleared his throat once, twice, and then began.

Fides Victus Patria Victus

Celestia listened as he sang, no hint of hesitation or discomfort in his voice, or awkward stumbling through the pronunciation of an obviously old and foreign language, as the words poured freely past his lips with a fluidity few could truly match.

It had been a very, very long time since she'd heard anypony speaking Latin fluently; long enough that her own understanding had gotten a bit rusty from disuse. But it was still serviceable enough that she could get the gist of what the lyrics were speaking about.

But while the pronunciation alone was impressive, it was only part of what held her attention. What really held her interest right now was the sheer amount of passion that his voice carried as he sang so freely, from a place that was obviously very important to him. A degree of passion that she'd never seen from him in all of his years of service, due to how restrained and guarded he always kept himself.

Gloria Patria Gloria Patria

And then he reared up onto his hind legs and raised his head high, his voice hitting a vocal range she hadn't initially believed was possible for him to actually hit, based on the otherwise deep tone of his voice as he talked. But he was hitting it regardless of those doubts. This was obviously the point of fever pitch to the song he'd been talking about, as she could practically feel the passion being poured into his words as he sang about Equestria's glory, unashamed and completely oblivious to his surroundings as he gestured with his forelegs as if he were a conducting a choir that was singing rather than him.

She wouldn't be surprised if he was facing down that black knight in his own mind right now, lost in his own world as he valiantly fought with sword and shield for the honor and the glory of the organization that'd laid claim to his heart all those years ago.

Fides Patria Potentia Fi!

The song ended, and he dropped back down onto all for hooves again. He looked winded, but at the same time undeniably happy. Truth be told, he looked the happiest she could ever remember seeing him.

In her opinion the song itself was mediocre and nothing fantastic in and of itself. But the delivery had been nothing short of superb.

"It really is a beautiful song, Lieutenant," she replied. "Thank you for sharing it with me."

"It was my honor to do so, Your Highness."

Author's Note

This chapter didn't turn out like I wanted it to. But I ran out of time and have to make do with what it is.

Sorry folks.

Happy 2023

Special thanks to CocktailOlive for letting me use Barrel Roller for this chapter.

Chapter One Hundred Thirty One

Chapter One Hundred Thirty One

Brick Wall entered the palace gym, sans his armor and clutching his workout bag in his teeth, before promptly dropping the satchel on the floor.

"I definitely need to clean that thing one of these days," he muttered to himself.

It wasn't the first time he'd reminded himself of that particular need. And it probably wouldn't be the last time either before he finally followed through with it and got it done. But every time he'd been in a position to do it, something always came up that needed his attention more.

But right now that was neither here nor there. His shift was over for the day, and all he wanted to do was relax and unwind. Lift a few weights, maybe take a light jog on the treadmill, anything to stretch his tired muscles and work out some of the kinks that came from his usual daily duties. And at the moment he had the gym to himself.

Lifting weights seemed like the best place to start... up until he realized that he wasn't actually alone and didn't quite have the gym all to himself. Somepony else had apparently gotten the same idea as him and was currently grunting while doing bench presses.

It was really none of his business, but he had nothing better to do at the moment and decided to investigate out of curiosity. He could always do his own workout afterwards.

One quick glance at the cutie mark of crossed spears over a shield was enough to tell him it was his fellow guard and Lieutenant, Piercing Lance, who was currently grunting and making all manner of commotion through tightly gritted teeth, and all but pinned underneath a barbell while straining with both forelegs and unicorn magic simultaneously in an effort to lift the weight back up.

He glanced at the weights currently on the bar, and had to do a double take at the embossed figures against the red background paint he was reading. Were those numbers really accurate?

"Lance, isn't that a bit much weight for you?"

"That-" Lance grunted, "that's the idea. More weight, more strength."

Through no small effort the bar was forced back up as high as Lance's legs could stretch, before they were shakily brought back down again.

Brick observed as another rep was performed, by a pony who obviously wasn't physically cut out for that amount of weight, but refused to acknowledge such facts for themselves.

"You really should be using a spotter, you know?" he asked.

Lance merely grunted and stubbornly pushed the weights back up yet again as high as forelegs would allow, powered by pure spite alone at this point.

Brick kept his mouth shut as he observed another rep being performed, figuring that the grunted commotion, trembling hind legs, and flickering horn were going to be the extent of communication for the foreseeable future, as the bar sank steadily lower on trembling forelegs, until it was dangerously close to resting against throat fur.

"Wall-" Lance grunted/gasped in strained desperation with eyes that were threatening to bulge, "help..."

Brick said nothing, simply reaching over with a single hoof to take hold of the bar in the middle between Lance's hooves. With a simple grunt, he easily lifted the obscene amount of weight -by unicorn standards- up off his fellow guard and return it to its resting brackets on the bench before any permanent physical injury could occur.

Lance merely laid there, limbs splayed out, physically exhausted and gasping for air at this point, trying to recover from what could've turned into a near-death experience, unable to sit up and otherwise move from the padded rest of the bench's back.

"You alright?" Brick asked.

Lance managed a weak nod in between gasps that were slowly dying down and being replaced by normal breathing.

"I know it's none of my business," Brick started as he located Lance's workout towel on the floor next to the bench and passed it over. "But do you wanna tell me why you're trying to kill yourself with what's almost twice your body weight?"

Lance welcomed the towel being offered, and groaned while slowly trying to sit up on the bench, before falling back down on it again, too exhausted for anymore physical activity at the moment.

"I need to get stronger. Physically and magically."

"Okay," Brick replied slowly. "Where did this come from all of the sudden?"

"The Espada beat a scorpio into submission the other day. With his bare fists," Lance stated while toweling off with all the strength that exhausted muscles could spare, which was basically none whatsoever as the towel just continued to lay there uselessly. "The chatter is all over the palace, directly from those yetis the palace is playing host to."

"So I've heard," Brick replied. Although the iteration he'd heard had been a bit different, and involved something along the lines of breaking the beast's stinger right off of its tail. "And you think you can lift enough weight, to get to the point of being able to do the same thing?"

"Sweet Tartarus no!" Lance stated. "I don't have a chance of rivaling that amount of strength, none of us do. That's the problem."

Brick didn't immediately respond, instead waiting to see where this was going to go if he simply kept his mouth shut, and his input out.

"It's... scary, y'know? Scary to think about how something with that much strength is just freely walking amongst us at the palace. Scary to think of just how drastic the gap between us really is. Scary to think about how easily it could wipe us all out if it ever turned against us, and there wouldn't be a thing any of us could do about it.

"Discord, we can at least kind of get a bead on and figure out. But the Espada is a whole different and unreadable story. I know Princess Celestia trusts him, but just being around that thing makes me feel uneasy. Have you ever been in the same room together?"

"I've never had the pleasure," Brick commented.

"Well then lemme tell you, it's a pretty harrowing experience. Every one of your instincts is tripping, signalling there's danger in the vicinity, and telling you to run like your life is in danger. And it's all coming directly from him, like his very presence is enough to make the air itself retreat in fear of being around him.

"And now we hear that he, the Espada, physically beat a freakin' constellation beast when he rescued the yetis and that unicorn from the wasteland? We knew he was stronger than us, but that strong!? How're we supposed to be at peace with such a drastic disparity in our strength levels being the case? How're we supposed to just go on with our day, knowing that is a thing?"

"... The same way we're expected to go on with our day, knowing about all the other things that could end Equestria as we know it," Brick replied.

Lance slowly managed to look up at him in response.

"See, this is why you scored higher on the exam than I did."

Brick didn't say anything in response, but he was able to understand Lance's concerns well enough. He'd even modified his own workout routine in response to such facts coming to light, but not to the drastic degree that Lance had apparently been striving for. He'd preferred to instead take the gradual approach to building up physical strength through incremental increases in weight, rather than all at once.

Not that he had any misguided belief that it would actually amount to much, other than making him feel a bit better about everything.

Truth be told, he'd been uncomfortable ever since the changeling invasion. He didn't know a guard who hadn't seen or otherwise heard about the Espada slapping Princess Celestia around in aerial combat like she was nothing to him. How something could be so scrawny, yet so powerful, was a complete mystery to him. He didn't even look like he had the muscle mass of a skinny teenager, and yet he could hit hard enough that not even an alicorn could keep up with him.

Yes. It was an uncomfortable thing to think about. And it made him thank Faust every single day that the Espada was on their side. If they were ever to be enemies then there was no hope for any of them; just like if the dragon lands went and decided to launch a full scale invasion on them.

By now Lance had finally managed to scrape together just enough physical strength to sit back up on the bench without any outside assistance, and looked about ready to topple back over again if met by something as little as the breeze from a stray wing flap of a pegasus.

"Leaving that particular worry aside, we really need to shape up around here, and better ourselves if we're going to be worth anything. We're the freakin' Royal Guard for crying out loud! We can't afford to be seen as useless, just because the Espada is working for our boss. Him storming into the wasteland to rescue ponies in need while we all sit around and keep watch here, he's making us look pretty much like a bunch of union hires or something. Like he's the one doing the actual work while we're nothing but a bunch of foals playing soldier."

"Maybe so, but that's a different problem, and better reserved for another day," Brick noted, opting to change the subject to something that was less stressful to think about than their own shortcomings in effectiveness. "Right now, you look like you could use a hot shower, a cool drink, and a few hours of rest."

"Yeah..." Lance mumbled. "But I'm too weak to walk there right now. I think I'll just stay here and marinate in my own juices for a while until I'm a little less dead."

Brick just shook his head and gave Lance a reassuring pat on the back, doing his best to ensure he didn't deliver enough force to disrupt the delicate equilibrium that was preventing a faceplanting on the floor from occurring.

"C'mon, I'll help get you there and get washed up," he offered.

Lance grunted in response, but made no effort to push him away, or otherwise reject the offer of assistance. That would take physical strength and ungratefulness that simply wasn't present right now. Right now all that was possessed was way too much exhaustion to resist being moved.

"So," Brick spoke up as he went about gently helping lance up off the bench and into a standing position. "How many reps did you manage?"

"Twenty nine," Lance grunted while trying to remain physically upright on forelegs that felt too shaky to satisfy what was being demanded of them. "It would've been thirty, but..."

"Yeah," Brick replied as he looked Lance over. Even just standing up at this point looked like it was too physically taxing after that workout session. Even talking looked physically taxing. Walking the whole way would definitely be out of the question.

He knew that there was only one thing he really could do in this situation as he looked over his coworker's trembling frame, and he proceeded to do just that.

He crouched down and proceeded to thrust his head and neck underneath's Lance's sweaty barrel, over the objections about having his cold nose coming so close to touching sensitive junk that might've been in the path of travel, before easily barrel-lifting and hoisting Lance's smaller frame up onto his own own back, before standing up to walk to the showers himself, despite the immediate squawk of protest at being treated like a sack of flour and subjected to all the indignity that went right along with it.

"What a disgrace. A royal guard having to be carried around after being winded by a little exercise," Lance grumbled in protest, but made little effort to try and climb back down. "Stupid obscene earth pony strength making me look like a pushover. So help me, Wall, I'm going to keep lifting weights until the day when I can bench press you. And without my magic!"

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too," Brick replied as he trotted along, knowing that was going to be a very long road ahead.

Lance merely grunted while continuing to hang limply, perpendicularly across Brick's back on the way to the showers, knowing it was pointless to do anything but be grateful for the assistance, while falling into the rhythmic -borderline soothing- beat of his trotting hooves against the palace floor.

"Thanks, big guy..."

Author's Note

So funny story time. Originally this was going to be tacked onto the end of the previous chapter. But time constraints and a poorly-timed case of the flu had other ideas and didn't make that possible. And at the moment my brain is so foggy I can't make the transition between this scene and the next one feel smooth and organic enough, to come off as anything but choppy and disjointed.

So enjoy a mini update and the first chapter of 2023.

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Two

Chapter One Hundred thirty Two

With Sweet Apple Acres being located in the Ponyville territory, and situated so close to the edge of the Everfree Forest, Applejack knew that strange activities and sights were to be expected from time to time.

But catching sight of Princess Twilight more of less nosing around the barn on this fine Wednesday morning was a bit more on the unusual side than she'd been prepared for encountering in between tending to morning chores.

But unusual didn't mean unwelcome. And this version of Twilight was just as much a friend to her as the other version. And it'd be mighty unfriendly to just ignore her.

"Howdy, Twi'," she called as she approached.

Whatever Twilight had been doing at the time must've been very focus-intensive, going by the fact she actually jumped at being addressed, before looking around almost frantically. Once she laid eyes on her, she seemed to calm down significantly.

"Oh! Applejack, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were there," she stated as she breathed.

While the statement was perfectly logical and easy enough to believe, considering how Twilight could get when she focused on something, the delivery had felt off; suspicious-like. It was easily enough to trip Applejack's senses and make her suspect that something was up and out of place.

"Ya a'right, Sugarcube? Ya on the run from the palace or somethin'? Did ya manage ta break out?" she asked as she stepped closer.

"What? No! No, no, no, nothing like that," Twilight protested as she vigorously shook her head in response. "It's not like I'm restricted to the palace or anything like that. I can come and go as I please. I just... didn't directly tell anypony that I was going to be out and about this morning..."

"Ya snuck out when nopony was lookin'," Applejack surmised.

"I left a note where it could be found," Twilight replied in a sheepishly defensive tone.

Something about seeing her friend acting in such a timid manner, as if she were being accused of doing something wrong and unable to deny the validity of the accusations leveled against her, was amusing in some fashion. Maybe it shouldn't have been, but it was. To see a princess acting like a foal who'd been caught doing something naughty was just not something usually witnessed; not by her anyway.

"Well Ah won' go an' tell if you don'," she replied as she chuckled. "So what brings ya here?"

"That's actually what I'm trying to figure out right now," Twilight replied, before lifting her right foreleg to gesture off to the side, towards the remnants of the scorched circle in the ground near the barn. "This is the spot where I arrived in your reality. So I'm trying to see if there are any clues here that might indicate just what happened, that served to bring me here in the first place. Or at the very least, point me in a direction that might help me figure out how to get back home."

Applejack nodded in response, it being about as far as she could go until she had more to go on.

"I've seen the teleportation techniques used in this world and my own, and as far as I can tell they're both identical in structure and execution. Physical damage like this isn't normal, so even if I accidentally stumbled across some way of teleporting between dimensions, this still shouldn't have happened. There has to be something else at play that I'm not seeing or understanding. Something that might've interacted with the soil when I was delivered since the ground was scorched. I'm hoping there might be physical traces of... whatever... still here in the ground and surrounding territory that I can pick up on with the detection spells I uncovered in the palace library. If I can separate them from the normal background traces that're native to this world, I might be one step closer to getting back home."

"So you're tryin' ta find yer home reality's harmonic frequency an' see if ya can backtrack it?" Applejack asked

Twilight looked like she'd just been floored by what she'd heard, her eyes wide as she all but stared at Applejack, blinking in surprise as her brain tried to process everything.

"Ah... that's actually very close to what I'm doing," she admitted. "How... how exactly did you know that, if you don't mind my asking? Was I mumbling to myself out loud when you found me?"

Applejack shook her head in response. "Actually Ah was jus' guessin', Ah didn' really have a clue wha' ya were up to," she admitted.

"No, not that. I meant, how did you know about harmonic frequencies and such?" Twilight clarified.

"Oh, that. Ah've got Discord ta thank fer that," Applejack stated. "Ya see, Twi', he was absent while Nightmare Moon was runnin' around an' causing trouble. We thought he was up ta no good, but it turns out he was tryin' ta keep Ulquiorra compatible with our reality. Turns out his own frequency isn't a hundred percent compatible with ours, but it's close enough in most cases ta not cause him any problems. An' if Mr. Cifer has his own harmonics frequency, it jus' stands ta reason the same goes fer everyone in every reality in the multiverse; like individual mailin' addresses an' whatnot."

"... Huh," Twilight replied as she rubbed at her chin, before setting her hoof back down again. "There's a lot in that explanation to unpack that I wasn't fully prepared for. But that is more or less the gist of it. If I can find something, anything here that feels out of place, something that would let me find the right harmonic frequency, I might be able to find my way back home. Or at the very least, get word to Spike and the others to let them know that I'm alright. Maybe they can find something on their end of the divide that I can't find here. Maybe they can even use the scroll I send them to backtrack to here. If I can actually figure out a way to transcribe the frequency onto paper, maybe Discord can use it to find me like it's a mailing address.

"At the moment it's nothing but supposition and hope. But at the moment it's all that I've got to go on. Somewhere in these burn marks and dead grass may be the key to getting back to my world, if I can only figure out what I'm looking for, and what I need to look for."

"Ah've got a dirt siftin' box if it'll help any," Applejack offered.

Twilight smiled, but shook her head in response. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid it wouldn't do any good. What I'm looking for would be found in microscopic particles of magical energy. I can't even ask Ulquiorra to help me with this. He might be able to identify the existence of the differences that I'm trying to find, but his being able to detect them won't do me any good if I can't do the same myself. The simplest way I can explain it would be like learning a foreign language; learning how to read and write the words correctly doesn't necessarily mean you know how to pronounce them."

"Ah reckon Ah'll take yer word fer it, Sugarcube," Applejack replied and nodded. "Ah'll jus' leave ya be unless ya need me for anything. Roommatin' with the other you fer 'bout a month got me smarter, but even Ah know this is outta mah league."

"Wait, what now?" Twilight asked, her own focus on the ground forgotten about at the moment. "You and I were roommates? I mean you and she? You and the other me?"

Applejack nodded again. "Happened durin' the whole Nightmare Moon thing before we knew she was back. That nag attacked me right smack dab in mah own danged orchards! Made me believe Ah'd killed friend an' family alike. So she insisted Ah stay wit' 'er so Ah could recover. Prob'ly kept me from goin' insane. She'd sit up wit' me when Ah was too afraid ta sleep, did everything she could think of ta help me keep mah mind off what Nightmare Moon put me through. Even tried ta fill mah head wit' as much scientific stuff as she could ta drown out those thoughts that wouldn' go away."

"... Did it work?" Twilight asked, not sure how else to respond after hearing what she'd been through.

"Ah don' know, but Ah think it helped, once she figured out mah understandin' speed. It sure gave me somethin' else ta try an' focus on," Applejack replied and shrugged dismissively. "Ah know Ah'm smarter than Ah was in book terms, but wha' yer talking about is obviously beyond me. So Ah'll jus' focus on what Ah can do an' understand so I don' distract ya."

"Alright," Twilight agreed and nodded. "If I need you, I'll come and find you."

Applejack nodded, the conversation having run its course as far as she was concerned.

"Um..."

Were it not for an almost polite interruption of hesitation just as she turned around to depart, she would've been off to tend to the next task on the list of things to do.

"If it's not too much trouble, sometime today could you let my counterpart know that I'm here? I'd do it myself, but Ulquiorra pointed out that somepony seeing the two of us together in the same place would be hard to explain, even with the incognito spell that I got from Princess Luna to make myself appear interestingly uninteresting to those around me. I can't really fault his logic, since twin Twilights probably isn't the most common sight around here."

"It sure isn't," Applejack agreed and shook her head in agreement. "A'right, Sugarcube, Ah'll let 'er know when Ah can. Big Mac's got market duty today, but Ah reckon Ah can swing by after a couple hours. Give ya a chance ta sort this stuff out before ya start questionin' yerself an' gettin' in yer way."

"I appreciate that," Twilight replied, thankful that her position was so clearly understood without having to explain it.

"But jus' outta curiosity, Sugarcube, how come ya don' jus' try an' write yerself direct?" Applejack asked.

"I actually thought about doing that. But without more information to go on, I don't know what might happen in a situation where there are two of me; Spike's flame network has never been used like that before. It might just come right back to me if I tried," she explained.

"Oh," Applejack replied and nodded. "Well, why not write Spike direct instead, since there's only one of him here? Worst case scenario, it'd jus' go back to the Spike from yer reality, right?"

"I... actually never thought of that before," Twilight admitted sheepishly. "All this time I've been operating on the assumption that I'd simply be compatible with the flame network in this reality, because I had no reason to believe otherwise. But if that isn't the case, then I could get word to him and let the other know that I'm alright. And if that doesn't work, then I can communicate with the Spike in this world and he can let the other me know that I'm here so we can talk face-to-face! Applejack, that's right up there in terms of brilliance with your idea for dealing with Sunset Shimmer, and the complications that'll inevitably arise from her actions."

"Shucks, Twi', a lot o' what ya call brilliance is jus plain ol' common sense," Applejack replied, even if she did appreciate the compliment. "It's like walkin' around a pothole in the road rather than walkin' through it, just 'cuz it's there."

"I suppose. But at times the common sense in this reality feels like it's a lot more advanced and developed than it does back in my reality. Like it's stuff that I should know but simply don't. I honestly don't know what to do about that, stuff like that kind of scares me. It makes me feel like... like I'm not actually fit to be a Princess if common sense is something that eludes me," Twilight admitted. "Just two days ago I'd concocted an elaborate idea to bribe Chrysalis with more love than she could ever get on her own if she'd simply stop trying to conquer Equestria. I never even stopped to think that she might use it against us, until that got pointed out to me. How can I be a ruler if I can't even see that for myself?"

"Twilight," Applejack started, only to realize she didn't really have a concrete answer to the question. "Sugarcube, all that any of us can do is simply try our best. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. And when it doesn' work out, we try harder ta make things better the next time. It's jus' how it is."

"I know," Twilight reluctantly admitted and sighed. "But failure is... scary."

"Ya got that right," Applejack agreed. "But what's worse? Failin' 'cuz ya made the wrong decision, or failin' 'cuz ya were too scared ta do anything and let failure happen?"

"... Definitely the second one," Twilight admitted. "When I manage to find a way back home, could I take you with me? I could use some of that common sense for myself."

Applejack laughed hardily in response. "Visitin' might be nice, but there's no way Ah could stay. But if ya want more common sense, speak with Mr. Cifer. His way o' thinkin' over problems might rub off on ya like it has fer us. Every time we get ta conversin' Ah feel like Ah'm getting smarter listenin' to 'im explainin' things."

"Then... maybe it's not so much a greater deal of "common sense" that this world has over mine, but more an understanding of how he thinks and views things?" Twilight asked. "He does tend to explain things in great detail, in a manner that makes it somewhat easy enough to follow along with if one is paying attention to what he's saying. It's like listening to a post-graduate level professor giving a lecture, but who's using laypony terms so those in attendance can follow along step-by-step, without coming off as condescending.

"I may have to do just that. But later; much later. I've been working almost the entire time I've been here, detailing a list of events that my reality has experienced, that may or may not occur in this reality. Ranging from friendship disputes, all the way up to villain incursions. As well as a myriad of other details related to such. I don't know how applicable any of it might be here, but he sort of guilt-tripped me with my counterpart's own friendship teachings into telling him everything I knew. I'm still a little bit mad at him for doing that, no matter how good his points were. And now that that's done, I'm doing something for myself."

"Ah'd be lyin' if Ah said Ah wasn' curious now," Applejack admitted. "But Ah won' press ya fer details right now, Sugarcube. Ah'll let ya get back to what you're doin', although Ah might ask ya fer details later on."

Twilight nodded in understanding. "Later on," she agreed. "And thank you, I really appreciate that."

A quick hug between the two was borderline mandatory at this point, before they separated again, ready to continue with their own respective endeavors.

Author's Note

I could've gone much further in this chapter, but I decided to just let it end there and leave it light. It felt more fun to do it that way for a change.

Filler - Support

With as much professionalism as he could muster, John tapped the side of his headset to accept the call, and said the line he'd repeated so many times before since the start of his career.

"Acme Villain Support, this is John."

"John!" the voice on the other end of the line called frantically. "John, it's Nightmare Moon!"

"Hey, Nightmare Moon, how're you doing?" John asked.

"Not as well as I'd hoped to be right now," Nightmare Moon admitted. "I'm having a problem with the terror fog's remote activation. It's stopped working."

"Okay," John began as he started typing at his computer to pull up the necessary/relevant information. "Has it stopped working entirely or is it intermittent?"

"I'm not sure. Entirely, I think? It was working just fine a few minutes ago, I was triggering all manner of disturbing imagery in various ponies; I actually had Rainbow Dash believing she was being burnt alive and feeling every bit of it. She actually passed out from the pain she thought she was experiencing!"

John chuckled and nodded approvingly.

"But now it's not working. I've been trying to induce various horrors in these ponies, but they're not responding to the commands I've been giving them."

"Okay, just give me one second here," John repeated and he got out of the service manual and pulled up the data readouts on his computer to look them over. Wait, was he reading that right? "Okay, it looks like the your fog's wireless receiver is offline. It's not getting your signals."

"Offline? How!?" Nightmare Moon asked in disbelief.

"Hang on, lemme run a diagnostic," John said as he brought up the appropriate program. But as it ran and began giving a readout, he was left confused. "Huh. Nightmare Moon, by any chance did you bind your essence with the terror fog?"

"... Was I not supposed to do that?" Nightmare Moon asked uneasily.

She had. John sighed as he tried to compose his thoughts and himself, since yelling at a customer was a bad idea.

"It looks like, when you did that, your receiver was burnt out by an ion charge that exceeded what it was rated for," he explained. "Your receiver was designed to withstand the positive and negative ion charges generated by your "free-floating phantom" upgrade so it wouldn't short out when in close proximity to you. But when you physically bound yourself to the fog, then it's charge and yours combined and exceeded the maximum operating threshold it was rated for."

"I couldn't afford the extra shielding," Nightmare Moon stated defensively.

"I know, I know, I've got that note on your file right here," John stated, "you opted for the "auto-cast" upgrade so you could spam the respawn spell and that really ate into your budget, I understand that. But that's what happened."

"Just wonderful," Nightmare Moon grumbled. "Is there anything you can do to fix it? Can you reset it?"

"Not on this end," John replied. "You're gonna need to come in for maintenance work in order to get it back up and running again. But since you purchased the coverage plan that won't cost you anything."

"Ugh, I so didn't need this right now," Nightmare Moon grumbled and sighed. "Alright, let me finish up here and I'll-"

John immediately had to pull the receiver on the headset away from his ear as Nightmare Moon's voice was replaced by a loud, piercing shriek of pain.

"Nightmare Moon?" he asked once the shrieking stopped and his eardrum was no longer under assault, letting him slip the receiver back into place again. "Nightmare Moon? Are you still there? Are you alright?"

"I am, thanks to the respawn spell your company sold me," Nightmare Moon replied, sounding none too well at the moment. "Celestia has apparently hired reinforcements I couldn't account for, and he punches like a freight train."

"I'm sorry, did you just say "punch?" As in with a fist?" John asked, confused.

"With a fist," Nightmare Moon groaned. "He punched me right at the base of a skull and cratered the ground with my body with the force of the impact."

"Who is this guy?" John mouthed to himself, before turning back to his computer. "Okay, Nightmare Moon, I don't know what you're dealing with because the force of that blow apparently scrambled our live visuals. Can you describe who you're facing?"

"I can try," Nightmare Moon replied. "He looks like a human and is about five and a half foot-units in height."

John nodded as he pulled up the personnel database and started entering the information to see if he could narrow down possible suspects.

"He's wearing baggy white pants, a tattered black muscle shirt, he's carrying a katana at his belt, he has pale ashy skin, messy black hair, and he has green eyes with slit pupils like mine."

John nodded as he typed in the information, before a look of realization dawned on his face.

"Nightmare Moon, by any chance does he have something bony on the left side of his head? Something with a horn jutting out at an angle?"

"... Yes?" Nightmare Moon replied uneasily.

"Okay that's not good. Nightmare Moon, that's Ulquiorra Cifer, he's on our villains henchmen registry, he works for Soskue Aizen. He's not even supposed to be there; he's supposed to be defending Las Noches, that's all the way over in Hueco Mundo, that's at least twenty hours of travel away from Equestria!"

"Then what's he doing here, foiling my plans like he's some sort of meddling kid!?" Nightmare Moon shrieked.

"I don't know. Hang on, lemme get up his file," John replied as he put down the other programs in order to pull up Ulquiorra's profile, looking for any information that might point them in a direction. "Alright, Nightmare Moon, I'm not seeing anything in his file that looks like he's been hired out to anyone in your area. I'm not seeing anything that looks like he's been hired by anyone in quite some time; Aizen was his last employer and nobody since then."

"Oh that's just perfect," Nightmare Moon shouted over the sounds of a great deal of commotion in the background that was making it more and more difficult to understand her. "Can you do anything to help? Maybe air drop a T-800 or two to take him down before he permanently kills me? Or perhaps ask Megatron and a few Decepticons to swing by? We got along quite well the last time we talked."

"No, Megatron's busy with his own campaign for Cybertron against the Autobots, he's not available. And I already explained this to Voldemort when he asked about getting a couple of Goa'uld motherships for his siege against Hogwarts; Acme won't provide technological support to a world that hasn't already developed that technology on his own. I can't give you Terminators, I can't give Skynet magical powers," John stressed. "Even if I could, Ulquiorra would open them up like tin cans in no time. He's one of the few beings out there that the Doomslayer can't actually outright kill. Sam and Dean Winchester know enough to give him a wide berth, and you know what kind of things they've dealt with; you met some of them at the last villain convention."

"Oh crap," Nightmare Moon groaned. "John, I'm desperate here. I can't go about implementing eternal night with this demon opposing me here. Isn't there anything you can do? Please?"

John sighed, trying to figure out what he could do in this situation.

"Let me talk to him, maybe I can figure out what he's doing there."

He listened to the hushed, muffled commotion playing out on the other end of the line, barely able to make out any words that were being exchanged.

"Hello, John."

"Hey, Ulquiorra, it's been a while," John commented. "Listen, can you tell me what you're doing in Equestria? That's kinda far from your usual neck of the woods."

"Discord saw fit to bring me here," Ulquiorra explained.

A look of surprise crept over John's face at hearing this. Confusion and annoyance. "Of course it'd be Discord somehow," he mumbled as he slowly dragged his hands down his face. "Ulquiorra, I'm looking at your file, I've got it up on my screen, and I'm not seeing Discord hiring you. Aizen was the last one we have on record who hired you for anything."

"And yet I am here regardless. Perhaps it is a clerical error," Ulquiorra suggested.

"I mean, I guess it's possible something went wrong, maybe somebody didn't update our files appropriately," John acknowledged, knowing it was always a possibility with a company as large as Acme. "But even if it is, Ulquiorra, buddy, you know you're not supposed to be helping out the heroes, right? You're a villain. If anything you should be helping Nightmare Moon."

"That is understood," Ulquiorra acknowledged.

"Right. So does Discord want you to take out the competition or something? Why're you giving Nightmare Moon so much trouble right now?" John asked.

"Because Princess Celestia has seen fit to task me with protecting her subjects from harm. I'm working for her now," Ulquiorra explained.

John just looked to the ceiling and facepalmed as he leaned back in his chair.

"Alright. So you're a hero now," he slowly surmised.

"I didn't say that. I merely said that I'm working for Princess Celestia," Ulquiorra corrected him.

"Ulquiorra... Ulquiorra you of all people know you're not supposed to do that! You can't just switch sides like that, without giving us advanced notice so we can update your file accordingly," John protested. "You know this makes us liable for misrepresentation if a villain hires you, and you go and undo his entire operation, right? W-what if Sauron had wanted to hire you for keeping Mordor secure? What then?"

"He did not, though, so there is no issue," Ulquiorra replied.

"That's not the point, Ulquiorra!" John yelled in frustration. "Look. Just... don't kill Nightmare Moon just yet, alright? Let me, let me call Discord and see if we can get this all sorted out."

The elevator music came on as John put the call on hold while pulling up Discord's file to locate his phone number and dialed it up.

"Come on, Discord, pick up the phone, I know you're there," he grumbled as he listened to the incessant ringing.

"Lord of Chaos," the voice at the other end of the line eventually replied.

"Discord!" John shouted. "Discord, it's John with Acme Villain Support! Listen, I'm on the other line with Nightmare Moon, and she's got Ulquiorra kicking the shit out of her! He says you brought him to Equestria for some reason."

"Hmm..." Discord mumbled in thought. "Now that you mention it I do seem to remember something along those lines. So we've got two emos trying to out-emo each other? That must be quite the sight to see!"

John just groaned, trying not to fly off the handle at a customer.

"Discord, help me out here buddy. You're a villain, Nightmare Moon's a villain, Ulquiorra's a villain, shouldn't you all be working together? Or at least be working against the heroes?"

"Oh. That," Discord replied. "The thing is, John, I've reformed. I'm no longer the villain I once was. Celestia has given me something that I didn't have before, and I like it."

John groaned again, now making no effort to disguise his annoyance.

"I guess I should let you know that I need my villain account updated to account for my more heroic nature now," Discord stated.

John very nearly pointed out that any such changes were supposed to be made only after proper notice was given and all the paperwork was taken care of, rather than after the fact. But he knew it'd be a lost cause, it wasn't going to change anything, and he still had a customer on the other line to help. This was going to be Levi's issue now; he could sort out the paperwork snafu that was coming.

"Whatever," he mumbled and hung up, "Nightmare Moon, you still there?"

"For the moment," Nightmare Moon replied. "What'd Discord say?"

"He said that he's gone over to the other side and is working for the heroes now," he sighed. "Look, Nightmare Moon, I promise you, we're going to get this matter sorted out. But for the time being, I know you're not going to like it, but until we get this all sorted out, you might wanna consider surrendering for the time being. Call off eternal night, throw yourself on Celestia's mercy, you might live to see another day. Don't try and fight Ulquiorra or you're screwed. Buy him as many beef and chicken burritos as he can eat and he might leave you alone."

"What about the "totally not a lightsaber" Nightmare Scythe? Would that do me any good?" Nightmare Moon asked.

"I mean... maybe it could hurt him? But I can't advise you to actually try since you didn't pop for any of the combat courses we offered in its use. You'd just be flailing it around, you might cut your own horn off and that won't covered by your policy. You might be able to pierce his skin, but I don't know if it can get through his bones. And Ulquiorra has a healing factor that's outpaced only by Deadpool and Majin Buu."

"Oh crap," Nightmare Moon groaned.

"If you DO insist on trying to fight him, try to keep your distance, and whatever you do, DON'T let him get his sword out of its sheathe. Because if he draws his sword then gonna transform, and if he transforms then it's gonna be all over. According to our records on him, his Lanza Del Relampago has a blast yield greater than one megaton," John advised.

"What does that mean in terms I can understand?" Nightmare Moon asked.

"Hold on, lemme pull that up for you," John said as he opened a new window to get up the appropriate conversion calculator so he could input the figures. "Alright, Nightmare Moon, in terms you can understand. If Ulquiorra uses his Lanza Del Relampago and it detonates, the immediate area you're in would be hit by a fireball two square miles in size, with pretty much everything but him being effectively vaporized out of existence. I don't think "auto-cast" and "respawn" are gonna do you any good there."

The only response on Nightmare Moon's end was a surprised squawk of terror.

"Followed immediately by the heavy blast radius for six square miles. That's a concussive wave of twenty PSI overpressure, and can destroy concrete buildings like they're nothing. Then there's the moderate blast radius at five PSI overpressure for twenty six miles, that's enough to destroy most homes. And then the light blast radius at one PSI overpressure for one hundred and seventy three square miles, which can pretty much shatter every glass window throughout the area, in every building that might still be left standing. All spreading out from the point of impact of wherever that attack hits," John continued, reading off what the results showed.

Silence was the only thing he could hear on the other end of the line. Had she hung up on him?

"John?"

No, she apparently hadn't hung up just yet. She was still on the line, and currently sounding like she wanted to cry.

"John... I've always been a good customer, right? Can... can Acme float me enough cash to buy a burrito shop? As in right now? Please?"

"I can't make that call, I'm not authorized to. Hang on and I'll transfer you over to Melissa, she handles things like that, she'll take care of you," John replied.

"A-alright," Nightmare Moon whimpered. "Thank you, John."

John had managed to keep his composure just long enough to transfer the call to the appropriate department, before slouching back against his chair and letting out a sigh as he slowly removed his headset.

"Yeah, she's doomed," he acknowledged to himself.

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Three

Chapter One Hundred thirty Three

"Waiting out here reminds me of when I used to get sent to the principal's office getting caught doing something naughty in class," Corners commented idly.

He wasn't exactly staring at the door to Princess Celestia's private office, but he was aware of its position in relation to his own current position in what basically served as Raven Inkwell's office, who was currently absent from her desk and in there with the one they'd come to see.

His comment hadn't really drawn a response from his companion, leaving the two in a tense sort of silence as whatever was being discussed in there seemed to be dragging on in a manner that made the wait all the more tense to experience.

Glancing over to his right, Tempest didn't look much better off than he did. Although the ugly green hospital gown and the IV pole currently attached to her made her presentation worse.

"Are you really sure you want to do this?" he asked.

"Not really," Tempest eventually replied. "But this is something that I need to do anyway."

There really wasn't much that Corners could say in response. All he could do was shrug and wait.

And then the door opened and Raven stepped out. "You can go in now."

He nodded, Tempest nodded, and the two walked over to enter, with him deferring to let her step in first and move aside so he could join her and shut the door behind them.

Celestia had looked like she wanted to address Tempest first, but turned to him instead.

"Is it really wise for her to be out of bed and walking around right now?" she asked.

"Probably not," he acknowledged as he cast a glance at his companion, before turning back to Celestia again. "But she's a stubborn patient; that's probably what's been keeping her alive. And come Tartarus or high water she was bound and determined to speak with you, even if she had to track you down to do it. So Doc hooked her up to a glucose drip and had me escort her so she wouldn't wastefully burn through any more calories and carbs by aimlessly wandering around the palace trying to find you, and to be there in case she overexerted herself and needed assistance."

Tempest grunted, but otherwise said nothing.

"... I could've come to the infirmary if it was that important," Celestia pointed out.

"I tried to tell her that, but she said it was important that she put in her own legwork, for whatever reason," Corners explained.

"I see," Celestia replied slowly in thought as she tried to properly feel out the situation in front of her. "Thank you for escorting her, Corners. If you'd be so kind as to wait outside, I'll hear what she has to say."

Corners nodded and offered up no arguments relating to medical protocols or anything else along those lines, before turning and exiting the office, letting the door close behind him, and leaving the two alone.

"Now then," Celestia continued as she looked to her guest, "what exactly was so important that you had to seek me out in your condition? I know that I'm a busy mare, but there are still easier ways of getting in touch with me."

"Put me in the dungeons," Tempest stated bluntly.

Celestia blinked, confused by what she'd just heard. "Pardon?"

"The palace staff have been nothing but nice since I got here. Everypony I've interacted with has been treating me with respect and kindness, even when they knew that I don't deserve it. Is this some sort of soft psychological torture Equestria's developed since I was gone, to overwhelm your enemies with guilt until they crack? Because if so it's working and I'm hating it! Just, please, put me in the dungeons or do whatever it is you intend to do to punish me and just get it over with already. I already said that I'd accept whatever punishment you saw fit to dish out, so just do it!"

Celestia blinked again, doing her best to make sense of what she'd just heard.

"Let me start off by saying that we don't torture others. Not in the traditional sense with bodily injury and pain, and most certainly not in the sense of psychological abuse," she began slowly. "Equestria doesn't support such notions, and I certainly don't condone their practice either."

Tempest didn't say anything in response, but the look on her face spoke loudly to the fact that she didn't exactly believe the offered statement.

Not that Celestia could really blame her, based on what she knew. Talk was cheap and all that, especially with who knew how many lies and false hopes she'd been subjected to over the years, both by the Storm King, and who knew how many others that her desperation might've brought her to before him.

"Should I bother asking what sort of gesture would alleviate your concerns? Or are we still at the stage where even that would be written off as meaningless, empty, and inconclusive?" she asked.

"I... don't know," Tempest eventually admitted. "I honestly want to believe everypony really is as nice as they come off as being. But I look at those friendly smiles, I hear those offers of assistance... and then I remember everything I've had to do, and everything that I'd been planning to do to try and get my horn back. I think I'd be better off in a cell, surrounded by stone walls and iron bars. At least that I'd know I deserve."

Celestia shook her head, trying to mentally calculate just how much help and assistance was going to be required in this case. Maybe Luna had been right in her evaluation about this being Rainbow Dash all over again.

"Perhaps you would be," Celestia acknowledged, "but that's ultimately my call to make, not yours. And to accurately make that call, I'll need your cooperation. I'm going to ask you a series of questions, and I want you to answer them honestly. And be warned, I can have Ulquiorra here at a moment's notice to verify your responses if I suspect you're being dishonest with me. Is that understood?"

Tempest nodded in response.

"Very good then," Celestia stated. "First and foremost, how far would you have gone in the pursuit of regaining your horn, if we hadn't learned about your situation and intervened?"

"I... I don't know. At one point in time I would've given anything to get it back. Or at least I thought that I would," Tempest replied, torn between trying to respectfully look at Celestia, and looking down at the office floor to avoid eye contact. "I certainly never had any love for the Storm King and what he wanted to do. I hated that monkey, and what I had to do in his name. But I hate myself more for how desperate I was to believe his lies and false promises of helping me.

"Looking back, in light of the message your Espada delivered from Princess Luna and the others, I feel like an absolute idiot," she admitted.

"Message," Celestia repeated slowly. "Did this message involve him plucking out his own eye?"

"And forcing me to watch and listen to things from his point of view," Tempest confirmed and shuddered uncomfortably.

"I hate it when he does that!" Celestia stated disapprovingly as she tried not to shudder at the thought of it. "I honestly think he derives some twisted sort of amusement from doing it, after I voiced my displeasure for the technique. I made the mistake of showing weakness by blinking first."

"The worst part was what I saw afterwards, though. What I heard, felt, even smelled. They genuinely wanted to help me, based on what some counterpart of me that I never met went through. And I could honestly feel that desire to help me, like it was just radiating off of them.

"Do you have any idea just what that's like? To think that you're utterly irredeemable, to the point you've actually grown numb to how distasteful you are, only to have your beliefs shattered by the realization that there are ponies who care about you, and want to help you out of the goodness of their own heart? Ponies that you would've thought nothing about stabbing in the back if the opportunity presented itself?"

Celestia chose to remain silent and wait to see where this went on its own, feeling that her own experiences weren't appropriate to share at the moment. They could compare their respective notes on the subject of guilt later on.

"And to be greeted by all of these smiling faces and helping hooves, receiving me like I'm some sort of guest of honor? The guilt is real, and it's overwhelming; it was overwhelming the whole journey back to Canterlot, and it's only gotten worse from having to look all these ponies in the face, and knowing what I was prepared to do to them for my own selfish desires. They should hate me, but they don't. And I can't make them understand why they should hate me, because the why isn't going to happen."

Tempest groaned and closed her eyes, lowering her head and looking very much like she was experiencing a migraine at the moment.

"My brain hurts just thinking about it all," she admitted. "Why does guilt have to hurt so much worse than any real punishment?"

"Because guilt knows us better than we even know ourselves, it knows precisely how to exploit that knowledge for the greatest measure of impact, and we haven't reached the point of being so emotionally dead that we can no longer feel its presence," Celestia surmised. "I've been there. Not in those exact circumstances, but I know what you're talking about. And the worst part of it, is no matter how much anypony may try to assure us otherwise, no words are ever enough to make those feelings stop, because we just can't accept them for ourselves."

Tempest slowly opened her eyes and looked back up at her uncertainly.

"Do you feel up to answering a few more questions? We can always postpone if you need a moment."

Tempest slowly shook her head in response, trying not to cause too much pain to herself in the process. "What's your question?"

"If we hadn't intervened, what would you have done if the Storm King had held up his end of the bargain, and restored your horn?" Celestia asked.

"That," Tempest sighed, "I've spent so much time thinking over that same question. The only real options I'd have would be continue to serve him, or otherwise betray him after getting what I wanted. Neither of which speaks very highly of me. I... probably would've betrayed him and his forces so I wouldn't have to be his enforcer anymore, and just quietly slipped away where nopony would ever find me. It's not like I could ever attend your school after that anyway; not after everything I would've done to get to that point."

"I suppose not," Celestia agreed. "Next question. Have you ever killed anycreature?"

Tempest slowly shook her head again. "There's a lot of things in my life that I was forced to do, things that I regret doing and likely won't ever stop regretting. But that was one of the few boundaries that I ever refused to cross. I just... I could never bring myself to actually do something like that."

"I believe you," Celestia eventually replied. "Tell me, Tempest, if I saw fit to have your horn replaced, and give you back what you've been seeking this entire time, what would you do afterwards? Where would you go from here, seeing as your goal would finally be complete?"

"Would anything I could say even matter, after how I admitted I'd stab the Storm King in the back if I got what I wanted out of him?" Tempest asked. "I already said I'd be going back on my deal with him. Do you really think a traitor's words have any worth to them?"

"Humor me," Celestia insisted.

Tempest sighed in response and hung her head in reluctant defeat, knowing that she had little choice in the matter.

"My fate is in your hooves, Your Highness. I said that I'd accept whatever punishment you saw fit to issue me, and I meant it. Do... do to me as you will."

"I respect your willingness to accept responsibility for your actions, Tempest, I really do," Celestia started. "But at present, I really haven't been able to see much that you could be punished for. Perhaps you were planning to commit treason at one point, but as best I can gather it was while under duress. I suppose conspiracy charges could be brought, but they would be exceptionally hard to prove in court since nothing was actually done, and nothing transpired beyond a supposed thinking stage. And I'm really not into punishing ponies for having unpopular thoughts and opinions. I don't think I can even have you or your crew charged with invading palace airspace, since Ulquiorra was escorting you the entire way."

Tempest slowly looked up at her in confusion.

"I'm not saying that you're free to go just like that, as there's still an investigation being conducted," Celestia continued. "But at the same time, I just don't foresee prison, banishment, or execution being in your future," she explained.

"Even if I feel like I deserve it?" Tempest asked.

Celestia shook her head in response. "I can't make that feeling of guilt go away, Tempest. I can't just beat it out of you with a stick like you're a lump of dirty laundry being washed in a river. I'm afraid that's something you'll ultimately have to live with, and simply do your best to move on from in your own terms whenever you're ready to forgive yourself.

"If nothing else, take comfort in the fact you still can experience guilt, as it means you're not so far gone as to be irredeemable. The hurt means you're not dead inside."

"How comforting. I find out I want to suffer because I'm still alive and not a horrible pony," Tempest mumbled. "So I have to go on looking at all these friendly faces, while feeling like absolute scum and can't even let onto why I feel like that?"

"I'm afraid so," Celestia confirmed. "Welcome to my own private level of Tartarus."

Tempest simply huffed in annoyance and shook her head, grumbling something Celestia was certain wasn't exactly polite, but couldn't exactly make out for herself.

"Is there anything else I can help you with, now that I've put some of your concerns to rest?" she asked.

"Maybe," Tempest replied, "one of your engineers, I think his name was Toggle Bolt? He came to the infirmary to see about fitting me for a new prosthetic leg. Is he authorized to do that? Was his offer bait being dangled in front of me like some sort of test of my character?"

"Tempest, you're a mess. You're still in need of a great deal of support and care, just to get you healthy again. That's hardly an appropriate time to be subjecting you to secret tests in some sick "gotcha" type of game," Celestia replied, a disgusted frown barely being suppressed as she spoke. "No, I wouldn't put you through that. I wouldn't even put Chrysalis through that. If Toggle Bolt approached you and made such an offer, he did it of his own volition, because he believed it was a worthwhile endeavor. I certainly won't say no if he has good reason to believe the leg you have is inadequate."

"He spoke about it with so much vitriol you'd think he caught my leg in bed with his wife," Tempest muttered. "He also said something about a discussion on Ironhorse comics while he took my measurements for a new one. Or something like that."

"Oh dear," Celestia groaned. "I'll see about finding you a chaperone for the meeting."

"What?" Tempest asked, before quickly shaking her head. "Your Highness, no, i-it's not like that. He already said that I'm not his type. And honestly I'm not really interested in that sort of thing right now."

This time it was Celestia's turn to shake her head. "I didn't mean like that, although that's good to know. No, Toggle Bolt is a trustworthy pony and he does his job very well, but at the same time he's one of those ponies who can get very... passionate about a discussion on certain subjects. The chaperone is in case the discussion gets to be too overwhelming for you, and you find yourself needing a break from your senses being assaulted by the minute details he might start flinging in your direction with reckless abandonment."

"I'll... I'll think about it, when I'm feeling more up to it," Tempest replied uneasily. "Right now I think I need to sit down, I'm starting to feel a little dizzy. And I should probably fatten up a bit more before I get fitted for anything."

Celestia looked at Tempest, before looking back at her desk and grabbing the chair in front of it to bring it over and offer it, which Tempest accepted and sat down before she could risk toppling over.

"You should probably go back to the infirmary so you can lie down. You look like you're running on nothing but fumes at the moment. That can't possibly be doing your recovery any good."

"Probably not," Tempest agreed. "What about the crew of my ship? What's going to happen to them?"

"As we speak your ship is being repaired, with provisions being acquired for its restocking. Provided they don't demonstrate any hostile intentions, they're free to depart once everything is ready."

"Just like that?" Tempest asked.

"Just like that," Celestia confirmed. "They're certainly a loyal bunch, to bring you all the way to us, despite knowing they'd be cut off from whatever support they might have when venturing deep into the heart of enemy territory."

"They... voted to bring me here. They could've been killed, but they still thought it was important to bring me to help," Tempest muttered.

"They did. Apparently finding out the Storm King was going to betray you, was the breaking point for them," Celestia continued. "Supposedly they're going to depose him once they leave here."

"And you're going to just let them go and do that?" Tempest asked.

"Let them do what, exactly? Resolve their own conflicts inside of their own kingdom, in a manner they feel is best for their circumstances? That's not exactly something I have any jurisdiction to stop," Celestia pointed out. "And frankly I just don't believe they'll use the opportunity to launch a counterattack. They seem rather terrified of incurring Ulquiorra's wrath."

"I don't blame them," Tempest replied. "Princess, I've been to a lot of places in this world, I've trekked from one corner of the globe to another. I've seen a lot of weird things that I can't explain and don't understand. But I've never seen anything even close to that. What is the deal with that thing anyway?"

"I'm afraid that the story behind Ulquiorra is a very long and involved one. One that's best reserved for a time when you're a little more steady on your own hooves, and not at risk of toppling over so easily. If you're dizzy just from standing, you don't need the added complication of your head spinning from all the details you'd be hearing. And Corners really doesn't need to be escorting you back to the infirmary with a cracked skull because you fell off your chair," Celestia warned.

Tempest looked back at Celestia, unable to tell if she was being serious or not at the moment. She cautiously chose not to inquire on the matter, in the event the answer she got was something she wasn't prepared for.

"I... I think I'm ready to go back to the infirmary to lay down again. I'm really not feeling as up to this as I thought I was," she admitted.

Princess Twilight let out a huff of annoyance, trying not to feel frustrated by her current circumstances, but ultimately failing in that endeavor.

A fair majority of her time spent in the Equestria of this current reality, had been dedicated to cataloging everything she could remember about her own reality, that might give this world an advantage when it came to villain attacks and other problems. But at the same time a fair portion had also been spent on her own efforts in trying to figure out a way to return home to where she belonged.

The royal library in this reality certainly had a fair number of books related to the subject of inter-dimensional theory and other related subjects. But a great deal of it was more speculation and theory, rather than hard science. Starswirl the Bearded's notes only went so far on the subject. And much to her disappointment, few scholars and scientists had apparently thought the field was important enough to warrant the investment of their time and efforts to further the understanding of said field. It was difficult to express just how disappointing that conclusion was to actually see.

It also meant she was going to have to try and figure this out on her own. Not that she was actually opposed to a hooves-on learning approach, but not having a starting point was difficult to overcome. And while there was a certain joy to be had in figuring out what others couldn't... she would much rather have something to go on in this case, that would make finding home easier. If a roadmap home existed, she wouldn't turn it down right now.

The lack of any response to her letter to Spike wasn't helping her mood either. She hadn't received it back as being undeliverable, so that was technically a good thing and suggested it'd gone through. But that'd been quite some time ago. Surely a simple reply wasn't asking too much, was it?

Then again, how would she respond if she got a letter from another version of herself who was asking for a meeting? An immediate answer probably wouldn't be at the very top of the list of things that occurred. She would need a checklist to go over about various possibilities, practice rehearsing what she might want to say, figure out what she'd like to say upon actually meeting and rehearse that as well, along with making sure her schedule wouldn't be thrown off by taking time for such a meeting.

Now that she stopped to think about it, really think about it, there was a lot of things she would probably need to see to, before she'd be able to send a response back. So maybe she shouldn't be expecting her other self to just jump into action that she herself wouldn't take.

"It'll all work out," she said to herself. "I just need to extend to her, the same courtesy and patience that I myself would want extended to me in such a situation."

And while waiting, she could try and focus more on figuring out what she came here for in the first place. She certainly wasn't going to get home just by standing around and waiting. There were still a number of things she could try in the meantime, like adjusting the scanning frequency she was using to see if that made a difference.

"Huh. Has my ass always been that bony?"

The efforts at her scanning quickly halted by the approaching sound of a familiar voice that was saying something she never thought she'd heard it actually saying.

"Nah. It must be an alicorn thing."

Another very familiar voice, and the sound of approaching hoofsteps along the soft grass were enough to make her abandon her own endeavors and spin around to face who was coming in her direction, and saw a duo she hadn't seen in a very, very long time. And she wasn't as prepared for it as she'd thought she might be.

Seeing her unicorn self trotting along, with a set of saddlebags at her sides and a wingless Spike sitting comfortably on her back, was a lot like staring into a time capsule, and gave her a very nostalgic feeling as some of her happiest memories came rushing back to her like they were experienced and forged just yesterday.

And then they stopped their approach, barely one meter of distance from one another.

"You know, it's kind of funny. When I heard about an "alicorn Twilight" I thought for certain I'd be taller. Maybe built more like Luna than... well... myself," her unicorn counterpart admitted.

"Nah, you'd totally be built like Celestia," Spike stated.

"This is definitely not how I anticipated this meeting going," Princess Twilight admitted. "And as long as we're comparing notes, the both of you look smaller than I remember."

"Well if time travel really is involved in some fashion, as has been speculated, you might be a few years older than us. So it would only be natural that there would be a discrepancy in height to be observed," her counterpart pointed out.

"Alright, that's a good point," she admitted, "but regardless it's nice to finally meet and see you. Even if meeting somepony who's technically a version of myself is a bit weird to experience."

"Were you worried that if we met, it might cause a sudden and spontaneous ending of existence as we knew it?" Twilight asked. "Because when Spike got your letter asking about us meeting, I was worried that might be a distinct possibility if we were to make physical contact."

Spike nodded in confirmation from his spot atop her back.

"... I can't say that I did. But hearing you mention it, maybe I should've stopped to consider that as being a possibility," Princess Twilight admitted. "But if that were the case, my simply being here would theoretically be enough to cause the same outcome, right?"

"... I suppose that would be the case," Twilight replied sheepishly. "I suppose I should've stopped to consider that possibility as well."

"Sure would've saved us a lot of worrying," Spike muttered as he climbed down from her back. "So. Princess Twilight. Could you do something for us?"

"Of course! What can I do for you?" Princess Twilight asked, feeling eager at the prospect of helping.

Spike didn't immediately respond as he dug around in the bag on her counterpart's left side, before pulling out what looked like a simple hammer covered in blue paint.

"Hold this for a second," he said as he walked over to her and held it out.

The request was a curious one, but not one she could see any reason to turn down. So with a flick of magic she reached out and took the hammer out of his claws, curious about what exactly she needed to do with it.

"I don't think I've actually seen a hammer like this before, where the head and shaft were both forged from a single integral piece of steel. That probably does a great deal for durability, but I can't imagine it does anything to mitigate impact vibrations when in use," she commented. "What're these decorative runes etched into the surface for?"

"To let us know if you were some evil version of Twilight wielding dark magic," Spike stated bluntly.

Princess Twilight immediately looked up at him in a mix of confusion, surprise, and mild horror.

"It's not that we don't trust you," Twilight was quick to offer up. "It's just... a precaution. With multiverse theory being very much real and all, the possibility of an evil Me being a thing has to be contemplated. And since it didn't blow up in your face, it's safe to conclude you're not evil."

"It blows up?" Princess Twilight squeaked in fear.

"Well not exactly like that. But if it came into contact with any dark magic it'd react pretty violently," Spike stated.

"Um, just out of curiosity, how violently would it react if I was evil?" she asked.

"I can answer that one," Twilight quickly offered. "The charms carved into its structure by Celestia react in direct proportion to the amount of dark magic they come into contact with. When Spike threw the hammer and struck Nightmare Moon in the head there was a pretty decent explosion with lots of sparks and smoke generated at the point of impact, but it didn't appear to be enough to extend below the surface of her skin.

"But when he went charging directly into battle and struck the surface of her shield with it? The explosion there was significantly more violent, and generated enough force to physically throw him back an undetermined distance from the initial point of contact."

Spike nodded in agreement with a proud smile on his face.

While the explanation was comforting, Princess Twilight still opted to carefully set the hammer down on the ground away from her, just in case whatever charms in place that differentiated between normal everyday magic and dark magic failed and misinterpreted her as a threat.

"If it's all the same I'd rather change the subject to something a little more pleasant than the one we're on right now," she admitted.

"If we're being honest, so would I. I've already given the idea of an evil warlord version of Me, more consideration than I'm comfortable with," her counterpart agreed. "So. What would you like to talk about?"

"Well..." Princess Twilight paused as she tried to think of a subject or topic that she might like to broach. But the more she tried, the more she found her mind coming up empty.

"Actually, if it's alright with you, I'd kind of like a break right about now. I've been out here trying to figure out the mystery behind however I wound up in your reality, and I've been coming up empty. I'm getting frustrated, and I feel like I need the opportunity to clear my head before I actually get into any discussion."

"Oh, sure, that's fine," Twilight agreed and nodded. "As much as I appreciate a good study session, I've come to learn and appreciate just how important and beneficial a periodic break can be."

"And believe me, it wasn't easy getting her to learn that lesson either," Spike commented as he folded his arms across his chest. "She honestly used to think she could just brute force her way through exhaustion with enough stubbornness and hot coffee, all in the name of getting "just one more paragraph" read before calling it a night."

"Oh, like you've never done the same thing with your comic books, you sassy little turd," Twilight retorted and frowned in his direction.

"Takes one to know one," Spike retorted right back.

Princess Twilight was left both confused and uncertain how to respond, very unaccustomed to seeing herself and Spike bickering quite like that, or using such terms when referring to each other. Was this really what they did in this reality? And in front of strangers no less?

This reality was weird.

Her reality might've had moments where it was stupid, and she would admit it, but this one was just plain weird. Of the two, she didn't know which was worse.

"Whatever," she muttered to herself. "Listen. I know you two just came all the way from Ponyville and all, but would either of you mind if we just relocated back to the library? It's been a long time since I've seen it intact, and I'd hate myself if I missed the opportunity to visit it again while it's still a possibility."

The bickering between Twilight and Spike immediately halted at her statement, leaving the two looking at each other in confusion.

"I don't mind," Twilight replied and shook her head. "But what'd you just mean? Did something happen to the Golden Oaks in your reality?"

"... I don't really feel up to talking about it right now," Princess Twilight offered in response as she slowly glanced downward to avoid eye contact.

"Alright then," Twilight replied slowly, figuring that a different approach was necessary. "We'll head out whenever you're ready."

"Uh, Twilight, one little problem with that," Spike spoke up as he picked his hammer back up. "How do we get back without anypony noticing there's two of you now? Or more importantly, that one of you is an alicorn? Ponies might get curious and start asking questions."

"Hmm, that's a good point," Twilight noted as the hammer was being placed back in her saddlebag. "I suppose we'll just have to teleport. Or cook up some cockamamie cover story about practicing a new spell related to after-images and projection."

"Let's go with the first option," Spike suggested. "No offense, Twilight, but you suck at lying on the spot and under pressure, especially in front of crowds. And I don't feel like trying to run interference when the discussion gets technical with magic details."

"Your confidence in me is overwhelming," Twilight grumbled, just loud enough for the others to hear. But she let the matter drop with a sigh as she shook her head, before once again putting on a smile. "Alright, I think I can get us all back inside the library easy enough. Everypony get in close, and hopefully we don't end up stuck on a windmill along the way."

"Yeah, once was enough," Spike commented.

"Wait, that actually happened?" Princess Twilight asked.

"I don't want to talk about it right now," Twilight replied, "everypony get in close."

Spike took that is his cue to climb atop his Twilight's back, while Princess Twilight stepped closer until their sides were practically touching.

And then, thinking on Spike's words, she took one step more and actually pressed their sides together to ensure physical contact between them, with her left wing sandwiched between their barrels.

"Huh. It doesn't look like all of existence spontaneously ceased to exist due to our touching," she noted.

"That's good to know. One less thing to worry about," Twilight replied, idly shifting her position a bit in response to the touch. "Alright, teleporting for home in three, two, one."

One quick exercising of magic to perform the spell, and the three were gone from sight.

Celestia didn't know for certain that Ulquiorra was in the library as she made her way for what served as the lounge area in the center of the room. But she knew there was at least an eighty percent chance that he was present, and eighty percent was good enough for her.

It was just a matter of actually finding him in the mess of all the various shelves that the room housed.

She glanced to her left, and then to her right. She looked forward, she looked behind, and then just to be thorough she looked up, just in case he was hovering overhead like the apex predator and troll that he was. But he was nowhere to be seen, even if his presence could still be felt somewhere...

Fortunately, he was very good at locating her presence, and would likely know that she was here.

"Ulquiorra, are you in here? I need to speak with you for a moment," she called out.

"Is there a problem?"

She turned to her right at the sound of his voice and caught him standing a mere teen feet away from her current position, with a rather lengthy-looking tome held in his hands and opened roughly in the middle.

She hadn't even heard his trademark approach this time. That in itself was a bit disturbing, but could wait for a later point.

"I'm not sure. That's what I'm trying to find out now," Celestia stated. "Tempest came hobbling her way to my office about an hour ago, and she was all but begging me to throw her in the dungeons. But not in an act of arrogance like a stereotypical villain would demonstrate; there were no grand declarations about her being untouchable and daring somepony to try and strike her, just to prove she couldn't be harmed.

"Instead I was met by a broken pony who was thoroughly convinced that she needed to be punished for what had been done, and had been thought about being done. Her entire demeanor was a lot like Luna's after being freed from Nightmare Moon's influence by the Elements of Harmony; it took my sister a long while to come to terms with the fact that her actions weren't her own. I honestly didn't think I'd be encountering that again, so soon, and from another.

"I know that the report you gave me after your return wasn't the sum total of what occurred; that would've been a short chapter's length all in itself. Can you recall anything happening, anything between the time of your meeting with them in the wasteland, and arriving back at the palace, that might explain her being consumed by a sense of guilt and self-loathing?"

To her surprise, Ulquiorra didn't immediately respond to the question. Instead he looked like he was actually in thought, as if he were trying to recall some particular detail.

Or at least she thought he looked like he was in thought. With him and his limited range of facial expressions, it was so hard to tell what was going on inside that head of his.

"Nothing that comes to mind," he eventually replied. "Contact was made and the message from Princess Twilight Sparkle was delivered. She remained in a state of shock for quite some time before she began speaking again, and the crew discussed what course of action they wished to engage in, based on the information that was presented to them. Perhaps what was being witnessed in your office, was the true nature of Fizzlepop Berrytwist breaking through the mask of Tempest Shadow, now that the persona is no longer needed."

"Perhaps," Celestia reluctantly agreed, not finding that thought to be the least bit comforting to contemplate. But at the moment that was neither here nor there, and would have to be dealt with later on.

Maybe some of those psychological experts they'd approached during Rainbow Dash's dilemma could finally be of some use to them.

"It would be far easier, and much more straightforward, if you simply came out and accused me of committing some distasteful act that might explain her current demeanor, rather than trying to approach in a delicate, sensitive manner," Ulquiorra pointed out.

"I suppose I deserved that one," Celestia commented and sighed, "but I didn't actually suspect you of doing anything. I was hoping that you might've witnessed or otherwise detected something that couldn't be shared at the time."

"Something that would suggest the incursion of another villain?" Ulquiorra asked.

"After everything we've been through in the last few months, I'm not about to discount the possibility of it showing up when we least expect it," Celestia stated.

"A wise decision," Ulquiorra noted. "Had anything out of place been encountered, it would've brought to your attention as soon as possible, either in person or via letter. Whatever is responsible for Tempest Shadow's demeanor lies with her, rather than any outside source."

"I suppose that's a small comfort to be had," Celestia mumbled. "Not that I'd ever wish harm on another pony. But helping one who's been subject to an outside attack, is far easier than addressing an attack that comes from the inside."

"If it helps, you're free to blame me for being too harsh with her," Ulquiorra commented.

Celestia actually laughed in response. "I appreciate the offer, but I think not. The work you do is too good."

Ulquiorra's only response was a simple, noncommittal grunt, as he turned his attention back to the book in his hands, sensing the conversation had finally run its course.

Celestia contemplated saying something in response, but ultimately couldn't think of anything that felt worth saying. So instead she decided now was as good a time as any to take her leave and depart, as there were still other matters to be tending to.

"Princess Celestia?"

Celestia paused in mid-step at the sound of Ulquiorra's voice, and the tone that it carried with it. It didn't sound like he was making a definite statement, but more like it was voiced in a questioning tone.

Curious, she turned back around to face his direction once again, even as he currently kept his back to her.

"When do matters of logic, rationality, and practicality end, and when do matters of the heart begin?"

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Four

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Four

Celestia didn't immediately speak up in response, as she didn't know for certain just what to say. The question, especially coming from him, had simply been too unusual for her to understand clearly. It sounded almost eerily familiar, like one of the questions he'd first asked her when Discord had brought him to their world.

"I'm not certain I understand the question. At least without some sort of context to go along with it," she admitted. "I might be wise and experienced, but I'm not that wise and experienced; I don't think anypony is. It's just too open-ended."

There was no immediate response from Ulquiorra that would clarify what he was asking. That in itself was confusing to encounter. Was he still trying to figure out what to say? Was he actually not three responses ahead of her for a change? Was he hesitating to elaborate further? Maybe he was contemplating the notion of simply dropping the question entirely?

The fact that he couldn't be read, was just so annoying at times. His body language was just as rigid and unyielding as his own facial features were, and he never allowed himself to be in anything resembling a relaxed state where a fidget or physical hesitation might be detectable.

"Nothing has been the same since the fight with Nightmare Moon. Whether that's a good thing, or a bad thing, I don't yet know. I have been making decisions, reaching conclusions, and engaging in courses of action that have no logical basis," Ulquiorra stated as he slowly turned around to face her, before closing the book he held, and tucking is under his left arm. "Even under the most lenient, tortured interpretation of your original orders to me, these courses of action I've been engaging in, aren't something that can realistically be rationalized away as me simply performing my assigned duties. Something else is at work here. Something that I don't understand."

"Ulquiorra," Celestia started slowly as she tried to make sense of what he was saying, "level with me. One friend to another, what's the problem? What has you concerned?"

"The fact that I may be compromised, and am no longer capable of acting in a wholly logical, detached manner," he admitted bluntly. "The decision to attend the funeral for Nightmare Moon's victims had no basis in logic. And yet, despite this absence of a logical basis to justify the course of action, it was something that I did regardless, even though I was under no obligation to do so.

"The decision to orchestrate a course of action, that would essentially allow Bonbon to share one last exchange with her sister had no basis in logic. And yet it was something that I did regardless, because it seemed like a good idea at the time," he continued.

Celestia could do little more than nod in response and listen in silence as he spoke, waiting to see where exactly this conversation was going to lead before just jumping in prematurely.

Right now it sounded like he was experiencing an existential crisis, rather than being the cause of one. Under different circumstances it might be a delicious irony, but not right now.

"If I'm truly compromised, if I can no longer remain detached and analytical, if my decisions are no longer driven by logic, then ponies are going to die as a result," he continued.

"Ulquiorra," Celestia sighed in response, "as much as I hate to say it, ponies are going to die regardless. And no amount of cold analysis, or logic-driven intervention on your part, is going to be enough to stop that. We could all be operating on your level, and that still wouldn't be enough. All that any of us can do, is simply try to mitigate those numbers and keep the death toll down from what they could otherwise be, if we did nothing at all."

For better or worse, she now had an idea of what to say in this case. Although she would admit she was surprised to be doing that in this case.

"Let's say, hypothetically, that you really are compromised, and are no longer operating purely on logic and reasoning. Even then, if that were true, you're still leagues above any of us when it comes to those fields. Your analytical skills are second to none that I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. And I know this to be the case because I can still feel my head spin, not just when you explain your observations to us, but also when you're walking us through how you reached your conclusions; there are times I think I need Raven at my side to take notes."

It wasn't exactly a lie. But there as just a hint of exaggeration to be had.

"But as I've said before, Ulquiorra, you're not in this alone. We're not counting on you to be the lynch pin of our world's safety. Simply do what you can do, and don't worry about what you can't do. You're a friend, not a tool to be used only as long as it's useful, and discarded after it's served its purpose."

That one was without exaggeration. Although whether or not he chose to believe it remained to be seen.

"As to your original question, I'm afraid I really can't answer that, because even I don't know for certain myself. There are times the two are so intertwined, that it proves impossible to separate them from one another," she admitted. "But as far as your being compromised may go? If you consider instances of kindness and compassion to be evidence of compromise, well then you've been compromised for almost as long as I've known you."

Ulquiorra's stature hadn't changed from the time he'd turned to face her directly. But watching him as he quirked an eyebrow in response, gave her the same vibe as him snapping his head around to directly stare at her in confusion/disbelief at what she'd just said.

"I was there in the aftermath of the manticore attack, I saw the amount of care you took when it came to search and rescue efforts, as well as transporting the injured to the hospital."

"That was done in order to prevent a greater loss of life and minimize the risk of exacerbating injuries that would put a greater strain on Ponyville General's resources," Ulquiorra countered.

"You also made a very strong, dedicated case for why Cupid shouldn't be subjected to any prolonged suffering on the basis of ideologically-based beliefs about the sanctity of life," Celestia pointed out. "Something tells me that you weren't about to let the subject drop until we signed off in agreement with your plan, regardless of how long it took."

"Her being allowed to linger on for days while slowly suffocating to death served no purpose. Her suffering was without justification or rational basis for being allowed to continue. It was the only logical course of action available," Ulquiorra pointed out.

"You also went about setting up a system that would easily allow Rainbow Dash to find her way to your quarters during her stay at the palace, without telling anypony what you were planning, because you knew that she would come looking for you."

"For whatever reason, Rainbow Dash chose to emotionally bond herself with me, and had no interest in being away from my presence. Her sleeping on the hard benches and tables of the library wasn't conductive to a proper recovery," Ulquiorra countered. "The furniture in my quarters was going unused as I had no need for it. I was simply putting it to use, in the most logical way available."

Celestia shook her head in response. "Had you been operating in a purely logical fashion at the time, you would've simply told her about your quarters. Instead you went about ensuring she could find you on her own if she wished, while also making her open up and interact with the palace staff you had trafficking books back and forth between there and the library. That sounds more like the actions of a concerned friend than anything else."

For once, Ulquiorra didn't have an immediate counterpoint to present. Even she could see at least a couple of points he could hypothetically raise, but didn't for whatever reason. Maybe he simply hadn't yet thought of them on his own? Or maybe he didn't want to continue with this line of conversation. Whatever it was, it was definitely weird to be on this end of the conversation for a change.

"Nothing has been the same for any of us, Ulquiorra. We were all affected by what happened that night, to some extent or another," she stated. "I understand that your circumstances are likely different from ours, but the point remains the same. And honestly I don't think the possibility of you growing beyond what you originally were, is a bad thing. Even Discord said you changed from what you were at one point back in Hueco Mundo.

"And that change occurred while you were still there in your own reality, so you can't really blame that us on corrupting you."

"That was a very good preemptive strike," Ulquiorra commented. "Your efforts at assurances aside, the facts remain as they were previously. There are questions for which I have no answers, and no leads as to where I might be able to find them. I have been in this world a mere ninety eight days, and there are times I'm not certain I even resemble what I used to be in Las Noches."

"Well then, maybe that's a good thing," Celestia suggested with just the slightest hint of a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Maybe the real you is what's starting to make itself known, and what you used to be, was what Aizen wanted you to be. You told Rainbow Dash about the known extents of his abilities to mould others to his will. And you told us how he hand-picked those that served as the Espada; to the point he demoted and kicked out those that previously held the position. Who's to say what he did to each of them?"

"That isn't exactly a new thought," Ulquiorra replied. "But at the same time, it was all that I knew for as long as I can coherently remember. Any memories from the time before I became an Espada are sparse at best, with the most prominent being my aimless wandering through the wasteland of Hueco Mundo. If I'm not what I was under Aizen's command, what am I?"

"Our friend," Celestia stated, "as well as someone who was done a great disservice by his previous employer. So as both a friend and your current employer, I'm going to issue you a new order; I want you to take the time to find out just who and what you really are, before worrying about whether or not it's something to be concerned about. Learn about what makes the real you, not the Aizen-approved version."

"As you wish, Princess Celestia," Ulquiorra acknowledged. "But be aware. I can't guarantee what the results of such an endeavor may prove to be."

"Noted," Celestia replied and nodded. "Are there any other questions while I'm here?"

"Not at present time," Ulquiorra confirmed.

The sound of soft breathing wasn't what had stirred Twilight from her rest. But it was certainly the first sound to reach her ears and be processed as the haze of sleep slowly relinquished its hold from her brain.

As her eyes slowly fluttered open, she came face-to-face with the sight of her still-asleep self.

It was a little confusing, and even unsettling, until she managed to remember the sequence of events that'd transpired before now.

She'd met with her alicorn counterpart at Applejack's farm. They'd -successfully- teleported back to the library together. And then her alicorn counterpart had gotten quite emotional as she looked around in a state of awe, to the point she'd started crying.

It was weird, trying to console somepony who was technically yourself but also not yourself.

She and Spike had eventually managed to get her calmed down, but it was no easy feat to accomplish. It'd all been very taxing and even exhausting once it was all over and done with, which had prompted the idea of taking a nap before any further discussion was had.

The part about her taking a nap had been forgotten for one reason or another; probably due to her own emotionally tired state at the time. As had the part about deciding to share the bed and curl up with her counterpart as they both slumbered, all the while holding onto one another like she would with Applejack during a particularly draining period that left her feeling especially shaky.

"Do I look that cute when I'm sleeping?" she mentally asked herself as she simply laid there, watched her counterpart resting peacefully as she was held.

"She doesn't feel at all like Applejack. Is this what Rainbow Dash meant when she said I was plush?" she wondered further as she contemplated whether or not to let their guest keep resting, or if she should chance waking her up by untangling herself from her.

Laying down again and going back to sleep was tempting, but at this point she honestly wasn't feeling tired enough to bother with the attempt. And just watching herself sleeping was starting to get a bit uncomfortable and creepy. So she decided the best course of action was to simply try and be gentle when extracting herself from the hold.

The extraction proved easier said than done, as her counterpart seemed intent on holding on. Was she this clingy when she slept? All she could really do was hope that wasn't the case, as she tried again to slip her limbs free.

Her alicorn self reacted by holding tighter to her, seemingly unwilling to relinquish despite being unconscious.

"Twilight, girl, I really didn't want to do this. But I'm afraid you don't leave me any choice in the matter," she sighed. "Oh no! All the library's books have been knocked from the shelves and fell onto the floor! It's going to take me ages to get them all organized again!"

The reaction was as sudden as it as violent, with the alicorn snorting herself awake and sitting upright, frantically looking around through partially-lidded eyeballs, trying to spot the aforementioned problem in need of being rectified.

It was downright comical to witness, and Twilight needed to bite back the urge to giggle in response.

The realization seemed to slowly settle on her counterpart as she realized there was no actual library crisis, earning her an annoyed and tired glare in response.

"If I were any other pony, I'd have some unkind words to share with you over that," she warned, before needing to yawn and stretch. "That really wasn't funny."

"Oh believe me, I know. I felt bad about doing it too. But at the same time you were holding onto me so tight that I couldn't really get away without waking you up. And as much as I didn't want to do that, I didn't really have a choice," Twilight explained.

Her counterpart slowly blinked and looked down at their shared position on the bed, as the realization slowly dawned on her.

"My error then. Sorry about that," she replied and retracted her limbs from her other self to relinquish her. "I might've gotten a bit overwhelmed."

"To put lightly," Twilight replied and sat herself up on the bed. "Do you want to tell me what that was all about?"

"Do you mind a little exposition in the process?"

"Not as long as it's relevant to the topic at hoof."

"Alright then," Princess Twilight sighed as she readied herself to unload to her other self. "Ever since I arrived in your world, I've been spending most of my time compiling lists of every incident that I can recall, that's transpired since my arrival in the Ponyville of my reality. Ranging from the minor incidents that could end a friendship, all the way up to the potentially cataclysmic situations that could very well spell doom for the entire world. Along with details about how each incident was resolved, and what came about as a result of the resolution.

"Along with a cost/benefit analysis to go along with the list of events, weighing out the positives and negatives that could arise as a result of them being addressed in a different manner from how they were addressed in my world. As well as a sort of grading system of how the outcome may differ, based on the level of intervention ranging from; doing absolutely nothing and allowing events to play out as they otherwise would, low level intervention such as talking to the parties involved before their plans can come to fruition, all the way up to allowing Ulquiorra to... neutralize potential threats with overwhelming force."

"Oh, wow," Twilight replied. "You're actually doing that for us?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "Ulquiorra was... very persuasive in his reasoning. I wasn't prepared for him to cite the friendship lessons you've been teaching him, and using them to convince me to help."

At this, Twilight wasn't sure if she should blush sheepishly at hearing she might've been partially responsible for her counterpart's current state, or frown at the realization that Ulquiorra had basically weaponized her without her permission.

"That in itself probably wouldn't have done it, but what really broke me was hearing how the Golden Oaks Library was still intact," Princess Twilight continued. "Back in my world, a villain by the name of Tirek managed to escape from Tartarus when Cerberus left his post. He'd been laying low for a long time, slowly gathering his strength and draining the magic of various ponies. And after a lot of... stuff... he basically blew up the library in his efforts to get me."

"Oh no," Twilight gasped in horror.

Princess Twilight nodded again. "I just barely had time to grab Owloicious and teleport out before we were blown to bits right along with it. I had to watch as the building that'd served as my home for so long, was reduced to nothing but a smouldering pile of embers, along with everything housed within that held a sentimental value to me. The gown Rarity made me when we all attended our first Grand Galloping Gala together, the yellow dress she made me for by birthday... all of it just gone in a flash..."

"I was powerless to stop that in my reality. And I wasn't about to stand idly by and let that happen all over again. So I've been compiling lists of everything I could think of. And after a lot of hours with little sleep, and a lot of other factors, seeing all of this again," she paused to wave her right hoof around in gesture of their surroundings, "I guess I got a little overwhelmed by it all."

Twilight responded by grabbing her counterpart and pulling her into a tight hug.

"Thank you," she stated. "And I'm so sorry for what you had to go through. I can't imagine how hard that must've been for you to go through."

Princess Twilight reciprocated the hug. "It was very bad. Don't get me wrong, it all worked out in the end, and I got a very nice castle out of the deal that I've come to love. But..."

"I know," Twilight assured her as she gently patted her back, making sure to do so above her wings rather than between them to avoid the nerve cluster.

For a while the two just sat there in silence, hugging one another.

"Listen, Twilight," Twilight spoke up, "if it'll help any, I can probably send some stuff back with you whenever you find your way back home. Spare bedding, some of the books that aren't so rare that they can't be replaced as part of an inter-library transfer, maybe have a few of the branches trimmed so the wood can be reconstituted into oak bookshelves; I even know a spell that basically lets me melt and mold wood into whatever form I want. You know, little touches from home to make home seem like home. And as far as I'm concerned, my home is your home."

"I'd appreciate that a lot," Princess Twilight replied.

But then a thought on her counterpart's words occurred, and she pulled back to look at her.

"Wait, wait. Did you just invite me to come live with you while I'm here?" she asked.

"Wait, did I?" Twilight asked. But then she shrugged dismissively. "Eh, Ponyville is our home anyway, not Canterlot. You know what? Sure. You can come and live here with me and Spike until you find out how to get back to your own reality. It's been a long time since Applejack and Zecora were living here with us, it'll be nice to have a full-time roommate again, whether it's two days or two weeks!"

The two quickly returned to hugging one another, each of them excited about the prospect.

"By any chance, does this mean tonight counts as a slumber party?" Princess Twilight asked hopefully.

"I hadn't actually thought about that," Twilight admitted, "but now that you mention it, I don't see why not. Sure, we'll even make s'mores!"

Princess Twilight could do little more than squeal in excitement and appreciation as she hugged her counterpart even tighter. Tonight was going to be a good night!

"Is this seat taken?"

Holly Leaf had been only a few precious minutes into her break before hearing the voice behind her. Curious, she swiveled around on the stool at the bar of the palace cantina, and nearly fell right off the back of the seat in a mix of surprise and fear.

Standing before her -previously behind her- was none other than the Espada, currently regarding her with that unsettlingly blank expression he did so well.

The only reason she'd managed to avoid screaming in shock and embarrassing herself like the last time, was the simple fact she'd needed to sharply inhale at the time, with her breath catching in her throat and causing her to cough in response.

By now other patrons of the cantina had become aware and taken notice of the new face amongst them, with some quietly chattering among themselves, some simply staring in disbelief, and others gong back to their business as if they weren't seeing anything out of the ordinary.

"... What're you doing here?" she asked him, once the initial shock -and terror- had passed.

"You invited me to have a drink when you were on break the last time we talked," he explained.

Holly had to stop and think, vaguely remembering the conversation occurring at some point, but it'd been quite some time ago, and definitely wasn't anything recent.

Honestly, she was a bit surprised he'd actually paid attention enough to remember the details.

"Right," she mumbled in response as she tried to calm down. "I guess pull up a seat then..."

She hated to admit it, but she'd been very thankful at the time that he'd ignored her offer, as she hadn't had a clue why she'd made it in the first place. And now that he'd actually accepted it -even if it was technically expired by now- she really had no idea just what to do as he sat down on the stool next to hers.

"B-bartender, another drink here for my... companion..." she said as she slowly turned back around again.

The unicorn stallion behind the bar nodded as he produced a cold, frothy glass mug and slid it over in Ulquiorra direction.

"What exactly is this?" he asked as he glanced down at the beverage.

"Root beer," she replied, "palace regulations state no alcoholic beverages while on duty, which I currently am."

It was difficult to tell if he could look any less impressed than he already was. But regardless he picked up the mug and took a sip, before pulling away from it.

"A rather unusual concoction," he noted. "Perhaps best described as one percent essence of Pinkie Pie, diluted against ninety-nine parts water to render it safe for consumption. With added dark caramel coloring to conceal the insanity within and render it more visually appetizing to patrons. All while delivering the sugar equivalent of a punch in the mouth from Rainbow Dash."

Despite her unease, Holly found herself laughing in response. That definitely sounded like an apt description of the drink.

"That it is. Bubbly, and happy, and sweet to a fault," she replied. "The more you drink it, the more you end up liking it."

Ulquiorra said nothing, as he almost cautiously chanced another sip of his drink.

The ensuing silence, much to Holly's uncertainty, was proving to be uncomfortable to experience.

Granted, conversation with him wasn't exactly something she'd been anticipating. But its utter absence was... unsettling.

"So... how's your research on memories going?" she asked as she glanced over in his direction.

"Such matters are presently at a stand still. So far the palace library has been quite lacking in this particular field of research and study," Ulquiorra replied. "The fact that I don't require sleep also serves to limit what assistance Princess Luna is able to provide in this matter. She has the ability to recall whatever memories she may wish from a sleeping mind anywhere in Equestria, but she can do nothing when it comes to those who're conscious. That means whatever the context attached to such memories may be, it is also inaccessible."

"Oh," Holly replied, not certain what to make of that. "So... what happens now?"

"At the moment, I don't know. The best advice Princess Celestia could offer when asked, was to try and find who and what I may really be, rather than operating on the assumption of what I believe myself to be."

"She told you to find yourself?" she asked, now turning her full attention to him. "I honestly didn't see that one coming. You seem like the type of, er... you seem like the type who has that sort of thing all figured out."

"At one point in time I believed that I did have such matters figured out and understood. But recent developments in this world have forced me to reevaluate such beliefs, and contemplate the possibility of being wrong," Ulquiorra admitted. "I'm presently in uncharted territories, with no idea what direction I need to take in order to fulfill my duties to this world."

"... Are you asking for advice? Are you asking me for advice?"

"At the moment nothing has been ruled out yet," he replied.

In all her years of working at the palace, she couldn't recall a time when she'd been asked for advice by an individual who was as highly ranked in terms of importance as he was. And only rarely did anypony else ask her for advice that extended beyond the best way to clean a particular area. This was way out of left field for her. But then it probably was for him as well.

"I don't know," she admitted and huffed in annoyance, "maybe, I don't know, get a hobby that's not related to your... profession? Find something that you actually like to do that isn't work? Sergeant Zacharia likes bowling and is pretty good at it. It's not my thing, but to each their own, right?"

"Perhaps," Ulquiorra replied, before finishing his drink. He then stood up, slipped his hands into his pockets, and then withdrew his right hand to place a coin on the bar's counter. "The drinks are on me."

The entire exchange had been weird. Really, really weird. Had that even just happened?

He'd been there with her, they'd talked, he'd popped for the drinks, and then he left as if he hadn't even been there to begin with. The only evidence he'd even been there to begin with was the empty mug and the coin on the bar.

And then she actually caught sight of the denomination on the coin he'd left, and her eyes went wide.

"Holy mother of mackerel is he a heavy tipper!"

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Five

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Five

Coming face to face with two Twilight Sparkles definitely wasn't what Rarity had expected to encounter when she set hoof in the library. But that was exactly where she found herself right now.

"My goodness," she said to herself as she all but stared at the two almost identical lavender ponies practically standing side-by-side next to the table in the library's main area.

All that she'd been intended to do when she'd come over today, was inquire about the training dummy that Celestia had promised to send over to her. And while she knew about the existence of Twilight's alicorn counterpart, she hadn't anticipated meeting her in such a disorganized, haphazard fashion. But now that was neither here nor there, as they each looked at one another.

"Forgive me for staring, darling, I simply didn't expect to be encountering you like this," she stated as her lessons in etiquette made themselves known again. "I believed we'd likely meet eventually, but I thought there might be more fanfare involved."

"It's alright, I understand," Princess Twilight replied. "The fact is I'm sort of taking a break from all the work I've been doing at the palace since I got here. A mare can only spend so long, sitting and writing about hypothetical crises, before needing to get away from it all."

Twilight nodded in response. "Ulquiorra sort of browbeat her into providing a head's up about potential problems we might face down the road, based on what she experienced in her own reality."

"And used my own words against me while doing it," Princess Twilight added. "Well technically the words of my other self here, but that's essentially the same thing."

Rarity frowned and nodded in agreement. "Yes, that certainly does sound like something he would do. I apologize for him, I honestly do. I'm certain that he means well, he's just... a highly dedicated professional when it comes to Equestria's safety. Little things that we might consider important are rather trivial to him."

"He's getting better about it," Twilight added, "but it's a very slow learning process for him. And for us."

"For us?" Rarity asked curiously as she turned her attention to the Twilight that she knew.

Twilight nodded. "It's been very slow, and very subtle, but it's been happening regardless. For better or worse, everypony that's had an extended period of interaction with Ulquiorra, has started to pick up on and adopt at least some of his traits for themselves. Some with his manner of speech, some with the way he thinks and deduces, and some... in how he's very serious about tending to business."

Princess Twilight suddenly felt the need to gulp uneasily.

"Is that some sort of polite euphemism for killing without a second thought?"

Both Twilight and Rarity looked away from each other and toward their companion, not entirely certain about just what to say in response to the question.

"Do the ponies in this world actually have to kill?" Princess Twilight asked uneasily.

"It's complicated," Spike stated bluntly as he made his presence known to the rest of the group while exiting the kitchen. "Nopony in our group has actually been forced to do any actual killing; not yet anyway. Ulquiorra's been taking care of that himself. But when Nightmare Moon was back wreaking havoc on everypony, we were all ready to kill her ourselves. Hell, some of us actually did a couple of times.

"Celestia hit her with a death beam that could just about kill Ulquiorra. Luna went full-bore on brutality. Twilight tried turning her into a pin cushion and electrocution via lightning. Rarity stabbed her in the guts, and Fluttershy choked her out and snapped her neck. If not for her ability to respawn an undo everything we did to her, we might not've needed Ulquiorra like we did."

"Spike, you're really not helping," Twilight spoke up, before letting out a frustrated sigh as she looked back to her currently terrified counterpart. "Look, Twilight, I don't know what things are like back in your reality. But here, a lot of good ponies were pushed to the breaking point by Nightmare Moon's return. She spent months subjecting us to targeted harassment and terror; not just me and my friends, but a lot of ponies who we didn't have any connection to.

"We're also pretty certain she's the reason we almost got eaten by a dragon, and why the changelings made a second grab for Equestria when they did. She was throwing one crisis after another at us, and feeding off of our fear to make herself stronger. Our circumstances forced us to take a lot of actions that none of us are particularly proud of, simply because we had no other choice in the matter."

Princess Twilight could do little more than listen and be horrified -even repulsed- by what she was hearing them speak about so freely. Had this world already fallen so far from the teachings that'd held Equestria together for so long? Had Ulquiorra been responsible for it all? Or had this reality already been corrupted by the "shifting" Applejack had spoken of, and his presence just blended right in like it was no big deal?

"This world is worse off than I thought," she muttered, perhaps louder than she'd intended to. "I know that Equestria isn't perfect and has problems, just like everywhere else does, but how did things ever get to be this bad?"

"In simplest terms, multiverse theory just doesn't care," Twilight replied, opting to keep the profanity to a minimum in light of her counterpart's current mental state. "There's no way of ever knowing just how many differences there are between our reality and yours, just like there's no way of knowing which one of our realities would count as a prime reality from which all others spawned. For all we know neither of us are. That's kind of why none of us really want to think too hard about those sort of implications."

"Yeah, I can understand why," Princess Twilight replied and nodded, desperately trying to keep her brain focused enough to not let such thoughts inside.

At this point Rarity cleared her throat. "However, there is a light at the end of this very dark and depressing tunnel we currently find ourselves going down. Despite the divergence our world has apparently taken, we've never truly lost sight of what's most important to us. The bonds that we've forged have seen us through some truly horrific times, and I dare say they're even stronger than ever before. Why, it was these bonds of friendship that motivated Discord to bring Ulquiorra to our world in the first place, after recognizing the fact he wouldn't be able to help us with the coming storm on his own."

At this, Princess Twilight couldn't help but give a little smile in response.

"And as Twilight said, he is learning. Why, it wasn't all that long ago that he was taking part in a snowball fight in the aftermath of the windigoes returning," Rarity continued.

"Wait, what? Hold on a second, the windigoes came back?" Princess Twilight asked.

"I'm afraid so," Twilight replied. "It wasn't even a month after Nightmare Moon's defeat, and the running theory is that the lingering strife she generated was just enough to let them reemerge to fill the power vacuum caused by her subsequent absence. What's interesting, however, is exactly how things played out at the time. Unlike the historical accounts of tribalism, ponies were at war with one another even in their own tribes, and outright disregarding tribe loyalties based on their own individual friendships with one another."

"... Huh..." was all Princess Twilight could say in response. That was certainly something at least. "That's good to know then."

There was far more going on here than she'd anticipated, and now she was having trouble keeping track of everything. But at least everything had turned out alright.

"So you said he actually took part in a snowball fight? That's something I'm having a hard time picturing, based on what I've seen," she admitted, opting to change the subject to something she hoped was a little less intense.

"Yeah, you're not kidding," Spike agreed. "Pinkie sort of started it, but I don't think anypony expected him to actually go with it. He just stood there all stoic and whatnot with snow on his face, then he slowly wiped it off, and then scooped up a handful of snow to compact and fling right back at her. She didn't even have time to scream before he beaned her right in the forehead and knocked her right into a snowdrift! And after that it was sort of everypony for themselves."

Princess Twilight snorted in response as she tried to stifle the urge to laugh. The mental image was just too ridiculous.

"He was picking ponies off as far away as two hundred yards with some of his throws, just to prove that he could. And he was going easy on us, so we wouldn't be too sore to assist with snow cleanup duties," Twilight stated. "Frankly, it was some of the most fun that I never want to have again."

"You should've seen it," Spike added, unable to suppress his grin as he spoke. "He sniped her right square in the butt while she was running away. So she turns around and scoops up a couple hundred snowballs worth, ready to cluster bomb him into oblivion... and she can't hit dick because he's moving around at supersonic speeds that'd make Rainbow Dash green with envy!" he concluded as he was consumed by a fit of cackling.

Twilight frowned in response, annoyed at how much Spike was enjoying a laugh at her response. Well two could easily play at that game.

"I don't recall you doing much better in that regard, little brother," she replied as she grinned, and turned to her counterpart. "To his credit he at least had the bright idea to not stand still while Ulquiorra was picking us off one by one. Not that it did him much good, though, because he thought he could parkour his way out of the way and ended up catching a snowball right in the dick for his troubles."

Now it was Spike's turn to stop laughing as he frowned, all the while folding his arms across his chest and all but exhaling steam through his nostrils as he glared at Twilight in response.

The two glared at each other in annoyance, neither one of them willing to back down, and making the tension in the room feel almost palpable to Princess Twilight. It was enough to make her wings twitch, almost afraid of what would happen.

And then the two broke into laughter as they looked at each other, leaving her confused at just what was going on.

Looking over to Rarity didn't help her any, as her expression and body language went a long way to suggesting this was all just perfectly normal for her to witness. Whereas she would be mortified if her Spike had talked to her like that!

Maybe she should've just stayed at the palace. She could've talked more with Tempest and Grubber. She could've examined the technology of the airship better. She could've done anything other than witness her counterpart expressing profanity and hostility to those she was closest to like it was no big deal! She didn't care what Princess Luna said about friendships, this was getting too out of hoof for her!

At this rate she didn't know how much more of this she could take before it all became too much for her to bear.

It was right around this time that the library door opened and Rainbow Dash made her way in.

Princess Twilight wanted to facehoof so hard, certain that this wasn't going to end well as everyone in the room looked towards her, as she looked back at them in confusion.

"Rarity," Rainbow Dash spoke up, "am I hallucinating, or are there two Twilights here with us?"

"You're not hallucinating, Rainbow Dash, there really are two of them at the moment," Rarity confirmed.

"Right. So... who met her first?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"That would be Applejack. So you know what that means, darling. Pay up please."

Rainbow Dash just sighed in response. "I'll get it to you tomorrow. You know I'm good for it."

"Say what now?" both Twilights asked in almost perfect unison. Which just prompted them to look at one another, before the alicorn gestured that she was deferring to the other.

"Could somepony explain what all of this is about?"

Rarity shrugged in response. "Well, darling, ever since Discord decided to go and drop the news on us about multiverse theory being confirmed as real, Rainbow Dash and I have had a little wager going on to help distract ourselves from all the existential sort of fear that such news tends to bring about."

Rainbow Dash nodded. "See, we knew that if alternate Yous existed in the multiverse, it was only a matter of time before one of them found her way here to this reality. So Rarity had the idea to bet on who would be the first to meet her. Obviously it wouldn't be fair to bet on ourselves, so we bet on our friends instead. She picked you and Applejack while I picked Fluttershy and Pinkie."

"I'm really not sure what to actually do with that information right now," Princess Twilight admitted, before looking back to her counterpart. "Our friends were betting on us?"

"It sure looks that way," Twilight replied. "Alright, so you had two-thirds of our group covered, but you left yourselves out. What would've happened if one of you met another of Me first? For that matter, what if Spike met her first and not any of us?"

"Wait, you're not upset about this?" Princess Twilight asked.

"Why should I be? Unless the bet was for an obscenely high amount that might hurt one of them, it sounds like it was all in good fun. Plus like Rarity said, existential fears and all that. You need something to distract you from something like that," Twilight pointed out.

"Quite right," Rarity agreed. "As to the previous matter, we agreed that if Spike met the other You first, we'd let him have the twenty bits we had wagered. If it was one of us then that would be considered a tie and who won the wager would depend on what species the other You was at the time."

"Just to make things interesting we each picked four species at random, pony and non-pony," Rainbow Dash explained. "I wanted to pick alicorn, but Rarity beat me to it. Which was a dirty trick because, let's face it, Twi', you're a shoe in to ascend one day."

Twilight and Rarity both had to bite back the discussion they'd had with Celestia just days earlier on the subject, knowing that if they didn't it could risk complicating matters beyond what they already were.

"So then, Other Twilight. How long have you been here?" Rainbow Dash asked, her tone far more pleasant than it had been just a second ago when she'd been grumbling about the conditions of the wager.

"Just five days so far. But I still don't know how I got here, or how I'm going to get back to my home reality," Princess Twilight replied.

"Are we really calling her that? "Other Twilight?" Rainbow Dash, darling, that's positively demeaning," Rarity stated, barely aware of what'd just been said.

"Well what would you call her then? I mean, they're both Twilight, so how're they supposed to know which one of them we're talking to?" Rainbow Dash asked.

The room suddenly went silent as the question hung in the air, with none of them really certain just how to answer it.

"I'll admit, I'm at a loss on this one," Princess Twilight admitted as she shook her head. "I don't really want to be called "Princess Twilight" the whole time I'm here. And anything with "Twilight" in it, while accurate, could be problematic if we're both outside and around others at the same time. What I need is a different name entirely, but a name that would make sense; not just something completely random and hard to remember."

Again the room was silent as its occupants tried to come up with an answer on just how to proceed, each of them either lost in their own thoughts, or looking to another in hopes of something being presented.

"I think I've got it!"

Finally it was Rainbow Dash who broke the silence first.

"Those Neighponese graphic novels that Fluttershy likes to read. What's that genre where the main character winds up appearing in a fantasy setting as the main character?"

"Isekai?" Spike asked.

"Yeah, that one! Wait, that's the word? I thought it started with an "I" and not an "E"," Rainbow Dash stated.

"It does, but that's how it's pronounced," Twilight confirmed, "I know that's not how it looks like it would sound, but that's how it it regardless."

"Well crap. There goes my idea," Rainbow Dash huffed in annoyance.

"Not necessarily. I'm kind of curious to hear what you had in mind," Princess Twilight stated.

"Alright, but this is gonna take a lot of explaining to make sense," she huffed. "Spike, could you fetch me a pair of readers? This is gonna take some Big Brain Energy and I need to get into the part."

The others watched curiously as Rainbow Dash licked her left hoof and ran it through her mane, apparently doing her best to slick it back and tame it somewhat, as Spike brought her a pair of black-rimmed glasses with tape wrapped around the bridge so it'd be cushioned while resting across her muzzle as she fidgeted with them to get them just right.

"Alright," she began once she was satisfied with their placement. "In any given foreign work when the language is translated, there are going to be names, terms, and other expressions that just don't adapt over properly. So when this is done, changes are made for simplicity's sake, with the term either being swapped out entirely, or replaced with a shortened and simplified term that's more phonetically friendly with the target audience's language.

"Take the word "isekai" for an example, where the first letter might be pronounced with a long "I" sound like its appearance would suggest, giving us "Iseaki" rather than "Esekai". Now, depending on how a pony may pronounce the word, they might put extra emphasis on the S that simply isn't there, and pronounce the word as "IZekai" instead of what it's intended to be. Three syllables is a bit of a mouthful in any pronunciation, so following the trend of adaption this could be shortened to just the first two syllables and give us "IZE". If we were to place a different emphasis on the first letter, that being the short as opposed to long "I" sound, then we would have "Izzy" instead."

The others remained silent as Rainbow Dash concluded, before taking the glasses back off and shaking her head to return her mane to its previous style.

"But now that I know I've been reading the word wrong this entire time, that idea won't work," she grunted as she held the glasses back out to Spike.

"Nono, it's alright! I'm... genuinely impressed by the amount of thought that was put into that just for the sake of justifying a nickname," Princess Twilight admitted.

The Rainbow Dash back home certainly wouldn't have invested that much time and effort into something like that. Not that she knew anyway.

"It's certainly not a bad name. I think I could make it work," she said further.

"So... you're going by "Izzy" then?" Rarity asked.

"Unless anypony has any better suggestions to go with," Princess Twilight replied and shrugged. "And Rainbow Dash did put in the effort to explain her idea. It'd kind of be a shame to let that effort go to waste for nothing, don't you think?"

"It's certainly an unconventional name by pony standards. But then again Ulquiorra's probably even more unconventional. And these are unconventional times we find ourselves in," Twilight noted. "If you're alright with being called "Izzy" then that's all that matters. So allow me to be the first and say welcome to Ponyville, Izzy."

"Nice to meet you, Twilight, I'm sure I'll love it here," the newly designated Izzy stated in response as she reached out to shake hooves. "Yeah, that's definitely going to take some getting used to. But I think it'll work just fine. Now we can at least tell one another apart when we're talking."

"As long as you're comfortable with it, darling," Rarity added, not really sure what else she could say right now.

Rainbow Dash, however, who was presently as proud as a peacock at her suggestion being run with, did have an idea on what to say right now.

"So, Izzy, whadda you wanna do while you're in Ponyville?"

"That's a very good question. What I'd like to do is take a stroll around Ponyville and see how it compares to the one I'm used to, and spend time with my friends' counterparts. But at the moment all that I really want to do is just stay here at the library for a while and bask in its familiar comfort once again. Along with performing a little science; I want to see if going by my new nickname will let Twilight and I correspond directly, rather than having to use Spike as an intermediary," Izzy explained. "To the best of my knowledge, the flame network has never been used to communicate between two individuals with the same name, so whatever results we get could prove to be quite interesting."

"That does actually sound very interesting," Twilight concurred and smiled.

"Nerd stuff then," Rainbow Dash surmised. "Alright, look, it's not that I don't wanna hang out with an alicorn version of one of my best friends or anything like that. But you're talking homework and I'm all nerded out for the day. So I think I'm just gonna blow for the time being. I've got other stuff I could be doing right now."

"That's fair. What we're going to do is probably going to be highly technical, and I don't think many outside of the academic field would find it all that entertaining to watch," Twilight stated.

"Oh! Um, Rainbow Dash. Before you go, I've got a question if you don't mind?" Izzy spoke up.

"Sure. What's up, Izz'?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well I was just wondering what brought you to the library in the first place? It's pretty obvious you didn't know about my being here, so it likely wasn't me. And if you had something you needed to talk to Twilight about, I'd hate to make you feel like you couldn't do that," Izzy explained.

"Oh, right! Thanks for reminding me!" Rainbow Dash stated as she turned her attention to Twilight. "The straps on Tank's backpack are getting kinda worn, especially where they rub against the edge of his shell. If I bring it by could you and Spike overhaul them? Maybe include a new quick release buckle in case he ends up getting stuck in a tree canopy again?"

"I think that can be arranged," Twilight replied and nodded, not seeing why it wouldn't be a possibility.

"Awesome, thanks!"

Izzy felt the need to smile in response, relieved that Rainbow Dash's problem was something rather simple that didn't require an immediate response to resolve before it could turn into a crisis.

"Okay, we can get that taken care of first, because it should be the simplest. Then we can see how well the flame network actually works with nicknames," she stated. "And then, depending on what time it is, maybe I could see the notes you have on Ulquiorra so I can be brought up to speed on him?"

"... What're you talking about?" Twilight asked.

"He said you had detailed notes about him and his physiology, and that you might be willing to share your findings with me if I asked," Izzy explained. "So I'm asking if I could see them. I'd like to not be the odd pony out, just because I'm from a different reality."

"Well I'm certainly not above sharing information. But I don't have anything like that," Twilight admitted. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I've certainly asked him to teach me more about what makes him tick, to see if any of his abilities could be adapted to ponies. But he's been rather tight-lipped about the inner workings of his physiology; once when I tried to ask about how he could instantly regenerate a severed limb, he told me that trying to figure out the mechanics behind the process might break my brain."

"You don't have any notes?" Izzy asked. "But he said that you... did... wait, did he give me the brushoff so I wouldn't bug him? Did he play me?"

"Maybe?" Spike asked, uncertain himself.

There was a look of confusion on Izzy's face as she blinked at the realization, before it morphed into a look of anger as she grit her teeth and growled.

"That jerk!" she shouted. "That... that-"

"Asshole," Rainbow Dash offered.

"Yes, what you just said!" Izzy agreed. "He's one of those, just like Princess Luna said he was!"

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but chuckle in response. "Looks like our Princess friend here just got her own little baptism by bastard. Just like the rest of us did."

"So it would seem," Rarity noted. "Don't worry, Darling, we've all been there. You eventually get used to it."

Rainbow Dash nodded. "After a while you just sorta stop noticing. Or you learn to brush it off and get better with snappy comebacks, whichever comes first."

That advice wasn't nearly as comforting to Izzy as she'd hoped it would be. If anything it just told her that she was in for a rough time during her stay here, if their reactions were any indication of what awaited her.

"He could've just told me to stop being so nosy and I would've respected that," she stated, "he didn't have to lie to me like he did."

Twilight reached over with her right hoof and gently patted Izzy's withers.

"I agree he could've gone about it better, but I can't really blame him for not wanting to let us in on how he operates. Right now the information of his physiology is pretty much proprietary to himself, and himself alone. Us asking him for details about his inner workings might be interpreted as us asking him how to best kill him if we ever had the need to. If I found myself in such a situation, I can't say I'd be too eager to volunteer that information either."

Izzy slowly turned to look at Twilight, slightly slack-jawed in response.

"... I never really stopped to think of that before. I guess I can kind of see that, however. That actually makes a lot of sense. I can't imagine how uncomfortable that line of questioning might've made him. Ugh, some Princess of Friendship I turned out to be. I never even stopped to think that he might be interpreting my question in such a way."

"It's safe to say we've all been there," Twilight replied as she smiled to the realization being had.

"That really doesn't make me feel any better," Izzy grumbled. "I never meant to make him uncomfortable, I just wanted to know more about him."

"Oh believe me, you're not the only one," Rainbow Dash replied. "He's got this technique called "hierro" that condenses his mana into his skin and makes him all but impervious to injury. He says I do something similar anytime I do a Sonic Rainboom, but I'd just about kill to learn how to do it on command. Do you have any idea what sort of a game changer that could be for my stunt flying? If I lose control of a new stunt I'm practicing like the Corkscrew Rainboom and see I'm gonna crash, I could just harden up just before the point of impact and walk it off like it's nothing!"

Rarity did her best to not giggle in response to Rainbow Dash's present fangirling antics.

"... That actually could have some benefits," Izzy admitted.

The idea of procuring Ulquiorra's techniques for her own use hadn't really occurred to her before. And it certainly hadn't been what she'd meant at the time.

But if it could be done... maybe it was something that would have to be looked into whenever she returned to the palace. If he was willing to share, of course. Maybe if she offered to share more information about her own reality, she could take it out in trade?

"Definitely look into the application of equivalent exchange once I get back," she thought to herself.

"The possibility of learning about his techniques and their applicability in pony life is definitely an interesting premise, I don't deny that," Twilight admitted. "I don't know if it actually can be done, but that's what science is about; seeing how things work and don't work. Take his absorption of mana for instance. The spells for how to pull mana right out of the surrounding area are available, and not all that difficult to perform. But as far as I can tell they only work for revitalizing a unicorn's exhausted magic, they can't convert mana to sustenance and take the place of food.

"I don't know if such a conversion process can be achieved, but I'd like to at least try and see if it's a possibility. I mean, I already cracked the code behind his sonido technique, so..."

"Wait, wait, wait! Hold up, time out," Rainbow Dash stated, before gesturing towards Twilight with her right hoof. "YOU learned how to do sonido? You figured out how to travel from Point A to Point B in the blink of an eye without teleporting, and you didn't even tell me about it?"

"What I learned is why I couldn't tell you, Rainbow Dash," Twilight replied defensively. "Yes, technically I know how to use the technique, but that doesn't mean I can use sonido; not like Ulquiorra can anyway. What I can do is only a pale imitation of what he can do. I honestly don't think the pony body can make use of it like it was intended to be used."

"Are we talking about enhanced speed?" Izzy asked curiously.

Twilight nodded. "Drastically enhanced speed. But by itself, speed of that degree is more a hindrance than anything."

Rainbow Dash growled under her breath, but said nothing just yet, as she waited to see just where this was going first.

"Yes, after a lot of experimentation, I've figured out how to identify, decipher, and utilize the mechanics behind Ulquiorra's sonido technique; he doesn't use magic, but the mage's sight spell helped in uncovering a lot of relevant information about the technique. I was more or less able to reverse engineer what I didn't have, going by what I did have.

"And yes, I've figured out how to use it for myself, which technically allows me to move faster than the speed of sound. Which is all good and fine, but the drawbacks for a pony using the technique are numerous. Just for starters, I'm moving at speeds faster than the pony eye can detect and the brain can process. I literally can't see anything at that speed, except for what I was looking at, at the time I utilized the technique. That image becomes frozen in my vision, and doesn't go away until I exit sonido. You don't see where you were traveling until you reach your destination, meaning you can't see what might be in your path. It's very disorienting to basically blink and be in a completely different location."

"Oh dear. That does sound like a problem," Rarity noted.

"It really is," Twilight replied and nodded. "But that's only the start. The next problem is that I can only travel in a straight line, and only in the direction I happen to be looking in at the time. I can't change course mid-travel because my mind can't process the necessary information to attempt such, nor can I overcome that forward momentum while I'm in motion. Super speed without super reflexes is a hazard, not a help. If I tried to sonido my way across Ponyville and accidentally crossed paths with a wall or a tree that I didn't see and account for the position of, I'd go from Twilight Sparkle to Twilight Splattered in zero point two seconds flat."

Rainbow Dash cringed hard in response to that assessment, suddenly very grateful that Twilight hadn't told her about her discovery until now.

"Add to that is just how little good the technique can do, even when all the factors are favorable for its use. Because of the dangers involved with such rapid movement, and the limitations of the pony brain, I can only safely travel for short distances. Six feet away per use is about the limit of what I can safely achieve without running into something, disorienting myself, or putting undue physical strain on my body. As it is, sonido is more parlor trick than practical for a pony to use.

"I honestly don't know if I've simply recreated an imperfect knockoff version of the technique, or if physical shortcomings simply hinder its use. Because if it's the former then maybe more information can resolve it, but if it's the latter then there's really nothing that can done to improve the situation."

Izzy really hadn't been expecting to sit through all of that, nor did she really know what to think afterwards. Glancing at the others, it didn't seem like they were any better off than her in that regard.

The more she got to know about this world, the more she realized just how unlike her own it was.

"... I don't know how applicable this is," she eventually spoke up, "but my first night in Canterlot I sort of saw him just floating in mid air like it was nothing in order to retrieve a book from a high shelf in the library. A friend of mine back home was pretty big on self-levitation, which might be similar to what he was doing. If you'd like I think I could teach you how to do the same thing."

"Izzy, are you saying that it would actually be possible for Twilight to fly without wings?" Rarity asked.

Izzy nodded. "Pretty much. Twilight, you, or anypony with the skill to perform a basic levitation spell. Even Sweetie Belle could learn it. It's just a matter of being able to focus through the sensation of weightlessness."

The explanation about how self-levitation could even be used in tandem with more offensive and defensive spells, based on what Starlight Glimmer could do, never got past the planning state. Rainbow Dash had practically been right on top of her in a heartbeat.

"How soon can you start?"

The sheer amount of enthusiasm in that simple question was a lot more than she'd been prepared to encounter.

"Well..." she paused as she glanced around the room towards the others, hoping one of them might be able to come to her rescue. "I guess I could start giving them the basics while you go get Tank's backpack so it can be worked on?"

"Awesome!" Rainbow Dash announced and pulled back. "I'll be back in two shakes of a pony's tail!"

Before any of them could speak up she was already out the door and gone in a cloud of disturbed dust left in her wake.

"That didn't go at all like I'd expected it to," Izzy admitted as she turned to face the others. "I'm really sorry about that. I honestly didn't mean to get you involved like I did. She just ambushed me like that and I just...panicked."

Rarity simply shook her head and smiled politely. "It's quite alright, darling, we all know how Rainbow Dash can be. And if we're being perfectly honest, I'd much rather we be facing her as she is currently, than when she's consumed by those existential terrors we discussed. Even if, in her case, those terrors largely revolve around the worry that she's an inferior copy of her hypothetical "real self" somewhere in the multiverse."

Twilight nodded in response. "Shallow though it may sound, it really is a sort of disturbing that's not easily moved beyond."

"I never said otherwise, darling," Rarity quickly pointed out and huffed. "I can understand the sort of dread she's experiencing, and I sympathize with her; the worry that your entire life is nothing but a lie, formed from memories that aren't even your own but somepony else's? It can be downright terrifying to experience, especially late at night when you're trying to sleep. I just wish that, once in a while, she'd come up with something different to vent her worries about. That's why I was so glad when we had our little wager going on, it made all the speculation about unknown possibilities fun rather than frightening!"

"Oh..." Izzy mumbled slowly, even though she hadn't been a part of the conversation.

At this point, Spike poked at her flank to get her attention.

"Did your Rainbow Dash ever bite Nightmare Moon in the face?" he asked

"What? NO! Why would she do something like that!?"

"Because ours sure did," he stated, unable to suppress a gin as he spoke. "She was kicking the crap out of Nightmare Moon after she showed herself, and then chomped down on her horn hard enough she had her rolling around on the ground, screaming in agony the whole time!"

Izzy did a full-body flinch in response, feeling phantom sympathetic pains at Spike's account of events that transpired. And while she had no love for the identify of Nightmare Moon, she wouldn't wish that sort of pain on anypony. Especially not when it'd been Princess Luna the entire time.

"Spike, why're you telling her that?" Twilight asked.

"Because it's only a matter of time before our Rainbow asks Izzy how she stacks up to the other Rainbow. So she might as well know ahead of time, so she can do a proper compare and contrast without getting caught off guard again," he quickly pointed out.

"You know, that might not be a bad idea," Izzy admitted. After how easily and how quickly Rainbow Dash had taken her by surprise just a minute ago, being prepared for the hypothetical next time would be a good thing. "But first, I need to ask a question."

She then turned her attention to both Twilight and Rarity.

"Would either of you actually like to learn how to fly?"

High above Canterlot, atop the tallest tower of the palace, at the point of the tallest spire, Ulquiorra stood.

Far removed from the prying eyes and ears of interloping ponies who would see fit to approach him without a second thought, he stood. All the while silently watching, observing, sensing and above all else, contemplating.

Exactly what he was contemplating at the moment, and what the full extent of his contemplation was, was ultimately anypony's guess at the moment, as they had no way of conferring with him. To say nothing of actually being able to find him. Assuming anypony outside of a select few would actually care to try and do just that.

But such matters were of no importance; not to him anyway. He had his duties, he had been assigned his orders, and he ultimately knew what it was that he had to do.

"Discord."

And under the circumstances he currently found himself in, that necessitated unconventional channels being given serious consideration.

"I know that you can hear me right now. I know that you're eavesdropping every time your name is so much as mentioned in passing. So I know that you'll hear when I say I'm faced with a problem that I can't do on my own. I need your help."

If he were a prideful being like certain other Espada, it would likely be a different matter.

"Well, well, well. Now this is certainly an interesting turn of events we find ourselves in, isn't it?"

"You're far too easy," Ulquiorra commented as he slowly turned around to face the avatar of chaos that currently hovered behind him. "Had you resisted another five minutes, I would've actually said "please" in an effort to get you out here."

"Oh? Well now this must be very pressing if you're willing to use pleasantries like that," Discord commented with a smirk. "So, my dear Ulquiorra, what can I do for you?"

"Princess Celestia has tasked me with a new duty in light of certain recent developments I find myself wholly unequipped to address on my own. To find out just who and what I really am, before worrying about whether or not it's something to be concerned about. And to learn about what makes the real me, not the Aizen-approved version of me," Ulquiorra explained.

"Oh really now? How very interesting!" Discord stated in a tone that was difficult to tell if the enthusiasm was genuine or fake.

"We will not be tending to any of that today," Ulquiorra replied flatly.

"I'm sorry, what now?" Discord asked, suddenly finding himself very confused about what was going on.

"Questions relating to what is my true nature do need to be answered at some point in time. And based on previous conversations during our last meeting, you would likely have a better grasp on those answers than anyone in this world," Ulquiorra admitted. "But at present time there are other matters to tend to. Matters that Princess Celestia has neither authorized our involvement in, nor even knows about what we will be doing."

"Lad, at first you had my curiosity. But now, you have my undivided attention," Discord replied, his tone suddenly changing from amused to serious. "So we're going to pull a fast one on ol' Celly, are we? Marvelous, simply marvelous! So what're the details? What's my little Espada got up his sleeve?"

"We've received intel that a villain named Tirek managed to escape his imprisonment in Tartarus. You're going to work whatever chaos magic is necessary to find his location, and I'm going to kill him before he can pose anymore of a threat than he already is," Ulquiorra stated.

Discord suddenly grew quite quiet in response, his face an unreadable mess as he just sort of started in response, drumming his fingers together.

"You want me to help you stop a villain... and you call that pulling a fast one on Celestia?" he eventually asked.

"That was your interpretation of what was said, not mine," Ulquiorra pointed out.

"Listen, lad, I'm all for keeping these ponies safe from serious threats; threats that would utterly ruin my own amusement and fun. But why exactly should I be getting involved in this matter, and trivializing my vast chaos resources on something as straightforward and orderly as chasing down villains and criminals?" Discord asked.

"Because if you don't, I'll tell Fluttershy about your involvement in last week's incident," Ulquiorra warned.

Discord gasped in surprise. "You wouldn't dare!"

"In a heartbeat," Ulquiorra confirmed.

At this, Discord could just groan and sigh in response. "Fine, fine, I'll go along with this, even though it sounds like an utterly boring outing if you ask me. But now you have me curious; just how did you know about my involvement in that little escapade?"

"You just told me about it," Ulquiorra replied.

There was a brief pause, before Discord frowned hard in response and grit his teeth at the realization he'd just been played, rather than being the one who did the playing. That was just plain unacceptable.

But Ulquiorra had actually requested his assistance, and he had agreed to provide him with that assistance. For better or worse that was where he found himself right now.

"Fine then," he grumbled, folded his arms across his chest, and huffed in annoyance.

"Let the fun begin," Ulquiorra replied.

Author's Note

That's how Izzy got to be a name in G5's Equestria.

Ulquiorra said fun. WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!

This chapter was supposed to be done and out THREE WEEKS AGO! But complications just kept developing and making that impossible. Hopefully the end result was worth the wait.

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Six

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Six

The overheard fluorescent lights gave off a steady hum, sounding vaguely like a mosquito with a bad cold. Along with an unsteady, intermittent flickering between dimness and brightness with no discernible rhyme or reason as to the pattern existing as it did, which seemed to exist simply for the sake of existence itself to fill an otherwise existing gap.

It was an annoyance that wasn't needed, but at the same time simply couldn't be avoided.

It was also a distraction that made it difficult to read and focus on the reports that were currently sitting on the worn desk. All that Stalwart Stance could do was let out a frustrated sigh and pinch the bridge of his wheat-colored muzzle while closing his tired green eyes, trying to get his vision to clear up enough to let him try and focus a little bit more.

As Captain of the Manehattan Police Department, he had a lot of responsibilities that were entirely unenviable, and sometimes left him wondering why he'd even gone into policing in the first place.

Being the spokespony for his department whenever it came to press meetings and interviews, defending the actions of his officers, or condemning them if need be, sorting out commendations and reprimands when warranted, and answering to higher-ups that were more interested in politics than solving crimes, were just a few of the headaches and hangups that could made one long for being back on the beat again.

Walking patrols, chasing down fleeing suspects through back alleys, and dodging the occasional crossbow -or magical- bolt fired by said suspects, was a lot more preferable than all of the paperwork that had to be accounted for in the wake of such incidents. But patrol beats and hot arrests were a young pony's game anymore, and he was well past his prime when it came to that sort of involved -and vigorous- physical activity anymore.

"I should've gone into something that didn't involve so much paperwork. But oh no, I've got to have serving and protecting ponies in my blood," he grumbled and sighed while trying to resist the urge to lean back and his cozy -bordering on overstuffed- office chair and just let his head hang back against the broken-in headrest.

He shook his head again, and glanced over to the bulletin board currently occupying the left wall of his office, at the photographs of the numerous victims whose cases were still open, pending, and above all pressing. Even on paper, the terror and helplessness in their eyes was crushing to see. Desperate ponies in need, who couldn't help themselves with their current predicaments.

With a sigh of resolution, and ignoring the creaking of his chair as he shifted his weight, he returned his attention to the file folder before him, determined to do what he could to help them, no matter how small that contribution might be. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Or perhaps in this particular instance, nothing invested, nothing returned.

But the more he fought to focus on his paperwork, the more he found it impossible to tune out all the background noise of the precinct just beyond the door of his office. All the ever-increasing background noise that was practically producing a wave of pressure all its own.

And then came a frantic knocking that practically shook the glass in the door's frame, before the door was opened from the outside by somepony who didn't even wait for him to react before just barging in as if it were their office. Utterly shattering his focus like a used party balloon being reinflated one time too many.

"Cap'!"

He looked up, ready to reprimand whoever had the nerve to just butt in like that, but bit back the tongue lashing when he saw it was one of his Lieutenant officers, with an anxious, wide-eyed look on his face.

The last time he'd seen Steel Feather like this, he'd only been two weeks into the job and still trying to get adjusted to how seedy Manehattan life could be.

He still remembered that incident quite well, even to this day. It'd been a particularly disturbing case for all of them working it. He'd later been found sitting alone in the locker room, his eyes partially glazed over and staring unfocused at the far wall, trying to comprehend how anypony could be wicked enough to... to do what'd been done.

If he was seeing that same reaction now, he really didn't want to contemplate what sort of development had occurred.

"You... you gotta see what Copper Top is bringing in. You're not gonna believe this one," he stated in a clearly distressed, uneasy tone.

He weighed the statement, contemplating it as he glanced between his officer, and then back down at the same papers he'd been staring intently at for the past hour in an effort to make sense of something that might potentially clue them into a lead.

With a weak sigh, he gently deposited the file folder on the desk, before easing himself out of his chair. Maybe a few minutes away and focused on something else would help him.

Steel Feather waited until he was just about at the door before moving and trotting back into the squad room with him close behind, wondering just what'd gotten his precinct in such a state of agitation.

He stopped dead in his tracks, eyes practically going wide at what he saw standing there in the middle of the room. Because "what" was the only coherent description of what he was seeing for himself.

It was tall as it stood on its hind legs, like a minotaur or an abyssinian, but not anywhere near like either of those species; its structure and stature was all wrong for being related to either one of those. Just the feet alone were all wrong to suggest any sort of connection.

Its manner of dress was almost as bizarre as it was. For starters, most creatures even this far in Manehattan, didn't regularly bother with clothing outside of special occasions. And those that did, didn't bother enough to try and cover up everything. But in this thing's case there wasn't anything below the neck that wasn't uncovered.

In addition to that, the style was definitely foreign, looking almost like it was supposed to be a variation of a tuxedo, white with black trim and long flowing tails, but it was nowhere near as fancy as what the upper class opera snobs wore for a night out on the town.

The pale, ashy gray skin of its face, and the unkempt black hair atop its head, were an off-putting sight on their own, especially for a species that was accustomed to the idea of total-body fur coverage. But what made it worse was how the contrast really made the eyes stand out. The eyes of a pit viper with their slit pupils; the eyes of a definite predator.

A predator, but not a dumb animal. No, these were eyes that even at this distance, conveyed that an intelligence lurked behind them as they subtly moved about the room in a glancing fashion. An intelligence that rivaled a pony's. This was no beast that'd been brought in, but a sapient being, he was certain of it.

Whatever this... entity... was, he didn't know. Nor did the environment around it as it was being escorted by Copper Top who seemed blissfully oblivious to the way it seemed to disturb the air in the room with its presence alone.

"Go on, get over there!"

The sudden shout from Copper Top as she pushed the entity along to the closest desk in the squad room, and the clinking of the chain on the hoofcuffs currently restraining its upper limbs in the front, snapped him out of the haze that'd overtaken his mind.

And only now did he realize that his officer had something strapped across her back as she walked and guided.

"... What exactly is going on here?"

"Got a report about a strange creature terrorizing ponies. I found this thing standing in the middle of downtown. It had this with it," she stated as she let go of the suspect long enough to unstrap what was on her back and set it down on the desk, revealing it to be a curved sword tucked into its sheathe. Along with what looked like some sort of purse. "Busted this creepy character for carrying a deadly weapon in public and brought the palooka in for questioning."

One look at the entity Copper Top had in custody was enough to suggest it hadn't been brought in through mere physical force alone. The way it just silently stood there, with a posture that practically oozed the notion of it being in full control of the situation, suggested a lot more was going on here than what met the naked eye. Like it was here of its own volition rather than because it was forced here.

"Right," he muttered to himself. "Take our friend here to interrogation room one for the time being."

"Ah, Cap', room one still has the suspect in that carriage-jacking case, we're trying to sweat him," one of the other officers in the room pointed out. "We'll put it in room two, that one's empty."

Whatever. He didn't feel like grousing about minor details right now, he just wanted the thing out of his sight. Just being around it was enough to make him feel like his lungs were forgetting how to function. How Copper Top seemed to be immune to it all was a mystery. Maybe it was youth and he really was getting too old to do the job anymore.

"You heard him, come on!" Copper Top yelled as she started shoving again.

As Captain of the Manehattan Police Department, Stalwart Stance had seen a lot of things in his time. From the mundane to the fantastical, to the downright unbelievable. But what he'd just witnessed felt like it easily topped every experience he could've had in his time here. That... for lack of a better descriptor, being... was unlike anything he'd ever encountered before. Unlike anything he'd even heard about before. Even after it'd left the squad room, its presence could still be felt in the precinct building in an oppressive, all-encompassing manner.

This... this was a primal sort of sensation that he hadn't experienced since he was a beat cop, back when he'd felt himself being watched from the shadows in an ambush situation. He certainly hadn't missed being on the receiving end of it one bit.

To his left, a female pegasus who held the rank of Sergeant made a desperate grab for the closest wastebasket and just barely got it under her chin in time to avoid vomiting profusely on the floor, breaking them all out of their stupor.

"Its eyes!" she choked out in-between coughs and further retching. "Did you see its eyes!? It was like looking into the eyes of the Lord of Tartarus himself! That thing was looking right at us! It came up to the surface to look for new souls, and it picked us to drag back down into the depths with it!"

Ridiculous as the mid-emesis panicking might've been, he couldn't help but feel a little bit relieved that he wasn't the only one who'd experienced a great sense of unease by what they'd just been in the presence of; it made him feel like he really wasn't too old to be doing this job just quite yet.

Although that brief bit of good mood was quickly ruined as his Sergeant started dry heaving.

"Somepony take her to the break room," he instructed. "And then get back to work. We've still got a job that needs to be done, this doesn't change anything. We've still got ponies counting on us."

Through some unexplained happenstance transpiring when nopony was looking, "get back to work" had apparently ended up being interpreted/translated as "last one to interrogation room two's observation area is a rotten egg!" as numerous ponies in the squad room had piled into the area, huddling behind the two-way mirror to observe out of a sense of morbid curiosity, the strange being that was currently sitting behind the table.

Stalwart Stance just so happened to be one of them.

The way the entity just sat there on the provided chair, staring at nothing in an unfocused manner, was almost as disturbing as when it was focused on them back in the squad room. No efforts to escape, no looking around its surroundings, it hadn't even blinked in the ten minutes it'd been sitting there. It was almost like looking at a living statue. Had it even breathed once while it was in there?

The glass was doing absolutely nothing to suppress the feelings of dread that were practically radiating off of its frame.

When the sound of the door opening was heard, some of them nearly recoiled backwards in surprise from the silence inside the room being broken. And in walked a griffon with oily slate gray fur and spectacles resting on his face. A griffon detective who held the rank of Sergeant and bucked naming trends by being known as Chomp.

Out of everypony at the precinct, he had been the only one brave enough to actually volunteer to do the interrogation, reasoning that the task required a carnivore with a lot of protein in their diet to take the lead.

"I take it you're not from around these parts," he started, his voice distorted through the intercom system as he spoke while sitting down on the other side of the table. "So I'm required to inform you about a few things before we start, just so everything is nice and legal. You have the right to remain silent. If you choose to give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as I've explained them to you?"

Nothing. Not a blink, not even a peep. It was like Chomp was talking to a petrified cockatrice victim.

And then the entity slowly began to move, as it turned its head in the direction of the two-way mirror. As if it could see right through the glass and was looking right at them...

"The mystery behind your brother's murder was solved."

More than a few of them jumped in response to the entity finally speaking up. Some even yelped and fell backwards, landing on either the floor or coworkers. Even Chomp, with his bolstering about how his protein-rich diet would see him through this, wasn't immune to the sudden shock.

But Stalwart Stance remained rooted to the spot by what he'd just heard.

"What-" Chomp started, "what're you talk-"

"The party responsible for the death of Commander and Acting-Captain Ready Stance, of the Canterlot Royal Guard, was found and brought to justice for their crimes against Equestria and its citizens," the entity continued, paying absolutely no mind to the griffon in the room as it continued to address the glass. Continued to address him in a dull, monotone voice that was totally devoid of anything resembling emotion.

Against better judgement, he reached out and pressed the button on the intercom to speak.

"How did he die?"

This wasn't proper at all. But the pain that came from losing his brother was still fresh, and was currently taking precedent over procedure.

"Nightmare Moon returned once again, free from what restraint she was under while possessing Princess Luna's body. She attempted to possess him to use as a tool for her own endeavors. But when she could not control him, she simply killed him instead. When Princess Celestia learned the truth she grew quite furious. When Nightmare Moon was eventually found and confronted she was put to death for what she did. No purification by the Elements of Harmony, no banishment, no petrification into statue form, no forgiveness and pardoning, just straight up permanent death."

Stalwart felt a lump forming in his throat as he uneasily tried to swallow. He still remembered the letter he'd received, filled with all the usual and meaningless statements that went into informing somepony about the death of a loved one. He hadn't even been told how Ready had died in the first place. And to think that...

"Did she suffer for what she did to him?" he asked.

"She did," the entity confirmed with a voice like ice water. "The argument could even be made that the level of suffering Nightmare Moon experienced in the time leading up to her death would constitute outright sadism. She was burned with fire, impaled, electrocuted, bludgeoned, partially disemboweled, forcibly suffocated, had her horn chopped right off of her head, and hit with a concentrated solar death ray of an attack that reduced her body to cinders."

Stalwart shuddered at just how cold and clinical the list had been, almost wishing that he hadn't asked. The answer hadn't brought him the comfort that he'd hoped it would.

"We have business that needs to be discussed."

The sound of the voice returning snapped him out of his own thoughts, and back to the entity it belonged to, still sitting in the interrogation room, and still looking at him through the glass.

They all watched as it raised its forelimbs out of its lap and began to fiddle with the hoofcuffs that were keeping said limbs restrained. And then they watched in horror as the cuffs fell right off and clattered to the table.

Those cuffs, just like all of them the department had in stock, had been made with restraining ponies and other dangerous creatures in mind. Constructed from hardened stainless steel, with specialized enchantments designed to negate an earth pony's strength, and render a unicorn's magic inaccessible so long as they were in place. The only way they could be opened was by having the right key, or knowing a specialized unlocking spell. It'd even been theorized that they could contain an alicorn if the situation ever called for such.

And this thing had just disabled them with ease. It'd simply pressed on the ratcheting shackle with its thumb -he thought it was a thumb, based on what they knew about minotaurs- and applied what looked like the barest of pressure, effortlessly bending the hardened steel structure just enough to pop it loose from the locking system and force it back open.

"Cap'," one of his officers who he couldn't see right at the moment muttered, "that shouldn't be possible."

It shouldn't have been. And yet it had been regardless. In fact he would go so far as to argue that it'd been possible from the moment Copper Top had slapped the cuffs on it in the first place. It'd simply been going along with everything out of its own volition in being brought here.

Chomp's futile protests as it stood up from the seat died in his throat as it turned and casually slid its hands into its pockets, and walked towards the two-way mirror, the glass doing nothing to shield them from its piercing stare.

"I count nine ponies on the other side of this glass. The Captain, two Lieutenants, and six Sergeants. Two unicorns, four pegasi, three earth ponies."

And then, in horrifying fashion, it withdrew one of its hands from its pockets, and slowly began to list them off by race, based on their position by where each one of them stood in the room, in a left-to-right fashion as it gestured at each one of them as if it saw them as plain as day.

By the time it was done demonstrating that the glass was serving no purpose in its existence, pretty much all of them were quaking where they stood. He wasn't even ashamed to admit that he was one of them after what he'd just witnessed.

"What-" he cleared his throat to try and get some of the squeak out of his voice, not wanting to let on just how terrifying this was to experience. "What exactly are you?"

"Exactly who and what I am is a very long, very involved discussion," it stated simply, perhaps even dismissively, as if it didn't believe such a discussion was even worthwhile. "Forcing my way out of this room would be quite easy, but then I would have to justify the resulting expense report to Princess Celestia to pay for the incurred damages. Can you simply open the door instead, and save us all the time and paperwork that would be involved with such a course of action?"

If the previous demonstration of sheer strength and perception had been chilling, that simple statement and request for assistance -at risk of physical damage for noncompliance- was downright terrifying. Ponies were already on their way to open the door from the outside before even being given the order to do so. Not that he could really blame them after what they'd just witnessed. He honestly wouldn't be surprised if this thing could simply tear the door off its hinges after what they'd seen for themselves. That was a headache they really didn't need right now, on top of every other headache they were having to contend with.

Author's Note

So I'm not actually dead. Not that anyone would be able to tell, going by how the story's been updated.

There really isn't any excuse for how long I went between updates, when this chapter is all that I have to show for that time. This isn't even the full chapter that I had in mind. But I didn't feel like going another week without uploading anything, in the hope that the extra time might get me further.

So for the next few chapters, I'm going to be doing something different that I haven't really done before. This is going to be an experiment to write Ulquiorra from the outside perspective of other ponies who have no connection with the main cast. Let's see how this goes.

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Seven

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Seven

The entire... for lack of a better word, debacle in the interrogation room, had been relocated back out into the squad room of the precinct building. After what they'd all seen, what they'd all heard, there was no point in trying to maintain the illusion amongst themselves that they actually had control over the situation, because it was clear that they didn't.

As much as any of them hated to admit it, either to themselves or their coworkers, they'd lost that control from the moment the entity had appeared in their city, and actually allowed itself to be brought into their precinct. The way it could force its way out of their hoofcuffs at its leisure, and see through walls like they weren't even there, went a long way in showing just how futile their efforts really were.

Currently Captain Stance, and good number of other officers were away from their work and their desks, with all eyes on the entity as it stood in the center of the room, standing with its hands tucked into its pockets and maintaining a posture that almost made it look like it was a class professor waiting to give a lecture.

"so then," he spoke up as he tried to reassert some measure of authority and control over the situation. "How about we start from the beginning. Who are you? What are you? And what's your business here? Because, I don't think you came all this way just to tell me about how my brother was killed by a villain we all thought was done for."

"In truth I did not. It was only through sheer coincidence that your familial connection was discovered in the first place, stemming entirely from my arrest," the entity confirmed. "My business here in Manehattan is simple. Princess Celestia has reason to believe that a villain is currently hiding somewhere in the city. I'm here to prevent him from preying upon anymore ponies before it's too late. And going by the contents of your whiteboard, it's safe to conclude the intel about his presence being in the city, is indeed correct."

All pony heads in the room pivoted and swiveled around to the aforementioned whiteboard, and what it had to show. The pictures of various ponies held up in place by magnets at the top of the photos, showing them with empty -bordering on dead- eyes and disturbingly blank flanks, all among an age range far too old to still be experiencing such a plight.

Beneath them, scribbled in black and red marker to varying degrees of legibility depending on who was asked and who did the writing, were details about their respective cases to highlight both the similarities and their differences. And all of them with one very specific and disturbing detail in common across the lot of them; their magic was totally gone. Gone as if it'd just been sucked right out of them, and practically taking their essence right along with it. Gone like it'd never even been there to begin with.

On the one hoof it was a small bit of relief to find out that this could very well be the work of a villain working whatever evil they had in mind, rather than some other sort of development they were entirely unprepared for.

But on the other hoof, it was all still nothing but mere speculation until they got more information to go on.

"Alright then."

Stance glanced over to his right at the pony who was speaking. A detective by the name of Glacier, a big hulking earth pony stallion with a close-cut mane and a black goatee, and probably the most intimidating looking one of the bunch of them.

"So this is the work of a villain, not some sweeping plague that hasn't been identified yet. Who and what exactly are we dealing with here?"

"According to the intel that was received, the villain in this particular instance is known as Tirek. He is a centaur, with the lower body of a pony and the upper body of a minotaur fused together at the waist, standing approximately as tall as Princess Celestia, covered in red and black fur. Through mechanics not presently understood, he has the ability to siphon off a pony's magic and use it as he sees fit; specifically for enhancing his own physical stature and increasing the potency of his own possessed magical abilities," the entity explained.

Stance didn't even have to look around him to feel the disbelief in the room at what they were hearing. It was about as palpable as the aura that was practically radiating off of the entity itself?

"You actually expect us to believe something like that?" Glacier asked, to which several others nodded and mumbled in agreement. "If something like that was loose in Manehattan, somepony would've seen it sticking out like a sore hoof; you can't hide something like that around here. Maybe up in Canterlot where they couldn't spot a bug infestation until it was too late, but certainly not here; we roll differently than that!"

That last part really got the others vocal in their agreement with the assessment.

"You aren't wrong," the entity agreed, "which is precisely why I need your assistance in this matter."

That last part actually quieted down the room, all them abandoning their "us vs them" attitude regarding which city was the better of the two, as they waited to hear what had to be said next.

"Leaving aside the discussion and the matter of whether or not a magic-stealing centaur is believable enough, to be taken seriously enough to treat as a credible threat, we come to the more pressing issue. I need the outside assistance of ponies who're more readily familiar with the layout of the city than I am. First responders are generally a solid starting point when it comes to such matters, as their profession requires them knowing how to get where they need to be, in the most expedient manner possible," it explained calmly.

There was something strangely comforting, but also oddly concerning, in hearing this entity talk about how they were important. Especially after witnessing just what it could do on its own.

"Law enforcement, emergency medical services, fire rescue, sanitation workers, construction workers, anypony whose profession involves navigating the layout of the city at large, and keeping the infrastructure running smoothly. They possess a far greater degree of both knowledge and familiarity that I simply don't have," the entity continued. "As you said for yourself, something like Tirek would stick out and be seen. Meaning that he has to have some way of moving about the city in an undetected fashion. Either by using magical enchantments to allow him to hide in plain sight, or by utilizing the available terrain to his advantage; perhaps traveling under cover of darkness, lurking in the shadows where street lamps do not cover, and hiding in dark tunnels during the daylight hours."

"I don't understand..."

The voice was softer than the others in the room, bringing their attention to the newest arrival; the same pegasus sergeant from previously who'd lost her lunch immediately after meeting the entity. Even now she wasn't looking too good; the hazelnut-colored fur around her face was still pale, and the gray of her irises were still looking glassy. She didn't even look like she was up to standing at the moment, what with how she was trembling.

"Sergeant Cassidy said you could see through the wall of the interrogation room like it wasn't even there. You broke open the hoofcuffs as easily as popping the tab on a can of soda. What could you possibly need from us? How could we possibly help you?" she asked, all the while looking like her weight being pressed against the door frame was the one thing keeping her upright at the moment.

"A legitimate question," the entity acknowledged. "Even my techniques and abilities have limitations on what is possible. Pesquisa, my ability to read the signature of a pony's magic and pinpoint their location in the vicinity, can only tell me so much on its own. For example, I can tell with but a glance that you're approximately two months into your pregnancy, and that none of the stallions in the precinct are the father."

All eyes in the room turned to her at hearing the pregnancy statement.

"You're pregnant?" Stance asked.

"I can still do my job," she insisted, grunting as she pushed herself away from the door frame out of pure stubbornness, refusing to be seen as being any less capable after the revelation.

The entity, unbothered by this development as ponies shifted their position in the room, some of whom were focusing on other matters in relation to the announcement, continued with its explanation.

"But even if I could scan every square inch of the city of Manehattan simultaneously, as I was trying to do at the time Officer Copper Top arrested me, I would still have to know what I'm scanning for. Like the rest of you, I've never encountered a centaur before. I have no idea what sort of readings to be looking for in an effort to try and pin down his location. For all that anyone knows, all of the magic that Tirek has absorbed is serving as camouflage for him; he may register as a large gathering of various ponies all in one location. Which is hardly indicative of anything unusual and out of the ordinary in a city of this size and population density."

It couldn't be denied, that was a very good point. How was one supposed to look for something that they didn't know to look for?

"Hence why I need experts on the matter of the layout of Manehattan, both above ground and below ground, and how to navigate it. Tirek is going to be found through a boots-on-the ground approach to investigative work, not hovering high off the ground where dirt doesn't reside and he can't reach," the entity continued.

"Wait, you're talking about actually getting down and dirty, yourself, in trying to find this character?" Glacier asked. "You in that nice suit, trekking through tunnels and sewers, chasing down possible leads?"

"Correct," the entity confirmed.

"So why you specifically?" Chomp asked. "More accurately, why you exclusively? If this villain is really as dangerous as you make it out to be, why aren't you here with backup? Like a division or two of royal guards who're trained in this sort of thing?"

Mumbles and nods of agreement swiftly followed.

"Princess Celestia understands just how dangerous Tirek can be, how much of a risk he poses to the ponies of Equestria and beyond. The royal guard is made up of ponies, just like yourselves. Ponies whose magic would be easy pickings for Tirek to take for himself; we might as well be feeding him directly. Even Discord, who is technically reformed and working with her, is potentially vulnerable to Tirek's magic siphoning abilities. That is a development that none of us need."

A shared shudder worked its way throughout the room at that last statement. There was hardly a pony alive who hadn't heard about Discord in some capacity or another. And none of them wanted to think about the idea of his chaos magic being used by something potentially worse than him.

"By contrast I have no magic in my body that can be siphoned off and turned against us. I'm quite literally the only one suited to face a villain like Tirek in an open confrontation, because of what I don't possess as opposed to what I do possess."

As odd as it did sound, the whole explanation did make a great deal of sense. Sending the right operative for the right job was just like making sure you had the right class of fire extinguisher for the appropriate fire breaking out. And if this Tirek character could such out a pony's magic, who better than something that didn't have that particular vulnerability.

"Alright," Stance spoke up, "don't take this the wrong way or anything, but why should we trust you? I'll admit, you're certainly making a good deal of sense, and I do appreciate you telling me about what happened to my brother. But for all any of us know, this whole "Tirek" business is an elaborate cover story to make you look like a hero, when you're actually the villain we should be looking at. You could've let yourself be captured and brought here simply to see what we knew."

"It very well could be a possibility. Everything that transpired up until now could be an elaborate act of subterfuge to evaluate the threat level you present to my plans," the entity confirmed, not even bothering to deny the notion, all the while just standing there cool as a cucumber and sounding as dull as glue drying. "That said, I have no intention of leaving the city until my mission is complete. And with all due respect to you and your precinct, there's nothing that can be done to force my departure prematurely. So we find ourselves at an impasse.

"We can either remain distrustful of one another and work apart, with you continually having to investigate reports of a strange white biped scaring the citizens as it goes about its business. Or we can recognize the futility of such an approach, pool our available resources, and work together to tackle a much bigger threat in need of being addressed."

Stance would be the first to admit that he wasn't the brightest pony around, although he was far from stupid. He recognized the fact this thing had them all over a barrel right now, and there was nothing they could do about it.

It was at this point that Chomp trotted over to the entity, and held out his right talon to it.

"Detective Chomp, Sergeant, at your service," he introduced himself.

The entity responded by taking his talon and shaking it. "Ulquiorra Cifer, independent contractor."

"Interesting name," Chomp muttered, but said nothing else on the matter. "The idea that who or what might be responsible for these assaults, is possibly lurking somewhere in the shadows, isn't exactly a new thought to us. We've been recording all of the locations where these assaults occur, and there's definitely a degree of correlation to be observed."

"Wait, wait, wait," Glacier spoke up, "you're actually working with this character? Just like that?"

"I'm really not seeing much choice in the matter. If our friend here is here to do us harm, then there's really not a whole lot we can do to prevent it. And if not, then we're turning down assistance we could use in closing these cases," Chomp explained as he set his talon back on the floor and turned around. "Look, I don't really believe this whole magic-stealing centaur business either, but I don't know what else we can do right now. Every minute we spend on posturing and distrust is another minute we're not getting any closer to helping those ponies. And frankly they don't have time for us to waste."

"I... can't exactly argue with that fact," the female sergeant stated, before trotting her way over and offering up her right hoof. "Detective Sarsaparilla Root. Please don't shorten it to Sassy, I really don't like when that's done."

Stance watched as, one by one, everypony in the room made their introductions. Some more friendly and professional than others.

"Stalwart Stance, Captain of the Manehattan Police Department," he eventually spoke up, going last as far as introductions went, understanding the whole matter was futile.

He then spoke up to address the squad room, as well as anypony else that might've been within listening distance.

"Alright, that's enough chatter. If we're going to be working together to solve these cases, lets get our "friend" here up to speed on what we know so he can keep up. Standing around and talking isn't going to solve anything."

Frankly he just didn't care about the details of how these cases were solved. Sarsaparilla could very well be right about this thing being the lord of Tartarus, as he still couldn't muster enough energy to care, just so long as the cases were solved. They could get into territorial disputes and who deserved credit when lives weren't on the line.

He just hoped that they didn't end up regretting this decision later. Although he had a strong suspicion that they would. At the very least they were involving a civilian in their investigation, in the desperate hope that it could accomplish something that they couldn't do on their own. If the mayor ever caught wind of what was going on here, it was going to be anything but pretty, and that was a cluster headache that he really didn't need right now.

Author's Note

Not much to really say this time around. This was essentially the second half of chapter 136, but I just couldn't get it all done in time.

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Eight

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Eight

Sergeant Sarsaparilla Root slowly trudged her way into the squad room, far too tired to muster the energy to yawn right now, or even fully open her eyes.

The steaming hot liquid that filled the cup currently clasped in her left wing and sloshing against its lid, presented her with absolutely no comfort and deserved to be arrested on charges of false ID for trying to pass itself off as being coffee. Between the late night hours, the early morning sickness, and the stress of the newly-christened "Tirek Cases" that they were all trying desperately to solve before it was too late, she was just about ready to kill for some genuine caffeine right now.

She knew that she shouldn't think and feel like that, but at the same time she didn't know if she had what it took to gaslight herself for nine more months into believing the decaffeinated swill she was forced to choke down was both real coffee, and enough to see her through the coming days.

But at the same time, she really didn't see what other choice she had in the matter. Too many ponies were counting on her bringing her A-game, and failure was simply not an option.

With that fact in mind she threw her head back to guzzle her drink down. And very nearly threw it right back up in the process. She might be able to gaslight herself, but her taste buds were another matter and couldn't be so easily tricked.

Not bothering further, she tossed the cup of swill in the closest garbage can on the way in.

And then she noticed Chomp sitting at his desk, looking as exhausted as she felt and keeping his head propped up with his left talon.

"Hey," she greeted as best she could as she trotted over.

"Hey," he mumbled and yawned, "you good to be here? You look rough."

"I can still do my job," she commented defensively, before deciding to change the subject. "How's our new friend doing?"

"He was still awake and studying at two in the morning when I finally had to get some shuteye for the night," Chomp replied, muttering something particularly impolite as he sat up a bit straighter in his chair to stretch his back.

Root legitimately winced in response. Ever since the reveal about who this guy was, and what he was doing here in their city, it'd been an intense, near-constant cram session not only for him, but also the rest of them. More than a few officers had gone to City Hall to request copies of all of the paperwork for Manehattan. Building blueprints, building permits, subway maps, sewer maps, utility maps, etc. Anything that would give even a hint as to where a creature the size of Princess Celestia could conceivably hide and skulk about undetected.

"That can't be healthy," she noted.

"It probably isn't," Chomp acknowledged. "Growing up, my parents in Griffonstone saw to it that I studied hard for all of my exams. But I've got nothing on this guy, he's like a machine. He's gone for hours without rest or refreshment, or even an inkling that he needs either while studying away. He's like a computer."

"A what now?" Root asked.

"Late into the evening, in-between cross-referencing and notations about the layout of Manehattan's infrastructure, he talked about how things were back where he came from. Over there they have devices called computers; machines that can be taught to learn how to perform complex calculations; like an abacus but far more advanced, to the point it's practically automated. Supposedly one of these machines could do what he's trying to do in a fraction of the time, if given the right commands and informed of what to exclude from the documents. The way he explained it, it could analyze the documents and exclude any structures that don't fit the right size parameters," Chomp explained.

"And you really believe that?" Root asked skeptically.

Chomp shrugged in response. "I believe it'd be arrogant to assume ponies and griffons have a firm grasp on every technological development beyond our borders. A player piano can be made to automatically perform a given song by reading a scroll with pre-punched holes in a specific sequence. We have morse code that conveys letters and numbers in a specific sequence of dots and dashes over the telegraph wires. Would it really be so fantastical to believe that some other race managed to take these concepts further than we have?"

For this, Root had no immediate answer. She hadn't walked in today, expecting a lecture on foreign technologies.

"Whatever. Has Mr. Magicless discovered anything that brings us any closer to solving these cases?"

"Nothing concrete yet. Most of the night was spent calculating out how much square footage would be needed for a creature the size of Princess Celestia to move around without detection. Which in turn is letting us narrow down the area we'll need to search to find Tirek; there's not really much sense looking for a centaur in a tunnel that's barely big enough for you or me to crawl through," Chomp explained.

"I suppose not," Root acknowledged and shrugged, still too tired to really get into this matter just yet. "So where does that put us?"

"I suppose back where we have been the past few days, until he's ready to take a tour of the city and get the layout of the locations he's studying. The maps aren't going to show him where there's road construction or debris that'd inhibit with travel and escape," he stated.

Root gave little more than a noncommittal grunt in response. Being a foalsitter and tour guide really wasn't what she'd had envisioned when she'd signed up to become a police officer.

But then again the occasional call for getting a cat down from a tree probably wasn't what firefighters signed up for either.

The precinct had plenty of cases to solve already, and more were undoubtedly going to be coming in today. She should be at her desk and working, but right now she just couldn't do that. Not without first getting some information.

And at the moment there was only one place to get the information she was looking for. That was interrogation room number two, which was currently serving as an ad-hoc office for the most terrifying individual currently in the entire station house.

The door stood open, practically inviting as it gave an unobstructed view of him sitting at the table, scanning over whatever documents were currently spread out before him.

A courtesy knock was given despite the door being open, before she made her way inside the room in a hesitant trot.

"Hey," she spoke up as she approached, even though it probably wasn't necessary after what they'd witnessed yesterday.

Pale bastard probably knew she'd been approaching before she'd even rounded the corner. Wouldn't surprise her in the least, given what they'd seen happen yesterday with his parlor tricks.

"Find anything worthwhile?"

"Nothing as of yet, aside from the elimination of numerous utility tunnels and passageways far too small for Tirek to move about in. Which in turn eliminates approximately one entire mile of area that would've otherwise need to be searched," he explained in a low and monotonous tone.

She whistled in response. Eliminating a mile of territory that'd otherwise have to be walked? She and her hooves were all for results like that.

But now, there were other pressing matters to tend to. Matters that warranted her walking around to the other side of the table that currently held stacks of paper, and rear up onto her hind legs to brace herself against said table.

"Was it really necessary to out me as pregnant to the entire squad room like you did yesterday?"

Previously, he hadn't shown any signs of even regarding her presence. But now he looked like he'd actually stopped what he was doing, and turned his attention to her.

"Ponies already think that I got this position thanks to nepotism, simply because I'm not as book-smart as others. I don't need them thinking I'm a fragile liability on top of everything else. Even now they're looking at me differently; I can feel it in their eyes. They're gonna try and reassign me to desk duty."

Perhaps it wasn't the best thing to say right now. But it'd been a worry that'd been on her mind ever since he'd shown up and shown off what he could do.

"I apologize."

She really hadn't expected to hear that; not from this cold character at least. And it'd been delivered so simply, she wasn't certain she'd actually heard him right at first.

"Admittedly, the matter could've been handled in a different fashion than what was done yesterday. There were several other options that would've theoretically worked just the same; such as identifying the species of the suspect in interrogation room one yesterday. But at the time it was the most straightforward and concise option available for emphasizing why I need the assistance of those more readily familiar with the city of Manehattan than I am."

Root's being at a loss for words really wasn't improving as the situation continued. She'd gotten both an apology, an admission of being wrong, and even an explanation behind the reasoning of the decision. That was all far more than she'd hoped for when she'd made the decision to walk in here just a couple of minutes ago.

How was it possible for somepo... for something to be so chill, polite, and still leave her feeling so unbalanaced after a simple exchange?

"Right..." she replied slowly, not sure how to respond to that. "So... did you plan on interviewing the victims at the hospital? To see if their accounts of events corroborate anything you're doing?"

"There would be no point in such an endeavor being undertaken," he explained, all the while keeping his focus on the sheets and documents before him. "The Manehattan Police Department has already seen to interviewing the victims, and performed any corroboration that could actually be performed under the given circumstances; as evidenced by the details below each of their photos on the whiteboard. My asking them any questions would serve no constructive benefit, and in fact would only serve to make the matter worse for everypony involved."

"... I'm not sure I follow," Root admitted, feeling lost as to what he was saying. "How would it make things worse?"

"The ponies of Manehattan aren't accustomed to my presence in the city; as evidenced by my arrest yesterday. To them I'm a frightful, disturbing entity that evokes fear on sight. If I walked into the hospital and began interrogating ponies who've already been through a harrowing experience, it would only cause them greater distress and worsen their conditions. To say nothing of what it would do to the staff working there. Even if I were accompanied by a police escort and introduced as a specialist, this still wouldn't serve to settle their unease," he explained calmly.

She thought about what he said, and couldn't deny that it made sense. He'd scared all of them just by being there yesterday, and they were all able-bodied ponies who had experience dealing with harrowing situations. She really didn't want to think of what he might do to a hospital full of ponies who weren't in that good of condition.

"Going by the reaction of your coworkers yesterday when informed about Tirek's possible involvement, it's reasonable to conclude one of two things. Either none of the victims saw anything that resembled a centaur at the time of their attack, or they did see him and simply have no recollection of such a development occurring, for whatever reason that may be. Perhaps having their magic drained serve to compromise their memory. Perhaps they believed it was a hallucination. Whatever the reasoning, they didn't report it, and there's no point subjecting them to further trauma via an interrogation to see if they're withholding details that would only serve to confirm what is already known."

Another good point that she'd missed. And one gathered simply by going from the brief responses of others? Whatever he was, he was good.

"Beyond that, the available time frame is simply too short to warrant wasting any of it in a fruitless endeavor. What time is available would be better served here, eliminating pointless possibilities so only genuine possibilities are left to investigate."

There was a hint of finality in that last point he'd just made, giving her the suspicion that he was done with both explaining the reasoning behind his actions, and demonstrating that his brain was working at a level that easily dwarfed theirs in terms of analytical thinking.

"... Is there anything that we actually can do to speed up this investigation? Or are we just going to get in your way?" she eventually asked.

He had no immediate response to her question. And the longer he went without verbally answering, it was enough to leave her feeling uneasy and wanting to leave. Had he merely said everything he'd felt needed to be said, and didn't see the point in communicating further?

"Should word of another victim come in, alert me to the development immediately. Tirek's trail may still be fresh enough to pick up on and track down."

She'd almost climbed down from the table before he'd spoken up. It paused her for a moment, before she followed through with the motion. At least now she had some idea of what they could do, even if it was just acting as a messenger service.

Before she could actually go back to her desk and get started on whatever pile of paperwork was waiting for her, there was a knock at the room's door.

"Better look alive, you two. The mayor's here, and he's not happy," the officer, Steel Feather, warned them.

"Oh no..." she sighed in response and groaned. "Well this can't be good. He never comes in this early in the morning."

Left unsaid was the fact their illustrious mayor never even got into his own office this early in the morning. So if he were coming down here, this early when normal ponies were getting into work, then he was probably furious and looking to ream Captain Stance a new one. Just like he did every other time he had a problem and wanted to vent to make himself feel better.

"Is it an election year?" the Espada asked.

"For a career politician who wouldn't know what to do out of office, when isn't it an election year?" she asked rhetorically.

The Espada said nothing in response. And instead left her watching at he slowly pushed his chair out, stood up, turned around, tucked his hands into his pockets, and strode out of the interrogation room.

She didn't know what was going on right now, or what was going to be going on, but she suspected it wasn't anything good. And she couldn't help but wonder just what she'd unintentionally set into motion.

Fear of the unknown dictated that she remain present and stay as far out of the line of whatever fire might be coming as possible. But curiosity, the other hoof...

Migraines weren't hereditary in Stalwart Stance's family. Seven generations back, not one member of the family tree ever had a history of being subjected to such a debilitating malady.

The obligatory headaches from work, certainly, but not migraines.

All that said, he was fairly certain that he was going to be an exception to that rule with how he was currently being hammered.

The couch in his office was old and well-broken in, and had seen him through many late nights on more cases than he wanted to think about. But it'd offered him no comfort last night in the wake of what exactly they were dealing with on these newly-deemed "Tirek Cases." He'd woken up stiff, sore, cranky, and more tired than he cared for. And his reward for putting in so many hours was being berated in his own office by one very irate mayor.

He sighed silently to himself, wanting to roll his eyes as he let things play out before him. Agustus Fetlock was not one to interrupt when he was going on a tirade, even though it was so tempting. Experience told him it was best to simply let the bulky earth pony get his screaming done, and then go on with the day with business as usual. He'd heard it all before anyway, so what could he possibly try and intimidate him with that hadn't been threatened already?

"I've got irate, frightened ponies at my door at all hours of the day! Whatever's going on has got the city paralyzed with fear! The public wants answers, and they want them right now!"

Still. It was far too early for all of this, and he was in a surly mood that left him with a short fuse and even less patience than usual. And the more the heavyset stallion pounded on his desk with his hoof, the shorter that fuse got.

His eyes fell on the bill fork currently sitting on his desk, playing host to several different pieces of paper that he needed to get to at some point. It would be so very bad if the vertical spike happened to suddenly find itself right under that hoof just as it was coming down for another slam; it'd probably puncture right through the frog behind the hoof, and come all the way through the other end of the foot before a scream of pain could be gotten out.

So very bad. But in his current mood, also very tempting to attempt and orchestrate.

"Do you have any idea just how badly this is threatening the tourist industry this city enjoys? The funding it gets from ponies coming in here all the time? If these cases aren't solved soon, we can kiss all of that goodbye! Budget deficits, quality of life declines, ponies fleeing in terror, it's all on the line! If the public doesn't feel safe, they're going to flock to whoever can make them think they'll be safe! Do you have any idea what that means!?"

"The city might actually get a mayor who'll allocate us an adequate budget, so we can do our job properly for once," he commented derisively, unconcerned with his companion's concerns.

It'd been the wrong thing to say right now, and he'd known it from the moment he'd opened his mouth and let it slip out. And now he was left to watch at the mayor's face went red with rage, as he bit at his lower lip while his left eye twitched as he tried to physically process his own fury. Idly he wondered if it was possible for the irate politician to hit a level of rage that would make him stroke out on the spot.

"Don't you try and be cute with me!" he bellowed furiously as he found his ability to talk again. "Lemme remind me of one very simple fact; you work for me! I can have you fired at the drop of a hat! Your entire department can be disbanded before lunch! And if I don't start seeing results soon, that's exactly what's going to happen; I'll clean this precinct out and get some police in here who actually know how to do their job and do it right!"

Stance's idle thought of orchestrating the bill fork finding its way under the mayor's hoof was abandoned, replaced by an urging to slap the irate stallion upside the head with his name plaque and emboss his name across his face.

To come into his office and threaten him was one thing. But to march into his station house and threaten those he worked with was another matter entirely, and one that he wouldn't stand for. If Fetlock wanted to do it the hard way, then they'd do it the hard way.

He slowly pushed himself up from his chair, ready to ream the bulky stallion a new one as payback for all the times he'd been shown the same courtesy, but never got that far. Had the barometric pressure suddenly shifted without them knowing? It felt like the air had suddenly grown a lot heavier.

"Mayor Fetlock."

Stance wasn't sure what exactly happened first. He had heard the Espada's voice as he stood in the doorway of the office, standing there in a rather dark and menacing fashion. And he was fairly certain that what he'd felt a moment ago had been its approach.

He watched as the mayor turned around at hearing his name spoken, and immediately seized up and tried to breathe through his nose at seeing who -and what- was addressing him.

"I'll be blunt and get straight to the point, so even you can understand what I'm saying. Get out."

Stance opted to simply quietly sit back and observe rather than interrupting as the Espada took on the task of addressing the no-longer irate mayor. The bluntness of his opener went a long way to suggesting that he didn't need any help in making whatever point he was trying to make.

"I have not slept in more than twenty-four hours since I first arrived. Everyone in this precinct is presently working as hard as they can on this particular matter, even pulling double shifts. And your presence is doing absolutely nothing to assist any of us in that endeavor."

He spoke in a firm, monotone way of address, never once raising his voice, but all the same delivering his words in a manner that carried a weight behind them. A weight that felt almost physical, as if they were somehow spatial and could disrupt the air itself around them. This was... this was something that went beyond a mere commanding presence, and filled with him curiosity as to what might've been behind it.

One quick exercising of the spectrographic sight spell served to give him his answer. And he honestly didn't believe what he was seeing.

Invisible to the naked eye, but currently on full display through the magical filter he was looking through, was a green, dark, borderline miasmic aura being projected from the Espada's body as he slowly stepped through the doorway and into the office. Thick, and heavy, and oppressive like smog.

"You are serving to be a hindrance that we don't need. We don't have the time to devote to resolving your petty tirades. Every minute that must be spent addressing your infantile demands for results being pulled out of thin air simply because you want them, is another minute we are deprived of for getting to the bottom of this matter. There are ponies far more important than yourself to be thinking about right now. Having to wait your turn won't kill you."

The aura was flaring as the Espada spoke. And if he were a betting stallion, he'd put a few bits on it reflecting the emotional fury that was currently being kept out of the voice. It was really kicking up as he went on, flaring almost like it was a bonfire and expanding outward in a manner that almost made him duck down behind his own desk.

But then he noticed something that made it worse. The aura wasn't flaring like an uncontrolled fire, it was... far more organized than that. It was actually taking shape. A shape like... giant ethereal bat wings protruding out from his back as he stood there.

What... what was this thing!?

Maybe Sergeant Root really had been right about him being the Lord of Tartarus.

"Your standing here, screaming for results like a petulant child is actively preventing us from working. If you want results faster, then either grab a stack of documents and start familiarizing yourself with the specifics of these cases, or get out of the precinct and let us get back to our investigation. Otherwise you leave me no choice but to submit a formal complaint directly to Princess Celestia herself. A complaint that will detail not only your abusive behavior towards the public servants of the city, but also your direct interference with their work on an ongoing investigation. How do you think she will respond, after being informed of the petty tyranny that was observed here today, and has to come investigate it for herself?"

Stance honestly didn't know if Fetlock was even listening, or catatonic from fear at the moment. The stallion hadn't said a word the entire time, and not even a squeak had been heard from him as the Espada slowly stepped closer.

"I will say it one last time, and only one last time. Get out," he stated, a note of finality in his voice.

Whatever non-magical spell the Espada had been weaving that kept Fetlock rooted to the floor was broken, as the burly earth pony quickly galloped his way out of the room, staying as far away as physically possible as he exited the doorway at a pace that hadn't been seen in a very long time, outside of making his way to a photo op.

Without a word, the oppressive aura faded, almost like it was tucked away and sucked back into the Espada's body from whence it came.

"What-" Stance started as he spell faded, returning his eyes to their normal hue. "What was that just now?"

"Politicians are an unnecessary nuisance, so I dealt with him," the Espada stated simply.

"That's not what I meant," he replied, even though he'd agree with that sentiment wholeheartedly. "What was with the..." he fumbled for the appropriate words, trying to gesture with his hooves to convey his thoughts. "You had an aura just a second ago when you were chewing Mayor Fetlock out."

"Strange. Most ponies don't see that," the Espada commented, but didn't elaborate further. "Everything will be explained, once Tirek is found and apprehended. Until then, time remains of the essence."

Stance tried to object and make it clear he needed answers. But his protests died in his throat as the Espada turned and walked away, seemingly done with his current business and having no interest in continuing further.

Out of all the times he'd been subjected to disrespect from others, casually being given the brushoff like that had to be one of the weirdest examples he'd ever experienced firsthoof.

And then the smell in his room hit his nostrils like fire.

Almost anypony who actually belonged in the squad room was currently present, seated at their desk and at least attempting to look like they were actually doing work. Anypony who would arguably have a good reason to be in the squad room at the moment was presently standing at the desk of a coworker and doing their best to look like they belonged there right now, rather than out pounding the pavement with their hooves.

They had all had the misfortune of being present when the city's mayor had stormed in and started yelling at Captain Stance, stuck between the rock and hard place situation of sticking up for their boss and putting themselves in the line of fire and being reprimanded, or minding their own business and keeping themselves safe.

And then they felt the approach of the Espada before they actually heard him making his way into the squad room from wherever he'd been. And without him even saying a word, without asking about what was going on, he proceeded straight to the Captain's office as his presence grew more and more oppressive.

The fact that he didn't raise his voice to shout was both a surprise, and an annoyance because it made successive eavesdropping a lot more difficult to pull off.

Hardly an ear wasn't pivoted towards the door, straining to pick up the one-sided conversation that was being had as the mayor was taken to task, and pretty much straight up threatened with repercussions if he remained. All the while Fetlock couldn't even get a word of objection in edge-wise.

By the time the Espada had stopped talking, the mayor was galloping out of the office, and out of the squad room, as fast as his legs could move his pudgy self.

"Did that actually just happen?" Glacier asked in a whisper, not sure he really believed it.

"Looks like," Chomp replied, "the mayor finally met something he couldn't push around."

The Espada had just done, by himself, what so many of them had dreamed of doing on their own for so long, by putting that pompous politician in his place. What's more, he did it all without putting any of their necks on the line.

And after doing just that, he walked out of the office with his hands tucked into like a total boss.

Adversarial though their working partnership might be, what he had just done had been appreciable; even a bit enviable since he'd gotten away with it. And thunderous applause -as well as a couple of hoots of support- from those present for what was done seemed like an appropriate response to give after what they'd just witnessed go down.

And then Captain Stance came out of the office with a stern look on his face.

"Alright, alright, knock it off!" he called firmly. "We've still got a lot of work that needs to be done. And somepony get me janitorial up here. Our "friend" here scared the mayor so bad he pissed on my office floor!"

Author's Note

Originally the dialogue between Mayor Fetlock and Captain Stance was supposed to be more in-depth, more developed, and be the primary focus of this chapter. But the more I tried to flesh out the scene and add depth to the two of them, the more I didn't like it.

I wasted way more time on that hiccup than I should have.

Filler - The Royal Guards Don't Actually Suck

"Excuse me. Can I help you? Do you need directions, perhaps?" Thunder asked.

The entity at the end of the hallway... he couldn't really tell if it'd raised its head or not in response to his speaking up and breaking the silence. Something about its presentation was... off somehow.

But he was aware of it turning around to face him with how its body moved. And he wasn't prepared for what he saw.

It was a cloaked figure alright, but it was cloaked in darkness rather than cloth. What or whoever this vaguely equine-shaped thing was, it looked like what could only be described as a living shadow or, or an oil spill, or inkblot, made up of a blackness that was so dark, it was utterly impossible for any light to reflect off of its structure and let his eyes make out any finer details to its structure.

The only things not cloaked in black were a pair of wide, completely whited out eyes that practically shone in the darkness, and an equally white chesire-type grin that looked far too wide to be normal, that gave off the look of a mouth that was filled with more flat teeth than anypony had any business in having inside of their head.

And then the mouth parted open, giving him only a brief flash of the pink inside its mouth as a tongue extended to lick at its lips and the edges of its maw with a disgusting slurping noise, as if it were looking at him as if he were food!

In that brief instance a sensation crept its way up his spine. A sensation that he hadn't consciously felt in so long, he'd nearly forgotten just what it actually was. Fear. Primal, palpable fear that was alerting him to the presence of danger as all the hairs on the back of his neck were bristling in response. Not even the Espada had triggered a response like this in him before. So help him, he took an instinctive step back at seeing the face of that... thing... looking at him in such a predatory manner.

Without any indication of what its intent might been, the thing let out a shriek unlike anything he'd heard before in his life. A shriek that left him feeling like his instincts were telling him to flee before it was too late; to an extent that even he didn't know if his training as a Royal Guard was enough to overcome the urge!

He must've blinked, because the next thing he knew, the entity was rushing towards him at speeds he couldn't even begin to believe were physically possible, with its maw opened wide like it intended to take a bite out of him!

It chomped down, but he quickly pulled back just far enough to avoid the slamming of teeth against teeth, before immediately following up with a hard right cross right across its face, his leg being driven by instinct rather than conscious thought or intent.

The contact was hard, suggesting there was bone beneath that veil of blackness, and sent the entity reeling back as its body temporarily left the ground from the force of the blow delivered, before crashing back down on the marble flooring and skidding along its smooth surface.

He gasped for air, not sure if he even remembered how to breathe at this point, as he tried to figure out just what'd happened. What was this thing? How had it seemingly appeared out of nowhere? Why was it here? Why was it able to provoke such a frightened response in him when even the Espada couldn't manage that? Why...

All questions on the matter suddenly ceased as he witnessed the inkblot of a pony picking itself up off the ground, seemingly unbothered by the blow it'd just taken. It just shook his head as it got back up onto its hooves, before looking back at him again.

What had started off as a simple matter of possible trespassing had quickly escalated to attempted assault on a Royal Guard. That elevated the severity of the situation significantly. And as such that necessitated a far more serious response.

"You're under arrest for the attempted assault of a Royal Guard. Come along quietly, or there'll be trouble," he spoke as firmly as he could, despite how much fear he was currently playing host to.

The thing looked back at him in a manner he could only assume was perplexed as it stood with its head tilted, eyes open in an uneven fashion, before its teeth became visible in another wide and unnerving grin. It was acting like it wanted there to be trouble.

This thing had every intention of being a threat; not merely to him, but to potentially everypony in the palace. As a Royal Guard of the Palace Division, he knew what he had to do.

"Fine then," he spoke, his voice steadier as he crouched down, focusing his magic towards his hind legs and hooves. "Have it your way."

He lunged himself forward at high speed, leaving a flash of cobalt blue static discharge trailing behind him in his wake as he practically teleported behind the intruder, swerving back around and skidding himself to a halt to face its back. But before he could even get a shot in, before he could even move his hooves to make a grab for it, the thing had whipped around to face him, its head cocked at a particular angle that just didn't seem possible if there were really a skeleton in there.

It grinned at him for one brief instant, before violently lashing out at him and forcing him to leap backwards from his spot to avoid being struck by its hoof slamming into the spot he'd occupied just a second ago.

But he was quick to recover, and as soon as his back hooves touched the floor he launched himself forward again, this time being the first to deliver an uppercut with his left hoof, catching the thing just under the chin and seeming to at least stagger it.

Not letting it get the opportunity to recover, he moved in to grab the thing from behind in a headlock as he'd intended previously, and then teleported the both of them to the top of the hallway ceiling, where they dropped to the ground with him landing on top of the intruder as he planted both back hooves on its back, yielding a hearty thud on impact.

That move had been enough to knock a changeling unconscious the last time he'd used it. So it was reasonable to expect similar results this time around.

But this thing was built different, and had shown no ill effects of being slammed into the ground that he could see, and had responded almost immediately by bucking him right off and sending him flying. It was a development that would've been quite painful, had he not been quick enough to stop his descent with a burst of levitation, and re-oriented himself to touch down on his hooves again.

He was quick to learn the hard way that this was a mistake. The time he spent distracted by controlling his landing so he could reengage, had allowed the thing to close the distance between them and envelop him in a bear hug with its forelegs, effortlessly lifting him up off the floor as it reared up on its hind legs, and proceeded to squeeze him with a truly impossible demonstration of physical strength. Already it felt like his armor was actually starting to bend, and his bones were beginning to strain.

All the while it just grinned maniacally at him as it squeezed, starting intently with those whited out eyes practically boring holes right into and through his soul. Like it had plans for him after it was done with whatever it was doing. Plans that he didn't want to find out about for himself.

Grunting, he focused his magic into the cuirass of his armor to power up one of the defensive countermeasures etched into its structure, using both it and the physical contact to serve as a conduit to direct an electrical charge right into the thing's central nervous system as it held tight to him. The effect was as immediate as it was desired, with the creature shrieking inequinely in pain as it spasmed from the current ripping its way through its body, leaving it unable to maintain its grip on him as it was forced to let go.

He slipped free, touching back down on the palace floor, and followed up by immediately spinning around and delivering a full-powered, double-hoofed bucking right to the thing's face, delivering enough force to send it flying backwards before crashing to the ground once again.

He knew that wasn't going to be enough to affect this thing; not after everything he'd observed since the start of their interaction. Whatever this entity was, whatever it might've been made of, it was impossibly strong in terms of both physical strength and durability. He wasn't even sure Lieutenant Brick Wall would be able to fare well against it.

But he hadn't expected it to already be picking itself back up off the floor this quickly. Already it was practically bouncing back onto all four hooves again, as if everything had done nothing to affect it. And it just started grinning again like it was having fun.

In a disturbing way, it was starting to remind him of the few scant interactions he'd had with Pinkie Pie. But definitely not in a good way by any stretch of the imagination.

He let out a snort of annoyance, narrowing his eyes in a frown as he contemplated how to respond. But the time for contemplation was short as it was already charging him head on again. And even though he knew what his job was, he didn't want that thing anywhere near him.

Wait. That was it! Acting quickly, he deployed a force field around himself just as it leapt into striking distance, allowing it to collide with the outer surface with a loud thud as its outstretched limbs splayed in a splat. And with that done he proceeded to charge forward, using the shield like a snowplow to force the entity back as he slammed it into a far wall of the hall, trapping it between the two hard surfaces.

"Are you ready to come quietly?" he asked as he observed its trapped form, trying to discern any sort of details to its structure that might give some indication of what he was dealing with.

Its only audible response was some sort of guttural growl/gurgle as it physically struggled to get loose, including pushing against the surface of the field with its forehooves as if it might do some good.

He allowed himself to smirk at its futile struggles, certain that it was finally over and the threat had finally been addressed and resolved. But then he stopped smirking as he noticed something wasn't right. He could feel the tension against the field, and his position in relation to it, and then he realized that he was being pushed back. This abominable creature was actually pushing hard enough with its forelegs and against the wall to push him back!

He quickly dug in his hooves as hard as he could, pushing back against it with his hind legs and leaning in to try and avoid losing any ground in the inverted tug-of-war. But even that wasn't enough to overcome the force he was against, as slowly but surely he and his field were being pushed back until the entity was no longer pinned between either it or the wall. And then it just kept pushing, all the while standing on nothing but its hind legs as it did.

At this point it was just going out of its way to demonstrate just how outclassed he really was against it. No matter what he threw at this thing, it didn't seem the least bit bothered by his efforts; he was more or less flailing helplessly against an immovable object, regardless of how hard he tried hitting it.

As much as he didn't want to do it, he was simply going to have to switch gears and try a more unconventional approach to dealing with this problem.

In a flash his shield evaporated, causing the thing to fall off balance and topple face first into a sweeping roundhouse kick that sent it sprawling in the other direction.

"Blendgranate!"

One spoken incantation later, and just as the thing looked up a loud bang, and a bright flash of light erupted around him, sending it screeching in response as it tried to cover its eyes. That would hopefully do the trick, but a little bit of insurance certainly wouldn't hurt...

A followup concussive force blast was delivered to the face that sent it sailing a good twenty meters back before hitting the ground again, would hopefully buy him a few additional seconds to regroup and do what he needed to do. Active offensive magic wasn't having any noticeable effect on this creature so far, other than causing it momentary pain. And with as much durability as it had demonstrated so far, he'd probably have to risk total obliteration of a palace wall to do any lasting good. And not knowing what he was up against, or how many more he might be against, he couldn't risk exhausting his reserves with offensive spell after offensive spell in the hopes of it doing some good.

So with all that in mind as he stood reared up on his hind legs, he'd simply refer to what'd been taught in the more advanced combat classes taught by the Royal Guard, and focus his efforts inward rather than outward. More specifically, refocusing and diverting his magic into his bones and muscles to enhance his own physical prowess to face this threat on more equal terms.

The thing was currently making all manner of incoherent noises, all the while lashing out violently at the vicinity around it as it tried to locate its quarry. Right now that suited him just fine.

His horn was aglow with cobalt light swirling around and over him as he clenched his forelegs at his sides, already feeling the sensation of his skin beginning to grow hot and tight, as he tried to focus, tried to visualize and regulate the correct flow pattern, and above all tried to remain calm in the face of danger.

Experience, hard-earned from countless hours and even days spent practicing the technique, had taught him the hard way that he had to be careful while doing this. If he proceeded too cautiously and used too little magic it wouldn't do him any good. The thing might very well just eat him for all of his troubles before he could accomplish anything significant.

But at the same time, if he proceeded recklessly and tried to force too much magic at too fast a pace, it would put him at the very real risk of bloating himself up to the point his armor would no longer fit -potentially even snapping the leather straps in the process- and leave him practically immobile from being too swollen to move.

He had to do this right, because he knew that he was only going to get one shot of doing this right. And to do that, he had to tune out everything else, from the terror that he was experiencing, to the heated sensations he was feeling coursing through his body like it was his own blood.

The inky black entity was starting to recover from being blinded and thrown, starting to rub its eyes and blink away the after-effects of what it'd been hit by, and started looking like it could actually make out his position even after taking a shot directly to the face. It made him want to try and push faster, but he knew from past experience that he couldn't do that. He just needed a few more seconds for it to work. Just a few more seconds...

A few more seconds that he really didn't have as the thing had apparently recovered enough to go on the offensive and charge him like a ravenous animal at ridiculous speeds. All he could do was brace himself, grit his teeth, and grunt as he took the full force of incoming blow from the initial strike it managed to land with a hoof that felt far too heavy to belong to such a sinewy abomination, and try not to lose his focus as his vision went blurry from the force of the blow upside his head.

It hadn't been ideal. But tanking the incoming blows being rained down on him, including the one to the side of his face like a wild left hook, had given him just enough time to finish his prep work. As such he turned his attention as well as his glare back to the thing that currently had its hoof meeting the side of his head, and immediately returned the favor with a blow delivered with his left foreleg that seemed to stagger the beast far harder than previous blows had managed, toppling it right over as its ability to balance seemingly gave out.

He was quick to drop down onto all four legs again and restrain the thing by both grabbing and shoving it against the closest wall, pinning it in place with one foreleg to stop any possible retreat it could've attempted. Oh it certainly tried to escape, but twisting its right foreleg at a borderline unnatural angle had gone a long way in preventing that from being a possibility.

And with it pinned firmly into place, he proceeded to rain down blow after blow on it with his free foreleg, repeatedly slamming his armored hoof into its face and skull as hard as he could, with the force of the blows and the blood pounding in his ears serving to drown out whatever screaming it might've currently been doing as its head bounced between his hoof and the wall behind it.

It tried to mount a resistance and escape by kicking at him with its hind legs. It tried at least, but with the way it was pinned and against his own enhanced frame, it might as well have been throwing tennis balls at him for all the good it was doing it.

Another blow to the face, and he adjusted his approach to take the wind out of its sails, by readjusting his stance and grabbing one of the thing's forelegs in both of his, before twisting his body around and flipping it over his shoulder to hurl it back-first into the far wall with all of his might, yielding an audible thud against the stone surface as it impacted, before slowly sliding down to the floor and collapsing.

The entity groaned in response, letting out a wheeze as his right hind leg came slamming down onto its barrel, looking like all the fight had finally been driven right out of it as it laid against the floor, firmly pinned beneath him.

But it'd been a feint as it quickly responded in a demonstration he couldn't even begin to process, as it grabbed onto his leg and threw him right off of it like it'd been nothing.

He was quick to recover and get back to his hooves. But then again so was it, standing back up like the beating it'd just taken had been nothing.

"... What exactly are you?"

The thing merely looked back at him as it cracked its neck and rotated its withers, remaining silent but breaking out into another chesire grin, as if it was just getting warmed up and ready to go again!

It went on the offensive, but he was quick to physically intercept and stop the initial blow with his hoof before it could be landed. But even in a more physically strengthened form, with muscle fibers like steel cables and bones like I-beams, he had still felt the force that'd been behind the strike, certain it could've otherwise broken a bone if he hadn't responded accordingly.

But he didn't even have a second to contemplate the finer details as it continued its assault on him, reminding him that he had to focus. Simply being able to tank the blows it landed with its hooves didn't mean he could afford to take it easy, and he was quick to reengage by delivering and trading blows of his own back and forth in a competition of who could take the most physical abuse before collapsing. Including taking advantage of one particular opening and delivering one full-powered, sweeping uppercut right to its vulnerable midsection that practically folded it in half while lifting it right up off the floor, as he reared up and hoisted the thing right over his head and effortlessly held it aloft with a single hoof.

The entity seemed to quickly recover and responded by latching onto his outstretched limb with all four of its legs, but that suited him just fine as he quickly brought it down and slammed it into the palace floor and against the closest wall. Repeatedly. If it was going to try and hang onto him for dear life rather than escape, then he was going to capitalize on the fact and exploit its unintended cooperation for all it was worth.

He might not know how many licks it took to get to the center of the tootsie-pop. But come Tartarus or tinnitus, he was going to find out how many hammer blows it took to bruise the spleen of the abomination stuck on the end of his hoof!

At least until it relinquished its hold on him as he raised his hoof in preparation of another blow and literally back flipped its way away from him.

"Not quite so fun bullying somepony who can fight you right back, is it?" he asked, not really expecting an answer as he set his hoof back on the ground again. "You're not the first one I've ever had to deal with. You're not even the most remarkable one I've ever faced."

The thing actually snarled at him in response, before charging him head on once again. Had he really ended up making it so furious, that it couldn't think coherently?

"Suit yourself."

He spun around, swinging his hind leg outward to trip the entity as it charged, but it simply leapt all the way over him to avoid the sweep, before coming down behind him and spinning around to attack his exposed flank. But he was quick to avoid the strike.

And then he saw that the entity was no longer on all four hooves, but had rather reared up on its hind legs to adopt a bipedal stance like he'd been doing previously. More specifically it adopted a pugilist stance. Did this thing really expect to box him or something?

Whatever. It's unconventional approach to engagement wouldn't help it any in this case. He moved to quickly get in close and go for another uppercut just like last time, only to miss as the thing jerked its entire frame to the side out of his trajectory. It'd be easy enough to write off as the inky abomination getting lucky and just happening to dodge at the right time... if the same hadn't occurred on his followup attempt at landing a blow. And the one after that.

This entity had been quite content to trade blows with him just a moment ago when it had the upper hoof in terms of physical strength. And now that things were more balanced between them it was... what was that lingo again? Jiving and juking? Whatever it was, now that it could no longer overpower him like previously, it seemed rather intent on ducking and dodging, bobbing and weaving, and even back flipping and cartwheeling to do anything necessary to avoid taking a hit. All the while staying just outside of his reach the entire time.

None of it made any sense. He'd been very careful to not compromise his speed when enhancing his physical strength. He'd been certain to not increase his mass to the point he couldn't fit in his armor anymore, as that would take more effort to move. And up until now had been able to keep pace with its attacks and counters, but not anymore. Every kick, every sweep, every lunge, and every attempt at grappling was easily defeated as it managed to stay just far enough back to make physical contact impossible at his current speed.

The way it moved its body about while avoiding him was another mystery, and borderline unnatural; he was starting to question if it even had a skeleton underneath all that darkness.

After about the seventh missed contact, he was starting to understand what was going on. The entity, at having its flank thoroughly hoofed to it on a silver platter, complete with garnish, had changed its tactics and was now focusing on evasion to avoid taking a blow. It was trying to rope-a-dope him into burning through his stamina so he could no longer mount an offense. It was the only thing that made sense.

Well two could play at that game. He had already changed his tactics accordingly to address one threat, he could just do the same again. And that was just fine by him. If pure brute strength wouldn't avail him in this conflict, then he had no use of it at this point.

Another attempt at a roundhouse kick had sent the shadowy fiend back flipping just out of the range of his hoof. But this time it'd been his feint to pull instead of its, giving him room to set back down on all four hooves again.

"Alright. So you're strong."

In an instant the increased bulk of mana-enhanced muscles vanished, returning him to his previous physical state, but the glow of his horn still remained.

"You're even nimble."

Blue-hued arcs of an electrified current began to crackle their way across the surfaces of the various pieces of armor he wore.

"But are you fast enough?"

A flash of cobalt blue static discharge was all that was left in his wake as he lunged forward, practically teleporting just to the left side of the entity to deliver a quick poke with his hoof to its exposed belly, discharging the current in his shoe and sending it into a shrieking spasm of pain that made its whole body recoil as it dropped to the floor.

Before it could even react and get back up again he was already gone, having retreated to a different vantage point that put him well outside of its reach.

"It looks like you're not," he called from his new location, bringing its head all but snapping around to spot him, just as another discharge of blue static was left in his wake as he moved again, hurtling himself past its position.

Contact had just barely been avoided as he passed, but the thing had actually flinched right out of the way regardless to avoid being touched; a fact not lost on him as he applied the breaks and swerved his entire body around to stop and face it again.

The next pass did make contact this time, with the edge of his armor just scraping its exposed side and shocking it in the process, making it shriek once again.

If brute strength wouldn't avail him in this confrontation, if it no longer provided him with the tactical advantage that he needed to perform his duties, then he'd rely on overwhelming speed and maneuverability instead, and dominate this shadowy abomination by not leaving it an opening to retaliate against him. He'd hit it like he hit the changeling that'd impersonated Sergeant Zacharia; only much worse this time around.

A loud, staticy BOOM sounded through the hall as he performed a springboard maneuver and kicked himself off from the wall, up to the ceiling, and sending himself hurtling at his quarry and colliding with it at a straight downward angle, both knocking it to the floor and more or less bouncing himself right off of its body in order to get lined up for another pass.

Another discharge of cobalt blue static as he galloped through the hall and slammed into its and sent it tumbling before disappearing just as he'd appeared.

Another electrified jab to the entity's exposed back as it tried to stand up, before he propelled himself backwards out of its reach before it had the chance to even think about retaliating.

Another pass, putting him right face to face with the abomination, its whited out eyes going wide just before a shocking uppercut was delivered in the vicinity of its exposed chin, sending it sprawling out on its back at it toppled over before he was on the move yet again.

Another series of electrified booms as he angled and bounced himself behind the abomination at it got back up yet again, and grabbed it in a headlock before it could right itself. He teleported away, the two of them reappearing right at the highest point of the hallway's ceiling, as his hooves made contact with the stone structure and diverted every bit of his magic to his coiled hind legs as possible, as he kicked himself off in order to slam the inky entity into the floor as hard and as fast as he could.

The impact was as hard as it was loud, and he'd even felt the stone-cracking forces right through its body. And when the dust settled he remained motionless atop the entity, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath, as the current through his armor fizzled out.

Beneath him, laying in the shattered remnants of the floor's finely polished veneer, the thing showed no signs of stirring. Right now he wasn't certain if it was even breathing or not. Right now he wasn't even certain that he could care about that.

Stifling a groan, he slowly picked himself up and climbed off his improvised perch, and tried to stand back up straight again. That'd been far more physical exertion than he'd initially been prepared for, and he was feeling it now as it all caught up with him.

He was going to need help, and he knew it. Securing the newly-acquired prisoner for transport was too much of a tall order even for him. He needed to find one of his fellow Guards, explain the situation, and get them to assist. Just as soon as his legs stopped feeling like rubber bands made out of solid lead that were threatening to give out under his own weight.

"I need a stamina spell, too," he panted as he moved at a slow, trudging pace.

And then he felt a growl behind him that nearly made his heart seize up.

Slowly, he turned back around, and saw the shadowy abomination was not only conscious, but getting back onto its hooves again!

That shouldn't be possible. That couldn't be possible! He'd hit that thing with everything he had; he'd done everything short of dragging it through the palace and drowning it in the kitchen's sink by holding its face down under the water! How could it still be conscious? How could it still be moving? How was it still alive after all that!?

Those questions and more went unanswered as the thing slowly turned to look in his direction. And the thing looked mad. It felt mad. There was no chesire grin on its face now, only an invisible scowl across its black face as it narrowed its eyes and glared. It glared hard enough that he could practically feel the murderous intent radiating behind those soulless orbs.

He hadn't had anywhere near enough time to recover from the amount of exertion he'd undertaken. The accelerated stamina drain, increased mana consumption, and rapid buildup of lactic acids had left him exhausted, and yet this thing was still looking no worse for wear! It was as fresh as when it'd first gotten here.

He realized only too late that he'd gotten rope-a-doped despite his efforts to avoid it, and now the entity was looking ready to cut loose on him in return.

"Fine," he panted, biting back a groan of exhaustion as he pushed to straighten himself back out again, wishing he'd thought to perform a recharge spell when he'd had the chance. "I can do this all day."

It'd been a lie, and he'd known it. What exactly could he do in his current state? But at the same time, what choice he really have, except to keep engaging it? He couldn't let this thing get away from him and become somepony else's problem. What if it encountered a young Private who was still wet behind the ears and froze up at the sight of it worse than he had? Or one of the palace maids who had no combat experience at all? What if it got to one of the Princesses before they could stop it?

No, it was better if he saw to it himself. Because right now he couldn't get out the call for backup/help even if he'd tried.

"Just you and me. Let's go."

The thing finally cracked a grin, a wicked and malicious grin, and lunged at him.

"Oh no you don't!"

And then it proceeded to get pulled off balance as a flash of gold came into his vision from behind the entity, like the sun cutting through a dark and oppressive cloud.

A flash of gold that turned out to be another Royal Guard arriving on the scene, and currently using the wooden shaft of their spear to keep the thing trapped in a headlock, pulled back on its hind legs and unable to advance as it wheezed and frantically tried to pull itself loose.

A Royal Guard that he recognized as being his fellow Lieutenant, Piercing Lance.

"Strike-" Lance grunted while pulling tightly on the shaft of the spear, "stop screwing around and just kill this thing already!"

It'd taken him an uncomfortably long moment to understand that reinforcements had just arrived on the scene despite his inability to call for help, and was now keeping the entity at bay before it could get to him; effectively saving his flank when he hadn't been able to do that himself.

"... I've already hit it with everything I can think of. Nothing's even slowed it down."

Lance grunted through tightly grit teeth in return as the thing struggled against its entrapment, flailing helplessly while choking as the muscles beneath cream-colored forelegs clenched and pulled harder, pulling the wooden shaft of the spear tightly against its throat just under the jawbone. Leaving him briefly wondering if the strain would be enough to snap the wood right in two.

"Well then just hit it harder! Come on, you slacker, do something to prove your worth around here!"

Harder? After everything that he'd already unleashed? Just how much harder could he possibly hit this entity? Was he expected to throw it out of a window? Grab one of the palace's fire extinguishers and vent the contents down its throat in hopes of suffocation and/or freezing its esophagus solid?

"... I've got one more thing that I think I can try. But I'm going to need at least one minute to get it ready. Can you hold it for that long?"

"I don't think I've got much choice," Lance grunted while holding on tight as the thing did everything in its power to try and break loose. "Alright, you've got your one minute; but this thing is squirrely so make it a fast Manehattan minute!"

Thunder didn't need to be told what to do twice. The moment he had confirmation that Lance would buy him the time he needed, he dropped to his flanks and held up his right hoof, doing his best to concentrate. The only thing that seemed to even inconvenience their opponent was the electrical discharge defense being directed right to its nervous system, so that's what he was going to do. He was going to pool and direct every last bit of mana he had left in his body into his right front hoof, and overclock the defensive charm to yield the biggest electrical discharge he could muster in the time he had available.

The entity's struggle against Lance's restraint had morphed into a struggle against Lance directly, trying futilely to deliver kidney blows to break free, but unable to make any significant contact at the given angles. At best they were glancing blows off to the side, unable to get past the armor and ribs that were in the way.

It then responded by using its whole body, wrenching itself forward with enough force to simply pick up and hurl Lance right over its back, just like he'd done to it moments ago when they fought.

But Lance possessed a far greater level and degree of skill than it did, and completely winked out of sight, teleporting straight behind it in order to turn the forward momentum from the throw into a flying kick to knock the entity straight onto the ground with both rear hooves slamming into its back.

Putting it in an ideal position to be stood on top of as Lance reared up, spear gripped firmly in forehooves, and driving the tip downward to skewer it right through its skull.

Had it not seen the maneuver as it was playing out and retaliated by flipping Lance off of its back at the last moment, it might've just worked and put an end to the whole mess right then and there.

Thunder grunted. The shoe was starting to feel hot against his hoof from the amount of magic he was directing both towards it and into it; practically hot enough to burn by this point, and remind him that this was well outside of the thresholds it was designed to operate in. But it still wasn't enough, he had to focus more. He had to pay attention to what he was doing, not stop and watch his companion's struggles. All he could do was grunt and grit his teeth in concentration.

Lance was not playing around at this point, with horn and spearhead both alight with a fiery orange glow while utilizing a combination of rapid forward thrusts and fancy hoofwork to press the assault in an attempt to bisect or otherwise skewer the entity, forcing it onto the defensive as it backpedaled and did everything in its power short of actually retreating to avoid making contact with the business end of the spear repeatedly coming its way. Never once was the assault let up, forcing it to remain in constant motion and keep its eyes forward to avoid contact with whatever spell was being powered and directed at it. All the while Lance remained hot on its heels.

The outer surface of his shoe was starting to show results for all of his work, as once again arcs of electrical current were dancing all across the surface in search of an outlet. Except this time the arcs were much bigger, and looking much more violent. He just had to concentrate a bit more. Just a little more focus, and it would all be ready.

A loud commotion suddenly brought his attention back over as Lance yelled and thrust forward, utterly burying the spearhead all the way into a marble pillar while just barely missing contact with the midsection of the shadowy entity as it dodged at the last second. Which wasted absolutely no time in bringing its foreleg down and smashing the shaft with its hoof, separating it from the head in a manner that left it looking like it'd been cut through and left perfectly flat and smooth at the end.

Lance, in turn, hardly missed a beat at the development and switched from spear to quarterstaff techniques while whacking the entity upside its head with a sweeping upper swing, delivering enough force to stagger it. Along with jabbing the now-blunted end of the shaft into the thing's gut as the opening presented itself and knocking it back into the pillar once again like a pool ball being sunk into a corner pocket.

By now the coalescing magical energy was starting to make his shoe give off a bright blue glow, with the arcs of electrical current growing larger and more unstable, well outside the point anything like this was ever intended to be done, to the point he could feel his fur starting to stand on end from the proximity. It was almost ready, he just needed a few more seconds...

The entity, having apparently had enough of being beaten with a stick like a pinata, lashed out and struck at Lance's extended hind leg, bending the limb with a loud crunch in a direction it was never designed nor constructed to bend.

"You bitch!"

But Lance was quick to retaliate and brought the spear shaft down in an overhead swing, down on the thing's head hard enough to snap the wood at the point of contact, and delivering enough force to utterly disorient it, leaving it wobbly as it stood.

Orange magic quickly wrapped around the broken limb, forcing it back to its correct position with an audible crunch, and serving as an impromptu splint/cast to hold it there, allowing the fight to continue.

"C'mere you!"

Leaving it open to being grabbed in a choke hold as the remnants of the shaft was used as a baton to assist in the restrain, pinning its right foreleg at a very awkward and painful looking angle while Lance hung on tight, wrapping both hind legs around its midsection while trying to avoid being thrown off like before.

Thunder grunted as he tried to stay focused. The heat was getting to the point of being unbearable, and he could smell the keratin of his hoof starting to cook. The glow was intense enough to hinder visibility and force his to avert his gaze. And the current manifesting its way across the surface of the shoe was intense enough that he couldn't keep it under control any longer. It was finally at the point where the only safe option left was to discharge it.

It was now or never, because there was no way he'd have the strength to attempt this a second time.

"Alright, it's ready! Now get out of there!" he instructed as she stood back up on three of his legs, making ready to use it.

"Yeah, right," Lance grunted while wrapping one foreleg around its neck, struggling not to be thrown off once again. "That's easier said than done right now. Just go ahead and use whatever you've got on it!"

Thunder could do little more than shake his head in response. "If I do that then you'll both get hit at the same time! You have to let go and get out of there before it's too late!"

Lance growled, a level of frustration bubbling up that wasn't often heard from the Lieutenant, while trying to use the improvised baton to whack the entity on the head a few times in an effort to disorient it and stop its erratic struggling, before wedging it into the thing's opened mouth like a bit to try and gag it.

"Alright, when I count three you rush in and punch its ass out through its back! Let 'em have it, you got it!?"

He nodded, tensing his body as he focused making ready to rush in the instant that Lance gave him the signal to strike.

"Alright, one! Two! THREE!" Lance yelled.

And that was when everything went completely wrong.

He had been coiled, cocked, and ready when Lance gave the signal, propelling himself forward the instant he'd heard it, thrusting his hoof outward to collide with the thing's exposed chest. And in that brief second he witnessed the thing somehow managing to overpower, disentangle and hurl Lance directly into the path of the oncoming assault. All the while leaving him helpless to react and avert the blow.

Lance slammed chest-first into his extended hoof, leaving him helpless to watch as the overclocked spell discharged on contact without any way for him to override it, straight into the chest of his fellow Royal Guard. And equally helpless to do anything but watch as eyes that'd been filled with a myriad of emotions up until now slowly faded as they went dull and lifeless.

Lance's body went limp, with forelegs dangling uselessly, weight temporarily supported against his outstretched hoof, before slumping over backwards and dropping onto the ground with a thud, showing the singed chest fur from where his hoof had made contact, confirming what'd just happened.

Immediately all thoughts stopped being about the shadowy entity and on his coworker's well being. He dropped to the floor and immediately began checking for a sign, any sign, that would indicate the attack hadn't done what he'd been intended for it to do, but there was no such luck to be had. The spell had worked just as he'd intended for it to work and sent the recipient into total cardiac arrest; no pulse, no heartbeat, and absolutely no breath.

"No! No, no, no, no, no," he repeated to himself, panic hitting him like a train as the gravity of the situation set in hard. "Somepony! Anypony! Mayday! MAYDAY!"

He scrambled, trying to remember what the proper procedure was for CPR as he started to perform chest compressions. He tried to fire off a spark of resuscitation, tried to do something to get Lance's heart started and beating again, but nothing was coming forth; he was like an earth pony trying to will levitation into being at this point.

He stopped his compressions, listened for any signs that would indicate breathing, and upon hearing none immediately went back to performing more compressions, frantically struggling to maintain his composure for both of their sakes.

"Lance, please, stay with me, buddy, stay with me," he mumbled pleadingly as he tried to mentally keep count of how many compressions he was performing.

Author's Note

So funny story, this wasn't actually supposed to be uploaded at this time.

But those accursed publish and edit buttons are right next to each other, and when you're too busy to actually pay close attention to what you're doing, and what's going on, mistakes happen.

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Nine

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Nine

If the fine -and even the not-quite-so-fine- ponies of Manehattan had any clue as to just how much of their annual taxes went to covering small expenses, like takeout foods for the purpose of fueling stakeouts and investigations, they might just revolt at such facts making the news.

Or they might be very understanding, and agree that it was a worthwhile investment of their paid in funds. When it came to a place like Manehattan and the ponies who made up the city, that sort of development was always a toss up.

On this particularly given evening, the dinner du jour for the squad room was pizza, ordered in from one of the most well-known and established bakeries of such delicacies in the city, Brick Oven's Perfectly Prepared Pies, and picked up by their very own Glacier. Multiple boxes of pies, cheesy breads, salads, and other assorted foodstuffs had been deposited onto the available folding table so the rest of them could come and get their impromptu meals, in an effort to stay fueled up for the late-night work they were going to be forced to log before all was said and done.

For Sergeant Root, it was an unpleasant experience to sit through. The room was awash with various scents and smells for her nose to pick up on, mostly against her will, which left her muzzle wrinkling in both frustration and even disgust.

Her pizza order had been plain cheese and basil. In her experience, it was the easiest to eat and digest under her current circumstances. It was her staple for the past couple of months whenever they were required to work late and pizza was on the menu, though it left a lot to be desired. The current mix of smells weren't doing her any favors on that front, and was serving to make the entire presentation feel less appetizing than it normally was for her.

She looked down at the pathetic offering in front of her and sighed in reluctant defeat, making ready to stallion up and simply eat it and be thankful for what she had, while she still had it. Lest an emergency call come in and she had to drop it and run with nothing.

But she stopped as a whiff of something caught her nose. Something foreign, and different, and spicy, and made her stomach growl in a way it so rarely did these days. It was a smell that was making her feel hungry all over again.

She glanced around the room, trying to figure out the source of the delectable aroma that was serving to tantalize her nostrils and tempt her belly in such a dastardly fashion. Who was eating what, that smelt so good right now?

She sniffed at the air, trying to nail down where the scent was coming from, eyeballing her coworkers as she did in an effort to try and narrow down the possibilities. Broccoli, pineapple, jalapeno peppers, roasted mushrooms, garlic, etc. they were all present, but none of them were what she was looking for. Where was it!?

And then her search brought her attention to the box currently sitting over on Chomp's desk, and the slice currently held in one of his talons.

"Chomp? What've you got?"

"Thick crust, pepperoni palooza," he answered automatically around the hunk currently in his mouth.

The name was enough to send her stomach rolling in disgust. But the smell, the aroma that was coming off of it, was enough to twist that rolling back onto itself as it morphed back into raw hunger all over again, demanding to be fed.

Demanding to be fed with the one thing that was actually provoking her into having an appetite under these conditions. Something that simply couldn't be provided by her own pathetic offerings for this evening.

"... Do you mind if I grab a slice of yours?" she eventually asked.

He paused what he was doing, seemingly lost in thought, before looking like he'd just now heard the question and turned his attention towards her.

"I thought you hated meat."

"Believe me, I do. But right now it smells really good," she stated, unable to keep the hunger-related anticipation/excitement at the prospect of a slice, out of her voice as she spoke.

Chomp contemplated the matter, before slowly turning his box around and opening it as he slid it over in her direction.

"Be my guest."

The sight of the pizza toppings he'd chosen, and the knowledge of what it was, what she was contemplating, were proving to be wholly insufficient for overcoming the delectable aroma that was tantalizing her nostrils right now. She scanned the available slices on display for her, before finally selecting one and carefully picking it up with her hooves.

She examined it slowly, cautiously as she held it before her, hunger and disgust clashing in front of her like mortal enemies locked in equally mortal combat, with the former inevitably proving to be more powerful than the latter. Sniffing at it hesitantly, she found the aroma to be even more delectable up close, to the point it was just short of being overwhelming; it felt borderline intoxicating in a fashion. Carefully, she brought it to her mouth, and bit off the first inch or so worth of the tip to cautiously chew on.

Her eyes involuntarily fluttered closed as a moan of softcore ecstasy pressed against her lips, desperately wanting to be let out into the world at large and have its very existence acknowledged. She was fairly certain she'd be regretting this later on, but right now that just didn't matter to her. Right now the slice in her hooves, and the taste in her mouth, was all that mattered. It was hot, and spicy, and burnt against her tongue in a good way as she chewed, that just urged her to go on.

The initial bite had been a cautious one of investigation, partially guided out of a sense of fear of the unknown. The second one, however, was intentional and filled with both wanton abandonment and desire.

"I think this might be the most delicious thing I've ever had in my life," she mumbled, unable to even care for the fact that it was meat of all things that'd provoked such a response from her.

Chomp simply smiled to himself, watching as she went to take another bite, eagerly sinking her teeth into and through the heavy layer(s) of pepperoni topping that littered the surface like fall leaves on a sidewalk. Root might not've been a carnivore by her nature or trade, but right now she was doing a fairly good impression of one as she ate.

Who knew. This might just be the moment that made her convert over to Team Omnivore.

Before he knew it, maybe before even she knew it, she'd already devoured the entire slice, crust and all, and looked quite happy with the development.

But he could see the hunger in her eyes. She'd gotten a taste of something that she liked, and she wanted more of it, even if it meant licking the greasy goodness off of her own hooves to claim the last vestiges of its presence. He was seeing it, even if she wasn't consciously aware of the fact that she was still eyeing his pizza.

"So," he began, already in the process of peeling off another slice of pepperoni-laden goodness to offer up for her, "has anyone checked on our friend lately?"

Root happily accepted the second slice, immediately biting the tip off before shaking her head.

"Steel Feather asked if he planned on joining us to get something to eat. He said he wasn't hungry," she answered around the piece, before swallowing. "I don't know what to think about him right now. He doesn't sleep, he doesn't eat, he doesn't have magic, he can see through walls? Maybe he really is a machine of some sort like you said? Some new type of automaton?"

In the last thirty-six hours, it wasn't the weirdest thing Chomp had ever heard.

"Maybe," he agreed, before opting to change the subject. "You know, you could pick the pepperonis off and put them on your own pizza, if you want to liven it up and make them go further."

Root looked back at him in mid-chew, before looking back down at the slice she held in her hooves, as if the concept had never even occurred to her before now. She nodded at him, and moved back over to her own desk with what was left of the slice in tow, before working to pick it apart for just such a purpose.

Chomp simply smiled knowingly to himself as he casually observed. She was going to find out for herself just why his topping of choice was called pepperoni palooza as she tried to harvest it all for her own pizza. And he smiled again as he caught sight of her eyes darting around, before surreptitiously popping one of the pepperonis into her mouth to sample it on its own without the flavor being buffered by the cheese and sauce.

Team Omnivore adding to the ranks was looking more and more likely with every passing minute.

But the generally good mood that came with dinner ultimately proved to be short-lived.

The doors to the squad room, old like the rest of the building, not in the best of condition from frequent use, and certainly in need of a drop of oil down in the hinges, announced their opening with a squeak that was far too tired to muster the energy that was needed in order to sound sharp, and had to settle for grating. Grabbing the attention of those into the room.

Standing there in the doorway was a dragon. Sort of.

It was a dragon in the sense it had a scaly body, stood upright in a bipedal fashion on digitigrade hind legs, had horns atop its head, along with forward-facing eyes with slit pupils, and a semi-long/semi-short muzzle sort of beak. But that was where the similarities ended.

What stood before them was not a dragon in terms of either presence or demeanor; not with how its barb-less tail erratically flicked behind it, nor how each of its three toes on both feet twitched, clicking its claws against the old wooden floor in a rapid fashion. There was nothing predatory to be found in its amber-colored eyes as they seemingly scanned the room, never staying fixed on any one point for more than a second or two before moving again.

The dull colors of its scales, largely medium gray contrasted against dark gray belly scales running all the way up to its chin, also didn't inspire a sense of power or awe. Nor the way it seemed to tug at the digits on its front claws. Its short stature was also doing it no favors in terms of intimidation, with the black, stubby, curved back horns perched atop its skull making it look just barely the same height of the average mare.

And the black welding cup glasses that dangled around its neck as it fidgeted where it stood, was just weird to see.

Its entire demeanor practically screamed something they'd seen all too often over the years they'd been in this line of work; fear. This scaly little thing that stood before them was obviously anxious and scared, but of what? Ponies could be scared by a sudden sharp noise, but what could scare a dragon?

"Can we... help you?" Chomp asked.

A small squeak of a noise managed to slip past its scaly lips as it turned his attention to where he sat, almost like it hadn't expected to be addressed and had been caught off guard.

"The-" it finally spoke up in a voice that was anything but dragon-y, pausing like it wasn't even sure what to say, "the desk sergeant up front said I should come here. I think I need to report a crime."

He looked back at Root, who looked back at him, more or less questioning which one of them should take point on this one.

And then Glacier over at his desk, who'd presumably been observing this entire time, proceeded to wolf down a slice of roasted mushroom and green bell pepper pizza in a single bite, before finally speaking up.

"It's alright, I'll take it," he spoke up as he wiped his hooves with a napkin. "Come over here and have a seat."

The others nodded their silent thanks to their companion and his willingness to take point for them so they could eat, as their scaly visitor made its way over to his desk, all the while moving like it almost expected one of the ponies in the room to launch a surprise attack from behind when its back was turned.

"Have a seat," the burly stallion said while gesturing to the available chair in front of his desk.

The scaly visitor regarded the provided chair, before climbing up onto it in order to actually sit down.

"So then. You said something about reporting a crime?"

There was a nod. "At least... I think that it might be a crime."

Glacier had been reaching for his notepad to write in, but paused and looked back up when he'd heard this.

"Maybe we'd better start at the beginning, er... sorry, I don't think I caught your name."

"Kendra."

"Kendra, huh?" he asked, before shrugging. "Bit of an unusual name for a dragon, but whatever."

"I'm not a dragon. Although it'd be nice if I was..."

Again, Glacier looked back up after jotting down the name on his notepad.

"I'm sorry, I think I'm a bit lost. You said you're not a dragon?"

Kendra gave a shake of the head. "I'm not. I'm a kobold."

At hearing this, a lot of what they'd seen had suddenly made sense.

"Whatever," he muttered and shook his head, focusing on getting back to taking the report. "So... I'm just assuming you're female unless I get feedback to the contrary... Kendra, what's this crime you're talking about that you wanted to report?"

"I think that it might be a crime," Kendra repeated while anxiously massaging a knuckle joint.

A part of Glacier wanted to huff in annoyance and urge her to get on with it. But another part was far more patient and understanding of what they were dealing with. If she was already this uneasy, adding more pressure would just make it worse.

With that in mind, he opened the top right-hoof drawer of his desk and rummaged around until he found what he was looking for and pulled it out. He proceeded to produce a six-sided die held in his hoof, approximately the size a golf ball, with a translucent red body that conveyed the image of a ruby, and faux mother of pearl recessed pips on each side.

Kendra, seemingly understanding, gratefully accepted the die being held out to her, wasting no time before rolling it between her digits to give her claws something to do besides remain uselessly empty.

"Now then. You said something about a crime?" he asked.

"I think that it might be a crime," she repeated again, just as uneasily as before. "I really don't know what it is. I just know that something weird is going on over at the Manehattan City Garage. I work as a mechanic there on the night shift and... something's wrong over there. Really, really wrong."

"Wrong in what way?" he asked.

Kendra hesitated, nervously rolling the die between her digits, looking like she was trying to work up the courage to even speak up.

" I... I think it might be haunted."

Glacier's efforts at taking the statement ceased as he slowly turned his attention back to the kobold, wondering if this was some sort of elaborate prank on the precinct.

"I know it sounds ridiculous. But that's the only way I can describe what I saw. What I've been seeing."

"And what is it you've supposedly been seeing, that's led you to this conclusion?" he asked.

"Things have been going missing. Things that shouldn't be in the habit of disappearing. Tools will be gone for days, only to be found later; often in a place that's already been searched over and nothing found. Parts inventories are off in ways that they just shouldn't be."

"I mean... it's a garage. Things get dirty, messy, and disorganized. There's lots of commotion, lots of ponies working on vehicles. Some degree of slop has to be expected, right?"

Kendra shook her head in response. "Not like this. You wouldn't just write it off if one of you misplaced a badge."

Glacier winced in response. If any one of them had done something like that, the chewing out they'd receive in response would be legendary.

"This has been going on for weeks now, and nocreature understands any of it. Even when things get put up where they belong, they still manage to go missing without rhyme or reason; it's all random. Sockets aren't in the order they were sorted into when they were put away in the tool drawers the day before, or they aren't there at all. We're missing six reflector dishes for carriage lights that we only got in last Tuesday. The garage staff has even been working in groups of three to double-check each other's work as it's done when they put stuff back, and it's still happening regardless. And whatever's happening, it's happening when nocreature's looking."

He would admit, there was something that sounded disturbing about that.

"And this is what led you to believe the garage is haunted?"

"No," she replied and shook her head. "But what I saw tonight did. I... I think I might've seen a ghost inside the garage tonight."

The frequency of the fidgeting with the die increased as the tone of her voice grew uneasy.

"You know how, when you look at a bubble, you can see through it but it's still there and being seen too? It was sorta like that. I saw something moving about in the low light of the garage that just didn't belong there. It was like a big bubble, but... but it was pony-shaped. It was just there skulking about slowly, looking so out of place as it moved in an unnatural fashion. I don't know how it got there, or what it was doing there. I don't know if it saw me, or even knew I was there, or was aware that I saw it.

"B-by the time I thought to get over to the acetylene torch and got it fired up, it was gone like it'd never even been there. A-after that happened I quick booked it over here. I-I'm afraid to even go back in there. I don't know if I was followed, or..."

Glacier said nothing in response, simply because he didn't know what he should say right now.

The story that he was being sold, about there being a ghost in a dark garage at night, was just too ridiculous to even take seriously. But at the same time the kobold currently sitting in the chair and fidgeting with his die was scared. As doubtful as the story might be, her demeanor wasn't. Something had given her good reason to be afraid, it was just a question of what that something was.

He was right in the middle of shaking his head, when he caught sight of the whiteboard in the room. The whiteboard that held the victims of the newly christened "Tirek Cases" that they were racing against the clock to try and help.

A mere two days ago, the idea of a magic-syphoning centaur would've been dismissed out of hoof as the works of a deranged mind that couldn't differentiate between fantasy and reality. And now here they were, taking the very idea seriously enough that they'd changed how they were approaching and trying to deal with the situation. Was it really such a stretch of the imagination to believe something else that was beyond their understanding could be going down in their city?

...

With that thought, he pushed himself up from his desk.

"Wait here just a minute."

He trotted out of the squad room, making his way to interrogation room two. If there was any creature in the city who might have a clue about what was going on, it was probably the Espada. He knocked twice on the open door, more to announce his presence than demonstrate basic courtesy as he walked inside without waiting to be acknowledged. The occupant was gruff and straight to the point anyway, and would probably explain why taking the time to exchange initial pleasantries before getting to the point was a waste; something that he'd done already.

Considering the way he'd torn into Mayor Fetlock for throwing a tantrum, that sort of exchange wouldn't surprise him. And he really didn't want to be on the receiving end of it.

"We need your expertise over at the Manehattan City Garage. We just got a report about a string of robberies and vandalism unfolding over there," he stated, getting straight to the point.

"How exactly does such a development concern me?" the Espada asked without even turning away from whatever he was reading in order to address him.

"The complaining witness is currently scared silly because she's convinced she saw a ghost in there," he explained. "I don't believe in ghosts. But last week I didn't believe in centaurs either. So this is more your area of expertise than ours; you're sort of the defacto expert on weird, unexplained happenings around here. Besides, it'd be a good opportunity to get out and meet with the folks who can help you find where Tirek might be hiding. You'd be surprised just how much mechanics know about the city they work in."

The last part had been a stretch, to put it generously. But at the moment it was all he could really think of to try and sell the importance of this matter.

He knew that time was of the essence for helping the others who'd fallen victim to Tirek. But at the same time, they existed to address all crimes going on in the city. And something about this whole matter just wasn't sitting well with him right now.

"If nothing else, at least talk with her and see what you think about what she has to say."

"Very well then," the Espada eventually replied and slowly stood up from his seat at the table.

He was thankful the conversation was as simple as it had been. Because if it'd gone otherwise, he honestly doubted there was much he could've done.

The walk back to his desk was thankfully short and uneventful, bringing them back to where the kobold sat with her back to them, still rolling the die between her claws and seemingly unaware of anything else around her at the moment.

"Kendra, I've got somepony here for you to talk to. He's sort of an expert on matters like this."

She flinched at being addressed, but straightened up and climbed down off the chair to turn around.

"Hel-" she started to say, only to actually see who she was addressing, causing her eyes to go wide as she looked up "-LOOOOOHH MY GOODNESS, HE'S A GIANT!"

The statement got more than a few of the eavesdropping ponies in the squad room laughing in response. But Glacier maintained his composure and tried to frown his immature coworkers back into their best behavior.

"Kendra, this is Ulquiorra. He's here to help us, and is pretty much the defacto expert on weird stuff like this. Just tell him what you told me, alright?"

The little kobold that currently stood before them continued to fiddle with the die in her claws like her life depended on it, all the while staring up at Ulquiorra, looking utterly awestruck -even a bit terrified- like she was trying to comprehend some incomprehensible concept manifesting before her in direct defiance of her understanding of the world. Which might be a very accurate and appropriate description of the whole situation.

"I-it-" she managed to shakily squeak out in a weak voice, looking like she was just short of trembling under the gaze of the Espada's watchful, piercing eyes.

It was a sentiment that most of them could sympathize with. He was one seriously creepy dude, with the fact just barely being mitigated by the fact that he was apparently in their side.

Kendra had eventually managed to speak up, more or less repeating the same story she'd told him about what she'd witnessed and what'd been going on that led her to her conclusion and resulting decision to seek out help from them.

As the account drew to a close, the Espada remained as unreadable as he had been the entire time he'd been here. Whatever was going on inside that head, his expression did nothing to betray his thoughts. It was like watching a statue in Central Park and expecting it to blink if watched for long enough.

Eventually he responded, by reaching into his satchel and pulling out a folded up piece of paper.

"I'll need the assistance of a unicorn with a proficiency in casting magical spells," he stated simply as he unfolded the sheet of paper.

Glacier glanced at the contents of the sheet, and had to do a double take. It looked like some sort of magical rune that'd been traced out of a book, but making heads or tails of what it consisted of was a lot more than he could manage.

"What exactly is it?"

"An incognito spell. When cast it has the effect of rendering the target interestingly uninteresting. Princess Luna uses a modified version for interacting with others when formalities are unnecessary and counterproductive," the Espada explained. "If I'm going to investigate this matter, it would be wise to proceed accordingly, in a manner that doesn't rouse suspicion from onlookers."

Glacier nodded in understanding. That was a very good point, based on not only how Kendra had reacted, but how they themselves had reacted when they'd first seen him. Even with a police escort, he was undoubtedly going to be earning some odd looks as they walked by.

Steel Feather really didn't know how he'd gotten himself saddled with this assignment. But if asked, he'd say that somepony as the precinct had it out for him. How else could he explain getting pulled away from dinner and picked to follow the Espada and the kobold all the way back to the city garage at this hour of night to investigate ghost stories?

Just adding to the matter was how weird it felt to be in the presence of the Espada while he was under the effects of the enchantment that'd been cast on him by Captain Stance. He still knew what it... he was, but he was regarding him like he was just another everyday pony with a bland looking appearance that didn't seem capable of generating any suspicion. Even as he tried to remind himself how that wasn't the case, the thoughts and facts seemed to just slip past him in one of those "Yeah, so what?" sort of fashions.

Standing inside the garage really wasn't helping the matter either, what with how the Espada was just literally standing there and supposedly scanning the area the supposed ghost had been seen in, working whatever freaky sort of not-magic-magic that he supposedly specialized in.

Just standing around and watching a statue supposedly working in ways that he didn't understand, didn't sit right with him. Honestly, given the choice in the matter, he'd rather be talking with the kobold right now, even if she did offend his sense of smell with a pungent odor of old axle grease, oily dirt, and just plain old sweat.

"So..." he spoke up in an effort to try and get a conversation started to fill the silence of the garage, "why are you wearing goggles around your neck like that?"

The presence of the accessory had struck him as just plain odd when he'd first seen them, just dangling there like they'd been. They were old, scuffed, the elastic looked like it'd seen better days and didn't have much stretch left to its name, and looked like they'd easily get hung up on the barbs around her cheekbones if she tried to actually get them up on her face.

"Bright lights hurt my eyes. I can see better in the dark than ponies, that's why I got a job on the night shift. They help," she explained as she uneasily traced her digits along the rubber cups while she spoke.

Now that he'd thought about it, she'd been anxious the whole walk back to the garage. Trying to situation herself between the two of them as she tried to keep up with them, acting jumpy and nervous, her eyes flicking back and forth like she was actually expecting something to just come jumping out of the shadows at them. He didn't believe her campfire story about the garage being haunted by a ghost, but like glacier he did believe the fear he'd been witnessing on display. Something had scared her, it was just a question of what.

"How many unicorns work at the garage?"

Steel Feather didn't want to admit it, but the Espada suddenly speaking up after a long stretch of standing in silence since their initial arrival had caught him off guard.

"Um... two or three, I think?" Kendra replied, not entirely certain herself.

"What was seen in here was no ghost," he stated, both simply and definitively. "Your thief is a mundane unicorn, using magic to conceal their presence from view."

"You can tell all of that, just by looking at the place?" Steel Feather asked.

"With ease. The entire area in which the supposed ghost was seen, is littered with traces of their magical frequency from whatever spell was being used for hiding; as if the guilty party was stumbling around aimlessly, both unable to make out their surroundings and didn't know what they were looking for," he confirmed.

"So, probably not any of the ponies that'd be working here then," Steel Feather surmised.

"Potentially. We'll know more when I have the chance to examine the ponies who work here in the flesh, and perform a compare and contrast with what I'm detecting presently. From there we can confirm whether or not their magical frequency is what's being detected. If if is then they can be questioned about what they're up to. If not, then the guilty party can be tracked down."

"Alright. So whadda we do in the meantime?" Steel asked.

"Crime scene procedures are outside my realm of knowledge or expertise. On this matter, I defer to your wisdom on how to proceed," the Espada explained. "I need to return to my work at the precinct. Should I send word for more officers to assist on this matter?"

Steel paused to consider the question, before slowly shaking his head. Much as he hated to admit to it, the Tirek Cases were putting a huge strain on them. Even if this was something more than just random petty theft, they really couldn't pursue it right now. All they could really do was wait and hold tight.

"We'll... wait and see what you can find out tomorrow. We don't have the resources to spread ourselves any thinner than we already are, tracking down intangible leads," he reluctantly replied.

Author's Note

This chapter took way too long to write and get posted. Writer's block sucks.

Chapter One Hundred Forty

Chapter One Hundred Forty

Stalwart Stance really wasn't liking what he was seeing before him at the moment.

He currently stood atop the rooftop of a very high building, leaning against a safety railing set up to prevent anypony from toppling over and plummeting to their death, as he took in the cityscape of Manehattan was currently laid out before him, in a state of complete and utter desolation.

Black smoke wafted up in the distance, obscuring his sight of the reddish orange skyline as the buildings before him were either smouldering, burning, or otherwise reduced to charred hulls of their former glory. Down below were all manner of sounds of chaos as everything burned or was otherwise laid ruin to.

Making it all worse, was the simple fact that this wasn't the first time he'd been here and seen this particular 'scape on display for all its horrific glory. Nor would it likely be the last time he ever saw it, either.

When one went into police work, sleepless nights and bad dreams was all just part of the price that was paid in the line of duty. That was really all there was to it, and there wasn't a darn thing that could be done about it, other than learn to live with it.

"Your mind is unusually troubled tonight, my little pony."

And then he heard the soft voice from behind him. A voice that he hadn't had the pleasure of hearing in quite some time.

"That's one way of putting it, Princess," he replied and huffed, "please excuse me for not bowing at the moment. Even in here, I'm a little too tired to manage it right now."

"Oh, now, none of that," Princess Luna replied dismissively as she approached him, until she was standing next to him. Able to take in the same scarred sights that he was. "There is no need for us to be standing on formality here and now."

"I suppose not," Stalwart replied and let out a long sigh. "Princess, do you mind if I ask something? I'm sure there was good reason for it, but why wasn't I told about my brother's death?"

"I am... not certain that I understand your question," she admitted.

"Why wasn't I told about the circumstances? That he was murdered by Nightmare Moon?"

At this, he saw her brow furrowing in response.

"When the letter was sent out, informing you of his passing, we genuinely did not know about her involvement; such details did not come to light until weeks later. And by that time, we had much bigger issues to try and manage," she eventually explained.

He said nothing in response, opting instead for a simple brief nod. It certainly made sense to him, even if he didn't exactly like the idea of simply being forgotten about in the shuffle.

"Now, if I may ask a question in turn? How exactly did you come to know about Nightmare Moon?"

"The Espada told me when he showed up," he replied.

"The Espa-" she stuttered in surprise, sounding like she was tripping over the words in response. "The Espada?"

Stalwart nodded. "Tall guy, pale, dresses in white and carries a sword, walks bipedally on two legs, has all the emotional range of a doorknob."

"Hmm. Yes, that is certainly him," she replied and nodded as she huffed. "Then Ulquiorra Cifer is presently in Manehattan?"

That was a question that Stalwart hadn't expected.

"You mean that you didn't know about it?"

She shook her head in response. "I was under the assumption that he was simply keeping to himself in the palace library at the time. He tends to do that when he does not have reason to be out and interacting with others."

Stalwart really didn't like the sound of that.

"Then he didn't come to help us find and stop Tirek?"

"Stop Tirek!? He is on the loose!?" she asked, sounding utterly shocked. But she quickly shook her head vigorously, as if trying to physically clear her mind. "There is too much context missing here. Please start from the beginning. I wish to know exactly what is going on here."

The more Stalwart heard, the less he liked about all of this. But at the moment there really wasn't much that he could do about it, except keep going and hope -and pray- for the best.

"We've been having a rash of random assaults going on here, Princess. All over in Manehattan, from one corner of the city to another. Ponies being sucked utterly dry of their magic like a boxed juice drink, with no indication about the how or the why behind it. We've been at our wit's ends, trying to get to the bottom of it all; everypony's nerves are like kindling at this point.

"A couple of days ago the Espada showed up in town. And, Princess, it goes without saying that he's a really weird looking entity. And in a setting like that, it didn't take long for him to get noticed, cause a panic, and get arrested in the process. He was brought in to our precinct for questioning, and the first words out of his mouth was telling me about Ready's death. Which, granted, I appreciate, but I'm pretty sure the only reason he told me was because of pure coincidence alone.

"Princess, he waited until after he was locked in the interrogation room before he ever spoke up. He undid the cuffs through physical strength alone. He knew we were all there watching, like he could see through the two-way glass and picked us all out by positioning and species; it was like the walls weren't even there at the time. That's... quite the way to make a first impression on others."

Luna's only contribution to the whole exchange was a nod of the head.

"After that and we let him out, because we really couldn't physically keep him contained, he briefed us on what he knew about the situation. About how you had intel about this Tirek character being in Manehattan, how he was responsible for the assaults we've been facing, and how he was there to stop him. How he was best qualified for the job, due to not having any magic that could be stolen," Stalwart continued. "But going by your reaction, I'm guessing that's not actually the case? I mean no offense or anything, Princess, but you're not exactly acting like a mare who knows what's going on around here."

"I suppose that I am not," Luna admitted. "I will not deny, I have no knowledge of what you are talking about. Until you brought it up, I did not even know that Ulquiorra Cifer had left Canterlot. But Celestia is not always in the habit of telling me everything that is going on around us; a millennium of having to do everything on her own is not exactly the sort of habit that can be easily broken overnight. I will check with her in the morning when she awakens, but it is entirely possible that she is the one who dispatched him to resolve this matter while I was still asleep, due to time being of the essence."

"And... if she didn't?" he asked hesitantly. "Princess, when he showed up, he didn't have any sort of official documentation with him, indicating why he was even there in the first place. If he was sent to help us, wouldn't he have at least a letter or something, so the whole arrest thing could be avoided?"

"That-" Luna started, but paused in thought. "I will admit, that does sound a bit unusual, now that you mention it. Unless 'Tia is deliberately trying to keep the whole matter quiet for some reason, a mission of this sort of magnitude and importance would at least warrant a forward notice of his impending arrival, and coordination between the two parties to ensure a smooth transition."

"Then... can we actually trust the Espada, Princess?" Stalwart asked. "Is this Tirek character even real, or are we being played?"

"I am afraid that Tirek is very much real, Captain, and possibly the greatest foe that Equestria has ever faced in over a millennium. And with my history, this is something that I do not say lightly," Luna explained in a very serious tone of voice. "As to the matter of Ulquiorra Cifer? He and I may not always see eye-to-eye on how best to resolve certain issues when they arise, but I can say with absolute certainty that he can indeed be trusted. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I trust him with not only my own life, but also that of my sister, our friends, and our subjects. Without hesitation."

"High praise, indeed," Stalwart commented.

Luna nodded. "Though he is unorthodox in both his appearance, and his approach to addressing matters, I believe he ultimately has the best interests of everypony at heart. And if he is hunting down Tirek, he will not stop until he has found him, and neutralized the threat that he poses to everypony. Even if it means killing him."

"Killing?!" Stalwart asked, caught off guard by just how casually that'd been thrown out there like it'd been nothing at all. "Princess, I know that sort of thing happens; it's sort of part and parcel with what you see in law enforcement. But to hear you say something like that, like it's just one of those everyday things... would he really do something like that?"

Luna nodded solemnly. "If he concludes that such is the best course of action to avoid innocents being harmed, then he will do so with extreme prejudice, without an ounce of remorse or a moment of hesitation, and with all of the skill and efficiency of a surgeon performing a delicate operation."

The casual manner in which it'd all been said, had been far more chilling than Stalwart had been prepared for, and left him feeling a cold shiver working its way up his spine. Even with factoring in some of the stuff he'd seen and heard over the years on the job, this was a whole different sort of disturbing. To have one of their nation's leaders visit him specifically, and lay all of this at his hooves like she was reading him a laundry list, was just too surreal to be anything but unsettling.

The only thing more unsettling, was the situation they were all in, back in the waking world.

"Right now we can't really afford to be too picky about who -or what- we get help from," he admitted, "there's a lot of ponies here who don't have much time left. And anycreature who can work straight through the night without getting tired is invaluable to us, killer or not."

"I am sorry, I do not think I understand. What do you mean they do not have much time left?" she asked.

"The ponies that we think Tirek has been sucking dry? They're dying, Princess. It's not a pretty picture. Empty husks of themselves, lingering on painfully as their bodies just completely shut down one organ/system at a time. Seven to ten days is the longest that any of them has lasted, and there's nothing the hospitals can do except wait, and try to keep them comfortable," he explained solemnly.

"DYING!?" Luna asked in utter horror, her eyes going wide as she spoke. "They are actually dying? Why... why were we not informed of this when it first began occurring? Why are we only learning of this just now?"

At this, he could feel his expression darkening.

"Politics," he grumbled in a resentful tone. "The powers that be who run this city have refused every request we've made for assistance. They're vehemently opposed to the idea of having a bunch of uniformed Royal Guards trotting about and giving the impression that something might actually be wrong enough to warrant their presence. They're far more concerned with maintaining the appearance of everything being alright, than with doing what might be necessary to actually fix the problem at hoof. All while chewing us out for not being able to work miracles with nothing."

Luna let out a snort of disgust in response, muttering something that he couldn't decipher, but knew it was something in a very old and probably arcane language.

"So typical," she eventually growled in a much more coherent tone. "It would seem, whether they be nobles or elected officials, vanity simply does not change. I am sorry you found yourself in such a hopeless situation, there is no excuse for that sort of incompetence."

He contemplated telling her about the meeting between the Espada and Mayor Fetlock in his office, but ultimately decided against it.

"But the idiocy of those fuckbrains aside, what you have told me about ponies dying is very concerning," she continued. "Captain, I admit that I do not know what is going on over there, but ponies should not be dying in the manner that you have mentioned. Tirek has a great many evils attached to his name, but he never killed anypony through draining them during his original reign of terror. Yes, they were in a very weakened state, but they were still alive even after an extended period of time. This is... this is something new, and that in itself is very troubling to hear."

He nodded in agreement. "Like I said, Princess, the Espada's proving himself invaluable to us, by being able to work around the clock without tiring like the rest of us. He's more or less been combing his way through mountains of reports relating to the attacks, and every piece of paperwork relating to the city's infrastructure to try to narrow down where Tirek might be hiding.

"He's calculated out some sort of formula related to the minimum amount of square/cubic inches that something about the size of your sister would need to move about freely and undetected, and is systematically eliminating everywhere that's more than ten percent below this minimum threshold. Several of my officers have even joined in on the mapping process, using his formula to try and shrink the size of the area we'll need to search."

"... On the one hoof, I am glad to hear about the teamwork and camaraderie that is currently taking place between everypony," she stated. "But on the other hoof, I am confused. While the method being used sounds scientific, it also sounds incredibly mundane for Ulquiorra Cifer. He should be able to zero in on wherever Tirek may be hiding with great ease; the same ease as he demonstrated in the interrogation room."

"He actually mentioned something about that. If I remember right, he doesn't know what a centaur should "feel" like, whatever that means, and he can't be certain if all of the stolen pony magic is serving like active camouflage. He's about as clueless as we are right now, so he's having to do it the old fashioned way," he explained.

"Oh dear. Yes, that would certainly be a problem. I had not even thought of that being a possibility," she admitted in a tone that was bordering on being sheepish. "I am so used to him so thoroughly trouncing us in matters such as this, it seems odd to hear about him not being able to do it, and actually brought down to our level for a change."

That really hadn't been comforting to hear. But that was to be expected when the experts were about as clueless at everypony else. And right now there was only one way he could think of to do something about that.

"Princess? What can you tell me about the two of them? The Espada and Tirek? If my city is going to be playing host to these two entities, then I'd like to have some idea of what we're dealing with, what we can expect, and how we should respond."

She contemplated this for but a moment before nodding.

"I will certainly tell you what I can about them. Starting with what is perhaps most relevant to your current situation. Ulquiorra Cifer is not an individual who is motivated by a desire for fame, or recognition, or even praise for the work that he does. In truth he could care less about such trivial matters. If at any point during his investigation, he advises you or the others to stay out of his way and let him proceed alone? He is doing so purely to try and protect everypony who may be caught in the crossfire due to their proximity to him at the time.

"When Nightmare Moon made her return, he advised us to let him tend to the matter on his own, arguing that he was the only one who possessed the mental fortitude to do what was necessary at the time. But at the time we were arrogant enough to believe that we were fit to stand toe-to-toe with him against her. We learned the hard way, just how wrong we were in that assessment.

"Had we simply listened to him at the time, and heeded his words rather than allowing our arrogance and frustrations to guide our actions, a great deal of pain and suffering on the part of so many innocents could have been avoided, and she would still have been within fifteen minutes of making her presence known. I pray that you will never find yourself put into the same position that we were at the time..."

Author's Note

This isn't how I wanted this chapter to go, especially with how long it took to actually write. But what I was trying for, was proving to be unworkable. So I had to improvise and go with something that could actually be done, while trying to figure out how to rework what the original plan was.

Chapter One Hundred Forty One

Chapter One Hundred Forty One

The oscillating fan tucked into the corner of the office whirred with all the physical might that could be mustered from the low setting, which it couldn't go above without causing an unbearably grating racket due to a worn bearing being overloaded by the additional strain being put on it. Right now the colorful streamers tied to the front of the blade cage to serve as white noise were racket enough on their own, without the added chorus of strained metal-against-metal.

Right now it was doing nothing to disperse the humidity or chase away the heat of the morning. But turning it off was still an unacceptable course of action to be engaging in.

The overhead fluorescent lights in the room were humming and intermittently flickering at just the wrong sort of frequency, carrying with them the threat of potentially triggering a seizure in some poor dumb sap who made the boneheaded mistake of looking up at them at just the wrong moment for too long.

The above-mentioned facts, combined with the various invoices and expense reports that needed to be poured over, were all culminating into the perfect storm for grating on Camshaft's nerves and making him silently -and not so silently- curse being the boss of the Manehattan City Garage. Why, for two measly bits he'd chuck it all right out the window, and wash his hooves of the whole mess right bucking now!

"Never should've taken that blasted promotion," he mumbled to himself as he shuffled through form after form. "I was making good money, being a grease monkey and doing oil changes. The work wasn't that bad, the paperwork was a breeze... I just had to get enraptured by the boss looking all clean up in his office and not having oil stains on his coat. What a palooka I was."

Having to manually lathe a new wooden wagon axle from scratch, to exacting size specifications, was nothing compared to the workload he was under these days. Oh, to be young and on the shop floor again.

And then the foul mood he was in, actually managed to get worse as a knock at the open door of his office was hear.

"Hey, boss?" one of the workers called uneasily. "MCPD is here."

Camshaft huffed in annoyance and frustration.

"So help me, if I have to answer one more question about those stolen carriages, I'm gonna-"

"Actually, boss," the employee interrupted, "they're here to investigate our problems."

His complaints died in his throat when he heard this. Motivating him to slowly swivel his chair around in response.

"They're actually investigating for us, not us?" he asked.

The grease monkey of a mechanic behind him nodded in response. "Said they called in some sorta specialist who deals with this sorta stuff."

He'd heard it all for himself, but he just couldn't quite bring himself to actually believe it. This sort of news was definitely not on his bingo card for how the week was going to be proceeding.

With that in mind he set the papers in his hoof back on the desk, before climbing up from his chair.

"Well then. If that's the case then we might as well go out and greet them."

The short trot from the office to the shop floor graced his nostrils with the overly familiar scent of hot rubber, dirty oil, and bad decisions. But right now he had other things on his mind to focus on.

The big, hulking earth pony stallion in the fancy suit jacket with the immaculately styled goatee was easy enough for him to recognize from previous encounters/interactions. But the other one who was currently standing next to him and staring off in no particular direction? Not so much. But his fancy white suit was certainly out of place in an environment like this.

He'd be walking out of here with his jacket a nice shade of wrought-iron gray just from being in the shop's atmosphere if he stood around for too long. The floor where all the work was done, and the very nature of that work, had a way of abhorring white in all forms. Along with a way of trying to address and resolve that abhorrence.

"Detective Glacier," he greeted in a weary tone as he approached closer so he wouldn't have to shout over the commotion of the shop floor. "I can't really say I was expecting to see you here today. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"We got a report about a ghost sighting last night," the burly stallion commented as he slowly turned himself around. "Had a complaining witness at our precinct, afraid to leave the station house like she thought something was waiting out in the shadows to devour her the moment she set a toe out the door."

A ghost sighting? That was the bull they were trying to sell him to explain their being here?

"Uh-huh," Camshaft replied, entirely unable to successfully keep the disbelief out of his tone. "And which one of my guys is it that got spooked by one too many campfire stories like a foal at summer camp?"

"The kobold on night staff."

The statement hadn't come from Glacier, but rather the white-draped character who'd been silently standing next to him the entire time, who hadn't even bothered to turn around once during the conversation. Spoken in a voice that was as smooth as axle grease, and as unsettling as a broken shock.

But more unsettling was what had been said than how it'd been said. He would admit, that wasn't one he could've foreseen.

"And you actually believed that?"

"We don't know what to believe right now," Glacier admitted, "but we don't investigate cases, based on whether or not we think they're believable. We had a complaining witness, we had an obligation to check it out. Fortunately we have a specialist from all the way up in Canterlot to assist us. He's sort of the defacto expert on weird stuff like this."

At least now he had more to go on; like who the strange character in white was, and what he was doing here. And possibly why he didn't know any better than to wear white in the garage. But that didn't necessarily make it anymore easily believable for him.

"During the course of our investigation it was determined that this wasn't the work of some rogue poltergeist, but rather a more mundane explanation. A run-of-the-mill unicorn using run-of-the-mill magic to obscure their visibility for the purpose of sneaking about inside the garage without detection. A fact that would've been left uncovered had it not been for her ability to see in the dark, and pick up on the visual irregularities," the specialist explained. "As a result of this, further investigation into the matter was determined as warranted, to determine whether or not the unicorns currently on staff either are the guilty party, or possess a connection to such."

Camshaft was not liking what he was hearing right now. The possibility that one of this workers could be stealing from him wasn't exactly the most foreign concept to him. But to actually hear it being laid out like that wasn't setting right with him either.

"You think one of my staff is behind this?" Camshaft asked, wanting to make sure he was hearing right.

"It was initially suspected, and even believed," the specialist confirmed. "But further investigation has revealed significant differences; differences that are far too drastic to suggest that might be the case. How to put this in terms you would be readily familiar with? If the unicorns you have on staff could be described as fine-threaded grade-eight bolts, then the culprit that was seen last night would be considered a large nail in comparison to them."

Camshaft idly nodded as he listened to the explanation as it was given, all the while appreciating that it was being given in easy enough terms were relevant to the work hew as familiar with, so that he could actually make sense of what was being said. All very considerate and whatnot.

"Our investigation is complete."

There had been a noted of finality in the statement. A note that left no room to suggest otherwise or even present a question before the two departed. Leaving him to wonder just why it'd been necessary for him to come out here in the first place.

Glacier trotted along at a brisk pace, necessary to keep up with the longer legs of the Espada as he walked. And all the while as he did, he couldn't really shake the feeling like he'd somehow gotten sidelined between last night and today. Like this was no longer their own investigation, and he'd simply not gotten the memo yet.

When they'd set out this morning to investigate the city garage and look for clues, he'd anticipated interviewing witnesses, taking statements, etc. that sort of thing. Not just... standing around and doing nothing while listening to the industrial commotion of the shop floor.

"Exactly what sort of investigation was that back there?" he asked as he worked to keep pace and not get left behind.

"What do you mean?" the Espada asked while never breaking stride.

"I mean that there was no actual investigating going on; not as far as I could see anyway. The whole time we were there, you didn't ask a single question. You just announced our purpose there, and then creeped everypony out with standing around like a statue," he explained.

"It was a successful investigation, revealing what needed to be known about the matter," the Espada stated. "What did you notice between the time of our arrival, and our subsequent departure?"

"... I'm not sure I know what you mean," he admitted.

"The purpose behind our presence was announced upon our arrival at the garage, making the staff aware that law enforcement knew about what was taking place on the premises, giving them the opportunity to react to such news. Specifically, they were presented with both the opportunity and a good reason to be concerned about such a development. Concern that would cause individual fluctuations in their respective mana field. Fluctuations that I would be able to detect with a mere glance, but they would be unable to suppress."

On the one hoof, Glacier couldn't help but think of how useful such an investigative tool would be in their line of work. Sociopaths, psychopaths, whatever the 'path was, not being able to hide behind manipulated body language about whether or not they were involved in a particular crime would be invaluable. But on the other hoof, something like that would also be a massive invasion of privacy. And he really didn't want to think of what sort of conspiratorial rants Chomp would go on if he became aware of such; the bird was insufferable enough as it was already.

"So you were trying to flush out the guilty party back there? See who flinched like a cockroach being exposed to the light?" he asked.

"In a sense," the Espada confirmed. "From the moment we entered the premises, I could tell that none of the unicorns present and on staff were responsible for last night's incident. The magical signatures they possess are far different from what was detected last night, spread all over the garage floor without a second thought for the trail that was being left behind."

"Wait, you did? But if you knew right off the bat that they weren't involved, then why did you stand around for so long, scaring ponies like that?"

"Reconnaissance gathering. Out of all the ponies employed at the garage, they remained detectably apprehensive throughout the entire time we were there. They only showed signs of relaxing once they were informed about what we were specifically looking for."

Glacier frowned as he trotted along. He'd had a comment all prepared and ready to suggest they were apprehensive because of the Espada's unsettling presence. But he'd been too quick in pointing out what'd been picked up; what he himself hadn't been able to pick up on, on his own.

"Suggesting that the garage staff really is up to something criminal, just not what the kobold saw happening last night," he surmised. "We've been suspecting something like that for a a couple of years now. But we've never been able to actually pin anything on them before that wasn't circumstantial at best; like not knowing the carriage they were refitting was actually stolen because the model number plate had been broken off from the wooden frame."

Something like this could be very, very big.

"After you bag Tirek, is there any chance you can hang around a while longer? Maybe spend a couple of days, helping us with closing a few more pending cases that we haven't been able to give the attention they deserve?" he asked.

"That would be unlikely. Stopping Tirek, and saving as many ponies as possible, is the only justification for my being present in Manehattan in the first place. Were it not for his escaping from Tartarus, I would still be up in Canterlot and helping Princess Celestia with the problems that she's unable to deal with on her own," the Espada explained.

Hearing it be put like that, Glacier regretted his earlier comment about Canterlot not being like Manehattan when they'd been told about Tirek actually being a thing and the source of their problems.

"However. Should any leads or connections to such everyday criminal activity happen to be uncovered during the time it takes me to finish addressing Tirek's presence and involvement in the other cases, I would see fit to turning these discoveries over to the proper authorities. So that they might be able to proceed accordingly, in a manner that would actually hold up in a court of law," the Espada continued.

That really hadn't been the sort of response that he'd been expecting to hear. But if assistance was being offered, far be it for him to be ungrateful and turn it down.

"Right... so then. Where are we in hunting down the main quarry?" he asked, ultimately deciding a change of subject was is order.

"Not as far along, as anyone involved in the matter would wish us to be. Even with the help of your fellow detectives pouring over various blueprints, now that the math behind the search parameters had been finalized, there are still many miles of terrain to comb through before we can map out where Tirek might be, as opposed to where he can't be," the Espada clarified. "This city is far vaster than was initially believed."

"Is there any way we could try and force him to make a move? Try and flush him out of hiding and pounce on him?"

"There are certainly methods and tactics that could achieve such a feat," the Espada confirmed. "But trying to employ them in such a confined area, like the city of Manehattan, would result in an exceptionally high casualty rate in the process."

He nodded at the implication of what was being said by not actually being said. All the while silently horrified at what the implication actually was, if this character could speak about such horrifying things with such ease and calmness as if they were nothing. No hesitation in his voice, no discomfort as he spoke, it was like he was addressing a simple laundry list.

It was a small comfort that, even as scary as a predator that the Espada was, he seemed unwilling to go through with such drastic measures. After what he did to Mayor Fetlock, he doubted that they'd be able to stop him if they tried.

Whatever sort of leash Princess Celestia had him on, must've been pretty substantial.

"So all we can do is keep carrying on as we already are. Waiting for him to make his move first," he surmised glumly. "Meanwhile the good citizens of our fine city are sitting ducks to a threat they don't know about, that we can't inform them about without causing a panic, or showing our hoof and losing the element of surprise, which is pretty much the only advantage we have over Tirek at the moment."

"I don't find the matter to be anymore palatable than you do," the Espada confirmed as they walked along. "Every minute that must be spent pouring over city records in search of Tirek's location, is one more minute that can't be spent actively saving those who've already fallen victim to his machinations. One more minute that some of them simply do not have.

"I have to acknowledge and accept the fact that saving every pony that Tirek has victimized since his escape is simply not a possibility, viable or otherwise. All that can be done, is try to keep the casualty count to a minimum."

Glacier nearly winced. The animosity in the Espada's voice as he spoke on the subject was borderline palpable. It was like emotionless hatred or something. Almost like he somehow had a history with the centaur, but was doing everything he could to remain professional.

"You're gonna kill him, aren't you?"

"Do you object to such a course of action?"

He did. He really did. He was both a pony, and a police officer. Professionally, and even emotionally he was supposed to be opposed to snuffing out a life, how matter how rotten and sour it might be. Opposed all the way down to his very core.

But he'd been involved in these Tirek cases for far too long, stretching all the way back to the very first victims, long before they ever had a clue what they were doing, or what was going on. He'd looked into far too many lightless eyes, of too many ponies whose magic had been stolen from them. Too many innocents whose suffering went unheard, because there'd been too few of them for anypony else to care about - too poor for anypony in a position of power to care about. Too many vulnerable ponies who he couldn't help as they just slowly -and painfully- faded away. Too many foals who would never get to grow up and learn what their cutie mark meant for them.

"If you have to, you have to. You're the high-priced specialist from Canterlot who knows what he's doing and all. I just work here. Investigating stolen carriages, chasing down saddlebag snatchers, and occasionally breaking up the odd domestic dispute that we get word of."

"All very vital and important services in a functioning society."

That comment from the Espada had been very unexpected. It sounded almost... complimentary. Like this strange character had respect for the work that they did. Not that he was about to complain, though.

After that he didn't really feel much need to talk further. Conversation just sort of lapsed into companionable silence as the two of them walked along back to the station house so they could get back to their respective work.

"Good morning, Officer."

He stopped at hearing the address directed at him, turning to see who had been speaking. Because that soft voice certainly hadn't come from the Espada just now. His attention was eventually drawn to the presence of an earth pony filly with orange eyes currently sitting next to a pair of tattered blue saddlebags, perched atop a decorative bench on the sidewalk.

Exactly how much of the brownness of her coat was natural, and how much was due to needing a bath was a mystery. Although the purple treble clef cutie mark didn't really look like it was dirty. The sheen of her black tail and mane, done up in spiral braided twin tails, could either be attributed to a buildup of oil or a good shampoo, he didn't know for certain.

One look at her was enough to suggest she was a street urchin and had reason for not being in school right now. Which made for a jarring combination with her happily munching away one of those fancy gourmet hotdogs topped with lettuce, pickle slices, diced onions, chives, and a slice of a hard-boiled egg.

Whatever the case was, theft or otherwise, it wasn't really important right now. He had work to do, and he didn't work truancy cases.

"Morning, kid. Shouldn't you be in school about now?"

Her only response was a mere non-committal shrug as she took another bite, all while eying them and their position.

"Your friend's not from around here, is he?" she asked as her attention -what they had of it anyway- shifted over to the Espada where he currently stood.

"You're correct, I'm not," The Espada confirmed as he slowly just enough to face her. "Just as you are not from around here either. Despite your appearance suggesting otherwise."

At this, the filly's eyes went wide as her collected composure broke, nearly resulting in her dropping her meal in shock.

"You... you can tell that?" she asked in a shaky tone.

"With a mere glance," he confirmed. "You aren't a pony, although you wear the visage of one quite well. Were it not for my unique skill set, such a fact wouldn't even have been noticed in the first place."

Glacier found himself being lost as the exchange unfolded right in front of him. Along with giving the filly a second look as he tried to see what the Espada was supposedly seeing.

"Exactly who you are, what you are, and what your purpose is here in Manehattan, none of this is any of my business," the Espada stated. "So long as no actions are taken that would prove to endanger anypony, then these details will continue to remain none of my business, and I will have no reason to investigate them any further. Leaving you free to continue doing whatever it is that ultimately brought you here in the first place."

The filly merely continued looking at him in a confused sort of terror, nodding stiffly at his words as he delivered a not-so-subtle sort of threat.

And just like that the entire conversation was over as the Espada began walking again. Leaving him having to gallop after him to avoid getting left behind.

"Just- what was that back there?"

"Addressing an outlier before it can become a problem in need of being resolved."

"Uh-huh," Glacier replied, unconvinced. "You sure about that kid back there not being a pony?"

"As certain as Sergeant Sarsaparilla Root is pregnant, and you aren't the father," the Espada stated. "To put into simple terms, all ponies have a unique magical signature all their own. If these signatures could be described as occupying the yellow wavelength range of visible light, hers would be firmly in the red wavelength; specifically blood red."

"That-" he started, but mentally stumbled as he tried to find what he wanted his words to be. "So what sort of creature has a red wavelength signature?"

"Admittedly, I don't know. Whatever it is, it's something I've not encountered yet."

The fact that the Espada didn't have an answer to the question, was somehow proving to be a far more terrifying premise than what he could theoretically discern with a mere glance.

"That's honestly kind of frightening," he admitted.

"These are frightening times that you ponies live in."

Author's Note

So... ever be writing along and your brain suddenly seizes up at a certain point and just refuses to do anymore after that point for a chapter, no matter how much you try to force it? Because it happened to me.

It probably wasn't worth the long wait, but I guess it's at least something.

Chapter One Hundred Forty Two

Chapter One Hundred Forty Two

It could be so incredibly easy to disappear into a crowd in a city like Manehattan. Slipping into a sea of numerous disinterested faces, on numerous disinterested ponies, whose primary concern around this time of day was simply going about their day without any trouble serving to complicate things for them. Ponies who would have a motivation to simply ignore something that might otherwise be conspicuous, simply because they didn't want to get involved.

For one with such a small stature that being at eye-level with most adults would be impossible in most circumstances, this sort of general attitude was doubly beneficial, as it made slipping in and out much easier. Simply weave between and through their legs as they trotted about, don't bump into anypony along the way, and you were effectively invisible.

For her, that invisibility was absolutely crucial. She had to hide, she had to evade, she had to get to safety after that frightful encounter with that equally frightful entity. Right now the sea of ponies was her best -and arguably only- defense.

She bobbed, she weaved, she strafed, she slipped in and out as she made her way to a particular alleyway and slipped her way in, ducking out of sight behind a convenient dumpster. Giving her a much-needed moment to catch her breath.

She was accustomed to hiding in plain sight, blending into the background, and being invisible out in the open like a common vagabond would be to those who didn't like to acknowledge the existence of such individuals. But to be called out so casually, her visage completely shattered with such ease...

Once again she was on the move, galloping her way through the alleyway as fast as she could, until she came to a dead end that was completely blocked off by a large section of chainlink fence, physically cutting off the other side, and visually blocking line of sight with a tattered blue tarp being lashed down behind it.

It was a fence wall, yes, but it was only a barricade in an academic sense. She made her way over to the bottom corner all the way on the left, and pulled back on the loose linkage that was no longer held down in place, until enough of a gap was opened up to let her slip her way inside, as the faulty barrier fell back into place behind her.

The construction zone sat unused, the half-finished framework of the building being erected behind the confines of the barricades essentially abandoned, be it due to worker's striking or project funding unexpectedly drying up prematurely. Whatever the reasoning behind it, none of it really mattered to her. The fewer ponies there were nosing around, the better.

The old cargo container wasn't the best of shelter around. But it was sturdy enough to keep all of the rain and most of the wind out, and one of the doors was permanently stuck partially open from a badly broken hinge that wouldn't let it shut completely. Rendering it more or less perfect for what was being asked of it as she glanced around before slipping inside the opening that was far too small for a fully-grown pony to enter.

Cardboard boxes were, once they were properly broken down and layered up, a surprisingly and serviceably comfortable medium for sleeping on, far softer and warmer than the hard surface of the container's floor, as its present occupant was currently experiencing first-hoof while snoring away.

She looked down at the unicorn colt who was presently stretched out on his back, with his dark blue fur contrasting against the extremely pale blue hair of his tail and mane styled in a sort of bob cut, dark red stylized flame cutie marks, with a lavender scarf wrapped around his neck. And proceeded to waste no time in nudging him with her hoof in order to stir him back to consciousness.

"Hey," she insisted, "come on, wake up."

Groggily -even reluctantly- he stirred and slowly sat up, looking at her with a pair of heterochromic eyes as she sat down her saddle bags and pulled out a gourmet-looking special dog still in its wrapper.

"No time to talk. Here, eat this," she insisted as she all but shoved it into his hooves. "Things have changed. We need to get moving and get out of here."

He barely spared her a glance, already tearing off the cellophane wrapping to toss it aside and bite into his meal. "Our quarry?"

She shook her head. "We've got much bigger matters to worry about than that right now. This city has a human walking around in it."

That proved sufficient enough to halt his metaphorical inhaling of the food in front of him. "Are you sure? A human in Equestria?"

"Well it has the same general physical structure that a human would," she clarified, before quickly moving on. "I don't know what it really is, but it sure knew that I wasn't a pony. It took one look at me and saw right through this disguise like I wasn't even wearing it. And whatever it is, I think it's working with the Equestrians; it didn't even hesitate to out me in front of the police."

He said nothing in response, his focus torn between what she was saying, and what was currently left of his meal.

"Something is going on here, I don't know what it is, but I've got a very bad feeling about this. I think that we need to get out of the city and lay low for a while, until we can get a handle on this situation better."

"But what about our quarry?" he asked just before he finished his food in a single bite.

She shook her head dismissively. "It's too dangerous to be thinking about that right now. Whatever that thing is, I could feel something radiating from its presence; something that's unlike anything we've ever experienced before. And if that thing is working with the Equestrians like I think, then our quarry has much bigger things to worry about than just us."

"How big?"

She looked back at him. The look in his eyes suggested he doubted her assessment of the seriousness of the situation; like he was still holding onto the belief that they could still maintain some level of control and come out on top in this matter.

"Big enough to qualify as a kaiju-level threat all its own. One that we simply aren't prepared for dealing with at this point. And that's just going by what I could feel at the surface level; just the tip of the iceberg," she surmised, before shaking her head again. "This... this goes way beyond any of us. Staying here is too dangerous for us right now. We need to get in touch with Pacific Glow, and we need to get out of the city while we still can. Before it's too late."

Author's Note

Ever be typing along on a chapter and then out of the blue your brain goes and suddenly slams to a halt and say it's not going any further? That happened to me in this case. Not how I wanted to end 2024, but that's apparently how it's gonna go.

Happy 2025 everypony.

Chapter Zero

A Hollow in Equestria

Chapter Zero

If there was one word Ulquiorra Cifer would use above all others to describe his current surroundings, it would be emptiness. A dark void was all that greeted him, regardless of wherever he may look. No light or sound, no temperature or wind, just a black void, and him. He was alone here in the utter nothingness, and that was fine with him. It was strangely familiar, like the vast deserts of Hueco Mundo, but devoid of the white sands and dead crystalline trees. He couldn't really find any reason to care though. Nothingness didn't bother him.

His body refused to move and obey his commands, his limbs unresponsive, and seeming as if they were made of tungsten; not that he was in need of moving right now, but it was an observation his conscious mind couldn't help but make. With no discernible landmarks he couldn't identify his location, or even his basic position. But for some reason he believed that he was currently horizontal, in a lying position facing upward. Regardless of whatever attempt he made to move his eyes, he was unable to truly see anything other than the surrounding blackness; not even his own body which would serve as a stark contrast with its basic off-white coloring.

Another observation: despite his attempts to examine his surroundings, he felt nothing. No outside forces could theoretically be understood, given the visual nature of his surroundings. But a lack of inside forces he could not explain. Despite attempts to move his body, he didn't feel any struggle with its disobedience, but rather he felt nothing at all. Even attempting to move his eyes produced no sensation. Nor was there any detectable sensations from his efforts to blink or to form words. With that brought yet another observation; with their being no sound in this void, there was also no way to hear his own voice when he spoke. Not that he was in any need of his ability to speak as it was just him here. What use was there in speaking if there was no one around to hear and respond accordingly?

Perhaps this was what the "hell" realm that the human woman had mentioned. Was he currently in hell?

"Most certainly not dear boy! At least not quite yet!"

If his eyes were not already open, they would have snapped open at the sudden intrusion to the silence he had begun settling himself into. He was certain that was not a voice he had imagined, as it was not a voice he had ever heard before, and had no reason to recall it. The dialect sounded strange. Was the voice addressing him specifically?

"Yes I'm addressing you specifically! Do you see anyone else in this dark and dreary place I'd be talking to?"

Curious. Whatever the origin of the voice, it seemed that it was able to detect what he was thinking, and respond as if an actual conversation was being held. Perhaps a series of tests were in order to determine the nature of the voice, and gauge it's limitations.

What was his true opinion of Sosuke Aizen?

"I'm not a mind reader dear boy! This would so much simpler if you would address me directly, instead of thinking so darn much!"

More curious by the second. If nothing else this latest development would at least provide something to focus on. There were many questions that could be asked right now, many pieces of the current puzzle to gather. However one stuck out more than others, and seemed the most logical choice to ask right now.

"If this is not the realm humans refer to as hell, then what is it?" he asked even though he couldn't hear or feel his own pronunciations.

"Everywhere and nowhere really. A crossroads between the various dimensions. You're technically between the realm of the living and the dead, for Hollows, and every other living being."

A cryptic answer devoid of anything solid or logical. Frustrating.

"For what purpose was I brought to this location?" he asked.

"That wasn't my doing dear boy. You came to this dimension after your battle with Ichigo Kurosaki when your body disintegrated."

"Who are you? For what purpose did you come here?"

"Who I am isn't important. As to my purpose, that's where things get interesting. I'm aware of you, Ulquiorra Cifer, and I've come to offer you a second chance at life, free from being commanded by Sosuke Aizen and his like, free to do as you wish without having to take orders from anyone! How does that sound to you?"

"For what purpose would you make such an offer?"

"Never you mind that right now. The point is I've come to offer you an escape from this boring void. Anyone would want that if presented with the opportunity. All you need to do is accept my offer. Whadda you say?"

"Assuming I do accept your offer, will I be returned to Hueco Mundo from whence I came?"

"I'm afraid that's not within my powers. You'll be able to retain your form, your memories, your strength, and your abilities, but you'll be in a new world, different from what you knew. What you do once you arrive there will be up to you, but you will be your own entity. No more listening to a Shinigami and taking orders from one who's supposed to be your mortal enemy. In fact there will be absolutely no Shinigami in this world, so you can reign supreme in the matter if you so choose."

"Such generosity doesn't come without its price. What are you asking of me in return?"

"Never you mind about that dear boy. The simple truth is that if you don't accept my offer, you'll continue to remain here in this emptiness in your current state. Surely you don't consider that to be an acceptable alternative to what's being offered before you."

"I have no reason to trust you in your claims. However I also lack sufficient reason to distrust you, other than the simple fact that I know nothing of who or what you are. You may very well be "the devil" that the woman referred to. However, lacking extensive knowledge isn't always a valid reason to discount a beneficial offer. Even I can recognize the fact that there is little that could be worse than indefinitely remaining in the nothingness before me. Now that I am actually presented with a choice in the matter, that is. For the time being I shall accept your offer."

"Wonderful! Simply wonderful my dear boy! Oh this is going to be so much fun!"

Hearing the... excitement... of the disembodied voice gave reason for concern. Perhaps he was too hasty in making the decision to accept the offer that was presented before him.

A low grumble could be heard as well as felt, reminding Princess Celestia that she was currently hungry. A snack from the royal kitchen was definitely appealing right now, but she had to show restraint. In less than an hour her sister Luna would be awakening, and they would be sharing their evening meal; dinner for her, breakfast for her sister. The chocolate cake would simply have to wait for another time; maybe a midnight snack would be in order.

However her current thoughts were interrupted by a chuckling inside a throne room that didn't belong to anypony present. This wasn't a matter of great concern as she recognized the chuckle, but that didn't make it any less unpleasant.

"Discord," Celestia spoke firmly yet calmly. "What mischief are you up to this time."

"What, no greetings? No "hi, how are you?" or anything like that? I must say, Celestia, I'm disappointed in your lack of civility towards me," the spirit of chaos stated as he poofed into existence, startling the royal guards at the base of the stairs that lead up to her throne.

"I've come to know you far too well in your time free, Discord, and I know you don't chuckle except when you're up to no good. Since your reformation I've cut you a considerable degree of slack regarding your shenaniganisms, simply because you've kept the chaos to an acceptable level of mere annoyance. That said, I'm not currently feeling quite as forgiving as I normally do. Out of professional courtesy, kindly state your business rather than just chuckling mindlessly," Celestia explained. She could already feel a migraine coming on, she was sure of it.

"Straight to business, I can respect that," Discord replied before clearing his throat. "In my efforts to do good deeds as per your orders, I've come across a being in need of help, and brought them here for a second chance. If the "magic of friendship" can do wonders for me then I believe it could do him equal wonders."

"And where did you find this mysterious being?" Celestia asked, finding a measure of intrigue in what was being presented to her.

"At a realm you'd never be familiar with, my dear, it's the crossroads between life and death in another dimension, another reality. This one died far too early to be acceptable, and he's of such an interesting quality I just couldn't resist myself!"

Celestia's eye twitched. The crossroads between life and death? Discord normally played with the natural order of the world like a foal would play with their favorite toy. And in a few -extreme- cases, she had even sanctioned it, as it was for the greater good. In a few very rare occasions, where there was great tragedy, she had even allowed the spirit of chaos to disturb the natural order by retrieving the lost soul of one that had left this world far too early, in order to spare the family their suffering for a while longer. But in those cases they had all been related to this dimension and reality. But now Discord was actively going out and bringing back the souls of those who weren't native to their world!

Why her? Why now?

"You know how I feel about pervading the natural order of Equestria, good deeds or no. I can accept that sometimes theirs are a necessary evil that must be tolerated. That said though, this is far outside the bounds of Equestria. You seek to bring an unknown creature to my land, simply because it strikes you as interesting, and you believe it may benefit from the same lessons my student is currently studying?" she asked as she attempted to restrain her annoyance and fury.

"Precisely!" Discord replied enthusiastically, completely unfazed by the alicorn's annoyance. "You believed that I was worthy of redemption despite my natural urges, why not this one too? Just because they're not one of your subjects from birth, doesn't mean they don't deserve a second chance, does it?" he asked.

Celestia sighed and closed her eyes, mentally counting to ten in order to compose and control herself. Sometimes she wondered if all the good Discord did -when he was motivated to do such, that was- was worth the headaches he caused her when he was bored.

"I'll talk to this being and decide for myself whether or not to allow them into Equestria, but I promise nothing at all. Bring them forward for an interview," Celestia huffed.

Discord grinned from ear to mismatched ear and snapped his fingers. In a bright flash and a puff of smoke she saw the strange being standing before them; and it was most definitely strange. It was of a bipedal nature similar to Discord but possessed no tail in order to balance itself with. It was slender and of notable height, somewhere around her own height from what she could tell from her current position. It's skin was an ashen white and contrasted with a black mane and teal/green eyes with matching streaks running down its face. Atop its head was some sort of ornament that appeared to be made of bone. It was adorned with a white attire of some sort and a black sash around its waist, some long and slender decoration on its left side that slightly resembled a sword.

Discord's statement about this being, about it being of an interesting nature was accurate to some degree, but she'd describe it more as unnerving, as it peered at her with those eyes that seemed to possess so much emptiness.

To Ulquiorra the meeting was equally confusing. One moment he had been in an immeasurable black void and unable to hear his own voice, conversing with a disembodied voice that offered him much. The next thing he knew there had been a flash of light, and he found himself in what could best be described as a castle, mildly similar to the throne room at Las Noches, but intricately more decorated and colorful. And with windows to the outside.

Before him was a carpeted stairway that lead up to a throne, where a strange creature he couldn't properly identify sat. From his position he could see that it possessed a horn and wings, but it didn't appear to be -nor feel like- a Hollow. It was adorned with decorative trinkets that suggested regal status much in the same way the Dos Espada, Baraggan Louisembairn chose to appear. While its body was covered in a white coat of fur, it possessed long flowing multi-colored hair that almost seemed ethereal in nature. All said a most a curious sight.

"What... is it?" Celestia asked simply as she blinked, looking back to Discord for clarification.

"Princess Celestia of Equestria, meet the Quatro Espada Ulquiorra Cifer," Discord introduced. Neither of them seemed particularly amused or informed simply by learning the name of the other. But he didn't particularly care. "This one is a most interesting case," he continued.

"I'm certain you think so, but I'd prefer to make that judgement myself," Celestia replied. Looking down at her guard,s she could tell they were tensing up as things went, and this latest edition didn't make things any simpler. "Stand down my loyal subjects. You... strange one... approach."

Ulquiorra remained silent in place and regarded the creatures before him and around him. All were equally strange as far as he was concerned. The regal creature atop the throne, the assortment of random animal parts to the side of him, and the two in golden armor at the foot of the stairs.

Further investigation was certainly warranted. A cursory exercise of his pesquisa should reveal more about the supposedly regal creature.

However he'd just barely begun before being struck by the sheer magnitude of its power and nearly floored as a result. It wasn't anything like the reiryoku that he was familiar with, nor was it reiatsu being exercised. Instead it was an entirely new type of power that seemed to flow from the creature as freely as its hair seemed to float. And for all that he could detect freely coming from its body, there were vast restrained resources just below the surface. If this creature was truly in charge, then it was certainly deserving of its place of authority. Such magnitude of power easily eclipsed his own... it may even eclipse Aizen's own reiatsu in the same manner.

This would require a different approach.

"Can you... understand me?" Celestia asked after a pause and seeing no response, her voice taking on a slightly softer tone. Again she was met with no response. What had Discord said its name was? "Quatro Espada Ulquiorra Cifer I am addressing you directly!" she spoke with more authority now, causing the creature to look directly up at her, suggesting it at least recognized its own name. "Are you able to understand the language I'm using?"

"I am," Ulquiorra replied simply as he continued to look on.

"Discord tells me he believes you deserve a chance to live in this world among my subjects. While I would like to believe that he's being truthful, he's been known to engage in dishonesty for his own amusement, so I'd like to hear from you myself. Do you have any objection to answering a few questions truthfully?" she asked.

"At present I do not," Ulquiorra replied in the same simple manner as before. If this one wished to question him, there was very little he could do to refuse.

"Very well. Where do you come from?" Celestia asked.

"The realm known as Hueco Mundo. More specifically the capital city known as Las Noches," Ulquiorra replied.

"And what role did you fill while there?" Celestia asked.

"Quatro Espada, fourth strongest of Sosuke Aizen-sama's assembled forces. During his absence it was my duty to protect the wellbeing of Las Noches," Ulquiorra explained.

"Was this a military force?" Celestia asked, slightly uncomfortable with this bit of information, and seeking clarification.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied.

"What type of creature are you? Nothing like you has been seen in Equestria before," Celestia stated.

"A Hollow. In more specific terms I am an Arrancar of the Vasto Lorde evolutionary point," Ulquiorra explained.

"And what is a... Hollow, with regard to you?" Celestia asked.

"A Hollow is the result of a soul of the deceased remaining earthbound for an extended period of time, and becoming corrupt for whatever reason, at which time the soul morphs and becomes a Hollow. Hollows by general nature are blind instinct, devoid of higher mental reasoning, and are plagued by an intense hunger that drives them to consume the souls of others, in effort to quell the emptiness they experience. They are not above devouring even fellow Hollows if their hunger is strong enough," Ulquiorra explained, simply and truthfully.

Celestia went wide-eyed at hearing the information she was being presented so freely. Never before had she heard of something so horrible. Discord had brought this soul-eating being to their world, and claimed that it deserved a second chance at life? She was sorely tempted to banish the both of them right that moment, but she couldn't do that just yet. Like it or not, she had to press on through the discomfort, and learn more in order to make an accurate judgement.

"Do all Hollows eat souls?" Celestia asked nervously.

"Yes. However those that reside in Hueco Mundo are able to sufficiently sustain themselves through the consumption of the reishi in the general area. The consumption of souls is not for nourishment or sustenance, but rather primal satisfaction. A need to satisfy an emptiness born out of their transformation. An emptiness that is more or less absent in those that are an evolved nature," Ulquiorra explained. The strange creature before him seemed to give a sigh of relief, the muscles just beneath the fur seeming to loosen and grow less tense.

"And what is this "reishi" that you refer to?" Celestia asked.

"Reishi is the technical term for particles consisting of spirit energy. Everything in Hueco Mundo is constructed of reishi, whether it is fellow Hollows, or the walls of Las Noches," Ulquiorra explained.

"If you were allowed to remain within my domain, would you consume the souls of my subjects if presented the opportunity?" Celestia asked.

"There would be no point in consuming souls in this world, as there seems to be a significant level of... for lack of a better term to describe it "reishi" available for sustenance. Furthermore, as a Vasto Lorde, I am a fully evolved Hollow, and the consumption of souls serves no further purpose, as there is no overwhelming hunger present," Ulquiorra explained.

"I believe what you're referring to is a substance known as "mana" in this world. Mana is a naturally occurring substance found everywhere in the world and utilized by all in the performance of magic," Celestia replied.

"Magic?" Ulquiorra asked and cocked the eyebrow under the remnants of his mask. Was the creature serious? "What is this "magic" that you refer to?"

"All in good time, as I still have a number of questions to ask. What exactly is that thing at your side? Is it some sort of weapon?" Celestia asked and gestured to the strange ornament on his left side.

"Correct. This is my zanpakutō, it's name is Murciélago. All Arrancar-class Hollows possess a zanpakutō of their own. It is formed when they divide the nuclei of their abilities and power. Our zanpakutō is used during our resurrección to regain our original forms and prowess. In simpler terms it could be described as a manifestation of the soul," Ulquiorra explained.

Celestia finally stopped asking questions and stood up from her throne, descending the stairs slowly as she approached Ulquiorra and Discord. While the information gained had been interesting to hear, it was hardly conclusive of anything, and there was no guarantee that it was accurate. She would need to take a more direct approach. As she approached she could see his hoof -a strange looking hoof at that- moving towards his zanpakutō. Was her approach scaring him, and motivating him to take a defensive approach?

"There's no need to be afraid, you won't be harmed," she said in a reassuring manner and stopped her approach. She waited until she saw the relaxation of tension in his limb, before beginning her approach again and stepped closer. "You won't feel anything, I simply need to gain some more in depth information," she explained as her horn began to glow.

"You intend to invade my mind, and extract the information you deem relevant," Ulquiorra elaborated, causing Celestia to stop in her tracks yet again.

"I was hoping to be allowed simple access to your memories so I can see for myself what type of entity you are. The wellbeing of my subjects is my main concern," Celestia explained. "I don't want to be forceful about it. But I will if it is absolutely necessary."

"Understood," Ulquiorra replied simply and closed his eyes, fully withdrawing his hand from the hilt of his sword to allow the strange creature to do what was necessary.

Celestia held back a sigh of relief. At least it looked like this Ulquiorra wouldn't be fighting her on the matter, and had some basic understanding of its importance. Closing her eyes, she lowered her head until her horn was touching his forehead. However nothing in her over thousand year reign could have prepared her for what she saw.

There were millions of images assaulting her mind as she probed. Images that were completely alien to her, strange names assigned to even stranger faces, each with some ingrained measure of respect or regard that possessed no precise rhyme or reason. She wanted more than images though, she needed to dig deeper to find out what this Ulquiorra was like, she needed memories of self, not observations of others around him.

Loyalty? Was she... yes she was seeing some measure of loyalty and respect. A great deal of loyalty actually... at least for one particular individualm thus showing he was capable of such. There were a great many emotions and sensations to dig through.

A certain callousness and indifference was about him, dispassionate about many things, very cold, and calculating in nature, and possessing a keen intellect. However for all that was present there was an absence of anything that could truly be considered evil; at least evil in the same manner of King Sombra, and even Discord during his darker days. He certainly wouldn't be the type to spare others their feelings when talking to them but there was nothing overtly cruel about that. This Ulquiorra didn't seem to engage in heinous acts for his own entertainment, or even personal gain; not of his own volition anyway.

The most glaring aspect she could sense was an overwhelming... emptiness of sorts. It was as if this Ulquiorra was content merely with the fact of his own existence. It was so strange, no aspiration towards leadership and rule, but at the same time no overwhelming desire to simply follow the instructions of others. It was like he was... utterly hollow inside. Like the only thing to him that existed was what she saw before her. It was... uncomfortable. It was almost like he was a pumpkin that'd been carved for Nightmare Night.

She was mentally stammering at this point, taken aback by it all, and the lack thereof. No concept or understanding of friendship or camaraderie with others, only certain loyalties to those that held power over him. Despair, sadness, loneliness all seemed to echo from within him, but it was a hollow sort of echo, like the growl of an empty stomach demanding food. Everything about him seemed contradictory to the values held by Equestria. Wherever he was truly native to, it was not a place she had any desire to associate with.

"I have seen enough," she said, almost urgently, as she drew back and broke the connection. In truth she'd seen far too much for her own comfort. Ulquiorra had seen more darkness and despair in his lifetime than all of Equestria had seen even before her rule. She suppressed the shudder her body so desperately wanted to issue, as she turned to face Discord who had been watching expectantly; like a student waiting to be graded on an assignment. "Do you believe this Ulquiorra's presence could serve a benefit to Equestria?"

"Well I can't say for certain about that, but who could be a better candidate for learning about the magic of friendship? Look at what it's done for me," Discord replied.

"That is certainly true," Celestia replied and lowered her head, muttering to herself. Finally she raised her head and faced them again. "For the time being I'll consent to having Ulquiorra in my realm. But you, Discord, will be responsible for him. If he proves to be a detriment to my subjects, then you shall be the one to blame. Reformed or not, it shall be you who is punished accordingly, understood?"

Discord was trying so hard not to laugh. She was lecturing him like a parent would their child about a puppy that'd followed them home. He could barely contain his amusement at the entire situation. "Oh I understand, I understand very well. I'll be responsible for whatever the dear boy does, but first he's got to actually do it. For right now though, I have to leave and see a train about a man. Toodaloo!" the spirit of chaos exclaimed and disappeared out of sight in a flash of spoke.

"Trash," Ulquiorra stated simply once the conglomeration of mismatched animal parts was no longer in sight.

"He can be that way at times," Celestia agreed and allowed herself a chuckle. However she soon became serious again as she faced Ulquiorra directly. "I have learned a great deal about you and your character, some of which I am displeased and concerned by. However... the land of Equestria is a place of second chances, and redemption, and I'm willing to provide you with the opportunity for just that. That being said, however, I expect you to understand that as long as you're here you'll be under my rule and obey my orders. You will not attack my subjects, nor do anything to cause them harm, or put them in risk. For the time being you'll be confined to the inside of the castle and kept under guard. Is that clear?"

Ulquiorra would keep his observations to himself for now, about the pointlessness of him being guarded and such. If the beasts that remained at the foot of the stairs were an example of what he would encounter, then they served little purpose as their reiatsu was nothing compared to his, and could be easily dispatched if he so chose. However the reiatsu that came from the creature identified as Princess Celestia was several magnitudes above his own currently, and gave him motivation to not try anything unwise at current time.

"It is clear," Ulquiorra replied simply and didn't elaborate any further. At the moment the less that was said, the better.

"That's good," Celestia replied and allowed a sigh to slip past her lips. "I trust you have questions of your own?"

"Seventeen at present time."

Celestia nearly laughed, despite the stress of the situation. Ulquiorra's knowing how many questions he actually had to ask reminded her of Twilight's organizational skills. "Ask away and I'll do my best to answer them."

"You are ruler of this land, but you are referred to as Princess Celestia rather than Queen Celestia. The former ruler of Hueco Mundo held the title of King. Assuming your world's royal hierarchical structure actually follows that of my world, the structural order is King, Queen, Prince, and Princess. Is it correct to assume that you are not the true ruler of this world? And if you aren't, then who is?"

"Equestria doesn't recognize a monarchy but rather a diarchy. I'm co-ruler of this land with my younger sister, Princess Luna. I control the sun and the day, while she controls the moon and the night," Celestia explained.

"Eighteen questions now," Ulquiorra noted. "What species are you?"

"I'm a member of the Alicorn race," Celestia replied.

"Still eighteen. Please elaborate on what an "alicorn" is."

"An Alicorn is a ruling class of pony in Equestria achieved through meeting certain prerequisites for ascension. Other races include unicorn, pegasus and earth pony, each capable of ascension to a higher form under the right circumstances, although few ever do, in order to maintain balance in the world," Celestia explained.

"What is the substance "mana" you referred to earlier?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Mana is a naturally occurring resource native to Equestria and found in all aspects of nature. It serves as the building blocks for the use of magic," Celestia explained.

"What is this "magic" that you refer to?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Magic is a manipulation of the mana surrounding us and applying it in a specific manner, allowing for feats that non-magic users would deem to be physically impossible, ranging from transfiguration of one object into another, to weather manipulation and everything inbetween," Celestia explained. It'd been a very long time since she'd ever been asked a question quite like that. Magic was so basic to their world, it was almost like asking what air or water was.

"Of the three races mentioned earlier, which of them are able to utilize magic?" Ulquiorra asked.

"All three, but each in a different manner. Earth ponies utilize magic for the purpose of taming nature and ensuring plants grow accordingly. Pegasi use magic for the purpose of flight, and manipulation of the weather. Unicorns utilize magic for the purpose of performing various feats in a more direct manner the other two races are incapable of performing," Celestia explained.

"Who or what was that creature responsible for my presence in this world?" Ulquiorra asked.

"That was Discord, the spirit and physical embodiment of chaos and disorder. He's... a work in progress regarding redemption and rehabilitation," Celestia replied.

"Is he responsible for why our spoken languages seem to be the same, and why we are able to understand each other?" Ulquiorra asked.

"More than likely," Celestia replied and nodded. Now that she thought about it, it did seem strange how they could communicate so freely.

"How was this palace constructed if your species lacks the ability to grasp and hold even basic tools?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Magical aptitude. Gripping tools isn't necessary when you can lift and carve stone with just a thought and focus," Celestia explained.

"Did you kill the original dominant race and assume their position in order to ensure rule of the land?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Goodness no! We don't do such things here in Equestria," Celestia exclaimed, utterly surprised by the question.

"When was the skill of magic originally learned, and by whom?" Ulquiorra asked, not even fazed by Celestia's outburst.

"I'm afraid that's one question I can't answer. The origins of magic are something that's been lost to time itself, and even predates the formation of Equestria," Celestia explained.

"Then it is unlikely that you will be able to answer eight of the remaining nine questions I currently have. The remaining question is: what is this "friendship" that you have referred to several times prior?" Ulquiorra asked. He'd been silent on the manner up to this point. But now he felt the need to speak up. Friendship, it appeared, wasn't simply limited to the human world.

"That... is a more difficult question to answer. Friendship isn't something that's easily defined from an analytical standpoint; my student Twilight had to find that out firsthoof. Friendship is something that has to be experienced to be understood, and even then it isn't understood in simple black and white terms, there are no clearly defined boundaries or prerequisites for categorization. I'm afraid the best concrete answer I can give you is that friendship is a relationship of mutual care and affection shared between two or more individuals."

The answer given to him by Princess Celestia was no more helpful or explanatory than the answer given by the human woman back in Las Noches. The concept of "friendship" was as foreign to him after his death as it was prior to such. Perhaps it was a concept recognized only by those who were not Hollows in nature. Or perhaps he was simply in need of further information to form a conclusive answer and evaluation. Either way he was unlikely to learn anything more right now from this "alicorn" before him.

"As I am not permitted to leave the palace ground, am I to be escorted to a holding cell now?" Ulquiorra asked.

"I don't really believe that will be necessary. You at least seem to understand the terms you're bound by. And at present I have no reason to believe you'll go against your word," Celestia explained and smiled slightly. "My sister will soon be awakening. Would you care to join us for our evening meal?"

"That will not be necessary. There is more than sufficient reishi... mana... in the area to sustain a Vasto Lorde such as myself. The consumption of food would ultimately serve no purpose in the matter," Ulquiorra replied and slid his hands into his pockets.

"To be perfectly honest, I understand, and even relate, what you're talking about. Food isn't strictly necessary for me to survive either, but it does make for a nice indulgence," Celestia replied and gave a knowing smile. "My sister will also be curious about your presence. It would be best if you explained matters rather than me relaying them to her."

A logical point, he couldn't deny that. Even if he didn't partake in any of the foodstuffs presented, he could at least gather more information about his new surroundings, and learn about the extent of his confinement. Without a word or a shrug in response, Ulquiorra followed at his own pace, as Princess Celestia lead the way, the two guards following behind him and glaring.

When Princess Celestia stated that food was an indulgence it had not been an understatement. The dining hall -for lack of a better term based, on his observations- housed a large table topped with what looked to be a lavish banquet. There were foods he had never seen before, but that was hardly surprising. Two alicorns were supposed to eat all of this before them? Based on his observations regarding Celestia's size, and even allowing for the possibility of her sister being of similar build, he did not see how it was physically possible.

Then again, he had experienced a number of things that were not physically possible in the last few hours, his defeat at the hands of Ichigo Kurosaki being only one of them.

His thoughts were quickly interrupted when his pesquisa detected another incoming source of reiatsu... or whatever the proper term was. The source soon appeared in the dining hall's northern entrance in the form of another alicorn but of notably smaller stature, midnight blue in coloring, it's hair and tail flowing in a manner similar to Celestia but of dark midnight blue coloring adorned with small twinkling white specks.

"Greetings dear sister," it greeted in a feminine voice as it saw the taller alicorn. It began to speak again, but stopped when it became aware of his own presence. "Dear sister what is this strange being? Do we have guests?"

Ulquiorra said nothing in response, but instead displayed a rare look of discomfort on his face. Each of this beings possessed a level of reiatsu that could easily eclipse his own, and the two being in such close proximity to one another just seemed to add together in a unified front. The pressure being exerted on the surrounding area was significant enough to cause him actual pain over his entire body. And a level of pain that was difficult even for him to tolerate in silence.

In a flash -and a low staticy boom- he stood at the back wall, as far away from the two as possible with the room's construction.

"Is something wrong?" Celestia asked upon seeing the display.

"Your presence," Ulquiorra stated as he brought his arm up in an effort to shield his face, as if he were being confronted with extreme wind or light. "Your combined reiatsu is overwhelming, even by my own standards, and causing a significant degree of physical pain. Even with my hierro at full strength, I can feel it exerting extreme pressure on my body," he explained, his voice never raising in level, but taking on an edge that signaled he was certainly upset at the developments.

"Dear sister what is it saying? We doth not understand the terms it uses," Luna stated as she looked to her sister for not only guidance, but also reassurance. She was starting to grow nervous.

"I believe he's saying our magic is too much for him to tolerate," Celestia replied. Luna looked at her curiously, before nodding and closing her eyes, mentally focusing on restraining the magic that naturally flowed from her body, and locking it up within her. Her sister did the same before speaking again. "Is that better?" she asked as she turned her attention back to where Ulquiorra stood.

"It is... considerably more tolerable now," Ulquiorra slowly replied after a moment and lowered his guard, his appearance and stature more relaxed than previously. But he didn't step any closer to the dining table of the two alicorns before him.

"Sister we feel the need to ask yet again. What is this strange being before us?" Luna asked as she looked between them.

"Another of Discord's efforts at reformation; one that may show actual promise this time," Celestia replied before taking to face him again. "Princess Luna, this is Ulquiorra Cifer, I... I'm sorry but I can't seem to recall the rest of what you said earlier. Would you mind stepping forward and introducing yourself for my sister's benefit?"

He paused a moment, before finally submitting to the request and approached the table. his hands sliding into his pockets as he did. "Cuatro Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer. Fourth strongest Arrancar in service to Sosuke Aizen-sama, currently under the direct control of Celestia-sama," Ulquiorra explained calmly as he stopped at the edge of the table.

"Sama?" Luna asked curiously and tilted her head to the side.

"A title recognizing and referring to one of notable rank and authority. A superior as it were," Ulquiorra explained.

"I'm fine with "Princess Celestia" being my title," Celestia replied before turning to face her sister again. "I'm sure you have many questions, dear sister. But perhaps our evening meal should come first," she suggested, a well timed rumbling in her stomach emphasizing the point, and causing Luna to laugh in response at her sister's expense.

"As thou wishes dear sister. We are especially hungry this fine evening, and dost look forward to our breakfast!" Luna exclaimed and took her seat as the table.

Ulquiorra for his part merely stood at the end of the table and observed the two as they interacted and ate. Theirs was a cheerful and happy attitude that he had never witnessed before. They were not approaching the matter logically, or treating the meal as a mere source of sustenance. It was rather baffling to him and left a feeling of confusion that was unlikely to be satisfied anytime soon.

Their method of eating was equally as strange as their choice of banter. Food was spread all over the table, far beyond their natural ability to reach but they seemed to have no trouble reaching it. If one wished for a particular dish, the horn atop their head would glow with some sort of aura around it, and the desired dish would be surrounded by a similarly colored aura and levitated over to them. Lacking anything else to draw from, it seemed logical to assume that this was a display in the exercise of magic.

For the most part their brief uses of magic didn't cause him any significant discomfort, despite being in close proximity to them. Perhaps the amount exercised was simply miniscule in comparison.

"Dost thou not desire to eat with us?" Luna asked curiously as she looked up from a muffin and saw Ulquiorra continuing to stand there as if studying them. It was... unsettling.

"The consumption of food is unnecessary for my survival. There is a sufficient level of reishi in the general area to sustain me for an extended period of time," Ulquiorra calmly explained, for the third time in the last hour.

"Reishi?" Luna asked and tilted her head in confusion. "We have been gone long, but never have we heard of this "reishi" you refer to."

"I believe "reishi" is his world's term for describing mana, dear sister," Celestia elaborated.

"Thou consumes mana for sustenance?" Luna asked as she turned her attention back to their guest. "Most fascinating! Never before have we heard of such a being! Please confirm, what does it taste like to you?"

"... The substance you refer to as mana possesses no discernible taste, as it is not consumed orally. Rather it is absorbed directly into my body by being in its presence," Ulquiorra explained, not so much as blinking at the increase in Luna's pitch or level of voice.

"You'll have to forgive my sister. She sometimes gets easily excited," Celestia replied before pausing to grab a muffin of her own before turning back to face him. "You said you don't need food to survive. Are you able to experience the different tastes and textures of food?"

"I am. However as the act of eating is focused purely on nutrition ,the two standards serve little relevant purpose, and I see no point in exploring their value of existence," Ulquiorra explained. "I count thirteen different types of food present. Their ultimate purpose seems inconclusive with regard to the overall point of consumption in the first place. Why is there not simply one foodstuff of adequate nutritional value?"

"Thou hast obviously never tasted Canterlot's blueberry muffins, the most delicious in all the land," Luna stated proudly as she levitated another muffin over to him. "Partake in the delicacies before thee, and make thy observations then."

Ulquiorra merely glanced at the muffin that was hovering in front of his face, before returning his gaze to the two alicorns at the table. Should he open his mouth to reply, he couldn't be certain the younger of the two wouldn't attempt to feed him through trickery and force.

"Thou wouldst forsake the royal muffin? 'Tis Unheard of! Eat," Luna insisted, not believing what she'd just seen.

Ulquiorra merely stared in response.

"Eat the muffin!" Luna pressed further. How could anypony turn down such a delicacy, as a muffin prepared for royalty?

Ulquiorra continued to stare unfazed.

"EAT THY MUFFIN THOU MOST CONTESTABLE CURR!" Luna bellowed, furious at his lack of response.

Ulquiorra merely blinked in response.

Celestia meanwhile was trying so hard not to break down laughing right now. If it weren't so undignified in front of strangers, she'd be pounding her hoof against the table. The one sided banter between her little sister and the stranger being was comedy gold to her, and Ulquiorra's stone face reaction to being assaulted by the royal Canterlot voice Luna so loved to use, was threatening to send her to the floor if she didn't properly compose herself.

Luna scowled. "Thou must join us for a game of poker sometime," she grumbled and withdrew the muffin back to the platter it had rested on.

Celestia allowed herself a few minutes to properly compose herself and suppress the urge to laugh, before deciding to continue the discussion. "Do you mind answering a few more questions?"

"I do not," Ulquiorra replied simply.

"What were you referring to when my sister entered in? Was it... hierro? What is that?" Celestia asked.

"A technique shared by all Arrancar, regardless of status or rank. Their reiryoku is condensed into their skin to create an armoring of great density and strength, capable of resisting significant damage. However your reiatsu proved to be significantly greater than I was able to resist," Ulquiorra explained. "I am left uncertain as to how your guards are able to resist so effortlessly, despite their comparatively minute level of strength. I can only theorize that being native to this land, and its strange ways, insulates them in some manner."

"Reiryoku? Reiatstu? These terms thou mention are foreign to us. What do they mean?" Luna asked curiously.

"Reiryoku is the technical term to describe the spiritual energy an individual possesses. Reiatsu is the physical pressure that reiryoku exerts on the area around it. All beings in possession of reiryoku are capable of exerting reiatsu but it is proportional to the amount of reiryoku they possess and can control. Depending on individuals, the pressure can be quite intense and overwhelming, even painful in nature," Ulquiorra explained.

"That's... very fascinating. I've never been informed that our magical presence could actually cause somepony pain," Celestia stated.

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow at the strange term. "Somepony?"

"A term native to Equestria, used for referring to another. What term is native to your world and serves the same purpose?" Celestia asked.

"Somebody."

"Somebody?" Celestia asked curiously. The word was strange to hear and even stranger to say. The "body" suffix sounded so foreign. But then again perhaps that made the most sense. "Would you mind elaborating on some more of the words you've used since your arrival?"

"I would not," Ulquiorra replied, seeing no harm in doing such.

"You said you're an Arrancar, but you've also used several other terms for referring to yourself, such as "Hollow", "Espada" and "Vasto Lorde." What's the differentiation between them all?" Celestia asked.

He briefly considered how to answer. The knowledge of what a Hollow was, was something Princess Celestia already knew. He suspected it was more for the benefit of Princess Luna than anything else. Furthermore, he didn't see how elaborating on his nature of being would prove detrimental to his wellbeing. Barely even a shrug before reaching the decision of how to approach.

"All of the aforementioned titles apply to the Hollow race. Hollows are the result of earthbound spirits who remain in the mortal realm well beyond the time after their death and are subject to corruption via outside sources. All Hollows are similar in nature yet unique at the same time and possess unique traits and abilities. Among Hollows there are three higher levels of evolution. Gillian is the second level of evolution to be reached when hundreds of Hollows converge at one point, and united by a single goal. They are mindless brutes with no personality or individuality. In rare cases, however, one Hollow in particular will manage to emerge, and exert control over the mass. Those that achieve this goal have the potential to evolve to the third level and become an Adjuchas. The Adjuchas class is far greater in strength and intelligence than the Gillian class, and exert control over them though, they are fewer in numbers. The fourth and final stage of evolution is Vasto Lorde, and they are by far the strongest, and the smartest of Hollows. Arrancar is a term to describe Hollows who have removed their masks in order to gain increased power and abilities. While all Hollows are capable of removing their masks, only Gillian class and higher will benefit from the act. Espada is a title held exclusively by the ten strongest Arrancar in all of Hueco Mundo."

"Thou art the conglomeration of many hundreds of ghosts?" Luna asked in a shocked and equally amazed tone.

"Lacking more defined terms for categorization, that would appear to be an accurate statement," Ulquiorra replied without even blinking at Luna's statement.

"Most unique! Thou wouldst be spectacular on Nightmare Night!" Luna exclaimed. "Is this "Hueco Mundo" you refer to a city of the dead then?"

"Hueco Mundo is the realm in which all Hollows reside. If I am categorized as a ghost in this world then the fortress of Las Noches would more accurately fit your terminology," Ulquiorra replied.

"But if thou be a ghost how are you of solid construction like a living being? Thee possess mass and density that no disembodied spirit should have," Luna pointed out.

"All things in Hueco Mundo are constructed from reishi, and have mass and density to varying degrees. The Hollows, the sand, the walls, everything. At present I am unable to arrive at a conclusion to explain my own physical construction here. Nor am I able to determine how your guards are aware of my presence, as only those possessing a greater than average level of reiryoku are capable of detecting Hollows. The only theory I can arrive at, is that in this world mana is of greater intensity than the reiryoku of my world, and it is enough to compensate for the differences," Ulquiorra explained.

"I must say you have impressive analytical skills, Ulquiorra, you've only been here a short amount of time, and already you seem to have a good grasp of the situation," Celestia stated.

"Merely unconfirmed and unverifiable theories to try and make sense of this new world," Ulquiorra replied in a dismissive manner.

"Doth thy world contain magic like Equestria?" Luna asked curiously.

Ulquiorra paused for a moment in contemplation of the question, and searched what knowledge he'd gathered so far to formulate a response. "The telekinetic abilities you have displayed is not something I have witnessed in my world. That said, there are certain skills that may bear a passing resemblance to magic."

When Ulquiorra didn't elaborate any further Celestia spoke up. "Such as?"

"Earlier in the evening you referred to the pegasi race and described their use of magic in order to fly. Arrancar possess the ability to walk upon the air, and engage in limited degrees of flight, despite a lack of wings, or possessing body structures that are aerodynamically unsound," Ulquiorra explained, pausing as he gave a matter some more thought. "Perhaps another example would be the use of kido by the Shinigami."

"Shinigami?" Celestia asked.

"Soul reapers. They are the ones tasked with ferrying the souls of the departed to the afterlife where they may rest in peace. They are the mortal enemy to the Hollow race. It is their laziness that is responsible for Hollows coming into existence, and it is their barbarianism that motivates them to kill us after we have established ourselves as conscious beings. It is only due to our superior numbers that they do not invade Hueco Mundo, and attempt to drive us into extinction," Ulquiorra explained calmly, despite the subject matter.

Luna gasped in response. "Such brutality!"

Celestia pondered if she should share with her sister what Ulquiorra had told her prior in the evening, about how Hollows engaged in the cannibalistic behavior of devouring other souls, and even fellow Hollows. It wasn't something she wished to think about, but Luna did have a right to know what she knew.

But that fact aside, this new revelation made her pause in thought. While Hollows did eat their fellow disembodied souls, it was the Shinigami that seemed to allow it to happen by not exercising due diligence in ensuring that there were no earthbound spirits who could become corrupted. The fact that they seemed to be lazy in their duties was enough to leave her wondering if the Shinigami were deliberate in their laziness, and the subsequent extermination of Hollows was a matter of sport for them. Was the killing of such beings a source of entertainment for them? Did they deliberately allow innocents to suffer for their own reasons?

These thoughts and many others were flying through her mind at a mile a second. If this really was the case, then Ulquiorra, despite the brutality she'd seen in his memories, was a member of an unjustly oppressed race. Perhaps that was why she sensed such emptiness coming from him.

"I'm inclined to agree," Celestia added as she shook the thoughts from her head. "Perhaps discussion of these "Shinigami" isn't appropriate right now. What can you tell us of the magic they can perform? This... "kido" you refer to?"

"Upon his arrival in Hueco Mundo Aizen-sama provided detailed information regarding the ways of the Shinigami. Kido is generally divided into three specific categories: bakudo, hado and kaido. Bakudo are supplemental techniques that aid in combat and take the form of binding restrictions or shields. Hado is directly offensive and kaido is related to healing. Kido techniques are numbered in accordance to level of strength and difficulty and range from one to ninety nine. For proper deployment of a kido technique, an incantation must be verbally cast. However such an incantation is long to recite, and must be spoken correctly; even in the heat of combat," Ulquiorra explained.

"Spoken incantations for performing magic? Fascinating," Celestia muttered as she used her wing and rubbed her chin in thought. "Can Hollows perform kido as well?"

"Kido is exclusive to the Shinigami race. However Hollows have their own techniques that allow for partial compensation of this fact," Ulquiorra replied.

"And what are they? Besides the hierro you've already explained?" Celestia asked.

"I decline to answer that question. Simply because you have placed me under your rule, does not negate the fact that it's unwise to share vital information that could potentially be used against yourself, for the purpose of causing harm," Ulquiorra explained.

"Thou doth accuse our sister of being treacherous!?" Luna demanded to know and rose from her seat in a furious manner.

"Calm down little sister. Ulquiorra is well within his rights to refrain from sharing any information he feels might be sensitive in nature. He raises an excellent point, we shouldn't be so quick to volunteer information if we have a good reason to do otherwise," Celestia explained in a reassuring tone to try and relax her sister, before she wound up doing something like throw the dining table at him.

"Mayhaps," Luna finally relented and sat back down, turning her state of unrest towards her scrambled eggs instead of their unusual and impolite guest.

Silence quickly settled back over the room at the two sisters ate, Ulquiorra continuing to observe them in a detached and disinterested manner, mentally noting his various observations based on the available information, limited as it may be. He would need to expand on what information was available if he was to form more accurate observations.

"This "Canterlot" as you refer to it is a capital city in the land of Equestria is it not?" he asked.

"Yes it is," Celestia replied and nodded.

"As a capital city, it's only logical to assume it would contain libraries to house extensive knowledge of the land, and the surrounding territory, including but not limited to history, regional customs, and the law. If I'm bound to this dimension for an interminable period, then perhaps it would be prudent to learn about the relevant details of my new surroundings."

"That sounds reasonable. However as you're still a stranger there are a number of sections in the archives and library that're restricted, and you'll be denied access to them. So long as you abide by this, I don't see any problem with you learning more about your new surroundings," Celestia pointed out.

"That is an acceptable condition," Ulquiorra replied and gave a small nod of understanding.

"Very well. Guards, please escort our guest to the library," Celestia ordered politely.

"Perhaps it would be best if our shadow guard were to escort him instead. 'Tis nearly nightfall, and our turn to watch over Equestria shalt soon be upon us. Let thou guards rest after they escort our guest, and our guards shall relieve them there," Luna stated.

"Very well, dear sister, if that's what you wish," Celestia replied and gave a small nod to the stallion guards at the doorway.

"This way," one of the guards spoke. Ulquiorra said nothing in response, merely turning around and following his assigned escort out of the dining hall.

Celestia sat patiently sipping her tea, silently waiting and watching until Ulquiorra and her two guards were no longer in sight before turning to address her sister, who was currently looking at her in a confused manner. "What's your opinion my dear little sister?"

"Most curious. His very nature seems contradictory to everything Equestria is. We doth not believe he presents a significant source of danger to our subjects," Luna said as she paused in thought. "Most peculiarly, he seems to emit a sense of loneliness and emptiness, 'tis as if he hath no understanding of friends. And his eyes... his eyes convey such sadness, 'twas painful to even look at him for more than a few seconds. Wherever this Hueco Mundo is, 'tis not a place we would wish to visit within our lifetimes."

Celestia said nothing in response. Luna's opinion was accurate to some extent but didn't take into account the darker things she'd experienced. She'd seen so many things when probing his mind. So many disturbing experiences, memories, and thoughts that she didn't even wish to think about it. She'd seen many atrocities to him, many things she didn't know if she could forgive. But what she hadn't seen was an overwhelming degree of malice behind his actions. Perhaps there would be hope for him, if they worked with him enough.

Right now she wasn't certain just how much to freely share with Luna on the matter. She would have to approach this matter very cautiously.

"Perhaps I should put off resting for the night," Celestia suggested.

"Nonsense dear sister. We art perfectly capable of handling whatever situation may arise on our nightly watch. Thou needst thy rest for the coming morning," Luna pointed out. As soon as she finished, a mischievous thought occurred to her, and she pressed on before Celestia could speak up in response. "And if thou doth protest, we shall devour all the cake in Canterlot, and leave not so much as a single piece for thee."

Luna knew how to play dirty, and threatening her cake was most certainly a low blow to be making. She doubted her little sister would actually stoop to such a level, but she didn't really feel up to testing that theory right now; both for the sake of one of her guilty pleasures, and her sister's own belly that would be on the abused end of her threat.

Truth be told she was tired after the day she'd had, and she really wanted to rest.

"Very well, Luna, I leave the kingdom, and our new guest in your capable hooves," Celestia said as she stood up from the table. "It seems time to usher in nightfall. Let us be off."

"Agreed dear sister, agreed," Luna replied and stood up to join her.

The presence of the guards didn't serve as a distraction from Ulquiorra's search for relevant information. Even the changing of the guard, and the presence of a new type of reiatsu with the strange looking creatures he assumed to be Princess Luna's shadow guard, didn't warrant investigation. His pesquisa didn't detect anything to warrant his interest, or justify an excessive degree of attention. They could be safely ignored.

The matter of most interest to him was presently in his hands, in the form of a book on the history of Equestria. The symbols contained within the book were not one he had any conscious knowledge of, he was most certain of that. But despite that fact, he found he was quite able to understand them and what they were saying. Logically it didn't make sense. The only likely explanation he could arrive at was the possibility of Discord having adapted him to this world, and all it held in it.

That said, the history detailing the founding of Equestria seemed far-fetched and hard to believe. The three great pony races, united against beings known as windigos that fed on strife and disorder, and created an endless winter in their wake? Was this an attempt at humor? Or had the historical documents been unorganized, and mixed with childhood tales of fantasy and unbelievable notions?

"Trash," Ulquiorra muttered and snapped the book shut before placing it back on the shelf. Perhaps another book would hold the information he needed. In a library this size there had to be relevant and accurate texts to tell him what he needed to know.

But first...

"I have been aware of your presence for the last ten minutes. As I have been here for over an hour, I can only assume you had royal duties to tend to first. That said, I am uncertain of why you have attempted to conceal yourself from me," Ulquiorra stated, as dry and unfeeling as ever, before reaching for another book in hopes of gaining greater information about his new surroundings.

"How didst thou know we were present?" Luna asked in a shocked and dumbfounded manner as she finally stepped into the library. She'd been so quiet in her approach, even her own shadow guards hadn't heard her approach and she'd been sure to silence them so as to not alert him.

"My pesquisa detected your overwhelming reiatsu even before you ever approached me. If your intent was to try and take me by surprise, then your goal has failed," Ulquiorra replied without even looking up from his book.

"Thou's ability to detect the presence of others is most impressive," Luna commented as she stepped closer.

"It's highly unlikely you attempted to hide yourself simply to comment on my abilities. What do you want?" Ulquiorra asked bluntly.

"... We wish to learn more about you. Never in our history have we encountered one such as thee," Luna admitted as she stopped a short distance away from him. "Can thou tell us of Hueco Mundo? What is it like?"

He paused a moment, absently trailing a finger along the edge of the book before finally speaking up. "Barren. A cold desert, white sand and tree-like structures stretching on forever beyond the feeble limits of the eye. Countless miles of emptiness, under an unending night sky," Ulquiorra explained.

"Thy world has eternal night?" Luna asked, easily caught off guard by the revelation. If Nightmare Moon was still around she'd love to hear this. "What of the moon? Does Hueco Mundo possess a moon?"

"Yes. As eternal as the night sky it sits in, forever at three quarters crescent."

"Crescent? Thou hast no full moon in your world? 'Tis a tragedy!" Luna stated. "Our moon is eternally full for all to see!"

Ulquiorra said nothing and simply went to reading the book.

"Wouldst thou like to see the night sky of Equestria? 'Tis a beautiful sight."

"I see no beneficial purpose in the act," Ulquiorra responded as he scanned the page. "Comprehensive knowledge of Equestria is needed, but these books so far are sorely lacking. So far I've found no records of the various campaigns waged between now and the founding of Equestria. Even records prior to the supposed founding are limited. No documentation concerning the tribes of unicorn, pegasi and earth pony."

"The royal library is quite extensive, dating back many libraries. Our sister's student, Twilight Sparkle, is a most enthusiastic reader, and she could not read every book present in five years. Thou hast just begun thy quest for knowledge," Luna pointed out.

"Then perhaps you can direct me to the relevant texts."

"T'will be a long read. Thou wouldst need to stay awake the entire night to get through such books," Luna stated.

"Sleep is not necessary for the survival of a Hollow," Ulquiorra stated plainly.

"Truly?" Luna asked and blinked. Didn't need sleep? Ulquiorra Cifer was awake to experience the fullness of the night? "Wouldst thou consider taking part in our company in exchange for a firsthoof account of Equestria's history that we experienced firsthoof?"

Ulquiorra cocked an eyebrow and cast an aside glance at Luna. The notion of her being ancient wasn't surprising. Shinigami could live for thousands of years depending on the potency of their reiryoku, Hollows were eternal and never aged, it only made sense that certain beings in this world could be long lived as well. "Princess Celestia has stated that knowledge on the origin of magic has been lost to the passage of time and predates the founding of Equestria. Unless you were present for this then there is little information that can be garnered by such an interaction," he explained and closed the book before placing it back on the shelf.

Luna frowned. He was certainly callous in nature to turn down an audience with Canterlot royalty. She would have to do something about that "Then perhaps thou canst make use of these," she said as her horn took on a pale blue glow, retrieving numerous large tomes from their assigned shelves, and hovering them over his head before dropping them.

Ulquiorra didn't so much as blink in response. Instead he simply stepped aside out from under the stack of books, and extended his left hand to catch them effortlessly as if it were nothing.

Luna frowned more at this and his unflinching attitude. He was far too cool under pressure for her liking. Almost like he had ice water flowing through his veins "Thou art very good," she commented. "We must get back to our royal duties. If thou changes thy mind we shall be in the throne room, the guards will escort you back."

Not so much as even a noncommittal grunt in response. Ulquiorra simply set the books down, before opening one and began to read its contents. Luna sighed and turned to leave. But before even the first hoofstep she looked behind her once more.

"Ulquiorra Cifer. Regardless of who or what thou are, thou will be welcomed by the ponies of this land. We should know, as we ourselves were welcomed, even after what we did," she stated before facing forward and began to leave.

"What did you do?"

She hadn't expected a response and stopped in her tracks. However she didn't face him before speaking again. "One thousand three years ago, we rebelled against our sister and her order, and attempted to initiate eternal night out of petty jealousy over the adoration she received. Our nights were shunned by fearful ponies who would rather sleep than rejoice in the natural cycle of order. We allowed ourselves to become the entity known as Nightmare Moon, and became a symbol of terror and fear. For such actions, we were banished to the moon for one thousand years by our sister. Even now, many have not forgotten about our legacy; but many have been willing to forgive," she explained.

"How very... Hollow-like. Perhaps I underestimated them," Ulquiorra thought to himself. "Is it permitted for the books to be removed from the physical constraints of the library?"

"But of course," Luna replied. What kind of library wouldn't allow for the books to be checked out?

Without a word Ulquiorra closed the book and placed it atop the pile, before kneeling down to effortlessly lift the pile as he stood back up, before approaching Luna where she stood. Luna said nothing as she watched him take a position to her side, but she smiled to herself. The significance of the gesture was not lost to her. Without a word she moved to leave the library, Ulquiorra following close behind. At the very least the night princess had managed to prove herself interesting enough to warrant further focus.

Author's Note

http://www.fimfiction.net/story/125014/1/hie-a-hollow-in-equestria-omake-version/hie-omake-what-the-bleep-comes-before-zero

http://www.fimfiction.net/story/125014/2/hie-a-hollow-in-equestria-omake-version/hie-omake-zero

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Luna let out a tired sigh. When the ruling of Equestria changed hooves and it was her turn to watch over the night things tended to be slow. Rarely did anyone attend the night court to seek her counsel. Her dear sister may have the headache of bickering nobles to deal with, but she was left to face long and boring stretches of nothing most of the time.

Making matters all the more unpleasant was her sister's punishment for involving her student in the matter pertaining to Ulquiorra Cifer. She was accustomed to the relative shunning of the Canterlot population who believed her sister was worth their time -and ignorance- but to be forced to experience the dulness without any sweets to distract herself with went beyond cruel and unusual punishment; it was completely unforgivable! She didn't even get to have any syrup on her pancakes, how did her sister expect her to eat such an abomination against the natural order of things?

The only thing keeping her from going truly mad from sugar withdrawl was her small stash of assorted candies hidden in her chambers to provide her with a small bedtime snack. She'd have to ration them carefully to make it through this week...or find some way to sneak behind her sister's back without her realizing it.

She let out a sigh. Looking around she realized she'd managed to kill another five minutes, but that still left her with several hours before her sister would be waking up and taking over. She had to figure out something she could do to pass the time better.

And just like that a thought came to her mind on what she could do. There was a matter that needed to be addressed and now seemed like as good a time as any. "Go to the royal library and fetch Ulquiorra Cifer," she told one of her shadow guard at the base of the throne's steps.

The guard nodded in understanding and departed from the throne room to carry out his assigned duties, leaving his counterpart behind to fulfill the other duties of guarding Princess Luna should anyone be foolish enough to launch an attack against her.

Woe be to anypony to attempt such a suicide mission.

"Sir."

the presence of the guard entering the library wasn't sufficient to disturb Ulquiorra from his reading. However being addressed directly was another matter. He cast an aside glance out of the corner of his eye to the shadow guard member standing before him. Fortunately the guard seemed observant enough to realize he had his attention at this point.

"Princess Luna requests your presence in the throne room," the guard stated.

"I decline the invitation," Ulquiorra replied simply as he turned the page in the book he was reading. The guard seemed fazed by his statement and left uncertain what to say in response.

"I have my orders to bring you to the throne room, sir," the guard continued.

As he figured. What the guard referred to as a request was more accurately described as a command appearance and not one he had a say in; just as he suspected. Memorizing the page number and the book he placed it back on the shelf before turning and approaching the guard, slipping his hands back into his pockets in the process.

The walk to the throne room was as silent as he'd anticipated, neither party saying a word or so much as clearing their throat. Just a simple walk down the long stretch of hallway before coming to a conclusion at the opened doors of the throne room. At that point the escorting guard took his leave and returned to the steps leading to the throne.

"We art most glad thee could attend, Ulquiorra Cifer, please approach," Luna greeted.

"My presence was commanded. It was not a matter I had any say in," Ulquiorra replied evenly as he stepped closer to the throne, stopping about twenty feet away from the steps that lead up to it. "For what purpose was I ordered to make myself available?"

Straight to the point and short on pleasantries. She could respect that but she still frowned. She needed to proceed with caution on the matter; afterall she wasn't in a competition for bluntness. "There were a number of issues raised by thee's report on Ponyville and the ponies living there. We wish to go over the matter more thoroughly," she explained, "thou seemed...unkind in your opinions. Our sister was displeased by thee's delivery."

To a normal resident of Equestria the news that their Princess was displeased with them would be very upsetting. To Ulquiorra it was nothing and his posture practically broadcast that fact. "As I have explained it is no concern or fault of mine if Princess Celestia finds disfavor with what I have to say. If she was not prepared to be informed that the majority of her subjects are little more than trash then that is her problem and not mine," he replied evenly and collectively.

Luna's frown deepened. Ulquiorra Cifer's report had been delivered in a less than favorable light. But he hadn't referred to anypony as trash. "And informing our sister that her dear student may possess the capacity for murder? Was that truly necessary?"

"Merely an observation. If Twilight Sparkle is truly a prized student then Princess Celestia deserves to know that things may proceed in an unfavorable manner at some point in the future," Ulquiorra replied.

She'd summoned Ulquiorra Cifer to clear up uncertainties about his report and his findings and she was now trying to control her temper as he talked. Things were not progressing well at all. His deadpan delivery and unwavering calmness was just adding to her fury. "How can thee say such about those thou hast met today?" she all but demanded.

"What did you expect? Did you believe that during my time in Ponyville I would experience an epiphany and rethink my existence up to this point? Did you expect me to state that I developed friends and formed bonds with those that reside in the town?" Ulquiorra asked as he slowly began walking forward. "And what of your involvement of Twilight Sparkle? Perhaps you summoned her here for other motives? Did you believe that I would forge a relationship with her? Were you expecting me to find love, settle down and start a family with her or one of the others? The very notion of such a thought is physically repulsive and nauseating in nature," he explained as he stepped closer to the throne.

Luna was angered at the accusations. He was accusing her of going behind her sister's back and using her student -and her friend- to try and further some outrageous agenda. And he was doing such in an unacceptably calm manner as he dared to step closer to her in a deliberately slow manner. Before she could even formulate a response he continued again.

"Back in my dimension I was a murderer, I don't deny that fact. My very existence is connected to the cannibalistic act of devouring thousands of my own kind in order to evolve. Once I became a Vasto Lorde I allowed myself to serve a Shinigami and continued to murder others and threaten much worse to specific targets as I was ordered. Did you and Princess Celestia truly believe simply because I was sentient I was somehow less dangerous than a wild and untamed beast? Did you believe that teaching me a few courtesies and niceness would domesticate me into something like a pet? That being submerged into a town where everyone is nice and welcoming would be sufficient to make me regret my past actions and what I am? Did you expect me to want to become a contributing member of your society immediately because you believe in second chances for even the most heinous?"

"If thou sayest one more word we shalt banish thee to the moon for your impudence!" Luna angrily stated as he came to a stop not ten feet from the steps, her guards now on high alert at his proximity to her.

"Then do so without any further hesitation," Ulquiorra replied without so much as blinking.

Instead it was Luna's turn to blink. His words and his calm delivery left her surprised. He was threatened with the worst punishment imaginable and he was telling her to do just that? "...What?"

"If you truly believe I should be sent to the moon then do so without hesitation. Do not waste time by stating what you will do, simply do it and be done with it," he repeated.

Luna blinked more. Ulquiorra was standing painfully close, staring her down with those empty eyes and daring her to carry out punishment against him for angering her and she was left speechless; a fact he seemed to pick up on as he began speaking yet again.

"There are two reasons to believe you won't banish me to the moon. First and foremost is the fact that I am under Princess Celestia's rule and subject to her orders and determinations. Despite you being her sister she is unlikely to take kindly to you determining the fate of one of her subjects without first consulting her, regardless of the circumstances. Secondly is your own personal involvement in the matter; you went behind your sister's back by bringing Twilight Sparkle here even though you likely had reason to believe you would face consequences for such an overreach of your authority. You obviously believed the ends would justify the means or you would not have done such. If you banish me then you'll be admitting to yourself that your efforts amounted to nothing. You don't seem the type who would cut off your nose to spite your face," he explained.

She could feel her sister's coming migraine trying to branch out over into her head. Her left eye was twitching. Ulquiorra Cifer was truly an unapologetic monster and he freely admitted to that. Worse yet he was accurate in his explanation as to why he wouldn't soon be occupying himself on the surface of the moon. He knew that there was nothing she could do of real significance to silence his unkind statements.

And just like the predator that he was he picked up on her moment of weakness and verbally attacked yet again.

"I am not foolish enough to believe that Princess Celestia will ever trust me to the point where I will be free to travel without her royal guards being posted as my escorts. For either of us to believe a few measures of socially demanded courtesy and a willingness to answer questions would somehow change her mind of me would require a great deal of stupidity."

That was more than Luna could stand. She was accustomed to being looked down upon, mocked and insulted by others -after her time as Nightmare Moon she believed she had deserved it to some extent regardless of what Celestia said- but he was now badmouthing and insulting both her and her sister in her absence. Her wings deployed in a rage as her eyes began to glow bright white as her magical levels climbed.

"BE GONE FROM OUR SIGHT AT ONCE THOU MOST CONTESTABLE CURR!" she bellowed, shaking the throne room in the process.

Ulquiorra for his part realized only too late that he'd crossed that invisible line that constituted going too far. Without warning Princess Luna's reiatsu level shot up to the highest he'd ever seen and it could be felt throughout the area, crushing against his hierro in a suffocating manner. Her booming voice didn't help matters any and it was all quite overwhelming in nature. This was nearly as bad as his first night here when both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were met together.

He had severely underestimated her. That was the second time he'd made such a mistake, the only question remaining was if this time would prove as fatal as the last time.

"DEPART THIS INSTANT! AND IF WE SEE THEE AGAIN BEFORE OUR SISTER DOTH RISE TO TAKE OVER THE RULE OF THE KINGDOM THOU SHALT FIND THYSELF CONFINED TO THE DUNGEONS!" she bellowed further, the volume and intensity of her voice causing him to slide back several inches. "AND DOTH NOT LET THE ROYAL DOORS SLAM ON THOU'S POSTERIOR ON THE WAY OUT!"

It seemed that he was being spared the possibility of a gruesome death. At least this time around anyway. He decided the best course of action was to heed her actions and take his leave, retreating to the library for the duration of the night.

Luna watched as Ulquiorra Cifer left, turning around and walking out at a calm pace as if he'd just been politely dismissed by her sister. From her point of view it was almost like he was challenging her to strike him when he was exposed, like he was calling her out due to arrogance. But she didn't take the bait, she didn't rise to the occasion and smite him down regardless of what he'd said. Rather she simply took a deep, deep breath and began counting to herself.

For the first time in a long, long time, Ulquiorra had found himself completely overwhelmed by the reiatsu of another. Normally it was the other way around and trash was overwhelmed and nearly crushed by his presence. But this time around in Princess Luna's presence he was the one that was left feeling like trash. As calmly and collectedly as he could he walked out of the throne room upon being dismissed, and found himself leaning against the wall for support at the first corner he turned, panting to catch the breath he'd been denied in the alicorn's presence.

"It would seem necessary to modify my behavior somewhat. I have to assume Princess Luna is considerably stronger than she displayed during that moment of anger," he thought to himself as he finally caught his breath and no longer needed the wall for support. As hard as it was to believe he had to face some unpleasant facts; his pesquisa was wrong. His observation of Princess Luna's reiryoku and reiatsu levels had been inadequate and not revealed the full story. Her wells ran considerably deeper than he could properly gauge. And it was logical to conclude that the same was true for Princess Celestia.

Another observation of his surroundings: in her fury Princess Luna had dismissed him without assigning any guards to escort him back to the library or wherever else he might go. Those that had followed him to the throne room hadn't been given any instructions and instead were left standing in the throne room awaiting orders.

He could chance returning to the throne room to inform her of this fact and potentially calm whatever foul mood had been formed by his observations and bluntness. Or he could simply return to the library on his own and not risk the further fury of Princess Luna by pointing out her own short sightedness.

It only took a glance back in the direction of the throne room for him to decide that discretion was the better option on this night.

Celestia had resigned herself to the fact that she wouldn't be enjoying a restful night's sleep anytime soon. That wondrous little escape from the day-to-day worries and stressful events she was forced to tolerate was something she'd become quite accustomed to experiencing and the sudden lack of it left her disturbed and uneasy; moreso because she knew what the source of the trouble was, namely Ulquiorra's presence. She was aware of far many more details than her sister had been made privy to when she demanded answers. She'd seen everything for herself about what and who he was and what he did, she alone had to battle the mental strains of having such a dangerous being loose in her kingdom and interacting with her subjects. Having not seen the horrors of Hueco Mundo directly Luna had assumed she was overreacting and gone behind her back to involve Twilight in the matter. Even after she'd taken the step of informing her sister about some of the more unpleasant details she'd seen her sister had still been optimistic. From there it had been damage control in an attempt to keep all parties involved from crashing and burning. It was a delicate balancing act to maintain and very mentally straining.

That said it was surprising to see Luna present for their morning meal looking about as haggard as she herself felt. There were no pleasantries exchanged at the table, no greetings as she made her appearance, nothing of the usual. Most of her communication had been little more than grunts inbetween passive-aggressive bites to her food. It was all very...un-Luna-like, and it had her concerned.

And after an extended period of this Celestia couldn't take it any longer and had to speak up. "Luna? I can tell that something's wrong. However I have no idea what it might be that's troubling you. Do you feel like sharing?" she asked.

"No," Luna replied as she attacked a slice of toast.

Celestia frowned. Usually Luna preferred to give a longer response like "we doth not feel like it" or something along those lines. The one word answers were definitely out of the usual for her. She decided to press on. "As I said Luna I know that something's wrong. All I want to do is help you, but if you insist on being difficult then I feel the need to remind you that I'm intimately familiar with each and every one of your most ticklish spots as well," she said as her wings flared briefly to reinforce the threat, just as Luna had done to her a few days prior.

Despite herself Luna let out an amused snort at her sister's warning, the irony not lost on her. "Very well, dear sister, we shall share," she replied before dabbing the corners of her mouth with a napkin. "Thee were most right when thou warned of Ulquiorra Cifer's nature. We found out last night that he can be quite cruel and merciless. He informed us that he considered our subjects to be no better than rubbish. He made no apologies for his allusion to Twilight Sparkle being of a murderous nature. Then he dared to go further and suggested we summoned Twilight Sparkle for less than honorable reasons that we will not even discuss. And then he didst dare to suggest that we are both stupid in nature!"

Celestia sat silently as Luna explained the situation to her, listening as her sister informed her of what she'd missed out on during the night. From the sound of it Luna had sought to clarify points raised during that tedious briefing from yesterday and had gotten far more than she bargained for. All in all she really wasn't surprised to hear it all. However before she could tell her sister her thoughts she began speaking again.

"Beyond being supremely rude Ulquiorra Cifer is unforgivably cold and merciless at calculating. During one of our less than stellar moments we threatened to banish him to the moon for his insolence and instead of cowering he didst dare us to do so. And when we hesitated he explained how he knew that we wouldst not do such a thing," she stated and let out a long sigh. "We hath never been so infuriated before by one subject," she finished and hung her head, using her hooves to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Ah, so that's what last night's commotion was about," Celestia commented. She knew she could feel -and hear- something going on during the evening, disturbing what little sleep she had been able to get. She'd let that pass for now though, there were more important matters at hoof. "So you're seeing that our guest isn't exactly the best of company simply because of his nocturnal nature."

"Doth not jest with us right now, dear sister, we art most displeased with Ulquiorra Cifer's lack of respect for royalty and his absence of manners. What he said was most uncalled for. To suggest that Twilight Sparkle is...that we would...that..." Luna was unable to properly articulate her frustration and settled instead for a loud groan.

From where she sat Celestia extended a wing and patted Luna on the back. She could understand her sister's frustrations with Ulquiorra and his nature. He was far, far different from the many centuries of gratitude and worship that their little ponies treated them with. Whether that was a good thing or not she really didn't know just yet.

"Is there not something we can do to quell that uncouth mouth of his? Some ancient rule that we might cite about proper manners regarding royalty?" Luna asked hopefully after a long pause to gather her thoughts.

"Luna dear you know that I don't care for such heavy-hooved tactics. Simply because we don't like what he has to say is no reason to punish him for saying it," Celestia pointed out calmly as she continued stroking her sister's back. "A lot of things have happened since you were gone. During your absence the fields of science and theoretical thought gained much ground and a growing number of ponies insist that the sun rises and sets without my involvement at all. However I don't deny them their opinions nor do I desire to punish them for the content of their message. If I silenced all speech that I didn't care for it would appear that I have something to hide and we would be swamped with thousands conspiracy theories. Ulquiorra already views me unfavorably but that's his right. He's under no obligation to show some predetermined level of courtesy towards us and I'd rather not do something to reinforce his negative view," she explained.

"But after what he didst dare say about Twilight Sparkle, and why we involved her directly-" Luna started, only to be gently silence by Celestia.

"You know better than anypony about the matter and how we rule," Celestia pointed out.

Luna sighed as defeat slowly sunk in, hanging her head in recognition of the fact that there was nothing she could say on the matter. She would unfortunately have to let the matter drop and simply go back to eating her meal in silence.

Unfortunately that didn't happen as before she could even begin her next bite one of the servants came bursting through the main doors into the dining hall. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" the pegasus maid called frantically, galloping over to the table and nearly crashing into it before she could properly stop.

"My little pony, what's wrong?" Celestia asked as she rose from her seat. Very rarely did she ever see one of the servants react with such a fright.

"Great trouble is brewing, your Majesty!" the maid stated quickly and bowed while struggling to catch her breath. "As I was tending to my duties in the throne room I chanced a look out the window by the balcony and saw great billowing pillars of smoke rising from the mountains in the east! I fear that a dragon may have nested in the area!"

Well now that certainly explained a few things. Nodding her understanding Celestia stood up from the table and began to walk toward the throne room to see for herself. A dragon this far into her territory could definitely be a problem, especially if it was nesting and making ready for a particularly long hibernation. Whatever the matter was it would have to be addressed and quickly.

Two things came to Celestia's attention as she entered the throne room, followed by the terrified maid and her sister. First and foremost the maid hadn't been exaggerating about the amount of smoke coming from the mountain region. It was indeed great billowing pillars of some of the thickest black smoke she could remember seeing in recent history, thick like an oil fire and viscous enough to block out her own sun if allowed to fester.

Secondly to come to her attention was the fact that Ulquiorra was already at the balcony and observing the smoke rise into the sky, his posture unchanged from the last time she'd seen him. She briefly wondered if that was his default posture but disregarded it as she stepped closer.

"It would seem a situation has arisen," he said simply, not even turning around to look at her as she approached. Whether it was due to his detection abilities or the sound of her hooves against the hard marble floor she didn't know, nor did she really care right now.

Stepping out onto the balcony next to him she surveyed the horizon more closely, a feeling of deja vu coming over her as she did. It had only been a little over two years ago that this situation had played out once before. And that hadn't even been the first time either. How many times had dragons attempted to nest in those mountains during her time? How often had she needed to have them chased out of there?

"It would seem you're right," Celestia replied and nodded. "It looks like a dragon has taken up residence in the mountains to the east and settling in for a rather long nap in some cave."

"Is it a threat?" Ulquiorra asked.

"In a way," Celestia replied as she turned her attention away from the smoke and to him. "Dragons have exceptionally long lifetimes, many of the ones who were around before Luna was banished are still alive today. It's not uncommon for dragons to spend a full century hibernating and when they do they breathe out huge amounts of thick smoke. If uninterrupted the accumulating smoke can blanket the sky and blot out the sun for entire areas," she explained.

"Eternal night as it were," Luna added as she stepped closer, her attention more on the horizon than the Hollow. "We do not know what Hueco Mundo is like but the plants in Equestria cannot survive without sunlight. Massive deforestation cannot be ruled out. And that is to say nothing of the short term health effects that wouldst be had from our subjects having to breathe such a polluted atmosphere."

Ulquiorra stood silent in the face of the new information. Without a word he grasped the hilt of his zanpakutō and partially unsheathed it.

"Whatever dost thou intend to do?" Luna asked as she watched in curiosity -and disbelief- as Ulquiorra ran his left pointer finger along the edge of his sword and drew blood before resheathing it.

"There are two things forbidden in Las Noches. One is that any Espada ranked Cuatro or higher releasing their zanpakutō within the fortress. The other is the discharge of the Gran Rey Cero technique. Both of which are so powerful they could destroy Las Noches," Ulquiorra explained calmly as he extended his left arm toward the east. "That said we are no longer in Las Noches. Even at this distance I don't believe it should take more than one Gran Rey Cero to completely destroy the specific cave and kill the dragon within."

In truth he was mildly curious about his own Gran Rey Cero, having never had the opportunity to use it before. He had dutifully obeyed the rules of Las Noches even during his battle with Ichigo Kurosaki. And once he was above the dome he'd gone with releasing his zanpakutō and utilizing his Cero Oscuras, the superior of the two advanced Cero techniques and exclusive to him and him alone. This would be a new experience for him.

They watched as a violet sphere of pure and unstable energy formed at the tip of his finger, gathering intensity and arching wildly and unpredictably. Both Celestia and Luna could tell that whatever this was, this "Gran Rey Cero" as he referred to it, there was a great deal of destructive power behind it. If it were to actually hit something...

Immediately a sphere of golden energy completely enveloped Ulquiorra's hand and the forming Cero. Glancing over he saw it was the work of Princess Celestia's magic. If he were to discharge his Cero now the resulting explosion would most likely disintegrate his hand and a good portion of his arm as well. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked calmly.

"Ulquiorra," Celestia spoke calmly, "I can understand that things were done differently in Hueco Mundo. But here in Equestria we don't simply kill something just because it might prove itself to be a potential threat. We try and resolve whatever situation arises in a peaceful manner to avoid a loss of life regardless of who or what it is. In the past we've had success persuading dragons to leave the area under peaceful terms, there's no reason to believe this time will be any different."

Such foolishness on her part. Did Princess Celestia truly believe such nonsense? He could feel himself glaring at her. Her words could not truly be believed.

"I don't share your views. You have already confirmed that the dragon's presence is a threat not only to the health but the lives of countless thousands of your subjects. And you still choose to maintain the optimistic view that you can talk the situation out?" Ulquiorra asked bluntly. He could feel Princess Luna's anger induced flaring of reiatsu coming but his attention was focused on Princess Celestia as he awaited an explanation.

"Do you remember your meeting with Fluttershy yesterday?" she asked calmly. "She was the one who made the last dragon leave and find somewhere else to settle down for its long nap," she explained.

Now he was most curious. Fluttershy? The butter yellow pegasus who was terrified of him until he called her out on her fear had somehow forced a carnivorous predator out of its established home? Not through use of the Elements of Harmony but rather through her own effort? It was preposterous in nature. How could something like that even be the case?

And yet Princess Celestia was looking at him in all seriousness. There were no visible signs that she was perhaps joking in the matter. Her posture and facial features were consistent with her telling him everything else that had been truthful up to this point.

"When you assigned me the purpose of learning about friendship I considered it to be foolish in nature," Ulquiorra stated. "I failed to see how such the study of such a vague and intangible concept could amount to anything resembling a true purpose. I would have disregarded it on the spot if you were not stronger than I," he explained evenly as he turned his focus away from Princess Celestia and back out toward the pillars of smoke. Celestia said nothing but her attention was drawn to the cero inside the sphere as it began to dissipate. "However even though I consider your assigned duty to be absurd I will still fulfill it dutifully until such time that you command otherwise."

Celestia blinked. That was...very off topic from the original discussion. However before she could comment he began speaking again.

"That said I request the opportunity to observe how the concept of "friendship" can resolve this matter. If the pegasus Fluttershy is truly able to make the dragon leave of its own volition without the use of violence then it is something that needs to be properly studied and understood."

It sounded almost like something her student Twilight would say, even if the delivery was considerably different. First he'd informed her that he considered her absurd and then he'd asked to actually see her beliefs in action. Right now she really wanted to chuckle despite it all.

"And why shouldst thee be allowed to do such after the disrespect thou hast displayed towards us and our sister?" Luna all but demanded.

Ulquiorra slowly turned around as far as he could to address her directly, his left hand still held securely by Princess Celestia's magic. "I have just been informed that a serious threat resides to the east of Canterlot and the appropriate response is to send Fluttershy to speak to it. You can understand my skepticism with trusting the safety of the kingdom to a pony who can barely speak above a whisper under the best of circumstances," he explained evenly. "It was a matter of friendship that lead to your being freed from the hold of Nightmare Moon. This was among the many things you yourself made me aware of during our first night of conversation. If I'm to believe this concept of "friendship" has any merit then I must see it for myself and witness what it can truly do."

Celestia and Luna remained silent as they contemplated the position they found themselves in, and it was indeed a difficult one. What exactly was the proper answer to give in a situation like this?

"If we did let you observe the operation what guarantee do we have that you wouldn't rebel and attempt to kill the dragon instead of letting Fluttershy and her friends try and persuade it to leave peacefully?" Celestia asked. Loyalty or not she had her concerns. Just a minute ago he'd planned to fire his "gran rey cero" to try and not only kill but bury the dragon in a single shot.

Without even thinking on the matter Ulquiorra began speaking again. "The same guarantee I have that you won't banish me to the moon should I displease you. Ultimately we have nothing more than the word of the other to go on and no reason to trust the other based on their words alone. We are at an impasse," he explained.

During their short time together Celestia had been made aware on multiple times that Ulquiorra was quite intelligent, highly observant...and as much as she hated to admit it he was quite right in this situation. Other than reliance on the honor system what did each of them have to believe the other wouldn't do something unsavory at some point down the line? This situation was the proverbial meeting of the irresistible force and the immovable object. This was going to require a great deal of her wisdom to arrive at the proper decision.

The question facing her right now though was whether or not she could make the proper decision and keep everything in proper balance. Should she show Ulquiorra a measure of trust and allow him to observe her little ponies in action? Or should she deny his request and keep him here? And if she did, how she she ensure he didn't disregard orders and go anyway? Just a moment ago he tried to kill the dragon for being a threat. Granted she could understand why he'd do something like that, but how did she prevent a similar incident from occurring? She couldn't watch him the entire day and she couldn't ask Luna to stay up and watch him until after the dragon had left.

If she allowed him to watch as Fluttershy did what few other ponies could do it might truly help him better understand friendship and motivate him to commit himself fully to the subject rather than just going through the motions. But it was equally likely that if she allowed this outing he would choose to kill the dragon on the grounds of it being a threat to Equestria. Once again she could feel that persistent sensation of a migraine trying to form.

Some days it simply didn't pay to be a princess.

Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty One

He truly couldn't help but find it interesting to watch as Rarity worked. The flow and distribution of mana, and it being diverted to the various applications, the steady fluctuations in her reiatsu as she went about operating the sewing machine with great determination, giving a predetermined form to a piece of simple black cloth. Her reiryoku was hardly impressive in scale, but her use of what she had was truly skillful. Not even lacking a sufficient amount of material for what she wanted was slowing her down, as she simply readjusted to work with what she had, and attempt a new application.

"Just stitch that seam down... tuck in that corner and tack it into place..." she muttered to herself, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated. "Just another minute."

Glancing over at the others he saw Twilight Sparkle seemingly studying Rarity's method of work as if she were a scientist studying a different form of life, for the purpose of drafting up and submitting a paper; a concept that perhaps would best be reserved for Pinkie Pie. To her left was Spike, the same look from earlier on his face. What was this curios state he was in, and why did the white unicorn affect him in such a manner?

More questions for which there seemed no readily available answers.

"Just one last snip... and... wonderful!"

His attention was drawn back again to Rarity as she levitated her creation.

Was she quite serious?

It appeared to be a black shirt. However he had never seen one of such a style before, and couldn't adequately comment on its exact nature. There were no sleeves present, and an open neck. He suspected the rather skimpy nature was a side effect of her business mindset clashing with her status as holder of the Element of Generosity. It would make sense to not put significant labor and resources into something that would be given away for free.

"I don't claim to know all that much about your physiology... or the physiology of Arrancars in general... I can only make assumptions. But you at least look to have a very toned and well defined build that any stallion would be proud to have. It's such a shame that its covered up so extensively by an all encompassing jacket such as yours. And surely it must get uncomfortable in the warmer weather. This," she paused and gestured to the freshly made garment, "should provide a nice change from the status quo, and really extenuate your build in a flattering way, all the while covering up... well you know..."

He could point out that not being alive in the same way they were he wasn't vulnerable to extreme temperature variances, and even subzero weather wouldn't prove sufficient to harm him. However Rarity didn't seem like the type who would so easily be convinced by simple logic. She was in her own limited view of the world right now, and nothing else mattered. And not being able to threaten her with harm for failing to recognize such facts left him with a limited number of responses.

Perhaps it was best to simply humor her for the time being.

Twilight watched as Ulquiorra unzipped his jacket and allowed it to slip open, shuddering to herself as his Hollow hole came back into view again. The very idea of it actually being there, smack dab in the middle of his chest, still left her uneasy, still sent shivers up and down her spine as he flagrantly disregarded all known rules of physics and logic in his very existence. So long as it remained hidden from view she could convince herself that nothing was out of place. But when it came back into view...

"I still say that has to be an illusion."

She hadn't meant to say it out loud but she'd wound up letting it slip out anyway for everyone to hear. Almost immediately her hoof flew to her mouth as if she could somehow clamp up the truth by a simple physical gesture. It was all so foalish.

"I can assure you it's quite real. Perhaps you care to examine it up close?" Ulquiorra replied.

"Oh my," Rarity whispered.

"Really?" Twilight asked nervously, her cheeks getting quite hot, and quite red at the very idea. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

Cautiously she stepped closer to him, rearing up on her hind legs and using her left hoof to press against his hip in an effort to steady herself. Slowly and cautiously, she brought her right hoof to his chest and pressed against the location of his Hollow hole, positive she'd find his musculature intact. But there was no underlying skeletal structure for support. Instead she felt as her foreleg slid completely through the hole, and out the back until it came into contact with the material of his jacket.

It was a real hole. Right through his chest and out of his back. There was no way it could be an illusion. The very idea of what she was doing and what it meant was making her squeamish as a phantom chill settled over her limb, and she quickly withdrew it, stepping back and down, and shaking it as if she'd come into contact with something wet and slimy.

Ulquiorra remained silent throughout it all, Twilight Sparkle's own displeasure with her experiment being sufficient for him. From the looks of it, the others were shocked and surprised as well. He continued removing his jacket, letting it slide from his shoulders and fall to the ground, stopping just short from touching the floor as Rarity enveloped it with her magic and levitated it elsewhere while presenting the shirt to him.

"I do hope it's to your liking," Rarity said softly as she watched and waited.

He regarded the supposed shirt for a moment before taking hold of it to examine it closer. The material felt to be a reasonable weight between his fingers, the neck line larger than he truly cared for, but likely necessary if it was intended to be slipped over the head as he was assuming, the back raised higher than the front around the neck from what he could see. Without a word he slipped into it and pulled it down into place, tucking it into his pants rather than leaving it outward where it could interfere with his sash.

The neckline was indeed larger than he cared for. However it was sufficient for covering his Hollow hole and... strange... had it always been that low in his chest? He'd believed it was higher than that. However he had little time to dwell on it as a full length mirror -full length for ponies anyway- was levitated over for him to get a better look at it.

Something about the presentation... something that didn't make sense... reminded him of that human companion of Ichigo Kurosaki, that Sado Yasutora individual who had foolishly believed he could stand up to Yammy Llargo and be successful. The exposed arms and shoulders, the way it fit his frame. Despite the plainness of it all it simply wasn't him.

However there was a bright side he immediately noticed, that perhaps the others didn't. Should he ever find the need to impale another individual up to the wrist, his jacket wouldn't become soiled with their blood and bits of tissue. Perhaps it was enough of a bonus to warrant wearing it.

"You're quite certain you have no intention of accepting payment for your services rendered?" Ulquiorra asked as he looked over at Rarity, the pony not even flinching under his gaze.

"Quite certain," she replied and nodded in a simplistic manner he could respect. No wasted words, just straight to the point. "But if you insist on some form of compensation, would it be alright if I held onto your jacket for a while longer, took a few more measurements of it?" she asked as she brought his jacket back into view.

A rather strange question to be presenting. These ponies continued to confuse him in the way they did things.

"I will require it back before nightfall. You may have it until then," he replied before directing his attention back to Twilight Sparkle and Spike. "I assume now would be the proper time to locate the others for this study, and whatever else you have in mind?" he asked.

"Er-" Twilight paused, caught off guard by Ulquiorra's bluntness and lack of courtesy towards Rarity after all her hard work. One would think after getting a brand new shirt -likely the very first of its kind in all of Equestria- he'd express at least some gratitude, but apparently not. "I guess so... we should probably head on over to Fluttershy's, and see how she is. She's been... kind of different since last week..."

"Different? In what respect?" Ulquiorra asked, finding himself mildly curious by the statement.

"Quiet even by her standards. Sort of sulking I guess? Not her usual happy quiet self," Twilight tried to explain. Trying to explain the difference in Fluttershy to an outsider wasn't really something she was skilled at. It was almost like trying to explain actual emotions without referencing their characteristics.

"Perhaps a consequence of her guilt over not being able to make the dragon leave peacefully?" he asked.

"Actually... that's not a bad theory of explanation. She really has been somewhat depressed since then," Twilight responded, "maybe today's visit will do her some good."

He doubted the unicorn's optimism but said nothing about it.

"Lead the way then."

"Right... Spike, would you mind showing Ulquiorra the way to Fluttershy's cottage while I have a word with Rarity, and I'll catch up in a bit?" Twilight asked.

"Sure thing Twi'," Spike replied and climbed down from his perch atop her back. "C'mon Ulquiorra, I'll show you the way."

Ulquiorra regarded the two unicorns for a moment before wordlessly turning and following Spike out the door, leaving the two to their own devices.

Once she was certain they were out of earshot Twilight turned back to face Rarity, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm really sorry about that, Rarity, I honestly thought we were making improvements, and Ulquiorra was getting better adjusted to life around Ponyville, but I guess I was wrong. He's still as callous as ever."

"Yes he is, isn't he?" Rarity agreed. However the tone in her voice lifted as she continued. "I wasn't really surprised at all, rather I expected it. To some degree it's understandable after learning what I have about him. The fact he took the shirt at all leaves me feeling that there's some hope for him fitting in our world at some point down the line," she explained. "Anyway darling, you just run on along and see Fluttershy. Now that I've got his jacket, I really want to learn more about it, like how it could go through dragon's fire and not even be singed."

"I suspect it has something to do with that hierro technique he referred to," Twilight muttered as she watched Rarity examining the jacket with great enthusiasm. "Anyway lots of luck. I'd better catch up with them before Ulquiorra winds up scaring all of Fluttershy's animals away... again..."

"Probably a very good idea," Rarity agreed and nodded before turning her attention back to the jacket.

"Wait a second."

The entire thing had happened so fast Spike hadn't even known how to respond until they were well out the door. It was only as they walked towards Fluttershy's cottage that the realization came up and smacked him in the face like a brick.

"You already know the way to Fluttershy's cottage. We walked there last week!" Spike stated, disbelieving how he hadn't seen it earlier.

"Indeed we did," Ulquiorra replied and nodded. "It would seem in her haste to speak with Rarity about certain matters, she forgot about that fact. I suspect she has ulterior motives, and is planning something that requires a distraction."

"Yeah?" Spike asked as he looked up at him, "whadda you think she's planning?"

"At present time I'm uncertain. I suspect it may have something to do with Pinkie Pie's intention of throwing me some type of party. More logically, perhaps Princess Celestia has outsourced her method of keeping tabs on myself, and my actions in an effort to determine the threat level I present to Equestria, and Twilight Sparkle is a part of the plan."

"Whoa..." Spike replied and stopped in his tracks. "You really think that the Princess sent instructions for Twilight to spy on you because she's suspicious?"

"If the situation were reversed, and one of them found their way to Las Noches, I would do the same," Ulquiorra replied simply and continued walking along, leaving Spike behind in his confusion as he went.

"Spike?"

It was only when he heard Twilight's voice from behind that he snapped out of his thoughts.

"Where's Ulquiorra?" she asked.

"Going on ahead since he knows the way already," Spike replied and gestured in the general direction of Fluttershy's cottage. "Hey Twilight... did Princess Celestia tell you anything in the last week? Anything relating to Ulquiorra specifically?" he asked.

"Not that I remember. Why?" Twilight asked as she tilted her head in confusion.

"... Just wondering is all..." Spike replied and began walking again. He wasn't sure just how much of this conversation he could share with Twilight at the time. There was a whole lot of stuff going on, and he needed time to think and organize things.

Now it was Twilight's turn to remain in place and utterly confused, blinking in uncertainty as to what was going on around her. Why was everypony talking in secrets?

"Hey you two, wait up!"

The walk to Fluttershy's cottage was as uneventful as it was quiet. Just like it was quiet when they actually arrived at the cottage; but this quietness on arrival was a lot different. It was... strange. The last time Ulquiorra had visited, all the animals had made a ruckus and scattered from the scene immediately. This time there were no animals in sight and everything was in an eerie stillness before their arrival. It was... weird. It was strange...

"Okay this is spooky," Spike commented.

"I've read about this. Primal instincts to flee an area when a dominant predator is detected. It's the same reason the animals fled last week, it's the same reason Opal freaked out and dashed out of Carousel Boutique. They picked up on Ulquiorra's predatory nature and regarded him as the superior threat," Twilight replied before turning her attention to Ulquiorra. "No offense."

"None taken," Ulquiorra replied as he crossed over the bridge to the small stream as he made his way up to the cottage door. At least the animals in Fluttershy's care shared her intelligence in recognizing him for what he was. He knocked and waited for a response.

It was nearly a full minute before the door creaked open just enough for him to catch a glimpse of an eye through the crack and realize it was Fluttershy looking back at him. Slowly the door opened wider as she looked up.

"Greetings Fluttershy."

She was silent as she continued looking up at him with some measure of curiosity, tilting her head to the side, her pink mane shifting about in the process.

"Hey Fluttershy," Twilight greeted as she and Spike came up behind Ulquiorra to meet with their friend.

Fluttershy turned her attention away from Ulquiorra and towards Twilight, smiling some as she saw her and waved a hoof in greeting.

"This is unusual behavior for her," Ulquiorra commented and turned his gaze towards the unicorn.

"Well you have to admit she had quite a shock last week, it's natural for some ponies to go through a period of adjustment after something like that and not act like themselves," she explained, shaking her head some before redirecting her attention back to Fluttershy. "Hey Fluttershy, do you wanna come along with the other girls to Sweet Apple Acres? Ulquiorra's here to learn more about friendship."

Fluttershy remained silent but continued to smile, nodding in agreement before stepping out the front door of her cottage and deploying her wings to hover off the ground. Ulquiorra quirked an eyebrow but remained silent, before turning his attention back to Twilight Sparkle.

"Where to now?"

Sugarcube Corner. The location where Pinkie Pie worked. Somehow it seemed appropriate with how things had been going over the course of the day. Somehow he doubted the notion that Twilight would leave any of her "friends" uninvolved if she could help the matter any.

"You're quite certain?" Ulquiorra asked as he turned his attention back to Twilight Sparkle.

"Yep. Trust me, Pinkie's easy to get along with, once you get adjusted to her. Let's just see if she's available to come along," she told him.

"Very well," he replied and stepped inside, knowing that trying to argue with the pony would prove useless on this matter.

Almost immediately after crossing the threshold of the bakery, he was greeted by a loud clang and complete darkness falling over him. It took him a moment to realize a metal bucket had just fallen on his head. And then he heard the cackling laughter...

+++

He had stepped out of his quarters in Las Noches to tend to matters of importance. That was all he'd done before noticing something against his ankle and the next thing he knew there was a loud clang and complete darkness falling over him, a wet sensation on his head and creeping down his jacket. And then he heard the cackling laughter of a high pitched voice.

Without a word he pulled the metal bucket off his head, the contents spilling further over him. As his vision came back he became aware of two things. The immature Espada Lilynette Gingerbuck was present and barely able to stand because of the ferocity of her laughter. And he was covered in a thick blue paint.

Where in Hueco Mundo had she even found blue paint?

"Oh man you shoulda seen the look on your face! It's so priceless!" she howled as she gripped her sides, barely able to keep from toppling over on the floor.

"Lilynette Gingerbuck," he replied calmly as he dropped the bucket to the ground, the blue paint dripping further down his jacket and onto the floor.

"I knew you could use some color but I didn't think I'd make you so sad," she choked out, "why so blue!?"

Her howling laughter continued for an unknown period of time, before she felt a strong tugging sensation on her arm, easily lifting her up off the floor where she found herself slung over his shoulder like a bag of dirty laundry, getting the blue paint all over herself in the process. This was no longer a laughing matter.

"Put me down you jerk!" she yelled as she kicked at his front and punched at his back. Ulquiorra remained silent as he held onto her firmly with one arm, and proceeded to walk down the hall. "Jerk! What're you gonna do, spank me!? Yeah I bet you'd like that a lot you pervert!" she shouted and tried her best to wiggle free. If she could get even one leg loose she would kick him so hard in the face right now.

His silent walk down the halls of Las Noches was offset by her raucous behavior and foul language, calling him every dirty name she could think of, in a long, and unending stream of profanities as she fought to get free.

"You just wait until Starrk finds out about this, he's gonna stomp the shit outta you!" Lilynette stated as she continued pounding on his back. It was only then that she noticed he'd stopped walking and stood in front of the door that lead to the Primera Espada's quarters. "This was your great plan for retaliation? Ha! Knock all you want, nobody but me can make Starrk wake up and I'm not cooperating with ya!"

Ulquiorra said nothing in response, settling instead for delivering a hard kick to the center of the door and knocking it right off its hinges, as it fell inward and slammed against the floor.

Even through all that commotion, the Primera Espada still slumbered away, snoring without care.

"Oh shit," Lilynette replied at the display she'd just seen over his shoulder. However she had no chance to say anything else as he readjusted his hold on her, lifting her up by the back of her pants with one hand, and literally throwing her across the room where she crash landed against Starrk, knocking him off the bed and waking him up in the process with a terrified yell.

"Control your other self," Ulquiorra spoke calmly before walking off in the direction he'd just come from.

+++

"Lilynette Gingerbuck..." he thought to himself. He'd discounted the possibility earlier on because Pinkie Pie visibly lacked the proto-Espada's sociopathic tendencies. It now appeared he'd dismissed the possibility far too early.

"Got ya Ulqy!"

Without a word Ulquiorra removed the bucket from his head, the contents spilling over him in the process. The one change was that this bucket contained confetti and streamers rather than a messier substance that would require significant effort to clean up. That and the pink earth pony was having an easier time remaining upright than her Espada counterpart due to the increased number of limbs on the ground.

"So it would appear," he replied simply and dropped the bucket on the ground.

It seemed Pinkie Pie was taking her promise quite seriously.

Behind him he could hear the snorts of barely suppressed laughter. Glancing over his shoulder he could see it was Spike and Fluttershy engaged in efforts to hide their amusement. It would appear the pegasus wasn't overwhelmed by guilt for her actions to the point she was beyond being amused. Twilight Sparkle on the other hand simply scowled at the earth pony beyond him. He said nothing, and simply proceeded to dust himself off in a casual manner.

"Pinkie that wasn't very nice. What if it was one of us who walked in first? Somepony could've gotten hurt," she stated.

"Oh Twilight you silly filly," Pinkie giggled, "you don't have to worry, I had everything planned out. The trip wire running to the bucket is held in place by a switch panel under the welcome mat. All the school aged ponies are too light to set it off, and all the adult aged ponies are too heavy to set it off. Ulqy's the only one in the right size range to overcome the spring tension and release the bucket."

A rather elaborate trap for no other purpose than releasing a bucket of confetti on his head. Perhaps there were certain questions that he shouldn't bother asking; such as how she knew he would be coming here today of all days. From what he could see, Twilight Sparkle shared his disbelief of the situation.

"Anyway Pinkie..." Twilight began, "we were thinking about going to Sweet Apple Acres with Ulquiorra. Do you wanna tag along?" she asked.

"Sure Twilight! I've still got a promise to keep of putting a smile on Ulqy's face and I can't do that if I'm here all day!" Pinkie readily stated and bounced excitedly.

"You can't do that regardless of where you are," he thought to himself and gave consideration to rolling his eyes.

"Hey Pinkie, do you know where Rainbow Dash might be?" Twilight asked as the group began leaving the bakery.

"Last I heard she was over at Sweet Apple Acres doing something with Applejack, but that was a couple hours ago," Pinkie replied as she bounced along.

"A rather strange coincidence. Eight days ago Rainbow Dash was with Fluttershy. Today she is possibly with Applejack. One can't help but ponder what circumstances are responsible for finding two Element bearers at the same time more than once," Ulquiorra commented.

Twilight blinked in response but said nothing, instead choosing to focus on his statement and the facts behind it. He did have a very good point about it being a strange coincidence. This was going to require some serious investigation!

"For science!"

"Get back here ya featherbrained idjit!"

"Make me you ground pounder!"

This was the scene that was unfolded in front of the five once they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were chasing after each other between the trees of the orchard, each one of them alternating between who was in the lead and who was bringing up the rear. And they seemed oblivious to the presence of the others.

"Is this regular behavior for those two?" Ulquiorra asked as he looked at Twilight for clarification.

"It's Wednesday," Spike replied, "Rainbow Dash and Applejack always race each other on Wednesdays if they're not otherwise busy. They're very competitive with each other," he explained as he watched the two make another pass, still obviously oblivious to their presence.

Ulquiorra said nothing, simply choosing to make use of his pesquisa as he observed the two. Their two reiatsu signatures were flaring considerably as they raced against each other. Applejack's reiryoku was distributed throughout her body evenly but with a greater concentration diverted to her hooves. Rainbow Dash's reiryoku was much the same, but with no significant distribution to any particular part of her body. As it stood, it appeared the pegasus was keeping pace through her own sheer physical prowess, than through any connection to passive magical abilities inherent to the pegasus race.

"I don't think they're gonna notice us anytime soon. I've seen them race like that until nightfall sometimes," Pinkie commented as the two athletes made yet another hard turn, kicking up dust and gravel in the process.

"Those two..." Twilight sighed and shook her head before looking over in Ulquiorra's direction, "do you think you could sonido between them and... I don't know... pick them up and bring them back here?" she asked.

"If it was necessary. However I don't know if their bodies could withstand the speed at which they would be moving under such circumstances. Rainbow Dash can only withstand her own Sonic Rainboom because her reiatsu distributes itself in a manner similar to an Espada's hierro," he pointed out. Even after seeing the technique he still wasn't sure if said distribution was a deliberate act she could control, or if it was done purely by instinct.

However it all soon became irrelevant as the race ended the moment Rainbow Dash turned her head to stick out her tongue. An act that caused her to not watch where she was going, snagging her front hoof on a tree branch and tripping, her forward momentum sending her rolling end over end as she yelled helplessly, making her way in the group's direction before coming to a complete stop as she slammed against Ulquiorra's legs, laying upside down and moaning as her eyes spun about.

"Owww..." she moaned. That'd hurt!

Ulquiorra remained unfazed and unmoved -emotionally as well as physically- by what he'd just seen. It was her own fault anyway.

She wasn't doing much to help herself either, with the manner in which she was positioned and where her tail currently rest.

"Ya a'right Sugarcube?" Applejack asked in a concerned tone as she came running over to where her friend lay, stopping only when she noticed his presence. "Howdy Mr. Cifer. Wha' brings ya 'round these parts?"

"Twilight Sparkle and her friends," he replied plainly before looking down at Rainbow Dash again as she started to pick herself up.

"Who put that bucking mountain in the middle of the orchard?" she groaned and rubbed the back of her head, as well as her lower back, before opening her eyes and looking up at him. "Sorry, didn't see you standing there," she paused and tilted her head to the side, "nice shirt. Rarity's work?"

"Indeed," Ulquiorra replied as she got back on all fours again and into a less compromising position. He again turned back to face Twilight Sparkle and cast his gaze upon her; an act that caused her to flinch. "What truly brings us to such a secluded location? What business did you have out here?"

He observed as she giggled nervously, scraping a hoof against the dirt in a manner suggesting she had been caught in the act of doing something she shouldn't have been doing in the first place. Along with her demeanor, her reiatsu level began fluctuating wildly. She had definitely been up to something secretive.

"Well I was... kind of hoping you could demonstrate some of those techniques of yours so I could kinda... study them, and figure how you did them..." she hesitantly admitted.

Rather strange behavior. If she simply wished to study him, then why did she insist on bringing the rest of her "friends" along for the study? What could she possibly hope to gain from their presence? He looked over each of them as he tried to piece together the puzzle. Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy. What was the connection he was not currently seeing? Why was Pinkie Pie smiling so intently? Why was Fluttershy hovering about off the ground, when she seemed so comfortable on the ground like an earth pony? And why did she not flinch under his gaze?

"So I see," he replied calmly and stepped away from them, turning around to look over each of them again in thought. "And how do you propose going about learning how to do what I can do?" he asked.

"Well there's this spell called "mage's sight" that I learned recently, and it lets the caster see the flow and structure of mana, and how its utilized when a particular spell is cast. If your techniques have even a passing similarity to the structure of this world, then I should be able to deduce and hypothesize how to go about replicating them," she explained.

Interesting. She had thought far enough ahead to have figured out a way at deducing the nature of the Espada's techniques, and in a way to understand the basic mechanics, or at least to try and do so anyway. That would certainly save him the effort of trying to explain how so much of it was instinctual in nature, and couldn't be put into simple words.

However there were other matters at hand to deal with first.

"Before we begin with such an endeavor, I want to make one thing perfectly clear, as it needs to be said," Ulquiorra began addressing them, each of them remaining silent to hear what he had to say. "I consider all of you to be nothing but trash. Back in Hueco Mundo I wouldn't have given any consideration to wasting my time with a single one of you. Besides being trash you're all supremely stupid. You were correct to fear me after finding out about my true nature. Then you suddenly feel sorry for me after having learned about my past? You believe incidents you consider to be tragic in nature negates what I have done and done so willingly? The fact you are trusted with the safety and wellbeing of Equestria leads one to question the wisdom of your Princess Celestia and how the world hasn't fallen into utter destruction yet."

"What the!?" Rainbow Dash shouted in anger at his words. "You big jerk! What the buck makes you so special for you to pass judgement on the rest of us anyhow!?"

Each of them had been thinking the exact same thing in some form or another. However Rainbow Dash was the only one who seemed able to vocalize her displeasure with Ulquiorra's statement regarding them and everything they'd done so far, the others too stunned to properly get a word out edgewise.

Undeterred by the outburst Ulquiorra continued as he slowly paced between them.

"The only one of you who has shown any common sense is Fluttershy. She and she alone, is the only one of you who has correctly regarded me as a predator that must be feared and avoided at all costs. She did not maintain the false notion that she could somehow domesticate me, and turn me into a friend, unlike the rest of you and your foolish beliefs that I could be or wished to be reformed," he continued as he stopped in front of the hovering yellow pegasus and looking deep into her eyes. "Out of all of your friends you are the wisest. Out of them all, you are the one most deserving of my thanks for recognizing the facts before you, and addressing them in a proper manner," he explained as he raised his left hand and began to stroke her mane.

Fluttershy flinched at the sudden contact, as was to be expected from her. However as the stroking continued she became more relaxed and allowed her eyes to close, the tension in her body fading away as she leaned into his hand, as he scratched at her head and behind her ears, her wings beating gently in contentment.

And then the sudden crunch of bones being broken. Fluttershy's eyes flew open wide with shock as an unimaginable pain shot through her chest and the rest of her body.

Nopony had seen it happen until it was too late. Ulquiorra had moved so quickly none of them had seen it until it had already happened and his left hand was firmly plunged into her chest all the way up to his wrist, easily shattering the bones in her ribcage with unimaginable force and cruelty.

None of them could move at what they saw, the shock of it all far too overwhelming. None of them could even speak as they watched helplessly as their friend was impaled in the middle of hovering off the ground.

"You have my thanks for your wisdom, dear Fluttershy..."

Chapter Twenty Six

Chapter Twenty Six

"It's mine! It's finally mine!" Chrysalis howled excitedly, Celestia's crown perched atop her head and signifying her rule. She took a moment to adjust to its newfound weight, before quickly bounding up the stairs that lead to the throne, and made herself comfortable, her rule complete now.

Ulquiorra stood silently as he observed the fruits of his labor. Celestia was dead, her body reduced to nothing but ash, just as her tyrannical rule had been. That which had been wrong with this world had now been set right.

"And I owe it all to you, Ulquiorra Cifer. Without you, my rule would still be just a dream, trampled upon by the likes of that nag Celestia," Chrysalis stated. "Thanks to you my hive will no longer have to hide underground, and in the shadows, creeping about in order to survive. We can now be forward, and noticed, and nopony will try and oppose us! This is the greatest day in all of changeling history!" she cackled.

"Thank you for your praise, My Queen. My only regret is the manner in which she died. Had there been a body to claim, we could have impaled Celestia's head on a stake and paraded it around Canterlot to properly signify and celebrate your rule," Ulquiorra replied calmly as he looked back over at what remained of the pile of ash, what hadn't been scattered either by himself, or in the wind caused by the two changeling drones that had swept in and restrained Twilight Sparkle while she was crying on the floor.

"Yes it's such a pity. Oh well no matter, there's still Princess Luna's head once we find her," Chrysalis replied and laughed in a mad cackle, one that wickedly reverberated off the walls of the throne room in a distorting manner.

However it wasn't destined to last for long.

Just seconds after her laugh began, it was immediately silenced by a significant disturbance in the room. It wasn't necessarily limited to just one sensory organ or another, but rather seemed to be affecting the air in the room itself. Something was permeating the entire area, and making her exoskeleton tingle in the process. It was like the mana in the air itself was suddenly being utilized against her, as it reverberated off the phantom teeth marks on her horn.

"What in Tartarus is going on here?" she asked as she looked around.

Whatever the disturbance was, Ulquiorra was well aware of it. The disturbance in the area was... familiar... but he couldn't quite figure out just what it was.

And then there was an explosion of reiatsu in the room. And if he had a heart, he would swear that for one brief moment in time, it stopped beating. The texture of this reiatsu was easy to identify, but the intensity of it was unlike anything he could remember experiencing in recent history. Out of some morbid curiosity that seemed to exert an irresistible hold over him, he turned around to confirm for himself just what was going on.

The surge of reiatsu they were all currently experiencing was coming from Twilight Sparkle's prone form. This wasn't an unconscious flaring of her reiatsu, like he'd witnessed several times before, but rather a deliberate show of strength. By now he could see a purple aura surrounding the unicorn's entire body. The two changeling drones on top of her were now displaying what he could only assume was great discomfort, and difficulty with maintaining a hold on her, despite the fact she wasn't moving at all.

By now the surges in detectable reiatsu were becoming more and more intense in nature, seeming to serve as an outlet for the silent unicorn's rage. Her reiatsu was pulsing violently, the air around her and the two struggling changelings becoming visibly distorted, taking on an appearance similar to humidity over a paved road on a hot, sunny day.

Perhaps the most startling fact of all was the pulsations traveling through the floor of the palace. He could feel them reverberating up his feet and legs right now, like being present for the aftershocks of an earthquake, or the release of an Espada's resurrección. Was this all Twilight Sparkle's doing? Did her reserves of reiatsu truly run so deep, that she could cause disturbances to the entire area through the simple act of not keeping it restrained?

Chrysalis' eyes went wide with shock and terror at what she was seeing, and what the drones were relating back to her regarding their struggling to keep Twilight restrained. If this kept up much longer she was going to break loose, and once she did, there was absolutely no telling what would happen "Keep her restrained! Don't let her get loose!"

In just a moment several more drones had swooped in and dog piled on top of Twilight to keep her pinned to the ground, landing on top of fellow changelings, or any piece of exposed pony flesh available, trying to keep their prisoner restrained and unable to move or retaliate.

Off to the side where the others lay, the situation was just as hard to believe. What they were bearing witness to, was just another in a constant series of unbelievable events that seemed to defy logical explanation.

"Good gracious," Rarity breathed in disbelief from where she lay. She always knew her friend was strong, but she had no idea that she was this strong! Even during the incident with the Ursa Minor, she hadn't felt anything like this.

"I'm scared," Pinkie whispered, not wanting to watch anymore, yet at the same time being unable to look away from what was unfolding before them.

The half dozen or so drones that'd been tasked with keeping Twilight pinned down to prevent her movement immediately became victimized by what they were up against. With unbelievable ease they were easily hurled away by the ever-increasing pulses that came from her body, sending them flying back and crashing into walls or whatever was in their path.

Chrysalis' mouth hung open in disbelief as they watched things unfold. Her drones had been discarded like they were utter trash, allowing Twilight to stand back up with ease, and stomp her hoof loudly on the ground. Whatever ashes hadn't been scattered previously were now being blown away by the sheer amount of force coming off her body. By now her mane and tail were billowing about, wildly and uncontrollably as a result of her unrestrained power being left unchecked, the results looking as if she were trying to stare down a cyclone.

Ulquiorra was trying to believe what he was seeing at this point. His pesquisa had told him that Twilight Sparkle was strong, that her reiatsu was considerably higher than she often displayed, but he hadn't expected anything like this. She was easily reaching previously unachieved levels, as the look on her face was a mix of violent emotions. And her eyes... her eyes were full of rage, anger, and pain.

"Her eyes," he thought, "they're just like the eyes of-"

His thoughts were quickly interrupted as Twilight's eyes glowed and became whited out with her own unrestrained power, much as he'd witnessed occur with Princess Luna during her fit of anger. Immediately this was followed up by her throwing her head back, issuing a bellow of absolutely primal, animalistic rage that resonated much like the royal Canterlot voice, the act coinciding with an even greater pulse of magical energy making itself known to all, and the floor beginning to crack beneath where she stood.

"This is so not good!" Rainbow Dash yelled to the others, trying to be heard over their angered friend. She'd never admit to the fact, but she was feeling scared at this point. Really, really scared.

Twilight's howl came to an end as she brought her face back forward, locking her eyes on Ulquiorra. Immediately the purple aura surrounding her faded away, the glow flowing directly into her horn, and causing it to glow with such an intensity it was almost white hot, with little lavender sparks falling from the tip and to the floor.

"Meet your demise!"

It was the only intelligible statement made by Twilight, followed by another howl of vengeance and fury as she lowered her glowing horn and pointed it directly at where Ulquiorra stood.

The resulting blast of pure magical energy was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before, and something they never wanted to see again. The beam that flew from Twilight's horn was massive in terms of scope, the sheer force of the blast was strong enough it easily slid her halfway across the throne room's marble flooring, before she finally managed to come to a complete stop and maintain her ground. This fact did nothing to distract the others from what occurred on the other end, the blast completely engulfing Ulquiorra's entire body, wings and all, and continuing on unabated to come into contact with the side wall of the throne room, and part of the balcony.

The sound of the attack was deafening in nature like a dragon's roar, causing everypony's ears to hurt from what they were forced to hear. The light coming off of it was as blinding as staring directly into the sun. And the heat was intolerable, like being near a dragon's fire, and felt like it would singe their fur right off just by being in proximity to it. And the entire time the ground shook violently, the entire castle feeling like it was quaking in fear from what was going on inside the confines of its own walls.

Chrysalis herself tried hard to squeeze herself into the far corner of the throne on which she sat, terrified by what was going on right in front of her. Out of a matter of pure animal instinct, every changeling drone in the immediate area scattered and retreated to the far end of the room. It was only out of shock and fear, that the ponies themselves didn't take the same course of action.

Rainbow Dash tried to speak, but no sound came out as she moved her mouth. She found that she was far too terrified to vocalize anything she was thinking. Where had Twilight been hiding all that power this whole time!? How did an introverted egghead get to be so unbelievably strong?

And just as it began, it came to an end, the only signs of the beam's existence being a channel cut in the marble floor, and the smoke rising from the area. When it was all over Twilight fell to her knees, gasping for air, physically exhausted from exerting so much mana in one go, steam rising off her horn as the heat-induced glow began to fade. It was an exercise even more tiring than dealing with the Ursa Minor.

"Such destructive potential," Chrysalis whispered in absolute terror as she looked where Ulquiorra used to stand. There was nothing left but smoke and cinders... and a massive round hole in the wall that'd been behind him, the wind gently blowing the smoke about. She'd desperately underestimated this one.

"That's nothing," Twilight mumbled as she slowly rose back to her hooves and turned to better face her, her body wracked with heaving pants for air at this point, as she tried to remain upright. "You're..." she panted, "next..." more panting, "Chrysalis!" she finished as she lowered her horn to point right at the changeling queen, preparing to unleash the same fate on her that she'd subjected Ulquiorra to.

"Not quite."

That voice was unmistakable at this point. But it had to be a mistake! There was no way Ulquiorra could still be alive after a blast of that magnitude... right? It'd melted and cut a channel right through the marble floor, burned a hole through the outer wall of the palace, his still being alive had to be an impossibility.

Unfortunately for them it wasn't an impossibility, the notion dispelled by the beat of a single black bat wing, scattering the smoke, and revealing Ulquiorra unmoved from his original spot, and completely unscathed. He hadn't even dodged the attack, he'd stayed firmly in place and taken the full force of it, just to prove that he could withstand it. It was like the dragon's fire incident all over again, only much, much worse. Everypony's mouth hung open in shock.

"Had you directed the entirety of your fury's destructive force at Queen Chrysalis, you would have succeeded in completely disintegrating her," Ulquiorra spoke as he slowly walked forward. "You could have even killed every changeling drone in the city, had you a method of scattering your blast into hundreds of different trajectories," he continued as he got closer. "Instead you chose to direct your fury at me. And as a result you have burned through your reiryoku. You barely have enough left to stand, nevermind the possibility of firing a second shot. You had the opportunity to do something in response, and you chose to waste it in short sighted anger; just as Celestia chose to waste her opportunity to kill me, while I was still weak enough for her to do something about it."

The kick from Ulquiorra that landed in Twilight's ribcage wasn't hard enough to actually break her bones, but in her weakened condition it was more than enough to send her rolling across the floor, and over to where the others were, held by the regrouped changeling drones, crashing into Pinkie and Rarity as she came to a hard stop.

"These six are going to be quite troublesome to deal with," Chrysalis stated before turning to look at Ulquiorra. "Tell me my dear Ulquiorra Cifer, what would you recommend doing with these six?" she asked, eager to see what his response would be. Maybe they'd kill them outright? Or perhaps torture them slowly as the loudmouthed one had wanted to do to her. Or maybe she'd just feed them to her hive, and let her minions take care of the problem on their own.

Ulquiorra turned his head and looked over his shoulder before addressing her. "Under normal circumstances I would recommend killing each of them, as they are nothing more than trash. However I have come to know these six quite well in my time here. In fact, you could even say that I've come to hate them. I feel death would spare them any future suffering, and misery, at watching the downfall of the last remnants of their kingdom, and the capture of their friends would be too merciful," he stated before turning back to face them. "Twilight Sparkle is the strongest of them, and she can barely move. In her current state, I'm amazed she's still strong enough to breathe. I don't believe they present a tangible threat at present. I would recommend placing them in a holding cell for the time being, until we're ready for them to experience true despair. After all they hold dear lays in ruin, then and only then will they have permission to die."

Chrysalis' mouth hung open in disbelief at these words, amazed at the sheer amount of evil of what he was proposing. Brutal psychological torture, this had definite potential indeed. She could just imagine the trauma they'd experience at being forced to watch as their friends and families were rounded up and executed, their homes burnt to the ground, and the residents enslaved for the purpose of food and cheap labor. She knew she liked this Espada for some reason. Eagerly she nodded in agreement.

"Yes that will do, I believe that will do just fine. I leave their fate in your hooves, Ulquiorra Cifer, do with them as you wish. Make them suffer for all the misery they've caused me and my hive!" Chrysalis commanded.

"As you wish, My Queen. I shall escort them to an appropriate holding cell," Ulquiorra replied and began walking towards the doors of the throne room. "Follow," he commanded.

Obediently the drones picked up the struggling and protesting ponies, and began following after Ulquiorra as he lead them to a more proper location.

Chrysalis held her breath until the last signs of the group could no longer be seen. Once they were out of sight, she let loose a shaky breath, and looked at the divot Twilight Sparkle had left in her anger induced attempt to kill Ulquiorra. She'd quite literally melted the marble of the floor with her attack, and blown a huge hole in the wall and taken out part of the window and balcony in the process. She didn't even want to think of how much mana that little mare had, or what might've happened if she'd done like Ulquiorra had suggested, and directed her fury at her first.

She was going to need a minute or two to properly compose herself and settle her nerves. Coming so close to death had a way of rattling even the most stoic of individuals.

And necessitating a potty break.

And from the smell emanating in the room... one of the ponies had apparently experienced the same need.

One by one, each of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony was unceremoniously tossed into the holding cell by the changeling drones, Twilight Sparkle being the last to be thrown in, before the steel door was slammed shut with a resounding click of the lock.

"You'll stay here for the time being, until Queen Chrysalis sees fit to summon your presence again," Ulquiorra stated simply and turned to leave.

The cell bars rattled as Rainbow Dash slammed herself against them, desperately trying to latch onto his frame before he got out of foreleg's reach. "You just wait until I get out I'm gonna show you a thing or two!" she threatened.

Ulquiorra ignored her boasting. There was nothing that she could do to inflict any measure of pain upon him, especially not in his released state. She couldn't even harm his hierro at his weakest, what could she possibly hope to do now?

"Ulquiorra!"

He paused in his pace at the sound of the voice. This time it was the otherwise mute Fluttershy speaking to him. Curiously he turned to face her as she stood up against the bars at the front of the holding cell, a pleading look in her eyes.

"Ulquiorra why're you doing this? Why're you helping that monster Chrysalis when all she wants to do is hurt innocent ponies? Why'd you save us from the dragon back at the caves if your only intent was to betray us? Aren't we your friends?" she asked.

"You're quite foolish if you truly believed we were ever friends. I didn't choose to save you from the dragon for any reason other than following my orders. My actions now are no different, I'm merely following orders," Ulquiorra replied. "You're all quite foolish if you believed your "friendship" could tame me, and turn me into something no different than a pet. You're all far too trusting in nature, to realize that the world is full of dangerous people who will take advantage of you, if given the opportunity."

No more words were said as Ulquiorra turned and walking out of the holding area. The drones lingered behind a few moments longer, before following after him, the sound of a heavy door closing behind them down the hall, signalling that the girls were locked in and alone in the dimly lit area.

Applejack pressed against the cell door, banging on it with her hooves. It was definitely locked, and quite tightly, so getting out of here that way wasn't a possibility.

"Well now wha' do we do?" she asked.

"I'll tell you what we should've done. We should've cut Chrysalis' horn off like I suggested!" Rainbow Dash stated.

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity protested loudly. "I know you're upset darling, but I can't possibly believe you'd so willingly suggest such a barbaric and cruel practice, and do so, so readily!" she stated. "Do you even stop to consider the weight of your words?"

"What's that gotta do with anything? If we'd cut Chrysalis' horn off when we had the chance, we coulda told that traitor we defeated her, and we were rightfully in charge now! Then Princess Celestia might even still be alive if we did!" Rainbow Dash pointed out and stepped closer to Rarity.

"That doesn't change what you were suggesting! Do you even know what dehorning is? In unicorns it's the magical equivalent of castration in a stallion! Cutting off a unicorn's horn deprives them of any ability to do magic, and renders them helpless. It's no different than cutting off a pegasi's wings. Would you really want your wings to be cut off with a hacksaw?" Rarity asked as she stepped closer to Rainbow Dash to stare her in the eyes.

"This isn't about you and me, this is about a changeling named Chrysalis! So who cares if sawing off her horn is barbaric, she's responsible for the situation we're in right now!" Rainbow Dash stated. "Maybe we really should've killed her when we had the opportunity. You can't tell me that her life is worth the whole kingdom of Equestria! What's one death of one enemy really worth?" she asked.

"All life is precious, Rainbow Dash, it's not for us to decide who's expendable and who isn't. We aren't judge, jury, and executioner to determine who gets to live and who gets to die. Yes Chrysalis is the enemy, but that's not our call to make. Once you start down that path of killing, there's no coming back once you have blood on your hooves!" Rarity stated, the two of them nearly nose to nose now, narrowed eyes locked together.

"Well maybe I'm actually willing to go down that path! Maybe I'm willing to kill a few enemies to keep the peace! Did you ever think of that you stuck up, prissy, egotistical horn-headed nag!?" Rainbow Dash yelled, poking Rarity in the chest with her hoof to punctuate each insulting word.

The rest of the ponies stared on, slack jawed and horrified, at the words that were flowing back and forth between Rarity and Rainbow Dash, the nature of the exchange becoming far more heated and hateful with each passing moment. Words were about to give way to hooves the way things were going.

"QUIET!" Fluttershy shrieked, bringing the attention of the two vocal combatants directly to her, and directly into her intense piercing stare. "What's the matter with you two? How dare you fight each other tooth and hoof like that? Don't you know that all we have right now is each other and we need to work together? You shouldn't be fighting each other like that, we're the Elements of Harmony and we need to be harmonious! And on top of all that we're friends, and friends shouldn't be fighting each other like you two are right now!" she scolded them furiously.

Over the course of the lecture their anger towards each other started tempering, before melting away. By the time Fluttershy was done scolding the two of them they both felt -as Applejack would so eloquently put it- lower than the belly of a snake, each of them looking at the other apologetically.

"Rarity I'm... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things, I didn't mean them," Rainbow Dash apologized.

"It's quite alright darling, I understand. We're all running quite hot under the collar right now. We both said some things we shouldn't have. The important thing is that we understand such," Rarity replied before enveloping the pegasus in a hug.

"I don't know what came over me! It's like being around that traitor just brought out the worst in me, I don't talk like that, I don't think like that," Rainbow Dash stated, horrified at the memories. What'd come over her?

"Yay! This requires a "making up with friends" party!" Pinkie cheered.

"Uh... Pinkie? Ah think we got bigger problems ta deal wit' first, like gettin' the hay outta here," Applejack pointed out.

"Yeah good point," Rainbow Dash replied and nodded as she pulled away from Rarity. "So what've you got hidden away for a situation like this?" she asked Pinkie.

"Beats me," Pinkie replied and shrugged.

"What?" Rainbow Dash asked in a confused manner and tilted her head. "Pinkie you're always prepared for weird stuff. I know the tree where you hide trampolines in case of trampoline emergencies in Ponyville. You've even got a special spot picked out for storing basketball stuff in case of basketball emergencies, and nopony in Ponyville even knows how to play basketball! How can you not have something in mind for escaping a prison cell!?" she demanded to know, the very idea seemingly impossible.

"I was too busy thinking that we needed the Elements of Harmony to see this one coming. Duh!" Pinkie replied.

"Well that's just great, how're we supposed to get out of here?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"... I have a plan," Twilight mumbled as she pushed herself upward into a sitting position.

Immediately everything went silent at her words, and she felt five pairs of eyes on her. And all for good reason. She'd been nearly catatonic since the whole fiasco, nearly went to pieces and completely lost her sanity at witnessing Princess Celestia's death. She hadn't said a word, or even had a conscious thought since her failed attempt at killing Ulquiorra in retaliation for what he'd done. She'd very nearly gone completely off the deep end, falling to a state of catatonia that one could never hope to come back from.

But she couldn't suffer that fate; not yet anyway. There was too much that needed to be done before she could afford to go away. She had to pull herself together, compartmentalize her mind to strengthen her psyche, and focus on something constructive; something like a plan for actually getting them out of here, and righting things as best possible. That was the only thing she could do right now, in order to hold herself together.

"I've been thinking on it ever since we got in here. But I need help in carrying it out," she explained in a tone and manner that suggested she was exhausted and about ready to fall asleep on her hooves. Groggily she turned to Rarity. "Rarity I'm gonna need your help the most. Can you lend me some of your mana?" she asked.

"Twilight darling, you know I'm always willing to help out a friend. But what in Equestria are you going to do with part of my mana?" Rarity asked curiously as she stepped closer. She was quite happy her friend seemed alright, coherent enough to think up a plan. But the poor dear looked dreadful right now. She looked like she was half dead right now. She couldn't begin to imagine how much she'd exerted herself already, and yet here she was trying to push even further.

"I'm running on empty here, I'm no good to anypony right now. There's a spell I know that allows for unicorns to quickly recharge their mana reserves, but it requires a much greater amount than I have to contribute right now. I can't even cast a basic illumination spell. And if we're going to pull this off, I'm going to need a full tank to run on, as there's a lot of parts involved," Twilight explained.

"Wha' ya got in mind Sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

"First we need to get out of this holding cell, that requires a lock picking spell. Once we're free, Rainbow Dash and I can proceed to Ponyville and pick up the Elements of Harmony, and bring them back here. While we're doing that, I need you girls to carry out what's arguably the most important part of the plan. I need you to find Princess Luna, make sure she's safe, and keep her that way if at all possible. You heard what Chrysalis and Ulquiorra were talking about. If Princess Celestia was no match for him, Princess Luna is doomed on her own. You need to protect her at all costs, until we can get back here, and serve as reinforcements," Twilight explained.

"Uh... Twilight? Why can't I just go pick up the Elements of Harmony myself? I mean, it'd be easier to carry just them, than it would be to carry them and you at the same time. No offense or anything, but you're really extra weight I'd have to take into consideration," Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"I'm aware of that fact, Rainbow Dash, but that's not the entirety of the plan. I need to come along because I need you to take me to Zecora's hut in the Everfree Forest. For this plan to work, I need to talk to her directly," Twilight stated.

"Zecora? Why Zecora? I know she's smart and all, but, isn't this kinda out of her league?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I mean, I don't think there are any balms made from roots, berries, and tree bark, that are gonna help us out in this mess."

"It's nothing like that. I need to talk to Zecora directly, because she's the only one who..." she paused. What she had to say next was far from easy. What she was about to say, was one of the hardest things she'd ever considered; she didn't even know if her friends would have her back right now. But right now was a desperate situation, and desperate times called for desperate measures. Taking a steadying breath, she continued speaking. "Who currently knows of the exact location of the Alicorn Amulet," Twilight explained, only to be met with surprised gasps from her friends. She'd half anticipated that.

"The Alicorn Amulet?" Rarity asked, "Twilight darling you remember what that horrid thing did to Trixie don't you?"

There was a considerable amount of protest from her friends at hearing that aspect of her plan. It wasn't surprising one bit that they were upset by it, she was upset too, and she shared all of their concerns. But unlike them, she was seeing the bigger picture and what was really at stake.

"-and it'll be raining grapefuits by Groundhog's Day!"

Twilight blinked at that one, having missed whatever the beginning of Pinkie's statement was, too far inside her own thoughts to even pay attention to her friends trying to talk her out of it. That one was random even for her, especially without knowing the context behind it.

"Does anypony mind if I finish speaking before you all go flying off and objecting by default? Please?" she asked as she looked around them. No objections were voiced, leaving her to speak freely. But first she needed to lay back down on the floor. Sitting up was tiring her out even more. "Look. I know better than almost anypony just how dangerous the Alicorn Amulet is. I faced Trixie when she used it, I saw for myself what horrible powers she wielded, and what they were doing to her. But this isn't about me, or about any of us, this is about Equestria as a whole. Princess Celestia is dead right now; the same Princess Celestia that raises the sun every day. Think about that for a minute. Even if we get the Elements of Harmony, and unleash them, and turn every changeling into stone, Ulquiorra included, none of that will bring her back to life. Princess Celestia is dead and gone, it's over for her. That's why we need to ensure Princess Luna's safety at all costs. Without her, Equestria and everypony living here won't have long to live. If she can't take over the duty of raising and lowering the sun at the proper time. Without the sun's normal cycle, the crops won't survive, and we'll all starve to death. I don't even know if Princess Luna can do it on her own. I might need to assist her on the matter, and we work as a team to maintain the proper balance from here on out. And if that's the case, then I'm going to need the Alicorn Amulet, to try and keep the proper balance of day and night," she explained as calmly as she could.

To her it made sense. She was Princess Celestia's prized student. And as such, who else was better qualified to assist Princess Luna in the task at hoof?

Silence. Nothing but silence from her friends at her words. That was more along the lines of what she was expecting. Unlike Trixie, she wasn't thinking about herself when it came to the Alicorn Amulet, but rather the continued existence of the entire world, and every pony living there. Surely her good intentions would be enough to counter whatever corrupting influence the amulet held when coupled with her Element of Harmony status.

"I've said my peace. I've laid out things as coherently as I can. But I can't make any of you agree with me. Just try and understand where I'm coming from on this," she said, pausing to push herself back up into a sitting position again. Slowly she turned herself to better look at Rarity. She was going to be key in this whole plan working. "So, can I still borrow some of your mana? Or am I just crazy and should forget the whole plan?" she finally asked.

"... How much do you need darling?" Rarity asked finally. How could she deny her help to a friend in need, when said friend was planning out how to go about saving the entire world, from what just had to be their darkest hour?

"About.. half maybe? It's a really complicated spell," Twilight explained.

"Yeah... speakin' o' which..." Applejack spoke up, bringing their attention back to her. "Ah know ah'm jus' a simple country farmpony an' all. But considerin' how many unicorns live in Canterlot, aren't the holdin' cells enchanted er somethin' so nopony can perform magic while locked up?" she asked.

"Actually they are, but only on the lower levels with the prison cells. The fields are so strong you can't even feel the mana from inside one of the cells. But this is nothing more than a converted storage room ,with bars replacing one of the walls and the door, meant for holding troublemakers until the proper authorities arrive. We can get out of here easily," Twilight pointed out.

"I guess we lucked out on that one," Rainbow Dash replied.

Twilight ignored Rainbow Dash's comment before turning to Rarity again. "Ready?" she asked.

"Whenever you are darling," Rarity replied and nodded.

Both unicorns closed their eyes and lowered their heads until the tips of their horns were touching each other. The others watched in silence as the baby blue hue of Rarity's magic flowed freely from her horn and into Twilight's, where it was sucked up like a vacuum. The process only lasted about a minute before being stopped.

"That should do," Rarity stated as she opened her eyes, before having to catch herself. "Oh my, now I feel rather dizzy after that..."

"Thank you darling that feels so much better," Twilight said as she opened her eyes. Upon hearing her voice she blinked and cleared her throat. "It seems a bit of your accent bled though with the transfer," she giggled, before going serious again. "Alright I need to concentrate on this one if I'm gonna cast it properly."

The others nodded in understanding as Twilight sat down on her haunches and closed her eyes. They all watched as her horn began glowing, first with the baby blue hue natural to Rarity before it shifted over to her own purple coloring. And then they watched as the immediate area around her horn was filled with a white fog-like substance being drawn into her horn like water flowing down a bathtub drain.

All the while, the air around them felt like it'd taken on a sudden chill.

+++

"Is it really alright for you to leave without killing me?" he asked.

"I have no reason to fight you," the Shinigami stated as he kept his back turned to him. Hardly the wisest move when facing an enemy.

"... What's that supposed to mean?" he asked in mild curiosity.

"You're my enemy, but you yourself still have yet to hurt any of my nakama!" the Shinigami stated as he continued walking away from him.

"Is that so?" he asked. He truly didn't understand this one's thought process. Recognizing him as an enemy but refusing to fight him out of some foolish notion about his involvement? That simply wouldn't do... "What if I were to tell you that I was the one who brought Orihime Inoue to Hueco Mundo in the first place?"

It was the briefest of pauses before the orange haired Shinigami reacted, drawing his over sized zanpakutō, and attacking him, the attack easily blocked by his wrist, bringing him easily within viewing distance of the Shinigami's eyes and all the rage they contained. **

+++

"Those eyes," Ulquiorra thought to himself as he stood in the throne room, staring out the hole where the window once remained, and down at the city of Canterlot, the changeling drones buzzing about now that they had no reason to conceal their existence from the world.

It was a comparison he couldn't help but make. The instability of her reiatsu, the piercing eyes during a moment of unrestrained rage, and the guttural howl of fury. There was little doubt left in his mind, Twilight Sparkle shared many similar aspects with the human Ichigo Kurosaki. This revelation meant he could no longer doubt her, if he wished to keep his head attached to his neck.

The fact she still possessed such strength after casting a forcefield over all of Ponyville was especially disturbing.

"You seem troubled," Chrysalis commented from her throne. Ever since Ulquiorra's return from escorting the prisoners away he'd been silent, simply standing and peering out the window deep in thought. That level of silence was quite disturbing, she daresay even suffocating. "What's on your mind, my dear Ulquiorra Cifer?" she asked as she stepped down and approached him.

"The unicorn Twilight Sparkle," Ulquiorra replied, not even bothering to turn around to face her. "Out of the six of them, she is the one that presents the most threat to us. Her destructive potential is as considerable as it is unpredictable. The fluctuations in her level of reiatsu are considerable. At its lowest she is nothing more than trash. But at the highest I've ever seen, she possessed more strength than even myself," he explained.

"Yet you survived her assault unharmed," Chrysalis pointed out.

"I did. However had I not been in my released state, she might actually have succeeded in killing me with that attack of hers," he replied. "I possess doubts about her usefulness to us. I don't believe she would ever willingly serve you, regardless of what torture might be inflicted upon her to sway her allegiance. And even if she did break, the constant fluctuations in her strength make her more of a liability than anything else. If she could kill me so easily, there would be nothing to stop her from killing you in the same manner, and taking control of the kingdom for herself," he explained calmly.

"You really think so?" Chrysalis asked curiously. Could such a situation actually be possible?

"Based on my own experiences, I have little reason to believe otherwise," he replied and left it at that. The threat potential possessed by Twilight Sparkle couldn't be ignored or overstated, not after what he'd already experienced. She was a threat to Chrysalis' continued rule and that was not something he could allow.

That said however, there was one glaring fact to address. Twilight Sparkle possessed similarities to Ichigo Kurosaki, but she was not Ichigo Kurosaki. She was a unicorn rather than a Shinigami, a living being rather than a soul. And she definitely lacked the ability to hollowfy and make herself stronger. She had already displayed the upper limits of her strength, and failed to properly harm him. That attack of hers, no matter how powerful it was, still lacked the destructive potential necessary to successfully break him.

But there was still the possibility that this development could somehow jeopardize everything he was working for.

For the time being, the matter didn't need to be dealt with. Twilight Sparkle's reiryoku reserves did indeed run very deep, and it was not likely she would recover them within the span of a few hours. Being a living being, and absent healers, there was little she could actually do. For now there were more important matters to tend to. "How goes the capture of Canterlot? Your drones appear to be rather lax in their duties, simply flying about, rather than doing anything else."

"With Celestia's downfall everything is falling into place nicely. Canterlot is firmly under my control, all the citizens trapped and safely stored away for later. Now my drones can fly about freely without concern and we no longer need to hide underground in that damp cave of a hive we were utilizing. As long as you're by my side nothing can stop us," Chrysalis grinned evilly.

"Indeed."

"And it's all thanks to you, and your loyalty to the hive," Chrysalis added. However this time Ulquiorra said nothing in response. That silence caused her to blink. He should've said something, anything. Was something wrong here? "You... are loyal to us, correct?" she asked him hesitantly.

"Yes, My Queen," Ulquiorra spoke in response.

"Loyal enough to turn about in a circle should I so order it?" she asked, curiously. His response was silent, but consisted of him actually turning in a circle on a single hoof... or whatever it was that he stood on. Seeing that he didn't question the nature of the inquiry, she decided to let it drop. If he wasn't under her control, he never would've done it. "Most excellent. Most excellent indeed..."

"Might I ask a question, My Queen?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Of course."

"Why did you not simply use your spell to gain control of Princess Celestia, either this time or the last?"

Chrysalis paused in thought and rubbed her chin. That was indeed a good question to ask.

"It's not a matter quite so simple. The ability to control the minds of others is a taxing endeavor to engage in. The amount of magic needed is in direct proportion to the will of the intended targets. The stronger the will, the more magic is needed to be successful. Had I attempted such with Celestia during our last encounter, I wouldn't have enough leftover to affect Shining Armor. And as I was posing as his beloved, I needed to prioritize based on the circumstances. Even then, I occasionally needed to recast the spell on him, as his was a very strong will. Controlling Celestia would've been possible, but the effort needed would've been quite significant. And attempting to control both at once, would be absolutely exhaustive to attempt," she explained. Her magic was significant, but even she had her limits. Not that she hadn't entertained the thought of subjugating the solar princess on more than one occasion, and forced her to do numerous acts to please her new master. But the opportunity for such had never properly presented itself.

Oh well. There was always Luna to toy with once she was found. The little sister would provide a decent second choice.

Ulquiorra said nothing in response, opting instead to continue looking out the window.

It was a long, long thirty minutes as they all waited for Twilight to finish her recharge, the five of them huddled together for warmth to deal with the coldness, that resulted from the mana being pulled right out of the air around them. Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity were pressed against the far end of the cell, while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy used their wings in an effort to trap body heat in. Even once she was done, the chill still remained, and left her shivering once she was aware of her surroundings again.

"First thing's first, let's get out of here," Twilight stated and aimed her horn at the door. A clicking noise sounded and the door slowly swung open allowing them to escape.

"So what's the next part of the plan?" Pinkie asked.

"We separate into two groups and carry out our parts. Pinkie, you and Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack will stay here, and try to find Princess Luna's chambers and ensure she's safe. If I remember the layout of the palace correctly, and I do, they should be in the northern wing of the castle. Meanwhile Rainbow Dash and I will work our way to the outside of the castle, and depart for Ponyville, and Zecora's hut to retrieve the Elements of Harmony and the Alicorn Amulet, respectively. After that we'll make our way back and-"

"Kick some flank, stop the villain, save the world," Applejack elaborated, causing Twilight to chuckle in response before continuing.

"-that's a lot more simplified than what I was going to say, but that's pretty much it. Any questions?"

"Um..." Fluttershy began hesitantly, uncertain how to proceed. Fifteen minutes was a long time to try and be silent; long enough that her mind had wandered. And it'd wandered into some uncomfortable areas, bringing up thoughts that couldn't be un-thought. "Well... remember how Princess Luna was absent for the first changeling invasion? And how with everything going on, she's still not here?" she asked. Everypony was looking at her now. Reflexively she tried to hide behind her mane, their stares making it all the more difficult for her to voice her concern. "I just... I just started wondering. What if... I mean... what if... what if Princess Luna isn't the nice pony she wants us to think she is?" she asked, her voice cracking. Still nothing but silence in stares, forcing her to shut her eyes to try and continue. "What if Princess Luna is actually behind everything and is just using Chrysalis and the changelings? What if she's using Ulquiorra too? W-what if Nightmare Moon is actually coming back, and this is just a big scheme to enact eternal night again?" she asked, finishing in a rush as her words nearly blended together in the same way they did when Pinkie would ramble.

Twilight hadn't considered that thought. She didn't want to consider that thought. It was just too horrible to give actual consideration to!

And yet... what if Fluttershy's suspicions were correct? What if Princess Luna's absence -both current and previous- was due to having her own agenda? What if they were actually helping the enemy?

No! Don't think about it! If she thought about it, her brain would explode and she'd go to pieces. She had to shut it out, to tune it out and focus. Compartmentalize her thoughts! Organize her thoughts! Stuff the uncertainty in a drawer, lock said drawer, and don't think about it right now!

"Then... we'll need the Elements of Harmony more than ever," she said slowly, "in the mean time, exercise great caution, and proceed carefully. Don't let on that we suspect anything. We'll try and be back as soon as possible," she continued. "Are there any other questions?"

"Just one. When do we get going? I'm tired of standing around and waiting!" Rainbow Dash stated. She'd been itching to get going ever since Twilight had come up with her plan of action. And now that there was a greater sense of urgency than ever, she was itching even worse now. All this standing around and talking wasn't going to do them any good.

"Before y'all head out ya might need this," Applejack said as she lifted off her stetson and pulled a coiled length of rope out from the inside before passing it to Twilight.

"Rope? What would we need rope for?" Twilight asked as she held it in her hooves and looked at it curiously.

"Ah dunno. But in those stories ya got, Colt Bronson's always got rope, an' he's always needin' it fer somethin' er other," Applejack pointed out.

Did Applejack really think a cheap plot device in story books had any bearing on real life? What could they possibly use a length of rope for? More importantly why did she keep it under her hat? The first rope used on Chrysalis -as best she understood- Pinkie found lying around and used it at the time. But this one?

She could refute her, but that would use up valuable time they didn't have. Instead she opted to just nod her thanks, and magically wrap the rope diagonally around her midsection. And almost immediately, she and Rainbow Dash were pulled into a big hug by Pinkie.

"After this is all over we're going to have the biggest "We saved the entire world" party you've ever seen," she told them.

"To date it'll be the only one we've ever seen," Rainbow Dash pointed out before the hug was finally disengaged. "Alright that's enough talking, we've got a job to do, so let's do it and get it done!"

"Right!" they all stated before finally parting ways, each party galloping off in opposite directions to carry out their respective tasks.

Chrysalis understood that there were many things about Ulquiorra that she didn't know or have any comprehension of. But she was certain that his body shouldn't be smoking the way it was. It'd all started just moments ago, a movement caught out of the corner of her eye as he continued standing their silently and unmoving like a statue. Even as the smoke arose from his wings, he remained unmoving and unconcerned.

"What's happening to you Ulquiorra Cifer? You look like you're about to burst into flames!" she stated.

Ulquiorra remained silent, leaving her to watch as his black wings faded away from the tips inward to where they attached to his back, his robes evaporating and replaced by he same pants and shirt he was wearing at their first encounter, his hair receding and his Hollow mask retaking its asymmetrical styling, and his sword returning to his right hand.

"Maintaining my released state for extensive periods of time is a rather consuming exercise. At present time I don't believe it's needed any further," Ulquiorra replied as he eased his zanpakutō back into its sheath. "I don't believe the bearers of the Elements of Harmony will be able to escape. However, regardless of this fact, I will need time to recharge, should Luna attempt a counterattack against us for our actions here today. With her still unaccounted for, we must proceed with caution."

"You, Ulquiorra Cifer, are a very strange one indeed. While you raise a very good point, half of the terms you use I don't even recognize. Sometime after things have calmed down, we need to sit down and have a long, long talk about you," Chrysalis commented.

Stranger still was the sudden change in atmosphere. Ever since the transformation she'd been experiencing a difficulty in breathing. But now that he'd transformed back she felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. She really didn't understand it all that well.

"Understood, My Queen," he spoke as he turned to face her. But then he quickly turned, and looked back out the window. "Something is not right. I can sense it..."

Two minutes out into their journey, and so far everything was going well. No changelings had been encountered on their journey to the outside of the castle, no difficulties experienced, just a smooth takeoff towards Ponyville. Things were going quite well.

"How long until we get to Ponyville?" Twilight asked, loud enough to overcome the wind rushing past their ears.

"Well normally I'd say three minutes, but like I said Twilight you really aren't light, you're messing up my aerodynamics and my weight distribution so it's gonna take longer. Maybe eight minutes," Rainbow Dash replied as she kept a tight hold on the unicorn with her forelegs. "No offense."

"None taken. It's all very documented how changes in the available standards can affect overall performance either positively or negatively," Twilight replied.

"I gotta say, Twilight, you're taking things a lot better than I thought you would. You're a lot more calm, cool, and collected than I expected," Rainbow Dash commented as they continued along, not really wanting to travel in silence the whole way.

"I need to be, Rainbow Dash, the fate of Equestria is hanging in the balance, and everypony everywhere is counting on us, even if they don't know about it. If I go to pieces we all could very well be doomed. I don't have time to grieve for Princess Celestia's loss, there's a crisis to address," Twilight pointed out. "But the minute this crisis is over, and everything's settled, I'm going to totally break down and bawl like a newborn foal for a week."

It was something in her voice, something that told her Twilight wasn't joking, but was totally serious about the breakdown part. She couldn't really blame her if she did just that, not after everything they'd experienced over the course of the day. If her friend didn't totally collapse at some point, then she'd be worried. Breaks were normal and everypony experienced them. Refusing to acknowledge them was when it really got dangerous and sanity was at risk.

"Hey Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked to break up the uncomfortable silence once again, "what was that attack you fired back there at that traitor? It looked just like his Cero. I always knew you were powerful, Egghead, but I never knew just how powerful you were!"

"I really don't know what to say, Rainbow Dash, I was just so... angry, that I didn't even think about it, it just happened, like it was automatic or something, like I wasn't even in control of my actions back there," Twilight replied, doing her best to explain things as she understood. She had no idea just what had taken place back in the throne room, she really didn't. All she really knew for certain was that whatever it was, it scared her. She felt like she was draining away during its use, like it was somehow robbing her of something vital. It wasn't something she really wanted to consider using again.

More uncomfortable silence, broken up only by the sound of the wind rushing past their ears. At least they were only three minutes away from Ponyville now. Soon they'd be touching down, getting the Elements of Harmony, and bringing them back to Canterlot.

"So what about Discord?" Rainbow Dash finally asked. "Where exactly is his ugly face when everything's going straight to Tartarus?"

"I don't know, Rainbow Dash. Maybe it's like Fluttershy's fears about Nightmare Moon returning. For all we know, Discord set this entire thing up from the very beginning. He is pure, undiluted chaos afterall. He could've been playing us since his supposed reform, making us drop our guard, and introducing Ulquiorra just to pull our chains. We could've been walking right into an elaborate trap right from the very beginning..."

More silence. Silence and uncomfortable thoughts. This was a bad, bad line of discussion to engage in.

"I gotta say, things have gone a lot easier than I thought. I was sure Chrysalis would've dispatched a horde of changelings to try and bring us back, and there'd be some awesome midair dogfighting maneuvers or something. This is... almost routine in nature." Rainbow Dash commented.

"Don't knock it, Rainbow Dash, the last thing we need right now is trouble. And an aerial fight is definitely something we don't need going on," Twilight stated. "The only thing that could be worse than having to fight off a horde of changelings right now, is coming face to face with Ulquiorra, and... Rainbow Dash? Why're we slowing down?"

"Uh... Twilight..." Rainbow Dash spoke up as she came to a complete stop, shaking Twilight in the process and startling her.

The sudden deceleration from their previous traveling speed had shaken her up considerably and nearly threw her out of Rainbow Dash's hold before she finally managed to right herself. What had caused the pegasus so much concern that she'd stop in such a hasty manner with a passenger when the risk of injury was so great with such a maneuver?

Apparently an Espada calmly standing in their path was what warranted such actions. Not even fifty feet ahead of them was Ulquiorra, standing calmly in midair, his hands tucked in his pockets as if he'd been waiting for them this whole time.

"This is bad," Twilight stated. Even back in his original form, this wouldn't be any confrontation they were likely to win. "We need to get out of here. Do your Sonic Rainboom, he can't keep up with the speeds."

"What!? Twilight there's no way I can do that, not with you on board. Aerodynamics aside, you'd be crushed. You heard him when I first did it, my mana flow protects my body from harm, yours doesn't You'd never survive," Rainbow Dash replied, horrified at the very idea of such.

"An accurate assessment of the facts," Ulquiorra replied as he began walking forward at a slow pace. "You two are proving to be an unnecessary complication. Did you truly believe you could escape the palace, unnoticed, and retrieve the Elements of Harmony from Ponyville? Such foolishness on your part. Queen Chrysalis already anticipated such a strategy, and responded accordingly. The town of Ponyville has already been successfully recaptured by a division. And as we speak, six changeling drones are scattering the Elements of Harmony over the deepest regions of the Everfree Forest where they will never be found again. It would appear the enchantment that bonded them to you, was not sufficient to prevent their theft," he explained as he stepped closer to them. "You were all quite foolish, to so willingly share so much sensitive information upon your first meeting with me. Such an overly trusting nature will be your downfall, just as it was Celestia's downfall."

Rainbow Dash was seeing red right now at Ulquiorra's words. He was going out of his way to be cruel and insulting to them even after dashing their hopes by informing them that the Elements of Harmony were gone. Was he deliberately asking for retaliation from them? Because if he was, she was more than willing to bring it!

And then she felt an intense heat coming from her forelegs. Looking down she saw Twilight's aura flaring up again, and instantly knew this wasn't about to end well.

"I have no idea how you managed to regain your full strength in less than an hour. It's a true mystery to me. However, if you intend to attack me just as you did before, I would recommend you don't. With the current proximity, you'll kill your friend before you succeed in hurting me," Ulquiorra stated calmly as he stood no more than ten feet away from the two. "Are you really willing to do that in a useless attempt to get revenge for my words?" he asked. "Are you willing to destroy your minute chances of saving Equestria, by killing Rainbow Dash, all in order to try and strike me?"

Apparently yes she was. A bright white light erupted from her horn faster than he could react, and the next thing he knew, his vision was completely washed out by an oppressive white light, and there was a terrible ringing in his ears that left him unable to hear anything around him.

However the sensory interference soon cleared, his vision and hearing returning in short order. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle were gone from their current position, and traveling at high speeds. And curiously, his wrists were tightly bound by a length of rope, as if it would somehow slow him down. Did they truly think that would stop him?

"Have it your way then," he muttered, snapping the rope with minimal effort, before locking onto the location of their combined reiatsu signatures, and deploying his sonido to meet up with them. If they wished to struggle in a futile manner he would indulge them, as it would be the last time they had any chance to resist.

"Such spirit. It's all very commendable," Chrysalis commented.

The fact that those who held the Elements of Harmony had found a way to escape really didn't come as that big a surprise to her, she'd actually been expecting something like that to happen. She would've been so dearly disappointed if they hadn't made the attempt at some point after their capture.

The throne room was alive with the buzzing of wings from her drones, and the yelps of pain and protest from the four as they were each dropped to the floor one by one, before descending, and keeping them pinned to the ground.

These four were quite deserving of the Element of Harmony status. They'd given her quite a bit of trouble since getting loose. Despite being few in numbers, they'd put up quite the fight in their effort to resist once their sneaking about had been interrupted. They'd kicked, bucked, stomped, tackled, and done all manner of other things to try and fight their way through once the element of surprise was gone. And had the number of her drones been fewer, they might have actually succeeded. But in the end all their efforts amounted to very little. Once again they were captured and before her, unable to do anything.

"Commendable but quite stupid. Did you truly believe you could just sneak away like that and not get caught? My entire hive is here in Canterlot palace, and my rule is all but ensured," she stated as she looked over each of them.

"That is good news indeed."

She nearly jumped out of her exoskeleton at the unexpected voice before she realized it was Ulquiorra, practically strolling through the hole in the wall with the last two ponies in tow, one tucked under each arm, and unceremoniously deposited on the floor next to the other four, the impact of the landing enough to snap them out of whatever level of dazed unconsciousness they were in.

"Did they give you much trouble in their getaway?" Chrysalis asked.

"Hardly. Regardless of how much they refused to accept their own defeat, it was of no consequence, as the end result was the same," he explained before turning back to face her. "Total control of the palace has been achieved?"

"Yes and beautifully so. The city is secure, the palace is secure, everything is under my control now, absolutely everything!" Chrysalis stated. "Soon my hive will spread, and take control of the surrounding territory, and then all of Equestria will be under our total control, and ripe for harvesting as we see fit."

"Then it would seem the only thing left to cement your rule, is deal with those that would oppose you," Ulquiorra replied as he turned his attention back to the six who lay crumpled in the middle of the room.

"Yes it does, doesn't it?" Chrysalis asked as she stepped closer to look down on them. "Tell me my dears, does anypony present care to beg for their lives and serve the hive as slaves?" she asked.

Twilight was the first to speak up, coughing as she looked up. "I'll never serve the likes of you, Chrysalis," she hissed as she forced herself back up to her hooves in a standing position, despite the attempts of the changelings to push her back down. "You'd be better off just killing me. Because I swear, if you leave me alive I will find a way to kill the both of you, and I won't hesitate to do it either. I don't care if it goes against the teachings of Equestria, I'll make the both of you pay for everything you've done here today. I don't care how much stronger you are than me, because that's not going to stop me!"

"Defiant even now, Twilight Sparkle?" Chrysalis asked with an amused grin. She turned to look at Ulquiorra before continuing. "You've got a particularly sadistic mind, what would you recommend we do with these six to ensure maximum misery?" she asked him.

"Leaving them alive would be dangerous when you consider the trouble they can present. They have already proven the fact that they can't be underestimated. However I believe the danger can be reduced to a manageable amount, simply by killing Twilight Sparkle. Of the six, she presents the greatest likelihood of being a true threat. Even with the Elements of Harmony scattered to the deepest regions of the Everfree Forest, there is still the minute possibility that if she lives, she will one day be able to locate and gather them. Even if we killed her friends, there would be nothing to prevent her from assembling a new team. However she is the lynch pin, and without her everything will crumble and turn to dust. Without her, the others will lack the spirit to go on fighting, and simply give up and resign themselves to their fate. As is natural for all living beings," Ulquiorra explained calmly.

"Hmm..." Chrysalis muttered in thought and rubbed her chin. "I was so hoping to break Twilight Sparkle's spirits myself, and turn her into an obedient slave who would be eager to serve her new master, in any way demanded of her. But now that you mention it, I don't think she'd ever willingly break, no matter how much I put her through. Perhaps you're right, perhaps we should just kill her now, and let her friends wallow in her death," she concluded, the sounds of the others struggling of no importance to her. "Would you like the honor of striking her down?"

"It would please me greatly, My Queen," Ulquiorra replied evenly and withdrew his zanpakutō from its sheath and stepped forward.

He looked down at Twilight Sparkle, and the same defiant look in her eyes as always. He knew she wouldn't plead for mercy, for him to spare her life, and allow her to live and serve her new master in an obedient manner. She would have none of that. He had little doubt that if he left her alive, she would indeed find a way to kill Queen Chrysalis if given the opportunity. She was too much of a threat to be allowed to live. This was the only available course of action that made sense. He had his orders, and he intended to follow them to their fullest. There would be no deviation from his task, unless he was ordered to do so.

"Farewell..."

Author's Note

** Bleach chapter 270

Presented for the enjoyment of the readers, an alternate take of the climactic scene. In more accurate terms this was the original intended ending of this week's chapter. But despite my best efforts, I simply couldn't make it feel right with the rest of the story's flow, didn't have the time to make it work properly, but I didn't feel like deleting it entirely, so I'm including it as a bonus. Enjoy.

"Hmm..." Chrysalis muttered in thought and rubbed her chin. "I was so hoping to break Twilight Sparkle's spirits myself, and turn her into an obedient slave who would be eager to serve her new master, in any way demanded of her. But now that you mention it, I don't think she'd ever willingly break, no matter how much I put her through. Perhaps you're right, perhaps we should just kill her now, and let her friends wallow in her death," she concluded, the sounds of the others struggling of no importance to her. "Would you like the honor of striking her down?"

"It would please me greatly, My Queen," Ulquiorra replied evenly and withdrew his zanpakutō from its sheath and stepped forward.

However his pace faltered and his posture changed. Twilight looked on in surprise, curious at what was happening. He was starting to act like his sword was incredibly heavy and hard to keep upright, and he was grasping the side of his head where the remnants of his Hollow mask rested, like he was suffering an intense headache.

"No. No... this... this isn't right," he stated as he grasped his head, his eyes closed. He was starting to sway, feeling like he was losing his footing. His head was pounding right now, an internal pressure that was currently excruciating to experience. "This isn't right..."

Chrysalis stared in uncertainty at what she was seeing. What was happening? What was causing Ulquiorra to act so strangely? "Ulquiorra Cifer, what's wrong with you?"

"You... are not the true ruler of Equestria," he stated through labored breathing as he turned to look at her, glaring in her direction, "you... are nothing more than trash... I do not... serve... trash..."

How could this be happening!? What was going wrong? How could Ulquiorra be turning on her like this? He was turning on her and... her spell! It was the only logical thing, her spell must've been wearing off. It must've been due to his strange biology or something, his not being a pony must be affecting its effectiveness, and shortening the duration quicker than she'd anticipated. Shining Armor could be controlled for long hours at a time before his will would start to break through, but Ulquiorra's will must've been even greater. She needed to recast it, to reign him in before he completely broke free. If that much destructive potential was no longer under her control, everything could go wrong!

"Fight it, Ulquiorra! Fight it!" Twilight screamed. She watched as everything unfolded in front of her, slowly piecing things together as they did. The physical struggling, Ulquiorra's words addressing Chrysalis. Suddenly everything was coming together and making perfect sense; Ulquiorra hadn't betrayed them of his own volition, this entire time he'd been trapped under a spell, just like Shining Armor had been. He was a prisoner in his own mind, forced to act against his will to comply with whatever Chrysalis was ordering him to do, and helpless to do anything to the contrary.

And right now she was watching as Chrysalis' spell was failing. Chances were very good that Chrysalis had never encountered anything like an Arrancar before, and had no idea of how to control such an alien mind and physiology. And if Ulquiorra was resisting, that meant they still had a chance of success afterall.

"You're stronger than her! Don't let her control you!" she yelled in support as the Espada continued to struggle, both physically and mentally. "Come on, Ulquiorra, we know you can do it! Stand up and be strong!"

"Silence!" Chrysalis yelled back at her. "Your precious friend belongs to me now, and he'll do exactly what I say. I'll see to that myself!" she stated, her horn sputtering green sparks as she concentrated on recasting her mind control spell. Despite the continued throbbing in her horn, she could still concentrate enough to cast a spell or two with enough effort. And right now she was putting everything she had into reigning in this free radical while their was still time. With a grunt of effort a neon green beam shot from her horn and headed straight for Ulquiorra...

... and clashed with a magenta beam that'd been sent on a collision course with it. Twilight had leaped in front of Ulquiorra, and intercepted Chrysalis' magic with her own, a fight of wills taking place between the two of them. She wasn't about to let Chrysalis get her hooks into Ulquiorra once again, there was too much at stake.

"You're not getting him this time you bitch!" Twilight stated as she grit her teeth, concentrating on keeping Chrysalis at bay. Ulquiorra was their best available option right now, he needed to be protected at all costs until he could finally break Chrysalis' spell, and come back to his senses. If she could just hold out long enough, there was still hope. And for that to happen she needed to concentrate, needed to focus, and hold on for as long as necessary. She couldn't allow Chrysalis to overpower her or everything was lost.

Both sides fought violently as each attempted to overwhelm the other, the meeting point of each beam shifting back and forth, the advantage of strength constantly fluctuating between them. What had started out as a desperate effort on Twilight's part, being barely able to stop Chrysalis' beam before it reached her own head, had now shifted drastically as she pushed back hard, causing the changeling to lose ground fast. To the others, as they watched in stunned silence, it was strangely familiar to the battle between Chrysalis and Princess Celestia during the wedding. The only difference was that Twilight was faring much better, able to hold her own in this struggle.

Better to the point that she was actually pushing Chrysalis' presence back at her! Slowly but surely, her beam was overpowering the opposing force, and pushing it back towards its caster. Her undamaged horn was allowing her maintain a greater degree of concentration than Chrysalis could compete with in her injured state, allowing her to press back, despite whatever lack in overall magical strength she possessed in comparison to her.

"Look at 'er go!" Applejack stated in amazement. After everything that'd happened today, Twilight still had enough magic to do battle with Chrysalis all by herself? That was one really strong unicorn to be friends with.

"If Twilight think she's getting all the heroism for this one then she's wrong!" Rainbow Dash stated as she struggled to get up and aid her friend. Unfortunately the changelings on top of her didn't want to comply with her intentions. "Get off me!" she barked and swung a foreleg around, clocking one in the face, and providing enough of a difference to allow her to get up and take off flying straight for Chrysalis.

"Eat this!" she yelled as she drew her foreleg back, preparing to slam her hoof right into Chrysalis' face at full speed.

However that never got to happen. The resulting buildup of magic between the two opposing parties, and the electrical charge in the air, finally reached a point where the two polarities could no longer be contained, and an explosion at the meeting point occurred. It was far more light and noise than physically damaging in nature, but it was enough to leave all parties disoriented, and momentarily unable to find anything.

"That worthless, foal fondling little nag," Chrysalis cursed and coughed as she tried to clear her senses, only to feel a grip tightening on her neck, and easily lifting her off her front hooves. And as her eyes stopped being blurry, she realized that it was Ulquiorra who held her so firmly. "What?!" she choked out as she struggled.

"I am no longer under your control, Chrysalis," Ulquiorra stated in an even tone and tightened his grip on her throat, causing her to gasp at suddenly feeling her air supply cut off. "Twilight Sparkle's efforts were sufficient, to allow me to break the hold you had on my mind."

He rotated his zanpakutō in his hand and slammed the blade into the marble flooring, allowing it to stand up on its own, as he ran his index finger down the edge until it drew blood.

"You've been a considerable menace to the safety of Equestria in your time, Chrysalis," he spoke as he withdrew his finger, a purple glow beginning to form at the tip of it. "A menace that did indeed manage to defeat Princess Celestia in combat, that is noteworthy. For that fact I'll honor you, by using an advanced technique to end your life," he stated as the glow formed into a ball. "The Gran Rey Cero is considerably more powerful than a regular Cero, and can only be utilized by an Espada adding their blood to the mix," he explained as he Forcefully moved her so she was lined up directly with the existing hole in the wall. He could only hope that this didn't destroy the palace and bring it down around them. Silently, he held his finger directly in front of her face, his Cero nearly ready to fire. "Farewell, Queen Chrysalis."

Unfortunately he was a moment too late. Before he could discharge his Cero, he was once again assaulted by Chrysalis' magic. He'd been caught off guard before he could deliver the fatal blow, his Cero fading before disappearing completely. And now that chance would never come.

"Release me at once!" Chrysalis choked out. Ulquiorra complied wordlessly, releasing his hold on her throat, letting her drop down and gasp for air. That'd been far too close for her own comfort. He was far too dangerous to doddle with. She needed to act fast to prevent a repeat of such. "Are you loyal to me, Ulquiorra Cifer?" she asked him.

"I am, My Queen," Ulquiorra stated simply.

"Very good. Now prove your loyalty. Pick up your sword and kill all of the Elements of Harmony. But start with Twilight Sparkle first. Make her suffer greatly for her attack on your Queen. Cut her open from stem to stern, and rip her guts out," she hissed. She wanted revenge for being opposed in such a manner. She was quite tempted to simply have Ulquiorra slice off her horn and leave her alive, leaving her so she could enjoy breaking her in whatever way was necessary. But right now, she'd settle for death. "I want you to present me with her heart. Nevermind Luna's head on a stake, I'll have hers instead."

Ulquiorra said nothing as he retrieved his zanpakutō from the floor and turned his gaze to the unicorn who had caused so much trouble.

He looked down at Twilight Sparkle as she was once again restrained by the drones. Despite everything she still refused to yield, and still had the same defiant look in her eyes as always. He knew she wouldn't plead for mercy, for him to spare her life, and allow her to live and serve her new master in an obedient manner. She would have none of that. He had little doubt that if he left her alive, she would indeed find a way to kill Queen Chrysalis if given the opportunity. She was too much of a threat to be allowed to live. This was the only available course of action that made sense. He had his orders, and he intended to follow them to their fullest. There would be no deviation from his task, unless he was ordered to do so.

"Farewell..."

Chapter Twenty Eight supplemental

Chapter Twenty Eight supplemental

"And I really need to get back to my animals and make sure they're all alright. They've been on their own for two days and I'm scared to think of how terrified they must've been with that changeling playing as me," Fluttershy added. At that she slowly turned her attention in Ulquiorra's direction and looked up to make eye contact. "I never did get the chance to say it before everything seemed to get out of control. But thanks for saving me. If it weren't for you I'd probably still be in that pod with everypony else and nopony would've known until it was too late."

"Yes I must say your timing was quite impeccable. To think that so many changelings were running about and we didn't know it," Rarity replied and shuddered.

Ulquiorra remained silent at their words, submerging himself in deep thought. Impeccable timing and coincidence didn't seem like a possible solution to the question before him. There had to be something more to it.

"Mr. Cifer?" Applejack spoke up, bringing his attention back to her, "ya got that look on yer face like ya got some deep thinkin' goin' on again."

"How can you tell?" Pinkie asked, confused at to how Applejack could come to such a conclusion when the look on his face never changed.

"At present time I'm uncertain..." Ulquiorra replied slowly. Whether they knew it or not these ponies had just assisted him in uncovering a most perplexing mystery. In contrast it was even more perplexing than his own missing abilities right now. One that had him quite intrigued right now; intrigued enough he would be willing to amend his earlier evaluations regarding their worth.

At least some of them anyway.

"Mr. Cifer... jus' so ya know, it's perdy darn hard ta put a lie pas' me, bein' the Element o' Honesty an' all," Applejack pointed out. Something was definitely up with the Espada that he wasn't sharing, and she could tell this for a fact. Problem is she just couldn't tell what.

"And yet Twilight Sparkle did just that for two days straight," Ulquiorra thought. Perhaps the standard didn't work when dealing with another one of their group? If so how did that explain Rainbow Dash? Did anything explain Rainbow Dash and her constant switching of position based on outside stimuli? If it did then how did that explain Pinkie Pie?

On second thought, he'd rather try and avoid that can of worms for the time being, as it would just prove to be a significant distraction. Trying to figure out Pinkie Pie might wind up being a task that would result in insanity. Perhaps it would be best to simply address Applejack directly, since she seemed to know something right now, and wasn't willing to let it go.

"I was brought from my own dimension to this one through the direct interference of Discord himself. That event occurred twelve days ago," Ulquiorra began as he looked over each of them, "you're all more familiar with this world than I am. Was there anything that occurred twelve days ago that you're aware of? Anything that would seem strange to the everyday run of the mill happenings you wouldn't consider out of the ordinary?" he asked them.

All of them were silent, looking between themselves and each other as if the one standing next to them had the clue that they were looking for, each with a confused and uncertain look on their face.

"Let's see!"

His attention was brought to Pinkie Pie as she spoke. Somehow during the time it took him to shift his focus away from the five to Princess Luna and then back again, the pink earth pony had sat up on her hind legs and was now wearing a translucent green visor usually seen in a poker match and was looking over what appeared to be a yellow legal pad with a pencil tucked behind her right ear.

Where had all that come from and how had she gotten it without him noticing?

"Twelve days ago? That was... the twenty sixth of last month. Let's see..." she said as her clear tone began sounding more mumbled, "baked cinnamon raisin cupcakes... went to the park for a picnic... watched Rainbow Dash trying to perform her new Corkscrew Rainboom thingy... dug Rainbow Dash out of the trench when she crashed-"

"It's a work in progress," Rainbow Dash muttered defensively.

-went to Sweet Apple Acres... Cutie Mark Crusaders came home covered in tree sap and pine needles, still no cutie marks... Colgate broke a tooth... Zecora came into town to pick up a bag of oats... the Cake twins Pound and Pumpkin got sick on bad formula, yuck... yadda, yadda, yadda... nope sorry Ulqy, nothing out of the ordinary happened!"

A rather strange overview to be sure. "What about in the days leading up to my arrival? Were there any events that occurred that seemed to be out of place no matter how minute?" he asked.

"Well... now tha' ya mention it..." Applejack spoke up slowly, "'bout three nights ago the timberwolves were raisin' an awful ruckus, even more than they usually do. Like they caught wind o' somethin' in the Everfree Forest they didn' like one bit, an' jus' couldn' get away from. Ah swear ah've heard 'em raise a load o' commotion before on some nights, but never anythin' like this."

Rather strange. Three nights ago wasn't too far away from when it was suspected Fluttershy might've been kidnapped, and replaced by a changeling. A connection perhaps?

"Ulquiorra Cifer we art most curious. What doth thee suspect?" Princess Luna asked.

Ulquiorra turned his attention away from Pinkie Pie's searching through her ledger of events she felt were worth writing down in order to address the alicorn. "How common is it for a dragon to awaken so early into its nap, when a century is not an unheard of stretch of time for them to rest?" he asked her.

"We art... not certain. 'Tis certainly strange, but not unheard of. Why doth thou ask?" Princess Luna asked again.

"In the twelve days I've been here, a number of strange and unexplainable incidents have occurred. I have met those tasked with protecting Equestria from danger. In two separate incidents I have been dispatched to the town of Ponyville, and within one day at most of each visit, a situation has arisen that would have proven disastrous, if not for my presence, and my interference. First the dragon being awake, and unwilling to listen to Fluttershy, and who would have likely killed the Elements of Harmony if left to its own devices. Eight days later, coinciding with my second visit, a changeling invasion has been uncovered, and it is discovered Fluttershy has been replaced with a changeling, the act of which rendering the Elements of Harmony powerless should they be needed," Ulquiorra elaborated.

"Yeah? So?" Rainbow Dash asked, utterly confused at what he was getting at.

"Two separate incidents in which those who hold the Elements of Harmony have been directly attacked, happening within an eight day period? I'm aware you're not Twilight Sparkle, but what are the statistical probabilities of such occurring?" he asked her directly.

"Uh..." Rainbow Dash replied and scratched at the back of her head with her hoof.

"One in three million?" Pinkie suggested.

"It was a rhetorical question. The fact remains, however, that such an occurrence has indeed happened with no logical explanation as to the timing of the events. One incident could theoretically be written off, and simply considered par for the course for this strange world. Two incidents occurring in such close proximity to one another is far too coincidental to be ignored, and attempting to do so would ultimately prove to be dangerous," Ulquiorra explained.

"Whoa," Rainbow Dash breathed. That was quite a revelation to be hit with.

"Oh my," Rarity replied and blinked at hearing his words. Why hadn't she considered this before? "What do you suspect is going on?"

That was a very good question to ask indeed. What precisely did he suspect was going on?

Unfortunately he didn't have enough information to give a sufficient answer just yet. He would need to gather more information before he could supply any answer of his own. "Prior to my arrival, how many similar incidents occurred since you came to be the bearers of the Elements of Harmony? How many times have you been either directly targeted, or made a target, and threatened with the possibility of death when something went wrong?" he asked.

Silence once again as they began looking at each other in confusion, Princess Luna remaining silent and looking quite concerned at his words. Pinkie Pie however was the exception, once again scouring over her ledger in search of answers to the questions presented.

"Since we got the Elements of Harmony? There's been four separate incidents we were involved with over the past two years, but those were more matters of opportunity than anything," Pinkie stated, her tone sounding highly professional rather than barely restrained hyperness. "There was the first dragon we chased off, but it just smacked us around some before Fluttershy made it leave. After that it was Discord's escape, but he just trolled us and raised chaos. Next was the first changeling invasion, but we were just in the area at the time because we were invited to the wedding. Then it was the Crystal Empire, but then again, we weren't the primary target, and King Sombra wasn't really interested in us, we were just there when everything happened," she explained, checking off the list of events as she read along. "I really don't see how the Elements of Harmony could've been involved in any of those events. Well except for Discord, he stole them first and hid them away. And we really weren't threatened with outright death either."

"Fascinating," Ulquiorra stated simply as he began considering the information Pinkie Pie had supplied. Normally such records would seem likely for Twilight Sparkle to keep. These ponies were indeed full of surprises. Back to the matter at hand however, and trying to sort out the data.

"Ya mind lettin' us in on some o' that fascinatin' an' tellin' us what yer thinkin'?" Applejack asked.

"Based on the information supplied by Pinkie Pie it's safe to assume that as the bearers of the Elements of Harmony you six face adventures somewhat regularly that in my world would best be reserved for elite troops trained rigorously in matters of great difficulty and a potential for danger. From this it could be suggested that the two recent incidents are nothing more than par for the course and not indicative of anything in particular. However the timing of the last two incidents seem jarring in comparison. Four incidents over the course of two years is considerably more spaced out than two events in just over a week; two incidents that occurred only after Discord chose to bring me to this world. Two incidents that occurred only after I became aware of the Elements of Harmony, came to know a number of the residents of Ponyville and had the chance to familiarize myself with information in the library regarding the various intelligent races in this world and some of its history," Ulquiorra explained.

"Doth thou suspect Discord's hoof in this?" Princess Luna asked curiously. What he was saying was... she didn't know what to think. This was all quite... strange indeed.

"Discord can't be ruled out as a possible culprit. Being the spirit of chaos would logically mean being unpredictable, and likely without reason to explain his acts. It's certainly a possibility," Ulquiorra replied as he faced Princess Luna. Perhaps that was why he'd been so unwilling to assist with the changeling issue. There had to be a reason he didn't simply remove them from existence on his own. That was a question he'd ask another time, however. He then turned his attention back to the others before speaking again. "However if we assume that Discord's involvement extends no further than simply bringing me to this world, then we must ask why; both with regards to the timing of his decision, and why I was specifically chosen. There are millions of individuals who die in any given year. Billions... even trillions, if we factor in the existence of possible alternate world dimensions. This presents us with four specific questions for which we have no answers," he explained.

"An' what're those four questions we got?" Applejack asked, finding herself very curious at the prospect. Just by looking around she could tell the others were curious as well.

"The first question is whether or not Discord knew of these events and how they would transpire if they were allowed to play out uninterrupted. Did he know that you six would die or that Equestria might fall if something wasn't done to change the events of the future?" Ulquiorra asked.

"I'm almost afraid to ask what the other questions are after hearing the first one," Rarity commented. She really didn't want to consider the possibility that she and her friends might've died at some point in the last week... or that she might owe Discord her thanks for actually saving her life.

"I'm not. What's the second question?" Rainbow Dash asked, having a lot more guts than her friend when it came to curiosity.

"Assuming the first question is accurate, and he was taking preventative measures, the second question is why Discord chose me specifically. In my world alone, four other Espada died before I did, along with countless other Arrancar. Not knowing how much time had passed between the time of my death, and my arrival here, I can't say for certain how long I spent in the void, or what happened during that time. For all I know all of the Espada had been killed. I don't even want to consider what the available stock was, if the spirit of chaos was actively browsing through who knows how many other different worlds. What exactly was it about me specifically, that caused him to decide I was right for the job?"

Once again more silence as the ponies looked between themselves in trying to formulate an answer. Without waiting for a prompt he continued.

"Assuming Discord was indeed taking preventative measures in order to protect Equestria, the third question is why he himself is not able to act in a direct manner. From the research of Equestria's history regarding his last appearance, it seems safe to assume Discord's powers and abilities, are limited only by the boundaries of his own imagination, and self restraint. If Discord's abilities are as vast as they seem, why would he be unable to directly interfere with future events that would soon transpire? Why would he need the help of an outside party, if a simple snap of the fingers, and the will to do something, were all that was needed?"

"And the fourth question?" Princess Luna asked hesitantly. Each new question installed new fear in her, and left her with a great many questions, each one worse than the last. She dreaded what the last question could possibly be, and yet she was driven by a morbid curiosity to ask regardless.

"Assuming Discord did know of the events that were about to occur, and needed an outside force to act in order to save not only Equestria, but those that hold the Elements of Harmony, the fourth and final question is how much he knows. Specifically, what events does the future hold that he himself is incapable of dealing with, despite his vast powers? If the spirit of chaos was incapable of dealing with either a solitary dragon or the changeling invasion, then what will the third event be that he's powerless to affect?"

Across each of their faces the looks of confusion became looks of absolute terror and fear at the prospect he'd just mentioned. With just words he'd managed to accomplish in these six, that he'd failed to accomplish even with his Segunda Etapa when concerning a single Shinigami. He observed that Fluttershy's legs were the first to give out as she fell into a sitting position on the floor; hardly a surprising development.

"W-w-wha' makes ya think there's gonna be a third event?" Applejack asked as she tried desperately to steady her nerves.

"I foresee no reason to assume the past eight days were the entirety of it. It would be dangerous to assume that simply because the changelings have been stopped that there's no further danger to be cautious and aware of. From what I've gathered, dragons and changelings are hardly the only threats to face Equestria. We have to assume the possibility of something else coming in the future. It's not a matter of if that must be addressed, but rather when and what that must be considered. Furthermore, if the timing of my arrival was selected for a specific reason, then we must assume what has happened up 'til now is only the beginning of what may come," Ulquiorra explained calmly.

Various measures of terror from around the hallway, ranging from Pinkie Pie's efforts to duck behind Princess Luna and use her as a shield -the ledger and poker visor disappearing from view in the process of crossing the small distance- to Fluttershy's attempts to bury her head in her pink mane, and pretend no one could see her.

"With that in mind I must depart," Ulquiorra stated and calmly walked past the group, leaving them to their own devices.

"Now hol' on there jus' an apple pickin' minute there Mr. Cifer!" Applejack stated quite firmly and moved to intercept his path. "Ya tell us all these things an' get us more scared than a hen house wit' a fox creepin' about, and then yer jus' leavin' us behind like that?" she asked as she looked -or rather glared- up at him.

"You were the one who asked me to share what I was thinking at the time," he pointed out in response to the question. If they were currently terrified it was their own fault. "At present time, what was said is nothing more than speculation and unsupported theory. Two separate yet similar incidents devoid of corresponding evidence to formulate a pattern is quite weak to go on. There's very little that can be done without further information. Right now the library is the most likely source of useful information for determining this mystery properly. Two of your group have already stated that they have other matters that need tending to," he explained. No rebuttal. At least no rebuttal that came in the time he remained silence in wait for a reply. "Furthermore your group would be far more useful in Ponyville than here."

"Yeah?" Rainbow Dash asked from behind him. "How so?"

"You and the others are more familiar with Ponyville and the surrounding territory than I am," Ulquiorra stated as he turned to face the cyan pegasus, "the range of my pesquisa is limited and can't reach where you reside. To gather information, I will need eyes and ears in Ponyville to keep me informed of any strange and unexplained occurrences, any information that could possibly correspond to a future incident and may serve as a warning sign. Sights, sounds, smells, sensations, anything that would raise suspicions."

"Just wait a minute. You mean that you, the one who could actually punch a dragon and bring it down, and make it bleed in the process... you actually need us for something?" Rainbow Dash asked, amazed and shocked at the very idea. That was... actually it was kinda flattering in a way!

"Indeed. Once you reassemble, I will need you to inform Spike and Twilight Sparkle of these developments, as it pertains to all of you. Because of the circumstance I find myself in, coupled with the potential severity of this situation, I will need you seven..." he paused mid sentence, carefully weighing what he was saying. Was this a route he truly wanted to go down? The answer to that question was a very obvious no. But what he wanted, and what he needed, were two entirely different things. After a moment, he continued with what he had to say, knowing that there was no other choice currently available to him. "To fill a necessary role. I need you to serve as my fracción, as it were," Ulquiorra explained. The sheer irony of it all.

"Yer wha' now?" Applejack asked. Where was he getting all these new and fancy words? And more importantly, what did they all mean?

"My fracción. In Hueco Mundo each member of the Espada was allowed to assemble a group of Arrancar to serve in various roles, and carry out various tasks. While I'm confined to the palace, I will need you seven to fill such a role in gathering information, and being alert to the surroundings. In simpler terms, I need your help in this matter," he explained.

"Wow..." Rainbow Dash replied.

"So lemme see if ah got this right. Ya jus' need us ta keep ya up ta date on wha's going on 'round town? No dishonesty or sneaky stuff, like bein' disloyal ta Princess Celestia, or anythin' like that? Nothin' like payback fer bein' used an' tricked?" Applejack asked, wanting to be clear on exactly what was being asked of her.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied and nodded briefly. Attempting a rebellion wasn't called for now, nor did he want there to be any belief he was trying to instigate such, simply because he made it known that he disagreed with Princess Celestia's method of doing things. "There will be no need for secrecy or deception. Merely observation and alertness to your surroundings. What you do otherwise is left to your own discretion."

As much as he disliked the idea, he actually found himself in a situation where he needed these ponies right now, even if it was just to serve in a passive background role. He needed more information than what he currently had access to, and these seven were those best able to provide just that. Hopefully they could that properly.

"You can count on us Ulqy!" Pinkie Pie stated as she came out from behind Princess Luna in order to salute him.

"I'll... do my best..." Fluttershy whispered as she peaked out from behind her long mane.

"Before I commit to anything I've gotta get something clear first," Rainbow Dash spoke up, bringing Ulquiorra's attention back to her. "A lot of what you said earlier on when you were fooling Chrysalis... you said that was all part of the act. But you also said part of what you were saying was true too. Now there's a lot of stuff I could ask you about what you did mean, and what you didn't mean, and all that other stuff. But right now, there's only one thing that I really wanna know, more than anything else I could ask about. You wanting us to help you in keeping an eye out for weird stuff... does this mean we're good?"

He suspected the pegasus wasn't asking if they were "good" in terms of the quality of their work, and what they could offer him in his quest for information. This wasn't truly the first time he'd heard a question worded like this before, where it could be easily misinterpreted to mean something else. It seemed more than likely she was asking with regard to their standing with each other after his deep level deception.

"For lack of a better term," Ulquiorra replied.

"So..." Rainbow Dash paused as she flapped her wings and hovered off the floor, "no hard feelings?" she asked as she extended her right foreleg in his direction. "No grudges for Sonic Rainbooming you in the face during that chase?"

A very strange pony indeed. But strange or not, he unfortunately needed her, and the others, to assist him on this mission if it was to be successful. If reassurance was needed then it was a small price to pay. "If there are none on your part, there are none on my part," he replied in agreement and reached out to take her leg in his hand, much as he had Twilight Sparkle upon their first meeting.

It truly made no difference to him whether or not these ponies were willing to forgive him for his earlier actions; either those when he still resided in Hueco Mundo, or during his supposed defection to serve Chrysalis. And he really didn't see a logical reason for why it would be necessary, as they understood the reasons behind his actions.

But for the time being he found himself dependent upon these strange ponies, despite their numerous shortcomings. He had little choice but to tolerate their idiosyncrasies and foolish beliefs.

Then again, perhaps it was best that Rainbow Dash wasn't willing to hold a grudge against him for his choking her into unconsciousness during the pursuit. The fact she was willing to let the issue go just like that, suggested she didn't see this matter as similar in nature to Mare Do Well. And he was going to need all the help he could get for the time being.

"And how might we be of assistance to thee in this case?" Princess Luna asked as the two broke their contact with each other. She'd more or less been listening silently as Ulquiorra laid out a theory of a most disturbing nature, recruiting the Elements of Harmony to help him gather evidence to support his theory, and making peace with them over past instances. Now she wanted to prove useful as well.

As Princess Luna drastically outranked him in authority, there was very little he could expect from her in any capacity. Whereas the Elements of Harmony seemed eager to assist in this matter, as it directly pertained to them, the same couldn't be said for the alicorn. These ponies might be her "friends" but that didn't mean she had the ability to assist in the matter. It was likely she couldn't come and go as she pleased without raising suspicion.

However...

"Chrysalis is still alive I assume. I will need to speak with her directly, and determine what information she has to contribute. Perhaps she has answers we're in need of," he replied. If the changeling queen was still alive she could prove to be quite valuable.

"She is. Currently she is in the dungeon along with her hive, awaiting her fate. We shalt take thee there, after we arrange transport for our friends back to Ponyville," Princess Luna explained.

"Before you do there is one more thing that must be mentioned," he said before turning his attention to the other five, "it goes without saying that this matter is of a sensitive nature. The best course of action is to not involve anyone else back in Ponyville. The more that become involved, the greater the risk of panic and hysteria, generating false reports, and potentially losing valuable clues," he explained. Another reason to avoid sharing these theories with the town of Ponyville, and the surrounding territory, was the matter of his own existence; in her current mood Princess Celestia would likely have his head if a panic were caused.

"Don't worry Ulqy! We'll be the best frankfurters you ever saw!" Pinkie Pie stated.

Ulquiorra remained silent. The sooner the holders of the Elements of Harmony were allowed to depart, the sooner this matter could be sorted out appropriately.

"We shalt arrange transport back to Ponyville now. Wait here, please," Princess Luna spoke before taking her leave from the group...

... leaving him alone with the five remaining ponies.

Perhaps this presented him the opportunity he needed to get to the bottom of another mystery, although one of a significantly smaller scale.

"Before you five take your leave, and reunite with the others in your group, there is another question that must be asked," he stated simply, bringing their attention forward again. "You were all exposed to the same degree of trickery equally. All of you were utilized for the purpose of convincing Chrysalis to bring her entire hive to Canterlot, where they could be properly contained. All of you were lead to believe that I murdered your ruler without second thought, and that I wouldn't hesitate to do the same to each of you. The reveal of the truth does nothing to erase what you experienced after your arrival, and before Princess Celestia's return. Yet only Twilight Sparkle responded in a manner I could foresee. You have taken everything in greater stride than I would believe possible. Why is this? Why are none of you upset with Princess Celestia and her actions?"

The following silence from the ponies wasn't unexpected to encounter. They were being presented with a question bound to cause them unease. The looks they gave, back and forth between themselves, as well as towards himself, were also to be expected.

"Well..." Rainbow Dash finally spoke up as she moved forward, "I can't speak for the others and what motivates them. But, as for me? I guess it's because I was never Princess Celestia's prized student. I'm not as close to the matter as Twilight is," she replied.

Applejack nodded. "Tha's perdy much it fer me too. But..." she paused and sighed, "don' go blabbin' this all over the place, but... ah ain' too happy with what happened. Ah don' appreciate bein' used an' lied to by the Princess, no matter what the reason is. Ah get wha' was at stake, safety o' the whole country an' all. But it jus' leaves a bad taste in mah mouth all the same."

"I dunno," Pinkie replied, "what happened might've been kinda mean. But what could've happened would've been a whole lot meaner. I don't like the changelings, but I don't wanna see anypony suffer and die, even if they are changelings. And Princess Celestia did what she needed to keep that from happening. So if I can help, even indirectly, I'm alright with it."

"I for one don't see anything wrong with what Princess Celestia did. Anypony knows managing government is difficult even in the best of times. Were we used? Of course we were, I don't deny that. In matters of great security, that's par for the course. But at any given time, aren't we already used by others when we agree to help them when we're asked to help?" Rarity asked them. Nopony said anything in response. "I agree that I would've appreciated a little notice beforehoof, but I'm not going to hold it against her if that wasn't possible. There are some things simply too important to be shared openly. I'm just thankful everything was resolved."

"Hold up! Are you serious?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief and stepped closer to Rarity. "Rarity, how can you say that so easily? Did you forget what we said back in the holding cell?"

"That was more our fault than the fault of Princess Celestia, darling. She didn't know how we'd react at the time. She can't be faulted for not knowing how we'd behave in our absence. She had to look out for the wellbeing of Equestria as a whole, just as we've had to do at times and put our own feelings aside. Besides all of that, we recognized where things were going, and stopped before they got there. To me that means no harm done," she pointed out.

Rainbow Dash mumbled some, before finally giving a noncommittal "I guess" in response to Rarity's point. However she soon continued. "Look. If we're being honest, I guess I can accept why Princess Celestia did what she did. I get that this was a great big, huge issue we were all facing. But that doesn't mean I appreciate it. If I'm gonna be used, I'd at least like to know what it entails first. If Applejack asks me to help bring apples to market, that's fine, I more or less know what the afternoon is going to consist of. But if you're going to make somepony into a tool, at least let them know. Seriously, you don't use a hammer to... to..."

"Mop a floor?" Applejack offered upon seeing Rainbow Dash more or less stuck in the mud of her own analogy.

"Yeah that'll work," Rainbow Dash replied and nodded.

"And I'm not saying that you're wrong, Rainbow Dash, I'm merely recognizing and acknowledging the facts of the matter, as well as the gravity of the situation," Rarity replied.

"I'm just glad that everything is finally over," was all Fluttershy had to say.

"But what about Twilight? She was crying her eyes out when she ran off," Pinkie pointed out, oblivious to Fluttershy's soft statement about her own position.

Rarity sighed and used a hoof to massage the bridge of her muzzle while pinching her eyes shut. This wasn't going to be easy.

"I don't want to be mean, I really don't. I love Twilight as much as I do any of my good friends. But if we're being totally honest, she's possibly the most sheltered of any of us, and has the least life experience. The five of us have all worked for a living, have all experienced time and time again what it's like when the real world doesn't match up with our ideals. We've met other ponies who don't meet our expectations. But Twilight, being Princess Celestia's protege, was more than likely sheltered from such everyday occurrences as she buried herself in her studies to make her teacher proud of her. Princess Celestia was more or less Twilight's entire world for a good portion of her life, and became idolized by her. This revelation has more than likely stirred up considerable unpleasantries she simply wasn't prepared to encounter, and now she has to grapple with the reality of the situation," she explained.

"Now hol' on jus' minute there, Rar'," Applejack spoke up, "somethin' don' make sense. If Twilight is Princess Celestia's protege an' all that, then wouldn' she've studied up on stuff like government work an' all this cloak an' dagger stuff? Wouldn' she... wouldn' she know that somethin' like this could maybe happen at some point?" she asked.

"One would certainly think that would be the case, but nopony can say for certain just what Twilight might or might not have studied. One would certainly think she'd submerse herself in matters pertaining to government, but if she were selected for magical aptitude, it's possible that's all she focused on," Rarity replied and sighed. "I feel sorry for Twilight, just as I'm sure everypony does. But as I said, I understand the gravity of the situation. Princess Celestia is a government figurehead, tasked with keeping Equestria running, and running safely. I'm sure she's had to make a great many decisions the rest of us could never have considered making on our own."

"So is anypony at fault in this matter?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm afraid that's a determination I'm not able to make. There are far too many complexities involved in the matter," Rarity replied, not wanting to become too heavily involved in this discussion. Anytime ponies talked about government and the like, simple discussions tended to get ugly.

Very strange. He wasn't certain what to make of their given response. For whatever reason, they seemed to understand that the matter was of a significantly greater scope than their own personal feelings on what took place. Out of all of them, Rainbow Dash seemed to be the most upset, due primarily to not being informed of what was being asked of her, rather than what actually took place.

Out of all of them, it was surprising that Rarity was the most level-headed, and most on the side of Princess Celestia. She spoke as if she knew about the ugliness of government work and what would be expected from it. Perhaps being the high society type had made her privy to more information than he'd expected. And out of all of them, she was the only one to recognize the implications of Twilight Sparkle being sheltered in her tutelage.

Perhaps they weren't as hopelessly dominated by emotions as he first thought they were. Perhaps that meant there was hope for them yet.

His own thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of Princess Luna's reiatsu approaching again. It would be prudent to not be having this conversation in her presence, as she might take offense to his asking them why they weren't more upset with Princess Celestia and her actions.

"Princess Luna is returning," he stated simply in an effort to silence this line of questioning and discussion. Hopefully the thought of returning home would be enough of a distraction to them.

The wait for the holders of the Elements of Harmony to be seen off to Ponyville was blessedly short, spent waiting in the same spot in the hallway as the conversation that'd been had with them concerning everything. To Ulquiorra it seemed logical to wait in an easy to locate spot, since only he could detect the various reiatsu patterns around him, while Princess Luna couldn't. At least he assumed she couldn't. If he left, she wouldn't be able to find him in a different location.

Fortunately he could feel her coming around the corner... and looking quite disturbed.

"Our sister doth not wish to be disturbed at present," she said in explanation to the unasked question. She attempted to fill her sister in on Ulquiorra Cifer's theories on everything that'd happened up to this point, and she'd wound up being subjected to a highly unexpected, and much undeserved, verbal assault. Her sister was intent on staying parked outside of Twilight Sparkle's door, and waiting for her student to emerge, and had no intention of getting involved in anything else until that happened.

Ulquiorra said nothing. He'd been on the receiving end of such a message, and understood what she meant. That fortunately saved time on discussion, as there were more important matters to tend to right now.

"Where is Chrysalis currently?" he asked, wanting to get to the bottom of this mess.

"Of course. 'Tis this way, follow us," Princess Luna replied and proceeded to walk down the hallway, Ulquiorra following close behind, his hands tucked into his pockets.

The walk down the halls was passed in silence, with the exception of the footsteps and hoofbeats echoing off the stone walls. For Ulquiorra this was no problem. For Princess Luna however, the dense silence was unnerving and had to be broken.

"'Tis quite wonderful how thou hast actually befriended the Elements of Harmony so easily," she commented.

"I have done no such thing. Their fate, as well as the fate of Equestria, may be in jeopardy as we speak. I have merely made them aware of this fact, and told them to keep me informed of any new developments, that could point out a pattern of events in order to discover the reasons behind everything. The simple fact that I have found myself forced to rely on them, doesn't mean I consider them "friends" or anything else along those lines," he replied as they continued walking along. It was due to the incompetence and inferiority of the other Arrancar that he didn't have any fracción to begin with. And now he found himself in a position where he was forced to rely on incompetence and idiocy, by making six ponies and one dragon into his fracción. The utter irony of it all. "At best we are allies, united for a common goal."

Princess Luna huffed. That was quite unsettling for her to hear. Despite everything, his opinions of them still hadn't changed? This was not going to be pleasant to deal with.

"So what doth thou intend to find out from Chrysalis while she is still present in Canterlot's custody?" she asked curiously, hoping for a change of subject.

"Anything of relevance in order to determine the answer to the fifth question," Ulquiorra explained simply.

"Fifth question? Earlier thou didst say there were only four questions," Princess Luna stated in surprise.

"The fifth question was discovered only after the holders of the Elements of Harmony were in the process of leaving. I foresaw no reason to recall them simply to inform them of such a fact," Ulquiorra explained as they walked.

"And what is this fifth question that thou didst come across?" Princess Luna asked curiously.

"The entire time we have been operating under the assumption that the two incidents over the last eight days were separate incidents, the only connection being those that hold the Elements of Harmony being targeted and threatened. We cannot ignore the possibility that this hypothesis is incorrect. We must consider the possibility that these two incidents are indeed connected. If such is the case, we are presented with the fifth question; is another party involved in the matter? If so, then we must ask who or what this other party is. Further, we must ask how this party relates to Discord. Specifically, what type of entity has sufficient influence, that Discord himself cannot directly interfere with whatever plan has been put into motion? And if this is truly the case, then how is my involvement beneficial?" he explained, noticing that Princess Luna faltered in mid-step, to the point of nearly tripping over her own hooves and planting her face against the hard floor.

"Thou... thou doth believe that a single entity is behind both incidents? And that they art more powerful than Discord?" she asked, almost scared to hear the answer. After all of her experiences, this possibility was truly a terrifying thought to consider.

She immediately began to wonder about Ulquiorra Cifer's earlier statement. Had he truly only thought of this frightening possibly after Rainbow Dash and the others left to return to Ponyville? Or had he known of it the entire time, and he made the deliberate decision to withhold it until after they left in order to spare them the frightening aspect of a being more powerful than Discord possibly existing and turning its attention against them? Had he truly done something nice of his own volition?

"It is a theory that can't yet be ruled out as a possibility. If there is another party involved, and actively orchestrating threats to Equestria's safety, and targeting the six that hold the Elements of Harmony, then we must consider the possibility of such. There are too many things occurring that simply do not add up if we write them off as either coincidence, or natural occurrences. A dragon takes up residence in the caves for a possible century's rest, at close enough proximity to attract our attention and put Ponyville at risk of toxic death, only to be awake twelve hours after its discovery, which just so happens to coincide with our arrival at the scene?" he asked. Princess Luna was left speechless and unable to respond, barely able to walk alongside him on their journey to the dungeons. Seeing as she had no response to offer he continued. "Eight days after this questionable event occurred, the changeling invasion is discovered, at a point when the dispatched force is only a portion of Chrysalis' overall strength, one of the earliest targets being Fluttershy specifically. If she were serious about retaking Canterlot, and Equestria, for herself she would've dispatched more than a mere one hundred and fifty drones between Ponyville and Canterlot."

"And... thou doth believe Chrysalis holds the key to this mystery?" Princess Luna asked. The things he was saying were... they were unpleasant to think about. She didn't want to consider the possibility that there was a being present in Equestria, worse than Discord, more powerful than Discord, and orchestrating attacks against them and her friends. Even more unpleasant to think about, was the possibility that none of them wouldn't have discovered this if not for Rarity's comment about impeccable timing.

"Another piece of the puzzle would be more accurate. It's unlikely someone as weak as Chrysalis would be anything other than an unwitting pawn. Whatever information she may hold would likely be limited to what role she was supposed to fill, and little else," Ulquiorra explained. What stood to be gained was likely of limited value. But it still had to be investigated.

"And if Chrysalis doth have nothing?" Princess Luna asked.

"Then if she was truly involved by an outside party, it would be safe to conclude we are dealing with someone or something intelligent enough to not leave any loose ends, which would be so easily discovered should its pawns be captured alive," he stated as they came to a stop. They had finally arrived at the doors that lead to the dungeon levels of Canterlot palace.

"Might we make an inquiry before we enter?" Princess Luna asked him. When he turned to face her she continued. "The scenario thou doth present is one that does cause us much concern. Is there a phrase native to thou's world that would be appropriate under such circumstances?"

Twilight Sparkle wishing to learn more about his dialogue made sense to him. She was naturally curious about the unfamiliar and wanted to gain a greater understanding of it. Princess Luna on the other hand was more of a mystery. But nevertheless, he was willing to present her with what she was looking for.

"Under present circumstances I believe the phrase "scared shitless" would be closest to appropriate."

Chapter Fifty Two

Chapter Fifty Two

Rainbow Dash grinned maniacally as she brought the scissors down on Rarity's neck, prepared to be showered in the unicorn's blood in the process, eager to bring this to an immediate close and put everything right that had gone so, so wrong.

Unfortunately that didn't appear to be something that was going to come easy to her. Instead of sinking into the soft flesh of Rarity's neck, the scissors became stuck, as two sets of purple claws locked onto her foreleg, and were serving to inhibit any forward movement. Two sets of purple claws that belonged to Spike, as he stood to the side, and was fighting back against her with all his might.

She knew that, as a dragon, there was some expectation that Spike would have considerable strength to him. But she never really expected that he might be strong enough to actually compete with her. And she certainly never expected that he would actually be able to overpower her and push her back, which was happening right now. What had been a lopsided physical struggle in her favor, was slowly but surely moving to the opposite end of the spectrum. Even when she doubled down with both forelegs to try and push her assault, she was losing ground quick. Apparently physically contending with a dragon -even if he was just a baby dragon- wasn't going to pay off for her.

"Get... OFF!" Spike roared furiously, the youthfulness of his voice failing to hide the rage and hostility that it carried with it, as he not only pushed her back, but literally hurled her back, sending her flying -and subsequently crashing- into a random ponnequin, before landing hard on the floor on her back, the scissors flying out of her grasp.

Rainbow Dash grunted in pain as she climbed back to her hooves and shook her head. Spike was being too much of an obstacle to her, preventing her from doing what she needed to do. If he wasn't going to get out of her way, then she was going to have to go through him, no matter how much that might hurt the both of them.

However she never even got to that point, before something grabbed her from behind, and started to choke her. She struggled and kicked in a desperate effort to break free, to get another breath of air to her lungs, but her struggles were proving utterly futile.

Her vision was starting to grow darker, and she could feel herself getting weaker with each passing second. Unconsciousness was coming over her like a tidal wave and there was nothing she could do about it.

And she'd been so close at success too...

Ulquiorra was not one to normally be stunned by something he observed, regardless of whatever it might be. Where others might freeze and experience doubt at witnessing something... extreme in nature, he would act accordingly. That wasn't to say he acted first and asked questions later, but he could do so if the situation demanded that such be done.

All that said, however, this was the exception to the rule, where what he bore witness to was of such an unbelievable nature, that it caused him to give pause, and stare on in disbelief. If he was ever asked, he would admit that one of the last things he'd ever expected to encounter in this world, would be that of Rainbow Dash viciously assaulting Rarity, then Twilight Sparkle, and then attempting to murder Rarity where she helplessly lay on the floor, pinned down and unable to escape.

He had evaluated Rainbow Dash as possessing a significant blood lust and will to murder, based on the intensity he had seen in her eyes. He truly hadn't put it past her to do something like this, and turn on those that she had claimed to be closest to, due to actions they had taken against her in the past. But an unprovoked assault in the middle of the day had not been something he would've predicted as a possibility. He had assumed that her first murder would be the result of some form of provocation, and her temper getting the best of her.

His observations -which spanned the time of approximately one second- were quickly interrupted by what occurred next. In the time it had taken Rainbow Dash to raise the scissors over her head, Spike had crossed the distance between them, and intercepted her foreleg with both of his arms, in a desperate struggle to prevent any further maiming of Rarity. He was about to intervene in the struggle before it could go any further, but that too had been interrupted by what he experienced next. A massive -considerably speaking- explosion in Spike's reiatsu level was making itself known, as he not only held Rainbow Dash's assault at bay, but began succeeding in overpowering her. Had the diminutive dragon been possessing this much strength the entire time, but simply had no reason to display it until just now? And if that was the reason, then ultimately what was it that served as his personal motivation? Was it ensuring Rarity remained alive due to her importance to Equestria's protection? Or was it some other matter that he didn't understand?

He watched as, with a roar, Spike easily tossed the cyan pegasus back, her frame breaking a pony-shaped mannequin as she crash landed to the floor of the boutique with the thud, the force of the impact enough to dislodge the scissors from her hooves and send them flying far out of her reach.

But she wasn't staying down. Rainbow Dash was getting back up again, and likely preparing to attack Spike with the same viciousness she'd used against Rarity. Now it was most certainly time to act. Quick as a flash he was behind Rainbow Dash, allowing him to grab her, and pull her into a headlock, her neck in the crook of his arm, leaving her helpless to do anything but struggle for freedom. Her efforts were slowly leading to her exhaustion as she struggled and gasped for air, her thrashing growing steadily weaker and weaker, until her entire body began to grow limp as the fight left her body. He held on another moment, as one last gasp escaped her lips, before finally releasing her and letting her body fall, crumpling against the floor.

To an untrained observer, it might look like she'd been choked to death. However such an observation couldn't be further from the truth. Despite her prone form, she was still very much alive, and very much able to answer questions once she regained consciousness. A simple air choke sleeper hold seemed the best option for dealing with her for the time being, as it simultaneously restrained her, and weakened her. However such a maneuver should've taken longer to be effective, even with her equine anatomy taken into consideration.

For now, however, his attention turned away from the unconscious pegasus at his feet, and towards the center of the room, where Spike -with his reiatsu levels dropping sharply back towards their original position- and the now recovered Twilight Sparkle were trying to tend to Rarity, a lavender-hued beam running over her beaten body as she was scanned, much as he had witnessed yesterday at the hospital.

"Twilight? I-is Rarity gonna be alright?" Spike asked shakily, his body still experiencing the adrenaline that'd been coursing through his system just a second ago. He had no idea what had happened, or what had caused this entire situation to happen. He didn't even know for certain just what he'd done. All he knew was that Rarity had been in danger, and he'd sprung into action without even thinking. And now that things had calmed down, thanks to Ulquiorra's intervention, he could start thinking again. But he had no idea what to be thinking. "She... s-s-she's not gonna die, is she?" he asked.

"I don't know, Spike, I'm a librarian, not a doctor," Twilight replied, her voice distorted and sounded congested. The blow Rainbow Dash had delivered to her had caught her right in the face, specifically her muzzle. Already the swelling was making it difficult to talk or even breathe unless it was through her mouth. But right now she couldn't worry about that, as there were more important matters to tend to. She turned her attention back to scanning Rarity's body, which was proving to be more difficult than anticipated as she was still conscious enough to be moving about, and to register just how much pain she was in. And keeping her still was proving to be very difficult right now. "But I don't think so," she added as her scan cut out. "Most of the damage looks worse than it really is. I can't detect any signs of a concussion or other serious injury that might prove to be life threatening."

"Then we are quite fortunate," Ulquiorra replied as he approached. Rarity's pain-filled whimpers were beginning to grow louder now, as she desperately tried to move, only for Twilight Sparkle to try and keep her from aggravating her injuries any further. "But as you have said, you aren't a doctor. Proper medical evaluation would be wise to seek out in this case," he explained. Twilight Sparkle's eye might not require immediate medical attention, but Rarity's injuries were another matter. Head injuries could be deceptive in nature, and he truly hadn't seen how the lavender unicorn might have landed from the blow. It was possible that the both of them were truly in need of medical attention at the moment.

"But what about Rainbow Dash? There are way too many questions and I don't have the slightest clue where to begin," Twilight protested before sparing a glance to where her prone friend laid. "Is... is she going to be alright?" she asked, worried that things could've gone very, very wrong. Ulquiorra's strength was so terrifying to consider, especially when it came to how easily he could snap one of their necks with so little effort if he was so motivated.

"A simple sleeper hold to exert compliance from her. She is unconscious, but she remains unharmed. Once she regains consciousness, we'll attempt to gain answers from her. But not now. For the time being, take Rarity to the hospital and ensure that she's alright. Have yourself examined as well. I will remain behind and deal with her once she regains consciousness," he explained.

"I... I'm gonna stay too..." Spike added after a moment of indecisiveness, trying to decide whether he should go with Twilight to the hospital and worry about Rarity there, or stay and help Ulquiorra with Rainbow Dash. In the end he opted for the latter, just in case a second set of hands would be needed for whatever reason.

"Are you sure?" Twilight asked him. He simply nodded. She didn't know if that was really a good idea or not, simply leaving him behind in this situation. But the painful moan of Rarity next to her reminded her that there were more important matters to tend to. "Alright," she finally relented and nodded, "be careful."

Lifting Rarity up with her magic was a task in itself, as even such gentle movements just seemed to reignite her pain and get her screaming all over again. Unfortunately no gentle words were going to soothe the savage beating she'd just received. All she could do for right now was grunt and bear it, as she moved to relocate her friend to Ponyville General Hospital.

Leaving a very confused Spike alone with the Espada, and a still unconscious Rainbow Dash on the floor.

"I-" Spike began, only to be interrupted as Ulquiorra began speaking.

"If your concern is that I will resort to maiming and torture to acquire information, I can assure you that no such approach will be used. Such tactics rarely yield genuinely beneficial information. If such were attempted, Rainbow Dash would simply say whatever she believed we wanted to hear from her, in a desperate effort to make the interrogation stop," Ulquiorra explained calmly.

"Uh... no, no nothing like that," Spike replied. However that did help put him at ease a little, knowing that Ulquiorra recognized the futility of such an approach. However that in itself gave him reason to be uneasy in just how Ulquiorra had come to recognize the futility of such an approach. As thorough as he was, he probably learned that fact from firsthoof experience. He'd really rather not think about that. "I was gonna say that I would probably be more useful if I stay here. At the hospital I'd probably just be in the way. And I... kinda hate hospitals in general," he explained.

Ulquiorra didn't say anything in response to the explanation he'd given for his reasons to stay behind. Instead he just returned his focus to where Rainbow Dash currently laid.

"I also had a sort of theory, but it's probably ridiculous and not even worth mentioning," Spike added. He noticed how Ulquiorra turned his attention back to him, and the look he was giving was enough to tell him that he should get to sharing the actual theory, rather than explaining the nature of the theory. "You can tell one pony from another without even seeing them, because they've all got their own unique reiatsu texture, right?" he asked.

"Correct," Ulquiorra replied.

"Right. Well you didn't get to meet Chrysalis until after the changeling attack was launched, so you wouldn't be able to tell one way or the other. But you've had weeks to get to know about Rainbow Dash, so you could tell if something was out of place, right? If whatever was behind the dragon and Chrysalis is also behind... this... you'd be able to tell, right? Her signature wouldn't be the same if she was possessed by something, right?" Spike asked him.

"I must admit, yours is a novel theory for consideration. But novel or not, it simply doesn't work that way. It's true that everyone possesses their ow unique texture of reiatsu, and no two are exactly alike, although there are some similarities between family members. But reiatsu textures are relatively static in nature. Even when someone's reiatsu increases dramatically when they flex their reiryoku, that specific texture remains the same. It simply becomes more intense in nature. A matter of possession by some outside force wouldn't be able to change that fact," Ulquiorra replied. He then paused for a moment, before continuing. "At least... not to my knowledge. Not pertaining to this world. My knowledge is still extremely limited. However even in my own world, there was only one thing that could remotely result in something like your theory coming to pass."

"And what's that?" Spike asked. If Ulquiorra wasn't openly detailing the... details of something, then it had to be bad.

"Hollowfication. More specifically, the process by which a Hollow's soul is bonded to the soul of a physical recipient, regardless of what species they are, creating a hybrid with the potential to supersede the natural limitations of either species. Those that succeeded in taming their Hollows came to be known as Vizards, and gained the ability to use their Hollow powers freely," Ulquiorra explained. It was the only parallel that he could really think of right now that made sense. "My first experience with a Vizard was when Ichigo Kurosaki first demonstrated his Hollow powers to me, and his reiatsu drastically shifted from being that of a Shinigami, to being almost indistinguishable from an Espada."

Spike gulped nervously, not liking the implications of what Ulquiorra was saying right now.

"Then... you're saying that someone or something Hollowfied Rainbow Dash? Something else crossed over from your reality when Discord brought you here?" he asked shakily, almost terrified to get a definite answer. If Ulquiorra was truly saying what he thought he was saying, then the implications that such a statement could have, could be very bad; bad enough to qualify as catastrophic in nature. They had enough to worry about with just domestic threats, and they really didn't need imported threats complicating matters any.

"No. Nothing like that. If there were any true reiatsu present, I would be able to detect it with ease," Ulquiorra replied. Truth be told he would much rather that be the actual case. At least if that were the situation, it would be something he could handle, as he would have at least some vague idea of what was going on. But that was not the case. Instead they found themselves in a situation that could be regarded -not so much by himself- as even more frightening in nature; a situation in which they had no way of explaining just what was going on. "We find ourselves in a situation in which Rainbow Dash, and only Rainbow Dash, can explain why she did what she did. And for that we'll need her conscious and cooperative," he explained.

"Alright, I think I get what you're saying. But still, you've gotten to know Rainbow Dash about as well as can be expected. Can you sense anything out of place with her? Anything that wasn't there this morning, yesterday, or even last week?" Spike asked.

"No. If there is some outside influence responsible for her assault on Rarity, it's something I'm unable to detect in this case," Ulquiorra explained. However that fact didn't mean that there wasn't something at play. It could be that, if she truly was possessed by something, it had happened well before his arrival, and had simply been laying dormant until now. But for what reason it would have picked now to surface, he didn't yet know

"Do you... I mean, should we tie her up or something? So she can't make a break for it?" Spike asked, uncertain of what else he could contribute in this situation.

Ulquiorra thought on the suggestion momentarily. Restraining Rainbow Dash to keep her from escaping would serve no ultimately purpose, as he could simply intercept her with ease and bring her right back for questioning. However Spike's recommendation may serve other purposes. Keeping the cyan pegasus restrained might serve to keep her from doing something that might hurt herself.

"A wise thought," he replied. However he wasn't certain of just what inside the building could be used to serve such a purpose.

Rainbow Dash's mind was foggy and hazy, making it hard to focus on anything. Anything other than the all encompassing blackness around her.

the first thing she really became aware of was the fact that her neck was aching something fierce. It felt like a combination of sleeping without her pillow, and twisting at an odd angle in the middle of the night, and staying that way until morning. All the muscles felt strained.

The second thing she became aware of was a tugging at her hind legs. Or more accurately her right hind leg at the moment. A tugging... and something being wrapped around it!

Instinct started to kick in at the realization that she was being bound. Even before her vision had properly cleared, she kicked furiously at whatever or whoever was behind it. She must've got them on the first kick because she felt her hoof meet with something hard that amounted to resistance, before it grunted at the impact, and was sent flying -or maybe toppling, she wasn't fully certain- back away from her.

As her vision cleared further she leaped to her hooves. Looking around she realized she was inside the Carousel Boutique. Looking around quickly she spotted the doorway and made a break for it as fast as her hooves would carry her.

Unfortunately her hooves weren't fast enough to outpace Ulquiorra, as he boomed his way in her path and cut off her escape route.

"Get outta my way!" she yelled at him.

"That will not be possible," Ulquiorra replied calmly as he stood with his hands tucked into his pockets.

Nothing was going to get in her way, whether it was friend or foe. If the Espada wasn't going to move on his own accord them she'd make him move. Leaping up and deploying her wings, she swung her left hind leg around to deliver a roundhouse kick to the exposed side of his head with all her might. A kick that should've sent him sailing from the force behind the impact.

Unfortunately all she could do was look on in surprise and horror at how he hadn't even moved in inch. Followed by immediately becoming aware of an excruciating pain shooting up the entire length of her leg the moment the shock wore off, forcing her to let out a pain-filled scream as she unceremoniously dropped to the ground on her back, and tried to cradle her leg.

Spike coughed hard from being kicked in the gut in the manner he'd been, feeling all the air knocked right out of him as he was sent flying and crashing by Rainbow Dash. To say he was upset would be an understatement. And as soon as he got his breath back he'd intended to let her have it; even give her a few of the words he'd heard Twilight using, despite his distaste for them.

But all such thoughts had left his mind upon hearing Rainbow Dash's screams, and seeing her on the floor with tears in her eyes from the sheer amount of pain she was obviously in. He'd gone from seriously enraged to deeply concerned in a matter of two seconds flat.

"What happened to her?" he asked.

"Exactly what I warned her would happen," Ulquiorra replied as he looked down at her. In her short-sighted fury she'd managed to fracture her left metatarsal bone. She should consider herself fortunate that she'd gotten off so lightly, compared to what could've happened from such a foolish decision. Had she struck the blow wrong, she would've shattered every single bone in the limb. "If you're quite through, I have questions," he stated simply.

"G-go to Tartarus!" Rainbow Dash replied as she tried to fight through the burning pain running up and down her entire leg.

"While I will investigate a matter to whatever extent is needed, I don't believe any relevant information can be found in such a place," Ulquiorra replied evenly as he withdrew his right hand from his pocket and reached for where she currently lay. She, however, apparently had different ideas, and bit down on his hand, as if it would do some good. Her stubbornness apparently knew no bounds. "Your resistance will yield no beneficial results," he explained calmly, before demonstrating how he could easily force her mouth open through flexing just two of his fingers, and allowing him to withdraw.

"Don't you touch me!" Rainbow Dash growled as she tried to use her forelegs to scoot herself back and away from him.

"Rainbow Dash-" Spike spoke up as he approached, confused and concerned at the same time. What exactly was going on around here?

"I said don't touch me!" Rainbow Dash yelled and tried to scoot back harder.

Ulquiorra said nothing, and simply opted to approach and, with one hand and in one swift motion, apply sufficient force to her chest to effectively pin her to the ground, leaving her unable to do anything other than struggle beneath him.

"I have no intention of hurting you excessively. However I am under orders from Princess Celestia to protect those that possess the Elements of Harmony. And if it proves necessary then I will interpret those orders to include protection from one another," he explained as he knelt down to look her in the eyes, his glare meeting her own, as he used his other hand to hold her head steady so she couldn't look away. "I have questions. You have answers. You can struggle all you want, but you will not be allowed to leave until there is an appropriate exchange of information. For that, there will be no negotiation. Whether you tell me, or you tell Twilight Sparkle when she comes back to forcefully probe your mind, I don't particularly care. It is your choice."

He observed Rainbow Dash as she struggled against him in a futile manner, attempting to strike him in the face with her hooves, or kick him in the side with her one good leg; as if any of the physical gestures would be enough to drive him off of her. There was a fire of stubbornness and rebellion in her eyes that burned with ferocity, much like the fire he had noted previously.

A fire that eventually burned itself out, leaving behind the embers of despair. Her entire demeanor changed from one of anger, to one of sadness, as her eyes began to water, and she began sniffling in defeat.

"I will ask you once. And you will not enjoy it if I must ask a question a second time. Now, why did you attempt to kill Rarity?" he asked pointedly.

He observed Rainbow Dash again, judging her demeanor, looking for any indications of deceit on her part. The tears that currently flowed down her cheeks certainly looked real. He had seen enough ponies crying in his time here to recognize true sorrow being expressed. All in all her entire demeanor was little different from that of Princess Luna when she'd made her confession.

Finally, after much babbling and incoherency, she managed to compose herself enough to get out three specific words. And Ulquiorra would admit, they were three words that he'd never expected to hear from these ponies.

"She raped me," Rainbow Dash wept, unable to stem the tide of emotions she was experiencing right now. "They all did. Rarity, Twilight, A-A-Applejack, Pinkie, a-a-and F-F-F-Fluttershy... they all raped me..."

Contrary to popular opinion, Spike wasn't some baby with a drastically limited understanding of the world around him, and a need to be protected by others. At least not in every area of encounter. He knew what the concept of rape was and what it involved. He knew that it was a serious matter and not something that anypony should ever joke about.

But despite that knowledge, he still couldn't believe his ears, and what he was hearing right now. What Rainbow Dash was saying... it just couldn't be true. But... but Rainbow Dash wasn't the type to just go around and tell vicious, unfounded lies about her friends. He didn't know what to think. Could she really...

He had to stop that line of thought in order to choke back the bile he could feel creeping its way up his throat. He didn't want to entertain such horrible, horrible thoughts about his friends. And he especially didn't want to consider such about Twilight of all ponies. Twilight was like family; like a sister or a mother, depending on the circumstances of the situation they were in. He'd known her for so many years growing up, it just had to be impossible for Rainbow Dash's words to be true.

"Ulquiorra? What... what do we do now?" he asked, hoping the Espada and his stoic nature could provide some degree of insight that he was ignorant of. Plus he wanted to have some degree of stability going on around him. Watching Rainbow Dash just cry openly was so surreal. She'd been a veritable symbol of strength of character and tenacity, and now she was laying before them, bawling like a foal. It was highly unsettling to observe.

"The first order of business is to address matters in an appropriate manner," Ulquiorra replied as he slowly withdrew his hold from Rainbow Dash, before turning his attention back to her as she cried. "Once you compose yourself, start your explanation of exactly what happened from the beginning."

The mysteries at hand were beginning to mount by the hour. If they were going to get anywhere, then he was going to need as much information as possible. Regardless of what details that information might consist of.

Celestia would admit that being a Princess wasn't everything it was cracked up to be. There were certain duties and responsibilities that needed to be tended to, regardless of how she felt at the time. And one of those duties was seeing to the petitioners that sought out her advice and council in the day court.

It hadn't even been twenty four hours since the disaster that struck Ponyville yesterday. A disaster that she'd been present for, and unable to stop, despite all of her powers. Whatever it was that was brazen enough to attack so close not only to her own presence, but also the presence of her sister, and Ulquiorra himself, had caused so much damage in so little time, and they didn't have a single clue as to what it was.

The finest medical examiners in the city of Canterlot had been called in to carry out the autopsy and examination of the dead manticore that Ulquiorra had stopped, and advised to exercise extreme caution in how they addressed the remains in an effort to minimize the loss of any potential evidence. And that was, unfortunately, the extent of what she and Luna could do to be useful in this situation. Until they had further information to go on, all they could do was sit back and wait, and try to address their duties to the best of their abilities.

However her thoughts were interrupted by a tingling in her horn, and something materializing in front of her via Spike's magical fire, serving as a distraction from the current petitioner seeking assistance in a land dispute with their neighbor. Under normal circumstances she would've filed it away for later, to read during a less stressful time. However she paused, as there were two facts about the delivery that were out of the ordinary, and indicated that it was not a friendship report, or any other kind of regular correspondence.

The first was how it was a piece of regular everyday paper rather than the standard parchment. And rather than being rolled up like a scroll, it was folded over twice in a neat little oblong. The second was the message of Urgent: do no postpone reading written on the side that faced her, and in a script she knew for certain didn't belong to Spike. In fact it didn't match any type of writing she was familiar with. That was more or less enough to make her believe that this was a report submitted by Ulquiorra, making it a matter of priority.

Without further hesitation, she unfolded the note and began to read it.

Princess Celestia,

A matter has arisen and I believe it to be of significant importance. Less than an hour ago the pony Rainbow Dash launched a physical assault against both Twilight Sparkle and Rarity, with an attempt at murdering the latter. There are no deaths to report, however both unicorns are currently at Ponyville General Hospital and being addressed appropriately. But a new mystery now presents itself.

During the interrogation of Rainbow Dash, the pegasus claims that she was subjected to rape at the hands of not only Rarity, but the rest of the holders of the Elements of Harmony as well. When pressed for details and elaboration, the tale she presented as explanation for her actions is one of disturbing details. She alleges being held for three straight days in the basement of Carousel Boutique, subjected not only to continual rape, but also abuse, torture of both a physical and psychological nature, and mutilation to various parts of her body.

A thorough examination has turned up no evidence to support her allegations. No missing primary feathers, no piercing of the ears or nose, no ear that has been sliced clean off the head, no welts consistent with beatings from a whip, no bruising around the neck consistent with strangulation via a rope, and no use of sewing thread to stitch up various areas of the body better left unmentioned.

As you know I am able to detect slight variations in an individual's reiatsu level, allowing me to detect when they are exercising dishonesty. However I was unable to detect any such fluctuations as she recounted her story. This would suggest that she honestly believes her recollection of events are factual in nature. Not being native to this world I can't adequately say what occurred prior to my arrival.

However the timeline does not coincide with events as they transpired. We were all present yesterday, making her account of the last three days impossible.

This is a matter that I'm ultimately ill equipped to address. I find myself needing assistance. Assistance from ponies that will not automatically trigger a post traumatic stress reaction from Rainbow Dash the moment she sees them. She believes the other holders of the Elements of Harmony are responsible for her suffering, and they cannot be relied on in this matter.

A unicorn in possession of any medical magic relating to bone healing is also required, as a fractured metatarsal was also encountered.

Ulquiorra Cifer

Celestia could feel her mouth go dry and her stomach knot up as she read the note, uncertain of just what to think about what Ulquiorra's report detailed. What could have happened in such a short amount of time, and with the Espada right there and watching? This wasn't like the attack while they were at Sweet Apple Acres. This was something going on right under their nose. Whatever was responsible for this latest turn of events, it certainly had to have a set of brass cojones to be carrying this out.

"Your Majesty?"

Her attention was brought back to the here and now. She looked past the sheet of paper and towards the current petitioner awaiting her input. Such horrible timing all around.

"I apologize, my little pony, but I've just been notified of a highly urgent matter that must be addressed without delay," she announced as she folded the sheet of paper back up and tucked it under her breastplate. "Guards, please inform the petitioners that the day court has been cancelled due to unforeseen developments. And try to do so without causing them distress or concern," she ordered as she climbed down from her throne and walked down the steps. For a matter that was this pressing, only her own presence would be suitable. This wasn't a matter she could delegate to someone else.

Spike winced at the pain-filled yelps coming from Rainbow Dash, helpless to do anything but watch as Ulquiorra tended to her in what the Espada claimed was the best available method.

Once again he'd been sent with money to Barnyard Bargains in order to get supplies. In this case it was a roll of the narrowest rope Filthy Rich had in stock, and two pieces of one by four that were cut to a very specific size measurement. And for once, being sent off to go on a supply run had been something he'd been grateful for, as it'd been done while Ulquiorra conducted his investigation. Considering what details Rainbow Dash might have to say, he couldn't help but think that he was being done a favor, by being left out of the discussion for a change. He didn't know if he could handle hearing the accusations about his friends.

He really had no idea what had transpired during his absence from the scene. And he wasn't really certain he wanted to know either. If it was something that could reduce Rainbow Dash to tears... well he'd really rather not think about that right now.

When he'd finally made it back with the requested supplies, Ulquiorra hadn't said anything. He'd simply given him a piece of paper and told him to send it on to Princess Celestia as quickly as possible, while he'd gone about making a series of shallow notches in the lumber.

According to Ulquiorra's explanation, there were two categorizations of medical care. There was proper care, which involved restricting a patient's movements so that they could heal adequately without aggravating their condition. And then there was field expedient care, where a patient's injuries were stabilized in a manner that left them ambulatory to some extent, so they could move if necessary. And from what he could see, the splint he was currently fastening around Rainbow Dash's broken leg counted as the second.

"So why're we doing this again?" Spike asked, just before another yelp sounded from the downed pegasus. "I mean, the hospital has all the proper medical stuff for setting a broken bone. Plus they've got painkillers," he pointed out.

"Do you possess the knowledge of how to teleport from one location to another, and do so without a clear line of sight to observe the desired destination point, without the effect of jostling either the cargo or passengers brought along for the ride?" Ulquiorra asked as he looped the rope around and tightened it down again for another knot to securely hold the two boards on each side of Rainbow Dash's leg, causing another yelp as she bit down on her right hoof. A yelp that fell on deaf ears to him.

"No..." Spike replied slowly.

"Then securing the limb is a priority at this point, as any attempt at moving it may result in serious complications," Ulquiorra explained as he began to wrap the rope around the leg to tightly bind it and prevent the boards from slipping.

"Where-" Rainbow Dash started to say, but was interrupted by another yelp caused by Ulquiorra tightly wrapping the rope, causing her to bite down on her hoof again. "Where are Rarity and Twilight? What happened to them?" she asked. She'd gone from pounding on Rarity, to a boutique devoid of its owner, and she didn't have a clue why. And now she was finding herself curious as to why.

"Ponyville General Hospital," Ulquiorra replied as he continued to wrap the boards, "however you will not be joining them," he continued.

"Hold up, what?" Spike asked, taken by surprise by that announcement. All of this work to get Rainbow Dash's leg stabilized for safe transport, and they weren't going to transport her? "Why not?"

"An attempt was made on Rarity's life today. Due to such facts, I would be lax in my duties if I were to allow such an attempt be made again," Ulquiorra explained. He noted how there was no more usable length of rope for wrapping again, and he opted to simply tie the two ends into a knot. It would have to do for the time being.

"Her life!? What about mine!?" Rainbow Dash shouted as she moved to try and sit up. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and the fury of indignation was taking over her again. "She RAPED me! THEY raped me! They made me, MADE me beg them to mutilate my wings, or they'd do it to Scootaloo to punish me for not being obedient! And you're worried about her when she was the mastermind for everything!?"

Ulquiorra remained silent both during and after Rainbow Dash's rant and tirade. He had heard all of the details already while Spike was away, heard everything she'd been subjected to and forced to do. Her outrage was understandable, but it was not very conductive.

"Do not assume that I'm indifferent to what you report experiencing. I intend to treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves. However, prioritization is necessary and must be exercised accordingly," he explained, even though he doubted that she was willing to listen to what he had to say. "You have the luxury of allowing your emotions to drive you in what you believe. I do not. I cannot display the same passion towards something that you do, no matter what it may be. But that doesn't mean I'm incapable of taking a matter seriously. A proper order for proceeding must be recognized. And I cannot do that as long as you are incapacitated, and bent on murdering the other holders of the Elements of Harmony. The only way for things to work out from this point, is if you cooperate by assisting me as necessary. Do you understand?" he asked her directly.

"... Okay..." Rainbow Dash quietly agreed and nodded, unable to do anything else. He wasn't going to let her anywhere near Rarity, she knew that to be the case. And she probably wouldn't be able to get at the others either. She knew that she wasn't going to be able to overpower him and make him help her in the way she wanted. As much as she wanted to shout in his face and curse him out until her lungs felt like they'd collapse from the straining they'd be subjected to, she knew on some level that there was no way she'd be able to faze the Espada. He'd listened patiently as she told him of absolutely every explicit detail of what she'd experienced over the last three days, and hadn't even blinked, hadn't even quirked an eyebrow. He'd just maintained that stoic expression throughout it all, as if she'd been reading him a weather report. As much as she hated it, she'd have to cooperate with him.

"Ulquiorra? Could I see you for just a minute? In private?" Spike asked.

Looking between the two, Ulquiorra stood up and followed after the young dragon, leaving Rainbow Dash where she currently laid, as he was lead to the kitchen of the boutique. At that point Spike turned to face him, his face a mix of concern and confusion.

"Ulquiorra, what's going on here? You actually believe that Rarity and the others would... do stuff like that to her?" he asked. How could he be taking this ludicrousness seriously?

Granted, he'd been left out of a lot of things, so he didn't always know everything that happened when he wasn't around. But even with that, he still knew that there was no way any of this could actually be true.

"What I do or do not believe is of no relevance in this matter. It does nothing to change the fact that Rainbow Dash believes she was victimized by those she considers to be her closest friends," Ulquiorra replied. Nothing he thought on the matter would change her perception of events that transpired. At least not in their current state, with the current information they possessed.

"But... but you don't actually believe what she's saying, right? It can't be true, it's... it's bullshit, it has to be, it just has to. Can't you, like, convince her of that fact? Maybe use a mirror and show her that her wings are still intact? Talk some sense into that thick skull of hers like you've done in the past?" Spike asked.

"Unfortunately the matter is not quite that simple. What is being discussed is not a simple matter of having foolish beliefs that do not coincide with reality. Rather something has convinced Rainbow Dash, beyond all reasonable doubt, that she was subjected to three days of continual torture; some of which that not even the other Espada would engage in," Ulquiorra replied. However the last part had been due to the fact that most of the Espada wouldn't bother to dirty their hands with such practices, rather than a moral objection to such. "Whatever is responsible for the current situation, has not only managed to suppress Rainbow Dash's true memories, but has also implanted three days worth of traumatic memories detailing graphic and explicit acts. It is quite unlikely that any attempt at explanation will be successful. Any such attempt may have the possibility of causing severe psychological damage," he explained.

Spike didn't like the Espada's explanation one bit. But that was due more to the reasoning behind it, rather than the lack of motivation to do anything to try and help Rainbow Dash. The idea that something could actually violate the inner sanctum of the mind was terrifying to consider. If you couldn't even be secure in your memories and recollections of your own experiences, then there was no security in anything. And if it could happen to Rainbow Dash, what was going to keep it from happening to the rest of them? What could stop Twilight from being next? Or Fluttershy? Or Sweetie Belle? Or any of them? What if he was next? And more terrifyingly... what if Celestia and Luna were next?

"What... what do we do now? What can we do now?" Spike asked as he tried to keep his bile in check once again.

"We wait for Princess Celestia's arrival before proceeding. This matter is too big for any of us to handle on our own," Ulquiorra replied. If there was anyone in this world likely to have knowledge of what they were dealing with, it would be the one who had witnessed more than one thousand years of this nation's history herself. For the time being they simply needed to exercise patience.

The only question at the moment was how much patience would need to be exercised? Princess Celestia's presence could already be detected within Ponyville's borders. Her location was most likely the hospital, investigating the condition of Rarity and Twilight Sparkle. But how long that investigation of her own would take, remained to be seen.

Twilight tried not to wiggle her nose too much, but the irritation of the bandage on her muzzle was making that difficult. And the eye drops that she'd been given weren't exactly helping distract her from her own discomfort. The only thing she could be thankful for right now was the fact that she couldn't currently smell the disinfectant scent of the hospital that seemed to permeate the waiting room.

Getting Rarity in to actually be seen, she didn't really know how it'd been possible, considering just how many other ponies needed to be tended to right now. She'd been anticipating a long wait, and a lot of hysterical screaming at various hospital staff for someone to tend to her. But much to her surprise -and relief- there had been very little waiting to suffer through. She'd even been able to get herself looked at by one of the nurses.

And now that the hurry up part had been taken care of, there was nothing left for her to do except try and wait patiently for someone to tell her what the prognosis was. And all the while deal with the shakes as her body came down from the adrenaline high she'd been on since this whole mess started.

As well as try and think about what had happened, in an effort to get to the bottom of the matter.

"Think, Twilight, think," she told herself as she strained to wrack her brain to get it to work. "Let's examine what we already know. For reasons that have yet to be discovered, Rainbow Dash attacked Rarity, beat her, and tried to stab her with a pair of scissors. An attempt that was stopped by Spike's timely interference when I was unable to do the same."

Alright. So examining what they already knew wasn't the most constructive use of time. What had happened made absolutely no sense without the right context to put it in. Without that context there was nothing to analyze except for a random beating. Nothing was making any sense, and it wasn't like there was any specific subtext at which she could pick at. It wasn't like Rainbow Dash choosing the scissors had any particular symbolism to it or anything like that.

"What is it that I'm not seeing?" she asked herself. However with her muzzle bandaged up currently, her question sounded distorted as if she was battling a cold. What was she missing? What pieces of the puzzle were hiding from her view, and leaving her floundering for answers?

"Whatever it is, I'm not seeing it either."

At hearing the voice directly behind her, Twilight turned to see Celestia standing before her, looking quite concerned. When had she arrived? How had she managed to sneak up on her like that? And just how long had she been here?

"Princess? What're you doing here?" Twilight asked as she turned the rest of her body around to be properly oriented with her head. There were way too many mysteries piling up, and doing so way too quickly for her liking.

"I believe the same thing you were doing not ten seconds ago," Celestia replied as she stepped closer, trying not to grimace at the one blood-red eye that looked back at her. "Can you tell me anything about Rarity's condition? Is she alright?"

"I... I don't know. I think she is. I don't think Rainbow Dash managed to crack her skull, or cause any brain injuries. But medical magic isn't something I have all that much experience in, I could've overlooked something. I..." Twilight paused in the middle of her distorted, rapid explanation of events prior to her arrival. She hadn't even realized that she'd been missing something until just now. "Wait, how did you know about Rarity? Did Spike write you and tell you what happened?" she asked.

"Not quiet. Rather it was Ulquiorra, detailing what occurred after you left. And I must say that I couldn't believe my eyes," Celestia replied as she levitated the piece of paper from behind her breastplate and presented it to Twilight to read.

Twilight silently took the paper and unfolded it to read what Ulquiorra had wrote. And after reading it through once, she did so again. And again. And again. She couldn't help herself, there was no way she could not read what was written. There was no way she could focus on anything except the words on the paper, until Celestia had plucked the sheet away from her, and tucked it back away again. Now she was alone in a waiting room of other ponies, and looking at Celestia as she looked back at her.

She could feel her heart beating faster now. Much faster than it was beating from the run from the boutique to here. It felt like it was trying to break out of her chest right now. And her skin was getting very hot underneath her fur. She could practically feel the blood coursing its way through her veins as a sense of panic set in. Rainbow Dash was accusing her -and the others- of... of...

She gulped, afraid her tea was going to come back up and land at Celestia's hooves, in full view of everyone.

"Princess I-" she tried to speak up, to protest the accusations made against them, to proclaim their innocence of the charges. But before she could even start speaking, she'd been interrupted.

"Calm yourself, Twilight, I'm not here because I believe the accusations are true," Celestia said in an effort to calm her student -as well as her friend- and to cut off a nervous breakdown. She knew that if Twilight and the others truly possessed such a nature about them, the Elements of Harmony never would have chosen them as bearers. Whether or not Twilight was sure of that fact in her current state, she didn't really know. Reaching out with her wing, she gently stroked her back in an effort to calm her. "I've known you for many years, my young friend, and I would be among the first to spring to the defense if such an accusation were ever to be made against you or any of the others. But regardless of that fact, this is a serious matter and must be investigated. Not due to the allegations, but what has given rise to them," she explained.

"I... I'm sorry but I'm not following," Twilight replied, not sure of exactly what Celestia was saying. She was still busy coming down from her anxiety just a moment ago.

"Something has affected Rainbow Dash's memories, and turned her against her friends, convincing her that they can't be trusted. We have to figure out what's responsible for this, and do so quickly, before anymore damage can be done," Celestia explained. Being attacked from the outside by various threats was one thing. But now they were facing a thread from within their own ranks.

Twilight looked at her for a moment as the explanation sunk in, and the true terror came to light. Without any further discussion she took off galloping as fast as she could back towards Carousel Boutique.

"Twilight."

Or at least that's what she tried to do. She would've been out the door by now, if it weren't for Celestia having levitated her off her hooves, in order to turn her around and look at her again.

"I understand that you're upset. When I received Ulquiorra's report, I was horrified by what I read. I rushed here as quickly as I could in an effort to get to the bottom of this. I specifically came here to the hospital to talk to you about what took place, to get a better understanding of the situation. And as tempting as it is to rush off at the drop of a hat, we can't afford such an approach. We need to be calm, Twilight, perhaps now more than ever. And more than that I need your help in this situation, I can't address it on my own," Celestia explained as calmly as she could. If Twilight couldn't stay calm, then they would never get anywhere.

Fortunately, Twilight seemed to understand this fact, and nodded in agreement.

"What do you need me to do to help out?" she asked.

"First, take a deep, calming breath to steady your nerves. Just like you learned back in school for preparing for a big test," Celestia instructed, knowing the value of having time for a breather. Even with all of her experience and wisdom, it still seemed funny at times how such a simple exercise could be so effective.

Twilight nodded again, recalling the information from her earlier academy days, and took a deep breath to calm herself down, holding it to try and stabilize the carbon dioxide levels in her body to avoid hyperventilation.

"Very good. Second," Celestia began, pausing as she stepped closer to Twilight, before pulling her into an all-enveloping hug with both forelegs and wings. "Remember that you're not alone in this matter. Regardless of what Rainbow Dash and Rarity's condition might be, you still have friends who you can rely on."

Again, Twilight nodded, allowing her head to rest against Celestia. Regardless of everything that had happened, it was impossible to deny that this felt soothing to experience. Even after everything that had happened over the course of last week, she couldn't seem to find the will to resist the embrace of the one she could only recently regard as a friend, as an equal... even if that last one still seemed illusive at times.

"And third," Celestia said as she eased her wings off of Twilight, bringing her attention back to the present, and causing the unicorn to look up at her, uncomfortable as it was. "Try to be strong, and follow my lead."

It was painful to watch as Rainbow Dash tried to walk around the boutique's kitchen, being too stubborn to remain still for any real amount of time, regardless of how she was still injured, or how much pain she was experiencing. She alternated from putting weight on her back leg, and favoring it while overcompensating with her three good legs.

Making matters all the worse was how Ulquiorra hadn't said anything about her efforts at physical exertion. He just stood there motionlessly as if he was a statue. Sometimes he found himself wondering if the Espada actually had a hibernation mode, and that was what he was currently witnessing. Twilight had accurately theorized that he had suspended his mana intake when in close proximity to the forcefields protecting the Elements of Harmony. Maybe it was the same thing in this case. Maybe he was in this statue-esque state in order to allow Rainbow Dash to absorb mana and heal...

No that couldn't be it. The idea seemed ridiculous to consider now that he'd thought it out, and he quickly discarded it for being so ludicrous in nature.

Ever since Ulquiorra advised they wait for Celestia to arrive before proceeding, there hadn't been much talk going on. Just lots of silence, and lots of tension; tension that was starting to twist his gut. Tension as they just waited, and waited, and waited.

"Maybe I can do something productive. Maybe I can write a letter to Celestia and explain why she needs to hurry," Spike thought to himself. He really didn't see how it could hurt. So with that thought in mind he went over to Twilight's saddlebags and carefully pulled out the containment lantern, noting that it was still mildly warm to the touch, before setting it aside to better facilitate searching for a quill and some parchment that wouldn't be missed.

"Now what in the wide world of Equestria is that?"

Spike looked up to see Rainbow Dash slowly hobbling her way over to where he stood, her focus drawn to the lantern at his side, and the teal green glow coming from its front lens.

"One of Ulquiorra's Ceros being held in a containment lantern," Spike replied, not sure just how much detail he should be going into right now. Just how much did she really want to know about what Twilight had been up to this morning?

"Sounds pretty cool," Rainbow Dash replied, but her voice was devoid of the usual flare and vitality it normally carried. "Can you read by it?"

"Uhh... I really don't know. It hasn't been dark enough to actually test that out yet," Spike replied, a little caught off guard by that line of questioning. Although he really couldn't imagine sitting down to read by the illumination of that eerie green glow.

"And now another mystery in need of being addressed," Ulquiorra spoke up from where he stood.

"Oh no," Rainbow Dash replied and went to facehoof, but stopped when she nearly toppled over. Bad idea there. "What could have possibly come up during that short exchange, to get your mind going?" she asked. He was always coming up with weird -and terrifying- theories at the strangest of times, and going on so little information too. And she was starting to get sick of it.

"The question of how you ponies make use of lanterns," Ulquiorra replied, "various lanterns were noticed at Barnyard Bargains yesterday during the procurement of supplies. But I have no idea how you ponies manage to light them when you lack the ability to grasp and utilize a match," he explained, detailing why it was a mystery to him.

"Lanterns?" Rainbow Dash asked incredulously as she cocked an eyebrow. He seriously wanted to talk about something as mundane as lanterns? He had a really, really weird sense of timing about everything. But the look he was giving her, told her that he was indeed serious about his line of questioning, and that he did want to know the answer. Fine then. If he wanted answers on something like lanterns, he's get his answers. "So who says we can't use matches anyway?"

Ulquiorra said nothing at first. It was a fair point to raise. Nobody had truly stated outright that non-unicorns couldn't use matches. He had simply assumed that they wouldn't, due to the diminutive size of matchsticks, and their lack of fingers.

"Fair enough. How do you use matches?" he asked, deciding to rephrase the question. If it successfully kept her mind focused less on her assumed assault and victimization, the better off they were.

"Like we use pencils," Rainbow Dash, before opening her mouth to run her tongue along her top lip and row of teeth, indicating that it was how the implements were held and manipulated effectively. Was it really that hard to figure out? Or... maybe it was possible that matches in his world were smaller? It might make sense, if humans and similar species didn't have to make use of their mouths to hold and grip something, and didn't have lips to get in the way and possibly burned by a match. She'd assume that was the case.

Ulquiorra could see how that might make sense. He had seen other ponies utilizing their mouths for gripping various items that needed gripping. And if matches were constructed in a manner appropriate for such a style of use -just like how the rakes and hoes seen at Barnyard Bargains were constructed with a T-shaped handle- then he could realistically see how they could make use of lanterns, even if it might prove somewhat difficult to pull off smoothly.

"Some ponies like the old fashioned lanterns that burn oil, but I can't stand the smell of kerosene myself. I prefer the newer crystal lanterns myself," Rainbow Dash added, recalling how that had been a topic of lively debate about what type of technology was better; oil or crystal?

On the one hoof were the crystal lanterns, consisting of a frame, globe, and centralized solar crystal that absorbed the sun's rays through a small window at top, and once the window was covered and the absorption stopped, and a switch was pushed, the crystals would radiate continuous light in a clean, nonhazardous manner. In addition to that they stayed cool to the touch, and posed no risk of fires. The only problem with them was that the crystals could only hold so much of a charge, just long enough for about eight continuous hours of light time, and they weren't the best at long term storage of their charge. So if the sun were ever to be obstructed by heavy cloud cover for a few days, they weren't exactly the most useful.

On the other hoof were the oil lanterns, which came in various styles, but all still consisting of a tank for the fuel, a wick system that required a match, and a glass chimney/globe. They all burned varying types of oil, so fuel was more plentiful if the weather was cloudy. They were also cheaper. But they required a lot more maintenance, like trimming the wick, cleaning the glass, wiping out the soot, they got hot from the use of an actual flame, they were trickier to use and had more moving parts, and there was always the risk of a fire occurring if they were knocked over and the oil leaked out. Plus they smelt funny when lit.

And then there was the point of a more ridiculous nature concerning the color of the produced light. According to the proponents of the oil burners, the produced light was warmer and held a more calming nature due to the yellowish/orange hue that was natural to the flame produced, whereas the pale sickly blue of the crystals was more alienating and spooky to be around.

"When it's snowin' outside ya wan' yer light ta suggest warmth, not make ya think it's liquid windigo in a jar," she remembered Applejack once commenting, holding a disdain for the blatant superiority of the modern technology that could easily illuminate the room to its far reaches when the dampener was off, even if that did consume its solar charge at a quicker rate. Apparently the farm pony preferred the old ways of using her teeth for carrying her old fire hazard around by its wire bail of a gripping area.

Spike blinked. Had... had Ulquiorra done this deliberately? Had he gotten Rainbow Dash talking about matches and lanterns as a way of getting her to focus on something else? Had he picked up on that piece of conversation, and decided to explore and expand upon it? Was this a way of making her use her mind for something entirely unrelated to the problem she was grappling with?

If that was truly the case, then as far as Spike was concerned, Ulquiorra was an utterly magnificent bastard in the intelligence department!

His thoughts, however, were interrupted by the ringing of the bell over the shop's door, bringing his attention back to the here and now. More specifically, it brought his attention to the doorway that lead to the hall and back to the show room. More specifically than that, it brought his attention to the sound of metal against wood, as Celestia slowly made her entrance into the kitchen.

"Ce... Celestia?" Rainbow Dash asked, not really believing her eyes. She'd actually come all the way from Canterlot? Had she come just for her?

"Hello Rainbow Dash," Celestia replied in greeting as she stepped closer, "I'm sorry that I couldn't arrive sooner. When I got word of how serious the matter was, I set out the moment I could," she explained.

"You... you actually came, just for me?" Rainbow Dash asked as she felt herself sit down against the floor, stunned by her words. After everything that'd happened to her there were still ponies that cared about her?

Celestia nodded. "I would do anything for a friend in need. And I can't think of any situation in which somepony would be in more need than right now," she explained as she stepped closer and examined her. More specifically, she examined the splint on her leg. More than likely it was Ulquiorra's work. "Hold still please," she instructed as her horn began to glow.

Rainbow Dash had to close her eyes as the glow of Celestia's horn became incredibly bright. And in a flash her left leg felt tingly all over. As the light faded she looked down, finding the splint was completely gone. Cautiously she flexed her leg, and felt no pain to it. She stood up, easing her weight onto it, and noting how it felt normal. It felt like it was as good as it'd ever been.

"Again, I apologize for not being able to come sooner. But I needed to refresh my knowledge of medical magic due to the circumstances we find ourselves in," Celestia explained, "how's your leg now?"

"Much better," Rainbow Dash replied as she looked down at her leg, and then back at Celestia. "So what now? What about Rarity and the rest of them? Are the others being arrested? Are they gonna be charged?" she asked.

"I'm afraid that's not an option. Yet. Ulquiorra's note was very sparse on exact details beyond your broken leg. Before we can proceed, I have to know just what happened, so I can decide what charges can and should be brought against the others," Celestia explained, before looking over in Spike's direction. "Spike, you may wish to wait outside. I don't believe that this is something you should have to hear."

"You mean... you're actually going to proceed with charges against them? Even with their Element of Harmony status?" Rainbow Dash asked as Spike left the room, finding it difficult to believe now that she was actually hearing it. Wishing for something to be true, and finding out it was actually true, were two very different things.

"Rainbow Dash," Celestia spoke, her voice switching from gentle and comforting, to more of an authoritative tone, "you were raped. Rape is never acceptable, no matter who is involved, whether as the assailant or the victim. I can assure you that there will be no playing favorites here, no matter what. But before we can proceed, I need you to tell me just what happened, and when it happened. If you wish for this to proceed then the details are crucial, Rainbow Dash," she explained, calmly but firmly.

Rainbow Dash nodded, understanding what Celestia meant. She sat herself back down on the floor again, and took a deep breath to steady her nerves, as she readied herself to give another recollection of everything that had happened.

"It... it started four days ago, when Pinkie said there was a party at Rarity's, and that I'd gotten a letter from the Wonderbolts..."

When Celestia had suggested that he might want to wait outside, Spike had interpreted that as to waiting in the hallway outside of the kitchen, next to Twilight who had managed to surprise him with her presence there. He was sure she was still at the hospital with Rarity. But right now he was glad she was there, as she was a friendly face.

He had wanted to ask her about Rarity's condition and how she was doing. But he'd stopped as he heard Rainbow Dash's voice and the mention of a letter from the Wonderbolts.

And then the recollection of events that had happened to her. Details that he had been spared when Ulquiorra had sent him out to get supplies for making a splint. Details that made him wish he'd waited outside the boutique where he didn't have to hear such horrors. The longer she went on, delving into things his young mind had never considered, had never wanted to consider, was twisting his gut and his heart at the same time, and riling him up to the point that he just wanted to punch something. He wanted to find the others and confront them, demand that they tell the truth about what Rainbow Dash was saying they did to her!

But much to his surprise, what was serving to unsettle his nerves even worse than the vivid account of events that Rainbow Dash swore transpired, was the barely restrained, choking sobs that were coming from where Twilight sat. Tears were freely flowing down her cheeks, streaking her lavender fur despite her eyes being squeezed shut, as her lips quivered and shook as she tried to keep herself from totally breaking down.

Seeing Twilight crying in the manner that she was told him all that he needed to know. He didn't need to ask, even rhetorically, if there was any truth to the accusations Rainbow Dash was laying out against her, as he already had his answer.

These weren't the tears of someone who had been caught in the act of doing something bad, and knowing that they would be punished for their actions. These weren't even the tears of someone who knew that they had done something terrible and regretted the part that they played in such an act. Rather these were the tears that were shed by someone who had to watch helplessly as something of great emotional or sentimental value, was taken away from them in the most violent and destructive manner possible. And in this particular case, it was the friendship that she had with Rainbow Dash. A friendship that, by the sounds of what was being said, was ending on a deeply sour note.

Without a word he stepped over and tapped her on the shoulder as she tried to wipe her eyes, causing her to look over at him. He didn't say a word as he stood there, just parting his arms to his side. Thankfully she seemed to understand the simple yet universal gesture, and reached out to pull him into a hug that was very much needed at this point in time, holding onto him for dear life like he was a piece of floating debris in the middle of an unforgiving ocean.

There was no way to stop the tears now. Despite her best efforts at choking them back, that small gesture of kindness on Spike's part was all it took to make the dam give way, causing her to weep freely now.

Celestia liked to think of herself as a pony that could remain calm, cool, and collected regardless of whatever was thrown at her. Ruling Equestria and seeing to its overall wellbeing by herself for a thousand years, she liked to believe that there wasn't a situation that could arise, that could leave her shaken and unable to cope. She liked to think that being forced to banish Luna to the moon for a thousand years was the hardest thing she'd ever have to do in her time.

But as she sat there, listening to Rainbow Dash give the requested details, she wasn't so sure of that unshakable resolve anymore. Hers was a tale of cruelty and abomination that she never believed any pony's mortal mind could willingly conjure all by itself. All of this did nothing except lend more and more credibility to Ulquiorra's theory that they were being targeted. But then it raised the question of just what kind of sadistic mind could possibly -and willingly- entertain such unspeakable acts!? What kind of monster could force Rainbow Dash to experience everything she was telling her? Even Discord would never do something like this!

Would he?

But she needed to be strong and focus. She couldn't allow her outward appearance to convey that she was confused and repulsed by these questions. She needed her outside to radiate calm strength, to support Rainbow Dash when she couldn't support herself. She needed to be unshakably stoic like the Espada to the left of her, who was looking completely unfazed by the recollection of events.

"... and then after I woke up and realized I was free, I came here to confront Rarity... and I just lost it," Rainbow Dash concluded as she looked downward at the floor, uncertain of just what she should be feeling after this latest retelling of what happened to her. She didn't know whether she should be numb and unshaken, or crying on the floor and babbling incoherently as she curled up in a little ball and rocked herself.

"I must say, that's truly a horrifying account of the past few days," Celestia spoke slowly, uncertain of what else she could say at this point in time. Rape, beatings, force feeding, piercings, psychological torture and the destruction of all notions of self worth, forced amputation, genital mutilation... the list just went on, and on, and on. If there were any words of wisdom to be had, they were conspicuously absent from her.

"I know," Rainbow Dash mumbled as she slowly looked upward again. "So are you going to have them arrested now? What can you charge them with?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash, but matters like this are usually addressed by a prosecutor first, although I can order their arrest as we sort out the details and reach a conclusion," Celestia explained, "but I'll need to go over some of the details first, just so everything is clear. You said four days ago, right? Not three?" she asked.

"Yeah. Four. I got clocked with a frying pan and was out the whole first day," Rainbow Dash replied and nodded.

"And this coincided with getting an acceptance letter from the Wonderbolts about your application and becoming a full-fledged member of their organization... on a Sunday?" Celestia asked her.

Rainbow Dash was halfway through a nod before stopping and looking at Celestia as if she'd just say the sky was pink. "Wait, say what now? Sunday?" she asked and tilted her head.

Celestia nodded in response. "You didn't count today if I remember correctly. Today is Thursday, making four days ago Sunday. And I know for certain that no mail goes out on Sundays, as they're a recognized day of rest for most businesses; such as Equestria's postal service," she explained calmly.

"Uh..." Rainbow Dash mumbled as she tried to come up with an answer. "I... I don't get it..."

"Perhaps it was a side effect of the frying pan to the head. Maybe you didn't sleep through the whole first day after all, and it actually happened Monday?" Celestia suggested.

"That... yeah, yeah I guess that make sense. Yeah that's probably what happened," Rainbow Dash replied and nodded. That made sense, what with head injuries being notoriously tricky at times. She must've just gotten the date wrong.

"Right then. Regardless of what prosecutor is appointed, they'll want all of their details accurate. Now, you said that after you escaped Rarity's basement, you collapsed on Twilight's balcony and slept through the night, correct?" Celestia asked. Rainbow Dash nodded. "Can you tell me how you came to be there?"

"Like you said, I escaped Rarity's basement," Rainbow Dash replied.

"True. But how did you manage to escape? How did you manage to escape not only steel chains, but also steel locks, and a locked cage? And how did you ever manage to sneak out of the boutique, completely unknown to everyone?" Celestia asked, causing Rainbow Dash to stammer in response.

Ulquiorra remained silent where he stood. He had opted to not point out the logical fallacies of Rainbow Dash's recollection of details, due to concerns that such could cause significant mental trauma in her current state. Yet Princess Celestia seemed to not share his concerns, as she went about picking apart her story.

Had he known that this would be the order of business, he would've gone about doing such himself.

"Uh..." Rainbow Dash mumbled as she tried to come up with an answer.

"How did you come to be on Twilight's balcony? Rarity did cut your primary feathers, as well as rip out a large number of your secondary and tertiary feathers for use in her dresses, correct? You couldn't possibly have flown up there, right?" Celestia asked her.

Now Rainbow Dash could feel herself getting mad. Celestia said she was a friend, that she'd do anything to help out a friend in need. But all she was doing, was asking her questions that she couldn't answer. Questions that were the kind someone would only ask if they didn't believe her, and thought she was making stuff up!

"Of course she did! She ripped them out so hard they bled! See for yourself!" Rainbow Dash yelled angrily and flared her wings outward so she could see the damage that'd been done to them.

Celestia said nothing as her horn glowed, summoning a full length mirror into existence in front of her, allowing Rainbow Dash to see what she herself saw.

Rainbow Dash gasped at the sight of her reflection, and the lack of a single mark on her entire body. Each and every one of her feathers were still present and undisturbed. Her right ear that Rarity had sliced right off was still in place, no sign of having ever been gone. All of the piercings that'd been put in her body were missing. How could this be?!

Desperately Rainbow Dash rolled over onto her back and looked back at the mirror. There was no sign of Rarity stitching of her... there was no sign of Rarity's stitching anywhere!

"How?" Rainbow Dash asked as she moved herself back into an upright sitting position. Nothing was making any sense. "S-s-somepony must've found me and healed me," she reasoned, trying to make sense of it all. That had to be it, it made perfect sense.

"Rainbow Dash-" Celestia began, preparing to explain that attempting to heal the injuries she believed she sustained, as well as regrowing missing tissue, was a task that Ponyville's entire medical staff couldn't have performed. Even a dozen unicorns, trained in the art of healing magic, wouldn't have been able to achieve such a goal.

But she never managed to get that far, as the disturbed pegasus immediately interrupted her with an excited outburst.

"I'm not making this up! I swear it happened, all of it! I experienced it, I felt it! They raped me! They cut my feathers, they ripped them out! They cut off my ear! It all happened! It ALL happened!" Rainbow Dash yelled loudly and pounded her hooves against the floor boards, panting hard in frustration and physical exertion. Why wasn't Celestia believing her? Why wasn't anypony believing her? What kind of sick mind would construct such horrors, and go around telling them to others?

"I'm not saying you made it up, Rainbow Dash. I know you well enough to know that you would never concoct such vicious statements about those that you considered to be your best friends. I truly believe that something happened to you. But at present time I simply don't know what," Celestia explained as calmly as she could, trying to sooth the pegasi's excited state and ease her back to a state that could be reasoned with. In her current agitated state she could pose a risk to her own safety.

Carefully she eased herself over to where Rainbow Dash sat and breathed heavily, almost like she couldn't even catch her breath at this point. Just as she did with Twilight during her time of need, Celestia reached out and pulled the cyan pegasus into a soft but firm embrace, utilizing both forelegs and wings. She felt Rainbow Dash resist and struggle at first, before eventually ceasing her struggling and simply sunk into the embrace, her body now trembling.

"What... w-w-what's happening to me? Am I going crazy?" Rainbow Dash asked shakily as she looked up to Celestia for guidance. "Is, is what happened to Chrysalis happening to me too? Am I losing my mind?"

"I don't know, Rainbow Dash, I don't know what happened to you. But I promise that I'll do everything I can to help you," Celestia replied as she stroked her back, trying to keep calm in order to compensate for Rainbow Dash's own inability to do such. She couldn't afford to let on just how scared she was right now, no matter how much she wanted to confide in someone else right now.

The sobbing in the hallway had grown louder at this point. Celestia and Ulquiorra had both been aware of it since Rainbow Dash's recollection. But now it was audible that even the cyan pegasus could easily hear it, her ears twitching in the process. She'd heard that crying before, and knew who it was. Only one unicorn she knew had that particular style of blubbering. And that knowledge was starting to make her heart beat faster, and her skin grow hot as panic began to set in.

"That's Twilight. Don't let her near me, please," Rainbow Dash pleaded and started squirming again. "I'm not going back into the basement again! I'm not, I'm not, I'm not!"

The matter at hoof was worse than Celestia had initially thought. She truly hadn't expected this level of panic to come from Rainbow Dash of all ponies, and simply from recognizing the voice of one of her friends being close by.

"Ulquiorra," Celestia spoke up as she turned to where the Espada stood, "would you escort Twilight back to the library for the time being?"

Ulquiorra said nothing in response. This entire situation was of an utterly ridiculous nature. He would admit that his own curiosity on this matter had piqued somewhat, as he wondered what could ultimately be responsible for Rainbow Dash's memory being affected. But that was in which Celestia was going about it struck him as odd. There was far too much coddling going on, and it didn't strike him as being very conductive of getting answers.

But ultimately it wasn't his place to object. Rather it was his place to follow orders. Without a word, he walked out of the kitchen to tend to his duties, and escort Twilight Sparkle back to the library.

"I'm not safe here. I'm not. Not with all the rest of them here," Rainbow Dash stated. Rarity was the mastermind of what had happened to her, but that didn't let the other four off the hook. Each and every one of them could come back for retribution, and possibly do worse than what she'd experienced over the past three days.

"Did you really think I'd just up and leave you here by yourself?" Celestia asked as she tightened the embrace just a little bit to try and calm her again. "I believe the current circumstances are serious enough to warrant a few days in Canterlot palace. Nopony can, or will, hurt you there. I promise," she said in a reassuring manner.

"What... what about Tank? I can't leave him here by himself. And I don't want Fluttershy having him either, who knows what she might do to him," Rainbow Dash protested.

"Tank can come along too. I think he'd enjoy the royal gardens," Celestia replied as she rubbed her back, not wanting Rainbow Dash to have to worry about her pet in addition to her own problems. Perhaps the tortoise's presence would prove beneficial in this matter, and aid in her recovery.

Rainbow Dash nodded silently and closed her eyes in an effort to calm her excited state and bring her heart rate back down. However that moment of calm soon came to an end, as her eyes shot wide open.

"No! No, no, no, no, no! I can't go to Canterlot, forget that! I've gotta stay for Scoot, I can't leave her here all by herself! They made me submit or they'd torture her to punish me for resisting! Never mind me, I can't let anything happen to Scootaloo!"

"I promise you, Rainbow Dash, nopony will be allowed to harm Scootaloo. And while I admire your loyalty towards others, you have been harmed. Your determination is admirable, but unfortunately, now isn't the time for that. You need care and support that simply can't be provided here in Ponyville. What you need to do right now, is to let someone worry about the important things. Do you think that you can do that, Rainbow Dash? Can you trust us enough to let us deal with these matters ourselves?" Celestia asked her.

This was a very important question to be asking right now. Whether or not Rainbow Dash got better was going to depend on whether or not she could bring herself to trust others and let go of whatever control she had of the situation. Celestia knew she was asking much of the cyan pegasus after what she thought she'd been through. But if she couldn't let down her guard enough to trust them, then there would be no hope for her.

"I... I'll try..." Rainbow Dash mumbled and nodded weakly.

The walk back to the library was one of a silent and somber nature, none of the three parties saying a word. Apart from the sniffling of Twilight as they walked, not a sound was heard coming from any of them.

It had taken very little in the way of motivation for Ulquiorra to get Twilight and Spike to leave Carousel Boutique and return to the Golden Oaks Library as instructed. He could suppose that it was grounds for being thankful, as there was no point in an argument at this point. However if push came to shove, the information garnered from today's scientific discoveries could prove useful, as he now knew that the unicorn's body could withstand his sonido to some degree, should he need to grab her and expedite her removal from the location.

However it hadn't come to that. Instead of a forced relocation, he simply had to walk with them as they returned to the library of their own volition, after being informed that it was their assigned destination by Princess Celestia.

"I fail to see the reason for your despair," he commented as the door to the library was opened, allowing them to enter. "The number of reasons as to why Princess Celestia will not seek prosecution either of yourself or the other members of your group are extensive. There are far too many witnesses to contradict Rainbow Dash's account of events that occurred, with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna being among them," he explained as he closed the door behind the two.

Now he found himself in a minute quandary. His instructions had been to escort Twilight Sparkle and Spike back to the library, but Princess Celestia had been absent in explaining what she wanted him to do after that. Was he supposed to return to the boutique? Or was he supposed to keep these two from returning to the boutique?

"It's not that," Twilight sniffed as she dropped to her haunches and used her foreleg to wipe her eyes, her voice still seriously distorted by the swelling in her muzzle, making the crying all the more painful for her to tolerate. "I know we're not in trouble. Celestia told me what she was going to be doing when she talked to Rainbow Dash," she explained. The plan had been to determine just what the nature of Rainbow Dash's mental state was at the time. And if the opportunity presented itself, she was to enter the picture slowly, and cautiously, and gauge the responses that were had.

However that had completely fallen apart as she sat there, listening to just what Rainbow Dash had to say in detailing her story. It had sickened her and saddened her, and driven her completely over the edge into overwhelming sadness. If Spike hadn't been there to hold onto her, she would've gone galloping into the kitchen and dove at the disturbed pegasus, enveloping her in the biggest hug she'd ever given anyone, and begged her for forgiveness while simultaneously apologizing for anything and everything under the sun. She would've even taken responsibility for Luna becoming Nightmare Moon if she had thought it would do some good.

Just sitting there in the hallway, listening to her friend be in pain, describing how she'd had her sense of trust ripped away from her just like that, had been the emotional equivalent of being disemboweled. It'd drawn up disturbing images of being slit open crotch to eyeball with a dull deer antler, and having her heart and stomach torn right out. Her friend had been in need, and she'd been helpless to do anything to lend even the slightest bit of assistance in the matter. It'd gone far beyond being helpless, as her friend had been convinced that SHE was one of the sources of her discomfort, rendering her utterly contaminated in the matter. She was more or less regarded as poison at this point.

"I had to sit in that hallway and listen as Rainbow Dash recounted some of the most atrocious things I've ever heard before in my life, and attribute her suffering to us. Not some random stranger who took advantage of her in an impaired state, not some villain who wanted to destroy what we had that made us strong so they couldn't be defeated, but to her best friends. I had to sit there and know that there was absolutely nothing I could do to help one of my best friends during what just had to be the worst possible time of need, when she's afraid, and vulnerable, and doesn't know who she can trust," Twilight explained, her sadness beginning to mix with frustration over her inability to do anything.

She couldn't help Rainbow Dash. She couldn't even help Rarity. The only reason Rarity was still alive was because Spike had intervened first in order to protect her, and overpowered Rainbow Dash before she could sink the scissors into the fashionista's neck. Twice already she had let her friends down when they needed her most. And if she counted her failure to understand Applejack's fear of lightning, that was three times she'd failed her friends just today. She really was useless in this matter.

Ulquiorra was silent, having nothing to say on the matter. He listened to the explanation given by Twilight Sparkle. He was now beginning to understand the reasoning for her despair. As well as once again remembering a portion of last night's conversation that seemed highly relevant right now.

+++

"Another way of knowin' if ya got friends er not, is the difficulty experienced when it comes time ta end the friendship. Ah know it might seem simple ta do, outside lookin' in an' all, but it really ain't. Like it er not when ya get to be friends wit' somepony, ya get attached to 'em an' the company they provide. An' when they do somethin' tha' hurts ya in ways ya jus' can't forgive an' forget, ya jus' gotta call it quits, no matter how much ya desperately wish it didn' have ta be done," Applejack continued, her voice and outward expression no longer as upbeat as it had been early in the conversation. It was a detail that failed to slip past Ulquiorra's perception unnoticed.

"The concept of friendship sounds quite similar to the concept of the heart, and the potential it has for causing harm and suffering to others," he pointed out, "is it worth it? The potential for harm seems significant in nature, and I can't help but wonder why anyone would willingly put themselves through such a gamble," he continued, finding the presented situation too good to pass up on asking the question.

"Well ah can't speak fer everypony on this, tha's jus' not possible. But fer mahself ah think it is. Somethin' Granny Smith told me growin' up, there's two ways o' goin' through life. Ya can either always be guardin' yerself an' scared o' gettin' hurt, never really takin' a chance. Or ya can be willin' ta take take yer chances an' the lumps that're thrown at ya along the way. Jus' because somethin' could end badly doesn' mean that it will, an' ya can't always plan on the worst case scenario. Ya gotta have a little optimism in life... difficult as it might seem," Applejack explained. She truly hadn't been caught off guard by Ulquiorra's position on the matter. She'd had a number of conversations with him ever since their first meeting, and a few things had come up over during those encounters. Truth be told, she would've been surprised if he hadn't been somewhat pessimistic about it. "Life's a gamble. Sometimes ya come out on top, other times ya don't. Ain't much more to it than that."

+++

It would appear that Applejack knew what she was talking about. Currently Twilight Sparkle was experiencing pain of an intense and non-physical manner due to what Rainbow Dash was going through. She believed that their friendship had been lost due to what had happened to her, and it was hurting her. If anything this simply served to reinforce his earlier observation about the nature of friendship, and the potential it had for causing harm.

"Do you have any idea what it feels like to realize that you're absolutely useless? To realize that no matter what, there's nothing you can do when someone is relying on you the most?"

It was a question that interrupted his thoughts and observations. A question presented in a tone that was practically dripping with bitter venom. A question presented by Twilight Sparkle, as she sat there, glaring at the floor of the library, with her reiatsu flaring. Sadness had given way to frustration. And frustration was beginning to grow. Frustration that was motivating her to look for an outlet in someone else.

"I do," Ulquiorra replied simply. He knew better than anyone what it was like to come to the realization that he was useless. He had been tasked with protecting Las Noches, and he had failed miserably in his duty to do such. He had failed in his duty, and lost his life because of it. From her expression, Twilight Sparkle seemed to realize what he was talking about, and come to the conclusion that she'd asked an improper question, and hung her head in response. Improper from her perspective rather than his own. "What do you intend to do about it?"

Something, buried deep within her being, clicked at Ulquiorra's words. His question was so utterly simple in nature, and yet so very profound at the exact same time. What was she going to do? Was she going to simply lay down on the floor and cry her eyes out over her inability to help Rainbow Dash? Was she going to give into despair, just like she was ready to do when they first faced Discord, and he brought their worst qualities to the surface? Was she simply going to take it and accept defeat?

Or was she going to fight through the despair in order to help Rainbow Dash when she needed it the most?

Now she felt very foalish for her previous actions. She had been crying her eyes out because of how she felt, rather than worrying about what Rainbow Dash was going through. Now instead of feeling foalish she felt mad. Furious actually. Furious at herself for her own short-sighted selfishness.

This wasn't friendship. This wasn't friendship at all.

This.

Was.

BULLSHIT!

For Ulquiorra it was impossible to not notice the violent explosion of reiatsu in the middle of the room where Twilight Sparkle sat, or rather stood at this point in time and stomped her front right hoof. She could've bellowed at the top of her lungs, just as she had done back in the throne room of Canterlot palace, and it still would've produced less commotion than he was experiencing now. Even in her weakened condition, with more than half of her reiryoky gone, her reiatsu was still significant in nature and quantity.

Her sadness had melted away and gave rise to frustration. Her frustration had incinerated and flaked away to anger. And her anger had morphed into outright fury. A fury that even he could tell was burning in her eyes with great intensity. It was almost like staring into a bonfire.

"I'll tell you exactly what we're going to do! We're going to help Rainbow Dash because she's our friend! She still needs us, even if she doesn't realize it. We're going to find out what hurt her, we're going to find out how it hurt her, and then we're going to make things right, no matter what it takes! We're going to show this thing that it picked the wrong ponies to fuck with!" she declared and raised her hoof defiantly in the air.

"So... how do we go about doing that?" Spike asked, curious to see just what Twilight had in mind. Not that he hadn't been motivated by the sudden upswing in personality and determination. But motivated or not, he still wanted to know the game plan at hand. What exactly could they do in a situation like this, when they didn't even have the first clue on where to start?

Despite the doubt that the question carried with it, Twilight's resolve didn't waiver. Instead she just gave a grin that suggested she had already foreseen such a development -and wasn't disappointed that she was right- as she turned to face Ulquiorra.

"You can sense an individual's mana even at long distances. Can you detect it in a residual form where an individual's been?" she asked him.

"It can be done," Ulquiorra replied. Already his mind was piecing together what Twilight Sparkle was likely thinking. If they could determine all of the locations that Rainbow Dash had recently visited, then they could potentially develop a timeline of events that occurred from the time the cyan pegasus had left at dawn, up to the time when she had attacked Rarity. "And unlike blood and other traces of bodily tissue, reiryoku remains impossible to scour away regardless of the amount of bleach and brillo pads being used to try and cover something up."

Despair over discovering certain immutable facts was a perfectly reasonable response. To understand that there were certain things that couldn't be overcome, no matter how much effort was put into them, was a sign of intelligence and reason. But despair over matters that were not immutable was not a reasonable response. And currently there was no reason for him to believe that Rainbow Dash's mental state could not be changed. To him currently, this was not a hopeless situation, but rather a puzzle. A complex puzzle to which there were no immediately visible seams, but a puzzle nonetheless. One that could be solved if some simply looked close enough, and exercised intelligent thought.

Twilight Sparkle's current state was far more conductive of success then her state back at the boutique. Perhaps success could be had after all.

"Marvelous! Then that means we can not only find out where Rainbow Dash has been, but that also there's no chance of covering it up! This is going to be foolproof! Spike, Ulquiorra, gather around. I've got a plan on just what we're going to do..."

It would be impossible to deny a simple truth right now. This sudden upswing in mood and attitude by Twilight Sparkle had managed to pique his curiosity. She had gone from despair to vengeance quickly, and was already formulating a plan for how to proceed from this point. As strange as it might sound -and as strange as it sounded to him- he actually found himself wanting to know just what she had in mind at this point.

Author's Note

So one full year of uninterrupted writing. Who would've thought. This has turned out to be the largest writing project I ever became involved with, and made all the better by the number of readers who contributed their thoughts that got referenced as the story went along. A big thanks to you all out there!

Unfortunately this is the point, not where we say goodbye, but rather see you later. This project has been extensive, and as much as I hate to admit it the last few chapters have been the most challenging to not only write, but keep my weekly update schedule without a single delay. But I can't do that anymore.

This story, much as I regret having to do it, is being put on temporary hiatus while I go about refilling the buffer with new material. But have no fear, we'll return at some point in time.

Please keep all comments related to the chapter contents itself, rather than this notice.

Chapter Sixty Six

Chapter Sixty Six

Ulquiorra could smell the distinct odor of coffee. It made sense when one considered the relatively early hour of the day, and the current position of the sun in the sky. By now the rest of Applejack's family would be waking up -or already had woken up, and were now getting around- and making themselves ready for what work had to be done today. And if theirs was anything like the cup of coffee Spike had offered him, it would certainly be more than adequate at waking them up.

He still didn't understand how Twilight Sparkle could so easily suck that concoction down, and do so with an apparent regularity.

But that was neither here nor there at the moment. The scent of coffee, being carried from the house on the current southbound winds, was nothing more than a distraction from what he'd come here for.

Unfortunately it was failing to distract him from anything that was actually important. Ever since he'd arrived here last night, and located the territory designated as the southern apple orchards, he'd spent the entirety of his time going over said territory from one end to another. Whereas the general saying was to leave no stone unturned, he had left no tree unexamined; from the base of the roots near the soil, all the way to the top of the canopies. And other than noting how the trees had been laid out in a proper grid-like pattern of straight rows, and the varying concentrations of reiatsu belonging to Applejack and Big Macintosh to be found on various trees, there had been nothing unusual to find out here.

And it was for that reason, that he immediately became aware of the familiar reiatsu of the approaching pony.

"Morning Mr. Cifer," Big Macintosh greeted as he approached.

"Greetings Big Macintosh," Ulquiorra replied back without turning around. Not that there was anything to actually continue focusing his attention on, however.

"Wha' brings ya by so early?" Big Macintosh asked.

"In truth I've been present since late last evening, scouring the southern orchards for signs of anything that could explain what happened to Applejack. But so far the search has yielded no result," Ulquiorra explained, before finally deciding to turn and face the stallion.

Even with his timely arrival, and locating the southern orchards, it had made little difference in the matter. As noted earlier, there were no detectable traces of foreign reiatsu present that would give some indication of what had happened. Nor were there any physical signs to go by. But then again he wasn't known for his tracking skills when it came to matters like footprints.

Not that there were any footprints actually present, other than the prints that had been left by the ponies who frequented this area. The ground itself was rather firm, and didn't seem to yield with any particular ease that he was aware of. If there was another physical presence that had been here, then it had to be one with a lesser concentration of weight than what Applejack possessed. Whether that was due to having less mass, or simply a better method of dispersing its own weight over a wider area, he wasn't yet certain.

Even in the grass itself, there was nothing particularly outstanding to catch his attention. That which had been trampled down possessed so many latent reiatsu traces, and in varying concentrations, that any number of ponies could've come and gone over the past week, with no way of discerning just who had been here. Not even the dying patch of crabgrass held any clues that he could detect.

"If ya don' mind me asking, Mr. Cifer, just what exactly are ya lookin' for?" Big Macintosh asked. Maybe if he had some idea, he might be able to help Applejack out as well. It would certainly be better than simply standing around, doing nothing but tending to the farm, and all the while agonizing over his inability to be useful where it mattered most.

"That's something I'm unable to elaborate on. I can't adequately define just what I'm looking for in this matter, as that would require limiting my focus only to what I believe should be present. Doing so would mean overlooking possible clues, simply because I'm not looking for them," Ulquiorra explained.

"So wha' yer sayin' is ya don' know squat," Big Macintosh elaborated. Granted it sounded harsher than he'd meant it to. But the lack of answers, and the inability to help Applejack, was starting to quickly wear on his nerves. Being useless wasn't his cup of tea anymore than it was his sister's, and he didn't deal with it well.

"Precisely," Ulquiorra replied, completely unfazed by Big Macintosh's bluntness. He really didn't know anything in this case; nothing that was of any actual use anyway. "Whatever is going on here, it's unlike anything this world has ever seen before. Neither Princess Celestia, nor Princess Luna, have any clue as to what is taking place around us. And the royal library of Canterlot is equally devoid of anything useful. We're quite literally on our own right now," he explained.

It was an undesirable situation that they currently found themselves in. That much was blatantly obvious. No clues to go on, even after devoting the entire night to searching for them. Whatever had happened here, there were no trails to follow up on. So whatever it was, it likely hadn't come out of the Everfree Forest.

Then again, he wasn't detecting anything from within the Everfree Forest, despite Fluttershy's animals asserting that there was. He could simply assume it was due to them being prey animals, but that assumption was easily undone when he remembered even the grizzly bear was fearful; and not necessarily of himself.

He didn't care to admit it, but he had considered returning to Fluttershy's cottage in the night, to enlist her help in venturing into the Everfree Forest, in search of whatever this mysterious presence/entity/whatever was. Not being able to detect what was amiss within the forest's confines, he would need a guide, or else he'd be wandering around aimlessly for days. But it had been a notion he'd abandoned entirely, when he realized that Fluttershy's timid nature would limit her usefulness. If she did accompany him, she would likely need to be carried on his back, due to being too afraid to walk on her own. In the end he'd simply abandoned the idea entirely, and opted to continue his investigation of Sweet Apple Acres.

The only things that could be found at Sweet Apple Acres, were the things that one would reasonably expect to be there in the first place. There was simply nothing foreign to detect here. Nothing anymore foreign than what would be found in Ponyville at least.

"Jus' wonderful," Big Macintosh grumbled. So much for him actually being useful.

Ulquiorra paid the stallion's grumbling no mind, as it ultimately served no beneficial purpose. But then neither did his standing around here any longer. If there were any clues out here to be found, he was failing at doing just that. If he hadn't found anything in the last ten straight hours, it was highly unlikely he would find anything with further effort. His presence would be better utilized back in Ponyville with Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Spike. At least there he could better question Applejack, and potentially discern something.

But before he could depart, he was greeted by a scroll materializing right in front of him, which was quickly snatched out of the air before it could fall to the ground.

"What's it say?" Big Macintosh asked as he watched Ulquiorra unroll the scroll.

Ulquiorra Cifer,

The matter is of far too great an importance to waste time detailing it within the confines of this letter. Your presence is required back in Canterlot post haste.

Princess Luna

"Apparently an issue has arisen, and my services are required," Ulquiorra replied after having read the scroll, before stuffing it into his satchel. "In simple terms, I've been ordered to haul my ass back to Canterlot at once."

Big Macintosh watched at Ulquiorra disappeared from view, utilizing whatever it was that let him simply vanish without any trace left behind. For a fellow that claimed he couldn't do magic, he sure had some mysterious ways of doing things.

But right now there was something else bothering Big Macintosh, something even more than the fact that Ulquiorra had disappeared in such a curt manner.

"When exactly did Mr. Cifer go an' make friends wit' a mule anyway?" he asked himself.

Luna didn't know what to do with herself right now. Should she pace about? Should she sit down? Should she unfurl her wings and hover above the floor? Should she take it outside, and scream hysterically until she finished getting all of her anxiety out of her system, in order to focus better?

No, she couldn't do that. Not the last one anyway. If she did that, then she'd risk destruction of a significant number of windows. Her sister, as well as the entirety of the palace staff, would have her flank in a sling if she vocalized her current emotional instability, and in such close proximity to the palace itself. If she wanted to do that, then she'd have to travel farther out.

And unfortunately she couldn't do that right now. She had to stay where she currently was, and wait for Ulquiorra's arrival, just as Celestia had instructed her. That left her with precious few outlets for relieving her current emotional state.

She had to calm down. She had to find some -safe, as well as responsible- way of calming herself down. There was far too much excitement to deal with right now. Too much excitement, on top of the fact that not even a half hour ago, she had been ready to go to sleep for the day, and turn over control to her sister. But now the notion of sleep was just a distant memory of something that seemed impossible to even comprehend.

"Calm thyself, Luna, calm thyself. Thou art an alicorn, Thou art royalty. Thee shouldst be above such pettiness of the mortals," she told herself as she ultimately opted for pacing in the limited space. She had to get herself to calm down. She had to try and focus. If she just kept panicking then nothing could be done. Losing her head would help nopony right now.

There were some relaxation techniques of an ancient nature that she could partially remember right now. Maybe that was what she needed at the moment, in order to get her mind properly focused on what was important.

However she never got the chance to engage in those relaxation techniques, as her ears picked up a sound that she had become quite familiar with. And that got her excited all over again.

"Ulquiorra Cifer! At the present moment, you are indeed a pleasant sight to behold!" she announced excitedly as she turned around to face him standing there.

"What happened?" Ulquiorra asked, not bothering with the usual exchange of pleasantries. Now wasn't the time for such uselessness. Nor was it the time to ponder on why she was so excited with him being present.

In hindsight, Princess Luna being glad to see him really wasn't all that unusual, or out of place. Ever since the issue with the changelings, the lunar sister had become a surprisingly devoted ally to him. They had a certain chemistry about them that he had noticed, that allowed them to work together with impressive smoothness; like well oiled gears in a machine.

Princess Celestia was an entirely different matter. She had a far greater understanding of his nature. Her hesitancy around him was natural and fully understandable. Even though she trusted him to a much greater degree than previously, he could tell that there was still reluctance on her part. And she was wise to maintain that reluctance, rather than abandon caution entirely, like so many others had done already.

"What has happened is that Rainbow Dash has made a second escape. And this time from the watchful eye of the very best medical staff that Canterlot General Hospital has to offer. We know not as to how it happened, only that it did happen. And after escaping custody of the hospital, she made her way back to the palace, destroying one of the stained glass windows in the process, as she crashed right through it," Luna explained, her tone slightly calmer than just a moment ago.

Ulquiorra remained silent, showing no sign of surprise at what Princess Luna had to say. He had noticed the lack of the window when he arrived, and the copious amount of broken glass that still littered the throne room's floor. He had also noticed a significant amount of blood smeared about, indicating that the crash had caused a number of injuries.

Reaching out with his pesquisa, he began to scan the castle for Rainbow Dash's presence. And while he eventually managed to find it, he couldn't pinpoint her location, as it was currently being overshadowed by the close proximity of Princess Celestia. The cyan pegasus could easily be standing right next to her, or as far as a city's block away from what he could tell.

Why exactly was Rainbow Dash even still present?

"Where is Rainbow Dash currently?" he asked, wanting to get to the bottom of this quickly.

"In the infirmary, being tended to by our physicians, so that she may be stabilized for eventual transport back to the hospital. To say she was cut to ribbons by crashing through the glass, would not be much of an exaggeration I fear. I am amazed the filly was still even alive after that. There was so much broken glass sticking in her body, and so much blood spilling from everywhere. It was..."

Luna couldn't bear to continue any further with her explanation, finding the story too difficult to openly recount. She had been there when it had all happened just minutes ago, and she was still shaking like the proverbial leaf, a copious amount of adrenaline saturating her system, as it coursed and surged its way through her alicorn veins.

"Is Rainbow Dash expected to survive?" he asked simply. He could see that Princess Luna was growing visibly agitated. A well timed interruption was certainly warranted in this particular case.

"I do not know," Luna replied and shook her head uncertainly, trying her best to remain calm as she spoke. "Sister disappeared with Rainbow Dash almost immediately after we realized what was going on. While they went for the infirmary, I was informed to send word for you, and remain to explain the situation to bring you up to speed on what has transpired," she explained.

Ulquiorra maintained his silence as he observed Princess Luna. She was growing calmer, but only slightly. If she was to be of any use to him, he would need to approach cautiously, and respond accordingly. He would need to pick up on whatever subtle cues she might give, that would indicate her current mental stability.

"How long ago did this happen?" he asked, casually returning his attention the evidence around them. The blood that was present on the floor still looked like it was fresh. And the significant amount of glass would suggest that cleanup efforts had not yet been made. That just raised more questions. Why was there an absence of guards in the throne room at the moment?

"Truly I am uncertain. Ten minutes perhaps? Maybe five? It was not long before I sent word to you, alerting you of the situation," Luna replied, not the least bit happy about any of this. Right now she was feeling jittery all over. But not the pleasant jittery that went with having too much coffee, in an effort to fight off the exhaustion that the sun brought with it. Instead this was the jittery that only terror and uncertainty could bring with it; the same jittery she'd felt when Twilight had been sent to the crystal empire the first time around to face her ultimate test.

"Sister told me that Applejack has been affected as well. But she did not elaborate on what she experienced," she spoke up, hoping to draw some greater measure of information from Ulquiorra himself. If Celestia had failed to tell her, in an effort to shield her from the details, then she seriously doubted the Espada would extend the same courtesy. Or whatever it was called. "What horrors was she forced to experience?"

"Losing trust in herself," Ulquiorra replied simply.

He couldn't say for certain, but Princess Luna's physical reaction almost look like she was about to trip while standing still.

"... How do you mean?" Luna asked, doing her best to keep herself calm. It was an endeavor made much simpler when her curiosity was piqued in some way.

"Rainbow Dash was made to believe the others had betrayed her. Applejack, however, was made to believe that she betrayed the others," Ulquiorra replied, giving slightly further elaboration. "The exact details of just how that belief was reached is of no importance. Only the conclusion that can be drawn from what we know so far."

"And what is it that we know?" Luna asked. Her curiosity was getting more and more piqued as he continued. Right now the buzz in her mind was far more prominent than the jittery nature of her nerves just a moment ago.

"At the moment it is little more than mere speculation and guesswork. What we know for certain, is that an element of sadism is in play here. Which, in turn, would suggest that a sapient mind is at work. And if this is truly related to the Elements of Harmony, I believe we can safely conclude that we are dealing with someone who is a firm believer in the overkill way of doing things," Ulquiorra explained.

"Ulquiorra Cifer," Luna spoke firmly, her left eye beginning to twitch. "I do not have time to engage you in mind games. Since everything has come to pass, I have not had a full day of rest to myself, and I have yet to develop the same stamina that my sister doth possess. I am tired, I am agitated, I was informed that Applejack has been affected by whatever we are facing, and just minutes ago, I had to watch in horror as Rainbow Dash lay cut and bleeding on the throne room floor! I do not have the patience for you to speak in observational statements! If you have something that is worth saying, then simply say it, and do not test my patience further," she commanded in a low but forceful tone.

"Very well then," Ulquiorra replied. If Princess Luna wished for an extensive information dump to contend with, then he would give her such. "When Rainbow Dash was lead to believe she was raped by the others, the Elements of Harmony were rendered useless, as her beliefs of victimization would prevent her from being able to work alongside the others in a harmonious manner, thus taking the Element of Loyalty out of the equation. In simple terms, Equestria was rendered all but defenseless over a week ago. There would be no additional need or justification in going after the others in a similar manner. But instead of choosing to exploit this opening, the one responsible has chosen to go above and beyond the call of necessity, and turn its attention on Applejack instead, filling her with doubts as to her dependability, and further inhibiting their ability to utilize harmony. From this we could reasonably conclude that the one we're facing is overconfident, and potentially arrogant. Someone who believes that victory is already theirs, and is merely toying with us because it amuses them. And considering the nature of the attacks themselves, it is reasonable to conclude that we're facing someone with enough knowledge about their personalities, to specifically tailor the attacks to cause them the most harm possible. If that is truly the case, then the other four will be targeted for attack in a similar matter. And we have no way of knowing the how, the who, or the when."

He stopped and examined Princess Luna's current demeanor. In the course of his explanation she had gone from being angered, to being horrified, and eventually to being scared by what she heard. Whether or not her reaction was amplified by her own reported lack of sleep, he wasn't certain. Nor was he particularly interested.

"These are the facts that we know, and the theories we can draw from such," he concluded. "Are there any questions?"

He watched as Princess Luna remained mostly stationary for approximately one minute, not uttering a single word in response. If it was because she couldn't handle the significant amount of information laid before her, then it was her own fault.

"Who..." Luna asked slowly, "whom do you suspect of being behind this?"

Ulquiorra considered whether or not to tell Princess Luna about the conversation shared last night with Princess Celestia. At present it was nothing more than theory. And from what he had seen up until now, Princess Luna tended to rely more on emotion by default than Princess Celestia. If he revealed what they suspected, it was entirely possible that she would respond in a blatantly illogical manner, and significantly complicate things.

But at the same time he had little choice in the matter. She already suspected that he had a name in mind. And if he refused to answer, there would be nothing to stop her from probing his mind to get the information that she sought. And given the option, that was something he could rather avoid.

"Preliminary suspicions would suggest Discord. But the preliminary evidence used to reach that conclusion is circumstantial at best. There are a significant number of inconsistencies present that must, but cannot yet, be adequately addressed. Among them is my presence here in this world," he explained.

The concept of trying a less than straightforward approach to explanation seemed strange to engage in. But under the present circumstances, it was quite necessary.

"And why should your presence make any difference in this matter? What do you have to do with anything?" Luna asked as she quirked an eyebrow, not seeing what he was saying. Why should his presence make any difference on this matter?

"Because I suspect Discord of being responsible. And because we have established that I can spot matters that would otherwise go completely unnoticed. Furthermore I can reach conclusions that you and the others cannot. If anyone would have reason to suspect Discord of being responsible, it would be myself. Therein lays the complication in laying blame at his feet. If Discord was the responsible party in all of this, why would he bring me here in the first place, knowing that suspicion would fall on him?" Ulquiorra asked, laying out the groundwork as to why the theory of Discord being responsible for everything was lacking in nature. But then he stopped and thought about how Princess Luna might not be aware of the details that he knew of.

Further elaboration was warranted.

"When we first met in the void, Discord stated that he was aware of me. He was familiar with the details of my existence. This means he was aware of my skeptical nature. He had reason to know that I would be suspicious of him, especially with my inability to detect his presence, unless he wishes to allow himself to be detected. It would be utterly illogical, even by Discord's own skewed standards on the subject, to bring me forth if he was simply planning to spread chaos throughout the land," he explained.

"But..." Luna slowly began in trying to form a response. Exactly how did one reply to such a theory? That was an answer she didn't really have. "Would... would not Discord have thought of such, and proceeded regardless, knowing that such a lack of logic would give reason to doubt him being behind such?" she asked him.

"Has Discord engaged in such extensive thought exercises before?" Ulquiorra asked. Silence was the only response he received, indicating that either Princess Luna didn't know herself, or she did know, and the answer was simply no. "All accounts suggest Discord's default method of operation is far more open and obvious. Subversiveness doesn't seem to be his style. What we can assume from this is... numerous. And potentially an exercise in futility to lay out theory after theory on what someone may be doing, simply because we can't prove what they are doing," he concluded.

There were far too many possibilities open to them right now. When anything that was about be the answer they were looking for, it was simply a matter of insanity. Trying to get a bead on anything would be an impossibility, and border on a descent into utter paranoia. Just considering the idea of doing such things was enough to make his head hurt all over again.

"Then ultimately what does this mean for us? Where does this situation leave us?" Luna asked uncertainly.

It was a fair question to ask. But ultimately it was a question Ulquiorra had no answer for. What he knew was of a limited nature, and without the proper context to make sense of it all, it was worth nothing to them right now.

"It leaves us in need of far more help than I'm able to offer right now," was all he had to say in response.

The infirmary was hardly the most ideal of places to be carrying out actual invasive surgery. That was the current opinion of Celestia, as she sat and watched everything unfolding, her wings twitching anxiously at her sides. In her mind right now, it didn't matter if the palace's infirmary was stocked like a small hospital -which, technically, it really was- or that they had both day and night shifts for whenever care might be needed. Nor did it matter to her that, in addition to two general practitioners, they also had a skilled -although offically retired- surgeon on call in case of emergencies that couldn't wait for a trip to the hospital. In her current frenzied state of mind, not a bit of it made any difference at the moment. Her primary concern was for Rainbow Dash at this moment, and nothing else. And if she had believed she could've gotten to the actual hospital quicker, she would have.

But the physicians, and the rest who were currently on staff, however, really were some of the best in the field. She wouldn't deny that fact, as it would do them a great discredit. And in a crisis, they weren't about to let something like inadequate facilities -real of imagined- slow them down any, or prevent them from dealing with the task at hoof to the best of their abilities, while using whatever they had on hoof that was necessary.

Medical magic was always fascinating to observe in action. That was a fact that Celestia couldn't deny, as she sat by the doorway, and watched the doctor and nurses going to work behind the sterile magical field that had quickly been erected, signified by the circle of glowing blue runes laid out into the floor, and the ceiling. And behind that field was a smaller, green, suspended animation field in which Rainbow Dash was currently contained, preventing her condition from worsening.

Between the two fields, the doctor, with two competent nurses, went about performing their duties. She watched as a combination of magic, and other techniques, were used to address the injured pegasus. Shards of glass were carefully removed and dropped into a hastily grabbed basin, lacerations were checked for any foreign debris that needed to be cleared away before suturing could begin, and blood vessels were checked for damage that would need to be addressed.

Watching all four participants going about, playing their individual parts together, was almost like watching a morbid dance being performed in front of her. That was the best way Celestia could describe it right now. She could muse on the symbolism of everything, being representative of the constant cycle of life and death. But she didn't want to do that right now. Such thoughts were far too morbid to be giving consideration this early in the day.

Instead, she simply opted for continuing to watch in silence. Watching as the cuts in Rainbow Dash's body were sutured shut. Watching as the limp pegasus was levitated and carefully wrapped in layer after layer of bandages and sterile gauze over the site of her sutures. And, finally, watching as the suspended animation field was cancelled, and Rainbow Dash's limp form was delicately placed within the magical hold of Nurse Goodwill, as she proceeded to lay her in one of the empty beds for observation.

And just like that, it was all over.

One ordeal had been addressed, and laid to rest. But many more still remained, and she had the feeling that, unlike this one, the others wouldn't be quite so easy to deal with.

"Will she be alright?" Celestia asked as the doctor -surgeon, she corrected herself- stepped away and removed his mask, before easing himself into a chair next to the desk, letting out a tired grunt in the process.

The lack of decorum was of no concern to her. If she had been tasked with performing the same surgery without advanced notice, she would've been exhausted as well.

Beyond that simple fact, there was also the fact that the one being addressed was a good friend of hers. Mandibular Malar had been a practicing general surgeon for fifteen years, before eventually being signed onto the palace staff to fill the role of their last chief surgeon. And for the fifteen years that had come after that, he'd been overseeing the infirmary duties quite... dutifully, thankful for the stability it had provided him. And she didn't hesitate to consider him a friend after all they'd been through together; he was still the only one who actually thought it appropriate to give her a raspberry lollipop after completing her annual physical.

"We've done everything we can for her. I believe she'll make a splendid recovery, given enough time," Malar stated with a tired sigh, before glancing at himself. He was going to need a change of clothes, that much was for certain. "But she's going to be unconscious for a good while. It may be hours, or even a day, before she's able to answer any questions as to what happened," he explained.

"I understand," Celestia replied and nodded.

"And if you wouldn't mind, Your Majesty, there are a few questions that I'd like to ask her myself. There are a number of things that simply don't add up," Malar replied.

"Oh?" Celestia asked and blinked. That was... unexpected. "Like what?"

"For starters, the fact that she was still alive when you brought her here. You said she came crashing through one of the stained glass windows of the throne room, before slamming into the marble flooring, and rolling to a stop. She should've died from this series of events transpiring in such a short amount of time. Even just breaking the window should've killed her, with glass shards cutting her so deep we never would've been able to save her. Not that I'm complaining about her still being alive, but it strikes me as a mystery," he calmly explained.

What so many failed to understand was that glass was very hard, very brittle, and very sharp. One couldn't simply go crashing through a pane of glass, and walk away with no consequences. It was something he'd seen a number of times in his line of work before coming here, and he knew from experience what was supposed to happen. A lot of these modern authors could benefit from taking a tour of the hospitals, and asking the expert advice of fully trained medical professionals, before sitting down to quill out their latest high-adrenaline best sellers, that sacrificed physics and logic in the name of flash and excitement.

He certainly understood that they were meant for entertainment rather than education. But was it really asking too much that the works have at least some corresponding relationship with reality?

"Also, there are traces of some unidentified magic sticking to her wings. Unfortunately the sample is too degraded to positively identify. I'm hoping that once she regains consciousness, she might be able to shed some light on just what transpired," he continued, laying out the mysteries that were on his mind right now.

"And so the mystery deepens," Celestia muttered to herself as she moved to stand back up. "Feel free to ask once she regains consciousness, Doctor. And be sure to send word once she does. In the meantime, I'm going to send word to Canterlot General, and bring them up to speed on the situation," she explained as she turned to leave. There was nothing more that could be done here. No reason to justify her continued presence for possibly hours on end. She knew that the assembled staff would take care of Rainbow Dash; and she knew that if they didn't, Malar would have their docks in a sling. Simply because he was kind, didn't mean he wasn't stern.

Right now there were royal duties that had to be tended to, one way or another. Some had to be seen to and simply couldn't be postponed. And then there were other duties that could be postponed, much to the chagrin of those that had been waiting to see her today.

This wouldn't be the first time in the past thousand years that she'd postponed the day court for a day. Or even two. But it was something that was occurring with an ever-increasing frequency, as this crisis continued to develop. And she honestly didn't know how much longer this could be kept up before the populace started to panic.

The only thing working in their favor right now, was how big of a mess the throne room was with all the broken glass on the floor. Very few ponies would care to walk through such a hazardous area with their bare hooves. The odds were good that most would likely be willing to wait another day to seek her counsel. That would buy her a little more time.

Unfortunately all the time in the world was useless to them, if they didn't know how to actually make use of it. And right now that was one thing she didn't know how to do. There were simply no leads to follow up on. And unless Ulquiorra had gained some useful information at Sweet Apple Acres, there was little more they could do, other than twiddle their hooves right now.

"You'll be alerted immediately, Your Majesty," Malar replied and nodded, as one of the nurses reappeared with an IV stand in tow.

Celestia returned the nod, before making her way out of the infirmary. Much as she hated to admit it, there was simply nothing more she could do here. But she could go find Luna, and let her in on these developments; as upset as her sister was right now, leaving her in the dark would be cruel. And she could also see if Ulquiorra had made his way back to Canterlot for conference.

And if the Espada had indeed returned, then perhaps he would be able to help shed some light on these new mysteries. Maybe, just maybe, they could finally figure out what the hell was going on around here.

Filler - Dash kicks some gum and chews some bubble ass (edited)

The whole area was completely flooded with fog; and thick fog at that. Thick enough that Pinkie might comment on how it could've been peanut butter. In all of her years of weather service for Ponyville, Rainbow Dash couldn't remember ever seeing it this bad before; it was more like cloud matter than anything else. But she knew it couldn't be cloud since she was currently walking about on the ground, trying to find her way out of this mess. Clouds didn't settle and hold together on the ground to this consistency, so she didn't have any idea as to what was going on right now.

"Hello?" she called out, trying to determine if anyone else was currently around. Between the fog, and the darkness, she felt lucky -and fortunate- to even be seeing her own nose right now.

Flight was always an option for getting out of this mess. But right now she didn't want to try it, until she had some idea of where she was. If she was stuck on some small island, and lost her sense of direction, she'd wind up losing the only solid ground she knew of, and have no place to touch down if her wings started to cramp up from extended use. As much as she loved flying, she knew she had to land eventually, and after having to go so long without flying, she knew that it would be way too risky to try right now.

For better or worse, she was stuck here on the ground, alone in the dark, and surrounded by creepy thick fog that shouldn't even be here.

"Hello!?" she called out again, louder this time in an effort to actually be heard, hoping that somepony was not only around but also within earshot.

"Dashie?"

Rainbow Dash's ears flicked, definitely hearing a voice somewhere in all of this mess. And a very familiar voice at that; a very familiar voice, using a very specific nickname of hers.

"Pinkie?" she asked as she looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of something other than fog and darkness. One would think so much pink would stick out like a sore hoof around here, but so far apparently not. "Hey Pinks, where in the hay are ya!?"

"I don't know, Dashie, I can't see anything!" Pinkie called out, her voice heavy with fear.

"... Are your eyes open?" Rainbow Dash asked. It was a ridiculous question, but considering how random and silly Pinkie could be at times, it was as good a place to start as anything.

"I think so," Pinkie replied.

Well so much for that notion. But she should've expected it really. Pinkie could be pretty random sometimes, and forgetful at other times, but even Rainbow Dash was pretty sure she would at least know to open her eyes.

"Alright, hold on Pinkie," she called back. The fact that Pinkie was here with her, somewhere, that meant there was other hard ground around her. She just had to go about finding it. That would mean having to clear this mess out of the area. And she only knew one way to go about doing that.

Rainbow Dash leaped into the air and unfurled her wings to break into a low hover, before flapping them as hard as she could, generating massive winds to stir up the fog, breaking it up, and forcing it to dissipate from the area.

Despite the fog breaking up, the darkness still remained, leaving nothing but a sea of inky blackness behind. Except for a solitary dot of pink.

"Dashie!"

Rainbow Dash set back down on the ground, and was instantly besieged by Pinkie in a ferocious hug.

"Dashie! Oh, Dashie! It's so good to see you!" Pinkie stated as she hugged Rainbow Dash for dear life.

"It's good to see you too, Pinks, I've been missing you something fierce," Rainbow Dash stated as she finally managed to pull a foreleg loose, and wrap it around the pink earth pony to return the hug. "Hey... could I ask you a question?"

"You just did, silly filly," Pinkie giggled.

"Alright, alright, fair enough," Rainbow Dash replied. "Seriously though, I've got a question that's burning, and in desperate need of an answer to extinguish it," she stated.

"What is it?" Pinkie asked.

"Well I just can't help but wonder why your cutie mark is upside down. Any idea why that is?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Uh..." Pinkie paused and blinked, trying to think, "Dashie, I can explain..."

The next thing Pinkie knew, Rainbow Dash pulled back, and decked her hard in the face, sending her flying backwards, before crashing against the ground.

"You're not Pinkie! Take that disguise off!" Rainbow Dash yelled and stomped her hoof on the ground.

Pinkie grunted as she stood back up, and rubbed her face where she'd been hit. "What gave me away?"

"The real Pinkie would've looked at hearing her cutie mark was upside down," Rainbow Dash stated as she scowled. "Now either take off that disguise, or I'll rip it off of your bones. Your choice."

"Pinkie" sighed in response to this statement, before her appearance shifted to the cloaked form of Mistress Do Well.

"You're really irritating at times, you know that? I like a challenge as much as the next pony, but things would be so much better, if you'd just be a good little pegasus, and finally learn your place, instead of forcing me to continually reteach you lessons that you should already know by heart," she stated.

"Now where would the fun be in that?" Rainbow Dash asked sarcastically as she shrugged. "Now it's your turn to learn about the concept of pain!"

Mistress Do Well nearly ducked as two things went whizzing by her head from behind. But instead she watched as the shackle-like implements flew over to where Rainbow Dash stood, and clamped over her hooves. And then she watched as she shackles shifted in impossible ways, as numerous steel plates grew out of them, and began changing form.

"You're gonna be in for it this time!" Rainbow Dash stated as the plates shifted together, working their way up her forelegs, while also moving and joining together to become something very specific as she reared up; hands. Mechanical hands. The shackles were morphing into gauntlets.

Mistress Do Well simply frowned behind her mask as she watched the theatrics as various pieces of metal slid into place with the sound of uncoordinated clicks of unseen gears accompanying the visual display.

"Oh please, not that insufferable "Ironhorse" yet again. I've already beaten you over that once. How many times do I have to beat that fantasy out of you, before it finally takes?" she asked.

"Oh you wish it was Ironhorse!" Rainbow Dash stated as the segmented panels of the gauntlets locked firmly into place, a cyan light shining through the seams separating each individual plate and component that made them up. "I've got something special in mind for you, Misty!"

There was a loud, metallic clang as Rainbow Dash slammed her metallic palms together, ushering forth a blinding flash of light from between them, forcing Mistress Do Well to shield her eyes. with the brim of her hat.

When she finally could look and see what her victim had concocted in her latest bout of lucid dreaming, she would admit that it wasn't what she'd expected.

Rainbow Dash stood before her, reared up on her hind legs, but her body structure was all wrong. This looked like dedicated standing like that insufferable Lyra Heartstrings would pull off. She was cloaked in a deep blue kimono, emblazoned with various star patterns all over it, and a deep red sash at her waist, holding the kimono shut, and two swords at her side; a katana on the left, and what looked like a wakizashi on the right. Resting diagonally on her back was another sword of similar style. Her face was obscured by a bright red scarf wrapped around it, the tails being blown in some ethereal wind that was left unfelt. The gauntlets remained, the sleeves going down to the mechanical wrists as the hands coiled into fists. Resting atop her head was a conical straw hat, almost completely obscuring what of her face wasn't hidden by the scarf.

"Cobalt Samurai!"

Mistress Do Well merely stared on, an eyebrow cocked underneath her mask, totally unimpressed by this turn of developments. Surely she couldn't be serious.

"Comic books weren't enough, so now you turn to "Daring Do and the Seventeen Samurai" to protect you?" she asked.

Rainbow Dash said nothing as the fingers of her mechanical right hand flexed smoothly. She casually reached upward -her right foreleg bending in a way that simply shouldn't have been physically possible- as she grasped the hilt of the sword resting on her back.

Quick as a flash, Rainbow Dash withdrew the blade and brought it around front -the blade practically singing as it sliced through the air- revealing it to be an odachi, easily just as long as she was tall, if not even more so, with a cerulean blue tassel dangling from the pommel.

"Protect me? More like end you," Rainbow Dash said as she peaked out from below her straw hat, glaring at Mistress Do Well as she took a two-handed grip on the odachi; something easier said than done, but still.

Mistress Do Well scoffed behind her mask. "As if you-"

Her dismissive statement was cut short as Rainbow Dash charged forward -running unbelievably fast on just her hind legs- and swung her massive sword right for where she'd been standing. If she hadn't jumped back when she had, she would've been cleaved completely in half by now.

That wasn't the only strike she had to contend with, however. The next thing she knew, Rainbow Dash had launched into a manic flurry of swings, slashes and thrusts with her sword, pushing her assault, and pushing her back in the process. Dream or no dream, that blade was going to hurt quite a bit if it landed.

Unfortunately she'd left herself open as she reared up on her hind legs to avoid being bisected by one particular swing, just barely missing having her belly cut open. It was an opening she realized only too late, when Rainbow Dash exploited it by using her left hind leg to deliver a brutal side kick right to her barrel -made all the worse by the fact that Rainbow Dash was apparently wearing heavy iron horse shoes- that sent her flying back, and crashing against the ground, before skidding to a halt.

"Are you ready to give up yet? Or do I have to beat you some more first?" Rainbow Dash asked as she lowered her leg, and firmly planted her hoof against the ground to emphasize the word.

Mistress Do Well groaned as she picked herself up off the ground, slowly standing back up again, and shaking herself as if she were ridding herself of dust. She would admit, she didn't expect Rainbow Dash to have such a vivid imagination when it came to foreign fighting styles. And the difference in their builds -quadruped versus apparently biped- had caught her a little off guard. But that would soon be rectified.

"Oh, darling, we're just getting started," she crooned, grinning behind her mask. "You should know full well, you're not the only one who can shift and contort her body like the fabled ponies of the orient," she explained, before proving her point by rearing up on her hind legs, and standing upright, before rolling and popping her forelegs against her sides, and flexed them much as Rainbow Dash had done, proving that she wasn't about to be outdone by her quarry.

Rainbow Dash merely scowled below her scarf. "Your spine can bend like a pretzel for all I care. It's not gonna help you. I'm the Cobalt Samurai!"

"Ah!" Mistress Do Well exclaimed. "But you're apparently forgetting about the primary antagonist of the "Seventeen Samurai" story, darling. The dreaded warlord, the Amethyst Shogun of the Seven Swords!"

Rainbow Dash felt a sharp drop in her bravado as Mistress Do Well's image flashed to that of Rarity, only to be completely covered head to hoof in a complete set of very intimidating-looking shogun armor, covered in various sharp points and prominent horns, and a terrifying face mask, a great deal of the whole thing a very vibrant looking purple. At her sides, and across her back, were seven sheathed katanas, each of them slowly being withdrawn in a magical aura.

"Ohh... butthurt!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed at seeing all of the blades coming out. Seven swords against one, magical aptitude against mechanical hands... yeah, this was so gonna suck for her.

But suck or no suck, she wasn't about to back down. Much like last time, she was off like a shot, ready to engage Mistress Do Well in an epic battle of wills and steel.

Blades clashed violently, with sparks flying, slashes and thrusts being narrowly avoided or outright deflected. Swords were spun, and spinning flips were carried out; primarily by Rainbow Dash as she leaped all about to avoid being struck, while simultaneously looking for an exploitable opening.

Rainbow Dash knew that she was the one with undeniably fast physical reflexes, and was easily going hoof to hoof with Mistress Do Well in this struggle, despite being outnumbered in terms of weaponry. But Mistress Do Well didn't need to physically react as she manipulated each katana with just her magic, all the while just standing there with her forelegs crossed over her chest, standing like an imposing sentinel behind that mask of hers. It was all highly intimidating, and infuriating to deal with.

Plus that speed did little to assist her when Mistress Do Well struck with all swords at the same time. She just barely managed to guard against the multi-blade strike, before being sent flying backwards from the force of the impact, and somersaulting in the process.

Her horse shoes skidded against the floor, kicking up sparks in the process, as did the mechanical fingers of her left hand as she ground herself to a stop, holding her odachi to the side as she did. This was proving to be a lot harder than she'd anticipated. She was panting and gasping for air, her kimono was starting to look shredded from so many close calls, her hat was long since absent, and her gauntlets were developing some really deep gashes from when she'd used them as shields.

"What's the matter, darling? Finding out that you're not cut out for playing with the grown ups?" Mistress Do Well asked with mock concern dripping in her voice. A seam appeared down the middle of the mask she wore, splitting it in two halves that retracted into the sides of her helmet. "We don't have to keep doing this, darling, you can always surrender. Everything will be forgiven and forgotten... after the appropriate beating that is..."

Rainbow Dash merely grunted as she pushed herself back up into a standing position, raising her left foreleg, and pointing her fist as Mistress Do Well.

"Ah forgive and forget this," she stated as the segmented plates on the gauntlet split apart and opened up, allowing a mechanical device to rise to the surface. A device that quickly revealed itself to be a miniature crossbow, as the arms extended and rotated outward, pulling the bowstring taut and cocked. She flicked her fist downward, sending a bolt hurtling downrange, and slamming into the chest piece of Mistress Do Well's armor.

Unfortunately the bolt failed to penetrate deep enough to do any damage, and merely hung limply, like it was about to fall out out of the armor seam from its own weight.

Mistress Do Well looked unimpressed by the impotent display of resistance. Surely she couldn't be serious...

"Was this supposed to amount to something?" she asked as she looked down at the pitiful bolt that had barely managed to scratch her armor.

She noticed the burning fuse attached to it, about one second before the whole thing violently exploded in her face, the force of the blast sending her flying backwards, and crashing through a wall that hadn't been there just a moment ago.

"Pretty much," Rainbow Dash replied with a smirk behind her scarf, as the crossbow folded itself back up, and lowered itself back into the gauntlet, as the plates closed above it.

By the time Mistress Do Well managed to climb back out into the open, she looked like she'd been hit by a runaway wagon. Her armor was blown to bits, with only random fragments remaining in place, clinging to the singed appearance of Rarity that she wore.

"That... that..." she panted, more out of annoyance than any physical exertion. "That wasn't in any of the "Daring Do" books, you rotten little brat!" she screamed.

Rainbow Dash merely shrugged in response. "So I cheated. Sue me."

"Oh I'm going to do far worse than that!" Mistress Do Well howled, the seven katanas remaining despite her armor being gone.

"Then bring it!" Rainbow Dash replied. She rotated her right fist to allow her to slam the odachi into the ground, before reaching down to her waist and cross-drawing her other two swords; katana in her right hand, wakizashi in her left. With a single kick of her left hoof, she was off like a shot, prepared to engage Mistress Do Well once again.

Swords clashed, sparks flying from where steel violently made contact with other steel.

This time around the combat was more even between the two, as Rainbow Dash was having a much easier time defending with two swords instead of just one; it allowed for a greater range of motion, an even quicker response time, off-hand options that hadn't been present previously, and greater abilities to counter, and press an attack when a timely opportunity was presented. Plus her acrobatic flips and spins were able to flow much more naturally now, which helped in the defense as she could guard with a horse shoe when necessary.

There was also the little detail about how her kicks were back to being brutal, now that she didn't have to try and kick through armor.

But even though the battle was shaping up to be more even, she was still finding herself on defense more often than not. More than once her kimono suffered from a katana coming uncomfortably close to her body, eventually leaving it little more than shreds that barely hung to her frame. Finally it got to the point of such ridiculousness, that she simply shrugged the rags off entirely as she prepared to continue.

"Get out of my dreams already!" Rainbow Dash yelled, emphasizing her order with a katana pointed as Mistress Do Well.

"As if I would ever take an order from a weak little pegasus like you!" Mistress Do Well scoffed. But as she opened her mouth to talk again, and explain how the proper order of things was to proceed, Rainbow Dash had already crossed the distance between them, slipping in past the guard of her floating katanas, with her swords crossed, and edges against her neck.

"Then I'll just take your head as a consolation prize!" Rainbow Dash stated and pulled her blades together.

Unfortunately she realized too late that she should've just cut, and not talked, as the moment had given Mistress Do Well enough time to maneuver two of her swords in behind her neck, and wedged them against her own, preventing her from actually cutting.

"Shit!"

"Quite so," Mistress Do Well purred as she pushed the swords back, taking them away from her neck. And now that she was free of that, she decided to go one step further, and magically gripped the opposing swords, intent on ripping them right now of Rainbow Dash's hands; no matter how much she attempted to resist.

Her plans, however, hadn't accounted for Rainbow Dash relinquishing her hold on her wakizashi, and swinging at her face with her metal fist. An act she just barely managed to stop with her forelegs, holding it down and out of the way.

Rainbow Dash tried again, relinquishing her katana, and balling up her fist as she pulled it back, and slammed it forward for Mistress Do Well's face. An act that was stopped by one of the katanas actually impaling the mechanical hand through the palm, the tsuba serving to stop her advancement from coming anywhere close to its intended target.

"Creative, little pegasus, but not good enough," Mistress Do Well commented and smirked again.

Rainbow Dash's only response came as the segmented plates of her right gauntlet opened up, allowing her hoof to escape, and be used to slug her opponent right across her face. That sent her staggering, losing her concentration and grip on her katanas, and allowing for a follow up punch with an armored fist, and another front kick to the barrel, that sent her staggering back into the wall.

As Rainbow Dash proceeded to pound away on Mistress Do Well, the mechanical hand on the discarded gauntlet split apart right down the middle, disengaging itself from the katana, before pushing itself away with the fingers. Now freed, it skittered across the floor like a running spider, before stopping in front of Rainbow Dash, and presenting itself so she could shove her foreleg down into it, letting the plates close back around it, and allowing her to go at it with both fists once again.

That wasn't saying that everything was going according to plan, however, as Mistress Do Well still had to be contended with. Despite the fact that she was getting pounded like a punching bag, that did nothing to keep her from being able to respond, and react to the incoming assault; like pulling her head back just in time to avoid an uppercut being delivered to her chin, the mechanical fist stopping just short of her snout.

Rainbow Dash frowned at this development. Before following up by flicking the middle finger outward quickly, smacking her right on the snout hard enough to make her flinch in response. That was all the opening she needed to fully reengage her target.

The moves that were used in pounding away as Mistress Do Well, Rainbow Dash would admit to not knowing them. But she didn't need to know them by name, in order to know that they were highly effective at causing pain and injury; especially when they were delivered with raised solid steel knuckles. But there was one move that she knew very well by name; and that was strangulation.

Quick as a flash, Rainbow Dash grabbed her scarf and unwrapped it from her neck and face, before wrapping it around Mistress Do Well's neck, and pulling it tight on both ends.

Unfortunately that's where everything went wrong. The next thing Rainbow Dash knew, as she was choking the life out of Mistress Do Well, there was a flash of green light, and her white forelegs were now covered in a black, segmented, insectoid-looking armoring, running the whole length of her legs, and ending in similarly-styled hands. Hands that had fingers, that let her grip the material of the scarf, and tear it to shreds before she could be choked into unconsciousness.

"Did you seriously think that you were the only one who could make use of hands in this dream?" Mistress Do Well asked rhetorically, before quickly reaching out with her left hand, grabbing Rainbow Dash by the throat, and proceeding to lift her right off the ground until her hind legs with dangling and kicking. "I apparently haven't been beating you enough, if you still think you can continue fighting me..."

Rainbow Dash gasped for air as she gripped Mistress Do Well's leg, trying to break her grip, but ultimately it proved to be a futile effort. So she responded by letting go with her left hand, and flipping it upward, resulting in a double-edged stiletto blade popping out from the underneath of the gauntlet with an authoritative slamming of metal on metal. Quickly she pulled her leg back, and plunged towards Mistress Do Well's heart.

Unfortunately Mistress Do Well proved to be quicker, and gripped her gauntlet by the wrist, stopping its forward movement.

"My, my, you're just full of surprises," Mistress Do Well commented as she tightened her grip on Rainbow Dash's neck.

Rainbow Dash wheezed as she tried to breathe, before letting go with her right hand, and retrieving a hidden tanto from behind her back, and slamming the blade's tip into the side of Mistress Do Well's leg, burying it deeply. Although by the way Mistress Do Well reacted, you'd never guess that she was injured.

"And wherever did you keep that hidden this whole time?" she asked. Rainbow Dash's only response was to push harder, sinking the blade deeper into her foreleg, and forcing the tip out the other side of her leg.

What she immediately learned about the maneuver of defiance, however, was that it gave Rainbow Dash a point of leverage to wrench her hand away from her neck, allowing her to drop back onto her hooves, and exert control once again.

Control that came in the form of kicking off the ground, deploying her wings to take flight, and forcefully dragging Mistress Do Well along for the ride!

"Put me down this instant!" Mistress Do Well demanded, not liking that she was being taken for a flight.

"That's exactly what I'm gonna do!" Rainbow Dash stated as she stopped her ascent, and proceeded to do a stationary barrel roll, working up a greater and greater rotation speed, before hurling her unwilling passenger skyward at great velocity, and with a great scream coming from her in the process.

Rainbow Dash turned down to face the ground, and extended her right foreleg as the plates on top split apart at the seams to reveal a barrel that ran the full length of the gauntlet, as an arrow tip emerged from the muzzle, with three prongs extended outward. The arrow launched as the prongs flexed, with a long wire connected to the end, and running back into the muzzle of the barrel.

The prongs of the arrow snagged the tsuba of the odachi, latching on tightly as the wire was retracted at lightning speed, the sword falling perfectly into place in Rainbow Dash's right hand as she tightly gripped it while the barrel sank back into the gauntlet, before setting her sights back on Mistress Do Well currently in the process of falling.

She was off like a shot, delivering a deep, slicing cut to Mistress Do Well as she rocketed past her, before adjusting her trajectory to do the same from another angle, and then another still. She was moving at such fast speeds, it started giving the image that there were more than a dozen of her, zooming every which direction, and striking Mistress Do Well with such speed from so many different angles, she was completely devoid of the ability to shield herself against the hundreds of blows raining down upon her.

And just like that, the barrage stopped as Rainbow Dash zoomed above Mistress Do Well's current position, tightly gripping her sword as the blade started giving off a blue glow. Like a shot she was -again- off, rocketing towards her target, her sword pulled back as far as her body would allow.

"FINAL STRIKE!"

Rainbow Dash swung her sword downward, striking Mistress Do Well with the edge as hard as she possibly could. An explosion of blue flames erupted outward from the point of impact, accompanied by a shock wave from the amount of force that had been delivered, sending Mistress Do Well hurtling towards the ground in a trail of smoke, before slamming into the flooring with enough force to crush it underneath her, leaving her laying prone in a smoking crater.

Rainbow Dash panted heavily as she touched down on the ground again, exhausted from all of the physical exertion she'd done in the space of just a few minutes. But at least now it was all over. Nothing could've survived that kind of abuse she'd just dished out. Nothing could...

"Oh come on already!" she yelled out of fury and disbelief as she saw Mistress Do Well in the process of picking herself up off the ground and crawling out of the crater, the snow white fur of the Rarity disguise showing only minor signs of being dirty. "Why aren't you dead yet!?"

"Idiot," Mistress Do Well grunted as she slowly pushed herself back up into a standing position, her gauntlets showing no signs of damage, despite the amount of abuse they'd been subjected to. "You can't kill me. No matter how hard you try and hit me, it won't do any good. Unlike you, I'm not mortal, and thus not prone to mortal limitations. You could chop me into pieces, but those pieces will always reform, and come back for you," she explained, annoyed that the simple fact was being so blatantly ignored. "Your lucid dreaming won't change those facts. I cannot be killed by the likes of you..."

"Then I'm just gonna have to try harder, Misty" Rainbow Dash growled as the barrel on her right gauntlet rose into few again, the grappling hook arrow shooting out the front, and latching onto Mistress Do Well's left gauntlet.

"You disobedient, stupid little foal-" Mistress Do Well started to say. But in the middle of scolding about how such futile gestures would do no good, Rainbow Dash dropped her sword, and took off flying around her, quickly wrapping the wire around her in the process. "Wait, what're you doing!?"

"Gift wrapping!" Rainbow Dash stated as she made a final pass, pulling the wire tight, securing Mistress Do Well's forelegs against her body in the process, before wrapping her forelegs around her, and gripping tightly with her hands. "I'm just the distraction in all of this. The real heavy hitter is on the way now. LUNA!"

At this, Mistress Do Well observed as what served as the sky above them shattered like glass, as a very angry looking night princess came swooping in, headed directly for her. And she watched as, without a word, Luna flipped herself over in midair, to allow herself to bring her right hind leg up high as she came down, before swinging it downward in an axe kick right where she was standing.

The ground beneath them shook and cracked from the force of the impact, sending up dust and debris in every direction that had them coughing and choking. Luna immediately flapped her wings to try and clear the air, and give them a better idea of what their surroundings were.

"Did it work?" Rainbow Dash in between coughing fits. "Did you get her?"

"No..." Luna sighed and hung her head as she sat down, her wings tucking back in at her sides again. "She managed to escape just before I could put an end to her. I am sorry, Rainbow Dash, I was too slow..."

Rainbow Dash wanted to scream, to cry, to yell, to curse out anything in sight, and everything in existence at these words. But she couldn't. Try as she might she couldn't bring herself to unleash a violent flurry of unrestrained fury at this disappointing development. Instead all she could bring herself to do was sigh, and slump her shoulders.

"Why..." she paused as the locking plates of her gauntlets undid themselves, allowing them to drop to the ground. "Why... why can't we stop this thing?" she asked, absentmindedly stepping out of her horseshoes, before her body reverted back to its natural form, as she sat on her haunches and slumped.

"I hit her so hard with everything I could think of, and I only slowed her down. You got involved, and you couldn't even lay a hoof on her. What... what's the point anymore? What good is lucid dreaming, if I'm still so helpless and weak?" she asked absently as she looked down at the ground in defeat.

"Look at me, Rainbow Dash," Luna said softly as she approached, and gently lifted her head up with her hoof. "Even if you do see it in yourself, I see no weakness in you. The fact that you have developed so much, in such a short amount of times, speaks highly of your skills in lucid dreaming. Even if you cannot defeat this entity, you are keeping it at bay, and continually reminding it that you are not to be trifled with. Perhaps you can do nothing but slow it down, but it must still contend with the fact that you actively oppose and resist it. There is something to be said for that."

"I guess," Rainbow Dash replied as she slowly turned her eyes back downward. "I just wish I had something to show for my efforts. Something that said I was actually doing some good, rather than just pissing it off."

"The fact that you are pissing off this entity, shows that your efforts are not for nothing. How many ponies can say that they have punched a non-corporeal entity in the face, and infuriated it in the process?" Luna asked.

At that, Rainbow Dash couldn't suppress the smirk that was trying to creep out over her face. But that didn't stop her from trying. Luna was trying to make her feel better about her own failures, and she knew it. She didn't want to be depressed about everything and just mope, but she still felt like this situation wasn't getting the gravity it deserved.

"For whatever reason, this entity must contend with the fact that you can indeed physically oppose it. This means that its abilities are finite, and it is bound by at least some limitations," Luna pointed out.

"Yeah?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked up, now interested at hearing that. "You think so?"

"Indeed I do," Luna replied and nodded. "If it could simply shrug off whatever you threw at it, it would obviously do so, to show that resistance was futile. Yet it does not, indicating that it cannot. And the fact that it cannot, means that it can eventually be stopped."

At hearing that, Rainbow Dash could no longer hide the smile that was threatening to bust through, wanting to be seen by all. If this thing that wore her friend's faces as a disguise, actually had to deal with her kicking its ass, that meant that it could be beaten. Not beaten like a punching bag, but beaten permanently. And if it could be beaten, that meant she could eventually take her life back.

Now she just needed to figure out a way to translate these developments in the dream world, into real-world achievements. And if there was a way to actually do it, she was certain that she could find it.

Author's Note

Originally I wasn't even going to do this chapter at all. But then I found the song that I used for the fight, and it just sort of inspired things along to what you see now.

When I first started doing this chapter, I considered a very different route. It was going to consist of Luna training Rainbow Dash in the art of lucid dreaming, before them being interrupted by Spike sending Rainbow Dash a care package that contained Equestria's equivalent of "Avengers" comics. But that would've been a long set up of adapting the story of Ironman to fit Equestria, being titled "The Invincible Ironhorse" and such, all so Rainbow Dash could dream that she had the Ironhorse armor for fighting her nightmare torturer.

Maybe some day I'll write this out. Maybe I'll let someone else write it for possible inclusion. Either way, I hope you enjoyed reading about Rainbow Dash asserting herself, and kicking ass.